Kate Beckinsale was one of the leading actresses who made her breakthrough in the 90s in her small but impressive role as Her in Kenneth Branagh’s Much Ado About Nothing. She continued showcasing her incredible versatility in British costume films such as Prince of Jutland, Cold Comfort Farm, Emma, and The Golden Bowl.
Kate Beckinsale in 1996’s Emma
2001’s Pearl Harbor was her first tentpole studio film where she starred alongside Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett. Director Michael Bay had a specific treatment that he wanted to have for the film depicting the horrible Pearl Harbor attacks. Going the commercial route rather than focusing on historical accuracy, the director had a weird demand for Beckinsale that proved to be humiliating for the actress.
Michael Bay Wanted Kate Beckinsale to Have a Stuffed Bra on Pearl Harbor
Kate Beckinsale played Lieutenant Evelyn Johnson in Pearl Harbor
Michael Bay took on...
Kate Beckinsale in 1996’s Emma
2001’s Pearl Harbor was her first tentpole studio film where she starred alongside Ben Affleck and Josh Hartnett. Director Michael Bay had a specific treatment that he wanted to have for the film depicting the horrible Pearl Harbor attacks. Going the commercial route rather than focusing on historical accuracy, the director had a weird demand for Beckinsale that proved to be humiliating for the actress.
Michael Bay Wanted Kate Beckinsale to Have a Stuffed Bra on Pearl Harbor
Kate Beckinsale played Lieutenant Evelyn Johnson in Pearl Harbor
Michael Bay took on...
- 5/7/2024
- by Rahul Thokchom
- FandomWire
Exclusive: Venezuelan Filmmaker Jonathan Jakubowicz, best known for Resistance and Hands of Stone, has signed on to direct the feature Cottonwood for Eric Paquette’s Meridian Pictures.
The film will be produced by Paquette, Aaron Barnett, and The Exchange’s Brian O’Shea, with Claudine Jakubowicz serving as executive producer. The Exchange will be handling worldwide sales and arranging financing.
The story follows a single dad who left his troubled past behind but must confront his dark history when his former mentor, a dangerous gangster, resurfaces. As the mentor’s loyalty to him is tested, he becomes the target of the gangster’s own bloodthirsty son, forcing him to protect his 13-year-old son from a relentless killer.
Jakubowicz was the winner of the German Film Peace Prize 2020 for his film Resistance. His film Secuestro Express was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the British Independent Film Awards, and Hands of Stone premiered at Cannes.
The film will be produced by Paquette, Aaron Barnett, and The Exchange’s Brian O’Shea, with Claudine Jakubowicz serving as executive producer. The Exchange will be handling worldwide sales and arranging financing.
The story follows a single dad who left his troubled past behind but must confront his dark history when his former mentor, a dangerous gangster, resurfaces. As the mentor’s loyalty to him is tested, he becomes the target of the gangster’s own bloodthirsty son, forcing him to protect his 13-year-old son from a relentless killer.
Jakubowicz was the winner of the German Film Peace Prize 2020 for his film Resistance. His film Secuestro Express was nominated for Best Foreign Language Film at the British Independent Film Awards, and Hands of Stone premiered at Cannes.
- 5/2/2024
- by Zac Ntim and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
After directing three films in four years with Bone Tomahawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99, and Dragged Across Concrete, it’s now been six long years since the latest new feature from S. Craig Zahler. While he’s chimed in on his recent avorite films and beyond, it’s been fairly silent regarding his next potential project. We now finally have an update on what’s on his plate.
“A number of articles have announced The Big Stone Grid as my next picture, which is not quite correct,” Zahler noted on his blog. “I am sending that script around as a possible fifth movie, but I’ve made far more progress with another different original project to direct for my fourth one: I am negotiating deals to see if it will become a reality. I will give more information about this when things are more certain. Continue to look here for my next movie announcement.
“A number of articles have announced The Big Stone Grid as my next picture, which is not quite correct,” Zahler noted on his blog. “I am sending that script around as a possible fifth movie, but I’ve made far more progress with another different original project to direct for my fourth one: I am negotiating deals to see if it will become a reality. I will give more information about this when things are more certain. Continue to look here for my next movie announcement.
- 4/16/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Way back in 2011, Sony Pictures acquired a spec script titled The Big Stone Grid, which was written by S. Craig Zahler – who is best known these days for writing and directing the films Bone Tomahawk, Brawl in Cell Block 99, and Dragged Across Concrete. As of early 2012, Michael Mann was in talks to work on script revisions with Zahler and to direct the film. The Mann take on the material didn’t come to fruition, and four years later the project moved over to Lotus Entertainment, with Pierre Morel on board to direct. Morel couldn’t get it into production, either. Eight more years down the line, World of Reel reports that Zahler is now set to direct the film himself.
Part of the reason why Zahler has gone six years without directing a new film is the fact that the project he was pursuing, Hug Chickenpenny (an adaptation of...
Part of the reason why Zahler has gone six years without directing a new film is the fact that the project he was pursuing, Hug Chickenpenny (an adaptation of...
- 4/5/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
At some point during the first act of Robert Lorenz’s handsome but egregiously hackneyed “In the Land of Saints and Sinners,” which is maybe the 900th Liam Neeson movie about a weary hitman/rancher/fixer/truck driver/ex-cop/very tall person who decides to take matters into his own hands when some bad guys step over the line, the prolific Irish actor turns to one of his scene partners and sighs: “There’s more to me than this, and I’d like folks to see it.”
Needless to say, the first part of that sentence is much easier to believe than the second.
Cast here as a regretful assassin who tries to change his ways at the height of the Troubles (only to get mixed up with a trio of Ira terrorists who take cover in his quaint coastal village after a car bomb goes wrong), Neeson again reaffirms...
Needless to say, the first part of that sentence is much easier to believe than the second.
Cast here as a regretful assassin who tries to change his ways at the height of the Troubles (only to get mixed up with a trio of Ira terrorists who take cover in his quaint coastal village after a car bomb goes wrong), Neeson again reaffirms...
- 3/29/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Liam Neeson has a very particular set of skills, which apparently does not include embodying the Easter Bunny. In a skit on The Late Show, the actor auditioned to play the furry holiday rabbit, bringing an undeniable intensity to the popular verse, “Here comes Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail. Hippity hoppity, Easter’s on its way.”
When asked to keep it light, with the producer reminding Neeson the character is for children, Neeson explained, “Do you understand what’s happening here? He’s hopping down the bunny trail,...
When asked to keep it light, with the producer reminding Neeson the character is for children, Neeson explained, “Do you understand what’s happening here? He’s hopping down the bunny trail,...
- 3/28/2024
- by Emily Zemler
- Rollingstone.com
Liam Neeson was 56 when his career took an unexpected detour into the action hero genre thanks to 2008’s Taken, a Pierre Morel-directed surprise blockbuster that raked in more than $226 million worldwide and kick-started a franchise. He’s kept up a respectable pace ever since, churning out high-octane thrillers one after the next — and he’s not ready to hang up his holster.
“Audiences are innately intelligent and they’ll know when you’re past your prime in regards to throwing punches and firing guns, but I’m not there yet,” explained Neeson over Zoom last week while discussing his newest film, In the Land of Saints and Sinners. The Samuel Goldwyn Films release casts Neeson, who will be 72 in June, as Finbar Murphy, a man leading a relatively quiet life in the remote coastal town of Glencolmcille, Ireland, in the 1970s. While he’s eager to leave a dark past behind,...
“Audiences are innately intelligent and they’ll know when you’re past your prime in regards to throwing punches and firing guns, but I’m not there yet,” explained Neeson over Zoom last week while discussing his newest film, In the Land of Saints and Sinners. The Samuel Goldwyn Films release casts Neeson, who will be 72 in June, as Finbar Murphy, a man leading a relatively quiet life in the remote coastal town of Glencolmcille, Ireland, in the 1970s. While he’s eager to leave a dark past behind,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Pierre Morel, the veteran action director behind Taken, has been tapped to direct a feature based on the popular racing Nft Reactor Motors from the company of the same name, Deadline has learned.
