‘The Paperboy’ director Lee Daniels, who is fascinated by life’s down-and-outers, the people surviving on the fringes who will never manage to make it to the center of the arena, says he fell in love with Pete Dexter’s book, on which his new movie is based, when he first read it years ago. “Like ‘Precious’ and ‘Monster’s Ball’, the characters and the events stayed with me. It is a story that needs to be told. As a filmmaker, I like giving voices to characters that don’t ordinarily have them. I’m interested in depicting the people we don’t often see, even though they exist all around us.”

As he has for his previous films, Daniels assembled an ensemble of accomplished actors who each make unexpected departures in their roles. “It is a tribute to the material that we were able to assemble such a fantastic group of actors,” says producer Hilary Shor. “The cast became so much more than the sum of its parts. Every one of them saw the opportunity to do something great, even though it is a relatively small movie and they worked for less money than they usually command.”

In ‘The Paperboy’, Jack James, former swimming champion and current newspaper delivery boy, joins his hotshot investigative journalist brother in an effort to clear a local redneck, Hillary Van Wetter, of the murder of the town sheriff. To play the naïve Jack, who falls hopelessly in love with the death-row convict’s seductive fiancée, Daniels selected Zac Efron, best known as the wide-eyed heartthrob from the teen phenomenon ‘High School Musical’. “If all you know him from is ‘High School Musical’, he seems like an unexpected choice,” says Daniels. “But I saw Zac in a movie called ‘Me and Orson Welles’ and I recognized something very different in him. He is so right for this part.”

Shor believes the role could profoundly change the path of the young actor’s career. “This is going to be a transitional moment for Zac professionally,” she says. “We watched him become a man before our eyes. It is an extraordinary performance and it will surprise a lot of people to see him in this light.”

Efron was drawn to the quality of the script and the unusual nature of the story. “My initial reaction was simply ‘wow,’” he says. “The story was intense and the ending blew me away. It’s a big journey for a young man. It goes to some very dark, twisted places and some very funny places, too.”

Daniels’ genius as a writer and director lies in his innate understanding of what makes the characters human and how they relate to each other, says Efron. “Each relationship and every part of this story is grounded and real in the crazy way things actually are. He understands the spaces in between. He wants to turn everything on its ear and he’s not afraid to improvise.”

The young actor experienced some of the same growing pains as his character during the shoot. “Jack learns huge life lessons from each of these very important people in his life,” he says. “I felt the same way working on the movie. I came as a blank slate. I haven’t been doing this as long some of the other actors have and I’m still learning what it is to make a movie or be an actor. This cast was always challenging me in different ways.”

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A sexually and racially charged film noir from Oscar-nominated director Lee Daniels (‘Precious’), ‘The Paperboy’ takes audiences on a wild ride through the backwaters of steamy 1960s South Florida. Based on the provocative bestselling novel by Pete Dexter (‘Mulholland Falls’, ‘Rush’), the film stars Matthew McConaughey, Zac Efron, David Oyelowo, Macy Gray, John Cusack and Academy Award-winner Nicole Kidman.

Miami Times reporter Ward Jansen (Matthew McConaughey) returns to his sleepy hometown of Lately, Florida, where a decades-old façade of Southern gentility strains against the sweeping social changes of the 1960s. Accompanied by his writing partner Yardley Acheman (David Oyelowo) and sultry death-row groupie Charlotte Bless (Nicole Kidman), Ward is chasing the career-making story of violent swamp rat Hillary Van Wetter (John Cusack), who claims to have been framed for the murder of a corrupt local sheriff. Drafting his younger brother Jack (Zac Efron) to serve as his driver, Ward tries to unravel the mystery of the crime, aided by a mountain of evidence Charlotte has amassed to prove Van Wetter’s innocence.

As the prisoner awaits the electric chair, the Jansen family’s longtime maid Anita (Macy Gray) watches in alarm as Jack becomes more and more infatuated with the alluring Charlotte. But when Ward’s investigation reveals a web of deception, it sets off an explosive chain reaction that pulls everyone involved into a quagmire of evil as dark as a Florida bayou.

