Don’t let the title “The Last Exorcism” fool you- because the creative team is already making plans for the sequel! That’s right, “The Last Exorcism II” is already in pre-production, with plans for a 2013 release date. Actress Ashley Bell is cast to revisit the role of Nell Sweetzer in this new addition in the Exorcist saga, however no other actors names have yet been released for this project. The Director will be Ed Gass-Donnelly who has been making a name for himself at various film festivals. This horror flick begins filming here in New Orleans this spring, and local casting directors have already been scouting local talent. Check back to Southern Celebrity Gossip for more updates about this project.

For more on this movie, visit NOLA.com.

A new movie, “The Tomb” is set to begin filming here in Louisiana come springtime. This picture is bringing with it two of Hollywood’s biggest stars- literally! The famous muscle-men Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone are cast to star in this film. The two men will be portraying inmates in prison, who want to escape from that life. Stallone’s character is the brains behind the break-out, and Schwartzenegger plays “a complex inmate who fights to keep the prisoners from losing their humanity in their darkest hour as they struggle together to stay alive.” According to IMDB, Sylvester Stallone’s character is wrongfully incarcerated and forced to live in a prison that he himself designed. Hopefully things won’t get too “Rocky” as these two try to “Terminate” their stay in prison.

The movie is set to film in New Orleans and the surrounding areas in April of 2012 and is planning for a 2013 release. As always, for this and other stories about Hollywood South, stay with us at Southern Celebrity Gossip!

The new year in the Louisiana Entertainment Industry is already off to an amazing start. With multiple major motion pictures already in production, and many more scheduled throughout the year, the experts are predicting even more growth in the local film industry from now until 2013. With this increase and filming, we are also seeing  bigger and bigger names make their way to the Bayou state. The LA Times writes, “Showing signs of continued robust growth, Louisiana’s film industry is gearing up for another busy year, with movies starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Morgan Freeman, Harrison Ford, and Russell Brand”.  And they forgot to mention Tom Cruise, Will Ferrell, Mark Wahlberg and director Quentin Tarantino.

According to sources, the Louisiana Film tax incentives (which became permanent in 2009) have been one of the reasons for this big boom in blockbuster bookings. But the diverse settings available in Louisiana also have strong appeal for location scouts. Ranging from swamps, to city-scapes, and universities to plantation homes, there are an infinite possibilities for productions here locally. In 2011, production expenditures were “estimated to reach 1.4 billion dollars” which is a huge increase from the “nearly 900 million figure estimated for 2010”. Sources are predicting an even higher figure for 2012, and more jobs for local residents, more casting for local talent, and more star-sightings for the rest of us!

Visit L.A. Times.com for the full article.

_Two Louisiana-shot films have gained major recognition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival. “Beasts of the Southern Wild” which won the Sundance Institute Indian Paintbrush Producers Award, as wells as the Dramatic Grand Jury Prize tells a father-daughter story set in Mississippi. Despite its setting, the film was actually shot in the southernmost parts of Louisiana. Critics are raving about this movie, claiming that it’s multi-genre approach caters to almost every audience. The Atlantic writes,

    “Nothing that played during the first weekend this year wowed critics and audiences (and, reportedly, buyers) quite like “Beasts of the Southern Wild.” From first-time filmmaker Benh Zeitlin, the picture is a wholly original post-Katrina bayou fairytale: an amalgamation of iconic Cajun imagery, end-of-the-world allusions, roving monsters, and family drama”.

    This paper also said that film was a unique combination of “tree of Life” and “Treme”. The scenery and cinematography of the independent movie certainly added a great deal to its charm. At Southern Celebrity Gossip we like to think that it was the Louisiana beauty that helped capture the attention of Sony Pictures and Fox Searchlight, both of which are interested in picking up the movie for mass distribution.

    Locally filmed “Lay the Favorite” also sparked some interest at the Film Festival. This movie, which stars Bruce Willis and Catherine Zeta Jones was shot here in New Orleans as well as Las Vegas. In this picture, the characters border on the edges of serious drama, and side-splitting comedy as they gamble their way through New Orleans. Both “Lay the Favorite” and “Beasts of the Southern Wild” well represented the Hollywood South and have given more attention to the incredible filming opportunities here in Louisiana.

For more about these films, and others at the Sundance Film Festival, visit their official website.

_
With the Academy Award Nominees having just be announced, everyone certainly has a lot to gossip about. Why shouldn’t they? With movies like “The Artist”, “The Help” and “The Descendants” up for best picture there are definitely a lot of different opinions. But one category is more clear that others: Best Supporting Actress. Having just won the Golden Globe in the same role, Octavia Spencer is a shoe-in for the Oscar as well.

Spencer is originally from Montgomery Alabama, and got her start in a Mississippi filmed movie, “A Time to Kill”. In this movie the budding actress had the opportunity to work alongside Samuel L. Jackson, Sandra Bullock, and Mathew McConoughey. After wrapping this project, Octavia Spencer relocated to Los Angeles were she has been featured in countless projects. But all of this success has managed to bring her back to right where she started! The Jackson, Mississippi set movie “The Help” has put Octavia’s name all over the press… not to mention the film awards. In the film, she plays the supporting character Minny opposite actresses Viola Davis and Emma Stone. The movie deals with racial tensions that existed in the 1960’s in Mississippi. The movie was shot predominantly in the town of Jackson, as well as Alabama and parts of Florida.

Octavia isn’t the only star in “The Help” nominated for an Oscar. Viola Davis has been nominated for best actress, as well as Jessica Chastain who is up against Spencer for best supporting actress. Despite this rivalry, the two cast-mates remain close friends and recently were interviewed by Tribute Movies about their work together. The movie is also nominated for “Best Picture”. “The Help” has shined a light, not only on the rich history here in the south, but also on the incredible talent that is from here. We are all hopeful that Spencer’s performance is recognized at the 2012 Oscars.

