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Amongst the Wolves is the highly anticipated new crime thriller from acclaimed Irish director Mark O’Connor, which is available across all major digital platforms now.

O’Connor, best known for Cardboard Gangsters and King of the Travellers, brings his trademark raw and authentic storytelling to Amongst The Wolves, delivering an unflinching look at the intense, gritty underworld of organised crime and the fragile loyalties that bind it together. The visceral and gripping crime thriller stars Golden Globe nominee Aidan Gillen, Luke McQuillan, Jade Jordan, Louise Bourke (Let The Wrong One In), Helen Behan (This is England) and newcomer Daniel Fee.

Co-written by O’Connor and McQuillan, the film follows Danny, a homeless man on the streets of Dublin, grappling with the ghosts of his past, who finds himself caught in a cycle of despair and survival. Haunted by memories of his time serving in the Royal Irish Army in Afghanistan,...

Irish crime thriller “Amongst the Wolves” has landed a North-American home: indie distributor Sunrise Films will roll the Mark O’Connor feature into select U.S. cinemas and on digital platforms on July 11, 2025. The company’s pick-up continues its strategy of importing festival standouts, following its spring release of Naqqash Khalid’s In Camera.

The picture, fronted by Aidan Gillen as gang boss Power and co-writer Luke McQuillan as traumatised veteran Danny, opened in Ireland and the U.K. earlier this year and dropped on British-Irish VOD outlets on 2 June via Vertigo Releasing. Critics praised McQuillan’s raw portrayal of homelessness while noting Gillen’s restrained menace; The Guardian called the result “uneven yet gripping.”

O’Connor first unspooled the film at the Galway Film Fleadh in July 2024, where cast and crew held an on-stage Q&a. A North-American festival bow followed at Newport Beach that autumn, positioning the project for buyers.

Exclusive: Irish crime-thriller Amongst The Wolves, whose cast includes Got star Aiden Gillen, has been picked up for U.S. distribution by Sunrise Films.

The 2024 Galway Film Fleadh premiere is set to be released in a handful of U.S. theaters and on digital platforms beginning July 11, 2025.

Filmmaker Mark O’Connor’s (Cardboard Gangsters) movie also stars Luke McQuillan (Black Medicine), Jade Jordan (You Are Not My Mother), and Helen Behan (Small Things Like These).

Set against the backdrop of Dublin’s underworld, pic follows Danny (McQuillan), a homeless ex-soldier battling Ptsd, whose chance encounter with a runaway teen, Will (Daniel Fee), sparks an unlikely alliance. As they’re hunted by a ruthless drug gang led by the menacing Power (Aidan Gillen), their fight for survival becomes a journey of redemption.

Released earlier this year in Ireland and the UK by Wildcard and Vertigo, respectively, pic is produced by Jeff O...

What does a father do when a single mistake completely ruins his life and lands him in the streets? Directed by Mark O’Connor, the Irish crime thriller Amongst the Wolves is a moody, atmospheric tale of a veteran’s life in modern-day Dublin. With a story that emphasizes the effects of Ptsd and the drug rackets that run beneath the seedy surface of some of the biggest cities in the world, the filmmaker keeps his narrative incredibly real and gut-wrenching. There’s not a scene in the movie that looks superficial, and that’s where this film knocks the ball out of the park.

Spoilers Ahead

What happens in the movie?

After returning from Afghanistan, Danny tried to rebuild his life. But as his post-war trauma deepened, it began to take control of him. One tragic night, he fell asleep with a lit cigarette, accidentally setting fire to the house while his young son,...

Directed by Mark O’Connor, “Amongst the Wolves” (2024) revolves around Danny (Luke McQuillan), a man at a crossroads. He once had a promising life with a wife and a kid, but now he has barely anything to look forward to. He is separated from his family and unhoused, with hardly any hope that things will get better. His ex-wife Gill (Jade Jordan) does not want him around their son Tadgh (Manco O’Connor) and hopes to seek full custody of him. In these circumstances, Danny’s fight is less literal and more psychological. He wants to be in his son’s life, but more importantly, he wants to get back on his feet. He hopes to regain his self-respect.

With these details, O’Connor and Luke McQuillan’s screenplay introduces Danny as a familiar figure—the broken man, a trope often explored during the Golden Age of Television. Whether it’s a...

Aiden Gillen is in ultraviolent mode as a sadistic gang boss, but it is co-writer Luke McQuillan who brings a careful nuance to this uneven and bloody tale of revenge

Irish director Mark O’Connor’s film is a two-for-one deal. It starts out as a serious well-researched drama about an army veteran with Ptsd sleeping rough in Dublin, and ends in bloody revenge, with Aidan Gillen in ultraviolent mode and gangsters drilling holes into each other’s kneecaps.

