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They've signed Lily Rabe to play Pickford, but she doesn't look anything like her.
http://www.deadline.com/2012/05/lily-ra ... -pickford/" target="_blank" target="_blank

Lily has an excellent stage reputation. She might be wonderful in the part. We will have to wait and see

They cast some relatively unknown critically acclaimed actress from the stage to play Pickford... This is either going nowhere or going to be interesting if it ends up working out. They are going to have to hire someone that can make her look more like Pickford though, from her current set of photos online, she looks NOTHING like her.

They cast some relatively unknown critically acclaimed actress from the stage to play Pickford... This is either going nowhere or going to be interesting if it ends up working out. They are going to have to hire someone that can make her look more like Pickford though, from her current set of photos online, she looks NOTHING like her.

Does she have to? Peter O'Toole didn't look like T.E. Lawrence, Nicole Kidman didn't look like Virginia Woolf, Helen Mirren didn't look like Queen Elizabeth.

I've seen Lily Rabe on Broadway in The Merchant of Venice and more recently in Seminar. She is a sparkling, intelligent performer with excellent technique and a real understanding of the psychology of her roles. Plus as the daughter of Jill Clayburgh and David Rabe she has strong acting genes. I would bet she knew a great deal about Pickford before she agreed to the project.

This may work the way it did for Anthony Hopkins in NIXON.

P.S. Are there scenes from Pickford's later life? To hedge their bets how about Robert Downey Jr. as Buddy Rogers?

P.S. Are there scenes from Pickford's later life? To hedge their bets how about Robert Downey Jr. as Buddy Rogers?

Or, erm, Charlie Chaplin?

Been there, done that.

Why not both? The bio would get plenty of publicity.
Did Mary know Ironman?

Ms. Rabe sounds like a good choice. I think she'll do just fine. As the Nora Montgomery character in American Horror Story, she appears in period dress and hairstyle and there is a enough of a resemblance to suggest that with the right makeover and a good portrayal she should be as good or better than Downey Jr. in Chaplin. Now, she does seem a bit tall, so she may have to play everything in flats while everybody else wears lifts but outside of that, I don't see a concern.

Ms. Rabe sounds like a good choice. I think she'll do just fine. As the Nora Montgomery character in American Horror Story, she appears in period dress and hairstyle and there is a enough of a resemblance to suggest that with the right makeover and a good portrayal she should be as good or better than Downey Jr. in Chaplin. Now, she does seem a bit tall, so she may have to play everything in flats while everybody else wears lifts but outside of that, I don't see a concern.

Could they use the same cinematic magic that made Meryl Street as tall as Julia Child? I have no idea how they did that. Although Streep did a fabulous job of playing tall, too.

Jude Law in talks to portray Mary Pickford's second husband, silent actor Douglas Fairbanks....

http://www.forbes.com/sites/rogerfriedm ... ord-movie/

I think Law would make a better Fairbanks Jr.!

The movie has a title.

http://www.indiewire.com/article/mary-pickfords-film-gets-a-name-the-first-producers-to-host-party-at-tiff?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed

Mary Pickford Film Gets a Title -- 'The First'; Producers to Host Party at TIFF

The first feature film on Hollywood legend Mary Pickford has revealed its name: "The First." Producers Julie Pacino and Jennifer DeLia of Poverty Row Entertainment made the announcement Thursday along with additional producer Said Zahraoui. Lily Rabe ("All Good Things," "American Horror Story") has been cast in the title role.

Pacino and DeLia will be hosting a party with Paramax Films and Monde Quest on the opening night of the 2012 Toronto International Film Festival. The event will take place at the TIFF Bell Lightbox September 6 and will celebrate Pickford, who was Canadian.
READ MORE: TIFF List 2012: A Complete List of All Films at the Toronto International Film Festival

Based on Eileen Whitfield's biography "Pickford: The Woman Who Made Hollywood," the film will begin production in 2013 with DeLia directing from a Josh Fagin script.

Whitfield said of the title, "As young, independent artists and producers, Julie Pacino and Jennifer DeLia have a fresh and natural grasp of Pickford’s pioneering place in film. And using the title 'The First' is brilliant. A year ago, TIFF hung an exhibit in Pickford’s honor at the Bell Lightbox. Pickford was born just a stone’s throw from that location, making TIFF a great fit for supporting her legacy.”

