Kinology has boarded international sales to “The Big War,” an epic €30-million live action-cgi characters hybrid movie which will mark the directorial comeback of “La Haine” filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz.
The ambitious feature is adapted from “La Bête Est Morte,” an iconic two-part graphic novel illustrated by Edmond Calvo during War World 2 in Nazi-Occupied France and published after the country was liberated.
Pitched as a “”Paddington” meets ‘Saving Private Ryan,'” “The Big War” is a true passion project for Kassovitz who bought rights to “La Bête est Morte” nearly two decades ago and has now joined forces with well-respected animation producer Aton Soumache, whose credits range from literary adaptations such as the Cesar-winning “The Little Prince” to the global smash-hit “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, the Movie.”
Kassovitz and Soumache have assembled a dream team for “The Big War,” including Caroline Thompson, the award-winning screenwriter of “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare before Christmas,...
The ambitious feature is adapted from “La Bête Est Morte,” an iconic two-part graphic novel illustrated by Edmond Calvo during War World 2 in Nazi-Occupied France and published after the country was liberated.
Pitched as a “”Paddington” meets ‘Saving Private Ryan,'” “The Big War” is a true passion project for Kassovitz who bought rights to “La Bête est Morte” nearly two decades ago and has now joined forces with well-respected animation producer Aton Soumache, whose credits range from literary adaptations such as the Cesar-winning “The Little Prince” to the global smash-hit “Miraculous: Ladybug & Cat Noir, the Movie.”
Kassovitz and Soumache have assembled a dream team for “The Big War,” including Caroline Thompson, the award-winning screenwriter of “Edward Scissorhands” and “The Nightmare before Christmas,...
- 5/10/2024
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Once upon a time, Netflix was in the business of auteur-driven animation, allowing filmmakers like Guillermo del Toro work on his dream project "Pinocchio," giving Henry Selick his first movie in 13 years after Disney killed his previous project, letting Charlie Kaufman deliver an existential kids' animated movie in "Orion and the Dark," and rescuing "Nimona" after Disney pulled the plug. The streamer has partnered with the likes of Glen Keane, Sergio Pablos, Richard Linklater, Chris Williams, Craig McCracken, and Jorge R. Gutiérrez, but a name that won't join this list anytime soon is legendary filmmaker David Lynch.
Speaking with Deadline, Lynch offered an update on his long-gestating animated movie "Snootworld," which he's been teasing since at least 2009. Lynch co-wrote the script for his animated feature debut with Caroline Thompson ("The Nightmare Before Christmas"), with Lynch penning the second of the film's three acts.
"I like this story. It's something that...
Speaking with Deadline, Lynch offered an update on his long-gestating animated movie "Snootworld," which he's been teasing since at least 2009. Lynch co-wrote the script for his animated feature debut with Caroline Thompson ("The Nightmare Before Christmas"), with Lynch penning the second of the film's three acts.
"I like this story. It's something that...
- 4/10/2024
- by Rafael Motamayor
- Slash Film
Mathieu Kassovitz, whose last film was the 2011 French action-drama Rebellion, is returning behind the camera thirteen years later. According to Deadline, Kassovitz will be taking on a passion project — a film titled The Big War. The Big War will be an English-language film that aims to showcase a hybrid of live-action and animation. The script will reportedly be written by The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride and Edward Scissorhands screenwriter Caroline Thompson. Kassovitz explains, “This is a project I’ve been working on for twenty years.”
Kassovitz is also known for working in front of the camera as an actor on projects such as Amélie and Munich and the hit TV series Le Bureau Des Legendes. He expounds on his new upcoming film, “It is inspired by cult French graphic novel La Bete Est Morte, which was written during the Second World War. It reimagines that war as enacted by animals.
Kassovitz is also known for working in front of the camera as an actor on projects such as Amélie and Munich and the hit TV series Le Bureau Des Legendes. He expounds on his new upcoming film, “It is inspired by cult French graphic novel La Bete Est Morte, which was written during the Second World War. It reimagines that war as enacted by animals.
- 4/9/2024
- by EJ Tangonan
- JoBlo.com
David Lynch is undoubtedly one of Hollywood’s biggest visionaries and an author who will forever be remembered in history among the names that have changed movies for the better. Best known as the author of Twin Peaks, The Elephant Man, Blue Velvet, Mulholland Drive, and the surreal, experimental movie Eraserhead, Lynch has recently revealed to Deadline that he has an idea for an animated movie Snootworld which he hopes to release in the future despite, as he reveals, the rejection he got from Netflix.
Lynch’s unique vision could be seen in many of his live-action movies or series, and while fans are hoping for a continuation of Twin Peaks, after the enigmatic conclusion of the third season, it seems that Lynch has other priorities at the time and that he desperately wants to make an animated movie.
Snootworld, as the movie is set to be titled, has been...
Lynch’s unique vision could be seen in many of his live-action movies or series, and while fans are hoping for a continuation of Twin Peaks, after the enigmatic conclusion of the third season, it seems that Lynch has other priorities at the time and that he desperately wants to make an animated movie.
Snootworld, as the movie is set to be titled, has been...
- 4/9/2024
- by Arthur S. Poe
- Fiction Horizon
Exclusive: La Haine filmmaker Mathieu Kassovitz is returning to the director’s chair to make English-language passion project The Big War, which will mark the first movie he has helmed in 13 years.
“This is a project I’ve been working on for twenty years,” Kassovitz explained about the live action-animation hybrid project, which he has scripted with The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride and Edward Scissorhands scribe Caroline Thompson.
“It is inspired by cult French graphic novel La Bete Est Morte, which was written during the Second World War,” says the Frenchman, also known for starring in movies including Amélie and Munich and hit TV series Le Bureau Des Legendes. “It reimagines that war as enacted by animals. The Nazis are the wolves who go after the ‘vermin’ — the rabbits — who represent the war’s victims. The story focuses on two rabbits who go after their family who have been...
“This is a project I’ve been working on for twenty years,” Kassovitz explained about the live action-animation hybrid project, which he has scripted with The Nightmare Before Christmas, Corpse Bride and Edward Scissorhands scribe Caroline Thompson.
“It is inspired by cult French graphic novel La Bete Est Morte, which was written during the Second World War,” says the Frenchman, also known for starring in movies including Amélie and Munich and hit TV series Le Bureau Des Legendes. “It reimagines that war as enacted by animals. The Nazis are the wolves who go after the ‘vermin’ — the rabbits — who represent the war’s victims. The story focuses on two rabbits who go after their family who have been...
- 4/9/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman and Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Despite David Lynch’s feature-length animation project having been rejected by Netflix, the fillmaker is still seeking financing for Snootworld.
David Lynch has been quietly trying to get an animated feature film up and running and although he might not have found the required funding to get the project into production, he isn’t giving up yet.
According to Deadline, the project is titled Snootworld, and despite Lynch being famed as a filmmaker whose tastes veer towards the mature, this one is said to be ‘story that children and adults can appreciate.’
The script for Snootworld was written a couple of decades ago, with Lynch working with Caroline Thompson to create the story.
Thompson, who scripted such 90s classics as The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands and The Addams Family described the film as such: “The Snoots are these tiny creatures who have a ritual transition at aged eight at...
David Lynch has been quietly trying to get an animated feature film up and running and although he might not have found the required funding to get the project into production, he isn’t giving up yet.
According to Deadline, the project is titled Snootworld, and despite Lynch being famed as a filmmaker whose tastes veer towards the mature, this one is said to be ‘story that children and adults can appreciate.’
The script for Snootworld was written a couple of decades ago, with Lynch working with Caroline Thompson to create the story.
Thompson, who scripted such 90s classics as The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands and The Addams Family described the film as such: “The Snoots are these tiny creatures who have a ritual transition at aged eight at...
