Cults come in many shapes, sizes and forms, not all of them involving a charismatic figurehead, secluded hideaway, or cache of weapons. Sometimes, as in Netflix’s lively new Sackler family takedown Painkiller, the angels of death are short-skirted sales reps, heroin Barbies who scream their heads off at sales “conferences” and seduce doctors with gifts, hefty speaker fees, and, sometimes, sex. They’re paid handsomely, plied with Porsches and luxury apartments, all for spreading the lethal lies that Oxycontin isn’t terribly addictive and doctors are professionally if not...
- 8/10/2023
- by Chris Vognar
- Rollingstone.com
The University of Southern California Libraries revealed the winners for the 35th annual USC Libraries Scripter Award on Saturday. The awards, which honor the year’s best film and television adaptations (along with the works on which they are based), returned live to USC’s elegant Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library for the annual black tie awards fete.
This group of academics, industry professionals, and critics is often predictive of the Adapted Screenplay Oscar race, presaging 14 eventual Oscar winners, including in the last decade “Argo” (2013), “12 Years a Slave” (2014), “The Imitation Game” (2015), “The Big Short” (2016), “Moonlight” (2017), and “Call Me By Your Name” (2018).
Screenwriter Sarah Polley and novelist Miriam Toews won the film award for “Women Talking,” which is nominated for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay Oscars, while the television prize went to English stand-up comedian and screenwriter Will Smith for the episode “Failure’s Contagious,” from “Slow Horses,” based...
This group of academics, industry professionals, and critics is often predictive of the Adapted Screenplay Oscar race, presaging 14 eventual Oscar winners, including in the last decade “Argo” (2013), “12 Years a Slave” (2014), “The Imitation Game” (2015), “The Big Short” (2016), “Moonlight” (2017), and “Call Me By Your Name” (2018).
Screenwriter Sarah Polley and novelist Miriam Toews won the film award for “Women Talking,” which is nominated for Best Picture and Adapted Screenplay Oscars, while the television prize went to English stand-up comedian and screenwriter Will Smith for the episode “Failure’s Contagious,” from “Slow Horses,” based...
- 3/5/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Laura Poitras is perhaps best known for investigative films that have laid bare U.S. government surveillance and military tactics in the aftermath of 9/11. But with her latest project, All the Beauty and the Bloodshed, the filmmaker tries her hand at an artist documentary, albeit one that perhaps only Poitras could have directed.
With the film, released by Neon on Nov. 23, Poitras trains her camera on the life, art and activism of artist Nan Goldin, the photographer who has leveraged her acclaim to pressure major museums to refuse further funding from the Sackler family, who Goldin argues are responsible for the opioid crisis. With her activist group P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now), Goldin — once addicted to OxyContin — staged “die-ins” and protests at institutions including The Met, the Guggenheim and the Louvre against the family, the owners of OxyContin producer Purdue Pharma and longtime donors to museums and universities.
With the film, released by Neon on Nov. 23, Poitras trains her camera on the life, art and activism of artist Nan Goldin, the photographer who has leveraged her acclaim to pressure major museums to refuse further funding from the Sackler family, who Goldin argues are responsible for the opioid crisis. With her activist group P.A.I.N. (Prescription Addiction Intervention Now), Goldin — once addicted to OxyContin — staged “die-ins” and protests at institutions including The Met, the Guggenheim and the Louvre against the family, the owners of OxyContin producer Purdue Pharma and longtime donors to museums and universities.
- 1/13/2023
- by Katie Kilkenny
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Actor Michael Keaton has won outstanding lead actor in a limited series or movie at the 74th Primetime Emmy Awards, for the TV miniseries "Dopesick", focusing on the struggle with opioid addiction, based on the book "Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America" by Beth Macy, co-starring Peter Sarsgaard and Rosario Dawson, now streaming on Hulu:
"'...'Dopesick' examines how one company triggered the worst drug epidemic in American history. The series takes viewers to the epicenter of America’s struggle with opioid addiction, from the boardrooms of 'Big Pharma' to a distressed Virginia mining community, to the hallways of the 'DEA', as a dealer lands in a small town and sets about turning high school football stars into heroin overdose statistics..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"'...'Dopesick' examines how one company triggered the worst drug epidemic in American history. The series takes viewers to the epicenter of America’s struggle with opioid addiction, from the boardrooms of 'Big Pharma' to a distressed Virginia mining community, to the hallways of the 'DEA', as a dealer lands in a small town and sets about turning high school football stars into heroin overdose statistics..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 9/13/2022
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
IndieWire caught up with all your favorite 2022 Emmy Awards attendees, with special red carpet interviews with the casts of “Yellowjackets,” “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” “Ted Lasso,” “Dopesick,” and “Abbott Elementary,” which represented in multiple categories this year.
Below, check out the best moments from IndieWire’s night on the town.
Kaitlyn Dever Dishes If ‘Dopesick’ Will Land a Second Season
The “Dopesick” Emmy nominee noted that author Beth Macy’s follow-up book “Raising Lazarus” could provide context for a second season of the Hulu series, which landed lead actor Michael Keaton his first Emmy win.
“Beth Macy who wrote ‘Dopesick,’ she’s also writing a new book, titled ‘Raising Lazarus’ and it talks about what we do now moving forward,” Dever said. “But I think if we were to do a Season 2, it would be to just discuss the opioid epidemic more because it’s still going on.”
Samantha Hanratty...
Below, check out the best moments from IndieWire’s night on the town.
Kaitlyn Dever Dishes If ‘Dopesick’ Will Land a Second Season
The “Dopesick” Emmy nominee noted that author Beth Macy’s follow-up book “Raising Lazarus” could provide context for a second season of the Hulu series, which landed lead actor Michael Keaton his first Emmy win.
“Beth Macy who wrote ‘Dopesick,’ she’s also writing a new book, titled ‘Raising Lazarus’ and it talks about what we do now moving forward,” Dever said. “But I think if we were to do a Season 2, it would be to just discuss the opioid epidemic more because it’s still going on.”
Samantha Hanratty...
- 9/13/2022
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Michael Keaton led off the competitive categories at tonight’s Emmys by capturing the Outstanding Lead Actor in a Limited Anthology Series or Movie for his turn in Dopesick.
Accepting the statuette from Oprah Winfrey, the lead presenter called upon to highlight the evening’s gravitas, the 71-year-old Keaton reserved his most heartfelt thanks for his family. In particular, he recalled his father winning a raffle when he was a grade-schooler, bringing home the prize of a black-and-white television set.
Deadline’s Emmy Awards Live Blog
“We kind of lived out in the country” in Pennsylvania, he explained, and the device became his portal to a different world as the medium was beginning to sweep across the world in the late-1950s and early 1960s. “I could not take my eyes off it. It was magic,” he remembered. “I watched all of the cowboy shows and especially the comedies, and...
Accepting the statuette from Oprah Winfrey, the lead presenter called upon to highlight the evening’s gravitas, the 71-year-old Keaton reserved his most heartfelt thanks for his family. In particular, he recalled his father winning a raffle when he was a grade-schooler, bringing home the prize of a black-and-white television set.
Deadline’s Emmy Awards Live Blog
“We kind of lived out in the country” in Pennsylvania, he explained, and the device became his portal to a different world as the medium was beginning to sweep across the world in the late-1950s and early 1960s. “I could not take my eyes off it. It was magic,” he remembered. “I watched all of the cowboy shows and especially the comedies, and...
- 9/13/2022
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
“Abbott Elementary” just might do it. After winning for casting, the ABC hit freshman sitcom could make history in many significant ways. After Quinta Brunson made history by becoming the first Black woman to be nominated for comedy series, acting and writing categories in the same year, she would be only the second Black person ever to win as a producer in the comedy series. The first was Winifred Hervey for “The Golden Girls” back in 1987. Also, forecast to go along with the top category a win for writing (Brunson would be the third Black person after Larry Wilmore for “The Bernie Mac Show” in 2002 and Lena Waithe for “Master of None” in 2017) and Sheryl Lee Ralph in supporting actress (she would be the second Black woman to win the category after Jackee Harry for “227” in 1987).
