“Ezra” celebrated its premiere in New York, N.Y., on Thursday with stars Robert De Niro, Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, and Tony Goldwyn all in attendance.
The film is a Bleeker Street Media release that follows Max Bernal (Cannavale), who is a stand-up comedy writer (with scenes filmed at Comedy Cellar) who lives with his dad (De Niro). The comedian faces challenges when it comes to co-parenting their autistic son (William A. Fitzgerald) with his ex-wife (Byrne).
“Ezra” was inspired by the film writer Tony Spiridakis’s personal life, as he has a child who is on the spectrum. “I realized I didn’t know anything about autism, I thought I gotta write this down. Because of the lack of understanding that I had, I kept thinking, every day was a surprise,” Spiridakis told Variety at the film’s premiere.
“I made so many mistakes as a father, I wanted...
The film is a Bleeker Street Media release that follows Max Bernal (Cannavale), who is a stand-up comedy writer (with scenes filmed at Comedy Cellar) who lives with his dad (De Niro). The comedian faces challenges when it comes to co-parenting their autistic son (William A. Fitzgerald) with his ex-wife (Byrne).
“Ezra” was inspired by the film writer Tony Spiridakis’s personal life, as he has a child who is on the spectrum. “I realized I didn’t know anything about autism, I thought I gotta write this down. Because of the lack of understanding that I had, I kept thinking, every day was a surprise,” Spiridakis told Variety at the film’s premiere.
“I made so many mistakes as a father, I wanted...
- 6/1/2024
- by Lexi Carson
- Variety Film + TV
Few big new studio wide releases, yes, but Viggo Mortensen’s latest is on 700 screens, plus limited openings for Chris Wilcha’s Flipside, Judd Apatow EP, and Spanish animated, Oscar-nominated Robot Dreams from Neon. Bleecker Street’s family drama Ezra and IFC Films’ arthouse slasher In A Violent Nature are technically wide but both well under 1,500 screens.
Viggo Mortensen directed, wrote and stars in Western The Dead Don’t Hurt presented by Shout! Studios on 730 screens. The story of star-crossed lovers on the western U.S. frontier in the 1860s sees Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps), a fiercely independent woman, settle in Nevada with Danish immigrant Holger Olsen (Mortensen). But the outbreak of the Civil War separates them as Olsen goes to fight with the Union army, leaving Vivienne alone in a town full of corrupt officials. Premiered in Toronto, see Deadline review. It’s Mortensen’s second outing behind the camera since 2020’s Falling.
Viggo Mortensen directed, wrote and stars in Western The Dead Don’t Hurt presented by Shout! Studios on 730 screens. The story of star-crossed lovers on the western U.S. frontier in the 1860s sees Vivienne Le Coudy (Vicky Krieps), a fiercely independent woman, settle in Nevada with Danish immigrant Holger Olsen (Mortensen). But the outbreak of the Civil War separates them as Olsen goes to fight with the Union army, leaving Vivienne alone in a town full of corrupt officials. Premiered in Toronto, see Deadline review. It’s Mortensen’s second outing behind the camera since 2020’s Falling.
- 5/31/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Plot: A combative stand-up comedian (Bobby Cannavale) in a messy custody battle kidnaps his autistic son to keep him from being heavily medicated and placed in a special school.
Review: Tony Goldwyn’s Ezra is a warm-hearted father-son tale that tries to depict the challenges of raising an autistic child in an authentic way. The film was written by Tony Spiridakis, who has an autistic son of his own, while William Fitzgerald, who plays the title role, is on the spectrum. It’s realistic with some terrific performances from the ensemble cast, including Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Goldwyn himself, and Robert DeNiro (in a meatier role than usual).
The film is a great showcase for Cannavale, who’s pretty convincing as a somewhat confrontational comic who mines his own fractured personal life for material. In it, his character, Max, is reeling from a bitter divorce from his wife, Jenna (Rose...
Review: Tony Goldwyn’s Ezra is a warm-hearted father-son tale that tries to depict the challenges of raising an autistic child in an authentic way. The film was written by Tony Spiridakis, who has an autistic son of his own, while William Fitzgerald, who plays the title role, is on the spectrum. It’s realistic with some terrific performances from the ensemble cast, including Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Goldwyn himself, and Robert DeNiro (in a meatier role than usual).
The film is a great showcase for Cannavale, who’s pretty convincing as a somewhat confrontational comic who mines his own fractured personal life for material. In it, his character, Max, is reeling from a bitter divorce from his wife, Jenna (Rose...
- 5/31/2024
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
A sweet and gracious and often painfully labored dramedy about a stand-up comic who struggles to connect with his autistic 11-year-old son, Tony Goldwyn’s “Ezra” rides an emotional honesty that’s almost completely undone by the sweaty contrivances of its plotting. But this modest little movie’s refusal to be limited by its “problem” — its insistence that stories involving neurodiverse characters can, should, and must touch on a wider range of human experience if they hope to ring true — feels like a step in the right direction for how such people are depicted on screen and seen in the world. It’s an approach that’s sure to resonate with anyone whose kid is on the spectrum, their autism just one ingredient in the endlessly complex soup of who they are and how they’re raised.
It’s also an approach, “Ezra” suggests, that requires a hard-won degree of finesse.
It’s also an approach, “Ezra” suggests, that requires a hard-won degree of finesse.
- 5/30/2024
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Let’s start here: watching Bobby Cannavale and Robert De Niro argue on a New York City street while cars angrily beep their horns is electric. Truly exhilarating to watch. Likewise, watching the great Rose Byrne manage multiple emotions on her face is tantamount to listening to Yo-Yo Ma play cello. Ezra, written by Tony Spiridakis and directed by Tony Goldwyn, tells the story of a separated couple’s attempt to raise their autistic son. Max (Cannavale) is a struggling stand-up comedian; his ex, Jenna (Rose Byrne), is trying to keep it all together and not doing well. Their son, Ezra (William A. Fitzgerald), is causing disturbances at his school. Soon he’s forced to go to a specialized school with other “special” kids. Max cannot allow this; neither can his temper. It’s all for Jenna and her lawyer boyfriend (Goldwyn) to do to keep Max from beating up the whole world.
- 5/30/2024
- by Dan Mecca
- The Film Stage
Robert De Niro. Rose Byrne, Bobby Cannavale, and William A. Fitzgerald in EzraPhoto: Bleecker Street
Ezra isn’t your average kid, and Ezraisn’t your average movie to throw on when you need a good cry. The Tony Goldwyn-directed film, which follows a neurodivergent 11-year-old who gets caught in...
Ezra isn’t your average kid, and Ezraisn’t your average movie to throw on when you need a good cry. The Tony Goldwyn-directed film, which follows a neurodivergent 11-year-old who gets caught in...
- 5/29/2024
- by Emma Keates
- avclub.com
Tony Goldwyn might be more known for his work as an actor, but he’s also prolific as a director, having helmed a few feature films and several TV episodes. Although his latest effort in the director’s chair, the family dramedy Ezra, does suffer from some of its more conventional and melodramatic elements, it’s successful enough in its approach to be a likable, if forgettable, crowd-pleaser.
The movie follows a comedian who sets out on a life-changing road trip with his autistic son after facing decisions that could change both of their futures forever. It doesn’t reinvent the road movie subgenre, but it sets out to deliver a heartwarming and funny family dramedy, and it mostly succeeds in doing so.
Ezra deserves praise for acknowledging that autism is a spectrum, unlike many cinematic portrayals of the disorder. The characters often discuss how not every solution may be...
The movie follows a comedian who sets out on a life-changing road trip with his autistic son after facing decisions that could change both of their futures forever. It doesn’t reinvent the road movie subgenre, but it sets out to deliver a heartwarming and funny family dramedy, and it mostly succeeds in doing so.
Ezra deserves praise for acknowledging that autism is a spectrum, unlike many cinematic portrayals of the disorder. The characters often discuss how not every solution may be...
- 5/27/2024
- by Sean Boelman
- FandomWire
World War II was still raging in May 1944. The allied invasion of Normandy — aka D-Day — was just around the corner on June 6th. Americans kept the home fires burning and escaped from the global conflict by going to the movies. Two of the biggest films of the year, Leo McCarey’s “Going My Way” and George Cukor’s “Gaslight,” recently celebrated their 80th anniversaries.
Actually, “Going My Way” had a special “Fighting Front” premiere on April 27th: 65 prints were shipped to battle fronts and shown “from Alaska to Italy, and from England to the jungles of Burma.” The sentimental comedy-drama-musical arrived in New York on May 3rd.
