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Exclusive: In a strong year-end book deal, Apple Studios has paid seven figures for the Elliot Ackerman novel Sheepdogs for Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman to develop as a series. The book will be published summer 2025 by Alfred K. Knopf/Penguin Random House. Eleven bidders were in the mix.

Ackerman is a former Marine Corps special operations team leader whose books include Halcyon, Green on Blue and Waiting for Eden. He also co-wrote 2034 and sequel 2054 with Admiral James Stavridis.

Sheepdogs revolves around Skwerl and Cheese, two elite paramilitary soldiers down on their luck. Skwerl is an ex-Marine who used to work for the CIA’s elite paramilitary wing but was fired after a raid went bad in Afghanistan. Big Cheese Aziz is a legendary pilot, but the fall of Kabul has left him working the nightshift at a gas station. Skwerl recruits Cheese into an anonymous network of so-called sheepdogs,...

Bill Cobbs, the prolific and versatile actor known for performances in films such as The Brother From Another Planet, Night at the Museum, and The Bodyguard, has died. He was 90.

A member of Cobbs’ family confirmed his death on Facebook, saying the actor died “peacefully” at his home in California on Tuesday, June 25. “A beloved partner, big brother, uncle, surrogate parent, godfather and friend, Bill recently and happily celebrated his 90th birthday surrounded by cherished loved ones,” the statement read. “As a family we are comforted knowing Bill has found...

Four of Tom Hanks last seven major roles have ended up on streaming services – yet have the films been pretty much forgotten already?

In February of 2023, we got something of an endangered species: a surprisingly positive box office story. That a movie had overperformed against fairly gloomy expectations, and turned into a success on the quiet.

That film was A Man Called Otto, released by Sony and directed by Marc Forster. An English-language remake of Oscar-winning Swedish film A Man Called Ove, what was interesting about the movie’s success is it’s the kind of film that’s apparently not supposed to work in cinemas. Aimed at an older audience, without showboaty effects or Roman numerals, and with a fairly morose central character: this is the stuff that streaming services want to devour.

But Sony gambled, put it into cinemas, and took home over $100m worldwide. That’s not Spider-Man money obviously,...

Alex Wolff (Hereditary) will reteam with Pig filmmaker Michael Sarnoski on Paramount Pictures’ A Quiet Place: Day One, Deadline can confirm. He’s set to star alongside Academy Award winner Lupita Nyong’o and Stranger Things breakout Joseph Quinn.

Day One is the third film in the blockbuster franchise A Quiet Place, launched with the 2018 pop culture sensation directed by and starring John Krasinski, which grossed over 340Mm at the worldwide box office and was recognized with nominations at the Academy Awards, Golden Globes and elsewhere recognizing its crafts. Details as to the film’s plot are under wraps, though the original and its Krasinski-directed 2020 sequel A Quiet Place Part II introduced a post-apocalyptic world overrun by blind monsters with ultra-sensitive hearing that had one ordinary family struggling to survive in silence.

Sarnoski will direct A Quiet Place: Day One from his script written with Jeff Nichols, which is based on an original idea by Krasinski.

Actor Alex Wolff, who was last seen in Michael Sarnoski's critically acclaimed film "Pig," has found his next project. The actor will star in Oscar-winning filmmaker Aaron Schneider's "Untold" (via Deadline), a Holocaust survival drama based on the autobiography "I Escaped From Auschwitz" penned by Holocaust survivor Rudolf Vrba. The remarkable story is a firsthand account of Vrba's experiences as a registrar at Auschwitz-Birkenau, the largest German Nazi concentration camp and extermination center in German-occupied Poland, and documents the heroic tale of his escape. His memoir is supported by testimonies that illustrate the unbearable, vivid horror he experienced during his 21-month internment.

Alex Wolff will portray Vrba in the film with Schneider at the helm. The filmmaker's latest slew of projects includes the Oscar and British Academy-nominated "Greyhound," the Apple TV World War II drama starring Tom Hanks. Schneider won the Academy Award back in 2003 for "Two...

Exclusive: Next Productions, a subsidiary of sales agency The Exchange, has boarded production, financing and sales of concentration camp survival and escape drama Untold, with Oscar-winning director Aaron Schneider attached to direct.

Untold is based on the autobiography I Escaped From Auschwitz by Holocaust survivor and documenter Rudi Vrba. Next Productions and parent company The Exchange have jointly optioned feature script and book rights.

Award-winning actor Alex Wolff is set to star as Vrba and casting is underway for other major roles, ahead of a potential early 2023 shoot.

Schneider’s recent credits include Academy Award and Bafta-nominated Apple TV World War Two drama Greyhound starring Tom Hanks, while the director won the Oscar for the best live-action short in 2003 for Two Soldiers.

Vrba’s memoir has been adapted by Black List screenwriters Evan Parter and Paul Hilborn in partnership with producer Ben Shields Catlin at Story in the Sky,...