Let’s be clear, I’m aware I may be “overthinking much of this,...
Let’s be clear, I’m aware I may be “overthinking much of this,...
- 9/8/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official awards predictions for the upcoming Oscars and Emmys ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis; Awards Circuit Column, a weekly analysis dissecting the trends and contenders by television editor Michael Schneider (for Emmys) and Davis (for Oscars); Awards Circuit Podcast, a weekly interview series with talent and an expert roundtable discussion; and Awards Circuit Video analyzes various categories and contenders by Variety's leading awards pundits. Variety's unmatched coverage gives its readership unbeatable exposure in print and online, as well as provides inside reports on all the contenders in this year's awards season races.
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Emmys Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Emmys Hub
To see old predictions and commentary,...
To see all the latest predictions, of all the categories, in one place, visit The Emmys Collective
Visit each category, per the individual awards show from The Emmys Hub
To see old predictions and commentary,...
- 8/18/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
A version of this story about “Dopesick” star Kaitlyn Dever first appeared in the Down to the Wire: Drama issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine.
It’s rare to experience a life-changing epiphany at any age, much less at 15. But that’s how old Kaitlyn Dever was when she played a self-harming young woman in the acclaimed 2013 indie “Short Term 12.” She’d already been acting for several years by then — she was a cast regular on the ABC sitcom “Last Man Standing” and had a recurring role on FX’s “Justified” — but the gritty drama about a group home for troubled teenagers made a lasting impression on her.
“I noticed the weight that a project can have on the audience and how you can really move the needle forward and start meaningful conversations,” Dever said during a recent Zoom interview. She liked the idea that she could help bring...
It’s rare to experience a life-changing epiphany at any age, much less at 15. But that’s how old Kaitlyn Dever was when she played a self-harming young woman in the acclaimed 2013 indie “Short Term 12.” She’d already been acting for several years by then — she was a cast regular on the ABC sitcom “Last Man Standing” and had a recurring role on FX’s “Justified” — but the gritty drama about a group home for troubled teenagers made a lasting impression on her.
“I noticed the weight that a project can have on the audience and how you can really move the needle forward and start meaningful conversations,” Dever said during a recent Zoom interview. She liked the idea that she could help bring...
- 8/16/2022
- by Missy Schwartz
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
Actor-writer-director Danny Strong is no stranger to celebrating on Emmys night. He earned two Emmys in 2012 for writing and producing HBO’s political drama Game Change, which followed his Emmy-nominated screenplay for the similarly ripped-from-the-headlines HBO film Recount in 2008. Since that double win a decade ago, Strong has gone on to co-create the Fox drama series Empire with Lee Daniels (who also directed The Butler from a script by Strong).
Strong is a multiple nominee again this year for Hulu’s limited series Dopesick, for which he earned nods for writing and directing in addition to outstanding limited series. Dopesick follows the rise of the opioid crisis in the United States and the nefarious actions of Purdue Pharma, which developed and aggressively marketed OxyContin while hiding its highly addictive properties. The result is a multi-layered true crime saga that traces the Sackler family-controlled Purdue’s shady business practices,...
Actor-writer-director Danny Strong is no stranger to celebrating on Emmys night. He earned two Emmys in 2012 for writing and producing HBO’s political drama Game Change, which followed his Emmy-nominated screenplay for the similarly ripped-from-the-headlines HBO film Recount in 2008. Since that double win a decade ago, Strong has gone on to co-create the Fox drama series Empire with Lee Daniels (who also directed The Butler from a script by Strong).
Strong is a multiple nominee again this year for Hulu’s limited series Dopesick, for which he earned nods for writing and directing in addition to outstanding limited series. Dopesick follows the rise of the opioid crisis in the United States and the nefarious actions of Purdue Pharma, which developed and aggressively marketed OxyContin while hiding its highly addictive properties. The result is a multi-layered true crime saga that traces the Sackler family-controlled Purdue’s shady business practices,...
- 8/15/2022
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Just when it looks like she could finally turn a corner, Betsy (Kaitlyn Dever) hits rock bottom in the seventh episode of Hulu’s “Dopesick.” Right before she’s set to accompany Dr. Samuel Finnix (Michael Keaton) to a clinic for her OxyContin addiction, she turns to drugs after receiving upsetting news. When Betsy tells her dealer to give her “one hell of a send-off” ahead of her potential recovery, you sense that she will never actually make it to the clinic. And so it is, as she tragically dies after overdosing on the injected heroin. It’s a devastating, unshakable conclusion to Betsy’s arc, meticulously executed by Dever, who deserves all the love from Emmy voters for putting a face on opioid addiction with great care and precision.
Based on the acclaimed nonfiction book by Beth Macy, “Dopesick” is an eight-part limited series that explores the deadly opioid...
Based on the acclaimed nonfiction book by Beth Macy, “Dopesick” is an eight-part limited series that explores the deadly opioid...
- 8/15/2022
- by Luca Giliberti
- Gold Derby
Click here to read the full article.
In her relatively brief career, Kaitlyn Dever has amassed an impressive list of credits on her résumé. The 25-year-old first gained notice for her guest role as wayward teen Loretta McCready on the FX crime series Justified. She proved her comedic chops playing the youngest daughter of star Tim Allen on the ABC (and later Fox) sitcom Last Man Standing, then again alongside Beanie Feldstein in the 2019 coming-of-age comedy Booksmart. Her role on the 2019 Netflix limited series Unbelievable, in which she played a survivor of sexual assault pressured into retracting her statements, put her onto the awards circuit for the first time when she earned a 2020 Golden Globe nomination.
Her latest performance, on Hulu’s Dopesick, for which she has received her first Emmy nom, was no less daunting. Dever stars as Betsy Mallum, a closeted lesbian in a small town in the Appalachia region of Virginia who,...
In her relatively brief career, Kaitlyn Dever has amassed an impressive list of credits on her résumé. The 25-year-old first gained notice for her guest role as wayward teen Loretta McCready on the FX crime series Justified. She proved her comedic chops playing the youngest daughter of star Tim Allen on the ABC (and later Fox) sitcom Last Man Standing, then again alongside Beanie Feldstein in the 2019 coming-of-age comedy Booksmart. Her role on the 2019 Netflix limited series Unbelievable, in which she played a survivor of sexual assault pressured into retracting her statements, put her onto the awards circuit for the first time when she earned a 2020 Golden Globe nomination.
Her latest performance, on Hulu’s Dopesick, for which she has received her first Emmy nom, was no less daunting. Dever stars as Betsy Mallum, a closeted lesbian in a small town in the Appalachia region of Virginia who,...
- 8/12/2022
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Hulu’s limited series Dopesick, centered on the opioid epidemic in America and the pharmaceutical companies behind it, made a splash on the morning of the Emmys nominations announcement when it picked up six noms, including for outstanding limited series and lead actor. For THR Presents, powered by Vision Media, creator Danny Strong, writer and executive producer Beth Macy and cast members Katelyn Dever and Peter Sarsgaard (all of whom are Emmy nominees this year) spoke about the production and reception of this gargantuan project.
Strong, a previous Emmy winner for writing and producing 2012’s Game Change, was approached to tackle this story of the opioid crisis by fellow producer John Goldwyn. “I started researching it — there have been a number of articles written on it, a big New Yorker profile,” he recalls. “Once I started dipping my toe in the water, it goes from,...
