Latest news with #TheGodfatherPartII
Perth Now
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Peter Stormare: Keanu Reeves is ‘not happy' with Constantine 2 scripts
Keanu Reeves is "not happy with the scripts" for 'Constantine 2', Peter Stormare has said. The 60-year-old actor's titular demonologist is set to return in a follow-up to the 2005 horror flick, and Stormare - who played Lucifer in the movie - has revealed Reeves has been disappointed with Warner Bros.' ideas for a more action-packed 'Constantine 2'. Speaking with The Direct, Stormare, 71, said: "It's a lot of back and forth, because ... I think Keanu, which I know pretty good, is not so happy with the scripts and usually what comes out of the studios. "Because the first one wasn't that successful in the beginning, it became a sleeper and became a cult movie, and now it is one of the biggest cult movies ever. But to do a sequel, the studios want to have, you know, cars flying in the air. They want to have people doing flip-flops and fighting action scenes." Stormare added that the 'John Wick' star believed a 'Constantine' sequel should be "spiritual", and was worried the follow-up would diverge from this concept in favour of focusing on action. He explained: "I think Keanu says, 'I've done 'John Wick'. This movie is spiritual. It's about demons and regular people. And I wanted to keep it that way.' "And we talked about that. I want to do God coming down exactly the same way, but in a black suit and looking more or less like Lucifer from the first one. I'm 12 years older, so it's going to be hard to, you know, completely imitate the first movie. "But, I think from Keanu, he wants to do a sequel that is very close to the first one." Even so, Stormare admitted he hasn't seen any of the scripts for 'Constantine 2' yet, and it was all "hearsay" from Reeves. He said: "That is just hearsay from him, you know, and it's trying to be very secretive. As we say, both me and him, just do the first movie again and add some other elements, and you have a sequel. "'The Godfather Part II' was a sequel that was built on number one. They are similar. You can actually see number one and two together, and they stick together. "So, don't do a completely different movie, then it won't hold together. And I think that's where we are, yeah." 'Constantine' tells the story of the titular exorcist and demonologist who helps LAPD policewoman Angela Dodson (Rachel Weisz) investigate her twin sister's mysterious suicide, only to discover that fallen angels from Hell are trying to enter the human world. While Reeves is seemingly apprehensive about the ideas for 'Constantine 2', Stormare insisted the actor was "very proud" of the character. He said: "I think Keanu is very proud of that. He was fighting for it to be a character that he loved and wanted to develop. "And I mean, with Tilda Swinton doing Gabriel, it is a cool character. And even my Lucifer is a cool character that you can relate to as a viewer ... They wanted to dress me up like, you know, like a devil with a tail and a pitchfork and whatever, but we were really fighting for me to have, like, an off-white suit and do it very simple."
