JENNA DEWAN MOVIE BYTES: ‘The Six Wives of Henry Lefay’ and ‘Magdalena’

In addition to today being Jenna Dewan’s birthday, I found some news for two of her upcoming films. Enjoy!!!

THE SIX WIVES OF HENRY LEFAY

For today’s CTU Deal of the Day, fans have a chance to see a free screening of Jenna Dewan’s upcoming movie ‘The Six Wives of Henry Lefay‘.

The website Rama’s Screen is giving away 25 sets of passes for both of the screenings listed below. The passes can only be downloaded when using these code below. Here’s the information for tomorrow’s free screenings:

SCREENING 1
Fine Arts Theatre
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Dec 4, 2008 at 2:00 pm
URL: http://www.gofobo.com/rsvp
Use RSVP Code: RAMA9057

SCREENING 2
Fine Arts Theatre
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Dec 4, 2008 at 4:00 pm
URL: http://www.gofobo.com/rsvp
Use RSVP Code: RAMA5038

Last year, the movie filmed in various cities in Connecticut and just weeks ago some of the cast was spotted filming scenes in Los Angeles, California. In addition to Jenna Dewan, the independent film also stars Tim Allen, Elisha Cuthbert, Jenna Elfman, Paz Vega, Andie McDowell, Lindsay Sloane, Kelli Garner, and Chris Klein. Here’s the plot of the comedy…

“A funeral gets sticky when a group of former wives bicker over the burial arrangements in the indie comedy The Six Wives of Henry Lefay. Tim Allen stars as the title role, a salesman whose disappearance after a skydiving trip leads his current and former families to believe that his time has passed. Elisha Cuthbert co-stars as the daughter that has to pick up the pieces as the ex-wives and current wife squabble over how to put Henry in the ground.”

‘The Six Wives of Henry Lefay‘ is scheduled to hit theaters on April 29, 2009.

UPDATE: Thanks to CTU reader Channing H., I have learned about another free test screening for the film from the movie site Wild About Movies. Attendees will be asked to fill out a questionnaire at the end of the movie(s) to help the studio decide which version of the film will be released to the public.

Each fan can have up to 4 passes and here is the info and VIP code you will need to attend:

SCREENING 3
Fine Arts Theatre
8556 Wilshire Blvd.
Beverly Hills, CA 90211
Dec 5, 2008 at 7:30 pm
URL: http://www.gofobo.com/rsvp
Use RSVP Code: VIP8640142

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MAGDALENA

Jenna Dewan is preparing to star as heroine Patience in the 2010 live action film ‘Magdalena‘, which is based on a popular Top Cow comic book.

In the film, Patience discovers that she’s a part of the lineage of female warriors descended from Mary Magdalene who fight supernatural evil. The film also stars Luke Goss who plays Kristof, an agent sent by the secret organization that has been the guardian of the Magdalena lineage.

The entertainment news site Shock Till You Drop recently interviewed ‘Magdalena‘ producer Gale Anne Hurd and here’s what she had to say about Jenna, Luke, and the film that is currently on the hunt for a director…

“She’s terrific. It’s kind of like The DaVinci Code meets Wanted…You’ve got the mythology and a character who isn’t initially aware of her legacy which something I love. Many of my films deal with that. And it’s still has supernatural elements…Luke is going to be great for the role and Jenna has steeped herself in this the same way that Ray [Stevenson] has with Frank Castle…”

Above, fans can also check out the new teaser poster that Top Cow just released for the film. Jenna is really excited about this movie, and even though it’s not supposed to be released until 2010, the ever-important fan boys are already buzzing about it too.

New MTV Interview from the Producer of Jenna Dewan’s ‘Magdalena’

A few months back it was announced that Jenna Dewan was chosen to play the lead character of Patience in the 2010 comic book adaptation ‘Magdalena‘.

A couple of months ago, MTV’s Spash Page released
4 new interviews with Jenna where we learned a lot about the super hero character that the starlet will be playing and below fans will find a new MTV interview from the producer of the film.

Check out the interview to see how Jenna Dewan is going to prepare for her challenging new role as a “strong, no-nonsense cinematic heroine”.

Gale Ann Hurd Talks ‘Magdalena,’ Religious Controversies and Possible ‘Witchblade’ Crossover

We here at MTV are always trying to keep our eyes peeled for the next big thing when it comes to movies — even if it’s based on cultish material that much of the world hasn’t been turned onto yet. Most recently, we’ve been all over “Twilight” for this very reason – and looking to the future, we’re keeping a close eye on projects like “Magdalena.”

