Jonathan Frakes is a long-seasoned veteran of being both behind and in front of the camera. Frakes got to cut his teeth directing on the show that made him a beloved sci-fi character, Star Trek: The Next Generation, where he portrayed Captain Picard‘s second in command, Commander William Riker. Frakes would go on to helm some of the continuing spin-offs of the popular show, as well as the film adaptations. Recently, Frakes got to make a triumphant return as Riker in Star Trek: Picard, but would also direct several episodes.
Deadline now reports that Frakes is set to direct television adaptations of the novel and audiobook series, Deathlands. The novels come from crypto pioneer Jeff Garzik’s indie company, Next Cypher Productions. The show is planning to start production this year and set to begin shooting in Sofia, Bulgaria in the spring. Deadline would get a little detail about...
Deadline now reports that Frakes is set to direct television adaptations of the novel and audiobook series, Deathlands. The novels come from crypto pioneer Jeff Garzik’s indie company, Next Cypher Productions. The show is planning to start production this year and set to begin shooting in Sofia, Bulgaria in the spring. Deadline would get a little detail about...
- 1/24/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Star Trek icon Jonathan Frakes is to direct a 10-part series based on novel and audio book Deathlands.
The series comes from NextCypher, the indie that crypto pioneer Jeff Garzik launched last year, and is set to begin shooting in Sofia, Bulgaria, this spring. When we first told about the show in August 2022, Garzik described it as “Mad Max: Fury Road meets Yellowjackets in an epic post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure.”
Mark A. Altman as the showrunner and executive producer. Thomas P. Vitale and Garzik are also executive producers. Christine Sheaks is handling global casting efforts.
Frakes — known for his role as Commander William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Picard and several Star Trek movies — is directing. “One of the things that I find so compelling about Deathlands is that it’s a series about hope and the...
The series comes from NextCypher, the indie that crypto pioneer Jeff Garzik launched last year, and is set to begin shooting in Sofia, Bulgaria, this spring. When we first told about the show in August 2022, Garzik described it as “Mad Max: Fury Road meets Yellowjackets in an epic post-apocalyptic sci-fi adventure.”
Mark A. Altman as the showrunner and executive producer. Thomas P. Vitale and Garzik are also executive producers. Christine Sheaks is handling global casting efforts.
Frakes — known for his role as Commander William Riker in Star Trek: The Next Generation, Star Trek: Picard and several Star Trek movies — is directing. “One of the things that I find so compelling about Deathlands is that it’s a series about hope and the...
- 1/24/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Daniel Dae Kim, Brett Gray (“On My Block”), K-Pop star Henry Lau and Ha Ji-won join cast line-up; Endeavor Content boards sales and distribution
Award-winning production house Third Culture Content has completed production on a second season of the cult hit “Dramaworld”, a bilingual rom-com adventure series set in the world of Korean drama, filmed on location in South Korea.
Season two sees the return of leads Liv Hewson, Sean Dulake (Operation Chromite) and Justin Chon and the addition of notable new cast members: Daniel Dae Kim, Brett Gray (“On My Block”), K-Pop star Henry Lau, Ha Ji-won along with a host of cameos from the biggest names in K-pop and K-drama. Endeavor Content is selling the project and will handle distribution for both seasons one and two.
The new episodes were safely shot on location in Seoul over ten weeks as South Korea is one of the few countries...
Award-winning production house Third Culture Content has completed production on a second season of the cult hit “Dramaworld”, a bilingual rom-com adventure series set in the world of Korean drama, filmed on location in South Korea.
Season two sees the return of leads Liv Hewson, Sean Dulake (Operation Chromite) and Justin Chon and the addition of notable new cast members: Daniel Dae Kim, Brett Gray (“On My Block”), K-Pop star Henry Lau, Ha Ji-won along with a host of cameos from the biggest names in K-pop and K-drama. Endeavor Content is selling the project and will handle distribution for both seasons one and two.
The new episodes were safely shot on location in Seoul over ten weeks as South Korea is one of the few countries...
- 10/12/2020
- by Rhythm Zaveri
- AsianMoviePulse
When it came time to give "The Mod Squad" the big-screen treatment, there were a few options.
