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Closer to the end of their feted, award-winning careers than the beginning, George Clooney and Brad Pitt, longtime, if not lifelong, friends, Oscar winners, reunite once again for writer-director Jon Watts’ first post-mcu effort, Wolfs. A risk-averse, laidback, low-effort action-comedy, Wolfs isn’t likely to rank high on Clooney and Pitt’s not-quite-imminent career retrospectives at a future Oscar ceremony, but more often than not, it passes the time-wasting diversion test. Sometimes Wolfs even qualifies as put-down-your-cellphone-and-pay-attention entertaining, coasting as it does on Clooney and Pitt’s well-worn onscreen chemistry to patch the holes in Watts’ formulaic, convention-ridden screenplay. When we first meet Clooney’s stubbornly unnamed character (Cleaner 1 for this review),...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

It’s Amy Ryan who opens the action in Wolfs, Apple Original Films’ George Clooney-Brad Pitt reunion that sees those longtime co-stars go head-to-head as rival criminal underworld ‘fixers’. In an extraordinary scene that spanned some 30 pages of script and took several weeks to shoot, Ryan stars in Jon Watts’ crime comedy-thriller as a powerful political figure who finds herself in hot water and makes the fateful call that brings in the two competing men on a night that spins out of control.

Here, Oscar nominee and three-time Tony nominee Ryan digs into the experience of shooting with Pitt and Clooney and co-star Austin Abrams (Euphoria) in the film that earned a five and a half minute ovation at its Venice Film festival premiere, and why she’d return for the already-set sequel in a heartbeat. She also discusses her surprise return to runaway hit series Only Murders in the Building...

Exclusive: Jon Watts, his production company Freshman Year and producer Dianne McGunigle have been staked to a first-look feature deal with Walt Disney Studios. Under the deal, Watts will direct feature-length projects for Disney live action and 20th Century Studios with the option to produce.

Watts came from the low budget well-received Sundance indie film Cop Car to be chosen to join Tom Holland and Zendaya in the third iteration of the Spider-Man franchise. Some $4 billion in gross later spread over three films, Watts stepped out and wrote, directed and produced Wolfs, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, for Apple. That film, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, gets a limited theatrical release before bowing September 27 on Apple TV+. Watts has made a deal for a sequel of the slick thriller about two competitive shadowy guys who quietly fix messes that powerful people get into.

Watts has a relationship...

At first glance, Wolfs, the first non-Spider-Man film from director Jon Watts since 2015’s Cop Car, seems to be something of a Pulp Fiction/Quentin Tarantino riff. There’s that deliberately grammatically inaccurate title, which nods to Harvey Keitel’s character from that film, a well-dressed man who ‘solves problems’ when a dead body unhelpfully shows up. There’s a MacGuffin in a bag. There’s a junkie who gets a shot of adrenaline. There’s even a Pov shot from a car boot.

In fact, the director Watts is aping here is Shane Black. To its snowy, Christmas-set core, Wolfs is a Shane Black movie that Shane Black never got round to making. It doesn’t quite share his talent for witty dialogue or outlandish action, but it has the Black sensibility down, telling a story about — as one character puts it — “an absolutely fucking clusterfuck of a mess”. And it has,...

It’s been a huge year for George Clooney getting rid of people. In an age where streaming platforms and clueless executives have been trying to enforce a “No More Movie Stars” mandate, Clooney spent about 15 solid years giving us smarmy lead turns that played on his uncanny ability to...

Two of Hollywood’s biggest stars, George Clooney and Brad Pitt have teamed up to star in an upcoming action comedy titled, Wolfs. The actors would be portraying professional fixers hired to cover up a major crime, forcing the two lone wolves to work together. Several news outlets have started releasing rumors about the new movie, but one statement caused the actor himself to respond.

The movie premiered out of competition at the Venice Film Festival, and Clooney utilized the platform to address one viral rumor about the film. Referring to the absurd claim of the lead actors receiving $35 million each as salary, the Insomnia actor stated it was exaggerated. He claimed their actual pay was way less, and the rumor could cause serious harm to show business.

The truth behind the numbers: Wolf’s lead speaks out

Wolfs, the new action-comedy film featuring the iconic duo of George Clooney and Brad Pitt,...

"It's gonna be a long night," Brad Pitt's unnamed "cleaner" wearily observes when things officially go from bad to worse early on in "Wolfs." It's only the first of the film's many winking, self-reverential story beats, throwing back to one of the great cinematic rites of passage for any filmmaker looking to make their own mark on crime thrillers. John Carpenter's "Assault on Precinct 13," Sidney Lumet's "Dog Day Afternoon," and especially Martin Scorsese's "After Hours" perfected the art of throwing every possible obstacle they could think of at their heroes, putting them through the wringer over the course of a single endless day or night. "Wolfs" is writer/director Jon Watts' almost revisionist response to those classics of decades past, with the added bonus of reuniting movie stars Pitt and George Clooney for the first time since the "Ocean's" trilogy and "Burn After Reading."

