May 31, 2013

[Insert Title] IMDB Pro STARmeter Casting: Cumberbatch, Lawrence, DiCaprio, Clarke, and Pine

One of the many perks of having an IMDBPro account (no, seriously, I love it.) is that I can monitor the actors and actresses that are trending right now. Sometimes, for fun, I like to
cast the the Top 6 actors and actresses in a make believe movie with a budget and everything (I'm a Film Studies major, it's what I do for fun. Making my own film package to sell to imaginary investors.) I started making so many of these fake movies in my head that I have decided to blog about them for my own amusement.

Now here we have a very good looking cast of people. Pine and Eve who are still riding high from Star Trek: Into Darkness, followed by Mother of Dragons Emilia Clarke who is gaining much attention from Game of Thrones, Leo DiCaprio, because he's Leo DiCaprio, Jennifer Lawrence, because she's Jennifer Lawrence, and Benedict Cumberbatch for Star Trek and the legions of "Cumberbabes" (or the large majority of Tumblr) who worship his mahogany rich voice. 


We have 3 men and 3 females, which automatically wants me to start pairing off. I'm thinking a dark, spy genre that's laced with witty dialogue and subtle suspense. Rival spy agencies compete over one ultimate prize. We have the the female spy team of Eve, Lawrence, and Clarke who are so organized and in-synch that they have never botched a mission since they've been working together.
Then you have the boys club of DiCaprio, Pine, and Cumberbatch. All 3 have extremely distinct personalities. In an obvious casting decision Cumberbatch is the straight laced, play by the rules analytical, Pine is the loose cannon who uses his gut instinct instead of common sense, and DiCaprio is the ring leader with a love for strong scotch and a brooding demeanor (I know there's nothing new or original here, gimme a break.) Several close encounters with the women of the rival agency and the men's world is turned upside down. As for the romantic pairings:

Cumberbatch & Eve: They both hail from across the pond and are quite popular in the UK. I've seen them do interviews together and they seem to have a nice report with one another. Story wise I would be intrigued to see these two interact with each other. And riding off of Cumberbatch's surge of popularity, we could do a lot marketing wise.

Pine & Lawrence: These 2 could have a lot of fun with each other. Both are charming and I feel that there chemistry (not so much sexual, but friendly) would bring the film some levity. They have proven that they can do dramatic, action, and comedic so I am completely on board with these two.

Clarke & DiCaprio: First of all, that is a good looking pairing. Clarke has been killing it on Game of Thrones and I think she would be fantastic doing dramatic scenes with DiCaprio. I can imagine Leo doing his signature flip out (like in Revolutionary Road after Kate Winslet tells him she doesn't love him) while Clarke holds her own, looking calm and collected, like a true Khaleesi. I can see it.

Shooting locations would range from Burbank, London, New York, and Sweden (again, in my world where I have an unlimited budget.) 

                                              Since, Sam Mendes has made me a happy girl, and is
most likely directing the next 2 Bond films, I would want him to direct this with Roger Deakins as director of photography, of course. As for release time I was thinking early Fall, but I think I'm going to risk it and have it come out in December during the holiday season. This could either work or come back to bite me and flop financially.

Finding a writer would be the most challenging part of all this. The dialogue needs to be sharp and smart but it can't be clinical and distant. I want the audience to be emotionally invested in these characters. I also want the film to have some light comedy. Not so heavy that it feels awkward and out of place with the rest of the film. It needs to be natural and genuine.

Marketing for this film would be a fun process. I'm thinking late night shows, press junket, a
creative group photo shoot in W Magazine, a UK and LA premiere, and so on and so forth. Title is up in the air but I want it brief and to the point. Not one word but something that captures the true nature of the film. I want it spy themed and have it roll off the tongue.

So this is my rough movie package. In my imaginary world where I can produce films and actors work for close to nothing, because the films are just so amazing that it would be foolish to pass up. These are the things I think about when I see the latest STARmeter. If any Hollywood producers wants these ideas or wants to utilize my vast creative think tank I will accept payment in Chipotle gift cards.