The movie is grounded by a rock solid performance from the film’s co-writer Luke McQuillan as former soldier Danny, who loses his family and home after a tour in Afghanistan. There’s a scene early on that feels horribly truthful about the day-to-day reality of being homeless: late one night, three lagered up youths humiliate Danny for a laugh – forcing him in front of the camera as they shove a coin into his hand.

Modern-day crime thrillers feature high stakes and exaggerated characters, but the reality about crime is it often attracts regular people who find themselves in desperate situations. This is what differentiates Amongst the Wolves from its genre siblings: it feels real. It’s a reminder (or even a warning) that life can change at the drop of a hat and put someone in difficult circumstances. This is what happens to Danny (Luke McQuillan), who struggles to deal with his trauma from his time in the military. An incident with his family changes his entire life, culminating in him becoming homeless. Danny meets a young teenager named Will (Daniel Fee), who is also homeless but involved with a local drug gang run by the ruthless Power (Aidan Gillen). The pair form a friendship, as Danny attempts to help Will pay his debt to Power and get out of the gang life. However,...

Exclusive: Critical Content, the production company behind Netflix’s Ginny & Georgia and Sylvester Stallone documentary Sly, is at a crossroads.

Deadline understands that the company has put a number of its television staff on furlough. Some employees have been largely out of work since the end of March, but the company has been offering a few paid hours to “keep up appearances,” one source said.

Critical Content, which is also behind NBC’s Celebrity Game Face, Discovery’s Survive the Raft and MTV’s Catfish, is not the first unscripted-focused company to “right-size” its business in a challenging environment, and insiders at the company said the hope was it would be able to bring back these employees.

There has been talk within the unscripted TV industry that Critical’s parent company Sk Global, the film financier behind Crazy Rich Asians, has been considering selling the business.

But the company...

Exclusive: Independent studio Sk Global has hired Elizabeth Haggard for the role of Senior Vice President of Feature Film, which will have her help lead the company’s film slate through development, production, and post-production, reporting to Head of Features, Mark O’Connor.

Haggard joins from Participant, where she served as SVP of Narrative Film, leading the development and production of films like Kahlil Joseph’s Blknws and John Ridley’s Shirley, a biopic of America’s first Black congress woman, Shirley Chisholm, starring Regina King. She’s just the latest addition from the now-defunct media company, which last April announced its intention to cease operations, following Jeannine Tang, who joined as Chief Operating Officer and General Counsel last summer.

“Elizabeth is a seasoned and well-regarded executive, and we are thrilled to have her join our team as we continue to expand our slate,” said Sk Global’s O’Connor. “She...

Game of Thrones ended after eight seasons in 2019. The prequel show House of the Dragon wrapped up its second season earlier this year, with a third on the way in 2026. And next year, HBO will debut a new prequel show, set decades after the events of House of the Dragon but decades before Game of Thrones.

The show is called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, and it's based on author George R.R. Martin's Tales of Dunk and Egg novellas. The series will follow the adventures of a stalwart knight named Dunk (Peter Claffey) and his precocious squie Egg (Dexter Sol Ansell). It's set to be a lighter take on the Game of Thrones, and based on what Martin has seen, he's "so so happy" with it so far.

A proper trailer for A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms has already been shown off to insiders, and I'm betting...

When Ronald Reagan and Mikhail Gorbachev sit down to discuss a potential nuclear arms treaty in the upcoming film “Reykjavik,” the actors portraying them, Jeff Daniels and Jared Harris, will be lowering themselves into the actual chairs in the actual building where the historic 1986 meeting took place.

Writer-director Michael Russell Gunn, who previously shot “Thai Cave Rescue,” says he loves the “authenticity” of shooting at the actual Höfði House in Iceland. Producer John Logan Pierson adds, “there’s an energy and spirit that comes from shooting in the real place.”

This authenticity was only feasible because of Iceland’s rebates and professional crews. “We needed to make this for a competitive number and sometimes you want to film in a place that isn’t production friendly and lacks a robust infrastructure,” Pierson says.

“The people of Iceland have been so welcoming to our production,” says Mark O’Connor, exec VP of...

The Newport Beach Film Festival has added Irish Spotlight, a program that will showcase a small slate of Irish films. The fest will host North American Premieres of Blue Fiddle, Four Mothers and the docu Housewife of the Year. The evening will take place October 20 and include a celebration of Irish cinema, culture and cuisine.

The Irish Spotlight films will screen at Regal Edwards Big Newport and a post-screening celebration will occur at Muldoon’s Irish Pub.