This movie,...

Hey, remember the scenes in Steven Soderbergh’s “Ocean’s Eleven” where George Clooney and Brad Pitt stood next to each other and looked cool and said cool things? The new film “Wolfs” assumes you do, and that you want to see those moments all over again, and again, and again, because that’s basically the whole movie.

And the thing is, “Wolfs” is right. We do want to see that. The ancient art of simply taking two people with chemistry and letting them do stuff, whatever that stuff is, is under-appreciated and a little lost. We go to see superhero movies for the superheroes, not the stars who play them, and you can tell because when those actors star in other movies those movies often struggle to find an audience. But Jon Watts’ film gambles on our simple desire to hang out with two cool fools who really know where their towels are.

Wolfs is an interesting reminder of the route writer-director Jon Watts might have taken if he hadn’t fallen into the Spiderverse, being an amplified version of his 2015 Sundance debut Cop Car. That film starred two unknown kids in a kind-hearted crime caper reminiscent of Spielberg in his Sugarland Express days; this one leans into After Hours-period Scorsese, and stars two of the most famous people in the world. Though they have a lot of fun with it, the familiarity of the two graying matinee idols as they bicker and snark through an effortless but also slightly weightless genre romp leaves one with the sneaking suspicion that, at times, they might be having a bit more fun than we are.

Most likely inspired by Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction and the character of Winston “The Wolf” Wolf (as played by Harvey Keitel), this is a whole movie devoted to a character...

Can movie stars stay cool forever?

That seems to be the big existential question underscoring the clever, impeccably directed if rather flimsy action comedy Wolfs, which reunites Brad Pitt and George Clooney, who most memorably chummed it up together in the Ocean’s trilogy. Back then they were two of the biggest actors on the planet, and even an effort like the Coen brothers’ Burn After Reading — which marks their last onscreen team-up — grossed over $160 million while remaining totally offbeat and frankly uncommercial.

More than a decade later, both stars are in their 60s and the movie business clearly isn’t what it used to be. Case in point: Wolfs, which was supposed to be released wide by Apple, will roll out for a one-week limited theatrical run before going straight to streaming. Is it because Pitt and Clooney can no longer draw the crowds they did in their heyday?...

Jon Watts only had two indie films under his name before directing the big-budget Spider-Man flicks for the MCU. He gave one of the most significant post-Endgame MCU releases with Spider-Man: No Way Home. The Tom Holland film almost collected $2 billion worldwide. But, despite such success, the director denied leading Spider-Man 4 due to a major creative reason.

Tom Holland in Jon Watt’s Spider-Man trilogy | Credits: Marvel Studios

After the success of No Way Home, Jon Watts was eyed to helm Spider-Man 4 as well as The Fantastic Four. But soon, the director announced his exit from both projects and asserted that he wanted to do something on his own, outside Marvel. As a result, Watts went on to make the film, Wolfs for Apple TV+.

Jon Watts was tired of working under the Marvel umbrella Jon Watts’ trilogy ended on a high with 2021’s Spider-Man No Way Home | Credits: Marvel Studios

For years,...

Jon Watts cut his teeth on indie movies like Clown and Cop Car, but his big break came when Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures tapped him to helm 2017's Spider-Man: Homecoming.

He'd later return for Spider-Man: Far From Home (2019) and Spider-Man: No Way Home (2021), with the latter presenting more than its fair share of challenges thanks to the pandemic. Still, the threequel was a massive hit and Watts was announced as the director of The Fantastic Four, only to walk away from the project months later.

Now, the untitled Spider-Man 4 - which is expected to be released between Avengers: Doomsday and Avengers: Secret Wars - finds itself without a director because Watts will not return to helm the wall-crawler's next adventure.

Talking to The Hollywood Reporter, the filmmaker broke his silence on moving on from the MCU by admitting he's all too aware that following Spider-Man: No Way Home will be near impossible.

Strap in, hold tight, and blast off because a new entry into the “Star Wars” universe is on approach. The latest project from Lucasfilm and Disney+, “Skeleton Crew” has been promised as an unexpected adventure that takes four younglings from the safety of their home planet and sends them on a mystifying journey through unexplored corners of the galaxy. A trailer for the series premiered at D23 on Friday, August 9 and can be viewed below.

The child cast is led by newcomers Ravi Cabot-Conyers as Wim, Kyriana Kratter as Kb, Robert Timothy Smith as Neel — a character of the same species as Max Rebo in “Return of the Jedi” — and Ryan Kiera Armstrong as Fern. They’re joined by Academy Award nominee Jude Law in the role of Jod Na Nawood, a force user the children encounter in a prison. Whether he proves to be on the light or dark side remains to be seen,...