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
At ‘only 94,' ‘Sopranos' star Dominic Chianese eyes second act as troubadour
NEW YORK — Dominic Chianese still has a lot of living to do. And he thinks Tony Soprano may too. The 94-year-old actor best known for playing Uncle Junior on HBO's mob hit 'The Sopranos' is coming to Town Hall on June 30 where he plans to tell stories about his life so far and play folk songs. Chianese told the Daily News from England, where he's spent the past eight years, that he workshopped material in London to suss out whether there's an audience for such a performance. 'I did about seven shows to see if people are interested in stories, and they are,' he said. The Bronx native's show draws from the 25 years of stage work he did before landing a role in 1974's 'The Godfather Part II' and beyond. That included being reunited with 'Godfather' star Al Pacino in 1979 to do Shakespeare's 'Richard III' at the Cort Theatre. While he remembers that experience fondly, Chianese has a clear favorite. ''Requiem for a Heavyweight' with John Lithgow,' he stated convincingly. 'That was my favorite — 1985.' Chianese thanks lots of live theater work for making him a solid actor and said his best performances have happened on stage. But it was his role as crime family boss Corrado Soprano, better known as 'Uncle Junior,' that made him a household name with a few dollars in his bank account. 'I didn't really make any money until 'Sopranos,'' he said. 'It's the best role I ever had and the most financially gratifying role I ever had.' Eighteen years later and 3,400 miles from the gambling dens of New Jersey, he's still known as Uncle June. 'I get recognized all the time,' Chianese said. 'That's gratifying because I like people.' 'The Sopranos' famously concluded with lead character Tony Soprano sitting at a diner where maybe he got whacked. Who knows? The 2013 death of James Gandolfini pretty much put to rest any possibility the beloved gangster series would someday be revived. Like the rest of us, Chianese was stunned when the series' final episode cut to black as a character who may or may not have been a hit man walked toward Tony. 'The way it ended he's still alive,' Chianese said. 'Nobody knows.' Likewise, nobody including Chianese knows how and when his career will end either, but he hopes to wind up in New York City where it all began. 'I'd like to be in Manhattan because there's a lot I'd like to do in my career,' he said. 'I'm only 94.' Being married to an English woman made life overseas alluring to Chianese. He's been bouncing between the U.S. and England for more than 30 years and says it's time to come home where he has family, and hopefully, more career opportunities. Someday performing at Radio City Music Halls tops his bucket list. 'When you go up on 6th Avenue and you see that big place with the Rockettes, that's such a place. That would be nice wouldn't it?' he beamed. Chianese doesn't see becoming a Rockette in his future. But his Town Hall show should give fans a taste of what he wants to do next. It draws from his work in film and television as well as his days as an emcee at Greenwich Village's Gerde's Folk City in the 1960s and '70s. He estimates that he met 600 folk musicians during that period including an already famous Bob Dylan, whom he calls one of his favorite writers. He also had the pleasure of introducing downtown music fans to a local duo named Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel, who were fine-tuning a new song called 'The Sound of Silence.' Fans who come to hear Chianese tell stories and play tunes can expect him to perform songs by Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and 'maybe' Leonard Cohen. They'll also hear some Italian classics the Cuban anthem 'Guantanamera' made famous by acts including Pete Seeger, José Feliciano and the Sandpipers. 'That's one of my favorites,' he said. Chianese said music has been an important part of his development as an artist, which he hopes to prove when he hits the stage with a guitar in hand rather than the the mafioso scowl he wore on more than 50 episodes of 'The Sopranos.' 'It's a wonderful career and I want it to keep going,' he said. Chianese said he has friends in New York keeping an eye out for available properties while he tries to figure out what to do with his place in England. He hopes people in his hometown will respond to his June 30 performance — and whatever follows— as well as fans have abroad. It's his feeling New Yorkers may find his stories particularly relatable. 'They should want to know how a Bronx kid made it,' Chianese said.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Robert De Niro Thanks Francis Ford Coppola 'For Not Casting Me' In ‘The Godfather' At AFI Life Achievement Tribute — Watch
