Netflix has set the voice cast for “Carol & the End of the World,” an adult animated series created by Dan Guterman that will debut on Dec. 15.
Martha Kelly will play the title role. The series takes place as extinction is imminent thanks to a mysterious planet hurtling towards Earth. While most people feel liberated to pursue their wildest dreams, Carol, quiet and always uncomfortable, woman stands alone — lost among the hedonistic masses.
Kelly is best known for starring in the FX comedy “Baskets” as Chip Baskets’ (Zach Galifianakis) friend Martha Brooks. In 2022, she guest starred in HBO’s “Euphoria” as drug dealer Laurie, which earned her an Emmy nomination. Kelly’s other prominent credits include “Gaslit” on Starz, “Hacks” on Max and “The Great North” on Fox.
The ensemble of “Carol & the End of the World” also features Michael Chernus, Bridget Everett, Beth Grant, Lawrence Pressman, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Mel Rodriguez and Delbert Hunt.
Martha Kelly will play the title role. The series takes place as extinction is imminent thanks to a mysterious planet hurtling towards Earth. While most people feel liberated to pursue their wildest dreams, Carol, quiet and always uncomfortable, woman stands alone — lost among the hedonistic masses.
Kelly is best known for starring in the FX comedy “Baskets” as Chip Baskets’ (Zach Galifianakis) friend Martha Brooks. In 2022, she guest starred in HBO’s “Euphoria” as drug dealer Laurie, which earned her an Emmy nomination. Kelly’s other prominent credits include “Gaslit” on Starz, “Hacks” on Max and “The Great North” on Fox.
The ensemble of “Carol & the End of the World” also features Michael Chernus, Bridget Everett, Beth Grant, Lawrence Pressman, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Mel Rodriguez and Delbert Hunt.
- 10/26/2023
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Longtime IFC Films and Cinetic Media PR colleagues Laura Sok and Kate McEdwards are launching new PR and strategy firm, Track Shot.
Track Shot will be based in New York City and work across independent, foreign and genre films as well as distribution strategy. The duo brings more than two decades in the publicity and communications field as well as a deep knowledge of the distribution landscape. Sok and McEdwards have built and led hundreds of film campaigns during their careers working in-house and alongside major distributors on the agency side. Previously, they led PR efforts for IFC Films, IFC Midnight, Sundance Selects, IFC Films Unlimited (streaming service) and most recently Shudder and Rlje.
Their final campaign for IFC Films was Matt Johnson’s chart-topping BlackBerry. This year they also launched Kyle Edward Ball’s breakthrough feature Skinamarink for Shudder/IFC Films.
Among their many successful campaigns at IFC...
Track Shot will be based in New York City and work across independent, foreign and genre films as well as distribution strategy. The duo brings more than two decades in the publicity and communications field as well as a deep knowledge of the distribution landscape. Sok and McEdwards have built and led hundreds of film campaigns during their careers working in-house and alongside major distributors on the agency side. Previously, they led PR efforts for IFC Films, IFC Midnight, Sundance Selects, IFC Films Unlimited (streaming service) and most recently Shudder and Rlje.
Their final campaign for IFC Films was Matt Johnson’s chart-topping BlackBerry. This year they also launched Kyle Edward Ball’s breakthrough feature Skinamarink for Shudder/IFC Films.
Among their many successful campaigns at IFC...
- 6/13/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Deadline has learned that IFC Films’ longtime Head of PR Laura Sok will be departing the indie distribution company.
Sok has been Head of PR for the last five years in an overall seven-year career at IFC (she worked there from 2008-2010), and was first hired by Jonathan Sehring to run the department. She led public-relations efforts for IFC Films, IFC Midnight, Sundance Selects and streaming service IFC Films Unlimited. Last December, her oversight was expanded to include the labels Shudder and Rlje Films.
Sok led 20th anniversary efforts for IFC Films and was integral in constructing the 2020 drive-in release and promotion strategy during the pandemic. She also led publicity strategy and campaigns for all films during the most successful financial years in IFC Films history.
While Sok is one of many executives to recently leave IFC including distribution head Jasper Basch,...
Sok has been Head of PR for the last five years in an overall seven-year career at IFC (she worked there from 2008-2010), and was first hired by Jonathan Sehring to run the department. She led public-relations efforts for IFC Films, IFC Midnight, Sundance Selects and streaming service IFC Films Unlimited. Last December, her oversight was expanded to include the labels Shudder and Rlje Films.
Sok led 20th anniversary efforts for IFC Films and was integral in constructing the 2020 drive-in release and promotion strategy during the pandemic. She also led publicity strategy and campaigns for all films during the most successful financial years in IFC Films history.
While Sok is one of many executives to recently leave IFC including distribution head Jasper Basch,...
- 4/24/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Transformers’ Stars Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback to Receive Rising Stars Award at CinemaCon
CinemaCon has zeroed in on a pair of Transformers stars to receive some special shine later this month.
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts duo of Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback are set to receive CinemaCon’s Rising Stars of the Year Award during the Big Screen Achievement Awards on April 27. The ceremony, held at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and hosted by presenting sponsor Coca-Cola Company, will close out the National Association of Theatre Owners’ official convention.
“With a breadth of experience across theater, television and film, Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback will undoubtedly captivate audiences as they take on their first action-packed franchise film in this summer’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” offered Mitch Neuhauser, managing director of CinemaCon.
Paramount Pictures and Skydance’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will hit theaters on June 9. Directed by Steven Caple Jr., the franchise installment follows the Autobots...
Transformers: Rise of the Beasts duo of Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback are set to receive CinemaCon’s Rising Stars of the Year Award during the Big Screen Achievement Awards on April 27. The ceremony, held at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and hosted by presenting sponsor Coca-Cola Company, will close out the National Association of Theatre Owners’ official convention.
“With a breadth of experience across theater, television and film, Anthony Ramos and Dominique Fishback will undoubtedly captivate audiences as they take on their first action-packed franchise film in this summer’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts,” offered Mitch Neuhauser, managing director of CinemaCon.
Paramount Pictures and Skydance’s Transformers: Rise of the Beasts will hit theaters on June 9. Directed by Steven Caple Jr., the franchise installment follows the Autobots...
- 4/4/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Though not exactly a darling of the critics, Oscar nominee Chris Columbus has created a number of box office hits throughout his 30 year career. Let’s take a look back at all 15 of his films as a director, ranked worst to best.
Born in 1958, Columbus rose to prominence as a hot young screenwriter after penning such titles as “Gremlins” (1984), “The Goonies” (1985) and “Young Sherlock Holmes” (1985). He made his directorial debut when he was just 29-years-old with the teenage comedy “Adventures in Babysitting” (1987) before raking in the box office dollars with “Home Alone” (1990), “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993) and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (2001), to name but a few.
Though he’s seldom received awards recognition as a writer or director, Columbus has had success in that regard as a producer, earning an Oscar nomination in Best Picture for “The Help” (2011), for which he also competed at the PGA and BAFTA. He won...
Born in 1958, Columbus rose to prominence as a hot young screenwriter after penning such titles as “Gremlins” (1984), “The Goonies” (1985) and “Young Sherlock Holmes” (1985). He made his directorial debut when he was just 29-years-old with the teenage comedy “Adventures in Babysitting” (1987) before raking in the box office dollars with “Home Alone” (1990), “Mrs. Doubtfire” (1993) and “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone” (2001), to name but a few.
Though he’s seldom received awards recognition as a writer or director, Columbus has had success in that regard as a producer, earning an Oscar nomination in Best Picture for “The Help” (2011), for which he also competed at the PGA and BAFTA. He won...
- 9/2/2022
- by Zach Laws and Chris Beachum
- Gold Derby
Hip-hop, dance and youthful revolt are a long-standing collaboration in cinema, in everything from Hustle & Flow to Patti Cake$ and any number of dance-driven films, the latest from French-Moroccan director Nabil Ayouch is the latest to take up the beat. His quasi-musical follows a new teacher at an arts centre in the neighbourhood of Sidi Moumen in Casablanca, who we can see from the massive spray paint word "Vibes" he paints on the music room wall - much to the administrator's disgust - is not a person who likes to follow the rules.
The centre itself is a real place and the youngsters we meet there are non-professionals playing versions of themselves, while the teacher, Anas is played by Anas Bousas, who did, indeed, come to teach at that school having had a rap career. This closeness to real-life gives the film an honest and naturalistic energy, although the backstory.
The centre itself is a real place and the youngsters we meet there are non-professionals playing versions of themselves, while the teacher, Anas is played by Anas Bousas, who did, indeed, come to teach at that school having had a rap career. This closeness to real-life gives the film an honest and naturalistic energy, although the backstory.