"'Tis dangerous out there in space! Trust no one..." At D23, Disney also unveiled the first look at the official trailer for a brand new Star Wars series called Skeleton Crew, mainly meant for younger kids this time. The new series is created by Jon Watts (of the recent Spider-Man movies) and writer Christopher Ford. 4 kids make a mysterious discovery on their home planet that leads them to get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy. The series follows along as the kids get lost in a strange and dangerous galaxy and have to find their way home, meeting unlikely allies and enemies along the way. Their group includes Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers), Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong), Kb (Kyriana Kratter), Neel (Robert Timothy Smith) as the main four, who are joined by: the mysterious and enigmatic Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law) and the droid Sm-33 (voiced by Nick Frost), the decrepit...

Exclusive: Apple has pivoted on the Jon Watts-directed George Clooney & Brad Pitt starrer Wolfs, which makes its world premiere at the 81st Venice Film Festival. Apple Original Films has made a deal with Watts to write, direct and produce a sequel vehicle for Clooney and Pitt.

At the same time, Apple has changed its plan for Wolfs to have a wide theatrical release before it lands on Apple TV+. It instead will receive a limited theatrical release September 20, and then debut globally on Apple TV+ on Friday, September 27.

Apple confirmed the release pivot, but sources said it does not signal a change in its hybrid strategy of a streaming service release preceded by a wide theatrical with P&a that was undertaken with Killers of the Flower Moon and Napoleon. Apple will stick to the wide theatrical release on its other film starring Pitt, the Formula One drama F1, which...

Jon Watts was only really known for directing Clown and Cop Car when Marvel Studios and Sony Pictures hired him to helm Spider-Man: Homecoming. Understandably, many fans had reservations about another "indie" director working on the franchise, particularly after Marc Webb had struggled with The Amazing Spider-Man franchise.

Fortunately, the filmmaker exceeded expectations and delivered three huge critical and commercial hits. After successfully getting Spider-Man: No Way Home across the finish line in 2021 (no easy feat given its scale and the pandemic), Watts was expected to begin work on Marvel Studios’ Fantastic Four reboot. Instead, he chose to leave the movie after devoting a good half a decade of his career to the MCU.

The fact Watts agreed to take charge of that movie seemed to suggest he never planned to return for Spider-Man 4, and several names have since been rumoured to be in the running for the coveted job.

In the last couple decades, it's been as safe to assume that big-budget blockbusters arrive almost every week as it is to assume that many of the people directing those films aren't very big names. The days of directors like Steven Spielberg or Tony Scott or Michael Bay regularly directing blockbusters have mostly gone by the wayside. More often than not, studios have passed their big-deal intellectual property titles to filmmakers who aren't household names, perhaps hoping that they'll hew to the company line instead of injecting their own personal flair into the proceedings. 

This week marks the arrival of one such film, the Universal Pictures/Warner Bros. Pictures film "Twisters," which serves as a long-awaited sequel (kind of) to the 1996 blockbuster "Twister." It also serves as the first film for director Lee Isaac Chung since his Oscar-winning 2020 indie family drama "Minari." Chung's past feature work doesn't suggest he'd...

Exclusive: Amazon MGM Studios has landed the package Murder 101, with Jon Watts attached to direct. Watts will also produce alongside Dianne McGunigle and KT Studios’ Stephanie Lydecker. Carrie Lieberman and Conal Byrne will produce for iHeartMedia. This follows a brisk auction last week that had numerous studios in the fray.

The film forms its basis from the true story that unfolds in the KT Studios’ and iHeartPodcasts’ #1 true crime podcast. Set in a small Tennessee town, the podcast told a story about how a group of high school students and their teacher Alex Campbell profiled a local serial killer. It led to his capture.

Jon Watts most recently directed Marvel Studios/Sony Pictures’ Spider-Man: Homecoming Trilogy and directed and executive produced the FX series The Old Man. Upcoming, Watts wrote, directed, and produced Wolfs, starring George Clooney and Brad Pitt, set for a fall release from Apple Studios and Sony.

Brad Pitt and George Clooney are two lone-wolf fixers who are forced to work together after they’re tasked with the same assignment in Jon Watts’ upcoming action comedy “Wolfs,” in theaters Sept. 20 via Sony.

As Clooney puts on gloves to cover up what looks like a grisly murder, he assures a woman, “There’s nobody who can do who I do.” Seconds later, Pitt walks in wearing a similar outfit, already gloved.

In addition to Pitt and Clooney, the cast also includes Austin Abrams, Amy Ryan and Poorna Jagannathan.

Pitt and Clooney also serve as producers on the film for their respective Plan B Productions and Smokehouse Pictures banners. Apple is the third studio, having won a bidding war against Sony, Lionsgate and Netflix for the movie package. Sony Pictures Releasing is distributing the film.

“Wolfs” marks a reunion for Pitt and Clooney, who starred together in three “Ocean...

