These are photos of Robert Pattinson promoting Bel Ami in Berlin, and the pictures are from February, but his hair fits the military theme of this story, so I’m using them for that purpose. Apparently (and this is good news), Robert Pattinson is actually poised to explode throughout Hollywood outside of his usual Twilight context, which is kind of funny considering how everyone had pegged Taylor Lautner as the standout from the leading trio that includes Kristen Stewart as well. Remember how Taylor was supposed to be the next big action hero? Poor kid — that possibility has all but fizzed out after Abduction further revealed his wooden acting skills and only grossed $28 million domestically. Now Sparkles is the official up-and-coming star from the Twilight trio; this could partially be the result of David Cronenberg placing so much faith in him (also, the awesome trailer) for Cosmopolis. However, is the Sparkler the right actor to play the U.S. soldier who captured Saddam Hussein? Hollywood believes so:
Robert Pattinson is getting ready to play a real American hero.
The British Twilight Saga star, 25, has been cast as Eric Maddox, the military interrogator who lead the 2003 capture of Saddam Hussein, in the film Mission: Blacklist, filmmakers confirmed in a Wednesday press release.
“This movie is a gripping, edge of your seat thriller,” producer Ross M. Dinerstein said in a statement. To be directed by Jean-Stephane Sauvaire, and with a screenplay by Band of Brothers‘ Eric Jendresen, the flick is based on the book Mission: Black List #1, written by Maddox himself with Davin Seay. “I have been inspired by Robert and Jean-Stephane’s dedication to tell this story in the most authentic way possible,” Dinerstein added.
Before shooting gets underway for Misson: Blacklist, Pattinson has another prestigious flick to promote next month at the Cannes Films Festival: trippy thriller Cosmopolis, directed by David Cronenberg and based on Don Delillo’s novel. Pattinson’s Twilight costar and real-life love Kristen Stewart will also bet at the storied film fest to tout her new movie, On the Road.
[From Us Magazine]
Even though I consider myself to be a pretty huge Sparkles supporter outside of his Edward Cullen role, I’ve got mixed feelings on this one. Can he actually pull off the role and the accent needed to play such a tough as nails, military character? Clearly, he is capable of pulling off a flawed antihero, but would be be believable as a straight-up and (presumably) unconflicted U.S. military hero? I’m not so sure.
Photos courtesy of Fame/Flynet
NO….
and a HELL, NO!!! just to make the point.
I was going to reply with the same one word answer… No!!!
agreed, not even close.. he’d have to bulk up, WAY UP and for him-I’m not sure that’s possible..
He isn’t playing a soldier with a gun, he is playing an office type – interregator. Go to missionblacklist.com, see pictures of the actual guy – he is not a bulked up marine. It’s mental intensity needed, not physical for this role.
Robbie doesn’t have mental intensity. Mainly he just looks dead behind the eyes most of the time.
I disagree with you Bobby. Let’s see how his performance in Cosmopolis is received at Cannes, it’s a big test for him there.
He goes by Sergeant Eric Maddox, so it stands to reason that yeah,Rob would have to be bulkier than what he is now. And this is HW we’re talking about, they take liberties with all stories so I bet that by the time the story makes it to film he will be carrying a gun, which is not far fetched considering the Sergeant was qualified to carry said gun.. I have nothing against Rob, I’ve seen most of his films-but do I think he can pull this off? No, not even close..
He plays an interrogator with 8 WEEKS of training, meaning fairly inexperienced guy, whose initial intention was to spend there 2 days (he stayed for 4 months instead.) Being very inexperienced, Maddox is very analytical and is not afraid to change the rules of the game( especially since the game was absolutely new and rules seemed to have been unchanged since WWII.) Anyway, say what your wish about pattinson, but there is no doubt that he is a clever bloke. So, he might pull it off.
