Charisma Carpenter and Ty Olsson have been cast as leads in the indie thriller “Crash Site.”

The story centers on a family vacation in the woods, during which a couple must fight their way back to civilization through injuries, creepy critters and wild animals after their Jeep crashes. Jason Bourque is directing the film, which recently began principal photography in Vancouver.

Jack and Joseph Nasser (“Damage”) are producing.

Repped by APA and John Carrabino Management, Carpenter has been a regular on “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” “Angel” and “Veronica Mars.” She now appears in Lionsgate’s action film “The Expendables.”

Olsson, repped by Pacific Artists Management and Roar, has been a regular on the series “Men in Trees,” “Battlestar Galactica” and “Defying Gravity.” In features, he has appeared in “2012,” “Aliens vs. Predator: Requiem” and “Just Friends.”

Source: The Hollywood Reporter

Booked a little low budget movie today. Fun stuff =)

Hachi machi Charisma Carpenter is playing my mum.

There are no details yet on the project so this may reference The Human Factor or it may be another new project.

Gallery Link:
• x47 – Photoshoots > Set 028

Gallery Link:
• x76 – ‘The Last Exorcism’ Premiere

The lovely Charisma Carpenter, currently in need of saving in Sylvester Stallone’s “The Expendables”, and “Boondock Saints” vigilante badass Sean Patrick Flanery (sans Norman Reedus) have join the cast of “The Human Factor”, a thriller that will also mark tough guy Michael Madsen’s directorial debut.

In “The Human Factor”, Carpenter will play Lori Stoltz, a character described as a “determined and strong-willed newspaper reporter”, while Flanery will play Eric O’Neill, a renegade police detectives (are there any other kind) determined to get to the truth. The film’s plot has the duo joining forces to uncover the disappearance of homeless people in New York City.

Joining Carpenter and Flanery on the film will be Carpenter’s fellow “Expendables” co-stars Eric Roberts and Gary Daniels, along with Danny Trejo, Luke Goss, Doug Jones, Tom Sizemore, Shalim Ortiz, and Michael Madsen.

Production on “The Human Factor” is scheduled for sometime next year.

Source: BeyondHollywood.com

Charisma Carpenter is best known for battling evil forces in the TV series Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off, Angel. Now, the 40-year-old actress is starring alongside some of the biggest action stars of all time in her first feature film, The Expendables.

Carpenter told Parade.com that she didn’t mind being one of the only women on set. Plus, how the director and star of the film, Sylvester Stallone, helped her win the role.

On the film’s success.
“We’re stoked. I assumed nothing but I kinda had a sense that it would be successful only because every person in my family and my friends were so psyched to see all of these huge action stars in one destination — two hours of all of them together. So I think it was meant to be big.”

How she landed the role as one of the only gals among the action-star giants.
“I’m mostly known for television roles, so this is my big break in terms of feature films and I didn’t do bad. $35 million opening weekend pretty much rocks my world! I got the part because I was referred to Sylvester by a friend that I worked with. He was having trouble casting the role of Lacy and I was suggested. Then I had a meeting with Sly and I had to audition and the next day he invited me to his office at the crack of dawn and he gave me the good news.”

On working with Stallone.
“He was really determined to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse, so that by the time we got on set, I wasn’t as terrified. Also, I got a strong sense that he was rooting for me throughout the whole experience. I was surprised to see how accessible he was and how helpful he was in helping me win the part. I felt really comfortable with him.”

On having Jason Statham as her love interest.
“I really enjoyed it. I found him very, very professional and rather serious and super-focused on set. We had met once before when Sly had first considered me. We had a meeting with the three of us and he was very funny and cordial and dynamic, but then on set it was a totally different demeanor and I think that I respected him even more.”

Why women might enjoy the action flick more than the guys.
“You get to see the guys’ side of things in a rocky relationship and how he’s feeling and how upsetting it can be for a guy, especially for a tough guy like Jason in The Expendables. That’s something a woman would enjoy seeing — a guy getting squirrely over a woman. He was probably one of the more standout characters because of that vulnerability.”

