Latest news with #IsabellaRossellini
Leader Live
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Leader Live
First look at Joan Collins as Wallis Simpson in The Bitter End revealed
Directed by Mike Newell, the movie will follow Simpson, the American divorcee who became the Duchess Of Windsor after marrying King Edward VIII, and will also star Conclave actor Isabella Rossellini. In the new pictures, the 91-year-old can be seen wearing a green floral dress and sunglasses while peering out from behind a flowerbed, alongside Rossellini in a dark blue coat as French lawyer and confidante of Simpson, Suzanne Blum. Harry Potter And The Goblet Of Fire actor Miranda Richardson, Game Of Thrones actor Charles Dance, His Dark Materials actor David Langham, Happy Valley's Jill Baker, Downton Abbey's Philippe Spall, and Pride And Prejudice's David Bamber are among those recently announced to join the duo in the film. Producer John Gore said of the casting: 'We are thrilled to announce the exceptional cast and creative team joining Joan Collins and Isabella Rossellini in The Bitter End. 'It's an exciting project for John Gore Studios as we commit to producing distinctive British stories for global audiences.' The film will tell the true story of the complex relationship between Blum and Simpson, and how, as a result, Simpson's once-glamorous life spiralled into 'terror and desperation' in the last years of her life. The Bitter End will be produced by Gore, Richard Holmes and Francis Hopkinson and executive produced by Hilary Strong and Michael Foster, with its screenplay written by screenwriter and novelist Louise Fennell. After marrying in June 1937, Edward and Simpson lived the rest of their lives in exile in France, with the king dying in May 1972, while Simpson died in Paris in 1986 at the age of 89. Dame Joan, who is known for playing Alexis Carrington Colby in US show Dynasty, previously said of the film: 'I am thrilled about the challenge of playing this iconic woman in a previously untold story and to be in John Gore Studios' initial roster of what I'm sure will be a very successful endeavour.' Simpson has previously been portrayed by May 33rd star Lia Williams in hit Netflix royal drama The Crown, Nip/Tuck star Joely Richardson in TV film Wallis & Edward, Faye Dunaway in The Woman I Love, and Nurse Jackie star Eve Best in The King's Speech.
Daily Mail
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Daily Mail
Joan Collins, 91, goes from acting royalty to the British sovereignty in Wallis Simpson role for new biopic about the Duchess of Windsor
She made her name as the scheming Alexis Carrington in Dynasty. Now, at the age of 91, Dame Joan Collins is taking on a very different dynasty - the British royal family. The actress has been pictured for the first time as Wallis Simpson in a new biopic of the American divorcee who became the Duchess of Windsor after marrying King Edward VIII, following his abdication, in a new film based on her final years. In the images for the movie titled The Bitter End, Dame Joan's hair is perfectly coiffed into Simpson's classic style, while flanked by Conclave actress Isabella Rossellini who plays the Duchess's formidable French lawyer, Suzanne Blum. The photographs were taken in the grounds of Villa Windsor, the Parisian townhouse where Simpson and her royal husband hosted the likes of Diana Mitford. Dame Joan, who will be celebrating her 92nd birthday later this month, said: 'In production for The Bitter End, I'm delighted to post the official first look photograph of Wallis Simpson, the Duchess of Windsor, and her scheming lawyer, Maitre Suzanne Blum in the garden of her villa in Paris. 'Under Mike Newell's legendary direction, this is a truly exciting production.' The film will chart 'the shocking untold story' of Sompson's twilight years when she finds herself ensnared in a menacing grip of her lawyer Blum's obsession and coercive control. Blum worked on some notorious high society cases, most notably representing Rita Hayworth during her divorce proceedings from Prince Aly Khan. By 1977 she was the only representative for the widowed Simpson, whose ill health left her practically confined to her Paris bedroom. Biographer Hugo Vickers has described how the 'sinister' Blum took advantage of the royal's memory lapses and physical weakness and 'sacked' Simpson's other lawyers, meaning Blum had 'near full control of the Duchess'. The Duchess of Windsor died in April 1986, with dementia, leaving her unable to speak. While Blum died eight years later in 1994. On Thursday it was announced Game of Thrones actor Charles Dance and Harry Potter star Miranda Richardson will join the cast of the much anticipated movie. Dance's casting has prompted speculation that he could reprise his role as Lord Mountbatten, who he portrayed in The Crown. The former governor-general of India became close to Simpson following the abdication and escorted the Duchess to her husband's funeral in 1972. As an American divorcee who seduced a British royal, Mrs Simpson has been dubbed the original Meghan Markle. Simpson was at the center of the most scandalous love affair of the 20th century when she entered into a relationship and marriage with Prince Edward VIII, Prince of Wales and heir to the throne. His obsession with Wallis subjected her to a brutal character assassination. She was called a temptress and sorceress who had cast a spell on the fairy-tale Prince to become Queen. In 1936, King Charles's great-uncle Edward VIII's choice to abdicate the throne to marry her. The move clashed with his responsibilities as head of the Church of England - sparking a constitutional crisis which left the nation stunned and beginning a rift within the family that never healed. The couple went into exile in France at Villa Windsor, a 14-room Parisian townhouse, where they received guests including British fascist leader Sir Oswald Mosley and his wife Diana. The Duke had hoped his exile would be brief but he was never allowed to move back to Britain, with his brother the new King George VI threatening to cut off his allowance if he tried to return without an invitation. Edward's health deteriorated in the 1960s and towards the end of 1971, the Duke – a heavy smoker – was diagnosed with throat cancer. Netflix's The Crown depicted how, in May 1972 – ten days before his death – Edward was visited by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip. She spoke to him alone before appearing with just the Duchess for a photograph. Edward died on May 28, less than a month before his 78th birthday. It was only after death that the tension in the family seemed to dissipate and Edward's body was returned to Britain, where it lay in state at Windsor Castle's St George's Chapel before his funeral. Wallis died in 1986 aged 89 after years of frailty and suffering from dementia which led to her living as a recluse. The Royal Family allowed her to rest next to her late husband on Windsor's grounds.