- 4/9/2024
- by Dan Cooper
- Film Stories
A couple decades ago, legendary filmmaker David Lynch – who we have to thank for Eraserhead, The Elephant Man, the 1984 version of Dune, Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks, Wild at Heart, Lost Highway, The Straight Story, and Mulholland Drive, among other things – started working with The Nightmare Before Christmas, Edward Scissorhands, The Addams Family, and Welcome to Marwen writer Caroline Thompson on the screenplay for an animated movie called Snootworld… and even though the Netflix streaming service recently turned down the chance to bring Snootworld into our world, Lynch told Deadline that he’s not giving up on getting the movie made.
Lynch said, “I don’t know when I started thinking about Snoots but I’d do these drawings of Snoots and then a story started to emerge. I got together with Caroline and we worked on a script. Just recently I thought someone might be interested in getting behind this...
Lynch said, “I don’t know when I started thinking about Snoots but I’d do these drawings of Snoots and then a story started to emerge. I got together with Caroline and we worked on a script. Just recently I thought someone might be interested in getting behind this...
- 4/8/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
David Lynch is claiming Netflix didn’t want to greenlight his “wacky” animated feature, “Snootworld.”
The “Twin Peaks” and “Blue Velvet” auteur told Deadline that his long-awaited animated debut has been two decades in the process. Lynch co-wrote the script with “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “The Addams Family” scribe Caroline Thompson; the feature has a strict three act structure, with Lynch penning act two.
Lynch revealed that Netflix allegedly “rejected” the project most likely since “old fashioned fairytales are considered groaners.” IndieWire has reached out to Netflix.
“I don’t know when I started thinking about Snoots but I’d do these drawings of Snoots and then a story started to emerge,” Lynch told Deadline. “I got together with Caroline and we worked on a script. Just recently I thought someone might be interested in getting behind this so I presented it to Netflix in the last few months but they rejected it.
The “Twin Peaks” and “Blue Velvet” auteur told Deadline that his long-awaited animated debut has been two decades in the process. Lynch co-wrote the script with “The Nightmare Before Christmas” and “The Addams Family” scribe Caroline Thompson; the feature has a strict three act structure, with Lynch penning act two.
Lynch revealed that Netflix allegedly “rejected” the project most likely since “old fashioned fairytales are considered groaners.” IndieWire has reached out to Netflix.
“I don’t know when I started thinking about Snoots but I’d do these drawings of Snoots and then a story started to emerge,” Lynch told Deadline. “I got together with Caroline and we worked on a script. Just recently I thought someone might be interested in getting behind this so I presented it to Netflix in the last few months but they rejected it.
- 4/8/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Deep in the morass of unmade David Lynch films––among the better-known likes Ronnie Rocket, One Saliva Bubble, Antelope Don’t Run No More, and Dune Messiah––is Snootworld, an animated, family-friendly project his ex-wife Peggy Reavey once claimed would be “David’s Harry Potter.” Some two decades since he began writing a script with Caroline Thompson and fifteen-or-so years since the last bit of speculation, Lynch has––in a somewhat uncharacteristic move––announced his hopes to find financing in an interview with Deadline.
This after, Lynch tells us, Netflix rejected a pitch for the feature, which Thompson revealed is the story of Snoots, “tiny creatures who have a ritual transition at aged eight at which time they get tinier and they’re sent away for a year so they are protected.” In yet another of his riffs on Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, chaos ensues “when...
This after, Lynch tells us, Netflix rejected a pitch for the feature, which Thompson revealed is the story of Snoots, “tiny creatures who have a ritual transition at aged eight at which time they get tinier and they’re sent away for a year so they are protected.” In yet another of his riffs on Alice in Wonderland and The Wizard of Oz, chaos ensues “when...
- 4/8/2024
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
Exclusive: Twin Peaks and Mulholland Drive director David Lynch tells us he is hoping to find backers for his under-the-radar animated project Snootworld, even if Netflix recently “rejected” his “fairytale” pitch.
Screen legend Lynch has said little publicly about Snootworld until now and in recent months he has quietly tried to breathe life into the project by seeking out a financier.
He began working on the script two decades ago with former Tim Burton collaborator Caroline Thompson, writer of projects including The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands, as well as 1991 hit The Addams Family.
“I don’t know when I started thinking about Snoots but I’d do these drawings of Snoots and then a story started to emerge,” Lynch told us in a rare interview. “I got together with Caroline and we worked on a script. Just recently I thought someone might be interested in getting behind this...
Screen legend Lynch has said little publicly about Snootworld until now and in recent months he has quietly tried to breathe life into the project by seeking out a financier.
He began working on the script two decades ago with former Tim Burton collaborator Caroline Thompson, writer of projects including The Nightmare Before Christmas and Edward Scissorhands, as well as 1991 hit The Addams Family.
“I don’t know when I started thinking about Snoots but I’d do these drawings of Snoots and then a story started to emerge,” Lynch told us in a rare interview. “I got together with Caroline and we worked on a script. Just recently I thought someone might be interested in getting behind this...
- 4/8/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Lights, camera, action. A whole new year is about to unspool – and as ever, it’s going to be packed with must-see movies. Step in :a[Empire’s 2024 Preview issue]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/empire-the-fall-guy-cover-2024-preview-issue/' target='blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'}, offering you a huge new look at the films we can’t wait to see in the next 12 months. And leading the way is :a[The Fall Guy]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/news/the-fall-guy-real-stunts-rather-than-cgi-exclusive/' target='blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'}, promising an action-packed romp from Ryan Gosling, Emily Blunt and director David Leitch.
The issue hits newsstands on Thursday 23 November – :a[available to order online here]{href='https://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/empire-january-2024?utm_source=dynamic&utm_medium=bws&utm_campaign=empire_singles&utm_content=empirejanuary2024' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'} – but in the meantime, take a speak peek inside its pages below.
2024 Preview
With this year drawing to a close,...
The issue hits newsstands on Thursday 23 November – :a[available to order online here]{href='https://www.greatmagazines.co.uk/empire-january-2024?utm_source=dynamic&utm_medium=bws&utm_campaign=empire_singles&utm_content=empirejanuary2024' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'} – but in the meantime, take a speak peek inside its pages below.
2024 Preview
With this year drawing to a close,...
- 11/22/2023
- by Ben Travis
- Empire - Movies
It’s almost unthinkable these days that :a[Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas]{href='https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/nightmare-christmas-review/' target='_blank' rel='noreferrer noopener'} wasn’t a huge hit when it was first released. At the time of writing, it’s a total holiday staple, heavily merchandised, with songs that stand as household favourites. But back in the day, the film scared Disney, underperformed at the box office, and only went on to become a perennial favourite on home video. Thirty years later, its legacy stands as tall as its skeletal protagonist – and while that means fans often clamouring for another adventure with Jack Skellington and the denizens of Halloween Town, Burton is insistent on that not being the case.
Speaking to Empire for a major new 30th anniversary celebration of the film – along with director Henry Selick and writer Caroline Thompson – Burton was...
Speaking to Empire for a major new 30th anniversary celebration of the film – along with director Henry Selick and writer Caroline Thompson – Burton was...
- 11/21/2023
- by Ben Travis
- Empire - Movies
Based on Tim Burton's 1982 gothic poem, "A Nightmare Before Christmas" has become a seasonal classic that's come close to eclipsing "Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer" and "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" as the quintessential holiday movie. Whether you and your family watch it over Halloween or Christmas (or both), the macabre musical is just as much of a staple during the Fall months as candy corn and eggnog.
Together, stop-motion master Henry Selick ("Coraline"), screenwriter Caroline Thompson ("Edward Scissorhands"), and composer Danny Elfman executed Burton's original vision perfectly, creating a world where each holiday exists within a magical realm unto itself where the inhabitants can celebrate all year round. Originally, Elfman was tasked with writing the songs and music, in addition to voicing lead character Jack Skellington, the so-called "Pumpkin King" of Halloween Town. As a result, Elfman became deeply attached to the part, making the decision to...
Together, stop-motion master Henry Selick ("Coraline"), screenwriter Caroline Thompson ("Edward Scissorhands"), and composer Danny Elfman executed Burton's original vision perfectly, creating a world where each holiday exists within a magical realm unto itself where the inhabitants can celebrate all year round. Originally, Elfman was tasked with writing the songs and music, in addition to voicing lead character Jack Skellington, the so-called "Pumpkin King" of Halloween Town. As a result, Elfman became deeply attached to the part, making the decision to...