An official description of the film follows:

THE FIRST will delve into Pickford’s life from a woman’s point of view and will illuminate the artistry, spirituality, and integrity that moved Mary Pickford through the ground-breaking and controversial world of her time. From 1892 through to her passing in 1979, Pickford was the powerhouse who, along with Douglas Fairbanks, Charlie Chaplin and D. W. Griffith, created their own distribution company, United Artists, which was designed to serve the filmmakers rather than the studio heads. Known as ‘America’s Sweetheart,’ ‘Little Mary,’ and ‘The Girl with the Curls,’ the Canadian-born Pickford was one of silent film’s most important performers and had international fame that reached heights never seen before, as for the first time, an idol emerged from moving images or ‘cinema.’ She was the biggest and most beloved movie star of the time; she was the face of the American Military; she was one of the 36 co-founders of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences; and she was an activist. She fulfilled missions that no one else in her time could have and no one since her could even imagine.

Recently, the AMPAS and the Mary Pickford Foundation partnered on an initiative to promote the legacy of Mary Pickford and the silent film era. DeLia and Pacino will have acces to those collections in their preparation for the film.

“We are thrilled about the new partnership between the Academy and The Mary Pickford Foundation as it is incredibly important for the public to have access to such historical images in order to become educated about the history and impact," said Pacino. "We are also excited about being in Toronto during TIFF this year as we develop our project and celebrate Pickford’s legacy in her hometown. In fact, we first learned about some of Pickford’s story through an exhibit at the TIFF Bell Lightbox.”

I am very excited about this project. As long as they stay true to Mary's story and legacy, I don't care who plays what part. Her story told in a big way is long overdue.

The "official description" of the project sounds promising, with the emphasis on Pickford as a groundbreaking artist and producer and her many contributions to the development of motion pictures.

Interesting. Even though I'm usually skeptical of biopics, I have faith that this will do Mary justice.

Latest on the movie from Deadline:

Michael Pitt has committed to star in The First, a new feature film about the life of Hollywood legend Mary Pickford that will begin production in 2013. He will play Owen Moore, Pickford’s first husband. Ryan Simpkins has been cast to play a young Pickford. Lily Rabe was already set to play Mary Pickford in her salad years.

http://www.deadline.com/tag/the-first/

When I think of Owen Moore, Michael Pitt doesn't come to my head but I like that he will bring added publicity and he's a pretty good actor. I will also admit to having a slight crush on Michael Pitt too so I might be bias.

I think this is a clue as well as to what part of her life the film will focus on. It's pretty clear if they are getting an A actor to play Owen Moore, they are going to focus specifically on Owen Moore's physical abuse and alcoholism, the controversial abortion she may have had but was never 100 percent proven but everybody knows happened during her late teens, and her affairs with not only Douglas Fairbanks but James Kirkwood.

Does anybody know if Jude Law is still scheduled to play Douglas Fairbanks or if they decided he would be better off playing Douglas Fairbanks Jr.? Personally he looks more like the latter than the former.

I still think Daniel Craig would oddly look the part of DW Griffith and Robert Downey Jr. as Chaplin but if we get any more lead actors in this film, it might overshadow the Pickford character since a relatively unknown actress is playing her.

Overall the more updates this film gets the more excited I become, here's hoping it turns out okay

Jude Law was never scheduled to play Douglas Fairbanks. From what I understand, the producers were simply considering him. Keep in mind this is an independent production that will have a total budget that is less than what someone like Daniel Craig or Robert Downey Jr. makes doing a single film.

When I think of Owen Moore, Michael Pitt doesn't come to my head but I like that he will bring added publicity and he's a pretty good actor. I will also admit to having a slight crush on Michael Pitt too so I might be bias.

I think this is a clue as well as to what part of her life the film will focus on. It's pretty clear if they are getting an A actor to play Owen Moore, they are going to focus specifically on Owen Moore's physical abuse and alcoholism, the controversial abortion she may have had but was never 100 percent proven but everybody knows happened during her late teens, and her affairs with not only Douglas Fairbanks but James Kirkwood.