Hulu’s limited series Dopesick, centered on the opioid epidemic in America and the pharmaceutical companies behind it, made a splash on the morning of the Emmys nominations announcement when it picked up six noms, including for outstanding limited series and lead actor. For THR Presents, powered by Vision Media, creator Danny Strong, writer and executive producer Beth Macy and cast members Katelyn Dever and Peter Sarsgaard (all of whom are Emmy nominees this year) spoke about the production and reception of this gargantuan project.
Strong, a previous Emmy winner for writing and producing 2012’s Game Change, was approached to tackle this story of the opioid crisis by fellow producer John Goldwyn. “I started researching it — there have been a number of articles written on it, a big New Yorker profile,” he recalls. “Once I started dipping my toe in the water, it goes from,...
- 8/8/2022
- by Hilton Dresden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Each week, The Hollywood Reporter will offer up the best new (and newly relevant) books that everyone will be talking about — whether it’s a tome that’s ripe for adaptation, a new Hollywood-centric tell-all or the source material for a hot new TV show.
Rights Available
All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Matthews (CAA)
The often familiar coming-of-age story takes on a wholly original perspective in this debut novel about an Indian immigrant, recently arrived post-college in Milwaukee, who must navigate a dreary corporate job and financial stress amidst the mostly unspoken-of trauma that’s left her without her family in her adopted country. The book — from the founder of the pandemic-era mutual aid group Bed-Stuy Strong — is heartbreaking and imbued with the occasionally hard-to-swallow realities of living in the margins, but ultimately hopeful.
When We Were Bright and Beautiful...
Each week, The Hollywood Reporter will offer up the best new (and newly relevant) books that everyone will be talking about — whether it’s a tome that’s ripe for adaptation, a new Hollywood-centric tell-all or the source material for a hot new TV show.
Rights Available
All This Could Be Different by Sarah Thankam Matthews (CAA)
The often familiar coming-of-age story takes on a wholly original perspective in this debut novel about an Indian immigrant, recently arrived post-college in Milwaukee, who must navigate a dreary corporate job and financial stress amidst the mostly unspoken-of trauma that’s left her without her family in her adopted country. The book — from the founder of the pandemic-era mutual aid group Bed-Stuy Strong — is heartbreaking and imbued with the occasionally hard-to-swallow realities of living in the margins, but ultimately hopeful.
When We Were Bright and Beautiful...
- 8/8/2022
- by Seija Rankin
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In preparing for his role on “Dopesick,” newly minted Emmy nominee Will Poulter became more and more disturbed at the origins of the opioid crisis in the U.S. with the more he learned about it. “It appears to be one thing on the surface and then as you drill deeper, you learn very quickly that this crisis was something that was engineered over a long period of time,” he tells Gold Derby during our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video interview above). In addition to what Purdue Pharma did in marketing OxyContin, the lack of accountability is also something that infuriated him. “You have to come to terms with the fact that not only is this a story of injustice, but it’s also one where the real villains largely got away with it.”
“Dopesick,” which streams on Hulu, is based on Beth Macy’s book and was developed...
“Dopesick,” which streams on Hulu, is based on Beth Macy’s book and was developed...
- 8/4/2022
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
Michael Keaton has a reputation for saying no. He’s not sure how it began — but he’s aware of it. In fact, he nearly said no to “Dopesick.”
When his agent first told him about the project, he didn’t think he’d have time since he had a commitment out of the country. Then he was told it was coming from creator Danny Strong and took a look at the script.
“Then it was real. The writing was good, we had a discussion and then we were filming,” says Keaton, who had already signed on to do a movie in London, so all his scenes were pushed together into a short period.
“I was told that people used to refer to me as ‘Doctor No,’ because apparently, I used to say no a lot. I don’t think I really said no to that much. The things that I said no to,...
When his agent first told him about the project, he didn’t think he’d have time since he had a commitment out of the country. Then he was told it was coming from creator Danny Strong and took a look at the script.
“Then it was real. The writing was good, we had a discussion and then we were filming,” says Keaton, who had already signed on to do a movie in London, so all his scenes were pushed together into a short period.
“I was told that people used to refer to me as ‘Doctor No,’ because apparently, I used to say no a lot. I don’t think I really said no to that much. The things that I said no to,...
- 8/1/2022
- by Emily Longeretta
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
“We have to hammer on the abusers in every way possible.” This quote from Richard Sackler, the man widely considered to be the “godfather” of OxyContin, perfectly exemplifies how his company, Purdue Pharma, got away with addicting millions of people through lies and deception — by blaming the victims for Purdue’s crimes.
As the creator of the Hulu limited series Dopesick, I was shocked and outraged by the obscene criminality of Purdue Pharma, which was owned and managed by members of the Sackler family. The company’s “big lie” was to aggressively market an addictive narcotic while significantly understating the risk of addiction by using misleading studies, manipulated blood charts and deceptive slogans and by pushing “expert” testimony regarding OxyContin’s safety from “independent” doctors who were in actuality on Purdue’s payroll.
These actions that created the opioid crisis might be the greatest crime in U.
“We have to hammer on the abusers in every way possible.” This quote from Richard Sackler, the man widely considered to be the “godfather” of OxyContin, perfectly exemplifies how his company, Purdue Pharma, got away with addicting millions of people through lies and deception — by blaming the victims for Purdue’s crimes.
As the creator of the Hulu limited series Dopesick, I was shocked and outraged by the obscene criminality of Purdue Pharma, which was owned and managed by members of the Sackler family. The company’s “big lie” was to aggressively market an addictive narcotic while significantly understating the risk of addiction by using misleading studies, manipulated blood charts and deceptive slogans and by pushing “expert” testimony regarding OxyContin’s safety from “independent” doctors who were in actuality on Purdue’s payroll.
These actions that created the opioid crisis might be the greatest crime in U.
- 7/28/2022
- by Danny Strong
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
No limited series this year has made the dramatic impact of Hulu’s “Dopesick,” and for good reason. Based on Beth Macy’s nonfiction book, it delivered a searing indictment of the Sackler family and Purdue Pharma, which financed America’s opioid addiction through back-door deals with hospitals, primary care physicians and pharmacies. The riveting material was bolstered by a very strong cast led by Michael Keaton.
The show, which won a Peabody Award this spring, is the leader in the Best Limited Series Emmy category with 37-to-10 odds to win. Its nearest competition, HBO’s breezily entertaining “The White Lotus,” has 4-to-1 odds and is expected to win at least one Emmy for featured player Jennifer Coolidge.
“Dopesick,” on the other hand, could sweep. Keaton, who has already won a Golden Globe and a SAG award for this show, is a slam-dunk to win Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor.
The show, which won a Peabody Award this spring, is the leader in the Best Limited Series Emmy category with 37-to-10 odds to win. Its nearest competition, HBO’s breezily entertaining “The White Lotus,” has 4-to-1 odds and is expected to win at least one Emmy for featured player Jennifer Coolidge.
“Dopesick,” on the other hand, could sweep. Keaton, who has already won a Golden Globe and a SAG award for this show, is a slam-dunk to win Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor.
- 6/28/2022
- by Robert Rorke
- Gold Derby
When he was fresh out of USC’s School of Dramatic Arts in the mid-1990s, Danny Strong’s goals were modest. The future multihyphenate just wanted to be able to pay his rent with his earnings as an actor.
It took about 18 months, but he got there. And it wasn’t because he lucked into a cushy network series gig.
“It was scrappy work,” Strong recalls. “It was this commercial, that guest star role, this small part in a movie, that big part in a small movie. It was radio commercials, all of the above. And auditioning for endless animation jobs that I never booked.”Over time, Strong realized that while guest shots on “Seinfeld,”“3rd Rock From the Sun” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” which later blossomed into a recurring role, allowed him to pay his bills, his career overall was not advancing.The frustration and “mild depression...
It took about 18 months, but he got there. And it wasn’t because he lucked into a cushy network series gig.
