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Script development organisation TorinoFilmLab (Tfl) has unveiled the projects and participants for ComedyLab, its annual programme for developing feature film comedies.

Launched last year, ComedyLab pairs directors and scriptwriters with comedians to help develop comedy feature film projects. From a pool of 122 applications from 44 countries, ComedyLab has selected four projects and will pair them with five writers/comedians.

Scroll down for full details of 2025 line-up

The four projects are: The Flowers by Spain’s Francesca Català Margarit and Àlex Maruny; Fruits & Nuts by writer/director Frédérique de Montblanc (Belgium/UK); How To Become A Trophy Wife In 10 Days by Germany...

“Within every man there are two men. One who learns to be civilized by day. One who longs to be savage by night.”

So begins the theatrical teaser for Mike Nichols’ Wolf (1994). I remember seeing it for the first time on the “Coming Soon” section of a freshly bought VHS tape brought home by my mom (it might have been Bram Stoker’s Dracula or maybe Jurassic Park) and at the time it scared the hell out of me. The sight of a beastly Jack Nicholson, heaving with barely repressed lust and violence over the prone body of Michelle Pfeiffer, was spooky to me in a way movies can only be when you’re eight years old and the possibility of monsters being around every corner is still very viable to you.

That trailer now feels like a fading snapshot of a Hollywood that used to be able to get...

Faye Dunaway is back in the spotlight and taking on another major Hollywood icon: herself. In frank candor, the singular Dunaway sits down for the first feature-length documentary about her life and career, speaking honestly about all the highs and lows, from Oscar wins to reputation blows and struggles with alcoholism, throughout her six-decade career. Along with insight from friends and colleagues, the three-time Oscar nominee “contextualizes her life and filmography, laying bare her struggles with mental health while confronting the double standards she was subjected to as a woman in Hollywood.”

Following its premiere at the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, the HBO Original Documentary “Faye” will premiere on Saturday, July 13 at 8 p.m. Et/Pt on HBO and will be available to stream on Max. You can watch with Subscription to Max.

How to Watch “Faye”: When: Saturday, July 13 at 8 p.m. Et/Pt Where: HBO, Max Stream: Watch with a Subscription to Max.

The Current Debate is a column that connects the dots between great writing about topics in the wider film conversation.Crossroads.It was early last March when, after twenty-three years and over two thousand reviews, A. O. Scott announced he would resign from his post as film critic at the New York Times, leaving his readers to wrestle with some cataclysmic prophecies. “The current apocalypse,” he wrote on his way out,… is that streaming and Covid anxiety are conspiring to kill off moviegoing as we have known it, leaving a handful of I.P.-driven blockbusters and horror movies to keep theaters in business while we mostly sit at home bingeing docuseries, dystopias and the occasional art-film guilt trip. Am I worried? Of course I’m worried. The cultural space in which the movies I care most about have flourished seems to be shrinking. The audience necessary to sustain original...

On Tuesday night, The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced to its members a significant change to the upcoming 2022 Oscars broadcast. Eight different category winners will be revealed to assembled industry personnel at the Dolby Theatre in Hollywood, but it won’t happen live on the air. These trophies will be handed out one hour prior to the “official” start of the show (as A-listers are making their red carpet arrivals) and then the acceptances will be edited (and likely truncated) into the show later.

This will, the thinking goes, tighten up the length of the ceremony for home viewers. “For the audience at home, the show’s flow does not change, though it will become tighter and more electric with this new cadence, and the live broadcast should end – yes, with the Best Picture category – at the three-hour mark,” Academy president Dave Rubin wrote in a letter to AMPAS members.

On Tuesday the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences announced that it would cut eight categories from the live portion of this year’s Oscars broadcast, apparently in an attempt to shorten the broadcast length.

While it remains to be seen how rank and file normies will react once the show airs, the overwhelming response from within the industry and from invested fans was fairly intense outrage over what many critics said was an insult to the people in the affected categories.

“Wow f— this,” actor Dylan O’Brien tweeted, just for one example.

The affected categories, just for reference, are: Documentary (Short Subject), Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Production Design, Short Film (Animated), Short Film (Live Action), and Sound. They’ll be presented in a more sparsely attended ceremony just before the broadcast, with shortened, edited footage edited into the live broadcast in some way.

Many...

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ decision to present some its craft categories, as well as the short film awards, before the start of the live telecast on ABC drew an outcry on Twitter Tuesday afternoon. Although these winners will be edited into the broadcast so that viewers can see, say, Hans Zimmer, if we wins the Oscar for Best Original Score for “Dune,” critics saw the move as the Academy again making changes to the ceremony at the expense of its biggest fans as well as the talented craftspeople who won’t get their full “Oscar moment.”

