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With director Mary Harron’s American Psycho recently celebrating its 25th anniversary, the team behind the cult-favorite film tells The Hollywood Reporter their initial impressions of Luca Guadagnino’s plan to take a stab at a new feature.

Hitting theaters from Lionsgate on April 14, 2000, American Psycho stars Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, a banker with murderous fantasies, in the adaptation of author Bret Easton Ellis’ best-selling novel satirizing 1980s yuppie culture. Lionsgate has recently announced that Guadagnino is attached to helm a new take on the book with a script from Scott Z. Burns, and the director himself appeared via video at CinemaCon earlier this month to tease the project.

“On one hand, I am always sad about remakes,” says actor Matt Ross, who plays a co-worker of Bateman’s in the 2000 feature and also works as a filmmaker. “I personally have been offered them in the past as a director,...

A quarter century ago, director Mary Harron’s American Psycho took a stab at satirizing yuppie culture.

It stars Christian Bale as Patrick Bateman, an investment banker in 1980s NYC who secretly lives out his murderous fantasies, and is adapted from Bret Easton Ellis’ controversial novel, which had been dropped by its initial publisher in 1990 before becoming a best-seller upon hitting shelves a year later. It soon attracted attention as a potential film, with director Stuart Gordon (Re-Animator) eyeing it for Johnny Depp to star.

Once Lionsgate landed the project, David Cronenberg was among the directors attached before Harron (I Shot Andy Warhol) took the gig. Harron wasn’t familiar with the book but, despite finding its violence sometimes disturbing, felt it was time to examine ’80s consumerism. “From the start, Mary had a very clear vision of the tone,” producer Alessandro Camon tells The Hollywood Reporter. “She always saw...

One of action-film legend Sylvester Stallone's less heralded movies is getting a new home. Very soon, the 2012 film, Bullet to the Head, will be heading to a free streaming service.

Bullet to the Head is set to debut via Tubi on Feb. 16, allowing fans to see the hard-hitting action flick without charge. The film has been available on another free streamer, Plex, for subscribers on Amazon Prime Video and on home video. The movie is directed by The Warriors helmer Walter Hill and penned by Oscar-nominated screenwriter Alessandro Camon.

RelatedSylvester Stallone, Mel Gibson & Jon Voight Named Hollywood's 'Special Ambassadors' by Donald Trump

The U.S. president-elect has named three celebrity "special ambassadors" to help bring Hollywood "back" from its "very troubled" current state.

Bullet to the Head follows New Orleans-based hitman James Bonomo aka Jimmy Bobo (Stallone) who is forced to work alongside a police officer, Detective Taylor Kwan...

It’s always fascinating when a movie with a top star, and directed by another star, goes as far under the radar as Steve Buscemi‘s “The Listener,” starring Tessa Thompson, has.

But in the case of this particularly gentle movie — available on VOD now for $6.99 — maybe that’s part of its DNA. Like the mental health helpline operator Thompson plays, this is a movie that’s there if you need it: Quiet, thoughtful, and totally shunning the kind of splashiness that most movies are thought to require these days to stand out.

“The Listener” premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2022, where it was the closing night film of the Venice Days sidebar. On April 13, it was the closing night film of the Sarasota Film Festival, out of competition — in this over 18-month festival journey, it’s also made stops at the festivals in Vienna, Thessaloniki, Stockholm, The Hague,...

The Listener has had a long and winding journey to its late March 2024 release. The movie, opening in theaters and available on video-on-demand tomorrow, is genuinely moving. Much of that credit should go to the director and actor, who seem in sync in tone and highlight an exploration of compassion and empathy.

Tessa Thompson delivers a terrific performance in The Listener, taking the viewer on a journey that’s fulfilling. Director Steve Buscemi coaxes out a cinematic experience that seems to aim to build a therapeutic rapport with its audience. This results in a “bottle” film with only one cast member, whom you can’t pull your eyes away from.

Tessa Thompson in The Listener (2022) | Image via Vertical Entertainment

Also Read: Thor’s Tessa Thompson Reacts To Potential Captain Marvel & Valkyrie Romance

The Listener’s Synopsis and Review

Tessa Thompson stars as Beth, a woman who works the night shift...

Taraji P. Henson fired her team after they failed to secure her a post-Empire deal, causing her absence from the limelight. Henson's team wanted her to star in another show as Cookie Lyon, but she wanted it done right, and they didn't deliver, leading to their firing. Henson discusses Hollywood's pay disparity issues, expressing frustration over working hard and not being paid what she deserves.

