Post by Dianne on Aug 27, 2008 5:10:48 GMT -5
Source: Gerard Butler GALS
August 21, 2008
About the Cast
GERARD BUTLER (One Two) has distinguished himself as a leading man on the stage and screen. Butler starred as the Spartan King Leonidas in Zack Snyder's blockbuster actioner "300," which broke box office records in its opening weekend on its way to earning more than $450 million worldwide. He more recently starred in the romantic drama "P.S. I Love You," opposite Hilary Swank, and in the fantasy adventure "Nim's Island," with Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin. Butler also stars in a wide range of upcoming projects, including the romantic comedy "The Ugly Truth," in which he stars opposite Katherine Heigl under the direction of Robert Luketic, and the thriller "Game," directed by Neveldine and Taylor.
Born in Scotland, Butler made his stage debut at the age of 12 in the musical "Oliver!" at Glasgow's famous Kings Theatre. As a young man, his dreams of acting were temporarily deterred and he went on to study law for seven years before returning to the stage in London. In 1996, he landed the lead role in the acclaimed stage production of "Trainspotting." He later starred on the London stage in such plays as "Snatch" and the Donmar Warehouse production of Tennessee Williams' "Suddenly Last Summer," opposite Rachel Weisz.
In 1997, Butler made his feature film debut in John Madden's award-winning drama "Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown," starring Judi Dench. His early film work also includes "Fast Food," "One More Kiss," the 1999 screen adaptation of Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard," and "Harrison's Flowers."
In 2004, Butler won the coveted title role in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera." He also earned critical acclaim for his work opposite Emily Mortimer in the independent feature "Dear Frankie," which screened at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Butler's other film credits include "Beowulf & Grendel," "The Game of Their Lives," "Timeline," "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" and "Reign of Fire."
TOM WILKINSON (Lenny Cole) is an award-winning actor of stage and screen. Wilkinson earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Tony Gilroy's 2007 drama "Michael Clayton," opposite George Clooney. His work in that film also brought him Golden Globe, BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations, in addition to a London Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Wilkinson previously received a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his performance in Todd Field's drama "In the Bedroom," opposite Sissy Spacek. He also gained a BAFTA Award nomination, and won an Independent Spirit Award, a Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize and a New York Film Critics Circle Award for his role. Prior to that, Wilkinson won a BAFTA for his role in 1997's international box office sensation "The Full Monty," and garnered another BAFTA nomination the following year for his performance in the Oscar-winning Best Picture "Shakespeare in Love."
Also honored for his work on the small screen, Wilkinson most recently received dual Emmy nominations: for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for the role of James Baker in HBO's movie "Recount," and for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his portrayal of Benjamin Franklin in the epic HBO miniseries "John Adams." He had earlier garnered Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for his courageous performance in HBO's 2003 film "Normal," opposite Jessica Lange, and BAFTA TV Award nominations for his roles in the British telefilm "Cold Enough for Snow" and the award-winning BBC miniseries "Martin Chuzzlewit."
Wilkinson's upcoming film work includes Bryan Singer's World War II-era drama "Valkyrie," with Tom Cruise; the drama "Duplicity," with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen under the direction of Tony Gilroy; and Malcolm Venville's "44-Inch Chest," with Ian McShane and John Hurt. His additional film credits include "Dedication," with Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore; Woody Allen's "Cassandra's Dream," with Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor; Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins"; "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," with Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey; "The Last Kiss," starring Zach Braff; "Stage Beauty," with Billy Crudup; "Wilde"; "The Governess," opposite Minnie Driver; Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility"; "Smilla's Sense of Snow"; Gillian Armstrong's "Oscar and Lucinda"; "Ride with the Devil"; "The Importance of Being Earnest"; "Girl with a Pearl Earring," starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth; Roland Emmerich's "The Patriot"; "A Good Woman"; "Ripley Under Ground"; "The Exorcism of Emily Rose"; and "Separate Lies," with Emily Watson and Rupert Everett. His other notable television credits include such longform projects as the HBO movie "The Gathering Storm" and the BBC telefilm "Measure for Measure," to name only a few.
An accomplished stage actor, Wilkinson has played the role of John Proctor in "The Crucible" at the Royal National Theatre; the title role in "King Lear" at the Royal Court; the role of Dr. Stockmann in the award-winning West End production of "Enemy of the People," with Vanessa Redgrave; a London Critics Circle Award-winning performance in "Ghosts"; and David Hare's production of "My Zinc Bed," with Julia Ormond.
THANDIE NEWTON (Stella) next stars in Oliver Stone's political biopic "W," in which she portrays Condoleezza Rice. She is currently filming the epic drama "2012," under the direction of Roland Emmerich. Newton previously won a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the Oscar-winning Best Picture "Crash." In addition, she shared in a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics Choice Award for Outstanding Cast Performance as part of the film's all-star ensemble cast. Newton more recently earned praise for her work in Gabriele Muccino's critically acclaimed box office hit "The Pursuit of Happyness," in which she played the estranged wife of Chris Gardner, portrayed by Will Smith.
At age 16, while studying modern dance at the Arts Educational School, she won the lead role in the critically acclaimed 1990 coming-of-age film "Flirting," playing a Ugandan girl isolated in an Australian ladies academy who begins a romance with a teenage boy from a neighboring boarding school. After completing the film, Newton returned to England to continue her education, earning a B.A. with honors in anthropology at Cambridge University.
While pursuing her degree, Newton continued to act in feature films, working with several acclaimed directors. Her early credits included Neil Jordan's "Interview with the Vampire," starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt; James Ivory's biopic "Jefferson in Paris," in which she played Sally Hemings; Vondie Curtis Hall's comedy-drama "Gridlock'd," with Tupac Shakur and Tim Roth; and Bernardo Bertolucci's "Besieged."
In 1998, Newton received critical praise for her performance in the title role of Jonathan Demme's "Beloved," the film adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel, produced by and starring Oprah Winfrey. She later reunited with Demme to star opposite Mark Wahlberg in the 2002 contemporary romantic thriller "The Truth About Charlie," inspired by the 1963 classic "Charade." Newton's additional film credits include John Woo's action hit "Mission: Impossible II," opposite Tom Cruise, and the indie comedy "Run, Fat Boy, Run," directed by David Schwimmer. On television, Newton had a recurring role on NBC's hit drama "ER," playing Noah Wyle's love interest, an African aid worker named Kem. The role marked Newton's American television debut.
Earlier this year, Newton visited Mali to bring attention to the work of international relief and development charity World Vision and their collaboration with Volvic. The program will provide over six billion litres of clean water to hundreds of thousands of people living in Africa. There, she met with people directly benefiting from the campaign and personally witnessed the difference a well can make in a community.
MARK STRONG (Archy) next stars in the sci-fi actioner "Babylon A.D." He also stars in two films that will screen at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival: in addition to "RocknRolla," he stars in "Good," set in Germany during the rise of the Nazi party. Among his other upcoming films are Ridley Scott's dramatic thriller "Body of Lies," with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe; "The Young Victoria," opposite Emily Blunt; and Pete Travis' Apartheid drama, "Endgame." His previous film credits include "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day"; Matthew Vaughn's fantasy feature "Stardust"; Danny Boyle's sci-fi thriller "Sunshine"; "Scenes of a Sexual Nature"; Kevin Reynolds' "Tristan & Isolde"; Stephen Gaghan's "Syriana"; Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist"; Guy Ritchie's "Revolver"; "It's All About Love"; "Heartlands"; the British film "Fever Pitch"; and "Captives."
Born in London, Strong first pursued a law degree in Germany before returning home to study English and Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London. He then attended the Bristol Old Vic, which led to an eight-year apprenticeship on the English stage. Dividing his early years between the theatre and TV, his first big break came when he won the role of Tosker Cox in the 1994 BBC2 miniseries "Our Friends in the North." Strong has since become a familiar face on British television, earning a BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in the 2004 BBC2 telefilm "The Long Firm." He also appeared as then-Inspector Larry Hall in ITV's "Prime Suspect 3" in 1993 and, ten years later, reprised the role of Detective Chief Superintendent Larry Hall in "Prime Suspect 6." His many additional television credits include "Sharpe's Mission"; ITV's presentation of Jane Austen's "Emma"; the BBC telefilms "Trust" and "Fields of Gold"; Channel 4's "Falling Apart"; the PBS miniseries "Anna Karenina"; "Low Winter Sun"; and the Pete Travis-directed projects "The Jury" and "Henry VII."
