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Alan Ritchson is set to take a temporary break from the Reacher franchise to star in a new sci-fi action film, titled War Machine. Alongside Ritchson, the movie also stars Jai Courtney, Esai Morales, and Dennis Quaid, and the latter star says fans are in for a treat with Ritchson's next action flick. As well as bringing Lee Child's iconic military police/vigilante to life in Reacher, Ritchson has slowly been establishing himself as one of Hollywood's go-to action icons, starring in The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare, Fast X, Titans, and more. But, War Machine is easily his most ambitious action project to date.

During an interview with Collider to promote his new movie, Broke, Dennis Quaid teased what fans can expect from himself, Ritchson, and the rest of the cast in War Machine. "It was two weeks, for my part in War Machine, down in Australia," Quaid began.

Exclusive: Natasha Leggero has signed with Linden Entertainment.

Leggero was recently seen starring in Bill Burr’s Old Dads and Chelsea Peretti’s First Time Female Director. She also starred in Broke for CBS and hosted Rat In The Kitchen alongside Celebrity Chef Ludo Lefebvre. Additionally, alongside husband and fellow comedian Moshe Kasher, Leggero toured and released The Honeymoon Stand Up Special on Netflix. The success of this special has also led to their ongoing The Endless Honeymoon Podcast.

Leggero is known for creating, executive producing, and starring in the Comedy Central hit show Another Period with fellow comedian Riki Lindhome. Other credits include the Nicholas Stoller’s Neighbors; Luke Greenfield’s Let’s Be Cops; Steven Brill’s The Do-Over; Emmy nominated series Burning Love; ABC’s Suburgatory and Modern Family; Comedy Central’s Key and Peeleand Comedy Bang Bang; Fox’s Mulaney; and Showtime’s Dice.

Leggero is...

Alan Ritchson is a rare breed in Hollywood.

The refreshingly honest A-list action star is unafraid to get candid on everything from his winding journey in Hollywood to his views on politics, religion and the hard work it takes to get to the top. A new profile in GQ offers more of the same as Ritchson opens up on all of the above ahead of Reacher‘s season three debut Thursday.

The comments generating the most traction online happen to be about controversial politician Matt Gaetz, someone Ritchson went to school with while growing up in Florida. “That motherfucker. We are adversaries,” Ritchson told GQ writer Matthew Roberson. “It’s shocking to me that the panhandle of Florida continues to vote for somebody — knowing everything we know about him and the promises that he’s made behind closed doors about pardoning certain criminals — he’s just not a good dude!

Released in 2011, Something Borrowed was a rom-com adaptation of the bestselling 2004 novel of the same name written by author Emily Giffin. Directed by Luke Greenfield and starring Kate Hudson, Ginnifer Goodwin, Colin Egglesfield, and John Krasinski, Something Borrowed tells the story of a woman named Rachel (Goodwin) who ends up sleeping with her best friend's fiancé on her 30th birthday, which starts an affair. It's an enchanting film covering the messiness of friendship and love, and it ends with the words, "To Be Continued...", leading many to believe Something Borrowed 2 would soon follow.

It's always nerve-wracking when a film ends on a cliffhanger with plans for a sequel, given that there is no guarantee that a follow-up will ever be made. For Something Borrowed, it felt like a sequel would actually happen, especially since there is a second book to pull from, titled Something Blue (2005). Emily Giffin even wrote the screenplay for Something Borrowed,...

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The comedy genre has been under attack for quite some time now as the studios have stopped making mid-budget comedy movies and refocused all their attention on big-budget blockbusters. Amidst all this, a niche sub-genre in comedy, like raunchy comedy films, has been forgotten. If it’s not a classic like American Pie or Road Trip, people don’t even remember most of the fantastic raunchy comedies that came out. So, we compiled a list of the best underrated raunchy comedies you might have missed out on.

The Girl Next Door (Netflix & Prime Video) Credit – 20th Century Studios

The Girl Next Door is a raunchy comedy film directed by Luke Greenfield from a screenplay co-written by Stuart Blumberg, David T. Wagner, and Brent Goldberg. The 2004 film follows Matthew, a high school senior who thinks that he has found his dream girl,...

Comedy, action, and satire blend seamlessly in films like Keanu for an audience-focused experience. Key & Peele's influence extends beyond comedy to inspire fun action movies like Let's Be Cops. From Game Night to The Interview, unexpected plot twists keep audiences engaged in comedy-adventure films.

The 2016 film Keanu, starring Jordan Peele and Keegan-Michael Key, is remembered as one of the best buddy comedies, and the best movies like it share similar qualities. Its unique blend of comedy, action, and satire has contributed greatly to its longevity, even if it isn't remembered as a prestige film. However, Keanu and the projects that fall in a similar category aren't meant to be Oscar bait or receive critical acclaim. Creators make these movies for the audience's enjoyment, which is just as vital and noble a use of the art form.

