News

Along with its much-promoted Black Friday NFL game, Amazon is serving up a side helping of holiday sports content this week with its new docuseries about the history of the top-selling video game based on pigskin: “Madden NFL.”

And no, the timing is not a coincidence, as “Madden” publisher EA Sports is keenly aware of the association between Hall of Fame football coach and iconic commentator John Madden, for whom the franchise is named, and Turkey Day.

“Thanksgiving is synonymous with Coach Madden. He called something like 20 Thanksgiving games as an announcer and was part of a lot of different holiday traditions with that,” EA Sports senior vice president and general manager Daryl Holt told Variety. “It became a calling card of football around the Thanksgiving holiday.”

Throughout his life, Madden was closely involved in the development of the game — formerly known as “John Madden Football,” until EA struck its...

Martha Plimpton and Mireille Enos have been officially announced as part of the cast of Brad Ingelsby’s upcoming series at HBO, a followup to his hit Mare Of Easttown.

Plimpton’s casting was revealed in the “Coming To Max in 2025” trailer released Sunday night, which also unveiled Task as the title of the show (fka Untitled Task Force Project), headlined by Mark Ruffalo. (You can watch it below)

Based on an original idea by Ingelsby, Task is set in the working class suburbs outside of Philadelphia, an FBI agent heads a Task Force to put an end to a string of drug-house robberies led by an unsuspecting family man.

Plimpton plays Kathleen McGinty, the FBI Supervisory Senior Resident in Charge, a career agent who recruits Tom to head up the Task...

Martha Plimpton and Mireille Enos have joined the cast of “Task,” an upcoming HBO drama series starring Mark Ruffalo.

Set in the working class suburbs outside of Philadelphia, “Task” follows Tom (Ruffalo), an FBI agent leading a task force meant to tend to a string of drug-house robberies led by an unsuspecting family man (Tom Pelphrey).

Plimpton plays Kathleen McGinty, the FBI supervisory senior resident in charge who recruits Tom to lead the task force just as she learns that she is being forced to retire, while Enos plays Tom’s wife, Susan Brandis. The pair married young, which is the reason Tom left the priesthood.

Plimpton’s credits include films like “The Goonies” (1985), “The Mosquito Coast” (1986) and “Parenthood” (1989), as well as the 2010-2014 Fox sitcom “Raising Hope.” More recently, she has appeared in the 2021 film “Mass” and the HBO series “The Regime,” which aired earlier this year. She is...

HBO is rounding out the cast of its upcoming limited series Task.

The drama from Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby has added Martha Plimpton and Mireille Enos to its already large ensemble. Mark Ruffalo heads the cast as an FBI agent leading a task force investigating a string of drug-house robberies in the Philadelphia suburbs.

Plimpton’s presence in Task was revealed Sunday in a teaser for HBO and Max’s upcoming programming. She will play Kathleen McGinty, a career FBI agent who recruits Tom (Ruffalo) to head up the task force, just as she learns that she is being forced to retire. Enos will play Susan Brandis, Tom’s wife and the heart and soul of their family. She and Tom married young and is the reason he left the priesthood.

The show’s cast also includes Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones, Thuso Mbedu, Raúl Castillo, Jamie McShane, Sam Keeley,...

Today, Prime Video announced a November 26 premiere date and released the official trailer and key art for It’s in the Game: Madden NFL. The docuseries will premiere exclusively on Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

The Thanksgiving week launch honors the legacy of coach John Madden, who, as an announcer, called 20 Thanksgiving games and created new holiday traditions like the turkey leg and turducken, making him a Thanksgiving guest of football fans everywhere for two decades.

It’s one of the biggest video games of all time, a groundbreaking brand that became a worldwide phenomenon, spanning generations—but it almost never happened…

It’s in the Game: Madden NFL reveals the never-been-told story of Madden NFL, from its archaic 8-bit origins to its success as an annual must-have—against all odds. For the first time ever, EA Sports is opening its vault of rare and never-been-seen...

Boom! Amazon Prime Video has released the trailer for “It’s in the Game,” the streaming service’s docuseries about the “Madden” football video game series.

“It’s in the Game: Madden NFL” will premiere on November 26, which is also a piece of today’s news, just in time for your Thanksgiving dinner. It was John Madden the sportscaster who first introduced (and then annually reintroduced) most of America to the turducken — a chicken inside of a duck inside of a turkey — each November. Madden, a former NFL player and later a coach, called 20 Thanksgiving games on TV.

The documentary will tell what Prime Video says is the “never-been-told story of ‘Madden NFL,’ from its archaic 8-bit origins to its success as an annual must have — against all odds.” The docuseries will include a treasure trove of “never-been-seen” EA Sports vault footage, “while also allowing cameras to follow along as...

Sony Music Masterworks today announces the release of Venom: The Last Dance (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with music by composer Dan Deacon.