Actually, now that I think of it, Maddox was a very experienced interrogator by the time he arrived in Iraq (I honestly pretty much missed the bio chapter in his book.) But he was not experienced in dealing with insurgents. It does not change my point about Pattinson but I did not want to leave b/s here.
If he was cast as GI JOE, I’d agree. But he’s playing a suit in the military. So that’s not that big of a deal. He just needs to look less soft and like a dude who previously been in active military.
Well he is getting out of his comfort zone, and that is what good actors are always looking for, a challenge.
Don’t know if it’ll work, I’ll reserve judgement after I’ve had the chance to watch Cosmopolis. Which looks really bad ass, and quite un-Sparkly.
No. Just….no. NO NO NO NO NO NO. I object. Make it stooooooop. Stop trying to push SparklePattz on the poor unsuspecting public, Hollywood.
I am a big fan of real-lifeish military dramas (i.e. Band of Brothers, Generation Kill, Blackhawk Down) and I will legitimately show up with a sign of protest if this thing ever opens near me.
Such passion…
If you can handle josh hartnett playing solidier, Rob doing some interrogations is hardly that much more of a stretch. Josh is a pretty boy with questionable acting skills and a lack of facial emotion.
That’s a firm no.
Boy cannot act.
Amen to that! His best performance is as himself in press interviews. Unlike most people, I believe that the roles he has chosen to prove he is more than a sparkler are quite boring and unbelievable. I could only stand 15 minutes of Water For Elephants (And I think Reese’s best role was in Legally Blonde). I will not be seeing Bel Ami or Cosmopolis (or as my friend says “Bel Cosmopolis”) because they are essentially the SAME movie set in different time periods (deception, violence, nudity and sex). We may criticize Kristen Stewart but at least she makes an effort by choosing diverse roles, even though she’s not spectacular in them. Let the hate begin.
What?? Bel Ami and Cosmopolis are not even close to the same movie. Or, the same book. They’re almost polar opposites. One is about a not so bright guy who rises to the top due to his charm and looks. The other is about a brilliant guy who is socially isolated and has a hard time connecting to others, descends into madness more or less, and loses everything. I’m very interested in seeing Cosmopolis, especially due to the Cronenberg factor. Bel Ami looks like your basic period piece, Cosmopolis certainly does not.
I’m not sure if Pattinson can pull it off either, but I’ll give him kudos for trying to shake the Twilight vampire sparkle off him.
Jesus no!!! that “nothing”´s face is creepy
As an actor it’s good to breakout…do different roles and…I think that… maybe, he could … REALLY???
No, nope, NO! Boyfriend gotta start taking his ass to the gym!!! Drinking some protein shakes! Working on his accent.
I can’t believe people find this man hoy/attractive….. he looks like a drunk muppet who used to be a boxer.
And there is just NOTHING behind his eyes and gaping mouth… ugh.
I don’t find him hoy either. Moderately attractive, yes. Hoy? Not so much. :p
That’s an absolutely NOT. He can’t act his way out of a paper bag. And the new clip that was released from Cosmopolis today agrees with me. He’s awful.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/watch-robert-pattinson-needs-the-meaning-of-the-enflamed-in-the-first-clip-from-cosmopolis-20120503
Did you read the book? The scene plays out just like the book. His character is supposed to be cold, detached. The dialogue is weird, but its the way DeLillo writes. Movie will be bizarre (book was) and very Cronenberg-ish. The actors looked fine to me so far based on the book. It’s a definite wait and see, one scene can’t be judged in isolation in a story this strange.
So I guess when he was this blank and wooden in Remember Me and Water for Elephants he was just preparing himself for this role? Because I see no difference.
Sorry but he looks like this in EVERY freaking movie. He looked blank and wooden in Twilight and his fans said that this is not his fault because this is the way Edward was written. Now his fans say that in Cosmopolis he is blank and wooden because this is the character.
No. This is because he is not an actor. Just like Jennifer Aniston he plays the same character in every movie. It’s always the same blank, wooden, empty, sad and boring to death person. And those clips show that again. It was fast cut trailer fro Cosmopolis. And then you look in slow clips and it’s beyond boring again.