- 3/9/2022
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
A risky experiment with a striking payoff, “Ted K” is an impressionistic attempt to personalize the most unrelatable experience imaginable: life as a killer.
Prolific serial killers are often introduced with media-minded nicknames, making it easier for us simultaneously to separate from them and to connect with them. We look upon them as Other, but remain interested, reading and worrying and wondering until — and well after — they’re caught.
The Unabomber is among the most notable examples, with 26 victims spanning nearly two decades. His incomprehensible violence spurred the largest manhunt in FBI history, and as it went on, we all kept reading, and worrying, and wondering.
Director Tony Stone (“Peter and the Farm”) and his cowriters, John Rosenthal and Gaddy Davis, strip most of the rest away in an attempt to address the incomprehensibility. Certainly, the film’s generically ordinary title is no coincidence. Stone wants us to see Ted...
Prolific serial killers are often introduced with media-minded nicknames, making it easier for us simultaneously to separate from them and to connect with them. We look upon them as Other, but remain interested, reading and worrying and wondering until — and well after — they’re caught.
The Unabomber is among the most notable examples, with 26 victims spanning nearly two decades. His incomprehensible violence spurred the largest manhunt in FBI history, and as it went on, we all kept reading, and worrying, and wondering.
Director Tony Stone (“Peter and the Farm”) and his cowriters, John Rosenthal and Gaddy Davis, strip most of the rest away in an attempt to address the incomprehensibility. Certainly, the film’s generically ordinary title is no coincidence. Stone wants us to see Ted...
- 2/16/2022
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Black Box actor Mamoudou Athie is reteaming with Amazon Studios for their feature The Burial, based on the New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr.
Athie will star alongside Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jurnee Smollett, with Maggie Betts directing from a script written by Doug Wright.
Based on a true story, The Burial follows a bankrupt funeral home owner, who decides to sue a rival businessman over a handshake deal gone wrong. The owner hires a flamboyant attorney to handle the case.
Producers include Bobby Shriver via his Bobby Shriver Inc. label, Double Nickel Entertainment’s Adam Richman and Jenette Kahn, Foxx and producing partner Datari Turner, and Maven Pictures’ Trudie Styler and Celine Rattray.
Athie was nominated for an Emmy last year in the Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category for Fxx’s Oh Jerome, No, which he also executive produced. He...
Athie will star alongside Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jurnee Smollett, with Maggie Betts directing from a script written by Doug Wright.
Based on a true story, The Burial follows a bankrupt funeral home owner, who decides to sue a rival businessman over a handshake deal gone wrong. The owner hires a flamboyant attorney to handle the case.
Producers include Bobby Shriver via his Bobby Shriver Inc. label, Double Nickel Entertainment’s Adam Richman and Jenette Kahn, Foxx and producing partner Datari Turner, and Maven Pictures’ Trudie Styler and Celine Rattray.
Athie was nominated for an Emmy last year in the Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category for Fxx’s Oh Jerome, No, which he also executive produced. He...
- 2/1/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Bridget Everett’s Comedy Can Be Blue on Stage But ‘Somebody Somewhere’ Leans Into the Tender Moments
Although Bridget Everett has a number of impressive screen credits on her résumé — from films “Trainwreck” and “Patti Cake$” to such television shows as “Inside Amy Schumer,” “Lady Dynamite” and “Unbelievable” — she is also known for work on stage. Touring with her band, The Tender Moments, and starring in several comedy cabaret shows has allowed her to show off her musical talents, and now she is getting the chance to do that on a larger scale with “Somebody Somewhere.” In the HBO series launching Jan. 16 at 10:30 p.m., her character, Sam, finds new purpose in a community of singers.
“Somebody Somewhere” is inspired by elements of your own life. How did you determine what parts of your story you were comfortable fictionalizing?
It’s inspired by if I’d never moved to New York, what my life might be like. And the other parts that are in concert with...
“Somebody Somewhere” is inspired by elements of your own life. How did you determine what parts of your story you were comfortable fictionalizing?
It’s inspired by if I’d never moved to New York, what my life might be like. And the other parts that are in concert with...
- 1/14/2022
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
According to her dour, navy-suited employers in an old-school London financial institute, young American Millie Cantwell is the most prodigiously gifted fund manager in many a moon: a veritable supernova in her field, destined for great and profitable things. This is doubtless a wonderful thing to hear if you truly want to be a fund manager. If, like Millie, your most cherished ambition is to be an opera singer, it feels more like your head ruthlessly selling out your heart, leaving your voice stranded somewhere in the exchange. As for which ultimately wins out, expect no surprises in “Falling for Figaro,” a corny, cute-enough carpe diem comedy, in which it’s a lovable ensemble — led by Danielle Macdonald, and spiked by a deliciously imperious Joanna Lumley — that brings the grace notes to a pretty standard-issue script.
An Industry Selects offering at Toronto last year, now getting a quiet multiplatform release...
An Industry Selects offering at Toronto last year, now getting a quiet multiplatform release...
- 10/4/2021
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
The opus of Karim Kassem could be divided in two parts. In the US, where he lives, he is a cameraman that took part in filming titles like “Women Who Kill”, “Patti Cake$” and “Becoming Warren Buffett”. In his home country of Lebanon, he pursues the career of a filmmaker. So far, he directed half a dozen of shorts. “Only the Winds” is his feature-length debut.
Only the Winds is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam
The first controversy about it is its labelling. At Visions du Réel, it was screened as a documentary, while at IFFR, where we had the chance to see it in Harbour section, it was labelled a drama. To be completely on the safe side, let us say it is a docu-fiction / auto-fiction hybrid of sorts.
The filmmaker Karim Kassem, played by himself, comes to Beirut with an idea to make a film about the blind children in the mountains.
Only the Winds is screening at International Film Festival Rotterdam
The first controversy about it is its labelling. At Visions du Réel, it was screened as a documentary, while at IFFR, where we had the chance to see it in Harbour section, it was labelled a drama. To be completely on the safe side, let us say it is a docu-fiction / auto-fiction hybrid of sorts.
The filmmaker Karim Kassem, played by himself, comes to Beirut with an idea to make a film about the blind children in the mountains.
- 6/11/2021
- by Marko Stojiljković
- AsianMoviePulse
Although many may know Anthony Ramos from playing John Laurens and Philip Hamilton in the Tony award-winning Broadway force known as Hamilton, the actor and musician has been working and grinding appearing in features such as White Girl, Patti Cake$, Monsters and Men, Trolls World Tour as well as TV series Will and Grace, Elena of Avalor, and the Netflix adaptation of Spike Lee’s She’s Gotta Have It. To further show his range, Ramos also appears in the current season of HBO’s In Treatment and is currently in production on the next Transformers movie.
Now, Ramos takes on the lead role in the big-screen adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first iconic Tony-winning musical In The Heights directed by Jon M. Chu. Once the film drops in theaters and on HBO Max on June 11, this may very well be the official kick-off of the summer movie season alongside...
Now, Ramos takes on the lead role in the big-screen adaptation of Lin-Manuel Miranda’s first iconic Tony-winning musical In The Heights directed by Jon M. Chu. Once the film drops in theaters and on HBO Max on June 11, this may very well be the official kick-off of the summer movie season alongside...
- 6/8/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos and Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Stay Gold Features, a production company whose credits include “Honey Boy,” “Harriet,” “Patti Cake$” and the recent Sundance hit “Together Together,” has enlisted new leaders to its executive ranks.
Charlie Alderman, who recently worked at Focus Features, has been hired as head of content, while Becca Cammarata has been promoted to head of production.
At Focus, Alderman served as director of production and development and was responsible for overseeing films such as Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” and the Oscar-nominated historical drama “Harriet.” In his new role, he will be tasked with actively seeking out new projects in film, TV and other media spaces.
Cammarata has been with Stay Gold Features since 2017 and was instrumental in movies like “Together Together,” “Harriet,” and “Honey Boy.” Her resume also includes a stint at Jake Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker’s production company Nine Stories. As head of production, Cammarata will spearhead...
Charlie Alderman, who recently worked at Focus Features, has been hired as head of content, while Becca Cammarata has been promoted to head of production.
At Focus, Alderman served as director of production and development and was responsible for overseeing films such as Eliza Hittman’s “Never Rarely Sometimes Always” and the Oscar-nominated historical drama “Harriet.” In his new role, he will be tasked with actively seeking out new projects in film, TV and other media spaces.
Cammarata has been with Stay Gold Features since 2017 and was instrumental in movies like “Together Together,” “Harriet,” and “Honey Boy.” Her resume also includes a stint at Jake Gyllenhaal and Riva Marker’s production company Nine Stories. As head of production, Cammarata will spearhead...
