Film buffs will be crowding around Leicester Square once again vying to catch a glimpse of their favourite actors when new star-studded flick Amsterdam makes its European premiere this week.
British A-listers and cast members Christian Bale and Rami Malek, along with Australia's Margot Robbie, are all expected to saunter down the red carpet in London at the opening of David O. Russell’s latest movie on Wednesday (September 21).
Singer Taylor Swift also makes an appearance, with room for comedian Chris Rock and The Godfather II's Robert De Niro in the litany of actors.
Is Amsterdam based on a true story?
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The latest epic to come from the Silver Linings Playbook and American Hustle director is “loosely based on actual events”, according to its quick-paced trailer.
Set in the 1930s, the two-hour-and-14-minute film follows three friends — a doctor, nurse and lawyer — who witness a murder.
They become suspects themselves, and uncover one of the most outrageous plots in American history, according to the synopsis on popular film website Internet Movie Database (IMDB).
The trailer, released in July, flashes up with the message: “A lot of this actually happened. Three friends altered the course of American history.”
But the synopsis and trailer are fairly vague about the true story that inspired the film, leaving cinema-goers guessing before the big reveal when it opens to the public in the UK on October 7.
Amsterdam’s all-star cast
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David O. Russell appears to have been able to pick whoever he wanted for his latest feature film, with a series of household names making an appearance during Amsterdam's run-time.
Famous for having a terse relationship with George Clooney while filming Three Kings (1999), he looks to have put to bed talk of being difficult to get on with by working again with Robert De Niro and Welsh actor Christian Bale.
The British stars of Bale and Malek are also joined by their countrywoman and The Queen’s Gambit sensation Anya Taylor-Joy.
Here is the full cast appearing in Amsterdam:
- Christian Bale
- Margot Robbie
- John David Washington
- Chris Rock
- Anya Taylor-Joy
- Taylor Swift
- Rami Malek
- Robert De Niro
- Zoe Saldaña
- Mike Myers
- Michael Shannon
- Timothy Olyphant
- Andrea Riseborough
- Matthias Schoenaerts
- Alessandro Nivola
Amsterdam is David O. Russell's first feature film in eight years.
His previous, Joy, came out in 2015 and starred Jennifer Lawrence.
Was Amsterdam filmed before Chris Rock was slapped by Will Smith?
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Will Smith hit headlines all over the world when he slapped Chris Rock after taking insult to a joke the comedian had made about his wife, Jada Pinkett Smith.
Rock, 57, had been presenting the Oscars in March when he was assaulted.
According to IMDB, Amsterdam started shooting at the start of 2021, meaning much of the film was likely finished production by the time the infamous Hollywood slap took place.
Smith, who has seen his popularity plummet since the incident, has since apologised to Rock.