Academy President David Rubin announced that the category presentations to be cut out of the live broadcast are Documentary (Short Subject), Film Editing, Makeup and Hairstyling, Music (Original Score), Production Design, Short Film (Animated), Short Film (Live Action), and Sound.

IndieWire’s own David Ehrlich wrote, “This is like cutting...

Exclusive: Shout! Studios has acquired North American rights to Famm Films’ topical drama I’m Charlie Walker, starring Mike Colter, following a competitive bidding situation. Shout! Factory’s multi-platform entertainment distribution and production arm plans to release the film across all major entertainment platforms, beginning with a theatrical day-and-date launch later this year.

The film based on a true story picks up in 1971, as two oil tankers violently collide off the San Francisco coast, spilling millions of gallons of crude oil and creating an environmental disaster. Against all odds, trucking and construction entrepreneur Charlie Walker (Colter) is then able to secure one of the most lucrative contracts to clean the coastline threatening much of the San Francisco Bay, with only three trucks, an incredible work ethic and a whole lot of heart. Pic recounts the racial discrimination Walker endured as he tries to save the coastline,...

You can’t remake a Hollywood and Broadway musical classic without breaking a few eggs. Long-time Steven Spielberg collaborator and “Angels in America” Pulitzer Prize winner Tony Kushner knew that from his very first discussions with the director, who came to him in 2017 to adapt the 1957 “West Side Story” musical into a second movie. Their shared goal: make the story and characters deeper, richer, and more authentic to the period, from the history of juvenile delinquency in the ’50s and the San Juan Hill neighborhood razed to build Lincoln Center to the roots of Puerto Rican New York.

While Kushner and Spielberg addressed the Arthur Laurents book and music by Leonard Bernstein and lyrics by Stephen Sondheim with respect, there was no point in updating the story if they weren’t going to change it. Here’s what they did and why. At this point we assume you know the story: spoilers abound.

While the famous opening text in “Fargo” states that the story of the film was based on true events, it turns out that the Coen brothers only included this fraudulent message to subvert the audience’s expectations.

“It occurred to us that if an audience thinks that the template that you’re following are actual events, they actually give you more latitude to construct it in an unorthodox way,” Joel Coen said.

Coen participated in a Q&a conversation with his wife and star of “Fargo,” Frances McDormand, and Steve Buscemi at the Tribeca Festival 2021 on Friday night to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the film. The panel was moderated by Mark Harris, the former executive editor of Entertainment Weekly.

One of the unconventional elements Coen discussed is the addition of the awkward dinner scene where Marge reconnects with her old classmate, Mike Yanagita. While the scene doesn’t “necessarily...

As a 1990s teenager growing up in the wilds of suburbia, The Howard Stern Show on E! often served as an introduction to the strange, sometimes funny, occasionally disturbing fringes of celebrity. For every major star that visited the Stern Show––Arnold Schwarzenegger, Jim Carrey, Donald Trump (gulp)––there was a Jessica Hahn or Mark Harris, a tabloid icon who excelled at creating controversy. No one in the latter category made more of an impression on this critic’s young mind than Tiny Tim.

As a pop culture-savvy kiddo, I was aware that this odd, Oswald Cobblepot-looking gentleman was a falsetto-voiced singer who had famously married a woman live on The Tonight Show With Johnny Carson. But as the Stern interview made clear, there was much more to Tiny Tim than those details. The lengthy chat included his obsessive quest for cleanliness, his love of specific products, a recent incident...

Linda Manz, the actress best known for her role in “Days in Heaven” as well as “Out of the Blue” and “Gummo,” died August 14 at the age of 58. Manz had been battling lung cancer and pneumonia. She leaves behind her husband, camera operator Bobby Guthrie, as well as two sons and three grandchildren.

A GoFundMe page has been set up by her son, Michael Guthrie, to cover funeral expenses. “Linda was a loving wife, a caring mom, a wonderful grandma and a great friend who was loved by many,” Guthrie said on the GoFundMe. See what others from the film community had to say on social media below.

Manz, who was born in 1961, provided the groundbreaking, improvised narration for Terrence Malick’s “Days of Heaven,” starring in the film at the age of 15. She also starred in Philip Kaufman’s 1979 “The Wanderers,” and many years later, had a small role...

Marisa Berenson, Joel Grey and Liza Minnelli at the premiere of Cabaret (1972)Vanity Fair smart piece by Mark Harris on what four Oscar campaign's (or rather the potential success thereof) might tell us about the "new" Academy including Lupita Nyong'o in Us

The Guardian talks to Marisa Berenson (Cabaret) on why she walked away from the spotlight so many years ago.

