Paul Bettany

Paul Bettany

Paul Bettany Quick Links

News Pictures Video Film Footage Quotes RSS

Paul Bettany Drops Out Of Talks To Play Prince Philip In Third Series Of 'The Crown'


Paul Bettany

The search to find a replacement for Matt Smith’s portrayal of Prince Philip for the third series of ‘The Crown’ continues, with the news that Paul Bettany has pulled out of negotiations to take on the part.

46 year old Bettany had previously been tipped to star opposite Claire Foy’s replacement Olivia Colman in series three of the Netflix favourite, which tells the story of Queen Elizabeth II’s reign. According to a report in Vanity Fair on Friday (January 26th), he has now dropped out of talks to play the part after being unable to commit to filming because of his busy schedule.

The ambitious and lengthy schedule to film ‘The Crown’ will take eight months of time in the UK – but Bettany is tied up with roles in the Marvel cinematic universe and a part in the Han Solo spin-off Star Wars film. He is next set to appear in Avengers: Infinity War.

Continue reading: Paul Bettany Drops Out Of Talks To Play Prince Philip In Third Series Of 'The Crown'

The Avengers Must Unite For Their Biggest Battle Yet In 'Avengers: Infinity War'


Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe prepares to come to a climax as ‘The Avengers’ unite with ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy’ to stop the evil Thanos. Directed by The Russo Brothers, ‘Avengers: Infinity War’ hits cinemas this spring.

After the events of ‘Captain America: Civil War’, ‘Infinity War’ sees The Avengers left broken and divided. Some of them even look different, with Captain America (Chris Evans) sporting a beard and the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) with newly blonde hair.

The Avengers face their biggest threat year in ‘Infinity War’

Continue: The Avengers Must Unite For Their Biggest Battle Yet In 'Avengers: Infinity War'

Paul Bettany posing alone and with and Jennifer Connelly at a Special Screening of Lionsgate's new movie 'American Pastoral' - held at Samuel Goldwyn Theater, Beverly Hills, California, United States - Friday 14th October 2016

Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly
Paul Bettany
Paul Bettany
Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly
Paul Bettany and Jennifer Connelly

Paul Bettany - 'Captain America: Civil War' film premiere, London, Britain - London, United Kingdom - Tuesday 26th April 2016

Paul Bettany

Shelter Review

Very Good

Paul Bettany makes a strong impression with his first film as a writer-director, exploring the big issue of homelessness from a variety of pointed angles. He also casts his wife Jennifer Connelly and his Avengers costar Anthony Mackie in demanding roles. The resulting film sometimes feels a little overworked dramatically, and relentlessly grim, but it's also provocative and moving.

It's set on the streets of New York, where Nigerian musician Tahir (Mackie) is living, having overstayed his US visa. Then he runs into junkie Hannah (Connelly), and the two have an immediate spark of camaraderie that blossoms into a tender relationship. But Tahir is trying to be a good Muslim, while Hannah is indulging in opportunistic crime to fund her habit. A brief respite squatting in an empty luxury home gets them off the streets briefly, so he can help her through withdrawal. And later when he's ill, she nurses him back to health. But finding somewhere to feel safe as winter bites down isn't easy. And desperation drives them to extraordinary actions.

The film is shot in an earthy, offhanded style that feels improvised, allowing Tahir and Hannah to emerge as complex people with a variety of talents and flaws. As they chat, details from their back-stories emerge, sparking anger and wrenching emotion, and drawing them inexorably together. Both Connelly and Mackie give performances that are full of passion. These are intelligent people who have been beaten down by life and don't have a clue where to turn next. So their sojourn in the empty house offers a glimpse into what kind of private life they would make if they had a chance, including borrowing some clean clothes from the vacationing owners ("I look like a zombie Goldilocks," Hannah observes).