- 4/21/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Mamoudou Athie, star of breakout feature film Patti Cake$, is to star in and produce a feature film set in the Sahara Desert.
Athie, who is also set to star in Jurassic Park: Dominion, has teamed up with Vespucci Group to develop Chighali, a project based in Mauritania, the North African country where he is from. It is based on an audio story, produced by Vespucci, and written by journalist Sahar Zand.
The story follows Sidi, whose first memories including camels, sand storms, scorpions, and sand dunes towering like buildings. Raised in a nomadic tribe on the far edge of the Sahara desert, Sidi doesn’t have a father like the other kids. He dreams of meeting him, even after his mom explains he’s gone away to heaven, a journey from which he won’t return. When Sidi discovers that many years ago a foreign documentary crew had visited the tribe,...
Athie, who is also set to star in Jurassic Park: Dominion, has teamed up with Vespucci Group to develop Chighali, a project based in Mauritania, the North African country where he is from. It is based on an audio story, produced by Vespucci, and written by journalist Sahar Zand.
The story follows Sidi, whose first memories including camels, sand storms, scorpions, and sand dunes towering like buildings. Raised in a nomadic tribe on the far edge of the Sahara desert, Sidi doesn’t have a father like the other kids. He dreams of meeting him, even after his mom explains he’s gone away to heaven, a journey from which he won’t return. When Sidi discovers that many years ago a foreign documentary crew had visited the tribe,...
- 2/18/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Danielle Macdonald has been set as the lead in Cuttlefish, a new film from production company Pinky Promise. The film will feature first-time female director and writer, Jean Pesce.
Cuttlefish centers on a broke, naïve dog-groomer, played by Macdonald, who discovers a money-laundering scheme and soon encounters a beautiful mobster in a compromising position. As a matter of survival, the duo goes on the run together, forging an unlikely friendship along the way.
“Ever since we first saw Danielle in Patti Cake$ we dreamed of one day working with her. The title character of Cuttlefish requires an actor who can walk the tightrope between comedy and pathos, and there is truly no one better for the job than her.” said Pinky Promise co-founder Jessamine Burgum.
Macdonald is best known for her break-out in the Sundance darling Patti Cake$, where she played promising rapper. She was recently seen in French Exit.
Cuttlefish centers on a broke, naïve dog-groomer, played by Macdonald, who discovers a money-laundering scheme and soon encounters a beautiful mobster in a compromising position. As a matter of survival, the duo goes on the run together, forging an unlikely friendship along the way.
“Ever since we first saw Danielle in Patti Cake$ we dreamed of one day working with her. The title character of Cuttlefish requires an actor who can walk the tightrope between comedy and pathos, and there is truly no one better for the job than her.” said Pinky Promise co-founder Jessamine Burgum.
Macdonald is best known for her break-out in the Sundance darling Patti Cake$, where she played promising rapper. She was recently seen in French Exit.
- 2/8/2021
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Ben Lewin’s romantic comedy headed across Europe, Asia and the Middle East.
WestEnd Films has sold Ben Lewin’s romantic comedy Falling For Figaro to a raft of distributors across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, following IFC Films recent acquisition of US rights.
The UK-based sales company has closed deals for Japan (Happinet), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Poland, South Korea (Entermode), the Middle East (Phoenicia Pictures), Taiwan (Central Motion Picture Corporation), Canada (Pacific Northwest Pictures) and airlines (Cinesky).
The film, set in the fierce world of competitive opera singing, is led by Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley and Danielle Macdonald,...
WestEnd Films has sold Ben Lewin’s romantic comedy Falling For Figaro to a raft of distributors across Europe, Asia and the Middle East, following IFC Films recent acquisition of US rights.
The UK-based sales company has closed deals for Japan (Happinet), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Poland, South Korea (Entermode), the Middle East (Phoenicia Pictures), Taiwan (Central Motion Picture Corporation), Canada (Pacific Northwest Pictures) and airlines (Cinesky).
The film, set in the fierce world of competitive opera singing, is led by Absolutely Fabulous star Joanna Lumley and Danielle Macdonald,...
- 12/9/2020
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
IFC Films has nabbed U.S. rights to “Falling for Figaro,” a romantic comedy set in the world of opera singing competitions.
The film is directed by Ben Lewin, the filmmaker behind “The Catcher Was A Spy” and “The Sessions,” and stars Joanna Lumley of “Absolutely Fabulous” and Danielle Macdonald, who earned raves for her work in “Dumplin'” and “Patti Cake$.” IFC Films will release “Falling for Figaro” in 2021.
The film follows a brilliant young fund manager named Millie (Macdonald), who quits her job and ends things with her longterm boyfriend in order to fulfill her dream of becoming an opera singer — in the Scottish Highlands. She begins intense vocal training lessons with renowned but fearsome singing teacher and former opera diva Meghan Geoffrey-Bishop (Lumley). It is there she meets Max, another of Meghan’s students who is also training for the upcoming “Singer of Renown” contest. The competition between...
The film is directed by Ben Lewin, the filmmaker behind “The Catcher Was A Spy” and “The Sessions,” and stars Joanna Lumley of “Absolutely Fabulous” and Danielle Macdonald, who earned raves for her work in “Dumplin'” and “Patti Cake$.” IFC Films will release “Falling for Figaro” in 2021.
The film follows a brilliant young fund manager named Millie (Macdonald), who quits her job and ends things with her longterm boyfriend in order to fulfill her dream of becoming an opera singer — in the Scottish Highlands. She begins intense vocal training lessons with renowned but fearsome singing teacher and former opera diva Meghan Geoffrey-Bishop (Lumley). It is there she meets Max, another of Meghan’s students who is also training for the upcoming “Singer of Renown” contest. The competition between...
- 12/7/2020
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
An esteemed up-and-coming actor known for turns in films including Patti Cake$, Unicorn Store and The Front Runner, Mamoudou Athie recently earned his first Emmy nomination for short-form series Oh Jerome, No, though he could never have anticipated this result.
A recurring segment within Cake—a short-form comedy anthology, which premiered on Fxx last fall—the series centers on Jerome, an overly sensitive young man living out a series of bizarre scenarios in New York, who goes through his fair share of trials and tribulations in his quest for love.
Written and directed by Teddy Blanks and Alex Karpovsky, the project began its life as a one-off short, with seemingly little chance of leading to anything else. A couple of years ago, while wrapping the Patti Cake$ shoot, Athie got an email from the writer/director duo, asking if he’d like to be involved. “I was a little confused,...
A recurring segment within Cake—a short-form comedy anthology, which premiered on Fxx last fall—the series centers on Jerome, an overly sensitive young man living out a series of bizarre scenarios in New York, who goes through his fair share of trials and tribulations in his quest for love.
Written and directed by Teddy Blanks and Alex Karpovsky, the project began its life as a one-off short, with seemingly little chance of leading to anything else. A couple of years ago, while wrapping the Patti Cake$ shoot, Athie got an email from the writer/director duo, asking if he’d like to be involved. “I was a little confused,...
- 8/10/2020
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO is setting course for Kansas with “Somebody Somewhere,” an upcoming Bridget Everett-led comedy series.
Here’s the synopsis, per HBO: For all of its vast plains and endless prairies, Kansas can feel confining for someone like Sam Miller (Everett). Inspired by the life of comedian and singer Bridget Everett, Sam is a true Kansan on the surface but beneath it all struggles to fit the hometown mold. As she grapples with loss and acceptance, singing is Sam’s saving grace and leads her on a journey to discover herself and a community of outsiders that don’t fit in but don’t give up. “Somebody Somewhere” shows finding your people, and finding your voice, is possible. Anywhere. Somewhere.
“Somebody Somewhere” marks the first series to be primarily focused on and executive produced by Everett, a cabaret performer who has appeared in films such as “Patti Cake$,” “Little Evil,...
Here’s the synopsis, per HBO: For all of its vast plains and endless prairies, Kansas can feel confining for someone like Sam Miller (Everett). Inspired by the life of comedian and singer Bridget Everett, Sam is a true Kansan on the surface but beneath it all struggles to fit the hometown mold. As she grapples with loss and acceptance, singing is Sam’s saving grace and leads her on a journey to discover herself and a community of outsiders that don’t fit in but don’t give up. “Somebody Somewhere” shows finding your people, and finding your voice, is possible. Anywhere. Somewhere.
“Somebody Somewhere” marks the first series to be primarily focused on and executive produced by Everett, a cabaret performer who has appeared in films such as “Patti Cake$,” “Little Evil,...
