jeezbee

Welcome to the "Me and Orson Welles" Thread #4

"Me and Orson Welles" Synopsis – IMDb
Set in 1937, the story centers on a high school student (Efron) who, while strolling the streets of New York, happens upon the yet-to-open Mercury Theatre and is noticed by its mercurial founder, Orson Welles. The man lands a bit part in "Julius Caesar," the production that catapulted Welles to the top, and spends the next week learning about life and love.

Alternative (longer) summaries of the novel can be found here.
Another synopsis can be found on the movie page of the Isle of Man Film website here.

Cast & Characters – credits on IMDb

Zac Efron..................................Richard Samuels
Christian McKay............................Orson Welles
Claire Danes...............................Sonja Jones
Ben Chaplin................................George Coulouris
Kelly Reilly...............................Muriel Brassler
Eddie Marsan...............................John Houseman
Leo Bill...................................Norman Lloyd
James Tupper...............................Joseph Cotten
Zoe Kazan..................................Gretta Alder
Imogen Poots
Aidan McArdle

Directed by................................Richard Linklater

Filming & Release Info

• Release date: TBD
  Note: A release date will not be available until the movie has a distributor; for independent movies that happens most of the time only after post-production has been completed and the movie was sold eg at a festival.
• The movie was shot from 24 February to 12 April 2008
• Filming locations are Isle of Man, Buckinghamshire close to London (Pinewood Studios) and London
• The Isle of Man part will be filmed from 24th February to 14th March in the Gaiety Theatre (Virtual Tour of the theatre)
• They need up to 800 extras: 240 people for 3 dates (March 3, 4 and 9) and additional 390 people for March 9 (which makes it 630 extras total for that date). Various extra casting calls have been made public; the extras agencies involved are Ex-Isle, Universal Extras Ltd & The Casting Network. More info available here, here & here.
• Set report from an extra for the filming on 7th & 9th March 2008 (courtesy of london10 @ zefron.com, 10 March 2008)
• Film makers find Crystal Palace Park to be the perfect setting (Croydon Guardian - 4 April 2008)
• NYC street set at Pinewood Studios and soundstages used for M&OW
• TPTB went to Cannes and presented some footage there. There were several articles mentioning M&OW in the Cannes coverage: THR (13 May), IndiWIRE (13 May), Variety (14 May), THR (17 May), Variety (20 May), THR (21 May) and WSJ (16 May)
• Andreas Maanika (special effects guy at Framestores for M&OW) reports on his website that special effects work is completed (www.andreasmaaninka.com, 20 June 2008)
• M&OW will premiere at TIFF08: official press release from TIFF (13 Aug 2008), Variety (13 Aug 2008), THR (13 Aug 2008)
  

Articles & Interviews

• Confirmation of the project at The Hollywoodreporter (18 Jan 2008): Efron hangs with 'Welles'
• Official press release from the Isle of Man Film (30 Jan 2008).
• Claire Danes joins the cast (IoM Today - 30 Jan 2008)
• Claire Danes, Ben Chaplin, Kelly Reilly, Eddie Marsan, Leo Bill, Imogen Poots and Aidan McArdle join the cast: Variety - 31 Jan 2008, Hollywoodreporter - 1 Feb 2008, ComingSoon.net - 30 Jan 2008
• Zac talks a bit about the project: Zac Efron Gets Serious For ‘Orson Welles And Me’ (MTV Movies Blog - 7 Feb 2008)
• Kelly Reilly is playing Muriel Brassler, cast is currently rehearsing for film (Daily Mail - 14 Feb 2008)
• Linklater, Carli & Samuelson talk about making the film on IoM ('Zac Efron - what's all the fuss about?') (IoM Today - 6 March 2008)
• James Tupper joins the cast as Joseph Cotten (Hollywoodreporter - 6 March 2008)
• Eddie Marsan talks about his role in M&OW (indieLONDON - 16 April 2008)
• Official Raconteur Reader blog writes about the casting of Christian McKay as Orson Welles (and then the scoundrel said... The official blog of The Raconteur - March 2008; original blog entry deleted since then)
• From a New York Times Bestseller to the Silver Screen, Kaplow Speaks on Recent Film Success (The Alternative Press, 17 June 2008)
• Interview with James Tupper: Bouncing back is all in a day's work (The Province, 7 July 2008)
• Interview with Toronto's Co-Director Cameron Bailey (indiWIRE, 19 Aug 2008)
  

