TIFF 2013: A24 to get ‘Under the Skin’ with Scarlett Johansson
Why we love her: “Bend It Like Beckham.” “Pirates of the Caribbean.” “Love Actually.” “Atonement.” “The Duchess.” Is there any role Keira can’t play? (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Why we love her: She’s unafraid of fashion risks, she seems nearly unflappable, and... well, she looks like Sienna Miller! (ADRIAN SANCHEZ-GONZALEZ / AFP/Getty Images)
Why we love her: It takes guts to leap into the wrestling ring — and then leap onto the dance floor of “Dancing with the Stars.” Plus, there are her nicknames: “The legs of the WWE” and “The Weapon of Mass Seduction” (Michael Buckner / Getty Images for ELLE)
Why we love her: Klum has been stalking the catwalk since 1992, but she’s hardly just a pretty face (and smokin’ bod). She won a Peabody award for Project Runway, for which she is host and executive producer. That’s the first Peabody award to a reality show. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Why we love her: Have you seen Vicky Cristina Barcelona? How about all her roles in Pedro Almodóvar’s films? How can you not love a woman with that sort of talent? (Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times)
Why we love her: She’s been in a comics-based action flick (“Watchmen”), a comedy (“Couples Retreat”) and a rom-com (“The Proposal”). (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Why we love her: Yes, she’s cute as a button. Yes, she’s super talented. But we really love her the most because 1) she’s the voice of Meg in “Family Guy,” and Family guy equals instant adoration, and 2) she’s admitted she’s a huge fan of “World of Warcraft.” (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
Why we love her: She knows all things fierce. She’s tapped into every form of entertainment there is, from acting (“Higher Learning” and “Love & Basketball”), charity work (TZONE Foundation) to singing and modeling. (Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images)
Why we love her: The leggy beauty was the first Israeli model to appear in the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit issue, and she’s been on covers ever since. (Jacopo Raule / Getty Images for Michael Kors)
Why we love her: Her Oscar-winning performance in “Monster” was called “one of the greatest performances in the history of the cinema” by critic Roger Ebert. Plus she’s passionately committed to helping the people of her native South Africa -- her foundation provides health services for some of the poorest regions of the country. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Why we love her: Her music alone would be enough to make us happy. Add in her tireless work for children’s welfare and education and we’re smitten. (Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times)
Why we love her: As much as she loves kids, we should love her for that alone. She’s the right-hand woman of actor Brad Pitt, but she is a business woman and philanthropist all her own. Outside of acting, her charity work includes UNICEF, ONE Campaign and UNHCR. (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Why we love her: Not only is her music unstoppable, but her spirit is unquenchable: In the aftermath of an assault by then-boyfriend Chris Brown, she weathered the media firestorm with poise and grace. (Rick Loomis / Los Angeles Times)
Why we love her: Ever since “Dark Angel,” she’s known how to kick ass and take names. Plus she’s committed to her charity work, even offering to work for free if producer Bob Weinstein would make a hefty donation to Amfar. (Frederic J. Brown / AFP / Getty Images)
Why we love her: She’s not only gorgeous, but she’s funny as hell (did you catch her on 30 Rock?), passionate about improving lives (she’s an anti-domestic violence advocate), and smart as a whip. Who wouldn’t love her? (Patrick T. Fallon / For the Times)
Why we love her: This quote from The Times of London, when the reporter asked her if she considered herself a role model: “It depends on what your idea of a role model is. If your idea of a role model is somebody who’s gonna preach to your kids that sex before marriage is wrong and cursing is wrong and women should be this and be that, then I’m not a role model. But if you want your girls to feel strong and intelligent and be outspoken and fight for what they think is right, then I want to be that type of role model, yeah.” (Al Seib / Los Angeles Times)
Why we love her: She’s a star who doesn’t starve herself, doesn’t advertise her personal business, and stays out of the tabloids. Plus, she’s about to kick Iron Man’s butt as the Black Widow! (Carolyn Cole / Los Angeles Times)
Why we love her: So many reasons, but mostly because “Single Ladies” is a song we’re almost glad will be stuck in our heads for the rest of our lives. She’s also no stranger to charity work, with Survivor Foundation being the most well-known for her contribution to Hurricane Katrina victims. (Jay L. Clendenin / Los Angeles Times)
One of the most talked-about pictures during the fall festival trifecta of Telluride, Venice and Toronto, Jonathan Glazer’s “Under the Skin” has been acquired by distributor A24. The company plans to release the film, starring Scarlett Johansson, next year.
Based on the novel by Michel Faber, the film stars Johansson as an alien being who has taken human form roaming Scotland in search of victims she needs to survive. The film’s unusual visual style comes from the fact that at least some of its action was shot “candid camera” style with Johansson interacting with real people; that footage mixed with scenes of her with actors.
In an interview with The Times’ John Horn in Telluride, Glazer, director of “Sexy Beast” and “Birth,” explained his unorthodox shooting method.
“The core of the story that I was clearly interested in was her journey — and looking at our world as an alien planet through her eyes,” Glazer said. “What I needed to discover was a filmmaking language — to paint the character with credibility. It’s a tall order to paint an alien in human form.
“The key thing for me — the way I understood it would work — was to shoot her in disguise and use the idea of dropping her into the world and shooting her in a way, with the hidden cameras, that wasn’t calling attention to itself, so we are really photographing behavior.”
A24 has made itself a home to many bright young actresses. The company had success earlier this year with the release of Harmony Korine’s “Spring Breakers,” starring Selena Gomez, Vanessa Hudgens and Ashley Benson. Its “The Spectacular Now,” with Shailene Woodley and Brie Larson, has been a modest hit this summer. The company also released Sofia Coppola’s “The Bling Ring,” starring Emma Watson, and Sally Potter’s “Ginger & Rosa,” starring Elle Fanning.
INTERACTIVE: From Toronto to the Oscars? Well...
A24 also just picked up Steven Knight’s thriller “Locke,” starring Tom Hardy, following its premiere in Venice.
The recent teaser trailer for “Under the Skin” is below:
ALSO:
A24: The brains behind the ‘Bling ring’ zing
‘Spring Breakers’ is one big, disorienting party
‘Under The Skin’ an undercover look at earth through alien eyes
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Mark Olsen writes about all kinds of movies for the Los Angeles Times as both a feature writer and reviewer.