The Book Standard recently reported that Natalie Portman and Eric Bana are in final negotiations to star in Columbia Pictures' film based on Philippa Gregory's The Other Boleyn Girl. Portman will play Anne; there's no mention of the actress who'll play Mary. Bana will portray Henry VIII, but the photo on the Book Standard site doesn't exactly call him to mind, does it?
Maybe, if I'm lucky, the theater in the next town over will show it. Most of what they get are action flicks, and I think the last movie I saw there was Chicago. Or maybe even the last Star Wars movie, which also featured Portman.
As an addendum to my last post - I should have added that one thing that reviewing has taught me is the value of perseverance. After p.100 of that slow-to-start historical novel, my interest picked up considerably, and I zipped through it over the weekend. Finished it an hour ago and wrote the review in 15 minutes, which is some kind of record. Well worth reading. Apologies for being enigmatic about the author/title, but since I'm reviewing it for another publication I'd rather have that review speak for itself (and not be google-able by the masses). Anyone intensely curious about it in the meantime is welcome to email me :)
About Me
- Sarah Johnson
- Collection management librarian, readers' advisor, avid historical fiction reader, NBCC member. Book review editor for the Historical Novels Review and Booklist reviewer. Recipient of ALA's Louis Shores Award for book reviewing (2012). Blogging since 2006.
I think I'll enjoy this movie if the actor playing Henry VIII takes his shirt off a lot.
ReplyDeleteThis is Hollywood we're talking about. I think that's a given.
ReplyDeleteBana is too sexy for Henry VIII.
ReplyDeleteBut yep, a Hollywood Henry should be sexy, not historical. ;)
Philippa Gregory said somewhere that Henry was very sexy at the time of his relationship with Mary Boleyn, before he got old and fat, and she was deliberately trying to show that in The Other Boleyn Girl. Looks like the casting director has taken that idea and redoubled it in spades :-)
ReplyDeleteEric Bana was the best thing about the movie TROY in terms of casting anyway. He did a fine job playing Hector, one of my favorite characters from the Trojan War. As Henry VIII? Don't know--Keith Michell is still my favorite--even Richard Burton in ANNE OF THE THOUSAND DAYS was not as good, IMHO. Hollywood being Hollywood and after what they did with PRIDE AND PREJUDICE, I would expect them to go the very sexy route. :)
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Pride & Prejudice - I hadn't even realized that the British version of Hollywood's recent P&P had a different ending until a British friend told me about it. I gather the British ending isn't nearly as sappy.
ReplyDelete