There exists in this world a certain kind of war buff. They are the kind that obsesses over machinery, battlefield layout, and moment-by-moment plans of attack. These wartime aficionados are not necessarily interested in the death or mayhem of war, nor do they concern themselves with causes or wartime morality, but focus on the logistics, the devices, and the more personal or tactile experiences instead. Aaron Schneider's WWII combat drama "Greyhound," written by and starring Tom Hanks and based on the novel by C.S. Forester, was a film specifically for those people. It's what you might call, as /Film did in its review, a dad movie. 

While "Greyhound" ostensibly...

The post Greyhound Sequel in the Works at Apple TV+ appeared first on /Film.

Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman’s Playtone has signed a multiyear exclusive TV overall deal with Apple TV+, the streamer announced Tuesday. And in addition to the Playtone deal, an individual with knowledge also told TheWrap that a sequel to Hanks’ WWII epic “Greyhound” is also currently in development.

As part of the exclusive deal, Apple Studios will develop, produce and distribute globally Playtone projects, and it encompasses any scripted series, documentaries or other unscripted properties.

No other details about the “Greyhound” sequel were immediately available or whether Hanks would be expected to return to star, but Apple Studios would be producing the sequel.

“Greyhound” was released on Apple TV+ in summer 2020 and was one of the streamer’s first tentpole features after Apple acquired it for release from Sony Pictures amid the pandemic. The film was directed by Aaron Schneider and starred Hanks as the commander of an Allied...

World War II adventure “Greyhound,” now streaming on Apple TV Plus, takes place on a battleship in the chill of a North Atlantic winter. Tom Hanks wrote the screenplay and stars in the film about a captain whose ship comes under attack by German U-boats as it crosses what is known as the black pit of the ocean — an area not covered by anti-submarine aircraft.

For rerecording mixer Michael Minkler, supervising sound editor Warren Shaw and sound mixer David Wyman, who have been Oscar-nominated for their work on the film, the job was to put the audience in the middle of the action and give the actors a work-friendly environment in which to perform.

In a third-act climactic sequence, the destroyer, code-named Greyhound, comes close to a U-boat and has to make a sharp turn to avoid being hit by torpedoes while defending another ship. The sequence runs five minutes long,...

An unrelenting cold Atlantic Ocean, huge waves and overcast weather were the elements for the Tom Hanks drama “Greyhound.”

While much of the film was built on soundstages in Louisiana and on the decommissioned USS Kidd, visual effects came into play for the film’s main battle sequence. Hanks plays Commander Krause, the officer who has to defend his ship and its convoy of vessels as it comes under attack from U-boats in the Battle of the Atlantic.

“This shot perfectly encompasses everything we were trying to achieve in the recreation of the North Atlantic for “Greyhound,” say Dneg visual-effects supervisors Nathan McGuinness and Pete Bebb. “The first challenge was to determine the look of the ocean — this is essentially another character in the narrative that had to be developed. The ocean is determined by weather so capturing the correct weather was imperative.”

The U.K. winter helped both McGuinness...

On Greyhound, visual effects supervisors Nathan McGuinness and Pete Bebb were tasked with bringing a dramatic passage of the Battle of the Atlantic to life, in very little time.

Directed by Aaron Schneider, from a script by Tom Hanks, the World War II drama follows Navy commander Captain Krause (Hanks) as he leads a destroyer across the ocean, protecting merchant ships from the attacks of German U-boats. For McGuinness and Bebb, creating the fictional Greyhound from scratch was just one of countless challenges, on the path to immersing viewers in the authentic details of war.

Production took place aboard the retired destroyer USS Kidd and on stages, surrounded by white screen—and without an actual drop of water present throughout the entire shoot, the pair would have to recreate changing oceanic conditions, along with a range of skies. Also building a host of other period warplanes and boats, McGuinness and...

“From my point of view, the design was a great technical challenge, because a lot of what is there is based on history, [and you] really have to kind of work within that world,” Greyhound production designer David Crank says about finding the perfect balance in the Tom Hanks starrer from Apple TV+. “We certainly took a lot of liberties with it, but it has to appear as if it’s in that world.”

Crank and costume designer Julie Weiss discussed the Aaron Schneider-directed drama at Deadline’s Contenders Film awards-season event. Adopted by Hanks from Cs Forester’s 1955 novel The Good Shepherd, Greyhound has all the hallmarks of a classic WWII film, with a unique intimacy.

Debuting on Apple TV+ around the world on July 10, this film has a lot of battleship action as Hanks’ Capt. Ernest Krause, newly minted in his position and charged with heading a vital supply...

