Robert Pattinson's 'Queen of the Desert' In Competition & Premiering At 65th Berlin International Film Festival

Robert Pattinson's 'Queen of the Desert' In Competition & Premiering At 65th Berlin International Film Festival

Can I get a Hell YA!



Queen of the Desert will have it World Premiere at the Berlin International Film Festival and is also in competition!



Another eight films have been selected for the Competition Programme of the 65th Berlin International Film Festival. The Festival runs from Feb 5-15 and of course we'll be hoping that Rob will be making an appearance!

Queen of the Desert
USA
By Werner Herzog (Fata Morgana, Fitzcarraldo, Cave of Forgotten Dreams)
With Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Damian Lewis , Robert Pattinson
World premiere

Source: Berlinale Official Site

Deadline:

Werner Herzog’s epic Queen Of The Desert will also add star power at the Berlinale Palast with Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Damian Lewis and Robert Pattinson. The film is the story of Gertrude Bell, the Lawrence of Arabia of female diplomats and political attaché for the British Empire at the dawn of the 20th century. 

The Hollywood Reporter:

Germany's biggest film fest has announced a slew of new competition titles for its 65th edition, including Werner Herzog's Queen of the Desert.

In Queen of the Desert, the one-time Twilight heartthrob Robert Pattinson plays Lawrence of Arabia, aka T.E. Lawrence, alongside star Nicole Kidman as explorer, writer, archeologist and British Intelligence officer Gertrude Bell. Queen of the Desert also features Homeland's Damian Lewis as Charles Doughty-Wylie, a married British officer who had an unconsummated affair with Bell, and James Franco as Henry Cadogan.

Screen International:

The 65th Berlin International Film Festival (Feb 5-15) has added a further eight titles to its Competition programme, ahead of the complete line-up next week.

The films, which originate from across Europe, Asia, the US and the Middle East, include the world premiere of Queen of the Desert, Werner Herzog’s biopic based on the life of British explorer Gertrude Bell.

Nicole Kidman plays the 19th century explorer, known as the female Lawrence of Arabia, and her co-stars include James Franco, Damian Lewis and Robert Pattinson (as TE Lawrence).

The Film Stage:

With our most-anticipated film of the year leading the line-up, this year’s Berlin Film Festival has announced more titles to join the slate. Notably Werner Herzog’s first narrative feature in half-a-decade, Queen of the Desert, will be premiering there. The story of legendary cartographer Gertrude Bell features Nicole Kidman, Robert Pattinson, James Franco, and Damian Lewis.

Indiewire:

The 65th Berlin International Film Festival added eight films to its main competition this morning, including new titles from Werner Herzog, Benoit Jacquot, Bill Condon and Jafar Panahi. The festival also added an additional 14 films to its Generation selection, which is comprised of features and shorts aimed at youths.

Herzog will be in Berlin with "Queen of the Desert" starring Robert Pattinson as T.E. Lawrence (aka Lawrence of Arabia), alongside Nicole Kidman as British Intelligence officer Gertrude Bell.

If you're interested in seeing the First Still from the movie (no Rob unfortunately) then check it out over on our sister site QueenDesertFilm.com

Robert Pattinson's character name in Maps To The Stars, casting developments for Queen of the Desert and more!

Robert Pattinson's character name in Maps To The Stars, casting developments for Queen of the Desert and more!

We just had a little movie news roundup yesterday and now we have another! Bring it on!



IMDb and MapsToTheStarsFilm are reporting the casting names for Rob, John Cusack, Julianne Moore and Sarah Gadon. Rob will be JEROME! 
Here are the other names:


Shifting gears to Queen of the Desert...Deadline has reported James Franco in some talks to replace Jude Law. From Deadline:

I’m not certain it’s going to happen as they try to sort scheduling issues, but Werner Herzog’s Queen Of The Desert has James Franco circling the role that Jude Law was going to play. If you recall, Herzog lined up Naomi Watts and Robert Pattinson to star in the story of Gertrude Bell’s life as a traveler, writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political attaché for the British Empire at the dawn of the 20th Century. Law had signed on to the film, but exited awhile ago to do the play Henry V, and the project ground to a halt. Getting a commitment from Franco would put the picture back on track. Stay tuned. There is kind of a race on Gertrude Bell, as Ridley Scott also has one that Angelina Jolie was eyeing. But it looks like Scott is working hard on his Biblical film Exodus at Fox–Christian Bale is eyeing the role of Moses–and Jolie is preparing to direct Unbroken, the unbelievable life of Olympian sprinter-turned WWII POW Louis Zamperini. So both of them are certainly preoccupied.

UPDATE: The Playlist also added some positive commentary to the development:

Green light power is everything so that often means a top-shelf or namebrand cast to light the fuse. Werner Herzog seemingly nailed it with the power trio of Robert Pattinson, Naomi Watts and Jude Law for his would-be next narrative feature, "Queen of The Desert" -- the true story of Gertrude Bell (Watts), the traveler, writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer, and political attaché for the British Empire at the dawn of the twentieth century.
So this should be more than enough, no? But with what one assumes could be expense location shoots in far off locations outside the U.S., "Queen of The Desert" hasn't really moved forward. In fact, it seemed very up in the air in the last few months. Watts herself suggested the movie was on hold and Jude Law told us in a recent interview that he was likely unable to participate likely because his scheduling window had closed.
And that's exactly the case for Law. Deadline reports, while far from a done deal, James Franco is currently in consideration and in talks to replace the "Sherlock Holmes" sidekick. There's still no word on who he would play, but the trade says if they can manage Franco's schedule and get him on board, it will likely get the picture back on track. Ridley Scott could have derailed the whole thing if he got to his Gertrude Bell project with Angelina Jolie first, but he seems preoccupied with his biblical Moses epic that will star Christian Bale.
Fingers crossed for Herzog, this is one we've been looking forward to for years when he first unveiled it to us.