- 11/8/2023
- by Drew Tinnin
- Slash Film
Actor Johnny Depp made his mark in Hollywood when he was cast as Edward Scissorhands in the titular role, however, he wasn’t the only actor considered for the part.
Despite being filmmaker Tim Burton’s muse for many years, the role of Edward could have gone to some pretty surprising actors. Who were some of the actors who could have been cast in the role?
Edward Scissorhands could have gone to these A-listers
Possibly tough to imagine, but actors like Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey, Tom Hanks, and even William Hurt were in the running for the part.
Hanks couldn’t move forward because he opted to instead star in the film Bonfire of the Vanities. Meanwhile, Cruise’s name was also floated for the role. He was filming Days of Thunder and Burton wanted someone with more of an indie appeal.
At the time Carrey had not reached A-list...
Despite being filmmaker Tim Burton’s muse for many years, the role of Edward could have gone to some pretty surprising actors. Who were some of the actors who could have been cast in the role?
Edward Scissorhands could have gone to these A-listers
Possibly tough to imagine, but actors like Tom Cruise, Jim Carrey, Tom Hanks, and even William Hurt were in the running for the part.
Hanks couldn’t move forward because he opted to instead star in the film Bonfire of the Vanities. Meanwhile, Cruise’s name was also floated for the role. He was filming Days of Thunder and Burton wanted someone with more of an indie appeal.
At the time Carrey had not reached A-list...
- 9/15/2023
- by Gina Ragusa
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
"Boys and girls of every age, wouldn't you like to see something strange?"
The opening lines of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" are simple, beckoning its audience as a grinning carnival barker might entreat passers-by to enter the big tent and see the grand show. Here thar be monsters, but that's part of the fun in Henry Selick's stop-motion multi-holiday classic.
The movie is a Frankenstein's creation conjured by Tim Burton, put to page by screenwriter Caroline Thompson, directed by Selick, and taken to musical heaven by Danny Elfman's lyrics and compositions. It's about a man of privilege who tries to appropriate another town's entire culture, all wrapped in a dark fantasy story set within the realms of two highly cool holidays. Jack Skellington, King of Pumpkin Town, finds himself in Christmas town and proceeds to hijack the Christmas holiday itself. There is dismemberment, but not a drop of blood.
The opening lines of "The Nightmare Before Christmas" are simple, beckoning its audience as a grinning carnival barker might entreat passers-by to enter the big tent and see the grand show. Here thar be monsters, but that's part of the fun in Henry Selick's stop-motion multi-holiday classic.
The movie is a Frankenstein's creation conjured by Tim Burton, put to page by screenwriter Caroline Thompson, directed by Selick, and taken to musical heaven by Danny Elfman's lyrics and compositions. It's about a man of privilege who tries to appropriate another town's entire culture, all wrapped in a dark fantasy story set within the realms of two highly cool holidays. Jack Skellington, King of Pumpkin Town, finds himself in Christmas town and proceeds to hijack the Christmas holiday itself. There is dismemberment, but not a drop of blood.
- 12/26/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
Aside from its revered place as one of the most beloved holiday movies of all time, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" has a complicated legacy. Not due to problematic themes or scandalous allegations, but instead like Tobe Hooper's "Poltergeist", where the collaboration process between its premier storytellers has muddied over time. The 1993 macabre musical extravaganza is the collected innovation of "Wendell & Wild" director and stop-motion maestro Henry Selick, screenwriter Caroline Thompson ("Edward Scissorhands"), producer Tim Burton (who also authored the 1982 poem that inspired the movie), and composer/songwriter Danny Elfman, who developed the story and lyrics with Burton.
Together, they tell the story of "a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams," a realm where each holiday has its own world. Jack Skellington reigns as "The Pumpkin King" of Halloween Town and its monstrous citizens — "There are few who'd deny, at what I do I am the best,...
Together, they tell the story of "a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams," a realm where each holiday has its own world. Jack Skellington reigns as "The Pumpkin King" of Halloween Town and its monstrous citizens — "There are few who'd deny, at what I do I am the best,...
- 11/30/2022
- by Anya Stanley
- Slash Film
I can't say for certain my love of stop-motion animation began with "The Nightmare Before Christmas," but it was definitely the film that cemented my affection for the art form at a young age. The brainchild of director Henry Selick, writer Caroline Thompson, producer Tim Burton (who also penned the poem that inspired the movie), and songwriter Danny Elfman, the 1993 musical fantasy remains a feast for the eyes, even now that its warped, macabre character designs and settings have been co-opted by Disney for mass consumption.
On the surface, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is a tale about Jack Skellington, the "Pumpkin King" of all things hair-raising and spine-chilling in a fantastical place known as Halloween Town. Struggling with a sense of ennui characteristic of someone suffering a mid-life crisis, Jack decides it's time for a career change after visiting another holiday-themed world dubbed Christmas Town. Is the movie a giant...
On the surface, "The Nightmare Before Christmas" is a tale about Jack Skellington, the "Pumpkin King" of all things hair-raising and spine-chilling in a fantastical place known as Halloween Town. Struggling with a sense of ennui characteristic of someone suffering a mid-life crisis, Jack decides it's time for a career change after visiting another holiday-themed world dubbed Christmas Town. Is the movie a giant...
- 9/20/2022
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)
The Movie: "The Secret Garden" (1993)
Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max
The Pitch: Young Mary Lennox (Kate Maberly) is an orphan. She was born in British-occupied India, where she was raised by her exceptionally wealthy and thoroughly ineffectual parents who were killed during an earthquake. Mary was always doted on by servants, never wanting for anything ... except basic affection from her mom and dad. In the aftermath of their death, she's sent to live with her estranged uncle, Lord Archibald Craven (John Lynch), in his enormous mansion in the English countryside. The Yorkshire estate, Misselthwaite Manor, is dark and brooding, teeming with her family's long-held secrets of sorrow and loss.
After arriving, Mary is warned by the manor's stern housekeeper,...
The Movie: "The Secret Garden" (1993)
Where You Can Stream It: HBO Max
The Pitch: Young Mary Lennox (Kate Maberly) is an orphan. She was born in British-occupied India, where she was raised by her exceptionally wealthy and thoroughly ineffectual parents who were killed during an earthquake. Mary was always doted on by servants, never wanting for anything ... except basic affection from her mom and dad. In the aftermath of their death, she's sent to live with her estranged uncle, Lord Archibald Craven (John Lynch), in his enormous mansion in the English countryside. The Yorkshire estate, Misselthwaite Manor, is dark and brooding, teeming with her family's long-held secrets of sorrow and loss.
After arriving, Mary is warned by the manor's stern housekeeper,...
- 8/18/2022
- by Ariel Fisher
- Slash Film
Alan Cumming is offering a 10,000 reward for anyone who has information about Tonka, the missing chimpanzee who starred with him and Rene Russo in the 1997 family comedy “Buddy.” Tonka was last seen in a cage at the now-defunct chimpanzee breeding facility Missouri Primate Foundation in Festus, Mo. Chimpanzees were bred at the location and then rented out for movies and parties or sold to private owners. PETA has put up its own 10,000 reward for information about Tonka’s whereabouts, bringing the total reward to 20,000.
“During the months we filmed together, baby Tonka and I became good friends, playing and grooming each other and just generally larking about,” Cumming said in a statement. “It’s horrible to think he might in a cage in a dark basement somewhere or have met some other fate, so I’m appealing to whoever knows what has become of him to please come forward claim the reward.
“During the months we filmed together, baby Tonka and I became good friends, playing and grooming each other and just generally larking about,” Cumming said in a statement. “It’s horrible to think he might in a cage in a dark basement somewhere or have met some other fate, so I’m appealing to whoever knows what has become of him to please come forward claim the reward.
