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Exclusive: Dakota Fanning (Ripley), Jake Johnson (Minx) and Cory Michael Smith (Mountainhead) have signed on to star in an untitled romantic drama written and directed by Joe Swanberg.

We’re told the film is set in various locations throughout Alaska, but plot details are under wraps. Fanning, Johnson and Smith also will produce alongside Swanberg and Ashleigh Snead, with Dan Johnson, Kathy Gitibin Parsa and Ariana Parsa serving as executive producers.

The project marks Swanberg’s fourth collaboration with Johnson, following Drinking Buddies, Digging for Fire and Win It All.

Coming off of Netflix’s hit series The Perfect Couple and her first Emmy nomination for her work in the streamer’s miniseries Ripley, Fanning next will team with sister Elle Fanning to produce and star in an anticipated adaptation of bestseller The Nightingale for TriStar, which is slated for release in February 2027. Upcoming, she’ll also be seen starring...

She-Hulk: Attorney at Law star Tatiana Maslany is teaming up with New Girl actor Jake Johnson for a new TV show in the works at Apple TV+. Teasing the upcoming show, Maslany has addressed what viewers can expect from the show, titled Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed.

The half-hour series has been described as a "darkly comedic thriller," with Maslany on board to play a divorced soccer mom who "falls down a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder, and youth soccer." Many questions remain about the mysterious series, so Maslany was asked about it by Cbr's Grae Drake at San Diego Comic-Con. She confirmed that filming would begin imminently and teased that there are some other exciting names joining the cast.

"Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed. Yeah, we're in moderate pleasure right now because we're about to go to film," Maslany said. "Okay, we go to film in about a week. Great. Yeah,...

Move over, Ted Lasso, Apple TV+ has just announced a brand-new series that features soccer as part of its storyline. Per Apple TV+ and Deadline, a new show starring Tatiana Maslanyand Jake Johnson,called Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed.

The series is billed as a “half-hour darkly comedic thriller” that focuses on Maslany’s character, Paula, who is a recently divorced mom who “falls down a dangerous rabbit hole of blackmail, murder, and youth soccer.”

View this post on InstagramA post shared by Apple TV (@appletv) Johnson will Play Maslany’s Ex-Husband in the New Show

Johnson will co-star with Maslany as Karl, Paula’s ex-husband, in the series created by David J. Rosen. Rosen will run the show that is being directed and executive-produced by David Gordon Green.

Maximum Pleasure Guaranteed comes from Apple Studios and Counterpart Studios. The show is being developed by and will be executive produced by...

Disrupt the blood. Hack the hate. In Mountainhead, written, directed, and produced by Succession creator Jesse Armstrong, these are just a few of the technocratisms bandied about by the four tech bros (played by Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Ramy Youssef, and Cory Michael Smith) who have gathered at a mountaintop redoubt for a good old-fashioned weekend of ketamine and contempt. Offstage, the world is literally burning, thanks to AI launched by one of the characters’ companies. Inside the compound, the chaos is construed as a scalable opportunity (“That’s why...

One of the most recognizable stars of the century has shared his real feelings about one of the momentous moments in modern TV history.

This year, the most popular American sitcom of the 2000s celebrated its 20th anniversary. While the original British version of certainly made a significant impact in the comedy landscape, the American adaptation has more than usurped it in terms of its ubiquity and recognizability in the popular culture zeitgeist, much of which is due to the series' ensemble cast. During what is widely considered its golden era, the Scranton, Pennsylvania branch of the Dunder Mifflin Paper Company was led by its regional manager, Michael Scott (Steve Carell). Although the character began the series with a more abrasive, odious demeanor, Michael was rewritten to be more likable, while keeping many of his eccentricities. Even with some of his bizarre methods of leadership, Michael became one of the...

La nueva película de Joachim Trier tras el éxito internacional de ‘La peor persona del mundo’, nominada al Óscar. © Neon

Neon ha publicado el primer tráiler de la película Sentimental Value (Valor sentimental), del cineasta noruego Joachim Trier (La peor persona del mundo).

En Sentimental Value, Nora Borg es una actriz de teatro cuyo padre, Gustav (Skarsgard), fue un famoso director de cine. Gustav era un padre ausente y los dos están distanciados, así que cuando Gustav, tras la muerte de la madre de Nora, le ofrece un papel en su nueva película, el proyecto que espera que sea su regreso, ella lo rechaza. Sin inmutarse, Gustav ofrece el papel, escrito para Nora, a la joven estrella de Hollywood Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning). De repente, las dos hermanas tienen que lidiar con la complicada relación que mantienen con su padre y con una estrella estadounidense que se ha metido en...

