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Having made films in the English language as an actor, Guillaume Canet is yet to make a film in the States as a director, but now remakes a film he once starred in, to bring us Blood Ties. We had the great pleasure in speaking to Canet, who discussed why he chose this particular story, why he has turned down big Hollywood scripts in the past years, and what it was like directing his partner, Marion Cotillard.

Blood Ties is of course a remake of Les Liens du Sang, which you starred in. When working on that film, were you already planning your own version in your mind?

No, to be honest, it was the first time in my life I was reading a script as an actor and that I had this weird feeling when I was reading it, I really wanted to direct it. Which was weird for me.

★★★☆☆French actor-turned-director Guillaume Canet's first foray into English-language cinema, Blood Ties (2013) is a self-consciously styled paean to 1970s cinema - namely the New York crime yarn. Though adapted from Bruno and Michel Papet's novel Les liens du sang, it bears many of the trademarks of co-writer James Gray's own work as a director; namely fraught sibling relationships and the testing loyalty between family and the law. It's nothing that hasn't been seen numerous times before, and despite the injection of a starry line-up of some of the finest actors working today (and Clive Owen), the creative duo fail to bring anything particularly innovative or new to an already crowded table.

Considering the acclaim that French director Guillaume Canet has rightly received for his previous endeavours, Tell No One and Little White Lies, it became increasingly likely that he would make the move across the Atlantic, and test his abilities in the States – a move he has now made with his first English production, Blood Ties. However here is a film overwhelmed by its influences, feeling more like a homage to the work of Sidney Lumet and John Cassavetes, rather than find its own, unique voice.

Blood Ties is a remake of the 2008 production Les Liens Du Sang – which Canet himself took s starring role in – and the director has since moved this story to New York in the 1970s, where we meet cop Frank (Billy Crudup), who unwittingly puts up his brother Chris (Clive Owen) following the latter’s release from a lengthy jail sentence. The pair have a distinct conflict of interests,...

The 1970s-set crime drama Blood Ties is a redundant American adaptation (by the French director Guillaume Canet) of the French film Les Liens du Sang based on the French novel of the same name. As can be inferred by the inane title, the film focuses on a familial relationship tested by criminal activities. In this case, it’s two estranged brothers: the cop Frank (Billy Crudup) and the criminal Chris (Clive Owen).

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I caught Guillaume Canet's Blood Ties at the Cannes Film Festival last year and was not impressed, beginning my review as follows: There are so many secondary plot threads and a multitude of characters in Blood Ties the film finds itself sputtering along, stopping and starting every 5-10 minutes as characters are introduced and re-introduced. There's absolutely no way for the story to work within the confines of a two-and-a-half-hour movie as it either needs to be cut down to two hours or less or extended into a five-to-six-hour miniseries or more. It's a shame, really, because there are some fantastic moments within this film just as much as there are some moments and casting decisions I really could have done without, but all-in-all the end result is a bit of a mess. Well, fast forward to the Toronto Film Festival four months later and Canet apparently cut something...

The new Clive Owen vehicle, Blood Ties, looks to pick up where Pride and Glory and We Own the Night left off. Essentially, this crime drama is set to follow the lives of two brothers on opposite sides of the law; one being a cop, and the other a former mobster who was recently released from prison, on top of several disparate individuals whose lives are all seemingly interconnected to the New York City underworld in the 1970s.

The film is a remake of the French language film Les Liens du Sang (Rivals), but whether it is a shot-by-shot remake remains to be seen. However, in an interesting twist, the star of the original is the writer and director of this English speaking update.

At the very least, the movie seems to showcase a very different Clive Owen than we are used to. The permanently debonair actor takes on a...

The last time we talked about Guillaume Canet‘s crime thriller Blood Ties, we shared some pretty cool set pics with Clive Owen and Mila Kunis, remember? Today, we’re here to give you an official (red band) trailer, the very first (also red band) clip from the whole thing, and to add 20 more images to our little gallery. Hope you’ll enjoy… Canet directed the pic from a script he co-wrote with James Gray, but as we previously reported, the movie is a remake of Jacques Maillot‘s 2008 French thriller Les liens du sang. It follows two brothers, on either side of the law, who face off...