Taraji P. Henson wasn't impressed with how her team handled her post-Empire career, so she fired them all. Throughout the Fox series' six-season run, Henson starred as Cookie Lyon, the wife of Lucious Lyon (Terrence Howard), a drug dealer turned hip-hop mogul. Her portrayal of Cookie earned the actress the Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series Drama and nominations for two Primetime Emmy Awards. Not only was she praised by critics for her portrayal, but fans adored Cookie.

During a...

Fincher's passion project, The Killer, took almost two decades to make due to the challenges of funding and getting a film greenlit, even for an A-list director like him. Initially, Brad Pitt's production company, Plan B, was involved in the project, with Fincher wanting Pitt to star. However, Pitt declined the role due to finding the antihero character too nihilistic for his taste. The project went through a period of losing the rights and being put on hold, but eventually, Fincher was able to secure the rights again and work with writer Andrew Kevin Walker to create a script that stayed true to the source material. This waiting period allowed Fincher to develop better ideas for the film adaptation.

The Killer has been a passion project of David Fincher’s for almost two decades, so why did it take so long for the director to get it made?...

The man is a consummate professional. In the outside world, he could be anyone — just another ridiculous looking dude somewhere between the ages of 32 and 48, the everyguy in line behind you at an Ace Hardware store or in front of you at McDonald’s. But sitting here, in an unfinished WeWork office space, is this slender, limber apex predator in his natural habitat, and an extremely patient one. He’s perched here for days, just staring out the window at a ritzy apartment in Paris. Watching. Waiting. Whiling away the hours,...

The upcoming Woodstock Film Festival will kick off with Chloe Domont’s “Fair Play” and present a lifetime achievement award to James Ivory.

The 24th edition of the fest, which runs from Sept. 27 to Oct. 1 in New York’s Hudson Valley, about 100 miles north of Manhattan, features a lineup of world, U.S. and New York premieres of feature films directed by filmmakers ranging from Steve Buscemi (“The Listener”) and Wim Wenders (“Anselm”) to Roger Ross Williams (“Stamped From the Beginning”).

Opening night “Fair Play,” an erotic thriller about a power-hungry couple contending for power at a cutthroat financial firm, was acquired by Netflix for $20 million after debuting at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Wff will be held at venues in Woodstock, Rosendale and Saugerties, all of which are Hudson Valley towns where many Academy members own homes, making the fest an award season campaign hotspot.

Additional narrative feature...

One of the most important aspects of good mental health is being able to understand yourself and the things that would contribute to your well-being. Some people find difficulty in self-soothing when it comes to things like anxiety, depression, and loneliness. Others find it challenging to speak up even to those close to them because that means there’s a recognition of a problem, and perhaps more frightening, a realization that they can’t face it alone. For those that fall into the latter category, hotlines often serve as a means to release their problems because they can talk through them with a stranger. It’s often unheard of to understand what those on the other end of the call go through, which is why Steve Buscemi’s feature, The Listener, is an interesting watch.

Tessa Thompson stars as Beth, the helpline volunteer, who fields phone calls every night from...

Looking over actor-director Steve Buscemi’s film directorial work, the theme of loneliness and the hunger for connection jumps out of nearly all of them. His latest feature, “The Listener,” feels closer to his 2005 feature “Lonesome Jim,” itself a story about a depressed man trying to imbue meaning in his life by connecting with someone else.

In the case of “The Listener,” though, that connection is more anonymous, reminding us of the bad early days of the pandemic when we were so afraid that we might never interact with another human that any type of communication, even through the phone, felt like a lifeline.

But what happens when your job is to take on everyone else’s emotional energy? Where does that leave you when you need an outlet but you can only project positivity and reassurance? These are the questions at the center of “The Listener.”

Also Read:

Tessa Thompson...

Steve Buscemi's latest directorial feature, The Listener, will make its North American premiere at this month's Tribeca Film Festival. The Listener follows Beth (Tessa Thompson), a helpline volunteer, through one night of work in her Los Angeles apartment where she takes phone calls from callers struggling with different problems and anxieties. While Thompson is the only actress shown on-screen through the film's 96 minutes run, audiences will hear her interactions with several callers, voiced by actors including Rebecca Hall, Jamie Hector, Margaret Cho, and Alia Shawkat.

In a first-look clip, which you can watch below, Beth is questioned by a caller (voiced by Hall) about the difficulties she faces as a helpline volunteer. Beth shares that the most challenging part is after the caller hangs up when she is left to wonder if she upset or failed them.

The Listener is penned by Alessandro Camon, who earned an Academy Award...

Alessandro Camon is an Academy Award-nominated screenwriter ( The Messenger), playwright (Time Alone) and former Head of Production at Pressman Films. His production credits with Pressman include American Psycho, Thank You For Smoking, The Cooler, Bad Lieutenant: New Orleans and Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps. He recently wrote the Steve Buscemi-directed Tessa Thompson-starrer The Listener, and the play Scintilla, which opens in Los Angeles in April.

