The Invention of Hugo Cabret

[MacGuffin]

Scorsese eyes 'Hugo' for next project
Helmer to reunite with 'Departed' producer King
Source: Variety

Martin Scorsese is eyeing a trip back in time to 1930s Paris.

The helmer is in talks with GK Films to direct Brian Selznick's best-selling children's book "The Invention of Hugo Cabret" for what he hopes will be his next project. Pic would reunite Scorsese with his "Departed" producer Graham King.

Story centers on a 12-year-old orphan named Hugo, who lives in a train station and must finish what his late father started by solving the mystery of a broken robot. Project would mark Scorsese's first foray into kid lit -- a genre that is attracting a number of high-profile directors including Wes Anderson ("The Fantastic Mr. Fox") and Spike Jonze ("Where the Wild Things Are"), whose films are resonating with adult audiences.

"Hugo," which won the Randolph Caldecott Medal in 2008 for the most distinguished American picture book for children, is a mammoth tome at 533 pages. More than half of the pages contain elaborate pictures that the New York Times described as looking like movie storyboard frames. "Ice Age" helmer Chris Wedge was previously attached to direct "Hugo Cabret," which was a long-running Times best-seller.

GK Films will independently produce the live-action feature and is in discussions with a number of studios including Sony and Paramount about distributing "Hugo Cabret." Currently on the fast track for a June 1 start in London, pic is also being produced by Scorsese, Tim Headington and Johnny Depp's production company Infinitum Nihil, which is run by Christi Dembrowski.

John Logan, who wrote Scorsese's "The Aviator," adapted the screenplay.

[Gold Trumpet]

John Logan, who wrote Scorsese's "The Aviator," adapted the screenplay.

I think this has been Scorsese's problem. He's allowing writers to carry over and define each of his decades. It was Nicholas Pileggi in the 90s and now it is John Logan and William Monahan in the 00s. It's easy to say his early career is better than his later career, but he's technically gotten better at directing as he has gotten older. A movie like After Hours would be more elaborate stylistically if it was made today, but the simple likelihood is that his early films (excluding After Hours and some others) are better because of the writers. Paul Schrader needs to come back and do more than adapt a limited novel for Scorsese (aka Bringing Out the Dead).

It's disappointing because I want to be excited, but if it's Aviator all over, I can only expect to like parts of the movie at best.

[Alexandro]

Yes, but Logan doesn't have the personality of schrader or pileggi. I'm not familiar with the material but this is an odd and exciting choice for Scorsese, to say the least. Certainly more than the sinatra biopic. i doubt this will get actually get made with him as director though...

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More Scorsese: 'Hugo Cabret' Not In 3D? Also Chats About Two More 'Down And Dirty Street Movies'
Source: ThePlaylist

Once you get Martin Scorsese going, the director is more than happy to talk about anything cinematic under the sun. Earlier today, we reported more details on the director's long gestating Sinatra biopic, but digging through the same interview with ShortList, there were a few more interesting nuggets that we overlooked.

Back in February, Variety casually mentioned that Scorsese's upcoming children's film, "Hugo Cabret" was going to be a "3D adaptation." While many assumed that meant Scorsese was jumping on the latest Hollywood bandwagon, when asked directly by ShortList if he would ever like to make a film in 3D the director answered: "I would like to. I’m very excited by 3D. I was always excited by 3D. I was 10 years old when the first 3D wave occurred in 1953. Why should we be limited? I mean, I’m seeing you and the space is real. Time isn’t real. Time is abstract. Space is real." He goes on to say that he would ideally only use 3D for "dramatic purposes – not just throwing spears at the audience." It certainly sounds like the director, who is usually very candid about his projects, isn't planning on shooting "Hugo Cabret" in 3D or visiting the format any time soon. So we're going to scratch that rumor for now.

But that's not all, adding to the growing list of projects on Scorsese's menu are two more, currently secret projects. ShortList asked the director if he would ever like to get to his roots and shoot a "low-budget, down-and-dirty street movie" and he replied, "Absolutely. I’m dying to. And there are two projects that I have in mind that way." Ever the tease, Scorsese said the can't really talk about them right now (probably because they are way too early in the game) but it's certainly exciting news, especially for those who haven't warmed to the director's bigger budgeted work of recent years.

Damn. That's two more features on top of "Hugo Cabret," the forthcoming Jesuit priest drama dream project "Silence," the mob hitman pic "The Irishman" aka "I Heard You Paint Houses" with Robert DeNiro and the still in development Frank Sinatra biopic. And let's not forget the handful of documentaries in various states of the completion that the director also has going on the side. We wish we had a quarter of his energy.