Over at Splash Page, we ran a whole week of news about the 2010 film. And when I caught up with super-producer Gale Ann Hurd recently, I wanted to make sure we got the latest.

“We’re in the early script phase at the moment,” explained Hurd, mastermind behind the “Terminator” and “Hulk” franchises. “There should be some [casting announcements] within the next month and a half on this.”

So far, the only actors cast in “Magdalena” are Jenna Dewan (“Step Up”) and Luke Goss (“Hellboy II”), with more on the way. Based on the Top Cow comic, the flick will tell the story of Patience (Dewan), a tough warrior who can trace her lineage back to Mary Magdalene. This being a comic, the character’s path has sometimes crossed with “Witchblade,” but the producer could neither confirm nor deny that the movie would have a similar crossover.

“I can’t speak to that,” she insisted. “That would be something for a Top Cow or Platinum Studio person.”

Hurd was eager, however, to address the rampant rumors that her film would be forced to trim back religious aspects of the comic to appease mainstream audiences. “I don’t think you can separate ‘Magdalena’ completely from the legacy of her descent or the fear of destiny or many things that are connected with her as part of the comic book franchise,” she explained. “But at the same time, it’s not a religious movie in that respect. We’re not going to disregard it, but if you’re familiar [with the comic] it is not a movie that examines religion per se, but it’s a character who comes from a religious tradition.”

Taking things a step further, Hurd compared the film to “The Da Vinci Code” franchise in that religion is present, but mainly in the background to set up story. “That’s a perfect analogy,” she said. “Same thing with ‘The Omen,’ or films like that. It’s a jumping off point. It is not untrue to its background, but that’s not what the story is about.”

Finally, Hurd promised us that Dewan is about to undergo some serious training, so she can continue the producer’s impressive history of giving us strong, no-nonsense cinematic heroines. “Being a dancer, she’s in great shape already, and she’s done quite a lot of action training in the past so I think she’ll pick it up very quickly,” the producer explained. “I’ll tell ya, Jenna is all for it. She is ready to get in there and kick some butt.”

Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan Project Update: ‘Dear John’, ‘Shine On’, ‘Virgin on Bourbon Street’, and More…

Thankfully, our newly engaged couple Chenna is getting to spend some quality time together on their very eventful vacation in Hawaii, because both Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan have a very busy schedule coming up this fall and for the foreseeable future.

In the past week or so, we’ve had a lot of news to come out for both of their upcoming films. In this post, we FINALLY get to learn who will play opposite Channing in his highly-anticipated romantic drama ‘Dear John‘ and when and where it will be filmed.

We also get some new details on Jenna’s romantic comedy ‘Virgin on Bourbon Street‘ and a new trailer for her New York-based indie film ‘Shine On‘. Enjoy!!!

Dear John

Channing’s upcoming romantic drama ‘Dear John‘, where he plays a soldier who falls in love with a conservative college girl who he plans to marry, is based on a book written by author Nicholas Sparks and will most definitely be a tear-jerker. This we know without a doubt.

We also know that Lasse Hallstrom is directing, Jamie Linden has written the script, Sarah Knowles is heading up the production design and that Ryan Kavanaugh, Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey will be producing the New Line Studios film. What we have been dying to learn is who is going to play Chan’s love interest, Savannah. Drum roll please…

The rumors I had been hearing were in fact true, because it’s ‘Mamma Mia!’s Amanda Seyfried!!! I have not seen ‘Mamma Mia!‘ yet, but Jenna and many other people I’ve spoken to about it say it’s a must see. I’ll have to check it out this weekend to see Amanda in action.

From the official announcement in today’s Variety and the South Carolina Film Commission website we learn that filming will start October 13th in Charleston, South Carolina and they will most likely be filming through December 2008.

‘Dear John‘ is set to hit theaters some time in 2009, and as I’ve said time and time again, I honestly can not wait for this one!

Virgin on Bourbon Street

It’s been really hard to find any information on Jenna Dewan’s upcoming movie ‘Virgin on Bourbon Street‘, which is said to be a hilarious, sexy romantic comedy in the vein of ‘40 Year Old Virgin’ meets ‘Superbad’, but I finally found a short synopsis that gives us a little incite on the movie that also stars comedian Rob Schneider.

The movie is about Priscilla White (played by Jenna Dewan) who is a pure and pretty virgin who goes to college on a scholarship from ‘Can’t Hurry Love’, a sexual abstinence before marriage group. Her college roommate Naz is a flashy, filthy, sexually active party girl. Rob Schneider plays Crazy Ed, the sleazy, slimy Chicks Go Crazy producer.

