Viggo Mortensen as Aragorn Elessar in director Peter Jackson’s ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King.’ Photo: Warner Bros.
Preview:
Andy Serkis says they’re looking for a new actor to play Aragorn.
Viggo Mortensen is not returning to the role for ‘The Hunt for Gollum’.
The movie will shoot in New Zealand this year.
Though ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’ features some of the familiar key creative types behind the scenes (including Andy Serkis directing and playing the titular creature and franchise overseer Peter Jackson producing), there will be a key change in front of the camera.
News arrives that Viggo Mortensen, who played the heroic, destiny-heavy Aragorn in the first three ‘LOTR’ movies, is not reprising the role for ‘Gollum’.
“I don’t know what’s out there at the moment, but I know there’s a lot of speculation, but let’s just say we are recasting the role and we are on the way to finding someone.”
While Mortensen won’t be back, Kate Winslet has joined the cast and original franchise stalwarts Ian McKellen, Elijah Wood and others are all rumored to return.
When will ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ be on screens?
Warner Bros. and New Line currently have a December 17, 2027 slot ready for this one.
(L to R) Sean Austin, Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’. Photo: New Line Cinema.
List of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Movies and TV Shows:
Debuting on digital March 31st and 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray, Blu-ray, Blu-ray 3D and DVD on May 19th, is the box office blockbuster ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, which is the third film in the popular franchise and was once again directed by Oscar winner James Cameron (‘Terminator 2: Judgement Day‘).
(L to R) Oona Chaplin and Stephen Lang star in ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, which will be available on digital March 31st.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of visiting James Cameron’s Lightstorm Entertainment offices to sit down and speak with actors Oona Chaplin and Stephen Lang about their work on ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’, what it was like for Chaplin to join the franchise and her approach to her character, Lang’s experience working on the films and his character’s arc, collaborating with James Cameron on set, and why Cameron reminds Chaplin of her grandfather, Charlie Chaplin.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Chaplin, Lang, and producer Rae Sanchini.
Moviefone: To begin with, Oona, what was it like for you to join this franchise and did you understand right away how you wanted to play your character, or did you find it when you were working on set?
Oona Chaplin: Joining the franchise, I mean, it’s still kind of like, I’m pinching myself. It’s a very strange thing to feel like it was a dream I didn’t even know I had, and it came true. I remember watching ‘Avatar’ and falling in love with the world, but it felt so far away from me. So, I’m speechless to be a part of it, and to not just be a part of the franchise, but to have really felt welcomed in by a family, and to feel so much love, intimacy, connection, respect, and care for the people. So, it’s special and it’s a unique feeling. Then the second part of the question is, did I find the character right away? I think a part of me did. I kind of connected with her anger quickly. At the time I was angry about the state of the world, and I could connect with the visceral injustice of, why is this happening? But weirdly, through playing her, I learned to come to a greater place of peace within myself because I don’t want to be like Varang, especially before my first coffee in the morning, my husband can attest it. There are some striking similarities. There’s a little bit in there wanting to get out.
MF: Stephen, what has it been like for you to be part of this franchise and play this incredible character over three films?
Stephen Lang: Well, first, it validates my career choices. I would say I’m delighted that I became an actor, and it’s the kind of thing that you do dream about. I think when you talk about the arc of the character, that really is the key to me. I started in this one place, and he’s moved into completely different realms. So, much of it has been surprising to me, even though I know the story, and I’ve read it, I know where it goes. But to experience it, and to share it with my amazing colleagues that I’ve had starting with Sam (Worthington) at the beginning, and then to be gifted to be working within Oona Chaplin, has been just a great experience. So, no matter whatever happens from now on, it’s like I’m always a part of this. It’s funny, ‘Avatar’, in some aspect, enters my life every day. You know what I mean? Something happens that’s Pandora-ish to me. I meet someone who’s doing a little Varang kind of a thing on me, or whatever it is. It’s just being part of this family, it’s just always there. I mean, my life was good before but since ‘Avatar’, it’s just so enriched by the relationships that I have.
MF: Stephen, can you talk about working with James Cameron on these three films and watching him execute his unique vision for this world?