Steve Carell has come a long way from being the mild-mannered, socially inept Andy Stitzer from The 40-Year-Old Virgin. After a successful run on The Office, Carell has gone on to diversify with a myriad of roles. Recently, he can be seen in Mountainhead. Our Alex Maidy glowed about Mountainhead as he stated in his review, “Mountainhead shows that Jesse Armstrong’s brand of social commentary is still as biting as it was on Veep, Succession, and Black Mirror. Should he explore this storytelling approach further, Mountainhead proves it can be done in a feature-length running time without wasting a minute. I would have loved for this story to have been more brutal and dark than it was. However, it still works as a great example of how satire can work as entertainment and an equal indictment of the real world. Boasting four impressive performances and another standout from Cory Michael Smith,...

Neon released the first U.S. trailer for Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value,” showcasing Renate Reinsve and Stellan Skarsgård as a fractured father-daughter pair whose uneasy rapprochement is complicated when Elle Fanning’s Hollywood interloper joins their Norwegian household. The feature captured the Grand Prix at Cannes on 21 May after a prolonged standing ovation, positioning it as Norway’s frontrunner for the next International Feature Oscar race.

Trier co-wrote the script with long-time collaborator Eskil Vogt; their story follows stage actor Nora and sister Agnes confronting their celebrated but self-absorbed director father Gustav, who casts a young American star in a thinly veiled film about their family. The ensemble rounds out with Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas, Cory Michael Smith and Catherine Cohen, while Kasper Tuxen handles cinematography and Polish composer Hania Rani supplies the score.

Production companies from six European nations backed the €18 million drama, shot largely in Oslo and the...

If you’re a movie lover who loves movies about making movies, then chances are you’re going to feel some type of way about “Sentimental Value.”

Director Joachim Trier’s latest won the Grand Prix at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival last month, and now Neon’s new trailer out Tuesday shows why.

Renate Reinsve, Stellan Skarsgård and Inga Ibsdotter Lilleaas star as a complicated Norwegian family of three whose dynamic gets even more complex when Elle Fanning’s famous Hollywood star more or less moves in.

Per the logline, “Sisters Nora and Agnes reunite with their estranged father, the charismatic Gustav, a once-renowned director who offers stage actress Nora a role in what he hopes will be his comeback film. When Nora turns it down, she soon discovers he has given her part to an eager young Hollywood star. Suddenly, the two sisters must navigate their complicated relationship with...

Neon has released the trailer for “Sentimental Value,” Joachim Trier’s latest film which reunites him with his “The Worst Person in the World” star Renate Reinsve.

Reinsve plays actress Nora, the estranged daughter of film director Gustav Borg (Stellan Skarsgård). When Gustav informs her that he intends to shoot a film in their family home and wants her to star in the project, Nora declines the offer. The part ends up being played by the American actress Rachel Kemp (Elle Fanning). In the trailer, Fanning asks Reinsve why she didn’t accept the role. Reinsve replies: “My father is a very difficult person.”

The film won the Grand Prix at Cannes Film Festival, where it received a 15-minute standing ovation and a positive critical response. Variety film critic Peter Debruge wrote that “this layered family-centric drama (which was also written by Eskil Vogt) shares its ability to find fresh...

Gotham star Cory Michael Smith is set to star in his first major leading film role in a new movie for A24. The film is being described as a "Halloween-set fugitive thriller."

Per Deadline, Smith is set to star in October, A24's new genre picture from Rebel Ridge's Jeremy Saulnier. Smith has previously worked with the studio on an upcoming Zac Efron thriller, Famous. Details about Smith's role and the plot for October are being kept under wraps at this time, but Saulnier is set to direct from his own script with A24 producing and financing October. Casting for the rest of the film's roles is currently ongoing.

Rich Peete (Neighborhood Watch), Eli Bush (Gentral), and Jeremy Saulnier and Skei Saulnier (Niteowl Films) will produce the film, with Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie (Central), Traci Carlson and Elliot Coley (Neighborhood Watch) and Macon Blair (Bonneville Pictures) serving as executive producers.

Jesse Armstrong met his longtime collaborator Sam Bain at university and the pair later wrote for UK comedy-sketch series Smack The Pony, before creating sitcoms Peep Show and The Old Guys, and comedy dramas Fresh Meat and Babylon. Together they also co-wrote Chris Morris’s 2010 Bafta-winning feature Four Lions.

Armstrong collaborated with Armando Iannucci on The Thick Of It, Veep and feature In The Loop – for which he was nominated for a best adapted screenplay Oscar – and with Charlie Brooker on Black Mirror.

In 2018, Armstrong created Succession, a comedy drama detailing the machinations of a family that runs a vast media conglomerate.

Jeremy Saulnier‘s Rebel Ridge had a wonky production narrative with the pandemic slamming into it and causing delays but the film had its day under the sun and became a winning project for Netflix — and now the American indie filmmaker is mounting his next project. October, an A24 horror action thriller has it’s first player onboard — Deadline reporting that Cory Michael Smith will be toplining. They are currently in casting mode for a production start date that we expect soon. The production team is comprised of Rich Peete, Eli Bush, and Niteowl Films’ Jeremy and Skei Saulnier.…...