Click to read original and full article: Red Band Trailer & Clip From Blood Ties, Starring Clive Owen And Mila Kunis (Plus 20 New Pics!) on http://www.filmofilia.com...

2 Autumns, 3 Winters

Film Movement has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Sebastien Betbeder's "2 Autumns, 3 Winters." The story follows two friends in their early-thirties over two falls and three winters, as one falls in love while the other has a stroke.

Blood Ties

Lionsgate has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Guillaume Canet’s English-language directorial debut "Blood Ties" in a $2 million deal. Lionsgate's Roadside Attractions will release the film, a remake of "Les Liens Du Sang," which follows two brothers, one a cop and one an ex-con. Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Zoé Saldana, James Caan, Matthias Schoenaerts and Mila Kunis star.

Blue Is The Warmest Color

Sundance Selects has acquired U.S. rights to Abdellatif Kechiche's French-language drama "Blue Is the Warmest Color" starring Lea Seydoux and Adele Exarchopoulos. The story deals with a young girl's first love and includes explicit lesbian sex scenes. It has also drawn rave reviews at Cannes.

Lionsgate nabbed  U.S. distribution rights to the crime drama "Blood Ties" from Worldview Entertainment, the studio said Wednesday from the Cannes Film Festival.  The film premiered at the French Riviera gathering this week and features Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis, Zoé Saldana, and Marion Cottilard. Lionsgate said it plans to release the picture through its sister company, Roadside Attractions. "Blood Ties" is a remake of the French film "Les Liens du sang," yet unspools in a distinctly American setting -- New York City in the height (or depth) of its 1970s...

Lionsgate has acquired U.S. distribution rights to Blood Ties from Worldview Entertainment. The film premiered at the 2013 Cannes Festival and the studio will release through its sister company Roadside Attractions. Directed by Guillaume Canet from a screenplay written by Canet and James Gray, the film is based on the screenplay "Les Liens du sang" by Jaques Maillot, Pierre Chosson, and Eric Veniard, and the novel "Deux Freres, un flic, un truand" by Michel and Bruno Papet. The film stars Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Maroin Cotillard, Domenick Lombardozzi, Mila Kunis, Matthias Schoenaerts, Zoé Saldana and James Caan. Lionsgate UK acquired UK rights to the film prior to its premiere in Cannes. The deal for Blood Ties makes the movie the biggest sale to date...

Guillaume Canet's Cannes thriller (and English language debut following "Tell No One" and "Little White Lies") "Blood Ties" has landed with Lionsgate. The studio will release it through its sister company Roadside Attractions. Directed by Canet from a screenplay written by Canet and James Gray (who has "The Immigrant" up for a Palme d'Or this year), the film is based on the screenplay “Les Liens du sang” by Jaques Maillot, Pierre Chosson, and Eric Veniard, and the novel "Deux Freres, un flic, un truand" by Michel and Bruno Papet. Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, Domenick Lombardozzi, Mila Kunis, Matthias Schoenaerts, Zoé Saldana, and James Caan all star. Set in Brooklyn during the early 1970s, "Blood Ties" concerns two brothers, a cop and a convict forced to reconcile their differences.

Once upon a time, two brothers called Bruno and Michel Papet wrote a book called Les Liens Du Sang. In 2008, this was adapted into a movie by Jacques Maillot called Les Liens Du Sang, and now, in 2013, actor-turned-director Guillaume Canet (of Tell No One and Little White Lies fame) has taken the French tale and transported it to 1970s New York for his English language debut, Blood Ties, casting Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis, James Caan, Zoe Saldana and Marion Cotillard (his missus) in the process.Owen plays Chris, an ex-con who's just come out of prison to be greeted by his grumpy cop brother Frank (Crudup) and his happy-but-not-long-for-this-world father (Caan). Chris' ex-wife, Monica (Cotillard), is a prositute and a drug user, somehow keeping their two kids in cereal and underwear despite her shaky situation. Instead of making up with Monica, Chris begins a relationship with Natalie (Kunis...