Key and Peele are a hilarious duo and are well-known for their sketch show,...

Exlcusive: Sarah Chalke (Scrubs), Alan Tudyk (Resident Alien), Stephen Root (Barry), Isla Fisher (Wolf Like Me), Sabrina Elba (Three Thousand Years Of Longing) and Hiro Kanagawa (Star Trek: Discovery) are joining Kevin James and Alan Ritchson in action-comedy Playdate, which is now filming in Canada.

The film follows a down-on-his luck man, Brian (James), who was just fired from his job and becomes an unexpected stay-at-home dad to his 10-year-old son. On his first day, he accepts a playdate invitation from Jeff (Ritchson), another stay-at-home dad, who turns out to be an unexpected loose cannon. The two fathers and their sons spend the day on the run, facing a deadly conspiracy.

Director Luke Greenfield’s movie heralds from a script written by Neil Goldman. Greenfield’s WideAwake Pictures’ and Jason Benoit will produce with Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures, Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard and Sean Patrick O’Reilly.

Director Luke Greenfield's enthusiasm and creativity, along with a youthful cast, make The Girl Next Door a standout high school movie. Despite mixed reviews initially, the film has gained a cult following. Emile Hirsch reflects on his unexpected career trajectory, transitioning from playing local oddball characters to tougher roles in films like Prey.

In an exclusive interview with MovieWeb, Emile Hirsch revealed why he thinks his 2004 teen sex comedy The Girl Next Door still holds up all these years later. The movie, which stars Hirsch alongside Elisha Cuthbert, celebrates its 20th anniversary this year, with the actor believing that The Girl Next Door possesses all the ingredients needed to make a great high school movie, including a passionate director, a great script, and a cast who “are actually the age of being in high school.”

"Director Luke Greenfield was really enthusiastic and working with all of his creativity and energy,...

All these years later, Emile Hirsch still resembles the young lad that led the charge in a certain raunchy comedy known as The Girl Next Door. Two decades later, in his most recent movie Prey, Hirsch plays an entirely different character, a sort of hotheaded wildcard of a pilot trying to escort hopeless Americans away from Africa after a local village is threatened. Leading the group of passengers aboard the doomed plane is a doctor played by Ryan Phillippe, who Hirsch has known personally. It may come as a shock to know they hadn't worked together before Prey.

That's just one of the fun facts we learned in our latest interview with Hirsch, who also opened up about a memorable experience with Spielberg and why Speed Racer (2008) has become a cult classic.

Emile Hirsch Is Surprised by Playing 'Rough Characters'

Prey (2024) ActionThriller Release DateMarch 15, 2024DirectorMukunda Michael DewilCastDylan Flashner, mohamed Hakeemshady,...

Reacher's Alan Ritchson has set his next project, starring alongside funnyman Kevin James in the action-comedy Playdate from director Luke Greenfield (The Girl Next Door). The movie chronicles the story of Brian (James), a man facing hard times who has recently lost his job and finds himself thrust into the role of a full-time dad to his 10-year-old son. On his first day in this new role, he agrees to a playdate with Jeff (Ritchson), another dad who spends his days at home and surprisingly turns out to be a wild card. The pair of dads and their sons end up spending the day evading a dangerous conspiracy. The movie begins filming next month in Canada.

Reacher star Alan Ritchson and Here Comes the Boom actor Kevin James must learn how to play nice with each other for the forthcoming action-comedy Playdate. The duo brings dad jokes and action chops to the new project with Luke Greenfield directing from a script by Neil Goldman.

According to Deadline, Playdate revolves around “a down-on-his luck man, Brian (James), who was just fired from his job and becomes an unexpected stay-at-home dad to his 10-year-old son. On his first day, he accepts a playdate invitation from Jeff (Ritchson), another stay-at-home dad, who turns out to be an unexpected loose cannon. The two fathers and their sons spend the day on the run, facing a deadly conspiracy.”

“I couldn’t be more excited to see such an incredible team come together for Playdate. Alan and Kevin are such a great duo and their chemistry in such a short time is...

Kevin James (The King of Queens) and Alan Ritchson (Reacher) have been set to lead action-comedy Playdate, which will be directed by Luke Greenfield (The Girl Next Door) from a script written by Neil Goldman (Shrinking).

The film follows a down-on-his luck man, Brian (James), who was just fired from his job and becomes an unexpected stay-at-home dad to his 10-year-old son. On his first day, he accepts a playdate invitation from Jeff (Ritchson), another stay-at-home dad, who turns out to be an unexpected loose cannon. The two fathers and their sons spend the day on the run, facing a deadly conspiracy.

Greenfield’s WideAwake Pictures’ and Jason Benoit will produce with Mark Fasano of Nickel City Pictures, Jeffrey Greenstein of A Higher Standard and Sean Patrick O’Reilly.

