Deadline is reporting that Sam Riley joined Michelle in the upcoming “Suite Française”.

Sam Riley has joined the cast of the World War II drama. Suite Française also features Michelle Williams, Matthias Schoenaerts and Kristin Scott Thomas with Saul Dibb directing. Riley will play the role of French soldier Benoit in the film based on Irene Nemirovsky’s novel about a young woman in Nazi-occupied France who ends up falling in love with a German officer. Dibb adapted the story with Matt Charman. The Weinstein Company, TF1 DA and eOne have partnered on the project with TWC handling U.S. rights, along with distribution rights in Latin America, Australia, Russia and Germany. Suite Française is scheduled to start shooting in Belgium and Paris later this summer. Riley, who played Joy Division singer Ian Curtis in 2007’s Control, was most recently was seen in Walter Salles-directed On The Road. He will also be starring along side Angelina Jolie in the upcoming Maleficent as well as in Neil Jordan’s Byzantium. Riley is repped by WME, having signed with them in April. He continues to be repped by Tavistock Wood in the UK.

Deadline is reporting that Michelle’s upcoming movie “Suit Francaise” found distributors at Cannes Film Festival.

The Weinstein Company, TF1 DA and eOne will partner on Suite Française, the Michelle Williams, Matthias Schoenaerts and Kristin Scott Thomas drama directed by Saul Dibb. TWC will handle U.S. rights, along with distribution rights in Latin America, Australia, Russia and Germany. Production starts in June on the 1940s-set film that’s based on Irene Nemirovsky’s novel about a young woman who lives with her controlling mother-in-law in Nazi-occupied France and ends up falling for a German officer. The 15M euro film will shoot in Belgium and Paris.

The movie is produced by Qwerty Films’ Michael Kuhn and Andrea Cornwell. Xavier Marchand produces for eOne alongside Romain Brémond who produces for TF1. Harvey Weinstein is exec producer. France’s TF1 DA acquired rights to Nemirovsky’s unfinished novel in 2007. Dibb (The Duchess) adapted it for the screen with Matt Charman. TF1 has French rights to the film and eOne has distribution in the UK, Spain and Canada. TF1 International is selling.

Deadline is reporting that Michelle is set to star in the remake of “The Double Hour”. Late last year there were reports of Michelle possibly joining the project, but now it’s confirmed.

Michelle Williams and Joel Edgerton are set to star in The Double Hour, a remake of the 2009 Italian film of the same title. Joshua Marston, helmer of Maria Full Of Grace, is writing and will direct. Silver Reel Entertainment and Lotus Entertainment have partnered to finance and sell in Cannes. It’s a psychological thriller that tells the story of two lovers who find themselves victims in the midst of a dangerous and well planned robbery. Indigo Films’ Nicola Giuliano, Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee and Journeyman Pictures’ Paul Mezey are producing.

The original, directed by Giuseppe Capotondi and produced by Giuliano, premiered in competition to critical praise and awards at the 2009 Venice International Film Festival. Silver Reel’s Claudia Blumhuber, Lotus Entertainment’s Bill Johnson and Jim Seibel, Giulio Marantonio, John Powers Middleton, Jacob Pechenik and Florian Dargel will executive produce. UTA Independent Film Group and CAA are co-repping domestic rights. Marston is represented by WME and Anonymous Content, Williams by CAA, Edgerton by CAA and Shanahan Mgmt.

Deadline is reporting that Michelle is considered for the female lead in the upcoming untitled Chef project. The movie will be directed by John Wells, and Bradley Cooper is set for the male lead.

Bradley Cooper has now formally confirmed to star in the John Wells-directed Chef, making this one of the early projects stirring action from foreign buyers who can now visualize the Silver Linings Playbook star back in meltdown mode in this Shampoo-like drama.

This has been in the works a bit, and recently Cooper saw Wells’ upcoming TWC Oscar-bait movie August: Osage County and then TWC set Wells to direct Chef. They are now looking to round out that cast, and I’m hearing Michelle Williams and Marion Cotillard as potential female leads, and Omar Sy for co-starring role. The film’s produced by Stacey Sher, Erwin Stoff and Michael Shamberg.