The romantic comedy is set for a 2009 release, and based on what the Michigan Film Office is saying, will be filming in their state this fall.

Shine On

Jenna Dewan’s new indie drama ‘Shine On‘ is the powerful story of Jay (Andrew Cisneros), a young Latino struggling to find his identity in The Bronx in a house crowded with family members and a neighborhood filled with loyal friends and dangerous enemies. A gifted musician, Jay hopes to leave it all and pursue his dream of composing and performing music. Once he meets Alessandra (Jenna Dewan), a beautiful young woman who lives in Manhattan, his determination to defy the expectations of his frustrated, angry father become even stronger.

Yet Jay is tied to his home through loyalty to his friends and to his brother, who has returned unexpectedly from service in the Marines. As he reaches toward a wider world, he is pulled back over and over by the cycles of anger and violence that have defined his life and neighborhood for so long. It takes love, a change of heart and a new understanding of life’s elusive chance at happiness to finally help Jay make the long, uncertain leap to a fresh chance.

Although the production company has not announced an official release date yet, the film just released a trailer for ‘Shine On’ and fans can check it out below:

What’s Next for Channing Tatum and Jenna Dewan?

Channing’s film ‘Battle in Seattle‘ will have its theatrical release in various cities in the US starting on September 19, 2008.

If reports are correct, Jenna Dewan will be in Michigan filming her romantic comedy ‘Virgin on Bourbon Street‘ in Michigan while Channing films his romantic drama ‘Dear John in South Carolina this fall.

Chan’s drama ‘Fighting‘ is supposed to be released in January 2009 and his movie ‘Parkour‘ will start filming early next year. Not to be outdone, Jenna’s supernatural, action film ‘Magdalena‘ continues to develop a script so filming can start some time in 2009 too.

Fans can CLICK HERE to get a complete list of Channing’s past, current, and future films and watch their trailers.

Learn More About Jenna Dewan’s ‘Magdalena’ from MTV’s Splash Page

In a recent CTU post we got to learn a lot about Jenna Dewan’s new movie ‘Magdalena‘, because MTV’s Spash Page is having a week long series on the upcoming comic book-based film.

It’s a huge role for Jenna that she’s extremely excited about. In the previous post, we got a background on Jenna’s heroic character and the film in general, and we learned about her sexy superhero costume.

As promised, in this post you can find the rest of the articles from MTV’s Spash Page where we learn more about the cross-over and sequel potential for the film. It’s exciting, because it looks like Chan isn’t the only one with a possible trilogy in his future!

Fans can read the last two articles in the series and watch Jenna’s video interviews below:

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Thanks to summer flicks like “Iron Man” and “The Incredible Hulk,” comic cross-promotion is all the rage, and it’s not just Marvel Studios who are falling over themselves to take it to the max. But one place you won’t see any comic cameos is in “Magdalena,” the upcoming adaptation starring Jenna Dewan, the actress told MTV News.

“I think that maybe that in this first one it’s gonna be based on Patience and her arc and her story,” Dewan said. “I think if we do a second and a third that’ll definitely be an option. I’ve heard it’s possible.”

Created by Top Cow Comics, Magdalena first appeared in their series “The Darkness.” The company also owns the rights to characters such as “Witchblade,” “Tomb Raider,” “The Angelus,” among others others.

Given all that, it would seem natural to have at least some of those other characters cross-over, especially considering a) “Magdalena” producer Gale Anee Hurd also produced “The Incredible Hulk” and b) there’s a “Witchblade” movie slated for 2009.

But no, says Dewan. In fact, at best, all we might get is a mention.

“You know how when you go see a comic book movie and all the fans will know certain things when we mention somebody. When you say Sara from the ‘Witchblade’, or maybe I say ‘I fought the Darkness one night.’ Something that the fans will know,” Dewan said. “I’m not sure about appearances [though].”

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On Tuesday, we brought you news regarding the basic plot of “Magdalena,” the new comic adaptation starring Jenna Dewan as the titular heroine. On Wednesday, we told you not get your hopes up about an ultra-revealing costume. Yesterday, we explored whether or not the film would have comic cross-overs.

If we spend this much time talking about the first movie, just imagine what we’ll do when it comes time to talk about its sequel.

“They’re going to do more,” Dewan told MTV News of already formulating plans to turn “Magdalena” into a trilogy of films. “We’re working on that now. They intend to do at least a couple of these.”