And it was just the uplifting film audiences needed. Bing Crosby starred as Father O’Malley, a laid-back young priest who arrives at a debt-ridden New York City church that is run by the older, set-in-his ways Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald). The elder...
Actually, “Going My Way” had a special “Fighting Front” premiere on April 27th: 65 prints were shipped to battle fronts and shown “from Alaska to Italy, and from England to the jungles of Burma.” The sentimental comedy-drama-musical arrived in New York on May 3rd.
And it was just the uplifting film audiences needed. Bing Crosby starred as Father O’Malley, a laid-back young priest who arrives at a debt-ridden New York City church that is run by the older, set-in-his ways Father Fitzgibbon (Barry Fitzgerald). The elder...
- 5/9/2024
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
Supreme Court oral arguments were made for social media. Social media was not made to make Supreme Court arguments persuasive or even understandable.
The court’s latest Donald Trump case is a perfect illustration. The justices on this court are relatively young. Their questions are clear and direct, and they all are engaged, respectful, and fair. If you listen from start to finish, you can’t help but think this is the most deliberate and serious branch of the three-ring circus that is Washington, D.C.
Yet clips from any argument,...
The court’s latest Donald Trump case is a perfect illustration. The justices on this court are relatively young. Their questions are clear and direct, and they all are engaged, respectful, and fair. If you listen from start to finish, you can’t help but think this is the most deliberate and serious branch of the three-ring circus that is Washington, D.C.
Yet clips from any argument,...
- 5/1/2024
- by Lawrence Lessig
- Rollingstone.com
Tony Goldwyn and Bobby Cannavale are stepping out to promote their new movie!
The two actors posed for photos together at a special screening of their new movie Ezra hosted by Tribeca and Bleeker Street on Monday evening (April 29) held at the Sva Theater in New York City.
Also in attendance at the screening was newcomer William A. Fitzgerald, who plays Bobby‘s son in the movie.
Keep reading to find out more…Ezra “follows Max Bernal (Cannavale), a stand-up comedian living with his father (Robert De Niro), while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra (Fitzgerald) with his ex-wife (Rose Byrne). When forced to confront difficult decisions about their son’s future, Max and Ezra embark on a cross-country road trip that has a transcendent impact on both their lives.”
Tony directed by movie from a screenplay by Tony Spiridakis. Whoopi Goldberg, Vera Farmiga, and Rainn Wilson also appear in the movie.
The two actors posed for photos together at a special screening of their new movie Ezra hosted by Tribeca and Bleeker Street on Monday evening (April 29) held at the Sva Theater in New York City.
Also in attendance at the screening was newcomer William A. Fitzgerald, who plays Bobby‘s son in the movie.
Keep reading to find out more…Ezra “follows Max Bernal (Cannavale), a stand-up comedian living with his father (Robert De Niro), while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra (Fitzgerald) with his ex-wife (Rose Byrne). When forced to confront difficult decisions about their son’s future, Max and Ezra embark on a cross-country road trip that has a transcendent impact on both their lives.”
Tony directed by movie from a screenplay by Tony Spiridakis. Whoopi Goldberg, Vera Farmiga, and Rainn Wilson also appear in the movie.
- 4/30/2024
- by Just Jared
- Just Jared
‘Tis the Broadway season of reinvention. Shaina Taub smartly retooled half of Suffs’s score since its off-Broadway premiere in 2022, allowing her jam-packed historical musical to shed some weight and soar. Branden Jacobs-Jenkins revisited the text of his 2014 play Appropriate, his subtle, meaningful edits transforming the work into a monster hit on Broadway. But he had a decade to do so and the play was already great.
Not so great, in contrast, was The Great Gatsby’s inauspicious world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, last October. Crafted initially as an international commission intended to be performed in translation for South Korean audiences, The Great Gatsby’s first soiree was kind of like the man himself, an impotent facsimile hiding behind pretty faces and loud voices. Even the gilded sets wobbled in New Jersey.
A hasty Broadway transfer was commercially understandable in a competitive landscape but artistically insane.
Not so great, in contrast, was The Great Gatsby’s inauspicious world premiere at the Paper Mill Playhouse in Millburn, New Jersey, last October. Crafted initially as an international commission intended to be performed in translation for South Korean audiences, The Great Gatsby’s first soiree was kind of like the man himself, an impotent facsimile hiding behind pretty faces and loud voices. Even the gilded sets wobbled in New Jersey.
A hasty Broadway transfer was commercially understandable in a competitive landscape but artistically insane.
- 4/26/2024
- by Dan Rubins
- Slant Magazine
Dominic West and Lily James made headlines back in 2020 for their Pda scandal during his marriage with aristocrat, Catherine FitzGerald. While their affair rumors caught extreme media attention, the actor makes a rare statement, claiming that the scandal helped him in portraying the now United Kingdom King, Charles III in The Crown show.
Dominic West as Prince Charles in a still from The Crown (2016 – 2023)
The historical drama show consists of six seasons, which primarily focus on the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II. While the former plays Prince Charles III in the series, he was spotted in Rome with his The Pursuit of Love costar, sparkling attention among the media. However, that incident helped him in his work.
Dominic West Shares His Affair Scandal With Lily James Helped Him Relate to Charles III in The Crown
The Wire actor has been married to Irish aristocrat, Catherine FitzGerald since 2010 with...
Dominic West as Prince Charles in a still from The Crown (2016 – 2023)
The historical drama show consists of six seasons, which primarily focus on the reign of the late Queen Elizabeth II. While the former plays Prince Charles III in the series, he was spotted in Rome with his The Pursuit of Love costar, sparkling attention among the media. However, that incident helped him in his work.
Dominic West Shares His Affair Scandal With Lily James Helped Him Relate to Charles III in The Crown
The Wire actor has been married to Irish aristocrat, Catherine FitzGerald since 2010 with...
- 4/22/2024
- by Priya Sharma
- FandomWire
Masters of the Air is the third World War II miniseries from Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman, following Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Goetzman said Spielberg’s father had been pushing them to do the series about WWII pilots since their first.
“We had an obligation to Steven’s father,” Goetzman said at Contenders TV. “He was in the Army Air Force. He’d seen Band and The Pacific and say to Steven, ‘Those are great. When are you going to do the pilots? When are you going to do Europe? If we ever did another one that would be it.’ Then Don Miller’s book came along.”
Beyond Miller’s book, technological improvements made Masters of the Air feasible decades after Band of Brothers. Goetzman credited VFX supervisor Stephen Rosenbaum and the company Dneg. Director of Photography Jac Fitzgerald said they filmed flying scenes in The Volume,...
“We had an obligation to Steven’s father,” Goetzman said at Contenders TV. “He was in the Army Air Force. He’d seen Band and The Pacific and say to Steven, ‘Those are great. When are you going to do the pilots? When are you going to do Europe? If we ever did another one that would be it.’ Then Don Miller’s book came along.”
Beyond Miller’s book, technological improvements made Masters of the Air feasible decades after Band of Brothers. Goetzman credited VFX supervisor Stephen Rosenbaum and the company Dneg. Director of Photography Jac Fitzgerald said they filmed flying scenes in The Volume,...
- 4/13/2024
- by Fred Topel
- Deadline Film + TV
Creating a horror prequel is trickier business than a sequel. The rules are far less rigid in sequels, with expanded body count and lore most often being the primary goals. But a horror movie prequel has the tougher needle to thread in ensuring all of its pieces nestle neatly within the previously established framework without contradicting any details.
This week brings the arrival of The Omen prequel, The First Omen, charting the events leading up to Antichrist Damien Thorn’s adoption. It makes for the perfect excuse to revisit horror prequels that successfully earned their spot in their franchises through unique shifts in setting, tone, and style without veering too far off the beaten path.
This week’s streaming picks highlight horror movie prequels that get weird or dial up the horror in intense ways while further fleshing out familiar characters and storylines.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
This week brings the arrival of The Omen prequel, The First Omen, charting the events leading up to Antichrist Damien Thorn’s adoption. It makes for the perfect excuse to revisit horror prequels that successfully earned their spot in their franchises through unique shifts in setting, tone, and style without veering too far off the beaten path.
This week’s streaming picks highlight horror movie prequels that get weird or dial up the horror in intense ways while further fleshing out familiar characters and storylines.
Here’s where you can stream them this week.
