News

Directors tend to use the same cinematographers throughout their career. And while Ridley Scott only began working with Dp John Mathieson with 2000’s Gladiator, the two have had enough collaborations for Mathieson to know just how Scott operates. And apparently that’s not always for the better.

But first, some context. John Mathieson says that a two-hour interview he did – most of which wasn’t even about Gladiator II, as it was eight months from release – was cut down to just 30 minutes, leaving plenty of room for interpretation and out of context comments about both the film and Ridley Scott.

The most damning found Mathieson saying that Ridley Scott has grown lazy in his age, relying on post-production to handle any sloppy work he employed on the set of Gladiator II. “It’s really lazy…It’s the CG elements now of tidying-up, leaving things in shot, cameras in shot,...

Exclusive: A serious case of Thanksgiving indigestion was caused yesterday by caustic comments attributed to Gladiator II cinematographer John Mathieson against the film’s director Ridley Scott on The DocFix Documentary Storytelling Podcast. Today, both the Dp and the podcaster are each eating a bit of crow here on Deadline. Mathieson regrets an interview about his illustrious career done last March whose edit made him seem to savage his director, when a two-hour interview got condensed to 30 minutes. It made it appear Mathieson leveled disparaging comments about Scott, when he was actually talking about the industry in general, but it sounded like he said the director took a “lazy” approach to the epic sequel they did together that has been critically acclaimed and has so far grossed over $300 million worldwide and might finally get Scott that elusive Best Director Oscar.

Mathieson was Scott’s Dp on the first Gladiator, as...

The 2023 London Screenings, which unfold Feb. 27 to March 3, take place in an increasingly crowded international TV calendar. The event kicks off just days after the Berlinale Series Market, overlaps with the BBC Studios Showcase and precedes Series Mania and MipTV.

The week-long showcase has established itself as a key place to acquire the best of British and international programming. All major global TV distributors, spanning 26 companies, have a plethora of content to offer across genres and formats, and a series of screenings, meetings and events have been lined up.

To help you cut through the slates, Variety has surveyed the goods from key international distributors. Here are our picks of 15 shows that will whet buyers’ appetites.

A Body That Works

(Keshet International)

“A Body That Works”

An intense triangle involving love, jealousy, desire and selflessness sees a childless couple enlist the help of a surrogate to conceive. At the heart...

Writer-director Paul Duddridge describes his film as ’Romeo & Juliet for the over-60s’.

UK exhibition chain Odeon has lined up screenings of romantic drama Together, in 96 theatres on June 19.

Made for £850,000, Together was written and directed by Paul Duddridge, and stars Sylvia Syms (The Queen) and Peter Bowles (Victoria) as an elderly couple who are separated into different care homes against their will after 60 years of marriage. The film takes in their fight against a frustrating system to be together again.

The cast also includes Cathy Tyson (Band Of Gold), Amanda Barrie (Benidorm) and Nina Wadia (Bend It Like Beckham...

Writer-director Paul Duddridge describes his film as ’Romeo & Juliet for the over-60s’.

UK exhibition chain Odeon has picked up UK rights to local romantic drama Together

It will be released in 96 theatres on June 19.

Made for £850,000, Together was written and directed by Paul Duddridge, and stars Sylvia Syms (The Queen) and Peter Bowles (Victoria) as an elderly couple who are separated into different care homes against their will after 60 years of marriage. The film takes in their fight against a frustrating system to be together again.

The cast also includes Cathy Tyson (Band Of Gold), Amanda Barrie (Benidorm) and...

Writer-director Paul Duddridge describes his film as ’Romeo & Juliet for the over-60s’.

UK exhibition chain Odeon has picked up UK rights to local romantic drama Together

It will be released in 96 theatres on June 19.

Made for £850,000, Together was written and directed by Paul Duddridge, and stars Sylvia Syms (The Queen) and Peter Bowles (Victoria) as an elderly couple who are separated into different care homes against their will after 60 years of marriage. The film takes in their fight against a frustrating system to be together again.

The cast also includes Cathy Tyson (Band Of Gold), Amanda Barrie (Benidorm) and...

Considering the amount of films focusing on that special bond between one’s parents, some filmmakers must have complicated relationships. One of two upcoming films explicitly about the subject, the latest from Gabriele Muccino (The Pursuit of Happyness, Seven Pounds), Fathers and Daughters, looks at the relationship between a Pulitzer Prize winning author as he tries to balance being a widower, mental health issues and raising his 5-year-old daughter. Flash-forward to present day and his daughter is still struggling with her childhood. But her love interest, Aaron Paul (Breaking Bad) may be able to help her with that. Muccino is aiming for waterworks again with stars Russell Crowe and Amanda Seyfried playingthe father-daughter duo. The cast also features Jane Fonda, Diane Kruger, Octavia Spencer, and a new U.S. trailer has landed today.

