Current cast lineup for Atlas Shrugged Part 2, with two weeks until shooting ends

Posted on May 3, 2012 7:31 am UTC by Joshua Zader

Another update from Leon:

With less than two weeks till the planned final day of shooting (May 15), IMDb continues to add cast. As I had noted previously, it looks like these might be scenes we may expect:

• Wedding reception for James Taggart & Cherryl Brooks with Frisco’s “Money” speech
• Charges against Ken Danagger & Hank Rearden; disappearance of Ken
• Rearden oven break-out
• Rearden’s trial
• Directive 10-289
• Dagny quits; rushes back after the tunnel disaster
• Dagny rides train to scene of disaster and Jeff Allen tells her about 20th Century Motor
• Dagny flies after Quentin Daniels and crashes in Galt’s Gulch

Nothing shown for the Wet Nurse (Tony) – perhaps he never appears in the film? – or Ragnar – maybe he’ll just appear in Part 3?

Dagny Taggart – Samantha Mathis
Hank Rearden – Jason Beghe
Francisco d’Anconia – Esai Morales
James Taggart – Patrick Fabian
Lillian Rearden – Kim Rhodes
Eddie Willers – Richard T. Jones
John Galt – D. B. Sweeney
Wesley Mouch – Paul McCrane
Dr. Floyd Ferris – John Rubinstein
Dr. Robert Stadler – Robert Picardo
Head of State Thompson – Ray Wise
Quentin Daniels – Diedrich Bader
Leonard Small – Bug Hall
Ken Danagger – Arye Gross
Kip Chalmers – Rex Linn
Cherryl Brooks – Larisa Oleynik
Jeff Allen – Jeff Yagher
Ted ‘Buzz’ Killman – Michael Gross
Clem Weatherby – Stephen Macht
Robert Collins – Thomas F. Wilson
Judge Griffin – Jordana Capra
Gwen Ives – Jennifer Cortese
Lillian’s friend – Rebecca Dunn
Luke Stone – Mel Fair
Judge Beckstrom – Kip Gilman
Reception Guest #1 – Martin Grey
Giselle – Alexa Hamilton
Laura Bradford – Amy Hedrick
Dave Mitchum – Kevin M. Horton
Gilbert Keith Worthing – Gildart Jackson
Operator – James Jordan
Pilot – Larry Poindexter
Sara Connelly – Jamie Rose
Reception Guest #2 – Dana Sparks
Holly – Patricia Tallman
News Reporter – Mae Segeti
Lawyer – Rodney J. Richards
Rail Foreman – Freedom (uncredited)
Man in Train Station – Steve Kaufmann (uncredited)
Gas Attendant – Marcus Natividad (uncredited)
Stock Broker – Greg Scholl (uncredited)
Orren Boyle – Michael James Spall (uncredited)
Railroad Worker – Rafael Zubizarreta (uncredited)

Posted in Atlas Shrugged Part 2, Behind the scenes, Cast, Story line | 4 Comments

Walter Block: In defense of Ayn Rand

Posted on April 25, 2012 4:35 am UTC by Joshua Zader

The leftosphere has been spinning with accusations this past year that Ayn Rand was a hypocrite for accepting Social Security and Medicare in her later years. Writing for Psychology Today, Loyola Economics Professor Walter Block sets the record straight.

It’s Ayn Rand bashing time once again. Our “friends” on the left are on the warpath for a change, and have Miss Rand in their crosshairs.

What, pray tell, are the charges? It would appear that Ayn Rand, one of the greatest libertarian minds as far as I am concerned in the entire history of mankind, is, wait for it; no, you had better be sitting down when you read this or I won’t be responsible for your doctor bills, is, yes, a socialist! And a hypocrite to boot. And why is this? It is because while she railed against Social Security and Medicare, she availed herself of payments from these funds. Isn’t that horrible?

But these leftie critics are pikers. This leader of Objectivism also favored the gold standard. Yet, when she went to the store, she never offered anyone gold coins. Instead, like everyone else, she paid in fiat coin of the realm, even though she properly detested this system. She also favored the privatization of the post office, but she mailed letters care of the hated government monopoly post office. Shall we indict her, too, for hypocrisy on these grounds? But wait, the charges against her mount up even more. Ayn also opposed subsidies to farmers, and yet, ate food produced under this system. Isn’t she really despicable? She thought the New York City taxi medallion system was a socialist disgrace, and yet, upon occasion, could be found ensconced in a Yellow Cab.

I hope and trust everyone realizes where I am going with this. I am not at all joining her critics and “piling up” on Ayn Rand. Very much to the contrary, I am demonstrating, via the reductio ad absurdum method, that the argument of these real socialists has not a logical leg to stand upon.

See his full article for much more.