After the jump animated short Oscar hopefuls, Taylor Swift Cats news, Jeff Goldblum, a new film from The Lighthouse's Robert Eggers and more...

Hollywood executives, actors and producers paid tribute to Robert Evans, the Paramount executive and producer of “Chinatown” and “Urban Cowboy,” who died on Saturday at 89.

Golden Globe winner and ex-wife Ali MacGraw, who married Evans 50 years ago last week, remembered her former partner fondly. “Our son Joshua and I will miss Bob tremendously and we are so very proud of his enormous contribution to the film industry,” the “Love Story” actor said. “He will be remembered as a giant.” MacGraw accompanied Evans at his 2002 Hollywood Walk of Fame ceremony.

Paramount, who recently renamed the executive screening room on their lot for Evans, released an official statement from their longtime producing partner: “Hollywood has lost one of its most influential and iconic figures in the inimitable Bob Evans. He was a valued and beloved partner to Paramount Pictures for over half a century, and his contributions to our organization and the...

Refresh for updates The late Robert Evans, one of Hollywood’s most important producers and studio executives of the last half century, who shepherded to the screen such cinematic treasures of the 1960s and ’70 as Rosemary’s Baby, Chinatown, The Godfather, and The Godfather II, among many others, was remembered today by colleagues and friends in Hollywood. Tweeted Brett Morgen, who directed the film version of Evans’ The Kid Stays In The Picture memoir, “Bob Evans produced some of the greatest films of all time, but the greatest production of all, was his life.” Dana Brunetti, producer of The Social Network, wrote, “One of the best story tellers this business ever had. He and his story was the driving force for me to pursue producing.”

Actress Ali MacGraw, married to Evans from 1969 to 1972, said in a statement, “Our Son Joshua and I will miss Bob tremendously and we are so...

Well, Emma Thompson may not like Audrey Hepburn but we sure do. Here she is with Albert Finney in one of her best pictures, Stanley Donen’s time-shifting, audaciously fast-cut dramedy about the beginning and end of a marriage told through a series of car trips‚ around France. Here’s author Mark Harris on the lasting impact of this bittersweet classic: Cinema ’67 Revisited: Two for the Road – Film Comment

The post Two For the Road appeared first on Trailers From Hell.

The Academy’s decision to present four categories — cinematography, film editing, makeup and hairstyling and live-action shorts — during commercial breaks on this year’s Oscar show has been greeted with widespread outrage, with the condemnation stretching from Oscar watchers to past Oscar winners Guillermo del Toro, Alfonso Cuarón and Emmanuel Lubezki.

“If I may: I would not presume to suggest what categories to cut during the Oscars show but — Cinematography and Editing are at the very heart of our craft,” wrote del Toro, last year’s Best Director and Best Picture winner, on Twitter. “They are not inherited from a theatrical tradition or a literary tradition: they are cinema itself.”

If I may: I would not presume to suggest what categories to cut during the Oscars show but – Cinematography and Editing are at the very heart of our craft. They are not inherited from a theatrical tradition or a literary tradition: they are cinema itself.

An op-ed from The New York Times is challenging readers to see one of the most beloved scenes from 1964’s Mary Poppins in an entirely new light — but not everyone’s buying it.

The essay by Daniel Pollack-Pelzner, an English professor at Linfield college, argues that the original book written by P. L. Travers has a history of racism, which is carried through in the first movie and also subtly in 2018’s sequel, starring Emily Blunt.

“One of the more indelible images from the 1964 film is of Mary Poppins blacking up,” Pollack-Pelzner writes in The Times. “When the magical nanny accompanies her young charges,...

Leave it to Freddie Mercury to defy the odds, right?

Though the musical genius wasn’t alive to see Bohemian Rhapsody hit the big screen, his time-honored legacy was very much present and well within Fox’s biopic, which saw Mr. Robot‘s Rami Malek lend his likeness (and his vocal cords) for what was one of 2018’s best performances. In fact, the film’s now finding itself coming up in some serious Oscar talk, as it scored a huge victory last night at the Golden Globes.

As you’ve surely heard by now, Bohemian Rhapsody walked away with the award for Best Motion Picture – Drama and Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama. And though we wouldn’t go so far as to say that either of those prizes was totally undeserved, its wins have definitely sparked some controversy across the web.

For one thing, Bohemian Rhapsody...

