Michael Brandt has a love for spy thrillers dating back to his childhood. “I grew up loving the spy novels by Tom Clancy, Robert Loveland,” he said. “I loved watching thrillers from the ’70s like ‘All the President’s Men’ and ‘No Way Out’ in the ’80s.” When he and his writing partner Derek Haas became established in the business, they decided to do a film that highlighted their love for the spy genre. “Something we wanted to do was create a throwback spy thriller, he said, further explaining the writing process of the film. “Whenever you write a story with twists and turns like this one has, there are a…

I’m not a big fan of the cold, but I’d certainly suck it up for a trip to the Sundance Film Festival. Sadly 2012 isn’t my year, but my intense adversity to chilly temperatures at least makes me appreciate being able to watch from the warmth of my New York City apartment for now. On top of all the latest updates from Park City, this Movie News Cheats Sheet also has the lowdown on all the news circling the Hunger Games franchise as well as a play-by-play of the SOPA backlash. The casting realm has two shining stars this week, Liv Tyler who snagged the lead in Ti West’s The…

The “Twilight” films may set teenage hearts aflutter, but the HBO series “True Blood” is the franchise by which a lot more diehard vampire fans swear. For Stephen Moyer, it’s a dream gig — heck, it even landed him on the cover of “Rolling Stone.” In the new espionage thriller “The Double,” Moyer swaps out his accent to play an imprisoned Russian spy/assassin, Brutus, who comes face to face with the man (Richard Gere) who put him in prison. ShockYa recently had a chance to participate in a press day for the film, and chat with Moyer about his small screen hit and new film, his busy schedule, the challenges of shooting out…

Topher Grace came of age on the small screen, in the hit sitcom “That ’70s Show.” Acting was never necessarily part of the grand plan when he was younger, however, so he’s leveraged the success of that experience into a more diverse portfolio on the big screen, dabbling in everything from action movies (“Predators”) and big-budget comic book adventures (“Spider-Man 3″) to political dramas (“Too Big To Fail”) and more offbeat dramedies (“In Good Company”). His new film is “The Double,” an espionage thriller in which he stars with Richard Gere, as an old-and-new pair of government operatives trying to track down a long-dormant but newly resurfaced Russian assassin. ShockYa…

Title: The Double Director: Michael Brandt Starring: Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Stephen Moyer (‘True Blood’), Martin Sheen and Odette Annable (‘Cloverfield,’ ‘You Again’) Mystery thrillers are often remembered for their action sequences and suspenseful plot points, but ‘The Double’ surprisingly leaves its mark with complex, diverse main characters. The film, which is the directorial debut of acclaimed screenwriter Michael Brandt, aims to prove that films featuring politics and crimes don’t have to solely focus on continuous anticipation. Unfortunately, Brandt’s admirable attempt to feature both intrigue and multi-dimensional characters failed to live up to his previous films. ‘The Double’ follows the return of retired CIA operative Paul Shepherdson (played by Richard…

Title: The Double Studio: Image Entertainment Directed By: Michael Brandt Written By: Michael Brandt, Derek Haas Cast: Richard Gere, Topher Grace, Martin Sheen, Stephen Moyer, Odette Annable, Stana Katic Screened at: Broadway, NYC, 9/19/11 Opens: October 28, 2011 Just after President Bush met the Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in 2001, he told the nation, “I looked the man in the eye. I found him to be very straightforward and trustworthy…I was able to get a sense of his soul.” Sorry, Mr. Bush, but that was the first of your many errors. The Russians, smarting over their loss of empire and prestige and still threatened by NATO, are continuing the…

A new trailer for director Michael Brandt’s The Double has been released in light of the action flicks upcoming release to theaters on September 28th in New York and September 30th in Los Angeles, Chicago, Washington DC, Miami, Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Seattle and Minneapolis. Although the movie hasn’t received much in the way of promotional buzz, which is surprising considering its great cast line up, the film does promise a different look at Topher Grace from That 70′s Show. The Double also features veteran Richard Gere, Stana Katic, True Blood’s Stephen Moyer, Martin Sheen and Odette Annable of October Road fame. Check out the trailer below, with the full synopsis,…

Image Entertainment has released several new photos featuring star Richard Gere from it’s upcoming film ‘The Double.’ The thriller, which is is helmer Michael Brandt’s directorial debut, also stars Topher Grace, Stephen Moyer, Martin Sheen, Stana Katic and Odette Yustman. The movie, which is set to be released on September 23, 2011, is rated PG-13 for intense sequences of action and violence, some disturbing images and language. ‘The Double,’ which was co-written by Brandt and Derek Haas, chronicles the mysterious murder of a US senator bearing the distinctive trademark of the legendary Soviet assassin “Cassius.” Gere portrays Paul Shepherdson, a retired CIA operative, is forced to work with new FBI…

We’re one step closer to seeing that massive comedy collaboration with Richard Gere, Anton Yelchin, Gerard Butler, Naomi Watts, Hugh Jackman, Kate Winslet, Anna Faris, Johnny Knoxville, Julianne Moore, Liev Schreiber, Elizabeth Banks, Kristen Bell, Kate Bosworth, Josh Duhamel, Justin Long, Seann William Scott, Emma Stone, Jack McBrayer, Chloe Moretz, Christopher Mintz-Plasse and Uma Thurman. As reported by Deadline, the untitled comedy now belongs to Richard Branson’s latest business endeavor, the new production company Virgin Produced. The film will consist of 19 segments, 14 of which have been shot. Each piece comes from a different director like Steve Brill, Steve Carr, James Gunn, Peter and Bobby Farrelly, Brett Ratner, Banks…

Warner Bros recently released this brand new clip “Folk Tale” from the upcoming drama “Nights in Rodanthe” by director “George C. Wolfe” (The Hairball) and starring Diane Lane (Killshot) and Richard Gere. Synopsis: Two unhappy people’s lives become entwined when they have a life changing romance. Adrienne is a woman who’s trying to decide whether to stay in her unhappy marriage or not. Her life changes when Paul, a doctor who is traveling to reconcile with his estranged son, checks into an inn in a North Carolina beach town where she is staying. Stay tuned to Shockya.com for the latest movie news and clips from “Nights in Rodanthe”.