What it was like being the only woman on set.
“I was really OK with it! It was a lot of fun. It’s so funny, we all kind of bonded over our families. We’d drive into work every day and talk about our families and how many kids we have and if we were divorced or not divorced. Just kind of getting-to-know-you conversations.”

Will there be an Expendables 2?
“I don’t see why there wouldn’t be. I know that Sly’s got some ideas thrown around in his head and I know that the numbers are really good. So I think it would just be a matter of assembling the cast again and seeing how willing and able they were. But I don’t see how they wouldn’t be. I’m up for it. I think there’s more to explore in Expendables 2, and I’m hoping that this time I’m not the one that’s the damsel and I get to assert myself and give some people black eyes myself!”

Did she ever imagine she’d work with Rocky one day?
“No clue. It’s really rather surreal. I basically am having the biggest movie star experience a person can have right out of the gate. And I could get used to it! It’s been a total Julia Roberts moment. Getting dressed up and meeting the fans along Hollywood Boulevard, and getting my picture taken and having my parents there. It really made it special for me and my family and now I feel like I could just kind of die happy.”

Speaking of Julia Roberts, The Expendables beat Eat Pray Love at the box office.
“I heard that but I also heard that she had the biggest opening that she’s had in ten years, so that’s not to be overlooked. I love that she’s a woman and her film’s doing well. I support that. And also, it’s a totally different genre. I don’t know necessarily that it stood a chance just because this was so highly anticipated.”

On showing off her bikini body in a photo shoot for In Touch.
“I felt beautiful that day and I worked super-duper hard. I actually would have liked to have seen a little more definition. I don’t know if it got airbrushed out but I feel like I worked really hard and I wanted to get that across. I’m a girl and I struggle and I have to work at what my body is. I’m really more concerned with being in shape and fit rather than being anything else. I’m not interested in being skinny. I want to build my stamina and just stay fit and toned but still look like a woman. Because God knows I’ve got the curves! I don’t think my butt could be toned. I don’t even think there’s enough squats a person can do to ever get that down. It’s not going anywhere. But that’s OK; I embrace that.”

What does the former Buffy the Vampire Slayer star think about the vampire craze of Twilight and True Blood?
“I don’t think it ever went away, I just think that Hollywood caught on. I do know they are savvier fans than most and they get it and they want good writing as well, so I don’t think just any old vampire show is going to be successful.”

The one show the TV veteran is dying to guest star on.
“Mad Men is pretty much my favorite show ever. The only problem with playing Don’s love interest is that you don’t last long. But I don’t know one woman who would say no to that. I also know that he’s [Jon Hamm] incredibly loyal to his girlfriend, which makes me feel that he’s that much more of a stand-up guy.”

On the rumors that she’s tapped to play Wonder Woman on the big screen one day.
“I’m not opposed to it, but it just seems that they can’t get a script off the ground. There seems to be a lot of creative differences. It just all depends on who helms it next and how they feel about me and what kind of product they want to introduce. I don’t know if they want to start with a Wonder Girl and kind of build a franchise, or if they want a woman. Because if they want a woman, then I’m their girl…so to speak!”

Source: Parade.com

Do you ever wonder what the world’s biggest box-office musclemen like Sylvester Stallone, Bruce Willis, Jason Statham, and Dolph Lundgren are like when the cameras aren’t rolling? According to Charisma Carpenter, who co-starred with Stallone’s in his latest directorial effort The Expendables, you couldn’t meet a sweeter, kinder group of men…who just happen to be able to bench-press you if necessarily.

Crushable: We’re huge Buffy and Angel fans, so what was it like switching to working with all these big box-office movie stars in The Expendables.

Charisma: It was awesome. It was a fantastic experience…they are really joyful, loving human beings stuck in these really big bodies. They seem life-threatening, but they are all mushy and sweet. They are the perfect example of the cover not matching the contents.

Crushable: You play Jason Statham’s girlfriend…did you guys have a lot of on-screen chemistry?

Charisma: I hope so…it wasn’t that hard. I’ve always thought Jason was cute.