- 7/22/2020
- by Tyler Hersko
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Producer Daniela Taplin Lundberg’s Stay Gold Features (Harriet) says it has secured $10 million in funding from undisclosed private investors for film and TV projects.
Stay Gold Film Fund II will back in-house development and production and be managed by New York-based Taplin Lundberg, who with head of development Rebecca Cammarata oversees Stay Gold Features’ slate of film and TV projects. Partners in Stay Gold Features include Bill and Laurie Benenson and Nnamdi Asomugha.
Stay Gold is currently in post-production on Good Joe Bell, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and starring Mark Wahlberg and Connie Britton. Films currently in development include The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Edmund Morris; Black Lion, which the company is developing with Andrew Garfield; and previously unannounced project The Mysterious Tadpole, based on the children’s book by Steven Kellogg.
Launched in 2016, the company has produced or co-produced eight features.
Stay Gold Film Fund II will back in-house development and production and be managed by New York-based Taplin Lundberg, who with head of development Rebecca Cammarata oversees Stay Gold Features’ slate of film and TV projects. Partners in Stay Gold Features include Bill and Laurie Benenson and Nnamdi Asomugha.
Stay Gold is currently in post-production on Good Joe Bell, directed by Reinaldo Marcus Green and starring Mark Wahlberg and Connie Britton. Films currently in development include The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt, based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book by Edmund Morris; Black Lion, which the company is developing with Andrew Garfield; and previously unannounced project The Mysterious Tadpole, based on the children’s book by Steven Kellogg.
Launched in 2016, the company has produced or co-produced eight features.
- 2/6/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO will buy “Bad Education,” a dark look at corruption in a Long Island public school district that earned strong reviews after it premiered at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival.
The pact is for just under $20 million, making it the largest deal of an otherwise lackluster movie market at the festival. With a cast that includes Hugh Jackman, Ray Romano and Allison Janney, “Bad Education” was seen as the most commercially viable of the projects on the prowl for distribution deals in Toronto.
Its purchase by a premium cable channel is a sign of the fierce headwinds that indie productions face at the box office. Those involved will justify the lack of a more traditional release by emphasizing the eye-popping offer the filmmakers received from HBO. The fact is, however, that the producers and creative team behind “Bad Education” were looking to push the movie into Oscar contention...
The pact is for just under $20 million, making it the largest deal of an otherwise lackluster movie market at the festival. With a cast that includes Hugh Jackman, Ray Romano and Allison Janney, “Bad Education” was seen as the most commercially viable of the projects on the prowl for distribution deals in Toronto.
Its purchase by a premium cable channel is a sign of the fierce headwinds that indie productions face at the box office. Those involved will justify the lack of a more traditional release by emphasizing the eye-popping offer the filmmakers received from HBO. The fact is, however, that the producers and creative team behind “Bad Education” were looking to push the movie into Oscar contention...
- 9/17/2019
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Nearly 30 years after “The Crying Game” depicted a man’s revulsion at discovering his partner was trans, “Port Authority” sets the record straight. When Paul (Fionn Whitehead) learns that ballroom dancer Wye (Lenya Bloom) is a “femme girl” soon after their romance has blossomed, he doesn’t retch or try to flee. The pair engage in a levelheaded debate about the ethics of communication, and then he more or less gets over it.
Director Danielle Lessovitz’s proficient debut follows a lot of familiar beats, with the template for a gritty, naturalistic New York City love story about inner-city troublemakers done many times before. Yet her ability to address the drama’s specific hook in measured terms enables this scrappy little movie to strike a quietly progressive note.
“Kids” by way of “Paris is Burning,” Lessovitz’s story reorients the perspective of a straight white guy from the midwest by turning him into the outsider.
Director Danielle Lessovitz’s proficient debut follows a lot of familiar beats, with the template for a gritty, naturalistic New York City love story about inner-city troublemakers done many times before. Yet her ability to address the drama’s specific hook in measured terms enables this scrappy little movie to strike a quietly progressive note.
“Kids” by way of “Paris is Burning,” Lessovitz’s story reorients the perspective of a straight white guy from the midwest by turning him into the outsider.
- 5/18/2019
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
After winning the Oscar earlier this year for Best Live Action Short, Israeli filmmaker Guy Nattiv makes his English-language feature debut this May. Under the same title as the award-winning short, “Skin” follows an American neo-Nazi skinhead who turns informant on his white supremacist cohort. The newly released first trailer offers a glimpse of “Billy Elliot” star Jamie Bell in a far different look from his breakthrough role; he dons a smattering of face tattoos and, of course, a shiny bald buzz.
The official synopsis reads: “After a difficult childhood drives him into the grasps of a white supremacist gang, Bryon (Bell) tries to escape to a new life, all the while questioning whether he’s capable of undoing — and repenting for — the evil he’s done.”
“Skin” promises another interesting turn for Danielle Macdonald, breakout star of 2017’s “Patti Cake$.” She plays Bryon’s girlfriend, a single mother...
The official synopsis reads: “After a difficult childhood drives him into the grasps of a white supremacist gang, Bryon (Bell) tries to escape to a new life, all the while questioning whether he’s capable of undoing — and repenting for — the evil he’s done.”
“Skin” promises another interesting turn for Danielle Macdonald, breakout star of 2017’s “Patti Cake$.” She plays Bryon’s girlfriend, a single mother...
- 4/18/2019
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
The new “New York Undercover” pilot in the works at ABC is rounding out its cast.
Otmara Marrero, Toby Sandeman, Anna Enger, Mc Lyte, and Octavio Pizano have all been cast in the drama pilot, which picks up 20 years after the end of the original series, “New York Undercover” will follow detectives Nat Gilmore (Sandeman) and Melissa Ortiz (Marrero) as they investigate the city’s most dangerous criminals from Harlem to Battery Park. This time around, Williams is overseeing the unit and the next generation of detectives.
They join previously announced cast members Malik Yoba and Luna Lauren Velez, who will reprise their roles from the original show.
Ortiz is described as a fiery young detective who blends well undercover, while Gilmore is said to be charismatic with an easy smile and a quick fuse. Enger will play Lisa Kim, an ambitious climber. Pizano will play Moses Hernandez, an eager beaver with a hero complex.
Otmara Marrero, Toby Sandeman, Anna Enger, Mc Lyte, and Octavio Pizano have all been cast in the drama pilot, which picks up 20 years after the end of the original series, “New York Undercover” will follow detectives Nat Gilmore (Sandeman) and Melissa Ortiz (Marrero) as they investigate the city’s most dangerous criminals from Harlem to Battery Park. This time around, Williams is overseeing the unit and the next generation of detectives.
They join previously announced cast members Malik Yoba and Luna Lauren Velez, who will reprise their roles from the original show.
Ortiz is described as a fiery young detective who blends well undercover, while Gilmore is said to be charismatic with an easy smile and a quick fuse. Enger will play Lisa Kim, an ambitious climber. Pizano will play Moses Hernandez, an eager beaver with a hero complex.
- 3/12/2019
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
The writer and director behind the wonderful hip hop film Patti Cake$, Geremy Jasper, is working on an interesting sounding new film project called The Night Circus.
The movie is based on a book of the same name written by Erin Morgenstern, and it’s being produced by Harry Potter, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, and Gravity producer David Heyman.
The story follows “two young illusionists battling out an age-old rivalry amidst an enchanted and magical circus, bound by a fated love, and destined to affect the lives of all around them.” Here’s a more details story description from the book:
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
The movie is based on a book of the same name written by Erin Morgenstern, and it’s being produced by Harry Potter, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, and Gravity producer David Heyman.
The story follows “two young illusionists battling out an age-old rivalry amidst an enchanted and magical circus, bound by a fated love, and destined to affect the lives of all around them.” Here’s a more details story description from the book:
The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.
- 3/1/2019
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
“Patti Cake$” director Geremy Jasper has boarded Lionsgate’s long-in-development romantic drama “The Night Circus,” with Harry Potter producer David Heyman.
The project has been in the works since 2011, when Summit Entertainment acquired feature rights to Erin Morgenstern’s novel of the same name. The story centers on two young illusionists who continue their fathers’ age-old rivalry amid an enchanted circus, bound by a fated love and destined to affect the lives of all around them. The novel is set in Victorian London in a magical circus that is only open from sunset to sunrise.
Annie Baker has written the most recent draft, based on Morgenstern’s New York Times bestseller. Previous drafts were penned by Moira Buffini and Patrick Ness. Meredith Wieck and Brady Fujikawa will oversee the pic for Lionsgate.
Lionsgate bought Summit in 2012. Heyman, whose credits include “Gravity” and Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,...
