Nathan Fillion and Linda Cardellini Join Rainn Wilson and Ellen Page in James Gunn’s SUPER
by Matt Goldberg - posted: January 11th, 2010 at 1:04 pm

James Gunn is building himself a strong little cadre of performers for his upcoming twist on the superhero genre, Super. We knew that Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, and Kevin Bacon were on board, but today we’ve learned that Gunn has some more great actors up his sleeve. The cast now includes Nathan Fillion, Linda Cardellini, and Michael Rooker. A new James Gunn movie was already cause for celebration, but with this cast Super has now become the title-duper. Here’s the official synopsis:


Fillion will play, “a pop-icon who inspires Frank to don his tights,” Cardellini as “the woman who ultimately delivers love to Frank and [Mikaela] Hoover, and Rooker is “Abe, Jacques’s henchman.” Hit the jump for the full press release. Filming is currently underway in Louisiana.

Here is the full press release:


Source: http://www.collider.com

"Thanks for the @Boltie_Bunny support @ellenpagenet and btw Ellen Page has been a dream to work with, so lovely, sweet and talented"

The cast now includes Nathan Fillion, Linda Cardellini, and Michael Rooker.

Exclusive Interview: Mikaela Hoover Talks James Gunn’s SUPER
Posted by Rama; On January 27, 2010

[...]

RamaScreen: James Gunn is a writer and director, have you seen some of his movies? What do you think of his style?

Mikaela Hoover: Of course, Im a huge fan , he’s one of my best friends now, from working with him but I was a huge fan before when I went on the audition for Humanzee, super nervous because I knew who he was from Slither. So ya, I knew his work before and I’m a huge fan.

RS: Did you have to audition for SUPER or did James just call you and ask if you want to join in?

MH: Ya I did an audition for it, this is like probably the fifth project that we’ve worked on in the last 2 years, so I’ve been very blessed that James knows what I can do and my acting ability, I did an audition and he just said ‘I’m putting you in my movie, I hope you can do it’. I’m so thankful and ya I was surprised but very very thankful, great cast.

RS: Is SUPER already in production?

MH: They already started filming in Shreveport, Louisiana and James is coming back tomorrow, and we start filming, actually we start prepping this week.

RS: Prepping for your scene

MH: Yup, for the Holy Avenger scene

RS: How long will that take?

MH: I’m not sure, we haven’t filmed it yet? (laugh) it’s coming up, we’re getting ready for that. That’s pretty much what I really know.. what’s going on, James is so busy in Shreveport, like I said, he’s coming back tomorrow, and we start filming I think around the 30th

RS: So it’s in Louisiana and then L.A.?

MH: Ya we’re filming in L.A. ya

RS: This is the information I got right now and please correct me if I’m wrong.. SUPER is about an average guy named Frank (Rainn Wilson) who becomes his pseudo-superhero alter ego, CRIMSON BOLT, after watching his wife (Liv Tyler) fall under the spell of a charming drug dealer named Jacques (Kevin Bacon). Lacking super powers, he compensates by swinging a trusty wrench. Ellen Page plays the sidekick Libby, a cute sociopathic teen working at the local comic book store, who morphs into ‘Boltie’ and teams with Frank to take Jacques down. And it says that you’ll be playing a pop-icon who inspires Frank to don his tights. So can you tell us exactly what type of character you’ll be playing in this movie?

MH: Ya pretty much, I mean, The Holy Avenger is a comic book that Frank watches on T.V. , it’s what inspires him to become a superhero. And the Holy Avenger played by Nathan Fillion, and I play high school side kick Holly. I’m in the show that he watches, that Rainn Wilson’s character watches

RS: So Frank will be watching your show?

MH: Yup

RS: So I take it you’ll be sharing more screen time with Nathan then?

MH: Exactly, he’s a great guy too.

RS: What kind of superhero are you playing?

MH: I’m playing Holly who is Nathan’s high school sidekick, kinda makes a lot of the example out of me and the stuff that I do, even though I don’t wanna give too much away. Like I said I’m Nathan’s sidekick

RS: Do you have superpowers then?

MH: Uh.. I don’t wanna give too much away right now. Not really, I mean. Nathan has .. he can put me under spell and do stuff like that. .but I can’t give too much away

RS: Did James Gunn create SUPER with the intention of making a sequel? Should we anticipate more after this one or this is it, is the story set up to continue as a possible franchise?

