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A perennial favorite on our site, Kantemir Balagov first gained acclaim with his two Un Certain Regard-winning films, which solidified his reputation as one of the most thrilling auteurs of his generation. Yet, bringing his third feature to the spotlight proved to bit longer and challenging journey. Following 2017’s Closeness and 2019’s Directing Prize of Un Certain Regard and Fipresci Prize winning Beanpole (read ★★★★ review), this highly anticipated third outing landed some major talent both in front of and behind the camera. Here is Everything We Know So Far … about Kantemir Balagov’s Butterfly Jam.

Balagov was focused on moving into a contemporary setting with a local backdrop, but the Russian invasion of Ukraine saw many Russian artists and intellectuals leave the country and the exodus to the States meant that the project (originally titled Monica) had some re-tooling to do.…...

Exclusive: Alexander Rodnyansky is a self-confessed “man of many lives” but now, three years after being forced to flee his home in Moscow for being a vocal critic against the war in Ukraine, the Kyiv-born producer is returning to his documentary roots. The Leviathan and Loveless producer and former founder of Ukraine’s first indie TV network 1+1, has nearly wrapped filming a new documentary, Notes of a True Criminal, which he produced and directed.

“It’s called that because I’m a criminal now,” quips Rodnyansky, referring to the eight-and-a-half year sentencing in absentia he received from a Moscow court last year for spreading anti-war sentiments.

Coming from a long line of documentarians – his grandfather was a documentary filmmaker, and his great aunt was pioneering Soviet filmmaker Esfir Shub (The Fall of the Romanov Dynasty)– it’s perhaps fitting that the Oscar-nominated producer is returning to the documentary space...

Feature film projects from Palme d’Or winner Cristian Mungiu, Neasa Ní Chianáin, Albert Serra and Kantemir Balagov are among 23 titles that have received a combined €7.1m in the latest session of Council of Europe co-production fund Eurimages.

The titles include five documentaries and two animations. Twelve are to be directed or co-directed by women, representing 39% of the total funding awarded.

Romania’s Mungiu, best known for 4 Months, 3 Weeks And 2 Days, was awarded €500,000 for his first English-language title Fjord, which shoots in Norway and stars Sebastian Stan and Renate Reinsve.

Ní Chianáin, whose 2022 film Young Plato won several festival awards,...

Filmmakers Kantemir Balagov, Cristian Mungiu (both currently in production) and Albert Serra are among the wave of filmmakers receiving significant coin via the Eurimages Project Evaluation Session of 2025. In total we find 23 feature films, including 5 documentaries and 2 animation projects. Among the almost two dozen projects we have invested interested in Gagarine tandem (read review) Fanny Liatard and Jérémy Trouilh‘s Green Eyes (which we reported on back in 2023) and Mary Rose by Irish filmmaker Colm Bairéad who broke out big with 2022’s The Quiet Girl. Here are all the selected projects:

A Detour via Diane – Ann Sirot, Raphaël Balboni (France) – €150 000

Butterfly Jam – Kantemir Balagov (Russia) – €471 000

Children of Liberty – Léahn Vivier-Chapas, Rémy Schaepman (France) – €500 000 Animation

Fjord – Cristian Mungiu (Romania) – €500 000

Folk Play – Mirjana Karanović (Serbia) – €250 000

Get Up Stand Up – Mari Sanders (Netherlands) – €390 000

Glory B – Konstantinos Antonopoulos (Greece) – €340 000

Green Eyes – Fanny Liatard, Jérémy Trouilh (France) – €390 000

Killabees – Eché Janga (Netherlands) – €350 000

Low Expectations – Eivind Landsvik...

Last week we updated our readers with the exciting news that award-winning cinematographer Jomo Fray was among the chief crew onboard Kantemir Balagov‘s third feature and English language debut, and with production beginning this week we now learn the identity of a key supporting player. Deadline reports that Harry Melling is joining Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough in Butterfly Jam. We loved Melling’s performance in Antonio Campos’ The Devil All the Time and might be headed to Cannes for Harry Lighton’s feature debut, Pillion.