Does anybody know if Jude Law is still scheduled to play Douglas Fairbanks or if they decided he would be better off playing Douglas Fairbanks Jr.? Personally he looks more like the latter than the former.

I still think Daniel Craig would oddly look the part of DW Griffith and Robert Downey Jr. as Chaplin but if we get any more lead actors in this film, it might overshadow the Pickford character since a relatively unknown actress is playing her.

Overall the more updates this film gets the more excited I become, here's hoping it turns out okay

"...THE FIRST will delve into Pickford’s life from a woman’s point of view..."

I shudder to think what THAT'S supposed to mean.

THE FIRST? Lousy title, but I have high hopes for the film; at least it shouldn't be an overglossified oversimplified Hollywood biopic like CHAPLIN (the brilliant Downey Jr.'s astonishing performance notwithstanding).

She was the biggest and most beloved movie star of the time

I thought Charlie was.

THE FIRST? Lousy title, but I have high hopes for the film; at least it shouldn't be an overglossified oversimplified Hollywood biopic like CHAPLIN (the brilliant Downey Jr.'s astonishing performance notwithstanding).

She was the biggest and most beloved movie star of the time

I thought Charlie was.

I think they both were big stars and certainly rivals even though they were business partners.

The First is a strange vague title, I mean if you want to get picky, Florence Lawrence was technically "THE FIRST" if you think about it. Mary Pickford was never factually "the first" at anything unless I'm overlooking something.

From a women's perspective to me simply means it will be directed by a woman so all males can calm down

[Mike Gebert]

Hard to tell from one dolled-up photo but I think she has a reasonable resemblance to the type, at least. Could be a lot worse.

No idea about her skill as an actress.

I betcha they ain't callin' it AMERICA'S SWEETHEART 'cause that'd be too gender-stereotyping for a film coming from a woman's point of view...not progressive enough.

That, or they don't want it confused with a certain John Cusack/Catherine Zeta-Jones film.

THE FIRST really is a rotten title, which neither describes nor evokes anything about the film's subject; totally lame. Here's hoping they come to their senses.

Well, that's really the problem. The title says nothing about the movie to someone who has no idea what it's about.

Of course, that's just a man's point of view.

[Mike Gebert]

The First also implies a second... what woman or man since has had the same kind of production level control of their own stardom?

I attended the launch party last night. It was opening night of the Toronto International Film Festival, and the party was in TIFF's building, The Lightbox. This is the same building where my Pickford exhibit ran for 6 months last year. Julie Pacino saw the exhibit there, and it inspired her to do this film. She told me the script should be done by Dec. and shooting starting early 2013. Her explanation of the title (which has been a critical topic here) is for all the "firsts" that Mary accomplished early in her career.

first actor to establish the rights to a share in the profits of a film, and the only one to this day to get 50%
first actor to own and run a production company
first to put her hand and foot prints at Graumann's
first to have her name on a Movie Theatre Marque

etc there are more, including the always controversial first 'close-up' that Griffith filmed. As with "The Artist", I hope this film will not only increase public awareness of Pickford, but also attract new film fans to silent film

More details about "The First," including the fact that Dominick Fairbanks, a great-grandson of Doug Sr., will be co-producing: http://www.thewrap.com/movies/column-po ... sive-63341

This sounds like something that could be great fun to watch. I look forward to hearing more about this.

More news on the Pickford movie:
http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/julia-s ... the-first/


IT seems that Julia Stiles is going to play Mary Pickford's good buddy Frances Marion. The plot thickens...hmmmm

Nice to see this is still in development. The news is coming slowly, which made me worry if they could get financing for this film, but this is encouraging.

I just read that Steven Soderbergh couldn't get the $5 million required by a production company for his Liberace movie, even though he had Michael Douglas and Matt Damon, which is why it ended up on HBO. I wouldn't be surprised at all if this ended up on cable instead of theaters. Which is fine by me. In the age of digital projection I have no desire to spend the money to go to the theater.

More news on the Pickford movie:
http://www.deadline.com/2013/01/julia-s ... the-first/" target="_blank


IT seems that Julia Stiles is going to play Mary Pickford's good buddy Frances Marion. The plot thickens...hmmmm