Lastly, some Cannes market news.
It looks like Queen of the Desert will also be joining MTTS at Cannes according to Cinando. We already know that Maps To The Stars is heading to the Cannes 2013 market from the press statement by eOne's Patrice Théroux:

We're thrilled to secure worldwide sales rights for Maps to the Stars and add it to the lineup in four of our core territories. David is a visionary who continues to attract top talent with his unique style and the masterful quality of his filmmaking. With this all-star cast 'Maps to the Stars' is a very exciting international project and we're looking forward to introducing the project in Cannes.

Producer, Martin Katz, added to the praise and excitement, calling the film "audacious" in his press statement:

'Maps to the Stars' marks Prospero's fourth collaboration with David over the past decade and together with our partners, we are delighted to be launching this audacious new film this year, particularly with eOne. The eOne team just gets it and continues to showcase films at the highest levels on the international stage.

This is all so exciting and I can't wait to see all these new films from Rob! And what a great word. Audacious. A willingness to take surprisingly bold risks. Sounds like our BallsyRob!

IFC Films is distributing Robert Pattinson's Queen of the Desert Spring 2017!

IFC Films is distributing Robert Pattinson's Queen of the Desert Spring 2017!



IFC Films has acquired Queen of the Desert and they're bringing it stateside Spring 2017! I was lucky enough to see the film last year but there are so many Rob fans that have not been able to catch Rob as T.E. Lawrence. That is a tragedy!!!!!!! I'm hoping the film makes it to theaters (some gorgeous shots in QOTD) but also VOD so more of you can see it.

Check out the press release:

IFC Films announced today from the American Film Market conference that the company has acquired US rights to Werner Herzog‘s QUEEN OF THE DESERT. The film, written and directed by Herzog, stars Nicole Kidman, James Franco, Robert Pattinson and Damian Lewis. 

The film was produced by Michael Benaroya, Cassian Elwes and Nick Raslan and was executive produced by Jonathan Debin, Cathy Gesualdo, James Lejsek, Ben Sachs, D. Todd Shepherd, Shelley Madison, Harmon Kaslow and John Aglialoro. IFC Films will release QUEEN OF THE DESERT in Spring 2017. 

QUEEN OF THE DESERT is the true story of British explorer, cartographer and archaeologist Gertrude Bell (Kidman). Set against the backdrop of the disintegration of the Ottoman Empire, Bell sets off on an epic odyssey as an attaché of the British Empire to chart and define the modern borders of the Middle East. 

IFC Films stated: “The entire team at IFC Films is thrilled to be working once more with Werner Herzog who is undoubtedly a modern master of cinema. Having previously worked with him on his award-winning CAVE OF FORGOTTEN DREAMS, Werner continues to bring innovation, elegance and poignancy to each of his films and his latest work is no exception.” 

The deal was negotiated by Arianna Bocco, EVP of Acquisitions and Production from Sundance Selects/IFC Films, with Cassian Elwes, Lawrence Kopeikin and CAA on behalf of the filmmakers. 

IFC Films is a sister label to Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight, and is owned and operated by AMC Networks Inc. 

QUEEN OF THE DESERT was financed by Benaroya Pictures.

Via: The Wrap

MOVIE NEWS: Robert Pattinson's 'Queen Of The Desert' Gets US Distribution & A Late September Release Date

MOVIE NEWS: Robert Pattinson's 'Queen Of The Desert' Gets US Distribution & A Late September Release Date

Lucky peeps in the US will be seeing Queen of The Desert in September.
The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that Atlas Distribution had picked up the movie and it is planned for release in late September on 1,000 screens.


From The Hollywood Reporter:

Director Werner Herzog's Queen of the Desert starring Nicole Kidman and James Franco has been picked up by Atlas Distribution Co., marking the first time the entity will distribute a movie without Atlas Shrugged in the title.

Queen of the Desert tells the true story of Gertrude Bell, played by Kidman, who was a British spy, an archaeologist and more at the turn of last century and ended up playing a major role in establishing the modern state of Iraq. She wielded an enormous amount of power for a woman of her era.

Atlas Distribution was founded by John Aglialoro and Harmon Kaslow to distribute their trio of Atlas Shrugged movies, and they said a year ago they'd keep the company intact, infuse it with $25 million and release more films.

Queen of the Desert is the first in that effort, and it is planned for release in late September on a 1,000 screens.

The Atlas Shrugged movies, of course, were based on Ayn Rand's novel of the same name that is infused with individualistic themes that Kaslow says are present in Queen of the Desert as well.

"Gertrude Bell was a real-life Randian hero," Kaslow said. "This is exactly the type of film we hope to bring to the masses with Atlas Distribution -- an incredible heroine who thought for herself, took orders from no one and had a lasting impact on the world."

The film also stars Robert Pattinson as T.E. Lawrence, a contemporary of Bell's who was immortalized in the 1962 epic film, Lawrence of Arabia. The movie is produced by Nick Raslan and Sierra/Affinity is handling international sales.

Robert Pattinson attached to Play T.E. Lawrence In Werner Herzog's Indie "Queen of the Desert"

UPDATED: Added THR Article

Robert Pattinson attached to Play T.E. Lawrence In Werner Herzog's Indie "Queen of the Desert"

FANTASTIC NEWS!!!!

The Hollywood Reporter Talks about A fall shoot in Jordan and England being eyed



From The Hollywood Reporter

The "Twilight" actor will play T.E. Lawrence, better known as Lawrence of Arabia.

Robert Pattinson is attached to play Lawrence of Arabia in Queen of the Desert, Werner Herzog’s biopic of Gertrude Bell.

Naomi Watts is starring as Bell, described as the female Lawrence of Arabia for the impact the English woman had in the Middle East and her work in establishing what would become the modern framework for Jordan and Iraq. She was an explorer, writer, archeologist and political attache and during World War I, worked for British Intelligence.

Pattinson will play T.E. Lawrence, the archeologist-turned-British Army officer who played key roles in Middle Eastern revolutions in the same time period and became close friends with Bell. Peter O'Toole portrayed the explorer in the 1962 classic.

Herzog wrote the screenplay. Nick Raslan is producing with Cassian Elwes.

A fall shoot in Jordan and England is being eyed.

