SEPTEMBER
28. September, 2000
Marius has been cast!!!
A long-awaited casting decision has finally been
made! This is according to Dark Horizons
who, on Monday, reported the following piece of news. (Special thanks go to Tyler Jelniker, SIMONREXs, The Irrepressible WP,
Simply Delirious and Debbie Campbell for the notification! J)
"Vincent Perez has arrived in Melbourne to take on the role of
'Marius' in the upcoming "Queen of the Damned" project, a role which Aussie
actor Hugo Weaving ("The Matrix") was originally offered but passed on."
Dark Horizons reported this under "Various Bits" and did not specify any
further. No other sites have confirmed this news as yet. However, I am tentatively
considering this news confirmed.
Vincent Perez
is probably best known for his role as Ashe Corven in 'The Crow: City of Angels'. This was
the sequel to one of my favourite movies of all time, in which Brandon Lee originally
starred. While the sequel was no doubt inferior, this was primarily due to very poor
scripting. It will be interesting to see how this young actor performs in the coveted role
of Marius...Find out more about him at The Vincent
Perez Archives.
Some more inside info today from
'Anonomous'...
"My sister is an extra in
QOTD, so I went with her to the wardrobe fitting at St Albans a few days ago. Anyways, I
had a good look around the studio/warehouse and spoke to an actor who's playing an ancient
French vampire. He explained his costume (dreadlocks, flowing black garments), and
complained about having to do flying lessons everyday to get his landing right,...seems
there'll be lots of swooping vampires.
Anyways, the sets were pretty spectacular, one inparticular which looked like the inside
of a small church, with a domed ceiling and paintings on the walls.
Also there were lots of Egyptian looking pots and vases around, and some fake graves, and
a series of screaming moulded heads."
Could it be that the "actor who's playing an ancient French vampire" is...Vincent Perez?!? According to the Dark Horizons information above, Vincent is already in Melbourne preparing for the role...is it possible these two pieces of information are connected? If so, we now have some kind of visualisation of what he may look like in the role of Marius!
Anne
Rice has again spoken out about the film, confirming what we have already heard. Anne is
"disappointed and very upset", and "doesn't really know much about
it." To my knowledge, these are the most detailed statements she has made concerning
Warner Brother's adaptation of QotD. The following passages were taken from the
September/October edition of 'Pages' magazine. (Special thanks go to
chezire_katt for this information!)
Pages: How is the
movie version of 'Queen of the Damned' coming along?
Anne: I don't really know much about it. They have not wanted
my help, and they have been very
plainspoken about it. They want to follow their own path. They want to write the script
the way they want it written and they communicate with us, like they sent us a copy of the
script to read and comment on, but they're doing what they want to do. They're not doing
what I want them to do. They're not doing at all what I want them to do. So, I'm not in
close contact with them. In fact, whatever is on the Web right now about it is probably
more up-to-date than what I know.
Pages: Do you feel disappointed by that? Are they just
getting it wrong?
Anne: Oh, I am very disappointed and very upset. I feel that
they are getting it very wrong, yes.
Anyone still wanting to apply for an extras position for QotD can now do so through the Screenfaces Homepage. Applicants no longer have to
go through the Member's Area. Also, keep a look out for future news concerning the concert
scenes, currently scheduled to begin filming in December.
Anyone who wants to find out more about QotD and the Chronicles in general should check
out the following websites. They both also have pages about the upcoming movie.
All
Things Ricean FanPage - by Arlee McFarland
https://www.angelfire.com/journal/riceans/
Be sure to check out the amusing "Cartoon Chronicles!"
Lestat Lives - by Jennifer Roberts
http://www.geocities.com/mona1239/page3.html
23. September, 2000
More news from an onset 'anonomous
source' today:
"We will be shooting make-up tests
until beginning of October. I met the main actress yesterday and will be shooting test
scenes with whole cast in a few days! Rotating set is all in Nestle factory, and most of
the main sets have not yet been completed (behind). Ian Baker is the Cinematographer (DOP)
who shot Russia House, Roxanne etc... also shooting film clips... Opening scene from grave
will look spectacular..."