Crushable: With all that testosterone on set, what was the shooting like?

Charisma: Well, I think it’s been well-publicized what an animal Sly is, and how focused he is. And he was always in the hospital after work. I don’t think he slept. He was writing after the day’s work was done, watching the dailies, directing, in the emergency room, acting. To be honest, I think he thrives and does well – and not a lot of people can do well – under these circumstances.

He’s got a bit of the eye of the tiger in him, and he appreciates that in other people. He made everyone in the cast bring their best, and I think he pushed everyone to bring their best. It’s interesting, audiences have never seen Jason in a role like this, wounded and vulnerable, and I think Sly really helped flesh out his character. He has great range, and he’s never had the opportunity to show that. He’s beautiful with that, and with Stone Cold and Terry Crews and those guys, he knew where their specialties were and really brought them out. Sly is really good at that: He knows how to write a good movie, and please audiences and they come out in droves, and I hope they do it again for this one. And again and again….

Crushable: So an Expendables 2 and 3?

Charisma: You know, I was just reading about that, how he wants The Expendables to be like Rambo and continue on…which he was very coy about before.

Crushable: How so?

Charisma: Well, it seemed to me in the promoting that they were saying, like “For one time only, see all these guys in one place in a shoot-em-up, blood and guts explosion.” But I think now it’s been pretty clear that people are really psyched about it, and now we’re reading about how he always saw it as a trilogy.

Crushable: So what’s next for you? You had a great role in this film, but would you consider being the action star yourself?

Charisma: Well, I’m not working on another movie right now, but with The Expendables opening, the calls are coming in. It’s exactly what you’d hope would happen. It’s been a wonderful experience. Of course I’d like to take a butt-kicking role in my own right, that would be divine. But I loved working with those guys, and when there is going to be The Expendables 2, I hope to be a part of it and have more screen-time…maybe learn to give some black eyes myself, instead of getting them.

Source

Gallery Link:
• x02 – Photoshoots & Publications > Magazine Scans > In Touch Weekly

Maybe movie stars aren’t so expendable.

At a time when pricey talent is thought to yield diminishing returns for film studios, Lionsgate’s star-studded “The Expendables” easily topped the weekend boxoffice with an estimated $35 million in domestic coin. The testosterone-spiked actioner outpaced an impressive $23.7 million bow by Sony’s female-targeted Julia Roberts starrer “Eat Pray Love” in second place, while Universal’s geek-seeking “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World” debuted with a dismal $10.5 million in fifth place.

Produced by Nu Image/Millennium for more than $85 million, Sylvester Stallone-helmed “Expendables” features marquee tough guys Jason Statham, Jet Li, Dolph Lundgren and Mickey Rourke, as well as Stallone. Lionsgate paid $20 million for U.S. and U.K. distribution rights and funded pic marketing, with Nu Image further shaving its exposure via robust foreign presales.

The rollicking, R-rated fight-fest drew opening audiences skewing 61% male, with 60% of patrons aged 25 or older. In an interview Sunday, Stallone told THR on that a sequel already is being discussed.

“Hopefully, the next time we’ll have even more technical expertise and raise the bar further,” Stallone said. “I love sequels. Rarely can you push all the buttons in the first movie.”

Unspooling 34 years after Stallone muscled his way into the pantheon of bigscreen tough guys with “Rocky,” “Expendables” marked the biggest bow ever by a Stallone-directed film. The multiphyphenate’s previous personal best as a director came with the $18.2 million debut of 2008′s “Rambo.”

Lionsgate distribution boss David Spitz said the “legendary cast” of the film was clearly the biggest draw for “Expendables.”

“We’re ecstatic over the opening,” Spitz said. “It came in, in our opinion, above expectations.”

Source

Charisma’s Serious Screen Charisma

Charisma Carpenter is adored by audiences for her work on Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel and Veronica Mars. Carpenter gets to flex her movie muscles alongside an action movie all-star team from the last several decades in The Expendables.