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Kingsley, Baron Cohen Joining Scorsese
By MIKE FLEMING; Deadline Hollywood
 
EXCLUSIVE: Director Martin Scorsese is in talks with Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Kingsley to star in The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the director's next film. Graham King's GK Films is financing and still working out distribution.

The film is based on Brian Selznick's childrens book, about the 12-year old title character, an orphan who lives in the walls of a Paris train station in 1930. I'm told that Baron Cohen will play the role of the station inspector.  Kingsley will play George Melies, the famous silent filmmaker who plays a pivotal role in the film.

Sir Ben just worked with Scorsese on  Shutter Island. Baron Cohen most recently starred in Bruno.

The book was originally acquired for Scorsese by Warner Bros and King right after The Departed rained Oscars.  John Logan wrote the script, but Scorsese stepped out. Ice Age's Chris Wedge jumped in, but exited to make another movie. Warner Bros put it into turnaround, but after Scorsese's plan to film Silence didn't come together, he rejoined the project.

King is considered likely to run the film through the overall distribution deal he made with the Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions deal he made last year.

[Pubrick]

this could be great.

kingsley is due for a comeback and even tho he is pretty much box office and critical poison these days, he always excels when he plays ppl he looks like:



this will hav to do until they make a film about hamid karzai



the other great thing is that marty seems to not hav found a way to wedge Leo into this project. it just feels like a nice refreshing change from all the crap he's been making.

[polkablues]

Leo will play the 12-year-old, obviously.  The articles didn't bother to mention it because they figured we would just assume.

[Alexandro]

Kingsley can do whatever he wants and it makes no difference in his career. I don't know if he "needs" a comeback. Has he had any other comebacks before? He just rocks like a motherfucker from time to time in between a LOT of really bad movies. He's gotta work. He's like Willem Daffoe. He's never really that hot actor, and he's never really out of work.

[MacGuffin]

Scorsese Sets Pyjama Boy And Hit Girl For The Invention Of Hugo Cabret
By MIKE FLEMING; Deadline Hollywood
   
EXCLUSIVE: Martin Scorsese's lining up his young leads for The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I'm told that Asa Butterfield will play the title character, with the female lead role of Isabelle going to Chloe Moretz, who is lighting up the screen in trailers for the Matthew Vaughn-directed Kick-Ass. She plays Hit Girl in a film Lionsgate debuted to raucous reaction at SXSW. Moretz also stars in Let Me In, the Americanized remake of the memorable Swedish vampire film Let The Right One In. She plays the bloodsucker.

Butterfield starred in The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas,  and most recently wrapped Nanny McPhee and the Big Bang. Sacha Baron Cohen and Ben Kingsley will also star in The Invention of Hugo Cabret. I've also confirmed the film will be distributed by Sony, through the deal that producer Graham King's GK Films set with the Sony Worldwide Acquisitions Group. It seems odd to imagine Scorsese building a film around children.

I can't think of too many Scorsese films it would be appropriate for these kids to even watch.

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Scorsese to shoot 'Hugo Cabret' in 3D
Oscar-winning director's next film to open Dec. 9, 2011
Source: Variety

Martin Scorsese is taking the plunge into 3D.

The helmer will employ the technology for his next project, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret."

Sony, which is distributing the GK Films-financed pic, has dated the film for Dec. 9, 2011.

Based on Brian Selznick's best-selling children's book, story is set in 1930s Paris and centers on a 12-year-old orphan named Hugo, who lives in a train station and must finish what his late father started by solving the mystery of a broken robot.

Project, which will begin lensing in London in June, marks Scorsese's first foray into kid lit as well as his debut 3D film.

John Logan, who wrote Scorsese's "The Aviator," will adapt the screenplay.

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It looks like Silence is always going to remain a mirage to us, but I have no problem with Scorsese going 3D. Shutter Island had a chance for Scorsese to attune himself back to high compositional filmmaking but he went half mass with the project since the story regurgitated a lot of psychological generics, but I have to assume that this film will at least be imaginative and force Scorsese's hand more so than any of his projects in the last 10 years. Thus I am satisfied and if Scorsese is going to make this film and continue to delay the million historical films in which Robert De Niro could aptly direct, then he might as well take on unique fables like this. It should have promise, but I don't know. I always seem to invent new ways to find false hope in Scorsese whenever a new film of his is announced.

I also focus on the filmmaking potential only because I imagine if any of these were killer scripts, Scorsese would have been trumping them since the beginning. The only thing he continuously trumps has been Silence so I imagine it's his standalone great project to be made unless something by happenstance just appears before him and is great. At best, I imagine most of the scripts are good high tier Hollywood stories where nothing that great is present.

