Fiennes’ Coriolanus To Premiere in Berlin

Pic at link (Gerry in poster)

http://entertainmentalley.com/2010/12/15/fiennes-coriolanus-to-premiere-in-berlin/

Fiennes’ Coriolanus To Premiere in Berlin

December 15th, 2010 | Posted by Nezi

The Berlin International Film Festival, aka Berlinale, has announced some of the films for its upcoming run February 10-20. Coriolanus, the directorial debut of British actor Ralph Fiennes, has been added to the lineup. The film will have it’s world premiere at the Festival, but will run out of competition. I was expecting that the film would debut at the Belgrade Film Festival, since Fiennes and company shot the movie there, but surprisingly that’s not the case. Either way, Fiennes could still be looking for distribution for the U.S. market at the Festival.

Based on Shakespeare’s tragic play, Coriolanus stars Ralph Fiennes as the title character. A former hero, Coriolanus’ views do not sit well with the politicians of his country, nor with his mother Volumnia, and Coriolanus is cast out of his homeland. Angry, the man offers his services as a skilled soldier to the enemy of his country, Tullus Aufidius. When the two soldiers return to Coriolanus’ country to destroy it, his mother Volumnia appeals to him to stop. The man finally bends to his mother’s wishes, and feeling betrayed, Tullus Aufidius seeks to destroy Coriolanus.

With quite a cast lined up for Coriolanus, Fiennes’ debut looks to be an interesting watch. He is joined by Gerard Butler as Tullus Aufidius. Gerry is currently a big name in Hollywood, so his casting was a smart choice for someone trying to sell a movie. Other cast members are legendary British actress Vanessa Redgrave as Volumnia, Scottish actor Brian Cox (who’s pretty much the best thing ever), James Nesbitt, and Jessica Chastain.

This poster showed up recently online (here). It’s supposedly the Russian poster for Coriolanus, but I have no idea if it’s the real deal or not. It’s not surprising to see a poster with Butler’s face, as he will be a selling point for the movie. And these days they release tons of posters for films. Though I am a fan of Butler’s work, I still prefer the poster featuring Ralph Fiennes – because, a) he plays the main character, and b) this project is his baby.

The Coen brothers latest flick, the remake of True Grit, starring Jeff Bridges and Matt Damon, will open Berlinale, though it will be released in the U.S. on December 22. You can see the rest of the out-of-competition lineup at the Festival’s site, HERE.

There is no release date for Coriolanus yet. Let’s hope they get distribution for North America lined up soon. They do have a deal with BBC for broadcast in United Kingdom, presumably after the movie is released to theaters there.

That's the story I was looking for from earlier, I knew there was something I missed. Thanks!