- 4/1/2024
- by Meagan Navarro
- bloody-disgusting.com
What becomes of a prodigy who’s too sure of his talents but never brave enough to act upon them? Bob Byington’s Lousy Carter follows the life of a failed literature professor who is content with his failure and doesn’t have any hope for himself. Lousy’s obscurity is not forced on him; it’s rather something of his creation.
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In The Movie?
Teaching a class capped at 8 students, Lousy Carter teaches The Great Gatsby, and he’s clearly not the right person for the job. His relationship with his mother is so-so, and his ex-wife occasionally keeps in touch with him. Lousy’s life isn’t anything of importance, and when he’s diagnosed with a terminal illness, his awful behaviour worsens even further. You’d think one would try to right their wrongs when they have a few months left in their life,...
Spoilers Ahead
What Happens In The Movie?
Teaching a class capped at 8 students, Lousy Carter teaches The Great Gatsby, and he’s clearly not the right person for the job. His relationship with his mother is so-so, and his ex-wife occasionally keeps in touch with him. Lousy’s life isn’t anything of importance, and when he’s diagnosed with a terminal illness, his awful behaviour worsens even further. You’d think one would try to right their wrongs when they have a few months left in their life,...
- 3/31/2024
- by Aniket Mukherjee
- Film Fugitives
Pulse, Netflix’s first original medical procedural, has added five to its cast. Pennyworth star Jack Bannon, The Boys’ Jessie T. Usher, Chelsea Muirhead (Warrior), Daniela Nieves (Vampire Academy) and Jessy Yates (Law & Order: Svu) join previously announced Willa Fitzgerald, Colin Woodell and Justina Machado in the drama series from first-time creator Zoe Robyn and veteran Carlton Cuse.
Created by Robyn, in Pulse, while the staff of Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center navigate medical emergencies, young ER doc Danny Simms (Fitzgerald) is unexpectedly promoted to Chief Resident amidst the fallout of her own provocative romantic relationship.
Bannon will play Tom Cole. A Surgical Resident, Tom is a witty and charming Brit who came to Miami for the excellent trauma program, but also for the lifestyle that Miami offers.
Usher portrays Sam Elijah, a third-year Emergency Medicine Resident. Born and raised in the Florida panhandle, Elijah is a thoughtful and altruistic doctor who,...
Created by Robyn, in Pulse, while the staff of Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center navigate medical emergencies, young ER doc Danny Simms (Fitzgerald) is unexpectedly promoted to Chief Resident amidst the fallout of her own provocative romantic relationship.
Bannon will play Tom Cole. A Surgical Resident, Tom is a witty and charming Brit who came to Miami for the excellent trauma program, but also for the lifestyle that Miami offers.
Usher portrays Sam Elijah, a third-year Emergency Medicine Resident. Born and raised in the Florida panhandle, Elijah is a thoughtful and altruistic doctor who,...
- 3/28/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix is rounding out the main cast of its upcoming medical procedural “Pulse.”
Variety has learned that Jack Bannon, Jessie T. Usher, Chelsea Muirhead, Daniela Nieves, and Jessy Yates have all joined the series. They will star alongside previously announced cast members Willa Fitzgerald, Colin Woodell, and Justina Machado.
“Pulse” was originally ordered to series at Netflix in February. The official logline for the series states, “While the staff of Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center navigate medical emergencies, young ER doc Danny Simms (Fitzgerald) is unexpectedly promoted to Chief Resident amidst the fallout of her own provocative romantic relationship.”
Bannon will appear in the role of Tom Cole, a surgical resident. The character is described as “a witty and charming Brit who came to Miami for the excellent trauma program, but also for the lifestyle that Miami offers.”
Usher will play Sam Elijah, a third-year Emergency Medicine Resident. “Born...
Variety has learned that Jack Bannon, Jessie T. Usher, Chelsea Muirhead, Daniela Nieves, and Jessy Yates have all joined the series. They will star alongside previously announced cast members Willa Fitzgerald, Colin Woodell, and Justina Machado.
“Pulse” was originally ordered to series at Netflix in February. The official logline for the series states, “While the staff of Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center navigate medical emergencies, young ER doc Danny Simms (Fitzgerald) is unexpectedly promoted to Chief Resident amidst the fallout of her own provocative romantic relationship.”
Bannon will appear in the role of Tom Cole, a surgical resident. The character is described as “a witty and charming Brit who came to Miami for the excellent trauma program, but also for the lifestyle that Miami offers.”
Usher will play Sam Elijah, a third-year Emergency Medicine Resident. “Born...
- 3/28/2024
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
A year and a half ago, it was announced that Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner – who both have experience working in the Scream franchise, as Fitzgerald was in the Scream TV series and Gallner appeared in the 2022 Scream movie – were set to star in the “cat and mouse thriller” Strange Darling. Now we know when we’re going to have a chance to see this movie, as Variety has confirmed that veteran producer Bob Yari’s new company Magenta Light Studios has secured the U.S. distribution rights to the film and they’re planning to give it a wide theatrical release on August 23rd.
Plot details on this thriller are being kept under wraps, and Variety notes that reviews from audience members who saw the movie at Fantastic Fest last year ” hint that the film works best with as little information as possible going in.” Apparently it has something...
Plot details on this thriller are being kept under wraps, and Variety notes that reviews from audience members who saw the movie at Fantastic Fest last year ” hint that the film works best with as little information as possible going in.” Apparently it has something...
- 3/27/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Fresh off the film’s premiere at Fantastic Fest, Strange Darling starring Kyle Gallner has been picked up for U.S. distribution by Magenta Light Studios, Variety lets us know this week.
Variety notes, “Magenta Light has set an August 23 wide release.”
“We are thrilled to be bringing nationwide theatrical audiences this unique and exceptional film with terrific performances by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner. This second feature from talented writer-director Jt Mollner is destined to become a cult classic that defies conventional storytelling,” Magenta Light’s Bob Yari told Variety in a statement.
Strange Darling is currently 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with 14 reviews, one of which comes courtesy of Trace Thurman right here on Bloody Disgusting. Trace reviewed the film out of Fantastic Fest, giving the cat-and-mouse thriller a 3.5/5 star rating.
Trace writes, “Writer/director Jt Mollner’s Strange Darling [is] a film that dares us to question the roles...
Variety notes, “Magenta Light has set an August 23 wide release.”
“We are thrilled to be bringing nationwide theatrical audiences this unique and exceptional film with terrific performances by Willa Fitzgerald and Kyle Gallner. This second feature from talented writer-director Jt Mollner is destined to become a cult classic that defies conventional storytelling,” Magenta Light’s Bob Yari told Variety in a statement.
Strange Darling is currently 100% Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with 14 reviews, one of which comes courtesy of Trace Thurman right here on Bloody Disgusting. Trace reviewed the film out of Fantastic Fest, giving the cat-and-mouse thriller a 3.5/5 star rating.
Trace writes, “Writer/director Jt Mollner’s Strange Darling [is] a film that dares us to question the roles...
- 3/27/2024
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Audible is launching an investigative podcast series about the origins of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s iconic character Jay Gatsby, subject of classic novel The Great Gatsby.
American Dreamer: Who Was Jay Gatsby? is led by a journalist Joe Nocera (Agatha Christie and the Dandelion Poisoner) and follows the little known story of Max Gerlach, a German immigrant, small-time crook and bootlegger who moved to America in the early 1900s in pursuit of the American Dream. Fast forward to the 1950s when a Fitzgerald renaissance takes hold and Gerlach claimed to be the inspiration behind the infamous Jay Gatsby.
Set against the backdrop of World War I, Prohibition, and The Great Depression, the series follows Gerlach’s life and examines evidence that suggests he may have been telling the truth, beginning with a mysterious note written by Gerlach to Fitzgerald in 1923.
According to producers, the podcast confirms for the first time...
American Dreamer: Who Was Jay Gatsby? is led by a journalist Joe Nocera (Agatha Christie and the Dandelion Poisoner) and follows the little known story of Max Gerlach, a German immigrant, small-time crook and bootlegger who moved to America in the early 1900s in pursuit of the American Dream. Fast forward to the 1950s when a Fitzgerald renaissance takes hold and Gerlach claimed to be the inspiration behind the infamous Jay Gatsby.
Set against the backdrop of World War I, Prohibition, and The Great Depression, the series follows Gerlach’s life and examines evidence that suggests he may have been telling the truth, beginning with a mysterious note written by Gerlach to Fitzgerald in 1923.
According to producers, the podcast confirms for the first time...