Test shoots and film clips are currently being done, and so it seems the rumours are true - shooting has now begun. Also, we now know that Ian Baker is the Cinematographer. His most recent films have been Fierce Creatures and John Grisham's The Chamber. Look out for a Movie Info page update soon...
The
Queen of the Damned has now been added to the Hollywood Stock Exchange! Click here
to take a look at its current standings. Special thanks go to Kirk Jarrod for this information (and feel free to check out his The Dark Lawman homepage!)
More
script pages have been added today. Feel free to head on over and take a look! :)
19. September, 2000
There is still some confusion over
whether or not filming has actually begun. While I have heard from several sources that it
has, I have also heard from others that it is still in pre-production. A couple of weeks
ago, Aaliyah mentioned that she had flown in from Australia to attend the MTV Awards. Ritz
has kindly sent me the exact wording of her comments concerning the film - it turns out
she said "I just took a 22 hour flight to be here
tonight as I am filming Queen of the Damned in Australia." This is different to the
quote I reported in my 9. September update, and it does not confirm that filming has
actually started, only that she is set to film the movie in Australia. Whatever the case may be, the 1. October deadline is
fast approaching and, hopefully, an official announcement will be made soon.
Possible filming news today [assuming that filming has
even begun (!)]. Ritz spotted a film crew at the Melbourne suburb of St.
Kilda. She writes:
"I saw a whole heap of film crew etc
at a place called st.kilda... they were filming on the beach tho I dont know if they got
much done as it was pretty crappy weather... anyhow if there is a beach scene in the
script it could be them...and Prototype's just two minutes from there."
There is no beach scene in my version of the script, but alterations have probably been
made, so you never know! Still, this is just a speculative piece of information. It could
be totally irrelevant. But if anyone sees any filming happening around Melbourne in the
weeks to come, please e-mail me!
Lots of great websites to report
today. First, special thanks go to Kirk
Jarrod for sending me a link to the Lena Olin Corner, one of the
better websites dedicated to the Swedish actress set to play Maharet. He also told me
about The Hollywood Stock Exchange. It may be a site to
watch in the future. Kirk explains that "it can
offer one an opportunity to see if certain movies are out and can be "invested"
in -- similar to a real stock market. An example would be the next James Bond film (listed
as JB20). It came out soon after the last Bond film hit the theatres. The second and third
chapters of the Star Wars saga are also listed, even though the scripts for them have not
been created yet." As far as I can tell, there is nothing about QotD listed as yet,
but we should keep watch for it!
Another site to keep an eye on is Bite Me Magazine. This is a relatively new publication that features information about vampires, movies and the supernatural, and they will be mentioning this site in the next issue! Also, anyone who can read Russian should check out http://www.vampchron.narod.ru/ - apparently, it's the story of Queen of the Damned translated into Russian! (special thanks go to Carina for sending this link!)
I recently stumbled across a fabulous site that is bound to delight any Anne Rice fan called Ricean E-Cards. This site allows you to send virtual postcards, with a selection of images and musical accompaniments to choose from. The cards are beautifully designed, and combine pictures of Paris, New Orleans and Louisiana with images of Lestat, Louis, Claudia and Armand from the movie version of Interview With The Vampire. There is even a selection of virtual stamps to complete the package! As the site says, make someone's day, send a virtual card! :)
15. September, 2000
More casting news today!
Satan's Night Out has now been
cast! Megan Dorman will portray the main character of Maudy (aka. Tough Cookie), and it
seems one of John Farnham's sons is also in the band, presumably as either James or Alex.
Special thanks go to Steven Rooke, Megan's boyfriend, for sending me this news! Megan is from Brisbane and has done one feature film before, City Loop, which had a short season with the Dendy cinemas and is currently screening at the Toronto Film Festival. I wish her the best of luck in the role, and I'm sure we'll be hearing a lot more about this young actress in the weeks to come! J
Previous Lestat candidate, Anthony Kirkland Jr, has told me that he
has now left the USA to fly to Australia to consult on the way Lestat will be played. He
begins tomorrow. He also informs me that the rumours are true, ACTUAL FILMING HAS ALREADY
BEGUN! Early reports had the starting date around 25th-28th September - the end of this
month. And extras are required from 1. October through until 31. December, and perhaps
beyond. However, it seems principal photography has begun...much to my personal surprise!