A trailer has been released for Blood Ties Blood, the upcoming thriller by French director Guillaume Canet and co-written by James Gray. The film is a remake of 2008 French thriller Les liens du sang by Jacques Maillot, itself adapted from the French novel of the same name by Bruno and Michel Papet. Canet has assembled a hugely impressive cast for his English-language debut, including Clive Owen, Marion Cotillard, Billy Crudup, Zoe Saldana, Matthias Schoenaerts, Mila Kunis, Noah Emmerich and Sound On Sight favourite James Caan. Set in New York, 1974, the story largely follows two brothers; Frank (Billy Crudup) a police officer and Chris (Clive Owen) his ex-con brother who’s just been let out of jail and desperately tries to find work that won’t lead him back behind bars. Surprisingly the film is being shown out of competition at the Cannes Film festival, and despite some lukewarm reviews, both...

Making its world premiere out at Cannes this week, Blood Ties sees acclaimed French director Guillaume Canet making his English language debut, bringing together one of the best casts of the year for the upcoming thriller.

Led by Clive Owen and Billy Crudup as two brothers in 1970s New York, the film has screened Out of Competition at Cannes, and now Mars, its French distributor, have debuted the first red-band international teaser trailer and a very cool, retro-looking poster.

New York, 1974. Fifty year-old Chris has just been released on good behavior after several years in prison following a gangland murder. Waiting for him reluctantly outside the prison gates is his younger brother, Frank, a cop with a bright future. Chris and Frank have always been different, and their father, Leon, who’d raised them alone, seems strangely to prefer Chris – this, despite all his troubles.

Yet blood ties are the ones that bind.

Guillaume Canet’s attempt to do a Sidney Lumet flatlines in Blood Ties, an anemic drama about a family split defined by one brother being a cop, the other a criminal. A remake of the 2008 French release Les Liens du Sang (Rivals) which co-starred Canet as the policeman, this version’s bloat only spotlights the more crucial problem of lack of energy and internal turmoil in the main characters. The impressive cast makes this French-financed New York 1974-set production watchable but it’s too inert to catch on with critics or audiences. It takes Canet, who scored an international

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There are so many secondary plot threads and a multitude of characters in Blood Ties the film finds itself sputtering along, stopping and starting every 5-10 minutes as characters are introduced and re-introduced. There's absolutely no way for the story to work within the confines of a two-and-a-half-hour movie as it either needs to be cut down to two hours or less or extended into a five-to-six-hour miniseries or more. It's a shame, really, because there are some fantastic moments within this film just as much as there are some moments and casting decisions I really could have done without, but all-in-all the end result is a bit of a mess. Adapted by director Guillame Canet and co-writer James Gray, the film is based on Jacques Maillot's 2008 French film Rivals (Les liens du sang). Set in New York, 1974, the story largely follows two brothers; Frank (Billy Crudup) a police...

Top Ten Most Anticipated Movies at the 2013 Cannes Film Festival As you read this I am just about to land in New York, before hopping on a plane to Nice as I make my way to the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, something I would not have been able to do had it not been for the generous contributions from the RopeofSilicon readers. It's almost impossible to tell you how much more energized I am to cover this year's festival due to the help from the readers and I have to say, it's quite a line-up I'll be reviewing for you this year, which brings us to the following list. If you haven't yet had a look at this year's line-up I have the complete list right here where you'll find the list of 20 films competing for this year's Palme d'Or, the films selected for the Un Certain Regard, those playing Out of Competition,...