Fidil Ghorm (Blue Fiddle), is directed by Anne McCabe and stars Ruadhán Ó Flatharta, Marcus Lamb, Sarah Jane Scott, Siobhan O’Kelly, Barry McGovern and Edith Lawlor. Pic follows 10-year-old Molly, who believes that if she learns to play the fiddle like her father she will wake him from his coma. With a grumpy old man as her teacher and a drive to perform the miracle she’s...

Mark O’Connor takes us into the shadows of Dublin City with his directorial debut, Amongst the Wolves. We meet Danny, an Afghanistan war veteran now living off the grid as he struggles with Ptsd. Gone are his wife and home, all lost in the aftermath of trauma. Still he searches for purpose and sanctuary, avoiding the worlds of both society and crime.

Yet on the fringes of each, Danny’s path crosses Will, a teenage runaway in hock to local gang leader Power. As Danny takes the boy under his wing, hopes rise of filling the son-sized hole in his heart. But Power has no care for broken families, squeezing Will to fuel dealers higher up the chain. And Danny’s own past refuses to let him rest, its ghosts stirring in every fleeting connection or sliver of news.

As threats gather on all sides, Danny must decide how to...

Kurdish-Irish documentary Home: Zak Moradi’s Story and Nigerian feature The Kiss Of Death are among the world premieres at this year’s Galway Film Fleadh (July 9-14).

Home: Zak Moradi’s Story, directed by Ireland’s Trevor Whelan, follows the life of one man’s journey from childhood in a Kurdish refugee camp to Irish hurler and anti-racism activist.

The Kiss Of Death is a Nigerian film from Irish director Terry McMahon, whose credits include Patrick’s Day. It follows a man sent to northern Nigeria to teach, who discovers the cultural differences may cost him his life.

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The romantic comedy Anyone but You (read our review Here) has earned around $200 million at the worldwide box office (on a budget of $25 million) since its theatrical release back in December, and now Sony Pictures is bringing it home! The film received a digital release on February 20th (you can watch it at This Link) and will be reaching DVD and Blu-ray on March 12th (pre-order Here) – and today, right in between those two release dates, we’ve gotten our hands on an Exclusive clip from a bonus featurette! You can check it out in the embed above.

Here’s the film’s synopsis: In the edgy comedy Anyone But You, Bea and Ben Glen Powell look like the perfect couple, but after an amazing first date something happens that turns their fiery hot attraction ice cold – until they find themselves unexpectedly thrust together at a destination wedding in Australia.

When Alice Randall first sat down more than 30 years ago to write “The Ballad of Sally Anne” with Mark O’Connor and Harry Stinson, she wanted to use the murder ballad format to discuss a topic — lynching — that was never mentioned in country music.

“The ugliest fact of Southern life went missing from the country canon,” Randall tells Rolling Stone. “This erasure perpetuated a particular fraud…without addressing the ways in which Southern white lives across class lines and ages were involved in the terrorizing of Black families.”

“The Ballad of...

They’re young! They’re hot! They’re sexy! They hate each other!

Not long after the online debut of the trailer for Madame Web, Spider-Woman actress Sydney Sweeney, who can also be seen in HBO shows Euphoria and White Lotus, headlines the new rom-com Anyone But You, co-starring Glen Powell of Top Gun: Maverick. The new trailer comes from Sony Pictures. Will Gluck, known for romantic comedies such as Easy A and Friends with Benefits, sits in the director’s chair for this film and brings his edgy comedic sensibilities to the film.

The official synopsis from Sony reads,

“In the edgy comedy Anyone But You, Bea (Sydney Sweeney) and Ben (Glen Powell) look like the perfect couple, but after an amazing first date something happens that turns their fiery hot attraction ice cold – until they find themselves unexpectedly thrust together at a destination wedding in Australia. So they...

Columbia Pictures has released the first full trailer for Anyone But You, the edgy rom-comedy starring Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell.

Directed by Will Gluck, with a screenplay co-written by Gluck with Ilana Wolpert, the film follows Bea (Sweeney) and Ben (Powell) after a seemingly fiery connection turns ice-cold after their first date. Reunited at her sister’s destination wedding in Australia, the duo find the other’s presence nearly unbearable, resulting in a series of incidents — including fires — that leaves the bride convinced their wedding is destined for ruin.

But this enemies-to-lovers tale takes a new turn when Bea and Ben’s exes arrive, leaving Bea wondering how to get out of her parents’ reunion plan and Ben desperate for a way to make his ex jealous. “Maybe we should just tell everyone we’re together,” Sweeney’s Bea suggests in the trailer. “It would solve that problem for...

