by the El Reportero’s news services
Paramount Pictures has optioned the novel The Sandcastle Empire with Leonardo DiCaprio on board to produce after wining the Golden Globe and SAG Awards 2016 as best actor.
Jennifer Davisson, DiCaprioâ’s partner at Appian Way, is also attached to produce through their production banner.
The novel was written by Kayla Olson and is set in 2049 when the Earth is at a breaking point due to climate change, coastal flooding and overpopulation. A radical faction known as the Wolfpack overthrows the government and takes control.
The story centers on a young woman named Eden who escapes a Wolfpack labor camp, joining three others fleeing to an island.
During her journey, she will find clues as to what happened to her missing father and find out that she is the key to bringing down the Wolfpack.
The book’s theme of climate change is an important one for DiCaprio, as he’s been vocal about the environmental issue, speaking out on it as recently as Saturday’s SAG Awards.
DiCaprio can currently be seen in Fox’s The Revenant and just won SAG award for his role in the film.
Sundance Film Festival Ends Today
The Sundance Film Festival concludes today another successful edition for film lovers and specialists, who approach to cinema with a different point of view.
According to polls conducted by the press, four films are among the favorites to be the winners,and also are included among the favorites of the public and the American Film Academy for the 2017 awards.
The films are Manchester by the Sea, starring Casey Affleck and Michelle Williams, directed by Kenneth Lonergan; Southside With You, which recreates the first date between Michelle and Barack Obama; the musical Sing Street, directed by John Carney; and Birth of a Nation.
Birth of a Nation has generated controversy: the film about a slave rebellion was sold in USD 17.5 million to Fox Searchlight, but it is believed that this is conditioned by the debate on racial diversity in Hollywood.
Latin America was also present with a selection that includes, among others, El abrazo de la serpiente (Colombia) by the filmmaker Ciro Guerra and La cienaga, entre el mar y la tierra, directed by Carlos del Castillo; Mi amiga del parque (Argentina-Uruguay), directed by Ana Katz, and Aqui no ha pasado nada (Chile), directed by Alejandro Fernandez Almendras.
The film directed by Ciro Guerra was awarded the Alfred P. Sloan prize in the category of Feature Film.
The Sundance film festival took place in the last two weeks of January in the town of Park City, Utah, United States.
Singer Joe Cocker dies aged 70 after cancer battle
Singer Joe Cocker, best known for his cover of The Beatles’ With A Little Help From My Friends, has died aged 70.
The Sheffield-born singer had a career lasting more than 40 years, with hits including You Are So Beautiful and Up Where We Belong.
His agent Barrie Marshall said Cocker, who died after battling lung cancer, was “simply unique”.
Sir Paul McCartney said he was a lovely guy who “brought so much to the world”.
Known for his gritty voice, Cocker – a former gas fitter – began his singing career in the pubs and clubs of Sheffield in the 1960s before hitting the big time.
He was propelled to pop stardom when his version of With A Little Help From My Friends reached number one in 1968.