“It was scrappy work,” Strong recalls. “It was this commercial, that guest star role, this small part in a movie, that big part in a small movie. It was radio commercials, all of the above. And auditioning for endless animation jobs that I never booked.”Over time, Strong realized that while guest shots on “Seinfeld,”“3rd Rock From the Sun” and “Buffy the Vampire Slayer,” which later blossomed into a recurring role, allowed him to pay his bills, his career overall was not advancing.The frustration and “mild depression...
- 6/17/2022
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
In this country, drug trafficking, especially on screen, is almost always synonymous with cocaine, with an emphasis placed on either tough urban areas and violence or rich playboys and playgirls with a penchant for overdosing. The truth, however, is that the impact of the trafficking of cocaine, either in powder or crack form, pales in comparison to the widespread distribution of prescription drugs — otherwise known as the Opioid Crisis.
Hollywood has recently begun to turn its cameras to this drug epidemic, which is actually the worst in the nation’s history, to explore how pharmaceutical companies and other players chose profits over people by liberally spreading addictive pills throughout the country. “American Pain,” a new documentary from “Science Fair” director Darren Foster, is among the latest. Relying on hours of wiretap recordings, along with interviews with many of those who participated in the crime as well as the law enforcement...
Hollywood has recently begun to turn its cameras to this drug epidemic, which is actually the worst in the nation’s history, to explore how pharmaceutical companies and other players chose profits over people by liberally spreading addictive pills throughout the country. “American Pain,” a new documentary from “Science Fair” director Darren Foster, is among the latest. Relying on hours of wiretap recordings, along with interviews with many of those who participated in the crime as well as the law enforcement...
- 6/12/2022
- by Ronda Racha Penrice
- The Wrap
Kaitlyn Dever was aware that there’s currently an opioid crisis in the country, but getting to act in “Dopesick” exposed her to the horrific nature of what went into creating it. “I wasn’t really aware of the injustice behind it all. I wasn’t aware of Purdue Pharma’s relentless pursuit in their tactics behind selling a drug that was clearly addictive as non-addictive,” she tells Gold Derby during our recent webchat (watch the exclusive video interview above). The visceral emotions she had to reading the script made her know she needed to be a part of this project. “I was angry, I was blown away, I was shocked and it was just an infuriating read.”
“Dopesick,” which streams on Hulu, is based on Beth Macy’s book and was developed for television by Emmy winner Danny Strong. The series details how Purdue Pharma developed OxyContin, marketed it...
“Dopesick,” which streams on Hulu, is based on Beth Macy’s book and was developed for television by Emmy winner Danny Strong. The series details how Purdue Pharma developed OxyContin, marketed it...
- 6/7/2022
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
“Moon Knight” has taken off with critics and superhero fans around the globe, raking in enormous numbers for Disney+ and Marvel Studios. As a result, the two studios are gearing up for a hardy Emmys campaign with the show in the limited series categories, especially following the success of “WandaVision,” which co-led the tally for all series with 23 nominations (winning three) last year. However, a tweet shared from Marvel Studios’ official Twitter account could throw a potential wrench in their campaign.
Created by Jeremy Slater, the entire promotional tour for “Moon Knight” had the two major studios referring to the show as a “limited series,” with the presumption this would be a standalone television outing for the Marvel Comics character. However, on Monday, Marvel’s official Twitter page shared the trailer for today’s final episode, referring to it as “the epic series finale,” but the tweet was taken down...
Created by Jeremy Slater, the entire promotional tour for “Moon Knight” had the two major studios referring to the show as a “limited series,” with the presumption this would be a standalone television outing for the Marvel Comics character. However, on Monday, Marvel’s official Twitter page shared the trailer for today’s final episode, referring to it as “the epic series finale,” but the tweet was taken down...
- 5/4/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
After getting snubbed for her work on Netflix’s “Unbelievable” in 2020, Kaitlyn Dever has another chance at striking Emmy gold thanks to her performance on another limited series, Hulu’s “Dopesick” — one for which she absolutely deserves to be recognized by the television academy.
Based on Beth Macy‘s acclaimed nonfiction book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company That Addicted America,” the eight-part series takes a look at the deadly opioid epidemic that has crippled America since the 1990s. It paints an empathetic portrait of the men and women most affected by it while documenting the crimes of the Sackler family’s company Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin. Dever plays Betsy Mallum, a teenage coal miner living in rural Virginia who is prescribed OxyContin by her doctor (Michael Keaton) after hurting her back during a mining accident.
Like as rape survivor Marie Adler on “Unbelievable,...
Based on Beth Macy‘s acclaimed nonfiction book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company That Addicted America,” the eight-part series takes a look at the deadly opioid epidemic that has crippled America since the 1990s. It paints an empathetic portrait of the men and women most affected by it while documenting the crimes of the Sackler family’s company Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin. Dever plays Betsy Mallum, a teenage coal miner living in rural Virginia who is prescribed OxyContin by her doctor (Michael Keaton) after hurting her back during a mining accident.
Like as rape survivor Marie Adler on “Unbelievable,...
- 4/10/2022
- by Luca Giliberti
- Gold Derby
Danny Strong still remembers the anger he felt while researching the opioid crisis that would lead to the creation of Dopesick. Before writing the Hulu limited series that would Michael Keaton and Kaitlyn Dever, Strong was shocked to learn how the Sackler family, the founders and owners of Purdue Pharma, caused “so much destruction to so many people and got away with it.”
“It was so outrageous and their crimes so staggering, it enraged me,” said Strong at Deadline’s Contenders TV event at the Paramount Theatre. The eight-episode series that’s streaming on Hulu takes a deep dive into the Sackler’s company that triggered the massive drug epidemic.
“Ultimately, I just wanted to put the Sackler family on trial because they hadn’t been put on trial,” said Strong, who wrote and executive produced the limited series that’s inspired by the New York Times bestselling book of...
“It was so outrageous and their crimes so staggering, it enraged me,” said Strong at Deadline’s Contenders TV event at the Paramount Theatre. The eight-episode series that’s streaming on Hulu takes a deep dive into the Sackler’s company that triggered the massive drug epidemic.
“Ultimately, I just wanted to put the Sackler family on trial because they hadn’t been put on trial,” said Strong, who wrote and executive produced the limited series that’s inspired by the New York Times bestselling book of...
- 4/10/2022
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
For Michael Keaton, accepting the SAG Award for his performance in Hulu’s Dopesick started off with slapstick comedy as the actor left presenter Salma Hayek stranded for a minute or so before sprinting to the stage and rolling onto it. He kicked off his speech by apologizing for his tardiness due to a “quick trip to the men’s room”.
After a couple of more quips, Keaton’s tone turned serious as he moved beyond the “self-serving and narcissistic” nature of awards shows.
“There is a massive inequity in the world,” he repeated multiple times, noting how fortunate he is to be able to make a good living as an actor and be “part of a production like Dopesick that can spawn thought, conversation, actual change” .
“I can feel right now the rolling thunder of eye-rolling coming across, people saying to me things like ‘Shut up and dribble’, ‘Shut up and act’,” he said,...
After a couple of more quips, Keaton’s tone turned serious as he moved beyond the “self-serving and narcissistic” nature of awards shows.
“There is a massive inequity in the world,” he repeated multiple times, noting how fortunate he is to be able to make a good living as an actor and be “part of a production like Dopesick that can spawn thought, conversation, actual change” .
“I can feel right now the rolling thunder of eye-rolling coming across, people saying to me things like ‘Shut up and dribble’, ‘Shut up and act’,” he said,...
- 2/28/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
In an online ceremony, the USC libraries announced the winners of their 2022 USC Scripter Awards, an honor that rewards not only the screenwriter, but the author of the original adapted work. On the film side, Maggie Gyllenhaal and Elena Ferrante won for “The Lost Daughter.” The television award went to Danny Strong and Beth Macy for “Dopesick,” based on the latter’s nonfiction book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America.”
