Steven Soderbergh Quits Film To Pursue A New Art

Steven Soderbergh

Director Steven Soderbergh, best known for the three 'Ocean's' films as well as The Informant!, has decided to give up on his directorial career to pursue a new career as an artist. He plans to become an established painter and revealed his plans in an interview with The New York Times.

The move to a new art form will not come as too much of a surprise after Matt Damon revealed Soderbergh would be leaving show business back in 2010. Soderbergh himself let slip the news back in March when he revealed he had only two films left to shoot. Despite the early signs that revealed his decision, it will surely still come as a shock to film fans, particularly those of Soderbergh's work.

In the interview he revealed that his decision could be reversed if his new art career doesn't go to plan: "I'm interested in exploring another art form while I have the time and ability to do so.

Edward Norton Could Become New 'The Bourne Legacy' Villain

Edward Norton

After Matt Damon publicly confirmed he would not reprise his role as Jason Bourne for a fourth time following the release of The Bourne Ultimatum, director Tony Gilroy has seemingly expressed his desire to add a new big name to the fourth film.

Variety has reported that Edward Norton is close to being confirmed as the new villain for the upcoming film The Bourne Legacy. The American History X actor looks likely to star opposite new lead man Jeremy Renner who was confirmed a few weeks ago as the new protagonist in the film that will be set in the same world as the first three but will not include Jason Bourne. Small villainous roles should come easy to Norton by now after films such as The Italian Job.

Rachel Weisz has also signed up to the film and if Norton comes on board it looks to be a relatively

Rachel Weisz To Join Jeremy Renner In 'The Bourne Legacy'?

Rachel Weisz

The Hurt Locker star Jeremy Renner picked up one of the most iconic roles going when he landed the role in the next in the series of the Bourne films after Matt Damon revealed he would not be reprising his role. Now he may have some female company in the form of Rachel Weisz, who also recently took on the role of one of the witches in the new Disney film Oz: The Great And Powerful.

The role would see Weisz as an operative from a new Government program, one that is more dangerous than Treadstone (the group that brain washed Jason Bourne). Also the film will take place in the same universe, the characters are new and Jason Bourne plays no part.

There is at the moment only a slight chance that Weisz will be able to take on both roles due to their conflicting filming schedules. Oz: The Great And Powerful begins filming in the summer whilst The Bourne Legacy will be starting in September. If she can't do both however it sounds as if she will be more likely to

'The Bourne Legacy' Finds It's New Lead

Renner In The Hurt Locker

Yes, today is the day when we finally find out who the new Bourne star will be after Matt Damon confirmed he would not be in the fourth film (The Bourne Legacy) a while back. Deadline has revealed today that the search is now over and Jeremy Renner, who you will remember as playing the protagonist in the brilliant war film The Hurt Locker, will be playing the lead in the fourth film.

The news will I'm sure come as a relief to fans of the films who feared a young  and more popular actor would be cast thereby making The Bourne Legacy a complete farce. However they now have the capable hands of Renner to look forward to. He stunned us in the award winning The Hurt Locker and I really can't think of anyone better suited to the film series than Matt Damon himself. In my opinion fans will find the transition a fairly easy one and Renner should fit right in. Although the film will not focus on Jason Bourne as a character it still looks set to be one to look forward to.

Jeremy Renner now seems to be the go to guy to replace big anmes in film series they no longer want to do anymore. Apparently he has also been linked to taking over from Tom Cruise in the next Mission: Impossible film.

Filming on The Bourne Legacy will begin in September with a release date of August 2012 looking probable.

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Dominic Cooper In Line For Bourne

Dominic Cooper frontrunner to play Bourne in 'The Bourne Legacy'?

Yes, I'm sure you've heard by now that Matt Damon will not play his famed character Jason Bourne in the fourth of the Bourne films, 'The Bourne Legacy'. What a great blow this is to lovers of these films; Damon was perfect for the part, he was Jason Bourne. The fourth film will certainly suffer from the fact that he will not feature. But reports from Deadline have suggested that a host of other stars are being considered for the role, including front runner Dominic Cooper, who you will remember from 'An Education'. He is among a group of men in line for the role, which also includes 'Clash Of The Titans' star Luke Evans.

Unfortunately, to me whoever is picked will have no chance of delivering as well as Matt Damon did. I'm sure other fans will be of the same opinion. I'm finding it very hard to even picture a Bourne film without him, and it will be interesting to see if ticket sales go down as a result. In an effort to boost the acting prowess, there are rumours that Shia LaBeouf is being considered for the film. It will need a well known name to bring in viewers and Shia will make an impact. Fans will go to see the film, if only to see how the new leading man does. But I'm sure they will go in with at least some trepidation.

The Informant! (2009)

Damon can't save it - 3/5

So I saw this film about a month ago called 'The Informant!'. You cannot help but be enticed by the advertising for this film. The DVD case itself leaves you with much anticipation, as does the trailer. To be frank, this film was a major let down. It's one of those films you have to concentrate on for every single second or you will lose any understanding of the storyline. The script, especially where Matt Damon's character Mark Whitacre is concerned, moves at such a pace that if you blink you will miss it. Add to this the fact that most of the dialogue concernes complex business speak that the average viewer will have little to no knowledge of and you have a film that will pass many people by. My girlfriend fell asleep during this film in what is probably a world record time. It is far from a film that you can just put on and enjoy.
Despite what you may be thinking this film is not all bad. The dark humor contained within provides the astute viewer with many a laugh. It is nice to see Damon in a quirky comedy such as this. To his credit he plays the proverbial nerd in a very entertaing way. It just goes to show that major Hollywood stars that we assume are relatively one dimensional, which to our fault we usually applaud them for, can produce performances that we really did not expect. Despite Damon's superb performane however, the film was nothing to rave about. I'm sure that if you have seen this film, you will know what I am talking about.
What I'm trying to say with this review is that I fail to understand the hype surrounding this film. Granted, It was funny, but this was in no way a saviour to the storyline which, to the average viewer, just didn't appeal. I must admit that there is little room to improvise within a film based on true events however. It is possible that Steven Soderbergh did as best as he could with the story that unfolded.
Would I recommend it? Only if you are in the mood to listen and are free of distractions.