SL: I mean, my respect and affection for Jim are boundless because he gave me the role. But it goes well beyond that to me. I just have an appreciation for him as a visionary guy in so many respects. To me, I’ve said this before, and I stand by it, he really is the Leonardo (da Vinci) of our age, and by that, I mean not just an artistic visionary, but an engineer, an inventor, and an explorer. The thing is, every character in this franchise is a manifestation of Jim, and a part of him. He is a guy, I believe, who runs towards danger. Why else would you go to the deepest part of the planet in a submarine that you yourself have designed? But working with him, we have a lot of fun together. We’re tough on each other, I think. But I just feel such support and mutual respect and affection.
MF: Finally, Oona, can you talk about working with James Cameron and what have you learned from watching the specific way he makes movies?
OC: It was just a master class every single day. Because this universe wouldn’t have existed without his brain, but also his heart. He cares so much about this world, about Pandora, about the people in it, and he’s so curious. He really treasures questions, and he will do everything in his power to answer the good questions. He’s got this incredible rigor, and it’s incredible to live in, because he brings the best out of everybody. I could go on for hours and hours because it is boundless, and to work with that love, that breadth of genius is very humbling and inspiring. He’s the person that reminds me the most, of my grandfather, Charlie Chaplin, because of the way that he is pushing the boundaries of cinema, technology, and storytelling.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ will be available on digital March 31st.
What is the plot of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’?
A year after settling in with the Metkayina clan, Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri’s (Zoe Saldaña) family grapples with grief after Neteyam’s death. They encounter a new, aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Mangkwan clan, also called the Ash People, led by the fiery tribe leader, Varang (Oona Chaplin), who has allied with Jake’s enemy, Quaritch (Stephen Lang), as the conflict on Pandora escalates to devastating consequences.
(Left) Kate Winslet stars in ‘Lee’. (Right) Andy Serkis as Gollum in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’. Photo: New Line Cinema.
Preview:
Kate Winslet’s in talks to star in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’.
Andy Serkis is directing and playing a spindly creature.
The movie will shoot in New Zealand this year.
There’s an exciting update following 2024’s news of Gollum acting veteran Andy Serkis stepping into the director’s chair for a new ‘Lord of the Rings’ movie.
With the movie set to shoot across several months this year in New Zealand, Winslet will be relocating to film her scenes.
She joins Serkis (who is back in the performance capture gear once again to bring Gollum to life) and a rumored Elijah Wood (as Frodo) and Ian McKellen (as Gandalf).
What’s the story of ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum’?
Andy Serkis as Gollum in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers’. Photo: New Line Cinema.
Deadline’s latest report brings fresh plot details: the new film follows Aragorn’s perilous quest to capture Gollum before the creature can reveal the Ring’s location to Sauron.
There’s no word yet on whether Viggo Mortensen will be back as Aragorn, but Peter Jackson’s involvement as producer will surely entice as many of the original cast (who make sense, and feature in the story) back as needed.
When will ‘The Hunt for Gollum’ be on screens?
Warner Bros. and New Line currently have a December 17, 2027 release slot ready for this one.
(L to R) Sean Austin, Elijah Wood and Andy Serkis in ‘The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King’. Photo: New Line Cinema.
List of ‘The Lord of the Rings’ Movies and TV Shows:
I walked away from watching ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ having the same reaction I did to the last two ‘Avatar’ movies. I thought it was a completely entertaining and stunningly visual theatrical experience, and I will probably never watch it again. It’s a one-time theatrical experience, not unlike an amusement park ride or seeing a concert at The Sphere, it’s extremely satisfying, but only once.
The movie is meant to be seen in 3D on the biggest screen possible surrounded by an audience, and in that way, ‘Fire and Ash’ is a huge triumph, and another cinematic extravaganza from the “King of the World” James Cameron. But, with vague characters that never grow or change, a limited plot and almost no real story to tell, I fear the movie will not hold up in repeat viewings, especially on smaller home screens, with no real substance outside of the visual spectacle.