There are no superheroes in “Greyhound,” no CGI aliens or monsters that are commonplace in your typical effects-heavy spectacle. But in creating the Tom Hanks World War II epic, the visual effects team had to create a living and breathing computer-generated ocean, aerial overhead views that map out precisely where the action is at all times and 1,500 full CG shots built from scratch. There’s nothing ordinary about it.

That’s because “Greyhound” is effectively two movies: one shot with the human actors aboard a ship in a museum, and the other that exists entirely within a virtual space that surrounds the Greyhound destroyer. In that movie, the ocean, the convoy of boats and the entire world and sky that’s visible every time Hanks lifts up his binoculars, are their own characters.

The designers at VFX firm Double Negative had no prior assets to work with and a mountain...

Exclusive: JP Richards has been appointed head of film marketing strategy at Apple TV+. He will report to video marketing chief Chris Van Amburg. Richards will start the job next month, when his exit from Warner Bros is official. Last November, he left his position as Co-President of Worldwide Marketing at Warner Bros, one of several well regarded marketing executives who exited in the WarnerMedia restructure. Marketing head Blair Rich and EVP Marketing Animation and Family Films Jim Gallagher also exited. Josh Goldstine, who was consulting on the slate of Warner Bros films that will simultaneously launch on HBO Max, has named to head the department earlier this month.

Richards will help spearhead the growing ambitions of Apple’s original film slates. Richards spent six years at Warner Bros, starting as EVP of WW Digital Marketing, and then elevated to EVP of WW Marketing and Chief Digital Strategist. He was...

Exclusive: Apple Studios has committed to finance and produce Kitbag, the Napoleon Bonaparte epic that Ridley Scott will direct, with Oscar-winning Joker star Joaquin Phoenix playing the French emperor and military leader. Production will begin in early 2022 in the UK. Scott and Kevin Walsh will produce for Scott Free.

Deadline last October revealed the aspirations of Scott and Phoenix to re-team on this film, which now has a screenplay by David Scarpa. He wrote the Scott-directed Getty kidnap drama All The Money in the World. Scott Free’s deal with 20th Century Studios obliged him to show it there last fall, but it became free and clear towards year end, and a world rights deal closed within the past two weeks at Apple Studios, where Scott Free has its first look deal for television projects.

“Napoleon is a man I’ve always been fascinated by,” Scott told Deadline. “He came...

What kinds of collaborations do today’s top directors prefer? When do they know that they have gotten the perfect shot? How do they decide on casting? And which classic films do they revisit?

These were just some of the questions answered by four of filmdom’s top helmers during Gold Derby’s Meet the Experts panel, conducted virtually by this writer. Watch our full group interview with Fernando Frias de la Parra (“I’m No Longer Here”), Darius Marder (“Sound of Metal”), Aaron Schneider (“Greyhound”) and Florian Zeller (“The Father”) above. And click on each name above to view individual panels with each person.

All four of our panelists also took part in separate individual interviews that delved deeper into their own films. Watch each of these by clicking on their names below.

Fernando Frias de la Parra’ first feature, “Rezeta,” won the Jury Award for Best Narrative Feature at the 2014 Slamdance Film Festival.

Aaron Schneider welcomed working with Tom Hanks on their new film “Greyhound” as it was “Saving Private Ryan” which inspired his first film as a director. “Tom’s production company has a long history of WWII projects with ‘Band of Brothers’ and ‘The Pacific’ and they defined the state of the art in creating authentic productions.” Schneider was part of Gold Derby’s Meet the Experts panel, conducted virtually by this writer (watch the exclusive video above).

“Greyhound,” which is an Apple TV+ release, unfolds during the Battle of the Atlantic. American ships filled with troops and supplies engaged in a game of cat and mouse to avoid the German U-boats. Hanks adapted C.S. Forester’s novel “The Good Shepherd” and plays the captain of a fleet of three dozen ships.

Schneider detailed the expansive research he undertook before filming began. “I had enough time in pre-production that I could...

Four top film directors will reveal the secrets behind their movies when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with key 2021 guild and Oscar contenders this month. Each person will participate in two video discussions to be published on Friday, December 18, at 5:00 p.m. Pt; 8:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our executive editor Paul Sheehan and a group chat with Paul and all of the directors together.

RSVP today to this specific event by clicking here to book your reservation. Or click here to RSVP for our entire ongoing panel series. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2021 guild and Oscar contenders:

“The Father” (Sony Pictures Classics): Florian Zeller

Zeller’s career has included such projects as “The Other Woman,” “Florida,” “Do Not Disturb...

“Greyhound” cinematographer Shelly Johnson vividly recalls those anxious days before filming began when he was still waiting on the arrival of the Sphero 65 lenses. Johnson was part of Gold Derby’s Meet the Btl Experts panel, conducted virtually by this writer (watch the exclusive video above). “I wanted the Sphero 65 because they are old and they are a marvelous pairing with this modern camera. The camera separates the colors and the lenses meld them back together. That combination is a lot of giving the movie the presence that it has.”