The film will be produced by Morel, Mike Bundlie and Barry Levine of Abstract Entertainment, and Renee Tab of Sentient Entertainment.
Created by artist and Abstract co-founder Bundlie, Reactor Motors‘ storyline follows geophysicist Eva Mason as she accidentally discovers a new mineral she calls Reykium while researching geothermal energy in Iceland’s volcanoes. The mineral is energetically reactive to metal which she and her team convert into the future of clean energy race cars in hopes of making it globally available. Subsequently, her team’s racing wins catch the attention of an energy conglomerate that will do anything to acquire the Reykium engine.
“Pierre is the perfect director for Reactor with his...
The film will be produced by Morel, Mike Bundlie and Barry Levine of Abstract Entertainment, and Renee Tab of Sentient Entertainment.
Created by artist and Abstract co-founder Bundlie, Reactor Motors‘ storyline follows geophysicist Eva Mason as she accidentally discovers a new mineral she calls Reykium while researching geothermal energy in Iceland’s volcanoes. The mineral is energetically reactive to metal which she and her team convert into the future of clean energy race cars in hopes of making it globally available. Subsequently, her team’s racing wins catch the attention of an energy conglomerate that will do anything to acquire the Reykium engine.
“Pierre is the perfect director for Reactor with his...
- 3/13/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: UTA has signed acclaimed actor Rupert Friend for representation in all areas.
Up next, Friend will be seen in buzzy New Line thriller Companion opposite Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, and Lukas Gage, as well as Michel Franco’s Dreams alongside Jessica Chastain and Lucio Castro, 2Am’s After This Death, and Pierre Morel’s Canary Black opposite Kate Beckinsale.
Most recently, he was seen at Sundance in The American Society of Magical Negroes, an acclaimed satire from writer-director Kobi Libii, which hits theaters via Focus Features on March 15.
Previously, Friend starred in the shorts The Swan and Ratcatcher, based on short stories by Roald Dahl, which Wes Anderson directed for Netflix. As a favorite of the filmmaker’s, Friend has also taken on prominent roles in his recent films Asteroid City and The French Dispatch.
Other notable film credits for the actor include The Death of Stalin, A Simple Favor,...
Up next, Friend will be seen in buzzy New Line thriller Companion opposite Sophie Thatcher, Jack Quaid, and Lukas Gage, as well as Michel Franco’s Dreams alongside Jessica Chastain and Lucio Castro, 2Am’s After This Death, and Pierre Morel’s Canary Black opposite Kate Beckinsale.
Most recently, he was seen at Sundance in The American Society of Magical Negroes, an acclaimed satire from writer-director Kobi Libii, which hits theaters via Focus Features on March 15.
Previously, Friend starred in the shorts The Swan and Ratcatcher, based on short stories by Roald Dahl, which Wes Anderson directed for Netflix. As a favorite of the filmmaker’s, Friend has also taken on prominent roles in his recent films Asteroid City and The French Dispatch.
Other notable film credits for the actor include The Death of Stalin, A Simple Favor,...
- 2/16/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Fast And Furious franchise star Jordana Brewster and rising Australian actress Teagan Croft have joined Martin Henderson on XYZ Films and Sentient’s upcoming shark thriller Alphas, which has scored a raft of major pre-sales.
Signature has acquired the title for the UK, Australia & New Zealand, and Canada, SquareOne has picked up German-speaking Europe, and CDC and Zima will distribute in Latin America and Brazil.
Rights have also gone in Eastern Europe (Vertical Distribution), South Africa (Empire Entertainment), and Singapore (Shaw Renters).
Production on Alphas is scheduled to commence in Queensland this summer. Skyline franchise creator Liam O’Donnell will direct...
Signature has acquired the title for the UK, Australia & New Zealand, and Canada, SquareOne has picked up German-speaking Europe, and CDC and Zima will distribute in Latin America and Brazil.
Rights have also gone in Eastern Europe (Vertical Distribution), South Africa (Empire Entertainment), and Singapore (Shaw Renters).
Production on Alphas is scheduled to commence in Queensland this summer. Skyline franchise creator Liam O’Donnell will direct...
- 2/16/2024
- ScreenDaily
Photo: Netflix, Warner Bros., Apple Original Films, A24, Amazon MGM Studios, Graphic: The A.V. Club, The A.V. Club, The A.V. Club, The A.V. Club, Screenshot: YouTube, Toho, Paramount, Warner Bros., Universal Pictures/YouTubeThe biggest snubs and surprises from the 2024 Oscar nominationsCharles Melton in May December, Margot Robbie in Barbie,...
- 1/27/2024
- avclub.com
Liam Neeson in TakenScreenshot: YouTube
French director Pierre Morel’s Taken came out in U.S. theaters 15 years ago this month, meaning we’ve been able to intermittently enjoy a decade and a half of star Liam Neeson’s attempts to just do Taken again, and again and again and again.
French director Pierre Morel’s Taken came out in U.S. theaters 15 years ago this month, meaning we’ve been able to intermittently enjoy a decade and a half of star Liam Neeson’s attempts to just do Taken again, and again and again and again.
- 1/22/2024
- by Sam Barsanti
- avclub.com
Tennis drama stars Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist.
In a strategic twist, Warner Bros will now release Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers in French cinemas. Prime Video had previously planned to skip a French theatrical release for the tennis drama starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, and send it straight to its streaming platform locally. Following its release in theatres, the film will now have to wait 17 months before landing on Prime Video in France per the country’s media chronology.
While rumoured to be released on April 24 just ahead of its April 26 release date in the US via Amazon MGM Studios,...
In a strategic twist, Warner Bros will now release Luca Guadagnino’s Challengers in French cinemas. Prime Video had previously planned to skip a French theatrical release for the tennis drama starring Zendaya, Josh O’Connor and Mike Faist, and send it straight to its streaming platform locally. Following its release in theatres, the film will now have to wait 17 months before landing on Prime Video in France per the country’s media chronology.
While rumoured to be released on April 24 just ahead of its April 26 release date in the US via Amazon MGM Studios,...
- 1/10/2024
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Cena and Brie display zero chemistry a dumb adventure yarn set in a fictional South American state. It feels like it should be a satire of the genre, but isn’t
Taken director Pierre Morel gets it really, really wrong with this dumb, crude and not remotely entertaining action-comedy. The idea isn’t too bad: it’s about a former US special forces soldier who gets caught up in a South American coup after being hired as bodyguard to a journalist. You can picture Armando Iannucci running with the satirical possibilities, or a more serious-minded film-maker wading knee-deep into moral murk, John le Carré style. Instead, Morel, working with a script by Jacob Lentz, squanders the basic concept – not to mention the gym time that wrestler-turned-actor John Cena put in to get the upper body of a Greek god.
Cena plays Mason Pettits, a military veteran struggling with post-army life...
Taken director Pierre Morel gets it really, really wrong with this dumb, crude and not remotely entertaining action-comedy. The idea isn’t too bad: it’s about a former US special forces soldier who gets caught up in a South American coup after being hired as bodyguard to a journalist. You can picture Armando Iannucci running with the satirical possibilities, or a more serious-minded film-maker wading knee-deep into moral murk, John le Carré style. Instead, Morel, working with a script by Jacob Lentz, squanders the basic concept – not to mention the gym time that wrestler-turned-actor John Cena put in to get the upper body of a Greek god.
Cena plays Mason Pettits, a military veteran struggling with post-army life...