Updated, 7:50 a.m.: Columbia Pictures has unveiled a new trailer for its rom-com Anyone But You, starring Sydney Sweeney (Euphoria) and Glen Powell (Top Gun: Maverick), which hits theaters December 22nd.

The pair star respectively as Bea and Ben, who look like the perfect couple. But after an amazing first date something happens that turns their fiery hot attraction ice cold — until they find themselves unexpectedly thrust together at a destination wedding in Australia. So they do what any two mature adults would do: pretend to be a couple.

Will Gluck directed from his script written with Ilana Wolpert, which was based on Wolpert’s story. Pic’s cast also includes Alexandra Shipp, GaTa, Hadley Robinson, Michelle Hurd, Dermot Mulroney, Darren Barnet, and Rachel Griffiths. Read more about the project below. Check out its new trailer above.

Previously, October 19: If you’ve seen the Taylor Swift: The Eras Tour movie,...

Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell can barely disguise their disgust for one another but pretend to be the perfect couple at a destination wedding, in the trailer for the edgy rom-com Anyone But You unveiled on Thursday.

The Euphoria star plays Bea, and Top Gun: Maverick’s Powell is Ben in the enemies-to-lovers comedy about rivals reuniting and thrust together at a glitzy wedding in Australia. “Let’s just tell everyone we’re together… Could be kind of fun,” Bea tells a puzzled Ben at one point in the trailer as they then replace hate stares with fake flirty glances as their personal chemistry gets pretty complicated around wedding guests.

“There’s no way we could convince anyone we actually like each other,” Ben tells Bea, suspicious of the challenge she sets for her nemeses at the gathering. “But through pretending, they actually fall in love,” Sony’s official...

Ben Stiller is in final negotiations to jump on board a limited series adaptation of the documentary ‘Three Identical Strangers.’

Like the documentary, the series would focus on the true story of Bobby Shafran, David Kellman, and Eddy Galland — identical triplets who were separated at birth only to be reunited later in life. Stiller would star as the three adult brothers.

The series comes from writer Amy Lippman with Sony Pictures Television producing along with Sk Global and TriStar Television.

Also in news – Emma Thompson set for thriller ‘The Fisherwoman’

Lippman would also serve as showrunner and executive producer on the series, with Stiller executive producing via Red Hour Films. Sidney Kimmel, John Penotti, Charlie Corwin and Marcy Ross of Sk Global also executive produce along with Piers Vellacott, Dimitri Doganis, and Tim Wardle of Raw and Emmeline Yang Hankins. Mark O’Connor of Sk Global, Dan Braun, and Josh Braun...

Ben Stiller is setting an acting return with Three Identical Strangers, a high-profile limited series package that just hit the premium/streaming marketplace.

Stiller is in final negotiations to headline and executive produce the series, a multi-decade family drama inspired by the incredible true story of identical triplet brothers separated at birth. The project hails from Party of Five co-creator Amy Lippman, Sony Pictures Television and its TriStar Television division as well as Sk Global Entertainment.

Related Story Ben Stiller On Making ‘Severance’, Meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy And Prioritizing Fatherhood Related Story 'Severance': Gwendoline Christie, Bob Balaban, Merritt Wever, Alia Shawkat Among 8 Cast In Season 2 of Apple Series Related Story Sean Penn & Ben Stiller Permanently Banned From Russia By Country's Foreign Ministry

Set in New York over several decades, Three Identical Strangers tells the story of Bobby Shafran, David Kellman and Eddy Galland, three complete strangers who inadvertently discover...

Ben Stiller is nearing a deal to star in a limited series adaptation of the documentary “Three Identical Strangers,” Variety has learned.

The series hails from writer Amy Lippman with Sony Pictures Television producing along with Sk Global and TriStar Television. Like the documentary, the series would focus on the true story of Bobby Shafran, David Kellman, and Eddy Galland — identical triplets who were separated at birth only to be reunited later in life. Stiller would star as the adult brothers.

Lippman would also serve as showrunner and executive producer on the series, with Stiller executive producing via Red Hour Films. Sidney Kimmel, John Penotti, Charlie Corwin and Marcy Ross of Sk Global also executive produce along with Piers Vellacott, Dimitri Doganis, and Tim Wardle of Raw and Emmeline Yang Hankins. Mark O’Connor of Sk Global, Dan Braun, and Josh Braun of Submarine would serve as co-executive producers.

The...

A series adaptation of the film “Hell or High Water” is in the works at Fox, Variety has learned exclusively.

In the series version, when a ruthless oil tycoon attempts to plunder a West Texas ranching community, two local brothers dodge a zealous Texas Ranger and fight to keep what’s theirs, one bank robbery at a time, come hell or high water.