The move keeps Pattinson firmly in the world of independent film. One of the world’s most recognizable stars, the actor is this week promoting Cosmopolis, his drama directed by David Cronenberg. He is set to star with Guy Pearce in the post-apocalyptic indie The Rover as well as Mission: Blacklist, an indie thriller about Saddam Hussein’s capture.
From Variety

Just days before "Cosmopolis" opens in limited release, star Robert Pattinson has joined the cast of Werner Herzog's indie "Queen of the Desert," which will star Naomi Watts as English writer Gertrude Bell.

Pic will chronicle Bell's life as a writer, archaeologist, explorer, cartographer and political attache for the British Empire. One of the first women to graduate from Oxford at the turn of the 20th century, she traveled through the Middle East, defining the borders of Iraq, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.

Pattinson is attached to play T.E. Lawrence, a British Army officer whose writing earned him international fame as Lawrence of Arabia, on whom David Lean's classic 1962 epic is based. Lawrence was a good friend to Bell over the years, as the duo helped establish the Hashemite dynasties in Jordan and Iraq.

Cassian Elwes and Nick Raslan (Herzog's "Rescue Dawn") are producing the pic, which is aiming to start production in late fall

Read MORE HERE

Robert Pattinson Will Be Attending The Berlin Film Festival & Premiere Dates For 'Life' & 'Queen Of The Desert'

Robert Pattinson Will Be Attending The Berlin Film Festival & Premiere Dates For 'Life' & 'Queen Of The Desert'



Are you ready for Promo Rob?



The Official Berlinale Twitter has announced that Rob will attend the Film Festival next month where Life & Queen of The Desert will premiere.



Queen of the Desert will Premiere on Friday February 6th at 6:45pm CET (Check out the page on the Berlinale Website HERE along with a first clip from the movie, Rob is not in the clip).
Rob is not confirmed to attend the Queen of the Desert Premiere but we're keeping our fingers crossed.

Full Schedule:
Photo-Call: 2:10PM CET/ 1:10PM GMT/ 09:10AM ET/ 06:10AM PT.
Press Conference: 2:20PM CET/ 1:20PM GMT/ 09:20AM ET/ 06:10AM PT
Red Carpet: 6:15PM CET/ 5:15PM GMT/ 1:15PM ET/ 10:15AM PT.
Screening starts: 6:45PM CET/ 5:45PM GMT/ 1:45PM ET/ 10:45AM PT.

Life premiere's on Monday February 9th at 9:30pm CET (Check out the Life page on the Berlinale Website HERE)

Full Schedule:
Photo-Call: 7:45PM CET/ 6:45PM GMT/ 1:45PM ET/ 10:45AM PT.
Press Conference: 7:55PM CET/ 6:55PM GMT/ 1:55PM ET/ 10:55AM PT
Red Carpet: 9PM CET/ 8PM GMT/ 3PM ET/ 12PM
Screening starts: 9:30PM CET/ 8:30GMT/ 3:30PM ET/ 12:30PM PT
Attending: Robert Pattinson, Dane Dehaan, Anton Corbijn, Alessandra Mastronardi & Luke Davies.

Don't forget, to keep up with all the Life and Queen of the Desert film news to check out our sister sites Lifethefilm.com & Queenofthedesertfilm.com

Schedules Via

Robert Pattinson's The Rover is one of A24's fave films ever, Queen of the Desert production is soonish and MORE!

Robert Pattinson's The Rover is one of A24's fave films ever, Queen of the Desert production is soonish and MORE!

This roundup brings a cluster of good tweets and continued, positive buzz about Rob's upcoming films!


The Rover: We know the trailer is coming "soonish" and we're patiently waiting....



But distributor, A24, said something recently that really excited us.

@Robx999 can't release until it's perfect. almost there! hold tight!
— A24 (@A24Films) November 27, 2013

@RPattzgirl very soonish! we think you'll be pleased ;)
— A24 (@A24Films) November 27, 2013

@RPattzgirl (p.s. The Rover is one of our favorite movies, ever.)
— A24 (@A24Films) November 27, 2013

One of their favorite movies, EVER?? RIGHT ON!!!


Maps To The Stars: MTTS picked up German distribution but our eyes zoomed in on this tweet from a lucky Toronto Star journalist.

@DavidCronenberg's Hollywood satire @MapsToTheStars, with plot of life crisis & rehab, had industry sneak Monday in T.O. -- perfect choice!
— Peter Howell (@peterhowellfilm) November 19, 2013

The film is already giving out sneaks and MTTS + "perfect choice" =


Queen of the Desert: Rob's costar, Damian Lewis, was on Good Morning America and shared that his mustache was growing in preparation for an Edwardian look for QOTD. It was cool to see some physical prepping going on for the film. Click HERE to see the video. The producers have also been chatting:

We made major headway today on queen of the desert. We are close to starting director and actor deals are nearly done
— cassian elwes (@cassianelwes) November 16, 2013

Herzog and I negotiated his deal this afternoon. Once we were done I told him what an honor it'll be watching him shoot queen of the desert
— cassian elwes (@cassianelwes) November 16, 2013

@QueenDesertFilm pre shoot starts on Dec 18th
— Nick Raslan (@NickRaslan) November 27, 2013

Oh yeah! So the film seems to still be on track for December and good thing because it was one of the hottest titles previewed at the American Film Market!


We'll continue to bring you the latest movie news and we'll keep a look out for QOTD updates since that seems to be the next production on Rob's full plate of movie goodness.

Things that make you go hmmm: Robert Pattinson exits Werner Herzog's Queen of the Desert? Conflicting reports...

Things that make you go hmmm: Robert Pattinson exits Werner Herzog's Queen of the Desert? Conflicting reports...


UPDATE2: Deadline reports that Nicole Kidman is in talks to replace Naomi Watts and that James Franco will fill Jude Law's role. Rob is still in the film according to them. Click HERE to read.