Available everywhere now, the album features an original score composed by Deacon for the final film in the Sony Pictures Venom trilogy. Combining dynamic, emotional orchestral movements with bold, action-packed synthesized sequences, Deacon’s score is the perfect musical accompaniment to the final chapter of the franchise. Venom: The Last Dance debuts in theaters nationwide today from Sony Pictures – tickets here.

Of the score, Dan Deacon says, “Comic books were core part of my childhood and some of my fondest memories of being a kid. I was 7 and an avid comic collector when Venom first appeared. I got immediately obsessed with him and the symbiote backstory. Returning bottles and cans for 5¢ each, I saved money to collect as many earlier appearances and key books as I could get my hands on,...

Today, Prime Video greenlit four new sports documentaries, including a four-part documentary on NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt Sr., a four-part series chronicling the history of the Madden video game franchise, an anthology series about the most epic Game 7s throughout sports history, and a true-crime documentary about ChiefsAholic, the notorious Kansas City Chiefs superfan and serial bank robber.

Prime Video also announced the renewal of the Emmy-nominated docu-follow series Coach Prime for a third season. For the upcoming season, Coach Prime will once again transport fans inside the locker room and onto the field of Deion “Coach Prime” Sanders’ University of Colorado Boulder (Cu Boulder) football program.

Coach Prime is executive produced by Smac Entertainment’s Constance Schwartz-Morini, Michael Strahan, FredAnthony Smith, and Jamie Elias. Micah Brown also serves as executive producer and showrunner. Coach Prime is produced by Smac Productions, a division of Smac Entertainment, for Prime Video Sports.

Amazon is diving headfirst into the world of sports documentaries with four new projects on its streaming slate, including one on Dale Earnhardt Sr. and another about a Kansas City Chiefs super fan that will cross over int0 true crime as well.

The company announced all four projects during its Upfront presentation on Tuesday.

The documentaries are as follows:

A four-part documentary on NASCAR icon Dale Earnhardt Sr.; a four-part series chronicling the history of the Madden video game franchise; an anthology series about the most epic Game 7s throughout sports history; and a true-crime documentary about ChiefsAholic, the notorious Kansas City Chiefs superfan and serial bank robber.

More details about each are below.

Untitled Earnhardt Documentary

The history of the Earnhardt family is the history of NASCAR—you can’t tell the story of one without the other—and at the center of the Earnhardt family was Dale Earnhardt Sr.

Adam Sandler paired up with Queen Latifah for the sports drama film Hustle, which earned Sandler his first Screen Actors Guild Award nomination. Sandler played Stanley Sugerman, an NBA scout, and Latifah, his wife Teresa Sugermen, in one of the perfect mixed couple castings in Hollywood. Director Jeremiah Zagar was more than happy with having Latifah on board, who joined the project after a call from Sandler, her close friend.

Adam Sandler as Stanley Sugerman in Hustle

In Hustle, Sandler’s character discovers a raw but talented basketball player in Spain and takes the challenging path to prepare him for the NBA draft. Latifah’s character provides him with the necessary emotional support to stick to his decision.

Adam Sandler And Queen Latifah Were The Perfect Mixed Couple In Hustle

Queen Latifah and Adam Sandler in Hustle

In an interview with Business Insider, Director Jeremiah Zagar opened up about his film Hustle,...

Exclusive: Isaach De Bankolé (Godfather of Harlem), Phoebe Fox (The Great), Silvia Dionicio (Wu-Tang: An American Saga), and Coral Peña (For All Mankind) are the newest recurring cast members set for HBO’s Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project (working title).

De Bankolé will play Father Daniel Georges, the oldest and best friend of lead Mark Ruffalo’s FBI Agent Tom, who went to seminary with him. Fox portrays Tom’s biological daughter, Sara, who is deep in grief, with Dionicio as his adopted daughter, grappling with a family tragedy. Peña portrays Meg Coyle, the guidance counselor who works at Emily’s high school.

Others previously cast in the crime drama from the creator of Mare of Easttown include Tom Pelphrey as Robbie; Emilia Jones as Maeve; Thuso Mbedu as Aleah; Raúl Castillo as Cliff; Jamie McShane as Perry; Sam Keeley as Jayson; Fabien Frankel as Anthony; Alison Oliver as...

Exclusive: Continuing to expand its cast, HBO’s Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project (working title) has added five as recurring: Raphael Sbarge (Once Upon a Time), Mickey Sumner (Snowpiercer), Brian Goodman (Fatal Attraction), Elvis Nolasco (Godfather of Harlem), and Colin Bates (American Rust).

Sbarge plays Police Chief Dorsey, who oversees a multi-unit operation to assist FBI Agent Tom (Ruffalo) and the team in their search. Sumner portrays Shelley Driscoll, who is desperate to escape her husband Ray, with Goodman as Vincent Hawkes, one of the 13 National Leaders of a dangerous biker gang. Nolasco plays Freddy Frias, the savvy and ruthless captain of Philadelphia’s largest drug trafficking organization, while Bates portrays Shane McReynolds, the Sergeant-At-Arms of a dangerous biker gang and a member of Jayson’s inner circle.