MH: Let’s hope so , like I said I don’t wanna spoil anything, but I really would hope so, it’s a great script and it’s got a great cast and James is the most amazing writer/director so I can only hope that there’s gonna be a sequel

RS: Ok, Special, Watchmen, Defendor, Kick-Ass, and now SUPER, these are movies about ordinary people playing superheroes when they don’t have superpowers. So what makes SUPER, this James Gunn new movie, what do you think this movie has that will be different or unique or what makes it stand out from all those other movies that have similar types of characters if you will?

MH: Without giving too much away, James puts comedy into everything, whether it’s dark comedy or not. Ya know with James and Rainn together, it’s just like.. you can’t go wrong, they’re just hilarious and brilliant together. Rainn is kind of like the underdog and he wants to be like all those superheroes that we watch on Television that have superpowers and he doesn’t but he wants to figure out a way that he can and that he can become like the holy Avengers.. so I would just say that.. it has a lot of darker comedy in it, definitely the way that it’s done is very different from anything that’s out there right now, anything that’s coming out, you just have to see it (laugh) It’s very different. You just have to see it

It’s just very different and what’s so amazing is that James is an original. That’s definitely one thing you can say about him. Everything that he does is very original. That’s something you can count on so this film will be very unique in that way, it’s nothing like anyone has ever seen

RS: Ok, I’ll take your word for now

MH: (laugh)

RS: This is a pretty big cast.. there’s Nathan, Linda Cardellini, Michael Rooker, Lloyd Kaufman, I mean these are people who James Gunn has worked with at one point or another. How do you feel to be part of the Gunn’s clique, Gunn’s inner circle, the Gunn’s in-crowd? However which way you wanna call it

MH: I love it, I feel so blessed, I’m very very very blessed. Like I said James is one of my good friends. He believed in me when I walked in the door and auditioned for him. He has really, really believed in me and my career and wanted to do anything to help me out in that way, I’m just so blessed and lucky that somebody is on my side and does believe in me in that way, especially somebody who has the power to put me in roles that people would see. I’m very honored and lucky to be a part of it, I think James is very brilliant, I’m very lucky.

RS: So Quentin has Uma, Cameron has Sigourney, are you going to be Gunn’s go-to girl?

MH: (laugh) I don’t wanna jinx myself, but I hope so. That’d be very wonderful, that’d be very great. I mean this is just the beginning of stuff that you’re gonna see with James. I think he’s just going to be skyrocketed into this huge huge powerful,.. I mean he’s already got a lot of great stuff under his belt but I think that after SUPER people are really gonna see his star power and what he can do.

[...]

Source: /ramascreen.com

ACTION, BERLIN / EFM 2010, COMEDY, USA & CANADA
Though the footage is still quite raw, international sales agents Hanway Films are showing a promo reel for Slither director James Gunn's upcoming superhero comedy Super and things are looking good. Rainn Wilson stars as a socially awkward man who takes up the superhero trade after his wife leaves him for a drug dealer. His power? A wrench.

Though there's no Nathan Fillion in the reel showing here the interplay between Wilson and his would-be sidekick - played by Ellen Page - looks bang on, as does Kevin Bacon as the object of Wilson's wrath. Very funny stuff.

Maybe you should add that "EFM" is the abbreviation for "European Film Market", which, in turn, is part of the Berlinale / Berlin Film Festival in Germany

Moneybrother, Rob Zombie, & the SUPER Soundtrack

Last night Mia and I went out to sushi with one of my favorite musicians, Moneybrother (AKA Anders Wendin).

Anders is one of my favorite talents in the world. I first heard of his music many years ago, when he played with the little-known punk/ska/soul/power pop band Monster – Monster’s second album, Rockers’ Delight, is one of my favorite albums of all time. Anders then went on to more mainstream Swedish success with his solo project, Moneybrother. If any of you read my list of 50 Favorite Songs of the Decade a few months back, you might recognize Moneybrother as having TWO songs on that list (Reconsider Me and Hurting All the Way with You Joanna). It was an honor to meet him, and loved discovering he’s a super nice guy in addition to being an amazing talent.