UPDATE: Cassian Elwes tweeted the following vagueness so time will tell for this one:

“@leamai3: @cassianelwes Can you confirm If Rob Pattinson dropped out of the Queen Of Desert?”/ nothing is written in stone.
— cassian elwes (@cassianelwes) September 8, 2013

Queen of the Desert's producer, Cassian Elwes, sat down with The Hollywood Reporter and the status of Queen of the Desert was brought up. It's reported that Rob, along with Naomi Watts, have dropped out:

THR: With Naomi Watts and Robert Pattinson dropping out of Werner Herzog’s Gertrude Bell biopic Queen of the Desert, is the project dead?
Elwes: It’s been in casting hell, but we feel like we are coming out of it now. I think we’re close to making an announcement.

I'm ok. Are you ok? I tend to not get emotionally committed to Rob's films until they hit production because he could wind up leaving them in pre-prod for a number of reasons.

Don't miss Rob's latest film announcement, starting production Feb. 2014. Click HERE about his role in the film Life!

Robert Pattinson movie news! Updates for Queen of the Desert and Mission: Blacklist

Robert Pattinson movie news! Updates for Queen of the Desert, Mission: Blacklist and more!

UPDATE: The Rover will have a session (The Trans-Pacific Partnership: A Case Study on Financing “The Rover”) at a conference in Melbourne this November. Click HERE to read about it and if you're interested in attending. We'll post any news that surfaces from the conference about The Rover.

The Rob films that are currently cooking are Queen Of The Desert, Mission: Blacklist, Hold On To Me and Life. Hold On To Me remains on the back burner but still has positive buzz. Excerpt from Hollywood.com:

We don't know too much about this next project, but we're excited to see Mulligan alongside Robert Pattinson, who's well on his way to shedding that Twilight image. Oscar-winner James Marsh is directing the film, and it looks like we can expect good things.

Life is still on schedule for February 2014 as far as we know. Dane DeHaan was named one of the 10 actors to watch by Variety so it's great to see a future costar of Rob's attracting positive attention.

The latest movement is from Queen Of The Desert and Mission: Blacklist. Cassian Elwes, QOTD producer, tweeted about the possibility for a January 2014 start date:

Queen of the desert is starting to move forward for a January shoot. Very cool.
— cassian elwes (@cassianelwes) October 11, 2013

We'll see how this holds up. The last update for Mission: Blacklist had a January 2014 start as well. Embankment Films has January 2014 on their website and an article from ScreenDaily, announcing the arrival of Sara May to Embankment, reported MB to be green-lit and financed for the new year:

Financed and green-lit for production next year are The Dressmaker starring Kate Winslet, and Mission Blacklist starring Robert Pattinson

So that's where we're at. Some juggling going on.


Rob still seems on board with QOTD but now there appears to be a conflict of start dates with QOTD and MB. We'll keep you posted! When we know, you'll know.

Robert Pattinson's Queen of the Desert starts filming in December according to Deadline

Robert Pattinson's Queen of the Desert starts filming in December according to Deadline

You guys want some movie news??



Deadline announced a new cast member for Queen of the Desert - Damian Lewis of Homeland fame. In the announcement, Deadline also said production is set for December. From Deadline:

Damian Lewis, who has won Golden Globes and Emmys for his work as POW-turned-terrorist Nicolas Brody in Showtime’s Homeland, is near a deal to star opposite Nicole Kidman in director Werner Herzog’s Queen Of The Desert. The UK-born Lewis won’t have to hide his homegrown accent for the feature: He will play Lt. Col. Charles Doughty-Wylie, an unhappily married English war hero who engages in a turbulent affair with Gertrude Bell (Kidman), with whom he exchanged love letters with from 1913-1915 until he was killed in active duty at Gallipoli. 

Production is scheduled to begin in December. 

Queen Of The Desert refers to Bell, the iconic explorer, writer, archeologist and attaché for the British Empire who is credited with helping to catalyze the formation of the Middle East at the dawn of the 20th century. Nick Raslan is producing through his Palmyra Films banner along with Cassian Elwes and Michael Benaroya. Benaroya Pictures banner is financing the film. Sierra/Affinity will handle international sales.
Lewis is represented by WME, Markham, Froggatt and Irwin, and Karl Austen.

No mention of Rob. Is he still playing T.E. Lawrence? Will he be filming Mission: Blacklist in January? Is Life still on schedule? If a tree falls in the forest and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound?

We'll keep you posted. ;)

REVIEWS: Robert Pattinson is sharp-tongued and comedic in Herzog's Queen of the Desert!

REVIEWS: Robert Pattinson is sharp-tongued and comedic in Herzog's Queen of the Desert!

Berlinale is underway and the reviews for Queen of the Desert are coming in! Rob was not present for the press conference and premiere but you can click HERE if you're interested in the events.



Since Rob is not in Berlin yet (he arrives for Life promo) and we have no pictures of Rob as T.E. Lawrence (the world is cruel), we have to "settle" for this knock out portrait during Berlinale 2012.

Here are the highlights about Rob and we'll be updating as they keep rolling in:

Excerpt from The Independent:

T.E. Lawrence himself appears (played in eccentric, tongue in cheek fashion by Robert Pattinson of Twilight fame)...Pattinson’s performance, meanwhile, is comic and a very long way removed from Peter O'Toole. He plays Lawrence Of Arabia as a sharp-tongued, sardonic figure who can see through the pretensions of his bosses and colleagues.

Excerpt from The Playlist:

In fact, of the actors not overwhelmed by the heavy sense that "we're playing old-timey dudes in old-timey duds," Robert Pattinson (though the duds do sit awkwardly on him), for words about whom, I'll face the fact that probably 75% of the readers of this review will have expressly tuned in, is most surprising. The part is small. He only has a few scenes, but helped by the writing of TE Lawrence as an ego-driven but lighthearted, whimsical brainbox, he actually sounds like he believes he is living in modern times, not some anachronistic recreation. And so even when he has ponderous words to say, such as when he quotes Jefferson's famous, damning line, "I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just," he does so lightly, conversationally — unconvincing costume aside, he lets a little life in.

