Following up on what many considered to be an exceptional screen debut in the otherwise unexceptional “Smokin’ Aces,” the Finding Forever rapper is wrapping up work on “Wanted,” a buzz-heavy comic book flick that’s rapidly becoming one of the most-anticipated non-sequels of 2008 (see “Why Angelina Jolie, Common ‘Wanted’ To Work With Red-Hot Russian Director”).The famously pacifistic star is once again playing against type - he’s taking on the role of the Gunsmith for the flick. “In movies, I’m always playing gun-totin’ dudes!” he told us this week.

Regardless of his appreciation for spirituality and social awareness, the hulking hip-hop star’s frame fits the Hollywood mold of intimidating hit man. And as anyone who has seen recent Timur Bekmambetov’s Russian imports “Day Watch” and “Night Watch” knows, the stylistic director of “Wanted” will keep Common and co-stars Angelina Jolie, James McAvoy and Morgan Freeman from being anything close to typical as he makes his American-movie debut.

“It’s a really good story - I think the story’s got substance to it, but it’s still got great action,” he said. “It’s gonna be something new, man.”

We’d expect nothing less from the mixture of Bekmambetov, this cast and one of the most beloved graphic novels of its generation. Telling the story of a cubicle-slave antihero with more than a passing physical resemblance to Eminem, the story takes off when Wesley Gibson (McAvoy) has his eyes opened to an underground world where villainous assassins - including his recently deceased father - have been given death orders engineering the extinction of superheroes. Taken under the wing of the assassins, Wesley joins the dangerous group that includes the deadly Sloan (Freeman), the lethal Gunsmith and the sexy Fox (Jolie).

“One of the scenes that I’m excited about is a scene that Angelina and I were improv’ing,” Common remembered of the shoot, which has taken them from Chicago to Prague to the Czech Republic. “It’s a scene where I, the Gunsmith, am instructing James McAvoy’s character about shooting, because that’s what I do - I’m a master of guns. So I’m telling him to shoot, but during that time [Jolie’s character] and I are having a conversation about something else. It was just an improv situation that felt natural and good. I’m excited to see that - I’m excited to see the whole movie, to be honest.”

Between all those takes of “Matrix”-like gunplay, Common reported that he and Jolie became good friends and that she’s nothing like the tabloids would have us believe. “Angelina was the best - I’ve gotta tell you,” he said, flashing a grin. “She was, like, one of the coolest people I’ve ever met. I felt like the way she was encouraging me was just really warm and cool, and she brought the family around. I got to meet Brad - everybody was cool, just down-to-earth people there.

“It’s good to meet somebody who’s such a big superstar who’s just so cool,” he added, “and really there for a cause.”

Bekmambetov, meanwhile, has his own unique Hollywood cause: To create visuals that amaze even the most well-versed blockbuster-movie buffs. From exploding child’s toys to end-over-end flipping trucks to trippy voyages into “The Gloom,” his “Night Watch”/ “Day Watch” films have done amazing things on miniscule budgets - and Common insists that “Wanted” will continue to get a big bang for the cinematic buck.

“The way this is shot is different,” he insisted. “Timur is from Russia. His whole way of shooting is a different approach … some action movies are just good action, but this has a great story to it. It’s got substance to it. Morgan Freeman is in it - that’s one of the legendary people in acting. It just has these elements that are gonna make it special.”

“The way it feels, and the way the story goes?” Common promised of the March 28 release. “It’s gonna blow people’s minds.”

Common | 5 Comments »

In the opinion of many genre-film fans, the most visually arresting images of the past half-decade didn’t come from the works of Spielberg, Fincher, Aronofsky or Tarantino. Instead, they were conceived by Timur Bekmambetov, the affable Russian whose “Night Watch”/”Day Watch” series has captured the razzle-dazzle of Hollywood’s blockbusters for mere pennies on the dollar.

His loyal fanbase has long wondered what it would be like if Bekmambetov ever got his hands on an American production. In nine months, they’ll have their answer.

” ‘Wanted’ is an embracement of a new reality,” said Bekmambetov, admitting that his tenuous grip on the English language is less of a liability given the international language of the action flick. “I’m just trying to be myself. It’s understood that [my American cast and I] are the same, and the same things make us tick.”

Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman, Common and James McAvoy are just a few of the high-powered stars who hunted down Bekmambetov when they heard he was making “Wanted,” a slick comic book thriller that’s been called a “Watchmen” for supervillains (see “Common Exclusive: MC To Act Alongside Angelina Jolie In Ultra-Violent ‘Wanted’ “). Calling in from the Prague set to promote his currently in-theaters “Day Watch,” the director gave us an exclusive preview of the next world he’s creating.

