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Film Independent President Josh Welsh announced today that entertainment attorney and producer Brenda Robinson has been elected the new chair of the nonprofit’s board of directors.

Robinson succeeds longtime Film Independent chair Mary Sweeney, who has served in the position for the past nine years and on the board for more than two decades. Previously vice chair, Robinson will continue to work closely with the executive committee of Film Independent, the arts organization that produces the Film Independent Spirit Awards and serves to champion creative independence in visual storytelling.

Film Independent also announced three new members to join the board: Matthew Greenfield, president of Searchlight Pictures; Rhys Ernst, producer and director; and Edward Rada, non-profit financial executive, who will serve as the executive committee treasurer.

“We are thrilled to have Brenda Robinson as the new chair of Film Independent’s Board of Directors,” Welsh said in a statement announcing Robinson’s election.

Brenda Robinson, an entertainment attorney, producer and partner at film financing and development company Gamechanger Films, has been elected the new chair of the board of directors at Film Independent, the nonprofit arts organization behind the Spirit Awards.

She takes over for Mary Sweeney, who served as chairman for the past nine years as part of a two-decade-plus run on the board. The nonprofit also said Wednesday that it has appointed three new board members: Searchlight Pictures president Matthew Greenfield; Transparent producer-director Rhys Ernst; and Edward Rada, a nonprofit financial executive who joins the executive committee as treasurer.

“We are thrilled to have Brenda Robinson as the new Chair of Film Independent’s Board of Directors,” Film Independent president Josh Welsh said. “With her unparalleled passion and advocacy for the arts and artists, Brenda is uniquely qualified to help lead Film Independent. And I’d also like to extend a...

Every critic’s worst movie is another’s best, but Variety critics Peter Debruge and Owen Gleiberman had to draw the line somewhere. Whether it was the year’s top film at the box office, or a right-wing documentary that’s even worse than the filmmaker’s previous outrages, it was a good year to hate-watch.

Peter Debruge’s Five Worst Movies:

“Avengers: Infinity War”

Spoiler alert: The power-mad crazeballs behind the Marvel Cinematic Universe are out of control. First they blew up an entire planet (at the end of “Thor: Ragnarok”) and laughed if off, and then came Thanos’ snap, which (I said “spoiler alert” already — get off my case!) killed off half of all life in the galaxy. When that happened, I wanted to scream, “You can’t do that!” and not because I care about these characters (most of whom are quasi-invincible imbeciles anyway — although I was...

Arriving in theaters five years after it was filmed (and three years after it was scheduled to premiere at Tiff), London Fields has as much baggage as its leading lady Nicola Six carries. Amber Heard’s sexy protagonist is a carefree manipulator of men, catching the attention of Samson Young (Billy Bob Thornton), a pulp novelist who arrives in London during a period of upheaval, trading his New York flat with a far more successful writer Mark Asprey (Jason Isaac). Adapted by the author of the original source material, Martin Amis with Roberta Hanley, this is a film that isn’t short on its exposition and style.

The feature film debut of Mathew Cullen, a successful music video director, London Fields knows what notes to play but not how they ought to come together. It’s either an erotically-charged noir that’s one big tease or a biting commentary on...

For years, it looked like the doomed Martin Amis adaptation would not see the light of day. Step forward West Byfleet’s finest…

London Fields does not have a huge amount going for it. Mathew Cullen’s Martin Amis adaptation has been plagued with trouble from the outset. Slated to debut at the 2015 Toronto film festival, London Fields was pulled at the last minute when Cullen sued the film’s producers for fraud. The following year, producers issued Amber Heard with a $10m lawsuit, causing her to countersue. The film was finally released in September … but only in Russia.

When it finally limped into American cinemas last weekend, London Fields quickly became one of the biggest flops in living memory. Gaining a per-screen average of $261, it has the second worst opening for any widely released film in history. In addition, the movie has been universally derided by critics. With a 0% score on Rotten Tomatoes,...

Mathew Cullen isn’t haven’t a great week. And honestly, if everything were to go as originally planned, this would be a time of celebration for the director. Instead, after a delay of more than three years, Cullen’s feature film debut “London Fields” posted one of the worst box office debuts in history and has a terrible 0% on Rotten Tomatoes. And in a new interview, surprisingly, Cullen not only agrees with those reviews but also explains why he chose to be the scapegoat for the film’s failure.