Bohemian Rhapsody took home Golden Globes for Best Drama and Best Drama Actor, but nobody mentioned director Bryan Singer during their acceptance speech. While Rami Malek and the rest of the cast and crew of the biopic never mentioned Singer's name, social media did, and found it ironic that a movie that Singer directed ended up winning top honors in the era of #MeToo and Time's Up movements. Despite this backlash, Singer posted a thank you to the Hollywood Foreign Press for the Golden Globes awards on social media.

Bryan Singer was fired from Bohemian Rhapsody with a little over two weeks left of filming to go. He was replaced by Dexter Fletcher who took on the rest of the directing duties. Singer's behavior on the set was big news during the filming of the biopic. After a new set of sexual assault allegations became public, the director wouldn't show...

Refresh For Updates The Ellen backlash – social media users objecting, vociferously, to DeGeneres’ possibly deal-making support for Kevin Hart as Oscar host – puts Hollywood in a tricky spot. While some stars will no doubt agree (at least privately) with Lgbtq rights supporters and activists who are condemning the talk host’s defense of Hart as a betrayal, speaking out against the beloved DeGeneres won’t be easy.

So far, Hollywood’s usual tweeters are mostly keeping quite (Deadline will update this post periodically throughout the day). William Shatner voiced his support for Hart and DeGeneres, as did comedian Rob Schneider.

See the tweets below.

“We don’t know each other and I’m just a voice in wind,” tweeted Shatner to Hart. “I read what @TheEllenShow said and I agree with what Ellen said. They win if you don’t do what your heart wants because of their bullying. Don...

There were some pleasant surprises from Wednesday morning’s SAG Awards nominations. Emily Blunt got nominated twice in the film categories, including for “A Quiet Place” and “Mary Poppins Returns,” and John David Washington broke into the Best Actor field in a mostly white crowd for “BlacKkKlansman.”

But Regina King, a true standout in Barry Jenkins’ “If Beale Street Could Talk” and thus far a presumed front runner in the Oscar race, was snubbed from the Female Actress in a Supporting Role category, as was the movie at large. And the snub has many critics and fans scratching their heads.

“I believe in Regina King,” actress Carrie Coon tweeted in support of the actress after King was left out of the SAG field.

Also Read: SAG Awards Nominees: The Complete List

“We love you, Ethan Hawke and Regina King,” screenwriter Phyllis Nagy said of King and another notable acting snub...

Nicolas Roeg, a distinctive voice in world cinema best known for directing “Don’t Look Now” and “The Man Who Fell to Earth,” has died at age 90. The filmmaker’s son, Nicolas Roeg Jr., confirmed the news with a brief note: “He was a genuine dad. He just had his 90th birthday in August.” No cause of death has been announced.

Released in 1973, “Don’t Look Now” stands as one of the most acclaimed horror films ever made — as well as one of the most controversial. Julie Christie and Donald Sutherland play a married couple mourning the death of their son in Roeg’s adaptation of the short story by Daphne du Maurier, and a graphic sex scene involving the two stars proved scandalous for years after the film’s release.

Roeg’s genre-spanning career, which began in 1970 with the Mick Jagger–starring “Performance,” also included “Walkabout,” “Bad Timing,” “Insignificance,...

As news broke that screenwriting legend William Goldman died on Friday in Manhattan, Hollywood figures, including prolific writers, took to social media to honor the Oscar winner. Fans also shared gifs with the writer’s most famous movie lines.

Goldman, whose career spanned decades, won Academy Awards for his screenplays for “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” and “All the President’s Men.” He also adapted his own novels, such as “The Princess Bride” and “Marathon Man,” to the big screen, in addition to his adaptations for the stage (including Stephen King’s book “Misery”).

“Rip #WilliamGoldman. One of the greatest most successful screenwriters ever,” Ron Howard wrote. “I was lucky as hell to count Bill as a mentor and a friend. Check his credits & see a William Goldman movie or read a Goldman book over the holiday & give thanks that we had his voice in our world.”

Rip #WilliamGoldman.

Refresh for updates William Goldman, who won two Oscars for screenwriting, massive respect for his smart storytelling, gratitude for the wisdom of his books about film (Adventures in the Screen Trade) and the stage (The Season: A Candid Look at Broadway) and the hearts of several generations (and counting) of Princess Bride fans, is being remembered today by friends, colleagues and admirers.

“William Goldman was huge part of creating some of the seminal movies of the 70s and beyond,” said Ben Stiller. “His book on screenwriting was a touchstone for me and I always felt star struck and intimidated seeing him at Knicks games.”

Deadline will update this post throughout the day…

So sorry to hear of the passing of William Goldman. He was both witty and talented. His screenplay of my book Misery was a beautiful thing.