An accomplished stage actor, Strong has appeared in London's West End in such plays as Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman"; the debut of Patrick Marber's "Closer"; Kevin Spacey's production of Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh"; David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow"; and the Sam Mendes-directed productions of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" and Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," earning an Olivier nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the latter. His stage work also includes "The Treatment" and "The Thickness of Skin" at the Royal Court Theatre; the Royal National Theatre productions of "Richard III," "King Lear," "Napoli Millionara," "Fuente Ovejuna," "Murmuring Judges," and "Johnny on the Spot"; as well as numerous repertory theatre productions.
IDRIS ELBA (Mumbles) is perhaps best known for his role as the calculating de facto leader of a Baltimore drug empire in HBO's critically acclaimed original series "The Wire." In 2005, he received an Image Award nomination for his work on the show. Also for HBO, Elba starred in the movie "Sometimes in April," directed by Raoul Peck. Elba earned another Image Award nomination for his performance as a Hutu soldier who tries to save his Tutsi wife and family during the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
Elba's recent feature film credits include Ridley Scott's "American Gangster," with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe; the hit horror thriller "28 Weeks Later..."; Stephen Hopkins' "The Reaping," with Hilary Swank; and the independent feature "Daddy's Little Girls," opposite Gabrielle Union under the direction of Tyler Perry; the holiday comedy "This Christmas"; and "Prom Night," a re-make of the 1980 horror classic. His other film credits include "The Gospel," for director Rob Hardy; "Buffalo Soldiers," with Joaquin Phoenix and Ed Harris; and "Beautiful Mother," with Catherine Deneuve.
He has recently completed production on Jada Pinkett Smith's directorial debut "The Human Contract" and the thriller "Obsessed," opposite Beyonce Knowles. On television, Elba has guest starred on such series as "Law & Order" and "CSI: Miami," and starred in the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries "Ultraviolet." In his native England, he starred in the Channel 4 telefilm "All in the Game," and earlier guest starred on a number of series, including the BBC's "Silent Witness" and "Dangerfield." Elba has also worked on the stage, including leading roles in several plays produced in London's theatre scene. In New York he starred in Sir Peter Hall's off- Broadway production of "Troilus and Cressida," receiving rave reviews for his portrayal of Achilles.
TOM HARDY (Handsome Bob) has been seen in a wide range of projects for film, television and the stage. His recent credits include "The Inheritance," Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette," and the acclaimed crime thriller "Layer Cake," starring Daniel Craig. He will next be seen in Mimi Leder's "The Code," with Morgan Freeman and Antonio Bandera, and he also stars in the title role of the Charles Bronson biopic "Bronson," being directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.
Hardy's career began when he was plucked straight from the Drama Centre, London, for a role in the award-winning HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," executive produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. He went on to roles in the features "Black Hawk Down," directed by Ridley Scott; the "Star Trek" feature "Star Trek: Nemesis," in which he played the lead villain, Praetor Shinzon; Paul McGuigan's "The Reckoning," alongside Willem Dafoe and Paul Bettany; and "Dot the I," by first time writer-director Matthew Parkhill.
On television, Hardy recently earned a BAFTA TV nomination for Best Actor for his performance in the HBO movie "Stuart: A Life Backwards." He is currently at work on the ITV production of "Wuthering Heights," in which he stars as Heathcliff. His television credits also include the telefilms "Oliver Twist," "A for Andromeda," "Sweeney Todd," "Gideon's Daughter," and "Colditz," as well as the BBC miniseries "The Virgin Queen," in which he starred as Robert Dudley.
Hardy has also starred in numerous plays in London's West End, including "Blood" and "In Arabia We'd All Be Kings," two productions for which he won the Outstanding Newcomer Award at the 2003 Evening Standard Theatre Awards. For the latter play, he was also nominated for a 2004 Olivier Award. In 2005, Hardy collaborated with Robert Delamere on Brett C. Leonard's "Roger and Vanessa" at the Latchmere. He currently runs (with Delamere) a theatre workshop/gym called Shotgun at London's Theatre 503, which is currently two productions into its career.
TOBY KEBBELL (Johnny) recently starred in "Control," the dramatic biopic about Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, which premiered in the Director's Fortnight at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. For his portrayal of manager Rob Gretton, Kebbell won a British Independent Film Award (BIFA) for Best Supporting Actor and earned a nomination for a London Film Critics Circle Award. His previous film credits include Woody Allen's "Match Point," Oliver Stone's "Alexander," and Shane Meadows' "Dead Man's Shoes," for which he received a BIFA nomination for Most Promising Newcomer.
On British television, Kebbell was recently seen in the miniseries "The Commander – Windows of the Soul" and an episode of the BAFTA Award-winning BBC series "The Street." He includes among his other credits the "Macbeth" segment of the series "ShakespeaRe-Told." Hailing from England, Kebbell has also performed on the London stage, most recently appearing in "Enemies" at the Almeida, under the direction of Michael Attenborough, and "Journey's End" at the Playhouse Theatre, directed by David Grindley. His earlier theatre work includes productions of the plays "Beautiful Thing," "United States" and "Romeo and Juliet."
JEREMY PIVEN (Roman) has recently received acting honors for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the slick, fast-talking super agent Ari Gold in the smash hit HBO original series "Entourage." For his work on the show, Piven won back-to-back Emmy Awards in 2006 and 2007 and just earned his fourth consecutive Emmy nomination. He has also garnered four consecutive Golden Globe nominations, taking home the award for Best Supporting Actor earlier this year. In addition, Piven has been honored by his peers with four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, earning two for his individual performance on "Entourage," and two more as part of the series' ensemble cast.
Piven will next be seen starring in the feature film comedy "The Goods." He will also make his Broadway debut this fall in a revival of the David Mamet play "Speed-the-Plow." Piven was most recently seen on the big screen in director Peter Berg's political drama "The Kingdom," with Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner, and in Joe Carnahan's "Smokin' Aces," in which he starred opposite Andy Garcia and Ray Liotta.
Prior to "Entourage," Piven was already well known to audiences with roles in a wide range of film and television projects. He has been seen in more than 40 feature films, including Gary Fleder's "Runaway Jury"; Todd Phillips' hit comedy "Old School"; Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down"; Peter Chelsom's "Serendipity"; Brett Ratner's "Rush Hour 2" and "The Family Man"; Peter Berg's "Very Bad Things"; Cameron Crowe's "Singles"; and "The Player," for director Robert Altman. On television, Piven was a series regular on "Cupid" and "Ellen" and appeared numerous times on "The Larry Sanders Show." His credits also include the telefilm "Don King: Only in America."
Piven was born and raised in Chicago, where his parents founded the Piven Theatre Workshop. His father, Byrne, taught the likes of John and Joan Cusack, Rosanna Arquette and Aidan Quinn. Piven is still very active with this theatre and returns to Chicago frequently to help keep his father's dream alive. In 2004, Piven returned to his theater acting roots when he starred alongside Keri Russell and Andrew McCarthy in the off-Broadway hit "Fat Pig," by Neil LaBute. For his role, Piven received a Drama League Award nomination for Distinguished Performance.
CHRIS 'LUDACRIS' BRIDGES (Mickey) earned the acclaim of both critics and audiences for his performance in the Oscar-winning Best Picture "Crash," also sharing in both Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Critics' Choice Awards as part of the ensemble cast. In the following year, he co-starred in the breakout hit "Hustle & Flow" and shared a SAG Award nomination with the cast, for Best Ensemble. Bridges made his feature film acting debut in 2003 with the actioner "2 Fast 2 Furious." Bridges' upcoming films include the action thriller "Max Payne," with Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, and the sci-fi thriller "Game," which reunites him with Gerard Butler.
On television, Bridges guest-starred in a special two-part episode of NBC's hit drama series "Law & Order: SVU." The critically acclaimed episode drew rave reviews and such a huge audience that his character was brought back the following season for the season finale episode. In addition, Bridges is a Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum recording artist and one of the most recognized names in popular music today. His music has been featured in several movie and television soundtracks, including "ATL," "The Longest Yard," "Hitch," "Taxi," "Shark Tale," "You Got Served," "Hollywood Homicide," "2 Fast 2 Furious," "Cradle 2 the Grave," "Rush Hour 2," "The Fast and the Furious," "The Wire," and "One Tree Hill."
As an entrepreneur and philanthropist, Bridges is CEO of Disturbing Tha Peace Records, a label that is home to some of the top-selling artists in R&B and Hip Hop, and is founder of The Ludacris Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to connecting with young people and helping them build economic development within their local areas while strategically building alliances with nationally recognized charitable organizations (such as his work with National Teenage Runaway Switchboard and The Motion Picture & Television Fund).
