I've been watching apple.com closely over the past few weeks and I was finally rewarded!

The Hoax teaser is online here!, along with a bigger version of the poster. I like it, it's something different!

The release date confusion continues though...imdb and apple.com both list November 22 for the wide release while Miramax still says it's November 17, on the other hand they haven't updated since July 25.

When will Miramax ever learn to set one release date and then stick with it? It can't be that difficult, can it?

From variety.com over comingsoon.net:

Universal has hired Lasse Hallstrom to direct its adaptation of Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol, reports Variety. Leslie Holleran, Jon Berg, Todd Komarnicki and Karen Tenkhoff will produce.

The trade says the studio purchased a pitch from Komarnicki, who will write the script. The project will be a co-production between the LaHa and Guy Walks Into a Bar.

The story will be told through the eyes of a 40-year-old Scrooge.

I am ashamed to say that I do not know the story, but the summary sounds like it is a magical story, and I absolutely can't wait to see what Lasse is going to do with it once the script is written.

Just a quick update:

As of July 25, Miramax shifted the release date for "The Hoax" a week back:

Limited release in NY and LA is now on November 10, wide on November 17.

And the MPAA published the rating: Hoax is rated "R for language".

Either there's really a lot of swearing going on, or someone at the MPAA doesn't like Lasse. (After that ridiculous R-Rating for Casanova..)

Anton surprised me with the translation of another awesome interview from december yesterday, and I couldn't resist and had to update it right away.

My Life as Star Director

Lasse talks about connections between Sweden and the USA, living in Bedford, tells which are his favourites under his own movies, even adds a bit of self criticism.... He also mentiones a few (possibly) upcoming projects, like "Bombshell" which was mentioned in the Casanova presskit as "being in development" together with Leslie (Holleran) and is described in the interview like this:

a script about an American spy that sold atomic secrets to the Russians.

and in the presskit like this:

based on the true story of a young man's moral dilemma at Los Alamos

Hm...sounds interesting.

Enjoy the interview and thanks to everyone who keeps visiting, we passed the 10.000 visitors mark a few weeks ago and I didn't even notice it.

We have a first teaser trailer for "The Hoax"! (Huge thanks to Frederik who found it!)

Click to see.

To say that I am excited would be an understatement, but the trailer confuses me a bit...wasn't it supposed to be a drama? Is it a comedy now? Or a funny drama? Or is just the trailer funny?

In any case, it looks good!

I also found a new still:



More news as soon as my exams are over!

"What's Eating Gilbert Grape" will be released on a special collectors edition DVD on June 20! The features are as following:

-Commentary by: Director Lasse Hallstrom and writer Peter Hedges
-The characters of Gilbert Grape: Interviews with Peter Hedges, Lasse Hallstrom, Johnny Depp, Leonardo DiCaprio, Juliette Lewis, Darlene Cates and Mary Steenburgen
- The voice of Gilbert Grape: Interviews with author/screenwriter Peter Hedges, director Lasse Hallstrom and Johnny Depp taking a closer look at the creative evolution of bringing the book in to the feature film experience
-Why we love Gilbert Grape: Director, author and select cast talk about their favorite moments making the film
-Original theatrical trailer
-Photo gallery

How awesome does that sound? You can preorder it on Amazon here.

Also, in honor of this new DVD, boxofficemojo did yet another absolutely fantastic interview with Lasse that you can read over here. It's really interesting to see what Lasse has to say about the movie, also "Hoax" and "Sheba" both get mentioned again:

Hallstrom: It looks like we're actually doing that this fall. [Mr. Hallstrom's wife, actress] Lena Olin will play the mother. I hope to be doing it.

YAY! Stay tuned for more news!

I uploaded a few wonderful set pictures from Chocolat which you can find here and a bunch from the filming of "The Hoax", located here.

Also, Anton (thanks so much!) translated a recent article from hd.se in honour of Lasse's birthday. It has a few nice quotes by Charlize Theron, Johnny Depp and Michael Caine in it, as well as some information on Lasse's upcoming projects. You can read it over here.

The article also mentions "Harry and Carresse", a project about which we literally haven't heard anything since 2004, so I don't trust in in getting turned into a movie by Lasse yet.

"Sheba" on the other side seems to be confirmed, I found an interview with the author of the book Jacki Lyden (from April 23 2006):

Lyden said there are plans to turn her book into a movie, produced by HBO Films and directed by Lasse Hallstrom (The Shipping News, Chocolat, The Cider House Rules). Lena Olin is on board to play Dolores; who will play Jacki is yet to be determined.