George Clooney and Brad Pitt aren’t exactly team players in the first trailer for their new comedic thriller, Wolfs.

Sony Pictures is set to release Jon Watts’ movie in theaters Sept. 20. Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams and Poorna Jagannathan round out the cast in the feature that hails from Apple Studios and centers on two lone-wolf professional fixers hired to do the same job.

Watts (Spider-Man: No Way Home) wrote and directed Wolfs. Clooney and Grant Heslov produce for Smokehouse Pictures, while Pitt, Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner produce for Plan B Entertainment. Watts and Dianne McGunigle are also producers.

In the trailer, released Wednesday, Clooney, a professional fixer, is hired to cover up a crime.

“There’s nobody who can do who I do,” he says as he gets to work.

However, he is surprised and dismayed when a second fixer (Pitt) unexpectedly shows up. When they both realize...

While they both provided voices for John Krasinski’s If, we’re considering Wolfs to be the true reunion between Ocean’s and Burn After Reading stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt. The action comedy also marks Jon Watts’ first non-superhero feature since his breakout with Cop Car and ahead of a September 20 release, the first trailer has dropped.

Here’s the synopsis: “Clooney plays a professional fixer hired to cover up a high profile crime. But when a second fixer (Pitt) shows up and the two “lone wolves” are forced to work together, they find their night spiraling out of control in ways that neither one of them expected.”

See the trailer below for the film also starring Amy Ryan, Austin Abrams, and Poorna Jagannathan.

Wolfs opens on September 20.

The post George Clooney and Brad Pitt Reunite in the First Trailer for Wolfs first appeared on The Film Stage.

George Clooney as a fixer? "Wolfs" is not, in fact, the sequel to the former Batman's excellent 2007 legal thriller "Michael Clayton." It does, however, reunite Clooney with his "Ocean's" trilogy costar Brad Pitt for the kind of original adult genre film that's in short supply these days. And no, before you ask, that's not a spelling mistake. We're talking about "Wolfs," not the 2014 werewolf flick "Wolves" ... or the 2016 sports drama "Wolves" ... or even 2022's murder mystery "Wolves." Man, who knew "Wolves" was such a versatile title?

"Wolfs" sees Clooney and Pitt playing a pair of fixers who're assigned to the same job in what will surely be a cage-match to rival that of "Godzilla vs. Kong" or Alien vs. Predator." Or maybe not; the trailer teaser and unofficial set photos released ahead of today's trailer premiere have much more of a "Locke" vibe, with Clooney and Pitt sitting in stony...

Director Jon Watts is showing off his versatility and arguably getting back to his filmmaking roots. While Watts is known for directing three “Spider-Man” movies for Marvel, the filmmaker started out in the world of thriller and indies and got his breakout start with 2015’s “Cop Car,” which found much acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival that year. The buzz on the indie landed Watts the “Spider-Man: Homecoming” gig, which occupied him for several years, but he’s returning to the land of dramatic thrillers with the new starry field, “Wolfs.”

Read More: The 100 Most Anticipated Films Of 2024

Why the title “Wolfs” instead of the grammatically correct “Wolves”?

Continue reading ‘Wolfs’ Trailer: Brad Pitt & George Clooney Star As Illiterate Fixers For Director Jon Watts In September at The Playlist.

Andrew Garfield’s arc as Peter Parker in his The Amazing Spider-Man film series may have come to an abrupt end when fans were expecting more, but it still lives in their hearts nonetheless. This became apparent recently when Marvel fans jumped in the picture to remind everyone of his web-slinger saga by Marc Webbs after the shooting of the stunt scenes faced some criticism.

Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker in his own superhero film series.

This critical approach came from Jon Watts, the helmer of all three of Tom Holland’s movies as Parker, who recently shared some pretty bold advice for the next Spider-Man director regarding the slinging stunt scenes. But instead of gaining appreciation from fans for it, Watts instead faced criticism, with fans reminding him of how Garfield managed to pull those stunts off for his saga.

Jon Watts Has Some Bold Advice for the Next...

When Marvel Studios enlisted Jon Watts to direct Spider-Man: Homecoming, he was a relative unknown. The filmmaker had helmed the low-budget Clown and Cop Car, but neither of those necessarily suggested he was a good fit to bring the wall-crawler into the MCU. 

Like Sam Raimi and Marc Webb before him, Watts proved his detractors wrong by delivering a movie which scored glowing reviews and a spectacular $880.2 million at the worldwide box office. 

Spider-Man: Far From Home followed two years later and earned over $1.1 billion, and when Spider-Man: No Way Home eventually swung into theaters, it grossed a jaw-dropping $1.9 billion. 

After devoting several years of his life to Spider-Man, Watts decided he needed a break from the MCU and gave up the chance to next take charge of The Fantastic Four. He's since shifted focus to upcoming Star Wars TV series, Skeleton Crew, and a new director will be brought on board for Spider-Man 4.