Posted in Ayn Rand, Ayn Rand's philosophy | 2 Comments

More about Samantha Mathis, the new Dagny Taggart

Posted on April 21, 2012 2:18 am UTC by Joshua Zader

The latest article about Atlas Shrugged Part 2 in Reason magazine offers this, about the new actress playing Dagny Taggart:

Part IIs new Dagny Taggart—the railroad magnate heroine struggling to keep the motors of the world running while mysterious forces try to shut them down—is Samantha Mathis (perhaps most famously of Pump Up the Volume opposite Christian Slater). She wasn’t on set Wednesday, but co-screenwriter Duncan Scott, fresh to this project but with a long history with Ayn Rand and the movies, showed me some rough footage he shot of her filming a couple of scenes on earlier days. One of them quietly helps frame the deteriorating world of Atlas—with Mathis walking past grim lines of citizens selling their possessions on the streets in a world of 20 percent unemployment and $40 per gallon gas, shot outside the Los Angeles convention center. Another was of her fateful solo plane ride. Kaslow and Scott are both excited about their new Dagny. Scott says Mathis is always believable as a woman serious and powerful enough to run a railroad, and Kaslow says she’s fully embraced the character and went out of her way to read the novel to understand the character more fully.

Posted in Atlas Shrugged novel, Atlas Shrugged Part 2, Behind the scenes, Cast | Leave a comment

Reason: On the set of Atlas Shrugged Part 2

Posted on April 21, 2012 2:04 am UTC by Joshua Zader

Reason magazine has a new article providing an excellent glimpse into the making of the new movie.

The article begins:

Atlas Shrugged Part I, the 2011 film version of Ayn Rand’s hugely influential novel Atlas Shrugged, was the result of a decades-long journey, and its sole financier, John Aglialoro—a successful serial entrepreneur best known for running the exercise equipment company Cybex—found the costs and troubles more than he bargained for.

Official critical reception wasn’t so great—though normal folk seemed to like it better than the credentialed tastemakers, according to fim review sites such as Metacritic and Rotten Tomatoes. For a brief moment even Rand-inspired businessman Aglialoro, new to filmmaking and brought to the business through his love of Rand and desire to bring her message to a movie audience, was discouraged. He told critics last April “you won” and said he was reconsidering whether or not to move forward with filming parts two and three.

By January, buoyed by what he calls encouraging DVD and video-on-demand sales, and the partnership of four other Rand-inspired financiers to help bear the production and marketing costs, Aglialoro and his production partner from Atlas Shrugged Part I, Harmon Kaslow, decided they were ready to finish what they started. At Reason Weekend, the annual event held by the Reason Foundation back in February, they announced Atlas Shrugged Part II was a go.

See the full article for much more.

Posted in Atlas Shrugged Part 2, Behind the scenes | Leave a comment

Casting update for Atlas Shrugged Part 2

Posted on April 7, 2012 1:22 am UTC by Joshua Zader

Another update from Leon Brozyna:

Here’s another interim update on casting:

John Galt – D. B. Sweeney
Man in Train Station – Steve Kaufmann
Sara Connelly – Jamie Rose

and one change in casting:

Ted ‘Buzz’ Killman – Michael Gross

IMDb still not showing casting for Dagny, Ken, or Frisco

Posted in Atlas Shrugged Part 2, Cast | 6 Comments

The final cast of Atlas Shrugged Part 2?

Posted on April 4, 2012 3:19 am UTC by Joshua Zader

Here is the latest cast for Atlas Shrugged Part 2, according to IMDB and other sources, which started filming on April 2nd. Leon Brozyna notes: “It’s still not listing the parts for Dagny or Ken Danagger, so those and maybe others will appear on a later update.”

Dagny Taggart – Samantha Mathis
Hank Rearden – Jason Beghe
Francisco d’Anconia – Esai Morales
Dr. Robert Stadler – Robert Picardo
Mr. Thompson – Ray Wise
Ken Danagger – Arye Gross
Conductor – J.P. Manoux
Lillian Rearden – Kim Rhodes
Eddie Willers – Richard T. Jones
Kip Chalmers – Rex Linn
Jeff Allen – Jeff Yagher
Wesley Mouch – Paul McCrane
James Taggart – Patrick Fabian
Clem Weatherby – Stephen Macht
Dr. Floyd Ferris – John Rubinstein
Luke Stone – Mel Fair
Gilbert Keith Worthing – Gildart Jackson
Dave Mitchum – Kevin M. Horton
Reception Guest #1 – Martin Grey
Judge Beckstrom – Kip Gilman
Judge Griffin – Jordana Capra
Gwen – Jennifer Cortese
Leonard Small – Bug Hall
Robert Collins – Thomas F. Wilson
Ted ‘Buzz’ Killman – Curtis Armstrong
Giselle – Alexa Hamilton
Laura Bradford – Amy Hendrick
Operator – James Jordan

Posted in Atlas Shrugged Part 2, Cast | 10 Comments

Meet the new Dagny Taggart: Samantha Mathis

Posted on April 2, 2012 12:53 pm UTC by Joshua Zader

Below are photos of the woman who will play Dagny Taggart in Atlas Shrugged Part 2. What do you think? Does she fit the part?