The one-hour drama project has received a script and additional material to series order at the broadcaster. Jessica Mecklenburg will write and executive produce. Sidney Kimmel, John Penotti, Charlie Corwin, and Marcy Ross of Sk Global will also executive produce along with Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane of Madison Wells and Julie Yorn, Carla Hacken, and David Mackenzie. Kimmel, Penotti, Pritzker, Shane, Yorn, and Hacken all produced the original film while Mackenzie directed it.

Sk Global will produce along with Fox Entertainment. Sk Global executive Mark O’Connor...

Festival

The 65th BFI London Film Festival, which concluded Oct. 17, attracted crowds for in-person events and virtually. The festival unspooled over 12 days across London venues, 10 partner cinema venues around the U.K. and online. There were more than 139,000 physical attendances at screenings and events and over 152,000 virtual attendances.

The festival closed with the European premiere of “The Tragedy of Macbeth” at new festival venue, the Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall with director Joel Coen and key cast, including Frances McDormand, in attendance.

There was a sting in the tail, however, as two people who attended the closing film and after party tested positive for Covid-19, compelling the BFI to send letters to attendees informing them about this. The positive tests came as no surprise as the U.K. is experiencing a dramatic surge in cases currently.

The array of celebrities who attended the festival in person included Jay Z,...

A couple of major industry players are planning to put their spin on music documentaries and scripted content.

Warner Music Group and Sk Global announced a partnership Thursday that will see the companies co-produce and co-finance a slate of music-oriented nonfiction and fiction projects “mined from Wmg’s extraordinary roster of artists and songwriters, as well as its expansive global catalog.” The pact also calls for producing local language content.

“The partnership will pay special attention to Wmg’s vast array of celebrated international artists,” a release noted, “particularly across the U.S., Asia, and Latin America.”

The announcement came from Sk Global Chairman Sidney Kimmel, co-CEOs John Penotti and Charlie Corwin, and Charlie Cohen, president, Warner Music Entertainment, Wmg’s TV and Film Division.

“We could not be more pleased to join hands with our longtime friend Charlie Cohen and his immensely talented team around the globe,” Penotti and Corwin said in a statement.

Bleecker Street has acquired the U.S. rights to Geeta Malik’s “India Sweets and Spices,” premiering in theaters on Nov. 19.

The film, which debuted at Tribeca Film Festival, follows Alia Kapur (Sophia Ali) as she returns to her family’s posh suburban New Jersey home after a year away at college and turns their well-ordered life upside down. When she befriends Varun (Rish Shah), the handsome son of the new owners of the local Indian grocery store, she invites him to a family dinner party where family secrets fly.

Manisha Koirala, Adil Hussain, Deepti Gupta and Ved Sapru also star in the humorous coming-of-age tale, produced and financed by Madison Wells and Sk Global Entertainment, and producers Naomi Despres, Sidney Kimmel, John Penotti and Gigi Pritzker. Adrian Alperovich, Kilian Kerwin, Mark O’Connor, Bruce Toll and Rachel Shane executive produce.

The deal was brokered between Kent Sanderson and Avy Eschenasy of Bleecker Street and CAA,...

Bleecker Street announced on Monday that it acquired the rights to the coming-of-age comedy “India Sweets and Spices,” which is written and directed by Geeta Malik and stars “Uncharted” actress Sophia Ali. It premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival and is set for release on November 19.

Ali plays Alia Kapur, an Indian-American college student who returns to her upscale family in New Jersey and soon upends her family’s orderly life with her newfound independence, especially after she discovers secrets about her parents during a family dinner with the son of the local Indian grocery store owners. Manisha Koirala, Adil Hussain, Rish Shah, Deepti Gupta, and Ved Sapru also star.

“’India Sweets and Spices’ is a film so close to my heart, and I’m thrilled to be working with such a passionate team at Bleecker Street,” said writer/director Geeta Malik. “I know we’re in great hands for...

Bleecker Street has landed the U.S. rights to filmmaker Geeta Malik’s new comedy India Sweets and Spices, which made its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival in June. A theatrical release of November 19 has been set.

In the movie, Alia Kapur (Sophia Ali) returns to her family’s posh suburban New Jersey home after a year away at college and upends their well-ordered life with her brash independence. After befriending Varun (Rish Shah), the handsome son of the new owners of the local Indian grocery, she invites his family to a dinner party where family secrets are revealed. Alia’s surprise turns to rebellion when she uncovers secrets about both her parents that push her toward a daring and ultimately hilarious confrontation. Also starring are Manisha Koirala, Adil Hussain, Deepti Gupta and Ved Sapru.

“India Sweets and Spices is a film so close to my heart, and...