President Donald Trump lashed out at the media tonight at a Make America Great Again rally in Charlotte, North Carolina, claiming it was trying to blame him for the recent bomb package scares.

The arrest of Cesar Sayoc, who is suspected of mailing explosive devices prominent Democrats, was not something that should be tied to Trump followers, the President said.

“The media has tried to attack the incredible supporters of our movement,” Trump said. “We want honest coverage from the media. That’s all we want.”

Trump gave kudos to the FBI, Secret Service, and state and local law enforcement for quickly tracking down Sayoc. “We love our police, and we love our law enforcement,” he said. “Political violence must never, ever be allowed in America, and I will do everything in my power to stop it.”

Trump called for an “end to the politics of personal destruction,” noting that in that quest,...

On Aug. 26, 1973, Paramount unveiled baseball drama Bang the Drum Slowly at its world premiere in New York. The film went on to nab an Oscar nomination in the supporting actor category for Vincent Gardenia at the 46th Academy Awards ceremony. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below.

The film version of Mark Harris' novel Bang the Drum Slowly, produced by Maurice and Lois Rosenfield and directed by John Hancock from Harris' screenplay, is not a completely successful movie. But it has three uncommonly fine performances by Robert De Niro, Michael Moriarty and Vincent Gardenia, a rich sense of character ...

On Aug. 26, 1973, Paramount unveiled baseball drama Bang the Drum Slowly at its world premiere in New York. The film went on to nab an Oscar nomination in the supporting actor category for Vincent Gardenia at the 46th Academy Awards ceremony. The Hollywood Reporter's original review is below.

The film version of Mark Harris' novel Bang the Drum Slowly, produced by Maurice and Lois Rosenfield and directed by John Hancock from Harris' screenplay, is not a completely successful movie. But it has three uncommonly fine performances by Robert De Niro, Michael Moriarty and Vincent Gardenia, a rich sense of character ...

Colin Jost is best known as the co-anchor of “Weekend Update” on “Saturday Night Live,” but he’s taking on the role of Emmys host next month alongside his “SNL” collaborator Michael Che. The two comedians sat down with the Los Angeles Times ahead of their Emmys gig, and one unfortunate quote from Jost has gone viral online. Jost was asked whether or not he is a fan of award shows, to which he explained why they often frustrate him.

“I think most of the time they’re way too self-serious and focused on things that 99% of the country doesn’t care about,” Jost said. “At the end of the day, it’s adults getting trophies. Why should that be taken seriously Remember when movies like ‘Gladiator’ won Best Picture? Why can’t good, fun things win and not just good artsy things? They’re both good and the fun...

Roseanne Barr weighed in on James Gunn’s firing from Disney in a tweet saying she is “disgusted” by the fact people are supporting the “Guardians of the Galaxy” director. Gunn was fired from Disney on July 20 after controversial jokes from his past resurfaced online. Disney’s swift firing of Gunn recalled ABC’s firing of Barr earlier this year just hours after the comedian made a racist joke about White House adviser Valerie Jarrett.

Unlike Barr, however, Gunn has received a groundswell of support against Disney’s decision to sever ties with him. Several of Gunn’s film collaborators and industry friends have issued statements acknowledging the director’s growth since making the jokes several years ago. Gunn even apologized for his behavior in 2012, the same year he was hired by Disney to direct the first “Guardians” movie.

As Vulture’s Mark Harris noted in an essay titled “Disney...

Today’s Twitter brouhaha over Mark Duplass’ apology for suggesting liberals interested in “crossing the aisle” might consider following the right-wing pundit Ben Shapiro is still going strong. Glenn Beck has just weighed in, if you were waiting (he thinks it’s “sad” that Duplass was “swayed by the mob”).

Last night, Duplass, actor and co-creator (with brother Jay Duplass) of, among other credits, HBO’s Togetherness, in a since-deleted tweet, wrote, “Fellow liberal: If you are interested at all in ‘crossing the aisle’ you should consider following @BenShapiro. I don’t agree with him on much but he’s a genuine person who once helped me for no other reason than to be nice. He doesn’t bend the truth. His intentions are good.”

The anti-Shapiro response was swift, as Twitterdom exploded with some of Shapiro’s greatest crummy hits. “In a free country, if you fail, it’s probably your own fault.

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday.

Last weekend saw the release of “Overboard,” a contemporary remake of the 1987 comedy of the same name.

This week’s question: What 1980s movie (comedy or otherwise) would actually benefit from being remade, either because the story left room for improvement or because it might be transformed, complicated, and/or made newly resonant by a modern perspective?

Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC), Vulture

I recently rewatched David Lean’s 1984 film “A Passage to India,” which has many brilliant things in it buuuuut also has Alec Guinness doing brownface, and hinges on a woman’s discomfort with her own sexuality that leads to a false accusation of sexual assault that takes on added fuel from racism and colonialism. The movie combines about seven different sticks of dynamite labeled #problematic, and while I was watching it,...

If you want to understand the myriad problems facing the Academy, just ask former board member Bill Mechanic. In a blistering resignation letter addressed to Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences president John Bailey, the producer and former studio head lays it bare: Oscars are long and boring. The Academy Museum is a mess. Academy leadership is consumed by politics.

Mechanic’s frustration cements his reputation as a straight shooter:

You can’t hide the drainage of employees, the cataclysmic decline in the Oscar ratings, the fact that no popular film has won in over a decade; that we decided to play Moral Police and most probably someone inside the Academy leaked confidential information in order to compromise the President; that the Board doesn’t feel their voice is being heard with regard to the Museum; that we have allowed the Academy to be blamed for things way beyond...

Naya Rivera is using the power of social media to try out for an iconic role.

The Glee alum is looking to nab a part in the Steven Spielberg-helmed West Side Story remake — and she’s putting her audition tape out there for all to see.

“@unitedtalentagency file was too big to send via email for my audition,” she captioned a video of herself on Instagram on Sunday. “Thought I’d try it this way.”

In the clip, Rivera, 31, announces that she’s singing for the role of Anita(made famous by Rita Moreno) from the 1961 Robert Wise street-gang...

“Love, Simon” has earned praise for its depiction of a gay teenager keeping his sexuality a secret from his friends and family, and now one young man in a similar situation has credited the movie with inspiring him to come out — while the movie was playing.

“I came out during love Simon. my friends were there, my parents were there, a full theatre was there,” writes Twitter user @endlesslyqueer. “People were laughing an singing and crying and clapping throughout the whole movie. Ive never seen a movie bring people together this close. I made friends there. Teens need this.”

Mark Harris, a film journalist and author who is himself gay, added an amusing postscript to the story: “This is really moving, but also, don’t talk during movies.”

I came out during love Simon. my friends were there, my parents were there, a full theatre was there. People were laughing...

Deadline recently reported that Steven Spielberg was planning for his next two projects as director to be Indiana Jones 5 and a remake of West Side Story. Fans seemed to get the answer of which would happen first this week when author Mark Harris (Five Came Back) shared a casting notice for the latter, which Spielberg will direct for Fox from a script by Tony Kushner. Harris had the exclusive on the musical because he's married to Kushner (he also gave credit to cating director Marci Liroff), but he didn't have any other details to offer. Exciting Harris/Kushner household news: Something's coming. Something good. (h/t @marciliroff) pic.twitter.com/IlCV4VnGt6 — Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) January 26, 2018 But in fact West Side...

Read More...

The West Side Story remake is officially happening and Steven Spielberg is directing. Spielberg considers this remake of the classical musical to be a "dream project", and wants to make it one of his next movies. While it hasn't been officially confirmed what his next directorial effort is going to be, this remake is officially moving forward as Spielberg has put out a casting call.

Not much has been revealed about the project so far, but the West Side Story casting call reveals that Steven Spielberg is looking for three Latino performers for the roles of Maria, Anita, and Bernardo. The casting call also reveals that the director is looking for a Caucasian actor for the role of Tony. It also states that the actors must be able to sing and that dance experience "is a plus." Given that this is a musical, that doesn't come as a big surprise.

Last week, we reported that Steven Spielberg was considering Indiana Jones 5 or a remake of West Side Story as his next project with The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara falling on the backburner because Spielberg couldn’t find a child actor capable of carrying the film. Last night, journalist Mark Harris tweeted out a casting call for West Side Story (Harris’ husband, Pulitzer-prize winning playwright Tony Kushner, is writing the film): Exciting Harris/Kushner household news: Something's coming. Something good. (h/t @marciliroff) pic.twitter.com/IlCV4VnGt6 — Mark Harris (@MarkHarrisNYC) January 26, 2018 The casting call is looking …...

Steven Spielberg’s “The Post” is nominated for Best Picture and Best Actress this year, and he has his science-fiction tentpole “Ready Player One” set for release in March, but the director isn’t slowing down anytime soon. An open casting call has confirmed the rumors that Spielberg is in fact remaking “West Side Story,” the iconic 1957 Broadway musical with music and lyrics by Leonard Bernstein and Stephen Sondheim.