Continue reading: Shelter Review

Paul Bettany Pushed Jennifer Connelly Into Dark Places With Shelter


Paul Bettany Jennifer Connelly

For Shelter, his first film as a writer-director, Paul Bettany cast his wife Jennifer Connelly in the demanding leading role of a homeless junkie. And he let her get on with it. "Mostly I think character preparation is the actors' job," he says. "And I don't like it when a director tells me how to go about it, just as I don't tell a director where to put the camera or what lenses to shoot with. If I'm struggling as an actor I'll ask a question, but mostly I like to prepare quietly and do what I need to do to be ready."

Jennifer Connelly in ShelterConnelly's role in Shelter was particularly demanding

To prepare for their roles, Connelly and costar Anthony Mackie spent time on the streets meeting transients and talking to experts. "Jennifer became a card carrying member of New York's needle-exchange programme," Bettany says. "She would often leave me at home with the kids and off she would go to meetings or to hang out at night in parks. She also spent months gradually losing weight until she got to a pretty frightening place."

Continue reading: Paul Bettany Pushed Jennifer Connelly Into Dark Places With Shelter

Legend Review

Good

Written and directed with a rakish swagger, and featuring two full-on performances from Tom Hardy, this true London gangster drama is hugely entertaining, even if it feels undercooked. Aside from that generic title, the film basically has no plot at all, and it strips real-life people of their complexity. It's as if the filmmakers were afraid to challenge the audience in any way. But the edgy mix of comedy and violence is riveting.

The events recounted took place over about two years in the early 1960s, although the film's anecdotal structure makes it feel more like a decade. As it begins, the fearsome young Kray brothers (both played by Tom Hardy) are consolidating their gangland grip on East London and expanding around the city, with their next target being South London boss Charlie Richardson (Paul Bettany). Reggie Kray is the tough-minded businessman, while identical twin Ronnie is a terrifying thug who happens to be openly gay at a time when being so was illegal. As they blatantly manipulate the rule of law, a Scotland Yard inspector (Christopher Ecclestone) is desperately looking for a way to take them down. Meanwhile, Reggie is romancing the 16-year-old Frances (Emily Browning), much to the annoyance of her imperious mother (Tara Fitzgerald).

The tumultuous relationship between Reggie and Frances is the only thing that adds a sense of narrative momentum to the film. Otherwise, it's a series of set-pieces that take a darkly humorous approach to family clashes and criminal violence. Writer-director Brian Helgeland infuses even the grisliest brutality with an amusing smirk, which makes the movie much more engaging than expected. And Hardy storms through the film with real charisma in both roles, as the steely, magnetic Reggie and the more unstable, fearsome Ronnie. Both performances are scene-stealing, nicely conveying how these men managed to hold the entire city in their grip, even though they were only in their early 30s at the time.

Continue reading: Legend Review

'Captain America: Civil War': Marvel Announces Cast & Plot Synopsis


Chris Evans Scarlett Johansson Jeremy Renner William Hurt Sebastian Stan Anthony Mackie Emily Vancamp Don Cheadle Paul Bettany Elizabeth Olsen Daniel Bruhl Martin Freeman Chadwick Boseman Avengers Paul Rudd

Marvel has announced the cast of Captain America: Civil War and it looks like pretty much everyone from the Avengers world will return alongside Chris Evans as Steve Rogers. The news was announced by Marvel on Thursday (7th May).

The AvengersChris Evans' Captain America will lead the Avengers team in the upcoming Captain America: Civil War.

Read More: Martin Freeman Joins Cast Of Marvel's Captain America: Civil War.

Continue reading: 'Captain America: Civil War': Marvel Announces Cast & Plot Synopsis

Avengers: Age Of Ultron Review


Good

Marvel fans will love the action mayhem in this Avengers sequel, but everyone else will vividly feel the fatigue that has descended over this franchise. After the bright spark of originality in last summer's Guardians of the Galaxy, we're back to the same tired formula involving terrific actors battling for screen time in between gratuitous, brutal action sequences that are so digitally animated that they're technically cartoons.

