[worthyoflove]

Welcome to [The Death and Life of John F. Donovan] Thread #1


The Death and Life of John F. Donovan, which begins shooting in Montreal in July (2016), stars Jessica Chastain, Kit Harington, Natalie Portman, Nicholas Hoult, Susan Sarandon, Taylor Kitsch, Emily Hampshire, Thandie Newton and Kathy Bates. It’s the story of a movie star (played by Harington) whose career is torched when a correspondence with an 11-year-old actor is discovered.

Most of the shooting on the $28-million Canada/U.K. co-production will take place in Montreal this summer, but the production will also be filming in Prague and London in the fall. Montreal will stand in for Philadelphia and New York.




“Donovan” is described as a drama that follows a young actor who recalls the secretive correspondence he shared as a teenager with an American TV star who died 10 years earlier. The story explores the hardships of fame and the never-ending hurdles of the movie business, and reflects on issues of identity and diversity in Hollywood over the past decade.

Harington will play the title character, while Chastain co-stars as the editor-in-chief of a gossip magazine. Kitsch’s role is being kept under wraps, but it’s described as a unique part for the rising star.

[SouthernSweetieTX]

I'm ready for more news about this! As they ramp up for filiming, I would think we will see more.

Thanks for making us a new thread!

[worthyoflove]

The cast is awesome. I hope that we hear that someone has bought it at Cannes.

Xavier the Director has some serious love for Taylor:

Xavier Dolan and his love for Taylor Kitsch. It was announced yesterday that Taylor will be joining Jessica Chastain and Kit Harington in Xavier’s first English-language film, ‘The Death and Life of John F. Donovan.’ For Xavier his love for Taylor and wanting him to be in this film goes back years…he spoke at an event at the Museum of Modern Art in New York over two years ago and shared the following: Friday Night Lights, the TV series - he said that Suzanne Clement, the actress he’s used in I Killed My Mother and Laurence Anyways, had been crashing at his apartment while waiting to move into her new place, and the two of them laid around eating and sobbing watching the entire run of FNL, and it was the happiest time of his life. Back to Friday Night Lights for a second though - Dolan is quite obviously entirely smitten with Taylor Kitsch (who can blame him?), who came up repeatedly - he said that John Carter made him feel like he was six years old, but then sixteen years old sometimes too, wink wink - and apparently Xavier wants to make his next movie (well the one after his next; he’s already putting the finishing touches on something called Tom at the Farm, which stars Caleb Landry Jones) his first American movie and he really would like Taylor Kitsch to star in it, please. I think Taylor Kitsch is about at the point in his career where working for somebody like Dolan would be a really smart move on his part, no? Let’s make this happen!

my new plaid pants: 5 Off My His Head - What Made Xavier Xavier

[worthyoflove]

Xavier is in Cannes with one of his other films and was asked about the Donovan film. At least he gave a little more detail about shooting times, seem pretty set in stone now.

You're next film, The Death and Life of John F Donovan, will be both your first English-language film and the first shot in the U.S.. How is it coming along and what has the experience been like so far? It’s all very exciting. We are in prep and start shooting in Montreal on July 9th for 40 days. Then, Prague and London in September and October, and New York for a split-second before Thanksgiving. So it’s mostly shot outside of the US. But it’s an American story, to be precise. So far, it’s been great, but we have a huge cast, not only in terms of notoriety, but in terms of the number of actors flying in and out of our set. It’s just very challenging to orchestrate all this, and still not make accommodating choices that compromise the film artistically or narratively speaking. But we’re doing good, I think. It’s been great with all the cast, and I’m excited about working with each of them.

Cannes: Xavier Dolan on Competition Entry 'End of the World' and His Love of 'Home Alone' - Hollywood Reporter

[SouthernSweetieTX]

I wonder how much of that Taylor will be on set. I can't see him being there for 40 days since he said he was filming Pieces this summer too.

[elherts]

Back to Friday Night Lights for a second though - Dolan is quite obviously entirely smitten with Taylor Kitsch (who can blame him?), who came up repeatedly - he said that John Carter made him feel like he was six years old, but then sixteen years old sometimes too, wink wink - and apparently Xavier wants to make his next movie (well the one after his next; he’s already putting the finishing touches on something called Tom at the Farm, which stars Caleb Landry Jones) his first American movie and he really would like Taylor Kitsch to star in it, please. I think Taylor Kitsch is about at the point in his career where working for somebody like Dolan would be a really smart move on his part, no? Let’s make this happen!

So Dolan has a little crush on our Taylor hmm? What ever became of the movie Tom at the Farm?

[SouthernSweetieTX]

I don't blame him for having a crush.
I'm not familiar with that movie, but a quick Google says it came out in 2013.

Originally Posted by elherts (View Post) So Dolan has a little crush on our Taylor hmm? What ever became of the movie Tom at the Farm?

[worthyoflove]

I think Taylor mentioned in the podcast he did for the NYE event he hosted that he met Xavier at TIFF a few years back and they expressed their mutual admiration for one another. But yeah Xavier is totally crushing on Taylor, said that he couldn't imagine anyone else playing whatever role Taylor is playing.

I too am wondering if maybe he won't be filming until the fall or if Pieces just won't start filming until later in the summer or even be pushed back...I mean this movie was supposed to film in the Spring and was pushed back until summer.

[SouthernSweetieTX]

I guess it will depend on what his part is and where in the storyline it falls.

Originally Posted by worthyoflove (View Post) I too am wondering if maybe he won't be filming until the fall or if Pieces just won't start filming until later in the summer or even be pushed back...I mean this movie was supposed to film in the Spring and was pushed back until summer.

[worthyoflove]

This is why we need a new interview so he can say, "I'm going up to Montreal to film next month" or "I'll be in London this fall to film..." we need an update!

[worthyoflove]

Ok, so the first movie poster that was presented at Cannes sounds like they're gearing up to premiere it at Cannes in 2017. Sounds promising after Xavier just won the Grand Prix for his current film, they'll want the winner back for next year, especially with the star power this movie has. Would love to see Taylor back at Cannes!



The "buyers" session was earlier this week at Cannes:

[SouthernSweetieTX]

I thought this film already had funding and a studio backing it...

[worthyoflove]

Not for overseas distribution.

[SouthernSweetieTX]

Ohhhhh....

Originally Posted by worthyoflove (View Post) Not for overseas distribution.

[worthyoflove]

I'm really hoping that with all the big names and his success at Cannes again this year that that means he'll take Donovan to next years Cannes because Cannes is my absolute favorite. It would be a ton of press, I loved when Taylor did Cannes last time with Bang Bang Club.