Following the events of ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’, ‘Fire and Ash’ finds Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri’s (Zoe Saldaña) family dealing with the aftermath or their son Neteyam’s (Jamie Flatters) death. With their adopted son Spider’s (Jack Champion) breathing mask running out of battery, they plan to travel back to Dr. Spellman’s (Joel David Moore) base to get a new mask but are attacked by a new, aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Mangkwan clan, also called the Ash People, led by the fiery tribe leader, Varang (Oona Chaplin).
Meanwhile, Spider’s birthfather and Jake’s sworn enemy Colonel Miles Quaritch (Stephen Lang) is still in hot pursuit of Jake and his family. Soon, Quaritch makes a deal with the Mangkwan clan and teams up with Varang to wipe out Jake and his clan. Now, Jake and his family must fight Quaritch and the Mangkwan clan to save Spider, their people, and the planet from destruction.
That’s the basic plot, and let’s be honest, it’s a little thin. The visual effects and the world building that Cameron has created masks it in the first viewing, but once you take this movie out of the incredible theatrical experience, I fear the film will have nothing valuable to offer.
But it’s not just the story that is thin, there is also no real character development, and the characters are more like archetypes than real people. There are also so many characters that it’s hard to get enough time to really care about any of them. Kate Winslet’s Ronal, who was a lead in the last film is barely in this one, and even Zoe Saldaña’s Neytiri, arguably the heart of the franchise, is regulated to the background. And the two main characters of the franchise, Jake and Quaritch, now seem like characterizations of the actual characters they once played.
But at the end of the day, I guess you’re not going to an ‘Avatar’ movie for a great story or in-depth character development, you are going for the visuals and the spectacle, and in that sense, Cameron delivers a home run crafting a must-see theatrical experience. It’s kind of like eating at McDonald’s, the foods not good for you, but it tastes great going down!
With a script, story, and characters as poorly crafted as this, it seems almost unfair to criticize the actors and their performances as I’m sure they did their best, but here we go.
After three films, and almost 20 years of playing the character, you would hope for more from Sam Worthington. His Jake Sully is still the heroic leader, but we really know very little about the character at this point other than he wants to protect his family and the actor’s performance is one-note at best.
As previously mentioned, it was shocking to see how limited screen time Zoe Saldaña and Kate Winslet’s characters had, especially considering Saldaña was really the lead of the first film, and Winslet the lead of the second. Neither actress has enough to do in this installment, which is disappointing and a waste of the two Oscar winning actress’ talents.
However, the one standout performance of the film is from new edition Oona Chaplin, who gives a fiery performance as Mangkwan clan leader Varang. Actor Jack Champion is also quite compelling as Spider this time around, growing into the part and surprisingly having a bigger role in the story in this new installment.
While somewhat limited, legendary actress Sigourney Weaver returns as both Dr. Grace Augustine and her Avatar’s daughter, Kiri, who was also adopted by Jake and his family. Augustine may not appear on screen for long, but Kiri is a major part of the story and Weaver is excellent playing the rebellious teenage Na’vi.
Giovanni Ribisi and Edie Falco also return as members of the evil RDA military and mining operations, but like many of the other excellent actors in this film, are given very little to do other than move the plot forward with exposition.
Finally, Stephen Lang still plays Colonel Miles Quaritch like a generic villain, and while he does have some great moments with both Chaplin and Champion, the character, who technically died in the first movie, hasn’t changed at all and is still playing the same note.
While the story and character development are almost nonexistent, and the dialogue at times is laughable, director James Cameron still delivers a visually stunning and completely satisfying and entertaining theatrical experience, even if it will only work in your first viewing. ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ is worth spending money to see it in a theater, but after that, you can forget about it and will probably never revisit the film again.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ receives a score of 79 out of 100.
‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’ opens in theaters on December 19th.
What is the plot of ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’?
A year after settling in with the Metkayina clan, Jake (Sam Worthington) and Neytiri’s (Zoe Saldaña) family grapples with grief after Neteyam’s death. They encounter a new, aggressive Na’vi tribe, the Mangkwan clan, also called the Ash People, led by the fiery tribe leader, Varang (Oona Chaplin), who has allied with Jake’s enemy, Quaritch (Stephen Lang), as the conflict on Pandora escalates to devastating consequences.
