December 27, 2001. RON PERLMAN JOINS "NEMESIS" CAST.

Film and TV veteran Ron Perlman is the latest addition to the guest cast of "Star Trek: Nemesis." He will be playing the role of Viceroy in the new Star Trek: The Next Generation feature, currently in production. Perlman, well known for his genre work including the TV series "Beauty and the Beast" as well as contributing his vocal talents to animated features such as "Titan A.E." and the animated television shows "Mortal Kombat" and "Batman," can also be seen in the recent critically acclaimed Paramount film "Enemy at the Gates." Joining Perlman in "Nemesis" is newcomer Tom Hardy as Shinzon. The tenth film in the Star Trek franchise, "Nemesis" boasts an impressive array of guest stars, including Wil Wheaton ("Wesley Crusher") along with the entire Star Trek: The Next Generation cast. Further announcements regarding the production and guest cast for "Nemesis" will be released in the new year.

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December 27, 2001. Ron Perlman has narrated an audio book called "The Fourth Perimeter." Written by Tim Green, this audio cassette will be published in February 2002, and can be ordered in advance from Amazon.com at a reduced price of $17.49 [list price $24.98].

Book Description

Former secret service agent turned successful entrepreneur, Kurt Ford, thought he had suffered his share of tragedy when the wife he adored died, leaving him to raise their young son alone. But years later, his beloved son - who also became a secret service agent - turns up dead, and Ford is inconsolable. He refuses to accept the government's story that his son committed suicide and begins investigating the case as a murder. Ford soon learns from an old secret service friend that two other young agents have also recently met with unusual deaths, and he discovers a common link between these agents and his son: all three were involved in a cryptic meeting with the president. If this meeting proves to be the cause of his son's death, Ford will attempt to do what only four other men in history have been able to accomplish - he will kill the president of the United States.

Audio cassette by Time Warner Audio Books; ISBN: 1586212079.

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December 27, 2001. The official website for "Blade 2" is now active. There is not too much on the website yet apart from a brief trailer available to view, and a screen-saver to download. "Blade 2" is due for release on March 22, 2002.

http://www.blade2.com/

For those unable to view the trailer, stills are available at the comics2film.com website, although there are none of Ron.

http://www.comics2film.com/ProjectFrame.php?f_id=5

And several video captures of some of the Reapers from "Blade 2," in full makeup, plus reviews and assorted information can be found at:

http://www.aint-it-cool-news.com/display.cgi?id=11041

Comments on Ron's role in "Blade 2"

First review on "Blade 2"

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December 27, 2001. "Boys on the Run," starring Ron Perlman, was marketed for foreign distribution this fall at MIFED 2001. Film tells the story of two teenage boys who escape from a juvenile detention facility and meet up with a beautiful girl.

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December 2, 2001. The latest new entry in Ron's Filmography on the IMDB is "SHAKEDOWN"(2002) which is written and directed by Brian Katkin, and produced by Damian Akhavi. The film has a budget of $250,000, and the only cast listed so far on the IMDB are Ron Perlman and Erika Eleniak.

I also received this additional information from another source:

THRILLER LINE PRODUCED BY ALUM Hank Grover, Columbia Alum, recently line produced "Shakedown," a feature film for Concorde-New Horizons. The film stars Fred Dryer ("Hunter"), Ron Perlman ("Beauty and the Beast") and Erika Eleniak ("Baywatch.") "Shakedown" is an action-adventure about an FBI agent fighting bank robbers during an earthquake. It filmed for 27 days in Los Angeles and on the Warner Brothers backlot. The film will be delivered in Germany shortly; domestic distribution is pending.

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November 7, 2001. This is a piece of 'old' news from 1995 which has just come to light when it was recently added to Ron's filmography on the IMDB.

1. Miscellaneous crew - filmography

"Crying Freeman" (1995)(France) - special thanks.

There were no further details on the IMDB of Ron's involvement in this film, but after a little detective work, fellow Ron fan, Helen Chavez, who happens to own a copy of "Crying Freeman," sent me the following information:

"One of the main characters, 'Detective Netah' (major villain) is played by an actor called Tcheky Karyo. Ron dubs his voice. This character is present for most of the film, and - as always - Ron's diction is wonderfully clear. Roger Avary was also involved as an un-credited writer on the screenplay."

[Thanks, Helen.]

Ron worked under the direction of Roger Avery in "Mr Stitch" which was also made in 1995.]