- 3/26/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Cillian Murphy and writer, director, and producer Christopher Nolan on the set of ‘Oppenheimer’ (Photo © Universal Pictures)
Since Cillian Murphy just became the first Irish-born actor to win the Best Actor Oscar, I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a list of the most notable Irish actors who have been honored by the Academy with either Oscar gold or a nomination.
1. Cillian Murphy
Murphy has played non-Irish roles so often and so well that some people may not realize or remember that he is Irish. His best Irish films include Breakfast on Pluto and The Wind that Shakes the Barley. And as noted above, he is the first Irish-born actor to take home an Academy Award in the Best Actor category.
Vicky Krieps and Daniel Day-Lewis in writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Phantom Thread’ (Photo by Laurie Sparham / Focus Features)
2. Daniel Day-Lewis
Day-Lewis...
Since Cillian Murphy just became the first Irish-born actor to win the Best Actor Oscar, I thought it would be appropriate to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with a list of the most notable Irish actors who have been honored by the Academy with either Oscar gold or a nomination.
1. Cillian Murphy
Murphy has played non-Irish roles so often and so well that some people may not realize or remember that he is Irish. His best Irish films include Breakfast on Pluto and The Wind that Shakes the Barley. And as noted above, he is the first Irish-born actor to take home an Academy Award in the Best Actor category.
Vicky Krieps and Daniel Day-Lewis in writer/director Paul Thomas Anderson’s ‘Phantom Thread’ (Photo by Laurie Sparham / Focus Features)
2. Daniel Day-Lewis
Day-Lewis...
- 3/17/2024
- by Beth Accomando
- Showbiz Junkies
Exclusive: Cesd Talent Agency is expanding its Emerging Talent Division with the hires of Domina Holbeck and Sloane Fitzgerald, both formerly with A3. Holbeck joins Cesd as Senior VP and Head of its L.A. Emerging Talent Department, and Fitzgerald joins as Emerging Talent agent. Their new roles are effective immediately.
Holbeck moves to Cesd from A3 where she was a partner overseeing their Emerging Talent Division for the past 16 years.
Fitzgerald joined A3 in fall of 2015 as an assistant in the Emerging Talent Division. She became a coordinator in 2018 and was promoted to agent in 2020.
“This is a genuine representation coup,” said Cesd partners Ken Slevin and Paul Doherty. We are most pleased to bring Domina and Sloane to our agency’s team thereby elevating our Emerging Talent Department to rank among the tops in the field. Their hands-on professionalism and uncanny ability to scout, identify, cultivate, and sign Hollywood’s top,...
Holbeck moves to Cesd from A3 where she was a partner overseeing their Emerging Talent Division for the past 16 years.
Fitzgerald joined A3 in fall of 2015 as an assistant in the Emerging Talent Division. She became a coordinator in 2018 and was promoted to agent in 2020.
“This is a genuine representation coup,” said Cesd partners Ken Slevin and Paul Doherty. We are most pleased to bring Domina and Sloane to our agency’s team thereby elevating our Emerging Talent Department to rank among the tops in the field. Their hands-on professionalism and uncanny ability to scout, identify, cultivate, and sign Hollywood’s top,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Fall of the House of Usher standout Willa Fitzgerald and The Continental star Colin Woodell have been tapped as the leads of Pulse, Netflix’s first original medical procedural. They join previously cast Justina Machado in the drama series from first-time creator Zoe Robyn who serves as showrunner and executive producer alongside veteran Carlton Cuse.
In Pulse, while the staff of Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center navigate medical emergencies, young ER doc Danny Simms (Fitzgerald) is unexpectedly promoted to Chief Resident amidst the fallout of her own provocative romantic relationship.
When we meet her, Fitzgerald’s Danielle “Danny” Simms is a 3rd year resident in Emergency Medicine at Maguire Hospital in Miami. While her deep empathy makes her an exceptional doctor in training, her brash and self-sabotaging nature disrupts her personal and professional life.
Woodell plays Xander Phillips. Hailing from one of Miami’s most powerful medical families,...
In Pulse, while the staff of Miami’s busiest Level 1 Trauma Center navigate medical emergencies, young ER doc Danny Simms (Fitzgerald) is unexpectedly promoted to Chief Resident amidst the fallout of her own provocative romantic relationship.
When we meet her, Fitzgerald’s Danielle “Danny” Simms is a 3rd year resident in Emergency Medicine at Maguire Hospital in Miami. While her deep empathy makes her an exceptional doctor in training, her brash and self-sabotaging nature disrupts her personal and professional life.
Woodell plays Xander Phillips. Hailing from one of Miami’s most powerful medical families,...
- 3/14/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Bobby Cannavale Is a Stand-up Comic with an Autistic Son, a Road Trip, and a Dream in ‘Ezra’ Trailer
Bobby Cannavale has been passed over at the Comedy Cellar, but if he doesn’t get his act together — and we don’t mean his stand-up act — life itself will pass him by.
Bleecker Street released the trailer for its upcoming feature film “Ezra” on Wednesday, March 13, which in addition to Cannavale stars Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, Whoopi Goldberg, Rainn Wilson, Tony Goldwyn, and newcomer William A. Fitzgerald, and Robert De Niro. Pretty good cast there.
“Ezra” follows Max Bernal (Cannavale), a stand-up comedian living with his father (De Niro) while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra (Fitzgerald) with ex-wife (Rose Byrne). Cannavale is broke — the living with dad part probably gave that away — and “still not over” Byrne.
Max gets his potential big break when invited to do a late-night set for Jimmy Kimmel. (Unclear if it’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in the “Ezra” Cinematic Universe.) One problem:...
Bleecker Street released the trailer for its upcoming feature film “Ezra” on Wednesday, March 13, which in addition to Cannavale stars Rose Byrne, Vera Farmiga, Whoopi Goldberg, Rainn Wilson, Tony Goldwyn, and newcomer William A. Fitzgerald, and Robert De Niro. Pretty good cast there.
“Ezra” follows Max Bernal (Cannavale), a stand-up comedian living with his father (De Niro) while struggling to co-parent his autistic son Ezra (Fitzgerald) with ex-wife (Rose Byrne). Cannavale is broke — the living with dad part probably gave that away — and “still not over” Byrne.
Max gets his potential big break when invited to do a late-night set for Jimmy Kimmel. (Unclear if it’s “Jimmy Kimmel Live!” in the “Ezra” Cinematic Universe.) One problem:...
- 3/13/2024
- by Tony Maglio
- Indiewire
2004 was an odd year for horror films. We got masterpieces, we were gifted some of the best and worst so-bad-it’s-good films and unexpected sequels seemed to come out of left field regularly and one of those is what we’ll focus on today. With its lead from the first film dead, where could a sequel possibly go? Would they dare to introduce brand new characters, or would they continue the story of the Fitzgerald sisters? Join us on JoBlo Horror Originals as we revisit Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed (watch it Here).
Coming out 4 years after the original, Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed takes a turn for the darker side, or even darker side. Brigitte Fitzgerald survives the ordeal with her sister but in the process tasted her sister’s blood. So, like her sister, she starts turning into a werewolf. However, she’s one step ahead in that she...
Coming out 4 years after the original, Ginger Snaps 2: Unleashed takes a turn for the darker side, or even darker side. Brigitte Fitzgerald survives the ordeal with her sister but in the process tasted her sister’s blood. So, like her sister, she starts turning into a werewolf. However, she’s one step ahead in that she...
- 3/12/2024
- by Emilie Black
- JoBlo.com
What made you want to get involved in the film industry? I have always loved movies, since I can remember. When I was a kid I thought I wanted to be an actor but I eventually found that I enjoyed writing more so I pursued that. After having a couple of scripts produced I decided to take it to the next step and started directing. Filmmaking is definitely something I’ve always been passionate about.
From script–to–screen, how close did Horny Teenagers Must Die! come to its original vision? Pretty close. There were some issues we ran into during production that forced some changes. One scene was completely cut from the script due to the loss of a location, and a couple scenes were added after the initial shoot in order to help with some character development. Overall though, the final movie is probably 85% as it was written.
From script–to–screen, how close did Horny Teenagers Must Die! come to its original vision? Pretty close. There were some issues we ran into during production that forced some changes. One scene was completely cut from the script due to the loss of a location, and a couple scenes were added after the initial shoot in order to help with some character development. Overall though, the final movie is probably 85% as it was written.
- 3/7/2024
- by Michael Joy
- Horror Asylum
Julie Plec has given Candice King another bloody good role.