With the third ‘Avatar’ movie, ‘Fire and Ash,’ headed our way next month, the promotional efforts on behalf of the franchise as a whole are ramping up.
And chief among them is this new behind-the-scenes documentary, which, thanks to its being commissioned by James Cameron, has full access to the production and the many talented people involved in these giant undertakings.
The big issue, of course, is that it’s almost entirely laudatory, the various cast and crew enthusing about how much technology is used in service of performance, to the point where it can become grating.
Script and Direction
Director James Cameron at D23 2024 presenting ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash’. Photo: Disney.
This is your basic Disney documentary format –– lots of footage of people working out the various of shooting performance capture in and under water, development trials, many, many shots of divers, all interspersed with talking heads about the process.
It doesn’t push boundaries the way Cameron tends to when he makes movies, but then, it doesn’t really need to.
As the documentary itself endlessly argues, it’s the people that make the film itself work –– the various experts in diving, stunts, cameras and more, plus the actors who were the benefit of their hard work and put their own graft in to imagining everything while acting against almost nothing.
The highlights include Kate Winslet discovering a heretofore unknown talent for holding her breath and Sigourney Weaver explaining her joy at performing certain scenes.
Perhaps the biggest issue here is that it’s all so basic; in stark contrast to the huge leaps in technology and the many inventions of Cameron especially. While a lot of the footage will be catnip (Na’vi-nip?) to those who love behind-the-scenes documentaries, it also gets awfully repetitive, battering home the message that the invention was in service of the actors’ work.
And given that it’s confusingly broken up into a 55-minute chunk and a roughly 30-minute one (plus a brief clip of ‘Fire and Ash’), some judicious editing could have squeezed this all down into little more than an hour. But since when does James Cameron do anything small scale?
‘Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films’ receives 68 out of 100.
What’s the story of ‘Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films’?
This new two-part documentary provides a fascinating glimpse into the making of the Oscar-winning box office phenomenon ‘Avatar: The Way of Water’ and a first look at the upcoming ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash,’ and features exclusive behind-the-scenes footage, concept art, and interviews with cast and filmmakers.
Who is in the cast of ‘Fire and Water: Making the Avatar Films’?
Kate Winslet will star in, direct and produce ‘Goodbye June.’
It’s a Netflix film focused on a family.
Winslet’s son Joe Anders wrote the script.
It’s a common refrain that every actor secretly wants to direct. Well, maybe not all of them, but there are sufficient egos of many who see themselves as taking the reins and overseeing everything on set.
Yet it also presents quite the challenge; since the director is responsible for all decisions, so if you’re going to take it on, you have to decide whether you’re going to transition to more on the directorial side, such as Greta Gerwig, or switch between, as Ben Affleck appears to have chosen.
The latest person known more for their work in front of the camera now looking to transition behind it is Kate Winslet, who according to Screen Daily, has found her directorial debut in new Netflix family drama ‘Goodbye June.’
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While we wondered whether she might try her hand at TV first (as she’s been taking more of a role behind the scenes of small screen work), she’s jumping straight to making movies –– albeit with a relatively smaller scale project.
Netflix is describing the movie as a “touching, yet humorous” drama which sees a fractured group of siblings pull together under sudden and trying circumstances.”
So there you have it. With luck, Winslet can bring something fresh to what sounds like a very familiar story.
And keeping it in the family, Winslet’s son, Joe Anders –– whom she shares with director Sam Mendes –– wrote the script for the movie.
This new movie will be set in in England in the present day and Winslet plans to kick off production soon in the U.K.
She has some support from Kate Solomon, who worked on ‘Lee’ with Winslet and will produce the new movie alongside the actor.
As with other actors who look to grow their career beyond simply performing, Winslet has also been working as a producer on several of her projects, including on the likes of ‘Mare of Easttown’ and ‘I Am…’
Winslet on Directing
Kate Winslet stars in director James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’
Winslet’s decision to finally jump into the directing world might not be so surprising to those who heard her on the ‘How to Fail’ podcast, where she told host Elizabeth Day that she had resisted calls to direct, partly due to the time commitment involved, she now felt a sense of “urgency” and responsibility to women in Hollywood to step behind the camera.