About the Filmmakers
GUY RITCHIE (Director/Screenwriter/Producer) is next set to direct a new bigscreen adaptation of "Sherlock Holmes," starring Robert Downey Jr. as the famed detective. Ritchie was born in London, UK in 1968. He started in the UK film industry in 1993 as a runner on Wardour Street. Ritchie eventually moved on to make music videos and commercials before writing and directing a short film, "The Hard Case," in 1995. In 1996, Ritchie wrote and directed his first feature film, "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels," which became one of the UK's biggest box office hits. The London Film Critics Circle named Ritchie the British Screenwriter of the Year for the film, which also received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best British Film. The film went on to spawn a series of British gangster flicks and helped launch the Hollywood careers of several British actors, including Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones and Jason Flemyng.
The 2000 hit "Snatch," written and directed by Ritchie, was his second gangster film starring an original cast of Hollywood names, including Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro and Dennis Farina. Another box office success, "Snatch" also brought Ritchie an Empire Award for Best British Director, firmly establishing him as a new visionary in the film industry. Following "Snatch," Ritchie co-wrote and directed "Swept Away," a remake of the 1974 Italian classic "Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto," starring Madonna and Adrianno Giannini. The film was released in the US in October 2002 and worldwide in April 2003. Prior to "Swept Away," Ritchie had also directed Madonna in "Star," a short film promo for BMW and the video for her single "What It Feels Like for a Girl."
Ritchie's "Revolver," which premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, took the audience on a philosophical trip through the mind of a dying man. Although not well received by critics, the film has found a cult audience. In 2008, Ritchie struck a deal with Nike to direct a short film promo entitled "Take It to the Next Level," which follows the rise and fame of an up-and-coming footballer. Featuring the industry's best players, the promo went on to be awarded a Golden Lion at Cannes.
Ritchie has written several other projects currently in development, including an untitled animated film and the epic "The Siege of Malta." He has also created a comic book series with Virgin Comics, "Gamekeeper," which has been optioned by Silver Pictures and Warner Bros. to be made into a feature film. Further collaborations with Silver include "Sgt. Rock," based on the DC Comic, in development for 2010.
JOEL SILVER (Producer), one of the most prolific and successful producers in the history of motion pictures, has produced over 50 films, including the groundbreaking "The Matrix" trilogy, the blockbuster four-part "Lethal Weapon" franchise, and the seminal action films "Die Hard" and "Predator." To date, Silver's catalog of films have earned more than $10 billion in worldwide revenue from all sources.
Silver recently structured a deal for his Dark Castle Entertainment production company, which gives him green-lighting power and creative control of all films produced under the banner. Upcoming Dark Castle films include "Whiteout," a thriller directed by Dominic Sena and starring Kate Beckinsale; the horror film "The Factory," starring John Cusack; the horror thriller "Orphan"; James McTeigue's actioner "Ninja Assassin," which Silver is producing with the Wachowski brothers; and "Sherlock Holmes," to be directed by Guy Ritchie.
Formed by Silver and Robert Zemeckis, in the spirit of the late horror impresario William Castle, Dark Castle previously produced a string of hit films beginning with the record-breaking 1999 release of "House on Haunted Hill," followed by "Thir13en Ghosts" in 2001, "Ghost Ship" in 2002, "Gothika" in 2003 and "House of Wax" in 2005. In 2007, Dark Castle released "The Reaping," starring Hilary Swank. Under his Silver Pictures banner, Silver recently produced "Speed Racer," written and directed by the Wachowski brothers; the holiday comedy "Fred Claus," starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti; and the psychological thriller "The Brave One," starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard under the direction of Neil Jordan.
Silver's 1999 production "The Matrix" grossed over $456 million globally, earning more than any other Warner Bros. Pictures film in the studio's history at the time of its release. Universally acclaimed for its innovative storytelling and visuals, "The Matrix" won four Academy Awards, including Best Visual Effects. The first DVD release to sell one million units, "The Matrix" DVD was instrumental in powering the initial sale of consumer DVD machines. The second installment of the epic "Matrix" trilogy, "The Matrix Reloaded," earned over $739 million at the worldwide box office, making it the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. The opening weekend box office receipts for "The Matrix Revolutions," the final explosive chapter in the trilogy, totaled a staggering $203 million worldwide. To date, "The Matrix" franchise has grossed $3 billion from all sources worldwide.
While overseeing production on "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions," Silver produced the integral video game "Enter the Matrix," which features one hour of additional film footage written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and starring Jada Pinkett Smith and Anthony Wong, who reprised their roles from the films. He also executive produced "The Animatrix," a groundbreaking collection of nine short anime films inspired by the visionary action and storytelling that power "The Matrix."
Silver later produced the action thriller "V For Vendetta," starring Natalie Portman, and the action comedy thriller "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," written and directed by "Lethal Weapon" screenwriter Shane Black and starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan. He also produced the hit films "Romeo Must Die," starring Jet Li and Aaliyah; "Exit Wounds," starring Steven Seagal and DMX; and "Swordfish," starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry. A successful television producer as well, Silver recently executive produced the CBS series "Moonlight," a romantic thriller with a twist on the vampire legend, which won the People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama in its debut year. He previously executive produced the critically acclaimed UPN television series "Veronica Mars," starring Kristen Bell. Silver also executive produced, with Richard Donner, David Giler, Walter Hill and Robert Zemeckis, eight seasons of the award-winning HBO series "Tales From the Crypt," as well as two "Tales From the Crypt" films.
Silver began his career at Lawrence Gordon Productions, where he ultimately ascended to President of Motion Pictures. During his tenure, he also served as associate producer on "The Warriors" and, with Gordon, produced "48 HRS.," "Streets of Fire" and "Brewster's Millions." In 1985, Silver launched his Silver Pictures production banner with the breakout hit "Commando," followed by "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Predator." Silver Pictures solidified its status as one of the industry's leading production companies with the release of the "Lethal Weapon" series and the action blockbusters "Die Hard" and "Die Hard 2: Die Harder." Silver also went on to produce "The Last Boy Scout," "Demolition Man," "Richie Rich," "Executive Decision" and "Conspiracy Theory."
Long before starting his producing career, as a student at Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, in 1967, Silver and a group of his friends developed a game called Ultimate Frisbee. The fast-moving team sport has since become a global phenomenon supported by tournaments in 50 countries.
SUSAN DOWNEY (Producer) is Co-President of Dark Castle Entertainment, where she oversees both the creative and production divisions of the company. Dark Castle recently structured a deal to broaden the company into a full genre label with its own financing and green-lighting ability. Under the Dark Castle banner, Downey recently produced several upcoming features, including the horror thriller "The Orphan," starring Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard; the psychological thriller "The Factory," starring John Cusack; and Dominic Sena's "Whiteout," starring Kate Beckinsale and Gabriel Macht.
Downey is also Executive Vice President of Production at Silver Pictures, where she is currently producing the feature "Sherlock Holmes," to star Robert Downey Jr. under the direction of Guy Ritchie. She also recently produced the psychological thriller "The Brave One," directed by Neil Jordan and starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard. In addition, Downey is developing a diverse slate of films for the company, including "Time and Again," based on the book by Jack Finney; and "Wonder Woman" and "Sgt. Rock," both based on DC comics.
Downey joined Silver Pictures in 1999 as Vice President of Production, and oversaw the development and production of such films as "Thir13en Ghosts" and "Swordfish." She went on to become a co-producer on "Ghost Ship" and "Cradle 2 the Grave," a producer on "Gothika," "House of Wax" and "The Reaping," and an executive producer on "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang." Prior to her tenure at Dark Castle and Silver Pictures, Downey worked on the hit films "Mortal Kombat" and "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation." Downey is a graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television.
STEVE CLARK-HALL (Producer) counts "RocknRolla" as his second collaboration with Guy Ritchie, having previously served as a producer on the director's "Revolver." Clark-Hall began his career at the BBC, leaving in 1972 to set up his own production company, Skyline Films. One of the early suppliers of programming to Channel 4 television, Skyline produced over 300 hours of television programs before moving into feature film production in the early 1990s. Clark-Hall more recently produced the films "Separate Lies," directed by Julian Fellowes and starring Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson and Rupert Everett; Kenneth Branagh's "The Magic Flute"; "Love and Other Disasters," starring Orlando Bloom, Gwyneth Paltrow and Brittany Murphy; and "Body Armour," starring Chazz Palminteri.