This is the first true confirmation I have recieved. I thought that Aaliyah may have been
working on some scenes over the last couple of weeks, but I know little more than this. If
anyone has any further information, please e-mail
me!
The script update has now been posted - and it's a day early! I
have now created a new section, "Pages 31-45", and I have started with the first
four pages (31-34). Enjoy!!!
12. September, 2000
Exciting news today from 'The Age', Melbourne's
leading newspaper! Chris Womersley, the Arts/Entertainment Producer for the publication,
has informed me that The Age Online will be
reporting updates of the Queen of the Damned production throughout October! They will also
have exclusive gossip and reports from an "anonomous" cast member for the
duration of the shooting. These reports will be entitled 'The Mole Chronicles' (get it??) and will hopefully include behind-the-scenes reports!
Keep an eye on http://www.theage.com.au/entertainment/ for all the updates. Of course, I will also be posting all the news right here in my News Updates section, so look out for an exciting month of movie info in October!!!
I have now updated both my Local News
and Movie Information sections with the location pictures
of the St Albans warehouse that were posted in my 1. September update. Larger images are
now available, along with short descriptions. Special thanks go out once again to Ritz who
took all the photos and shared them with this site! The pictures are ideal for any
Melbournians who are thinking of taking a look for themselves...and remember, more photos
are always welcome via e-mail!
J
Speaking of location information, I have
recieved another account of a "warehouse sighting", this time from Melbournian
Duane Fernando. He writes:
"...I thought I'd let you know about the two times I've been to the QOTD studio (St
albans). Tonight I went to the drive-in to see The X-Men with my girlfriend , anyway it
finished quite early (11.30) so I thought while we were in the area we should have a look
around the warehouse. Unfortunately the front gates were locked and every light in the
place was on, and I didnt want to take a chance on guard-dogs. But I did get a good look
around about a week ago. I got there during the day and the front gates were open with a
sign taped to the fence saying auditions were on. So I thought why not and I just drove in
, I was expecting a guard to come out any second but nothing happened. I thought I might
as well keep going till someone told me to piss-off! So I drove around the whole building
and saw what I think were the production design crew threw a big roller door. They were
making what I think was a cathedral or some gothic looking building. Anyway at the time
there really wasn't much to see but if I see anymore I'll let you know, from now on I,ll
be taking my camera with me."
First, we hear about rotating sets and wires so actors can walk (and fly!) on walls and roofs. And now there is a big gothic looking building under construction as well? Looks like set design is well underway...It would be interesting to see what it all looks like from the inside, don't you think? ;)
Some interesting bits of
information have sprung up over at Chris'
Korn Page:
(Special thanks go to Krista Herrington
for the notification!)
- R&B singer Aaliyah will be playing
the roll of a Vampire Queen named Akasha and also would like to record something with
Jonathan and Richard Gibbs.
- Jonathan Davis may make a very brief cameo appearence during the film.
- Over 10 songs have already been recorded.
- QOTD has supposedly already started to record in Sydney, Australia early August.
Okay, I think some explanations are in order
here!
a) Early rumours suggested that Jonathan Davis and the guys from Korn would appear in the
movie as Satan's Night Out. However, as far as I know, this will not be the case -
Townsend as Lestat will mime the songs and the band members will be played by young
Australians. However, according to this, Jonathan may still make a brief cameo appearance!
b) It seems the soundtrack is well on its way to completion. Little is known about the
soundtrack except that it is being compiled by Korn and composer Richard Gibbs. But if 10
songs have been completed already, this is promising news for the film.
c) QotD has already started production - last month (not October) and in Sydney (not
Melbourne)?! This coincides with Aaliyah's recent stay in Sydney, and her flight
from Sydney to New York for the MTV Awards last week. Could filming have already begun?
Prototype has offices in both Melbourne and Sydney, so it's possible, and this would mean
that they have now officially secured the film rights for the book. However, this
information could also mean that rehearsals
have been conducted in Sydney, not actual production, and filming will begin
as planned in October in Melbourne. I can't give a conclusive explanation for this one,
but I'm sure we'll find out soon enough!
