Richard Linklater's "Me and Orson Welles"

[EvilShoe]

Zac Efron ("High School Musical" films) will star in Me and Orson Welles, an adaptation of the period coming-of-age novel by Robert Kaplow that Richard Linklater will direct, says The Hollywood Reporter.

Set in 1937, the story centers on a high school student (Efron) who, while strolling the streets of New York, happens upon the yet-to-open Mercury Theatre and is noticed by its mercurial founder, Orson Welles. The man lands a bit part in "Julius Caesar," the production that catapulted Welles to the top, and spends the next week learning about life and love.

Newcomer Christian McKay will play Welles. Ben Chaplin (The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep) has been cast as English film and stage actor George Coulouris.

The script was written by Holly Gent Palmo, who was a production coordinator on Linklater's Dazed and Confused, and Vince Palmo, who was first assistant director on several of the helmer's films.

Efron then will shoot "Welles" in mid-February and March in such locales as New York, London and the Isle of Man, whose Gaiety Theatre is being booked for the production.
First Avril Lavigne in Fast Food Nation, now this.
What's going on here, Linklater?

[Raiders]

It's nice when Match Cut gets its own celebrity.

[Wryan]

I bet Kaplow was thrilled to hear this.

[EvilShoe]

I bet Kaplow was thrilled to hear this.
Of course, big High School Musical fanboy.

[Ivan Drago]

Efron is also starring in the Kevin Bacon role in the Footloose remake. God help us.

[Wryan]

Efron is also starring in the Kevin Bacon role in the Footloose remake. God help us.

That one car commercial with the Footloose-esque dance sequence is pretty damn funny. Guy was a good dancer.

[ledfloyd]

i gotta trust in linklater, no matter how terrible this idea sounds.

[MacGuffin]

i gotta trust in linklater, no matter how terrible this idea sounds.

After Fast Food Nation, I wouldn't trust him with my can of soda.

[lovejuice]

he's serviceable in hairspray. at this point, not yet the second freddie prinze jr. we'll see.

[ledfloyd]

After Fast Food Nation, I wouldn't trust him with my can of soda.
I thought Fast Food Nation was at least enjoyable. It stuck in my memory for awhile after I saw it. It's not as bad as Bad News Bears or The Newton Boys.

[MadMan]

Hey at least Linklater came out with A Scanner Darkly this decade, and Bad News Bears was funny until the second half. I may give Fast Food Nation a chance but it looked pretty poor and it got bad reviews. From the sound of things his next picture doesn't appear to be up my alley either.

[ledfloyd]

Hey at least Linklater came out with A Scanner Darkly this decade, and Bad News Bears was funny until the second half. I may give Fast Food Nation a chance but it looked pretty poor and it got bad reviews. From the sound of things his next picture doesn't appear to be up my alley either.
i didn't think fast food nation wasn't as bad as everyone said it was, but i'm kind of a linklater fanboy.

he also came out with before sunset this decade, which i think is among the decades best. not to mention waking life.

[MadMan]

i didn't think fast food nation wasn't as bad as everyone said it was, but i'm kind of a linklater fanboy.

he also came out with before sunset this decade, which i think is among the decades best. not to mention waking life.Oh shit I forgot about Before Sunset. I do have a lot left to see from the man but I have yet to see a bad film from him as well.

[eternity]

Linklater is officially dead to me.

[dreamdead]

Linklater's hit or miss for me, but I'm always interested to see what he explores...

[B-side]

Trailer. (http://www.worstpreviews.com/headline.php?id=15354&count=0)

Loving Christian McKay as Welles. Great casting.

[dreamdead]

Hmm. That theater audience's simultaneous applause moment hurts my brain, but if Linklater can reign in the melodrama (and there's no guarantees of that from that trailer) then I'll be there.

What was the festival word on this one?

[Boner M]

What was the festival word on this one?
Muted, but Linklater's fans seemed to dig it. Kent Jones had it in his Film Comment top 10 last year.

[Wryan]

That looks alright. I'd see it for McKay alone--who looks splendid.

[Boner M]

Am I the only one who saw this? Anyway, it's OK, but lacks a pulse like a lot of Linklater's recent output. Efron has the screen presence of an earwax blob, but McKay's as outstanding as advertised. One's edification from it depends on how willing they are to unpack theatre/filmmaking parallels from it, I guess.

[MadMan]

The buzz about McKay's performance has me interested. Plus it does have Claire Danes, who's at least pretty to look at.