Continue reading ‘London Fields’ Director Talks Terrible Reviews & Bts Drama: “I’ve Read The Reviews. I Agree With Them” at The Playlist.

“London Fields” opened in 613 North American theaters on October 26, over three years after it first premiered at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, and it struggled to find an audience. The film, based on Martin Amis’ 1989 novel of the same name, grossed only $116,470 during its opening weekend, which results in a dismal $190 per-theater-average. The numbers make “London Fields” the second worst box office opening for a wide release (a film opening on over 600 screens).

Amis reacted to the film’s historic bad box office in an interview with The Guardian. When asked about the movie’s poor reception, Amis said he was not surprised. “The film is rather confusing as it opens,” he said, “and it could’ve done with a lot more clarity in its first half or so. That’s all I can say. I mean, I never thought it would be a popular film.”

“London Films” stars Amber Heard...

"This is the story of a murder. It hasn't happened yet. But it will." So began the unreliable narrator in Martin Amis' celebrated 1989 novel London Fields. A death foretold, the passage also aptly describes the Oct. 26 release of the film version, which in its opening weekend earned just $169,000, a near-record worst for a wide release.

"I've read the reviews. I agree with them," says director Mathew Cullen, speaking for the first time about the film, which received a rare 0 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. He and other insiders also revealed to ...

"This is the story of a murder. It hasn't happened yet. But it will." So began the unreliable narrator in Martin Amis' celebrated 1989 novel London Fields. A death foretold, the passage also aptly describes the Oct. 26 release of the film version, which in its opening weekend earned just $169,000, a near-record worst for a wide release.

"I've read the reviews. I agree with them," says director Mathew Cullen, speaking for the first time about the film, which received a rare 0 percent on Rotten Tomatoes. He and other insiders also revealed to ...

Not even a star-studded cast could save “London Fields” from pushing daisies at the box office.

The long-delayed mystery drama — starring Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton, Jim Sturgess, Johnny Depp, and Cara Delevingne — brought in a dismal $116,470 when it opened in 613 North American theaters. That means each venue sold just $190 worth of tickets. In other words, it was the second worst debut in recent history for a wide release (classified as any movie playing on over 600 screens) behind just “Proud American,” which launched with $96,076 in 2008, according to Box Office Mojo.

“London Fields” certainly had a tumultuous journey to the big screen, one that was plagued with a number of legal issues. Mathew Cullen directed the film, which was based on the 1989 dystopian novel of the same name by Martin Amis. It follows a terminally ill author suffering from writer’s block. The movie was originally set to premiere at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival,...

The producers of “London Fields” announced Wednesday that they have reached a settlement with the film’s star, Amber Heard, which should clear a path for release of the long-delayed project.

The producers sued Heard in November 2016, accusing her of sabotaging the premiere of the film at the Toronto International Film Festival in 2015. The film is based on a dystopian Martin Amis novel. Heard co-stars with Jim Sturgess and Billy Bob Thornton.

The film is now scheduled for release through Gvn Releasing on 600 screens on Oct. 26, according to the producers. No money changed hands as part of the settlement.

“Amber is happy to put this matter behind her,” a rep said in a statement. “She never should have been sued in the first place.”

Lynn Gibson, administrator of Nicola Six Limited, said in the statement: “We are thrilled that Martin Amis’ bold vision will finally be shared with audiences.”

The director,...

Amber Heard and Nicola Six Limited, the rights holder to the film “London Fields,” have settled all legal disputes between them and have announced the movie will move forward with a U.S. theatrical release next month. The movie is adapted from Martin Amis’ 1989 novel of the same name and stars Heard as the seductress Nicola Six, who discovers she’ll be murdered on her 35th birthday and sets out to find the killer.

“London Fields” was originally set to premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival but was pulled due to various legal battles. Cullen filed a lawsuit against producers Christopher Hanley and Jordan Gertner for taking away final cut privileges and failing to pay him. The producing team fired back by suing Heard for $10 million for not “complying with her clear-cut contractual obligations.” The lawsuit claimed Heard refused to complete the film as intended and conspired with Cullen...