Ed Pressman was sui generis.

He was a rebel with a bowtie. He was a shy, soft-spoken man with a bold vision and relentless drive.

He was an original thinker, even an eccentric, sometimes a contrarian, always a dreamer.

He was always unafraid to embrace a new idea, a difficult project, an untested filmmaker with great ambition and little experience.

Related Story Edward R. Pressman Dies: Prolific ‘Wall Street’, ‘American Psycho’ & ‘Badlands’ Producer Was 79 Related Story Ben Kingsley To Play Salvador Dali In...

Click here to read the full article.

The Oscar-nominated screenwriter Alessandro Camon (The Messenger) has signed on to adapt the Italian psychological thriller You Will Find the Words (Le parole lo sanno) for the screen.

British director Peter Webber (Girl With a Pearl Earring, Hannibal Rising) is attached to direct the film, which Rome-based Fenix Entertainment are producing.

Franzoso’s novel centers around a man with a terminal illness who has a chance encounter with a woman on a park bench, an encounter that leads to an extreme act of violence.

Camon told The Hollywood Reporter Fenix approached him about the adaptation and introduced him to Webber.

“We immediately hit it off,” he notes, calling Webber a “Renaissance man. He’s a cosmopolitan, he loves many genres and languages, and he’s truly into what he does.”

The film version of Franzoso’s novel will, like the book, be set...

Click here to read the full article.

Taking a breather from some of the physically demanding and sometimes villainous roles she’s played of late in the likes of Marvel franchises and HBO’s Westworld, Tessa Thompson stars in The Listener as a more unsung sort of superhuman: a crisis hotline worker.

Perhaps seeing a chance to push to nearly the limit that old thespian saying — sometimes attributed to performance coach Stella Adler — that “acting is reacting,” this spare, low-tech work mostly focuses on Thompson’s expressive face as she listens to calls for help from 10 very different people in distress. The voice cast offers a mix of famous (Margaret Cho, Alia Shawkat, Rebecca Hall) and less well-known names, democratically allotted roughly the same amount of air time by the film.

The Listener represents actor-director Steve Buscemi’s fifth directing credit, the second after Lonesome Jim where’s he’s stayed strictly behind the camera.

Standing between Steve Buscemi’s newest directorial effort, “The Listener,” and his last time on the director’s chair for the Sienna Miller-starring drama “Interview” is a whopping 15 years. Buscemi has been open about his desire to direct again, but nothing seemed to work out until Oscar-nominated writer Alessandro Camon knocked on his door, script in hand. Timing, ever-elusive, showed its poignant hand: this story about a helpline volunteer ended up leading Buscemi to call one himself, a decision he claimed helped him process the recent death of his wife of 30 years, filmmaker and choreographer Jo Andres.

Continue reading ‘The Listener’ Review: Steve Buscemi’s Latest Directorial Effort With Tessa Thompson Lacks Emotional Depth [Venice] at The Playlist.

If you found yourself wide awake in the wee small hours with personal demons rattling in your brain, and you picked up the phone to share them with a patient, neutral stranger, Tessa Thompson’s measured, calming voice is more or less exactly what you’d hope to hear on the other end of the line. As Beth, a night-shift volunteer for a crisis helpline, the actor’s naturally gentle, benevolent presence is the chief asset of Steve Buscemi’s minor-key chamber drama “The Listener” — not that she has a host of elements to compete with in what amounts, on screen at least, to a one-woman show.

Thompson’s unforced credibility isn’t shared, however, by a flat, superficial script that treats an assortment of mental health ailments as quirky conversation fuel. Each anguished call that Beth takes, over the course of one long, dark night of assorted souls, is...

Phone Call from a Stranger: Buscemi Conducts a Conduit of Trauma in Striking One-Woman Show

Conjuring everything from Jean Cocteau to T.S. Eliot, Steve Buscemi unites with The Messenger (2009) scribe Alessandro Camon for his first narrative feature in fifteen years, the diametrically opposed The Listener. A one-woman grandstand for Tessa Thompson (also producing), the only actor onscreen guiding multiple phone conversations through miscellaneous vestiges of desperation during a routinely numbing night shift as a helpline volunteer, it’s a hypnotic exercise predicated by moments of suggested violence, trenchant melancholy and often poetic rumination on human resilience despite the odds.

A cast of notables provide the vocal counterparts for Thompson, some immediately recognizable and others not, but Buscemi presents conversational vignettes both soothing and upsetting.…...