Yes, the goodies from the Cannes Film Festival keep coming today. Earlier we had new snaps from "Only God Forgives," "The Bling Ring," "Inside Llewyn Davis" and "Nebraska," and now some pics from a few more movies looking to grab some attention in the south of France. So let's get to it: First up is Asghar Farhadi's "The Past," the filmmaker's first film since his breakthrough, Oscar nominated "A Separation" and it looks like just as potent a drama. "The Artist" star Bérénice Bejo, "A Prophet" lead Tahar Rahim, and Ali Mosaffa feature in the story of Ahmad (Mosaffa) who lands back in Paris from his home in Tehran, to formalize his divorce with his wife Marie (Bejo). But when he sees her with another man (Rahim), everything changes. The first trailer was great and this one we're super keen on. Speaking of keen, also on our schedule is Guillaume Canet's "Blood Ties.

Cannes you feel it? (Ha ha, groan). We're less than two weeks from red carpets being rolled out on the Croisette and with the lineup now firmed, all we can do is wait for the movies to arrive. And until that moment when the lights dim and the reels or digital bits unspool, these new images from Guillaume Canet's "Blood Ties" will hold it down. Playing Out Of Competition, the movie brings together a first rate ensemble -- Clive Owen, Mila Kunis, Matthias Schoenaerts, Zoe Saldana. James Caan, Marion Cotillard, Noah Emmerich, Lili Taylor -- in the saga of two brothers, the younger of which (Crudup) is asked by his older convict sibling (Owen) to go back into the underworld to help out his family. As these images suggest, that request has it's fair share of consequences. James Gray helped out in getting the script put together for the...

Earlier this year, we had heard that Guillaume Canet's "Blood Ties" was nearing the finish line, and thus we included it on our list of films that may show up at the Cannes Film Festival. And perhaps this is a further indication that when the lineup is unveiled later this week, the French filmmaker's English-language effort will be among the titles getting the red carpet treatment. The first official images from the movie have arrived, giving us a look at Clive Owen, Mila Kunis, Matthias Schoenaerts and Zoe Saldana. A remake of the 2008 French thriller "Les Liens Du Sang" (which also starred Canet), the film tells the story of two brothers, the younger of which (played by Billy Crudup) is asked by his older convict sibling (Owen) to go back into the underworld to help out his family. Kunis plays a love interest in the film, but no word...

Blood Ties

Director: Guillaume Canet

Writer(s): Canet, James Gray, Jacques Maillot, Pilar Anguita-MacKay, Frank Urbaniok

Producer(s): Alain Attal, John Lesher, Hugo Sélignac, Christopher Woodrow

U.S. Distributor: Rights Available

Cast: Mila Kunis, Zoe Saldana, Marion Cotillard, Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, James Caan, Lili Taylor, Matthias Schoenaerts

Who knew that the veteran French actor Guillaume Canet would establish himself as a top ranking director, and more recently a working relationship with a man who the French audiences/critics adore in James Gray. In his filmography of four films – Tell No One claimed critical acclaim and made crazy box office in the U.S. (I recall seeing the film in its 4th month playing in NYC) and I’m one of the very few who connected with his previous item – a saga in itself called Little White Lies – an ensemble drama, hell bent on exploring every possible mid-life...

We're deep into it now as we venture into my Top 20 Most Anticiapted Movies of 2013 with numbers 11-20. If you haven't checked out Parts One, Two or Three just yet, don't worry, every installment is linked on Page Three of this post as well as directly below, so check these out and then go check out any you may have missed. Most Anticipated 2013 Navigation #1-10 | #11-20 | #21-30 | #31-40 | #41-50 As for today's ten we have a 1920s magician, a new le Carre thriller, a scary Kidman, prescription drugs, the capper to the "Blood and Ice Cream Trilogy", 1970s organized crime in Brooklyn, art thieves, the mountains of North Carolina, a priest and a New York fashionista coupled with a neurotic. Maybe some of those hints tip you off as to what's in store over the next couple of pages, but hopefully I can offer a few surprises. Either way, I...