“Greyhound” is set against the backdrop of the Battle of the Atlantic, with American ships filled with troops and supplies, playing a game of cat and mouse to avoid the German U-boats. Tom Hanks adapted C.S. Forester’s novel “The Good Shepherd” and plays the captain of a fleet of three dozen ships.

See‘Greyhound’ reviews: Tom Hanks gives a...

The high-seas World War II drama “Greyhound” clocks in with a svelte running time of 91 minutes, including end credits. But an extremely tightly wound and unrelenting 91 minutes it is. Starring and written by Tom Hanks, the plot is densely concentrated on about five days in February 1942, as Hanks’ Commander Krause is leading a convoy of destroyers through the so-called Black Pit.

That’s a stretch of the North Atlantic Ocean too far from land for the Air Force to provide assistance, leaving the 37 ships vulnerable to lethal German U-boats swarming below the surface.

In the film (streaming now on AppleTV+), every moment, day and night, in the Black Pit in fraught with peril. And instrumental to that gripping tension was the work of film editors Sidney Wolinsky and Mark Czyzewski who combined to spend nearly a year and a half piecing the movie together.

Foremost in the mind of both men was narrative coherence,...

With the announcement that Apple Original Films has acquired worldwide rights to Anthony and Joe Russo’s “Cherry” in a deal reportedly worth north of $40 million, the streaming giant continues to build its first Oscar slate. Apple has announced an early 2021 release for “Cherry,” and the Russo Brothers have been touting star Tom Holland as an Oscar contender for much of 2020. Holland stars as an Army medic in Iraq who returns home suffering from PTSD and becomes addicted to opiates and heroin.

“I think it’s an Oscar-worthy performance,” Joe Russo said in April. “I think he is absolutely amazing in it. He gives a gut-wrenching performance. What he does to himself emotionally and physically is unbelievable. We haven’t seen an actor in a role like this in a while. The movie spans a decade, complemented by an epic performance. And one that I certainly hope will be in the Oscar conversation.

Bill Murray’s role in “On the Rocks” looks to be the quintessential Murray part, a philandering asshole who you can’t help but be charmed by. And it’s fitting that he’ll get to play alongside Rashida Jones in a reunion with his “Lost in Translation” director Sofia Coppola.

“On the Rocks” is the first release in a partnership of films between A24 and Apple TV+ that will debut in October, and the film is the story of a playboy father who reconnects with his daughter, now a young mother in New York. But after the two begin to bond, Murray leads her to believe that Jones’ husband (Marlon Wayans) is fooling around, namely because that’s exactly what Murray would be doing in his shoes.

“He’s not like you. He’s a good guy, a great dad,” Jones says to her father. “Sure, it’s nature,...

Exclusive: Scott Greenberg is leaving CAA to become a manager and partner at Lbi Entertainment. He is making the move amicably from agent to manager and will join Lbi principal Rick Yorn, a close friend and mentor since they were fraternity brothers at the University of Maryland, where Yorn gave Greenberg his pledge pin late one night as the pledge worked his way into Tau Kappa Epsilon. Greenberg will make the move after Labor Day.

Greenberg, who began working in the CAA mailroom 29 years ago, will be bringing a major infusion of A-list directors. They are still working out the details, but the clients who’ll be managed by Greenberg are expected to continue to be agented by CAA.

Said CAA President & Co-Chairman Richard Lovett: “Scott has been a valued member of the CAA family and an exceptional advocate for his clients for many years. We are thrilled to...

Listen To All Our Hollywood News Podcasts A friendly reminder to you all on this Sunday afternoon…make sure you listen to the recent episodes of the Hollywood News Podcast, highlighted by new ones with actor Dave Franco and director/actor Timothy Busfield. Previously, the episodes had a focus on Emmy contenders but we’re back to movie stars like Franco. For those not interested in Emmy players, there’s also filmmaker Rod Lurie, director Shannon Murphy, comedian and podcaster Eddie Pence, as well as director Aaron Schneider who have stopped by for chats, along with actor and director Timothy Busfield, who hung around for nearly an hour! There’s something for everyone, truly, so spend a bit of your weekend (or whenever you’re reading this) listening to some cool interviews. Once again, here is an easy link to the SoundCloud page for Hollywood News and all of the...

(Worry not — this article does Not contain any spoilers for the Apple TV+ film “Greyhound” starring Tom Hanks)

The World War II subgenre of films has been going strong pretty much since the war itself ended 75 years ago. And now the Apple TV+ streaming service has given us the latest entry in that subgenre: the Tom Hanks naval thriller “Greyhound,” about a newly minted commander leading a convoy of ships in a dangerous journey across the Atlantic Ocean.