Others previously cast include Tom Pelphrey as Robbie; Emilia Jones as Maeve; Thuso Mbedu as Aleah; Raúl Castillo as Cliff...

Exclusive: HBO’s Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project (working title) has three new recurring cast members: Owen Teague (Kingdom of the Planet of the Apes), Dominic Colón (Power), and Margarita Levieva (The Deuce).

Teague plays Peaches, Robbie and Cliff’s co-worker by day and henchman by night. Colón portrays Deric “Breaker,” the Vice-President of a dangerous biker gang and Jayson’s right hand. Levieva’s character is Eryn, Jayson’s tough and cunning wife.

Mark Ruffalo leads the ensemble as FBI agent Tom. Additional previously announced cast includes Tom Pelphrey as Robbie; Emilia Jones as Maeve; Thuso Mbedu as Aleah; Raúl Castillo as Cliff; Jamie McShane as Perry; Sam Keeley as Jayson; Fabien Frankel as Anthony; and Alison Oliver as Lizzie.

A crime drama based on an original idea from Mare of Easttown creator Ingelsby, the show is set in the working class suburbs outside of Philadelphia, where Ruffalo...

Adam Sandler has set a new comedy special at Netflix — this time directed by Josh Safdie.

The project continues Sandler’s string of collaborations with Safie, who co-directed him in 2019’s “Uncut Gems” alongside his brother Benny Safdie. Sandler also starred in the brothers’ 2020 short film “Goldman v. Silverman” and is set to lead an upcoming feature set in the world of sports memorabilia to be directed by Josh and produced by Benny, though the latter told Variety in January that the film was “on pause.”

Currently untitled, the special will be Sandler’s second at Netflix, following up on his 2018 set “100% Fresh” — which went on to receive a 90% fresh score on Rotten Tomatoes. Sandler has worked on numerous projects for Netflix: In 2023, he led the voice cast of the streamer’s animated musical comedy film “Leo” and starred opposite Idina Menzel in “You Are So Not Invited To My Bat Mitzvah,...

Mark Ruffalo tells me he has, until now, kinda shied away from playing the villain of the piece. He licks his lips as he declares that it’s “so much fun to finally get to play the bad guy.”

He refers, of course, to his Duncan Wedderburn, the calculating cad of the first water he plays with zest in Yorgos Lanthimos’ delicious movie Poor Things.

The schemer Wedderburn sets his sights on Emma Stone’s Bella Baxter, but it is she who outwits him.

“The bad ones are the best and I was scared of it,” he tells me at Saturday’s BAFTA Tea Party, set on a mammoth, chilly terrace at The Maybourne Beverly Hills.

As I toyed with Ruffalo’s thesis in my head, I was unable to conjure any roles he’s played that were, hitherto, downright dastardly. His Bruce Banner stroke the Hulk in the Marvel movies is essentially decent,...

Exclusive: Raúl Castillo (Cassandro), Jamie McShane (Wednesday) and Sam Keeley (Burnt) have joined the cast of HBO‘s Mark Ruffalo-led series, the Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project (w/t), currently in pre-production.

Castillo plays Cliff, Robbie’s lifelong best friend and devout cynic; McShane plays Perry, a feared and respected man who’s made a career out of mayhem; Keeley plays Jayson, the leader of a local crime organization.

The series is set in the working-class suburbs outside of Philadelphia and follows an FBI agent who heads a Task Force. His goal is to put an end to a string of drug-house robberies led by an unsuspecting family man. The Untitled Task Force project is based on an original idea by the creator of Mare of Easttown, Brad Ingelsby.

The trio joins the previously announced cast including Mark Ruffalo, Tom Pelphrey, Emilia Jones and Thuso Mbedu.

Executive producers...

Emilia Jones and Thuso Mbedu have signed on to join Brad Ingelsby’s Untitled Task Force series set at HBO.

Jones has been cast as Maeve, Robbie’s niece who has put her life on hold to care for Robbie’s children while Mbedu joins as Aleah, a Sergeant Detective who is recruited for Tom’s task force.

They join previously announced castmembers Mark Ruffalo, who will portray Tom, and Tom Pelphrey, who is slated to star as Robbie.

Based on an original idea from Ingelsby (“Mare of Easttown”), the series tells the story of an FBI agent leading a Task Force to put an end to a string of drug-house robberies led by an unsuspecting family man. It’s set in the working class suburbs outside of Philadelphia.

Ingelsby serves as a writer and executive producer alongside Jeremiah Zagar and Salli Richardson-Whitfield, both of whom will also direct. In addition to starring,...

The HBO limited series from Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby is adding to its cast.

Tom Pelphrey will join Mark Ruffalo in the drama, which will follow members of an FBI task force and the criminals they’re trying to catch. The untitled series stems from Ingelsby’s overall deal at HBO, which he signed in the wake of Mare of Easttown’s breakout success.

The premium cable outlet has also released a somewhat more detailed description for the series, which reads: “Set in the working class suburbs outside of Philadelphia, an FBI agent heads a task force to put an end to a string of drug-house robberies led by an unsuspecting family man.” The show is based on an original idea by Ingelsby.