From RedBand.Ca, Sneak Peek restricted 'red band' footage from the upcoming 'clairvoyance' crime thriller "London Fields", directed by Mathew Cullen, based on the novel by Martin Amis, starring Amber Heard, Cara Delevingne and Gemma Chands, opening September 20, 2018:

"...clairvoyant femme fatale 'Nicola Six' has been living with a dark premonition of her impending death...

"...before starting a tangled love affair...

"...with three uniquely different men: one of whom she knows will be her killer..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "London Fields"...

Take a look at the upcoming crime thriller "London Fields", directed by Mathew Cullen, based on the novel by Martin Amis, starring Amber Heard, Cara Delevingne and Gemma Chands, opening September 20, 2018:

"...clairvoyant femme fatale 'Nicola Six' has been living with a dark premonition of her impending death...

"...before starting a tangled love affair with three uniquely different men: one of whom she knows will be her killer..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "London Fields"...

"Falling in love normally ends very badly with me."

A wild red-band trailer has been released for a new hyper-stylized thriller called London Fields. Amber Heard stars in the film as clairvoyant femme fatale named Nicola Six, who "has been living with a dark premonition of her impending death by murder. She begins a tangled love affair with three uniquely different men: one of whom she knows will be her murderer."

This movie originally premiered at the Toronto Film Festival back in 2015 and has since found itself going through all kinds of issues. After the premiere, the director, Mathew Cullen, sued the producers for "inserting unapproved footage into his edit." Not long after Heard was sued by the producers because she apparently didn't finish the film. She ended up counter-suing claiming the "producers had secretly employed a body double to make it seem like she had done more nudity than was stipulated in her contract.

"Falling in love normally ends very badly with me." Paladin has released an official Nsfw red band trailer for Mathew Cullen's London Fields, a hyper-stylized action-thriller which has been in controversial trouble for years. This film originally premiered at the Toronto Film Festival back in 2015, but the director sued the producers for "inserting unapproved footage into his edit." Ouch. The next year Amber Heard, who stars in the film, was sued by the producers for supposedly not finishing the film, and she counter-sued claiming the "producers had secretly employed a body double to make it seem like she had done more nudity than was stipulated in her contract." Now it's finally getting a release, if you're curious about it. Heard stars as femme fatale Nicola Six, and the cast includes Billy Bob Thornton, Jim Sturgess, Theo James, and Cara Delevingne. This trailer definitely still sells all the sex and looks super stylish,...

If you remember hearing horror stories about “London Fields” a few years ago, you aren’t imagining things. The film had an infamous premiere at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival, where it was subsequently thrashed by critics. Soon after the screening, the film’s director Mathew Cullen sued his producers for inserting footage into his film without notifying the filmmaker. Then a few more controversies later, and the film disappeared.

Continue reading Everyone Wants To Have Sex With Amber Heard In New Trailer For The Controversial ‘London Fields’ at The Playlist.

The road to release for Mathew Cullen’s “London Fields” has been rocky to the extreme, but the long-delayed adaptation of Martin Amis’ 1989 novel of the same name is gearing up for distribution later this summer.

The movie stars Amber Heard as the seductress Nicola Six, who discovers she’ll be murdered on her 35th birthday and sets out to find the killer. The film features Billy Bob Thornton, Jim Sturgess, Theo James, and Cara Delevingne in supporting roles.

“London Fields” made headlines in 2015 when it was pulled from the Toronto International Film Festival after Cullen filed a lawsuit against his producers for taking away final cut privileges behind his back and failing to pay him. The following year, Heard filed for divorce from Johnny Depp following domestic abuse allegations. Depp appears in a cameo role in “London Fields.” The film’s producers then sued Heard for $10 million, accusing her...

London Fields, the film based on Martin Amis' celebrated novel never got a release after director Mathew Cullen and the film's actors staged a publicity boycott at the 2015 Toronto Film Festival, but the film has prompted several lawsuits including a new explosive counter-complaint from actress Amber Heard.

Producer Christopher Hanley, behind the production company Nicola Six Limited, is fighting on several fronts including against Cullen, and last November, he filed a $10 million claim against Heard for allegedly disregarding contractual obligations by failing to render acting services in conformity with the shooting script and later by...

Amber Heard is the latest to face court action over London Fields, a film based on Martin Amis' celebrated novel, once set to make a splash at the Toronto International Film Festival only to be stuck in legal purgatory without a distributor. On Monday, the film's producers sued Heard, who stars in the picture as a promiscuous psychic about to be murdered.