The project has been in the works since 2011, when Summit Entertainment acquired feature rights to Erin Morgenstern’s novel of the same name. The story centers on two young illusionists who continue their fathers’ age-old rivalry amid an enchanted circus, bound by a fated love and destined to affect the lives of all around them. The novel is set in Victorian London in a magical circus that is only open from sunset to sunrise.
Annie Baker has written the most recent draft, based on Morgenstern’s New York Times bestseller. Previous drafts were penned by Moira Buffini and Patrick Ness. Meredith Wieck and Brady Fujikawa will oversee the pic for Lionsgate.
Lionsgate bought Summit in 2012. Heyman, whose credits include “Gravity” and Quentin Tarantino’s upcoming “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood,...
- 2/27/2019
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Geremy Jasper, writer and director of the Sundance standout film Patti Cake$, has been tapped to direct The Night Circus, a romance film from Lionsgate. It’s based on the Nyt bestselling book of the same title by Erin Morgenstern. Harry Potter, Once Upon A Time in Hollywood, and Gravity producer David Heyman and Jeffrey Clifford are producing the project via Heyman’s Heyday Films banner along with Tim Palen of Barnyard Projects.
The pic follows two young illusionists battling out an age-old rivalry amidst an enchanted and magical circus, bound by a fated love, and destined to affect the lives of all around them.
Annie Baker wrote the current draft of the script. Previous drafts were crafted by Moira Buffini and Patrick Ness. Richard Pine will serve as executive producer, while Meredith Wieck and Brady Fujikawa will oversee for the studio.
Jasper is repped by UTA and Untitled Entertainment.
The pic follows two young illusionists battling out an age-old rivalry amidst an enchanted and magical circus, bound by a fated love, and destined to affect the lives of all around them.
Annie Baker wrote the current draft of the script. Previous drafts were crafted by Moira Buffini and Patrick Ness. Richard Pine will serve as executive producer, while Meredith Wieck and Brady Fujikawa will oversee for the studio.
Jasper is repped by UTA and Untitled Entertainment.
- 2/27/2019
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Studios hit Sundance with their checkbooks firmly in hand. It was a weekend of frenzied dealmaking, with Hollywood players showing an unexpected willingness to shell out big money for the chance to find the next indie film breakout. Here are five takeaways after five days in Park City.
1. Era of the Mega-Deal Returns
It’s a seller’s market again. Mindy Kaling’s comedy “Late Night” scored a $13 million pact for U.S. rights, Adam Driver’s political thriller “The Report” earned a $14 million global deal, and “Blinded by the Light,” a love letter to Bruce Springsteen, racked up a $15 million worldwide payday. The eye-popping deals are surprising, because studios had been more conservative in recent years, having been burned by the likes of “The Birth of a Nation” and “Patti Cake$,” which took Sundance by storm only to crash on the shoals of public indifference when they hit theaters.
1. Era of the Mega-Deal Returns
It’s a seller’s market again. Mindy Kaling’s comedy “Late Night” scored a $13 million pact for U.S. rights, Adam Driver’s political thriller “The Report” earned a $14 million global deal, and “Blinded by the Light,” a love letter to Bruce Springsteen, racked up a $15 million worldwide payday. The eye-popping deals are surprising, because studios had been more conservative in recent years, having been burned by the likes of “The Birth of a Nation” and “Patti Cake$,” which took Sundance by storm only to crash on the shoals of public indifference when they hit theaters.
- 1/29/2019
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The actor stars as a temperamental talkshow host facing extinction and a script, written by star Mindy Kaling, that can’t quite keep up with her
Alongside film-making debuts from established actors and slow-burn word of mouth scary movies, Sundance is a festival primed for at least one crowd-pleasing comedy. In previous years, audiences and critics have roared along to Little Miss Sunshine, Happy, Texas, Juno, Patti Cake$, The Big Sick and Napoleon Dynamite. Not all of them have enjoyed such ebullience outside of Park City, though, and this year Transparent and Brooklyn Nine-Nine director Nisha Ganatra is hoping to sustain the laughter that met the premiere of her first feature, Late Night, all the way to the real world.
Related: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind review – Chiwetel Ejiofor's charming directorial debut...
Alongside film-making debuts from established actors and slow-burn word of mouth scary movies, Sundance is a festival primed for at least one crowd-pleasing comedy. In previous years, audiences and critics have roared along to Little Miss Sunshine, Happy, Texas, Juno, Patti Cake$, The Big Sick and Napoleon Dynamite. Not all of them have enjoyed such ebullience outside of Park City, though, and this year Transparent and Brooklyn Nine-Nine director Nisha Ganatra is hoping to sustain the laughter that met the premiere of her first feature, Late Night, all the way to the real world.
Related: The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind review – Chiwetel Ejiofor's charming directorial debut...
- 1/26/2019
- by Benjamin Lee
- The Guardian - Film News
Zac Efron underwent a grueling physical transformation to play serial killer Ted Bundy in “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” a drama premiering at the Sundance Film Festival this week. “I lost 13 pounds,” Efron says.
To prepare for the biographical role, he rode a stationary bike for an hour in the mornings while binge-watching the Netflix series “Ozark” and limited his meals.
“I wasn’t eating carbs. I trimmed down a lot and really controlled my diet.”
The market for independent movies is also watching its intake carefully. As the latest edition of Sundance kicks off on Jan. 24 with 112 films, the annual gathering in Park City, Utah, isn’t just where fans stand for hours in the freezing cold to see some great movies. The festival serves as an annual barometer of a rapidly changing film business that continues to evolve with scrappy new players and experimental distribution models.
In recent years,...
To prepare for the biographical role, he rode a stationary bike for an hour in the mornings while binge-watching the Netflix series “Ozark” and limited his meals.
“I wasn’t eating carbs. I trimmed down a lot and really controlled my diet.”
The market for independent movies is also watching its intake carefully. As the latest edition of Sundance kicks off on Jan. 24 with 112 films, the annual gathering in Park City, Utah, isn’t just where fans stand for hours in the freezing cold to see some great movies. The festival serves as an annual barometer of a rapidly changing film business that continues to evolve with scrappy new players and experimental distribution models.
In recent years,...
- 1/23/2019
- by Ramin Setoodeh
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Adam Paulsen, a former VP at 30West and CAA film finance agent, has joined venture capitalist David Carrico’s indie production company Valparaiso Pictures as managing partner. The company, which launched in August to produce and invest in film and TV projects, also said today it elevated Bobby Hoppey to VP Development to help oversee the slates.
Valparaiso’s pipeline already includes After Perfect, a feature film based on Christina McDowell’s 2016 memoir that is being adapted by What They Had director Elizabeth Chomko and produced with Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions and Joshua Thurston. It also is producing and financing Straight Up, the feature directorial debut of James Sweeney who stars in the romantic comedy alongside Katie Findlay.
The company also executive produced The Sound of Silence, which is world premiering in competition at next month’s Sundance Film Festival.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to partner...
Valparaiso’s pipeline already includes After Perfect, a feature film based on Christina McDowell’s 2016 memoir that is being adapted by What They Had director Elizabeth Chomko and produced with Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho Productions and Joshua Thurston. It also is producing and financing Straight Up, the feature directorial debut of James Sweeney who stars in the romantic comedy alongside Katie Findlay.
The company also executive produced The Sound of Silence, which is world premiering in competition at next month’s Sundance Film Festival.
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to partner...
- 12/19/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
“I’m not the Dalai Lama, but I’ll try to offer up a few words of advice,” Dolly Parton chirped in her 2008 single “Better Get to Livin’,” before doling out exactly the brand of wholesome, no-nonsense wisdom you’d expect from the indefatigable country queen: If you keep your head up, keep moving forward and say the odd little prayer, life will more or less work out fine.
It’s no surprise that “Better Get to Livin'” features prominently in “Dumplin’,” a film as big on homespun heart as it is short on the letter ‘G,’ and one that certainly places Dolly and Dalai on more or less the same spiritual plane. The singer may not star in Anne Fletcher’s lovable self-help comedy — about a plus-size, Parton-worshipping teen who shakes up her small Texan community by entering a local beauty pageant — but from her integral narrative presence to...
It’s no surprise that “Better Get to Livin'” features prominently in “Dumplin’,” a film as big on homespun heart as it is short on the letter ‘G,’ and one that certainly places Dolly and Dalai on more or less the same spiritual plane. The singer may not star in Anne Fletcher’s lovable self-help comedy — about a plus-size, Parton-worshipping teen who shakes up her small Texan community by entering a local beauty pageant — but from her integral narrative presence to...