Anders is one of a handful of musicians I’ve been courting to use their music in SUPER. Putting music in an independent film is a tricky matter – often songs will cost into the hundreds of thousands of dollars for use in a film. Just as we had big stars – Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Rooker, Nathan Fillion, and more – who all agreed to act in the film for guild minimums – we also have to rely on musical talent who will let us use their music for almost-free. The music in SUPER is extremely important – perhaps foolishly, I sometimes specifically designed and even shot scenes to songs I wanted to use. Fortunately, I am vigilant if nothing else, and have personally approached many of the folks whose music I wanted to use.

Anders is one of the rock stars whose back-catalog song is extremely important to the film; and he’s also one of the people who has been working with us to make his music affordable. Other great acts have been working with us as well, and I will reveal them in all good time…

That said, one person deserves a SUPER shout-out – my friend and fellow film director, Rob Zombie. Rob’s music is highly sought after for use in film soundtracks. But Rob was kind enough to allow us to use one of his most famous tracks for nearly nothing. Not only was this a great coup as the song sounds terrific in the film, it also helped us in showing other acts that even the enormously popular, massively famous guys were willing to let us use their tracks out of love for independent film and unique projects. For years now I’ve been telling people Rob is not only one of my favorite film directors, but he’s also one of the greatest guys all around. He proved that to me once again with this latest unselfish act.

[...]

Bye,
James

Source: www.jamesgunn.com

In the Works: “Super”-Heroes
by Brian Brooks and Basil Tsiokos (Updated 15 hours, 52 minutes ago)

“Super”

“This is a dangerous comedy,” producer Ted Hope (“Adventureland”) told indieWIRE Wednesday about his latest project, “Super,” now in post-production. “There are 361 people registered on MySpace as superheroes, which I found interesting. Then I remembered someone had mentioned to me that [writer/director] James Gunn had written a script years ago about this subject.”

So, the idea went from page to shooting late last year. In the film, Rainn Wilson (an executive producer on the film) dons the outward trappings of a superhero after his wife falls under the influence of a drug dealer. It was important for the team to portray the character as believable in his determination, even though his skills may be lacking.

“We united to make this really funny and dangerous so that it rings true,” Hope explained. “[The film] has an intensity and a reality, which will make it jaw-dropping at times. You just have to believe that this guy is going to go out in a costume with no super abilities and believe he’s going to beat the shit out of people.”

Though the “non-talented” superhero theme is present in Matthew Vaughn’s upcoming “Kick-Ass” (which premiered at the recent SXSW Film Festival), Hope sees “Super” as a stand out. He said that he read the script for “Kick-Ass” and watched other films with a similar premise to distinguish his project.

The producer gave a big shout out to the production’s shoot in Shreveport, Louisiana, offering kudos to the town’s people for their help in making their two stints there a success. “[Producer] Miranda Bailey had shot in Shreveport before for ‘Wonderful World’ (2009) with Matthew Broderick and suggested it, so we went down and we thought the place would be great for ‘Super.’”

Continuing, Hope added, “It was super hospitable filming there. The town treated us very well. It has a mix of looks and we shot at a great time.” Hope, a veteran producer having worked on dozens of films, including “Human Nature,” “American Splendor,” “21 Grams,” “The Devil and Daniel Johnston,” and many others, said that “Super” was one of his most enjoyable shoots. The production shot after Thanksgiving and through the December holidays and then returned again after a break. “It was a very ambitious shoot and people were wondering if it would be possible, but it turned out great. We had a perfect ensemble. Not just the [higher profile] people in the film, but the entire crew.”

Hope, who is well-regarded by filmmakers and industry for his forward thinking, uniquely allowed outsiders a peek behind the scenes of the Shreveport shoots, frequently tweeting from the set. This allowed his followers on Twitter to actively engage with the production and built-up anticipation for its eventual release.

Hope said that because of the cast and team (and probably in part due to his social media usage), “Super” has been tracked “really hard” by distributors already and they’re still deciding how to position the film once it’s finally completed. “In this day and age, it’s an exciting challenge,” said Hope alluding to the ever-changing distribution and festival landscape, adding, “Rainn [Wilson] also has two million Twitter followers, which puts him in the top 50. And in this day and age, that’s certainly worth something.”

“Super” quick stats:

Logline: An average guy takes on a superhero persona “The Crimson Bolt” after his wife falls prey to the influences of a drug dealer. He has the best of intentions, but he lacks any actual heroic talents.