The film opens in the middle of the action as Captain America (Chris Evans) leads Iron Man, Thor, Hulk, Black Widow and Hawkeye (Robert Downey Jr., Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Scarlett Johansson and Jeremy Renner) to recapture an Asgardian sceptre. Tony then discovers that the sceptre could be useful for Ultron, his artificial intelligence project to create a global peacekeeping force. But this goes badly wrong as Ultron (James Spader) springs to life and decides instead to obliterate humanity to make space for his population of smart machines. So the team races from America to Africa, Korea and Eastern Europe, facing off against Ultron and his super-powered twin cohorts Pietro and Wanda (Aaron Taylor-Johnson and Elizabeth Olsen), who of course defect to the Avengers. They also get help from a human-computer entity called The Vision (Paul Bettany).

Yes, there are a lot of characters in this film, and writer-director Joss Whedon is exceptionally good at giving each of them something to do, both dramatically and in the thick of the action. These brief moments of humour and emotional depth are what make the movie enjoyable, giving the solid actors some meaty material to play with.

Continue reading: Avengers: Age Of Ultron Review

The Vision Actor Paul Bettany Claims 'The Avengers: Age Of Ultron' Is "Biggest Thing Marvel Has Ever Done"


Paul Bettany Robert Downey Jr Chris Hemsworth Samuel L Jackson Chris Evans Scarlett Johansson The Avengers

Paul Bettany was shocked with the size and scale of The Avengers: Age of Ultron set. The 43-year-old actor has previously had a role in The Avengers Assemble and the Iron Man trilogy as the voice of Iron Man's computer JARVIS but he plays the villain, The Vision, in the upcoming Avengers film. 

Paul Bettany
Paul Bettany stars as The Vision in The Avengers: The Age of Ultron.

Read More: Paul Bettany Cast As Vision: What Does It Mean For Avengers: Age of Ultron?

Continue reading: The Vision Actor Paul Bettany Claims 'The Avengers: Age Of Ultron' Is "Biggest Thing Marvel Has Ever Done"

Mortdecai Review


Bad

Despite a superior cast and terrific-looking production values, this mystery romp is a misfire on every level. The only vaguely entertaining moments come in some snappy wordplay that's presumably all that remains of Kyril Bonfiglioli's beloved novel Don't Point That Thing at Me. Otherwise, the film feels clumsy and outdated, and even Johnny Depp's quirky schtick seems halfhearted. So even though it looks great and elicits a few giggles, it's such a mess that it's hard to imagine why anyone got involved.

Depp plays Lord Charlie Mortdecai, an art expert whose immaculately kept manor house is at risk of foreclosure due to unpaid taxes. So he leaps at the finder's fee when his old pal MI5 Inspector Martland (Ewan McGregor) asks him to investigate a murder linked to a missing Goya painting. The problem is that Martland still holds a torch for Charlie's wife Joanna (Gwyneth Paltrow), a brainy bombshell who launches her own investigation into the case. With his trusty manservant Jock (Paul Bettany) by his side, Charlie is taken to Moscow and Los Angeles in search of the Goya. And it all boils over in a chaotic encounter with a smirking art collector (Jeff Goldblum), his man-crazy daughter (Olivia Munn) and a sneaky killer (Jonny Pasvolsky).

Despite quite a lot of adult-aimed innuendo and violence, director David Koepp (Premium Rush) shoots the movie as if it's a hyperactive kiddie flick, all bright colours and shameless over-acting, with whooshing digitally animated transitions and a series of awkwardly staged car chases. None of this is remotely amusing. Even the constant double entendres are painfully overplayed, while the cartoonish Received Pronunciation accents put on by Depp, Paltrow and McGregor are more distracting than humorous. All of this leaves the characters impossible to engage with on any level; they aren't funny, endearing or even interesting.