Screendaily is reporting that The Weinsten Company is close to getting the US rights to distribute Michelle’s upcoming movie “Suite Francaise“.

The Weinstein Company is close to signing a US distribution deal for Second World War love-story Suite Francaise, ScreenDaily understands.

Michelle Williams, Rust and Bone star Matthias Schoenaerts and Kristin Scott Thomas are due to lead the cast in the period adaptation of Irene Nemirovsky’s acclaimed novel about the tense love-affair between a young French woman, Lucile (Williams), and the German officer (Schoenaerts) assigned to supervise her in Nazi-occupied France. Scott Thomas will play Lucile’s domineering mother-in-law.

The Duchess director Saul Dibb has adapted Nemirovsky’s novel and will direct.

The shoot is due to commence on June 24 in Europe with casting underway on supporting roles.

Harvey Weinstein is believed to have been tracking the project for some time with TWC COO David Glasser beginning talks in earnest with Alliance Films executives at last year’s AFM.
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“Oz: The Great and Powerful” is still going strong. It’s #1 again in this weekend’s box office and it became the top grossing film of 2013!

Oz easily stayed at No. 1 in its second weekend, earning $42.2 million for a domestic total of $145 million — the top gross of 2013. Sam Raimi’s tentpole took in another $46.6 million overseas for a global haul of $281.8 million.
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Great news! “Oz: The Great and Powerful” tops this weekend’s box office.

Breathing life into the beleaguered box office, Sam Raimi’s 3D fantasy-adventure Oz the Great and Powerful took in an impressive $80.3 million in its North American debut and $69.9 million overseas for a global opening of $150.2 million.

Oz did solid but not spectacular business internationally, where the original 1939 film isn’t as well known. Russia led with $15 million, followed by the U.K. ($5.7 million), Mexico ($5.1 million) and Australia ($5 million). Oz opened to $4.2 million in Germany, where it was in a close battle with holdover Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters. Oz opened in a total of 46 territories, or roughly 80 percent of the international marketplace.

In North America, Oz was up more than 35 percent from Friday to Saturday as families turned out in force, making up 41 percent of the audience. Couples made up 43 percent, while teenagers made up 16 percent. The movie skewed slightly female (52 percent).
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Disney is already working on a sequel to “Oz: The Great And Powerful” according to THR.

With expectations of a box-office bonanza this weekend, Disney is already planning a sequel to Oz the Great and Powerful, THR has confirmed.

Mitchell Kapner has been hired to write a script for the follow-up, which would continue the adventures of Oz, played by James Franco.

Kapner came up with the concept and ideas for the origin story of Oz, basing it on the classic L. Frank Baum books, pitching it to producer Joe Roth, who set it up at Disney, and writing the initial drafts. He shares screenwriting credit with David Lindsay-Abaire, who came on board later in the process.
Roth would be back as producer.

The movie stars Franco, Mila Kunis, Rachel Weisz and Michelle Williams. Sam Raimi directed the fantasy tentpole, which, despite getting lukewarm reviews, is tracking to open at in the $80 million to $90 million range this weekend. That should go a long way toward off-setting the mega-budget, which was far north of $200 million.

Before Oz, Kapner wrote The Whole Nine Yards and its sequel, The Whole Ten Yards, and also worked on the action movie Romeo Must Die. He is repped by Gersh and Fineman Entertainment.
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Michelle is set to make an appearance on CBS’ Late Show with David Letterman next week on February 19. Be sure to tune in and check your local listings for the time.

Michelle joined the PSA ‘Demand on Plan’ campaign.

Hollywood actors and entertainers have joined forces for Demand a Plan, a grassroots effort to curb gun violence in the wake of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shootings.

The effort is spearheaded by the Mayors Against Illegal Guns campaign, launched in July after the Aurora, Colo., movie theater shooting. Since then, a petition demanding gun reforms has gathered more than 700,000 signatures.

Among the stars in the 90-second PSA: Beyonce, Jamie Foxx, Gwyneth Paltrow, Michelle Williams, Jon Hamm and Conan O’Brien.
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