Hanks’s character, Captain Krause, is a longtime Navy officer, but he’s taking part in war for the first time in the wake of Pearl Harbor. His job: escort a convoy of supply ships across the Atlantic Ocean and defend them from Nazi U-boats if necessary.

It is necessary, of course. Otherwise, “Greyhound” would be a pretty boring movie. But is this story something that actually happened? Was Captain Krause real?...

To rework an exchange William Wyler and Billy Wilder had at Ernst Lubitsch’s funeral 73 years ago: “’No more Telluride. ‘Worse than that, no more Telluride films.’” That’s the way I, and I know many others, feel with the announcement that the best-curated and, due to its small size and remote setting, most rarified and pleasurable of American film festivals has canceled its 2020 edition.

Right up to this week, festival personnel had been screening more new titles in its perennial effort to the show the best work the world of cinema has to offer entering the festival-loaded fall season. A serious cinephile destination since its inception in 1974, Telluride took more than 30 years to become, in spite of itself, the gateway to what is now called awards season; the first locally premiered film to go on to win the Best Picture Oscar was Slumdog Millionaire, from 2008 (Brokeback Mountain should have...

The Tom Hanks WWII thriller “Greyhound” was meant to open theatrically through Sony, but it wound up with a big opening weekend with its premiere on Apple TV+ on July 10.

The film starring and written by Hanks and directed by Aaron Schneider broke the viewership record for an Apple TV+ original film in its opening weekend, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap, and 30% of the viewers of “Greyhound” were, in fact, new to the service.

No specific viewership numbers were disclosed, and it’s unclear what titles it beat out for the opening weekend record. This year Apple TV+ has so far debuted “The Banker” and the documentaries “Beastie Boys Story” and “Dads.”

Also Read: 'Greyhound' Director Explains Why Tom Hanks' WWII Movie Constantly Repeats Military Commands

In “Greyhound,” Hanks stars as a longtime Navy veteran who, as a first-time captain, is tasked with protecting a convoy of...

Exclusive: Apple’s WWII drama Greyhound, starring and written by Tom Hanks, has become the largest opening-weekend release ever for Apple TV+, including series that have bowed on the service, sources close to Apple tell Deadline. The streamer is loathe in giving up exact numbers, but I’m told the film turned in a viewing audience commensurate with a summer theatrical box office big hit, which of course Greyhound was meant to be until it moved from Sony to Apple because of the uncertainty of movie theaters after Covid-19.

Beyond generating the largest opening weekend ever for Apple TV+, 30% of its viewers were new to the service. The film debuted last Friday.

Apple would not comment on what movie or TV series the Aaron Schneider-directed Greyhound eclipsed. Candidates among the 26 originals launching in 100 countries in the eight months since Apple TV+ launched would include the Jennifer Aniston-Reese Witherspoon...

Listen To All Our Hollywood News Podcasts A friendly reminder to you all…make sure you listen to the recent episodes of the Hollywood News Podcast, which have largely focused on Emmy contenders. Most are composers, but keep in mind, we also have an episode with director Alfonso Gomez-Rejon, as well as the return of director and show runner Lesli Linka Glatter. As fo the musicians, they include, of course, Carter Burwell, as well as Glen Ballard, Rupert Gregson-Williams, Alex Heffes, Brian Tyler, and Marcelo Zarvos. For those not interested in Emmy players, there’s also filmmaker Rod Lurie, director Shannon Murphy, comedian and podcaster Eddie Pence, as well as director Aaron Schneider who have stopped by for chats. There’s something for everyone, truly, so spend a bit of your Sunday afternoon (or whenever you’re reading this) listening to some cool interviews. Once again, here is an easy...

When Tom Hanks barks a command in Aaron Schneider’s World War II thriller “Greyhound,” you can bet that one of his underlings will swiftly repeat that order, something that happens so often that you’ll be swimming in Navy jargon by the film’s end.

“Greyhound,” which can currently be seen on Apple TV+, is a film about adhering to protocol and how that dependency is tested when lives are at stake. Hanks wrote the screenplay himself, and his character explains how “repetition” helps to bring “hell down from on high.” And in case you needed to hear it again, Schneider agrees that amplifying the repetitive, procedural nature of “Greyhound” was crucial in conveying that this is a matter of life and death.

“Communication is an art form in the military. And that redundancy has a purpose,” Schneider said in an interview with TheWrap. “So by the end of this movie,...

Exclusive: In a highly competitive six-way bidding war, Apple Studios has acquired Snow Blind, a thriller adaptation of the Boom! Studios graphic novel by Ollie Masters (The Kitchen) and Tyler Jenkins. Jake Gyllenhaal is attached to star and Gustav Möller (The Guilty) will make his English language directing debut. Script is being written by Patrick Ness, the author/scribe of A Monster Calls who is currently scripting Lord of the Flies for Warner Bros. and director Luca Guadagnino.