Here is your first look at Zoe Saldana in the set of the crime drama Blood Ties, filming last week in Harlem, New York. Directed by Guillame Canet (Tell No One), the 1970-set ensemble film stars Clive Owen, Billy Crudup (pictured), Marion Cotillard, Mila Kunis, James Caan, and Noah Emmerich. Blood Ties was acquired by Lionsgate at Cannes for theatrical distribution in the UK. The film, based on Bruno and Michel Papet's French novel Les liens du sang, centers on Crudup's character, who asks his convict older brother, played by Clive Owen, to "go back into the underworld to help out the family.” The french...

Guillame Canet (Tell No One) returns behind the camera with Blood Ties, starring Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard, and Mila Kunis.

The 1970s-set film is in production at the moment, and has been picked up on the market at Cannes by Lionsgate, who will distribute the film here in the UK.

Also starring Zoe Saldana, James Caan, and Noah Emmerich, the film is an adaptation of the original French novel, Les liens du sang, written by Bruno and Michel Papet – which was itself adapted back in 2008 for the French film of the same name (known as Rivals in the UK), in which Canet, also an actor, starred in the co-leading role that Crudup will now play.

“An adaptation of a French novel titled Les liens du sang, the story centers on a younger brother (Crudup) who has to ask his convict older brother (Owen) to go back into the...

Here are some great set photos from the upcoming Blood Ties movie which comes from director Guillaume Canet and is actually a remake of 2008 French thriller Les Liens Du Sang. As you already see from these images, we have a quite interesting retro look at two leading stars – Clive Owen and Mila Kunis. [...]

Continue reading Clive Owen and Mila Kunis in Blood Ties Set Photos on FilmoFilia.

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Some sort of '70s themed fashion photoshoot featuring Clive Owen and Mila Kunis? Not quite. The duo are actually spotted here complete with sideburns and bell-bottoms shooting Guillaume Canet's highly anticipated period crime pic/family drama "Blood Ties."

A remake of 2008 French thriller "Les Liens Du Sang" which Canet starred in, the James Gray co-scripted story is set off as the younger of two brothers (Crudup) is asked by his older brother (Owen) to return to the underworld in order to help the family out. Kunis plays the older brother's partner while Cotillard couples up with Crudup.

As promising as the leading quartet and helmer are, the rest of the cast Canet has assembled is equally impressive with Zoe Saldana, James Caan, Noah Emmerich, Matthias Schoenaerts, Lili Taylor and Domenick Lombardozzi making up the director's English-language debut. It doesn't end there either with Jamie Hector ("The Wire"), Angelica...

Baggage Claim

Paula Patton ("Mission Impossible: Ghost Protocol") will star in David Talbert's comedy "Baggage Claim" at Fox Searchlight which begins shooting in September.

Based on Talbert's own 2003 novel, Patton will play a flight attendant who is the oldest woman in her family not married. Her fellow flight attendants become determined to find her a husband in 30 days. [Source: Deadline]

Chavez

"Revenge" scene stealer Gabriel Mann will shoot Diego Luna's indie drama "Chavez" over his Summer hiatus from the show.

Mann will play John Giumarra Jr., who, along with his farm-owning father, opposed famed labor organizer Cesar E. Chavez's United Farm Workers Organizing Committee which aimed to obtain basic human rights for more than 50,000 farm workers in California. [Source: Variety]

Blood Ties

Jamie Hector ("The Wire") has joined Guillaume Canet's English-language crime thriller "Blood Ties" which is currently shooting in New York.

An adaptation of French novel "Les liens du sang...

As Variety reports that Worldview Entertainment will come in and finance Guillaume Canet‘s Blood Ties, we’ve also learned that a few new names have been added to this terrific lineup. While Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead) has been confirmed — following some rumors that the Belgian was up for consideration — it’s said that Lili Taylor and Domenick Lombardozzi (The Wire) will jump right into the fray.

