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Apparently, the succession plot twists at the Renaissance Fair in Todd Mission, Texas did not end with the conclusion of the three-part HBO docuseries “Ren Faire.” In fact, according to director Lance Oppenheim, it was the airing of the last two episodes on June 9 that actually led to the latest chapter in the saga.

“George [Coulam] watched Episodes 2 and 3, and he loved the series so much that he actually cleaned the office out again and he gave Jeff [Baldwin] his old job back, so now Jeff is the new general manager,” said Oppenheim on an upcoming episode of IndieWire’s Toolkit podcast. “Jeff is back in charge.”

This is the position Baldwin was in at the start of Episode 1 of “Ren Faire.” The loyal, dedicated employee of 43 years, had risen from being the festival’s long-serving entertainment director to its new general manager, in charge of running the day-to-day operations of the...

Spoiler Alert: This article discusses the “Ren Faire” finale, now streaming on Max.

Long live the king. In his search for a worthy heir to buy out his stake in the Texas Renaissance Festival, theme park founder George Coulam has put his subordinates through some dark ages. But, after weighing his options, he’s finally figured out the right person to be in charge: himself.

“None of us ever really thought that there would be someone that would take over,” says Lance Oppenheim, director and executive producer of “Ren Faire.” “There’s no world in which George could ever give it up.”

The finale of the HBO docuseries sees the octogenarian rejecting yet another multi-million-dollar offer to purchase his festival, instead electing to maintain status quo as ruler of his kingdom. In fact, everyone seems to end up close to where they were at the start of the story: a...

[The following story includes spoilers from HBO’s Ren Faire.]

HBO’s Ren Faire was three episodes of — as one critic helpfully dubbed it — “Succession with turkey legs.” Or perhaps the documentary was better depicted — as director Lance Oppenheim has himself described it — as Vanderpump Rules meets There Will Be Blood. Either way, Oppenheim’s chronicle of a behind-the-scenes power struggle at the Texas Renaissance Festival was compulsively watchable and clearly demonstrated Oppenheim’s three-year immersion into his subject matter (along with his co-creator, journalist David Gauvey Herbert, and their producing team).

Still, some questions remain: Was “King” George Coulam ever going to retire? Is he still going on “Sugar Daddy” dates? How are Jeff and Bradi Baldwin doing now? Will there be more episodes? And how do you subsist for three years on a diet of kettle corn and empanadas? Below Oppenheim (whose previous films include Spermworld and Some Kind of Heaven) opens up about all of...

HBO docuseries Ren Faire featured a cast of the real people behind the Texas Renaissance Festival.

The three-part Max docuseries recounted the power struggle at the Texas Renaissance Festival after founder George Coulam announced his retirement, spurring a contest for leadership to reshape the event in their vision.

Every Main Cast Member of Max's Ren Faire Read full article on The Direct.

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About halfway through the first episode of the new HBO docuseries Ren Faire, Jeff Baldwin likens his workplace to Shakespeare’s King Lear. Baldwin sees himself as Cordelia, the king’s loyal daughter who is nevertheless banished by her misguided father. Baldwin views his office rivals as Albany and Regan, the duplicitous daughters who turn on Lear once they get their inheritance.

And Lear is 86-year-old George Coulam,...

Lance Oppenheim, a 2019 25 New Face who is something of a non-fiction poet laureate of contemporary loneliness, oddball institutional rituals, and the ways in which fantasy and reality commingle in American life, premieres his latest documentary series, Ren Faire, tonight on HBO. Produced by Elara Pictures, with executive producers including Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie and Ronnie Bronstein, the three-part series tells a Succession-like drama involving an aging “king,” George Coulam, in the midst of deciding which of his employees will take over his sprawling and lucrative Texas-based Renaissance theme park. The series follows Oppenheim’s excellent Spermworld, for which the […]

The post Trailer Watch: Lance Oppenheim’s HBO Documentary Series, Ren Faire first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

