Screen Junkies » Helen Hunt

Cannes Casting Round-Up: Quaid, Firth, Bloom, Nolte, Hunt All Lasso Roles

Joseph Gibson — Wed, 11 May 2011 16:31:37 +0000

Well hello there, cowpokes! I can tell by that gleam in yer eye that you’re a-lookin’ for casting updates coming out of the Cannes Film Festival. Well saddle up, pardner, because here we go! Yee-haw.

First up out of the corral is Dennis Quaid, who’s joining Jeremy Irons and Bradley Cooper in The Words. Quaid will play “Clay Hammond, a celebrated writer, in the tale in which Cooper’s character, another writer, discovers the price he must pay for stealing the work of another man, played by Irons.” Sounds like a rootin’-tootin’ good time, and also a meditation on creativity and plagiarism. (The Hollywood Reporter)

Next up under the branding iron are cowpokes Orlando Bloom and Nick Nolte, who’ve been cast in “coming-of-age road-trip comedy” Idea in America along with Stanley Tucci and Cristiana Capotondi. (The Hollywood Reporter)

The no. 3 spot on this rodeo is held by Helen Hunt, who’s a-gonna direct and star in romantic comedy Ride. A romantic comedy starring and directed by Helen Hunt? YEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE-HAW!

Finally, we got England‘s Number 1 Wrangler Colin Firth, who will play the lead role in an untitled comedy to be directed by Dante Ariola from a script written by Becky Johnston. Here’s a plot synopsis, which rolls through your field of vision like a tumblin’ tumbleweed: “Firth plays a man who hates his job and is hated by his ex-wife and son. Feeling he missed his one shot at living the dream, he fakes his death and buys a new identity.” (Deadline)

Helen Hunt Takes The Creepiest Job Imaginable

Joseph Gibson — Wed, 27 Apr 2011 20:01:09 +0000

You might remember the premise behind The Surrogate, mostly because it’s creepy as hell. But in case you don’t, here it is in a nutshell: Mark O’Brien (as played by John Hawkes) was a writer afflicted with polio, which paralyzed him from the neck down and forced him to live in an iron lung for most of his life. In order to try and satisfy his sexual desires, he hired a “surrogate.”

Now we know who’s going to be playing O’Brien’s sexual surrogate: Helen Hunt, which fits because what is Helen Hunt if not America’s sexual surrogate? Anyway, Hunt will play a character “who goes through her own challenges as she struggles to separate her personal and professional lives, including explaining her career to her 12-year-old son.” Man, I remember when my mom explained to me that she made a living as a sexual surrogate for a paraplegic writer. It’s a conversation no parent wants to have, but they all have to eventually. (Variety)

Soul Surfer

Reza F. — Sun, 27 Mar 2011 20:54:52 +0000

Director: Sean McNamara

Cast: Annasophia Robb, Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, Carrie Underwood

Synopsis: A teenage surfer girl summons the courage to go back into the ocean after losing an arm in a shark attack.

Release Date: April 8, 2011

‘Soul Surfer’ Trailer — Now With Shark Attack

Wookie Johnson — Fri, 28 Jan 2011 22:19:56 +0000

If there was one critique of Soul Surfer‘s teaser trailer, it was that the film didn’t look nearly gross enough. Problem solved!

This new look at the film finally gets around to showing that shark attack that costs the protagonist her arm… but not her love of surfing. Did you hear that, sharks?! You can eat our arms but not our spirits!! Anyway, whereas the earlier trailer was wholesome and full of hugs, this new one spends way too much time showing off that nasty arm stub. Gross. It’s times like these that I hate movie-blogging. Some of us are trying to eat Cheetos over here.

‘Soul Surfer’ Trailer Has Surfer Girl But No Shark Attack

Penn Collins — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 21:22:34 +0000

Soul Surfer, the true story about Bethany Hamilton and her survival of a shark attack that cost her her arm, has a trailer. And it looks…wholesome. In fact, nowhere in the 1:14 clip does it reference or even acknowledge the fact that something might go wrong. It’s all surfing and hugs and fireworks. This shouldn’t be much of a surprise considering it’s an inspirational story featuring the likes of Dennis Quaid, Helen Hunt, AnnaSophia Robb, Carrie Underwood, and no less than Hercules himself, Kevin Sorbo. One would think they would at least allude to the fact that this cute blonde girl is going to get her arm bitten off by a shark. It’s not like they can use that as a twist in the film; it was a national news story. The working title of this film was basically The Movie about the Girl Who Got Her Arm Bitten off by a Shark, so it’s unlikely that anyone will be caught off guard when girlfriend loses a limb.

I’m sure as we get closer to the April 15 release date, we’ll be privy to the darker half of the film. In the meantime, enjoy the trailer for Blue Crush Lite! (Coming Soon)