Executive producers are James, Jeff Sussman, Ritchson, Goldman, Dan Spilo of Industry Entertainment, Matthew Alex Goldberg of Nickel City, Michelle Myers of Arcana Studios and Josh Harris,...

Kevin James, Alan Ritchson will star in the previously announced action comedy Playdate for Nickel City Pictures and A Higher Standard, which is set to commence shooting on March 11 in Vancouver.

The story centres on down-on-his luck Brian (James), who becomes an unexpected stay-at-home dad to his 10-year-old son after he gets fired from his job.

On his first day he accepts a playdate invitation from another stay-at-home dad, Jeff (Ritchson), who turns out to be a loose cannon, resulting in the two men and their sons going on the run after they get involved in a deadly conspiracy.

Luke Greenfield...

Chucky and Final Destination star Devon Sawa is starring in Consumed, the new film from The Butcher Brothers, aka director Mitchell Altieri, and producer Phil Flores, the team behind The Night Watchmen, The Violent Kind, and The Hamiltons.

Jeffrey Allard, producer of the 2003 The Texas Chainsaw Massacre reboot and a frequent Butcher Brothers’ collaborator, is executive producing the film.

Courtney Halverson (Unfriended, St. Agatha) and Mark Famiglietti (Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines) co-star in Consumed as Jay and Beth, a married couple taking a celebratory camping trip a year after Beth’s cancer remission, who find themselves trapped between a wild madman ( Sawa) and a skin stealing monster. David Calbert wrote the script.

“When I first read the script for Consumed, I was excited about the challenges it presented. Its characters not only have to face a terrifying creature stalking the woods, but individually, they are also forced to...

Stifler is back on the hunt for women. Deadline is reporting that the American Pie star is set to star in a new romantic comedy from Luke Greenfield titled The Last Bachelor. The rom-com will be brought to us by XYZ Films. Greenfield will also be producing the script he co-wrote with Jason Benoit. It is set to be introduced to buyers at the Cannes market and is billed as a “big romantic comedy in the tone of Judd Apatow and Jerry Maguire.”

The synopsis for The Last Bachelor reads,

“After realizing all his friends have settled down and gotten married, Tommy Kriffman (Seann William Scott) goes from never wanting to get married to becoming obsessed with finding his wife and having a family Asap. But when he falls in love with a stunning, younger woman, Dylan, who – like the old Tommy – isn’t ready to settle down, a hilarious gender reversal begins.

Exclusive: Seann William Scott has signed on to star in The Last Bachelor, a romantic comedy from director Luke Greenfield.

Greenfield co-wrote the script and will also produce alongside Jason Benoit, with XYZ Films producing and financing with investment funding from Ipr.Vc. Lee Kim of Resolute Films and Entertainment is also producing. XYZ Films are handling world rights and will introduce the pic to buyers and the upcoming Cannes market.

Billed as a “big romantic comedy in the tone of Judd Apatow and Jerry Maguire,” the pic follows eternal bachelor Tommy Kriffman (Seann William Scott), who, after realizing all his friends have settled down and gotten married, goes from never wanting to get married to becoming obsessed with finding his wife and having a family Asap. But when he falls in love with a stunning, younger woman,...

Boy bands are powerful. They've stood the test of time, staying endlessly relevant and fascinating, and have dominated pop culture discourse no matter the decade. Whether it be The Beatles or One Direction, we've at least once dreamed of following a boy band we've been obsessed with while they're on tour. And now, eOne is making a movie about it.

Titled "Rock The Boat," the female-driven boy band comedy stars queen of comedy Rebel Wilson, Leslie Mann, and James Van Der Beek. Here's everything we know about it.

Everything We Know About The Story Of Rock The Boat

As per Deadline, the film is being described as a "female-driven comedy" that borrows inspiration from the real-life phenomena generated by boy bands such as "Backstreet Boys" and "New Kids on the Block" during their reunion tours aboard luxury cruise ships. Because who doesn't want to be a part of that?

The...

James Van Der Beek is getting the band back together.

Van Der Beek is in negotiations to join Rebel Wilson and Leslie Mann in Rock the Boat, a comedy being made by eOne.

Veteran comedy director Luke Greenfield (Let’s Be Cops) is helming the project that has Netflix in talks to pick it up from eOne, which is on the market from Hasbro. A spring shoot is being eyed.

Jon Turteltaub, Jonathan Prince, Mark Ross and Wilson are producing. Josie Liang is executive producing.

The story tells of four female best friends who in high school in the 1990s were obsessed with a boy band a la The Backstreet Boys or 98 Degrees. Cut to 20 years later, when the band, named 4Play, announces a reunion tour aboard a cruise ship, the four women hop on board to rediscover their friendships and reignite their lives.

Van Der Beek will play one of the band members.