- 12/13/2018
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Australian actress Danielle Macdonald first caught the attention of Hollywood with a star-making turn in Geremy Jasper’s 2017 Sundance hit “Patti Cake$,” which cast her as an unlikely heroine saddled with a baked good-based nickname yearning to break free from expectation and convention by using her unexpected skills in rap to shine. She’s trying something similar in Anne Fletcher’s “Dumplin,'” in which she is set as an unlikely heroine saddled with a baked good-based nickname yearning to break free from expectation and convention by using her unexpected skills in beauty pageants to shine. And yet Fletcher’s Netflix film offers a new glimpse at Macdonald’s evolving talent, allowing her to blend Ya convention with genuine heart in the mother-daughter dramedy.
Based on Julie Murphy’s Ya novel of the same name and adapted by screenwriter Kristin Hahn, “Dumplin'” follows some familiar beats, focusing on the fraught...
Based on Julie Murphy’s Ya novel of the same name and adapted by screenwriter Kristin Hahn, “Dumplin'” follows some familiar beats, focusing on the fraught...
- 12/7/2018
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Friends concluded more than 14 years ago, but costars Jennifer Aniston and Courteney Cox are still there for each other.
Cox, 54, who played Monica on the beloved NBC sitcom, showed her support for Aniston, 49, who played Rachel, at the premiere of Aniston’s new Netflix film Dumplin’ in Los Angeles on Thursday.
At one point in the night, the stars leaned in close and smile for the camera during the afterparty at the famous Sunset Tower Hotel.
The longtime gal pals sported all black for the occasion, with Cox wearing a chic blazer and Aniston rocking a sequined minidress.
Also in...
Cox, 54, who played Monica on the beloved NBC sitcom, showed her support for Aniston, 49, who played Rachel, at the premiere of Aniston’s new Netflix film Dumplin’ in Los Angeles on Thursday.
At one point in the night, the stars leaned in close and smile for the camera during the afterparty at the famous Sunset Tower Hotel.
The longtime gal pals sported all black for the occasion, with Cox wearing a chic blazer and Aniston rocking a sequined minidress.
Also in...
- 12/7/2018
- by Maura Hohman
- PEOPLE.com
If your guilty pleasures expand to include Hallmark-style sentimentality this time of year, you might consider adding “Dumplin'” to your viewing lineup. It has nothing to do with the holiday season, but it’s wrapped as neatly as any gift you might find under a Christmas tree.
Though directed by rom-com vet Anne Fletcher and written by producer Kristin Hahn (“The Departed”), this modest dramedy — which is being released simultaneously in theaters and on Netflix — is a far better fit for the small screen. But a big heart and strong cast go a long way towards elevating its prosaic approach.
Most of the credit goes to the two leads, Jennifer Aniston and Danielle Macdonald, who play a markedly mismatched mother and daughter. Aniston’s strenuously meticulous Rosie was, as she’ll happily remind anyone who asks, 1991’s Miss Teen Blue Bonnet. This might not seem like much to us,...
Though directed by rom-com vet Anne Fletcher and written by producer Kristin Hahn (“The Departed”), this modest dramedy — which is being released simultaneously in theaters and on Netflix — is a far better fit for the small screen. But a big heart and strong cast go a long way towards elevating its prosaic approach.
Most of the credit goes to the two leads, Jennifer Aniston and Danielle Macdonald, who play a markedly mismatched mother and daughter. Aniston’s strenuously meticulous Rosie was, as she’ll happily remind anyone who asks, 1991’s Miss Teen Blue Bonnet. This might not seem like much to us,...
- 12/6/2018
- by Elizabeth Weitzman
- The Wrap
Longtime Fox Searchlight publicity executive Cassandra Butcher has been hired by Bron Studios to become its chief marketing officer. She now joins the producer-financier behind upcoming pics like The Front Runner and The Nightingale, and which has films like Jay Roach’s Roger Ailes movie, the Tom Hanks-starrer Greyhound, the Al Capone movie Fonzo and Bill Condon’s The Good Liar in the works.
In her new role Butcher will oversee all marketing campaigns and work with the company’s distribution and sales partners, and become a part of the development and production process for both film and TV projects. She’ll work with chief content officer Anjay Nagpal and chief strategy officer Ashley Levinson at Aaron L. Gilbert’s company.
“Aaron and I and the entire Bron team are thrilled to welcome Cassandra to the company,” said Brenda Gilbert in a press release. “She will further cement our...
In her new role Butcher will oversee all marketing campaigns and work with the company’s distribution and sales partners, and become a part of the development and production process for both film and TV projects. She’ll work with chief content officer Anjay Nagpal and chief strategy officer Ashley Levinson at Aaron L. Gilbert’s company.
“Aaron and I and the entire Bron team are thrilled to welcome Cassandra to the company,” said Brenda Gilbert in a press release. “She will further cement our...
- 11/14/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Dolly Parton has livened up the Oscar trail this year with her new song “Girl in the Movies,” from the Netflix movie “Dumplin.'” Following a live performance of the song for a select industry crowd (mostly journalists and Golden Globes voters) at the Four Seasons on Monday, the recording icon stopped by a screening of the film with “Dumplin'” star Danielle Macdonald to field questions from the audience.
When told the crowd was primarily Screen Actors Guild Awards voters, Parton gestured to her trademark curves and quipped, “I took care of all my saggin’!”
Parton has previously been Oscar-nominated for “Nine to Five,” from the 1980 song of the same name, and “Travelin’ Thru,” from 2005’s “Transamerica.” This year, the original song race is shaping up to be a star-studded affair, with Warner Bros. submitting three Lady Gaga songs from “A Star is Born,” Kendrick Lamar in the mix with...
When told the crowd was primarily Screen Actors Guild Awards voters, Parton gestured to her trademark curves and quipped, “I took care of all my saggin’!”
Parton has previously been Oscar-nominated for “Nine to Five,” from the 1980 song of the same name, and “Travelin’ Thru,” from 2005’s “Transamerica.” This year, the original song race is shaping up to be a star-studded affair, with Warner Bros. submitting three Lady Gaga songs from “A Star is Born,” Kendrick Lamar in the mix with...
- 10/24/2018
- by Jenelle Riley
- Variety Film + TV
When “American History X” came out 20 years ago, part of its appeal was exotic. At the time, Neo-Nazis still seemed an outlandish, subterranean believe-it-or-not element in society. But the fact-inspired “Skin” arrives in a very different landscape, where white supremacists are coming out of the woodwork — running for political office, mainstreaming their rhetoric, providing “dog whistles” to the faithful on national TV.
Israeli director Guy Nattiv’s first U.S. feature is based on the experiences of one Bryon Widner, who gained attention for breaking from his white-power background and having the related tattoos that covered his body (and face) removed at tortuous length. Played by Jamie Bell — with a major assist from “makeup, tattoos, and prosthetic designer” Stevie Bettles — Widner’s story here is essentially one of painful tie-severing from an unhealthy subculture, with limited insight into that culture itself. It’s a narrow treatment of a now pressingly relevant subject,...
Israeli director Guy Nattiv’s first U.S. feature is based on the experiences of one Bryon Widner, who gained attention for breaking from his white-power background and having the related tattoos that covered his body (and face) removed at tortuous length. Played by Jamie Bell — with a major assist from “makeup, tattoos, and prosthetic designer” Stevie Bettles — Widner’s story here is essentially one of painful tie-severing from an unhealthy subculture, with limited insight into that culture itself. It’s a narrow treatment of a now pressingly relevant subject,...
- 9/8/2018
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Patti Cake$ star Danielle Macdonald has been cast opposite Toni Collette, Merritt Wever and Kaitlyn Dever in Unbelievable, an eight-episode Netflix limited series from Erin Brockovich writer Susannah Grant, CBS TV Studios, studio-based producers Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly and Katie Couric.
Co-written by Grant, who will serve as showrunner, Michael Chabon (John Carter) & Ayelet Waldman (Applebaum), Unbelievable is based on The Marshall Project and ProPublica Pulitzer Prize-winning December 2015 article, “An Unbelievable Story of Rape,” written by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong, and the “This American Life” radio episode about the same case, “Anatomy of Doubt.” It tells the true story of Marie, a teenager who was charged with lying about having been raped, and the two female detectives who followed a twisting path to arrive at the truth.
Details of Macdonald’s character are not being revealed.
Grant, Chabon, Waldman, Timberman, Beverly and Couric executive produce.
