Has 'The Huntsman' made Jessica Chastain the Queen of Comic-Con 2015?

Posted by · 2:34 pm · February 24th, 2015

http://players.brightcove.net/4838167533001/BkZprOmV_default/index.html?videoId=4910541403001

Is there any actress who appears as though she's having the time of her life than Jessica Chastain?  The two-time Academy Award nominee has joined Amy Adams as the next great American actress ready to be coronated for her body of work, but clearly isn't relegating herself to prestige fare.  Today, Deadline reported that Chastain is joining Chris Hemsworth, Emily Blunt and Charlize Theron in “The Huntsman,” and, quite honestly, the news made us smile.

“The Huntsman” has a lot of red flags surrounding it including the fact original helmer and screenwriter Frank Darabont departed over the dreaded “creative differences” excuse and first-time director Cedric Nicolas-Troyan (Visual Effects nominee for “Snow White and the Huntsman”) was brought on to replace him.  The Universal Studios flick is supposedly a prequel to the aforementioned “Snow White,” but it's all slightly confusing.  In hindsight, it was probably a mistake to develop it without Kristen Stewart in the fold considering her slew of impressive performances recently and how Theron's Ravenna figures into all of this  (not to mention when it actually takes place in relation to the first film) is head scratching.  At this point, we're going to assume Chastain is playing the Huntsman's wife who is referenced in “Snow White,” but…well, let's not spoil a prequel of all things, shall we?

For Chastain, “Huntsman” will be her fourth Sci-Fi or Fantasy role she's filmed over the past 18 months.  Christopher Nolan's “Interstellar” already hit theaters this past fall, Guillermo Del Toro's “Crimson Peak” can't come soon enough (it arrives in October) and Chastain is close to wrapping Ridley Scott's “The Martian” with Matt Damon and Kate Mara. That Sci-Fi epic will arrive just in time for awards season on Nov. 25.  What do these movies all have in common?  Epic stories with amazing worlds created by, mostly, top tier filmmakers. Yes, ladies and gentleman, Jessica Chastain is your Queen of Comic-Con 2015 (We're not kidding. “Crimson” and “Martian” are smart bets to panel there.)

Of course, the incredibly prolific actress isn't ignoring her bread and butter.  She's expected to shoot Xavier Dolan's indie “The Death and Life of John F. Donovan” with Kit Harrington and Susan Sarandon this spring and is still on board for Andrew Dominik's “Blonde” where she'll play none other than Marilyn Monroe.

So, are you still upset that Chastain got robbed of an Oscar nod for “A Most Violent Year”?  Well, you should be, but rejoice in that she'll be a welcome regular in your local theater for at least the next two years and likely, much, much longer.




Comments Off on Has 'The Huntsman' made Jessica Chastain the Queen of Comic-Con 2015? Tags: , , , , , , | Filed in: HitFix · In Contention