Exclusive: Rebel Wilson and Leslie Mann are set to star in the R-rated eOne comedy Rock the Boat with Luke Greenfield on board to direct sources tell Deadline. The project was originally written by Jacob Meszaros and Zach Taylor, with revisions by Sarah Rothschild, Greenfield & Jason Benoit.

The project is produced by Jon Turteltaub, Jonathan Prince, Mark Ross, and Rebel Wilson with Josie Liang executive producing. Zev Foreman, Jen Gorton, and Steven Holster are overseeing for eOne.

Principal photography is set for January 2023.

The pic is a female-driven comedy inspired by the hilarious real-life phenomenon of boy bands such as Backstreet Boys and New Kids on the Block throwing reunion tours aboard luxury cruise ships. The movie follows four best friends from high school who were obsessed with a famous boy band back in the 90’s. Twenty years later, when the band announces a reunion tour aboard a cruise ship,...

Excusive: Jeffrey Scott Collins, director, writer and producer of the romantic comedy Poor Greg Drowning, has signed with Stride Management for representation.

Poor Greg Drowning was acquired and released by Comedy Dynamics after it played at 26 festivals, garnering 13 awards including Best Picture, Best Comedy, Best Actor, Best Actress and Best Director. The film, narrated by Cedric the Entertainer, is about a love addict named Greg, played by Graham Sibley, whose girlfriend left him for their couples therapist.

In addition to developing his slate of film and TV projects, Collins is also working on his follow-up feature, a dark heist noir comedy set in Los Angeles. Collins co-wrote the script, and will also be directing and producing the film through his This Seems Reel Entertainment banner.

Prior to Poor Greg Drowning, Collins wrote, directed and produced two 30-minute short films, 10 Years Later (2012) and Let It Bleed (2010).

Collins began his film and TV career in finance,...

Who knew that such a f--ked up love story could be so romantic? Because while the plot of Something Borrowed isn't exactly the stuff of conventional fairytales—girl meets boy, girl's best friend falls for boy, girl realizes on the eve of her Bff's wedding that maybe she was in love with boy this whole time—there was certainly some magic in the air on the New York City set. "You know, a lot of us got engaged during that shoot," director Luke Greenfield reflected to E! News in an exclusive chat. "And I was one of them." Indeed, by the time the star-studded, delightful rom-com—based on Emily Giffin's bestselling novel—hit...

A nuanced and occasionally moving drama about an estranged family, Bradley Grant Smith’s Our Father features an arc that perhaps sounds too common: siblings take a road trip and along the way grow, but here, ending on a note of uncertainty. It may take a little too long for the film to reach that conclusion, but the journey allows sisters Beta (Baize Buzan) and Zelda (Allison Torem) to develop in ways that are rich and subtle even if the story lacks narrative efficiency. Perhaps the leisurely-paced journey and the tonal missteps are reflective of the circumstances Beta and Allison find themselves in, employing stints of indie quirk to put up a kind of barrier for the siblings to shield themselves with.

The film opens as Beta sleeps in her car and heads into her final day at an office job she’s just quit to pursue grad school. Having...

Few titles open at the North American box office post-Thanksgiving weekend, which usually is one of the weakest of the year. In 2019, that meant it fell short of $100 million. This year, it will see less than $9 million. Fewer than half of domestic theaters are open, of course, but the biggest barrier remains audience resistance to theaters during the pandemic.

Thanks to “The Croods: A New Age,” this isn’t the lowest-grossing weekend since theaters began reopening in mid-August. That sequel received most of the action, along with five other titles from Universal and its specialty division Focus Features.

Three of those titles — “Freaky,” “Let Him Go,” and “Come Play” — are already available at home for $19.99 after each spent three weeks in theaters. With the absence of product, they continue to place in the top 10. The three other films, including “Croods,” will also land on VOD platforms this month.

There were...

If there’s one weekend at the box office that studios and exhibitors typically have had no thanks for, it’s the post Thanksgiving period, typically the first weekend in December, when business drops by as much as 50%.

Last year the Black Friday weekend went from $180.9M led by Frozen 2 to $90.3M during the first frame of December, and let me tell ya somethin’, studios and exhibition are hungering for those types of tickets sales right now.

Universal remains the only major studio pumping out wide releases to those remaining movie theaters which aren’t being smashed down by lockdowns (like in California — God knows when we’ll be able to go to the movies again).

This weekend, Universal’s DreamWorks Animated title The Croods: A New Age in weekend 2 continued to see the best numbers in the current Covid-19 America, with $4.4M, -55%, crossing $20.3M in its 12th day in release.

So many movies intended for the big screen are having to forgo it these days, it seems odd when something as apt for home viewing as “Half Brothers” makes the Covid-defying move of opening on 1,200-plus American screens. Those looking for undemanding entertainment may give it a passing grade, but or the collective viewing experience. Nor does writer-producer Eduardo Cisernos’ concept add much to culture-clash politics beyond contrivance and reinforced stereotypes. It’s a slick film that’s forgettable at best, annoyingly broad and unfunny at worst.