Formerly titled Monica, this is set against the backdrop of New Jersey’s Circassian community, the film revolves around 15-year-old Pyteh whose father and aunt run a struggling diner specializing in Circassian cuisine.…...

Exclusive: Harry Melling (Wolf Hall) is set to star opposite Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough in Butterfly Jam, the new drama marking the English-language debut of Cannes prize-winner Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole), sources tell Deadline.

Character details are under wraps. Set against the backdrop of New Jersey’s Circassian community, the film revolves around a teenager whose father and aunt run a struggling diner specializing in Circassian cuisine. When he’s not helping out in the restaurant, the boy is training to become a professional wrestler. After one of his father’s misguided schemes goes wrong, he is forced to take on board his father’s failings as he finds himself confronted with a violence that will force him to grow up faster than he would like.

The project hails from Alexander Rodnyansky’s Ar Content, which is financing, as well as Emilia Pérez producer Pascal Caucheteux’s Why Not Productions,...

Russian filmmaker Kantemir Balagov is getting set to move into production on his highly anticipated third feature film Butterfly Jam. Earlier this year having they added Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough to topline the project, and earlier last week we learned via the socials that Balagov crewed up with a notable cinematographer who, in a short time span, has been padding his resume with some refreshing visual palettes. After micro-indies in Sundance entries Selah and the Spades and All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, and Nickel Boys, (for which he won Best Cinematography award at the Indie Spirits), Jomo Fray will join Balagov.…...

As the European Film Market kicks off Feb. 13 in Berlin with a new market head, Tanja Meissner, at the helm, this year’s buzziest titles suggest the industry will be looking toward tried-and-true genre fare and splashy, star-driven packages to thaw the winter chill.

Bankable stars are expected to heat things up in Berlin, with Ari Aster and A24’s “Eddington”, Guy Ritchie’s “Wife & Dog”, Ernest Dickerson’s untitled hitman thriller and Kantemir Balagov’s “Butterfly Jam” showcasing how marquee names remain a safe bet as uncertainty continues to reign in the theatrical market.

On the genre side of things, horror is still expected to scare up sales, with buyers looking to sink their fangs into Isabelle Huppert’s 16th-century vampire mystery “The Blood Countess” and Jacob Chase’s killer canine genre-bender “Bad Boy,” starring Ke Huy Quan and Lili Reinhart. Meanwhile, comedy could be making a comeback,...

Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough are in talks to join an exciting new project!

The Saltburn star and the Daisy Jones & The Six actress are reportedly up for roles in a film called Butterfly Jam, per Variety.

Keep reading to find out more…

“[A] tight-knit U.S. community of Circassian immigrants and a complicated relationship between a father and son, in which the son imbues his father with qualities he doesn’t actually possess,” the plot summary for Butterfly Jam reads.

Butterfly Jam will be the first English-language feature by Russian director Kantemir Balagov, who directed the 2019 drama Beanpole. It will be produced by Why Not Productions, which produced the Oscar-nominated film Emilia Perez.

As for Riley‘s other projects, she is currently set to star in a sci-fi comedy Alpha Gang. Meanwhile, Barry has a role in the thriller Bring Them Down, which hit theaters February 7.

“Beanpole” director Kantemir Balago is putting together their next feature film effort with “Butterfly Jam” and should peak interest given the two names circling it. A new report from Variety reveals that this latest project is aiming to hire rising talent in lead roles as the Russian filmmaker is in talks to add Barry Keoghan (“Banshees of Inisherin”) and Riley Keough to lead the pic that will explore a group of tight-knit Circassian immigrants in the United States.

Continue reading ‘Butterfly Jam’: Barry Keoghan & Riley Keough To Star In Circassian Immigrant Drama For For ‘Beanpole’ Director Kantemir Balagov at The Playlist.

Following up his intense second feature Beanpole, we’ve been waiting to see if Kantemir Balagov’s follow-up would finally come to fruition. After years of development, things are finally moving forward with his English-language debut Butterfly Jam as two stars have become attached.

Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough are in talks to lead the project, Deadline reports. Here’s the synopsis: “Set against the backdrop of New Jersey’s Circassian community, the drama revolves around a teenager whose father and aunt run a struggling diner specializing in Circassian cuisine. When he’s not helping out in the restaurant, the boy is training to become a professional wrestler. After one of his father’s misguided schemes goes wrong, the boy is forced to take on board his father’s failings as he finds himself confronted with a violence that will force him to grow up faster than he would like.

Barry Keoghan (The Banshees of Inisherin) and Riley Keough (Mad Max: Fury Road) are in talks to co-star in Russian director Kantemir Balagov’s Butterfly Jam, his first English-language feature after 2019 Cannes breakout Beanpole.

Set against the backdrop of New Jersey’s Circassian community, the drama revolves around a teenager whose father and aunt run a struggling diner specializing in Circassian cuisine. When he’s not helping out in the restaurant, the boy is training to become a professional wrestler.

After one of his father’s misguided schemes goes wrong, the boy is forced to take on board his father’s failings as he finds himself confronted with a violence that will force him to grow up faster than he would like.

As revealed by Deadline last year, the production brings together Alexander Rodnyansky’s Ar Content, Emilia Pérez producer Pascal Caucheteux’s Why Not Productions and Goodfellas, which is also handling sales.

Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough have entered into negotiations to star in the English language drama ‘Butterfly Jam’ from Russian filmmaker Kantemir Balagov.

The drama centres on a tight-knit U.S. community of Circassian immigrants and a complicated relationship between a father and son, in which the son imbues his father with qualities he doesn’t actually possess.

Also in news – John Malkovich, Mark Ruffalo & Parker Posey set for Martin McDonagh’s ‘Wild Horse Nine’

The movie, which is based on a story penned by Balagov, is his first English-language feature.

Pascal Caucheteux’s Why Not Productions is joining Alexander Rodnyansky’s Ar Content to produce the film. Executive producers are Michael Kupisk for Ar Content, Pauline Lamy for Why Not Productions and Livia Van der Staay from Goodfellas.

The post Barry Keoghan & Riley Keough eyed for drama ‘Butterfly Jam’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough to star in ‘Butterfly Jam’, the new project from Kantemir Balagov Xmag UK Xmag Editorial

Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough are in talks to star in Butterfly Jam, the first English-language film by…

The post Barry Keoghan and Riley Keough to star in ‘Butterfly Jam’, the new project from Kantemir Balagov first appeared on Xmag UK.

Barry Keoghan (“Saltburn”) and Riley Keough (“Mad Max: Fury Road”) are in talks to star in “Butterfly Jam,” the first English-language feature from Kantemir Balagov, the Russian director behind the acclaimed 2019 drama “Beanpole.”

The film, which launched in Cannes last year with Goodfellas selling, is based on Balagov’s script about a tight-knit U.S. community of Circassian immigrants and a complicated relationship between a father and son, in which the son imbues his father with qualities he doesn’t actually possess. The script has already circulated among select distributors and has sparked some anticipation. Variety understands UTA Independent Film Group is co-repping the title with CAA Media Finance for North America.

Pascal Caucheteux’s Why Not Productions — which produced “Emilia Perez” — is joining Alexander Rodnyansky’s Ar Content to produce the film, which will be financed by Ar Content.

Rodnyansky — who also produced “Beanpole” and whose lengthy list of...

Arthouse distributor, production banner and streamer Mubi has partnered with luxury fashion house Chanel to present a selection of films by winners of the Chanel Next Prize. The biennial award, launched in 2021, honors 10 artists working across art, film, performance and music, with each given €100,000 to help further their practice and realize their most ambitious work.

The newly-announced Next Prize Collection, curated by Mubi, will present seven films from winners of the 2022 and 2024 editions of the prize, with all available to stream on Mubi from Sept. 1.

The films include “Beanpole” by Kantemir Balagov (Next Prize winner in 2024), “Guts and Glitz” by Fox Maxy (2024), “I Am Not a Witch” by Rungano Nyoni (2022), “Here” by Ho Tzu Nyen (2024) “The Human Surge” by Eduardo Williams (2022), “Skate Story: Shortplay Depth I” by Sam Eng (2024) and Cyrus Moussavi’s 15-minute music video to accompany the album “Jazz Codes” by musician Moor Mother (2024).