In addition, Clark-Hall produced the Channel 4 telefilm "Britz," directed by Peter Kosminsky, which won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Drama. Clark-Hall also co-produced "Man to Man," starring Joseph Fiennes and Kirstin Scott Thomas; and the true story "Calendar Girls," starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters. His additional film producing credits include "Saving Grace," starring Brenda Blethyn; William Boyd's "The Trench," starring Daniel Craig; "Still Crazy," starring Stephen Rea and Bill Nighy, which earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture – Comedy or Musical; Alan Rickman's "The Winter Guest," starring Emma Thompson; "Love and Death on Long Island," starring John Hurt; Gillies Mackinnon's "Small Faces"; and Derek Jarman's "Edward II."
STEVE RICHARDS (Executive Producer) is Co-President of Dark Castle Entertainment, and is in his fourteenth year working with producer Joel Silver. He was instrumental in developing the business plan for Dark Castle and in forging the financial partnership with CIT Group Inc., which will finance the production of 15 films over the next five years. Richards has served as executive producer on all of the films under the Dark Castle banner, including "The Reaping," "Thir13en Ghosts," "Ghost Ship," "Gothika" and "House of Wax."
During the formation of Dark Castle in 1999, Richards organized the foreign financing and distribution of the shingle's first film, the remake of William Castle's "House on Haunted Hill." In 1995, Richards joined Silver Pictures and is currently Chief Operating Officer of the company. He counts among his film credits with Silver Pictures "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," "The Matrix Reloaded," "The Animatrix," and two installments of the "Dungeons & Dragons" fantasy game film adaptations. Additionally, upon joining Silver Pictures, Richards aided in the launch of Decade Pictures and served as executive producer on "Made Men" and as associate producer on "Double Tap." Richards began his career as a production executive for Tony and Ridley Scott's production company, Scott Free.
NAVID MCILHARGEY (Executive Producer) is Vice President of Development at Silver Pictures, where he oversees a diverse slate of upcoming films, including "Masters of the Universe," "Hot Wheels," "Logan's Run," "Empire," "Time and Again," based on the Jack Finney novel, and "Lobo," based on the DC comic, among many others. "RocknRolla" came about while McIlhargey was developing a remake of "The Dirty Dozen" with Guy Ritchie for Silver Pictures. In addition, McIlhargey is developing the feature "Gamekeeper" with Ritchie, based on the Virgin Comic title. McIlhargey joined Silver Pictures in 2004. He had previously worked at Revolution Studios, where he was involved in the production of such films as "Peter Pan" and "White Chicks." McIlhargey received his undergraduate degree from Miami University (Ohio) and his MFA from Columbia College in Chicago. He currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Graduate School of UCLA's Department of Film and Television.
DAVID HIGGS (Director of Photography) received a BAFTA TV Award nomination for his work on the BBC miniseries "Cambridge Spies." He has collaborated with director Peter Kosminsky on several projects, including "The Government Inspector," which won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama, and the Channel 4 political thriller "Britz," named Best Drama Serial at the BAFTA TV Awards. He has twice been nominated for a Royal Television Society Award: for his work on the telefilm "The Russian Bride," directed by Nick Renton, and the miniseries "Nature Boy," directed by Joe Wright. Higgs served as cinematographer for the short film "The Stronger," a 2008 BAFTA nominee for Best Short Film, which was named Best Digital Short and one of five films short-listed for Best Cinematography at last year's Raindance Film Festival. He once again collaborated with director Guy Ritchie as cinematographer of the recent $6 million Nike ad campaign "Take It to the Next Level," which was shot on location in Barcelona and featured some of the world's premiere soccer players. Higgs is currently shooting "The Red Riding Trilogy: Nineteen Eighty-Three" for director Anand Tucker.
RICHARD BRIDGLAND (Production Designer) previously served as the production designer on such films as "The Acid House," "Gangster No. 1" and "Wicker Park," all directed by Paul McGuigan; Rose Troche's "Bedrooms and Hallways"; "Resident Evil," starring Milla Jovovich, and "AVP: Alien vs. Predator," both written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson; "The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse," based on the British TV series; and the telefilm "Tsunami," starring Tim Roth and Toni Collette. He most recently worked on "Pandoram," produced by Paul W.S. Anderson. Bridgland began his career designing extensively for theatre. He worked on such productions as "Trance" by the Cholmondeleys; Danny Boyle's production of "The Pretenders RSC" at The Pit; and "The Magic Flute" for the Los Angeles Opera and Houston Opera.
JAMES HERBERT (Editor) has previously collaborated with director Guy Ritchie on a variety of projects, including the feature "Revolver," the documentary "The Ego Has Landed" and the ABC television pilot "Suspects." Herbert's upcoming projects include the comedy thriller "Lesbian Vampire Killers," the mystery "The Gift" and the remake of the 1974 cult classic horror film "It's Alive." He previously served as editor on the thriller "Devil's Harvest," the comedy "Dirty Sanchez: The Movie" and Paul Verhoeven's internationally acclaimed WWII drama "Black Book." As assistant editor, Herbert's credits include "Sahara," starring Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz; Wolfgang Petersen's "Troy," starring Brad Pitt; "Peter Pan," directed by P.J. Hogan; Jan de Bont's "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life," starring Angelina Jolie; the James Bond film "Die Another Day"; and Tony Scott's "Spy Game," starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt.
SUZIE HARMAN (Costume Designer) began her career as a graphic designer and illustrator, after which she segued to fashion couture, specializing in gowns. From there she ventured into film via art house and experimental projects, and was soon designing for independent feature films. Harman's feature credits include the Jonathan English films "Minotaur" and "Nailing Vienna"; Michael Hurst's comedy "The Baby Juice Express"; "Cloud Cuckoo Land," starring Derek Jacobi; the romantic comedy "Inbetweeners"; "A Loving Father," starring Gérard Depardieu; "Married/Unmarried"; and the thriller "Trinity." Harman most recently served as costume designer on writer-director Gerard Johnson's drama "Tony," due for release later this year. As assistant costume designer, her credits include last year's worldwide hit "The Bourne Ultimatum," directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Matt Damon; Kenneth Branagh's "The Magic Flute"; the romantic comedy "Love and Other Disasters," with Brittany Murphy and Matthew Rhys; writer-director Martha Fiennes' ensemble drama "Chromophobia"; and the thriller "Tempesta," directed by Paul Tickell.
STEVE ISLES (Composer) has composed scores for several award-winning projects, including "The Stronger," a short film adaptation of the August Strindberg play, which won the Best Short Film prize at the 2007 Raindance Film Festival and was nominated for a BAFTA Award; and the "Cutting Edge" Channel 4 documentary "The Dangerous School for Boys," which won a Royal Television Society Award for Best Documentary. He also wrote additional music for "Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten," directed by Julien Temple, which was named Best Documentary at the British Independent Film Awards and was a Grand Jury Prize nominee at the Sundance Film Festival. His additional feature credits include the dramas "Backwaters" and "Cargo," as well as the comedy "Nina's Heavenly Delights." For British television, Isles has composed extensively for series, including "Revealed," "Echo Beach" and "Coming Up," as well as the theme music for "The Chase." In addition to his career as a composer, Isles is a classically trained pianist and violinist who has played in various groups, from classical to rock and pop. He currently writes songs under the production name Elcho, and has released commercial projects on Nettwerk Records, EMI, Café Del Mar, BMG and Universal.
August 21, 2008
About the Cast
GERARD BUTLER (One Two) has distinguished himself as a leading man on the stage and screen. Butler starred as the Spartan King Leonidas in Zack Snyder's blockbuster actioner "300," which broke box office records in its opening weekend on its way to earning more than $450 million worldwide. He more recently starred in the romantic drama "P.S. I Love You," opposite Hilary Swank, and in the fantasy adventure "Nim's Island," with Jodie Foster and Abigail Breslin. Butler also stars in a wide range of upcoming projects, including the romantic comedy "The Ugly Truth," in which he stars opposite Katherine Heigl under the direction of Robert Luketic, and the thriller "Game," directed by Neveldine and Taylor.
Born in Scotland, Butler made his stage debut at the age of 12 in the musical "Oliver!" at Glasgow's famous Kings Theatre. As a young man, his dreams of acting were temporarily deterred and he went on to study law for seven years before returning to the stage in London. In 1996, he landed the lead role in the acclaimed stage production of "Trainspotting." He later starred on the London stage in such plays as "Snatch" and the Donmar Warehouse production of Tennessee Williams' "Suddenly Last Summer," opposite Rachel Weisz.
In 1997, Butler made his feature film debut in John Madden's award-winning drama "Her Majesty, Mrs. Brown," starring Judi Dench. His early film work also includes "Fast Food," "One More Kiss," the 1999 screen adaptation of Chekhov's "The Cherry Orchard," and "Harrison's Flowers."