Canet co-wrote the ’70s-set Blood Ties with James Gray — the both of them having, at the same time, adapted a French novel, Les Liens Du Sang — which centers on “a younger brother (Billy Crudup) who has to ask his convict older brother (Clive Owen) to go back into the underworld to help out the family.” Mila Kunis, James Caan, Marion Cotillard, Zoe Saldana, and Noah Emmerich fill out the cast as lovers, fathers, and shady figures. (None are all three, fortunately.)

And when we...

It’s still early, but I’ve got to say: Blood Ties is looking good. The cast with which Guillaume Canet will be working is pretty top-notch — Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, James Caan, Marion Cotillard, Mila Kunis, and Zoe Saldana — he co-wrote the script with a talent (James Gray), and the actual story, meanwhile, sounds like a good amalgamation of beloved cop movie tropes.

To jump back and talk about casting, Deadline reports that the great Noah Emmerich is in talks for what I can only figure is a supporting role. Before telling you who he’s playing, however it’d be best to know that Ties — based on the novel Les Liens Du Sang — follows “a younger brother (Crudup) who has to ask his convict older brother (Owen) to go back into the underworld to help out the family.” Now, perhaps the description of Emmerich‘s character as “a...

The Gods have smiled upon Guillaume Canet. (And I’m not even referencing his marriage to Marion Cotillard.) Rather, THR informs us that his developing crime film, Blood Ties, has started to round out its cast, and — should the first sentence have been a little tip — things are looking good. Although we heard in early November that Mark Wahlberg was circling one of two lead parts in the picture, he’s out of the equation. Canet need not fret, though.

That’s because Billy Crudup and Clive Owen are taking the primary roles, joining a cast that already has Cotillard and Zoe Saldana on board. If that weren’t enough — and I’d posit it already is — James Caan and Mila Kunis have also signed, while Matthias Schoenaerts (Bullhead) is being pursued.

Based on the French novel Les Liens Du Sang (which was adapted into a 2008 film that starred Canet...

Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis and James Caan are set to star in Guillaume Canet's 1970's-set crime thriller "Blood Ties" says Heat Vision.

Zoe Saldana and Marion Cotillard are already set while Matthias Schoenaerts ("Bullhead") has an offer for a role in the film which Canet and James Gray co-wrote the script for.

An adaptation of the French novel "Les liens du sang", the story centers on a younger brother (Crudup) who has to ask his convict older brother (Owen) to go back into the underworld to help out the family.

Kunis and Cotillard play love interests. Shooting aims to kick off this April in New York.

Clive Owen and Mila Kunis are among a host of stars to have signed up for crime thriller Blood Ties. Zoe Saldana, Billy Crudup, Marion Cotillard and James Caan also have confirmed roles in the project, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Blood Ties will be directed by Cotillard's partner Guillaume Canet, and is an adaptation of French novel Les liens du sang. The story follows a younger brother (Crudup), who is forced to ask his convict older brother (more)...

Tell No One actor-director Guillaume Canet is stepping back behind the camera for his latest film, ‘70s-set crime thriller Blood Ties. But even though he already had Marion Cotillard on board to star (well, she is Mrs Guillaume Canet so it was an easy ask, we suspect), he’s had some trouble locking in the rest of his leads. All that has since changed as Clive Owen, Mila Kunis and Billy Crudup are now in place. Canet adapted the screenplay from French novel Les liens du sang, working alongside We Own The Night writer-director James Gray.It’s not tough to see why he might choose to collaborate with a man who has experience writing about criminal siblings: Ties finds Crudup's character persuading his convict older brother (Owen) to dip back into the underworld in order to help the family. Cotillard and Kunis, meanwhile, will be the brothers' love interests.

In the works for a couple of years now -- the project first surfaced in 2010 -- Guillaume Canet's '70s set thriller "Blood Ties" has finally come together, and it features one helluva f***ing cast.