“The launch of the Next Prize Collection,...

In what promises to be a vintage 2025 year for auteur cinema, Kantemir Balagov‘s next might also join the fray. Originally titled “Monica” and developed well before the invasion, this English-language debut will be shot in New Jersey and now learned that a portion will also be shot in France. During Cannes, it was revealed that the production team had changed, with Pascal Caucheteux and Grégoire Sorlat of Why Not Productions mounting the project, and now Arte France Cinéma is also on board. Backed by Alexander Rodnyansky (who is already in France for Zvyagintsev’s next), we also learn that Butterfly Jam is being set for mid-September shoot — making this might be a long-shot for a Cannes premiere, but a potential shop-in for a Venice ’25 edition premiere.…...

Alexander Rodnyansky expects Russian authorities to sentence him to up to ten years in prison in his absence over his anti-war stance, but the Ar Content founder says it’s “too late to be scared” as he focuses on bolstering his slate of film and TV series.

Rodnyansky was born in Kyiv but a Moscow resident when, as a vocal critic of Russia’s attack on Ukraine, he was forced to flee in 2022.

Speaking at NATPE Budapest, the producer and former TV exec talked about his anti-war position and his large social media following. “That’s why I am arrested in absentia,” he said. “I’m on trial right now and I am about to get a sentence of from eight-to-ten years of imprisonment. Many of my friends already received these sentences; writers, journalists, some filmmakers.”

Rodnyansky said charges against him and others are designed to shut down anti-war voices inside Russia.

At one time, the first season of the HBO series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us was meant to consist of ten episodes, with Kantemir Balagov (Beanpole) directing the first three. For reasons that have never been fully revealed, Balagov only ended up directing the first episode, with series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (who also wrote and directed the video game source material) taking over as directors on episode two and three, respectively. Then the first and second episodes were combined in post, with Balagov going uncredited for the scenes he directed, and the Druckmann-helmed third episode became the second episode. The Last of Us season 2 is now in production, and industry scooper Daniel Richtman has heard that Druckmann will be directing the sixth episode of the season.

Richtman also heard that “two Latinx brothers, 16 and 13” will have major roles in The Last of Us...

Rai Cinema International Distribution (Rcid) has taken international sales rights for “Of Dogs and Men,” an upcoming drama directed by Dani Rosenberg and produced by Ar Content. Rcid is introducing the film to buyers at the Cannes Film Festival’s market, where Variety has been given exclusive access to a first-look image.

Written by Rosenberg, Ori Avinoam and Itai Tamir, “Of Dogs and Men” is produced by two-time Academy Award nominee Alexander Rodnyansky of Ar Content and Itai Tamir (“Under a Blue Sun”) of Laila Films.

Set and filmed in the wake of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, the film follows 16-year-old Dar, who is returning to her kibbutz to look for her dog which was lost during the terror spree. She navigates the horrors inflicted upon the place and on the faces of people she meets while encountering the stark reality of the unfolding disaster beyond the fence. Between those...

Ever since he was forced to flee his Moscow home in 2022 after rousing suspicion within Russia’s government for speaking out about his opposition to the war in Ukraine, Kyiv-born producer Alexander Rodnyansky feels more compelled than ever to help bring to screen stories that are “rooted in truth.”

Now living in between Los Angeles, Italy and Ukraine, the Oscar-nominated producer has been concentrating his efforts on “building a hub” of European and international talent and uniting them with Hollywood through his banner Ar Content.

“European cinema, particularly Eastern European cinema, has always been my area of expertise and I have worked with most of the important directors of the region, so this seemed like a growth opportunity for the company,” says Rodnyansky, who was forced to shutter his other company, Non-Stop Productions when he left Russia. “I don’t pretend to be a Hollywood producer, but I have experience...

Exclusive: Israeli director Dani Rosenberg has set his next film with Alexander Rodnyansky’s Ar content. The film, which Rosenberg wrote with Ori Avinoam and Itai Tamir, is called Of Dogs and Men and Ar Content will produce with Tamier (Under a Blue Sun) of Laila Films.