Continue reading: Mortdecai Review

Avengers: Age Of Ultron Trailer


They've fought private military corporations, Nazi splinter-groups and a Norse god. Now, The Avengers assemble once again to celebrate their success. But when a new project from Tony Stark (Robert Downey Jr.) reveals itself to be sentient and ready to bring the world to its knees, The Avengers are ready to fight amongst themselves while the threat of Ultron (James Spader) grows his strength, and gains allegiance from Quicksilver (Aaron Taylor-Johnson) and the Scarlet Witch (Elizabeth Olsen). Meanwhile, Stark is seeing hostility from Thor (Chris Hemsworth) and The Incredible Hulk (Mark Ruffalo) while Captain America (Chris Evans) desperately tries to bring the team back together to stop the Age of Ultron.

Continue: Avengers: Age Of Ultron Trailer

Paul Bettany and Berlin Friday 11th February 2011 61st Berlin International Film Festival (Berlinale) - 'Margin Call' photocall at Grand Hyatt hotel Berlin, Germany

Paul Bettany and Berlin

Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany Tuesday 12th May 2009 Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany pick up their children, Kai and Stellan, from school New York City, USA

Jennifer Connelly and Paul Bettany
Paul Bettany

Paul Bettany Quick Links

News Pictures Video Film Footage Quotes RSS

Paul Bettany

Date of birth

27th May, 1971

Occupation

Actor

Sex

Male

Height

1.90




Advertisement
Advertisement

Paul Bettany Movies

The Avengers Must Unite For Their Biggest Battle Yet In 'Avengers: Infinity War'  Trailer

The Avengers Must Unite For Their Biggest Battle Yet In 'Avengers: Infinity War' Trailer

Phase Three of the Marvel Cinematic Universe prepares to come to a climax as ‘The...

Captain America: Civil War Movie Review

Captain America: Civil War Movie Review

After the formulaic thrills of The Winter Soldier and Age of Ultron, Marvel's Avengers were...

Captain America: Civil War Trailer

Captain America: Civil War Trailer

The Avengers are suffering from an image crisis. As much good that they do and...

Captain America: Civil War - First Look Trailer

Captain America: Civil War - First Look Trailer

As the world of Marvel super heroes become ever more entwined, Captain America: Civil War...

Shelter Movie Review

Shelter Movie Review

Paul Bettany makes a strong impression with his first film as a writer-director, exploring the...

Legend Movie Review

Legend Movie Review

Written and directed with a rakish swagger, and featuring two full-on performances from Tom Hardy,...

Avengers: Age of Ultron Movie Review

Avengers: Age of Ultron Movie Review

Marvel fans will love the action mayhem in this Avengers sequel, but everyone else will...

Advertisement
Mortdecai Movie Review

Mortdecai Movie Review

Despite a superior cast and terrific-looking production values, this mystery romp is a misfire on...

Avengers: Age Of Ultron Trailer

Avengers: Age Of Ultron Trailer

They've fought private military corporations, Nazi splinter-groups and a Norse god. Now, The Avengers assemble...

Mortdecai Trailer

Mortdecai Trailer

When a priceless painting is stolen with the presumable intention of being sold to fund...

Avengers: Age Of Ultron Trailer

Avengers: Age Of Ultron Trailer

The Avengers may be feeling like they are capable of anything after saving New York...

Avengers: Age Of Ultron Trailer

Avengers: Age Of Ultron Trailer

A lot has happened since the Battle of New York. The world was attacked by...

Mortdecai Trailer

Mortdecai Trailer

Charlie Mortdecai may be rude, arrogant and distinctly unlikeable, but he's also a terribly rich...

Transcendence Movie Review

Transcendence Movie Review

Far too slow-paced to work as a thriller and too shallow to properly challenge us...

Advertisement
Artists
Actors
    Filmmakers
      Artists
      Bands
        Musicians
          Artists
          Celebrities
             
              Artists
              Interviews