A 1994 prologue has engineer Flavio (Juan Pablo Espinosa) enjoying a close, playful relationship with only child Renato (Ian Inigo) in their native San Miguel de Allende. But a steep economic downturn forces dad to leave his wife (Bianca Marroquin) and son behind in order to seek work up north, along with many others. While he promises he’ll soon return, that promise is broken.

Cinemas — the ones that are open — are hurting for new content. With only one wide release this week — that would be Focus Features’ “Half Brothers” opening on approximately 1,200 screens — film fans will likely be staying home and sifting through new releases via streaming instead.

For example, audiences have their choice between Disney fairy-tale sendup “Godmothered” and Francis Ford Coppola’s re-edit of “The Godfather Part III.” The former (which stars Isla Fisher and Jillian Bell) is available to Disney Plus subscribers, while the latter is getting a very limited theatrical run.

Who knows how audiences will react to a story about a romance cut short by medical tragedy in the era of Covid-19, but Universal serves up a well-made version of just that kind of love story with “All My Life,” featuring Jessica Rothe and Harry Shum Jr.

Steve McQueen’s five-film Small Axe series continues on Amazon Prime, while David Fincher’s buzzy,...

As we enter the throes of awards season more and more films are starting to make their qualifying runs in what is expected to be a very different kind of season. For starters, Searchlight Pictures is set to release Chloe Zhao’s buzzy pic of existential wanderlust Nomadland starring Frances McDormand for its virtual qualifying run starting today before expanding in 2021.

The film, which is set to run virtually at the Film Lincoln Center through December 11, follows Fern in the midst of the economic collapse of a company town in rural Nevada. We take a journey alongside Fern as she packs her van and sets off on the road exploring a life outside of conventional society as a modern-day nomad. This marks the third feature for Zhao and features real nomads Linda May, Swankie and Bob Wells as Fern’s mentors and comrades in her exploration...

An emotional rollercoaster from minute one, director Luke Greenfield’s Half Brothers ultimately taps into something earnest. Renato (Luis Gerardo Méndez) is a salty engineer living in Mexico City, days away from marrying Pamela (Pia Watson), when he gets a phone call from the States. His estranged father Flavio (Juan Pablo Espinosa) is dying and has asked to speak with his son. Reticent to acknowledge a man who abandoned him and his mother so many years before, Renato is pushed by Pamela, who is convinced her fiancee needs closure in order to become a good father to their son, a young boy struggling with his own eccentricities.

Moments after arriving in Chicago, Renato learns that he’s got a half-brother named Asher (Connor Del Rio), with whom he could not be more different. Upon Flavio’s death, the brothers are called into a mystery of their father’s creation. A strained-but-ultimately cathartic road trip ensues,...

Renato, a successful Mexican aviation executive, is shocked to discover he has an American half-brother he never knew about, the free-spirited Asher. The two very different half-brothers are forced on a road journey together masterminded by their ailing father, tracing the path their father took as an immigrant from Mexico to the US.

In theaters December 4th, Wamg has your free passes to the virtual screening.

Click here to get your passes Passes link: http://focusfeaturesscreenings.com/jzFPo94926

The screening is this Thursday, 12/3 at 7pm.

Connor Del Rio (left) stars as “Asher” and Luis Gerardo Mendez (right) stars as “Renato” in director Luke Greenfield’s Half Brothers, a Focus Features release. Credit : John Golden Britt / Focus Features

No purchase necessary. Open to U.S. residents only.

Rated PG 13

https://www.focusfeatures.com/half-brothers/

The post Win Free Passes To The Virtual Screening Of Focus Features Half Brothers – In Theatres...

The 1986 movie Short Circuit is getting rebooted at Spyglass Media Group, imagining a new take on the classic sci-fi comedy. Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman have been hired by the company to "put a Latinx twist" on the screenplay for the family movie, although additional story details haven't yet been revealed. It seems likely that the Short Circuit reboot will follow a similar story as the original, but with original characters.

Directed by John Badham and written by S. S. Wilson and Brent Maddock, the original Short Circuit stars Ally Sheedy, Steve Guttenberg, Fisher Stevens, Austin Pendleton, Tim Blaney, and G. W. Bailey. It focuses on an experimental military robot named Number 5 who gains human-like intelligence after it's struck by lightning. Debuting in the No. 1 spot at the box office when it was released in 1986, the film is one of the most memorable sci-fi movies of its decade and is...