Venice film festival: Steve Buscemi’s uneven drama is elevated by the poise and focus of its lone star

Tessa Thompson brings calm, poise and focus to this low-key actor-project-type drama which is unsure exactly where to place its emotional revelation or how much dramatic emphasis to put on it. But, thanks to Thompson, it is certainly watchable, for all that you expect some off-camera voice to say “scene” at the end of each big speech. It is written by the Italian producer turned screenwriter Alessandro Camon, who co-scripted Oren Moverman’s The Messenger, and Steve Buscemi directs.

Thompson is alone on screen for an hour and a half, playing a helpline volunteer working from home in her LA apartment, setting the alarm so she can get up to start work in the dead of night, listening to people who are anxious, depressed, scared or just bored – and speaking to them with courtesy and professionalism,...

In his acting life, Steve Buscemi has certainly mixed things up, finding time for Bruckheimer/Simpson blockbusters, Pixar animation and even Adam Sandler movies in a bid to avoid typecasting as the definitive New York indie guy. In his directing career, however, he tends to stick to a certain genre: small, intimate, personal films like his excellent 1996 debut Trees Lounge, which told the story of a melancholic underachiever whose life revolves around a seedy dive bar where the crowd of misfit regulars become his bizarre de facto family. Loneliness is a familiar motif in Buscemi’s work, and he excelled himself with that in 2005’s Lonesome Jim, starring Casey Affleck as a young man who’s failed in the big city and now has to move in with his parents.

The Listener, surprisingly only his fifth movie, contains elements of both these titles, starring Tessa Thompson as Beth, a helpline...

Exclusive: Bankside Films has boarded international sales for Steve Buscemi-directed Venice Film Festival drama The Listener, starring Tessa Thompson (Creed).

Written by Alessandro Camon, the film follows a helpline volunteer who is part of a small army that gets on the phone every night, fielding calls from all kinds of people feeling lonely, broken or hopeless. Above is a first clip for the movie, which will world premiere next week as the closing film in the Venice Days section before being screened in Toronto.

Creed and Passing star Thompson plays protagonist Beth and is the sole onscreen performer, supported by voice-only cast, comprising Logan Marshall-Green, Derek Cecil, Margaret Cho, Blu Del Barrio, Ricky Velez, Alia Shawkat, Jamie Hector, Casey Wilson, Bobby Soto and Rebecca Hall.

Bankside Films will be introducing the feature to buyers at both the Venice Film Festival and Toronto Film Festival, and will be handling foreign sales,...

In a world where politicians use mental health as mere talking points when discussing gun violence and suicide rates, Steve Buscemi’s “The Listener” addresses the crisis head-on. Written by Alessandro Camon, the Oscar-nominated scribe of “The Messenger” (2009), the film follows a helpline volunteer named Beth, played by Tessa Thompson, who is an integral part of the small army of counselors who field calls from all kinds of people who feel lonely and broken. The film unspools at the Venice Festival’s Giornate degli Autori and is the closing film of Venice Days on Sept. 9.

Buscemi can sympathize with anyone who feels lost and broken, especially as he is still reeling from losing his wife Jo Andres in January 2019; they had been married for over 30 years. While in pre-production, the director and producer called a helpline number. “At first, it was in the name of research,” Buscemi told Variety. “I...

Taraji P. Henson (Empire) will lend her voice to Paw Patrol: The Mighty Movie—Spin Master Entertainment, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies’ sequel to 2021’s Paw Patrol: The Movie, which opened in the number one spot in more than 25 countries and grossed over 150M worldwide.

Paw Patrol: The Movie stemmed from Spin Master’s series Paw Patrol, which debuted on Nickelodeon in the U.S. in 2013. The children’s TV show centers on the young boy Ryder and his crew of search and rescue dogs known as Paw Patrol, watching as they go on missions to protect their community of Adventure Bay and nearby areas. Last year’s Paw Patrol film saw Ryder (Will Brisbin) and the pups be called to Adventure City to stop Mayor Humdinger (Ron Pardo) from turning the bustling metropolis into a state of chaos. With a simultaneous day-and-date release on Paramount+ in the U.S.

Alex Pettyfer, Frank Grillo, Maria Bakalova and Tom Hopper are set to star in a crime drama called “Branded” that is based on a David Grann article in The New Yorker about the story of organized crime within America’s prison system.

Kieron Hawkes (“Power”) will direct the film from a script by Alessandro Camon. HanWay Films has picked-up international sales rights and will commence sales at Cannes, while CAA Media Finance is representing U.S. rights.

The film is currently in pre-production for a fall start date.

“Branded,” which is based on The New Yorker article “The Brand,” tells the origin story of organized crime gangs in America’s prison system. Pettyfer plays Taylor, a once promising football player, serving life for murdering a drug dealer. Grillo plays Carter, feared leader of the dominant white gang in San Quentin, who takes Taylor under his wing and grooms him as a future leader.