Jeremy Saulnier is back in the A24 business with the upcoming October, described as a Halloween-set “horror action thriller” by Deadline this week.

Cory Michael Smith, who recently played “SNL” alum Chevy Chase in Jason Reitman’s based-on-true-events movie Saturday Night, will star in Jeremy Saulnier’s October.

Deadline details, “No word on the role Smith will be playing in October. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources described the project as a fugitive thriller set during Halloween. Saulnier will direct from his own script, with A24 producing and financing.”

Producers for the film include Rich Peete, Eli Bush, and Jeremy Saulnier & Skei Saulnier, with Ronald Bronstein and Josh Safdie, Traci Carlson and Elliott Coley and Macon Blair.

Macon Blair, who previously starred in Saulnier’s films Murder Party, Blue Ruin and Green Room, directed upcoming reboot The Toxic Avenger, only in theaters on August 29, 2025.

The post ‘October...

Rebel Ridge director Jeremy Saulnier is putting together his next movie, and Deadline reports that Cory Michael Smith is set to star. The new film is titled October, but not much is known about the project, with sources describing it as a fugitive thriller set during Halloween.

Saulnier will direct October from his own script, with A24 set to produce. He’s previously teased that the project will be more similar to Green Room than anything else. “I’m currently writing something that’s a little more in the Green Room universe,” he said. “Because with Rebel Ridge, I was exploring a new side. I was just tired of everything I do being oppressive. But I’ve kinda gone back. It has to do with music and Halloween and fun shit.“

Smith recently starred alongside Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, and Ramy Youssef in Mountainhead, the satirical comedy/drama written and...

Exclusive: After teaming with Succession‘s Jesse Armstrong on Mountainhead, the fast-tracked billionaire satire for HBO, and following rave reviews for his work on Saturday Night, Cory Michael Smith has found his first major leading film role in October, a new A24 genre picture from Jeremy Saulnier (Rebel Ridge).

The project brings Smith back to A24 following his work on the upcoming Zac Efron thriller Famous. Previously, Saulnier worked with the studio on Green Room, his gritty 2016 horror thriller starring Patrick Stewart and Anton Yelchin.

No word on the role Smith will be playing in October. Plot details are being kept under wraps, but sources described the project as a fugitive thriller set during Halloween. Saulnier will direct from his own script, with A24 producing and financing.

Rich Peete (Neighborhood Watch), Eli Bush (Central) and Jeremy Saulnier & Skei Saulnier (Niteowl Films) will produce the horror action thriller, with Ronald Bronstein...

Succession mastermind Jesse Armstrong returned to HBO this year with Mountainhead, a two-hour original movie about four tech bros that strategize taking over the world during a guys' weekend at one of their mountain estates. However, egos and contradictory ambitions bring out the worst in the "brewster bros," and soon their bonding retreat turns into a series of backhanded deals and betrayal.

It's an eerily relevant escapade as the world watches the richest man in the world, Elon Musk, argue with President Trump on their respective social media platforms. Armstrong couldn't have predicted how closely real life would mirror his film just days after its release on HBO, but the rapid pace of production did allow him to use a lot of real-time events in constructing Mountainhead's narrative.

Armstrong revealed how quickly the entire project came together during the film's FYC panel at the Director's Guild of America Theater in West Hollywood on Wednesday.

Mountainhead has been making the rounds on the internet as an iconic comedy/satire film about the lives of billionaires who band together and set out to solve an international crisis.

Starring Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Yousef, the film is written and directed by Jesse Armstrong. You may know him as the creator and writer of the iconic HBO show Succession. Speaking of, did you know that a Succession character was nearly going to star in this satire film?

Lukas Matsson was almost going to be a part of Steve Carell’s Succession

Portrayed by Swedish actor Alexander Skarsgård, fans may know the character Lukas Matsson from the HBO show Succession. Being the founder and CEO of GoJo, Matsson was the primary antagonist (and later the secondary antagonist) in Succession.

Alexander Skarsgård as Lukas Matsson in Succession | Credits: HBO Entertainment

During the series finale, Lukas...

Jim Carrey is a Hollywood icon who has inspired generations of performers, including Mountainhead star Cory Michael Smith. In Jesse Armstrong’s dark satire exploring wealth, ego, and identity, Smith delivers one of the film’s standout performances as Venis, a tech genius and the world’s richest man.

And he recently reflected on how Carrey influenced his approach to portraying the volatile mogul, while expressing admiration for his use of physicality, boldness, and exaggerated emotion, tools that helped him craft a fully realized, high-energy character.

Cory Michael Smith channeled Jim Carrey’s energy in Mountainhead

Cory Michael Smith, renowned for his role as the Riddler in Gotham, delivers a standout performance in Jesse Armstrong’s satirical film Mountainhead.

Portraying Venis Parish, the world’s richest man and owner of the destabilizing social media platform Traam, Smith embodies a character that is both absurd and chilling.