Excerpt from The Guardian:

Perhaps in flight from her internal emotional turmoil, Bell cultivates her passionate interest in the Bedouin tribesmen and displaces her need for romantic love outwards – into the desert. There she is to encounter Lawrence himself, played boyishly by Robert Pattinson. He looks a little self-conscious in the headdress – though perhaps no more self-conscious than Lawrence himself looked in it. His appearance got a few laughs from the Berlin festival audience, but Pattinson carried off this (minor) role well enough.

Excerpt from The Hollywood Reporter:

The brief but significant appearances of Robert Pattinson as T.E. Lawrence

Excerpt from Criticwire:

Robert Pattinson gets relatively high marks for his brief turn as the bonafide T.E. Lawrence

Excerpt from The People's Movies:

With the exception of Robert Pattinson as T. E. Lawrence, her male counterparts are somewhat lacking. 

Excerpt from Indiewire:

The most ironic aspect of the enterprise is that the one man with whom Bell conducts believable, intriguing dealings is the one upon whom her sex-appeal has zero effect: none other than T.E. Lawrence himself, played with a plummy-voiced knowingness by Robert Pattinson. Pattinson doesn't get very much screen time here, but manages to come up with a Lawrence a universe away from Peter O'Toole's iconic portrayal - a kind of proto-Beat rebel in fancy Arab duds - and his dialogue exchanges with Kidman have a little touch of Steed and Mrs. Peel that at least gives their scenes some kind of oomph.

Excerpt from The Film Stage:

She encounters various historical figures, such as T.E. Lawrence (Robert Pattinson, in hilariously pretentious form)

Updating...

Robert Pattinson's "Queen Of The Desert" & "Maps To The Stars" On Indiewires "50 Indie Films We Want To See In 2013"

Indiewire compiled a list of the 50 Indie Films that they are excited to see in 2013.
Robert Pattinson's "Queen Of The Desert" & "Maps To The Stars" both made it onto the list.

They think that "David & Rob's second collaboration in "Maps to the Stars" looks mighty appealing" & they say that "Herzog tends to bring out the maniacal side of his actors, which means "Queen of the Desert" could be a thrill ride in more ways than one"

Mighty appealing is an understatement and we are SO ready to go on that thrill ride, right?

Check out what they had to say about them below

"Map to the Stars"
Director: David Cronenberg
Cast: Viggo Mortensen, Rachel Weisz, Robert Pattinson
Distributor: None as of yet.
Release Date: Very likely to premiere in Cannes or Venice or Toronto, with a deal and release date to follow.
Why Might It Be a Must See: Whatever you think of Robert Pattison becoming David Cronenberg's newfound muse, their second collaboration in as many years looks mighty appealing. The long-delayed "Map to The Stars" also brings Cronenberg's other righthand man Viggo Mortensen along for the ride (as well as Rachel Weisz), and is said to be a complex Hollywood satire... It's also the first film the Canadian director has actually shot in America. [Peter Knegt]

"Queen of the Desert"
Director: Werner Herzog
Cast: Naomi Watts, Robert Pattinson, Jude Law
Distributor: N/A
Release date: Nothing yet.
Why Might It Be a Must See: Just because he was recently seen onscreen as the villain in "Jack Reacher" doesn't mean Herzog has sold out. Every since "Rescue Dawn," the kooky Bavarian filmmaker has entered a compelling new stage with the narrative side of his filmmaking career, delivering bizarre, discursive dramas (can anyone really explain "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done?") with the same loony poetry that often spills out of Herzog's mouth (that iguana bit in "Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans" was something else). Herzog's new movie looks like a consolidation of his life as an adventurous documentarian and oddball fiction work: The movie stars Watts as legendary explorer Gertrude Bell and Pattinson as "Lawrence of Arabia" author T.E. Lawrence. Herzog tends to bring out the maniacal side of his actors, which means this could be a thrill ride in more ways than one. [Eric Kohn]

Check out what other films made the list over on Indiewire

Werner Herzog Talks "Queen Of The Desert": "Coordinating all the actors’ schedules has made it difficult"

Werner Herzog Talks "Queen Of The Desert": "Coordinating all the actors’ schedules has made it difficult" 

A couple of small updates on "Queen of The Desert" & "Mission: Blacklist"



Werner Herzog spoke to the Washington Post while doing promo for his latest project, a short film called “From One Second to the Next,” and mentioned Queen of The Desert :

For his next project, the director of “Into the Abyss” is returning to death row for a follow-up to his “On Death Row” series, and he’s still hoping to make a film about the life of Middle East pioneer Gertrude Bell starring Naomi Watts and Robert Pattinson titled “Queen of the Desert.” He said coordinating all the actors’ schedules has made it difficult.

And not so much an update but Dylan Kussman (the screenwriter for Mission:Blacklist) tweeted this today:

Inspired by your enthusiasm, thanks for your patience, #MissionBlacklist fans. My only update? The writers' room is fired UP. #TheBlueShirt
— Dylan Kussman (@DylanKussman) August 8, 2013

Hopefully we'll have more news to report on these soon.
In the meantime don't forget you can keep up with all things Mission:Blacklist HERE and QOTD HERE

 via RobPattMoms

ROUNDUP: Great interviews with Robert Pattinson, Guy Pearce and David Michôd for The Rover

ROUNDUP: Great interviews with Robert Pattinson, Guy Pearce and David Michôd for The Rover

This is a great batch! First up is a red carpet interview with Rob and Guy talking about the fun beatings Rob had. LOL


Robert Pattinson & Guy Pearce on red carpet from Naomi Rossdeutscher on Vimeo.

This is a fantastic interview from the Sydney press conference and a little from set. Really good info shared by Rob and David and also in the editorial (they DID shave Rob's arms!). Rob also talks about Queen of the Desert and playing T.E. Lawrence.

Via the Herald Sun:
Robert Pattinson puts stake through Edward Cullen’s heart with ‘career redefining’ role in The Rover

R.I.P. Edward Cullen.
Seven weeks in the baking heat of the South Australian Outback has accomplished something even an army of vengeful Volturi couldn’t. 

Described by one influential industry magazine as “career redefining”, Robert Pattinson’s against-type performance as a slow-witted drifter in desert Noir thriller The Rover has enabled him to emerge from the long shadow cast by the Twilight franchise. 