- 4/28/2022
- by Zack Sharf
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: John Burnham, a cornerstone talent and literary agent who has spent more than 25 years at ICM Partners, is leaving to become a manager and partner at Atlas Artists and Atlas Literary, the Atlas Entertainment subsidiary. The exit is amicable, and Burnham will bring with him a client list of renowned writers, filmmakers and actors he now will represent as a manager.
The long list of clients that will follow him includes Oscar, Emmy and Pulitzer winners. The roster includes Brandon Cronenberg, John Cusack, Stephen Dorff, Diane English, Kleber Mendonca Filho, Stephen Frears, Walter Hill, Felicity Huffman, Adrian Lyne, Sophia Macy, William H. Macy, Clara Mamet, David Mamet, Joe Mantegna, Nicholas Martin, Elaine May, Malcolm Mays, Takashi Miike, Pat McKinley, Keith McNally, David Milch, Rob Reiner, Emma Tammi, Caroline Thompson, David Twohy, Wayne Wang, Peter Weir, Alice Winn, John Woo and Terry Zwigoff. Others will follow as his exit gets sorted.
The long list of clients that will follow him includes Oscar, Emmy and Pulitzer winners. The roster includes Brandon Cronenberg, John Cusack, Stephen Dorff, Diane English, Kleber Mendonca Filho, Stephen Frears, Walter Hill, Felicity Huffman, Adrian Lyne, Sophia Macy, William H. Macy, Clara Mamet, David Mamet, Joe Mantegna, Nicholas Martin, Elaine May, Malcolm Mays, Takashi Miike, Pat McKinley, Keith McNally, David Milch, Rob Reiner, Emma Tammi, Caroline Thompson, David Twohy, Wayne Wang, Peter Weir, Alice Winn, John Woo and Terry Zwigoff. Others will follow as his exit gets sorted.
- 4/11/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
With winter storms still sweeping through the land, it might be nice to stay in and watch some movies on your streamer of choice. While Netflix is increasingly interested in its own original films, they are still committed to bringing you plenty of classic catalogue titles, including a whole bunch in February. It was hard to pick our favorites, but we tried anyway.
Below are the best new movies on Netflix in February 2022.
The Addams Family Paramount Pictures
There’s been so much “Addams Family”-related stuff since the two original theatrical films in the 1990s that it’s easy to forget just how good they both were. The first film, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and co-written by Burton collaborators Larry Wilson and Caroline Thompson (and later re-written by Paul Rudnick), doesn’t have quite the same edge as the sequel but it did establish the world beautifully. This is...
Below are the best new movies on Netflix in February 2022.
The Addams Family Paramount Pictures
There’s been so much “Addams Family”-related stuff since the two original theatrical films in the 1990s that it’s easy to forget just how good they both were. The first film, directed by Barry Sonnenfeld and co-written by Burton collaborators Larry Wilson and Caroline Thompson (and later re-written by Paul Rudnick), doesn’t have quite the same edge as the sequel but it did establish the world beautifully. This is...
- 2/6/2022
- by Drew Taylor
- The Wrap
This Halloween, pop star Billie Eilish wore a patchwork dress and painted stitch scars to sing in front of a sold-out crowd at LA’s Banc of California stadium. The song wasn’t hers, but a Danny Elfman composition from the 1993 soundtrack to animated feature Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas. ‘Sally’s Song’ is a broken-hearted lament written for a broken character – a Frankensteinian stitched-together rag doll brought to life by an evil scientist in the town of Halloween.
In 2021, Sally really needs no introduction. From October to December each year, she and paramour Jack Skellington are everywhere, from trick or treating costumes to theme park rides to a mountain of ever-increasing Disney merchandise. Like the film that made them famous, they’re also not only a kid thing – just Google ‘Jack and Sally wedding cake’ for evidence. Those two have been #relationshipgoals for decades, their status as...
In 2021, Sally really needs no introduction. From October to December each year, she and paramour Jack Skellington are everywhere, from trick or treating costumes to theme park rides to a mountain of ever-increasing Disney merchandise. Like the film that made them famous, they’re also not only a kid thing – just Google ‘Jack and Sally wedding cake’ for evidence. Those two have been #relationshipgoals for decades, their status as...
- 11/26/2021
- by Louisa Mellor
- Den of Geek
Barry Sonnenfeld leaped from hot cinematographer status to A- list director with this sure-footed big screen adaptation of the TV show based on Charles Addams’s marvelously morbid New Yorker cartoons. The cast is ideal: Anjelica Huston and Raul Julia complement TV’s Carolyn Jones and John Astin without inviting comparisons. Winning an imaginary award for making sick jokes safe for PG-13, the script has true wit. The characters have depth as well, which is wonderful. Daring to be out of step with the times, the elaborate production, costumes and special effects are all on the same page: director Sonnenfeld and producer Scott Rudin see to it that the goofy premise never wears thin. The 4K encoding is a dazzler.
The Addams Family
4K Ultra-hd + Digital Code
‘With More Mamushka!’
Paramount Home Video
1991 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date November 23, 2021 /
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya, Elizabeth Wilson,...
The Addams Family
4K Ultra-hd + Digital Code
‘With More Mamushka!’
Paramount Home Video
1991 / Color / 1:85 widescreen / 99 min. / Street Date November 23, 2021 /
Starring: Anjelica Huston, Raul Julia, Christopher Lloyd, Dan Hedaya, Elizabeth Wilson,...
- 11/23/2021
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
This December 7th marks the 30th anniversary of the release of Edward Scissorhands. Rightly hailed as one of the best entries in director’s Tim Burton’s filmography, the surreal but moving tale of Johnny Depp’s eponymous artificial creation has managed to stand the test of time, with its popularity only increasing as new generations have discovered it over the years.
In particular, Edward the character means a lot to those identified with the disabled community, which is something that screenwriter Caroline Thompson couldn’t be more proud of. While speaking to Insider to commemorate the 1990 movie’s anniversary, Thompson recalled how she took part in a Q&a screening for the Reel Abilities Film Festival, which “explores, embraces, and celebrates the diversity of our shared human experience.”
“I did not realize what an icon Edward is for the disabled community and how much confidence and comfort and clarity...
In particular, Edward the character means a lot to those identified with the disabled community, which is something that screenwriter Caroline Thompson couldn’t be more proud of. While speaking to Insider to commemorate the 1990 movie’s anniversary, Thompson recalled how she took part in a Q&a screening for the Reel Abilities Film Festival, which “explores, embraces, and celebrates the diversity of our shared human experience.”
“I did not realize what an icon Edward is for the disabled community and how much confidence and comfort and clarity...
- 12/7/2020
- by Christian Bone
- We Got This Covered
The Nightmare Before Christmas is one of the most beloved stop motion films of all time. Doubling up as both a Halloween and a Christmas movie, the adventures of Jack Skellington and the creepy residents of Halloweentown have captivated audiences ever since its 1993 release. That’s not bad for a flick that Disney initially got cold feet about, deciding it was too dark and scary for children and releasing it under the Touchstone Pictures label rather than their own.
Many people understandably think that The Nightmare Before Christmas is directed by Tim Burton. But while he’s the major creative force behind the project, which is based on a poem written by him in 1982, the pic ended up being helmed by stop motion expert Henry Selick (who would go on to bring us James and the Giant Peach and Coraline).
Netflix’s new series The Holiday Movies That Made Us...
Many people understandably think that The Nightmare Before Christmas is directed by Tim Burton. But while he’s the major creative force behind the project, which is based on a poem written by him in 1982, the pic ended up being helmed by stop motion expert Henry Selick (who would go on to bring us James and the Giant Peach and Coraline).
Netflix’s new series The Holiday Movies That Made Us...
- 12/4/2020
- by David James
- We Got This Covered
Edward Scissorhands is more than a gothic fairytale. It’s more than a suburban satire. It’s a complex film about systemic societal and economic change. Writer Caroline Thompson, director Tim Burton, costume designer Colleen Atwood, and production designer Bo Welch convey timely themes of classism, diversity, and suburban vapidity (post-war Suburbia through the Reagan Era suburban […]
The post Revisiting ‘Edward Scissorhands’, Tim Burton’s Allegorical Masterpiece About an America in Flux appeared first on /Film.