King, who played vampire Caroline Forbes on Plec’s The Vampire Diaries, The Originals and Legacies, has been cast in the new Prime Video series We Were Liars, our sister site Deadline reports. Plec and Carina Adly Mackenzie (The Originals; Roswell, New Mexico) will write and executive-produce.
More from TVLineAmerican Rust Sets Season 2 Release Date on Prime Video - Plus, Watch Official TrailerBMF Renewed for Season 4 at StarzThe X-Files Creator Chris Carter Reveals His Level of Involvement in Ryan Coogler's 'Diverse' Reboot
Caitlin FitzGerald (Masters of Sex, Sweetbitter) and Mamie Gummer (True Detective,...
King, who played vampire Caroline Forbes on Plec’s The Vampire Diaries, The Originals and Legacies, has been cast in the new Prime Video series We Were Liars, our sister site Deadline reports. Plec and Carina Adly Mackenzie (The Originals; Roswell, New Mexico) will write and executive-produce.
More from TVLineAmerican Rust Sets Season 2 Release Date on Prime Video - Plus, Watch Official TrailerBMF Renewed for Season 4 at StarzThe X-Files Creator Chris Carter Reveals His Level of Involvement in Ryan Coogler's 'Diverse' Reboot
Caitlin FitzGerald (Masters of Sex, Sweetbitter) and Mamie Gummer (True Detective,...
- 3/5/2024
- by Kimberly Roots
- TVLine.com
Exclusive: Mamie Gummer (True Detective), Caitlin FitzGerald (Succession) and Candice King (The Vampire Diaries) are set as leads in We Were Liars, Prime Video’s series adaptation of E. Lockhart’s YA novel We Were Liars, which hails from Julie Plec, Carina Adly MacKenzie, Universal Television and Amazon MGM Studios.
This marks a reunion for King and Plec. King was a series regular on Tvd, co-created and executive produced by Plec, and recurred/guest starred on two offshoots created/executive produced by Plec, The Originals and Legacies, reprising her role as Caroline Forbes. MacKenzie also was a writer-producer on The Originals.
We Were Liars is a tragic love story and an amnesia thriller set on a privately owned island off the coast of Massachusetts. It centers on the wealthy, seemingly perfect Sinclair family, who spend every summer on their private island. Gummer, FitzGerald and King play the three Sinclair sisters.
This marks a reunion for King and Plec. King was a series regular on Tvd, co-created and executive produced by Plec, and recurred/guest starred on two offshoots created/executive produced by Plec, The Originals and Legacies, reprising her role as Caroline Forbes. MacKenzie also was a writer-producer on The Originals.
We Were Liars is a tragic love story and an amnesia thriller set on a privately owned island off the coast of Massachusetts. It centers on the wealthy, seemingly perfect Sinclair family, who spend every summer on their private island. Gummer, FitzGerald and King play the three Sinclair sisters.
- 3/5/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Once the hottest writer in town, Truman Capote also was a master at self destruction.
Cut to The Bistro, Beverly Hills circa 1973. Cradling his cocktail, Capote was at once amiable and petulant. I was sitting across from him at the elegant café to discuss his new screenplay, but the discussion soon became an argument.
Capote, always theatrical, finally turned to strangers at the next table. “I wrote a brilliant screenplay and this man from Paramount is telling me that I didn’t write it, I simply typed it,” Capote complained, an edge to his high-pitched voice. “What should I do to him?”
The strangers smiled. “Order another martini,” said one. “Better make it a double.”
A superstar writer and raconteur, the late Capote needed more than a drink at this point in his life, and our meeting was not helping him. I thought of him this week as his “character...
Cut to The Bistro, Beverly Hills circa 1973. Cradling his cocktail, Capote was at once amiable and petulant. I was sitting across from him at the elegant café to discuss his new screenplay, but the discussion soon became an argument.
Capote, always theatrical, finally turned to strangers at the next table. “I wrote a brilliant screenplay and this man from Paramount is telling me that I didn’t write it, I simply typed it,” Capote complained, an edge to his high-pitched voice. “What should I do to him?”
The strangers smiled. “Order another martini,” said one. “Better make it a double.”
A superstar writer and raconteur, the late Capote needed more than a drink at this point in his life, and our meeting was not helping him. I thought of him this week as his “character...
- 2/8/2024
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Twice a month Joe Lipsett will dissect a new Amityville Horror film to explore how the “franchise” has evolved in increasingly ludicrous directions. This is “The Amityville IP.”
With Amityville Uprising, Thomas J. Churchill joins illustrious company as the only director of three Amityville films.
After kicking off his run with Amityville Harvest (2020) which focused on a film crew interviewing a vampire, Churchill’s second entry was 2001’s “werewolf in a women’s half-way house” title Amityville Moon. Now he’s back for his third film in the “series,” a self-referential zombie outing.
What makes the new film intriguing is less the details of the plot – which include a chemical explosion at a military base with unleashes red acid rain on Amityville and reanimates the dead – but how the film acts as the last part of an unofficial Amityville trilogy.
The same issues that plagued Churchill’s previous entries pop up here: too many characters,...
With Amityville Uprising, Thomas J. Churchill joins illustrious company as the only director of three Amityville films.
After kicking off his run with Amityville Harvest (2020) which focused on a film crew interviewing a vampire, Churchill’s second entry was 2001’s “werewolf in a women’s half-way house” title Amityville Moon. Now he’s back for his third film in the “series,” a self-referential zombie outing.
What makes the new film intriguing is less the details of the plot – which include a chemical explosion at a military base with unleashes red acid rain on Amityville and reanimates the dead – but how the film acts as the last part of an unofficial Amityville trilogy.
The same issues that plagued Churchill’s previous entries pop up here: too many characters,...
- 1/23/2024
- by Joe Lipsett
- bloody-disgusting.com
Spain’s fast-growing Secuoya Studios has tapped seasoned Sony Pictures Television International exec Brendan Fitzgerald for the newly-created position of CEO. His most recent position as Spti’s senior VP of international English-language co-productions makes him the perfect fit for the company’s lofty ambitions.
Fitzgerald’s appointment coincides with the third anniversary of Secuoya Studios and the world premiere of their most ambitious show to date, “Zorro,” which, after its Jan. 19 Prime Video premiere in the Americas, starts streaming Jan. 25 in Spain, Portugal and Andorra through Prime Video Spain.
Mediawan Rights, which handles the international distribution of “Zorro,” has sold broadcast rights to M6 Groupe of France, Mediaset Italy, Tvm Belgium and Rtl Hungary with more sales news to be announced in subsequent weeks.
“For Secuoya Content Group, it is a privilege to have Brendan Fitzgerald’s background and experience at the helm of Secuoya Studios, a leading player...
Fitzgerald’s appointment coincides with the third anniversary of Secuoya Studios and the world premiere of their most ambitious show to date, “Zorro,” which, after its Jan. 19 Prime Video premiere in the Americas, starts streaming Jan. 25 in Spain, Portugal and Andorra through Prime Video Spain.
Mediawan Rights, which handles the international distribution of “Zorro,” has sold broadcast rights to M6 Groupe of France, Mediaset Italy, Tvm Belgium and Rtl Hungary with more sales news to be announced in subsequent weeks.
“For Secuoya Content Group, it is a privilege to have Brendan Fitzgerald’s background and experience at the helm of Secuoya Studios, a leading player...
- 1/22/2024
- by Anna Marie de la Fuente
- Variety Film + TV
Benedict Fitzgerald, the co-writer of Mel Gibson’s The Passion of the Christ, has died. He was 74.
Fitzgerald died Jan. 17 after a long illness at his home in Marsala, Sicily, his cousin Nancy Morgan Ritter told The Hollywood Reporter.
Best known for his work on Gibson’s 2004 Biblical epic, the highest-grossing Christian film, as well as the highest-grossing independent film of all time, Fitzgerald’s other credits include co-writing the screenplay for John Huston’s Wise Blood (1979), the adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s novel.
Born on March 9, 1949, in New York, Fitzgerald was born into a literary household. His deeply Catholic mother, Sally, was a writer and editor and his father, Robert, was a poet, United States Poet Laureate (1984-1985), critic, and famed translator of classic ancient Greek and Latin texts, who was responsible for perhaps the most well-known translation of Homer’s The Odyssey.
In the late 1950s, Fitzgerald’s family...
Fitzgerald died Jan. 17 after a long illness at his home in Marsala, Sicily, his cousin Nancy Morgan Ritter told The Hollywood Reporter.