Pelphrey (Mank, Love & Death) will play Robbie, a sanitation worker who has been knocked around in life but has always managed to get up again.

Tom Pelphrey (Outer Range) is set to star opposite Mark Ruffalo in the Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project (w/t), currently in pre-production. Pelphrey will portray Robbie, a sanitation worker and dreamer who has been knocked around by life, but has always gotten back up again.

The series is set in the working-class suburbs outside of Philadelphia and follows an FBI agent who heads a Task Force. His goal is to put an end to a string of drug-house robberies led by an unsuspecting family man. The Untitled Task Force project is based on an original idea by the creator of Mare of Easttown, Brad Ingelsby.

Executive producers include Brad Ingelsby (Writer/EP); Jeremiah Zagar (Director/EP); Salli Richardson-Whitfield (Director/EP); Mark Ruffalo (Star/EP); Paul Lee and Mark Roybal for wiip; David Crockett. Co-executive producers are Nicole Jordan-Webber and Public Record’s Jeremy Yaches.

Pelphrey is currently in...

Look who’s headed to the Philly suburbs.

Tom Pelphrey (Ozark) has joined the cast of Brad Ingelsby’s as-yet-untitled HBO drama set outside Philadelphia, TVLine has learned.

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He’ll play Robbie, whom the official character description calls “a sanitation worker and dreamer who has been knocked around by life, but has always gotten back up again.”

HBO announced in June that...

Finding the right entertainment option can be difficult in this busy age. When you’re prepped for a movie night and armed with your Netflix subscription, you don’t want to waste precious time scrolling endlessly. But with countless titles flashing on your screen, where do you start? That’s where we come in!

Introducing the 50 best movies on Netflix for July 2023, each carefully ranked by IMDb scores to ensure you’re only watching the cream of the crop. From underrated masterpieces to the hottest blockbusters, we’ve curated a list that caters to every movie lover’s taste.

Related: 10 Best 80s Movies from Childhood, Ranked by Viewers

And the best part? This list gets refreshed every month. So, brace yourselves for a cinematic journey that takes you from your living room straight to the heart of Hollywood and beyond. Buckle up, movie buffs – your ultimate Netflix guide awaits!

50 ‘Dolemite Is My Name...

Exclusive: Queer advocacy group Out in Hollywood released its third annual list of the best unproduced queer-focused television pilot scripts of the past year.

The scripts that made it to the list underwent a blind evaluation process overseen by Out in Hollywood’s Board of Directors featuring an all-queer-identifying panel of judges conformed of proudly Out producers, studio and network executives.

“In 2023, our mission feels more urgent than ever. From the political attacks on queer identity and expression happening around the country to the WGA’s fight for–amongst other things–opportunity, equity and creative agency, creating space and a platform for queer writers remains a necessary act of both protest and joy,” Board member Maija Gustin said of this year’s list.

Scripts are evaluated based on criteria including the strength of the writer’s voice, viability of the project to be sold in today’s marketplace, conceptual freshness,...

HBO‘s acclaimed crime series “Mare of Easttown” has established writer/creator Brad Ingelsby as a major talent to keep an eye on. And while a follow-up to that fantastic first season remains a big question mark, Ingelsby will continue his relationship with the network with a new overall deal with HBO. And according to HBO, Ingelsby will write a new untitled police task force series that stars Mark Ruffalo (“Zodiac“), with Jeremiah Zagar (“Hustle“) set to direct episodes.

Continue reading HBO Teaming Up With Mark Ruffalo & ‘Mare Of Easttown’ Creator Brad Ingelsby For New Police Task Force Series at The Playlist.

HBO is getting back in business with the team behind Mare of Easttown.

The premium cabler handed out a series order for new limited series with the working title Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project.

Brad Ingelsby, who brought Mare of Easttown to life, is set as executive producer and writer on the series, while I Know This Much is True's Mark Ruffalo will star and EP.

Jeremiah Zagar (We the Animals) will serve as director/executive producer.

Plot details are scarce, aside from "based on an original idea, the series follows a task force of law enforcement officers and the criminals they are trying to apprehend."

Ruffalo will play Tom, but beyond that, we're in the dark about this one.

"We are absolutely thrilled to once again join forces with Brad Ingelsby, the brilliant auteur behind 'Mare of Easttown.'"

"Brad's boundless creativity and unrivaled ability to...

Mark Ruffalo in ‘I Know This Much is True’ (Photo by Atsushi Nishijima / HBO)

Mark Ruffalo is teaming up with Brad Ingelsby (Mare of Easttown) and HBO for what’s currently known as the Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project. The network announced they’re given the untitled project a series order and pointed out Ruffalo’s involvement as star and executive producer of the limited series was set into place prior to the WGA strike on May 2, 2023.

HBO also confirmed no work is currently being done on the project as the strike continues.

Three-time Oscar nominee Mark Ruffalo is playing a character named Tom who, per the incredibly short synopsis, is somehow involved with “a task force of law enforcement officers and the criminals they are trying to apprehend.”

