MovieChat Forums > Kit Harington Discussion > His John F Donovan Role

His John F Donovan Role

posted 8 years ago by The_Imps_Delight
9 replies | jump to latest

I'll make a bold prediction. If Kit isn't nominated for an Oscar in 2018 for it, he will at the very least be very much in the conversation. This film has everything needed for Oscar baity credentials: a wunderkind young director/writer helming his first English language film, a respected cast, a strong message re media irresponsibility, a sympathetic lead character an audience can relate to, and the opportunity to show considerable emotion range. In addition, this movie is about an aspect of "the industry" - that always goes over big.

Xavier Dolan’s The Death and Life of John F. Donovan begins filming

Entertainment One’s Seville International has announced that award-winning actor/writer/director Xavier Dolan’s first English-language film The Death and Life of John F. Donovan has commenced production in Montréal. The feature, which stars Kit Harington, Jessica Chastain, Natalie Portman, Susan Sarandon, Kathy Bates, Ben Schnetzer, Michael Gambon, Bella Thorne, Thandie Newton, Chris Zylka and Emily Hampshire, will also continue production in Prague, the UK and New York.

The Death and Life of John F. Donovan takes place in the early 2000’s and centers on the tribulations of an American TV star in his late twenties (Harington) and his correspondence with Rupert Turner, a young actor-to-be living with his mother in England. Their lives take dramatic turns when the existence of their pen pal relationship is publicly exposed, eliciting the most ill-founded assumptions, and sending Donovan in a vertical downfall. A decade later, the young actor recollects his relationship with his past idol over the course of an interview.

Lyse Lafontaine of Lyla Films (Laurence Anyways) and Xavier Dolan and Nancy Grant of Sons of Manual (Mommy, Tom at the Farm, I Killed My Mother) are producing the film along with executive producer Joe Iacono.

“Xavier has been an inspiring partner and friend, and we are thrilled to be working together again as production begins on his next masterpiece,” said Anick Poirier, Senior Vice President, Sales, Seville International. “Coming off the strong debut and exceptional sales of his last film Juste la fin du monde, we can’t wait to share his English-language debut with the world. With an incredible, internationally acclaimed cast and a story that transcends borders and generations, ‘The Death and Life of John F. Donovan’ is sure to resonate profoundly with audiences everywhere.”

Seville International is handling international sales of the film in all media around the world, with the exception of France where the producers and Seville International jointly sold the rights to Mars Films, and in the US, where the film is being jointly handled by CAA. eOne and Les Films Séville will directly distribute the film throughout Canada and Québec.

http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/706263-xavier-dolans-the-death-and-life-of-john-f-donovan-begins-filming

It won't surprise me at all to see Kit following up his Emmy this year with an Oscar in February 2018. He is going to NAIL this part.

http://i.imgur.com/UTgI7y3.jpg

[–] Rancid_Apocalyptic 8 years ago

One of the better trolls lately.

But post it on MA.

Not on this wasteland.

{crickets}

[–] The_Imps_Delight 8 years ago

It's not a troll; it's a prediction.

And here's another one. Kit is going to get a lot of positive critical reviews for Brimstone. It opesn at the Venice Film Festival and also plays at TIFF. The hype is all KIT.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIYDpDKhZh5/?tagged=brimstone

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIZrEpGhqm1/?tagged=brimstone

What could be better - he plays a gunslinger? His torn up knuckles in this photo indicate he does a Jon-on-Ramsay beatdown on someone.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIaZogWDeRV/

He's got a southern American accent, to boot.

I say Oscar nomination THIS year, best supporting actor.

Next year he can take the big prize.

http://i.imgur.com/UTgI7y3.jpg

[–] Rancid_Apocalyptic 8 years ago

I needed a good laugh today, so thank you.

Brimstone is not going to get Kit Harington an Oscar nomination. It's not going to get Guy Pearce one either. It's in the competition at Venice and showing at TIFF in hopes of finding a distributor. It will be lost among the highly touted films like La La Land, Birth of a Nation, The Light Between Oceans, The Magnificent Seven. It'll get some press, probably more bad than good, maybe make a dist deal, show up next year in a few art house cinemas with a very limited release, make back 1/10th of its tiny budget, and sink like a stone. You'll be lucky if it turns up on Netflix. Could go right to DVD. Or not even.