More than a year ago, the debut of London Fields at Toronto prompted controversy with much of the movie's talent refusing to show up in support. Mathew Cullen, the film's director, sued Christopher Hanley's Nicola Six Limited for fraud, claiming producers hijacked the final cut...

The producers of troubled crime-thriller London Fields have filed a breach of contract cross-complaint against the film’s director Mathew Cullen.

The complaint, filed on Nov 18 in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleged that Cullen “failed to deliver London Fields on budget and on time or at all despite significant deadline extensions” and that he “also breached his contract by failing to promote the producer’s cut of the film”.

Cullen initially filed a lawsuit against the producers three days prior to the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff), alleging that the producers significantly and secretly altered the film without his consent.

The Sept 18 premiere was subsequently cancelled.

The producers’ cross complaint also flags what it calls “Cullen’s intentional interference with the contracts of cast members of the film, encouraging them not to perform post-production and promotional services, jeopardizing the distribution and sales potential” at Tiff.

The film’s...

The producers of troubled crime-thriller London Fields have filed a breach of contract cross-complaint against the film’s director Mathew Cullen.

The complaint, filed on Nov 18 in Los Angeles Superior Court, alleges that Cullen “failed to deliver London Fields on budget and on time or at all despite significant deadline extensions” and that he “also breached his contract by failing to promote the producer’s cut of the film”.

Cullen initially filed a lawsuit against the producers three days prior to the film’s premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff), alleging that the producers significantly and secretly altered the film without his consent.

The Sept 18 premiere was subsequently cancelled.

The producers’ cross complaint also flags what it calls “Cullen’s intentional interference with the contracts of cast members of the film, encouraging them not to perform post-production and promotional services, jeopardizing the distribution and sales potential” at Tiff.

The film’s...

While Tiff festival programmers naturally like to boast, and some in the biz certainly consider the fest’s People’s Choice Award as a good luck charm for Best Picture Oscar winner gold, the top ticket stub collecting nod certainly augments the prospects of a given film title and the A24 folks must be feeling pretty good about the title they invested in on early. With terrific buzz coming out from Telluride, Lenny Abrahamson’s Room appears to be covered in magic fairy dust. The Brie Larson starring imprisonment family drama would have not been crowned with the top Tiff Award if it weren’t for a last minute screening addition to replace the canceled public screening of Mathew Cullen’s London Fields. That Friday night showing cemented the win over Pan Nalin’s Indian film Angry Indian Goddesses (First Runner Up) and Tom McCarthy’s Spotlight (Second Runner Up).

In other Tiff award news,...

Muse said in a statement that director Mathew Cullen, who has filed a $1m lawsuit claiming he played no part in the film’s edit, ‘can’t deal with the fact that he does not control the final cut’

The producers of a star-studded adaptation of the Martin Amis novel London Fields have attacked the Toronto film festival’s decision to cancel its world premiere following a legal dispute with the movie’s director.

Muse Film and Television issued a statement labelling the move an “ill-considered decision made against our rights” after Toronto bosses pulled tonight’s red-carpet screening and said the film was no longer part of the festival.

Continue reading...

The producers of London Fields have responded to the decision by Tiff top brass to pull the noir thriller ahead of Friday’s world premiere following allegations by the director.

“We are greatly disappointed that Tiff decided to pull the film from the festival,” the producers said in a statement.

“We have always loved launching our films here, but feel that in particular case there has been an ill-considered decision made against our rights.

“It’s the first time we have ever heard of a festival removing a movie from the festival due to it’s [sic] imagery being deemed too provocative.

“The timing and the content of the director’s lawsuit shows that it is a publicity stunt. The filing of [director] Mathew Cullen’s complaint violates the arbitration provisions of his own guild, the DGA.

“Sadly, Mathew can’t deal with the fact that he does not control the final cut of the movie.

“He was given...

Toronto Update: The film’s producers on Thursday afternoon responded to the decision by Tiff top brass to pull the noir thriller ahead of Friday’s world premiere following allegations by the director.

“We are greatly disappointed that Tiff decided to pull the film from the festival,” the producers said in a statement. “We have always loved launching our films here, but feel that in particular case there has been an ill-considered decision made against our rights.