That might explain the 28-year-old English actor’s relaxed and charming demeanour during interviews for David Michod’s hotly-anticipated follow-up to Animal Kingdom — the film that reinvented both Jacki Weaver’s and Ben Mendelsohn’s careers — which stands in marked contrast to his polite and unassuming but slightly-guarded approach to the media at the height of the Twilight phenomenon. 

Pattinson says the glowing reviews that came out of the Cannes Film Festival last month, where The Rover screened in a prestigious midnight slot, felt like a validation “for about five seconds”. 

But his next film is almost more important. 

“With all that Twilight stuff, I know that if I was not me, I would be judging me,’’ he says. 

“It’s almost like setting up a brand. If you get enough good reviews so that people go in expecting a good movie, then half your job is done.” 

Guy Pearce, Pattinson’s co-star in The Rover, made the transition from soapie heart-throb to serious actor two decades ago with The Adventures of Priscilla: Queen of the Desert, which was also selected for a midnight screening slot at Cannes. 

“Basically, he is a leading man but he consistently does character parts,’’ says Pattinson. 

“I always kind of admired how he did that and it is basically the same career path that I would like to have.” 

The actor has just finished filming his own Queen of the Desert, helmed by veteran German director Werner Herzog and starring Nicole Kidman as archaeologist Gertrude Bell, in Morocco. 

The role of T.E. Lawrence, he says, was his most challenging thus far. 

“Even though it’s only a few scenes, it was definitely the scariest thing I have done. I am playing Lawrence of Arabia. Those are huge shoes to fill. It was just crazy walking in with the outfit on.” 

Even when Edward Cullen was dominating his life, Pattinson still made time for other projects, such as Remember Me with Australia’s Emilie de Ravin, Water for Elephants, with Reese Witherspoon and Christoph Waltz, and the period drama Bel Ami, with Uma Thurman, Kristin Scott Thomas and Christina Ricci. 

His collaborations with veteran Canadian director David Cronenberg, on Cosmopolis and Map to the Stars, for which co-star Julianne Moore won best actress at the Cannes Film Festival this year, gained art house respect. 

But it’s the character of Rey, a slow-witted misfit needy almost to the point of self-annihilation, that has drawn a firm post-Twilight line in the sand. 

Michod put Pattinson through two rigorous three-hour audition sessions before casting him in the role. 

“I had always thought he was some angular, super good-looking brooding guy,’’ says the director. 

“Then I met him and he was way more interesting than that. He wasn’t just a pretty boy. He had a really interesting face. He was interestingly awkward. And clearly very bright. 

“And the fact that he was willing to come back two days later (for a second audition) said to me quite definitively that he really wanted to do this movie and he really wanted to work hard. 

“It also said that he was humble enough to not think it should be handed to him on a platter.” 

Since The Rover had a budget of $12 million, and required a challenging, seven-week shoot in the South Australian Outback in February and March, it’s clear that neither money nor glamour were driving factors in Pattinson’s desire to land the role. 

But the remoteness of the locations might actually have been a bonus for Pattinson, who would have been keen to escape the media attention that followed his split with long-time girlfriend Kristen Stewart in the wake of her affair with Snow White and The Huntsman director Rupert Sanders. 

“The environment doesn’t really let you go outside,’’ he said during a break from filming in the one-pub town of Marree, at the intersection of the Birdsville and Oodnadatta Tracks. The mercury on set that day hovered around the early 40s.
Time and distance have changed his perspective. 

“I am constantly being prompted to say how awful it was,’’ Pattinson said during a press conference last week ahead of the film’s Australian premiere at the Sydney Film Festival. 

But I really liked it. I just found it incredibly serene being able to look to the horizon. I liked the hardness of the landscape as well. There’s something strangely mystical about it.” 

The external transformation of Pattinson from handsome heart-throb to brutalised victim took some doing. 

The hair and make-up department sprayed him with a combination of olive oil, fly spray and sunscreen to achieve Rey’s sallow, unhealthy-looking complexion. The actor’s arms were shaved to make him look thinner, even whiter, and more vulnerable. And his hair was shorn crudely to help give the impression that he was suffering from a nasty case of mange. It was a daily process that took almost two hours to complete. 

Pattinson’s internal shift is even more startling. 

Ironically, the actor credits his experience on the Twilight films as a major factor in helping him find that character that allowed him move on. 

“I never really had anyone pick on me at school. I think I just managed to skirt the edge of every different little group imaginable,’’ says Pattinson. 

“But for some reason, I just got Rey, who has been bullied his whole life. 

“I think it’s about fear as well. And I guess maybe the last few years, being a little scared of crowds, being a little bit paranoid when you are walking down the street, that fed into it a little bit. 

“(That sense of) being extremely wary and also not knowing how people will react. There are trust issues there. Being a little more isolated, you get bit dislocated from normal behaviour. 

“Rey is looking at people not knowing whether they are going to slap him or laugh.”

David Michôd also had a couple more interviews pop up from his Australian promo and promo from when he was in NYC after Cannes.

This Yahoo interview David talks about the Pretty Girl Rock scene. This has turned into quite the highly anticipated scene. :)



Another good read including the editorial. Excerpt from Screen Crush:

In David Michôd’s second full length feature film, ‘The Rover’ (his first was the surprise Australian hit ‘Animal Kingdom,’ which garnered Jacki Waver an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actress), Guy Pearce is a khaki shorts-wearing misanthrope living in post-financial apocalypse Australia. While mourning something (we find out what later) at a local dystopian watering hole, Eric (Pearce) has his car stolen, which sets off a movie-length hunt for the said stolen car. Along the way, Eric meets Reynolds (Robert Pattinson), a violent lost soul who holds the key to finding the all-important stolen car. 

I met Michôd in the swanky lobby of the Bowery Hotel, a far cry from the world he creates in ‘The Rover.’ It was a surreal experience, discussing the economic collapse of the entire world while, unrelated to anything, comedian Aziz Ansari sits directly across from us for some type of business meeting. A lot of laughs were coming from that side of the hotel lobby. I can only assume Ansari was not talking about ‘The Rover.’ 