Title: Poor Greg Drowning Director: Jeffrey Scott Collins Screenwriter: Jeffrey Scott Collins Cast: Jeremy Luke, Christine Woods, Jenny O’Hara, Cedric the Entertainer, Jenny O’Hara, Laura Seay, Deborah S. Craig, Kevin Daniels, George Basil, Assaf Cohen, Luke Greenfield, Ajay Mehta, Sarah Baldwin, Graham Sibley, Ray Xifo, Andrew Dits, Marguerite Gioia Insolia, Paulina Michaels, Kate Prendergast. Article […]

The post Interview: Jeffrey Scott Collins Talks Poor Greg Drowning (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.

"My father's last wish is for me to go on a scavenger hunt with a brother I never knew I had!" Road trip time! Focus Features has released an official trailer for an adventure comedy titled Half Brothers, from American filmmaker Luke Greenfield. Follow the clues. Uncover the mystery. Find your family. The story follows a successful Mexican aviation executive who is shocked to discover he has an American half-brother he never knew about. The two very different half-brothers are go on a road journey together masterminded by their ailing father, tracing the path their father took as an immigrant from Mexico to the US. Meant to be a metaphor of the relationship between neighboring countries America and Mexico. Starring Luis Gerardo Méndez and Connor Del Rio as the brothers, along with José Zúñiga, Vincent Spano, Pia Watson, Juan Pablo Espinosa, and Jwaundace Candece. Looks like wholesome, cheesy road trippin' goofiness.

Focus Features has released the first trailer for Luke Greenfield's heartfelt new comedy Half Brothers. The film stars Luis Gerardo Méndez as Renato, a successful Mexican aviation executive who is shocked to discover he has an American half-brother he never knew about -- the free-spirited Asher (Connor Del Rio). The two very different half-siblings are forced on a road trip together to trace the path their ailing father took as an immigrant from Mexico to the U.S. Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman co-wrote and produced the film, which co-stars Juan Pablo Espinosa, José …...

Former Focus Features executive Luane Gauer has joined sales, production and finance company Protagonist Pictures as head of acquisitions.

As vice-president, production and acquisitions at Focus in Los Angeles, Gauer worked on films for worldwide distribution, including Emerald Fennell’s Sundance title “Promising Young Woman”; international acquisitions like Joanna Hogg’s “The Souvenir,” Asghar Fahradi’s “Everybody Knows”; and Pedro Almodovar’s “Pain and Glory”; as well as in-house productions including Luke Greenfield’s upcoming “Half Brothers.”

Gauer was previously at Universal Pictures in London, where she worked in international production and acquisitions.

“I have long been an admirer of Protagonist Pictures and am delighted to join the team,” said Gauer. “I look forward to working with them and with exceptional creators on films that inspire and entertain audiences across the world.”

Protagonist CEO Dave Bishop said: “Recognised for her exceptional taste, broad industry knowledge, and international filmmaker relationships, Luane...

Gauer most recently held the position of Focus Features vice-president of production and acquisitions.

UK-based sales, production and finance company Protagonist Pictures has hired Luane Gauer as head of acquisitions to replace Isabelle Stewart, who left the company last month.

Gauer will be based in London and arrives from Los Angles, where she most recently held the position of Focus Features vice-president of production and acquisitions.

During her tenure at Focus, she worked on Carey Mulligan revenge tale Promising Young Woman, Joanna Hogg’s The Souvenir, Asghar Farhadi’s Everybody Knows and Pedro Almodovar’s Pain & Glory, as well...

Focus Features has finalized its worldwide deal to distribute and finance “Armageddon Time,” the latest film from “Ad Astra” director James Gray that stars Cate Blanchett, Robert De Niro, Oscar Isaac, Anne Hathaway and Donald Sutherland, the distributor announced Tuesday.

Gray wrote the script and will direct “Armageddon Time” based on Gray’s own childhood memories growing up in Queens. The film will tell a coming-of-age story that explores friendship and loyalty while America is poised to elect Ronald Reagan as president.

“Armageddon Time” is expected to begin production at the start of 2021 in New York.

Also Read: Cate Blanchett to Star in 'Borderlands' Video Game Adaptation at Lionsgate

“It’s really a dream come true for me, to do this kind of personal story, and to do it for such a wonderful partner in Focus Features. I could not ask for a better home for this film,...

Exclusive: Deadline hears that STXfilms is in advanced talks with Let’s Be Cops and The Girl Next Door filmmaker Luke Greenfield to direct the action-thriller We Are Untouchable.

Greenfield will direct from a script he co-wrote with Captain Mauzner (Billionaire Boys Club, Wonderland, Factory Girl). The Greenfield/Mauzner screenplay is based on a screenplay by Oritte Bendory and Aaron Feldman with revisions by Michael Diliberti and by Anthony Drazan. Greenfield most recently directed and produced the Focus Features dramedy Half Brothers. We Are Untouchable will be his next project. Chernin Entertainment is producing. We Are Untouchable focuses on a group of international college grads working in Mexico City at their respective diplomatic embassies. By day, they’re slaving away as mailroom assistants getting abused by their bosses. But when they find out they have diplomatic immunity — and they can’t get arrested for anything they do — they go wild with...