The cast lineup for Final Destination 6: Bloodlines has been unveiled with new additions. (Photo Credit – Instagram)

New Line Cinema’s latest foray into the Final Destination saga showcases a vibrant ensemble, comprising Brec Bassinger of The CW’s Stargirl fame, the illustrious Teo Briones, recognized for his stint in Chucky, and Kaitlyn Santa Juana, celebrated for her contributions to stage productions such as Dear Evan Hansen. Dubbed Final Destination: Bloodlines, this chapter is presently unfolding its chilling narrative amidst the bustling backdrop of Vancouver.

Additionally, in The Impending Peril, we find Richard Harmon of The 100, Anna Lore famed for her stint in Gotham Knights, and Owen Patrick Joyner, lauded for his portrayal in Netflix’s Julie and the Phantoms. The cast is rounded out by Max Lloyd-Jones from The Book of Boba Fett, Rya Kihlstedt from Obi Wan Kenobi, and Tinpo Lee from The Manor.

Steering the...

Impressed by his work on Cop Car, Marvel brought Jon Watts to helm Spider-Man: Homecoming, starring Tom Holland. Following its success, the director was brought back to craft the next two sequels in the franchise with a much bigger scope than the first one, which was fairly a street-level film. But being a street-level film was one of Homecoming‘s biggest charms, as it helped the movie differentiate itself from other MCU IPs, and Marvel is reportedly looking to go that route again.

However, per reports, Sony was against this idea and wanted the fourth part to follow in No Way Home‘s footsteps by bringing Watts back, but it appears, it isn’t going in Sony’s favor this time.

Spider-Man: Homecoming

Spider-Man 4 Might Follow Kevin Feige’s Vision Following Jon Watts’ Exclusion

Apart from being the biggest release in the wall-crawler’s filmography, No Way Home also...

Marvel and Sony are butting heads on the upcoming Spider-Man 4 movie and it’s not at all good news for fans of Tom Holland’s web-slinger. Kevin Feige-led Marvel and Tom Rothman-led Sony are divided on the creative direction, the release date, and the director of the movie. Both Marvel fans and Feige do not want the Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts to direct the next film and they have a clear reason why.

Marvel fans do not want Spider-Man: No Way Home director returning for Spider-Man 4

Marvel Studios is considering Netflix’s Daredevil creator Drew Goddard to direct Spider-Man 4. The studio also does not want the film to be released next year alongside plenty of other planned MCU movies, which is something Sony reportedly opposes.

No Way Home Director Returning For Spider-Man 4 Is Bad News For Marvel Jon Watts along with...

Director Jon Watts helmed all three films in Tom Holland’s Spider-Man trilogy of films set in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. Aside from the overall positive reception of the films, Watts’ direction and handling of Peter Parker’s integration into the MCU was also praised. However, the films recorded an unprecedented amount of commercial success.

Tom Holland in a still from Spider-Man: Homecoming

On X (formerly Twitter), a user pointed out that Watts’ Spider-Man trilogy starring Tom Holland as the titular web crawler had a total bo-office gross of nearly $3.9 billion, marking a record for the individual franchises within the MCU. Here is why the box-office numbers of Watts’ MCU movies are commendable and why his record is unlikely to be beaten anytime soon.

Suggestedmcu’s Potential Plan For Tom Holland’s Spider-Man 4 Can be a Really Bad News For Fans Waiting to See Kingpin Shine in the Movie...

Manodrome is a thriller-drama film written and directed by John Trengove. The drama film revolves around Ralphie, an Uber driver who aspires to be a bodybuilder gets inducted into a libertarian masculinity cult, and loses his grip on reality because of all the pressures in his life. Manodrome stars Jesse Eisenberg in the lead role with Adrien Brody, Odessa Young, Sallieu Sesay, and Philip Ettinger starring in supporting roles. So, if you loved Manodrome here are some similar movies you could watch next.

The Art of Self-Defense (Max & Prime Video Add-On) Credit – Bleecker Street

Synopsis: A dark comedy set in the world of karate. The film centers on Casey (Jesse Eisenberg), who is attacked at random on the street and enlists in a local dojo led by a charismatic and mysterious Sensei (Alessandro Nivola), in an effort to learn how to defend himself. What he uncovers is a sinister world of fraternity,...

