Want to know what’s in theaters this week? Catch these exciting new releases on the big screen:
I spy a new action movie arriving in theaters this Friday. The 355 stars Jessica Chastain, Lupita Nyong’o, Diane Kruger, Fan Bingbing and Penélope Cruz as secret agents from the U.S., the UK, Germany, China and Colombia, respectively, who are involved in a mission to stop an international threat. Sebastian Stan also co-stars as an operative for the CIA.
Keeping things international, this week also sees the theatrical release of A Hero, from Oscar-winning Iranian filmmaker Asghar Farhadi (A Separation, The Salesman). Having already received the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival last year, the movie, about a man in prison for his inability to pay off his debts, is now shortlisted for the Academy Award for Best International Feature.
Get your tickets for those and other new movies here.
Need a quick recap of the past week in movie news? Here are the highlights:
Chris Evans is Gene Kelly: Can Captain America dance? Does he like to sing in the rain? We’re about to find out, as Deadline reports that actor Chris Evans will portray Hollywood icon Gene Kelly in an untitled movie. Evans himself came up with the project, which follows a 12-year-old boy who imagines befriending Kelly while working on the MGM studio lot in 1952.
That just so happens to be the year that Singin’ in the Rain was released, by the way. Kelly is best known for his lead role in the musical, along with his work the previous year in An American in Paris. Evans will be a producer on the movie alongside his Knives Out director, Rian Johnson, and Oscar-nominated screenwriter John Logan (The Aviator), who is also handling the script.
Kelvin Harrison Jr. is Basquiat: Speaking of portrayals of famous artists, actor Kelvin Harrison Jr. has been cast in a biographical drama about painter Jean-Michel Basquiat. According to Variety, Harrison will reunite with Luce filmmaker Julius Onah for the project, which is titled Samo Lives. The movie will focus on Basquiat’s life, career and impact in the 1980s before his death.
The artist was previously portrayed by Jeffrey Wright in the 1996 biopic Basquiat, and he’s been the subject of many documentaries, including Boom for Real and The Radiant Child. Harrison has portrayed other famous figures, such as Fred Hampton in The Trial of the Chicago 7 and trombonist Frankie Duson in Bolden. He plays blues legend B.B. King in the upcoming movie Elvis.
Vanessa Kirby is Empress Josephine: In other biopic news, Oscar-nominated actress Vanessa Kirby (Pieces of a Woman) is set to play Empress Josephine in Ridley Scott’s historical drama Kitbag. Deadline reports that she will star opposite Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix, who has the role of Josephine’s infamous husband, Napoleon Bonaparte.
The script for Kitbag is written by previous Scott collaborator David Scarpa (All the Money in the World), and it will depict Napoleon’s rise as one of the most powerful leaders of all time through the lens of his marriage to Josephine. Scott recently released two period-set movies where the story is focused on real-life wives: The Last Duel and House of Gucci.
Josh Hartnett joins Oppenheimer: Another biopic, which we’ve covered before, has added another name to its cast. According to Deadline, Josh Hartnett is set to co-star in Oppenheimer, Christopher Nolan’s drama about the titular scientist who developed the atomic bomb. The ensemble already includes Matt Damon, Emily Blunt and Cillian Murphy, who is playing J. Robert Oppenheimer.
Hartnett’s role is unknown. This will be his first time working with Nolan, though he apparently was a top contender to play Bruce Wayne/Batman in Nolan’s Dark Knight trilogy. The actor is best known for co-starring in Black Hawk Down and 30 Days of Night, but he also has some experience with big blockbuster movies set during World War II, having starred in Michael Bay’s Pearl Harbor.
Will Arnett joins Next Goal Wins: Finally, we have news about one more movie based on a true story. Deadline reports that Taika Waititi has cast Will Arnett in Next Goal Wins. The underdog sports comedy is centered around the notoriously unsuccessful national soccer team from American Samoa. The plot follows the team as they train for the FIFA 2014 World Cup with a new coach.
Arnett has the role of an executive at the Football Federation American Samoa. It’s not a major part, but it has been significantly increased in size since the start of filming. He joins Michael Fassbender, who portrays Thomas Rongen, the coach who led the American Samoa soccer team to a rare victory in 2011. The movie is adapted from the 2014 documentary of the same name.