Brad Ingelsby’s Mare of Easttown won four Emmys and two Critics Choice Awards, as well as Writers Guild, Producers Guild,...

Mark Ruffalo is returning to HBO for a new limited series following his run on the Emmy-winning I Know This Much Is True. Teaming up with Mare of Easttown scribe Brad Ingelsby, the untitled project is based on an original idea following a task force of law enforcement officers and the criminals they are trying to apprehend. The working title is officially Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project. Along with writing the series, Ingelsby will executive produce the show side-by-side with director Jeremiah Zagar and lead star Ruffalo. This is Ingelsby’s first project since delivering the well-received Mare, which starred Kate Winslet as a detective determined to solve the mystery behind a teen girl’s death while coping with the grief surrounding a family tragedy. Brad Ingelsby (Credit: Joe Scarnici/Getty Images) Casting decisions were made ahead of the WGA strike, and no further development has occurred since the strike began.

HBO has ordered a new untitled limited series written and executive produced by “Mare of Easttown” creator Brad Ingelsby in association with wiip.

The series, which stars Mark Ruffalo and is directed by Jeremiah Zagar (“We the Animals”), follows a task force of law enforcement officers and the criminals they are trying to apprehend.

“We are absolutely thrilled to once again join forces with Brad Ingelsby, the brilliant auteur behind ‘Mare of Easttown.’ Brad’s boundless creativity and unrivaled ability to captivate audiences is nothing short of inspiring, and we cannot be more excited to embark on another journey together,” Executive vice president of programming and HBO Drama Series and Films head Francesca Orsi said in a statement. “When the opportunity arose to partner with Mark on another series, we all jumped at the chance to witness him once again breathe great humanity into a new role. We are also honored to collaborate with Jeremiah,...

Mark Ruffalo is set for a lead role in a new HBO limited series that hails from Brad Ingelsby, Variety has learned.

The untitled series is based on an original idea and is said to follow “a task force of law enforcement officers and the criminals they are trying to apprehend.” According to an individual with knowledge of the situation, casting decisions were made prior to the onset of the writers’ strike. Furthermore, production on the series does not yet have a start date.

The show marks a return to HBO for both Ingelsby and Ruffalo. Ingelsby previously created the critically-acclaimed HBO limited series “Mare of Easttown” starring Kate Winslet. The show received 16 Emmy nominations upon its release, ultimately winning four. “Mare of Easttown” was produced by wiip, which will also produce the task force series.

For Ruffalo, he previously starred in the HBO limited series “I Know This Much Is True...

Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby has landed another series order at HBO – a crime drama starring Mark Ruffalo.

The untitled drama follows a task force of law enforcement officers and the criminals they are trying to apprehend.

Ruffalo will also exec produce alongside Ingelsby, who is writing, and Jeremiah Zagar, who is directing. It forms part of Ingelsby’s overall deal with the network.

Insiders say both the script was finished and Ruffalo’s deal closed prior to the writers strike with no further development occurring since the work stoppage began.

The project will be produced in association with wiip with Paul Lee and Mark Roybal serving as executive producers for wiip. Nicole Jordan-Webber and Public Record’s Jeremy Yaches will serve as co-executive producers.

Given all the accolades Mare of Easttown garnered, HBO has been excited about this new project from Ingelsby for some time and was aiming...

HBO is getting back in business with Mare of Easttown creator Brad Ingelsby.

The premium cable outlet has ordered a limited series about a law enforcement task force and the criminals they’re trying to apprehend. Mark Ruffalo is set to star and will serve as an executive producer.

The series had been in the works well before the writers strike began, and casting decisions were made before then as well. No additional development has happened since the strike began in early May, and there’s no start date for production yet.

The untitled series marks a return to HBO for both Ruffalo and Ingelsby. The actor won an Emmy in 2020 for the limited series I Know This Much Is True and also starred in the outlet’s 2014 movie The Normal Heart (for which he also picked up an Emmy nomination). Ingelsby created and executive produced Mare of Easttown for HBO,...

AppleTV has debuted a new trailer for the new docu-series ‘Monster Factory’ alongside the premiere date of Friday, March 17.

Directed by News & Documentary Award nominee Galen Summer and Naiti Gámez, and produced by Vox Media Studios and Public Record, “Monster Factory” is the story of misfit dreamers at a wrestling school on the outskirts of a gritty New Jersey factory town who, with the help of their tough yet loving coach, fight for their big break as professional wrestlers.

The six-episode series is produced by Vox Media Studios and Public Record with Max Heckman, Jeremiah Zagar, Galen Summer, Chad Mumm, Mark W. Olsen and Jeremy Yaches serving as executive producers. Marina Stadler co-executive produced.

Also in trailers – Taylor Kitsch & Michael Shannon star in trailer for series ‘Waco: The Aftermath’

All episodes are available to stream on Friday, March 17.

The post “All I wanna do is wrestle” Trailer drops for docu-series...