There is no, repeat NO chance that Kit Harington gets any nomination for a film virtually no one will see. And you're assuming he's any good in it, and that's it written well enough to garner notice. Seeing it billed as the Dutch Unforgiven is a joke. It's probably not even the Dutch The Postman. I haven't seen any hype for Jon Snow. He proved with Pompeii his audience doesn't follow him out of Thrones.

To hit it home for you, these are the actors who got Oscar nominations in Best Supporting Actor category last year.

Mark Rylance – Bridge of Spies as Rudolf Abeldouble
Christian Bale – The Big Short as Michael Burry
Tom Hardy – The Revenant as John Fitzgerald
Mark Ruffalo – Spotlight as Michael Rezendes
Sylvester Stallone – Creed as Rocky Balboa

Do you see what all the actors had in common? A big studio film that people actually saw. And in films that were in the Oscar race. A performance from even a top indie has little chance, even if it's the second coming of Alec Guinness. If Bernicio Del Toro could not get nominated for Sicario, how is Kit Harington going to get nominated for a probably mediocre movie no one will see?

Don't count your chickens over Donovan either. It'll get some attention as Dolan's first English film. Or if he actually is stupid enough to put Adele in it. But it'll be shown at a festival, then go very limited release. If by some weird fluke Harington is actually good in it, very very good, the most he could hope for is what Hardy got out of Locke. An LA Film Critics Association award, because that's what that body does. Recognize good overlooked performances in marginal films that have no chance at Academy Award nominations.

I repeat. He's got NO chance.😀

[–] The_Imps_Delight 8 years ago

ROFL! LEL! LEL! LEL!

http://i.imgur.com/YZVU91b.png

The Magnificent Seven...

What is a production like that even doing at a film festival? Wasn't the idea of film festivals the showcasing of quality films that weren't big budget productions? Brimstone sounds like it fits the bill, The Magnificent Seven, come on.

There is no, repeat NO chance that Kit Harington gets any nomination for a film virtually no one will see.

Who are you to say who is or is not going to see it? You have your finger on the pulse of the movie audience that completely? For all you know, Harvey W might see Brimstone and make it his Oscar contender this year.

Do you see what all the actors had in common? A big studio film that people actually saw.

Please. How big were Room and Brooklyn last year before critical acclaim won them buzz? What about 45 Years? How much money did that make? Yet all three movies had Oscar nominated cast. I'll admit that if a film flat our sucks, a great performance will be neglected. But if it's good enough to get talked about, it doesn't have to be an Oscar nominated film to get a performance attention.

Don't count your chickens over Donovan either.

Let's see. You were whining that Christian Slater didn't get a Emmy nomination. I called Kit while you and your pack of so-called experts didn't even have him in the running for a nomination. As far as I see it, I am the expert here.

I'm giving you the chance to get in on the money now, boy is money, MONEY! Ignore it at your own risk.

Just get used to this, with or without the "supporting". :)

http://i.imgur.com/YZVU91b.png

[–] Rancid_Apocalyptic 8 years ago

Please. How big were Room and Brooklyn last year before critical acclaim won them buzz? What about 45 Years? How much money did that make? Yet all three movies had Oscar nominated cast. I'll admit that if a film flat our sucks, a great performance will be neglected.

You just contradicted yourself. Room and Brooklyn were Best Picture nominees. 45 Years had a 97 on RT and a 94 Metacritic score. Here are the RT scores on the nominated films.

https://editorial.rottentomatoes.com/guide/oscars-best-picture-nominees-ranked-by-tomatometer/

But if it's good enough to get talked about, it doesn't have to be an Oscar
nominated film to get a performance attention.

A good performance in a lousy film will get attention. For about a day. Go back to Hardy since you're a fan. Did you think his dual role performance in Legend was terrific? It was. But the film itself was flawed, so Hardy never got serious Oscar buzz after the film opened at TIFF. Johnny Depp put in his best performance in years, a really transformative one in Black Mass. But the so-so consensus on the movie itself robbed him of a nomination.