[Alexandro]

fine, but he's not getting any younger.
Silence is supposedly still pretty much in prep, but my personal wish would be for Silence to be a cheaply made film without CGI or elaborate filming involved. I'm sure I'm dreaming.

[MacGuffin]

Jude Law cast in Scorsese's 'Cabret'
Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee also added to project
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Frances de la Tour and Richard Griffiths have been cast in Martin Scorsese's live-action 3D adventure "Hugo Cabret." The film's production began Tuesday in London.

The new cast members join Ben Kingsley, Sacha Baron Cohen, Asa Butterfield, Chloe Moretz and Helen McCrory in the GK Films-produced adaptation of Brian Selznick's bestselling 2007 book, "The Invention of Hugo Cabret." "The Aviator" scribe John Logan wrote the screenplay.

Scorsese, Graham King, Tim Headington and Johnny Depp are producing. Emma Tillinger Koskoff, Charles Newirth and Christi Dembrowski are executive producers.

"Cabret," which won the Caldecott Medal and a National Book Award, tells the story of an orphan living in the walls of a Paris train station who encounters a broken machine, an eccentric girl and a reserved toy shop manager.

The project is filming at Shepperton Studios as well as on location in London and Paris. Sony will release the film in December 2011.

Law is repped by WME, Winstone by ICM, Lee and de la Tour by Independent Talent Group and Griffiths by Paradigm.

[MacGuffin]

Two more join Martin Scorsese's 3D family adventure 'Hugo Cabret' (exclusive)
Source: Hollywood Reporter

Emily Mortimer and Michael Stuhlbarg have joined the ensemble cast of "Hugo Cabret," Martin Scorsese's first foray into family adventure and 3D.

The movie, an adaptation of Brian Selznick's best-seller "The Invention of Hugo Cabret," is in production in London and is being produced by Scorsese, Graham King, Tim Headington and Johnny Depp.

"Cabret" centers on Hugo (Asa Butterfield), an orphan boy living a secret life in the walls of a Paris train station. When he encounters a broken machine, an eccentric girl (Chloe Moretz) and a cold, reserved man (Ben Kingsley) who runs a toy shop, he is caught up in a magical, mysterious adventure that could put all of his secrets in jeopardy.

Mortimer plays the station's flower shop girl, Lisette, and Stuhlbarg plays Rene Tabard, a film restorer. They join a cast that includes Sacha Baron Cohen, Jude Law, Christopher Lee and Ray Winstone.

"Cabret" reunites Mortimer with Scorsese, having appeared in the director's "Shutter Island." Her other credits include "Harry Brown," "Lars and the Real Girl" and Woody Allen's "Match Point." The actress, repped by ICM and Brillstein Entertainment Partners, next stars opposite Paul Rudd, Elizabeth Banks and Zooey Deschanel in the comedy "My Idiot Brother."

Stuhlbarg, repped by ICM and Viking Entertainment, received a Golden Globe nomination for his work in the Coen brothers' "A Serious Man" and next co-stars as crime boss Arnold Rothstein in the Scorsese-directed pilot and HBO series "Boardwalk Empire."

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Martin Scorsese Talks Hugo Cabret and Shooting in 3D
Source: Screen Crave

As we reported earlier, Martin Scorsese recently participated in a special Q&A with Leonardo Dicaprio called “Leonardo DiCaprio and Martin Scorsese in Conversation.” The Oscar winning director spoke via satellite from a location in Europe where he’s currently shooting his latest project The Invention of Hugo Cabret. Scorsese gave a status update on the production and revealed that he’s learning something new everyday on the set of his first 3D film…

When asked how the filming of Hugo Cabret was going, Scorsese said, “It’s going. It’s going. It’s an experience. The geometry of it, everything, you’re really redefining. You’re trying to figure out how to tell the story again in pictures with this 3D, which is really interesting.”

He then went on to discuss the movie’s exceptional cast and how much filming they have left for the shoot.

“It’s a film that’s a fable. It involves Hugo Cabret, [a young boy] and playing the part is Asa Butterfield. I think he’s 12 or 13 in the film and he’s the lead. [The rest of the cast] Chloe Moretz, Ben Kingsley, Christopher Lee, Emily Mortimer, Sacha Baron Cohen, it’s a group, quite a group. We had the sets built by Dante Feretti out here in Shepperton Studios and we’ve been shooting for quite a while now. We only have a few more weeks, I hope and I hope to get it out by next year.”
It’s interesting to hear someone as well versed in film as Scorsese get stumped by 3D. The man’s a genius who’s known to focus on stories and characters, and for the most part 3D has been used as a gimmick for action films. Will he be one of the first directors to bring a strong narrative together in the format? Only time will tell.

The Invention of Hugo Cabret is scheduled to hit theaters on December 9, 2011.