The forty-two-year-old actress is best friends with Sandra Bullock. From her mini-bio at IMDB:

Samantha Mathis was born in New York in 1970 to Bibi Besch, an aspiring actress at the time. Her first acting job was in a commercial for baby products with her mother. Since her parents divorced when she was only three years old, Samantha was very exposed to the acting industry from a very young age, which made her almost destined to become an actress. Samantha’s first feature film was Pump Up the Volume (1990) opposite her on- and off-screen love at the time, Christian Slater. This movie also marked her first topless scene, but Samantha has now grown up and moved on to more demanding roles, such as the part of Terry Carmichael in the action-packed film Broken Arrow (1996).

Posted in Atlas Shrugged Part 2, Cast | 18 Comments

Filming for Atlas Shrugged Part II begins today

Posted on April 2, 2012 11:43 am UTC by Joshua Zader

From reader Leon Brozyna:

Shooting for ASP2 is beginning today (Apr 2). The presence of Kip Chalmers suggests the tunnel disaster; Jeff Allen suggests a telling of the story of 20th Century Motor to Dagny; a couple judges suggests the trial of Hank & Ken Danagger. After watching ASP1 numerous times, I hope the new cast can bring more “chemistry” to the set (I liked Taylor Schilling, but she wasn’t as strong as I’d hoped). New cast is:

Dagny Taggart/Samantha Mathis
Hank Rearden/Jason Beghe
Francisco d’Anconia/Esai Morales
Dr. Robert Stadler/Robert Picardo
Mr. Thompson/Ray Wise
Ken Danagger/Arye Gross
Conductor/J.P. Manoux
Lillian Rearden/Kim Rhodes
Eddie Willers/Richard T. Jones
Kip Chalmers/Rex Linn
Jeff Allen/Jeff Yagher
Wesley Mouch/Paul McCrane
James Taggart/Patrick Fabian
Clem Weatherby/Stephen Macht
Dr. Floyd Ferris/John Rubinstein
Luke Stone/Mel Fair
Gilbert Keith Worthing/Gildart Jackson
Dave Mitchum/Kevin M. Horton
Reception Guest #1/Martin Grey
Judge Beckstrom/Kip Gilman
Judge Griffin/Jordana Capra
Gwen/Jennifer Cortese

Posted in Announcements, Atlas Shrugged Part 2, Behind the scenes, Cast, Story line | 13 Comments

Is Ayn Rand’s Atlas Shrugged scenario coming true?

Posted on March 24, 2012 5:48 am UTC by Joshua Zader

John F. Floyd writes in the Gadsden Times:

Are we in the early death throes of this wonderful country? This question would not have entered my mind five years ago. The United States had its problems in 2007, but the solutions seemed simple; consequently, there were no major concerns. Fast forward to 2012, and the possibility of events spinning out of control are infinite.

When I read Ayn Rand’s book “Atlas Shrugged” the first time, dismissal of her perceived cataclysmic death of the United States was easy. The author doesn’t mention the U.S specifically, but it is easy to draw the conclusion the U.S. was in her thought process. However, her vision of events and what is happening contemporarily in the United States is eerily parallel.

“Atlas Shrugged” should be required reading for every American. I decided to read the book for the second time, and it is what I call an “all-day sucker.” It consists of 1,168 pages, with 46 lines to a page, and is heavy reading. The book weighs about 200 pounds, so don’t plan to do any reading on an airplane, because carrying it through airports is difficult. Homeland Security told me it was a weapon.

I know most people will never read “Atlas Shrugged,” therefore a limited summarization is called for. Remember, everyone who reads a book creates an individual interpretation. The following is my interpretation.

See the full article for more.

Though I’m pretty sure he’s the only reader who didn’t notice Atlas Shrugged was, um, set in the United States of America.

Posted in Atlas Shrugged novel, Ayn Rand's philosophy, Cultural impact, Media coverage | 2 Comments

Atlas Shrugged: Part II greenlighted, in theaters next fall

Posted on March 19, 2012 8:17 am UTC by Joshua Zader

From Reason magazine:

“It’s a poetic moment that today [February 2, 2012] Ayn Rand was born 107 years ago and we are greenlighting Atlas Shrugged: Part II,” announced producer John Aglialoro at Reason Weekend 2012, which was held in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Aglialoro was joined by his partner Harmon Kaslow in making the announcement.

Filming is set to begin in April and the movie will hit theaters this fall, before Election Day. “In October,” said Kaslow, “hopefully we’ll have people from Reason, from FreedomWorks, people who believe in what this book represents, [standing] in front of the…theater to tell people not only how important the movie is but what they’re going to do in November and hopefully effectuate some positive changes.”

Posted in Announcements, Atlas Shrugged Part 2, Behind the scenes | 4 Comments