I'm not saying it's *right*, but more and more, a performance in a film that is not in the Oscar discussion has no chance. I have heard nothing to indicate The Death and Life of John F Donovan will be anything special. I did hear Nicholas Hoult just pulled out and was replaced by Ben Schnetzer.

You were whining that Christian Slater didn't get a Emmy nomination

And he should have. He was better than Harington, who is going to win off the Thrones juggernaut. After Thrones ends, what do you think this guy's career will look like? Leo Dicaps?

[–] The_Imps_Delight 8 years ago

After Thrones ends, what do you think this guy's career will look like? Leo Dicaps?

I doubt any actor's career will ever look like Leo's again. He's the last "sure-fire" bankable star, isn't he? The only one whose name not only gets projects green-lit, but guarantees box office. He's smart, knows what projects he wants in on, and seems to be totally "director driven". Altho I think it would be nice if he worked now and again with a director who wasn't already established, why should he? He can write his own ticket like none other.

What do I think "this guy's" career will look like after GoT? Like it does now, only better. I love the British actor tradition of the stage-tv-film continuum devoid of any Hollywood chest-beating and LA pretension. Hate the way the US industry forces "actor" du jour down our throats (Taylor Kitsch? sp?), only to discard them when the inevitable limitations become clear. This is why well trained Brit actors are in such demand - you don't have to teach them OTJ, like the guys pulled off the catwalk, who never heard of repertory OR acting class. There's a lot of griping about American actors being overlooked (and I really get a hoot over Kit playing an American movie star in Dolan's film, chuckle, chuckle) for UK/Ireland/European. Maybe they should start trying to up their game and not expecting immediate fame. Social media whores.

I think Kit has all the right ingredients for long term career success. An obvious commitment to acting as an art, respect for its history, a well publicized humility, and theatrical, as opposed to celebrity instincts. I'll take that over some "movie star" any day.

Love the kind of focus I keep finding in things like these:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j5Vxo4Fbz0U

Been following the constant stream of Donovan set pics - it looks fantastic.

[–] Rancid_Apocalyptic 8 years ago

There's a lot of griping about American actors being overlooked (and I really get a hoot over Kit playing an American movie star in Dolan's film, chuckle, chuckle) for UK/Ireland/European. Maybe they should start trying to up their game and not expecting immediate fame. Social media whores.

I knew the role was playing an actor. I did not know it was playing an American movie star.That does seem to add the proverbial insult to injury.

Do me a favor. Relocate to the Movie Awards forum. There are a vocal few self-named *actors" decrying this very thing. Their claim is the non-existent relative pay scales. The UK actors are *cheaper*. Never any proof of it. I could use some help slapping them down.

Your link.

You're right. He should stick to England. How does that Olivier stuff compare to TMZ?

pedule morghulis All socks must die

[–] cringefridge 8 years ago

So excited for this role! I'm glad I finally found a KH fan thats as excited as me for his actual work and not about sexualizing him and writing fanfics about him lol The_Imps_Delight

What are your thoughts on Brimstone and JFD? At first I was only excited about JFD because I'm a HUGE fan of Xavier Dolan but after hearing more about Brimstone I'm not sure anymore.
I mean its been picked up by both the Venice film festival and TIFF which are both huge. And the director has apparently been working on this move for YEARS so I expect big things. Plus its the 2nd most expensive Dutch film ever.

But with JFD Xavier is planning on doing an extensive Oscar campaign that I'm sure Kit will partake in after he's done filming and doing promo for GoT S7. This will be great for him to get out there and meet with the big names in the industry. But I'm starting to get a bit worried because Xavier is doing something new with this one. I mean its his first english film and he's working with very big names. And he's confirmed that the movie will be unlike anything he's ever done before. But I just feel that you shouldn't fix what isn't broken you know? Why change his style that got him famous and well respected in the first place?

But anyways I'm excited it'll be premiered at Cannes next year so Kit will be at Cannes again. And then he'll probably be going again in 2018 for How to Train Your Dragon 3.

There've been numerous sites predicting how the careers of the GoT actors will go after Thrones and most always say that his career will mirror Colin Firth - who is another one of my all time faves!