Inspired by a true story, ‘The Paperboy’s tale of obsession, violence and ambition earned a nomination for the 2012 Cannes Film Festival’s highest prize, the coveted Palme d’ Or.

‘The Paperboy’ is written and directed by Lee Daniels based on the novel by Pete Dexter (‘Paris Trout’).

For more than 15 years, Lee Daniels has been challenging conventional Hollywood wisdom by making uncompromising films that shine a light onto the inner worlds of the forgotten, the unheralded and the downtrodden. First as the producer of startling and acclaimed films including ‘Monster’s Ball’ and ‘The Woodsman’, then as director of the poignant, shocking Oscar-winner ‘Precious’, Daniels has transformed characters rarely portrayed in mainstream films, including an illiterate, street-smart teen, a lonely racist prison guard and a conflicted and angry child molester, into sympathetic anti-heroes.

In his feature-film writing debut, Daniels adapted Pete Dexter’s hard-boiled crime thriller, ‘The Paperboy’, into a gritty, darkly funny and Byzantine journey set in an out-of-the-way Florida town in 1969. An incendiary mix of race, sex and deception, ‘The Paperboy’ turns a tense murder investigation into a fearless exploration of love, corruption and family bonds.

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Universal City, U.S.A. – The colorful and captivating world of Dr. Seuss bursts onto the screen as never before on August 7, 2012 in the hilarious and captivating adventure, ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. Available on Blu-ray 3D Combo Pack and Blu-ray Combo Pack — both featuring DVD, Digital Copy and UltraViolet so you can watch it anytime, anywhere — ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ is non-stop family fun that includes three delightfully entertaining mini movies not shown in theaters, available only on the Blu-ray Combo Packs. The film will also be available on DVD and Digital Download.

The imaginative world of Dr. Seuss comes to life like never before in this visually spectacular adventure from the creators of ‘Despicable Me’. Twelve-year-old Ted will do anything to find a real live Truffula Tree in order to impress the girl of his dreams. As he embarks on his journey, Ted discovers the incredible story of the Lorax, a grumpy but charming creature who speaks for the trees. Featuring the voice talents of Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Taylor Swift, Rob Riggle, Jenny Slate and Betty White, ‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ is filled with hilarious fun for everyone.

Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax is the third feature created by Universal Pictures and Illumination Entertainment (‘Despicable Me’, ‘Hop’). For more information, please visit www.theloraxmovie.com.

‘Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax’ transports viewers into a fantastical landscape imagined by Dr. Seuss and vividly brought to life by Chris Meledandri and his acclaimed filmmaking team at Illumination Entertainment. Directed by Chris Renaud from a screenplay adapted by Ken Daurio and Cinco Paul (‘Despicable Me’, ‘HOP’, ‘Horton Hears a Who’) from the 1971 children’s classic, the film is an imaginative journey that begins in the town of Thneedville, where a boy searches for the one thing he knows will win the heart of his dream girl. But in order find it, he must discover the story of the Lorax, the often grumpy but loveable protector of Truffula Valley, in an exciting adventure filled with comedy and heart that USA Today’s Claudia Puig calls, “The right blend of funny, silly, and sweet.”

Danny DeVito (“It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia,” ‘Twins’, ‘L.A. Confidential’) lends his unmistakable voice to the Lorax, the remarkable creature who “speaks for the trees,” with Ed Helms (‘The Hangover’, ‘The Hangover Part II’, “The Office”) as his enigmatic nemesis, the Once-ler.

One of the best-selling children’s book authors of all time, Theodor “Dr. Seuss” Geisel created more than 40 cherished books that have been published in 95 countries and 17 different languages, selling more than half a billion books worldwide. The Lorax, which Geisel named his favorite work, is included on the “Educator’s All Time Top 20 List of Children’s Books.”