9. September, 2000
There has been some speculation over the last few
days that filming of this movie has already begun. At the MTV Music Awards held this week
in New York, Aaliyah won an award and, in her acceptance speech, she reportedly said
that she'd "just came back from filming Queen of the Damned in Australia". As
far as I know, principal photography will not begin until around 1. October. However, I
have heard rumours that Aaliyah has been in Australia in preparation for the film. They may have done some test shots,
rehearsed a few scenes, that kind of thing. However, I don't think any actual filming has
officially begun just yet.
(Special thanks go to (in order of notification) Ryan, Brianna,
Shianne and DJ)
The Internet Movie Database has now officially listed Stuart Townsend
as Lestat and Marguerite Moreau as Jesse, along with Aaliyah as Akasha. Lena Olin has also
been credited, but according to them, her character remains 'unknown'. However, I am 99%
sure that this Swedish actress has indeed been cast as Maharet. To check out the QotD IMDb
page, click here.
(Special thanks go to Jay and Rock Boy for the notification!)
I have received this bit of inside information
from an 'anonomous' on-the-set source:
"We are currently doing
make-up tests, and yesterday did camera tests with actors flying from the roof (on wire).
QotD is underway in building a rotating set, so the actors can appear to be climbing on
the walls and roof!"
Could this all be happening at the St Albans warehouse? And wires and wall
climbing? Why am I thinking of 'The Matrix' right about now? J
Lots
of extras casting news today. Sara Hanson reports:
- Extras only have to be available between 1. October and 31.
December inclusive. However, they said nothing about when principal photography will
actually begin or end.
[I assume that some filming will begin in late September so that
Warner Brothers can retain the movie rights, and filming will obviously continue at the
studio's/director's discretion.]
- Extras will get 1-3 weeks notice if they're required. They
won't be calling people who are not successful.
[Due to the amount of applicants, it's not surprising they won't have time to call
everyone!]
- If you hope to play a vampire, you'll need to be able to wear contacts.
[Contacts are an important part of the vampiric look! J]
- When they ran the second round call, they took an additional 'top half' photo [not quite
full length, but more than just a head shot], they specifically posed me so that one of my
tattoos was showing.
[It seems the more gothic/alternative looking you are, the
better chance you have!]
I also received the following information from a
trusted 'anonomous' source:
Rachel Bailey, casting director for DQ Extras, has specified that
they are seeking slim, exquisite and menacing people with amazing bones to be cast as
vampires. They are expecting to cast many models in these roles. In terms of other roles,
they are looking for people with a fantastic alternative look of some kind. Other than
these, they only want authentic goths, and especially teenage goths over the age of 16.
For casting calls, they want goths and alternative types to dress in their most
'out-there' gear and make-up.
Melbournians, if you're really quick, there is
one more casting session to be held:
Monday, September 11, 8am - 12. 30 pm
Napier St Theatre, 199 Napier St, South Melbourne.
Also, the much-anticipated concert scene looks set to be filmed in December. I'm assuming that it will be one of the last filmatic sequences to be shot, due to the massive amounts of people and organisation that will be required. Obviously, this scene will need the most amount of people, so aspiring extras will have a much better chance at becoming involved with the project come December!
More script pages today! Yes, I finally got time to put them up.
Hopefully, I'll be able to get back to my weekly updates as of next weekend. The Movie Info page has also been updated.
6. September, 2000
The QotD Extras Application Page is now up-and-running!
Prototype Casting have informed me
that they are eager to find many kinds of dark characters for this film, such as vampires
and goths (including teenage goths). It is absolutely free to apply. To register your
application, simply complete the following steps:
- Go to http://www.screenfaces.com
- Click on 'About Us' in the top right hand corner. Scroll to the bottom of the page, and
you will find details about a free trial of their member's lounge (note that this offer is
for this month only)
- Click on 'Members' in the top
right hand corner.
- Type in User Name: trial & Password: month
- You are now in the Members Lounge. At the very top, it reads:
"An exclusive to ScreenFaces.com
Members of ScreenFaces.com to be the first.