Charisma Carpenter appreciated the opportunity that The Expendables mastermind Sylvester Stallone gave her resulting in Carpenter’s first big budget film experience and she talks to SheKnows exclusively about wanting to make Sly proud. The mother of seven-year-old Donovan also shares insight into her time bonding with the only actor in The Expendables with whom she shared screen time: The action hero with a heart, Jason Statham.

CHARISMA CARPENTER EXCLUSIVE!
SheKnows: How did you get involved in The Expendables?
Charisma Carpenter: A good friend of mine recommended me to Sly. She worked on Rambo and was having trouble casting the part. Sly and I met at Lionsgate. I think he liked me enough, but he said, “You still have to audition.” [Laughs] I auditioned and got the part!

SheKnows: You’ve met and come across some big names over your career. What were your thoughts before you met Sly versus the actual experience of spending time with Mr Stallone?

Charisma Carpenter: He is certainly an icon. He’s done a movie or two in his lifetime [laughs]. I don’t know what my expectation was, but I certainly — I don’t know why — but I didn’t expect him to be so creative and so artistic. At his office he has all these amazing paintings and sculptures, and he writes and he’s a speed reader. I gave him a book called Confessions of an Economic Hit Man — the concept of The Expendables reminded me of that book. I had another meeting with him the next day and asked him about the book and he said he loved it. He finished it in one night! He’s a speed reader. There are so many anecdotes that surprised me.

CHARISMA JAMS WITH JASON
SheKnows: You spend much of the film with Jason Statham, how did you find him?

Charisma Carpenter: The thing is, I was on set when I wasn’t working, just sort of to be there and see what they were shooting. I was really amazed how there were so many of these huge stars and absolutely no drama. There was no ego or attitude. That could be attributed to Sly because he was definitely the alpha dog on the set. Because he has such a strong work ethic he inspires everyone to do their best. So, everyone would hit harder, take hits harder.

SheKnows: You must have really wanted to please someone like that.

Charisma Carpenter: Yeah, Sly gives you a feeling that you want to make him happy, you want to please him. This is my first major motion picture ever. It meant a whole lot to me to do my best and make Sly glad he gave me the chance. I think that’s why there was no drama. Everybody got down to business.

THE EXPENDABLES: A WOMAN’S PERSPECTIVE
SheKnows: You were one of the only females on that set. What was that like and did you feel overcome with testosterone?

Charisma Carpenter: It was interesting to be on the set with Jason and Sly. Jason has done big budget movies, he’s well established. He’s done work, but much of his work wasn’t necessarily love and emotion and all kick ass. I think the goal for our scenes was to see this character of Jason’s really well-rounded out. Not only is he a tough guy and dangerous, but he’s also got a heart. That was why it worked.

SheKnows: Speaking of Jason, we spoke to Amy Smart and Bai Ling who starred with him in the Crank movies and they thought he was such a great, giving actor. You really touched on some of those things, too. What was it like acting opposite Jason Statham?

Charisma Carpenter: I loved it! I really enjoyed it. I just wish there was more [laughs]. I think he did a great job throughout. He’s really exercising verbally everything he’s feeling with this girl. Women give men heart. It’s an important aspect to any action film to have heart.

Name: Charisma Carpenter
Birthday: July 23, 1970
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada

Where You’ve Seen Her: As bitchy high schooler-turned-conflicted adult Cordelia Chase on the Joss Whedon-crafted Buffy the Vampire Slayer and its spin-off Angel, and as sultry stepmom Kendall Casablancas on the criminally short-lived Veronica Mars. The lovely Vegas-born, San Diego-raised Charisma was also once a Chargers cheerleader. Next up, she finally gets her share of big screen action as part of The Expendables, where she plays Jason Statham’s long-suffering girlfriend.

On being The Expendables softer side: “You get to see a different side to Jason [Statham], who is obviously a very handsome man, very charming, has an accent, can kick ass, but you get to see him in love. So you know, the big moment was when I had to pretend I didn’t want to be kissed, ‘Wait, don’t kiss me…oh, no I need another take.’ [laughs] Maybe The Expendables 2 will have that. You know, I said to Sly, ‘Every kid asks me if there’s going to be The Expendables 2,’ and then I said, ‘Well if there is and I just so happen to be lucky enough to be a part of it, is there any way I can have a gun and kick some ass?’ He said, ‘Be careful what you wish for.’”