In 2004, Butler won the coveted title role in the film version of Andrew Lloyd Webber's "The Phantom of the Opera." He also earned critical acclaim for his work opposite Emily Mortimer in the independent feature "Dear Frankie," which screened at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. Butler's other film credits include "Beowulf & Grendel," "The Game of Their Lives," "Timeline," "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life" and "Reign of Fire."
TOM WILKINSON (Lenny Cole) is an award-winning actor of stage and screen. Wilkinson earned an Academy Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in Tony Gilroy's 2007 drama "Michael Clayton," opposite George Clooney. His work in that film also brought him Golden Globe, BAFTA Award and Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Award nominations, in addition to a London Critics Circle Award for Best Supporting Actor.
Wilkinson previously received a Best Actor Academy Award nomination for his performance in Todd Field's drama "In the Bedroom," opposite Sissy Spacek. He also gained a BAFTA Award nomination, and won an Independent Spirit Award, a Sundance Film Festival Special Jury Prize and a New York Film Critics Circle Award for his role. Prior to that, Wilkinson won a BAFTA for his role in 1997's international box office sensation "The Full Monty," and garnered another BAFTA nomination the following year for his performance in the Oscar-winning Best Picture "Shakespeare in Love."
Also honored for his work on the small screen, Wilkinson most recently received dual Emmy nominations: for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for the role of James Baker in HBO's movie "Recount," and for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Miniseries or a Movie for his portrayal of Benjamin Franklin in the epic HBO miniseries "John Adams." He had earlier garnered Emmy and Golden Globe Award nominations for his courageous performance in HBO's 2003 film "Normal," opposite Jessica Lange, and BAFTA TV Award nominations for his roles in the British telefilm "Cold Enough for Snow" and the award-winning BBC miniseries "Martin Chuzzlewit."
Wilkinson's upcoming film work includes Bryan Singer's World War II-era drama "Valkyrie," with Tom Cruise; the drama "Duplicity," with Julia Roberts and Clive Owen under the direction of Tony Gilroy; and Malcolm Venville's "44-Inch Chest," with Ian McShane and John Hurt. His additional film credits include "Dedication," with Billy Crudup and Mandy Moore; Woody Allen's "Cassandra's Dream," with Colin Farrell and Ewan McGregor; Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins"; "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," with Kate Winslet and Jim Carrey; "The Last Kiss," starring Zach Braff; "Stage Beauty," with Billy Crudup; "Wilde"; "The Governess," opposite Minnie Driver; Ang Lee's "Sense and Sensibility"; "Smilla's Sense of Snow"; Gillian Armstrong's "Oscar and Lucinda"; "Ride with the Devil"; "The Importance of Being Earnest"; "Girl with a Pearl Earring," starring Scarlett Johansson and Colin Firth; Roland Emmerich's "The Patriot"; "A Good Woman"; "Ripley Under Ground"; "The Exorcism of Emily Rose"; and "Separate Lies," with Emily Watson and Rupert Everett. His other notable television credits include such longform projects as the HBO movie "The Gathering Storm" and the BBC telefilm "Measure for Measure," to name only a few.
An accomplished stage actor, Wilkinson has played the role of John Proctor in "The Crucible" at the Royal National Theatre; the title role in "King Lear" at the Royal Court; the role of Dr. Stockmann in the award-winning West End production of "Enemy of the People," with Vanessa Redgrave; a London Critics Circle Award-winning performance in "Ghosts"; and David Hare's production of "My Zinc Bed," with Julia Ormond.
THANDIE NEWTON (Stella) next stars in Oliver Stone's political biopic "W," in which she portrays Condoleezza Rice. She is currently filming the epic drama "2012," under the direction of Roland Emmerich. Newton previously won a BAFTA Award for Best Supporting Actress for her performance in the Oscar-winning Best Picture "Crash." In addition, she shared in a Screen Actors Guild Award and a Critics Choice Award for Outstanding Cast Performance as part of the film's all-star ensemble cast. Newton more recently earned praise for her work in Gabriele Muccino's critically acclaimed box office hit "The Pursuit of Happyness," in which she played the estranged wife of Chris Gardner, portrayed by Will Smith.
At age 16, while studying modern dance at the Arts Educational School, she won the lead role in the critically acclaimed 1990 coming-of-age film "Flirting," playing a Ugandan girl isolated in an Australian ladies academy who begins a romance with a teenage boy from a neighboring boarding school. After completing the film, Newton returned to England to continue her education, earning a B.A. with honors in anthropology at Cambridge University.
While pursuing her degree, Newton continued to act in feature films, working with several acclaimed directors. Her early credits included Neil Jordan's "Interview with the Vampire," starring Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt; James Ivory's biopic "Jefferson in Paris," in which she played Sally Hemings; Vondie Curtis Hall's comedy-drama "Gridlock'd," with Tupac Shakur and Tim Roth; and Bernardo Bertolucci's "Besieged."
In 1998, Newton received critical praise for her performance in the title role of Jonathan Demme's "Beloved," the film adaptation of Toni Morrison's novel, produced by and starring Oprah Winfrey. She later reunited with Demme to star opposite Mark Wahlberg in the 2002 contemporary romantic thriller "The Truth About Charlie," inspired by the 1963 classic "Charade." Newton's additional film credits include John Woo's action hit "Mission: Impossible II," opposite Tom Cruise, and the indie comedy "Run, Fat Boy, Run," directed by David Schwimmer. On television, Newton had a recurring role on NBC's hit drama "ER," playing Noah Wyle's love interest, an African aid worker named Kem. The role marked Newton's American television debut.
Earlier this year, Newton visited Mali to bring attention to the work of international relief and development charity World Vision and their collaboration with Volvic. The program will provide over six billion litres of clean water to hundreds of thousands of people living in Africa. There, she met with people directly benefiting from the campaign and personally witnessed the difference a well can make in a community.
MARK STRONG (Archy) next stars in the sci-fi actioner "Babylon A.D." He also stars in two films that will screen at the 2008 Toronto International Film Festival: in addition to "RocknRolla," he stars in "Good," set in Germany during the rise of the Nazi party. Among his other upcoming films are Ridley Scott's dramatic thriller "Body of Lies," with Leonardo DiCaprio and Russell Crowe; "The Young Victoria," opposite Emily Blunt; and Pete Travis' Apartheid drama, "Endgame." His previous film credits include "Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day"; Matthew Vaughn's fantasy feature "Stardust"; Danny Boyle's sci-fi thriller "Sunshine"; "Scenes of a Sexual Nature"; Kevin Reynolds' "Tristan & Isolde"; Stephen Gaghan's "Syriana"; Roman Polanski's "Oliver Twist"; Guy Ritchie's "Revolver"; "It's All About Love"; "Heartlands"; the British film "Fever Pitch"; and "Captives."
Born in London, Strong first pursued a law degree in Germany before returning home to study English and Drama at Royal Holloway, University of London. He then attended the Bristol Old Vic, which led to an eight-year apprenticeship on the English stage. Dividing his early years between the theatre and TV, his first big break came when he won the role of Tosker Cox in the 1994 BBC2 miniseries "Our Friends in the North." Strong has since become a familiar face on British television, earning a BAFTA TV Award nomination for Best Actor for his role in the 2004 BBC2 telefilm "The Long Firm." He also appeared as then-Inspector Larry Hall in ITV's "Prime Suspect 3" in 1993 and, ten years later, reprised the role of Detective Chief Superintendent Larry Hall in "Prime Suspect 6." His many additional television credits include "Sharpe's Mission"; ITV's presentation of Jane Austen's "Emma"; the BBC telefilms "Trust" and "Fields of Gold"; Channel 4's "Falling Apart"; the PBS miniseries "Anna Karenina"; "Low Winter Sun"; and the Pete Travis-directed projects "The Jury" and "Henry VII."
An accomplished stage actor, Strong has appeared in London's West End in such plays as Arthur Miller's "Death of a Salesman"; the debut of Patrick Marber's "Closer"; Kevin Spacey's production of Eugene O'Neill's "The Iceman Cometh"; David Mamet's "Speed-the-Plow"; and the Sam Mendes-directed productions of Chekhov's "Uncle Vanya" and Shakespeare's "Twelfth Night," earning an Olivier nomination for Best Supporting Actor for his performance in the latter. His stage work also includes "The Treatment" and "The Thickness of Skin" at the Royal Court Theatre; the Royal National Theatre productions of "Richard III," "King Lear," "Napoli Millionara," "Fuente Ovejuna," "Murmuring Judges," and "Johnny on the Spot"; as well as numerous repertory theatre productions.