“It’s the first time we have ever heard of a festival removing a movie from the festival due to it’s [sic] imagery being deemed too provocative.

“The timing and the content of the director’s lawsuit shows that it is a publicity stunt. The filing of [director] Mathew Cullen’s complaint violates the arbitration provisions of his own guild, the DGA. Sadly, Mathew can’t deal with the fact that he does not control the final cut of the movie...

Updated: The producers on Thursday afternoon hit back after Tiff top brass pulled the noir thriller ahead of Friday’s world premiere following allegations from the director.

“We are greatly disappointed that Tiff decided to pull the film from the festival,” the producers said in a statement. “We have always loved launching our films here, but feel that in particular case there has been an ill-considered decision made against our rights.

“It’s the first time we have ever heard of a festival removing a movie from the festival due to it’s [sic] imagery being deemed too provocative.

“The timing and the content of the director’s lawsuit shows that it is a publicity stunt. The filing of [director] Mathew Cullen’s complaint violates the arbitration provisions of his own guild, the DGA. Sadly, Mathew can’t deal with the fact that he does not control the final cut of the movie.

“He was given...

World premiere cancelled following allegations from director.

Update 18/09: ‘London Fields’ producers hit back after Toronto pulls film

Toronto International Film Festival (Tiff) has pulled noir thriller London Fields from its line-up and cancelled tomorrow’s world premiere following reports that director Matthew Cullen had instigated legal action against the producers of the feature.

“We are greatly disappointed that Tiff decided to pull the film from the festival,” the producers said in a statement. “We have always loved launching our films here, but feel that in particular case there has been an ill-considered decision made against our rights.

“It’s the first time we have ever heard of a festival removing a movie from the festival due to it’s [sic] imagery being deemed too provocative.

“The timing and the content of the director’s lawsuit shows that it is a publicity stunt. The filing of [director] Mathew Cullen’s complaint violates the arbitration provisions of his own guild...

Makers of star-studded mystery thriller based on Martin Amis’s classic 1989 novel imposed ‘false, distorted and perverted associations’ on director and cast members Johnny Depp, Amber Heard and Billy Bob Thornton, claims suit

The world premiere of the star-studded adaptation of the Martin Amis novel London Fields has been cancelled after reports emerged that the film’s director, Mathew Cullen, is to sue the film’s producers for fraud, claiming they have been marketing the murder mystery using his name despite debuting a version at the Toronto film festival that he had nothing to do with.

Cullen’s film, which stars Billy Bob Thornton, Amber Heard and (in a cameo role) her husband, Johnny Depp, was due to premiere at Toronto on Friday. In a statement, the festival said: “We have recently learned of a legal matter that has arisen between the director and the producers of the film London Fields...

The Weinstein Company has picked up Us rights to the Natalie Portman starrer after a lead attorney on the film pulled it from Relativity before the latter filed for bankruptcy on July 30.

TWC plans an early 2016 Us release. The Hollywood Reporter first reported this story.

Jane Got A Gun was mired in a controversial production history after initial director Lynne Ramsey quit on the first day of the shoot and cast members subsequently came and went.

Gavin O’Connor eventually directed the Western, which screened strongly for buyers in Berlin last February.

Separately, Lionsgate is understood to be closing a Us deal for its Grindstone label for Toronto premiere London Fields starring Jim Sturgess.

The film is the subject of legal action after director Mathew Cullen filed a suit claiming the producers “secretly prepared their own version of the film”.

Mathew Cullen alleges the film’s producers “secretly prepared their own version of the film”.

Matthew Cullen, the director of London Fields, which had its premiere at Toronto International Film Festival (Sept 10-20) yesterday, has filed a lawsuit in Los Angeles County Superior Court against the film’s producers Chris Hanley and Jordan Gertner over the usage of his name on the project, which he claims has been significantly altered without his consent.

Update: ‘London Fields’ pulled from Tiff over lawsuit

The New York Times reported that some of the film’s biggest name actors - Johnny Depp, Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton and Jim Sturgess - had written letters to the producers in question calling for additions to the film made by Hanley, without Cullen’s approval, to be removed.

These alterations include “incendiary imagery evoking 9/11 jumpers edited against pornography”, which Cullen claims show that Hanley and his associates “secretly prepared their own version of the...