Here’s what she said:
“So many people will say to me on film sets, people I work with and know well, whether it’s an actor or a crew member, they will say, ‘Why aren’t you directing?’ and I’ll go ‘No, no, no, please don’t say it. Stop saying it. Why does everyone keep saying it?’ But the more I’m not doing it now, with the need to change the culture, the more I feel like I’m actually letting down other women by not doing it. I’m really starting to feel that in quite a loud way. The more of us that are doing it, the more will be inspiring others to do it. There’s no way I’m ever going to do something unless I really know how to do it properly.”
What else is Kate Winslet working on?
Kate Winslet ‘Lee’. Photo: Roadside Attractions & Vertical.
Winslet was most recently seen in the aforementioned ‘Lee,’ about model-turned-World War II photographer, which included Riseborough among its cast.
She landed a Golden Globe nomination for her performance in the film, which was also nominated for the BAFTA for outstanding British film of the year.
In addition to that, she was seen on small screens in HBO limited series ‘The Regime,’ playing a quirky dictator.
Coming up, Winslet has family movie ‘Dreamscapes,’ an audio/visual experience for which she provides the narration. And in December, she’ll once more be seen as Na’vi warrior woman Ronal in ‘Avatar: Fire and Ash,’ the second of James Cameron’s planned sequels to the 2009 original.
When will ‘Goodbye June’ be on screens?
Given that it’s a Netflix movie and Winslet –– for all her acting and showbiz clout –– isn’t exactly on the level of Gerwig yet (who has been able to secure a cinematic release for her Narnia movie), we wouldn’t expect to see this one arrive in theaters.
Instead, it seems likely to debut on the streaming service’s system. Which is not always a bad thing, as it guarantees a huge potential audience. And you know people will be drawn to the idea of a movie directed by Winslet.
Kate Winslet in ‘The Regime.’ Photograph by Miya Mizuno/HBO.
(L to R) Marion Cotillard and Noemie Merlant in ‘Lee’. Photo: Kimberley French.
Lee Miller is considered one of the greatest and most important war photographers of the 20th (or any) century, with her images from World War II – the horrors inside a concentration camp, the unspeakable contents of an abandoned train on its way to one of the camps, the haunted faces of both soldiers and survivors – not only indelible but crucial to documenting the defining cataclysm of modern human civilization.
And while ‘Lee,’ the new film from first-time director Ellen Kuras, doesn’t skimp on the visual side either, it follows a very predictable path that is the curse of all biopics these days: the film bounces from incident to incident, bound to a repetitive show-and-tell structure that recounts a lot of Miller’s adult life yet never delves deeply into their meaning or emotional aspects. The result is more museum piece than motion picture.
Story and Direction
(L to R) Andy Samberg and Kate Winslet in ‘Lee’. Photo: Kimberley French.
Like most biopics these days, ‘Lee’ begins in the middle of the story – in this case, Miller’s first time shooting photos on a battlefield – and then flashes back to tell us how she got there. Or rather, it flashes both back and forward: the movie then sets up a future timeline in which an aged Miller (Kate Winslet) grudgingly tells her story to an interviewer (Josh O’Connor from ‘Challengers’) who apparently has no idea of her life’s work.
This intrusive narrative device (which it took four credited writers to decide upon) recurs throughout the film, as does a gravelly voiceover from Winslet, both of which signal than the film is going to lead us gently by the hand through the narrative instead of letting it unfold on its own terms.
Even with that, by the time the main thrust of the story gets going, we meet Miller when she has already abandoned her early career as a fashion model in the 1920s and ‘30s and struck out as a photographer in her own right. She’s first seen hanging out topless (along with other women) at a picnic in France, but we have little context for this or the bohemian group of friends she’s with. “I was good at drinking, having sex, and taking pictures, and did all three as much as I could,” says Miller in what’s supposed to be character development.
‘Lee’ is the kind of biopic that expects us to have done our homework beforehand – when Miller meets the love her life, Roland Penrose (Alexander Skarsgård), their almost perfunctory tumble into bed mere hours later seems more baffling than erotic. But Winslet and Skarsgård never quite have the time to develop any real chemistry onscreen after that.