Read More: Oscars 2022: “The Power of the Dog” leads with 12 nominations [Full List]
The Scripter Award winners are selected by a group of industry professionals and have rarely lined up with their equivalent Oscar or Emmy categories.
Continue reading ‘The Lost Daughter’ & ‘Dopesick’ Take 2022 USC Scripter Awards at The Playlist.
Read More: Oscars 2022: “The Power of the Dog” leads with 12 nominations [Full List]
The Scripter Award winners are selected by a group of industry professionals and have rarely lined up with their equivalent Oscar or Emmy categories.
Continue reading ‘The Lost Daughter’ & ‘Dopesick’ Take 2022 USC Scripter Awards at The Playlist.
- 2/27/2022
- by Gregory Ellwood
- The Playlist
The USC Libraries revealed the winners for the 34th annual USC Libraries Scripter Award on Saturday as a virtual event, which honors the year’s best film and television adaptations (along with the works on which they are based). This group of academics, industry professionals, and critics is often predictive of the Adapted Screenplay Oscar race. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix) won the film award, while the television prize went to author Beth Macy and screenwriter Danny Strong for the Hulu series “Dopesick.”
Of the five finalist writers for film adaptation, three are also Oscar nominees. Rebecca Hall (Nella Larsen’s “Passing”) and Joel Coen (William Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth”) did not make that cut. “The Lost Daughter,” therefore, advances in the Oscar race ahead of “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures and Ace) screenwriters Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts, and Denis Villeneuve,...
Of the five finalist writers for film adaptation, three are also Oscar nominees. Rebecca Hall (Nella Larsen’s “Passing”) and Joel Coen (William Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth”) did not make that cut. “The Lost Daughter,” therefore, advances in the Oscar race ahead of “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures and Ace) screenwriters Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts, and Denis Villeneuve,...
- 2/27/2022
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The USC Libraries revealed the winners for the 34th annual USC Libraries Scripter Award on Saturday as a virtual event, which honors the year’s best film and television adaptations (along with the works on which they are based). This group of academics, industry professionals, and critics is often predictive of the Adapted Screenplay Oscar race. Maggie Gyllenhaal’s adaptation of Elena Ferrante’s “The Lost Daughter” (Netflix) won the film award, while the television prize went to author Beth Macy and screenwriter Danny Strong for the Hulu series “Dopesick.”
Of the five finalist writers for film adaptation, three are also Oscar nominees. Rebecca Hall (Nella Larsen’s “Passing”) and Joel Coen (William Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth”) did not make that cut. “The Lost Daughter,” therefore, advances in the Oscar race ahead of “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures and Ace) screenwriters Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts, and Denis Villeneuve,...
Of the five finalist writers for film adaptation, three are also Oscar nominees. Rebecca Hall (Nella Larsen’s “Passing”) and Joel Coen (William Shakespeare’s “The Tragedy of Macbeth”) did not make that cut. “The Lost Daughter,” therefore, advances in the Oscar race ahead of “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures and Ace) screenwriters Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts, and Denis Villeneuve,...
- 2/27/2022
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The top prizes at the 2022 USC Scripter Awards went to screenwriter Maggie Gyllenhaal and novelist Elena Ferrante for Netflix’s “The Lost Daughter” and scripter Danny Strong and author Beth Macy for Netflix’s “Dopesick” during Saturday’s virtual ceremony.
As in past years, the awards go to both the scriptwriters and the writers of the original source material.
“The Lost Daughter” is based on Ferrante’s 2006 novel. Gyllenhaal happily toasted the win with a glass of champagne, noting that this award “means so much to me particularly because it is chosen and voted for by writers.” The director and writer of the Oscar-nominated film described Ferrante as her “north star” for the project, adding that the author has been “a truly wise and generous guide.”
The “Dopesick” duo won for the episode “The People vs. Purdue Pharma.” Macy gave thanks to all families who helped her as well as...
As in past years, the awards go to both the scriptwriters and the writers of the original source material.
“The Lost Daughter” is based on Ferrante’s 2006 novel. Gyllenhaal happily toasted the win with a glass of champagne, noting that this award “means so much to me particularly because it is chosen and voted for by writers.” The director and writer of the Oscar-nominated film described Ferrante as her “north star” for the project, adding that the author has been “a truly wise and generous guide.”
The “Dopesick” duo won for the episode “The People vs. Purdue Pharma.” Macy gave thanks to all families who helped her as well as...
- 2/27/2022
- by Sharareh Drury
- Variety Film + TV
The Netflix drama “The Lost Daughter” has won the 34th annual USC Libraries Scripter Award as the best screen adaptation of 2021, with the award going to writer-director Maggie Gyllenhaal and to an Italian author who writes under the pseudonym Elena Ferrante.
The Scripter Award goes to both the writer of the screenplay and the author of the work on which it is based, so Gyllenhaal shares the honor with the prolific author who published the novel in 2006 and whose refusal to reveal her true identity has sparked a number of investigations into who she (?) might actually be. Ferrante did send Gyllenhaal a thank-you statement to read at the ceremony.
Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” an adaptation of a 1967 novel by Thomas Savage, was considered the Scripter favorite. The win by “The Lost Daughter” was a rare case of Campion’s film faltering in the awards race, where...
The Scripter Award goes to both the writer of the screenplay and the author of the work on which it is based, so Gyllenhaal shares the honor with the prolific author who published the novel in 2006 and whose refusal to reveal her true identity has sparked a number of investigations into who she (?) might actually be. Ferrante did send Gyllenhaal a thank-you statement to read at the ceremony.
Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog,” an adaptation of a 1967 novel by Thomas Savage, was considered the Scripter favorite. The win by “The Lost Daughter” was a rare case of Campion’s film faltering in the awards race, where...
- 2/27/2022
- by Steve Pond
- The Wrap
“It’s almost a statement for the show in a way, that this was the plan,” newly-minted DGA nominee Barry Levinson declares about how the pilot episode of “Dopesick.” It opens on a raspy-voiced Richard Sackler (Michael Stuhlbarg) nefariously setting the scene for the destruction his company Purdue Pharma will eventually wreak across America.
We talked with the Oscar winner (“Rain Man”) as part of Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a roundtable event with 2022 Directors Guild Awards nominees. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See Gold Derby interviews with 2022 Oscar contenders
It sounds initially altruistic when Sackler calmly addresses his co-conspirators with the simple proposition that “the time has come to redefine the nature of pain,” demanding that they address the “epidemic of suffering.” But the audience is immediately aware of what and who he is, as Levinson frames the entire opening scene on his face, slowly...
We talked with the Oscar winner (“Rain Man”) as part of Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a roundtable event with 2022 Directors Guild Awards nominees. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See Gold Derby interviews with 2022 Oscar contenders
It sounds initially altruistic when Sackler calmly addresses his co-conspirators with the simple proposition that “the time has come to redefine the nature of pain,” demanding that they address the “epidemic of suffering.” But the audience is immediately aware of what and who he is, as Levinson frames the entire opening scene on his face, slowly...
- 2/24/2022
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
“I was so blown away that I actually screamed,” Danny Strong admits about the morning he found out he had been nominated for a DGA award. We talked with Strong as part of Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a roundtable event with 2022 Directors Guild Awards nominees. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See Gold Derby interviews with 2022 Oscar contenders
“I screamed like I was 14 years old, you know, like at a Hanson concert,” he laughs. “I was so happy and completely shocked. I was really hoping Barry Levinson would get nominated. I thought if we had a shot at a nomination, it would be Barry. And then I saw Barry was nominated and I was like, oh, we did it. And then my name was a few after and I was just blown away,” he says, admitting that he is “humbled and just like kind of floored by the whole thing,...