The post Revisiting ‘Edward Scissorhands’, Tim Burton’s Allegorical Masterpiece About an America in Flux appeared first on /Film.
- 7/3/2020
- by Alex Arabian
- Slash Film
Mackenzie Foy and Kate Winslet have signed up to star in Ashley Avis’s reboot of the classic story of ‘Black Beauty’.
Foy will take the leading role as a 17-year-old girl whose bond with Black Beauty helps her overcome the death of her parents.
Winslet will have an easier job of it as she will provide the voice of the horse, Black Beauty.
Based on the best-selling children’s classic by Anna Sewell, Avis will direct the film from a script she has adapted herself. The film will be a fictional autobiography of the titular wild horse. In a significant change from Sewell’s book, in which Black Beauty is a carriage horse, in the new adaptation, she is a wild mustang captured on the Wyoming Plains.
Also in news – Man of Steel’s David Goyer to tackle ‘Hellraiser’ reboot
Black Beauty has been adapted for the big and...
Foy will take the leading role as a 17-year-old girl whose bond with Black Beauty helps her overcome the death of her parents.
Winslet will have an easier job of it as she will provide the voice of the horse, Black Beauty.
Based on the best-selling children’s classic by Anna Sewell, Avis will direct the film from a script she has adapted herself. The film will be a fictional autobiography of the titular wild horse. In a significant change from Sewell’s book, in which Black Beauty is a carriage horse, in the new adaptation, she is a wild mustang captured on the Wyoming Plains.
Also in news – Man of Steel’s David Goyer to tackle ‘Hellraiser’ reboot
Black Beauty has been adapted for the big and...
- 5/8/2019
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Stars: Steve Carell, Eiza González, Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger, Janelle Monáe | Written by Caroline Thompson, Robert Zemeckis | Directed by Robert Zemeckis
Robert Zemeckis’ recent cinematic entities have entailed one single word if anything else is “mediocre”. The one-time directing king of spectacle with Cast Away, Back to the Future, Forrest Gump etc., has, in the last decade, delivered slog after slog in the likes of underwhelming pictures in Allied, Beowulf, Flight, The Walk and now Welcome to Marwen. A living breathing tragedy of a film if ever you’re unfortunate to witness one develop in front of your eyes. Zemeckis latest is a masterclass of how to convey every sense of the phrase “tone-deaf” into the medium of film. An absolute disaster from start to finish with one of the most truly painful performances I’ve had to endure in Steve Carell in his constant need for attention in the dramatic sense of performance.
Robert Zemeckis’ recent cinematic entities have entailed one single word if anything else is “mediocre”. The one-time directing king of spectacle with Cast Away, Back to the Future, Forrest Gump etc., has, in the last decade, delivered slog after slog in the likes of underwhelming pictures in Allied, Beowulf, Flight, The Walk and now Welcome to Marwen. A living breathing tragedy of a film if ever you’re unfortunate to witness one develop in front of your eyes. Zemeckis latest is a masterclass of how to convey every sense of the phrase “tone-deaf” into the medium of film. An absolute disaster from start to finish with one of the most truly painful performances I’ve had to endure in Steve Carell in his constant need for attention in the dramatic sense of performance.
- 4/12/2019
- by Jak-Luke Sharp
- Nerdly
In Welcome to Marwen, director Robert Zemeckis uses the real-life story of artist and photographer Mark Hogancamp as a fantastical canvas to interrogate his own career. Reckoning with one’s legacy is a move typical of an auteur operating in their “late period,” but Zemeckis doesn’t take a direct route to the self-critique. Instead, he papers it over a feature-length dramatic portrait of a subject who, like in his film The Walk, was previously the focus of an acclaimed documentary. Stilted and occasionally mawkish, Welcome to Marwen will likely be considered a failure by critics and audiences alike, which is a shame because, while certainly not a success, it represents a fascinating reflection on the double-edged value of escapism.
Hogancamp’s story, first explored in Jeff Malmberg’s 2010 documentary Marwencol, in brief: After being beaten within an inch of his life by five men outside of a bar for...
Hogancamp’s story, first explored in Jeff Malmberg’s 2010 documentary Marwencol, in brief: After being beaten within an inch of his life by five men outside of a bar for...
- 12/21/2018
- by The Film Stage
- The Film Stage
Eighteen years ago, in a bar outside Kingston, New York, Mark Hogancamp — an illustrator who liked wearing women’s high-heels — was nearly beaten to death by five thugs. Waking up after nine days in a coma, the bruised, broken and brain-damaged ex-soldier had no recall of having served in the Navy or having once been married. He also lost his ability to draw and nearly all of the memories of friends and family on which he had built a life. Suffering from severe Ptsd, Hogancamp attempted to heal himself through his art,...
- 12/20/2018
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
“Welcome to Marwen” is, in a word, indescribable. But not in a good way.
Robert Zemeckis, who directed “Forrest Gump,” one of the most iconic underdog movies of all time, returns with another male protagonist with a remarkable story. But this time the filmmaker doesn’t quite seem to connect with his subject, which makes for an even greater disconnect with the audience.
Gaining empathy for a protagonist such as the one in “Marwen” shouldn’t really be an issue, though. This is, after all, the real-life story of Mark Hogancamp (played by Steve Carell), who was beaten so terribly by five men outside a bar in 2000 that it left him without most of his memory of the event and everything before then — horrific details that were previously revisited in the acclaimed 2010 documentary, “Marwencol.”
Also Read: Janelle Monáe's Wondaland Pictures and Universal Sign First Look Deal
They attacked him...
Robert Zemeckis, who directed “Forrest Gump,” one of the most iconic underdog movies of all time, returns with another male protagonist with a remarkable story. But this time the filmmaker doesn’t quite seem to connect with his subject, which makes for an even greater disconnect with the audience.
Gaining empathy for a protagonist such as the one in “Marwen” shouldn’t really be an issue, though. This is, after all, the real-life story of Mark Hogancamp (played by Steve Carell), who was beaten so terribly by five men outside a bar in 2000 that it left him without most of his memory of the event and everything before then — horrific details that were previously revisited in the acclaimed 2010 documentary, “Marwencol.”
Also Read: Janelle Monáe's Wondaland Pictures and Universal Sign First Look Deal
They attacked him...
- 12/19/2018
- by Candice Frederick
- The Wrap
Director Robert Zemeckis’ career has included a healthy share of excellent films, and now he’s back with Welcome to Marwen. The project, penned by Zemeckis and Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands), centers on the true story of Mark Hogancamp’s (Steve Carell) intriguing manner of dealing [...]
The post Steve Carell’s Movie Youth Impacted By ‘Welcome to Marwen’ Director Robert Zemeckis appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
The post Steve Carell’s Movie Youth Impacted By ‘Welcome to Marwen’ Director Robert Zemeckis appeared first on Hollywood Outbreak.
- 12/11/2018
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Last year Universal brought the blockbuster “Get Out” to the Oscars where it prevailed with one of its four bids (Best Original Screenplay). This year, the studio has three strong contenders, one of which reunites “La La Land” writer/director Damien Chazelle with that film’s leading man Ryan Gosling.
They are making “First Man,” the first film to chronicle the life and times of Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who was the first to walk on the moon. It will take one small step for man and one giant leap into theaters on October 12, 2018, right in the midst of the fall awards season.
“La La Land” reaped a record-tying 14 Oscar bids in 2017 and won six including Best Director for Chazelle but infamously fell short of Best Picture in the envelope mix-up heard ’round the world. Gosling earned a Best Actor nomination, as he also did 10 years prior for his role...
They are making “First Man,” the first film to chronicle the life and times of Neil Armstrong, the astronaut who was the first to walk on the moon. It will take one small step for man and one giant leap into theaters on October 12, 2018, right in the midst of the fall awards season.
“La La Land” reaped a record-tying 14 Oscar bids in 2017 and won six including Best Director for Chazelle but infamously fell short of Best Picture in the envelope mix-up heard ’round the world. Gosling earned a Best Actor nomination, as he also did 10 years prior for his role...
