News: Gugu Joins ‘Beauty and the Beast’

“Beyond the Lights” star Gugu Mbatha-Raw has been tapped to play the feather duster Plumette in Disney’s live-action adaptation of “Beauty and the Beast” starring Emma Watson and Dan Stevens.

Luke Evans (Gaston), Josh Gadd (LeFou), Ian McKellen (Cogsworth), and Emma Thompson (Mrs. Potts) also star. Bill Condon is directing from a script written by Evan Spiliotopoulos and rewritten by Stephen Chbosky. David Hoberman and Todd Lieberman of Mandeville Films are producing.

Production begun for a Mar. 17, 2017 release.

Apr 13, 2015

News: Gugu Joins “Free State Of Jones”

English actress Gugu Mbatha-Raw (‘Jupiter Ascending,’ ‘Belle,’ ‘Odd Thomas’), Keri Russell (‘The Americans,’ ‘Dawn of the Planet of the Apes’), and Mahershala Ali (‘The Hunger Games: Mockingjay – Part 1,’ ‘The Place Beyond the Pines’) are set to join Matthew McConaughey on the cast of the historical drama ‘Free State of Jones,’ says TheWrap.

Gary Ross is attached to write and direct the drama, which tracks the relationship between Newton Knight (McConaughey) and a slave (Mbatha-Raw), exploring the impact the relationship had Knight’s life and the Civil War-set rebellion he led against the Confederacy.

The site has Russell stepping in to play Knight’s wife, Serena, and Ali playing Moses Washington, an escaped slave who becomes an integral ally of Knight’s rebellion.

Filming is underway in Louisiana with Scott Stuber and Jon Kilik co-producing the drama with Ross. [source]

Feb 14, 2015

Gallery Update: BAFTA & Other 2015 Appearances

I’ve uploaded +500 photos of Gugu attending the BAFTAs & other events in the last couple of months. You can check them out by clicking on the thumbnails below:

    
   

News: “Concussion” Sets Release Date

Sony’s NFL concussion drama has been titled “Concussion” and has been scheduled for Christmas Day, 2015, the studio announced Tuesday.

Peter Landesman wrote and directed the film which stars Will Smith,Alec Baldwin, Luke Wilson, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Arliss Howard and Paul Reiser, with David Morse and Albert Brooks. The factual drama is based in part on the GQ article “Game Brain” by Jeanne Marie Laskas.

The story follows the David-vs.-Goliath journey of Dr. Bennet Omalu, the forensic neuropathologist who made the first discovery of football-related brain trauma in a pro player and fought to bring awareness to the public. In his search for the truth behind the devastating malady, Omalu’s quest humanizes the price paid by professional athletes in impact sports, but also by those who challenge the status quo as it exposes the political, cultural and corporate interests that fuel the business of sports. [source]

Jan 28, 2015