In the new Netflix series Beef, a struggling contractor (Steven Yeun) and an affluent entrepreneur (Ali Wong) become embroiled in an escalating feud following a road rage incident. The series fits snuggly into a very specific quadrant of cinematographer Larkin Seiple’s wheelhouse— hard-to-classify A24 projects. Though his filmography includes sports biopics (Bleed for This), thrillers (Cop Car) and prestige dramas (To Leslie and Emmy-nominated work on Gaslit), Seiple’s most distinct work has come in A24’s Swiss Army Man, Everything Everywhere All at Once and now the studio’s Beef. With the full series streaming on Netflix, Seiple spoke to Filmmaker about Incubus clinching […]

The post “TV Shows are Like Better Funded Independent Films”: Dp Larkin Seiple on Beef first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

In the new Netflix series Beef, a struggling contractor (Steven Yeun) and an affluent entrepreneur (Ali Wong) become embroiled in an escalating feud following a road rage incident. The series fits snuggly into a very specific quadrant of cinematographer Larkin Seiple’s wheelhouse— hard-to-classify A24 projects. Though his filmography includes sports biopics (Bleed for This), thrillers (Cop Car) and prestige dramas (To Leslie and Emmy-nominated work on Gaslit), Seiple’s most distinct work has come in A24’s Swiss Army Man, Everything Everywhere All at Once and now the studio’s Beef. With the full series streaming on Netflix, Seiple spoke to Filmmaker about Incubus clinching […]

The post “TV Shows are Like Better Funded Independent Films”: Dp Larkin Seiple on Beef first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Elisabeth Moss, Kate Hudson and Kaia Gerber have been tapped to star in the sexy, psychological thriller “Shell”.

The film, directed by Max Minghella, is “set in a near future when humanity’s cultural obsession with youth and beauty has been taken to new extremes,” as per the official logline.

Black Bear International will be introducing the project to international buyers in Cannes and will distribute directly in the U.K. and Ireland.

Read More: Kate Hudson Is Wrongly Told She’s Won An Oscar In Awkward Red Carpet Moment

The synopsis for the upcoming thriller reads: “Struggling actress Samantha (Elisabeth Moss) is given an opportunity to get a free trial at Shell, a pioneering health and beauty company which promises to keep its clients looking young forever. Samantha’s life and career is transformed by the treatment, and she develops a burgeoning friendship with Shell’s CEO, the ultra-glamorous...

Following on from word that Everything Everywhere directors Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert handled an episode of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, we know now via One Take News that The Green Knight's David is directing another.

It sounds like co-creator Jon Watts – he worked with his Spider-Man: Homecoming and Cop Car collaborator Christopher Ford along with Jon Favreau and Dave Filoni – has assembled quite the fascinating list of filmmakers for this one.

Set in the same timeline as The Mandalorian and its associated series, Skeleton Crew focuses on a group of kids who are about ten years old who get lost in the Star Wars universe.

Jude Law is starring in the show – which marks another time working with Lowery, since he's playing Captain Hook in the director's latest live-action Disney update, Peter Pan & Wendy, which will be on Disney+ on 28 April.

His time in that galaxy far, far away complete,...

The Sundance Film Festival is celebrated as America’s premiere showcase for independent film and a launchpad for up-and-coming filmmakers making deeply personal movies, often on shoestring budgets. But the storied festival is also becoming known for something else: a pipeline for talent into some of Marvel’s biggest superhero films.

From Chloe Zhao (“Eternals”) to Taika Waititi (“Thor: Ragnarok”), Disney’s Marvel Studios has tapped Sundance talent with notable regularity.

A top dealmaker gave a brutally honest reason for what has become a pattern:

“It’s because they’re young, cheap, and will follow Feige’s rules,” the dealmaker said, referring to Marvel Studios president and keeper of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Kevin Feige.

How the annual Park City, Utah gathering has evolved into minor league farm system for Marvel is a phenomenon that tracks with the MCU’s ambitious slate, which constantly demands new ideas and talent. If...

If you frequent social media sites, you've likely seen a bit of backlash against the juggernaut that is the MCU. It seems like there is always another film or Disney+ series on the horizon. At San Diego Comic-Con in July, we learned about Marvel's massive Phase 5 and 6 slate through 2025. There are fans and naysayers alike that are beginning to feel like the studio has become a content factory. With everything interconnected in the MCU and big effects-heavy battle scenes sort of a must for each story, it's no wonder that some content creators are looking for a break. 

That includes director Jon Watts, who took the helm for "Spider-Man: Homecoming," "Spider-Man: Far From Home," and the most recent entry for everyone's favorite web-slinger, "Spider-Man: No Way Home." Watts was originally set to direct the upcoming MCU film "Fantastic Four," but as of April 2022, he had left the project. At the time,...

How do you follow up on making the highest-grossing movie of 2021, and one of the most popular movies of all time? If you’re Spider-Man: No Way Home director Jon Watts, you go to work on Star Wars. After helming all three of Peter Parker’s first adventures in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, Watts planned to bring the Fantastic Four to the screen. However, late last month Watts revealed that he was leaving the Fantastic Four film to focus on a secret Star Wars project, which had the codename “Grammar Rodeo.”

Thanks to the Lucasfilm panel at Star Wars Celebration, we now know that “Grammar Rodeo” is in fact a Disney+ series entitled Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. Even better, we know that it will star Jude Law, who had long been rumored to be involved in a Star Wars project.