Cory Michael Smith in...

Neon will open Joachim Trier’s “Sentimental Value” in limited release on Nov. 7, as it looks to position the drama for Oscar contention. The indie studio will then expand the film leading into the Thanksgiving period, which is traditionally a busy time for moviegoing.

Neon is planning to build a robust awards campaign around “Sentimental Value,” which premiered at Cannes to rave reviews. Variety‘s Peter Debruge praised the film as a “mature and moving tale,” while IndieWire‘s David Ehrlich called it “a layered masterpiece that ‘The Worst Person in the World’ director Joachim Trier has been working toward for his entire career.” At Cannes, “Sentimental Value” won the Grand Prix.

“Sentimental Value” is about a stage actress and her sister who reunite with their estranged father, a famous film director. After his daughter opts not to appear in her father’s movie, the role goes to a Hollywood actress.

[Editor’s note: The following interview contains spoilers for the HBO movie “Mountainhead.”]

In “Succession,” the cutthroat Roy family proved capable of covering up even manslaughter to protect their business, but Logan Roy (Brian Cox) himself might blush at the extremes of his tech-mogul counterparts in creator Jesse Armstrong’s HBO follow-up “Mountainhead.”

While Armstrong was on the Filmmaker Toolkit podcast, he talked about not wanting to do another story of the uber-rich and powerful following “Succession,” but after reviewing Michael Lewis’ book about crypto-crook Sam Bankman-Fried, and then listening to tech moguls on the “All In” and Lex Fridman podcasts, he couldn’t get the Silicon Valley voices shaping our world out of his head.

But it was more than the way tech moguls talked, it was the way they saw the world and justified their increasingly powerful place in it that led Armstrong to the “Mountainhead” story of four tech bros’ weekend getaway and its surprising (murderous) plot twist.

“What...

Exclusive: Jesse Armstrong has once again intrigued audiences with his latest satire on the exploits of the ultra wealthy.

Mountainhead, the follow up to his HBO hit Succession, debuted Saturday, securing 1.3M viewers to date across linear and streaming, per Warner Bros. Discovery.

That makes it the most-watched HBO Original film since the Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney crime drama Bad Education in April 2020.

A few of the HBO Original films that have debuted since then are the pandemic-era comedy Coastal Elites, the political drama Oslo, the Sopranos prequel The Many Saints of Newark and Barry Levinson’s The Survivor.

Mountainhead follows a group of billionaire friends who get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis. It stars Steve Carell as Randall, Jason Schwartzman as Souper (Hugo Van Yalk), Cory Michael Smith as Venis, and Ramy Youssef as Jeff.

The film was quite a quick follow up to Succession,...

Making TV is notoriously fast and furious, without the generous cushion of a large film production. But what if you were producing and editing a TV movie that would be the last project released in the 2024-25 Emmy season, and you had less than one month to deliver a working print? For “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong’s highly-anticipated HBO film “Mountainhead,” this was not a “What if?” but a “Must happen.”

“Our title for the show on everything across call sheets was ‘Espresso,’” Emmy- winning editor and co-producer Bill Henry said with a laugh. “That sort of indicated what we were on from the outset.” A look inside the overnight get-together of tech-billionaire pals Randall (Steve Carell), Souper (Jason Schwartzman), Venis (Cory Michael Smith) and Jeffrey (Ramy Youssef), “Mountainhead” has all the hallmarks of Armstrong’s inimitable patois.

Amidst an AI-fueled civil war tears apart countries around the world, these...

HBO has long been the home for a specific brand of comedy. Distinct from the sitcoms of networks like NBC and ABC, HBO comedy programming was primarily aimed at adult audiences, featuring coarse language and mature themes, and sometimes graphic violence and nudity. Curb Your Enthusiasm, which first aired in 2000, is among the most well-known HBO comedies, but the network has since released a number of popular and acclaimed titles in the genre.

Shows like Entourage, Extras, Flight of the Concords, and Eastbound and Down are among the most beloved HBO comedies. The 2010s went on to deliver shows like Veep, Silicon Valley, Succession, The Righteous Gemstones, and Barry, all of which have been critically well-received and successful in terms of viewership. HBO doesn't just produce original shows, however, and has also been behind some notable movies, including titles like Entourage (2015), Deadwood: The Movie (2019), Bad Education (2019), The Many Saints of Newark (2021), and Reality (2023). Now,...

Succession is one of the past decade’s very best TV shows: a razor-sharp and insightful portrait of an obscenely wealthy family as they insult each other to their faces before stabbing each other in the back. So when Succession creator Jesse Armstrong revealed he’s writing and directing a new original movie for HBO, I was excited. Well, that movie is here — Mountainhead (now streaming on Max) — but sadly, it just stands as a massive miscalculation. As a follow-up to Succession, it fails, in spectacular fashion.

Mountainhead takes the key elements we remember from Succession — the ridiculous displays of...