Co-written by Grant, who will serve as showrunner, Michael Chabon (John Carter) & Ayelet Waldman (Applebaum), Unbelievable is based on The Marshall Project and ProPublica Pulitzer Prize-winning December 2015 article, “An Unbelievable Story of Rape,” written by T. Christian Miller and Ken Armstrong, and the “This American Life” radio episode about the same case, “Anatomy of Doubt.” It tells the true story of Marie, a teenager who was charged with lying about having been raped, and the two female detectives who followed a twisting path to arrive at the truth.
Details of Macdonald’s character are not being revealed.
Grant, Chabon, Waldman, Timberman, Beverly and Couric executive produce.
- 7/26/2018
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Eka Darville, Janina Gavankar, and Italia Ricci are heading to Greenport, N.Y. for the North Fork TV Festival this fall. They will be appearing on the festival’s Actor Panel moderated by casting director Rebecca Dealy of Chrystie Street Casting.
“We are thrilled to have Eka, Janina and Italia join Rebecca on stage for an interesting and exciting panel. We look forward to a lively discussion on how actors shape their TV roles and their viewpoint on the TV industry,” said Noah Doyle, founder of the Nofotv Festival.
Darville last portrayed Malcolm in “Marvel’s Jessica Jones.” Netflix released Season 2 of the superhero series on March 8. In addition to appearing in Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs’ “Blindspotting,” Gavankar most recently starred as Diana Thomas in Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow.” Ricci currently plays opposite Kiefer Sutherland on ABC’s “Designated Survivor.”
Dealy has cast shows including “Taken,” “Person of Interest,...
“We are thrilled to have Eka, Janina and Italia join Rebecca on stage for an interesting and exciting panel. We look forward to a lively discussion on how actors shape their TV roles and their viewpoint on the TV industry,” said Noah Doyle, founder of the Nofotv Festival.
Darville last portrayed Malcolm in “Marvel’s Jessica Jones.” Netflix released Season 2 of the superhero series on March 8. In addition to appearing in Rafael Casal and Daveed Diggs’ “Blindspotting,” Gavankar most recently starred as Diana Thomas in Fox’s “Sleepy Hollow.” Ricci currently plays opposite Kiefer Sutherland on ABC’s “Designated Survivor.”
Dealy has cast shows including “Taken,” “Person of Interest,...
- 7/18/2018
- by Tara Bitran
- Variety Film + TV
Rodrigo Teixeira’s Rt Features and Martin Scorsese’s Sikelia Prods. are re-teaming to produce and finance a pair of feature debuts: Danielle Lessovitz’s “Port Authority” and Antoneta Alamat Kusijanovic’s “Murina.”
Rt Features launched a joint venture in 2014 with Scorsese’s Sikelia Prods. in order to discover emerging talents from around the world and produce their
Rt and Sikelia Prods. had “A Ciambra” in Directors’ Fortnight last year. Other recent Rt credits include Luca Guadagnino’s Oscar-winning “Call Me By Your Name” among its recent credits.
“Port Authority” is a love story set in New York’s underground ballroom culture. The film follows Paul, a midwestern teenager, who arrives at the central bus station and quickly catches feelings for Wye, a 22 year old girl voguing on the sidewalk. When he discovers Wye is trans, crisis occurs and he is forced to confront his own identity and what it means to belong.
Rt Features launched a joint venture in 2014 with Scorsese’s Sikelia Prods. in order to discover emerging talents from around the world and produce their
Rt and Sikelia Prods. had “A Ciambra” in Directors’ Fortnight last year. Other recent Rt credits include Luca Guadagnino’s Oscar-winning “Call Me By Your Name” among its recent credits.
“Port Authority” is a love story set in New York’s underground ballroom culture. The film follows Paul, a midwestern teenager, who arrives at the central bus station and quickly catches feelings for Wye, a 22 year old girl voguing on the sidewalk. When he discovers Wye is trans, crisis occurs and he is forced to confront his own identity and what it means to belong.
- 5/9/2018
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Sebastien Chesneau’s sales agency Cercamon has acquired the international sales rights to “We the Coyotes,” which premieres in Cannes’ Acid section.
The film, which was directed by two young French helmers, Hanna Ladoul and Marco La Via, but shot in English in Los Angeles. Morgan Saylor, who previously appeared in Elizabeth Wood’s “White Girl,” Rob Reiner’s “Being Charlie” and Maggie Betts’ “Novitiate,” stars alongside McCaul Lombardi, who has appeared in Andrea Arnold’s “American Honey,” Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$,” and Matt Porterfield’s “Sollers Point,” opposite Jim Belushi. The producer is Raphaël Gindre.
The film centers on Amanda and Jake who “are in love and want to start a new life together in Los Angeles,” according to a statement. “Will they make the right decisions? Their first 24 hours in L.A. take them all around the city, bringing more surprises and frustrations than expected.”
“We the...
The film, which was directed by two young French helmers, Hanna Ladoul and Marco La Via, but shot in English in Los Angeles. Morgan Saylor, who previously appeared in Elizabeth Wood’s “White Girl,” Rob Reiner’s “Being Charlie” and Maggie Betts’ “Novitiate,” stars alongside McCaul Lombardi, who has appeared in Andrea Arnold’s “American Honey,” Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$,” and Matt Porterfield’s “Sollers Point,” opposite Jim Belushi. The producer is Raphaël Gindre.
The film centers on Amanda and Jake who “are in love and want to start a new life together in Los Angeles,” according to a statement. “Will they make the right decisions? Their first 24 hours in L.A. take them all around the city, bringing more surprises and frustrations than expected.”
“We the...
- 5/3/2018
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Fresh from Fox Searchlight’s exuberant Oscar celebration for Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” (six wins) and Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (two wins), Sean Berney is leaving his post as director of acquisitions to join Netflix’s original films division. He will report to acquisitions head Matthew Brodlie, and will be part of the Netflix contingent in Cannes.
Joining Searchlight in 2015 just before Cannes, Berney worked closely with the team that acquired Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie,” Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$,” Amanda Lipitz’s “Step,” and David Lowery’s upcoming “The Old Man and the Gun.”
After its stunning Oscar run, Searchlight is expected to make a smooth transition to new Fox owner Disney, which does not have a specialty distribution arm and might want a presence at the Oscars. However, that’s not guaranteed and the division’s trajectory remains unclear, which...
Joining Searchlight in 2015 just before Cannes, Berney worked closely with the team that acquired Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie,” Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$,” Amanda Lipitz’s “Step,” and David Lowery’s upcoming “The Old Man and the Gun.”
After its stunning Oscar run, Searchlight is expected to make a smooth transition to new Fox owner Disney, which does not have a specialty distribution arm and might want a presence at the Oscars. However, that’s not guaranteed and the division’s trajectory remains unclear, which...
- 4/4/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Fresh from Fox Searchlight’s exuberant Oscar celebration for Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” (six wins) and Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri” (two wins), Sean Berney is leaving his post as director of acquisitions to join Netflix’s original films division. He will report to acquisitions head Matthew Brodlie, and will be part of the Netflix contingent in Cannes.
Joining Searchlight in 2015 just before Cannes, Berney worked closely with the team that acquired Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie,” Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$,” Amanda Lipitz’s “Step,” and David Lowery’s upcoming “The Old Man and the Gun.”
After its stunning Oscar run, Searchlight is expected to make a smooth transition to new Fox owner Disney, which does not have a specialty distribution arm and might want a presence at the Oscars. However, that’s not guaranteed and the division’s trajectory remains unclear, which...
Joining Searchlight in 2015 just before Cannes, Berney worked closely with the team that acquired Pablo Larrain’s “Jackie,” Geremy Jasper’s “Patti Cake$,” Amanda Lipitz’s “Step,” and David Lowery’s upcoming “The Old Man and the Gun.”
After its stunning Oscar run, Searchlight is expected to make a smooth transition to new Fox owner Disney, which does not have a specialty distribution arm and might want a presence at the Oscars. However, that’s not guaranteed and the division’s trajectory remains unclear, which...
- 4/4/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
IFC Films has hired Laura Sok as the vice president of publicity and promotion where will take on the responsibility of creating and executing national publicity and promotional campaigns for IFC Films and its labels Sundance Selects and IFC Midnight. In her new position, New York-based Sok will report directly to the company’s co-presidents Jonathan Sehring and Lisa Schwartz.
Before landing at IFC, Sok was a senior publicist for Cinetic Media where she worked with clients like Neon, Amazon, The Orchard, Netflix, as well as IFC Films. In addition, she contributed to theatrical and festival campaigns for films including Sundance standouts The Big Sick, Sorry To Bother You, Patti Cake$, and Oscar Best Picture nominee I, Tonya.
Other previous posts include vice president of publicity for Cohen Media Group and roles at Cinedigm Entertainment, Oscilloscope Laboratories, Relativity Media, and New Line Cinema.