Read More:‘The Post’: Director Steven Spielberg Turned His Journalism Thriller into a Film Production Metaphor

The “West Side Story” remake will find Spielberg teaming up with famed screenwriter Tony Kushner, whom he has previously worked with on “Munich” and “Lincoln.” Kushner also wrote the script for the religious-political drama “The Kidnapping of Edgardo Mortara,” which Spielberg is expected to direct sometime in the future as well. The open casting call appeared online and encourages talent age 15-25 years old...

The 2020 election just got its Hollywood dream ticket.

Seth Meyers encouraged Oprah Winfrey and Tom Hanks to run for president and vice president, respectively, in 2020 during his opening monologue as host at the Golden Globe Awards on Sunday — and naturally, Twitter is all for it.

“Oprah while I have you, in 2011 I told some jokes about our current president at the White House Correspondents Dinner — jokes about how he was unqualified to be president, and some say that night convinced him to run,” said Meyers, 44. “And if that’s true I want to say, Oprah, you will never be president!

Every week, IndieWire asks a select handful of film critics two questions and publishes the results on Monday. (The answer to the second, “What is the best film in theaters right now?”, can be found at the end of this post.)

This week’s question: What is the most overlooked and/or underrated movie of 2017?

E. Oliver Whitney, Screencrush.com, @cinemabite

Despite the critical praise, “A Fantastic Woman” only a one-week qualifying run last month, and I worry is it’ll easily be forgotten this awards season. Daniela Vega gives one of the most astounding performances I’ve seen this year, one that comes from somewhere fierce and internal, portraying the life and struggle of a trans woman that cinema has rarely shown an interest in exploring. But since you can’t see it until it has a proper release in Febraury, do check one of the year’s other...

Exclusive: Mark Harris will portray the bare knuckle boxing fighter in UK crime drama.

London-based Hereford Films has acquired film rights to the autobiography of Roy ‘Pretty Boy’ Shaw [pictured left], the notorious bare knuckle boxer.

Mark Harris will star as Shaw in the film, titled Pretty Boy, which will be directed by Neil Jones from a script by Ray Bogdanovich and Dean Lines, the writing duo behind upcoming crime drama The Hatton Garden Job, which is also set to star Harris.

Jones previously directed boxing biopic Risen, which won a Welsh BAFTA for leading actor Stuart Brennan in 2011.

Executive producers for Hereford Films include Billy Murray and Adam Stephen Kelly.

Shaw is noted for three fights with fellow bare knuckle boxer Lenny McLean, a biopic of whom recently wrapped shooting in London. Shaw’s story includes brushes with many of London’s most notorious criminals, including the Kray twins.

The script is based on Shaw’s popular autobiography...

The Los Angeles-based company will handle international sales on the thriller starring Matthew Goode and Joely Richardson depicting the infamous London jewellery heist in 2015.

Principal photography is underway in and around London for four weeks. Stephen Moyer, Lamb, Clive Russell, Sarah-Jane Crawford, David Calder, Mark Harris, and Phil Daniels round out the key cast.

Ronnie Thompson (Tower Block) directs from a screenplay he wrote with Dean Lines and Ray Bogdanovich. Ben Jacques serves as producer.

The Hatton Garden Job centres on the eight men who carried out the biggest burglary in British history.

The story follows a recently released convict who recruits a team of veteran criminals known as “the bad grandpas” or “the Enfield Expendables”, all aged between 68 and 76 and eager for one final chance at glory. The gang is currently all behind bars.

“We’re excited to work on this wildly interesting project and are confident that the film will resonate the world over,” said...

Exclusive: Metrodome tools up for feature version of $20m (£14m) heist.

The Enfield Expendables could become a reality in the near future as UK distribution and sales outfit Metrodome moves into development on a feature film based on last year’s Hatton Garden raid - a heist that saw thieves make off with $20m (£14m) in jewels.

Metrodome is among backers of The Hatton Garden Job (working title), which is due to be produced by Mark Harris (Abducted) and Ben Jacques (London Heist) from Simon Cluett’s (Age Of Kill) original script.

Producers are currently in talks with lawyers about gaining life rights and on screen representation rights to those involved in the heist.

Cast and a director have yet to be attached but the production is hoping to shoot in spring. Metrodome will handle UK distribution.

The raid, which took place over the Easter weekend in 2015 on a safe deposit vault in central London, was one of...

EastEnders star Sam Strike has joined the cast of Bonded By Blood 2.

The 20-year-old will star in the Greg Hall-directed crime sequel following his recent departure from the BBC soap.