Hollywood is evidently resigned to the sad reality that comedies are no longer viable as theatrical releases. There seemed to be hope for the genre when the 2023 Glen Powell-Sydney Sweeney rom-com "Anyone But You" grossed a healthy $219 million at the worldwide box office against a $25 million budget.Unfortunately, the year that followed was a wash, with the Best Picture-winner "Anora" leading the way for the genre with a $59.8 million global take (which is terrific for a $6 million movie but not the kind of performance that had the industry cheering for a return of the big screen comedy).

I think it's silly to write off comedies altogether, though, and would cite the $51.9 million gross of this year's hilarious Keke Palmer-Sza buddy flick "One of Them Days" as evidence that people will show up, provided the film is properly marketed, but it's hard to test this hypothesis when...

Premiering on Saturday, May 31, Succession creator Jesse Armstrong's new HBO flick Mountainhead might be earning praise from critics, but fans haven't been as kind to the satirical comedy. Starring Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef, the film follows four billionaire friends on a secluded weekend retreat as the world goes through major turmoil thanks to the spread of AI-generated disinformation. Earning a 79% rating from critics on Rotten Tomatoes, the film's Popcornmeter sits at just 26%, as many viewers were expecting big things from Armstrong, but instead were presented with a movie that they feel is almost "unwatchable."

"A disappointing movie for sure," said Rotten Tomatoes user Arlen B, adding: "Started off as a Saturday Night Live skit that just wouldn't end, then morphed into a storyline that was just horrible." "The fact that this is considered a comedy is completely ridiculous," noted Ryan H, while Taj...

Despite the massive popularity and cultural impact of HBO's Succession, the show's creator, Jesse Armstrong, seemingly couldn't replicate the show's success with his latest project, the similarly satirical film Mountainhead. Conceived, pitched, and produced in the span of a few months, Mountainhead debuted on HBO on May 30 to mostly positive reviews, but a rancid audience response. Despite the divisive reception, the movie topped the viewership charts on HBO, displacing holdover hit Mickey 17, starring Robert Pattinson.

According to FlixPatrol, Mountainhead was the most-watched movie on Max, which will soon revert to the name HBO Max, on June 1. It scored 433 points in total, while Mickey 17 earned 405 points in second place. Mountainhead stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef as men of extreme wealth, who get together for a weekend getaway while the world crumbles around them. The four men engage in petty arguments and display abhorrent behavior over the weekend,...

Jesse Armstrong’s latest project Mountainhead is a pretty clear follow-up to his award-winning drama Succession, following a group of billionaires during a mountaintop retreat as they navigate the changing face of the industry. It’s a sharp satire that comments on the nature of capitalist society and the ever-growing “tech-bro” culture of today, with four brilliant performances from Steve Carell, Ramy Youssef, Cory Michael Smith, and Jason Schwartzman. Mountainhead is now available to stream on HBO Max.

Interestingly, the reception of Armstrong’s new feature has been incredibly mixed - and not just in the sense that it has clear strengths and weaknesses, but in the sense that critics seem to like it while audiences strongly don’t. The Rotten Tomatoes scores for Mountainhead differ greatly, with critics landing at a respectable 79% while the audience score is just 26%. It’s not often that a movie has such a distinctive split between critics and audiences,...

In Jesse Armstrong’s “Mountainhead” (2025), four rich tech-bros get together at an isolated home on a mountaintop to discuss the future of their businesses as the world gets increasingly worse with every passing minute. At least one of them is directly responsible for the crises in Africa and the Global South, but they are instead busy talking about these countries like they were bets in a poker game. Everything is up for sale as they negotiate during this meeting, not for mutual benefit but to be on top of the pyramid by any means necessary.

Their hunger to reach their highest potential at the expense of collective benefit sounds eerily similar to the novel, which rhymes with the film’s title. The characters mention it within the first ten minutes or so. Then onwards, it just turns into a mindless battle of egos where they throw quotes and jargon in...

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Mountainhead is a satirical comedy-drama film written and directed by Jesse Armstrong. The HBO film revolves around four billionaire friends as they gather for a secluded weekend retreat at a mountain head villa while the whole world struggles because of major financial turmoil. Mountainhead stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef. So, if you loved the biting dark comedy, pointed satire, and compelling but unlikable characters in Mountainhead, here are some similar movies you should check out next.

In the Loop (AMC+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – BBC Films

In the Loop is a British satirical dark comedy film directed by Armando Iannucci, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Jesse Armstrong, Simon Blackwell, and Tony Roche. Based on the British series The Thick of It, the 2009 film revolves around the fallout that followed after...

What exactly do billionaires do on vacation? Well, in the case of “Mountainhead” at least, the answer appears to be: watch the world burn, in no small part due to their own actions.

An HBO original written and directed by “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong, “Mountainhead” centers on four rich men, with Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef as the core cast. The billionaires are old friends and on vacation, but like any friend group, they have their grievances.