The story follows 16-year-old Dar, who returns to her kibbutz to look for her dog who was lost during the terror attack of October 7. She navigates through the horrors etched upon the place and on the faces of people she meets while encountering the stark reality of the unfolding disaster beyond the fence. Between those who seek revenge and those whose faith in mankind remains unwavering, Dar will try to find her own voice.

Financed by Ar Content, Of Dogs and Men was shot in October and November 2023 in the kibbutzim lining the border with Gaza.

Exclusive: Pascal Caucheteux’s Why Not Productions is joining Alexander Rodnyansky’s Ar Content to produce Beanpole helmer Kantemir Balagov’s first English-language film Butterfly Jam. Goodfellas is set to launch sales on the project in Cannes next week.

The project, which is financed by Ar Content, is set to go into production later this year with casting still underway. Based on Balagov’s script and set in a tight-knit U.S. community of Circassian immigrants, Butterfly Jam portrays a complicated relationship between a father and son, in which the son imbues his father with qualities he doesn’t actually possess.

Rodnyansky produces with Caucheteux while exec producers are Michael Kupisk for Ar Content, Pauline Lamy for Why Not Productions and Livia Van der Staay from Goodfellas.

Rodnyansky is a two-time Oscar-nominee who has produced projects such as Loveless, Leviathan and Beanpole and his Ar Content banner has a long history with Balagov and Goodfellas,...

Amy Adams has been tapped to star in At the Sea, a new drama from Kornel Mundruczó and Kata Wéber — the director and writer of such acclaimed films as Pieces of a Woman and White God — as well as Hammerstone Studios, Ryder Picture Company and Ar Content.

Set to enter production in Boston in June, the film follows the life of Laura (Adams) after a long rehabilitation, as she returns to her family at their beach holiday home where she has to readjust to the complicated life she left behind. Now she is forced to face the following next chapter of her life without the career that gave her fame, fortune and, most importantly, identity.

Pic will be produced by Alexander Rodnyansky of Ar Content, Stuart Manashil, Aaron Ryder and Andrew Swett for Ryder Picture Company, Hammerstone Studios’ Alex Lebovici and Jon Oakes, and Viktória Petrányi and Mundruczó. Exec producers are Paul J. Diaz, Maria Breese of 3:33 Creative, Lee Broda of Lb Entertainment, Jeff Rice of Jeff Rice Films, and Michael Kupisk. Zsofi Oblath and Rachel Rubin will co-produce.

Ar Content, Paul J. Diaz, and Hammerstone Studios will finance the film, with WME Independent to rep domestic rights, Capstone Pictures handling international, and Sacker Law to oversee production legal.

A six-time Academy Award nominee, Adams most recently wrapped production on 3000 Pictures’ Klara and the Sun, the next film from Oscar winner Taika Waititi, which adapts the dystopian sci-fi story from Kazuo Ishiguro. Up next, she’ll be seen starring in Searchlight Pictures’ Nightbitch from filmmaker Marielle Heller, a dark comedy she also produced through her production company Bond Group Entertainment that hits theaters December 6.

A married director-writer pair out of Hungary, Mundruczó and Wéber are perhaps best known for their 2020 pregnancy drama Pieces of a Woman, which premiered in Venice and brought star Vanessa Kirby her first Oscar nomination following its release on Netflix. Prior to that, the duo collaborated on White God, which won the Un Certain Regard Prize at Cannes in 2014; Jupiter’s Moon, which was nominated for the Palme d’Or; and Evolution, which also played the French festival. Separately, Mundruczó directed the pilot of the Apple TV+ limited series, The Crowded Room, starring Tom Holland and Amanda Seyfried.

Most recently, Hammerstone produced the action thriller Boy Kills World starring Bill Skarsgård, which will release wide on April 26, and the horror-thriller Don’t Move, starring Kelsey Asbille and Finn Wittrock, for Netflix.

Ryder Picture Company has produced acclaimed titles like Dumb Money and Bruiser.

Ar Content is known for Cannes prize winners like 2019’s Beanpole, from filmmaker Kantemir Balagov, and 2021’s Unclenching the Fists from Kira Kovalenko.

Adams is represented by WME, Linden Entertainment, and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern. Mundruczó and Wéber are repped by United Agents and Novo.