” ‘Wanted’ is the story of a young boy who discovers that his father is a member of an evil organization that controls the world - when he gets killed, the boy wants revenge,” the director said of the “Bourne Identity”-like setup, which casts “Last King of Scotland” star McAvoy as the villainous protagonist. “It’s a comic book movie, but it looks real. For me, it’s the same experience as ‘Night Watch’ and ‘Day Watch’ because what we are trying to do is tell a fantasy story with real drama and without conventions. Every time, we are undercutting it with reality.”

Based on Mark Millar’s stunning graphic-novel series, “Wanted” gives us an angst-ridden, 25-year-old cubicle slave (think “Fight Club”) laid low by a disloyal girlfriend and a domineering boss. After discovering that his late dad was a member of the Fraternity - a secret league of assassins - he realizes he’s been blessed with extraordinary powers that make him a perfect recruit. With help from some atypical tutors, he soon finds himself carrying out the death orders of the Fates, literal weavers of every human’s lifeline.

“This is ‘Night Watch’ and ‘Day Watch’ but four times together,” Bekmambetov said of the film’s scope. “It’s much, much bigger. We built a huge textile factory in Prague. … The production designer, John Myhre, made ‘X-Men,’ ‘Chicago’ and ‘Memoirs of a Geisha.’ He’s built this huge set, and we’ve created a mythology in this world of weavers.”

Although the violent/sexy, reality/fantasy mix would seem to play to the strengths of Jolie in particular, Bekmambetov is quick to insist that the film won’t be “Tomb Raider 3.”

“Angelina had seen ‘Night Watch,’ and she liked it,” he said, referring to the trippy flick that broke Russian box-office records before its successful run in the States last year. ” ‘Wanted’ is something new for her; she just wants to do something new every time, and I like that. She understands what it means to be with our team.

“Young people will like [McAvoy’s Wesley Gibson] because he is very sarcastic, very smart, very provocative and very solid as a character,” the filmmaker continued. “Angelina has a lot of interesting dramatic moments with James. They will love each other, and they will hate each other. She’s a teacher who will bring James into this world and teach him how to be different, be a killer.”

Along the way, Wesley will also encounter the Gunsmith, a tough-guy character played by actor/rapper Common. “We shot him today, in a scene with a gun,” Bekmambetov said excitedly. “He teaches people how to use guns. He’s a professional gunman.”

Finally, Bekmambetov revealed one more piece of casting, saying he wanted to keep an old friend around for his new gig: “We have Konstantin Khabensky, Anton from ‘Night Watch.’ He’s playing in this movie, too, and he has a very funny character.”

The director said he plans to once again create a reality brimming with visual revelations - and then take it all apart. “We will create a world, and then we will destroy this world,” he laughed. “The hero will discover the whole world. It looks ordinary, but it’s not. It’s an industrial world filled with weaving machines, lots of traps, lot of looms flying back and forth and predicting the future. The looms weave these fabrics, and the fabrics have a pattern, like a binary code, that has information. The weavers can read the fabric - they see the structure of it and they can read its messages. Then they know who has to be killed to keep the balance of the world.”

Sure, it seems hard to explain - but then again, try describing “Day Watch” or “Night Watch” to someone who can’t simply sit back and soak in the visual feasts.

When all is said and done, there’s only one more thing that Bekmambetov wants us to know about the flick. “We’re on track for next March,” he said.

Source: MTV.Com

Common, Angelina Jolie, Interviews, Cast & Crew, Wanted News | 1 Comment »

Source: HipHopDX.com

Common is known for his raps. He’s always been one of the genre’s most revered artists, but he’s recently branched out. His acting in Smoking Aces was proof that Com can take on Hollywood and he’s back to give it another go with Wanted.

In Wanted, Common will act alongside reputable actors such as Angelina Jolie, Morgan Freeman and others.

“‘Wanted’ is the story of a young boy who discovers that his father is a member of an evil organization that controls the world - when he gets killed, the boy wants revenge…It’s a comic book movie, but it looks real. For me, it’s the same experience as ‘Night Watch’ and ‘Day Watch’ because what we are trying to do is tell a fantasy story with real drama and without conventions. Every time, we are undercutting it with reality,” director Timur Bekmambetov told MTV.

The director also spoke on Gunsmith, Common’s character in the film. Expect tons of guns there.

“We shot him today, in a scene with a gun…He teaches people how to use guns. He’s a professional gunman.”

Wanted is based on Mark Millar’s graphic novel of the same name. When can we expect it?

“We’re on track for next March,” he said.

Common, Wanted News | No Comments »