Lance Oppenheim, a 2019 25 New Face who is something of a non-fiction poet laureate of contemporary loneliness, oddball institutional rituals, and the ways in which fantasy and reality commingle in American life, premieres his latest documentary series, Ren Faire, tonight on HBO. Produced by Elara Pictures, with executive producers including Josh Safdie, Benny Safdie and Ronnie Bronstein, the three-part series tells a Succession-like drama involving an aging “king,” George Coulam, in the midst of deciding which of his employees will take over his sprawling and lucrative Texas-based Renaissance theme park. The series follows Oppenheim’s excellent Spermworld, for which the […]

The post Trailer Watch: Lance Oppenheim’s HBO Documentary Series, Ren Faire first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.

A new ruler will soon be taking over the Texas Renaissance Festival, which is the largest faire worldwide. Max’s “Ren Faire” documents the intense battle to determine who will succeed 86-year-old George Coulam when he eventually passes away. Throughout three episodes, the docuseries highlights George’s run as “king” and what lies ahead when he must step down. The first episode is available to stream on Max beginning Sunday, June 2. You can watch with a subscription to Max.

How to Watch ‘Ren Faire’ Premiere When: Sunday, June 2, 2024 Where: Max Stream: Watch with a subscription to Max. Sign Up$9.99+ / month Max.com About ‘Ren Faire’ Premiere

“Ren Faire” documents the incredible transfer of power at the Texas Renaissance Festival. For 50 years, founder George Coulam has been known as King George to Texas Renaissance Festival attendees. However, his reign will soon be coming to an end as his mind isn’t as sharp as it once was.

“Ren Faire” is a new documentary TV series following power struggles in the country’s largest ‘renaissance festival’, with Jeffrey Baldwin , George Coulam , Darla Smith , Lauren Croft , Brandi Baldwin and Louie Migliaccio, streaming June 2, 2024 on Max:

“…when the ailing king of America’s largest renaissance festival declares his retirement…

“…an epic power struggle ensues between an actor, a former elephant trainer and a kettle-corn kingpin, to claim his throne…”

Click the images to enlarge…...

Succession meets Game of Thrones in the documentary series Ren Faire, which premieres Sunday on HBO.

Lance Oppenheim directed the three-parter about the battle to take the reins of the Texas Renaissance Festival, the largest ren faire in the world. At outdoor festivals of this ilk — in case you’re unaware — performers suit up in medieval attire, musicians tootle on flutes and strum lyres, fire eaters consume flames, and fans devour massive turkey drumsticks and fistfuls of kettle corn.

The Logan Roy – or, if you prefer, King Aerys II – in this scenario is aging potentate George Coulam, founder and ruler of the Texas ren faire. He’s a colorful character, to say the least, and if you doubt that, consider how he describes himself on his website: “George Coulam is a healthy 6’2”, 173 lbs., 86-year-old sexually active Caucasian male entrepreneur.”

George Coulam in ‘Ren Faire’

“He has power, as the elected...

Documentarian Lance Oppenheim is like a maximalist Errol Morris.

He makes films that focus on eccentrics and oddballs and the communities they call home, documentaries that invite viewers to gawk at their subjects but do not, themselves, gawk.

In a documentary landscape that too frequently hues to the intentionally bland aesthetic conventions of “realism” — gritty, washed-out photography and hand-held framing masquerading as “objective” — Oppenheim’s films can be assaultive. They’re full of oversaturated colors, hallucinatory shifts in perspective, hyper-intimate close-ups and reenactments that blur lines between reality and subjective fiction.

I was legitimately shocked to look up the running times on Oppenheim’s 2020 Some Kind of Heaven and 2024’s Spermworld and see that both documentaries were under 85 minutes. It’s not exactly a criticism to say that I thought they were both longer. Lance Oppenheim documentaries feel like a lot.

At a solid three hours stretched over three episodes,...