The team: James Gunn, Writer/Director; Ted Hope and Miranda Bailey, producers; Cast includes Rainn Wilson (The Crimson Bolt), Ellen Page (Boltie), as well as Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, Andre Royo, and Sean Gunn; Steve Gainer (Cinematography); Cara Silverman (Editor); William A. Elliott (Production Design); Mary Matthews (Costume Design); Tyler Bates (Original Music)

Current status: In post-production

Source: www.indiewire.com

EXCLUSIVE: James Gunn Reveals More on Super
April 12th, 2010

We haven't heard much about the upcoming James Gunn film Super, since we announced this full cast had come together for the film. In the timely vein of such films as Kick-Ass and Defendor, Super centers on a lone man (Rainn Wilson) who, after his wife (Liv Tyler) leaves him for a slick drug dealer (Kevin Bacon), he becomes a superhero dubbed The Crimson Bolt, who lacks any super powers but hits the streets to fight crime.

We caught up with Gunn, who is writing and directing the film, at the 2010 Streamy Awards and he had plenty to say about his upcoming film.

"Super is a movie that I just got done filming with Rainn Wilson and Liv Tyler and Ellen Page and Kevin Bacon," Gunn told us. "It's an independent movie about a guy who wants to be a superhero and doesn't really have the ability to do so."

While Gunn wasn't quite sure on when this film would hit the theaters, he said that they would be, "done cutting it at the end of the summer." When asked if the film was inspired by the recent influx of comic book movies, Gunn revealed that this film has been in the works for quite some time now.

"The script is actually about five years old," Gunn told us. "I wrote the script before anything else was out there like this and it just kind of stuck around. I always wanted to make the movie but it's very esoteric and a very unique film. It's sort of a half-serious film about real human beings and it's half this extremely dark comedy with a lot of violence and a lot of sex. It was hard to find a home for it, because it's a very unique piece."

Gunn also told us that the film really started to come together when he got the script in the hands of his star, Rainn Wilson, via his ex-wife Jenna Fischer.

"About a year ago, my ex-wife, Jenna Fischer, gave the script to Rainn Wilson, because she kept trying to get me to make this movie," Gunn said. "Rainn read it and fell in love with the lead role. I had the money to make the movie before, but I could never agree upon that lead actor. It's a very specific type of person. He's got to have the emotional ability to to really good acting, he also has to be funny, big enough that he can be physically threatened at times, yet also, with all respect to Rainn, dorky enough that you can imagine him being picked on all his life and messed with. A lot of actors wanted to play the role for a long time, but it was a hard role to fit and I didn't want to go in there with the wrong actor. Rainn is perfect for it. He's amazing."

After Wilson's casting, Gunn told us that several other actors attached themselves to the project as well.

"Once he signed on, then all of the sudden we have Ellen Page, who was our top choice for that role, signed up immediately and then Liv Tyler, who we couldn't believe we got, signed up for that role and then Kevin Bacon. We made the movie for nothing. Everybody did it for scale, so it's been a really fun project, a very difficult project and emotionally taxing, but I'm really happy with the way the movie is coming out."

We'll be sure to keep you posted with any further news on James Gunn's Super as soon as we have more information.

Super comes to theaters in 2010 and stars Rainn Wilson, Ellen Page, Liv Tyler, Kevin Bacon, Gregg Henry, Michael Rooker, Andre Royo, Sean Gunn. The film is directed by James Gunn.

Source: www.movieweb.com

james_gunn

For those asking, you'll probably be able to see a first glimpse of SUPER at San Diego Comicon, probably Friday, July 23. But it's a secret!
14 minutes ago via web

Hello, this is my first post here, though I have been visiting this forum for a while now. I'm extremly excited to see super, which is why I was wondering how I could watch it, is it going to be in the cinema? I mean as far as I understand it's a really small project. Or will it be just on dvd or just on the internet? I don't think I can make it to any screening, because I live in germany.

This is a really awesome board btw, I think it's awesome that you respect her privacy, her movies and projects are what matter imo.

james_gunn

I'm stoked - my Dad is going to the SUPER premiere at TIFF. I think he's gonna love the female-on-male rape scene.
22 minutes ago via Twittelator