You can check out TheWrap’s review of the film, which likens the films to “oligarch burlesque,” here.

Otherwise, here’s what you need to know.

When does it come out?

“Mountainhead” was scheduled to release on Saturday, May 31 at 8:00 p.m. Et/Pt, but HBO gave it a surprise early release at midnight Pt.

Is it streaming?

Yes it is. You’ll be able to watch the “Mountainhead” premiere on HBO,...

[Warning: The below contains Major spoilers for the film Mountainhead.] Jesse Armstrong traded Succession‘s Roy family for a tech titan getaway in his new HBO film Mountainhead, which follows the events of a pivotal poker game set at the titular estate. Hosting his fellow businessmen, Hugo Van Yalk, a.k.a. Souper (Jason Schwartzman), is responsible for bringing venture capitalist Randall (Steve Carell), AI creator Jeff (Ramy Youssef), and social media app creator Venis (Cory Michael Smith) for a fateful retreat that changes all of their lives. For anyone who was familiar with the tone of Armstrong’s Emmy-winning hit Succession, the tone is immediately recognizable, but these characters are in a league of their own from the conglomerate-owning Roys. “I love Succession and I watched those episodes and you watch these performances and… writing and it’s just it’s wonderful,” Schwartzman tells TV Insider. “It really is playing out like a play,” he adds, and so,...

Spoiler Alert: This interview contains spoilers for “Mountainhead,” now streaming on Max.

“Mountainhead,” the new HBO film written and directed by “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong, seems at first to be a story of four tech moguls grappling with fluctuating public opinions about their work while being too rich to deal with any material consequences. Venis (Cory Michael Smith), the wealthiest in the friend group, deals with that tension most acutely: The latest update to his social media platform Traam has given users access to AI tools so advanced that the images they create are indistinguishable from reality. Almost instantly, people begin generating hyperrealistic deepfakes of violent atrocities that spark real-life retaliation. Venis and his friends Randall (Steve Carell), Hugo (Jason Schwartzman) and Jeff (Ramy Youssef) watch the world go up in flames from their phones, safe at a snowy weekend retreat at Hugo’s home in Utah.

While Venis, Randall...

Note: This story contains spoilers from “Mountainhead.”

If “Mountainhead” made you feel disturbed and horrified, that’s kind of the point.

“It does and should feel a little scary. It’s a prescient film, which is part of the reason why it’s been such a fast process [to make],” Cory Michael Smith, who plays Venis in Jesse Armstrong’s new movie for HBO, told TheWrap.

Filmed in March, “Mountainhead” takes place over a weekend as three tech giants reunite in their friend Hugo Van Yalk’s (Jason Schwartzman) mountainside retreat. Initially, the trip is defined by immature and status-obsessed insults that would feel at home on Armstrong’s previous hit series, “Succession.” But as the weekend continues, a new AI model released by Smith’s Venis leads to a global economic disaster. The rest of the movie follows these four men as they casually scheme to “save” the world, aka fix...

The ‘Succession’ creator is crafting a new original movie for HBO, with an eye-popping cast.

The drama of the Roy family may be over following last year’s finale of the Emmy-winning series “Succession,” but the show’s creator Jesse Armstrong hasn’t put down his pen. In fact, he’s at work on a new original movie for HBO, the premium cable channel that was home to “Succession.” The new film, called “Mountainhead,” is set to premiere this spring and feature a slew of stars. We’ll fill you in on all the details we have about the movie so far, including whether or not you’ll be able to watch it on the HBO sibling streamer Max.

Everything you need to know about Jesse Armstrong’s new movie

How to watch ‘Mountainhead’

Will ‘Mountainhead’ be available to stream on Max?

What is ‘Mountainhead’ about?

Watch the trailer for...

[This story contains spoilers from HBO’s movie Mountainhead.]

For much of HBO’s movie Mountainhead, the comedy in writer-director Jesse Armstrong’s script is particularly dark. Four tech moguls gathered for a bros’ weekend at a Rocky Mountain retreat owned by one of them watch on TV and their phones as the world descends into chaos, thanks in no small part to the social media app one of them controls. As the unrest grows, the four … see it mostly as an opportunity to grab more wealth and power.

Then the elder statesman of the group, venture capitalist Randall (Steve Carell), decides that another member of the quartet, Jeff (Ramy Youssef), needs to die for not being sufficiently aligned with the group’s principles — i.e., Jeff is a “decelerationist” who doesn’t think that achieving transhumanism in five years is a realistic goal. Randall, who has a possibly terminal medical condition, has a strongly vested interest in seeing that happen.

The tech-bro rich, they are not like you and me. They treat the world like it’s their frat house. They view atrocities not as losses of human life but as “atrocitopportunities.” They get high on the fumes of their own disruption. They buy private planes, private security armies, private compounds in the Snowy Hills of Utah, and Argentina — as in, the entire country of Argentina — on a whim. They think nothing of killing one of their own, should a formerly-down-for-anything bro not view the complete and utter breakdown of...