Each week we highlight the noteworthy titles that have recently hit streaming platforms in the United States. Check out this week’s selections below and past round-ups here.

All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt (Raven Jackson)

A film that feels uprooted from deep beneath the earth, Raven Jackson’s poetic, patient debut is a distillation of cinema to its purest form, a stunning patchwork of experience and memory. Tethered around the life of Mack, a Black woman from Mississippi, as we witness glimpses of her childhood, teenage years, and beyond, All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt becomes a sensory experience unlike anything else this year. Shot in beautiful 35mm by Jomo Fray and edited by Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s collaborator Lee Chatametikool, there’s a reverence for nature and joy for human connection that seems all too rarified in today’s landscape of American filmmaking. – Jordan R.

Where to Stream: VOD...

Close-Up is a feature that spotlights films now playing on Mubi. Kira Kovalenko's Unclenching the Fists is showing exclusively on Mubi starting May 23, 2023, in many countries in the series Viewfinder.Unclenching the Fists.Since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, it has been almost impossible for members of the global film industry to ignore cinema’s soft power potential as a propagandistic tool of imperialism. Scrutiny over the ethics of supporting films funded by the Russian Ministry of Culture or tied in other ways to state oppression has ignited debate over what Russian culture constitutes—and exposed the fallacy of a monolithic identity within the lands the Kremlin claims as its own. Director Kira Kovalenko’s sophomore feature Unclenching the Fists (2021) counts Russia as its country of production (and was its official Oscar submission). But it was shot in the Ossetian language, in North Ossetia, an official...

A quietly phenomenal performance by Milana Aguzarova as a young woman trying to break free from the unsettling relationships within her stifling family

Like her partner Kantemir Balagov’s 2019 film Beanpole, there’s an uncanny claustrophobic charge to Kira Kovalenko’s family drama, though it finally exhales an equally powerful sigh of self-redemption. Milana Aguzarova stars as Ada, a young woman in a North Ossetian mining town trapped by her ailing and possessive father Zaur (Alik Karaev). He guards the only front door key, letting her and her siblings out when he chooses, and refuses to let her have an operation to correct injuries sustained during a school hostage-taking that mean she has to wear an incontinence nappy.

Ada’s brother Akim (Soslan Khugaev) comes home from the city of Rostov and seems to have the self-possession and moral compass Zaur does not. He promises to get her the treatment...

For almost a decade, producers Lars Knudsen and Jay Van Hoy helped make some of the biggest film festival sensations, from “The Witch” to “American Honey.” In 2016, though, their production company Parts and Labor hit a wall. “I’m very proud of everything we did,” Knudsen said over Zoom this week, “but we couldn’t really get out of the gate. You get a film into Sundance or Cannes and it just doesn’t do anything. It wasn’t sustainable. There had to be a way to not only make a movie create a career path.”

Knudsen and Van Hoy parted ways in 2016 and began producing independently. When Knudsen was introduced to director Ari Aster and produced his 2018 debut “Hereditary,” it led to a new partnership. “It felt effortless to work together, which is all you want as a producer,’ Knudsen said. The pair created a new production company, Square Peg,...

When Deadline featured Alexander Rodnyansky for its International Disruptors column back in 2021, the media mogul said he’d “had five lives” when looking back at his prolific media career which spanned documentary filmmaking, founding Ukraine’s first indie TV network 1+1, managing Russian media company Ctc and producing indie films.

But now, one and a half years after that interview, the Kyiv-born super producer has embarked on yet another life, but this time far away from the country in which he built his career. Last year, one week after Russia invaded Ukraine, Rodnyansky fled his Moscow home of two decades with his wife and one suitcase. Having made no secret of his opposition to the war, the producer got wind that he was rousing suspicion within Russia’s top government heads and decided to sever ties with the country.

“We left the house and everything and since that moment I...

The first season of the HBO TV series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us (read our review Here) filmed in Calgary, Alberta for twelve months straight, with different areas doubling for the U.S. locations Texas, Wyoming, and Missouri. The first season covered the entirety of the first game’s story, so for season 2 (and beyond) The Last of Us will be telling the story of the video game sequel The Last of Us Part II… and for that, the show needs Pacific Northwest locations. So Deadline reports that The Last of Us is moving its base of operations to Vancouver, British Columbia.