Star Wars: Skeleton Crew, an Original series starring Jude Law,...

Exclusive: Jon Watts has withdrawn as the director of Fantastic Four, the reinvention of the venerable Marvel Comics series at Marvel Studios and Disney. Watts just directed Spider-Man: No Way Home, the Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios film that grossed 1.89 billion to become the sixth highest grossing film of all-time. Nothing sinister here; Watts just needs a break from the superhero realm after completing the Spidey trilogy with Tom Holland and Zendaya. He had expected to make Fantastic Four his next film, the third feature iteration of that franchise and first since Disney acquired Fox, which controlled the franchise. Watts has spent the better part of the last decade directing and promoting the Spider-Man films, after being hired off Cop Car, a small budget indie thriller that premiered at 2015 Sundance. He needs a breather.

Both Watts and Marvel confirmed his exit, and said that it is amicable.

Said Kevin Feige,...

Because February is mercilessly short March will be here before you know it. No time like the present to bone up on what's coming to Horror Channel next month.    Horror Channel will host what it's calling Killer Thriller Week staring on the third weekend of the month with back to back nights of premieres of Paradise Cove and Jon Watts' excellent feature film debut, Cop Car. That near little movie starring Kevin Bacon, before he all up and exploded onto the superhero scene, making Sony and Marvel a gazillion dollars.    Other previous standouts include Await Further Instructions, A Good Woman is Hard to Find and horror comedy Cooties. Everything you need to know about the month of March on Horror Channel follows below. ...

[Read the whole post on screenanarchy.com...]...

For all the existential questions surrounding film festivals (some of which this column explored last week), few would deny their potential for discovering new talent. Similarly, it has become too easy to envision how breakthrough filmmakers can be gobbled by the system. Sundance is America’s greatest discovery festival — but who’s doing the discovering, and to what end?

In recent years, Sundance programming has bred directors of future blockbusters. For many newcomers, that lure is too good to ignore. But any of them contemplating these offers should think twice: Originality can be bankable on its own, and the period after a Sundance debuts is a unique window to capitalize on that opportunity.

Of course, it’s a tricky calculus. The chance to direct a franchise means a built-in global audience at a time when it’s increasingly difficult to guarantee any theatrical viewership. Studio paydays aside, Sundance breakouts could...

At the beginning of Spider-Man: No Way Home — at least at the packed press screening I attended today — the three stars of the movie, as well as returning villain Jamie Foxx urged the audience to keep any spoilers to themselves and not spill the beans on any of surprises, and there are Alot of them. Such revelations would be terribly unfair to moviegoers, Marvel fans, and especially fans of this series, which has been going strong in various iterations for decades now.

This film is supposedly the culmination of the whole series, especially the arc that takes us back to the teenaged Spidey in the form of Tom Holland. He lends a fresh-faced appeal and real style to the role previously played by Tobey Maguire and Andrew Garfield.

It would be critical malpractice to give anything away other than basic plot points. Given that, here we go: For the first...

Hollywood always wants Brad Pitt, but following his Best Supporting Actor Oscar win for Quentin Tarantino‘s “Once Upon A Time In Hollywood,” the actor seems even more in demand and also willing to try new things outside of his usual drama realm. The actor recently signed on to Sony‘s action film, “Bullet Train” from director David Leitch (“Atomic Blonde“) and another big project from “Spider-Man” franchise filmmaker Jon Watts (“Cop Car“) co-starring longtime pal George Clooney.

Continue reading Brad Pitt & Director Joseph Kosinski Team For Racing Movie Which Has Sparked A Major Bidding War at The Playlist.

“The Crown” star and recent Emmy winner Josh O’Connor and “Normal People” BAFTA winner Paul Mescal will star in gay romance “The History of Sound,” an Oliver Hermanus-directed adaptation of an award-winning short story.

Produced by End Cue, the story follows two young men, Lionel (Mescal) and David (O’Connor), who, during the WW1 period, set out to record the lives, voices and music of their countrymen. An official description of the pic reads: “In this snatched, short-lived moment in their young lives, and while discovering the epic sweep of the U.S., both men are deeply changed.”

“The History of Sound” is based on the eponymous Pushcart Prize-winning story by American author Ben Shattuck, which is available to read online in literary journal The Common. CAA Media Finance will handle U.S. sales while Embankment will introduce the project to international buyers ahead of next week’s virtual American Film Market.

Exclusive: Apple Studios has landed yet another high-caliber movie package, making a deal for an untitled film that Spider-Man director Jon Watts will write and direct, with George Clooney and Brad Pitt starring. The film will get a robust theatrical release as part of this.

The film will be produced by Watts, Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures and Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment. Watts moved right from the Sundance indie drama Cop Car to the Marvel Spider-Man trilogy. Oscar winners Clooney and Pitt starred together in the Ocean’s Eleven franchise. Haven’t heard the pricetag, but I’m sure it falls in line with a lot of the recent deals for star packages. I have heard that between Clooney and Pitt, they left an eight-figure sum on the table to ensure the theatrical release component.