The movie version could be (a) set in the late 1960s counterculture like the TV series; (b) contemporized with a late 1990s spin; or (c) given the satirical "Austin Powers" fish-out-of-water treatment with, everybody's favorite hippie cops suddenly finding themselves having to cope on the cusp of a new millennium.
As it turned out, the filmmakers went with (b), as in boring, turning out a dull, stone-faced, listless approximation of the original minus the Nehru collars, the afros, the groovy music and the other happening touches that gave the otherwise generic crime series its pop flavor.
Stripped of its spirit and weighted down with countless scenes of mind-numbing introspection, this "Mod Squad" will likely have to amend its old "no badges, no guns" credo with the words "no audience."
Taking over where Michael Cole, Clarence Williams III and Peggy Lipton left off, Giovanni Ribisi, Omar Epps and Claire Danes are Pete, Linc and Julie, respectively, a trio of juvies on probation who are recruited by fatherly Capt. Adam Greer (Dennis Farina) to infiltrate the seedy Southern California drug and crime scene.
Pete, as before, is the troubled rich kid who was booted out of his Beverly Hills home and subsequently nabbed for breaking and entering. Linc, now from the 'hood (formerly the ghetto), has been charged with arson; while reformed drug addict Julie (once the runaway daughter of a San Francisco hooker) was brought in for assault.
Their assignment is to work undercover in the kind of establishments where the scourge of society preys on the impressionable young. But when a cache of drugs goes AWOL from the police lock-up and Capt. Greer turns up dead, the kids suddenly have to fend for themselves.
The picture's corrupt cop plot line (credited writers include director Scott Silver & Stephen Kay and Kate Lanier) is so tired and uninspired that even the characters comment on it. Both script and direction cry out for a hefty shot of adrenalin.
And while Danes, Ribisi and Epps are all proven, capable actors, here they're all hopelessly unconvincing as streetwise delinquents. They might as well be doing a production of "The Mod Squad: The School Play".
Certainly their written characters, as such, aren't much help. Although Ribisi's Pete has been outfitted with a short fuse that provides a little comic relief, both Danes' Julie and particularly Epps' Linc have been given precious little in the way of defining personalities.
The supporting players, including Farina, Josh Brolin as a potential flame from Julie's past and Richard Jenkins as an adversarial detective, find themselves in the same, uncharted boat. Only Michael Lerner gets to have a little fun as an oddball, drug-dealing music talent manager.:
At least "The Mod Squad" gets the desired visual tone right thanks to Ellen Kuras' ("Swoon") edgy camerawork; while the audio end is given a jittery alterno-techno-hip hop hybrid courtesy of composer BC Smith and an eclectic song mix that includes contributions from Busta Rhymes, Bjork, Curtis Mayfield and the Crash Test Dummies.
THE MOD SQUAD
MGM
Executive producers: Aaron Spelling, David Ladd
Based on characters created by: Buddy Ruskin
Director: Scott Silver
Producers: Men Myron, Alan Riche, Tony Ludwig
Screenwriters: Stephen Kay & Scott Silver and Kate Lanier
Director of photography: Ellen Kuras
Production designer: Patrick Sherman
Editor: Dorian Harris
Costume designer: Arianne Phillips
Music: BC Smith
Music supervisor: Randy Gerston
Casting: Christine Sheaks
Color/stereo
Cast:
Julie: Claire Danes
Linc: Omar Epps
Pete: Giovanni Ribisi
Capt. Adam Greer: Dennis Farina
Billy Waites: Josh Brolin
Det. Briggs: Steve Harris
Det. Robert Mothershed: Richard Jenkins
Howard: Michael Lerner
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
The movie version could be (a) set in the late 1960s counterculture like the TV series; (b) contemporized with a late 1990s spin; or (c) given the satirical "Austin Powers" fish-out-of-water treatment with, everybody's favorite hippie cops suddenly finding themselves having to cope on the cusp of a new millennium.
As it turned out, the filmmakers went with (b), as in boring, turning out a dull, stone-faced, listless approximation of the original minus the Nehru collars, the afros, the groovy music and the other happening touches that gave the otherwise generic crime series its pop flavor.