And it’s interesting to listen to Michôd discuss Robert Pattinson, an actor who Michôd had never seen in his most famous work, the ‘Twilight’ series. Pattinson does bring a bit of a wild card to this production. He’s still immensely popular with his ‘Twilight’ fans, but Pattinson is openly pursuing projects that distances himself — like this one and two David Cronenberg films — from the movies that made him famous. And, for what it’s worth, Michôd has no clue how that will affect the attention received for ‘The Rover.’
...
I know you hadn’t seen the ‘Twilight’ movies before casting Robert Pattinson, but what does his fame bring to this movie? Does that help? Can it possibly hurt? 

I don’t know, it’s all a great unknown to me. You know, I love the idea of being able to take a person who I can only imagine his talents have been grossly underestimated. 

This is a good movie for him, along with the Cronenberg films. 

He’s a really smart guy with great taste. And he knows the filmmakers that he wants to work with. But, who knows what it will mean for the movie in the public consciousness, you know? I have no idea whether or not it will work for us or against us. But, I don’t really care — because I love the surprise and the revelation of it. And I would hope that people embrace it, because I think he’s really good in it. It was never going to be enough for me that he gave just a good, solid performance. It was always important for me that he give an extraordinary one — and I think he does it. He and Guy both. 

Whose idea was it for Robert Pattinson’s character to have tics? 

That was his. They felt organic. I don’t know how conscious and deliberate they were for him, but when I was watching them, they felt like this nice little organic manifestations of the character. 

And you dirtied him up. 

[Laughs] It had to happen. For me, Rob’s character is like a lost puppy dog. He’s lost his owner and he just kind of latches on to the first person he finds. It happens to be a particularly bad choice.

Thank you Nancy R!

Robert Pattinson is the one to watch in film because the surface is just being scratched

Robert Pattinson is the one to watch in film because the surface is just being scratched

I enjoyed a few articles that were talking about the future for the Twilight cast and Rob's future made me proud and excited. It's a new era for him and it's going to be awesome to watch it unfold.

Excerpt from the AP via Seattle Times:

Pattinson has made some of the most daring and impressive choices of the three of them. Before being cast as the swoony vampire Edward Cullen, the lanky British actor appeared in another blockbuster franchise as Hogwarts student Cedric Diggory in 2005's "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." In 2009, he played Salvador Dali in the barely seen "Little Ashes," and last year he starred opposite Reese Witherspoon in the circus romance "Water for Elephants" - although Associated Press reviewer David Germain wrote there was "barely a spark" between the two. 

But Pattinson also has worked with the likes of David Cronenberg, starring this year in the acclaimed Canadian director's financial drama "Cosmopolis," which takes place almost entirely inside a limousine. And he'll soon work with Cronenberg again in "Maps to the Stars," and also begin shooting Werner Herzog's "Queen of the Desert." 

Jones says Pattison has wisely chosen to parlay his "Twilight" fame to collaborate with serious directors and actors. 

"He knows he has a certain box office appeal so the fangirls are going to see him no matter what he's in," she said. "People are willing to work with him the first time, they see all this potential he has, then they want to come back and work with him again." 

Constantinescu echoed those thoughts: "He's the one to watch for additional films down the line," he said. "We are just scratching the surface with Robert."

Excerpt from The Playlist:

Robert Pattinson
Before "Twilight": R-Patz had relatively few credits before he was R-Patz -- he was cut out of Mira Nair's "Vanity Fair," but bounced back with a major role as the ill-fated Cedric Diggory in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire." A couple of small British TV roles and indies, "How To Be" and "Little Ashes," followed, most of which only really found audiences once he'd found success with the vampire franchise.
Chances Of Success After "Twilight": Strong creatively, but the financial success outside of "Twilight" has yet to come. The actor has found a huge female fanbase as a result of playing ageless vamp Edward Cullen, which helped Pattinson vehicles "Remember Me" and "Water For Elephants" find moderate success. Still, the Twihards mostly won't turn up for films outside the romantic weepie wheelhouse -- "Bel Ami" took a dreadful $120,000 earlier this year, and "Cosmopolis" didn't do much better, with a mere $750,000. 

Still, to his credit, those films are indicative of his desire to work with interesting filmmakers, and a willingness to stretch himself, and that's something that looks to continue. 

On the way, he has the apocalyptic thriller "The Rover," from "Animal Kingdom" director David Michod, "Man On Wire" helmer James Marsh's "Hold On To Me" with Carey Mulligan, a reunion with Cronenberg on "Maps To The Stars," and he's lined up to play T.E. Lawrence for Werner Herzog in period adventure "Queen Of The Desert," alongside Naomi Watts and Jude Law. They're all far from the obvious picks for a heartthrob, and even if the performances haven't necessarily wowed, we're sure he'll only continue to improve. But will his built-in audience stick around? A smart move might be to take something action/thriller-y targeted at the mainstream, to try and win a male following. Perhaps something like "American Assassin," which Chris Hemsworth just vacated.

Excerpt from VH1:

Robert Pattinson: Rob seems hellbent on defying any and every box you might want to place him in, post Twilight, so his range of projects is vast. In pre-production, he’s got Mission: Blacklist, in which he’ll play a military interrogator who helped find Saddam Hussein; Hold On to Me, in which he’ll play the love interest of Carey Mulligan, who’s plotting to kidnap the town’s richest guy; The Rover, about car thieves in the Australian Outback; and Queen of the Desert, about early-20th-century archaelogist Gertrude Bell (played by Naomi Watts). Then it looks like he’ll be re-teaming with Cosmopolis helmer David Cronenberg for something called Maps to the Stars. We’re breathless after just summarizing all that.

I'm going to like seeing mainstream take notice of Rob's talent more and more. The pigeon-holed him for so long and all his future roles will really let him explore untapped corners in his skill set. I know I don't need to ask you guys if you're as excited as I am because we've been saying these things in the articles for years. ;)

Robert Pattinson's Queen of the Desert, Life and Maps To The Stars are expected for fall festivals!