Clive Owen, Billy Crudup, Mila Kunis, James Caan, Marion Cotillard and Zoe Saldana (the latter two were tied to the project last fall) are now on board the very exciting project. And even more, buzzed about "Bullhead" star Matthias Schoenaerts has been offered a role as well (which would make a solid Hollywood debut). Co-written with the severely underrated James Gray (which only amps our excitement all the more), the film is a remake of the 2008 French thriller "Les Liens Du Sang," (which also starred Canet), telling the story of two brothers, the younger of which (Crudup) is asked be his older convict sibling (Owen), to go back into the underworld to help out his family.

French actor and filmmaker Guillaume Canet worked steadily prepping for his ‘70s-set crime thriller Blood Ties and his patience paid off with a dynamite cast. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Avatar and Star Trek star Zoe Saldana, who recently joined Out of the Furnace with Christian Bale as co-star and Scott Cooper as director, Marion Cotillard, who worked with Canet on Little White Lies, Mila Kunis, James Caan, Billy Crudup and Clive Owen all signed on to for the film. Canet wrote the script with filmmaker James Gray, adapting the French novel Les liens du sang, the story of a brother (Crudup) who asks his older sibling (Owen) to return to a life of crime in order to help out their family.

French actor and filmmaker Guillaume Canet worked steadily prepping for his ‘70s-set crime thriller Blood Ties and his patience paid off with a dynamite cast. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Avatar and Star Trek star Zoe Saldana, who recently joined Out of the Furnace with Christian Bale as co-star and Scott Cooper as director, Marion Cotillard, who worked with Canet on Little White Lies, Mila Kunis, James Caan, Billy Crudup and Clive Owen all signed on to for the film. Canet wrote the script with filmmaker James Gray, adapting the French novel Les liens du sang, the story of a brother (Crudup) who asks his older sibling (Owen) to return to a life of crime in order to help out their family.

French actor and filmmaker Guillaume Canet worked steadily prepping for his ‘70s-set crime thriller Blood Ties and his patience paid off with a dynamite cast. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Avatar and Star Trek star Zoe Saldana, who recently joined Out of the Furnace with Christian Bale as co-star and Scott Cooper as director, Marion Cotillard, who worked with Canet on Little White Lies, Mila Kunis, James Caan, Billy Crudup and Clive Owen all signed on to for the film. Canet wrote the script with filmmaker James Gray, adapting the French novel Les liens du sang, the story of a brother (Crudup) who asks his older sibling (Owen) to return to a life of crime in order to help out their family.

James Caan, Marion Cotillard, Bill Crudup, Mila Kunis, Clive Owen and Zoe Saldana have joined the cast of Guillame Canet's Blood Ties . The Hollywood Reporter has word that they'll star in the crime thriller. Based on the novel "Les liens du sang" by Bruno and Michel Papet, the story is set in the 1970's and follows two brothers on opposite sides of the law. Crudup will play the younger, a cop (named Francois in the novel), with Owen starring as the older, a just-paroled convict (in the novel named Gabriel). Though he's struggling to stay away from his former life, the older brother is forced to return to the criminal underworld to help his sibling. To make matters worse, the younger brother is still in love with the wife of a criminal that he helped put away. The...

Here are a few interesting and/or noteworthy projects that were recently added to IMDbPro's database of development titles:

Untitled Taylor Lautner/Gus Van Sant Project – There's something eerily Entourage-like about Lautner approaching Van Sant for his next project -- especially after Abduction's box office disappointment. But props to TL for nabbing the rights to this New Yorker article and going the indie route to make it happen. We're eager to find out what that article is.

Jamal and Tyrell and Omar and Brick and Michael's Wack-Ass Weekend – Eddie Murphy's recent media blitz for Tower Heist has revealed that the funny man is currently writing this ensemble comedy, which has piqued our interest, despite knowing nothing about it.

The Grandmothers – One of two projects on Naomi Watts' busy schedule (the other, Sunlight Jr., began shooting this week). She's in talks to star opposite Robin Wright as a pair of lifelong pals who fall in a sort-of-forbidden love with eachother's (married!) sons. Coco Before Chanel director Anne Fontaine directs the Gaumont production.