The thriller follows two lone-wolf fixers assigned to the same job. The package hit the market last week,...

Following his breakout indie debut with “Cop Car,” filmmaker Jon Watts has spent the bulk of his time focused on the Marvel Cinematic Universe. So far, he’s directed “Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “Spider-Man: Far From Home,” he wrapped “Spider-Man: No Way Home” earlier in 2021, and next, he’s making a “Fantastic Four” movie for Marvel Studios.

Read More: ‘Fantastic Four’: ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’ Director Jon Watts Hired For Marvel’s First Family

However, Watts won’t stay in the superhero wheelhouse forever, it seems, as The Hollywood Reporter has revealed a colossal project developing behind the scenes that has sparked a massive bidding war between a multitude of studios.

Continue reading Brad Pitt & George Clooney To Star In Lone Wolf Fixers Movie Directed By Jon Watts at The Playlist.

Legendary has closed a deal with Kevin Bacon to play the villain in “The Toxic Avenger” opposite Peter Dinklage, Jacob Tremblay and Taylour Paige, according to an individual with knowledge of the project.

Macon Blair will write and direct the adaptation of the cult-classic franchise that centers around the iconic superhero “Toxie.” Production is set to get underway in Bulgaria later this month.

“The Toxic Avenger” follows the monstrous protector of Tromaville, N.J., born when the mild-mannered Melvin falls into a vat of toxic waste. He’s transformed into a repulsive yet lovable mutant hero who stands up to bullies and corruption with irreverent zeal — doing good and brutally mauling evil in a no-holds-barred fashion.

Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz of Troma Entertainment will serve as producers. Alex Garcia and Jay Ashenfelter will oversee for Legendary.

An Emmy Award nominee and SAG Award winner, Bacon currently stars in the...

Exclusive: The Practice alum Camyrn Manheim is reuniting with David E. Kelley on Big Shot, his series on Disney+. Manheim is set to recur, along with Daisha Graf (The High Note) and Dale Whibley (There’s Someone Inside Your House) on the series starring John Stamos, from Kelley, Dean Lorey, Brad Garrett and ABC Studios, part of Disney Television Studios.

Created by Kelley, Lorey and Garrett, in Big Shot, after getting ousted from the NCAA, a men’s basketball coach is given a chance for redemption with a coaching position at an elite private high school. He soon learns that the teenage players require empathy and vulnerability — foreign concepts for the stoic Coach Korn (Stamos). By learning how to connect with his players, Marvyn starts to grow into the person he’s always hoped to be. The girls learn to take themselves more seriously, finding their footing both on and off the court.

Hollywood studios have shown an affinity for pulling red hot indie filmmakers out of the low-budget space and into the director’s chair for big-budget tentpoles. Such a career trajectory could have been in the cards for Lee Daniels, who revealed to Collider that he pitched a Wolverine movie to 20th Century Fox at the request of Wolverine himself, Hugh Jackman. It turns out Jackman was a huge fan of “Precious,” Daniels’ 2009 indie sensation that won Mo’Nique the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress.

“A lot of actors call me. I remember after I did ‘Precious,’ Hugh Jackman called and wanted me to do a Wolverine,” Daniels said. “And he sent me into the studio to Fox, I guess that’s where they do them at. And I had never done a studio film before and it was a disaster.”

Daniels continued, “I literally pulled over…Yeah, it was at Fox...

It’s been a year of change for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has responded not only to the pandemic, pushing back the global ABC Oscars telecast from February 28 to April 25, 2021 — setting a new award season calendar as other award shows have followed suit — but the urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement.

In its continuing push to swell the Academy membership ranks, 819 artists and executives from 68 countries have been invited to join this year. The branches have increasingly actively sought eligible people to become Academy members, but the Board of Governors makes the final call. People from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities (36 percent) and women (45 percent) are among the many invites, as the Academy continues to address its long-term white-male dominance. As always, actors make up the largest branch of the Academy, but many new members (49 percent) also come from overseas.

In 2019, the Academy invited 842 new members,...

It’s been a year of change for the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which has responded not only to the pandemic, pushing back the global ABC Oscars telecast from February 28 to April 25, 2021 — setting a new award season calendar as other award shows have followed suit — but the urgency of the Black Lives Matter movement.

In its continuing push to swell the Academy membership ranks, 819 artists and executives from 68 countries have been invited to join this year. The branches have increasingly actively sought eligible people to become Academy members, but the Board of Governors makes the final call. People from underrepresented ethnic/racial communities (36 percent) and women (45 percent) are among the many invites, as the Academy continues to address its long-term white-male dominance. As always, actors make up the largest branch of the Academy, but many new members (49 percent) also come from overseas.

In 2019, the Academy invited 842 new members,...