Gyllenhaal and his Nine Stories partner Riva Marker are producing with Boom! Studios’ Ross Richie and Stephen Christy. Adam Yoelin and Noah Stahl will be exec producers. Mette Norkjaer is co-producing.

In pandemic pitching, prospective bidders received a link to a recorded video of the pitch with an introduction from Gyllenhaal and the filmmaker, with Ness guiding buyers through the story in a multimedia presentation that might well set the tone in...

This unusual summer movie season continues this weekend with a particularly diverse batch of high profile releases hitting a variety of streaming platforms, along with the flow of independent and foreign films continuing to premiere on video-on-demand services.

The romantic comedy “Palm Springs” made headlines when it premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in January. Hulu and Neon purchased rights to the comedy for $17,500,000.69, breaking the record for the biggest sale at the festival by just $0.69. Though Neon had originally planned a theatrical release, the movie will only be at a few drive-in theaters nationwide. However, it is available to stream for anyone with a Hulu subscription. Andy Samberg and Cristin Milioti star as two wedding guests caught in a time loop, repeating the same day again and again.

Tom Hanks has also veered into the streaming realm with “Greyhound,” a WWII naval thriller which Hanks wrote and stars in.

Tom Hanks has a knack for playing courageous captains who constantly beat the odds. He also has a habit of starring in or producing sterling World War II dramas. This holds true from Captain Phillips to Sully on one side of this paradigm, and Band of Brothers to The Pacific on the other. But for the first time since the one that started it all, Steven Spielberg’s Saving Private Ryan, the two old reliable tropes intersect once more with Greyhound, a new naval thriller premiering on Apple TV+.

Yet, to borrow from another famous World War II event, this might’ve been a bridge too far—or a captain too generic. After getting deserved Oscar recognition for Ryan (and being unfairly overlooked for Phillips and Sully), Hanks attempts to return to form in Greyhound, but cuts a much more relaxed figure than his crisp naval uniform would suggest. Despite...

“I’m not here to challenge the accuracy of the costumes,” says costume designer Julie Weiss, whose credits include, “12 Monkeys,” “Frida” and “American Beauty.”

Weiss is talking about the countless uniforms she needed for “Greyhound,” the Aaron Schneider film starring Tom Hanks as Navy Commander Ernest Krause. Streaming on Apple TV Plus from July 10, Krause leads his allied ships across the Atlantic to the frontlines of World War II.

“What’s interesting about this is it’s an Atlantic film,” Weiss points out. “We are so familiar with Pacific uniforms but [with this battle,] it’s a cold winter.”

To source the uniforms, Weiss combined working with costume houses and making outfits. “They came from American Costume, Western Costume, Palace Costume and the studios,” she explains.

Schneider explains that the story was about the experience of the soldiers, “Tom set out to celebrate the contribution and devotion of the soldiers by putting you through the same hell.

Director Aaron Schneider takes his time when choosing a project. As you’ll hear him detail in our interview today, he’s consistently passed up work that he couldn’t get excited for. After moving from cinematography to directing, he won an Academy Award for his Live-Action Short in Two Soldiers, followed by a strong feature debut in Get Low. Since then, he’s bided his time, now returning with the Tom Hanks vehicle Greyhound (reviewed here). Hopping on the phone with me a few days ago, Schneider was surprisingly candid, as well as detailed in his answers. If you’ve ever been curious about how you actually make a film like this, you’re in luck today… Below you will find my conversation with Schneider. We obviously touch on what drew him to the project, as well as working with Hanks, who not only stars but wrote the screenplay as well.

Showboating: Schneider Sinks Ships with WWII Historical Action

Cinema is littered with war-time submarine action epics, a claustrophobic setting which taps into universal anxieties and fears, and a new addition to a dwindling subgenre is Greyhound, the sophomore effort from Academy Award Winner Aaron Schneider, last behind the camera with the droll dark comedy Get Low (2009).

Written by and starring Tom Hanks, the exercise is an adaptation of the 1955 novel by C.S. Forester (Captain Horatio Hornblower; The African Queen) and it’s an efficiently paced, straightforward film the bulk of which hustles through an intense 48 hour period without any narrative frills or fuss.…...

If a patriotic, proudly square tale of military courage under fire (minus the Trumpian jingoism) is what you’re looking for in these pandemic times, Greyhound (available on Apple+ starting July 10th) should float your boat. It’s early WWII action in the North Atlantic, with Tom Hanks tackling the role of Captain Ernest Krause, a Navy career officer taking his first command. His vessel: the USS Keeling, a Fletcher-class destroyer with the codename Greyhound. Krause’s mission is escorting and protecting an Allied convoy of 37 troop and supply ships...

The last time Tom Hanks played the captain of a big ship, he was fighting Somali pirates in “Captain Phillips,” a kinetic, immersive big-screen experience that was nominated for six Academy Awards. He’s now back at sea in “Greyhound,” but this time Hanks plays the commander of a World War II destroyer fighting Nazi submarines in the North Atlantic — and this time the film will be seen on a small screen, because Sony sold it to Apple TV+ for release this week.