See Gold Derby interviews with 2022 Oscar contenders
“I screamed like I was 14 years old, you know, like at a Hanson concert,” he laughs. “I was so happy and completely shocked. I was really hoping Barry Levinson would get nominated. I thought if we had a shot at a nomination, it would be Barry. And then I saw Barry was nominated and I was like, oh, we did it. And then my name was a few after and I was just blown away,” he says, admitting that he is “humbled and just like kind of floored by the whole thing,...
- 2/24/2022
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
Michael Keaton might own the record for most film ensemble wins at the Screen Actors Guild Awards with three, but the once and future Batman is still looking for his first individual win across both film and television. It could come this year, though, as he’s been nominated for Best TV Movie/Limited Series Actor for his excellent turn as Dr. Samuel Finnix, a doctor in a Virginia mining town, in Hulu’s heartbreaking limited series “Dopesick.” The show, which was inspired by Beth Macy’s nonfiction book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company That Addicted America,” tells the harrowing story of the opioid epidemic that crippled America, offering a raw but empathetic look at the men and women most affected by the crisis.
This is Keaton’s third individual nomination and second for TV. He was previously nominated in 2008 for his performance in the TNT miniseries “The Company.
This is Keaton’s third individual nomination and second for TV. He was previously nominated in 2008 for his performance in the TNT miniseries “The Company.
- 2/24/2022
- by Kaitlin Thomas
- Gold Derby
As the pandemic has acutely pointed out, America runs on the working class: grocery store clerks, sanitation workers, and delivery drivers who are doing the grunt work of keeping this country afloat as they fight for a reasonable minimum wage while barely being able to afford their own housing. Many of them are women; working-class sheroes who are stringing together paychecks and odd jobs to take care of themselves and, oftentimes, children and other relatives.
These are worlds that the glitz and glamour of Hollywood often ignore but that are taking prominent places in this award season’s crop of prestige television. SAG-nominated performances include those from programming such as Hulu’s “Dopesick,” the miniseries that gives faces to people impacted by the opioid crisis, and HBO’s “Mare of Easttown,” a story of an exhausted and beat-down small-town cop surrounded by her equally exhausted and beat-down friends and family,...
These are worlds that the glitz and glamour of Hollywood often ignore but that are taking prominent places in this award season’s crop of prestige television. SAG-nominated performances include those from programming such as Hulu’s “Dopesick,” the miniseries that gives faces to people impacted by the opioid crisis, and HBO’s “Mare of Easttown,” a story of an exhausted and beat-down small-town cop surrounded by her equally exhausted and beat-down friends and family,...
- 1/21/2022
- by Whitney Friedlander
- Variety Film + TV
USC Scripter Awards Film And TV Nominations Set; Barry Jenkins To Receive Literary Achievement Award
Nominations were revealed Wednesday for the 34th annual USC Libraries Scripter Award, which honors the year’s best film and episodic TV adaptations along with he works on which they are based. Winners will be unveiled at a planned in-person ceremony February 26 at USC’s Edward L. Doheny Jr. Memorial Library.
On the film side, nominees today included scripts and their source material from the Netflix trio of The Lost Daughter, The Power of the Dog and Passing, along with Apple/A24’s The Tragedy of Macbeth and Warner Bros’ Dune. In TV, the noms hail from episodes of Hulu’s Dopesick, Netflix’s Maid, HBO Max’s Station Eleven, Disney+’s WandaVision and Amazon Prime Video’s The Underground Railroad.
The latter was adapted by Barry Jenkins based on Colson Whitehead’s novel. Jenkins, who won the Scripter in 2017 for his eventual Oscar Best Picture winner Moonlight, will receive...
On the film side, nominees today included scripts and their source material from the Netflix trio of The Lost Daughter, The Power of the Dog and Passing, along with Apple/A24’s The Tragedy of Macbeth and Warner Bros’ Dune. In TV, the noms hail from episodes of Hulu’s Dopesick, Netflix’s Maid, HBO Max’s Station Eleven, Disney+’s WandaVision and Amazon Prime Video’s The Underground Railroad.
The latter was adapted by Barry Jenkins based on Colson Whitehead’s novel. Jenkins, who won the Scripter in 2017 for his eventual Oscar Best Picture winner Moonlight, will receive...
- 1/19/2022
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The USC Libraries has revealed the finalists for the 34th annual USC Libraries Scripter Award, which honors the year’s best film and television adaptations, as well as the works on which they are based. This group of academics, industry professionals, and critics (for which I vote) is often predictive of the Adapted Screenplay Oscar race.
Last year’s Scripter film winners were “Nomadland” screenwriter Chloé Zhao and author Jessica Bruder (non-Scripter nominee “The Father” took home the Oscar); past winners include “Call Me By Your Name,” “Moonlight,” “The Big Short,” and “The Imitation Game,” which all won Oscars. In fact, before 2019, eight Scripter Award winners went on to win Oscars.
The finalist writers for film adaptation are, in alphabetical order by film title:
Screenwriters Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts, and Denis Villeneuve for “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures and Ace), based on the novel by Frank Herbert
Maggie Gyllenhaal...
Last year’s Scripter film winners were “Nomadland” screenwriter Chloé Zhao and author Jessica Bruder (non-Scripter nominee “The Father” took home the Oscar); past winners include “Call Me By Your Name,” “Moonlight,” “The Big Short,” and “The Imitation Game,” which all won Oscars. In fact, before 2019, eight Scripter Award winners went on to win Oscars.
The finalist writers for film adaptation are, in alphabetical order by film title:
Screenwriters Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts, and Denis Villeneuve for “Dune” (Warner Bros. Pictures/Legendary Pictures and Ace), based on the novel by Frank Herbert
Maggie Gyllenhaal...
- 1/19/2022
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The USC Scripter Awards has announced its nominees for its 34th annual ceremony, recognizing the best film and television adaptations. Netflix dominated the film category with three films making the cut, all from women screenwriters who also directed their movies: “The Lost Daughter” from Maggie Gyllenhaal, “The Power of the Dog” from Jane Campion and “Passing” from Rebecca Hall. This is the first nomination for all three acclaimed filmmakers.
Joel Coen, a two-time nominee for “No Country for Old Men” (2007), for which he won with his brother Ethan, and “True Grit” (2010), was recognized for adapting his black-and-white interpretation of “The Tragedy of Macbeth” for Apple Original Films and A24. This is a huge pick-up for the movie, as no film adaptation of the cursed play has been recognized in the screenplay category at the Oscars.
Another significant boost was given to “Dune” and its three scribes, Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve.
Joel Coen, a two-time nominee for “No Country for Old Men” (2007), for which he won with his brother Ethan, and “True Grit” (2010), was recognized for adapting his black-and-white interpretation of “The Tragedy of Macbeth” for Apple Original Films and A24. This is a huge pick-up for the movie, as no film adaptation of the cursed play has been recognized in the screenplay category at the Oscars.
Another significant boost was given to “Dune” and its three scribes, Eric Roth, Jon Spaihts and Denis Villeneuve.
- 1/19/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Last year, the Critics Choice Awards honored “The Queen’s Gambit” with major victories for Best Limited Series and Best Limited Actress (Anya Taylor-Joy). It later won a whopping 11 trophies at the Emmy Awards, though Taylor-Joy was bested by Kate Winslet (“Mare of Easttown”) in the actress race. Now that Netflix’s chess-themed miniseries is ineligible, what will take its place in the winner’s circle at the 2022 Critics Choice Awards? It’s time for some fresh blood.
The eight nominees for Best Limited Series are “Mare of Easttown” (HBO), “Maid” (Netflix), “WandaVision” (Disney+), “Dopesick” (Hulu), “The Underground Railroad” (Amazon), “Midnight Mass” (Netflix), “It’s a Sin” (HBO Max) and “Dr. Death” (Peacock).