Exclusive: Wme has signed Luis Gerardo Méndez, who is on the rise after starring in and executive producing Netflix’s first Spanish-language original series Club de Cuervos and recently broke out on the streamer’s Adam Sandler-Jennifer Aniston movie Murder Mystery.

The move comes as Méndez shoots the Focus Features film Half Brothers. The comedy, which he developed with co-writers Eduardo Cisneros, Jason Shuman and director Luke Greenfield, revolves around two very different half-brothers (Méndez and Connor Del Rio) forced on a road trip together masterminded by their ailing father, tracing the path their dad took as an immigrant from Mexico to the U.S.

Méndez also will appear in Sony’s Charlie’s Angels reboot which hits theaters November 15. His previous film credits in Mexico include the Netflix boxing drama Bayoneta and the Warner Bros comedy The Noble Family, which grossed $26 million there in 2013. He also co-starred in the 2014 biographical film Cantinflas,...

In today’s film news roundup, Jordan Peele’s “Candyman” rounds out its cast, Hayes Hargrove gets two parts, and Oscar-winning sound mixer Tom Fleischman is honored.

Castings

Colman Domingo and Nathan Stewart-Jarrett have joined Jordan Peele’s “Candyman” reboot, which has started shooting in Chicago.

Written by Peele and Rosenfeld and directed by Nia DaCosta, the new “Candyman” is being described as a spiritual sequel to the 1992 gothic horror film, which was based on Clive Barker’s short story “The Forbidden” about the deadly ghost of an artist and slave.

MGM is producing and financing. Universal will distribute “Candyman” globally with the U.S. release date slated for June 12.

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Hayes Hargrove has joined the cast of the Focus Features film “Half Brothers,” directed by Luke Greenfield and starring Luis Gerardo Mendez.

Hargrove plays a blissfully ignorant ride share driver. Mendez is playing a man who grew up worshiping his...

Exclusive: After rising to stardom in Mexico, Luis Gerardo Méndez is transitioning to Hollywood with a determination to tell stories of his home country that go beyond the stereotypical images that play out in cartel films or reflect polarizing news coverage and political rhetoric involving immigration.

Méndez makes his English-language debut in the Jennifer Aniston-Adam Sandler comic whodunit Murder Mystery which Netflix releases Friday, this after starring in and exec producing for four seasons Netflix’s first-ever-Spanish-language original series Club de Cuervos, the streaming service’s first original production in Mexico. Méndez also plays a key role in Sony Pictures’ upcoming Charlie’s Angels reboot coming this fall.

Related: One To Watch: Can Hero-Obsessed Hollywood Make Room For Aspiring Actor Spencer Stone, The Guy Who Dropped That Terrorist On Paris-Bound Train?

Now, Focus Features has set the first English-language project to be built around him. Half Brothers is...

Five years after the success of Let's Be Cops, Luke Greenfield is stepping behind the camera again to direct the comedy Half-Brothers for Focus Features, Collider has exclusively learned. One of Mexico's biggest stars, Luis Gerardo Mendez, is attached to star in the film, which follows two half-brothers who are put to the test when they're sent on a wild goose chase to uncover their dying father's mysteries. Eduardo Cisneros (Instructions Not Included), Jason Shuman and Greenfield co-wrote the script, and the three of them will produce alongside Jason Benoit. Production is slated …...

On this episode of Collider Movie Talk, Mark Ellis, Jeff Sneider and John Rocha discuss the following: Variety is reporting that Disney is standing firm in their decision to not rehire James Gunn for Guardians of the Galaxy Vol 3. THR released a report profiling five students from USC's School of the Cinematic Arts. The report also highlighted the reassignment of USC professor and feature film director Luke Greenfield over the screening of his short film that launched his career in 2000. Deadline is reporting that several suitors are chasing Cherry, a new “novel” by first time author Nico …...

Lots of filmmakers can say Steven Spielberg influenced them. But there are select few who can point to a more direct interaction. One such example is Let’s Be Cops Luke Greenfield who has just seen a long-gestating script called Destiny bought by DreamWorks.Not much is known about the basic concept beyond the pitch line reported by Deadline: a supernatural love story about a struggling designer who must overcome his fears and uncertainty. But the connection runs much deeper than a deal with Spielberg’s company.It was born from the then 16-year-old Greenfield’s mother writing to Spielberg enclosing copies of her son’s Super 8 movies and asking the man behind E.T. and Jurassic Park if he thought Greenfield had what it took as a filmmaker. Spielberg responded with a two-page letter of encouragement and advice and that led Greenfield to a career in films. Fast-forward to...