London Fields marks the feature directing debut of Grammy and MTV Vma winner Mathew Cullen. Set in a near-future world in turmoil, the noirish mystery stars Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton, Theo James and Jim Sturgess. Heard plays a clairvoyant whose life is upended when she has a premonition of her own murder. The movie, which premieres September 18 at the Toronto International Film Festival, is produced by Chris Hanley (Spring Breakers, American Psycho), Jordan Gertner…...

Muse Productions, the shop behind Spring Breakers, is now defending a lawsuit that contends it has rushed to hide its assets in light of allegedly failing to pay $300,000 on its forthcoming film London Fields, an adaptation of one of Martin Amis' most famous literary creations. At stake could be the sequel to Spring Breakers. The lawsuit was filed on Monday in Los Angeles Superior Court by Periscope Entertainment, which says it agreed to advance money for the development of London Fields, directed by Mathew Cullen and starring Billy Bob Thornton and Amber Heard. It's a film adaptation of

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First-time director Mathew Cullen's long-gestating noir thriller based on Martin Amis's 1989 novel London Fields has been given a boost by a cameo from Johnny Depp. The movie stars Depp's girlfriend Amber Heard (pictured) opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Jim Sturgess and is shooting in the capital. Depp is in town to shoot Rob Marshall's adaptation of Into the Woods and Mortdecai.

Top cameo-based scoopage from The Hollywood Reporter today. According to the trade magazine, Johnny Depp has found a space in his schedule to pop up in London Fields in a role that may or may not involve the kind of heavy prosthetics that took a certain cop comedy by storm.Depp is in the UK for Rob Marshall's Disney musical Into the Woods and David Koepp's Mortdecai, and word is that he already shot his scenes in the Martin Amis adaptation. The production got rolling in September with first-timer Mathew Cullen calling the shots and a cast including Billy Bob Thornton, Jim Sturgess, Underworld: Awakening's Theo James and Amber Heard.Heard plays femme fatale Nicola, possessed of unusual beauty and hypnotic magnetism. Mysterious and clairvoyant, she sets a plan in motion to fulfil the prophecy of her own murder.Caught up in Nicola’s plan are terminally...

Film version of Martin Amis' 1991 novel currently shooting in the UK capital will see a small role for Pirates of Caribbean star

• London Fields film shoot gets under way

• Interview: Martin Amis

Johnny Depp is to make a cameo appearance in the upcoming film adaptation of Martin Amis's classic novel of urban disintegration, London Fields, according to the Hollywood Reporter.

Depp, who is reported to be in a relationship with the film's lead Amber Heard, has already filmed his scenes for the crime thriller, which has been shooting in the capital for a month. Commercials and music video director Mathew Cullen makes his feature film debut on the project, the screenplay for which has been written by Amis himself, along with Roberta Hanley.

London Fields is set in 1999 and also stars Billy Bob Thornton and Jim Sturgess. Like Amis's 1989 novel, it centres on clairvoyant "murderee" Nicola Six (Heard...

A few casting updates for you so let's dive right in ... We just spoke with Alec Baldwin at the Savannah Film Festival, and while we didn't have time to get into what his next project would be, we didn't have to wait long to find out. He'll be reteaming with his "The Cooler" director Wayne Kramer for "Caught Stealing." Penned by David Hayter (“X-Men”) and based on the novel by Charlie Huston, the film will find Patrick Wilson playing "a hotshot high school basketball player turned unlucky, going-nowhere bartender who mistakenly gets caught up in a bloody treasure hunt through New York City" with Baldwin as "a sadistic cop." The Huston book is the first in a trilogy so ... franchise? [Variety] "London Fields," the long-gestating noir crime thriller based on Martin Amis' novel has been in the works for ages. It's finally coming to the big screen with Amber Heard,...

Johnny Depp is making a cameo in London Fields, the long-gestating noir crime thriller based on Martin Amis' 1989 novel of the same name. London Fields stars Depp's reported girlfriend Amber Heard opposite Billy Bob Thornton and Jim Sturgess. Photos: Johnny Depp at 50: The Superstar's Life and Career in Pictures First-time feature director Mathew Cullen began shooting the crime thriller last month in London, where Depp arrived to shoot Rob Marshall's big-screen adaptation of Into the Woods and Lionsgate's Mortdecai. Sources within the production say Depp has already shot his scenes for London Fields. Amis adapted

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Deadline reports that indie starlet Dakota Fanning (who was just at Tiff supporting Night Moves, The Last of Robin Hood) and Theo James (who is about to breakout big with his role in Neil burger’s Divergent) have been tapped to play a couple in need of therapy/and are joining the already cast Richard Gere for Andrew Renzi’s Franny (newly titled Frannie?). Shooting begins this October in Philadelphia.