Best known for his work on Gibson’s 2004 Biblical epic, the highest-grossing Christian film, as well as the highest-grossing independent film of all time, Fitzgerald’s other credits include co-writing the screenplay for John Huston’s Wise Blood (1979), the adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s novel.
Born on March 9, 1949, in New York, Fitzgerald was born into a literary household. His deeply Catholic mother, Sally, was a writer and editor and his father, Robert, was a poet, United States Poet Laureate (1984-1985), critic, and famed translator of classic ancient Greek and Latin texts, who was responsible for perhaps the most well-known translation of Homer’s The Odyssey.
In the late 1950s, Fitzgerald’s family...
- 1/22/2024
- by Abid Rahman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Benedict Fitzgerald, best known as the screenwriter of The Passion of the Christ, died at home in Marsala, Sicily after a long illness on January 17, 2024. He was 74 and no cause of death was given by his family.
He first won acclaim for his screenplay adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s novel Wise Blood, cowritten with his brother, Michael. The film, produced in 1979 by Michael and Kathy Fitzgerald and directed by John Huston, starred Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ned Beatty.
Fitzgerald specialized in literary adaptions, among them Zelda, (starring Natasha Richardson and Timothy Hutton) in 1993; Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness in 1993 (starring John Malkovich); a television mini-series of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood in 1996 and Moby Dick in 1998 (starring Patrick Stewart as Ahab and nominated for 5 primetime Emmy awards).
The Passion Of The Christ (2004), the...
He first won acclaim for his screenplay adaptation of Flannery O’Connor’s novel Wise Blood, cowritten with his brother, Michael. The film, produced in 1979 by Michael and Kathy Fitzgerald and directed by John Huston, starred Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton, and Ned Beatty.
Fitzgerald specialized in literary adaptions, among them Zelda, (starring Natasha Richardson and Timothy Hutton) in 1993; Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness in 1993 (starring John Malkovich); a television mini-series of Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood in 1996 and Moby Dick in 1998 (starring Patrick Stewart as Ahab and nominated for 5 primetime Emmy awards).
The Passion Of The Christ (2004), the...
- 1/21/2024
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Benedict Fitzgerald, co-screenwriter of “The Passion of the Christ,” died Jan. 17 in Marsala, Sicily, after a long illness, his cousin Nancy Ritter told Variety. He was 74.
Fitzgerald co-wrote 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ” with director and producer Mel Gibson. The biblical epic remains the highest-grossing independent film of all time.
Fitzgerald first received acclaim for his screenplay adaptation of the Flannery O’Connor novel “Wise Blood,” which he co-wrote with his brother Michael. Michael and Kathy Fitzgerald produced the John Huston-directed film, which starred Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton and Ned Beatty.
“Wise Blood” marked the beginning of Fitzgerald’s many literary adaptations, including 1993’s “Zelda” with Natasha Richardson and Timothy Hutton, and Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” (1993), starring John Malkovich. He wrote the miniseries adaptations of Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” (1996) and Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” (1998), starring Patrick Stewart as Captain Ahab. Both series were nominated for several Emmy Awards.
Fitzgerald co-wrote 2004’s “The Passion of the Christ” with director and producer Mel Gibson. The biblical epic remains the highest-grossing independent film of all time.
Fitzgerald first received acclaim for his screenplay adaptation of the Flannery O’Connor novel “Wise Blood,” which he co-wrote with his brother Michael. Michael and Kathy Fitzgerald produced the John Huston-directed film, which starred Brad Dourif, Harry Dean Stanton and Ned Beatty.
“Wise Blood” marked the beginning of Fitzgerald’s many literary adaptations, including 1993’s “Zelda” with Natasha Richardson and Timothy Hutton, and Joseph Conrad’s “Heart of Darkness” (1993), starring John Malkovich. He wrote the miniseries adaptations of Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” (1996) and Herman Melville’s “Moby Dick” (1998), starring Patrick Stewart as Captain Ahab. Both series were nominated for several Emmy Awards.
- 1/21/2024
- by Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
The Great Gatsby musical, the highest grossing show in Off-Broadway theater Paper Mill Playhouse’s history, will be coming to Broadway this spring.
The musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s acclaimed novel will debut at The Broadway Theatre on April 25, the show’s lead producer Chunsoo Shin announced on Tuesday. Directed by Marc Bruni, Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada are set to reprise their Off-Broadway roles as Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, with previews beginning March 29.
“I am passionate about producing this show because it provides a modern audience with the true essence of idealism that is expressed eloquently in the novel and now on stage,” said Shin in a statement. “The Great Gatsby is a masterpiece that grows and changes as it’s experienced by each new generation, in every culture, and people — and yet, still maintains its uniqueness, with its fascinating characters that burst with vitality.
The musical adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s acclaimed novel will debut at The Broadway Theatre on April 25, the show’s lead producer Chunsoo Shin announced on Tuesday. Directed by Marc Bruni, Jeremy Jordan and Eva Noblezada are set to reprise their Off-Broadway roles as Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan, with previews beginning March 29.
“I am passionate about producing this show because it provides a modern audience with the true essence of idealism that is expressed eloquently in the novel and now on stage,” said Shin in a statement. “The Great Gatsby is a masterpiece that grows and changes as it’s experienced by each new generation, in every culture, and people — and yet, still maintains its uniqueness, with its fascinating characters that burst with vitality.
- 1/16/2024
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Beyoncé almost teamed up with prolific filmmaker Clint Eastwood for his own take on A Star Is Born. The veteran actor had a lot of praise for the Grammy winner, so much so that he compared her to another well-known musician.
Beyoncé was initially cast in Lady Gaga’s role for ‘A Star Is Born’ Beyonce | Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Hollywood had been trying to develop another A Star Is Born remake for years before Bradley Cooper’s version. Several actors hoped to attach themselves to the project, but for the longest time, plans kept fizzling out. Some of those stars included Jennifer Lopez and Will Smith, who only went as far as discussing the script before plans changed.
A modern Star Is Born seemed to finally be on the verge of happening after Eastwood was tapped to direct. The veteran filmmaker confirmed that Beyoncé would lead the movie, which...
Beyoncé was initially cast in Lady Gaga’s role for ‘A Star Is Born’ Beyonce | Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Hollywood had been trying to develop another A Star Is Born remake for years before Bradley Cooper’s version. Several actors hoped to attach themselves to the project, but for the longest time, plans kept fizzling out. Some of those stars included Jennifer Lopez and Will Smith, who only went as far as discussing the script before plans changed.
A modern Star Is Born seemed to finally be on the verge of happening after Eastwood was tapped to direct. The veteran filmmaker confirmed that Beyoncé would lead the movie, which...
- 1/12/2024
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
If Hollywood truly suffers from a leadership malaise, as some charge, would the return of Monroe Stahr resuscitate the system? Filmmakers respect his judgment, stars his panache and investors his discipline, so Stahr’s return may ignite a new Irving Thalberg-like era.
Whoops — he’s not available.
The manic and manipulative hero of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Last Tycoon ruled MGM in its ‘30s heyday, but Stahr’s fictional reign was short-lived. So was Fitzgerald’s brilliant but never completed 1939 novel, which modeled Stahr after Thalberg.
Having achieved literary stardom with The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald’s decision to write a Hollywood novel, while simultaneously working as a script doctor, plunged the novelist into alcoholic paralysis. He never managed to finish his book and even his screenplays were unrealized.
The Last Tycoon briefly flickered back to life as a movie thanks to the great Elia Kazan, who cast Robert De Niro,...
Whoops — he’s not available.
The manic and manipulative hero of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Last Tycoon ruled MGM in its ‘30s heyday, but Stahr’s fictional reign was short-lived. So was Fitzgerald’s brilliant but never completed 1939 novel, which modeled Stahr after Thalberg.
Having achieved literary stardom with The Great Gatsby, Fitzgerald’s decision to write a Hollywood novel, while simultaneously working as a script doctor, plunged the novelist into alcoholic paralysis. He never managed to finish his book and even his screenplays were unrealized.
The Last Tycoon briefly flickered back to life as a movie thanks to the great Elia Kazan, who cast Robert De Niro,...
- 1/4/2024
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Even outside of Star Wars, prequels tend to get a bad rap. From answering questions that didn’t need answering (and destroying the mysteries of the original in the process) to repeating established formulas ad nauseum, it’s deceptively easy for these blasts from the past to trip over their previously established lore. After all, it’s kind of hard to tell an engaging story when audiences already know what happens next.