Although Robert De Niro was passed over for The Godfather, his starring role in the sequel turned out to be the offer he couldn't refuse. While paying tribute to director Francis Ford Coppola with the AFI Life Achievement Award, he and co-star Al Pacino reminisced about their time with the filmmaker on his seminal mafia film franchise. More from Deadline Francis Ford Coppola's Career In Photos, From 'Apocalypse Now' To 'The Godfather' AFI Life Achievement Award Red Carpet: Elle Fanning, Ron Howard, George Lucas, Spike Lee & More Honor Francis Ford Coppola The 50th AFI Life Achievement Award Dinner For Francis Ford Coppola Is One Of The Starriest And Most Heartfelt Tributes Of Them All 'Francis, thank you for not casting me in The Godfather,' said De Niro during Saturday's gala at the Dolby Theatre in Los Angeles. 'It was the best job I ever, never got. And it meant I was available for The Godfather Part II. Francis, you changed my career, you changed my life. We're all here tonight because of you. We love you.' Following Pacino's breakout performance as Michael Corleone in 1972's adaptation of Mario Puzo's book, the 1974 sequel followed the parallel paths of father and son with De Niro as a young immigrant Vito Corleone (portrayed in the first film by Marlon Brando). The performance won the actor his first Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. Pacino prefaced his tribute with a quote from Coppola himself. ''The things you do when you're young that you get fired for, are the same things that years later, they give you lifetime achievement awards for,'' he said. 'You know, none of us were fired from The Godfather, but some of us got pretty close,' added Pacino as the audience laughed at his self-deprecating nod. 'I got the closest. And Francis just fought for us all the time. He fought for his film and his vision, which he always does. Yet, it could have gotten him fired. Everything was a firing threat. It could have had all of us fired, but it didn't. Now, years later, here we all are to celebrate him for it. So, thank you Francis. Thank for believing in me even more than I believed in myself. I am eternally grateful in kind to be part of your Godfather family.' Filmmaking peers like Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, Spike Lee and more were also on hand to celebrate Coppola, as well as collaborators like Adam Driver, Elle Fanning and Diane Lane. The Life Achievement Award is AFI's highest esteem for a career in film. Coppola's predecessors include Nicole Kidman, Julie Andrews, Denzel Washington, George Clooney, Diane Keaton and John Williams. Coppola's The Godfather, The Godfather Part II and Apocalypse Now are ranked among history's greatest films in AFI's 100 Years…100 Movies list. A six-time Academy Award winner, his other iconic feature credits, as writer, director and/or producer, include Patton, American Graffiti, The Conversation, The Outsiders and Bram Stoker's Dracula, to name just a few. The evening earned a record $2.5 million for AFI and will be broadcast on TNT on June 18 at 10pm ET/PT with an encore on TCM July 31 at 8pm ET/PT. Best of Deadline Francis Ford Coppola's Career In Photos, From 'Apocalypse Now' To 'The Godfather' Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far Everything We Know About Netflix's 'The Thursday Murder Club' So Far
Wall Street Journal
14-05-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
The Corleone Option for SALT Republicans
In a famous scene from 'The Godfather Part II,' a corrupt Senator tries to extort Michael Corleone for $250,000 in return for not interfering with gaming licenses. Michael replies 'my offer is this: nothing,' and he tells the Senator to pay the $20,000 license fee. The scene is good advice for House Speaker Mike Johnson if Members from high-tax states keep trying to extort the House for a higher state-and-local tax deduction as part of a tax bill.
Yahoo
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Robert De Niro spotted in North Jersey filming new Netflix movie
New Jersey welcomed one of Hollywood's biggest stars this week as Robert De Niro was in Paterson Thursday filming the new Netflix movie "The Whisper Man." Paterson Mayor Andre Sayegh posted a picture of himself with De Niro on Facebook announcing the Oscar-winning actor was in Paterson. The filming of the new crime-thriller occurred right behind city hall, Sayegh said. "The two-time Academy Award winner was in Paterson filming a new movie today. Our city continues to attract major motion pictures and is considered by many as being Hollywood East!" said Sayegh in his Facebook post. Filming for "The Whisper Man" is also set to take place in a historic building in Montclair between May 19 and 27, reported Montclair Local. The actor known for his iconic roles in "Goodfellas," "The Godfather Part II," "Taxi Driver," and many more, is not the only star to arrive in the Garden State. Movies such as "Happy Gilmore 2," "A Complete Unknown," and an unreleased Bruce Springsteen biopic are just a few movies that were filmed in New Jersey in the past year. Adam Sandler and Timothée Chalamet made their presence known in the Garden State. Sandler even took a photo with the Hackensack Police Department. Sydney Sweeney has also been filming locally. This article originally appeared on Robert De Niro spotted in Paterson NJ filming 'The Whisper Man'