Following up “Succession” is a daunting feat — so much so that it’s best to think of the HBO film “Mountainhead” as more of a palate-cleanser than a next act. Written and directed by “Succession” creator Jesse Armstrong, “Mountainhead” may share a milieu (the ultra-rich) and a comic rhythm with the lavishly acclaimed drama, but it’s much less ambitious by design. Armstrong wrote the script in a matter of weeks, and most of the action is confined, playlike, to the namesake alpine retreat. As if to send a message to the audience, “Mountainhead” even takes that least prestigious of forms: the made-for-tv movie, airing on the very last day of this year’s Emmy eligibility window — like a student handing in their homework right at the deadline.

If one receives that message and sets expectations accordingly, then “Mountainhead” has plenty to offer. Yes, its 109 minutes may be a way...

Mountainhead will be released early on HBO Max. The movie is written and directed by Jesse Armstrong, with it being his first project since the HBO hit series Succession ended in 2023. Mountainhead revolves around a group of wealthy friends meeting up in the midst of a financial crisis and the satirical comedy-drama has naturally drawn comparisons to Succession. The cast includes Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith, and Ramy Youssef.

As per Deadline, Mountainhead will be available to watch via HBO Max at 12:01 a.m. Pt/3:01 a.m. Et on May 31. It was previously scheduled for an 8:00 p.m. Et/Pt debut on HBO Max, and it will still air at this time on HBO. The surprise announcement of the early release is the latest development in a fast-moving project, with Armstrong's first feature film first announced in January and now releasing at the end of May.

Mountainhead, an HBO original satirical comedy-drama marking Jesse Armstrong’s feature film directorial debut, became available early on Max at 12:01 a.m. Pt/3:01 a.m. Et on May 30, following an announcement by the streaming service. Despite the early digital debut, HBO maintained the scheduled televised premiere at 8 p.m. Et/Pt on May 31.

The film reunites four tech billionaires for a weekend retreat at a luxury lodge, as their generative AI inventions and social media platforms stoke global unrest. Steve Carell leads as Randall, a transhumanist venture capitalist, joined by Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef in roles that skew simultaneously absurd and unsettling.

Principal photography unfolded in Park City, Utah, over approximately five weeks in March 2025, under the watch of cinematographer Marcel Zyskind. Music for the film comes from composer Nicholas Britell, who previously collaborated with Armstrong’s team.

Armstrong conceived the screenplay in December,...

Viewers will get an early look at Mountainhead, Jesse Armstrong’s follow-up project to his hit series Succession. The HBO original film,, which was set to debut on May 31 at 8 pm Et/Pt across HBO and Max, will now be available for viewers to watch beginning at 12:01 a.m. Pt/3:01 a.m. Et, HBO announced Friday. The film will still air on HBO at its originally scheduled time, 8 pm Et/Pt May 31.

Mountainhead follows a group of billionaire friends who get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis.

The film stars Steve Carell, Jason Schwartzman, Cory Michael Smith and Ramy Youssef. Supporting cast includes Hadley Robinson, Andy Daly, Ali Kinkade, Daniel Oreskes, David Thompson, Amie MacKenzie and Ava Kostia.

Mountainhead is written and directed by Armstrong and executive produced by Armstrong, Frank Rich, Lucy Prebble, Jon Brown, Tony Roche, Will Tracy, Mark Mylod, and Jill Footlick.

Max will give audiences an early look at Jesse Armstrong’s new movie, “Mountainhead.”

The HBO original film, which was set to debut on May 31 at 8 p.m. Et/Pt across HBO and Max, will now be available for viewers to watch earlier on Max, beginning at 12:01 a.m. Pt/3:01 a.m. Et, the streamer announced Friday.

Even with the early Max debut, “Mountainhead” will still air on HBO at 8:00 p.m. Et/Pt, when it was originally scheduled.

“Mountainhead,” which marks Armstrong’s feature directorial debut, centers on a foursome of tech billionaires who get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis, per the official logline.

In “Mountainhead,” which wrapped production in Park City, Utah in early April, Steve Carell stars as Randall and Jason Schwartzman stars as Souper (Hugo Van Yalk) while Cory Michael Smith stars as Venis and Ramy Youssef stars as Jeff.

It was late November, just after the election, and Jesse Armstrong was trying to resist telling another story about unfathomably rich tycoons. It’d been less than two years since “Succession” — his Emmy-winning, culture-defining series about the corrosive family behind a massive media empire — had aired its note-perfect finale on HBO, and it seemed foolhardy to return to the world of extreme wealth again. But after reviewing a book about crypto con artist Sam Bankman-Fried for the Times Literary Supplement in late 2023, Armstrong found himself falling down a rabbit hole of research into the peculiar universe of tech bro billionaires.