I wish he would try to act differently. But he has thin unique thing about him. He is UNCOMFORTABLE to watch when he is on screen. Just like Kristen Stewart.
wow. There was no sincerity in his words at all in that clip. absolutely none. It’s as if he had the script on the counter top and was reading from it everytime he looked down.
shy – he is very un-even in his performances. he always has both some good scenes (as much as material allows it) and, those that are really uncomfortable to watch. he is understated in Cosmopolis, I like it because I think he has a tendency to overact.
I think he tends to overact and overemote too, so yeah, the more restrained he is, the better it is.
Wow, Shy, everything you said was SPOT ON. You absolutely nailed it.
Give the kid a chance, for crying out loud. This is what young actors do, they try to take on different roles and develop thier skills. When George Clooney was 25 he was on Facts of Life, and was nowhere near the big screen. Nobody was calling him a great actor, but he developed over time. Same with Brad Pitt, who was on things like Growing Pains at that age. So let’s wait and see, shall we? Let the movies get into the theaters and judge them then.
He’s had plenty of chances. I’ve seen his non twilight movies like How to Be and Water for Elephants (edit forgot to add Remember Me because it was so unmemorable HAH) and he SUCKS
Yeah, I’m not sure how many performances an actor has to give before people just give up. He’s had like 3 or 4 chances and he’s still awful. No growth. Now he’s just tired and needs to go away.
This military interrogator thing is just hilarious though. I mean, COME ON.
ROTFLMAO them delicate girly hands holding guns?!? No and No and F- No
I like him and I want him to do well. (whoa, did I just say something nice?)
Pattinson still needs to prove to most that he can act, but seems like he’s proven that he can make smart choices.
Can you imagine all the scripts that get sent his way (rom-coms, Nicolas Sparksesque-romance, dramas etc. – a project can get green lit just by his attachment)? And to emerge with a Cronnenberg crazy-ass film and then this role… well, he’s not doing it for the money or commercial success at this point. That is at least is commendable and smart.
Truth is, that if Pattinson wants to have a longer career he really needs to shake the “romance” idol thing and appeal to men. These choices seem like steps down that path. Can he pull it off? Not sure, but I will enjoy watching him try (and hopefully succeed).
I am thinking the same thing about the accent. I am having serious doubts based on what is apparently his split concentration between correct lines, good interpretation, and proper accent. He doesn’t seem to be able to pull them all together to pull off “good acting.”
I don’t think that he has been given an opportunity yet that would give the public the ability to accurately judge his skills. I think we will just have to wait and see.
people read the damn thing, he is not going to be playing a Marine/tough as nails soldier (like Zac E) he is going to be the interogator, he’ll be fine, and he’ll continue to do challenging roles, let him be
F-k no.
And he’s ugly as hell. Who finds this attractive? Just look at that muppet face. Good luck Sparkles, good luck.
What the hell does looks have to do with playing an army interrogator?
How can it be an edge-of-your-seat thriller if the outcome is known from the get go?
First of all, it’s not a soldier, who caught Saddam. It’s an interrogator (sp?), a military intelligence specialist, who assisted 8 elite army soldiers for 4 months (instead of 2 days as it was originally planned.) It was those elite marines, who did indeed arrested Saddam as a result of information received by interrogator. There is a video presentation made by real Eric Maddox on youtube. He wears glasses, he is self-deprecating, he is analytical and questions everything, so call me crazy but I think that Pattinson can pull it off.
After watching his presentation though, I can’t understand how it is possible to make a 2 hr movie out of it because it took Maddox no more than 7 minutes to explain how it was done, how it was different from other approaches, used by other interrogators (without giving anything away, he changed the underlying message (benefits vs guilt) and looked at lower range people such as drivers and bodyguards vs party officials. Watch it, it’s really interesting.) Anyway, I’m afraid we are facing a lot of dialogues and Pattinson’s pouts # 27. Oh and Maddox is from Oklahoma originally and has a very distinct accent, completely different from Pattinson’s regular version. Oh the acting pressure!