See Critics Choice Awards: Complete list of film and TV nominations
According to Gold Derby’s Critics Choice Awards predictions, the program to beat is “Mare of Easttown.” It stars Winslet as police detective Mare Sheehan, whose small suburb...
The eight nominees for Best Limited Series are “Mare of Easttown” (HBO), “Maid” (Netflix), “WandaVision” (Disney+), “Dopesick” (Hulu), “The Underground Railroad” (Amazon), “Midnight Mass” (Netflix), “It’s a Sin” (HBO Max) and “Dr. Death” (Peacock).
See Critics Choice Awards: Complete list of film and TV nominations
According to Gold Derby’s Critics Choice Awards predictions, the program to beat is “Mare of Easttown.” It stars Winslet as police detective Mare Sheehan, whose small suburb...
- 1/4/2022
- by Marcus James Dixon
- Gold Derby
Michael Keaton thought he knew the basics of the vast opioid crisis crippling this country — until he signed on to star in the Hulu limited series “Dopesick.” In hindsite, he says, “I didn’t know how it really worked, what really happened or how it was formed. I’m really fortunate I have a job where you have to learn something. I knew about the Sacklers [the family behind OxyContin manufacturer Perdue Pharma]. But I didn’t even know probably an eighth of it.”
Now he does. For “Dopesick,” creator Danny Strong adapted Beth Macy’s 2018 nonfiction book of the same name to create the limited series, which stars Keaton and Kaitlyn Dever. A chronicle of the introduction and marketing of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin, “Dopesick” toggles between timelines to show the rise of Richard Sackler within Purdue Pharma, and the attempt by justice officials to curtail the company’s deceptive marketing practices as the drug infiltrates an Appalachian coal-mining community.
Now he does. For “Dopesick,” creator Danny Strong adapted Beth Macy’s 2018 nonfiction book of the same name to create the limited series, which stars Keaton and Kaitlyn Dever. A chronicle of the introduction and marketing of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin, “Dopesick” toggles between timelines to show the rise of Richard Sackler within Purdue Pharma, and the attempt by justice officials to curtail the company’s deceptive marketing practices as the drug infiltrates an Appalachian coal-mining community.
- 12/22/2021
- by Michael Schneider
- Variety Film + TV
Watch out for Michael Keaton (‘Dopesick’) at the SAG Awards: He’s long overdue for an individual win
Michael Keaton is known for many things. Not only has he played a superhero, a supervillain and a devious poltergeist during his career, but he’s also the only person in history to win three film ensemble Screen Actors Guild Awards. Now he’s looking to add to his haul by potentially taking home his first individual SAG Award for his dramatic turn on Hulu’s “Dopesick.”
The limited series, which was inspired by Beth Macy’s nonfiction book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company That Addicted America,” was written by Danny Strong. It tells the harrowing story of the opioid epidemic that has crippled America, painting an empathetic portrait of the men and women most affected by it while documenting the crimes of Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin. Keaton portrays Dr. Samuel Finnix, a small-town doctor in a Virginia mining town who both prescribes the drugs to...
The limited series, which was inspired by Beth Macy’s nonfiction book “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company That Addicted America,” was written by Danny Strong. It tells the harrowing story of the opioid epidemic that has crippled America, painting an empathetic portrait of the men and women most affected by it while documenting the crimes of Purdue Pharma, the manufacturer of OxyContin. Keaton portrays Dr. Samuel Finnix, a small-town doctor in a Virginia mining town who both prescribes the drugs to...
- 12/13/2021
- by Kaitlin Thomas
- Gold Derby
Michael Keaton got the opportunity to show his dramatic chops in 1988’s “Clean and Sober,” in which he gave a blistering, award-winning performance as a successful real estate agent who goes down the deep dark rabbit hole of cocaine addiction And now 33 years later, he has returned to the harrowing world of addiction in Hulu’s new limited series “Dopesick.”
Based on the acclaimed non-fiction book, “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company That Addicted America” by Beth Macy, the series looks at the deadly opioid crisis that has killed over 800,000 people since the 1990s when the Sackler family’s company Purdue Pharma introduced the highly addictive painkiller Oxycontin, which was advertised as far less habit-forming than other medications. However, Purdue Pharma had their salespeople and reps wine and dine doctors to prescribe the medication in higher doses and to keep them on the painkiller longer than needed.
Keaton plays Dr.
Based on the acclaimed non-fiction book, “Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company That Addicted America” by Beth Macy, the series looks at the deadly opioid crisis that has killed over 800,000 people since the 1990s when the Sackler family’s company Purdue Pharma introduced the highly addictive painkiller Oxycontin, which was advertised as far less habit-forming than other medications. However, Purdue Pharma had their salespeople and reps wine and dine doctors to prescribe the medication in higher doses and to keep them on the painkiller longer than needed.
Keaton plays Dr.
- 11/21/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
It seemed the hottest ticket in Los Angeles on Monday night was Hulu’s FYC event for “Dopesick,” where a capacity crowd at Neuehouse Hollywood was treated to an early screening of the limited series’ finale before it debuts on Hulu at midnight November 17.
Created, co-written, and co-directed by Emmy-winner Danny Strong and adapted from Beth Macy’s book “Dopesick: Doctors, Dealers, and the Drug Company that Addicted America,” the series offers an in-depth look at America’s ongoing opioid crisis. Melding several timelines together and including both fictional and composite characters, the show aims to deliver as comprehensive a look at the pharmacological addiction epidemic as possible, from the ravages waged on rural communities by OxyContin, to the Virginia prosecutors building a case against Purdue Pharma, and the machinations happening behind the scenes at the pharmaceutical company aiming to make as much money as possible by obfuscating the dangers...
Created, co-written, and co-directed by Emmy-winner Danny Strong and adapted from Beth Macy’s book “Dopesick: Doctors, Dealers, and the Drug Company that Addicted America,” the series offers an in-depth look at America’s ongoing opioid crisis. Melding several timelines together and including both fictional and composite characters, the show aims to deliver as comprehensive a look at the pharmacological addiction epidemic as possible, from the ravages waged on rural communities by OxyContin, to the Virginia prosecutors building a case against Purdue Pharma, and the machinations happening behind the scenes at the pharmaceutical company aiming to make as much money as possible by obfuscating the dangers...
- 11/16/2021
- by Libby Hill
- Indiewire
To celebrate the UK release of Dopesick, the new drama mini-series coming to Star on Disney+, we sat down with some of the stars and creator to find out all about the acclaimed new show.
Directed by Academy Award-winning Barry Levinson (Rain Man), this eight-part limited series is inspired by the New York Times bestselling book by Beth Macy – Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America – offering a harrowing and unique examination into the opioid crisis.
Chatting to stars Will Poulter (Billy Cutler) and Kaitlyn Dever (Betsy Mallum), both spoke about their attraction to the project, how it became a learning experience for them about the crisis, portraying an amalgamation of different people who suffered during the crisis and why now is the perfect time to open up more debates across the world.
In addition, creator Danny Strong echoes his stars’ calls for more debates over the crisis,...
Directed by Academy Award-winning Barry Levinson (Rain Man), this eight-part limited series is inspired by the New York Times bestselling book by Beth Macy – Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America – offering a harrowing and unique examination into the opioid crisis.
Chatting to stars Will Poulter (Billy Cutler) and Kaitlyn Dever (Betsy Mallum), both spoke about their attraction to the project, how it became a learning experience for them about the crisis, portraying an amalgamation of different people who suffered during the crisis and why now is the perfect time to open up more debates across the world.
In addition, creator Danny Strong echoes his stars’ calls for more debates over the crisis,...
- 11/9/2021
- by Scott Davis
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
The opioid crisis has ravaged many American communities, and small-town America, for sure, never saw it coming.
John Hoogenakker is playing Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Ramseyer on Hulu's series, Dopesick, based on the book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy.
