Manuel here talking about the Spotlight cast. If the SAG voting crowd can see beyond their cooky nominations, they might yet crown a handsome roster of winners. That’s what we hope happens, at least in the Best Ensemble category which, besides being quite testosterone heavy, doesn’t really feel reflective of the “best” of ensemble work that we saw this past year. Should the Tom McCarthy cast prevail though, we’ll at least know the Actors went to the right film and its talented cast.
But what are the actors behind the Boston Globe reporters up to next? Let's find out after the jump...
Brian d’Arcy James, Sisters (Dec 18, 2015)
Presumably because he’s caught up with the Broadway musical, Something Rotten! (which regrettably, isn’t as smart as it thinks it is though it features the glorious Heidi Blickenstaff), the stage vet has no film prospects in the line. You can see him in Tina and Amy’s romp Sisters, which, if you’ve only been paying attention to Star Wars, you’ll notice is making great business, showing it has legs for days.
Update: SISTERS has legs for days. pic.twitter.com/mAfHgnEhKb
— Manuel (@bmanuel) January 3, 2016
Mark Ruffalo, Now You See Me 2 (June 10, 2016), Thor: Ragnarok (July 27, 2017)
Ever since Ruffalo joined the Marvel Cinematic Universe, he’s been able to switch seamlessly between the indies that were once his bread and butter (see his Golden Globe nominated work in Infinitely Polar Bear), and the larger CGI spectacles that have made him an unlikely global superstar. Sadly, 2016 and 2017 will find the actor promoting tentpole pictures with the sequel to that magicians film Now You See Me and the next Thor movie which has recruited fan-favorite Hulk (and hopefully infusing it with some of the humor that was lacking in Hemsworth’s last outing). Surely he’ll squeeze in an indie or two, right? Maybe one where he dials down the manic mannerisms that are slowly becoming his signature move?
Rachel McAdams, Doctor Strange (November 4, 2016)
After a stellar 2015 (where were the McAdamssaince articles, people?) what with True Detective Season 2, Southpaw and Spotlight (we’ll ignore Aloha, like everyone else did), McAdams has been drafted into the Marvel world, having joined Benedict Cumberbatch (whose costume was just revealed) in what will be the MCU’s 14th film in 8 years (!). Details on her role are still under wraps, but apparently she’ll be playing some sort of surgeon, Doctor Strange’s “contemporary in the modern-day New York world.” Anyone care to take a gander?
Michael Keaton, The Founder (November 25, 2016)
After a near-miss Oscar win (you had our votes, Michael!) and a great turn in Tom McCarthy’s film, the Keaton career reboot continues on schedule. He’ll next be seen in the John Lee “The Blind Side” Hancock’s The Founder as Ray Kroc, the Illinois salesman who ended up taking over what would become one of the largest and most successful corporations of all time: McDonald’s. Filming has already wrapped up and the film is slated to be released in November 2016. It's a fascinating real-life story and one which will offer Keaton his first leading role following Birdman and we all know how that turned out.
Liev Schreiber, The 5th Wave (January 22, 2016), The Bleeder
Always the busy one, Schrieber will be juggling his daytime TV job (at Showtime’s Ray Donovan) with several projects: he’ll be seen next in the Chloe Grace Moretz film The 5th Wave, the latest female-driven YA dystopian adaptation to hit our screens. Its January release doesn’t inspire much confidence. Neither does its trailer. Schreiber is also adding to the resurgence of the boxing film genre with The Bleeder, where he plays Chuck Wepner who challenged Muhammad Ali for the heavyweight championship in 1975. Judging from images from the set, he’s definitely committed to the part.
Should we be penciling Keaton and Schrieber as actors to watch for next year's Best Actor Oscar already?