The film - based on Bernard O'Mahoney's book Essex Boys: The New Generation - focuses on the Essex crime scene after the murders of Pat Tate, Tony Tucker and Craig Rolfe in 1995.

Strike posted about the project on Twitter earlier today (January 5), and was swiftly congratulated by his former on-screen father Danny Dyer.

@SamStrike @BondedByBlood2 @leemorgan_mgnt Now it begins my boy.x #bullbythehorns

— Danny Dyer (@MrDDyer) January 5, 2015

Strike's final scenes as Johnny Carter aired shortly before Christmas, as the youngster decided to go travelling with his boyfriend.

Bonded By Blood 2 also stars George Russo (Turnout), Josh Myers (Green Street 3) Mark Harris (Anuvahood) and Dani Dyer (Vendetta), daughter of Danny.

Chris Ellison (We Still Kill the Old Way...

Exclusive: Crime drama from Richwater Films to shoot this month.

Filming commences this month on the sequel to 2010 UK home entertainment success Bonded By Blood.

Based on the crime book Essex Boys: The New Generation by Bernard O’Mahoney, the film focuses on the Essex crime scene after the gangland murders of Pat Tate, Tony Tucker and Craig Rolfe in 1995.

The screenplay is written by Simon Cluett (Age of Kill). Greg Hall (Dangerous Mind of a Hooligan) is directing.

Cast includes George Russo (Turnout), Josh Myers (Green Street 3), Sam Strike (who plays Johnny Carter in TV soap Eastenders), Martin Delaney, Mark Harris (Anuvahood), Dani Dyer (Vendetta) and newcomers Ross Harland and Naomi Willow.

Chris Ellison (We Still Kill The Old Way), Johnny Palmiero (Age of Kill), Rebecca Ferdinando (White Collar Hooligan) and Terry Stone (Doghouse) reprise their roles from the original film. More cast is due to sign up soon.

Neil Jones and [link...

Sick of witches yet?  Well, 2013 has certain seen a rise in witchcraft-fueled horror fare.  And I suspect we'll be getting a lot more in 2014.

One title that will float your way likely next year when it lands distribution is the recently completed The Coven.

John Mackie directs and Dexter Fletcher, Cloe Mackie, Holly Mackie and Mark Harris star.

Five young teenagers hoping to witness Pagan activity camp in the woods on Halloween but discover they are part of the ritual when a mysterious biker hunts them down.  Check out a trailer inside.

Read more...

Exclusive: UK thriller gets international sales and UK distribution deals.

International sales outfit Arsenal Pictures has picked up UK trafficking thriller Abducted.

Director-producer Mark Harris, an executive producer on Anuvahood and Outside Bet, stars in Abducted alongside Honor Kneafsey and Anna Nightingale. The script comes from Davie Fairbanks and Marc Small.

The production recently struck a deal for the film with UK home entertainment group 4Digital Media. Coffee and Cigarettes negotiated the international and UK deals on behalf of Harris.

The film follows a man’s quest to find his young daughter who has been abducted by an underground crime ring.

Harris’ Roar Entertainment is now gearing up for heist thriller Bullet which is set to shoot in London and Europe in early 2014.

Exclusive: UK thriller gets international sales and UK distribution deals.

International sales outfit Arsenal Pictures has picked up UK trafficking thriller Abducted.

Director-producer Mark Harris, an executive producer on Anuvahood and Outside Bet, stars in Abducted alongside Honor Kneafsey and Anna Nightingale. The script comes from Davie Fairbanks and Marc Small.

The production recently struck a deal for the film with UK home entertainment group 4Digital Media. Coffee and Cigarettes negotiated the international and UK deals on behalf of Harris.

The film follows a man’s quest to find his young daughter who has been abducted by an underground crime ring.

Harris’ Roar Entertainment is now gearing up for heist thriller Bullet which is set to shoot in London and Europe in early 2014.

Tagline: "Playtime is Over." The United Kingdom shot The Coven is an indie horror feature from director John Mackie (Wild Bill). This title recently completed production, in 2013. The film stars Dexter Fletcher (Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels), Cloe Mackie (St. Trinian's), Holly Mackie and Mark Harris. Recently, an official trailer has been released for the film. The story involves several students who seek out evidence of witchcraft, in a nearby forest. Five young teenagers soon realize that they have been lured to this location, in order to take part in a Satanic ritual. The Coven does not have a release date as of yet. But, horror fans can preview this thriller below, with the feature's first trailer. Director: John Mackie Cast: Dexter Fletcher, Cloe Macki, Holly Macki, and Mark Harris. The trailer for the film is here: Source: The Coven at Stealth Media Group  |  |  Advertise Here - Contact me Advertise at.