Gist: Richard Gere plays a fun-loving, hedonistic philanthropist who works his way into the lives of a newlywed couple of Olivia and Luke (Dakota Fanning and Theo James) to recapture the life he once had

Worth Noting: Along with Divergent, Theo James will also be seen in Mathew Cullen’s London Fields.

Do We Care?: Already a seasoned pro in the industry - we like the direction Fanning is taking in her post Twilight career. Fanning has moved towards...

Storytelling studio Mirada was the creative and technical force behind the two-minute prologue of Guillermo del Toro's robots vs. monsters epic, Pacific Rim. Working closely with del Toro, who co-founded Mirada with Pacific Rim Dp Guillermo Navarro, director Mathew Cullen and Javier Jimenez, the Mirada team designed, created, shot and edited the key sequence, which included over 80 fast-moving visual effects shots. Pacific Rim Synopsis - When legions of monstrous creatures, known as Kaiju, started rising from the sea, a war began that would take millions of lives and consume humanity’s resources for years on end. To combat the giant Kaiju, a special type of weapon was devised: massive robots, called Jaegers, which are controlled simultaneously by two pilots whose minds are locked in a neural bridge. But even the Jaegers are proving nearly defenseless in the face of the relentless Kaiju. On the verge of defeat, the forces...

Long gestating Martin Amis adaptation starts shooting, with Katy Perry promo director Matthew Cullen on board

• Read our 2001 interview with Martin Amis

It has languished in Hollywood purgatory for well over a decade while directors of the calibre of David Cronenberg, Michael Winterbottom and Shekhar Kapur have come and gone. But Martin Amis's most celebrated novel, London Fields, is finally due to begin shooting today in the British capital with a high-profile cast that includes Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton and Jim Sturgess.

Guillermo del Toro protege Mathew Cullen will make his feature film debut on the project after cutting his teeth on commercials and music videos, as well as overseeing the prologue for the Mexican film-maker's current blockbuster Pacific Rim. The big screen version, the screenplay for which Amis has written himself with Roberta Hanley, does not look to have diverted too far from the 1989 novel. It centres...

• With a title like The Prince, die-hard Bruce Willis fans might worry that he’s decided to go from blue collar to blue blood. Thankfully, it’s a little misleading. Armenian director Sarik Andreasyan (American Heist) will tell the story of a retired Las Vegas mobster who must return to the city when he discovers that his teenage daughter is missing. Willis will play the man who has been cautiously awaiting the return of the mob enforcer. Filming will begin in New Orleans in October. Willis’s next scheduled release is Sin City: A Dame to Kill For, which hits theaters Aug.

Once readied for adaptation by David Cronenberg (before he decided to move on to another seemingly unfilmable book with Cosmopolis), Martin Amis’ London Fields is now in the hands of first-time feature director Mathew Cullen, who definitely has nothing to lose. Deadline reports that production on London Fields is currently underway, and it boasts the most famous cast for an Amis adaptation yet. Of course, considering that list is limited to The Rachel Papers and Dead Babies, a.k.a. Mood Swingers, that’s not saying much (with apologies to Ione Skye). Still, Amber Heard is playing Nicola, the manipulative ...

Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton, Jim Sturgess, and Theo James are all set to star in Mathew Cullen's adaptation of Martin Amis' futuristic murder mystery novel "London Fields".

Amis and Roberta Hanley adapted the script in which Heard plays a hypnotic and clairvoyant femme fatale in London's underworld who sets a plan in motion to fulfil the prophecy of her own murder.

Her web entangles a terminally ill writer (Thornton), a street hustler (Sturgess) and an unhappily married banker (James). The writer convinces her to let him document her manipulations in a book.

Chris Hanley, Jordan Gertner and Geyer Kosinski will produce. Production gets underway today in London ahead of a late 2014 release.

Source: Deadline...