"Crying Freeman" is described as a live action feature based on the Japanese animé series about an assassin (the heavily-tattooed Mark Dacascos) who operates with surgical precision and knows no fear.

For further details and reviews of this film go to: http://us.imdb.com/Title?0112750

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October 24, 2001. Ron attended the premiere of "LIFE AS A HOUSE," in Hollywood, CA.

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October 17, 2001. Ron attended the premiere of "FROM HELL," at Westwood, CA.

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October 9, 2001. "AMELIE" PREMIERE.

On October 9th, Ron and his wife, Opal, attended the premiere of "Amelie" in Los Angeles, CA. The film, which is directed by Jean-Pierre Jeunet,(City of Lost Children, Alien: Resurrection) won the people's choice awards at both the Edinburgh and Toronto Film Festivals, and has received excellent reviews from film critics. Charles Gant from Heat Magazine awarded the film five stars and described it as a warm and witty fable which seduced audiences by its boundless charm and giddy hilarity. What a shame Ron isn't in this one.

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August, 2001. Yet another of Ron's projects to look out for. This video game has been added to Ron's filmography on the IMDB.

Icewind Dale: Heart of Winter(2001)(VG)

Cast: Barry Dennen * Mark Hamill * Charity James * Mary Kahl * David Lodge (IV) Vanessa Marshall * Keven M. Richerdson * Jane Singer (I) * Maggie Wheeler

Ron Perlman ....Wylfdene

Release date: USA - 21 February, 2001

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August, 2001. The film known as "Night Class," in which Ron worked alongside Edward Albert, has aired on satellite TV in the UK under the title "Seduced by a Thief." It premiered on Sky MovieMax on Tuesday, 31 July, 2001. The film also stars Sean Young, Rick Peters, and John Saxon.

Note: This film was co-produced by Dana Barron (Casey in Mag 7)

Here are the UK air dates throughout August:

August 11, Moviemax 2 at 02.10am * August 17, Moviemax at 02.30

August 22nd, Moviemax 4 at 00.25 * August 28 Moviemax 5 at 00.20

Screen captures from this film can be found in our Big Screen Movies section.

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August, 2001. Actress Eileen Grubba, who worked with Ron in the film "RATS," (2001) has some great cast photos which include Ron, on her website at:

http://members.aol.com/eily22/bulgaria.html

Click here for plot summary of this film, in which Ron plays Dr. William Winslow.

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August, 2001. A reminder that two of Ron's movies are due for release this fall.

"Quiet Kill" is scheduled to be released on October 1, 2001.

And "Down" which was first shown earlier this year on May 11 at the Cannes Film Festival, will be released in the Netherlands on September 6, 2001.

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12 July, 2001. From the Sci-Fi Wire. The Upcoming Movies Web site reported that New Line has set a March 22, 2002, release date for its upcoming vampire movie Blade 2, the sequel to 1998's hit Blade, which was based on the Marvel Comics series Blade the Vampire Hunter. (Ron plays Rienhardt, a member of the Bloodpack.”)

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June 20, 2001. From the Sci-Fi Wire. A small glimpse of Ron working on his new picture, Blade 2:

Schulze Sharpens Blade 2. Matt Schulze, who plays a vampire named Chupa in the upcoming Blade 2, told SCI FI Wire that the sequel to 1999's hit Blade features villains that are even worse than bloodsuckers. "I'm the leader of this Vietnam kind of crew that gets hired," he said in an interview. "Five people--me, Ron Perlman and a couple other actors--go in to kill these reapers. A reaper is this half-ghost, devil type creature that has the ability to fly. You have to see it. The story is that they've captured Prague. I'm fighting with Blade because I don't like his leadership, so I'm a rebel in that sense, but I'm actually a good guy in the whole element of the picture." Chupa gets in on a lot of action scenes, including a martial-arts battle with 20 reapers and a scene where Schulze said Chupa beats Kris Kristofferson's character, Whistler, to death. That makes two deaths for Whistler in as many Blade movies.

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May, 2001. Ron Perlman attended the A Diamond is Forever - Cinema Against Aids 2001 gala at the Moulin de Mougins restaurant on the 17th of May, to benefit the American Foundation for AIDS Research. PHOTOS.

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Tue, 10 Apr 2001. Ron Perlman's animated film, "Titan A.E.," earned the Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Anitmated Feature Film at the 48th Annual Motion Picture Sound Editing awards dinner in March.

