So now we have a name for Richard Armitage’s new character in Black Sky.
https://twitter.com/Todd_Garner/status/245218960155500545
Wait?! Gary means John in Esperanto? Nooooo! :D
A big thank you to Gratiana for asking the question.
And now I really have to get some work done!
What a pleasure to speak with Todd Garner, Producer on Black Sky, about his new movie and about Richard Armitage, whom he says is “thoughtful and smart.” This should come as little surprise to fans since Richard has received praise from quite a few professionals during his career. Mostly due to his zeal to ensure the story is paramount and his character a perfect complement. His habit of writing character biographies has become almost legendary among fans and has prompted some to ask if he is a writer in the making. Garner thinks he is already there, “He’s an amazing actor but also a terrific writer even though he wouldn’t say that. He has come up with great moments not only for himself and others but for the movie. In fact we just finished shooting a moment he came up with that might be in the trailer.”
Black Sky is the story of a group of people in the midst of the worst tornado in recorded U.S. history. Richard plays a teacher caught up in finding his teenage son in the storm, and his preparation for the role could not be more perfect:
The moment when [the character biography] comes alive is when that research turns into the character, and that character goes out into the big wide world and collides with other characters (often the facets created in the biography are designed to cause chaos when this happens, like planting a few explosions inside the character).
Richard Armitage, Vulpes Libris interview.
Although Garner could not reveal much about the plot, it will be fascinating to see with which characters Richard collides whether people or the elements. And his reaction to Richard’s work on set seems to confirm that whatever the collisions, they are impressive, “He brings a great realism and weight to the movie that we wanted when we were casting. There is so much going on technically and with the story. It’s chaotic as it’s supposed to be since it’s a disaster movie. But it’s great to have an actor who in the midst of all of the chaos has complete control and still makes incredibly smart and surprising choices in his acting.” As for Richard’s speech, he will play an American from Oklahoma, and according to Todd, “He’s nailing the accent.”
Garner has also been impressed with Richard’s fans, “They seem very thoughtful, great and just cool. And it’s been fun. It’s a new experience for me since most of the people I’ve interacted with are comedians and fans of comedians.” He certainly didn’t seem to be the least bothered by fans coming to the set and explained, “Every movie with a star who’s beloved and with the internet making location shooting so well known, whether a Nicholas Cage movie, or a Tom Cruise movie, or a Kevin James movie, has fans who come to the set, and actors are for the most part grateful. Richard certainly feels that way and is happy to oblige. He’s a wonderful person who is very real and very giving and charming and hasn’t been put off by this at all. And everyone has been very respectful.” With the cast and crew working very hard on this movie, the only thing expected of the fans is to continue that respect, and I feel confident we will.
Regarding new pictures, Todd asks that we be patient with him and those working on the publicity for the movie who are trying to be thoughtful and intelligent about it. But it will probably be about two weeks when we get another photo. Considering how engaged he’s been so far, there should be no worries.
Todd Garner has served as producer on several well known movies such as Anger Management and Thirteen Going on 30. His next movie Here Comes the Boom starring Kevin James is due for release early October.
Photos courtesy of Todd Garner
I chuckle when I see pictures like this; it’s the sound of the rippling:
[click for source]
And I’m such a fan of Richard Armitage that I knew instantly he’s on the left of the bottom monitor. Either that or it’s someone who has a similar build and posture.
For those who didn’t click on the photo, Todd Garner, who is producing the movie Richard Armitage is filming in Michigan, continually keeps us poised to undulate with his Twitter feed. :D
Yes, I’m sparing you the twister jokes. Although I may not be able to refrain later.
Note: back soon with my Comic-Con write-up so I can breathe a sigh of relief and Heather can as well. ;-)
But not for the reasons you may think.
Richard Armitage has managed to impress one of the toughest demographics — fan boys. Okay, it was one guy out of the demographic, but I’m running with it. I have encountered enough fan boys over the years to know how picky they can be. My first encounter taught me. He was into monsters and those monsters had to be just so. The right kind of plastic molded to perfection. He went on to become Ivan Stang. Excuse me that’s Reverend Ivan Stang, founder of the Church of the SubGenius. “Ivan” was going to have things his way. LOL!
So our resident fan boy, Eric Vespe, aka Quint from Ain’t It Cool, gave us his report and saw what so many of us see and rave about. How good it was to hear from someone else — and a hard case to boot:
It’s late in the day and the idea is that this is a suitable place to make camp, but Gandalf wants to push on and seek Elrond’s council at Rivendell.
