Theron, 33, won an Academy Award for her role in the 2003 movie Monster, in which she played serial killer Aileen Wuornos, who came from a background of violence and abuse and was executed in Florida in 2002.
In the 2005 film, North Country she played a woman who fights back against sexual harassment. She has been in dramas like The Cider House Rules, thrillers such as The Italian Job and the special-effects filled AEon Flux.
Theron, named by Esquire magazine last year as its Sexiest Woman Alive, has also been involved in charitable causes such as putting mobile health clinics in rural areas of her native South Africa where access to care is limited.
She had her own experience of domestic violence at the age of 15 when her mother fatally shot her alcoholic father as he threatened the family in a drunken rage.
Designating her a messenger of peace, U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, “You have used your voice, compassion and special relationship with the public to create a better world.”
The other messengers of peace are actors George Clooney and Michael Douglas, musicians Daniel Barenboim, Midori Goto and Yo-Yo Ma, authors Paulo Coelho and Elie Wiesel, equestrian Princess Haya Bint al-Hussein and naturalist Jane Goodall.
Director Ridley Scott playing Monopoly
Ridley Scott is officially attached to direct the Hasbro-Universal collaboration, with an eye towards giving it a futuristic sheen along the lines of his iconic Blade Runner. Screenwriter Pamela Pettler (Corpse Bride, Monster House) will shape a narrative out of the iconic real estate game.
Monopoly marks the latest Hasbro property looking to pass go and head to the big screen. Board games and branded properties, such as last year’s hit Transformers adaptation, have become more attractive as studios look to mitigate risk by finding built-in audiences.
Universal is working with Hasbro on several projects as part of a long-term development deal. Additionally, Transformers director Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes banner is producing its feature adaptation of Ouija Board, while the maritime classic Battleship also is in development. Elsewhere, Paramount will next summer release a feature based on its G.I. Joe character.
Paris Hilton joins Indie filmmaker’s dark comedy
The indie filmmaker’s newest ensemble project, a dramatic family comedy set against the backdrop of a war, features the socialite alongside Allison Janney, Charlotte Rampling and Paul Reubens. The producers describe the untitled project as a “part-sequel, part-variation” on Solondz’s dark 1998 family saga Happiness. Hilton is currently in theatres, along with Paul Sorvino and Sarah Brightman, with the low-budget horror musical Repo! The Genetic Opera.
McConaughey comedy lands a director
David O. Russell is in negotiations to direct Matthew McConaughey in the Southern-fried comedy The Grackle. The New Orleans-set tale centres on a barroom fighter who helps clients settle legal disputes with his fists.
The project represents one of the first New Line titles to move ahead after the studio was folded into Warner Bros. earlier this year. Russell is known more for quirky comedies such as Three Kings and Flirting With Disaster. He just wrapped Nailed, about a small-town waitress in Washington, D.C.
McConaughey returns to theatres next year in New Line’s upcoming The Ghosts Of Girlfriend’s Past, starring opposite Jennifer Garner in the tale of a bachelor haunted by past loves.