Sun, 01 Apr 2001. Ron Perlman's film, "Enemy at the Gates" drew $26,054,136 in its first ten days in the US. Openings in Europe on March 17 varied: England ranked it No.1 with $1.4 million; Paris No. 3 (84,000 tickets sold, no box office total given); Germany-No. 7 with $587,000; and Austria-No. 7 with $60,000.

Mr. Perlman began shooting "Blade 2" in Prague on March 12. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, this is the first US action movie to film entirely on Prague soundstages and on location in the Czech republic. Wesley Snipes, who stars in the film, is a co-producer.

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March, 2001. Ron Perlman's animated film, "Titan A.E.," earned the Golden Reel Award for Best Sound Editing in Animated Feature Film at the 48th Annual Motion Picture Sound Editing awards dinner.

Ron Perlman's film, "Enemy at the Gates" drew $26,054,136 in its first ten days in the US.  Openings in Europe on March 17 varied: England ranked it No.1 with $1.4 million; Paris No. 3 (84,000 tickets sold, no box office total given); Germany-No. 7 with $587,000; and Austria-No. 7 with $60,000.

Mr. Perlman began shooting "Blade 2" in Prague on March 12. Directed by Guillermo del Toro, this is the first US action movie to film entirely on Prague soundstages and on location in the Czech republic. Wesley Snipes, who stars in the film, is a co-producer.

[With thanks to Darlene Sullivan for this information.]

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The latest film to be added to Ron's Filmography on the IMDB is "BOYS ON THE RUN," directed by Pol Cruchten. 
This film is in post-production, and Ron Perlman in the role of Captain, is the only cast credit mentioned at the present time.

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On February 5, Ron appeared as a demon recruiter in “Wrestling with Demons,” a third season episode of the TV series “Charmed.”

The plotline according to The Mighty Big TV website at (http://www.mightybigtv.com) involves Phoebe and Prue battling a couple of steroid addicts for the soul of a desperately attractive ex of Prue's.  It goes on to say, “Ron Perlman acts circles around all prior Halliwell nemeses.”

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11 January. CNN's Showbiz Today, reported that "Enemy At The Gates," a World War II epic directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, in which Ron plays a character named Koulikov, will kick off the Berlin Film Festival in February.

  The cast list includes:  Joseph Fiennes, Matthias Habich, Ed Harris, Bob Hoskins, Jude Law, Eva Mattes,  Ron Perlman,  Rachel Weisz.
   

Ron's plays the role of  Koulikov, a veteran Russian sniper

 Synopsis: Enemy at the Gates is the phenominal true story of Vassili Zaitsev, a Russian sniper with over140 kills attributed to him during the Battle of Stalingrad, alone. To boost German morale, Major Konig (renamed from the actual SS Colonel Heinz Thorwald) is sent in with the sole mission of killing Zaitsev. Astonishingly, troops from both sides step aside to let the two men duel it out in a virtual gladitorial match of wits and skill, which lasts for several days. 

Release Dates for Enemy at the Gates (2001)

USA: 22 December 2000 (Los Angeles) (New York) Denmark: 2 March 2001  France14: March 2001 *  Netherlands: 15 March 2001 * UK: 16 March 2001  USA: 23 March 2001(wider) * Argentina: 5 April 200 * Sweden: 13 April 2001  * Taiwan: 14 April 2001

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Synopsis New York is a vertical city that wouldn’t exist without elevators. The Millenium Building has 102 floors and 72 elevators.
A lift begins displaying some erratic behavior, like trapping some party goers and nearly suffocating them, and decapitating a security guard. Felix, the technician from the lift company, can't find anything wrong with the circuitry. When he and a nosy reporter begin asking questions of the lift company's electronics partner (Rising Sun Electronics) his boss puts him on a leave of absence. A subsequent visit to a professor leads them to believe that some evil experiments are being conducted with microchips...

Production: Netherlands, First Floor Features [nl]
Special effects: Digital Renaissance [de]
Filming Locations:  Amsterdam, Noord-Holland, Netherlands.
New York City, New York, USA.
Budget:  $30m (USA)
Release date: Netherlands May 2001

For further information, stills, and movie clips, there is an excellent official website for this movie which is definitely worth a visit.

http://www.downthemovie.com/down.htm

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January 8, 2001. The Hollywood Reporter lists another new Ron Perlman film in production. "How to Go Out on a Date in Queens" (Drama), shooting in Los Angeles and Queens, New York. Filming started December 5, 2000. The cast includes Jason Alexander, Rob Estes, Ron Perlman, Kimberly Williams, Esai Morales, Alison Eastwood, Brian Drillinger,Christine Dunford, Meredith Scottlynn and Enrique Murciano. Rob Estes is one of the producers.