For a complete list of nominees visit the Oscar’s official website.

__   Will Ferrell’s latest film, “Dog Fight” has been filming throughout New Orleans and Gretna for the past few weeks, and it has everyone talking! This Southern Celebrity Gossip is happy to report, that a few photos of the movie have leaked and made it to the presses. In these images you can see the iconic New Orleans architecture in the background as a very diplomatic Ferrell presents his speech.

  
Dog Fight is set to premiere in Summer of 2012 and will continue to film throughout January. We will be here for the latest news on this, and all other projects filming in Hollywood South!!!

These images were provided by On Location Vactions.

_  Steven Seagal has been a household name when it comes to action movies since the late 80’s with the release of his first movie, “Above the Law”. Since then he has released dozens of action films, each showing off his admirable martial arts training. With that enormous of a film portfolio, it is hard to imagine that the actor had time for much else- But he did!

Over twenty years ago, during his rise to stardom, the action hero also graduated from the police academy in California. Since that time he has been serving as a reserve officer, before applying for a more permanent position in- you guessed it, Louisiana. Seagal owns a home here and decided to commit himself to the Jefferson Parish Law Enforcement. When A&E heard the story, they couldn’t miss the opportunity to develop a television series out of this perfect premise. The show “Steven Seagal: Law Man” followed the star on his real life adventures with the Jefferson Parish police. While Law Man only last a few years, Segal isn’t abandoning his post quite yet. In fact he is taking his experience with the Louisiana Law Enforcement to a whole new project! “True Justice” which is set to air in spring of 2012, features the actor playing a Seattle-based police officer. While this show is filming in Canada mostly, the actor is sure to bring his experience in Louisiana to the role.  

For more on this story, read what REELZ had to say!

_ Author, Stephanie Meyer rose to international fame with the release of her novel series, “Twilight”. With the third of the movie adaptations of these books in the theatres now, you might think that Meyer is ready for some time-off. But, it is quite the opposite!  The author is now in pre-production for the film version of one of her other books, “The Host”. This science-fiction thriller tells the story of a time when human beings are invaded by an “unseen enemy” which forces them to lose control of their bodies, and in most cases, their minds. But protagonist, Melanie is a different kind of human. Her thoughts and memories affect the actions of the “Wander” that has taken over her body. This harrowing tale of Melanie’s past, and her painful struggle includes love, loss, and danger. So the movie will definitely have something for everyone!

Director, Andrew Niccol has signed on for the new adaptation of this novel. Niccol is an Academy Award nominated director, who has previously worked on the movies “Gattaca”, “The Truman Show” , “Lord of War”, and “The Terminal” .

Casting has already started in Los Angeles, and casting will begin here in Louisiana in the coming weeks. For more information about this movie, visit Meyer’s own site or reach this article on examiner.com… and definitely stay tuned into SCG for more casting news and extra opportunities!

_  Director, Tonya S. Holly is planning to remake the 1967 classic movie, “Bonnie and Clyde”. The original picture included Hollywood legends, Faye Dunaway and Warren Beatty. But the remake will be out with the old- and in with the new! Holly has decided to cast two new stars whose careers are definitely on the rise. Playing the role of Bonnie will be Lindsay Pulsipher of HBO’s “True Blood”, and her co-star will be Sean Faris of “Never Back Down”. Holly had originally planned to cast Hilary Duff in the role of Bonnie, before casting Pulsipher recently. According to sources, some of the movie's original setting was destroyed in the recent tornadoes and because of the new schedule neither Duff nor the originally cast-Kevin Zegers were able to take part. Despite these setbacks, Tonya S. Holly is excited to move forward with her new cast in 2012! The movie will be filmed in the Gulf South, around the areas of Alabama, Mississippi, and… you guessed it, Louisiana! There isn’t a lot of information about this film available yet, but for the full article visit moviehole.net!

 There has been a lot of focus in the media, both locally and nationally, about the sensational developments in the Louisiana Film Community. Here in our very own blog, we recently cited an article that documented the on-going projects, as well as predictions about what the future may bring. With all of this hype about the fu it is easy to forget that local filming is FAR from new. While it is true that recent tax incentives have spiked the popularity of NOLA-shot films, there is something to be said for the appeal of the local scenery that has been capturing the attention of directors for decades.

 Thankfully  “Film Accessory Researchers” Ed and Susan Poole have dedicated themselves to reminding the local community about the roots of the Hollywood South. And, with the release of their 11th reference book Hollywood on the Bayou, we can hope that they can remind the world about the rich film history of Louisiana. The two have stated, “Movies produced in Louisiana can depict any time period in any location. Even in the cases where movies were not actually filmed on location here, film producers went to great lengths to recreate the look and feel of authentic Louisiana . . . Louisiana’s diversified topography, architecture, ethnic diversity, and unique charm have brought star quality to many films.”

Tonight, the Chalmette Movies will honor these two local film-enthusiasts, and also celebrate the heritage of the local film history.  Beginning at 7:30 p.m. tonight, Tuesday the 13th, the pair will be at the movies promoting “Hollywood on the Bayou”. The two will lead a discussion about the History of Louisiana Films, ranging from the years 1896 to 2010. This discussion will last about an hour, and is free to the public! The Chalmette Movies is located at 8700 W Judge Perez Dr, Chalmette, LA._

So come on out tonight, and take a glimpse into the past of Louisiana’s Hollywood Fame!

You can learn more about the Pooles' work, specifically, Hollywood on the Bayou, on their website. Or check out this video they have made!

And you can read more about this story through the examiner.com