IDRIS ELBA (Mumbles) is perhaps best known for his role as the calculating de facto leader of a Baltimore drug empire in HBO's critically acclaimed original series "The Wire." In 2005, he received an Image Award nomination for his work on the show. Also for HBO, Elba starred in the movie "Sometimes in April," directed by Raoul Peck. Elba earned another Image Award nomination for his performance as a Hutu soldier who tries to save his Tutsi wife and family during the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
Elba's recent feature film credits include Ridley Scott's "American Gangster," with Denzel Washington and Russell Crowe; the hit horror thriller "28 Weeks Later..."; Stephen Hopkins' "The Reaping," with Hilary Swank; and the independent feature "Daddy's Little Girls," opposite Gabrielle Union under the direction of Tyler Perry; the holiday comedy "This Christmas"; and "Prom Night," a re-make of the 1980 horror classic. His other film credits include "The Gospel," for director Rob Hardy; "Buffalo Soldiers," with Joaquin Phoenix and Ed Harris; and "Beautiful Mother," with Catherine Deneuve.
He has recently completed production on Jada Pinkett Smith's directorial debut "The Human Contract" and the thriller "Obsessed," opposite Beyonce Knowles. On television, Elba has guest starred on such series as "Law & Order" and "CSI: Miami," and starred in the Sci-Fi Channel miniseries "Ultraviolet." In his native England, he starred in the Channel 4 telefilm "All in the Game," and earlier guest starred on a number of series, including the BBC's "Silent Witness" and "Dangerfield." Elba has also worked on the stage, including leading roles in several plays produced in London's theatre scene. In New York he starred in Sir Peter Hall's off- Broadway production of "Troilus and Cressida," receiving rave reviews for his portrayal of Achilles.
TOM HARDY (Handsome Bob) has been seen in a wide range of projects for film, television and the stage. His recent credits include "The Inheritance," Sofia Coppola's "Marie Antoinette," and the acclaimed crime thriller "Layer Cake," starring Daniel Craig. He will next be seen in Mimi Leder's "The Code," with Morgan Freeman and Antonio Bandera, and he also stars in the title role of the Charles Bronson biopic "Bronson," being directed by Nicolas Winding Refn.
Hardy's career began when he was plucked straight from the Drama Centre, London, for a role in the award-winning HBO miniseries "Band of Brothers," executive produced by Tom Hanks and Steven Spielberg. He went on to roles in the features "Black Hawk Down," directed by Ridley Scott; the "Star Trek" feature "Star Trek: Nemesis," in which he played the lead villain, Praetor Shinzon; Paul McGuigan's "The Reckoning," alongside Willem Dafoe and Paul Bettany; and "Dot the I," by first time writer-director Matthew Parkhill.
On television, Hardy recently earned a BAFTA TV nomination for Best Actor for his performance in the HBO movie "Stuart: A Life Backwards." He is currently at work on the ITV production of "Wuthering Heights," in which he stars as Heathcliff. His television credits also include the telefilms "Oliver Twist," "A for Andromeda," "Sweeney Todd," "Gideon's Daughter," and "Colditz," as well as the BBC miniseries "The Virgin Queen," in which he starred as Robert Dudley.
Hardy has also starred in numerous plays in London's West End, including "Blood" and "In Arabia We'd All Be Kings," two productions for which he won the Outstanding Newcomer Award at the 2003 Evening Standard Theatre Awards. For the latter play, he was also nominated for a 2004 Olivier Award. In 2005, Hardy collaborated with Robert Delamere on Brett C. Leonard's "Roger and Vanessa" at the Latchmere. He currently runs (with Delamere) a theatre workshop/gym called Shotgun at London's Theatre 503, which is currently two productions into its career.
TOBY KEBBELL (Johnny) recently starred in "Control," the dramatic biopic about Joy Division singer Ian Curtis, which premiered in the Director's Fortnight at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival. For his portrayal of manager Rob Gretton, Kebbell won a British Independent Film Award (BIFA) for Best Supporting Actor and earned a nomination for a London Film Critics Circle Award. His previous film credits include Woody Allen's "Match Point," Oliver Stone's "Alexander," and Shane Meadows' "Dead Man's Shoes," for which he received a BIFA nomination for Most Promising Newcomer.
On British television, Kebbell was recently seen in the miniseries "The Commander – Windows of the Soul" and an episode of the BAFTA Award-winning BBC series "The Street." He includes among his other credits the "Macbeth" segment of the series "ShakespeaRe-Told." Hailing from England, Kebbell has also performed on the London stage, most recently appearing in "Enemies" at the Almeida, under the direction of Michael Attenborough, and "Journey's End" at the Playhouse Theatre, directed by David Grindley. His earlier theatre work includes productions of the plays "Beautiful Thing," "United States" and "Romeo and Juliet."
JEREMY PIVEN (Roman) has recently received acting honors for his critically acclaimed portrayal of the slick, fast-talking super agent Ari Gold in the smash hit HBO original series "Entourage." For his work on the show, Piven won back-to-back Emmy Awards in 2006 and 2007 and just earned his fourth consecutive Emmy nomination. He has also garnered four consecutive Golden Globe nominations, taking home the award for Best Supporting Actor earlier this year. In addition, Piven has been honored by his peers with four Screen Actors Guild Award nominations, earning two for his individual performance on "Entourage," and two more as part of the series' ensemble cast.
Piven will next be seen starring in the feature film comedy "The Goods." He will also make his Broadway debut this fall in a revival of the David Mamet play "Speed-the-Plow." Piven was most recently seen on the big screen in director Peter Berg's political drama "The Kingdom," with Jamie Foxx and Jennifer Garner, and in Joe Carnahan's "Smokin' Aces," in which he starred opposite Andy Garcia and Ray Liotta.
Prior to "Entourage," Piven was already well known to audiences with roles in a wide range of film and television projects. He has been seen in more than 40 feature films, including Gary Fleder's "Runaway Jury"; Todd Phillips' hit comedy "Old School"; Ridley Scott's "Black Hawk Down"; Peter Chelsom's "Serendipity"; Brett Ratner's "Rush Hour 2" and "The Family Man"; Peter Berg's "Very Bad Things"; Cameron Crowe's "Singles"; and "The Player," for director Robert Altman. On television, Piven was a series regular on "Cupid" and "Ellen" and appeared numerous times on "The Larry Sanders Show." His credits also include the telefilm "Don King: Only in America."
Piven was born and raised in Chicago, where his parents founded the Piven Theatre Workshop. His father, Byrne, taught the likes of John and Joan Cusack, Rosanna Arquette and Aidan Quinn. Piven is still very active with this theatre and returns to Chicago frequently to help keep his father's dream alive. In 2004, Piven returned to his theater acting roots when he starred alongside Keri Russell and Andrew McCarthy in the off-Broadway hit "Fat Pig," by Neil LaBute. For his role, Piven received a Drama League Award nomination for Distinguished Performance.
CHRIS 'LUDACRIS' BRIDGES (Mickey) earned the acclaim of both critics and audiences for his performance in the Oscar-winning Best Picture "Crash," also sharing in both Screen Actors Guild (SAG) and Critics' Choice Awards as part of the ensemble cast. In the following year, he co-starred in the breakout hit "Hustle & Flow" and shared a SAG Award nomination with the cast, for Best Ensemble. Bridges made his feature film acting debut in 2003 with the actioner "2 Fast 2 Furious." Bridges' upcoming films include the action thriller "Max Payne," with Mark Wahlberg and Mila Kunis, and the sci-fi thriller "Game," which reunites him with Gerard Butler.
On television, Bridges guest-starred in a special two-part episode of NBC's hit drama series "Law & Order: SVU." The critically acclaimed episode drew rave reviews and such a huge audience that his character was brought back the following season for the season finale episode. In addition, Bridges is a Grammy Award-winning multi-platinum recording artist and one of the most recognized names in popular music today. His music has been featured in several movie and television soundtracks, including "ATL," "The Longest Yard," "Hitch," "Taxi," "Shark Tale," "You Got Served," "Hollywood Homicide," "2 Fast 2 Furious," "Cradle 2 the Grave," "Rush Hour 2," "The Fast and the Furious," "The Wire," and "One Tree Hill."
As an entrepreneur and philanthropist, Bridges is CEO of Disturbing Tha Peace Records, a label that is home to some of the top-selling artists in R&B and Hip Hop, and is founder of The Ludacris Foundation, a non-profit organization committed to connecting with young people and helping them build economic development within their local areas while strategically building alliances with nationally recognized charitable organizations (such as his work with National Teenage Runaway Switchboard and The Motion Picture & Television Fund).