The trailer for Justin Timberlake’s new film “Palmer” has arrived. In the drama, Timberlake plays a former high school football star turned convicted felon who now has the responsibility of caring for 7-year-old Sam, whose interest in tea parties, dolls and fairies makes him the target of bullies at school.

“Palmer” is a coming-of-age story directed by Fisher Stevens, and the film shows a solemn, more introspective side to Timberlake as he looks after Sam and comes to realize that neither he nor the boy have to conform to what everyone expects them to be.

“Listen to me, son, kids are mean, especially when they see something that they’re not used to seeing,” Timberlake says in the trailer. “The truth is, I haven’t felt like I was good at anything until Sam.”

Cheryl Guerriero wrote the screenplay for “Palmer,” which also stars Juno Temple, Alisha Wainwright, June Squibb and Ryder Allen.

Justin Timberlake stars as an ex-athlete who returns home after serving a prison sentence in the trailer for the new movie “Palmer.”

The Sk Global film, bought by Apple TV Plus in July, tells a story surrounding lead character Eddie Palmer, an athlete who becomes addicted to painkillers and who gets caught robbing a home. After a stint in prison, the man returns to his hometown to find his grandmother caring for a neighbor’s child. But the child does not fit into the rigid behavioral expectations of his rural home.

“Next door is a beautiful 30-year-old woman who’s a meth addict, who has an eight-year-old boy, who likes to play with dolls and dress up as a girl in red state America,” director Fisher Stevens said of the film in an interview with Billboard. “Justin’s grandmother is co-parenting this boy with the meth addict mom who is...

CAA Media Finance is representing worldwide distribution rights to “India Sweets and Spices,” produced by Sk Global (“Crazy Rich Asians”) and Madison Wells (“Genius”).

The film is directed by Geeta Malik (“Troublemaker”) and is based on her own script “Dinner With Friends” that won the 2016 Academy Nicholl Fellowships in screenwriting. The film follows a young woman who, after her first year at college, returns to her affluent suburban New Jersey home for the summer and discovers distressing secrets about her seemingly picture-perfect Indian American family.

“We don’t often see movies about the duality of identifying strongly with both Indian and American traditions, and not having to choose between them,” Malik said. “And I didn’t want to make a movie specifically about any sort of culture clash. Every generation, no matter what their background, has to find a way to both break free from and embrace their history. That...

Apple has acquired Justin Timberlake’s ‘Palmer,” the company announced on Wednesday. “Palmer” was directed by Fisher Stevens. “Palmer” joins Apple’s expanding film slate, which includes “Greyhound” and the upcoming 2020 Sundance US Grand Jury Prize Award-winning Documentary “Boys State”– as well as “Emancipation,” “Killers of the Flower Moon” and “Snow Blind.”

“Palmer” is about a former college football phenomenon named Eddie Palmer (Timberlake) who, after a stint in prison, returns to his hometown to get his life back on track. There, he faces not only lingering conflicts from his past but also a much more surprising challenge as he finds himself suddenly in charge of a unique young boy who has been abandoned by his wayward mother.

The script was written by Cheryl Guerriero, which appeared on the 2016 Blacklist.

Also Read: Justin Timberlake Says Confederate Statues in Home State Tennessee 'Must Come Down'

An Sk Global, Rhea Films and Nadler No Gmo Popcorn Co.

Apple is buying the Justin Timberlake drama “Palmer” from Sk Global in a move to expand its slate of high-profile original films.

“Palmer,” directed by Fisher Stevens from Cheryl Guerriero’s script, follows a former college football phenomenon who returns to his hometown to get his life back on track upon his release from prison. He faces lingering conflicts from his past, but also a much more surprising challenge as he finds himself suddenly in charge of a unique young boy who has been abandoned by his wayward mother. “Palmer” also stars Juno Temple, June Squibb, Alisha Wainwright and Ryder Allen.

The script for the film appeared on the 2016 Blacklist. It’s an Sk Global, Rhea Films and Nadler No Gmo Popcorn Co. project, in association with the Hercules Film Fund. “Palmer” is produced by Sidney Kimmel, John Penotti, Charlie Corwin, Daniel Nadler and Charles B. Wessler. The movie is executive produced by Robert Friedland,...

Apple has landed the Sk Global feature drama Palmer starring Justin Timberlake and directed by Fisher Stevens.

The movie, written and executive produced by Cheryl Guerriero, whose script appeared on the 2016 Blacklist, follows a former college football phenomenon named Eddie Palmer (Timberlake) who, after a stint in prison, returns to his hometown to get his life back on track. There, he faces not only lingering conflicts from his past but also a much more surprising challenge as he finds himself suddenly in charge of a unique young boy who has been abandoned by his wayward mother. Juno Temple, Oscar-nominee June Squibb, Alisha Wainright also star with Ryder Allen making his feature film debut.