Alex Pettyfer, Maria Bakalova, Tom Hopper and Frank Grillo are set to star in Branded, based on the New Yorker article “The Brand” by New York Times bestselling author David Grann.

Kieron Hawkes (Power) directs from a screenplay by Alessandro Camon, whose work includes The Messenger and the upcoming The Listener.

Branded tells the origin story of organized crime gangs in America’s prison system. Pettyfer plays Taylor, a once promising football player, serving life for murdering a drug dealer. Grillo plays Carter, feared leader of the dominant white gang in San Quentin, who takes Taylor under his wing and grooms him as a future leader. The authorities’ attempt to break down the gang by dispersing members to other prisons only psreads its influence through the entire system, and eventually to the streets. Taylor finds himself at the center of a growing empire, earing serious money and the ability to...

“Magic Mike” star Alex Pettyfer, Frank Grillo (“Kingdom”) and “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm’s” Maria Bakalova are set to star in “Branded.”

Tom Hopper will also appear in the film.

Kieron Hawkes (“Power”) is set to direct the feature, which is based on New Yorker article “The Brand” by longform journalist David Grann, whose book “Killers of the Flower Moon” has been adapted in the upcoming Martin Scorsese film of the same name. Alessandro Camon (“The Messenger”) has written the screenplay for “Branded.”

“Branded” tells the story of America’s prison gangs, with Pettyfer playing Taylor, a football player incarcerated for murdering a drug dealer who joins a white gang in San Quentin. Grillo will play the gang’s leader Carter, who sees Taylor as his future replacement.

When the authorities try to disband the gang by dispersing its members throughout the prison system, Taylor soon finds himself at the helm of a veritable criminal empire.

Film is based on an article by ‘The New Yorker’ writer David Grann.

Alex Pettyfer, Maria Bakalova, Frank Grillo and Tom Hopper will lead the cast of Kieron Hawkes’ crime drama Branded, based on an article by David Grann, a writer at The New Yorker magazine

The film is in pre-production ahead of an autumn shoot. HanWay Films has acquired international sales rights and will debut the film at Cannes; CAA Media Finance is selling for the US.

Hawkes will direct from a screenplay by Alessandro Camon, who received an Oscar nomination and won the Berlinale Silver Bear for The Messenger...

Tom Hopper, Frank Grillo also on cast.

Alex Pettyfer, Maria Bakalova, Tom Hopper and Frank Grillo will lead the cast of Kieron Hawkes’ crime drama Branded, based on an article by David Grann, a writer at The New Yorker magazine

The film is in pre-production ahead of an autumn shoot. HanWay Films has acquired international sales rights and will debut the film at Cannes; CAA Media Finance is selling for the US.

Hawkes will direct from a screenplay by Alessandro Camon, who received an Oscar nomination and won the Berlinale Silver Bear for The Messenger in 2009.

Based Grann’s 2004 article...

Exclusive: Clayton Cardenas (Mayans M.C.) has signed on to star opposite Taraji P. Henson in Alessandro Camon’s drama Time Alone, based on his play of the same name, which will enter production in Los Angeles in July.

In the film, Cardenas will play Gabriel, a young man convicted of killing a gang rival. His journey intersects with Anna (Henson), the mother of a police officer murdered in the line of duty, as they both end up in the world’s most lonely places: a solitary confinement prison cell, and the silent house of a grieving mother.

Cardenas was originally slated to play Gabriel on stage when the Belle Rêve production premiered at Los Angeles Theatre Center, before scheduling complications arose. Time Alone went on to receive the Stage Raw Award and Critics Award for Best Play, along with other nominations. Emanuel Morretti’s Motus Studios will finance and...

Taraji P. Henson’s Tph Entertainment has signed a new overall deal with BET Studios.

Under the new pact, Henson and Tph Entertainment will partner with the studio venture, which supplies content to Paramount Plus, Showtime, CBS, Nickelodeon, BET Plus and BET, as well as select third-party platforms. Launched in September 2021, BET Studios was designed to supply the increased demand for premium content from leading and rising Black creators.

“BET has always been the foundation of my fanbase and a huge supporter of me throughout my career,” Henson stated, announcing the partnership. “BET Studios understands and perfectly aligns with my vision of why I founded Tph Entertainment, to increase opportunities and create content that will challenge audiences and inspire new perspectives. I am so excited to join them and for the incredible content we will create together. This partnership will be for the culture.”

The Academy Award, Emmy-nominated, and Golden Globe-winning actor,...