- 7/18/2018
- by Paul Sheehan
- Gold Derby
“I have my art, and I have my friends. I’ll be Ok.” So says Mark Hogancamp (Steve Carell), who survives a vicious assault by a group of “Nazi thugs” that wipes away all of his memories and leaves him physically shattered. Instead of giving up, he gets even in a most unusual manner.
Welcome to the first trailer for Welcome to Marwen, which is billed as “the miraculous true story of one broken man’s fight as he discovers how artistic imagination can restore the human spirit,” Written and directed by Robert Zemeckis from a story he wrote with Caroline Thompson, it follows Hogancamp as he put together pieces from his old and new life and meticulously creates a wondrous town where he can heal and be heroic. As he builds an astonishing art installation — a testament to the most powerful women he knows — through his fantasy world, he...
Welcome to the first trailer for Welcome to Marwen, which is billed as “the miraculous true story of one broken man’s fight as he discovers how artistic imagination can restore the human spirit,” Written and directed by Robert Zemeckis from a story he wrote with Caroline Thompson, it follows Hogancamp as he put together pieces from his old and new life and meticulously creates a wondrous town where he can heal and be heroic. As he builds an astonishing art installation — a testament to the most powerful women he knows — through his fantasy world, he...
- 6/20/2018
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, Laverne Cox is exec producing a transgender documentary, Steve Carell’s upcoming movie will be called “Welcome to Marwen,” the “Trolls” sequel gets a title and “High School 9-1-1″ gets a grassroots screening campaign.
Transgender Documentary
Laverne Cox, best known as a star of “Orange Is the New Black,” has joined the creative team behind the upcoming documentary feature “Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen.”
Disclosure Films is the production company for the movie, directed by trans filmmaker Sam Feder and focused on Hollywood’s depiction of transgender people and experiences over the last 100 years of film and television, and the impact of those stories on transgender lives and American culture. Cox joins as an executive producer alongside producer Amy Scholder.
“I have been obsessed for a long time with how the perception of trans people has been shaped by the ways we have...
Transgender Documentary
Laverne Cox, best known as a star of “Orange Is the New Black,” has joined the creative team behind the upcoming documentary feature “Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen.”
Disclosure Films is the production company for the movie, directed by trans filmmaker Sam Feder and focused on Hollywood’s depiction of transgender people and experiences over the last 100 years of film and television, and the impact of those stories on transgender lives and American culture. Cox joins as an executive producer alongside producer Amy Scholder.
“I have been obsessed for a long time with how the perception of trans people has been shaped by the ways we have...
- 6/13/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Update: DreamWorks Pictures has titled director Robert Zemeckis’ Nov. 21 release as Welcome to Marwen. Steve Carell plays the victim of a brutal attack who finds a unique and therapeutic outlet to help him through his recovery process. The pic is based on Jeff Malmberg’s 2010 documentary, Marwencol, which follows Mark Hogancamp, who after being left brain-damaged and broke, finds recovery in a sixth-scale World War II-era town he’s built in his backyard. Universal is releasing the pic in the five-day Thanksgiving corridor.
Previous April 28, 2017 :Universal has set November 21, 2018 as the release date for Oscar winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis’ untitled project, which stars Steve Carell in the true story of one broken man’s fight as he discovers how artistic imagination can restore the human spirit.
Zemeckis co-wrote the screenplay with Caroline Thompson, and will also serve as producer along with Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke of Zemeckis’ Universal-based ImageMovers banner,...
Previous April 28, 2017 :Universal has set November 21, 2018 as the release date for Oscar winning filmmaker Robert Zemeckis’ untitled project, which stars Steve Carell in the true story of one broken man’s fight as he discovers how artistic imagination can restore the human spirit.
Zemeckis co-wrote the screenplay with Caroline Thompson, and will also serve as producer along with Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke of Zemeckis’ Universal-based ImageMovers banner,...
- 6/12/2018
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s film news roundup, Dan Gilroy is honored by the Austin Film Festival, CBS Films moves forward on its ship cruise comedy, and Good Deed buys SXSW title “Shotgun.”
Honor
The Austin Film Festival has named screenwriter Tony Gilroy as the 2018 recipient of the Distinguished Screenwriter Award.
Previous honorees of this award have included Lawrence Kasdan, Kenneth Lonergan, Nancy Meyers, and Caroline Thompson.
Gilroy’s credits include the 2007 thriller “Michael Clayton,” which earned him Oscar nominations for directing and original screenplay; writing the first three Bourne films and co-writing and directing the fourth film in the franchise (“The Bourne Legacy”); co-writing the screenplay for “Rouge One: A Star Wars Story”; and producing and writing the political thriller “Beirut,” starring Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike.
The festival also announced that “Beverly Hills Cop” writer Daniel Petrie, Jr. will receive the festival’s second Heart of Film Award for his...
Honor
The Austin Film Festival has named screenwriter Tony Gilroy as the 2018 recipient of the Distinguished Screenwriter Award.
Previous honorees of this award have included Lawrence Kasdan, Kenneth Lonergan, Nancy Meyers, and Caroline Thompson.
Gilroy’s credits include the 2007 thriller “Michael Clayton,” which earned him Oscar nominations for directing and original screenplay; writing the first three Bourne films and co-writing and directing the fourth film in the franchise (“The Bourne Legacy”); co-writing the screenplay for “Rouge One: A Star Wars Story”; and producing and writing the political thriller “Beirut,” starring Jon Hamm and Rosamund Pike.
The festival also announced that “Beverly Hills Cop” writer Daniel Petrie, Jr. will receive the festival’s second Heart of Film Award for his...
- 5/9/2018
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Buddy (1997) Director: Caroline Thompson Cast: Rene Russo, Robbie Coltrane, Alan Cumming After a bit of a break, Awfully Good Movies is roaring back to life in time for Dwayne Johnson.s latest sci-fi actioner Rampage, and if you thought The Rock has it bad trying to keep his pet gorilla from destroying the city, wait until you see Rene Russo have a gorilla act as her adopted son in 1997.s true life family... Read More...
- 4/12/2018
- by Jesse Shade
- JoBlo.com
Leslie Zemeckis has joined Steve Carell, Diane Kruger and Leslie Mann in her husband’s Untitled Robert Zemeckis Project, set to release for Universal on November 21, 2018. The film is based on Jeff Malmberg's 2010 documentary Marwencol and directed by Robert Zemeckis from a script he wrote with Caroline Thompson. The story follows a man (Carell) who recovers from an assault by building a miniature World War II-era village in his backyard. It’s being produced through…...
- 8/21/2017
- Deadline
Exclusive: Neil Jackson is set to join Steve Carell, Leslie Mann, Diane Kruger and Janelle Monáe in Robert Zemeckis’ upcoming biopic for Universal. Zemeckis is directing the untitled project from a script he wrote with Caroline Thompson. Universal has scheduled a November 21, 2018 release date. It’s based on the 2010 documentary Marwncol and follows Mark Hogancamp who, left brain-damaged and broke, finds recovery in a sixth-scale World War II-era town he's built in his…...
- 7/31/2017
- Deadline
Welcome to Career Watch, a vocational checkup of top actors and directors, and those who hope to get there. In this edition we take on Working Title producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, whose latest hit is Edgar Wright’s wheel-and-disc-spinning breakout “Baby Driver” (June 28, Sony), which has tracked $64 million worldwide to date.
Bottom Line: This brainy duo with plummy British accents have been turning out a consistent slate of smart global hits since the ’80s. The London-based co-chairmen of Working Title boast the best taste in the business. They chase mainstream quality fare. That’s their gig. But even so over the years, partnering with Universal Pictures, with freedom to greenlight movies up to $35 million, their films have grossed an impressive almost $7 billion dollars worldwide.
Career Peaks: From the start, Working Title founder Tim Bevan gravitated to local stories with global potential like “My Beautiful Laundrette,” Stephen Frears’ searing...