Telegraph
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Telegraph
First look at Dame Joan Collins as Wallis Simpson in new biopic
The first image of Dame Joan Collins portraying Wallis Simpson in a new biopic about her final years has been released. Dame Joan, 91, can be seen sporting the Duchess of Windsor's signature centre parting and 1920s-style finger waves hairstyle with bold red lipstick for The Bitter End, directed by Mike Newell. Wearing large sunglasses and a glamorous fur-lined coat with leather gloves, the British actress stands in front of Conclave star Isabella Rossellini, who is portraying the French lawyer Suzanne Blum. The relationship between the Duchess and Blum, who has been described as a 'totally menacing' force in her later life by Johanna Schutz, the Windsor's private secretary, is being explored in the upcoming film. In the first look image, the Duchess and Bloom appear to be standing in front of Villa Windsor, the main residence of the Duke and Duchess in their exile in France. The Bitter End will be produced by Gore, Richard Holmes and Francis Hopkinson and executive produced by Hilary Strong and Michael Foster, with its screenplay written by screenwriter and novelist Louise Fennell. Miranda Richardson, who played Queen Elizabeth in Black Adder, Game of Throne's Charles Dance, and Pride And Prejudice's David Bamber are among those recently announced to join the duo in the film. After marrying in June 1937, the Duke and Duchess lived the rest of their lives in exile, with Edward dying in May 1972. The Duchess died in their shared home in Paris in 1986 at the age of 89. John Gore, the film's producer, said of the casting: 'We are thrilled to announce the exceptional cast and creative team joining Joan Collins and Isabella Rossellini in The Bitter End. 'It's an exciting project for John Gore Studios as we commit to producing distinctive British stories for global audiences.' After marrying in June 1937, the Duke and Simpson lived the rest of their lives in exile in France. Simpson died in Paris in 1986 at the age of 89. Dame Joan, who is known for playing Alexis Carrington Colby in US show Dynasty, previously said of the film: 'I am thrilled about the challenge of playing this iconic woman in a previously untold story and to be in John Gore Studios' initial roster of what I'm sure will be a very successful endeavour.' Simpson has previously been portrayed by Lia Williams in the Netflix royal drama The Crown, Faye Dunaway in The Woman I Love, and Eve Best in The King's Speech.
Geek Tyrant
13-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Jeremy Allen White and Mandy Patinkin Set to Star in Surreal Family Drama THE PAINTED BRIDE — GeekTyrant
Jeremy Allen White is keeping the heat on. Fresh off his Golden Globe win for The Bear , White is teaming up with Homeland actor Mandy Patinkin, and Isabella Rossellini ( Conclave ) for director Jeremiah Zagar's new feature film, The Painted Bride . Zagar is best known for his work on work on We the Animals and Adam Sandler's Hustle , so it's safe to say this movie isn't going to follow a conventional path. White takes on the role of Elisha in the film, 'a man who during the day swims, cooks and cares for his family, and at night, obsesses over a new project dedicated to his young son and his dying father. When a crisis draws him back home to Baltimore, his world begins to collapse, expand, regress and explode all around him.' Zagar plans to tell the story through a mix of live action and stop-motion animation. Zagar calls it 'a story about masculinity and what we pass on to our children. It is about blood, art, duty, family and love. Above all, it is about love.' That emotional undercurrent tracks with Zagar's previous work, and the film seems like it will tap into the same raw, poetic energy. According to New Europe CEO Jan Naszewski, this one was an easy yes: 'I've been following Jeremiah's career for years, he's an immensely talented director and his movies are rich and full of real emotions. We are very happy to join him and his team on this journey, alongside great partners and cast.' With the mix of grounded family drama and experimental visuals, it sounds like this film will be something special. Source: Deadline
Yahoo
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
How the ‘Conclave' team recreated the top-secret Vatican ceremony to elect a new pope