- 12/25/2023
- by Cath Clarke
- The Guardian - Film News
“Silent Night” marks John Woo’s first American action film since 2003’s all-too-fittingly titled “Paycheck,” and the legendary Hong Kong auteur seems eager to make up for lost time. There are at least two decades’ worth of John Woo-ness crammed into the opening minutes of this hyper-florid yuletide “Taken” riff, which starts with Joel Kinnaman — dressed in a Rudolph sweater, complete with a poofy 3D nose — sprinting after some Mexican gang members in slow-motion while a computer-generated red balloon drifts skyward in the distance and a music box twinkles over the soundtrack.
Despite the absence of flying doves, the sheer degree of a melodrama that’s infused into this otherwise unremarkable chase sequence leaves no doubt as to who must have directed it. And while the rest of “Silent Night” is so abysmal that its prologue might as well be the last hour of “Hard Boiled” by comparison, it’s...
Despite the absence of flying doves, the sheer degree of a melodrama that’s infused into this otherwise unremarkable chase sequence leaves no doubt as to who must have directed it. And while the rest of “Silent Night” is so abysmal that its prologue might as well be the last hour of “Hard Boiled” by comparison, it’s...
- 11/27/2023
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
“Freelance” is a new action comedy feature. directed by Pierre Morel starring John Cena, Alison Brie, Juan Pablo Raba, Alice Eve, Marton Csokas and Christian Slater, now screening in theaters:
“…years after retiring from the ‘Army’, a ‘Special Forces’ operator takes a job providing security for a female journalist as she interviews a cruel dictator.
“But when a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview, the three are forced to escape into the jungle together…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
“…years after retiring from the ‘Army’, a ‘Special Forces’ operator takes a job providing security for a female journalist as she interviews a cruel dictator.
“But when a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview, the three are forced to escape into the jungle together…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
- 11/7/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
One would be forgiven for having absolutely no idea that a new action/comedy starring Jon Cena and Alison Brie hit theaters this past weekend. "Freelance" did, indeed, arrive in more than 2,000 theaters and was straight-up buried by the horror sensation that is "Five Nights at Freddy's." It would be one thing for a movie to come in second -- or even third place -- against a blockbuster release like that. Unfortunately for those behind this film, however, it barely made it into the top 10.
Relativity Media's "Freelance" opened to just $2 million, coming in at number eight on the charts for the weekend, per The Numbers. It made less than "The Nightmare Before Christmas" ($2.1 million), which is in the second weekend of its 30th anniversary re-release, and little more than "Saw X" ($1.7 million), which has been in theaters for five weekends. The worst news of all? Cena and Brie's...
Relativity Media's "Freelance" opened to just $2 million, coming in at number eight on the charts for the weekend, per The Numbers. It made less than "The Nightmare Before Christmas" ($2.1 million), which is in the second weekend of its 30th anniversary re-release, and little more than "Saw X" ($1.7 million), which has been in theaters for five weekends. The worst news of all? Cena and Brie's...
- 11/1/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
The American Film Market kicks off Oct. 31 and runs through Nov. 5 in its new headquarters at the Le Meridien Delfina in Santa Monica. Industry screenings are set at theaters throughout the city and AFM’s conference series, the AFM Sessions, will take place at the Hilton Santa Monica Hotel. More than 245 companies and organizations are exhibiting at this year’s AFM, with national pavilions from China, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Thailand and the U.K. In all, buyers from more than 65 countries are registered at the film market.
Here are some of the buzziest titles at AFM 2023:
Alphas
Director: Liam O’Donnell
Producers: Pierre Morel, Renee Tab, Christopher Tuffin, Matthew Chausse, Drew Bailey
Key cast: Martin Henderson
Story is set in a quiet surfing community where killer whales are enlisted to fend off great white sharks after a series of attacks. When the alpha great white shark proves too powerful to stop,...
Here are some of the buzziest titles at AFM 2023:
Alphas
Director: Liam O’Donnell
Producers: Pierre Morel, Renee Tab, Christopher Tuffin, Matthew Chausse, Drew Bailey
Key cast: Martin Henderson
Story is set in a quiet surfing community where killer whales are enlisted to fend off great white sharks after a series of attacks. When the alpha great white shark proves too powerful to stop,...
- 10/31/2023
- by Carole Horst
- Variety Film + TV
Stuart Ford’s AGC International has taken global rights outside the Middle East and Pakistan to “Voy! Voy! Voy!,” the hit dramedy about a group of impoverished Egyptians who join a professional blind soccer team as a ploy to get to Europe. The film is Egypt’s candidate for the international film Oscar.
“Voy! Voy! Voy!,” which marks the directorial debut of hotshot Egyptian commercials director Omar Hilal, is the tale of a financially struggling security guard named Hassan, who dreams of a better life. One day he stumbles upon the professional sport of blind soccer and cunningly decides to pose as a visually impaired man to join a team that is close to playing a World Cup tournament in Europe. On this journey, Omar intersects with several characters, including a female journalist who begins to take an interest in the team.
The dramedy is inspired by true events. In...
“Voy! Voy! Voy!,” which marks the directorial debut of hotshot Egyptian commercials director Omar Hilal, is the tale of a financially struggling security guard named Hassan, who dreams of a better life. One day he stumbles upon the professional sport of blind soccer and cunningly decides to pose as a visually impaired man to join a team that is close to playing a World Cup tournament in Europe. On this journey, Omar intersects with several characters, including a female journalist who begins to take an interest in the team.
The dramedy is inspired by true events. In...
- 10/31/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Director Pierre Morel is the man who made Liam Neeson into an action icon. His movie Taken established the middle-aged character actor as perhaps the 21st century’s biggest action icon, and it was an unlikely transformation. Truly, Morel is an ace action director, with his film District 13 being one of the best action movies of the last twenty years. Since Taken, he’s specialized in transforming actors into action stars, directing Sean Penn in The Gunman and Jennifer Garner in Peppermint. Both were pretty grim movies, so now Morel is turning to somewhat lighter material with Freelance.
In it, John Cena plays a former special forces operative who’s become a suburban dad and lawyer. He seeks to recapture some of the excitement of his youth by taking a job as a bodyguard for a high-profile journalist (Alison Brie) who’s interviewing a dictator. In the middle of the assignment,...
In it, John Cena plays a former special forces operative who’s become a suburban dad and lawyer. He seeks to recapture some of the excitement of his youth by taking a job as a bodyguard for a high-profile journalist (Alison Brie) who’s interviewing a dictator. In the middle of the assignment,...
- 10/30/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Freelance is an action comedy film directed by Pierre Morel, from a screenplay by Jacob Lentz. The film revolves around Mason Pettits, a retired Special Forces operator who takes on the job of providing protection to Claire Wellington as she interviews the president of Paldonia Juan Venegas. But things go awry when a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview and all three of them have to run for their lives. Freelance stars John Cena and Alison Brie in the lead roles with Juan Pablo Raba, Christian Slater, and Alice Eve starring in leading roles. So, if you love the action comedy film here are some similar movies you could watch next.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Lionsgate
Synopsis: The world’s top protection agent [Ryan Reynolds] is called upon to guard the life of his mortal enemy, one of the world’s most notorious hitmen [nm0000168 autoSamuel L.
The Hitman’s Bodyguard (Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Lionsgate
Synopsis: The world’s top protection agent [Ryan Reynolds] is called upon to guard the life of his mortal enemy, one of the world’s most notorious hitmen [nm0000168 autoSamuel L.
- 10/27/2023
- by Kulwant Singh
- Cinema Blind
Pierre Morel among producers. Production in Australia set for early 2024.
XYZ Films has boarded worldwide sales on Sentient Entertainment’s shark thriller Alphas starring Martin Henderson and will introduce to buyers at AFM next week.
Liam O’Donnell will direct the Australia-uk co-production and Taken and District 13 director Pierre Morel will produce alongside his partners Renee Tab and Christopher Tuffin of Sentient, and Matthew Chausse and Drew Bailey.