Bottom Line: This brainy duo with plummy British accents have been turning out a consistent slate of smart global hits since the ’80s. The London-based co-chairmen of Working Title boast the best taste in the business. They chase mainstream quality fare. That’s their gig. But even so over the years, partnering with Universal Pictures, with freedom to greenlight movies up to $35 million, their films have grossed an impressive almost $7 billion dollars worldwide.
Career Peaks: From the start, Working Title founder Tim Bevan gravitated to local stories with global potential like “My Beautiful Laundrette,” Stephen Frears’ searing...
- 7/10/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
Welcome to Career Watch, a vocational checkup of top actors and directors, and those who hope to get there. In this edition we take on Working Title producers Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner, whose latest hit is Edgar Wright’s wheel-and-disc-spinning breakout “Baby Driver” (June 28, Sony), which has tracked $64 million worldwide to date.
Bottom Line: This brainy duo with plummy British accents have been turning out a consistent slate of smart global hits since the ’80s. The London-based co-chairmen of Working Title boast the best taste in the business. They chase mainstream quality fare. That’s their gig. But even so over the years, partnering with Universal Pictures, with freedom to greenlight movies up to $35 million, their films have grossed an impressive almost $7 billion dollars worldwide.
Career Peaks: From the start, Working Title founder Tim Bevan gravitated to local stories with global potential like “My Beautiful Laundrette,” Stephen Frears’ searing...
Bottom Line: This brainy duo with plummy British accents have been turning out a consistent slate of smart global hits since the ’80s. The London-based co-chairmen of Working Title boast the best taste in the business. They chase mainstream quality fare. That’s their gig. But even so over the years, partnering with Universal Pictures, with freedom to greenlight movies up to $35 million, their films have grossed an impressive almost $7 billion dollars worldwide.
Career Peaks: From the start, Working Title founder Tim Bevan gravitated to local stories with global potential like “My Beautiful Laundrette,” Stephen Frears’ searing...
- 7/10/2017
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Gwendoline Christie is the latest to join Robert Zemeckis' Universal drama.
The still untitled feature will star Steve Carell as Mark, a man who builds a miniature WWII-era village as a way to recover from a violent assault. Christie will be playing Mark's Russian caretaker, Anna.
Based on Jeff Malmberg's 2010 doc Marwencol, the project was co-written by Zemeckis and Caroline Thompson.
Janelle Monae, Diane Kruger and Leslie Mann are also set to star in the feature, which Zemeckis will produce via his Uni-based ImageMovers.
Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey will also produce, along with Cherylanne Martin. Malmberg and Jackie Levine will exec produce. Maradith Frenkel...
The still untitled feature will star Steve Carell as Mark, a man who builds a miniature WWII-era village as a way to recover from a violent assault. Christie will be playing Mark's Russian caretaker, Anna.
Based on Jeff Malmberg's 2010 doc Marwencol, the project was co-written by Zemeckis and Caroline Thompson.
Janelle Monae, Diane Kruger and Leslie Mann are also set to star in the feature, which Zemeckis will produce via his Uni-based ImageMovers.
Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey will also produce, along with Cherylanne Martin. Malmberg and Jackie Levine will exec produce. Maradith Frenkel...
- 6/27/2017
- by Borys Kit ,Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Some fairy tales don’t come true. Back in 2014, Oscar-winning filmmaker Sofia Coppola was attached to a Universal Pictures and Working Title production of “The Little Mermaid,” a live-action version of the classic (and, let’s be honest, pretty heartbreaking fairy tale) that didn’t pan out for a variety of reasons.
Coppola left the project in June of 2015 after being attached to it for over a year, eventually loading up her slate with such varied offerings as this week’s big release “The Beguiled,” her Netflix special “A Very Murray Christmas,” and even a filmed version of the classic opera “La Traviata,” but she still seems to be compelled by the reasons that pushed her to exit the feature, one that sounds like it would have been quite ambitious in its scope and creativity.
Read More: With ‘The Beguiled,’ Sofia Coppola Seeks Cannes Redemption with a Southern-Gothic Remake
At a special event at New York City’s Film Society of Lincoln Center on Tuesday night — tantalizingly billed as “An Evening with Sofia Coppola” — the filmmaker engaged in a free-flowing and career-spanning chat with Fslc Deputy Director Eugene Hernandez, including an honest assessment of why she left the long-gestating “Little Mermaid,” and how choices like that continue to inform her filmmaking.
“It wasn’t the Disney version, it was actually the original fairy tale, which is much darker,” Coppola said. “I thought it would be fun to do a fairy tale, I’ve always loved fairy tales, so I was curious about doing that.”
Earlier this year, Coppola told Variety that she left the project simply because it was getting too big for her tastes. “I would have liked to have done that [film],” she told the outlet. “We couldn’t agree on some elements. When it’s smaller, you can have exactly what you have in mind. For me, it wasn’t a good fit.”
That was a theme she expanded on during the Fslc chat, offering up a clearer explanation of why she couldn’t make the Hans Christian Andersen adaptation work.
“It became too big of a scale,” Coppola said. “I wanted to shoot it really underwater, which would have been a nightmare. But underwater photography is so beautiful. We even did some tests. It was not very realistic, that approach. But it was interesting to think about.”
Coppola also balked at the more business-minded elements of the film, concerns that came part and parcel with the larger-scale project that “The Little Mermaid” seemed to be turning into.
“For me, when a movie has a really large budget like that, it just becomes more about business, or business becomes a bigger element than art,” she said. “When it’s smaller, there’s less people involved, it’s not so much at risk, business-wise.”
Read More: Sofia Coppola Has No Interest in Making a Blockbuster or a Sequel
At the time of Coppola’s departure, Deadline noted that “Universal and Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are pressing ahead, with a Caroline Thompson rewrite on the story.” Earlier drafts of the script were written by Kelly Marcel and Abi Morgan, and other directors like Joe Wright and Rebecca Thomas were rumored to direct at various points.
Although Chloe Grace Moretz was cast as the eponymous mermaid in 2015 after Coppola’s exit, there’s been little other forward movement since that news. As of now, IMDbPro does list Thomas as the film’s director, with Richard Curtis on deck as credited screenwriter (the “Love, Actually” filmmaker joined the project post-Coppola).
Focus Features will release “The Beguiled” in select theaters June 23, with additional cities to follow a week later.
Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
Related stories'The Beguiled' Exclusive: Here's What It's Like to Work On A Sofia Coppola Set -- WatchSofia Coppola Movies Ranked Worst to BestSofia Coppola On Female Sexuality In 'The Beguiled' And Why She Hopes Gay Men Find Colin Farrell Sexy...
Coppola left the project in June of 2015 after being attached to it for over a year, eventually loading up her slate with such varied offerings as this week’s big release “The Beguiled,” her Netflix special “A Very Murray Christmas,” and even a filmed version of the classic opera “La Traviata,” but she still seems to be compelled by the reasons that pushed her to exit the feature, one that sounds like it would have been quite ambitious in its scope and creativity.
Read More: With ‘The Beguiled,’ Sofia Coppola Seeks Cannes Redemption with a Southern-Gothic Remake
At a special event at New York City’s Film Society of Lincoln Center on Tuesday night — tantalizingly billed as “An Evening with Sofia Coppola” — the filmmaker engaged in a free-flowing and career-spanning chat with Fslc Deputy Director Eugene Hernandez, including an honest assessment of why she left the long-gestating “Little Mermaid,” and how choices like that continue to inform her filmmaking.
“It wasn’t the Disney version, it was actually the original fairy tale, which is much darker,” Coppola said. “I thought it would be fun to do a fairy tale, I’ve always loved fairy tales, so I was curious about doing that.”
Earlier this year, Coppola told Variety that she left the project simply because it was getting too big for her tastes. “I would have liked to have done that [film],” she told the outlet. “We couldn’t agree on some elements. When it’s smaller, you can have exactly what you have in mind. For me, it wasn’t a good fit.”
That was a theme she expanded on during the Fslc chat, offering up a clearer explanation of why she couldn’t make the Hans Christian Andersen adaptation work.
“It became too big of a scale,” Coppola said. “I wanted to shoot it really underwater, which would have been a nightmare. But underwater photography is so beautiful. We even did some tests. It was not very realistic, that approach. But it was interesting to think about.”