This scene is all about Thorin and my first real chance at seeing Richard Armitage craft a layered performance with the character. Thorin’s a stubborn dwarf, very much a leader, but is smart enough to heed the council of Gandalf.
He is a man torn in this scene. His deep resentment at the elves (he believes they have betrayed his ancestors by not stepping in when they needed their help) pulls him one way, but his respect for Gandalf pulls him the other.
Sir Ian had to be here for this moment since a full performance was required from both men, so he spent the day as he does most days on this movie: standing on a platform a good 2-3 feet off the ground. Peter was getting mostly medium shots and over the shoulders (or beside the shoulder for the shots from Gandalf to Thorin if you want to be anal about it) so there shouldn’t be any need for digital augmentation here.
Armitage does a great job with Thorin’s inner struggle. The look on his face isn’t someone locked into a decision. Gandalf urges him to seek Elrond’s help, for the good of the quest. Instead of playing it like a stone-faced general, Armitage does weigh his options and mostly in reaction to Gandalf’s words, not in his own dialogue.
Read the rest of the report here
But that’s not all. He saw something that most of us don’t get to see often, Richard Armitage as himself, and I would say this is a glowing report:
https://twitter.com/#!/EricVespe/status/200719955501662209
Feelin’ the love!
Thank you, Eric. :) and if you read this, I have a question. Is fan boy two words or one?
Did I mix my metaphors? Do you care? If you’re a normal RA fan you’re already looking at the photo below and have such a glazed look that you don’t even realize what I’ve typed above it, but I press on. A few hours ago Jonia made a post about her latest find. I wasn’t going to post but rather just Tweet about it. When I saw so much posting about it, I thought, “What the hey. I’ll ripple too.” :D
This photo is my favorite (see the link to more at Jonia’s blog piece):
Yeah, he’s beautiful.
So I was right about the day this would happen but wrong about him appearing alone. I should have known he would have Orcrist. :D
As usual, you can click to enlarge, and the still is from TORn.
Yeah, I think it is ’cause things are so hot:
If things get any hotter, we may not survive this drought. :D
edit: this post has quickly earned the ripple tag thanks to bccmee. Check out kadamanja’s and Calexora’s posts. :D
The teasing about ‘Captain America’ and specifically Heinz Kruger has begun at my house. My son will go see the movie with his friends because quite simply there is not much else to see, but when I mentioned seeing it, there were some guffaws from the family. SO asked, “and what will you do once Armbruster’s part is done? Will you actually stay for the rest of the movie?” Our daughter, who is also an RA fan, chimed in, “It’s Armitage, Dad. His name is Armitage, and I’m sure Mom and I will gut it up and stay for the rest of the movie. You know how she loves Tommy Lee Jones, and of course I’ll make the sacrifice of watching Chris Evans with his shirt off. :D” SO chuckled, “No, Tommy Lee may not do it this time. She’s there for the bad guy. And who’s Chris Evans?”
Yeah, who’s Chris Evans? :D
If that’s not a picture to fangirl over, I don’t know what is. LOL!
I also like Stanley Tucci, who’s playing Dr. Erskine but not a bad guy in this.
I understand he gets torched by Heinz Kruger.
Then there are other badasses to consider. Truman Capote?
Oh well, maybe Tommy Lee will make it worthwhile just because he looks like such a badass.
Some screencaps are from my stash, the top one I got from bccmee and the rest I’m not sure about.
And if you’re confused about RA’s part as Heinz Kruger, check out Musa’s post.
Yesterday was quite a day of fangirling of Richard Armitage, and it’s taken its toll on me this morning. All that rippling yesterday made me drunk, and I got up feeling a bit woozy. I was thinking I needed a little hair of the dog, and lo and behold I got it:
This is a teaser picture from Recognise Magazine, who, if you don’t know it already, did a photo shoot of RA which will be in their August issue. In the meantime, you can see it on their Facebook page and like their page and read their magazine and buy some copies of their magazine and maybe subscribe to it. Damn! It’s amazing what some teasing will make me do.
In the meantime, I’m glad the picture is a bit indistinct, ’cause that beard looks like a mind-blowing experience, and I’d like to be sober today.
edit:
Recognise Magazine has promised to provide another behind the scenes picture of the photoshoot if they get 3,000 FB likes. Well, they just did, so stay tuned for more.
New pic:
So Entertainment Weekly has posted three new pictures from the set of ‘The Hobbit’ but certainly the one we’re most interested in is this one:
and here it is close up if a little blurry:
Entertainment Weekly article is here.
Me thinks Thorin was channeling a little Guy. And talk about rippling?! Yeah, I think we’re all rippling really well today. That was like a boulder. :D
RAFrenzy 