andPOP » George Lucas

Terrence Howard, Cuba Gooding Jr. Join Red Tails Cast

Eva Lam — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 23:11:32 +0000

George Lucas’ upcoming WWII drama has enlisted two more actors.

Oscar nominee Terrence Howard and Oscar winner Cuba Gooding Jr. will star in “Red Tails,” based on the story of the first unit of African-American fighter pilots known as the Tuskegee Airmen.

The ensemble drama has long been in the works for Lucas, who is producing the film through his Lucasfilm studio.

“I’ve been wanting to do ‘Red Tails’ for 20 years, and we’ve finally got the means to showcase the skill of the Tuskegee pilots,” Lucas said in a press release on Monday. “We’re working on techniques which will give us the first true look at the aerial dogfighting of the era.”

The cast also includes Bryan Cranston (AMC’s “Breaking Bad”), Tristan Wilds (The CW’s “90210″) and Nate Parker (”The Secret Life of Bees”), as well as musicians Cliff “Method Man” Smith and Ne-Yo.

The movie will be directed by Anthony Hemingway, who has worked on such TV series as “The Wire,” “CSI: New York” and “The Closer.” He will helm the project from a script by “Three Kings” writer John Ridley.

Filming is expected to begin in Europe this spring, though a release date has not yet been announced.

Lucas Is Still Trying To Sign Connery For Jones Movie

andPOP Staff — Sun, 08 Apr 2007 15:21:54 +0000

Movie mogul GEORGE LUCAS refuses to give up on recruiting SEAN CONNERY for the fourth INDIANA JONES movie, despite the Scottish star’s reluctance to sign on as the adventurer’s father.

Connery has been linked to the upcoming fourth Indiana Jones movie, but insists he’s not that interested in reprising his role as HENRY JONES from INDIANA JONES & THE LAST CRUSADE.

That hasn’t stopped persistent Lucas, who says, “We’re still trying.”

In other Indiana Jones casting news, Lucas admits he was stunned when director STEVEN SPIELBERG told him he wanted to sign CATE BLANCHETT as Jones’ love interest in the new film.

He tells newspaper USA Today, “That’s who my director wanted and I always bow to the wishes of my director. I approved it because she seemed like a good idea.

“When I met her at the Academy Awards, I told her, ‘Hey, you work for me now!’”

George Lucas Donates $1M for King Memorial

Eva Lam — Sun, 23 Oct 2005 02:32:26 +0000

?Star Wars? director George Lucas has donated $1 million to help build a memorial to civil rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. in Washington.

The landscaped memorial on the National Mall would lie near the Lincoln Memorial, where King gave his famous ?I have a dream? speech in 1963, reports BBC.

?The ideals and principles for which Dr. King fought have never been forgotten and are as relevant today as they were 40 years ago,? said Lucas in a statement Thursday, adding that a memorial ensures King’s message will endure for future generations.

The filmmaker will also co-host the Nov. 19 ?Dream Dinner? in San Francisco, which will raise funds and awareness for the MLK National Memorial Project Foundation.

More than $40 million of the $100 million needed to build the monument has been raised so far by the foundation.

The project has attracted the support of many notables, including former U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and Jack Valenti, former president of the Motion Picture Association of America.

The U.S. Congress authorized the memorial in 1996, and groundbreaking is scheduled for late next year on a four-acre site.

Lucas, who is currently working on a long-awaited “Indiana Jones” sequel, also supports other causes including his own educational foundation to help bring about a technology-enriched educational system. Premiere screenings for the Star Wars movies have raised $5.6 million for charity.