That makes “Greyhound” the third recent war-related film to be given a predominantly streaming release, following Spike Lee’s “Da 5 Bloods” and Rod Lurie’s “The Outpost” — and like those two films, this one at times screams out to be seen on a bigger screen than most viewers will be able to give it.

On the other hand, “Greyhound” is pretty modest as war movies go.

It’s no secret that Tom Hanks has a strong interest in World War II. Beyond even his personal fascination with the subject, a number of his projects, both in front of the camera and behind it, have shown this to be true. Now, Hanks is back, serving as the star, screenwriter, and producer of Greyhound, a nautical thriller set during the Battle of the Atlantic in WWII. Without ever calling attention to itself, this flick drops you into the war and shows you what it was like to lead a convoy through what, in lesser hands, would be certain death on the high seas. Coming to Apple TV+ after Sony aborted its 2020 theatrical release, it’s another rock solid outing for Hanks. The film is a thriller, taking the shape of a military drama. Taking place in 1942, the early days of the war, we see what the Navy was...

Tom Hanks shows what a commanding actor he can be from the first taut combat sequence of “Greyhound,” when the title warship, leading a convoy through the North Atlantic in the early months of World War II, spies a U-boat speeding toward it from a dozen miles away. As the German sub approaches, we hear a lot of rapid-fire military and navigational jargon shooting back and forth between the sailors. The action builds, but what lends the scene emotion is the play of aggression and anxiety just beneath Hanks’ fixed grimace. He’s the ship’s captain, Commander Ernest Krause, a stalwart and decisive leader of men, but the primal fear of battle is etched onto his face.

As war films have grown more sophisticated in their realism, it’s not just the ricocheting din of bullet clatter or the dirt-flying dizziness of battle that can hit the audience with a you-are-there verisimilitude.

“Star Wars” actor John Boyega will star alongside Jodie Turner-Smith (“Queen & Slim”), Felicity Jones (“The Theory of Everything”) and Jack Reynor (“Midsommar”) in thriller “Borderland,” to be directed by the Guard Brothers (“The Uninvited’).

The film will follow an Irish paramilitary soldier who witnesses the shooting of his wife by an Sas sergeant and makes it his personal mission to extract revenge.

The script by Ronan Bennett, BAFTA-nominee and Royal Television Society Awards winner for “Top Boy,” and the Guard Brothers, is inspired by the novel “The Road to Balcombe Street,” by Steven S. Moysey. Chris Coen, Rebecca Brown, Rocket Science and Piecrust Productions will produce the film, with Jones serving as executive producer.

The film will shoot at U.K. locations in early 2021. Rocket Science is arranging financing and handling international sales. Endeavor Content is co-representing U.S. rights.

“’Borderland’ is a vengeance-fueled chase movie, fusing some pulse ticking...

July was optimistically listed as the month when theaters were going to re-open this year despite every shred of scientific evidence proving that doing so would be a dangerous proposition. First came word that certain establishments weren’t going to mandate face masks. Then came the quick backtracking on such declaration due to an instantaneous backlash. And finally Warner Bros. and Disney pushed Tenet and Mulan further back after it became obvious multiple governors would keep theaters shuttered indefinitely.

Two studios are currently still hoping to release their titles this month anyway (more on them below), but don’t be surprised if that also doesn’t happen. Maybe they’ll drop at drive-ins and on VOD anyway or perhaps they’ll get rescheduled yet again. Only time will tell.

Either way, many intriguing titles remain on the docket thanks to streamers, VOD, and virtual cinemas nationwide. We’ve already talked about some,...

Exclusive: The largest film festival acquisition deal in film history is now closed. Apple Studios has acquired world rights to Emancipation, the film package with Antoine Fuqua directing Will Smith in a Willam N. Collage-scripted action thriller about the harrowing escape of Peter, a runaway slave forced to outwit cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on a tortuous journey North where he joined the Union Army.

There were seven bidders when the package was brought to market last week as the signature film in the Virtual Cannes market. Bidding zoomed past $75 million, and the field got down to Warner Bros and Apple, and the latter finally closed the deal last night. Sources said the commitment comes in at $105 million net, but when backend gross buyouts are factored in, deal will exceed $120 million when all is said and done. Collage is being paid mid seven figures for his script.

Anne Hathaway and Bill Murray are starring in the canine drama “Bum’s Rush,” with Robert Duvall in talks to come on board.

Rocket Science announced the castings on Tuesday at the virtual Cannes Market. CAA Media Finance represents the domestic rights, with Rocket Science handling international sales.