Coppola also balked at the more business-minded elements of the film, concerns that came part and parcel with the larger-scale project that “The Little Mermaid” seemed to be turning into.
“For me, when a movie has a really large budget like that, it just becomes more about business, or business becomes a bigger element than art,” she said. “When it’s smaller, there’s less people involved, it’s not so much at risk, business-wise.”
Read More: Sofia Coppola Has No Interest in Making a Blockbuster or a Sequel
At the time of Coppola’s departure, Deadline noted that “Universal and Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner are pressing ahead, with a Caroline Thompson rewrite on the story.” Earlier drafts of the script were written by Kelly Marcel and Abi Morgan, and other directors like Joe Wright and Rebecca Thomas were rumored to direct at various points.
Although Chloe Grace Moretz was cast as the eponymous mermaid in 2015 after Coppola’s exit, there’s been little other forward movement since that news. As of now, IMDbPro does list Thomas as the film’s director, with Richard Curtis on deck as credited screenwriter (the “Love, Actually” filmmaker joined the project post-Coppola).
Focus Features will release “The Beguiled” in select theaters June 23, with additional cities to follow a week later.
Stay on top of the latest breaking film and TV news! Sign up for our Email Newsletters here.
Related stories'The Beguiled' Exclusive: Here's What It's Like to Work On A Sofia Coppola Set -- WatchSofia Coppola Movies Ranked Worst to BestSofia Coppola On Female Sexuality In 'The Beguiled' And Why She Hopes Gay Men Find Colin Farrell Sexy...
- 6/21/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Robert Zemeckis' real-life drama has found a villain in German actor Falk Hentschel.
The untitled Universal project is based on Jeff Malmberg's 2010 doc Marwencol, which followed a man who builds a miniature WWII-era village as a way to recover from a violent assault.
Steve Carell will be starring as artist Mark Hogancamp, who give himself a fictitious alter ego that lives inside the village. Hentschel will play "Hauptsturmsfuhrer Ludwig Topf," the sadistic Nazi captain to a squad of SS Storm Troopers who terrify the people of Belgium.
Janelle Monae, Leslie Mann and Eiza González also star.
Zemeckis co-wrote the screenplay with Caroline Thompson...
The untitled Universal project is based on Jeff Malmberg's 2010 doc Marwencol, which followed a man who builds a miniature WWII-era village as a way to recover from a violent assault.
Steve Carell will be starring as artist Mark Hogancamp, who give himself a fictitious alter ego that lives inside the village. Hentschel will play "Hauptsturmsfuhrer Ludwig Topf," the sadistic Nazi captain to a squad of SS Storm Troopers who terrify the people of Belgium.
Janelle Monae, Leslie Mann and Eiza González also star.
Zemeckis co-wrote the screenplay with Caroline Thompson...
- 6/6/2017
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Leslie Mann and Janelle Monáe are set to star opposite Steve Carell in the Untitled Robert Zemeckis Project at Universal Pictures. The project, written by Zemeckis from a screenplay he penned with Caroline Thompson, is about is based on a 2010 documentary called Marwncol. That film follows a man by the name of Mark Hogancamp who is left brain-damaged and broke, finds recovery in a sixth-scale World War II-era town he's built in his backyard. It’s really about how artistic…...
- 5/19/2017
- Deadline
Janelle Monae and Leslie Mann are joining Steve Carell in the Untitled Robert Zemeckis Project, Universal announced Friday. The film will be about the moving true story of one broken man’s fight as he discovers that artistic imagination can restore the human spirit. Zemeckis will both direct and produce from a screenplay he wrote with Caroline Thompson. Oscar-winning producer Steve Starkey and Jack Rapke of Zemeckis’ Universal-based ImageMovers banner will also produce, alongside Cherylanne Martin. The project will be executive produced by Jeff Malmberg, who directed the 2010 documentary upon which this film is based, and Jackie Levine. Also Read:...
- 5/19/2017
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Leslie Mann and Janelle Monae will join Steve Carell in an upcoming drama from director Robert Zemeckis.
The untitled feature is based on Jeff Malmberg's 2010 doc Marwencol, which followed a man who builds a miniature WWII-era village as a way to recover from a violent assault. Zemeckis co-wrote the screenplay with Caroline Thompson.
The director will produce via his Uni-based ImageMovers, along with Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey, as well as Cherylanne Martin. Malmberg and Jeckie Levine will exec produce. Maradith Frenkel and Yellin will oversee the project on behalf of the studio.
This marks the first role for Monae since her big screen...
The untitled feature is based on Jeff Malmberg's 2010 doc Marwencol, which followed a man who builds a miniature WWII-era village as a way to recover from a violent assault. Zemeckis co-wrote the screenplay with Caroline Thompson.
The director will produce via his Uni-based ImageMovers, along with Jack Rapke and Steve Starkey, as well as Cherylanne Martin. Malmberg and Jeckie Levine will exec produce. Maradith Frenkel and Yellin will oversee the project on behalf of the studio.
This marks the first role for Monae since her big screen...
- 5/19/2017
- by Mia Galuppo ,Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Tony Sokol May 2, 2017
Robert Zemeckis will direct Steve Carell in upcoming feature adaptation of Mawencol documentary.
Robert Zemeckis will not be directing The Flash for Warner Brothers as his next film. The director of Back to the Future and Forrest Gump will team with former The Office manager and The Daily Show correspondent Steve Carell for a feature adaptation of Jeff Malmberg‘s 2010 documentary, Marwencol. Universal and DreamWorks Pictures announced that the film, which is being produced under the running title Marwencol, is scheduled to hit cinemas on November 21st 2018.
Zemeckis co-wrote the screenplay with Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands, The Addams Family, The Nightmare Before Christmas). Zemeckis and Universal have been working on the project since 2013, when it was being described as a blend of reality and fantasy.
Marwencol tells the true story of Mark Hogancamp who wakes up from a coma brain-damaged and broke after a brutal assault leaves...
Robert Zemeckis will direct Steve Carell in upcoming feature adaptation of Mawencol documentary.
Robert Zemeckis will not be directing The Flash for Warner Brothers as his next film. The director of Back to the Future and Forrest Gump will team with former The Office manager and The Daily Show correspondent Steve Carell for a feature adaptation of Jeff Malmberg‘s 2010 documentary, Marwencol. Universal and DreamWorks Pictures announced that the film, which is being produced under the running title Marwencol, is scheduled to hit cinemas on November 21st 2018.
Zemeckis co-wrote the screenplay with Caroline Thompson (Edward Scissorhands, The Addams Family, The Nightmare Before Christmas). Zemeckis and Universal have been working on the project since 2013, when it was being described as a blend of reality and fantasy.
Marwencol tells the true story of Mark Hogancamp who wakes up from a coma brain-damaged and broke after a brutal assault leaves...
- 5/1/2017
- Den of Geek
Yesterday, we reported on a rumor from Screen Junkies. Said rumor stated that Robert Zemeckis, who directed such big classics as Back to the Future and Forrest Gump, was in early talks to enter the DC Extended Universe and helm the trouble Flash movie. When last we heard, following the departure of Dope director Rick Famuyiwa, Warner Bros was still in search for a director for that superhero standalone film. Zemeckis taking over would have fallen in line with the studio’s strategy of taking big A-list directors and throwing them at a superhero movie.
The report was tentative at best, and the panelists delivering the news made sure to state that there was very much the possibility that Zemeckis could drop out of the project, and it sounds like that’s exactly what happened.
According to Variety, Universal and Amblin have dated Zemeckis’ next movie for November 21, 2018. The film will star Steve Carrell,...
The report was tentative at best, and the panelists delivering the news made sure to state that there was very much the possibility that Zemeckis could drop out of the project, and it sounds like that’s exactly what happened.
According to Variety, Universal and Amblin have dated Zemeckis’ next movie for November 21, 2018. The film will star Steve Carrell,...
- 4/28/2017
- by Joseph Medina
- LRMonline.com
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.