Spotlight on Christoph Waltz

You’ve seen him in Inglourious Basterds–for which he won an Academy Award–and he is soon to appear on the big screen again in The Green Hornet. Right now, though,  Christoph Waltz is filming Water For Elephants, starring as August Rosenbluth. He recently spoke at Comic-Con to promote The Green Hornet.

From WaterForElephantsFilm.com:

Waltz told us that despite WFE being one of the most talked-about and media-focused sets right now, creating something of a circus atmosphere in real life, he’s totally enjoying working with Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon.  But his favorite co-star?

“I love working with the elephants,” Waltz said with a smile.

Catch his interview on Oprah.com, skip to 1.66 to hear him talk about WFE!

Now and Then

How do you cast a character that ages 70 years in the course of the film? (If you aren’t Benjamin Button, that is.)

Hal Holbrook

Robert Pattinson

Robert Pattinson plays Jacob Jankowski as a young man and Hal Holbrook also plays Jacob in his nineties. See any resemblance? Read up on Hal Holbrook here.

New Pictures!

See new Pattinson photos here.

New photos from the set also on WaterForElephantsFilm.com!

News from the set!

What’s 42 years old, 8 feet 8 inches tall, weighs in at 9,000 pounds, and gets to touch Robert Pattinson?

Tai, the adorable Asian elephant, plays Rosie in the film. It’s quite a big job; after all, it is Water for ELEPHANTS. She hails from Have Trunk Will Travel Ranch, an elephant haven and educational center in Perris, CA. Tai has a 48 foot trailer on the set and gets plenty of exercise, rest, and snacks, as well as tons of love and attention from the cast and crew. To read more about Tai, check out WaterForElephantsFilm.com.

Lights, Camera…Trains!

It’s not so common to see passenger trains running on tracks anymore, so what about movies that feature working, vintage locomotives? That’s an awfully big prop. Enter Fillmore & Western Railway Co. This Southern California-based operation has provided the trains, trestles, bridges, and stations for over 300 film, television, and commercial productions. Now they’ve been enlisted by the Water For Elephants filmmakers for the Benzini Circus train! Read more in this LA Times article.

Filmore & Western's Benzini circus train!

Behind The Circus

On a Water For Elephants film blog, I found this Glossary of Circus Slang & Lingo. Familiarize yourself with hippodromes and Jake Legs and get into the circus spirit!

–Susannah

News from the set!

The Benzini Brothers Circus Tent

Robert Pattinson runs holding Queenie while filming "The Stampede" scene

They’re wrapping the circus set in Piru, CA!

Director Francis Lawrence is keeping fans up to date via his Twitter account, @hibbits. On taking down the Big Top: “Okay… Collapsing our tents was probably one of the coolest things we’ve done.”

Down comes the Big Top.

Never fear, this is just one location, not the end of Water For Elephants Movie News. We can’t wait to find out what scenes they’ll be filming next!

Still haven’t read the book? Order now or pick one up at your local bookshop.

Because the closest I care to get to a circus is Robert Pattinson’s trailer.

Water For Elephants: Movie News

The buzz surrounding the Water For Elephants film has people asking “Wait a minute–can Robert Pattinson survive without his Edward Cullen alter ego?” In the wake of the “Twilight: Eclipse” premiere, even hardcore fan pages are starting to post WFE movie updates–and we couldn’t be more pleased!

The FAB Life talks about Rob’s shot at the Oscar.

As does Twilightish.

And EdwardAndBella.net seems to have some pretty exclusive set photos.

ON THE SET

(From our friends at WaterForElephantsFilm.com)

In a recent interview, Robert Pattinson gave kudos to the Set Soldiers that have been camping out at sets in Piru, Fillmore and Los Angeles, California. Rob was asked a series of questions, but read the props he gave to the Set Soldiers!

The funniest experience?
“It was recently. It happened while I was filming ‘Water for Elephants’ in which my partner is Reese Witherspoon. We had a scene with elephants but there were so many paparazzi around that it was scaring the animals and it was impossible to film. Out of the blue, fans, that were waiting for autographs, had enough and circled around the paparazzi. Teens made big guys run away. It was unreal! I was pleased.”

NEW PHOTOS!

While visiting WaterForElephantsFilm.com, check out the new photos from the set. Witherspoon and Pattinson dancing…and their on-screen kiss!

Still haven’t read the book? Order Now or pick one up at your local bookshop.

If you haven’t checked ‘em out, what are you waiting for?

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

Wicked Plants by Amy Stewart

Hard Work by Roy Williams and Tim Crothers

The debut novel A Reliable Wife is just out in paperback–which makes for a fantastic start in 2010. Click here to see a video interview with the author, Robert Goolrick.

Happy New Year from all of us at Algonquin!

-christina