Principal photography is scheduled to start in Australia in early 2024 on Alphas, which takes place in a quiet surfing community where killer whales are enlisted to fend off great white sharks after a series of attacks.
XYZ Films has boarded worldwide sales on Sentient Entertainment’s shark thriller Alphas starring Martin Henderson and will introduce to buyers at AFM next week.
Liam O’Donnell will direct the Australia-uk co-production and Taken and District 13 director Pierre Morel will produce alongside his partners Renee Tab and Christopher Tuffin of Sentient, and Matthew Chausse and Drew Bailey.
Principal photography is scheduled to start in Australia in early 2024 on Alphas, which takes place in a quiet surfing community where killer whales are enlisted to fend off great white sharks after a series of attacks.
- 10/26/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The specific fantasy that Freelance is tapping into is probably as old as the concept of American masculinity itself. The action comedy, directed by Pierre Morel (Taken), centers on a middling suburban lawyer (John Cena) with a profound and unshakable understanding that this is not what he’s meant for. He’s meant to be a good guy, a hero, a super-jacked soldier who dives headfirst into danger; in fact he was that guy once, until a back injury ended his military career.
Though the film follows Cena’s Mason to South America and back, really its central journey is Mason’s back to the manly man he’s been inside all along. But even the most cherished daydream needs a bit of skill and finessing if it’s to translate to the big screen, and that’s where Freelance falls fatally short — yielding not an uplifting escape, but an enervating bore.
Though the film follows Cena’s Mason to South America and back, really its central journey is Mason’s back to the manly man he’s been inside all along. But even the most cherished daydream needs a bit of skill and finessing if it’s to translate to the big screen, and that’s where Freelance falls fatally short — yielding not an uplifting escape, but an enervating bore.
- 10/26/2023
- by Angie Han
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Pierre Morel’s Freelance follows disgraced American journalist Claire Wellington (Alison Brie) and her ex-military bodyguard, Mason Pettits (John Cena), as he escorts her to the fictional South American country of Paldonia for an exclusive interview with its dictator, Juan Venegas (Juan Pablo Raba). While the film starts out by presenting Paldonia and its leader as unrepentantly evil—among other things, we’re told that Venegas is responsible for the deaths of half of Pettits’s former squad years earlier—it eventually reveals that various imperialist forces and corporate-funded mercenary groups have been actively undermining Venegas as a means of forcing him to sell valuable natural resources for a cheaper rate.
That’s a surprising turn of events, especially for an action-comedy, given Hollywood’s typically simplistic representations of under-developed countries whose conditions are presented as justification for American intervention. Regrettably, that’s the only surprise to be found in Jacob Lentz’s screenplay,...
That’s a surprising turn of events, especially for an action-comedy, given Hollywood’s typically simplistic representations of under-developed countries whose conditions are presented as justification for American intervention. Regrettably, that’s the only surprise to be found in Jacob Lentz’s screenplay,...
- 10/26/2023
- by Derek Smith
- Slant Magazine
Plot: A former special forces operative (John Cena) turned family man lawyer is tempted by an old friend to take a job as a bodyguard for a famous journalist (Alison Brie) who’s set to interview a dictator.
Review: Pierre Morel will forever be celebrated as the director who turned Liam Neeson into an action star. His movie, Taken, remains (by a long shot) the best movie in that franchise. Now, Morel is dipping his toe into a different genre, the action-comedy. While Freelance has some well-conceived action sequences and a game cast, there’s a big problem – the movie isn’t funny.
Indeed, Cena can be hilarious, given the right material. He has a twinkle in his eye that makes him personable despite his hulking physique, with Blockers an excellent example of that. But he feels like the wrong fit for this. Given that the premise seems to promise...
Review: Pierre Morel will forever be celebrated as the director who turned Liam Neeson into an action star. His movie, Taken, remains (by a long shot) the best movie in that franchise. Now, Morel is dipping his toe into a different genre, the action-comedy. While Freelance has some well-conceived action sequences and a game cast, there’s a big problem – the movie isn’t funny.
Indeed, Cena can be hilarious, given the right material. He has a twinkle in his eye that makes him personable despite his hulking physique, with Blockers an excellent example of that. But he feels like the wrong fit for this. Given that the premise seems to promise...
- 10/26/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
“Freelance” is a new action comedy feature. directed by Pierre Morel starring John Cena, Alison Brie, Juan Pablo Raba, Alice Eve, Marton Csokas and Christian Slater, releasing October 27, 2023 in theaters:
“…years after retiring from the ‘Army’, a ‘Special Forces’ operator takes a job providing security for a female journalist as she interviews a cruel dictator.
“But when a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview, the three are forced to escape into the jungle together…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
“…years after retiring from the ‘Army’, a ‘Special Forces’ operator takes a job providing security for a female journalist as she interviews a cruel dictator.
“But when a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview, the three are forced to escape into the jungle together…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
- 10/26/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
October (and even September) have been chock-full of appropriately scary horror movies for spooky season, and the weekend before Halloween introduces one more. Read on for Gold Derby’s box office preview.
Those looking for the next big horror franchise need not look much further than Universal and Blumhouse’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” an adaptation of the popular multi-platform video game first introduced in 2014. That initial game led to five sequels, multiple spin-offs, and even a series of novels that just kept things going for the fanbase that has been itching for this movie to happen.
Directed by Emma Tammi of the 2018 horror-Western “The Wind,” the movie stars Josh Hutcherson from the “Hunger Games” movies, Elizabeth Lail from “Mack & Rita,” Piper Rubio and Kat Conner Sterling, but as we all know by now, the cast of a horror movie is rarely as important as the premise, especially with...
Those looking for the next big horror franchise need not look much further than Universal and Blumhouse’s “Five Nights at Freddy’s,” an adaptation of the popular multi-platform video game first introduced in 2014. That initial game led to five sequels, multiple spin-offs, and even a series of novels that just kept things going for the fanbase that has been itching for this movie to happen.
Directed by Emma Tammi of the 2018 horror-Western “The Wind,” the movie stars Josh Hutcherson from the “Hunger Games” movies, Elizabeth Lail from “Mack & Rita,” Piper Rubio and Kat Conner Sterling, but as we all know by now, the cast of a horror movie is rarely as important as the premise, especially with...
- 10/25/2023
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
After one of the worst months of 2023 at the box office, we might have found the true savior for the month of October in a pop singer. Taylor Swift‘s return to theaters is with a concert film based on her multi-billion North American tour. How much money do we think it’ll rake in? Read on for Gold Derby’s October 2023 box office preview.
“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” (AMC Theatrical Distribution – Oct. 13)
It’s Taylor Swift’s world, and we’re just livin’ in it. That might be the biggest takeaway for the month, as “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” blasts into theaters after its surprise announcement at the end of August. Considering how quickly most of the stops on her U.S. tour sold out and the controversy it stirred up with ticket sales, it was no surprise when the filmed version of her L.A. show...
“Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” (AMC Theatrical Distribution – Oct. 13)
It’s Taylor Swift’s world, and we’re just livin’ in it. That might be the biggest takeaway for the month, as “Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour” blasts into theaters after its surprise announcement at the end of August. Considering how quickly most of the stops on her U.S. tour sold out and the controversy it stirred up with ticket sales, it was no surprise when the filmed version of her L.A. show...
- 9/29/2023
- by Edward Douglas
- Gold Derby
“Freelance” is a new action comedy feature. directed by Pierre Morel starring John Cena, Alison Brie, Juan Pablo Raba, Alice Eve, Marton Csokas and Christian Slater, releasing October 6, 2023 in theaters:
“…years after retiring from the ‘Army’, a ‘Special Forces’ operator takes a job providing security for a female journalist as she interviews a cruel dictator.
“But when a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview, the three are forced to escape into the jungle together…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
“…years after retiring from the ‘Army’, a ‘Special Forces’ operator takes a job providing security for a female journalist as she interviews a cruel dictator.