On Having the Eye of the Tiger: “It was really funny ’cause in our auditions, you know, [Stallone] really wants to hear you say ‘Give me this chance,’ he really wants to hear you say that you’re better than everybody else. He really wants you to have the eye of the tiger. He hates false modesty and he’s like ‘just give it to me straight,’ and I really, really related to that. Sly is the guy that you can say ‘Give me this shot. I won’t disappoint you.’ So afterwards Sly calls me into his office and he’s like, ‘So how do you think you did?’ And I just said, ‘I think I nailed it.’ I never talk like that! [laughs] And he was like ‘I think you did, too. Welcome to the cast of The Expendables.’ Now, I’m in an 80 million dollar blockbuster summer action movie. I mean, I couldn’t be more grateful.”

On the Testosterone-heavy Set: “Can I tell you how many men have come out of the woodwork that are now like my best friends and are like, ‘What was it like working with like all these people?’ I work really well with men, it was great. On the set of Angel it was all men—I think the only other woman on set was the screenwriter, and the wardrobe person but she wasn’t even on set all the time. So I’m really comfortable in that environment. It was great. It was really great, just a knockdown, drag out, die happy moment.”

On a Possible Avengers Appearance: “I have not gotten a call from Joss. [Whedon]. Would I like a call from Joss? Abso-frickin-lutely. I don’t know if I should call him. Do you think I should? [laughs] I wonder if he’d take my call! He’s kind of a big deal now. His muse is kind of Eliza [Dusku], though. But Eliza and I are good friends, maybe she’d step aside, ‘You go, Charisma. It’s your turn.’ [laughs] Do you think that would happen? But I’m ready. I’m ready to kick some ass.”

Gallery Link:
• x59 – Public Appearances > 2010 > ‘The Expendables’ Las Vegas Premiere

Gallery Link:
• x95 – Public Appearances > 2010 > ‘The Expendables’ Los Angeles Premiere

Gallery Link:
• x08 – Public Appearances > 2010 > Rock Star Media Lounge

And two videos from Comic-Con:

Gallery Link:
• x06 – Public Appearances > 2010 > Butterfinger at Comic-Con

Gallery Link:
• x24 – Public Appearances > 2010 > IGN Celebrates Comic-Con with “The Expendables”

Please join us in wishing Charisma all the best as she celebrates her 40th birthday today!

Butterfinger® Celebrity Defenders to Appear at Comic-Con

Erik Estrada, Lou Ferrigno, and Charisma Carpenter, as Defense League of Iconic TV Heroes, Make Special Appearances in San Diego

WHO: Erik Estrada – Lou Ferrigno – Charisma Carpenter

WHAT: Butterfinger Defense League

WHEN: Friday, July 23 and Saturday, July 24
(Please note, limited media photo/interview times available during two days only)

WHERE: 2010 Comic-Con International
San Diego, Calif. – Two locations, depending on available interview time:

San Diego Convention
Center Omni Hotel San Diego
111 W. Harbor Drive, San
Diego Balboa 2 Meeting Room, 5th Floor
(G4 Booth) 675 L Street, San Diego
(Butterfinger Defense League Media Room)

Butterfinger Defense League is an extraordinary league of defenders from classic TV shows (“CHiPs,” “The Incredible Hulk,” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer” and “Angel”). This is the league’s first-ever appearance together at Comic-Con.

WHY: Int’l, and each is available for interviews on:
–Worldwide debut of the Butterfinger Defense League GRAPHIC NOVEL
– Fans’ opportunity to win $1 MILLION from Butterfinger
– 4th member to join the league – To be announced by G4 at Comic-Con
– Erik, Lou and Charisma’s current projects on screen and off screen

Exclusive: The Expendables – Basketball Fight

E1 Entertainment has picked up the psychological thriller Psychosis for release in North America, possibly in 2010.