DreamWorks has set Luke Greenfield, the director behind Let’s Be Cops and The Girl Next Door, to direct a script he co-wrote with Dana Stevens (The Dive) called Destiny. The deal brings him under the wing of Steven Spielberg, the legendary helmer who encouraged a teenage Greenfield to pursue filmmaking way back in the ’90s.

At the age of 16, Greenfield began an unlikely correspondence with Spielberg when the teen’s mother sent him a package containing Greenfield’s Super-8 films and asked whether her son had the stuff of a future filmmaker. Spielberg received the films, watched them and replied with a two-page letter offering storytelling tips and pushing Greenfield to pursue his passion – which he did.

When The Girl Next Door came out 16 years later, Spielberg asked Greenfield to come in for a meeting. On realizing that their paths had indirectly crossed before, the Jurassic Park helmer asked...

Exclusive: Luke Greenfield, director of the sleepers The Girl Next Door and Let’s Be Cops, has made a deal at DreamWorks to direct Destiny, a script he’s co-writing with Dana Stevens, who most recently scripted The Dive for producer James Cameron, director Francis Lawrence and Jennifer Lawrence. Greenfield has a few projects percolating — The Holiday Club at Fox/Chernin Entertainment and Slingshot with Gulfstream Pictures among them — but this one is exceptional because…...

Exclusive: Paradigm has signed Steve Carr, the helmer of hit comedies that include Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Are We Done Yet, Daddy Day Care, Dr. Dolittle 2 and Next Friday. Carr next is set to direct The Wedding Guests for CBS Films and The Boondoggle, a buddy comedy scripted by Rob Riggle & Tom Lennon. He’s also developing the AMC series Sherman’s March. Carr had been at ICM Partners.

He becomes the latest in a bunch of directors who’ve signed with Paradigm including Luke Greenfield, Rob Minkoff, Walt Becker, Malcolm Lee, Joe Johnston, Carl Franklin. Ole Bornedal and others. The signings come after a number of high-profile agents have joined the agency.

Carr remains managed by Peter Principato and lawyered by Karl Austen.

Stars: Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr., Nina Dobrev, Andy Garcia, Rob Riggle, James D’Arcy, Keegan-Michael Key, Jonathan Lajoie, Tom Mardirosian, Natasha Leggero | Written by Luke Greenfield, Nicholas Thomas | Directed by Luke Greenfield

There are few things as quietly distressing and disappointing to the film fan as seeing people you like and admire feature in movies that are total turd. Such is the case with Let’s Be Cops. I really like Jake Johnson. If you read my Frightfest review of Creep you’ll probably have noticed that I spent about a third of that gushing about Safety Not Guaranteed, the Johnson-starring offbeat dramedy in which he is really good as a louche journalist. He is also really good in New Girl. So good, in fact, that he pretty much carried the show for the first half season it takes to get used to how annoying Zooey Deschanel is in it.

Let’s Be Cops: Did You Know … ? Here’s some fun trivia about Let’s Be Cops, starring Jake Johnson, Damon Wayans Jr. and Rob Riggle. In the film, when Ryan (Johnson) and Justin (Wayans) make the decision to dress up as cops for a costume party, they take it to another level. As people start to mistake them for genuine cops, things get real, and they find themselves in the middle of an actual case. • Director and cowriter for Let’s Be Cops Luke Greenfield got the idea for the film when a costume designer gave him an authentic Los Angeles Police Department … Continue reading →

The post VOD Spotlight: Let’s Be Cops appeared first on Channel Guide Magazine.

Let’s Be Cops director Luke Greenfield is set to direct an original sci-fi film project set up at Warner Bros. called Slingshot. He came up with the concept with his producing partner Trevor Sands, and the story is said to be in the same vein as the classic Steven Spielberg Amblin movies.

As of right now, details on the project are slim but it will be a tribute to the classic '80s films that inspired the director to want to make movies for a living. Some of the classic films that inspired him include E.T. and Back To The Future.

Greenfield is the same guy who brought us the hilarious sex comedy The Girl Next Girl. It seems like he’s only worked in the comedy genre, so taking the leap into sci-fi will be a big jump for him, and it’s one I’d love to see pay off.

Somehow, the sloppily assembled, unfunny "Let's Be Cops" earned over $120 million worldwide (Wtf), and since money talks in Hollywood, that means director Luke Greenfield gets to level up. And so he shall, setting up the movie "Slingshot," which is said to be in the spirit of "E.T." and "Back To The Future." No other plot details are available just yet, but let's just hope a little more craft is put into that effort. [Deadline] Daniel Espinosa ("Safe House," "Snabba Cash") has been tapped to direct "Boston Strong." The project was once set to star Casey Affleck, who has since dropped out of the movie that "follows the massive manhunt to apprehend the two men believed to be responsible for the bombings, as well as examining the city’s reaction following the events." “The Fighter” writers Eric Johnson and Paul Tamasy penned the script, but no word yet on when production might begin.