By now, on the eve of Oscars nominations, there are many prospective nominees that read as sure bets.

For example, given all the recognition they have received from awards bodies that include Academy voters, it would truly be a shock not to see “TÁR” star Cate Blanchett or “Everything Everywhere All at Once” star Michelle Yeoh nominated for Best Actress. Prognosticators may not be able to predict what the second half of the Best Picture nominees will be, but all feel comfortable saying “The Banshees of Inisherin” and “The Fabelmans” will get in there.

To get a better gauge on what will be nominated and likely win every category at the 95th Oscars, read IndieWire’s predictions here. However, we thought it would also be fun to anticipate some of the biggest reaches that could still come true, as far as nominations in the above the line categories go.

Best...

Come on Academy, put Adam Sandler in the game!

The Screen Actors Guild Awards nominations announced on Wednesday yielded 25 first-time nominees across film and television. Among them was Sandler, who, in Jeremiah Zagar’s “Hustle,” has a dramatic turn as a basketball scout who discovers a street ball player in Spain. With AMPAS voting opening tomorrow, he’s peaking at the perfect time to garner his first Oscar nod for best actor.

Outside of his Independent Spirit Award win for “Uncut Gems” in 2020, the SAG nod was Sandler’s first major acting recognition of his 35-year career. Released by Netflix in early June, “Hustle” would have been discarded if it was with any other studio for awards prospects. But the streaming giant has made Sandler, and the movie, one of its top priorities along with a slate that includes more industry-friendly titles including war drama “All Quiet on the Western Front,...

The SAG Awards ceremony takes place in Los Angeles on February 26.

The Banshees Of Inisherin and Everything Everywhere All At Once lead the way for the 2023 Screen Actors Guild (SAG) Awards nominations, announced on Wednesday (Jan 11), with five nominations each.

The SAG Awards ceremony takes place in Los Angeles on February 26.

Colin Farrell is nominated for male lead in Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees Of Inisherin while Michelle Yeoh and Ke Huy Quan received female lead and male supporting nominations for Everything Everywhere All At Once. All three picked up a Golden Globe on Tuesday (Jan 10).

Additionally, Banshees’ Brendan Gleeson,...

Valerie Complex here with another episode of the Scene 2 Seen Podcast! Today’s episode is a double whammy as both Elegance Bratton and Raul Castillo are with me to chat about The Inspection, which debuted at the 2022 Toronto Film Festival and was the closing-night film at the New York Film Festival.

Bratton is a director, writer and producer who began making films as a U.S. Marine after spending a decade homeless. As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, his work captures stories untold with an intention to show the universal power of our shared humanity.

The Inspection, which debuted in theaters in November, is his semi-autobiographical narrative fiction debut. The A24 film centers around Ellis French, a young homeless gay man who joins the Marine Corps to win back his mother’s love. Through the harsh discrimination he faces while at basic training, he finds community, and respect for himself.

The first major awards ceremony of the year took place tonight, with The Gotham Film & Media Institute hosting the 32nd Annual Gotham Awards at Cipriani Wall Street in New York City. Leading the pack of winners was Everything Everywhere All at Once, which picked up Best Feature, while its star Ke Huy Quan picked up a trophy, alongside Danielle Deadwyler (Till), Gracija Filipovic (Murina), Charlotte Wells (Aftersun), Todd Field (Tár), All That Breathes, and Happening.

Check out the film winners below, along with a stream of the ceremony.

For Best Feature, presented by Jennifer Lawrence

Everything Everywhere All at Once

Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert

Produced by Joe Russo, Anthony Russo, Mike Larocca, Daniel Kwan, Daniel Scheinert, and Jonathan Wang

Released by A24

The Best Feature jury included Colman Domingo, Mary Harron, Bill Holderman, Emily Mortimer, and Michael H. Weber.

For Best Documentary Feature, presented by Soledad O’Brien...

Click here to read the full article.

Taylour Paige, Raúl Castillo and Asia Kate Dillon will announce the film and TV nominees for the 2023 Independent Spirit Awards, The Hollywood Reporter can reveal exclusively.

Paige and Castillo will reveal the film nominees on Tuesday, Nov. 22 and Dillon will reveal the TV nominees on Tuesday, Dec. 13. Both sets of nominations will be announced on Film Independent’s YouTube channel, at 7 a.m. Pt.

Earlier this year, Paige won the Spirit award for best female lead for her performance in Zola. This year she also starred in Lena Dunham’s Sharp Stick and Mack and Rita opposite Diane Keaton. Paige recently wrapped Beverly Hills Cop opposite Eddie Murphy and Joseph Gordon Levitt.

Castillo has roles in a number of this year’s awards hopeful films, including Elegance Bratton’s The Inspection, Cooper Raiff’s Cha Cha Real Smooth and Jeremiah Zagar’s Hustle.

The Newport Beach Film Festival has announced its 2022 award winners, including an Audience Award for “The Banshees of Inisherin” and Festival Awards for “Devotion” and “The Lost King.”