Blu-ray Combo Pack bonus features:

• Mini Movies
  • Serenade — Two Bar-ba-loots — one love shy and the other suave and confident — battle for the heart of their would-be sweetheart with the help of a colorful cast of characters, including the Humming-Fish and Swomme-Swans.
  • Wagon-Ho — Two Bar-ba-loots take The Once-ler’s wagon on a ride they won’t soon forget.
  • Forces of Nature — Determined to scare The Once-ler out of Truffula Valley, The Lorax decides to create the illusion of ominous forces of nature.

• Making of the mini movies — Go behind the scenes at Illumination Mac Guff to see the joys and challenges of continuing the characters’ stories in the dynamic format of the mini movie.
• Deleted scenes
• Seuss to screen — A fascinating look into the translation of Seuss’ iconic style from book into the big feature film canvas.
• Seuss it up! — A great tutorial on how to draw the Lorax, a Humming-Fish and a Bar-ba-loot in the unique Seuss style.
• Trufulla run — The player moves left and right to avoid obstacles while attempting to pick up berries with modes for easy, medium and hard. As difficulty increases, the player will have more obstacles to avoid.
• “Let it Grow” Sing Along — Karaoke-style sing along to the end credit version of Let It Grow.
• Feature commentary with co-directoris Chris Renaud & Kyle Balda
• Once-Ler’s wagon — While the Once-ler is away peddling his wares, the curious forest creatures have fun with his belongings. Users can select an item for the creatures to mimic or play with and then watch the adorable antics of all the forest friends.

Image Courtesy of  The Lorax

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Universal Pictures, Illumination Entertainment and The Nature Conservancy announced on February 17, 2012 the launch of their environmental action campaign “The Lorax Speaks.”

The project aims to start a movement that generates support and awareness to save one of the planet’s most endangered tropical forests.  The Atlantic Forest in Brazil once spanned 330 million acres and has been reduced to a mere 7 percent of its original size.  The Forest is home to more than 2,000 animal species and approximately 20,000 species of plants, many of which can only survive in this Forest.  The Nature Conservancy’s “Plant a Billion Trees” (www.plantabillion.org) is a campaign to restore Brazil’s Atlantic Forest.

People are invited to customize their Facebook profile pictures to help raise awareness for “The Lorax Speaks” project.  In addition to spreading awareness, there is an opportunity for people and groups to make direct contributions to The Nature Conservancy to help plant trees in this threatened Forest.  The app is available on the official Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax Facebook page (www.facebook.com/theloraxmovie).

The movement was started by a generous donation from Universal Pictures, as well as support from the Audrey S. Geisel Dr. Seuss Foundation, Seventh Generation, HP, Mazda and IHOP, to The Nature Conservancy’s “Plant a Billion Trees” campaign.

“As we bring Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax to filmgoers, it remains crucial to honor the spirit in and the message of Dr. Seuss’ timeless book,” said Josh Goldstine, President of Marketing, Universal.  “Through this donation to The Nature Conservancy, we hope to further a conversation among the audience about serving as stewards of our environment.”

Illumination Entertainment Founder and CEO Chris Meledandri said: “Since 1971, Dr. Seuss’ ‘The Lorax’ has brought awareness to the precarious state of the environment.  His message is more important today than ever.  The Atlantic Forest in Brazil represents a microcosm of the Lorax’s story, and there is not a lot of time left before it disappears forever.  It has always been a goal of mine to utilize the massive reach we achieve through marketing a film to inspire social action.”

“This exciting partnership goes to show that bringing back the splendor of one of the world’s great forests is not an idea confined to the imagination of Dr. Seuss, but something that people everywhere can do now—by helping plant a billion trees in Brazil—to ensure a future in which the lungs of the Earth are healthy and thriving,” added Sarene Marshall, Managing Director of the Global Climate Change Team, The Nature Conservancy.

Facebook fans will be encouraged to “speak for the trees” by personalizing their profile pictures with custom Truffula Trees from the film.  They will join the cast of Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax—Danny DeVito, Ed Helms, Zac Efron, Rob Riggle and Betty White—in pledging their support.  The reforestation efforts will be helmed by The Nature Conservancy in a way that is ecologically sound and economically advantageous to the local population through its “Plant a Billion Trees” campaign.

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