Exclusive: Oscar nominated multi-hyphenate Taraji P. Henson is set to star in Time Alone, adapted from Alessandro Camon’s award-winning play, with Camon slated to direct. Being the Ricardo producer Todd Black will produce along with Suzanne Warren. Emanuele Moretti’s Motus Studios will Finance with Oakhurst Entertainment’s Jai Khanna and Marina Grasic. Verve Ventures and Motus will co-represent domestic rights.

“I launched Tph Entertainment because I’m deeply invested in finding projects that challenge audiences to think differently and offer new perspectives.” Said Henson. “With Time Alone, Alessandro Camon’s unique outlook on social injustices and a fractured society offers a new look at empathy and compassion, which is more relevant now than ever. I’m honored to collaborate with Alessandro and this team of producers to bring his heartfelt play to the screen and to share this story with a wider audience.”

Based on the award-winning play of the same name,...

Steve Buscemi is predominantly known for his work as an actor, but he's directed over 15 projects since the early 1990s with his latest sounding like his most ambitious yet. His upcoming feature film, "The Listener," has wrapped production in Los Angeles according to an exclusive reveal from Deadline. The film's script comes from Oscar nominee Alessandro Camon ("The Messenger") and stars Tessa Thompson in the film's only on-screen role.

Thompson stars as a woman named Beth who participates as a volunteer helpline operator. Every night, she answers calls from a variety of...

The post Production Has Wrapped on Steve Buscemi's The Listener Starring Tessa Thompson appeared first on /Film.

Exclusive: Emmy winner Steve Buscemi has wrapped production on his newest feature The Listener, starring Emmy nominee Tessa Thompson, Deadline has learned.

The contained film written by Oscar nominee Alessandro Camon (The Messenger) features only one on-screen role. It tells the story of Beth (Thompson), a helpline volunteer who is part of the small army that gets on the phone every night across America, fielding calls from all kinds of people feeling lonely, broken, hopeless, worried.

Over the last year, the tide has become a tsunami, and as Beth goes through her shift, the stakes rise: is this the night she will lose someone? Save someone? Put a mind at ease? Make someone smile?

Eventually, Beth’s own story comes to light, revealing why she does it. All along we remain with her: listening, comforting, connecting – patching the world back together, one stitch at a time…...

Producer Ed Pressman plans to shoot next year from a script by Alessandro Camon.

Barry Levinson is in talks to direct The Winner, a dark comedy about the last days of the Trump administration that producer Ed Pressman’s Pressman Films plans to start shooting early next year.

With a script by Alessandro Camon (best known for 2009 award winner The Messenger), The Winner will merge fact and fiction in what is described as “a surreal take on the mind of Donald Trump as he contends with Covid, the election and his personal demons.”

Pressman will produce and casting “is intended to be unconventional,...

Producer Ed Pressman plans to shoot next year from a script by Alessandro Camon.

Barry Levinson is in talks to direct The Winner, a dark comedy about the last days of the Trump administration that producer Ed Pressman’s Pressman Films plans to start shooting early next year.

With a script by Alessandro Camon (best known for 2009 award winner The Messenger), The Winner will merge fact and fiction in what is described as “a surreal take on the mind of Donald Trump as he contends with Covid, the election and his personal demons.”

Pressman will produce and casting “is intended to be unconventional,...

Some 778 showrunners and screenwriters have signed a statement saying that they will fire their agents if the WGA fails to reach an agreement with the Association of Talent Agents for a new franchise agreement. Signers include a slew of A-listers, including Greg Berlanti, Alfonso Cuaron, James L. Brooks, Aaron Sorkin, Norman Lear, Shonda Rhimes, Seth MacFarlane, Mike Schur, Tina Fey, Joss Whedon, Kenya Barris, Peter Farrelly, Oliver Stone, John Wells, Matthew Weiner, Noah Hawley, Vince Gilligan, John Singleton, David Chase, Barry Jenkins, Amy Sherman-Palladino, Colin Trevorrow, Eric Roth, David Shore, David Simon, Shawn Ryan, Lena Waithe, Paul Haggis, Mindy Kaling, Drew Goddard, Jenji Kohan, Carlton Cuse, Howard Gordon, Kurt Sutter, Krista Vernoff, Mara Brock Akil, Danny Strong, Rob McElhenney, Jason Katims, Terence Winter, Peter Lenkov, Michelle and Robert King, Al Jean, Robert Towne, Gloria Calderon Kellett, Kevin Williamson, Darren Star, Rashida Jones, Pamela Adlon, WGA West president David A. Goodman...

Exclusive: Netflix has set Alessandro Camon to adapt Vor, a feature based on the manuscript by neophyte author Rimma Rose. The manuscript will be submitted to publishers shortly. The film details the bloody rise of Russia’s most powerful ‘Vor’ mafia commander. The producers are Roy Lee and Vertigo Entertainment, Brooklyn Weaver and Mike Tadross Jr.