Aaron Schneider, who directed the upcoming Tom Hanks war drama “Greyhound” and “Get Low,” is helming “Bum’s Rush” from C. Gaby Mitchell’s screenplay. The story focuses on the relationship between Hathaway’s boot maker and a stray dog named Bum (to be voiced by Murray). The two find themselves at a serious crossroads that will change both their hearts and minds in ways they can hardly imagine.

Sarah Green, whose credits include “Loving” and “Tree of Life,” will produce with Mitchell and Schneider. The film will shoot on location in Santa Barbara and New Mexico.

“I am so happy to...

Anne Hathaway and Bill Murray will star in “Bum’s Rush,” directed by Aaron Schneider, Rocket Science announced on Tuesday.

Robert Duvall is also in talks to join the cast of the film, for which C. Gaby Mitchell (“Get Low” and “Blood Diamond”) wrote the screenplay. The film will focus on the relationship between Pearl (Hathaway), a highly-skilled custom bootmaker, and a stray dog named Bum (to be voiced by Murray).

Sarah Green will produce alongside Mitchell and Schneider. The film will be shot on location in Santa Barbara and New Mexico.

Also Read: Robert De Niro, Anne Hathaway Join Cate Blanchett in 'Armageddon Time'

“Bum’s Rush” is being presented to buyers at this week’s virtual Cannes market. CAA Media Finance is representing the domestic rights, with Rocket Science handling international sales.

“I am so happy to reunite with my ‘Get Low’ collaborators Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and C.

Bill Murray and Anne Hathaway are set to star in canine pic Bum’s Rush, for which Rocket Science is launching sales at the Cannes virtual market. CAA reps domestic.

Aaron Schneider (Greyhound) is directing, and Robert Duvall is in talks to join the cast.

C Gaby Mitchell (Blood Diamond) penned the screenplay, which focuses on the relationship between Pearl (Hathaway), a highly skilled custom boot maker who crosses paths with a singular stray dog Bum (to be voiced by Bill Murray). The two highly independent souls find themselves at a serious crossroads, one that will change both their hearts and minds in ways they can hardly imagine. Sarah Green (Loving) will produce with Mitchell and Schneider.

The film is due to shoot on location in Santa Barbara and New Mexico.

“I am so happy to reunite with my Get Low collaborators Robert Duvall, Bill Murray and C Gaby Mitchell...

Project to shoot on location in Santa Barbara and New Mexico.

Bill Murray and Anne Hathaway will star and Robert Duvall is in talks to join the cast of Cannes virtual market sales title Bum’s Rush, which Rocket Science and CAA Media Finance are introducing to the market.

Aaron Schneider (the upcoming Tom Hanks Second World War drama Greyhound), will direct the story about a skilled boot maker (Hathaway) who crosses paths in a life-changing way with a stray dog, to be voiced by Murray.

C Gaby Mitchell wrote the screenplay and Sarah Green is producing with Mitchell and Schneider.

Anne Hathaway and Bill Murray are set to star in Bum's Rush, with Aaron Schneider directing for CAA Media Finance and Rocket Science.

Robert Duvall is in talks to join the indie buddy movie, which sees Hathaway play a custom boot maker who crosses paths with a stray dog, Bum, voiced by Bill Murray. C. Gaby Mitchell penned the screenplay. Sarah Green (Loving, Mud, Tree of Life) will produce the film with Mitchell and Schneider.

Bum's Rush will be shot on location in Santa Barbara and New Mexico. CAA Media Finance is shopping the domestic rights, while Rocket Science will ...

Anne Hathaway and Bill Murray are set to star in Bum's Rush, with Aaron Schneider directing for CAA Media Finance and Rocket Science.

Robert Duvall is in talks to join the indie buddy movie, which sees Hathaway play a custom boot maker who crosses paths with a stray dog, Bum, voiced by Bill Murray. C. Gaby Mitchell penned the screenplay. Sarah Green (Loving, Mud, Tree of Life) will produce the film with Mitchell and Schneider.

Bum's Rush will be shot on location in Santa Barbara and New Mexico. CAA Media Finance is shopping the domestic rights, while Rocket Science will ...

Greyhound will see Tom Hanks return to the backdrop of World War II; an arena in which he has excelled, both onscreen in 1998’s Saving Private Ryan and offscreen as executive producer of HBO miniseries offerings Band of Brothers and The Pacific. Here Hanks serves as star, writer, and producer for the Sony film, tackling a different aspect of the war, the seas, with a story centered on an international convoy of Allied ships, racing across North Atlantic seas filled with Nazi U-boats.

Greyhound is an adaptation of the novel, The Good Shepherd, by C.S. Forester. It’s a World War II-set drama, following a Navy officer (Hanks) who finally gets to command a destroyer, but has to get on top of his personal doubts and demons as he does so.

Aaron Schneider directed the film. He is a longtime cinematographer who’s only helmed one feature in the 2009 drama,...