Stripped of its spirit and weighted down with countless scenes of mind-numbing introspection, this "Mod Squad" will likely have to amend its old "no badges, no guns" credo with the words "no audience."
Taking over where Michael Cole, Clarence Williams III and Peggy Lipton left off, Giovanni Ribisi, Omar Epps and Claire Danes are Pete, Linc and Julie, respectively, a trio of juvies on probation who are recruited by fatherly Capt. Adam Greer (Dennis Farina) to infiltrate the seedy Southern California drug and crime scene.
Pete, as before, is the troubled rich kid who was booted out of his Beverly Hills home and subsequently nabbed for breaking and entering. Linc, now from the 'hood (formerly the ghetto), has been charged with arson; while reformed drug addict Julie (once the runaway daughter of a San Francisco hooker) was brought in for assault.
Their assignment is to work undercover in the kind of establishments where the scourge of society preys on the impressionable young. But when a cache of drugs goes AWOL from the police lock-up and Capt. Greer turns up dead, the kids suddenly have to fend for themselves.
The picture's corrupt cop plot line (credited writers include director Scott Silver & Stephen Kay and Kate Lanier) is so tired and uninspired that even the characters comment on it. Both script and direction cry out for a hefty shot of adrenalin.
And while Danes, Ribisi and Epps are all proven, capable actors, here they're all hopelessly unconvincing as streetwise delinquents. They might as well be doing a production of "The Mod Squad: The School Play".
Certainly their written characters, as such, aren't much help. Although Ribisi's Pete has been outfitted with a short fuse that provides a little comic relief, both Danes' Julie and particularly Epps' Linc have been given precious little in the way of defining personalities.
The supporting players, including Farina, Josh Brolin as a potential flame from Julie's past and Richard Jenkins as an adversarial detective, find themselves in the same, uncharted boat. Only Michael Lerner gets to have a little fun as an oddball, drug-dealing music talent manager.:
At least "The Mod Squad" gets the desired visual tone right thanks to Ellen Kuras' ("Swoon") edgy camerawork; while the audio end is given a jittery alterno-techno-hip hop hybrid courtesy of composer BC Smith and an eclectic song mix that includes contributions from Busta Rhymes, Bjork, Curtis Mayfield and the Crash Test Dummies.
THE MOD SQUAD
MGM
Executive producers: Aaron Spelling, David Ladd
Based on characters created by: Buddy Ruskin
Director: Scott Silver
Producers: Men Myron, Alan Riche, Tony Ludwig
Screenwriters: Stephen Kay & Scott Silver and Kate Lanier
Director of photography: Ellen Kuras
Production designer: Patrick Sherman
Editor: Dorian Harris
Costume designer: Arianne Phillips
Music: BC Smith
Music supervisor: Randy Gerston
Casting: Christine Sheaks
Color/stereo
Cast:
Julie: Claire Danes
Linc: Omar Epps
Pete: Giovanni Ribisi
Capt. Adam Greer: Dennis Farina
Billy Waites: Josh Brolin
Det. Briggs: Steve Harris
Det. Robert Mothershed: Richard Jenkins
Howard: Michael Lerner
Running time -- 94 minutes
MPAA rating: R...
- 3/26/1999
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Cross "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" with "The Magnificent Seven", and you get some idea of this truly bizarre western, which received its world premiere at the Montreal World Film Festival. Set for commercial release in April, this Mario Van Peebles starrer, which he also scripted, will prove a significant challenge to market. Cable seems a safer bet.
"Los Locos" was directed by French-Canadian Jean-Marc Vallee, who a couple of years ago scored a success at the festival (and a commercial hit in Canada) with his contemporary thriller "Liste Noir". He handles the reins of this western with surprising ease and manages to make the film look much more expensive than its $2.4 million budget. It should not be long before Hollywood beckons.
Van Peebles plays Chance, a disgraced scout who, when we first see him, is recovering from the effects of a tar and feathering, inflicted when he misled his military platoon during battle. He's nursed back to health by the loincloth-wearing Buck (Paul Lazar), one of six "locos" who reside in a mission led by the dictatorial Sister Drexel (Rusty Schwimmer).
