Gal Gadot and Tom Hiddleston Auditioned for Mad Max: Fury Road but Were Not Cast Gal Gadot and Tom Hiddleston spent four hours auditioning for Mad Max: Fury Road in 2015 but were ultimately not cast in the film. The audition process, which took place in London, involved both actors working intensively with director George Miller, who was known for his demanding approach. Despite the extensive preparation and time spent on the test, the roles of Imperator Furiosa and Max Rockatansky were ultimately given to Charlize Theron and Tom Hardy, respectively. Gadot, who was 41 at the time, described the audition as a "crazy" experience. She recalled working with Hiddleston, who was 45, during the session. The pair stayed in a London home for four hours, with Gadot arriving in layers due to the cold winter weather and leaving in a tank top afterward. She emphasized the intensity of the work and the amount of material filmed during the test. However, she was left disappointed when she did not land the role of Imperator Furiosa, a character she felt she had "felt good about" during the audition. Hiddleston, who was a prominent theater actor in England at the time, was praised by Gadot for his talent. She noted that she had never met him before and was unaware of his work until the audition. Despite the collaboration, Miller decided that neither Gadot nor Hiddleston fit the vision for the film. Theron’s casting as Imperator Furiosa and Hardy’s as Max Rockatansky marked a significant moment in the film’s production, as the roles were central to the story’s success. Gadot’s career took a different path after the audition. She went on to star as Wonder Woman in four films, including the standalone Wonder Woman and Wonder Woman 1984.#gal_gadot #tom_hardy #charlize_theron #tom_hiddleston #mad_max_fury_road
Director Kevin Macdonald on 'The Runner' and Modern Paranoias Scottish filmmaker Kevin Macdonald has long explored the human condition under extreme pressure, from the harrowing survival story of Touching the Void (2003) to the tense hostage drama of One Day in September (1999), both of which earned critical acclaim and awards. His latest project, The Runner, marks a return to studio filmmaking after a series of documentary projects, including Whitney (2018), High & Low – John Galliano (2023), and A Beautiful Obsession (2026), a candid portrait of Pep Guardiola. The psychological thriller, starring Gal Gadot as Maia, a high-powered attorney and single mother, delves into the dangers of technology’s grip on modern life. The film follows Maia as her life unravels after a mysterious phone call leads to her son’s abduction. To save him, she must decipher cryptic instructions and navigate London’s chaotic streets and underground systems, racing against time. Macdonald emphasizes the film’s structural tension, which hinges on subverting audience expectations. He describes the narrative as a metaphor for contemporary enslavement, where individuals are trapped in an “electronic net” of digital dependency. “Everyone is distracted by their phones, and nobody pays attention to her human crisis,” he explains, highlighting the film’s critique of modern society’s obsession with technology. Macdonald’s approach to The Runner blends documentary realism with cinematic storytelling. The film employs a cinéma-vérité style, using handheld cameras and shaky visuals to immerse viewers in real-time action. To enhance authenticity, the director incorporated real crowds and hidden cameras, capturing spontaneous reactions to Gadot’s presence. “We filmed real people on their phones, then asked them to sign consent forms,” he notes.#london #amazon_mgm #gal_gadot #kevin_macdonald #damian_lewis
The Runner Review: Gal Gadot's Derivative Action Thriller Struggles with Tired Formula Amazon’s The Runner is a high-speed, low-rent action thriller that follows a familiar template of real-time assassination nightmares, placing an ordinary citizen in an extraordinary situation. The film stars Gal Gadot as Maia, a single mother and lawyer, who must run five miles to a hotel within an hour after her diabetic son is kidnapped and his insulin dispenser is hacked, leaving him in a hypoglycemic coma. The plot’s slight novelty lies in its 2026 update: AI plays a central role in the antagonist’s scheme, a trend criticized as a repetitive shortcut for screenwriters. The film’s premise mirrors countless action films, from Eagle Eye to Carry-On, with technology increasingly serving as a lazy crutch for writers. Maia’s journey begins with a mundane goodbye to her son at school, a moment that feels disconnected from the film’s escalating tension. Her day is interrupted by a nefarious “freelancer” working for a local crime boss, voiced by Damian Lewis. The antagonist’s sinister phone calls, including lines like “There’s more blood in the human body than you can fathom!”, are described as overused and unsubtle. The lead character’s personal trauma is revealed in a way that feels predictable and unoriginal, with the script’s rules of the game deemed far too inconsistent. Directed by Kevin Macdonald, an Oscar-winning documentarian known for Touching the Void and Black Sea, the film aims to immerse viewers in the chaos of London’s streets. However, Macdonald’s approach is deemed dated, with frenetic camera work and a misjudged slow shutter speed effect that clashes with Gadot’s stiff performance.#amazon #gal_gadot #damian_lewis #kevin_macdonald #the_runner
Jason Momoa, Gal Gadot, Al Pacino, and Gerard Butler Star in New Netflix Movie Netflix has secured the rights to a forthcoming drama featuring a star-studded cast. The film, titled In the Hand of Dante, is directed by Julian Schnabel and written by Schnabel and Louise Kugelberg. While no official release date has been announced, the project is anticipated to be a major release, bolstered by its impressive lineup of actors. The film’s cast includes Oscar Isaac, Gal Gadot, Gerard Butler, John Malkovich, Louis Cancelmi, Sabrina Impacciatore, Franco Nero, Benjamin Clementine, Paolo Bonacelli, Martin Scorsese, Al Pacino, and Jason Momoa. It premiered at the Venice Film Festival last year, where Schnabel received the Cartier Glory to the Filmmaker Award for his contributions to the arts. In the Hand of Dante is an adaptation of the 2002 novel by Nick Tosches. Oscar Isaac portrays two dual roles: the author Tosches in the 21st century and Dante Alighieri in the 14th century. The film’s logline describes the connection between the two characters, stating that a New York author in the modern era and Dante Alighieri in the 14th century are linked through time and their shared obsession with love, beauty, and the divine. Schnabel, known for films such as The Diving Bell and the Butterfly and Before Night Falls (which launched Javier Bardem’s career), brings his distinctive style to this project. The film’s blend of historical and contemporary narratives, along with its eclectic cast, positions it as a significant release for Netflix. The project’s announcement highlights the streaming platform’s continued investment in high-profile, narrative-driven cinema.#venice_film_festival #jason_momoa #gal_gadot #al_pacino #gerard_butler