“But when a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview, the three are forced to escape into the jungle together…”
Click the images to enlarge…...
- 8/22/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
John Cena and Alison Brie get caught in the middle of political unrest in the first trailer for the forthcoming action-comedy movie Freelance.
The Relativity Media film from director Pierre Morel (Taken) hits theaters Oct. 6. It centers on a Special Forces operator (Cena) resurfacing from retirement to escort a journalist (Alison Brie) to interview the dictator of a foreign country, which is embroiled in a dangerous coup that begins shortly after their arrival.
During the trailer, Brie tells Cena, “I’m with the president of a country in the middle of a coup. This is the scoop of a lifetime.” He bluntly responds, “You gotta be alive to have the scoop of a lifetime.”
Later, after they find themselves fleeing from peril, Cena asks, “Are you still excited to cover a coup?” Brie understatedly replies, “Less and less, honestly.”
Morel directs from a script by Jacob Lentz (Jimmy Kimmel Live!
The Relativity Media film from director Pierre Morel (Taken) hits theaters Oct. 6. It centers on a Special Forces operator (Cena) resurfacing from retirement to escort a journalist (Alison Brie) to interview the dictator of a foreign country, which is embroiled in a dangerous coup that begins shortly after their arrival.
During the trailer, Brie tells Cena, “I’m with the president of a country in the middle of a coup. This is the scoop of a lifetime.” He bluntly responds, “You gotta be alive to have the scoop of a lifetime.”
Later, after they find themselves fleeing from peril, Cena asks, “Are you still excited to cover a coup?” Brie understatedly replies, “Less and less, honestly.”
Morel directs from a script by Jacob Lentz (Jimmy Kimmel Live!
- 8/21/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
"You've gotta be alive to have he scoop of a lifetime." Relativity has debuted an official trailer for an action comedy movie titled Freelance, the latest from French action filmmaker Pierre Morel. Set to open in theaters nationwide this October. An ex special forces operator takes a job to provide security for a journalist as she interviews a dictator, but, a military coup breaks out in the middle of the interview with the suave dictator. They are forced to escape into the jungle where they must survive and figure out how to escape. This sounds a lot like so many other movies recently, mainly The Lost City or Shotgun Wedding. John Cena and Alison Brie star with Juan Pablo Raba, Alice Eve, Marton Csokas, and Christian Slater. It was shot in Colombia early last year. This doesn't look so bad, mainly because I think Cena is hilarious, handling all his action and comedy quite well.
- 8/21/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
A couple years ago, we heard that John Cena would be teaming up with Taken director Pierre Morel for an action comedy called Freelance. That project has since made its way through production, and now it’s ready to reach theatres on October 6th. To start building the hype for the release, a trailer for the film has arrived online and can be seen in the embed above.
Freelance is the first produced feature screenplay for writer Jacob Lentz, who previously earned writing credits on over 1000 episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The story Lentz crafted for this film has the following synopsis: Ex-special forces operative Mason Pettis (Cena) is stuck in a dead-end desk job when he reluctantly takes on a freelance gig to provide private security for washed-up journalist Claire Wellington as she interviews the ruthless—but impeccably dressed—dictator, Juan Venegas. When a military coup breaks out just...
Freelance is the first produced feature screenplay for writer Jacob Lentz, who previously earned writing credits on over 1000 episodes of Jimmy Kimmel Live!. The story Lentz crafted for this film has the following synopsis: Ex-special forces operative Mason Pettis (Cena) is stuck in a dead-end desk job when he reluctantly takes on a freelance gig to provide private security for washed-up journalist Claire Wellington as she interviews the ruthless—but impeccably dressed—dictator, Juan Venegas. When a military coup breaks out just...
- 8/21/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
“Taken” director Pierre Morel is turning his lens to action-comedies with latest film “Freelance.”
Alison Brie stars as a washed up journalist who travels to Colombia for a high-profile interview with a local dictator. She hires a private security guard, played by John Cena, to protect her while abroad; yet of course, things go horribly wrong and the duo are on the run.
The official synopsis reads: An ex special forces operative stuck in a dead-end desk job (Cena) reluctantly takes on a gig to provide private security for a struggling journalist (Brie) as she interviews a ruthless — but impeccably dressed — dictator (Juan Pablo Raba). When a military coup breaks out just as she’s about to get the scoop of a lifetime, the unlikely trio must figure out how to survive the jungle, the assassins, and each other in order to make it out alive.
Alice Eve and Christian Slater also star.
Alison Brie stars as a washed up journalist who travels to Colombia for a high-profile interview with a local dictator. She hires a private security guard, played by John Cena, to protect her while abroad; yet of course, things go horribly wrong and the duo are on the run.
The official synopsis reads: An ex special forces operative stuck in a dead-end desk job (Cena) reluctantly takes on a gig to provide private security for a struggling journalist (Brie) as she interviews a ruthless — but impeccably dressed — dictator (Juan Pablo Raba). When a military coup breaks out just as she’s about to get the scoop of a lifetime, the unlikely trio must figure out how to survive the jungle, the assassins, and each other in order to make it out alive.
Alice Eve and Christian Slater also star.
- 8/21/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The first trailer has been unveiled for “Walls” (“Mur”), actor-turned-filmmaker Kasia Smutniak’s directorial debut that will world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, leading to a mass exodus of refugees seeking asylum across Europe. Among the European countries offering aid and refuge, Poland was particularly generous but the country had also simultaneously commenced the construction of Europe’s most expensive wall along its entire border with Belarus to deter further refugees from entering.
A strip of land known as the red zone running parallel to the Belarusian border prevents anyone from approaching and seeing the construction of the wall. Smutniak undertakes an uncertain and risky journey into the red zone, where access is not allowed to the media, with the help of local activists and minimal technical equipment. The director’s journey begins and ends with two walls.
The first wall rejects migrants arriving...
In 2022, Russia invaded Ukraine, leading to a mass exodus of refugees seeking asylum across Europe. Among the European countries offering aid and refuge, Poland was particularly generous but the country had also simultaneously commenced the construction of Europe’s most expensive wall along its entire border with Belarus to deter further refugees from entering.
A strip of land known as the red zone running parallel to the Belarusian border prevents anyone from approaching and seeing the construction of the wall. Smutniak undertakes an uncertain and risky journey into the red zone, where access is not allowed to the media, with the help of local activists and minimal technical equipment. The director’s journey begins and ends with two walls.
The first wall rejects migrants arriving...
- 8/21/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Actor Esai Morales is in negotiations to star in the action thriller Shadow, which XYZ Films has boarded and will introduce to buyers this week in Cannes.
XYZ acquired world sales — minus select territories — to the pic, which is inspired by true events. Colombian filmmaker Antonio Negret (Overdrive) is directing from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Daniel Negret.
The film will begin production in the fall in Colombia. Plot follows a real-life Colombian police dog named Sombra (Spanish for “Shadow”) who, after piling up hundreds of arrests, became the cartel’s public number one enemy. As a result, a bounty is put on her head. After the cartel’s new leader sets a trap to abduct the dog, Sombra’s once reluctant handler must risk his life and career to save his partner.
Cast features Colombian actors Juan Pablo Raba (Peppermint) and Natalia Reyes (Terminator: Dark Fate...
XYZ acquired world sales — minus select territories — to the pic, which is inspired by true events. Colombian filmmaker Antonio Negret (Overdrive) is directing from a screenplay he co-wrote with his brother Daniel Negret.
The film will begin production in the fall in Colombia. Plot follows a real-life Colombian police dog named Sombra (Spanish for “Shadow”) who, after piling up hundreds of arrests, became the cartel’s public number one enemy. As a result, a bounty is put on her head. After the cartel’s new leader sets a trap to abduct the dog, Sombra’s once reluctant handler must risk his life and career to save his partner.