In its 23rd year, the festival showcased over 350 films from around the world, as well as hosted red carpet premieres, nightly special events, live music performances and conversations with filmmakers. This year’s festival also featured the 2022 Festival Honors program celebrating the Nbff honorees and Variety’s 10 Actors to Watch, along with Nbff’s selection of International Spotlights, Centerpiece screenings, Special Programs and curated shorts programs.

The 2022 Festival honorees included Ron Howard for Variety’s Legend and Groundbreaker Awards; Jonathan Majors, Patton Oswalt, Keke Palmer and Aubrey Plaza for Artist of Distinctions Awards; Colson Baker and Anna Diop for Spotlight Awards; Cooper Raiff for the Maverick Award; and Aimee Carrero for the Breakout Performance Award.

Eddie Redmayne received the Icon Award, while...

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Adam Sandler is set to receive a performer tribute at the 2022 Gotham Awards.

The actor-comedian-writer-producer most recently starred in and produced the Netflix basketball drama, Hustle. In the film, which hit the streamer on June 8, Sandler plays a basketball scout who finds a remarkable player, with a rocky past, abroad and brings him to the U.S. without his team’s approval. The critically acclaimed film is directed by Jeremiah Zagar and also stars NBA player Juancho Hernangómez, Queen Latifah, Ben Foster, Kenny Smith, Anthony Edwards and Tobias Harris. Sandler produced the film with Allen Covert, Joe Roth, Jeffrey Kirschenbaum, Zack Roth, LeBron James and Maverick Carter.

Sandler will be honored by Josh and Benny Safdie, who directed Sandler in his well-received performance in Uncut Gems. Though he memorably didn’t get an Oscar nomination for his role in the 2019 film, Sandler won...

Adam Sandler will receive a performer tribute at the 32nd Gotham Awards ceremony, taking place on Nov. 28 in New York City. It was recently announced Michelle Williams, star of Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” will also receive a performer tribute at the Gothams.

“Adam Sandler’s spectacular performances across some of the most popular films of the past three decades have inspired the community of filmmakers that we represent here at The Gotham time and time again,” says Jeffrey Sharp, executive director of The Gotham Film and Media Institute. “Whether creating absurdly specific characters, telling jokes, or singing clever songs that we all know and love, Adam Sandler is the consummate performer who has brought immeasurable joy to audiences throughout the world.”

Sandler has been a favorite of the Gotham Awards with two prior best actor nominations for “The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected)” (2017) and “Uncut Gems” (2019).

Sandler came to...

Adam Sandler received some of his strongest reviews of his career for his performance in Netflix’s “Hustle,” which dropped on the platform back in June. The actor and producer has always seemed like an easy target for critics to unload in reviews however, Sandler has never pretended to be anything more than who he is: a guy who loves movies and loves making them with his friends.

“I like working hard,” Sandler says. “I like being around my friends who work hard. We push each other. ‘Hustle’ was a brand new vibe for us.”

On the film awards season premiere of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit Podcast, Sandler sits down to discuss his performance in the Netflix sports dramedy “Hustle.” He discusses the awards buzz surrounding his role, whether or not we’ll ever get a full-length album of his music and the type of movie he’s dying to make.

As of June 30, we’re at the halfway point for 2022 — and for the Oscar eligibility year. There are dozens of possibilities coming up and many familiar elements — plenty of biopics, a reliance on fall film festivals, a heavy dose of streamers — but this could be an unusual year.

In the first six months of the year, A24’s “Everything Everywhere All at Once” and Paramount’s “Top Gun: Maverick” seem likely. They would have been Oscar longshots a decade ago, but both should do well since voters’ tastes are changing.

Also notable this year: The roster of directors is far more inclusive, in terms of gender and race, than in the past.

While the upcoming crop includes past winners like James Cameron, Damien Chazelle, Alejandro Inarritu, Sam Mendes and Steven Spielberg, there are new hopefuls, including Chinonye Chukwu, Andrew Dominik, Sebastian Lelio, Sarah Polley and Gina Prince-Bythewood, to name a few.

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When filmmaker Jeremiah Zagar got called to the big leagues to direct Adam Sandler in Netflix’s Hustle, he drafted a key teammate from his last film to make the leap along with him.

Noëlle Gentile, a onetime public school theater teacher in Brooklyn and upstate New York, spent months working with athletes-turned-actors Juancho Hernangomez, Anthony Edwards, Kenny Smith, Boban Marjanovic and legend Julius “Dr. J” Erving to prove their skills on and off the court. The film centers Sandler as Stanley Sugarman, a down-on-his-luck basketball scout for the Philadelphia 76ers. After discovering a once-in-a-lifetime player with a rocky past (Hernangomez), Sugarman brings the phenom to the U.S. where, against the odds, they have one final shot to prove they have what it takes for the NBA.

Gentile got the shot after making her acting coach debut on his 2018 critically acclaimed indie,...

