Film Bits: Watch Trailers for ‘Rules Don’t Apply’ and ‘The Space Between Us’; Michael Shannon Joins Benedict Cumberbatch in ‘The Current Wars’

Warren Beatty Releases First Trailer for ‘Rules Don’t Apply’

The first trailer for Rules Don’t Apply gives us a glimpse inside the quirky romance set in old Hollywood. Legend Warren Beatty wrote/directed/co-stars in the film which follows a young actress Marla Mabrey (Lily Collins, The Blind Side) who lands a deal with eccentric Howard Hughes (Beatty) to become a star. Along the way, an unconventional romance devolops between Marla and her limo driver, Frank (Alden Ehrenreich, Hail, Caesar!) who’s already engaged. From all appearances, Rules Don’t Apply seems like it might be the perfect awards season date movie in its exploration of what it means to fall in love, even if the rules are against you. Rules Don’t Apply opens on November 23.

Second Trailer for ‘The Space Between Us’ Highlights the Lengths Love Travels

Asa Butterfield (Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children) and Britt Robertson (Tomorrowland) star in a new romantic comedy that spans the solar system. Gardner (Butterfield) has spent his whole life on Mars, communicating only with a handful of people, including long (loooong) distance penpal, Tulsa (Robertson). Tired of his isolation, Gardner journeys to earth for the first time, at risk to his health and life, in order to meet his friend. Together, the two embark on a journey of discovery as Gardner learns what it really means to be a human. I got to be honest here, this one could go either way. It looks like it could be an emotionally uplifting, beautiful film, or a lame piece of crap. Doesn’t look like there’s going to be much in between on this one, but the trailer alone is enough to pique my interest. Gary Oldman and Carla Gugino co-star. The Space Between Us opens on December 16.

Michael Shannon and Benedict Cumberbatch Face Off in ‘The Current War’

Me and Earl and the Dying Girl director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon is set to helm the film, which explores the battle between Thomas Edison and George Westinghouse over how to supply electricity from screenwriter Michael Mitnick (The Giver). Cumberbatch (Doctor Strange) has long been attached to the project as the film’s Edison, and Shannon (Elvis and Nixon) presumably has signed on to play Westinghouse in a dramatization of the battle between AC and DC techniques for supply. No word yet on when we can expect The Current War to make its way to the big screen.

(The Hollywood Reporter)

A.A. Milne Biopic Begins Production

Domhnall Gleeason (Ex Machina) and Margot Robbie (Suicide Squad) star as A.A. and Daphne Milne in a new film that explores the real life of the famed Winnie the Pooh creator. Newcomer Will Tilston co-stars as young Christopher Robin, the boy whose imaginary playland was immortalized by A.A. Milne’s classic children’s work. The as-yet-titled film has begun production with director Simon Curtis (Woman in Gold) at the helm. No word yet on when we can expect the film.

(Deadline)

MGM Expands Relationship with Margaret Atwood, Set to Produce Series Based on ‘The Heart Goes Last’

Having already secured a deal to bring Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale to Hulu, MGM has also now landed a new deal that would see the development of her latest novel, The Heart Goes Last. The novel has received good reviews in critical circles and is already an international success. The story follows a young couple forced to live in their old Honda following a nationwide economic collapse, in a vaguely post-apocalyptic society featuring roving gangs and disparate philosophies.

(Deadline)