Thankfully, the horror genre seems to be especially blessed with filmmakers that see prequels as an opportunity to tell original stories within an established world. I mean, some folks even thought that last year’s Pearl was even better than X, and the trailer for Arkasha Stevenson’s upcoming The First Omen looks like it kicks all kinds of ass – and that’s precisely why we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six underrated horror prequels for your viewing pleasure!
Thankfully, the horror genre seems to be especially blessed with filmmakers that see prequels as an opportunity to tell original stories within an established world. I mean, some folks even thought that last year’s Pearl was even better than X, and the trailer for Arkasha Stevenson’s upcoming The First Omen looks like it kicks all kinds of ass – and that’s precisely why we’ve decided to come up with a list highlighting six underrated horror prequels for your viewing pleasure!
- 1/4/2024
- by Luiz H. C.
- bloody-disgusting.com
In a pleasant surprise for "Reacher" fans, this year's "The Fall of the House of Usher" served as a reunion for season 1 stars Willa Fitzgerald and Malcolm Goodwin. The Mike Flanagan-created, Edgar Allan Poe-inspired Grand Guignol saw the two actors once again sharing the screen, this time as future enemies C. Auguste Dupin and Madeline Usher during the show's 1979-set flashbacks. The only downside? It was also a bittersweet reminder the duo wouldn't be returning for "Reacher" season 2.
Indeed, much of the pleasure of "Reacher" season 1 comes from watching the hunky super-sleuth vagabond Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) unravel a criminal conspiracy in the small town of Margrave, Georgia, with the help of Margrave's by-the-book Chief Detective Oscar Finlay (Goodwin) and spunky police officer Roscoe Conklin (Fitzgerald). Between Reacher and Finlay's oil-and-water dynamic and the mutual respect -- and attraction -- Reacher and Roscoe share for one another,...
Indeed, much of the pleasure of "Reacher" season 1 comes from watching the hunky super-sleuth vagabond Jack Reacher (Alan Ritchson) unravel a criminal conspiracy in the small town of Margrave, Georgia, with the help of Margrave's by-the-book Chief Detective Oscar Finlay (Goodwin) and spunky police officer Roscoe Conklin (Fitzgerald). Between Reacher and Finlay's oil-and-water dynamic and the mutual respect -- and attraction -- Reacher and Roscoe share for one another,...
- 12/12/2023
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
Baz Luhrmann has discovered a surprising result of his stint as head of jury at the Red Sea Film Festival: empathy for film critics.
“I’ve never done this before. I’ve never been forced to sit and watch three to four movies a day,” Luhrmann tells Variety. “It’s given me more compassion for those journalists and people on juries. And I don’t mean in a bad way, because I’ve got unbelievable energy from it. And it’s not easy — just the amount of movies you see. But it’s really, really stimulating. I’ve been reminded that, actually, movies can be really powerful and really good.”
The movies have also provided Luhrmann with an argument for his decision, not without controversy, to participate in the festival. “When people talk about the Red Sea Festival, my answer is really simple. Go and see the movies, then come...
“I’ve never done this before. I’ve never been forced to sit and watch three to four movies a day,” Luhrmann tells Variety. “It’s given me more compassion for those journalists and people on juries. And I don’t mean in a bad way, because I’ve got unbelievable energy from it. And it’s not easy — just the amount of movies you see. But it’s really, really stimulating. I’ve been reminded that, actually, movies can be really powerful and really good.”
The movies have also provided Luhrmann with an argument for his decision, not without controversy, to participate in the festival. “When people talk about the Red Sea Festival, my answer is really simple. Go and see the movies, then come...
- 12/4/2023
- by John Bleasdale
- Variety Film + TV
Actor Idris Elba made his feature directorial debut with the 2018 crime drama Yardie, and earlier this year we heard that he would be following that up with an action thriller called Infernus. That movie was supposed to get started filming in October, but appears to have been disrupted by the strikes. So while we wait to hear what’s going to happen with Infernus, The Hollywood Reporter has broken the news that Elba is teaming up with Martin Owen (The Loneliest Boy in the World) to co-direct a survival thriller called Above the Below… and this one is already in production!
Above the Below started filming last week at Pinewood Studios, using two separate stages – including the studio’s underwater stage. In addition to co-directing, Elba also stars in the movie alongside Caitlin FitzGerald (Masters of Sex) and Hero Fiennes Tiffin (the After franchise).
Owen came up with the initial idea for the film,...
Above the Below started filming last week at Pinewood Studios, using two separate stages – including the studio’s underwater stage. In addition to co-directing, Elba also stars in the movie alongside Caitlin FitzGerald (Masters of Sex) and Hero Fiennes Tiffin (the After franchise).
Owen came up with the initial idea for the film,...
- 11/21/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Idris Elba is set to star in the survival thriller Above the Below for Lionsgate after earlier boarding the U.K. indie as director.
Lionsgate picked up the worldwide rights to the project, which started filming last week at Pinewood Studios on two stages, including the studio’s underwater stage. Elba will helm Above the Below with Martin Owen (The Loneliest Boy in The World), and will star alongside actress and filmmaker Caitlin FitzGerald and Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who earlier worked with Owen on The Loneliest Boy in the World.
Above the Below sees a tight-knit trio of astronauts survive a chaotic and destructive re-entry to Earth, only to find themselves off course and completely cut off from the world. As their capsule begins to sink into the unknown depths of the ocean, their battle for survival kicks off.
Elba plays Jackson, the mission commander leading the team. FitzGerald is Brooks,...
Lionsgate picked up the worldwide rights to the project, which started filming last week at Pinewood Studios on two stages, including the studio’s underwater stage. Elba will helm Above the Below with Martin Owen (The Loneliest Boy in The World), and will star alongside actress and filmmaker Caitlin FitzGerald and Hero Fiennes Tiffin, who earlier worked with Owen on The Loneliest Boy in the World.
Above the Below sees a tight-knit trio of astronauts survive a chaotic and destructive re-entry to Earth, only to find themselves off course and completely cut off from the world. As their capsule begins to sink into the unknown depths of the ocean, their battle for survival kicks off.
Elba plays Jackson, the mission commander leading the team. FitzGerald is Brooks,...
- 11/21/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
To celebrate the release of The Ginger Snaps Trilogy on Limited Edition Blu-Ray out now, we’re giving away a Limited Edition Blu-Ray to a lucky winner!
Ginger Snaps is a landmark in feminist horror and now the seminal movie is set for a highly anticipated collector’s edition treatment from Second Sight Films. Helmed by John Fawcett (Orphan Black, Saving Hope), it offers a fresh take on the werewolf and coming-of-age genre, with heaps of gore and a lot of heart.
The film will be released in a complete set with all three films as The Ginger Snaps Trilogy Limited-Edition Blu-ray Box Set, on 30 October 2023.
The original film is set in the suburban Canadian town of Bailey Downs, where a series of dog killings piques the interest of a pair of outcast teens; sisters Brigitte and Ginger Fitzgerald. Then on the night of Ginger’s first period, she is...
Ginger Snaps is a landmark in feminist horror and now the seminal movie is set for a highly anticipated collector’s edition treatment from Second Sight Films. Helmed by John Fawcett (Orphan Black, Saving Hope), it offers a fresh take on the werewolf and coming-of-age genre, with heaps of gore and a lot of heart.
The film will be released in a complete set with all three films as The Ginger Snaps Trilogy Limited-Edition Blu-ray Box Set, on 30 October 2023.
The original film is set in the suburban Canadian town of Bailey Downs, where a series of dog killings piques the interest of a pair of outcast teens; sisters Brigitte and Ginger Fitzgerald. Then on the night of Ginger’s first period, she is...
- 11/20/2023
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
If you’ve ever been curious about the dining establishments visited by the agents of Netflix’s hit docusoap Selling Sunset, you’re in for a treat. The Hollywood Reporter has painstakingly made a list of all the show’s restaurants, starting back with season one, all the way up to the newest, season seven, dropped on Nov. 3. (A few places that are missing are the restaurants that didn’t make it through the pandemic and a few mystery locales that don’t give enough clues.)
We all know that Sunset has some of the hottest mansion porn in television and for the past few seasons, the show has also firmly established itself as a fashion voyeur’s obsession. But apart from the lavish real estate, intense outfits, and of course, the agents and the particular brand of drama each of them brings, there’s another thing that has a...