Alexander Skarsgard in ‘Lee’. Photo: Kimberley French.
Miller keeps fighting for the chance to go to Europe to shoot the escalating war, but the U.K.’s patriarchal rules of the day forbid it, until she goes around her British editors at Vogue and appeals to her American ones. “It happened so slowly, yet kind of overnight,” says Miller in her voiceover about Hitler’s conquest of Europe, which plays out offscreen during a montage of Miller’s days at Vogue before she finally gets the nod to go to Europe and catch up to the movie’s opening scene.
The bulk of the film is set during Miller’s time near or on the front, where she heads out with fellow photojournalist David Scherman (Andy Samberg) — who may or may not be in love with her but who remains a strictly platonic friend and colleague — to chronicle the war. From there, the movie takes us episodically through the staging of a handful of Miller’s most famous photos, while touching tangentially on sexism, Miller’s own alcoholism (although she seems to conquer both with relative ease), and the fraying of her marriage to Penrose.
The film’s third act is saddled with not one, not two, but three reveals, all of which come far too late in the game. One is a scene between Miller and her Vogue editor, Audrey Withers (Andrea Riseborough), in which Miller confides a devastating episode from her childhood but seems here almost like an afterthought. The other two depend on the film withholding information in a way that makes them seem like cheap tricks rather than important twists.
Ellen Kuras, a longtime cinematographer making her feature directorial debut here, shoots ‘Lee’ beautifully as one might expect, with the early sun-drenched vistas of France giving way to the darker grays, browns, and blues of a war-devastated Europe. But Kuras, like the cast, can’t get around the checklist nature of the script to make us truly feel or understand anything that happens in the film.
The Cast
(L to R) Noemie Merlant, Marion Cotillard, Kate Winslet, and Alexander Skarsgard in ‘Lee’. Photo: Kimberley French.
If you’re not already in the camp that regards Kate Winslet as one of the greatest actors of her generation, then ‘Lee’ is not the place to start (we’d go with ‘Mare of Easttown,’ ‘Little Children,’ or ‘Mildred Pierce,’ for starters). It’s not that Winslet isn’t as terrific as always here – she is. Her Lee is a fighter all the way, but only has a couple of scenes in which to fully showcase the scope of both her humanity and her own motivations. The Lee Miller we see in the film only comes to life sporadically, and is seemingly driven only by the needs of the narrative.
The rest of the cast falls prey to another typical biopic convention: cast enough well-known actors as people we’re supposed to know, and let their star wattage do the work. Everyone is good as far as it goes, but the film has this air of pre-supposing that you’ll know who Marion Cotillard’s Solange d’Ayen is and fill in the blanks yourself. Only the chameleonic Riseborough makes somewhat of a lasting impression as British Vogue editor Audrey Withers. There is also the token “comic actor taking on a serious role that will surprise you” – in this case it’s Andy Samberg as David Scherman, who again has no real life save that he follows Lee around like a puppy.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Andrea Riseborough and Kate Winslet in ‘Lee’. Photo: Kimberley French.
The problem with telling the story of someone’s life is that life itself is an often-rambling journey, full of highs and lows and rarely imbued with the kind of dramatic turns or climactic moments that are necessary for a film. As a result, most biopics run the risk of seeming shapeless and haphazard even as they follow a formulaic structure that tries to whip the events of the subject’s life into shape (this is why, say, Steven Spielberg’s ‘Lincoln’ is more successful, in that it focuses on one crucial episode in the subject’s life rather than encompassing them all).
As fascinating and complicated as Lee Miller apparently was, and as important as her work was to understanding an event that nearly brought civilization to its knees and realigned the world order for the foreseeable future, ‘Lee’ doesn’t have the narrative real estate to give us anymore than a snapshot of either the woman or her exploits. The result is a staid, self-important “and then this happened, and then we went here” approach that will leave most viewers, ironically enough, without a clear image of who Lee Miller was.
‘Lee’ receives 5.5 out of 10 stars.
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What is the plot of ‘Lee’?