Blood Ties – French thesp and Tell No One director Guillaume Canet's next film will be an English-language adaptation of Jacques Maillot's 2008 film Rivals, which starred Canet as a cop at odds with his criminal brother. Marion Cotillard, Mark Whalberg and Zoe Saldana are rumored to be circling the project.

Untitled Rise of the Planet of the Apes Sequel – Hail Caeser? Hail Sirkis! Master of MoCap, Andy Sirkis, has secured a spot in the sequel to Fox's simian summer hit with screenwriters Rick Jaffa and Amanda Silver already assigned to write the follow-up.

If you know of something in the works, you can submit it via our online submission form.

Mark Wahlberg, Marion Cotillard And More Look At Blood Ties

Tweet Guillaume Canet, the highly acclaimed French actor/director behind films such as Tell No One and Last Night, is planning on branching out to English speaking films. Canet is looking to direct a remake of the 2008 French film Les Liens Du Sang, which translates to The Rivals. The film is ”a 70s-set drama about two brothers, one a cop, the [...]

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Here’s something and I’m sure you’re going to love it! French actor Guillaume Canet is on board to direct his English-language directorial debut titled Blood Ties. We’re actually talking about a remake of 2008′s Les Liens Du Sang project, where Canet also starred. But what’s really great about this project is the fact that we [...]

Continue reading Mark Wahlberg, Marion Cotillard and Zoe Saldana in Blood Ties? on FilmoFilia.

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Taylor Lautner wasn't able to work with Gus Van Sant on "Breaking Dawn," so now he's created his own project for the director to helm.

MTV News reports that Lautner optioned a nonfiction article from The New Yorker, and has convinced Van Sant to direct it for him. "Milk" scribe Dustin Lance Black will pen the project, with Lautner in the lead role. Little more is known about the film, but it will be Lautner's first dramatic role to date.

Check out the rest of today's casting news after the jump!

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Blood Ties

Zoe Saldana, Mark Wahlberg and Marion Cotillard are all linked to "Blood Ties", Guillaume Canet's English-language remake of 2008 French film "Rivals" (aka. "Les liens du sang") for Wild Bunch.

Set in the 1980's, the story follows two brothers - one a pimp and the other a cop - with the former being the family favourite. Canet started in the original and will work with James Gray on the script of the remake. He may also have a small role. [Source: Screen Daily]

Bullies

Danny McBride is expected to star in Randy Krallman's comedy "Bullies" for Mandate Pictures and Rough House Pictures.

Andrew Mogel and Jarrad Paul penned the script about two brothers who have been bullies all their lives get their comeuppance. [Source: Deadline]

uwantme2killhim

Due to a delay, the cast for the new UK thriller "uwantme2killhim?" has undergone a shake up with Jamie Blackley, Toby Regbo, Joanne Froggatt,...

Guillaume Canet has attracted the attention of international audiences through performances in films like Love Me If You Dare, The Beach, and this year’s Last Night, but he’s also an accomplished filmmaker in his own right. Having helmed Tell No One and Little White Lies, his career behind the camera is a budding, promising one to take note of.

ScreenDaily (via ThePlaylist) is now reporting on his fourth feature, Blood Ties. His planned remake of 2008′s Les Liens Du Sang (which he starred in) is being co-written with James Gray, and has attracted Mark Wahlberg, Zoe Saldana, and Canet‘s wife, Marion Cotillard. This is expected to follow the plot of the original, which was “a 70s-set drama about two brothers, one a cop, the other a criminal fresh out of the joint”; the location is being switched from Lyons to Philadelphia.

When it comes to who’s playing who,...

Nothing makes me happier than seeing two talented filmmakers join forces.

Today’s a happy day for yours truly, as news has hit (via The Playlist) reporting that James Gray is set to team with French filmmaker Guillaume Canet on his English language remake of the 2008 film, Les Liens Du Sang, which starred none other than Canet himself.

Read more on James Gray to team with Guillaume Canet for Blood Ties…...