Cast features Colombian actors Juan Pablo Raba (Peppermint) and Natalia Reyes (Terminator: Dark Fate...
- 5/15/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Joel Kinnaman (For All Mankind) is attached to star in They Found Us, an alien abduction thriller to be directed for AGC Studios and Temple Hill by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Neill Blomkamp (District 9), which will head into production in Australia later this year.
The film to be fully financed by Stuart Ford’s fast-growing independent content studio, AGC Studios, is based on an original screenplay by Jeremy Slater, whose credits include Moon Knight, Fantastic Four, The Exorcist, The Lazarus Effect and The Umbrella Academy. It will follow a father (Kinnaman) and his daughter Kaylee as they undertake a camping trip in the Utah wilderness to heal their broken relationship. After being attacked by a hostile extraterrestrial lifeform, their lives — not just their relationship — wind up at stake, as they fight with a humanoid beast to stop their abduction to an unknown and terrifying alien world.
Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen...
The film to be fully financed by Stuart Ford’s fast-growing independent content studio, AGC Studios, is based on an original screenplay by Jeremy Slater, whose credits include Moon Knight, Fantastic Four, The Exorcist, The Lazarus Effect and The Umbrella Academy. It will follow a father (Kinnaman) and his daughter Kaylee as they undertake a camping trip in the Utah wilderness to heal their broken relationship. After being attacked by a hostile extraterrestrial lifeform, their lives — not just their relationship — wind up at stake, as they fight with a humanoid beast to stop their abduction to an unknown and terrifying alien world.
Wyck Godfrey and Marty Bowen...
- 4/26/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Let’s first address the obvious: My name is Marlow, and I am interviewing Liam Neeson for his new film Marlowe, the latest spin on Raymond Chandler’s hard-boiled detective Philip Marlowe.
“Interesting that your name is Marlow!” exclaims Neeson at the start of our chat.
I inform the veteran actor that I’m in fact named after the protagonist of Heart of Darkness, not the femme fatale-swerving character played by everyone from Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum to Elliot Gould and now him.
After expressing his displeasure with the...
“Interesting that your name is Marlow!” exclaims Neeson at the start of our chat.
I inform the veteran actor that I’m in fact named after the protagonist of Heart of Darkness, not the femme fatale-swerving character played by everyone from Humphrey Bogart and Robert Mitchum to Elliot Gould and now him.
After expressing his displeasure with the...
- 2/20/2023
- by Marlow Stern
- Rollingstone.com
Exclusive: Prolific German actor Thomas Kretschmann, star of movies including The Pianist, King Kong and the upcoming Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny, is to play seminal and controversial German composer Richard Wagner in a new English-language biopic.
The movie will chart the journey of Richard and Cosima Wagner as they arrive in Venice following the prèmiere of Parsifal in 1882. The plot will turn on an alternative history, as it will see Wagner’s father-in-law, Franz Liszt, follow the couple soon after as news of a comet headed towards earth launches Wagner into composing one final piece of music.
Marton Csokas (The Equalizer) will play fellow-composer Liszt in the project which is being sold at Berlin’s EFM by Motus Studios.
Daniel Graham (Prizefighter: The Life Of Jem Belcher) is writer-director and the team is aiming to shoot in Venice in late spring, 2023.
Emanuele Moretti (Assassin Club) is producing...
The movie will chart the journey of Richard and Cosima Wagner as they arrive in Venice following the prèmiere of Parsifal in 1882. The plot will turn on an alternative history, as it will see Wagner’s father-in-law, Franz Liszt, follow the couple soon after as news of a comet headed towards earth launches Wagner into composing one final piece of music.
Marton Csokas (The Equalizer) will play fellow-composer Liszt in the project which is being sold at Berlin’s EFM by Motus Studios.
Daniel Graham (Prizefighter: The Life Of Jem Belcher) is writer-director and the team is aiming to shoot in Venice in late spring, 2023.
Emanuele Moretti (Assassin Club) is producing...
- 2/18/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Saban Films has taken worldwide rights to action-thriller Hellfire, starring Stephen Lang, Harvey Keitel and Dolph Lundgren here at the European Film Market.
The title, which is directed by Isaac Florentine and written by Richard Lowry, follows a drifter (Lang) with a mysterious past who arrives in a small town and finds the residents in the grip of a ruthless crime boss and realizes he has to help them.
Currently in post-production, Hellfire is produced by Sasha Yelaun, Robert Paschall Jr, Daniel Lief, and Johnny Remo. It’s executive produced by Dominic Burns, Rob Simmons, Ante Novakovic, Jeff Miller, Ronnie D. Lee, Sterling Griffin, Adam Sigal, B.I. Rosen, Frederic Demey, Grant Palmer, Krystyna Swiecka, Cecil Chambers, Seth Sklar, Keli Price, Jenny Shakeshaft, Brian Katz, Thomas Zambeck, Matthew Ianniello Jr, Mehrdad Moayedi, Chad Oliver and Ryan Hicks.
The deal was negotiated by Shanan Becker for Saban Films and Sasha Yelaun.
The title, which is directed by Isaac Florentine and written by Richard Lowry, follows a drifter (Lang) with a mysterious past who arrives in a small town and finds the residents in the grip of a ruthless crime boss and realizes he has to help them.
Currently in post-production, Hellfire is produced by Sasha Yelaun, Robert Paschall Jr, Daniel Lief, and Johnny Remo. It’s executive produced by Dominic Burns, Rob Simmons, Ante Novakovic, Jeff Miller, Ronnie D. Lee, Sterling Griffin, Adam Sigal, B.I. Rosen, Frederic Demey, Grant Palmer, Krystyna Swiecka, Cecil Chambers, Seth Sklar, Keli Price, Jenny Shakeshaft, Brian Katz, Thomas Zambeck, Matthew Ianniello Jr, Mehrdad Moayedi, Chad Oliver and Ryan Hicks.
The deal was negotiated by Shanan Becker for Saban Films and Sasha Yelaun.
- 2/18/2023
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Saban Films has picked up the North American rights to Scandinavian thriller Good Boy from Blue Finch Films.
Written and directed by Viljar Boe (Til Freddy), the film stars Gard Lokke (Troll), Katrine Lovise Opstad Fredriksen in her feature film debut and Amalie Willoch Njaastad (Cabin Crazy). Saban is targeting a third-quarter theatrical release.
Good Boy, which premiered to acclaim at Beyond Fest in 2022, follows Sigrid, who thinks she’s met the perfect match in Christian until she comes to find out that he lives with a man who acts like his pet dog. She soon notices that there is an insidious side to Christian…maybe “puppy play” isn’t as innocent as it seems.
The film is produced by Marie Waade Gronning, Ane Marie Sletten and Karl Oskar Asli, and executive produced by Darren Gaskell and Nicolai Narvesen Lied. The deal was negotiated by Steve Break on behalf of...
Written and directed by Viljar Boe (Til Freddy), the film stars Gard Lokke (Troll), Katrine Lovise Opstad Fredriksen in her feature film debut and Amalie Willoch Njaastad (Cabin Crazy). Saban is targeting a third-quarter theatrical release.
Good Boy, which premiered to acclaim at Beyond Fest in 2022, follows Sigrid, who thinks she’s met the perfect match in Christian until she comes to find out that he lives with a man who acts like his pet dog. She soon notices that there is an insidious side to Christian…maybe “puppy play” isn’t as innocent as it seems.
The film is produced by Marie Waade Gronning, Ane Marie Sletten and Karl Oskar Asli, and executive produced by Darren Gaskell and Nicolai Narvesen Lied. The deal was negotiated by Steve Break on behalf of...
- 2/17/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Saban Films has acquired the U.S., U.K. and other international rights to Jean-Claude Van Damme action-spy thriller “Darkness of Man.”