Rose, who grew up in Russia with her family in the 90’s amid the collapse of the government, observed the rise of several powerful ‘Vor’ mafia clans who warred for control of various parts of Moscow, with infamous and bloody collateral damage as the result. She has turned it into a fictional tale meant to be a trilogy. It starts with the rise of a young street-wise criminal whose prison battles with other young Vor gain the attention of the higher ups – whom he will eventually seek to replace.

Camon is writing Black Lion for Stay Gold Features,...

Belle Reve Theatre Companypresents their inaugural production of Time Alone, a World Premiere by Alessandro Camon Academy Award nominee 'The Messenger' starring Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins Jelly's Last Jam, Caroline or Change, ABC Scandal and Alex Hernandez Peter and the Starcatcher, Richard III NYC Public Theatre Mobile Unit, at Theatre 2, Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S Spring Street Los Angeles, September 30 to October 29 Press Opening October 7.

Belle Reve Theatre Companypresents their inaugural production of Time Alone, a World Premiere by Alessandro Camon Academy Award nominee 'The Messenger' starring Tony Award winner Tonya Pinkins Jelly's Last Jam, Caroline or Change, ABC Scandal and Alex Hernandez Peter and the Starcatcher, Richard III NYC Public Theatre Mobile Unit, at Theatre 2, Los Angeles Theatre Center, 514 S Spring Street Los Angeles, September 30 to October 29 Press Opening October 7.

Andrew Garfield may have had some bad luck with The Amazing Spider-Man franchise, being the only bright spot in what were two otherwise mediocre films, but what happened there certainly hasn’t hurt his career in the slightest. In fact, the actor is doing some of his best work to date right now.

2016 saw him give two tremendous performances in Silence and Hacksaw Ridge, while 2014 brought us the equally impressive 99 Homes. Now, looking to continue his hot streak, Garfield has lined up his next project, and it comes in the form of Black Lion, which he’s set to star in and produce, alongside Rupert Fowler and Taplin Lundberg.

Penned by Alessandro Camon, the drama will be based on the “memorable life and controversial death of war correspondent Carlos Mavroleon.” For those unfamiliar with the man, he was a “Harvard educated heir to a $100 million English/Greek shipping empire.” Starting...

Andrew Garfield will star as real-life Afghanistan War reporter Carlos Mavroleon in the indie “Black Lion” for Stay Gold Pictures, the company announced Tuesday. Garfield will also produce the film with Rupert Fowler and Daniela Taplin Lundberg, with Nicholas Mavroleon, Aidan Hartley, and Alessandro Camon as executive producers. The project is based off a pitch by Camon, who received an Oscar nomination in 2010 for co-writing the screenplay for “The Messenger.” Mavroleon was the Harvard-educated heir to an English/Greek shipping empire who decided to leave Wall Street behind and take on the most dangerous assignments in journalism. Also Read: Scarlett Johansson Defends.

Exclusive: Hacksaw Ridge‘s Andrew Garfield has made a deal to star in and produce Black Lion, a drama that Alessandro Camon will write about the memorable life and controversial death of war correspondent Carlos Mavroleon. Daniela Taplin Lundberg’s Stay Gold Features acquired the project and is backing development. Garfield, Rupert Fowler and Taplin Lundberg are producing. Nicholas Mavroleon, Aidan Hartley will be exec producers with Camon, who wrote The…...

Showtime has put in development The Brand, a 10-episode limited series from Narcos executive producer/director José Padilha. Written by Padilha and Alessandro Camon (The Messenger), The Brand is inspired by the 2004 New Yorker article by author David Grann. It tells the epic tale of the rise of prison gangs, particularly the Aryan Brotherhood, in the 1970s and 1980s, when mass incarceration resulting from the war on drugs caused the prison population to explode. Camon and…...

Steven Soderbergh and his "Out of Sight" scribe Scott Frank are re-teaming for the limited period western series "Godless" on Netflix. Frank is penning, directing and executive producing the series which Soderbergh and Casey Silver will also executive produce.

Set in 1884 in a New Mexico mining town, plot specifics are being kept under wraps. Casting is now underway with filming about to take place in Santa Fe.

He isn't the only one announcing new series today. "Narcos" executive producer/director Jose Padilha has begun development of the ten-episode limited series "The Brand" at Showtime.

Alessandro Camon ("The Messenger") penned the script about the rise of prison gangs, particularly the Aryan Brotherhood, in the 1970s and 1980s when mass incarceration caused the prison population to explode.

Source: The Live Feed & Deadline...