The death of Pope Francis last month sparked renewed interest in the Oscar-winning movie Conclave. Now streaming on Amazon's Prime Video service and available to rent or buy at several other distribution platforms, viewership of Edward Berger's 2024 drama spiked over the past two weeks, with an increase of more than 3,200 percent in minutes viewed week over week, according to Luminate, which tracks online streaming data. Based on the novel by Robert Harris, Conclave focuses on a fictional series of events following the death of the pope. Ralph Fiennes stars as Cardinal Lawrence, who leads the selection process and must navigate warring factions and agendas within the Church. The Focus Features release received eight Oscar nominations this year, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Fiennes, and Best Supporting Actress for Isabella Rossellini. It won Best Adapted Screenplay for Peter Straughan, its only Oscar victory at this year's ceremony. More from GoldDerby Jenna Ortega and Robert De Niro to star in David O. Russell film, Rina Sawayama boards 'John Wick' spinoff, and more of today's top news stories Tony Talk: Breaking down those surprise nominations and early winner predictions for 'Maybe Happy Ending,' 'Sunset Boulevard,' and more 'Chef's Table: Legends': How José Andrés, Alice Waters, Thomas Keller, and Jamie Oliver are changing the world through food 'I was never interested in coming at this from the outside with an axe to hack it down,' Straughan told Gold Derby about his process in an interview this year. 'The thing I found so interesting about the book was that it's a critique, amongst other things, of the Catholic Church, but from within the Church. The characters are believers who are members of the Church. I found that really interesting.' Part of the allure of Conclave during awards season, and now again with the pope's death making international headlines, was its look behind the curtain of papal tradition. 'It's the most secretive process, the most secretive election in the world,' Berger said in press materials for the movie last year. 'I was super curious to peek behind those doors and find out all those details.' While Conclave was shot in Italy, Berger and his department heads didn't have access to the Vatican or any of the real locations depicted in the movie. As a result, creative license and embellishment were employed. Production designer Suzie Davies, an Oscar nominee for the project, had to recreate many of the Vatican's locations, including the Sistine Chapel and the residences where cardinals reside during the conclave. Philippe Antonello/Focus Features 'Very early on, we wanted to play the juxtaposition of the ornate, gorgeous, traditional historic architecture of Rome, and then this other side,' Davies told Gold Derby in an interview. 'We just wanted to play with the fact that these cardinals were going to be locked away. The script is also brilliantly descriptive, so we decided to take a bit of license with locking the cardinals away in the conclave and creating that posh prison guest house, which is when we could utilize this more brutal architecture. So there is no ornament, there are no flourishes, apart from the gorgeous marble, of course, which the Romans would have used. The idea was then to incorporate the other senses into the design. So, you could almost smell the lack of smell in those rooms. You could hear some of the fluorescent lights above, and the fact that there was no natural light in there. So we took license with the elements of the conclave that we know nothing about, and we ran with it to make it more cinematic, more of a thriller vibe.' For costume designer Lisy Christl, another Oscar nominee for the film, the cardinals' wardrobe color also required adjustment. 'The very first thing on our first journey to Rome was that I told Edward, 'Look, we have to change the color, and we have to change the fabric, meaning we have to make everything from scratch. So this was the very beginning,' Christl said. In real life, the cardinals' robes are more orange in hue. However, Christl thought the robes should appear bright red onscreen. 'Lisy's costumes set the standard of the design,' Davies said. 'We vibed off her choices of red. We put a red carpet on the floor in the Vatican, which, again, is a slight anomaly. They usually put beige color on the floor. We painted the Room of Tears [a small antechamber inside the Sistine Chapel] rich blood red to accentuate all these wonderful costumes, and they become the characters. Those characters have to inhabit spaces that have no character.' Philippe Antonello/Focus Features Speaking to Gold Derby, Berger said the goal was to represent the stifling nature of the conclave. 'You want to represent that you're being locked away from the world," he said. "We wanted to design sterile worlds where they're sequestered, that feels almost like a jail.' How the real-life conclave will turn out remains a mystery, but onscreen the twists and turns of Conclave were a hit with audiences. In the end, the most unlikely of candidates emerges victorious – an intersex cardinal who unifies the polarized factions of progressives and conservatives by delivering a message of hope and unity in the face of an increasingly chaotic world. 'We're all in a moment of crisis once in a while, we have our problems, we lose faith in ourselves, in the world," Berger told Gold Derby. 'And in the end, we come out with a resolve, with an understanding of ourselves and the world that hopefully brings a smile to our lips.' Conclave is now streaming on Prime Video. Originally published April 23, 2025 Best of GoldDerby Orson Welles movies: All 13 films as a director ranked worst to best Gary Cooper movies: 15 greatest films ranked worst to best George Clooney movies: 17 greatest films ranked worst to best Click here to read the full article.