Palmer joins Apple’s growing film slate, many titles which Deadline first told you about, i.e. the streamer’s record $120M film festival acquisition with Will Smith-Antoine Fuqua‘s Emancipation, acquisition of Sony’s Tom...

Through the lens of social distancing and quarantines, Jonathan Wilson’s new album, Dixie Blur, released March 6th, seems made for this moment. It’s a bittersweet, nostalgic record that recalls both a time and a place that’s impossible to revisit. For Wilson specifically, that’s his native Thomasville, North Carolina, but the message is universal: You can’t go home again.

“I went back to North Carolina not too long ago, to my hometown, and took some footage for a video,” says Wilson a few days before the LP’s release.

Network: NBC

Episodes: 13 (hour)

Seasons: One

TV show dates: February 5, 2015 -- March 5, 2015

Series status: Cancelled

Performers include: Hope Davis, Scott Cohen, Gavin Stenhouse, Margarita Levieva, Morgan Spector, Kenneth Choi, and Alex Peters.

TV show description:

This thriller TV series revolves around the O'Connor family and their son, Alex (Gavin Stenhouse). He's a young idealistic CIA analyst who specializes in Russian affairs. Unbeknownst to him however, both of his parents and his sister are part of a dormant Russian sleeper cell that has just been reactivated.

Years ago, Russian-born Katya (Hope Davis) was tasked by the Kgb to recruit American businessman Mark O'Connor (Scott Cohen) as a spy, and the two fell in love. A deal was struck: as long as Katya remained an asset for Russia, she would be allowed to marry...

NBC had big hopes for their all-drama Thursday night schedule. Unfortunately, the ratings have been dismal and now the network has cancelled their new drama, Allegiance, after five episodes.

On the Allegiance TV show, Katya and Mark O'Connor (Hope Davis and Scott Cohen) and their daughter Natalie (Margarita Levieva) are part of a dormant Russian sleeper cell that has just been reactivated. Their mission is to turn their son Alex (Gavin Stenhouse), an idealistic CIA analyst, into a spy. Others in the cast are Morgan Spector, Kenneth Choi, and Alex Peters.

The series debuted on February 5th to a dismal 1.1 rating in the 18-49 demographic with 4.98 million viewers. Then the numbers got even worse after that, hitting lows with a 0.7 in the demo and 3.32 million viewers.

(more…)...

FX has found some nice success with The Americans. Now, NBC is trying their own version of the Russian spy premise called Allegiance. Will it be a hit in the ratings? Cancelled or renewed for season two? Stay tuned to find out.

On the Allegiance TV show, Katya and Mark O'Connor (Hope Davis and Scott Cohen) and their daughter Natalie (Margarita Levieva) are part of a dormant Russian sleeper cell that has just been reactivated. Their mission is to turn son Alex (Gavin Stenhouse), an idealistic CIA analyst, into a spy. Others in the cast are Morgan Spector, Kenneth Choi, and Alex Peters.

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Turtle Bay Music School's 10th Annual Perform-a-Thon will be held Friday, May 16th through Sunday, May 18th. The community music marathon opens on Thursday, May 15th with a Kickoff Concert and Reception, featuring performances by a trio from the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Mark O'Connor, Jason Robert Brown, and Sujari Britt. The evening honors Bank of Tokyo-Mitsubishi Ufj and the Herbert M. Citrin Foundation for their support. Kickoff Concert tickets are 100 for VIP table seating or give as you are able for concert seating.

It's no real surprise that Mark O'Connor's self-proclaimed "manifesto" for Irish film, unveiled in July 2012 before the premiere of his film "Stalker" at the Galway Film Fleadh, hasn't had quite the same sweeping effect as comparable polemics like Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg's Dogme '95 document. Yet this "call to arms" for an Irish New Wave is, if perhaps a rather crassly reactionary effort to incite change, indicative at least of the groundswell of passion prominent among the nation's emerging young filmmakers. This is a time, as O'Connor writes in his manifesto, "more exciting than anything that came before" for Irish cinema -- a reality to which the six movies that comprise the third annual Irish Film New York festival (October 4 - 6 at the Cantor Film Center) attest. Its title a play on the "Celtic Tiger," the nickname accorded the Irish economic boom that began in the...

At just 13 years old, a skinny, braces-clad Mark O'Connor was awarded the title of Grand Master Fiddler Champion. The violin-yielding prodigy beat out the likes of James "Texas Shorty" Chancellor, Lewis Franklin, and J.T. Perkins for the coveted award, and began what would become a decades-long career as a bluegrass, jazz and country icon.