Protagonist will introduce to buyers to the Oren Moverman-directed film at Efm next month.

Richard Gere, Steve Coogan, Laura Linney, Rebecca Hall and Chloë Sevigny are to star in The Dinner, a film based on the bestselling novel by Herman Koch, which will start shooting in New York on Jan 21.

Oren Moverman, whose last film Time Out Of Mind also starred Gere, has adapted the novel and will direct.

Cotty Chubb, Lawrence Inglee, Eddie Vaisman and Julia Lebedev are the producers of the film, which is a Code Red, ChubbCo and Blackbird production. Code Red is fully financing and Protagonist Pictures is handling international sales and will introduce the title to buyers at the European Film Market (Efm) in Berlin next month.

Executive producers are Leonid Lebedev, Angel Lopez, Olga Segura and Eva Daniels.

The Dinner begins as Paul and Claire Lohman (Coogan, Linney) get ready for a dinner with Paul’s politician brother Stan (Gere...

Rob Zombie will direct a new biopic about the final years of legendary comedian Groucho Marx, based on Steve Stoliar's memoir, Raised Eyebrows, which chronicled his time as Marx's personal secretary and archivist, Deadline reports.

The screenplay will be written by Oren Moverman, who co-wrote the new Brian Wilson biopic, Love and Mercy, and earned an Oscar nomination for 2009's The Messenger, which he wrote with Alessandro Camon. Zombie will also produce the film, along with Cold Iron Pictures' Miranda Bailey, Amanda Marshall and Andy Gould.

Raised Eyebrows...

Exclusive: Film is based on the real-life story of the NYPD detetcive who first uncovered the Vatican Bank’s links to the Mafia.

Michael Winterbottom is to direct The Vatican Connection about the real-life story of the NYPD detective who first uncovered the Vatican Bank’s links to the Mafia in the 1970s.

Detective Joe Coffey was working undercover in the Lower East Side of Manhattan, tailing a vicious local mobster, when he stumbled upon information linking the Vatican Bank and the Mafia.

His global investigation – taking him from New York to Munich, London and Rome - revealed that Vatican Bank president Archbishop Paul Marcinkus, was working with the Mafia to hide losses incurred by the institution as it financed anti-Communist missions in central America.

Through intermediaries Archbishop Marcinkus had the Genovese Crime Family of New York manufacture and supply the Vatican Bank with $6 billion dollars of counterfeit blue chip bonds from major Us corporations.

Winterbottom will work...

Bullet to the Head is just the kind of movie the title suggests. It is a straight-forward action film that is low on plot and dialogue, but high on body count and action sequences. The film is directed by action genre icon Walter Hill, and feels like the perfect throwback to his great action flicks from the 70’s and 80’s. The film features a screenplay by Alessandro Camon based on Alexis Nolent's French graphic novel Du Plomb Dans La Tete. It stars Sylvester Stallone, Sung Kang, arah Shahi, Christian Slater, Jason Momoa, Jon Seda, Holt McCallany, and Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje. It was produced by fellow action icon producer Joel Silver. Thanks to its New Orleans setting and Stallone’s gravely voiceover...

Exclusive: Thunder Road has acquired No Quarter, a spec script by The Messenger scribe Alessandro Camon and Michael Wilson that will be produced by Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk and Michael De Luca. No Quarter is a contemporary crime story that touches on the themes of the military and the difficulty of reintegrating back into society after serving as a soldier in Iraq and Afghanistan. Those were themes in The Messenger. Set in Los Angeles in 2007, two friends who were combat Marines and side by side survived some of the toughest fighting in the Iraq war, find themselves on opposite sides of the law. One becomes a star cop in an elite undercover unit while the other gets into a heist crew involved with a drug cartel. These men, who once depended on each other for survival, see their friendship and loyalties put to the test. Both Iwanyk and De...

Stars: Sylvester Stallone, Jason Momoa, Christian Slater, Sarah Shahi, Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje, Sung Kang | Written by Alessandro Camon | Directed by Walter Hill

Bullet to the Head is the latest film to star ass-kicking pensioner Sylvester Stallone. He plays Jimmy Bobo (really), a hitman with morals – don’t they all – who gets himself in a right old tiswas after his partner is killed by Game of Thrones and Conan the Barbarian’s Jason Momoa after a routine job. Tech-savvy (ie, smartphone-owning cop) Taylor Kwon looks into the murder Bobo committed and decides to team up with the crim in order to find out who’s really behind all the killing and intrigue and why. Kwon is played by Sung Kang who has starred in a number of Fast and Furious films and was cast as Thomas Jane was not ‘ethnic’ enough. Former NFL cheerleader Sarah Shahi plays tattoo-artist totty and Bobo’s...