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The Comic Contiuum website reports that Ron will appear in the “Blade” sequel, “Blade 2: Bloodhunt,” which will be directed by Guillermo del Toro [“Cronos,” “Mimic.”]  Ron’s character, Rienhardt, is the leader of the Bloodpack, with whom Blade (played once again by Wesley Snipes) must team up in order to battle a greater adversary in the form of Nomak, the leader of the Reapers.

Nomak is to be played by British actor Luke Goss, formerly part of the British pop duo, Bros. Goss' film credits include Love Life, Nine Tenths, The Stretch and Two Days, Nine Lives. 

I have included below a small section from an interview with Timothy Bradstreet who did much of the design work on “Blade 2: Bloodhunt.”  To read the full interview go to the Comic Continuum website

Bradstreet: "Originally, there was only one look for the Bloodpack planned. Guillermo wanted them to be outfitted in a battlesuit. Each of these battlesuits would be personalized to the individual's style and fit with their character. I was hoping to do some different stuff as well. They are not in a battle when you are first introduced to them, so I reasoned with Guillermo that they might just be dressed in their own way when first introduced. He concurred. I then set about creating an individual look for the eight members of the BP. Some have tattoos, some are ultra slick and some are based on my own 'Gypsy White Trash' vampire look. They all bear the mark of Damaskinos and they are all battle-hardened vampire warriors. I was given a lot of room to add my own visual style to the characters. Rienhardt, the leader, wears a tattoo of a black hand on his forehead. Guillermo had seen an illustration of mine that had a similar tattoo and wanted this character to have that look.” 

“Blade 2: Bloodhunt,” is scheduled to begin filming in Prague in February. 

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"QUIET KILL" (Drama),
cast:
Corbin Berensen, RON PERLMAN, Dick VanPatten, James Van Patten and Nicholas Celozzi.
Directed by Mark Jones (I) 
                 Writing credits: Anthony Calabrese, Nicholas Celozzi 
Genre: Crime / Thriller 
Production Companies: Esoteric Pictures & Serf Side Productions Inc.
                                        Distributors: I.Q. Entertainment 

 

Ron plays the role of Sergeant Perry 

Release date USA     1 October 2001

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From the IMDB comes the news that Ron and Edward Albert have worked together in a film called "Night Class."

NIGHT CLASS (2001)
Directed by Sheldon Wilson
Writing credits Willem Wennekers
 This is a thriller/caper/who-done-it with a big surprise
twist ending. 

Credited cast overview:
Edward Albert, Ron Perlman, Rick Peters, John Saxon, Sean Young

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Ron has again worked under the direction of Rob Nilsson, [“A Town Has Turned to Dust”] playing a cameo role in “Stroke,” which was written, produced, and directed by Nilsson.
A Variety review describes the film as "a bleak, riveting drama about individuals clinging to life's bottom rungs."  It goes on to say, "Sole "name" actor here, Ron Perlman, does cameo duty as a dapper strong-arm."
Working from a story outline by Nilsson, the cast members in this production developed their own scenes and dialogue.

              “Stroke” is a 9 @ Night Films presentation

 

Release date to be announced.

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Ron plays a cameo role as himself in director Ken Loach's "BREAD AND ROSES", which opened at the Cannes Film Festival in May, 2000.  This film has already been released in parts of Europe, and will have a limited release in the USA in May 2001.

Filmed in Los Angeles, this gripping drama follows the story of two Latina sisters who work as cleaners in a downtown office building, and fight for the right to unionize.

Cast:
Pilar Padilla, Adrien Brody, Elpidia Carrillo, Jack McGee, George Lopez,
Alonso Chavez, Monica Rivas, Frankie Davila, Benicio Del Toro,  Robert
Stahoviak, Stephanie Zimbalist.
Ron Perlman, Tim Roth, and Terry Anzur appear as themselves.

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Teaming up once again with Andrew Kavovit, (J.D. in"The Magnificent Seven") Ron plays a character called Sebastian in the film "G-S.P.O.T." a comedy/drama written and directed by Kavovit, and due for release in 2001.

Cast:
Oliver Hudson, Andrew Kavovit, Ron Perlman, Charles Durning, Meredith Monroe,
Eileen Brennan, Carol Kane
Production:
USA, People Produce Films

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 Fox's animated space drama "TITAN A.E." in which Ron voices the character of Sam Tucker, (Cale's father), is now available on video and DVD from Amazon.com.

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