Bran Stark took the Iron Throne. GoJo acquired Waystar Royco. But who will rule the Texas Renaissance Festival? That’s the battle at the center of “Ren Faire,” HBO’s new docuseries set to air in the network’s coveted Sunday-evening slot during the two weeks ahead of “House of the Dragon” Season 2.

“It sounds like that’s what their calculus was, to put it as close to that show as possible,” series director Lance Oppenheim says, laughing.

“Ren Faire” may have the knights and knaves of “Thrones,” but the power dynamics running through it more closely resemble “Succession.” Produced by Josh and Benny Safdie’s Elara Pictures, the three-episode doc centers on George Coulam, the iconoclastic octogenarian founder of the “nation’s largest Renaissance theme park,” which welcomes about half a million guests annually to carouse among costumed entertainers while munching turkey legs and cheering on jousters.

The festival...

Warner Bros. Discovery has announced the movies, TV shows, and live sports that will be available on the Max streaming service in June. The Max June 2024 lineup includes House of the Dragon Season 2, the HBO original comedy series Fantasmas, and HBO original documentaries Ren Faire and Stevie Van Zandt: Disciple.

The June schedule also includes the Max original comedy special Hannah Einbinder: Everything Must Go and the World of Westeros collection, which takes you behind the scenes and features essential episodes.

Featured Programming

Fixer Upper: The Lakehouse (Magnolia Network)

Debuts on June 2 with two episodes, followed by two episodes weekly through June 16.

Chip and Joanna celebrate ten years of Fixer Upper with a brand-new challenge: the overhaul of a severely outdated 1960s lakehouse. Surprising interior design choices and unique outdoor features highlight the property’s dramatic cliffside views. Produced by Chip and Joanna Gaines’s production company Blind Nil.

Ren Faire...

“Industry” Season 3 is set to premiere on August 11 on HBO, and will be available to stream on Max.

The official synopsis of Season 3 reads: “As Pierpoint looks to the future and takes a big bet on ethical investing, Yasmin (Marisa Abela), Robert (Harry Lawtey), and Eric (Ken Leung) find themselves front and center in the splashy IPO of Lumi, a green tech energy company led by Sir Henry Muck (Kit Harington), in a story that runs all the way to the very top of finance, media, and government. Since leaving Pierpoint, Harper (Myha’la) is eager to get back into the addictive thrill of finance and finds an unlikely partner in FutureDawn portfolio manager Petra Koenig (Sarah Goldberg).”

“Industry” is created, written and executive produced by Mickey Down and Konrad Kay. Jane Tranter, Kate Crowther, Ryan Rasmussen and Rebecca Ferguson also serve as executive producers.

New additions to the eight-episode third...

Have you ever watched “Game of Thrones” and thought, “Man, I’d love to see a version of this where there are no dragons and cosplayers take the place of kings and queens?” No? Well, HBO hopes you do, as it has a three-part documentary, titled “Ren Faire,” coming your way.

In all seriousness, “Ren Faire” is a docuseries about the largest Renaissance festival in the world and the one man who rules over it, an 86-year-old George Coulam.

Continue reading ‘Ren Faire’ Trailer: The Safdie Brothers Produce A Docuseries About The World’s Largest Renaissance Festival at The Playlist.

Film and TV conferences are a lot like Renaissance fairs. Attendees come to escape and to immerse themselves in their favorite worlds and stories, and the programming and politics are puppeted behind the scenes by mysterious “organizers” who build that experience and pull all the strings.

Okay, it might be a stretch — but if the behind-the-scenes revelations in Lance Oppenheim’s “Ren Faire” are any indication, there’s way more going on beneath the surface of any festival than visitors can even imagine. The HBO docuseries premiered its first episode at South by Southwest on March 9, teasing audiences with a grand and dramatic arc they’ll have to wait to complete.

As the title suggests, “Ren Faire” is a three-part docuseries about the country’s largest Renaissance Faire, based in Texas, and its unbelievable kingpin George Coulam. As the 85-year-old Coulam — a man who in the first episode says “You...