Not to be confused, on the other side of the spectrum of relationships is Mothers and Daughters.

How many movies based around Mother's Day do you need this year? Wait, actually, how many emotionally phony and cloying movies based around Mother's Day do you need this year? The correct answer is: two. If Garry Marshall's starry dramedy "Mother's Day" wasn't enough, here comes "Mothers And Daughters." Read More: Watch: New Trailer For 'Mother's Day' Celebrates The Most Important Job In The World Starring Susan Sarandon, Selma Blair, Sharon Stone, Courtney Cox, Christina Ricci, and Mira Sorvino, and directed by Paul Duddridge and Nigel Levy, the story centers on photographer Rigby Gray who captures uplifting stories of motherhood, inspiring a decision even she wouldn't expect. I bet I can guess what it is. "Mothers And Daughters" opens on May 6th. Watch below.  ...

A version of this story first appeared in the July 24 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe. Movies about mothers are a hot commodity in Hollywood. A pair of competing projects — both which are currently titled Mother’s Day and weave multiple storylines centered on mothers and motherhood in the plots — have surfaced and look to be finished in time for Mother’s Day 2016 release. Garry Marshall is mounting an ensemble film to star Julia Roberts, Jennifer Aniston, Kate Hudson and Jason Sudeikis. Meanwhile Paul Duddridge and Nigel Levy are co-directing

read more...

The "Mother’s Day" cast continues to grow as Courteney Cox and Roselyn Sanchez have joined Paul Duddridge’s "Mother’s Day" cast, it was announced recently by the film’s producers Danielle James and Amy Williams. The drama is currently in production; shooting in Los Angeles will be completed by the fall, with a planned 2016 release date. The cast includes Susan Sarandon and her daughter Eva Amurri Martino, Sharon Stone, Christina Ricci, and Paul Wesley.

The film, which has been in development and production for the past three years, is being fostered by producers are Danielle James and Amy Williams who are both working moms.

In "Mother’s Day," interwoven stories of what it is to be a mom are tied together through the story of hip and happy single gal Rigby Gray, a rock photographer who is riding a career high when an unlikely and unexpected pregnancy forces her to turn her lens inward. As Rigby slowly comes to terms with what it might mean to change her life forever, she discovers with fresh eyes her own relationship with her estranged mother and, through a series of photographs documenting motherhood in all its varieties, she considers what it means to be maternal at all.

The film hopes to be a celebration of the unparalleled love between mothers and their children, the myriad of ways we connect in our modern day world, and explores the most important foundational relationship in our lives – the one with our mother.

Courteney Cox is known for her roles on the highly-successful shows “Friends” and “Cougar Town,” which just wrapped its sixth season, as well as her iconic role in the "Scream" films. Cox is represented by Wme and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

Roselyn Sanchez can currently be seen in the Lifetime hit show “Devious Maids,” which is in production on its third season. Her film credits include "Rush Hour 2," "The Game Plan," "Nightstalker," and "Act of Valor." Sanchez is represented by Apa and Alchemy Entertainment.

Mother’s Day is directed by Paul Duddridge in his feature film debut. Nigel Levy is co-directing. The script, written by Paige Cameron, is based on the concept by Duddridge.

The Lioness

Ellen Page is attached to star in the Rosalind Ross-penned indie drama "Lioness". The true story tale follows Lance Corporal Leslie Martz, a U.S. Marine and lesbian who was stationed in Haditha, Iraq. No director is attached at this stage.

Martz was sent to Afghanistan as a leader of a Female Engagement Team and tasked with the dual mandate of gaining the trust of Afghan women by equipping them with necessary skills for independence but also secretly extracting information from them about their Taliban husbands. [Source: THR]

Mother's Day

Courteney Cox and Roselyn Sanchez have joined the cast of Paul Duddridge and Nigel Levy's drama "Mothers Day" which is currently shooting in Los Angeles. Susan Sarandon, Eva Amurri Martino, Sharon Stone, Christina Ricci and Paul Wesley also star.

The story is focused on a rock photographer who is riding a career high when an unlikely and unexpected...

Courteney Cox and “Devious Maids” star Roselyn Sanchez have joined the cast of Paul Duddridge’s indie drama “Mothers Day,” it was announced Wednesday by producers Danielle James and Amy Williams, both of whom are working moms. Susan Sarandon and her daughter Eva Amurri Martino also star alongside Sharon Stone, Christina Ricci and “The Vampire Diaries” hunk Paul Wesley. Duddridge is making his feature directorial debut, while Nigel Levy is co-directing the film. Paige Cameron wrote the script based on a concept by Duddridge. Also Read: Jennifer Aniston, Jason Sudeikis to Reteam for Garry Marshall Comedy 'Mother's Day' “Mothers Day...