Interestingly, perhaps, given the certainty with which Dewan talks about possible sequels, no narrative through line has yet been discussed, she indicated, meaning “Magdalena” will almost certainly come to theaters as a stand-alone story without a “Dark Knight” style ambiguous ending.

“Hopefully it’ll end on a note that’s exciting enough – I always like when I see sequels [where] when they introduce characters that cause inner conflict,” Dewan said. “[But] right now I’m so focused on making the first movie great.”

I’m sure we’ll be hearing a lot more about this film as they progress through the production process. Stay tuned to Channing Tatum Unwrapped for the latest news on Jenna Dewan’s new film ‘Magdalena‘.

Jenna Dewan’s New ‘Magdalena’ Interviews from MTV’s Splash Page

One of the things that Channing Tatum’s longtime girlfriend Jenna Dewan and I talked about when I saw her last was how excited she is about her newly announced role of comic book heroin Magdalena.

It’s a dream project for the humble actress who fell in love with the idea of the film quickly and is very hopeful that fans will respond to it well.

To get fans familiar with ‘Magdalena‘ way ahead of time, the film’s production team is doing a lot of pre-promotion, even before the script is done. I was excited to see that MTV’s Spash Page now has a week long series on Jenna’s new film.

Fans can read the first two articles and watch the video interviews below:

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This week is “Magdalena Week” here at Splash Page. Each day we’ll be giving you an exclusive look at “Magdalena,” the upcoming big-budget adaptation of the Top Cow comic book starring Jenna Dewan and Luke Goss. Today, learn about the character and where the film will diverge from its source material.

Before Wonder Woman, or Red Sonja, before She-Ra or She-Hulk, one female comic book super hero is going to make it to the big-screen to kick butt and take names, to thwart evil and kill the wicked.

And she’s gonna do it all in Jesus’s name (Amen).

Well, sort of, laughed recently cast Jenna Dewan, the actress set to fill the giant shoes — and monster lineage — of Patience, the holy warrior protagonist of the upcoming comic flick “Magdalena.”

Wait, who?

Wielder of the mighty Spear of Destiny, the Magdalena refers to any of a number of distant descendents of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene who fight on behalf of the church. Thanks to her bloodline, she possesses preternatural fighting abilities and (quite literally) sacred blood – think “The Da Vinci Code” crossed with “X-Men.”

In the comics, several Magdalenas throughout history are given stories. Conversations between Dewan and producer Gale Anne Hurd, however, have made it clear to the actress that the movie will more or less follow the comic origin of one Magdalena, Patience, the last in the long line of warriors and the current champion of the world.

“They’re going to follow that comic pretty closely,” Dewan said of the planned plotline.

In the comic story, Patience grows up in a nunnery before becoming a homeless runaway on the streets of NYC. When presented with her destiny, she’s initially hesitant, circumspect, rebellious. “She has this streak in her, a free spirit,” Dewan explained. All of which makes her the perfect fit for the film version of Magdalena, the 27-year-old former “Step-Up” star said.

“What’s interesting in the comic is that Patience is the only one that they mention who questions. She doesn’t just instantly go into ‘Oh, the Catholic Church is right and I know what I’m doing.’ She says I’m very strong in what I believe in, I believe people are doing bad things,” Dewan told MTV News. “I want to fight that because I feel like inside of me that’s what I want to do. But she doesn’t attach herself to any symbols or labels or anything like that.”

Avoiding labels is actually a big challenge for the filmmakers, Dewan confessed, given the heavily sacrilegious nature of the character. Solution? While the recently announced movie version of the heroine will certainly honor her heritage, it won’t necessarily focus as much on the religious aspects of the character, Dewan insisted.

“When I started this I said I didn’t want it to be a religious movie - the Catholic Church versus everyone else. I wanted it to be somebody who knows she has something inside bigger [than herself], this spiritual want to help people,” Dewan said. “That’s really what we’re focusing on - fighting the darkness for the light, rather than the Catholic Church and religion. There is that element of it but it’s more about fighting people who are evil in this world.”

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Yesterday, Jenna Dewan gave us the scoop on her upcoming comic book adaptation of “Magdalena,” the story of the butt-kicking last scion of Jesus, put on Earth to fight crime and preserve the innocent.

Maybe you hadn’t heard of “Magdalena” before this. Maybe that caused you to look her up elsewhere. Maybe that caused you to find this. It’s a costume that’ll send a million mouths a’drooling. So is the trashy, vampy, very revealing costume going to make its way to the film? Settle down, boys. The answer, unfortunately, is no.