“People are impossible to write until I can hear their voice,” he says. “There’s an ease of entry to this world because the tech people are often going on each other’s podcasts, so you can directly hear how CEOs of these corporations talk. It was a tone of...

What became Jesse Armstrong’s first script since Succession started with a book review.

In November 2023, the Succession creator wrote a review for the Times Literary Supplement of Going Infinite, Michael Lewis’ book about disgraced cryptocurrency mogul Sam Bankman-Fried. The assignment led to “a bunch of reading … about tech, AI, social media and ownership,” Armstrong told The Hollywood Reporter, and that in turn took him to the world of Silicon Valley podcasting.

“I started getting the tone of voice of Silicon Valley and the broader tech world in my ear,” he said, “and the incredible confidence of pronouncements — not just about tech, but starting to shade over into pronouncements about all sorts of different areas” stuck with him. “That voice became so persistent that it was like, I want to do this voice. And in a way, the voice came first, then the frame of this movie became apparent.”

The movie is Mountainhead,...

Screenwriter and film producer Jesse Armstrong is back, folks. In Mountainhead, the Succession creator reportedly unleashes a sharp, satirical strike at the tech bros reshaping Hollywood, and yes, that includes Sam Altman types. Armstrong’s new project dives headfirst into the chaos of AI, ambition, and industry power plays, channeling his signature wit and venom.

His message: Hollywood’s soul isn’t for sale, not without a fight. With biting commentary and ruthless precision, Mountainhead feels less like fiction and more like a revenge mission from a writer who’s seen the future and isn’t impressed. And trust him, he’d scrape them all back if he could.

Jesse Armstrong strikes back with Mountainhead: A sharp, fast-turned satire that skewers tech bros Jesse Armstrong | Image by: Raph_PH licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Jesse Armstrong had a message for the Sam Altman of the world: “I would scrape them back.

Throughout the entire run of Succession, the HBO hit series managed to keep a consistent high rating that made it one of the must-watch shows of the decade. A lot of that was due to Jesse Armstrong (In The Loop), who created the series and wrote several episodes. Naturally, fans were excited to see what Armstrong would do next, and his directorial debut Mountainhead is just about to premiere on HBO Max. According to early reviews, however, the movie falls short of Succession's entire run.

On Rotten Tomatoes, Succession's average score is a solid 95%, with Seasons 2, 3, and 4 being perceived as equally good with 97%. Season 1 was the weak link with 89%. Armstrong's new project, however, got an even lower score than the freshman season of Succession. At the time of this writing, the movie had a 76% score — which indicates that the comedy is not as enticing as the Roy family misadventures,...

Imagine a future that may or may not be too far from now in which an AI video generator is capable of cranking out an entire movie.

Then picture the movie’s script is derived from a large language model fed nothing but the entire run of the HBO series “Succession” and every article from the past six months written about the reigning tech titans of our time: Zuckerberg, Musk and Altman. Maybe a dash of Peter Thiel.

And then for the prompt intended to bring this to life, imagine typing into the AI video generator:

“Create a movie that feels like it could be set in the world of ‘Succession’ but with entirely different characters populated from Silicon Valley instead of legacy media. Make a satire of the worst case scenario of AI run amok, leavened with plenty of humor in order to avoid inducing depression.”

That might be...

Plot: A group of billionaire friends get together against the backdrop of a rolling international crisis.

Review: Jesse Armstrong has been behind some of the best writing of the last three decades, going back to the biting British comedies Peep Show and The Thick of It, along with the classic Black Mirror episode “The Entire History of You,” before he hit it huge with his HBO series Succession. Making his feature directorial debut with the HBO film Mountainhead, Armstrong combines the strongest satirical elements from his writing career into a prescient look at four of the wealthiest men on the planet debating and quarrelling as society crumbles around them. Mountainhead is a brilliant character study that is incredibly timely and disturbing as to what may happen behind closed doors that most of us will never get to open.

Imagine if Jeff Bezos, Mark Zuckerberg, Elon Musk, and Sam Altman all...

Is Rebel Ridge about to follow in the Emmy-winning footsteps of Quiz Lady, Weird: The Al Yankovic Story, and ... Chip 'n Dale: Rescue Rangers?

The Netflix telefilm has held the No. 1 spot in Gold Derby's Best TV Movie odds all season long, despite increasingly fierce competition from the likes of Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy, Out of My Mind, Mountainhead, Am I Ok?, and The Gorge. Why? Perhaps Rebel Ridge is still coasting off its awards juice from earlier in the season, where it claimed prizes at the Critics Choice Awards (Best TV Movie) and Image Awards (Best Actor for Aaron Pierre), and scored nominations from the Producers Guild and Writers Guild, among others.

The action thriller stars Pierre as Terry Richmond, a former Marine who has a run-in with a small town's corrupt and racist police force, including Don Johnson's Chief Sandy Burnne. The cast is rounded out by AnnaSophia Robb,...