First Looks: Scarlett Johansson and the cast of Hitchcock, Viggo Mortensen and the cast of The Two Faces of January

HITCHCOCK slid itself into Oscar contention this year and suddenly we are getting more and more looks at the various actors in character. After seeing Anthony Hopkins in full Hitch regalia, it was tough to think of how the other actors would adapt to play their real life counterparts.

This first look at the various actors in HITCHCOCK gives us a glimpse at Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, James D’Arcy as Anthony Perkins, Jessica Biel as Vera Miles, and Helen Mirren as Hitchcock’s wife, Alma. While the image is pretty low resolution, you can already see the detail that has gone into making these actors look like they stepped of the actual set of PSYCHO. Impressive.

Directed by Sacha Gervasi, HITCHCOCK is a love story about one of the most influential filmmakers of the last century, Alfred Hitchcock and his wife and partner. It opens on November 23rd, 2012.

The other first look comes for THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY, based on the novel by Patricia Highsmith (THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY). DRIVE screenwriter Hossein Amini will make his directorial debut with this thriller starring Viggo Mortensen, Kirsten Dunst, and Oscar Isaac. Production begin just this week and this is the first official image.

Plot: 1962. A glamorous American couple, the charismatic CHESTER MACFARLAND (Mortensen) and his alluring younger wife COLETTE (Dunst), arrive in Athens by boat via the Corinthian Canal. While sightseeing at the Acropolis they encounter RYDAL (Isaac), a young, Greek-speaking American who is working as a tour guide, scamming tourists on the side. Drawn to Colette’s beauty and impressed by Chester’s wealth and sophistication, Rydal gladly accepts their invitation to dinner.

However, all is not as it seems with the MacFarlands and Chester’s affable exterior hides darker secrets. When Rydal visits the couple at their exclusive hotel, Chester presses him to help move the body of a seemingly unconscious man who he claims attacked him. In the moment, Rydal agrees but as events take a more sinister turn he finds himself compromised and unable to pull himself free. His increasing infatuation with the vulnerable and responsive Colette gives rise to Chester’s jealousy and paranoia, leading to a tense and dangerous battle of wits between the two men. Their journey takes them from Greece to Turkey, and to a dramatic finale played out in the back alleys of Istanbul’s Grand Bazaar.

I liked THE TALENTED MR. RIPLEY and Amini is a hell of a screenwriter. This has potential as a nice sleeper movie. I doubt it will get a big release, but you never know with the recognizable talent involved. Definitely going to be one to watch out for.

THE TWO FACES OF JANUARY has no US distribution or release date, but filming is underway in Crete, Athens, Istanbul, and London.