Robert Pattinson's Queen of the Desert, Life and Maps To The Stars are expected for fall festivals!



The Toronto International Film Festival (Sept. 4-14) line up will be announced on July 22nd and the  Venice Film Festival (Aug. 27-Sept. 6) line up will be announced on July 24th.

Rob's next 3 films are rumored and expected to show up at one of these fall fests.

Maps To The Stars going to TIFF seems like a foregone conclusion at this point. It's expected to have its North American premiere there and then released later in the fall. 

Queen of the Desert producers have been dropping teases. Nick Raslan called QOTD "a true epic" and Cassian Elwes called the film a total winner and said they'd get distribution at the fall festivals. The Playlist added Telluride and NYFF to the mix for QOTD possibilities too. Elwes is hoping for US release this year and Raslan also shared a still from the film.

A snap shot from "Queen of the Desert" pic.twitter.com/wTvYoVW5TU
— Nick Raslan (@NickRaslan) July 13, 2014

Life is the last Rob film to be a part of the fall fest rumors and it's the one I'm looking forward to the most. One guess why....

Anton Corbijn revealed that Philip Seymour Hoffman was planning on being in Life before his passing. The Playlist speculates that he could have played Dennis Stock's editor (now played by Joel Edgerton) or Jack Warner (played by Ben Kinglsey).

The Playlist also suggested that "Life is expected to be among the announcements for TIFF and Venice when they arrive next week". This would definitely be a pleasant surprise if it turns out to be true. VERY pleasant.



As for Rob's fall filming schedule, it looks like we'll see him film Idol's Eye and The Childhood of a Leader. TCOAL's time frame jumps around between September and November and IE jumps between October and November. We'll see how they shape up the closer we get since schedules on indies change frequently. The Lost City of Z was last scheduled for January 2015 but there seems to be a conflict with Benedict Cumberbatch's schedule (he's slated to now be working on Sherlock) so like the others, we just have to wait and see.



That's all that the updates on Rob's film slate for now. We'll keep you posted next week when the lineups are announced for the film festivals!

'Queen Of The Desert' Producer Tweets About Start Of Shooting

'Queen Of The Desert' Producer Tweets About Start Of Shooting

Cassian Elwes (one of the Queen of the Desert producers) posted this news on his twitter last night. 

I can't believe queen of the desert starts shooting Monday-what a journey this has been to get it to the screen.
— cassian elwes (@cassianelwes) January 10, 2014

Now if we could just have a little photo (or two) of Rob we'd be ever so grateful



Don't forget you can keep up with all the Queen of the Desert News over at our sister site QueenDesertFilm

Robert Pattinson's 'Queen Of The Desert' Special Screening At The AFI Festival

Robert Pattinson's 'Queen Of The Desert' Special Screening At The AFI Festival 

The American Film Institute announced today that a special screening of Robert Pattinson's Queen of The Desert would be part of the line-up for it's festival which takes place November 5-12.
More details of screening times etc will be available on Wednesday.

AFI FEST has also revealed today its Special Screenings section, which will feature 45 YEARS (DIR Andrew Haigh); ANOMALISA (DIR Charlie Kaufman & Duke Johnson, AFI Class of 2006); CAROL (DIR Todd Haynes); LAST DAYS IN THE DESERT (DIR Rodrigo García); THE LOBSTER (DIR Yorgos Lanthimos); MACBETH (DIR Justin Kurzel); and QUEEN OF THE DESERT (DIR Werner Herzog).

The full festival lineup and schedule will be unveiled on Wednesday, October 21. The 29th edition of AFI FEST will take place November 5–12, 2015, in the heart of Hollywood.

Source
Thanks Nancy

Robert Pattinson's producer for Queen of the Desert drops a hint on filming time frame

Robert Pattinson's producer for Queen of the Desert drops a hint on filming time frame

I feel like I'm watching a horse race...

We had Mission: Blacklist in the lead until The Rover pulled ahead only to be set back by Queen of the Desert from far behind but in the final moments, The Rover wins by a nose!

Queen of the Desert producer has an update on when the film will be shot.:


The Rover filming dates are currently Jan-March 2013 so we'll see how this all rolls out. Rob is not the lead in The Rover or Queen of the Desert so we don't know how much time he's required on set. We're going to have to wait and see.

Another cool tweet from the producer talking about his two stars:


If you want to follow Cassian Elwes, click HERE!

Robert Pattinson's Queen of the Desert gets a filming schedule, find out his full name in MTTS and more!

Robert Pattinson's Queen of the Desert gets a filming schedule, find out his full name in MTTS and more!

It's movie news time! First the big one of the post - Queen of the Desert will film for 1 month in Jordan, Morocco and London and includes Nicole Kidman, God Robert Pattinson, Damian Lewis and James Franco in the cast.



From Backstage:

The following listings are not casting notices but instead reflect the best general information available about current casting assignments. …  

Queen of the Desert (Drama) This film is based on the life and loves of Gertrude Bell, the English writer, archaeologist, and cartographer who mapped Iraq and Jordan in the early 1900s. With Nicole Kidman, Robert Pattinson, James Franco, and Damian Lewis. Directed by Werner Herzog. Shoots Dec. 15, 2013–Jan. 15, 2014, in London, Jordan, and Morocco.

Alright! Let's give it up for the forward movement!



We'll see if this holds but there have been rumblings about a late 2013/early 2014 shoot for a few months. Fingers crossed! Rob will have 3 films knocked out of the park by the new year.



In other movie news, we have a couple of bits for Maps To The Stars. First, unless you've ventured over to the IMDb page, you might not have known Rob's character's full name - Jerome Fontana!



What a fun and flashy name. Say it. Out loud. It's a name with flare. And lastly, if you're in Italy, it looks like you'll be seeing Mr. Jerome Fontana in May 2014. Click HERE to check out the distribution news.

That's all we have for now. The Rover hasn't had any recent movement and Life is still looking at February 2014. We'll keep you posted because you know how we are with our Rob movie news.