It's been four decades now since O'Connor stepped into the business of fiddling (not to mention playing the guitar and mandolin like a virtuoso). The Seattle-born musician is celebrating his 40th anniversary this year, releasing a new CD/DVD collection in honor of his 40 albums in 40 years. We chatted with O'Connor via email earlier this year and reflected back on the teacher and player's most memorable moments. (Scroll down for interview.)

Hp: You entered the world of professional music as a teenager, playing guitar, mandolin and violin with musicians much older than you. What was...

Mark O'Connor's rough-hewn, low-budget Irish movie revolves around a deadly feud between two families of Travellers disputing some sodden land not far from Dublin. The Powers are more settled, better dressed and less inclined to fight; the Moorehouses are more colourful and less predictable. All are equipped with big thirsts and a short fuse, and neither side is acquainted with restraint when it comes to acting. The movie opens with a scene-setting wedding in the style of The Godfather and centres on the plump boxer John Paul Moorehouse, a figment from the stage and screen. Like Hamlet he's driven by his father's ghost to avenge his murder, and like Romeo he falls in love with a pretty colleen from the Powers family. John Paul virtually reprises the scene between Terry Molloy and his brother Charley in On the Waterfront when he accuses his uncle of ruining his career in the ring.

In The House | Trance | Good Vibrations | 12 In A Box | The Host | GI Joe: Retaliation | One Mile Away | King Of The Travellers | We Went To War | Point Blank | Finding Nemo 3D

In The House (15)

(François Ozon, 2012, Fra) Fabrice Luchini, Kristin Scott Thomas, Ernst Umhauer, Emmanuelle Seigner. 105 mins

A French teacher is instantly drawn in by a student's essay on infiltrating his friend's family, and so are we. Before we know it, we're swept off on a self-reflexive journey into storytelling, voyeurism and ethical boundaries. Both the boy's story and the movie struggle to find an ending, but it's another distinctly "Ozonian" comedy-thriller.

Trance (15)

(Danny Boyle, 2013, UK) James McAvoy, Rosario Dawson, Vincent Cassel. 101 mins

Boyle chucks everything he can (maybe too much) at this twisty, visceral art-heist thriller, which hinges on McAvoy's hypnosis to reveal the whereabouts of a stolen Goya painting. The result is more of a Jackson Pollock.

Good Vibrations (15)

(Lisa Barros D'Sa,...

A drama about bareknuckle fighting in the Traveller community has some crowd-pleasing moments, but there's not a lot to it

This feels like a fictionalisation of Ian Palmer's 2011 doc, Knuckle, about rival clans of itinerants holding bare-fisted donnybrooks in Irish laybys, but the tone is erratic. Writer-director Mark O'Connor aims for authenticity, tying the Travellers to those other migrant labourers persecuted by locals. Yet he stumbles over a vein of notionally crowd-pleasing comedy that recalls Guy Ritchie's Snatch, with its gold-chained chancers doing mushrooms in the woods. A flibbertigibbet: it arrives with a twinkle in its eye, but little else between its cauliflower ears.

Rating: 2/5

DramaComedyMike McCahill

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★☆☆☆☆ The latest from writer-director Mark O'Connor, whose two previous features Between the Canals (2011) and Stalker (2012) were only given theatrical releases in his native Ireland, King of the Travellers (2012) is a contemporary drama about family devotion and the undying quest for revenge, set amongst the traditions of the Irish traveller community. In an effort to forge a quasi-gangster slant on the escalating familial drama, O'Connor does well to map the dangers, not to mention vented frustrations, of becoming entrenched within a constantly threatening environment - yet fails on almost every level to mix this with a dull plot.

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The third feature film from director Mark O'Connor (King of the Travellers, Between the Canals) is to begin principal photography in Dublin on Wednesday 15th of February and will shoot for just under two weeks until the 27th February. 'Stalker' is a dark thriller which is set in Dublin over the Christmas period, it sees a homeless man Oliver Nolan, played by John Connors (King of the Travellers) meet a disaffected teenager called Tommy, played by Barry Keoghan (Between The Canals) who confides in him.

Invited to come along to the set of 'The King of the Travellers' [previously entitled 'Grooskill'], Iftn last week journeyed to Inchicore, Dublin to catch a preview the film's final scenes before it wrapped in Galway at the weekend and caught up with the features cast and crew, among them director Mark O'Connor (Between The Canals), lead actor John Connors in his debut feature role, Peter Coonan (Between The Canals, Love/Hate), Michael Collins (Pavee Lackeen, Man About Dog) and producer Cormac Fox of Vico Films.