Lee Miller (Kate Winslet) goes from a career as a model to enlisting as a photographer to chronicle the events of World War II for Vogue magazine.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Kate Winslet about her work on ‘Lee’, her passion to get the movie made and tell this story, as well as Miller’s incredible determination and what Winslet admires most about her.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Winslet, Andy Samberg and Andrea Riseborough.
Kate Winslet ‘Lee’. Photo: Roadside Attractions & Vertical.
Moviefone: To begin with, as both an actress and a producer, why you were so passionate about this project and why did you want to get Lee’s story told?
Kate Winslet: I started developing the film in 2015, and I knew who Lee Miller was, I was familiar with her photography. But I did not know what she had gone through and how unbelievably determined she was to get permission to go to the front line and to document the war and the atrocities of the Nazi regime for female readers of British Vogue. I could see very clearly that history was in danger of pigeonholing her and defining her through the male gaze. She was described as the former muse and ex-lover of Man Ray, and she was an ex-cover girl, all this former stuff, like the interesting bits of her life had been and gone. But these kind of infantilizing descriptions of who she was, which really bothered me because Lee was a woman who lived many lives within her life, even beyond the war. But for me, this decade of history that we depict in our film was really when Lee became Lee. This was a flawed, middle-aged woman who had the compassion and determination to go and reveal the truth. She wasn’t prepared to take no for an answer. She never took her foot off the gas, and I just had to become like that in trying to get the film made, and in playing her. It has been just an extraordinary privilege to have played this character, honestly.
(L to R) Andy Samberg and Kate Winslet in ‘Lee’. Photo: Kimberley French.
MF: Finally, you mentioned Lee’s incredible determination, where do you think that came from and is that what you admired most about her?
KW: I mean, yes, it was one of many things that I admired about her, but in general, how Lee Miller walked through the world. I think she was born determined, and she carried herself with incredible grace and compassion. She was redefining femininity 80 years ago to mean resilience, strength, courage and power, all those things that we now as women are doing and we’re raising our daughters that way, and that’s how we are in our friendships. That was Lee. She was already doing that, so (she was an) incredibly contemporary person of her time. But Lee had suffered the most extraordinary, unimaginable trauma as a child, and she was told to never speak of it, and she didn’t. She never told anyone. Consequently, she had a very powerful streak of injustice in her, and that meant whether it was, consciously or subconsciously, that she carried that injustice into her work and had a way of seeing the world that was different. She could see evil. She could see people in a way that meant her photography was unique. She was able to look down into that Rolleiflex camera at her image, but look up and meet people’s gaze head on, and she was unafraid of doing that. That is what sets her work apart, and that is what war correspondents do. They take risks and they put themselves in terrifying situations, but they do it because they want to reveal the truth, and they want to make sure that nothing is hidden. Lee did that for the female readers of British Vogue at a time when not many other women were doing that at all.
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What is the plot of ‘Lee’?
Lee Miller (Kate Winslet) goes from a career as a model to enlisting as a photographer to chronicle the events of World War II for Vogue magazine.
Kate Winslet in ‘The Regime.’ Photograph by Miya Mizuno/HBO.
Preview:
Kate Winslet will star in and produce a new drama called ‘The Spot’.
The show was created by ‘Men in Black’ writer Ed Solomon.
It’ll follow a successful surgeon who may have been involved in a hit-and-run death.
Kate Winslet continues to keep the TV side of her career bubbling along even as she stars in movies. And she’s once more taking a leading role both in front of and behind the camera, signing on to star in and executive produce a new drama for Hulu called ‘The Spot.’
According to Deadline, ‘The Spot’ follows a successful surgeon (Winslet) and her school teacher husband who suspect she might be responsible for a child’s hit-and-run death.
While looking into the matter, dark secrets are revealed that will test their relationship as they confront the possibility of hidden guilt and betrayal.
Who is working on ‘The Spot’?
(L to R) Isla Fisher, Jesse Eisenberg, Woody Harrelson and Dave Franco in 2013’s ‘Now You See Me.’ Photo: Lionsgate.
While Winslet has that executive producer credit and will no doubt be involved creatively, actual showrunning duties are falling to Ed Solomon, who created and will write what is likely to be a limited series (since stars such as Winslet don’t normally want the commitment of a full season of TV).
