Reel Facts & Opinions

FACT: In the first bit of major-casting news concerning the Potter kids Post-Harry, it is being reported that Emma Watson has been cast as the female lead in Guillermo Del Toro’s BEAUTY AND THE BEAST remake.

OPINION: Thurs far it is unclear if Del Toro will direct the project, as he is only listed as a producer. Either way, a BEAUTY AND THE BEAST film seems well fit to his visionary style, and no one has been better at humanizing fantasy creatures since Peter Jackson’s LORD OF THE RINGS. This is also good news for Watson, who is a bundle of talent ready for the next phase of her career. It is this blogger’s hope that someone will soon do an ALICE IN WONDERLAND remake and cast Emma as Alice.

FACT: A preview of the numerous extras and bonus materials planned for the upcoming STAR WARS blu-ray release will be available this week via a free app for iPad only.

OPINION: It’s nice to see studios taking advantage of different media to promote their products, but DISLIKE for it being an iPad (and presumably, iPhone eventually too) exclusive. Consumers like options. If they don’t like iCrap, they shouldn’t have to suffer for it.

FACT: Kevin Costner seems set to join the cast of Quentin Tarantino’s spaghetti western DJANGO UNCHAINED. Costner would play Ace Woody, a sadistic trainer of fighting slaves and female prostitutes. Leonardo DiCaprio, Christoph Waltz, and Samuel L. Jackson are set to star as well.

OPINION: Tarantino resurrected the careers of John Travolta and David Carradine, so maybe he can do the same for ol’ Cos. Costner hasn’t been doing too badly as of late (his recent roles in MR. BROOKS and THE COMPANY MEN were outstanding), but playing an asshole cowboy couldn’t hurt. Outside of that, let’s hope ol’ QT can inject some pure originality into this film; everything he’s done recently has been homage after homage after homage.

What say you?