Directed by James Cullen Bressack, the film sees Van Damme playing Interpol operative Russell Hatch, who witnesses the death of his last informant in a routine raid gone wrong. Years later, he takes on a father figure role to the son of the informant, and finds himself protecting the boy from a group of merciless gangs in an all-out turf war.
Alongside the U.S. and U.K., Saban Films has picked up Australian/New Zealand, African, Spanish and Scandinavian territory rights to the film, which also stars Kristanna Loken (“Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”), Peter Jae (“Blackhat”), Spencer Breslin (“The Kid”), Emerson Min (“Black-ish”) and rapper Sticky Fingaz.
The film is written by Alethea Cho and Cullen Bressack and based on an original story by Cullen Bressack and Van Damme.
Directed by James Cullen Bressack, the film sees Van Damme playing Interpol operative Russell Hatch, who witnesses the death of his last informant in a routine raid gone wrong. Years later, he takes on a father figure role to the son of the informant, and finds himself protecting the boy from a group of merciless gangs in an all-out turf war.
Alongside the U.S. and U.K., Saban Films has picked up Australian/New Zealand, African, Spanish and Scandinavian territory rights to the film, which also stars Kristanna Loken (“Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines”), Peter Jae (“Blackhat”), Spencer Breslin (“The Kid”), Emerson Min (“Black-ish”) and rapper Sticky Fingaz.
The film is written by Alethea Cho and Cullen Bressack and based on an original story by Cullen Bressack and Van Damme.
- 2/16/2023
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Homeland and Death of Stalin actor Rupert Friend is set to star alongside Harry Potter star Evanna Lynch in James and Lucia, a biopic of celebrated author James Joyce which will focus on the Irish writer’s relationship with his daughter.
Written and to be directed by Robert Mullan (Mad to be Normal), Motus Studios is presenting the movie to buyers this week at the EFM in Berlin.
Based on the the final decade of Joyce’s life, firstly in Paris then in Zurich, the film highlights his struggles with his fading eyesight and, centrally, his attempts to protect his beloved daughter Lucia. Once treated by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, Joyce was diagnosed as schizophrenic in the mid-1930s and institutionalized in Switzerland and in the UK.
Joyce, a towering figure in 20th Century literature, is known for works including Ulysses, A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man,...
Written and to be directed by Robert Mullan (Mad to be Normal), Motus Studios is presenting the movie to buyers this week at the EFM in Berlin.
Based on the the final decade of Joyce’s life, firstly in Paris then in Zurich, the film highlights his struggles with his fading eyesight and, centrally, his attempts to protect his beloved daughter Lucia. Once treated by Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung, Joyce was diagnosed as schizophrenic in the mid-1930s and institutionalized in Switzerland and in the UK.
Joyce, a towering figure in 20th Century literature, is known for works including Ulysses, A Portrait Of The Artist As A Young Man,...
- 2/15/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Saban Films has secured global distribution rights to the crime thriller “Clean Up Crew” in all territories but Spain and Italy.
“The Survivalist” helmer Jon Keeyes directs Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Oscar winner Melissa Leo and Oscar nominee Antonio Banderas in the tale of a crime scene clean-up crew that finds a briefcase full of cash on a routine job. The discovery sends them unwittingly into battle with mobsters, hitmen and a corrupt government hellbent on the briefcase’s return.
The cast is rounded out by Ekaterina Baker (“The Protégé”), Andy Kellegher (“Game of Thrones”) and Laurence Kinlan (“Ned Kelly”). The project hails from Yale Entertainment and was produced by the label’s Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman and Michael J. Rothstein, with Richard Bolger and Conor Barry from Hail Mary Pictures. Additional producers include Richard Clabaugh, Stephen Braun and Kurt Ebner.
Executive producers include Scott Levenson, Jason Kringstein, Lee Broda,...
“The Survivalist” helmer Jon Keeyes directs Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Oscar winner Melissa Leo and Oscar nominee Antonio Banderas in the tale of a crime scene clean-up crew that finds a briefcase full of cash on a routine job. The discovery sends them unwittingly into battle with mobsters, hitmen and a corrupt government hellbent on the briefcase’s return.
The cast is rounded out by Ekaterina Baker (“The Protégé”), Andy Kellegher (“Game of Thrones”) and Laurence Kinlan (“Ned Kelly”). The project hails from Yale Entertainment and was produced by the label’s Jordan Yale Levine, Jordan Beckerman and Michael J. Rothstein, with Richard Bolger and Conor Barry from Hail Mary Pictures. Additional producers include Richard Clabaugh, Stephen Braun and Kurt Ebner.
Executive producers include Scott Levenson, Jason Kringstein, Lee Broda,...
- 1/18/2023
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
New Release Wall
“Bros” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment): The comedy that carried the weight of so many competing expectations that it’s a miracle it exists at all, “Bros” is the queer zeitgeist moment that gave away a few too many gay secrets to the straight audiences who saw it, but for better or worse, those secrets were delightfully funny. Co-writer Billy Eichner stars as a gay man indifferent to love but still open to possibilities when a traditional handsome jock (Luke Macfarlane) enters the picture. It turns out both of them have been traumatized by the homophobic world around them, but they figure it out in “When Harry Met Sally…” style by the end. That’s not a spoiler; all rom-coms end that way.
Also available:
“Amsterdam” (20th Century/New Regency): The latest from David O. Russell is a crime epic starring Margot Robbie, John David Washington,...
“Bros” (Universal Pictures Home Entertainment): The comedy that carried the weight of so many competing expectations that it’s a miracle it exists at all, “Bros” is the queer zeitgeist moment that gave away a few too many gay secrets to the straight audiences who saw it, but for better or worse, those secrets were delightfully funny. Co-writer Billy Eichner stars as a gay man indifferent to love but still open to possibilities when a traditional handsome jock (Luke Macfarlane) enters the picture. It turns out both of them have been traumatized by the homophobic world around them, but they figure it out in “When Harry Met Sally…” style by the end. That’s not a spoiler; all rom-coms end that way.
Also available:
“Amsterdam” (20th Century/New Regency): The latest from David O. Russell is a crime epic starring Margot Robbie, John David Washington,...
- 12/14/2022
- by Alonso Duralde
- The Wrap
Wrestler-turned-actor John Cena and ‘Aquaman’ Jason Momoa are to team up for the “rowdy” comedy ‘Killer Vacation’ at Warner Bros.
Plot details are currently being kept under wraps but from the title alone we imagine it involves a holiday gone wrong.
The project has been described as a fun, splashy adventure like ‘True Lies.’ The script was written by Mark and Brian Gunn, and the project will be produced by John Rickard and Peter Safran. The film was packaged and set up at the studio before Safran took the reins with James Gunn at WB’s DC Films Unit.
Also in news – Stephen Graham, Harris Dickinson & more set for Steve McQueen’s ‘Blitz’
Cena and Momoa met on the set of the upcoming conclusions to the ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise and were looking to take their natural chemistry to another film, sources say.
Cena next stars in ‘Freelance,’ an...
Plot details are currently being kept under wraps but from the title alone we imagine it involves a holiday gone wrong.
The project has been described as a fun, splashy adventure like ‘True Lies.’ The script was written by Mark and Brian Gunn, and the project will be produced by John Rickard and Peter Safran. The film was packaged and set up at the studio before Safran took the reins with James Gunn at WB’s DC Films Unit.
Also in news – Stephen Graham, Harris Dickinson & more set for Steve McQueen’s ‘Blitz’
Cena and Momoa met on the set of the upcoming conclusions to the ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise and were looking to take their natural chemistry to another film, sources say.
Cena next stars in ‘Freelance,’ an...
- 12/14/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Hollywood stars John Cena and Jason Momoa will be starring in the rowdy new action comedy ‘Killer Vacation’.
Warner Bros. has recruited the muscle bound actors for the feature project, plot details for which are currently under wraps.
The pair met on the set of the upcoming conclusions to the ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise and were looking to take their natural chemistry to another film, sources say, reports ‘Variety’.