About the Filmmakers
GUY RITCHIE (Director/Screenwriter/Producer) is next set to direct a new bigscreen adaptation of "Sherlock Holmes," starring Robert Downey Jr. as the famed detective. Ritchie was born in London, UK in 1968. He started in the UK film industry in 1993 as a runner on Wardour Street. Ritchie eventually moved on to make music videos and commercials before writing and directing a short film, "The Hard Case," in 1995. In 1996, Ritchie wrote and directed his first feature film, "Lock, Stock & Two Smoking Barrels," which became one of the UK's biggest box office hits. The London Film Critics Circle named Ritchie the British Screenwriter of the Year for the film, which also received a BAFTA Award nomination for Best British Film. The film went on to spawn a series of British gangster flicks and helped launch the Hollywood careers of several British actors, including Jason Statham, Vinnie Jones and Jason Flemyng.
The 2000 hit "Snatch," written and directed by Ritchie, was his second gangster film starring an original cast of Hollywood names, including Brad Pitt, Benicio Del Toro and Dennis Farina. Another box office success, "Snatch" also brought Ritchie an Empire Award for Best British Director, firmly establishing him as a new visionary in the film industry. Following "Snatch," Ritchie co-wrote and directed "Swept Away," a remake of the 1974 Italian classic "Travolti da un insolito destino nell'azzurro mare d'agosto," starring Madonna and Adrianno Giannini. The film was released in the US in October 2002 and worldwide in April 2003. Prior to "Swept Away," Ritchie had also directed Madonna in "Star," a short film promo for BMW and the video for her single "What It Feels Like for a Girl."
Ritchie's "Revolver," which premiered at the 2005 Toronto International Film Festival, took the audience on a philosophical trip through the mind of a dying man. Although not well received by critics, the film has found a cult audience. In 2008, Ritchie struck a deal with Nike to direct a short film promo entitled "Take It to the Next Level," which follows the rise and fame of an up-and-coming footballer. Featuring the industry's best players, the promo went on to be awarded a Golden Lion at Cannes.
Ritchie has written several other projects currently in development, including an untitled animated film and the epic "The Siege of Malta." He has also created a comic book series with Virgin Comics, "Gamekeeper," which has been optioned by Silver Pictures and Warner Bros. to be made into a feature film. Further collaborations with Silver include "Sgt. Rock," based on the DC Comic, in development for 2010.
JOEL SILVER (Producer), one of the most prolific and successful producers in the history of motion pictures, has produced over 50 films, including the groundbreaking "The Matrix" trilogy, the blockbuster four-part "Lethal Weapon" franchise, and the seminal action films "Die Hard" and "Predator." To date, Silver's catalog of films have earned more than $10 billion in worldwide revenue from all sources.
Silver recently structured a deal for his Dark Castle Entertainment production company, which gives him green-lighting power and creative control of all films produced under the banner. Upcoming Dark Castle films include "Whiteout," a thriller directed by Dominic Sena and starring Kate Beckinsale; the horror film "The Factory," starring John Cusack; the horror thriller "Orphan"; James McTeigue's actioner "Ninja Assassin," which Silver is producing with the Wachowski brothers; and "Sherlock Holmes," to be directed by Guy Ritchie.
Formed by Silver and Robert Zemeckis, in the spirit of the late horror impresario William Castle, Dark Castle previously produced a string of hit films beginning with the record-breaking 1999 release of "House on Haunted Hill," followed by "Thir13en Ghosts" in 2001, "Ghost Ship" in 2002, "Gothika" in 2003 and "House of Wax" in 2005. In 2007, Dark Castle released "The Reaping," starring Hilary Swank. Under his Silver Pictures banner, Silver recently produced "Speed Racer," written and directed by the Wachowski brothers; the holiday comedy "Fred Claus," starring Vince Vaughn and Paul Giamatti; and the psychological thriller "The Brave One," starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard under the direction of Neil Jordan.
Silver's 1999 production "The Matrix" grossed over $456 million globally, earning more than any other Warner Bros. Pictures film in the studio's history at the time of its release. Universally acclaimed for its innovative storytelling and visuals, "The Matrix" won four Academy Awards, including Best Visual Effects. The first DVD release to sell one million units, "The Matrix" DVD was instrumental in powering the initial sale of consumer DVD machines. The second installment of the epic "Matrix" trilogy, "The Matrix Reloaded," earned over $739 million at the worldwide box office, making it the highest-grossing R-rated film of all time. The opening weekend box office receipts for "The Matrix Revolutions," the final explosive chapter in the trilogy, totaled a staggering $203 million worldwide. To date, "The Matrix" franchise has grossed $3 billion from all sources worldwide.
While overseeing production on "The Matrix Reloaded" and "The Matrix Revolutions," Silver produced the integral video game "Enter the Matrix," which features one hour of additional film footage written and directed by the Wachowski brothers and starring Jada Pinkett Smith and Anthony Wong, who reprised their roles from the films. He also executive produced "The Animatrix," a groundbreaking collection of nine short anime films inspired by the visionary action and storytelling that power "The Matrix."
Silver later produced the action thriller "V For Vendetta," starring Natalie Portman, and the action comedy thriller "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," written and directed by "Lethal Weapon" screenwriter Shane Black and starring Robert Downey Jr., Val Kilmer and Michelle Monaghan. He also produced the hit films "Romeo Must Die," starring Jet Li and Aaliyah; "Exit Wounds," starring Steven Seagal and DMX; and "Swordfish," starring John Travolta, Hugh Jackman and Halle Berry. A successful television producer as well, Silver recently executive produced the CBS series "Moonlight," a romantic thriller with a twist on the vampire legend, which won the People's Choice Award for Favorite New TV Drama in its debut year. He previously executive produced the critically acclaimed UPN television series "Veronica Mars," starring Kristen Bell. Silver also executive produced, with Richard Donner, David Giler, Walter Hill and Robert Zemeckis, eight seasons of the award-winning HBO series "Tales From the Crypt," as well as two "Tales From the Crypt" films.
Silver began his career at Lawrence Gordon Productions, where he ultimately ascended to President of Motion Pictures. During his tenure, he also served as associate producer on "The Warriors" and, with Gordon, produced "48 HRS.," "Streets of Fire" and "Brewster's Millions." In 1985, Silver launched his Silver Pictures production banner with the breakout hit "Commando," followed by "Jumpin' Jack Flash" and "Predator." Silver Pictures solidified its status as one of the industry's leading production companies with the release of the "Lethal Weapon" series and the action blockbusters "Die Hard" and "Die Hard 2: Die Harder." Silver also went on to produce "The Last Boy Scout," "Demolition Man," "Richie Rich," "Executive Decision" and "Conspiracy Theory."
Long before starting his producing career, as a student at Columbia High School in Maplewood, New Jersey, in 1967, Silver and a group of his friends developed a game called Ultimate Frisbee. The fast-moving team sport has since become a global phenomenon supported by tournaments in 50 countries.
SUSAN DOWNEY (Producer) is Co-President of Dark Castle Entertainment, where she oversees both the creative and production divisions of the company. Dark Castle recently structured a deal to broaden the company into a full genre label with its own financing and green-lighting ability. Under the Dark Castle banner, Downey recently produced several upcoming features, including the horror thriller "The Orphan," starring Vera Farmiga and Peter Sarsgaard; the psychological thriller "The Factory," starring John Cusack; and Dominic Sena's "Whiteout," starring Kate Beckinsale and Gabriel Macht.
Downey is also Executive Vice President of Production at Silver Pictures, where she is currently producing the feature "Sherlock Holmes," to star Robert Downey Jr. under the direction of Guy Ritchie. She also recently produced the psychological thriller "The Brave One," directed by Neil Jordan and starring Jodie Foster and Terrence Howard. In addition, Downey is developing a diverse slate of films for the company, including "Time and Again," based on the book by Jack Finney; and "Wonder Woman" and "Sgt. Rock," both based on DC comics.
Downey joined Silver Pictures in 1999 as Vice President of Production, and oversaw the development and production of such films as "Thir13en Ghosts" and "Swordfish." She went on to become a co-producer on "Ghost Ship" and "Cradle 2 the Grave," a producer on "Gothika," "House of Wax" and "The Reaping," and an executive producer on "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang." Prior to her tenure at Dark Castle and Silver Pictures, Downey worked on the hit films "Mortal Kombat" and "Mortal Kombat: Annihilation." Downey is a graduate of the University of Southern California's School of Cinema-Television.