Before landing at IFC, Sok was a senior publicist for Cinetic Media where she worked with clients like Neon, Amazon, The Orchard, Netflix, as well as IFC Films. In addition, she contributed to theatrical and festival campaigns for films including Sundance standouts The Big Sick, Sorry To Bother You, Patti Cake$, and Oscar Best Picture nominee I, Tonya.
Other previous posts include vice president of publicity for Cohen Media Group and roles at Cinedigm Entertainment, Oscilloscope Laboratories, Relativity Media, and New Line Cinema.
- 4/3/2018
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Author: Zehra Phelan
Home Alone, Mrs Doubtfire and Harry Potter director, (and writer of The Goonies & Gremlins no less) Chris Columbus is heading in a slightly different direction. The filmmaker has just signed up to write, direct and produce Blumhouse’s video game adaptation, Five Nights at Freddy’s.
The series is focused on the story of a fictional restaurant named Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a pastiche of restaurants like Chuck E. Cheese’s and ShowBiz Pizza Place. The first three games involve the player working as a night security guard, in which they must utilize several tools, most notably checking security cameras, to survive against animatronic characters which become mobile and homicidal after-hours.
From the HeyUGuys Archives
The fourth game, which uses different gameplay mechanics from its predecessors, takes place in the house of a child who must defend against nightmarish versions of the animatronics by closing doors and fleeing on foot.
Home Alone, Mrs Doubtfire and Harry Potter director, (and writer of The Goonies & Gremlins no less) Chris Columbus is heading in a slightly different direction. The filmmaker has just signed up to write, direct and produce Blumhouse’s video game adaptation, Five Nights at Freddy’s.
The series is focused on the story of a fictional restaurant named Freddy Fazbear’s Pizza, a pastiche of restaurants like Chuck E. Cheese’s and ShowBiz Pizza Place. The first three games involve the player working as a night security guard, in which they must utilize several tools, most notably checking security cameras, to survive against animatronic characters which become mobile and homicidal after-hours.
From the HeyUGuys Archives
The fourth game, which uses different gameplay mechanics from its predecessors, takes place in the house of a child who must defend against nightmarish versions of the animatronics by closing doors and fleeing on foot.
- 2/13/2018
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
If there’s one thing you can count on at the Directors Guild Awards on Saturday night, February 3, it’s that Jordan Peele will win Best First-Time Director for his work on the socially conscious horror satire “Get Out.” In fact, based on the combined predictions of more than 1,100 users as of this writing, Peele is not only thee biggest lock of the night, he may be the biggest lock of the entire awards season thus far.
Peele currently leads our predictions with overwhelming odds of 1/10 and unanimous support from the 11 Expert journalists we’ve polled: Thelma Adams (Gold Derby), Erik Davis (Fandango), Edward Douglas, Grae Drake (Rotten Tomatoes), Joyce Eng (Gold Derby), Tariq Khan (Fox News), Jack Mathews (Gold Derby), Tom O’Neil (Gold Derby), Anne Thompson (IndieWire), Peter Travers (Rolling Stone) and Susan Wloszczyna (RogerEbert.com).
Also betting on Peele are all seven of our Editors who cover...
Peele currently leads our predictions with overwhelming odds of 1/10 and unanimous support from the 11 Expert journalists we’ve polled: Thelma Adams (Gold Derby), Erik Davis (Fandango), Edward Douglas, Grae Drake (Rotten Tomatoes), Joyce Eng (Gold Derby), Tariq Khan (Fox News), Jack Mathews (Gold Derby), Tom O’Neil (Gold Derby), Anne Thompson (IndieWire), Peter Travers (Rolling Stone) and Susan Wloszczyna (RogerEbert.com).
Also betting on Peele are all seven of our Editors who cover...
- 1/31/2018
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
The 2017 Sundance Film Festival provided one of the strongest markets on record. The box-office results, however, tell another story. While big buy “The Big Sick” was a big hit, second only to “Lady Bird” in the specialty marketplace, many smaller Sundance films remained just that: small, often earning less than their acquisition costs.
For some movies, small is a victory. Kogonada’s “Columbus,” which screened in the 2017 Next section, received the Sundance Institute’s Creative Distribution Fellowship grant to fund its inaugural self-distribution partnership. “Columbus” grossed more than $1 million — more than Fox Searchlight’s “Patti Cake$” ($9.5 million buy, less than $1 million domestic), and more than one might expect for a meditative romance set among the architecture of Columbus, Ind.
Three Sundance 2107 films — “Get Out” (Universal), “The Big Sick” (Amazon/Lionsgate) and “Wind River” (Weinstein) grossed over $250 million combined in domestic theaters. However, only “The Big Sick” came to Sundance without a distributor.
For some movies, small is a victory. Kogonada’s “Columbus,” which screened in the 2017 Next section, received the Sundance Institute’s Creative Distribution Fellowship grant to fund its inaugural self-distribution partnership. “Columbus” grossed more than $1 million — more than Fox Searchlight’s “Patti Cake$” ($9.5 million buy, less than $1 million domestic), and more than one might expect for a meditative romance set among the architecture of Columbus, Ind.
Three Sundance 2107 films — “Get Out” (Universal), “The Big Sick” (Amazon/Lionsgate) and “Wind River” (Weinstein) grossed over $250 million combined in domestic theaters. However, only “The Big Sick” came to Sundance without a distributor.
- 1/17/2018
- by Tom Brueggemann and Dana Harris
- Indiewire
Echoing much recent Oscar buzz, the 2018 DGA nominations went to the five lead contenders for Best Picture: Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird,” Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” and Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”
Peele was also nominated for the first-time directing award, along with Geremy Jasper (“Patti Cake$”), William Oldroyd (“Lady Macbeth”), Taylor Sheridan (“Wind River”) and Aaron Sorkin (“Molly’s Game”), whose movie is picking up guild nods and is a strong contender for the Adapted screenplay Oscar. (It was a good day for Fox Searchlight, which released “Three Billboards,” The Shape of Water” and “Patti Cake$”).
Read More: Directors Guild of America 2018 Film Nominations: Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig Make the Cut
It’s Nolan’s fourth DGA nomination (if he gets an Oscar directing nod, it will be his first); Mexican Del Toro beat out British McDonagh,...
Peele was also nominated for the first-time directing award, along with Geremy Jasper (“Patti Cake$”), William Oldroyd (“Lady Macbeth”), Taylor Sheridan (“Wind River”) and Aaron Sorkin (“Molly’s Game”), whose movie is picking up guild nods and is a strong contender for the Adapted screenplay Oscar. (It was a good day for Fox Searchlight, which released “Three Billboards,” The Shape of Water” and “Patti Cake$”).
Read More: Directors Guild of America 2018 Film Nominations: Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig Make the Cut
It’s Nolan’s fourth DGA nomination (if he gets an Oscar directing nod, it will be his first); Mexican Del Toro beat out British McDonagh,...
- 1/11/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Echoing much recent Oscar buzz, the 2018 DGA nominations went to the five lead contenders for Best Picture: Christopher Nolan’s “Dunkirk,” Jordan Peele’s “Get Out,” Greta Gerwig’s “Lady Bird,” Guillermo del Toro’s “The Shape of Water” and Martin McDonagh’s “Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.”
Peele was also nominated for the first-time directing award, along with Geremy Jasper (“Patti Cake$”), William Oldroyd (“Lady Macbeth”), Taylor Sheridan (“Wind River”) and Aaron Sorkin (“Molly’s Game”), whose movie is picking up guild nods and is a strong contender for the Adapted screenplay Oscar. (It was a good day for Fox Searchlight, which released “Three Billboards,” The Shape of Water” and “Patti Cake$”).
Read More: Directors Guild of America 2018 Film Nominations: Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig Make the Cut
It’s Nolan’s fourth DGA nomination (if he gets an Oscar directing nod, it will be his first); Mexican Del Toro beat out British McDonagh,...
Peele was also nominated for the first-time directing award, along with Geremy Jasper (“Patti Cake$”), William Oldroyd (“Lady Macbeth”), Taylor Sheridan (“Wind River”) and Aaron Sorkin (“Molly’s Game”), whose movie is picking up guild nods and is a strong contender for the Adapted screenplay Oscar. (It was a good day for Fox Searchlight, which released “Three Billboards,” The Shape of Water” and “Patti Cake$”).
Read More: Directors Guild of America 2018 Film Nominations: Jordan Peele and Greta Gerwig Make the Cut
It’s Nolan’s fourth DGA nomination (if he gets an Oscar directing nod, it will be his first); Mexican Del Toro beat out British McDonagh,...
- 1/11/2018
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
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