We all know that Sunset has some of the hottest mansion porn in television and for the past few seasons, the show has also firmly established itself as a fashion voyeur’s obsession. But apart from the lavish real estate, intense outfits, and of course, the agents and the particular brand of drama each of them brings, there’s another thing that has a...
- 11/18/2023
- by Michelle Duncan
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The sun is setting, it’ll be dark soon. Anxious, the Losers’ Club scans the nearby skyscrapers and gazes at the monstrosities watching from above. The stone monsters. The gargoyles!
Join co-hosts Dan Pfleegor and Dan Caffrey as they celebrate the 35th anniversary of Stephen King and f-stop Fitzgerald’s 1988 coffee table book Nightmares in the Sky: Gargoyles and Grotesques. Together, they discuss the impetus behind the project, King’s essay, and the countless photos within. Bonus: They also revisit Stan Winston‘s 1972 telefilm Gargoyles.
Stream the episode below and return next week when the Losers slip through time with their extensive coverage for 11/22/63. For further adventures, join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of content in The Barrens (Patreon).
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Patreon | Store
The post ‘Nightmares in the Sky:...
Join co-hosts Dan Pfleegor and Dan Caffrey as they celebrate the 35th anniversary of Stephen King and f-stop Fitzgerald’s 1988 coffee table book Nightmares in the Sky: Gargoyles and Grotesques. Together, they discuss the impetus behind the project, King’s essay, and the countless photos within. Bonus: They also revisit Stan Winston‘s 1972 telefilm Gargoyles.
Stream the episode below and return next week when the Losers slip through time with their extensive coverage for 11/22/63. For further adventures, join the Club over long days and pleasant nights via Apple Podcasts, Spotify, RadioPublic, Acast, Google Podcasts, and RSS. You can also unlock hundreds of hours of content in The Barrens (Patreon).
Facebook | Instagram | Twitter | Patreon | Store
The post ‘Nightmares in the Sky:...
- 11/17/2023
- by Michael Roffman
- bloody-disgusting.com
“Just think,” Sir Lancelot (Taran Killam) muses as he celebrates his gay wedding at the end of Monty Python’s Spamalot. “In a thousand-and-eighteen years time, this will still be controversial.” Killam puts special emphasis on the “eighteen,” an addition to the script that nods to the supposed ways in which Spamalot remains relevant nearly two decades after the Tony-winning musical adaptation of Terry Jones and Terry Gilliam’s 1975 film Monty Python and the Holy Grail tore up the 2004-2005 Broadway season.
The construction of the joke suggests that not much has changed—either for good or ill—in the past decades. That’s hardly true, because when Hank Azaria delivered the punchline in 2005, gay marriage wouldn’t be legalized in New York State for another six years. It’s surprising how much of Spamalot’s humor, especially the gay jokes, now feels rooted in an earlier time. Even peppered...
The construction of the joke suggests that not much has changed—either for good or ill—in the past decades. That’s hardly true, because when Hank Azaria delivered the punchline in 2005, gay marriage wouldn’t be legalized in New York State for another six years. It’s surprising how much of Spamalot’s humor, especially the gay jokes, now feels rooted in an earlier time. Even peppered...
- 11/17/2023
- by Dan Rubins
- Slant Magazine
Family dramedy to get 2024 theatrical release.
Bleecker Street has acquired US rights to TIFF premiere Ezra starring Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, and Robert De Niro.
Tony Goldwyn directed from a screenplay by Tony Spiridakis about Brandel (Cannavale), a once successful late-night comedy writer turned less-successful stand-up comic who struggles through the failure of his career and marriage.
After moving in with his father Stan (De Niro), Max and his ex-wife Jenna (Byrne) remain at odds on how to best raise their autistic son Ezra (Fitzgerald).
The cast includes newcomer William A. Fitzgerald, Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson, and Whoopi Goldberg.
Bleecker...
Bleecker Street has acquired US rights to TIFF premiere Ezra starring Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, and Robert De Niro.
Tony Goldwyn directed from a screenplay by Tony Spiridakis about Brandel (Cannavale), a once successful late-night comedy writer turned less-successful stand-up comic who struggles through the failure of his career and marriage.
After moving in with his father Stan (De Niro), Max and his ex-wife Jenna (Byrne) remain at odds on how to best raise their autistic son Ezra (Fitzgerald).
The cast includes newcomer William A. Fitzgerald, Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson, and Whoopi Goldberg.
Bleecker...
- 11/6/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Bleecker Street has acquired “Ezra” from Tony Goldwyn, the actor-turned-director, which stars Robby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Robert De Niro and William A. Fitzgerald.
The movie recently made its world premiere in the Special Presentations section of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson and Whoopi Goldberg are also in the cast. Bleecker Street is planning to release the film theatrically in 2024.
According to the official synopsis the movie follows “Max Brandel (Cannavale), a once successful late-night comedy writer turned less-successful stand-up comedian, who struggles through the failure of his career and marriage. After moving in with his father, Stan (De Niro), Max and his ex-wife Jenna (Byrne) remain at odds on how to best raise their autistic son, Ezra (Fitzgerald).” The synopsis says that “Ezra” is an “endearing and funny exploration of a fractured family determined to push through hardship to care for the ones they love most.
The movie recently made its world premiere in the Special Presentations section of this year’s Toronto International Film Festival. Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson and Whoopi Goldberg are also in the cast. Bleecker Street is planning to release the film theatrically in 2024.
According to the official synopsis the movie follows “Max Brandel (Cannavale), a once successful late-night comedy writer turned less-successful stand-up comedian, who struggles through the failure of his career and marriage. After moving in with his father, Stan (De Niro), Max and his ex-wife Jenna (Byrne) remain at odds on how to best raise their autistic son, Ezra (Fitzgerald).” The synopsis says that “Ezra” is an “endearing and funny exploration of a fractured family determined to push through hardship to care for the ones they love most.
- 11/6/2023
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
Bleecker Street has nabbed Tony Goldwyn’s Ezra, which stars Bobby Cannavale, Rose Byrne, Robert De Niro and newcomer William A. Fitzgerald in a drama about the challenges of parenthood and autism.
Ezra, which bowed at the Toronto Film Festival, also has Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson and Whoopi Goldberg in its ensemble cast. Bleecker Street plans a 2024 theatrical release.
Ezra stars Cannavale as Max Brandel, a once successful late-night comedy writer turned less successful stand-up comedian struggling through the failure of his career and marriage. After moving in with his uncommunicative father, played by De Niro, Max and his ex-wife Jenna (Byrne) remain at odds on how to best raise their autistic son, Ezra, played by Fitzgerald.
Max often includes his challenging relationship with his son, Ezra, in his comedy material, but not always with the best results. Nonetheless, the family remains determined to push through hardship to care for the ones they love most.
Ezra, which bowed at the Toronto Film Festival, also has Vera Farmiga, Rainn Wilson and Whoopi Goldberg in its ensemble cast. Bleecker Street plans a 2024 theatrical release.
Ezra stars Cannavale as Max Brandel, a once successful late-night comedy writer turned less successful stand-up comedian struggling through the failure of his career and marriage. After moving in with his uncommunicative father, played by De Niro, Max and his ex-wife Jenna (Byrne) remain at odds on how to best raise their autistic son, Ezra, played by Fitzgerald.
Max often includes his challenging relationship with his son, Ezra, in his comedy material, but not always with the best results. Nonetheless, the family remains determined to push through hardship to care for the ones they love most.
- 11/6/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Office romances can almost always get complicated, but dating your boss? Frankly, it's probably never a good idea. As Chrishell Stause learns in seasons five, six, and seven of Netflix's "Selling Sunset," some work relationships can get even more complicated after a breakup. "I do need space to help myself detach," Stause told coworker Emma Hernan in season five, following her split from Oppenheim Group brokerage owner Jason Oppenheim. "I don't know if we can keep working together anymore."
The 2022 season ended with Stause's future at the Oppenheim Group - and on the show - hanging in the balance. But as we see in season six, which premiered on May 19, 2023, she returns to the office, and in a much happier state. That's all thanks to her partner, musician G Flip. Stause and G Flip actually tied the knot on May 10, a moment that takes place during season seven of the drama,...
The 2022 season ended with Stause's future at the Oppenheim Group - and on the show - hanging in the balance. But as we see in season six, which premiered on May 19, 2023, she returns to the office, and in a much happier state. That's all thanks to her partner, musician G Flip. Stause and G Flip actually tied the knot on May 10, a moment that takes place during season seven of the drama,...
- 11/3/2023
- by Jenna Carducci
- Popsugar.com
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