Those familiar with the project compared it to fun, splashy adventures like ‘True Lies’.
The ‘Killer’ script was written by Mark and Brian Gunn, and the project will be produced by John Rickard and Peter Safran. The film was packaged and set up at the studio before Safran took the reins with James Gunn at WB’s DC Films Unit.
Momoa, of course, is a major ingredient in all things DC, having appeared as Aquaman in several films. He is...
Warner Bros. has recruited the muscle bound actors for the feature project, plot details for which are currently under wraps.
The pair met on the set of the upcoming conclusions to the ‘Fast and the Furious’ franchise and were looking to take their natural chemistry to another film, sources say, reports ‘Variety’.
Those familiar with the project compared it to fun, splashy adventures like ‘True Lies’.
The ‘Killer’ script was written by Mark and Brian Gunn, and the project will be produced by John Rickard and Peter Safran. The film was packaged and set up at the studio before Safran took the reins with James Gunn at WB’s DC Films Unit.
Momoa, of course, is a major ingredient in all things DC, having appeared as Aquaman in several films. He is...
- 12/14/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
John Cena (Peacemaker) and Jason Momoa (Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom) have signed on to star in the action-comedy Killer Vacation from Warner Bros., Deadline can confirm.
Details as to the film’s plot are under wraps. But Mark and Brian Gunn (Brightburn) wrote the script. John Rickard and Peter Safran will produce the pic, which had been set up at the studio before Safran and James Gunn took charge of DC.
Cena currently stars in HBO Max’s series Peacemaker, having first portrayed the DC character of the same name in Warner Bros.’ The Suicide Squad. Additional upcoming projects for the actor include Pierre Morel’s action-comedy Freelance, Clay Tarver’s Vacation Friends sequel Honeymoon Friends and Peter Farrelly’s comedy Ricky Stanicky.
Momoa has previously worked with Warner Bros. on Aquaman and its sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is slated for release on December 25, 2023, as well...
Details as to the film’s plot are under wraps. But Mark and Brian Gunn (Brightburn) wrote the script. John Rickard and Peter Safran will produce the pic, which had been set up at the studio before Safran and James Gunn took charge of DC.
Cena currently stars in HBO Max’s series Peacemaker, having first portrayed the DC character of the same name in Warner Bros.’ The Suicide Squad. Additional upcoming projects for the actor include Pierre Morel’s action-comedy Freelance, Clay Tarver’s Vacation Friends sequel Honeymoon Friends and Peter Farrelly’s comedy Ricky Stanicky.
Momoa has previously worked with Warner Bros. on Aquaman and its sequel Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom, which is slated for release on December 25, 2023, as well...
- 12/13/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
John Cena, Jason Momoa Teaming for Rowdy Action Comedy ‘Killer Vacation’ at Warner Bros. (Exclusive)
Pack your protein powder — John Cena and Jason Momoa are attached to star in the rowdy new action comedy “Killer Vacation.”
Warner Bros. has recruited the musclebound actors for the feature project, plot details for which are currently under wraps (thought we imagine it involves a holiday gone wrong). The pair met on the set of the upcoming conclusions to the “Fast and the Furious” franchise and were looking to take their natural chemistry to another film, sources say.
Those familiar with the project compared it to fun, splashy adventures like “True Lies.” The “Killer” script was written by Mark and Brian Gunn, and the project will be produced by John Rickard and Peter Safran. The film was packaged and set up at the studio before Safran took the reins with James Gunn at WB’s DC Films Unit.
Momoa, of course, is a major ingredient in all things DC,...
Warner Bros. has recruited the musclebound actors for the feature project, plot details for which are currently under wraps (thought we imagine it involves a holiday gone wrong). The pair met on the set of the upcoming conclusions to the “Fast and the Furious” franchise and were looking to take their natural chemistry to another film, sources say.
Those familiar with the project compared it to fun, splashy adventures like “True Lies.” The “Killer” script was written by Mark and Brian Gunn, and the project will be produced by John Rickard and Peter Safran. The film was packaged and set up at the studio before Safran took the reins with James Gunn at WB’s DC Films Unit.
Momoa, of course, is a major ingredient in all things DC,...
- 12/13/2022
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Joel Kinnaman and Mark Strong-Led Action Thriller ‘Silent Hour’ Sells Globally for AGC International
Joel Kinnaman and Mark Strong-led action thriller “The Silent Hour” has scored worldwide deals for AGC International.
First announced in October, Kinnaman leads “The Silent Hour” as a Boston police detective who suffers an on-the-job accident that leaves him hearing impaired. Sixteen months later, he’s an interpreter for the department and, with his friend and partner (Strong), must battle a team of corrupt cops attempting to eliminate a deaf murder witness.
AGC International, the sales arm of Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios, has sold the pic into Square One Entertainment in Germany, Signature Entertainment in the U.K. and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand and Wild Bunch in France.
Other buyers include Vertice in Italy and Latin America; You Planet in Spain; WWE in Benelux; Sf Studios in Scandinavia; Prorom Media in Eastern Europe; Mgn in Baltics and Cis; Ascot Elite in Switzerland; Nos Lusomundo in Portugal; Moviebox...
First announced in October, Kinnaman leads “The Silent Hour” as a Boston police detective who suffers an on-the-job accident that leaves him hearing impaired. Sixteen months later, he’s an interpreter for the department and, with his friend and partner (Strong), must battle a team of corrupt cops attempting to eliminate a deaf murder witness.
AGC International, the sales arm of Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios, has sold the pic into Square One Entertainment in Germany, Signature Entertainment in the U.K. and Ireland, Australia and New Zealand and Wild Bunch in France.
Other buyers include Vertice in Italy and Latin America; You Planet in Spain; WWE in Benelux; Sf Studios in Scandinavia; Prorom Media in Eastern Europe; Mgn in Baltics and Cis; Ascot Elite in Switzerland; Nos Lusomundo in Portugal; Moviebox...
- 11/7/2022
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
AGC International has inked a raft of key international deals on the action-thriller The Silent Hour, starring Joel Kinnaman and Mark Strong.
The flick, directed by Brad Anderson (The Machinist) from an original screenplay by Dan Hall, has been acquired for Germany (Square One Entertainment), the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand (Signature Entertainment), France (Wild Bunch), Italy and Latin America (Vertice), Spain (You Planet), Benelux (WWE), Scandinavia (Sf Studios), Eastern Europe (Prorom Media), Baltics and Cis (Mgn), Switzerland (Ascot Elite), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Turkey (Moviebox), Greece (Spentzos), Middle East (Salim Ramia), Israel (United King), South Africa (Empire Entertainment), and Taiwan (Movie Cloud).
Casting is ongoing for the female co-lead role with production scheduled to begin in Malta and Toronto in February 2023. In the pic, Kinnaman plays a Boston police detective who suffers an on-the-job accident that leaves him hearing impaired. Sixteen months later, he is now an interpreter for...
The flick, directed by Brad Anderson (The Machinist) from an original screenplay by Dan Hall, has been acquired for Germany (Square One Entertainment), the UK, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand (Signature Entertainment), France (Wild Bunch), Italy and Latin America (Vertice), Spain (You Planet), Benelux (WWE), Scandinavia (Sf Studios), Eastern Europe (Prorom Media), Baltics and Cis (Mgn), Switzerland (Ascot Elite), Portugal (Nos Lusomundo), Turkey (Moviebox), Greece (Spentzos), Middle East (Salim Ramia), Israel (United King), South Africa (Empire Entertainment), and Taiwan (Movie Cloud).
Casting is ongoing for the female co-lead role with production scheduled to begin in Malta and Toronto in February 2023. In the pic, Kinnaman plays a Boston police detective who suffers an on-the-job accident that leaves him hearing impaired. Sixteen months later, he is now an interpreter for...
- 11/7/2022
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
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