My husband entered the military, and has spent 15 years as an MI Officer. He, as well as most in the MI field I know and have met over the past 14 years, are buff. Regardless of your field in the military, you have PT/fitness tests you have to pass, routinely. I wish people would stop dismissing MI guys as pansies. They most definitely are not!
Sorry milwife, I definitely did not mean my post to come across as if I’m condescending towards MI (if anything I admire them.) What I was trying to say is that the main focus of the story is on analytical/communicative skills of the main hero rather than on his physical condition. The actor in question is young, smart and seems like an interesting person, so I think that he can keep the story interesting.
Hell to the no. He’d be about as believable in that role as a three-dollar bill.
No, especially since I’ve followed stories on Celebitchy that nicknamed him Sparkles!
I think he can do anything he sets his mind to. Don’t hate him just because. Wait for the movie to come out to decide.
I think he can pull it off if he works on his accent, it could be a little distracting
Craptastic casting.
Rob is really great at accents. I’m guessing with all the negativity in this post that the haters are upset that Rob’s career is still going well. He’s a really good actor, directors and co-workers love him, he’s a classy guy that’s good at promotion, he’s not a famewhore and he’s serious about what he’s doing. Haters need to deal and let go.
As for the role, one of the great things about Rob is that he knows he’s acting. Other actors seem to think they should just play themselves but Rob likes to branch out and do things different from himself. Roles that are interesting and engaging. If they fail, such is life. At least they would have failed on his terms. He wasn’t failing while trying to make a quick buck on something that doesn’t really interest him.
he is an awful actor. I’ve seen him in stuff outside Twilight and he just has no screen presence. He often looks like he wants to vomit or something. Kristen Stewart is kind of similar.. they both just look so uncomfortable onscreen for some weird reason.
I know people like to compare him to Leo D, Brad Pitt, and all those other former “heartthrobs” but those guys had charisma. Pattinson is quite likeable in real life but for some weird reason, he can’t seem to translate that to the big screen.
It’s pretty obvious that no one here has read the book. I have. Pattinson wouldn’t be my first choice for the role, but he could work.
And since when are all Army guys big muscle bound guys? Take a walk down an army base sometime. Sure you’ll see that, but you see plenty of fit, skinny guys as well.
WORD. That’s my main problem with the criticisms. People are confusing GI JOE action figures with actual military dudes.
Agree with you both. http://www.missionblacklist.com/
I think RP could do it.
I read the book.
It’s not about big muscles, it’s about having presence on screen and being able to project a sense of authority, toughness and confidence. Pattinson is a wet noodle who almost looks FRIGHTENED on screen. Always uncomfortable, no air of confidence, almost looks scared when acting (I don’t know why but that’s the air he projects). And he can’t seem to drop those tics and become someone else (the character) because he’s not a good actor.
I think this role is a big change from the previous role that he usually play,the social climbing manwhore in Bel Ami,the spoiled brat whore who can’t get no satisfaction in Cosmopolis,i think i had enough of those role for him.This is the role i want to see him play,Rob doesn’t have a girly voice when he shout in Remember Me and Twilight, so he might actually pull this off,i’ll wait and see.
wow. with that haircut he looks completely different.
Those girly hands in the military? Yuck.
WOW, I cannot believe all the hate here towards Pattinson…The fact is the guy is a star and has huge drawing power.His fan base is huge and I for one and glad he is branching out to more adult roles…Give the guy a chance,,,,and I think he can act and I for one will see his movies….
NOT!
He’s way too girly looking, and the media will just focus on the stupid robsten relationship mystery instead of the film. It will be all about Pattinson the actor instead of Eric Maddox. So many better actors could have been chosen who didn’t bring all the baggage.