Queen of the Damned extras search on now!!
CLICK HERE TO REGISTER" (click!)
- A great little information page will then appear - click to register. (to view the transcript, click here)
- You have now arrived at the Queen
of the Damned Extras sign-up page! Make sure you fill in all
the required fields. 'Mobile' and 'Agent/Contact' are the only two boxes that are not
essential. Click 'Continue' when you've completed all the relevent fields.
Please note that a 'Photo Attachment' IS required. Technically, because it is not marked a 'required field', you can apply
without one. But, obviously, a personal image will be an essential part of your
application.
- Within a few days, you should receive e-mail verification of your application. You will be given a user name and password, along with your own little 'application website' where you can modify your details at a later date.
I recently registered my own application, and today I received e-mail verification from Prototype. I now have my fingers tightly crossed, and hope to be included in the selection! Just for fun, I've decided to post my application picture here for all to see. To view my pic, click here! J
More extras casting information has been posted
at Corona's Coming
Attractions. The following was posted by an anonomous source, and refers to the
casting sessions that were held over the weekend:
"We just had the second round of 'goth' cattle call in Melbourne."
"The forms we had to fill said people applying to be extras need to be available from
1 October to 31st December this year. A comment by one of the assistants indicated that
the concert scene was likely to be shot late November or early December."
"Not quite sure how this is going to work in the storyline, but some of the extras
were being asked if they can wear contacts (for vampires) or if they were willing to go
naked (for the concert scene - or so we were told). We were asked if we identified in real
life with 'goths', 'punks' or 'witches'."
Apparently, filming is scheduled to run for three months until the end of the year. However, I assume that, in order to complete the requirements of the movie rights contract, a few takes will have to be shot before 1. October? As far as I know, filming must begin before October for Warner Brothers to retain the rights to this film material. Still, this could have changed, or could be inclusive of 1. October? Whatever the case, this movie is most definitely going ahead!!!
The concert scene will apparently be shot later in the year, and so I'm assuming most of the extras will be required during this period. Personally, I love the idea of being a vampire extra, and contacts would be fine with me! However, going naked? Ummm, I don't know if there's any truth to this one! After all, nakedness would mean a high classification, and this is supposed to be a teenage-orientated film!!!
Look out for more extras information soon!
As you've most probably noticed, I am still
running behind with updates to other areas of my site. Don't worry, I'm still working on
them! In fact, I hope to have them completed sometime over this weekend...and yes, that
includes the script update! :)
1. September, 2000
Great news for all aspiring extras! I have been
informed that www.screenfaces.com is currently
working on an application page where people can apply for positions online! They require
goths of all kinds, and you must include an online photo with your application. As of
writing this, the page is not yet operational, but it should be up within the next day or
two. Look out for an update soon!
In the meantime, there will be more casting sessions this weekend! And there are apparently more on the way! It seems
that Rachel Bailey and DQ Produtions are now in charge of extras. I have been relaibly
informed that they will accept people from anywhere in Australia, but you must be
Melbourne based until the end of the year. Click on the casting notice for all the
important details!
With
very special thanks to Ritz, I am now able to post some fantastic pics of the QotD studio
in St Albans! Yes, things are definitely happening over at the old Nestle factory, and
these pics give us a much better idea of what it all looks like (the outside, anyways!):
I am planning to add all these pictures to my 'Local News' and 'Movie Info' sections. Ritz has kindly provided some written descriptions for each picture, and I will be adding both these and links to larger images from these pages. (Look out for updates soon!)
More special
thanks go out to Debbie Campbell! Once again she has created
these fabulous speculative images of the newest cast members to join the film. Lena Olin
as Maharet, and Marguerite Moreau as Jesse: (Click for larger images)
Lena Olin (Maharet)
Marguerite Moreau (Jesse)
The script update will be posted within the next few days (don't worry, I haven't forgotten! J) Sorry about the delay. I try to post script pages when there is
little movie news and, as you can see, today there has been much to report! I am also
working on updates to my 'Personal Script Analysis' and, as I mentioned last month, a new
'Script Comparisons' page for the upcoming script section.