When he recovers, Chance is recruited to lead the sister and her mentally challenged flock to their new home across the desert. During the treacherous journey, Chance and the locos encounter a series of adventures and violent confrontations, capped by a brutal battle with a group of nasty bandits. Along the way, Chance finds time for a romantic bath with the beautiful Allison (Melora Walters), who is eager to be impregnated. Through Chance's positive influence, the locos eventually emerge from their shell and fight like warriors.
The film is mostly a routine western, made distinctive only by its bizarre cast of characters. Unfortunately, the filmmakers were unable to resist infusing the movie with a severe case of the cutes, resulting in what often resembles a hyperviolent version of the 1966 hit "King of Hearts".
Van Peebles, though he brings his usual charisma and likability to his role, is mainly reduced to playing straight man to the rambunctious cast, which includes Rene Auberjonois as a mild-mannered autistic who late in the game realizes he has the heart (and skills) of a gunslinger. The film would seem to have pretensions to examine the need for tolerance of the mentally ill, but its serious aspirations are lost amid the gunplay.
LOS LOCOS
Gramercy Pictures
A Propaganda Films/
Van Peebles Films production
Producers Mario Van Peebles, John Vohlers
Executive producer Allan Poul
Director Jean-Marc Vallec
Screenplay Mario Van Peebles
Director of photography Pierre Gill
Editor Jean-Marc Vallee
Music Leslie Barber
Sound Bruce Nazarian
Art direction Greta Grigorian
Casting Christine Sheaks
Color/stereo
Cast:
Chance Mario Van Peebles
Allison Melora Walters
The president Rene Auberjonois
Buck Paul Lazar
Batista Danny Trejo
Baby Brother Tom Dorfmeister
Spackman Eric Winzenreid
Sister Drexel Rusty Schwimmer
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
"Los Locos" was directed by French-Canadian Jean-Marc Vallee, who a couple of years ago scored a success at the festival (and a commercial hit in Canada) with his contemporary thriller "Liste Noir". He handles the reins of this western with surprising ease and manages to make the film look much more expensive than its $2.4 million budget. It should not be long before Hollywood beckons.
Van Peebles plays Chance, a disgraced scout who, when we first see him, is recovering from the effects of a tar and feathering, inflicted when he misled his military platoon during battle. He's nursed back to health by the loincloth-wearing Buck (Paul Lazar), one of six "locos" who reside in a mission led by the dictatorial Sister Drexel (Rusty Schwimmer).
When he recovers, Chance is recruited to lead the sister and her mentally challenged flock to their new home across the desert. During the treacherous journey, Chance and the locos encounter a series of adventures and violent confrontations, capped by a brutal battle with a group of nasty bandits. Along the way, Chance finds time for a romantic bath with the beautiful Allison (Melora Walters), who is eager to be impregnated. Through Chance's positive influence, the locos eventually emerge from their shell and fight like warriors.
The film is mostly a routine western, made distinctive only by its bizarre cast of characters. Unfortunately, the filmmakers were unable to resist infusing the movie with a severe case of the cutes, resulting in what often resembles a hyperviolent version of the 1966 hit "King of Hearts".
Van Peebles, though he brings his usual charisma and likability to his role, is mainly reduced to playing straight man to the rambunctious cast, which includes Rene Auberjonois as a mild-mannered autistic who late in the game realizes he has the heart (and skills) of a gunslinger. The film would seem to have pretensions to examine the need for tolerance of the mentally ill, but its serious aspirations are lost amid the gunplay.
LOS LOCOS
Gramercy Pictures
A Propaganda Films/
Van Peebles Films production
Producers Mario Van Peebles, John Vohlers
Executive producer Allan Poul
Director Jean-Marc Vallec
Screenplay Mario Van Peebles
Director of photography Pierre Gill
Editor Jean-Marc Vallee
Music Leslie Barber
Sound Bruce Nazarian
Art direction Greta Grigorian
Casting Christine Sheaks
Color/stereo
Cast:
Chance Mario Van Peebles
Allison Melora Walters
The president Rene Auberjonois
Buck Paul Lazar
Batista Danny Trejo
Baby Brother Tom Dorfmeister
Spackman Eric Winzenreid
Sister Drexel Rusty Schwimmer
Running time -- 100 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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