“I think the goal of this movie – we don’t want to do ‘Catwoman.’ I don’t think I’ll be walking the street in a thong and leather chaps,” Dewan said, laughing. “That’s not gonna happen.”

It’s as if millions of fans cried out in horror, and were suddenly silenced.

But all is not lost, Dewan said. While she won’t be wearing a thong and leather chaps, the costume WILL still be quite sexy, she insisted, telling MTV News that the ultimate version will be some kind of compromise.

“We’ll be making a sort of blend. We want it to be more based in reality, more ‘Matrix’-y. Not necessarily superhero,” Dewan said. “[But] I probably will have a flavor of the comic counterpart. In my personal opinion I like movies that touch on that.”

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Congrats again to Jenna on this awesome new role! This world can definitely use another heroine, and I can’t wait to see her kicking butt and taking names. Stay tuned to Channing Tatum Unwrapped, and I’ll make sure to post the rest of the MTV Splash Page interviews later this week.

NEWS FLASH: New Poster for Jenna Dewan’s ‘The Jerk Theory’ (And TWO New Movie Roles)

They just released the poster for Jenna Dewan’s 2008 romantic comedy ‘The Jerk Theory‘. The movie will be coming out some time later this year, and you can CLICK HERE to watch the trailer.

It’s actually one of FIVE films this hard-working actress has on her dance card this year. Here’s a list of the ones we know so far:

• ‘Love Lies Bleeding‘ (January 2008)
• ‘Fab Five: The Texas Cheerleader Scandal‘ (August 2008)
• ‘Shine On‘ (TBD)
• ‘The Jerk Theory‘ (TBD)
• ‘The Six Wives of Henry Lefay‘ (TBD)

As if that’s not enough, Channing Tatum’s longtime girlfriend was just recently cast in ‘Virgin on Bourbon Street‘ (which is currently scheduled to start filming in August), and the Hollywood Reporter, E! Online, and numerous other entertainment news outlets announced today that Jenna has been cast in two more roles.

‘Magdalena’

Jenna Dewan and Luke Goss are attached to star in ‘Magdalena,’ an adaptation of a comic book featuring an extremely attractive, holy warrior. Gale Anne Hurd’s Valhalla Motion Pictures, Platinum Studios and Top Cow Prods. are producing the project.

Jenna is set to play Patience, a woman who discovers that she’s a part of the lineage of female warriors descended from Mary Magdalene who fight supernatural evil, must accept her destiny in time to save the world from a supernatural evil. Luke is set to play Kristof, an agent sent by the ultra secret organization that has been the guardian of the lineage of Magdalena.

Both Jenna and Luke are scheduled to appear at Top Cow’s panel at the extremely popular comic book convention Comic-Con this Saturday.

‘Assorted Nightmares: The Janitor’

I also read another article today that said Hollywood’s top horror directors are going to change genres for a second to bring original comedy pilots to the XBox 360 this fall. Today Microsoft Corp. announced that a set of original short film pilots will be coming to Xbox LIVE this fall and will be free to all members around the world.

In this unique concept of masters of horror will be taking on the new genre of comedy. XBox 360 owners will be able to see some of the world’s greatest horror directors bring their comedic visions to life. Microsoft is teaming up with Safran Digital Group to produce these exclusive shorts.

Beginning this fall, the short film pilots will be available worldwide on Xbox LIVE from influential horror directors James Wan (”Saw,” “Death Sentence”), David Slade (”30 Days of Night,” “Hard Candy”), James Gunn, Lucky McKee (”May,” “The Woods”), Andrew Douglas (”The Amityville Horror”) and Marcus Nispel (”The Texas Chainsaw Massacre,” “Friday the 13th”) and emerging online talents like John Clisham.

Jenna Dewan will star in a pilot called ‘Assorted Nightmares: The Janitor’, which is helmed by the afore-mentioned online director John Clisham. Here’s what the pilot will be about:

Somewhere in the darkness just beyond “Tales From the Crypt” and a little south of “The Twilight Zone,” is “Assorted Nightmares,” a modern-day horror anthology show. The first episode pays homage to the 1980s horror-slasher genre, as things at school for Jennifer don’t turn out as expected.”

All of the pilots will be free either for download or streaming on Xbox LIVE.

Congrats to Jenna on all of her new roles!!!

Source: Hollywood Reporter, TradingMarkets.com