Solomon might be best known for co-writing the three ‘Bill & Ted’ movies, but his scripting career also includes work on ‘Men in Black’, the first two ‘Now You See Me’ movies and ‘No Sudden Move.’
That latter title was one of his collaborations with director Steven Soderbergh, and the pair has worked together on several projects, including ‘Mosaic’ and ‘Full Circle’.
‘The Spot’ was developed by A24, which has seen some big success in the TV field of late with shows including Netflix awards-grabber ‘Beef’ and ‘The Sympathizer’, which co-starred Robert Downey Jr. The show will be co-produced by A24 and 20th Television, which like Hulu, falls under the giant umbrella of Disney.
What else has Kate Winslet appeared in recently?
Kate Winslet stars in director James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’
Winslet has her latest film, ‘Lee’, a biopic about war photographer Lee Miller, due in theaters on September 27th. She’s attached to another true-life tale, ‘Fake!’ about Jen McAdam and her involvement with the One Coin Ponzi scheme.
And it’s expected she’ll be showing up again in Na’vi form for James Cameron’s next ‘Avatar’ movie, which we know is subtitled ‘Fire and Ash,’ and will be out on December 19, 2025.
(Left) Kate Winslet stars in director James Cameron’s ‘Avatar: The Way of Water.’ (Right) Director Todd Haynes attends Netflix’s ‘May December’ Los Angeles premiere at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures on November 16, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Natasha Campos/Getty Images for Netflix.
Preview:
Kate Winslet is attached to new HBO limited series ‘Trust’.
Todd Haynes will co-write and direct the show.
There’s also word of a potential follow-up to Winslet’s ‘Mare of Easttown’.
According to Variety, she has another in development, called ‘Trust’, and it’ll mark a reunion for the actor with writer/director Todd Haynes, with whom she previously worked on HBO series ‘Mildred Pierce’.
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What’s the story of Kate Winslet’s new limited series, ‘Trust’?
Kate Winslet in ‘The Regime.’ Photograph by Miya Mizuno/HBO.
‘Trust’ adapts Hernan Diaz’s Pulitzer Prize-winning 2023 novel, which tells its story from multiple, competing perspectives.
A 1920s Wall Street tycoon amasses a sudden fortune but loses a beloved wife. Decades later, his attempts to control the narrative of his life are undone by a biographer who uncovers the ultimate secrets of the legendary marriage.
(L to R) Natalie Portman as Elizabeth, Julianne Moore as Gracie, Todd Haynes (Director) on the set of ‘May December.’ Photo: François Duhamel / Courtesy of Netflix.
Alongside Haynes, ‘Trust’ will feature writing from Jon Raymond, who previously worked on ‘Mildred Pierce’ with the director and Winslet.
The actor will also be an executive producer on the new show alongside Christine Vachon and Pamela Koffler of Killer Films.
Haynes plans to direct the series.
What else is happening with Kate Winslet and HBO?
Kate Winslet in ‘Mare of Easttown’. Photo: HBO.
While making it clear that there is nothing official yet, Winslet has admitted to Variety that discussions are ongoing for a potential follow-up to 2021’s crime drama ‘Mare of Easttown’.
The series, which followed the story of smalltown Pennsylvania police detective Mare Sheehan (Winslet), who juggles a murder case while dealing with grief and complicated family dynamics.
Here’s what Winslet said about the current status:
“We did run to have discussions about a Season 2. But it did feel too soon. While there’s nothing in the works, we are having early discussions about whether it might be time to start thinking of building something. We might be willing to figure out with Mare, years later, picking her up — not on the heels of where she ended, but there have been years for the character that have passed. Who is she now?”
Executives have said that they’re going to be speaking to Winslet (who was an executive producer) and creator Brad Ingelsby about potential ideas soon, but the actor has yet to commit to anything solid.
When will ‘Trust’ be on screens?
There is no information yet on when the new limited series will be on HBO. It already carries ‘Mildred Pierce’ and ‘Mare of Easttown’ available to watch via Max.
Kate Winslet in ‘The Regime.’ Photograph by Miya Mizuno/HBO.