The NBA Finals have just concluded, but the most popular film on Netflix remains Jeremiah Zagar’s basketball drama, Hustle. Adam Sandler (continuing his Happy Madison Productions partnership with the streamer) is Stanley Sugerman, a jetlagged international scout for the Philadelphia 76ers. In Spain, Sugerman discovers an exciting new talent, Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez), dominating local competition on an outdoor court. Convincing this raw talent that he’s a star in the making, Sugerman brings Cruz to Philadelphia to prepare for the NBA Draft Combine. Unfortunately, greedy team owners, spiteful American prospects (including Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, giving a “I’m going […]

The post Shooting NBA Players and Philadelphia for Authenticity: Jeremiah Zagar on Hustle first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

The NBA Finals have just concluded, but the most popular film on Netflix remains Jeremiah Zagar’s basketball drama, Hustle. Adam Sandler (continuing his Happy Madison Productions partnership with the streamer) is Stanley Sugerman, a jetlagged international scout for the Philadelphia 76ers. In Spain, Sugerman discovers an exciting new talent, Bo Cruz (Juancho Hernangomez), dominating local competition on an outdoor court. Convincing this raw talent that he’s a star in the making, Sugerman brings Cruz to Philadelphia to prepare for the NBA Draft Combine. Unfortunately, greedy team owners, spiteful American prospects (including Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards, giving a “I’m going […]

The post Shooting NBA Players and Philadelphia for Authenticity: Jeremiah Zagar on Hustle first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Stars: Adam Sandler, Juancho Hernangómez, Robert Duvall, Ben Foster, Queen Latifah, Jordan Hull | Written by Will Fetters, Taylor Materne | Directed by Jeremiah Zagar

Stanley Sugerman’s (Adam Sandler) love for basketball is unparalleled, but the travel-weary Philadelphia 76ers scout who has higher ambitions of being a coach remains stuck on the road looking for the next unknown talent. His search around the world leads him to Spain, when he discovers Bo Cruz (NBA player Juancho Hernangómez), an incredible streetball player with a troubled past. Stanley and Bo connect on and off the court, with their passion for the game and as loving family men who want to prove they can win, in basketball and in life. With the support of Stanley’s wife, Teresa (Queen Latifah), can the underdogs come out on top?

Boy does it ever feel amazing to watch a genuinely good Adam Sandler movie. The A-list actor...

If you happened to catch the new Adam Sandler film “Hustle” on Netflix over the weekend — as many did, judging by the fact it immediately shot to #1 on the streamer — you might have been intrigued by the actor starring opposite the comedy legend. Sandler plays a Philadelphia 76ers scout named Stanley Sugarman who believes he’s found the next NBA star in Bo Cruz, a temperamental Spanish player who is more than a little rough around the edges. For the role of Cruz, director Jeremiah Zagar needed to find a great actor who could also play basketball. As it turned out, he found Juancho Hernangómez, an NBA player for the Utah Jazz who, in his acting debut, turns out to be a major onscreen presence.

The 26-year-old Hernangómez is in good company — the film features numerous cameos and performances from other players including Anthony Edwards, Dirk Nowitzki and Boben Marjanović,...

Adam Sandler may officially be entering his Blue Period. Oh, Our Patron Saint of the Holy Abbie-Doobie is still making the sort of broad, big-swing comedies he’s always made, still not afraid to channel his inner manchild in the middle of a lysergic sugar-high. (A friendly reminder: This movie came out in late 2020.) Those are the movies that have earned Sandler nice houses and nine-figure Netflix deals, and far be it from us to criticize how a man butters his very expensive bread. We still ride or die for Billy Madison.

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

Beaver Trilogy (Trent Harris)

For a 1979 local news segment, Trent Harris filmed an affable young man’s drag performance as Olivia Newton-John at a talent show in Beaver, Utah. A few years later, Harris retold the story of the “Beaver Kid” in two fictional shorts, the first starring a then-unknown Sean Penn, the second starring a then-unknown Crispin Glover. The feature-length sum of all three parts, Beaver Trilogy is a captivating portrait of an outsider, a meta odyssey into reenactment and exploitation, and a true cult masterpiece.

New to Streaming: Le Cinéma Club

The Card Counter (Paul Schrader)

Whatever new could be said about Paul Schrader as an artist—curving around the extra-textual value in Kickstarter campaigns, Facebook posts, and tragic losses...

Filmmaker Jeremiah Zagar was not the obvious fit to direct an Adam Sandler passion project about a basketball scout. Zagar’s 2018 narrative feature debut “We the Animals” was a lyrical coming-of-age drama that combined elements of “Moonlight” and Terrence Malick to explore the experiences of a biracial child coming to terms with his sexuality. Needless to say, when Sandler called him about possibly directing “Hustle,” in which the actor plays a Philadelphia Sixers recruit attempting to reboot his career, Zagar didn’t get it.

“He’s a very understated guy when you first meet him,” Zagar told IndieWire of his initial call with Sandler. “He said I probably wouldn’t want to do this script, but that I should take a look. So I read it and I was like, ‘He’s right, it’s not for me.’”

With “We the Animals” and his documentary “In a Dream,” Zagar tried...