Exclusive: Production is getting underway today in London on an adaptation of the Martin Amis novel London Fields. Mathew Cullen makes his feature directing debut on the adaptation of the futuristic murder mystery that Amis adapted with Roberta Hanley. Amber Heard, Billy Bob Thornton, Jim Sturgess, and Theo James are starring. Heard plays the ultimate eternal sexual femme fatale, possessed of unusual beauty and hypnotic magnetism. Mysterious and clairvoyant, she sets a plan in motion to fulfill the prophecy of her own murder. Caught up in Nicola’s plan are a terminally ill writer (Thornton), a lowly street hustler (Sturgess) and an unhappily married banker (James), who become intertwined in a love triangle that unfolds in the grimy underbelly of London. Samson convinces Nicola to let him document her manipulations in a book she says will be his literary masterpiece but only she knows who the tale will end and who her killer will be.

Warner Bros. Pictures is in negotiations to use The Guinness Book Of World Records as the basis for an action adventure feature film says Deadline.

Danny Chun ("The Office") has been hired to write the script for the Warners-based production company Thunder Road. Basil Iwanyk, Sean Sorensen and Mathew Cullen will produce the feature.

The question of course is how in the hell to get a story narrative out of a book which is essentially a collection of extreme facts. The project is already drawing comparisons to the scrapped Tim Burton-directed, Jim Carrey-led "Ripley's Believe It Or Not" project that was set up at Paramount.

Exclusive: Warner Bros is negotiating a rights deal to use The Guinness Book Of World Records as the basis for an action adventure film. The film has been set up at WB-based Thunder Road, and the studio has hired Danny Chun (The Office) to write the script. Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk will produce with Motion Theory’s Sean Sorensen and Mathew Cullen. It’s going to take some work to find a narrative arc, but there is certainly global name recognition as the Guinness Book Of World Records has sold a ton of books. The goal is to blow out the accomplishments of record-setters and turn it into an action movie with global appeal. Hatched by the Guinness Brewing Company in Ireland after an executive there tried to settle an argument over whether Europe’s fastest bird was the golden plover or the grouse, the brew maker realized a...

As we count down to the premiere of her 'Part of Me' video, MTV News picks our favorite Katy Perry clips to date.

By Vaughn Trudeau Schoonmaker

Katy Perry

Photo: Emi

We're just a couple days away from "MTV First: Katy Perry," when the pop star will premiere the music video for her #1 hit, "Part of Me" on MTV. As her seventh #1 single, "Part of Me" has a long line of awesome videos to live up to. And as we count down the hours to the video premiere at 7:23 p.m. on Wednesday, it seems like an opportune time to look back at our five favorite Katy Perry videos so far.

#5: "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F)"

This Marc Klesfeld-directed, 8-minute mini-movie opened with Kathy Beth Terry waking up the morning after throwing quite the rager, wearing absurd head gear and dreadful overalls. While this was not...

Call this the strange news item of the day, but it seems that Guillermo Del Toro has joined Motion Theory which is a commercial and music video production company. Their directors include Mathew Cullen, Mark Kudsi, Kaan Atilla, Grady Hall, Jesus de Francisco, Chris Riehl, Christopher Leone and Syyn Labs. Along with Cullen and Theory’s executive producer Javier Jimenez are part of Del Toro’s Mirada a transmedia venture.

Del Toro had the following to say in a statement: “When we were laying the groundwork for Mirada in late 2009, it was always with the intent that I would eventually explore the storytelling medium of the commercial. I’m passionate about transmedia and have dedicated myself to becoming fluent in the language of videogames, book publishing and animation, and advertising is an extension of this narrative field. I am also dedicated to nurturing up-and-coming filmmakers, so in addition to taking on commercial projects,...

Guillermo Del Toro has a clone. It's the only explanation. With films like Hellboy and Pan's Labyrinth, we know the director is fond of creating monsters and he must have figured out a way to make another version of himself. How else could he possibly be expected to do all of the things that he's attached himself to? He's producing several movies [1], consulting on others, developing a video game [2], getting ready to direct a huge film [3] starring Tom Cruise called At the Mountains of Madness and now he's going to start directing commercials too. (Or, better, he is returning to commercials, as he worked on ads early in his career.) Read Del Toro's quote and more after the jump. The Hollywood Reporter [4] broke the news of Del Toro going to the small screen, in which he'll be working with a company called Motion Theory. Del Toro already partners with several people who work for,...