Images & Videos

• This picture of Orson Welles and Arthur Anderson (the real life apprentice who Richard Samuels is based on) in 1937 inspired Robert Kaplow to write the book:
  
  
• New Zac candids, sporting his new hairdo for the movie (16 Feb 2008, courtesy of zac-e.com)
• First on set pictures (24 Feb 2008, courtesy of maalibu@FF), first 'offical' set pic (24 Feb 2008, courtesy of IoM Today)
  
• Set pics from 28 Feb 2008 - more at JustJared & Gossip Girls
  
• Video of the press conference on 4 March 2008 @ IoM (courtesy of IoM Today)
• Set pics from 24 March 2008 (courtesy of zacefron.nl & I'm Not Obsessed)
  
• Set pic from 4 April 2008 in Crystal Palace Park (courtesy of Croydon Guardian)
  
• First official movie and BTS stills courtesy of Twitch via First Showing (20 Aug 2008)
  

Reviews & Test-Screenings
Hopefully we'll see first reviews coming out after its premiere at TIFF.

Additional Info

• Get Robert Kaplow's novel at Amazon
• Pictures of Orson Welles' original 1937 production of "Julius Caesar" in the Mercury Theatre
• Premiere listing of the original 1937 play of Julius Caesar at the Broadway Internet Database

Supporters List

1. othfan628
2. nyychick2
3. BrendaSaysHi
4. ~Jewel~
5. LivvyxBaby
6. yagirlbee925
7. sarahbeth0587
8. Lizzie♥Z&V
9. RainbowChaser
10. *°*Peryne*°*
11. V-Nessa
12. tyubi
13. bettybaby
14. HSMloveOTH
15. Sweet_Honeycomb
16. zanessatroygabriellalover
17. Z+Vfan
18. Miss Fate
19. zac'sgirl
20. write2me
21. krizzteh
22. blackgreywhite
23. erinbonnie
24. maalibu
25. twinkley_angel
26. angie<3
27. Jordyn1234567
28. christine323
29. jessica3311
30. sashanaa
31. Lawrahhh

Previous Threads
#1: Because Zac fascinates us in 1937 and 2008
#2: b/c the hairdresser already yelled "CUT!"
#3: b/c we'd let Zac fill our quadruple space anytime

The opening post gets updated with new information as it becomes available. If you want to be added to the supporters list, please either leave a message in the thread or send me a PM.

blackgreywhite

new thread!

Thanks for opening Bee

*PassionateJ*

new thread!

*°*Peryne*°*

NEW THREAD !!!

Thanks for opening, Bee, I definitely like the title

V-Nessa

Thanks for opening Really love the title!

*°*Peryne*°*

I finally found time to re read M&OW again !!! (Thank you, babysitting night ! )

... and I just want to see Richard Kenneth Samuels on screen NOW ! Please ?!?

And now it's 3.35am, and I'm supposed to sleep but I can't

blackgreywhite

Congrats Twin - now i need to catch up with you

I am so incredibly excited about this film *jumps up and down* - it's just as well i'm busy because otherwise it'd be more difficult to wait i think

*_Karen_*

I gotta read it again , I forgot everything already.

I wanna see this movie so bad, hopefully soon, soon, soon but it's not that I'm thinking about it every second of the time so I'll be okay .

erinbonnie

New thread! Ooooh so true for the title.

I can't wait to see what they kept in!

jeezbee

I'm jealous now! I want to re-read it too. Perhaps, this weekend...

I can't wait to find out either.

I also plan on re-reading the book with the cast list from IMDb printed out so I can check off every character who appears and note the ones who don't. I'll post my findings after I'm done. That should also give us a bit an idea what made it and what didn't.

blackgreywhite

I'd like to think that most things from the book are very managable as far as an adaption is concerned. Like i've said before, the book has a substantial journey but it doesn't take place in a complex way necessarily as far as locations, time etc.

I could be totally wrong of course, you never can tell

~Jewel~

Same here.
I gotta re-read it again soon. I don't have it with me, so I'll at least have to wait two more weeks. But until the movie comes out, I'm sure I'll have re-read it.

I definitely agree.

*PassionateJ*

I need to finish reading it for the first time I feel like such a bad fan I am going to start it this week since i have some free time.

I know its been mentioned that the actor who plays on the show Men In Trees is going to be in the film and every week when I watch him I think of M&OW! I him on that show...so excited

V-Nessa

Wow, everyone's gonna be re-reading it and I haven't even read it yet. Or brought it, for that matter.

blackgreywhite

NESSA! Tell me you want my spare copy?