Randy was instrumental in bringing the crisis to light and is one of the most sympathetic characters on the show. We had a chance to chat with John about being a part of such an essential piece of work.
John called from Western North Carolina, where he has moved his family and enjoys spending time with his kids while they're still of an age to find hanging with dad to be a cool pastime.
That also places him in an area that is still greatly affected by the opioid crisis, so it's no wonder that Beth's book so moves John.
"I...
John Hoogenakker is playing Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Ramseyer on Hulu's series, Dopesick, based on the book Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors and the Drug Company that Addicted America by Beth Macy.
Randy was instrumental in bringing the crisis to light and is one of the most sympathetic characters on the show. We had a chance to chat with John about being a part of such an essential piece of work.
John called from Western North Carolina, where he has moved his family and enjoys spending time with his kids while they're still of an age to find hanging with dad to be a cool pastime.
That also places him in an area that is still greatly affected by the opioid crisis, so it's no wonder that Beth's book so moves John.
"I...
- 11/3/2021
- by Carissa Pavlica
- TVfanatic
Peter Sarsgaard has played real people in the past. The list includes journalist Chuck Lane in 2003’s Shattered Glass and Robert Kennedy in 2016’s Jackie. Despite this, Sarsgaard is always aware of the awkwardness of portraying non-fiction characters.
The actor is once again eschewing his comfort zone in Hulu’s limited series Dopesick, in which he plays former Ausa Rick Mountcastle. Just as the real Mountcastle did, his character spends years building a case against Purdue Pharma, the makers of OxyContin, alongside his fellow Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Ramseyer (Castle Rock‘s John Hoogenakker).
More from TVLineDopesick Recap: Bridget Eviscerates Sackler,...
The actor is once again eschewing his comfort zone in Hulu’s limited series Dopesick, in which he plays former Ausa Rick Mountcastle. Just as the real Mountcastle did, his character spends years building a case against Purdue Pharma, the makers of OxyContin, alongside his fellow Assistant U.S. Attorney Randy Ramseyer (Castle Rock‘s John Hoogenakker).
More from TVLineDopesick Recap: Bridget Eviscerates Sackler,...
- 11/2/2021
- by Mekeisha Madden Toby
- TVLine.com
Countless American lives have been touched by opioid addiction or lost to it. And this crisis, more and more, is getting covered by TV. High-profile projects in which opioids play a part include HBO’s “Mare of Easttown,” with Kate Winslet’s title character in slow-motion grief over the loss of her son to drugs, and Showtime’s “American Rust,” featuring Jeff Daniels as a cop in a town governed by its need for pills — who is himself addicted. But Hulu’s “Dopesick,” currently streaming, targets the source of the problem, depicting corporate malfeasance and ineffective government oversight while displaying empathy for those struggling with addiction.
The limited series, starring Michael Keaton and Kaitlyn Dever, has its roots in a real-life crime story — the introduction and marketing of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin. But in order to convey the ravages of the drug, it borrows a sense of dread from fiction.
The limited series, starring Michael Keaton and Kaitlyn Dever, has its roots in a real-life crime story — the introduction and marketing of the highly addictive painkiller OxyContin. But in order to convey the ravages of the drug, it borrows a sense of dread from fiction.
- 10/20/2021
- by Daniel D'Addario
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Sylvie Rabineau and Jill Holwager Gillett sold their boutique Rabineau Wachter Sanford & Gillett Literary Agency to WME five years ago.
At that time, the pair, who are now co-heads of WME’s literary packaging division, were behind films such as The Girl on the Train and series including HBO’s The Leftovers.
In the intervening five years, the duo have racked up hundreds more deals, helped by Hollywood’s growing reliance on books as IP, such as Hulu’s recent opioid drama Dopesick, which is based on Beth Macy’s eponymous book; Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal, based on Sarah Vaughan’s book; Amazon’s series adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s rock ‘n’ roll novel Daisy Jones and the Six; as well as Hulu’s raunchy Pam and Tommy, based on Amanda Chicago Lewis’ Rolling Stone article.
The pair represent a litany of A-list authors including Curtis Sittenfeld,...
At that time, the pair, who are now co-heads of WME’s literary packaging division, were behind films such as The Girl on the Train and series including HBO’s The Leftovers.
In the intervening five years, the duo have racked up hundreds more deals, helped by Hollywood’s growing reliance on books as IP, such as Hulu’s recent opioid drama Dopesick, which is based on Beth Macy’s eponymous book; Netflix’s Anatomy of a Scandal, based on Sarah Vaughan’s book; Amazon’s series adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s rock ‘n’ roll novel Daisy Jones and the Six; as well as Hulu’s raunchy Pam and Tommy, based on Amanda Chicago Lewis’ Rolling Stone article.
The pair represent a litany of A-list authors including Curtis Sittenfeld,...
- 10/20/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
There are many moving pieces in Hulu’s new limited series Dopesick. What makes it a compelling watch is the way the drama focuses on the residents of a small and fictional Appalachian town ravaged by opioid addiction.
Key among them are Dr. Samuel Finnix (Michael Keaton) and his patient Betsy Mallum (Kaitlyn Dever), whom viewers got to know in Wednesday’s premiere. Finnix is a trusted figure in his community, but the well-intentioned widower is also overwhelmed by all of the pain and injuries the myriad of local coal miners need him to treat. By the first installment’s end,...
Key among them are Dr. Samuel Finnix (Michael Keaton) and his patient Betsy Mallum (Kaitlyn Dever), whom viewers got to know in Wednesday’s premiere. Finnix is a trusted figure in his community, but the well-intentioned widower is also overwhelmed by all of the pain and injuries the myriad of local coal miners need him to treat. By the first installment’s end,...
- 10/13/2021
- by Mekeisha Madden Toby
- TVLine.com
Dopesick may be airing in October, but it’s not a Halloween series. That doesn’t mean it’s not scary, though — and the scariest thing about it is that it’s based in truth. The miniseries was based on journalist Beth Macy’s 2018 non-fiction book about America’s trouble with opioid addiction, and though the show’s been dramatized, […]
The post ‘Dopesick’ Team Found The Series’s Subject Matter Serious … And Seriously Engrossing appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
The post ‘Dopesick’ Team Found The Series’s Subject Matter Serious … And Seriously Engrossing appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 10/13/2021
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Michael Keaton is taking on a more formidable foe than the Joker in the 1989 film “Batman.”
Hulu’s “Dopesick” is an eight-episode limited series that depicts the rise and fall of the opioid epidemic, which has raved millions of Americans since a group of powerful painkillers became widely prescribed starting in the 1990s. The series from 20th Television and the Littlefield Co., is headlined by Keaton, who said he believes the series will enlighten viewers on the deadly epidemic.
“I think people are hipper and smarter about it now, but I think they’re gonna get even wiser,” Keaton told Variety on Monday at the “Dopesick” red carpet premiere held at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. “I definitely think it will enlighten some folks.”
Keaton plays Samuel Finnix, an old-school doctor from a small mining town in Virginia who begins prescribing his patients OxyContin to relieve pain.
“He...
Hulu’s “Dopesick” is an eight-episode limited series that depicts the rise and fall of the opioid epidemic, which has raved millions of Americans since a group of powerful painkillers became widely prescribed starting in the 1990s. The series from 20th Television and the Littlefield Co., is headlined by Keaton, who said he believes the series will enlighten viewers on the deadly epidemic.
“I think people are hipper and smarter about it now, but I think they’re gonna get even wiser,” Keaton told Variety on Monday at the “Dopesick” red carpet premiere held at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. “I definitely think it will enlighten some folks.”
Keaton plays Samuel Finnix, an old-school doctor from a small mining town in Virginia who begins prescribing his patients OxyContin to relieve pain.
“He...
- 10/5/2021
- by Antonio Ferme
- Variety Film + TV
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