STEVE CLARK-HALL (Producer) counts "RocknRolla" as his second collaboration with Guy Ritchie, having previously served as a producer on the director's "Revolver." Clark-Hall began his career at the BBC, leaving in 1972 to set up his own production company, Skyline Films. One of the early suppliers of programming to Channel 4 television, Skyline produced over 300 hours of television programs before moving into feature film production in the early 1990s. Clark-Hall more recently produced the films "Separate Lies," directed by Julian Fellowes and starring Tom Wilkinson, Emily Watson and Rupert Everett; Kenneth Branagh's "The Magic Flute"; "Love and Other Disasters," starring Orlando Bloom, Gwyneth Paltrow and Brittany Murphy; and "Body Armour," starring Chazz Palminteri.
In addition, Clark-Hall produced the Channel 4 telefilm "Britz," directed by Peter Kosminsky, which won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Drama. Clark-Hall also co-produced "Man to Man," starring Joseph Fiennes and Kirstin Scott Thomas; and the true story "Calendar Girls," starring Helen Mirren and Julie Walters. His additional film producing credits include "Saving Grace," starring Brenda Blethyn; William Boyd's "The Trench," starring Daniel Craig; "Still Crazy," starring Stephen Rea and Bill Nighy, which earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Picture – Comedy or Musical; Alan Rickman's "The Winter Guest," starring Emma Thompson; "Love and Death on Long Island," starring John Hurt; Gillies Mackinnon's "Small Faces"; and Derek Jarman's "Edward II."
STEVE RICHARDS (Executive Producer) is Co-President of Dark Castle Entertainment, and is in his fourteenth year working with producer Joel Silver. He was instrumental in developing the business plan for Dark Castle and in forging the financial partnership with CIT Group Inc., which will finance the production of 15 films over the next five years. Richards has served as executive producer on all of the films under the Dark Castle banner, including "The Reaping," "Thir13en Ghosts," "Ghost Ship," "Gothika" and "House of Wax."
During the formation of Dark Castle in 1999, Richards organized the foreign financing and distribution of the shingle's first film, the remake of William Castle's "House on Haunted Hill." In 1995, Richards joined Silver Pictures and is currently Chief Operating Officer of the company. He counts among his film credits with Silver Pictures "Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang," "The Matrix Reloaded," "The Animatrix," and two installments of the "Dungeons & Dragons" fantasy game film adaptations. Additionally, upon joining Silver Pictures, Richards aided in the launch of Decade Pictures and served as executive producer on "Made Men" and as associate producer on "Double Tap." Richards began his career as a production executive for Tony and Ridley Scott's production company, Scott Free.
NAVID MCILHARGEY (Executive Producer) is Vice President of Development at Silver Pictures, where he oversees a diverse slate of upcoming films, including "Masters of the Universe," "Hot Wheels," "Logan's Run," "Empire," "Time and Again," based on the Jack Finney novel, and "Lobo," based on the DC comic, among many others. "RocknRolla" came about while McIlhargey was developing a remake of "The Dirty Dozen" with Guy Ritchie for Silver Pictures. In addition, McIlhargey is developing the feature "Gamekeeper" with Ritchie, based on the Virgin Comic title. McIlhargey joined Silver Pictures in 2004. He had previously worked at Revolution Studios, where he was involved in the production of such films as "Peter Pan" and "White Chicks." McIlhargey received his undergraduate degree from Miami University (Ohio) and his MFA from Columbia College in Chicago. He currently serves as an adjunct faculty member at the Graduate School of UCLA's Department of Film and Television.
DAVID HIGGS (Director of Photography) received a BAFTA TV Award nomination for his work on the BBC miniseries "Cambridge Spies." He has collaborated with director Peter Kosminsky on several projects, including "The Government Inspector," which won the BAFTA TV Award for Best Single Drama, and the Channel 4 political thriller "Britz," named Best Drama Serial at the BAFTA TV Awards. He has twice been nominated for a Royal Television Society Award: for his work on the telefilm "The Russian Bride," directed by Nick Renton, and the miniseries "Nature Boy," directed by Joe Wright. Higgs served as cinematographer for the short film "The Stronger," a 2008 BAFTA nominee for Best Short Film, which was named Best Digital Short and one of five films short-listed for Best Cinematography at last year's Raindance Film Festival. He once again collaborated with director Guy Ritchie as cinematographer of the recent $6 million Nike ad campaign "Take It to the Next Level," which was shot on location in Barcelona and featured some of the world's premiere soccer players. Higgs is currently shooting "The Red Riding Trilogy: Nineteen Eighty-Three" for director Anand Tucker.
RICHARD BRIDGLAND (Production Designer) previously served as the production designer on such films as "The Acid House," "Gangster No. 1" and "Wicker Park," all directed by Paul McGuigan; Rose Troche's "Bedrooms and Hallways"; "Resident Evil," starring Milla Jovovich, and "AVP: Alien vs. Predator," both written and directed by Paul W.S. Anderson; "The League of Gentlemen's Apocalypse," based on the British TV series; and the telefilm "Tsunami," starring Tim Roth and Toni Collette. He most recently worked on "Pandoram," produced by Paul W.S. Anderson. Bridgland began his career designing extensively for theatre. He worked on such productions as "Trance" by the Cholmondeleys; Danny Boyle's production of "The Pretenders RSC" at The Pit; and "The Magic Flute" for the Los Angeles Opera and Houston Opera.
JAMES HERBERT (Editor) has previously collaborated with director Guy Ritchie on a variety of projects, including the feature "Revolver," the documentary "The Ego Has Landed" and the ABC television pilot "Suspects." Herbert's upcoming projects include the comedy thriller "Lesbian Vampire Killers," the mystery "The Gift" and the remake of the 1974 cult classic horror film "It's Alive." He previously served as editor on the thriller "Devil's Harvest," the comedy "Dirty Sanchez: The Movie" and Paul Verhoeven's internationally acclaimed WWII drama "Black Book." As assistant editor, Herbert's credits include "Sahara," starring Matthew McConaughey and Penelope Cruz; Wolfgang Petersen's "Troy," starring Brad Pitt; "Peter Pan," directed by P.J. Hogan; Jan de Bont's "Lara Croft Tomb Raider: The Cradle of Life," starring Angelina Jolie; the James Bond film "Die Another Day"; and Tony Scott's "Spy Game," starring Robert Redford and Brad Pitt.
SUZIE HARMAN (Costume Designer) began her career as a graphic designer and illustrator, after which she segued to fashion couture, specializing in gowns. From there she ventured into film via art house and experimental projects, and was soon designing for independent feature films. Harman's feature credits include the Jonathan English films "Minotaur" and "Nailing Vienna"; Michael Hurst's comedy "The Baby Juice Express"; "Cloud Cuckoo Land," starring Derek Jacobi; the romantic comedy "Inbetweeners"; "A Loving Father," starring Gérard Depardieu; "Married/Unmarried"; and the thriller "Trinity." Harman most recently served as costume designer on writer-director Gerard Johnson's drama "Tony," due for release later this year. As assistant costume designer, her credits include last year's worldwide hit "The Bourne Ultimatum," directed by Paul Greengrass and starring Matt Damon; Kenneth Branagh's "The Magic Flute"; the romantic comedy "Love and Other Disasters," with Brittany Murphy and Matthew Rhys; writer-director Martha Fiennes' ensemble drama "Chromophobia"; and the thriller "Tempesta," directed by Paul Tickell.
STEVE ISLES (Composer) has composed scores for several award-winning projects, including "The Stronger," a short film adaptation of the August Strindberg play, which won the Best Short Film prize at the 2007 Raindance Film Festival and was nominated for a BAFTA Award; and the "Cutting Edge" Channel 4 documentary "The Dangerous School for Boys," which won a Royal Television Society Award for Best Documentary. He also wrote additional music for "Joe Strummer: The Future Is Unwritten," directed by Julien Temple, which was named Best Documentary at the British Independent Film Awards and was a Grand Jury Prize nominee at the Sundance Film Festival. His additional feature credits include the dramas "Backwaters" and "Cargo," as well as the comedy "Nina's Heavenly Delights." For British television, Isles has composed extensively for series, including "Revealed," "Echo Beach" and "Coming Up," as well as the theme music for "The Chase." In addition to his career as a composer, Isles is a classically trained pianist and violinist who has played in various groups, from classical to rock and pop. He currently writes songs under the production name Elcho, and has released commercial projects on Nettwerk Records, EMI, Café Del Mar, BMG and Universal.