The story of the The Last of Us video game is set years after a fungal plague wiped out much of humanity, transforming most into vicious zombie-like monsters, the story follows Joel, who’s living in a militarized quarantine zone. He has a close relationship with Tess,...

Gabriel Luna played Tommy, the younger brother of Pedro Pascal’s character Joel, in the first season of the HBO TV series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us (read our review Here), and he is expected to return – and have more to do – in The Last of Us season 2. Speaking with Variety, Luna said viewers can expect to see Tommy experience peaks and valleys, and undergo a de-evolution, over the course of The Last of Us season 2.

The first season of The Last of Us covered the events of the first video game in its entirety, so season 2 (and beyond) will be based on the sequel video game, The Last of Us Part II.

Variety reminds us that in season 1, Tommy “joined the Firefly rebels and lives in a safe, civilized settlement in Jackson, Wyoming”. He is “settled down, married to his wife Maria (Rutina Wesley), and...

The first season of the HBO TV series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us (read our review Here) made its premiere in January and wrapped up its nine episode run earlier this month… and while the series is guaranteed to receive a second season, fans are going to have to wait a while before they’re able to watch it. Series star Bella Ramsey has cautioned that The Last of Us season 2 probably won’t start airing until late 2024 or early 2025.

While being interviewed on The Jonathan Ross Show, Ramsey said (as reported by Independent), “(Season 2) will be a while. I think we’ll probably shoot at the end of this year, beginning of next. So it’ll probably be the end of 2024, early 2025.“

It isn’t all that surprising to hear that they’re going to need a while to put The Last of Us season 2 together,...

The first season of the HBO TV series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us covered the entirety of the first game, and for the second season the show will be moving on to an adaptation of the sequel game, The Last of Us Part II. But season 2 is not going to cover the entirety of the second game. It’s going to take more than one season to tell this story.

During an interview with GQ, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (who was also the creative director on the video games) were asked if the next season would “span the entire course of the second game”. Mazin replied, “No. No way.” Druckmann added, “It’s more than one season.“

But when asked if the story of The Last of Us Part II would cover two or three seasons, Mazin and Druckmann couldn’t give a solid answer.

The HBO TV series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us has reached the end of its nine episode first season, and with those nine episodes it told the entire story of the video game. But there is a second video game to adapt for the second season that HBO ordered after only two episodes of The Last of Us had aired, and in an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, showrunners Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann (who was also the creative director on the video games) discussed their approach to bringing the story of The Last of Us Part II to the screen for The Last of Us season 2.

When asked about their creative process, Mazin said, “Our process works. Our process of kicking the tires on everything, our process of agreeing that no matter how much we disagree, we will find a way to agree. There’s no veto power here.

The HBO TV series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us is going to be wrapping up its nine episode first season this Sunday, and the show’s official Twitter account has announced that once the season finale has aired, a “Making Of” special will be available to watch on the HBO Max streaming service.

Go behind the scenes with the cast and crew of #TheLastofUs to see how they brought the show to life in a special behind the scenes featurette.

Making Of The Last Of Us streams after the season finale, Sunday on @HBOMax. pic.twitter.com/BvsW8onvLU

— The Last of Us (@TheLastofUsHBO) March 9, 2023

The story of the The Last of Us video game is set years after a fungal plague wiped out much of humanity, transforming most into vicious zombie-like monsters, the story follows Joel, who’s living in a militarized quarantine zone. He...

First-time writer-director Malika Musaeva is set to make history at this year’s Berlin International Film Festival, where her female-centered coming-of-age drama “The Cage is Looking for a Bird” is the first Chechen-language film ever selected by the venerable German fest.

Musaeva’s debut, which world premieres Feb. 22 in the festival’s competitive Encounters section, focuses on a group of Chechen women living in a remote rural village, where they must defend their freedom and the right to live their own lives.

At the film’s heart is a friendship between two teenage girls, played by first-time actors Khadizha Bataeva and Madina Akkieva. On the precipice of adulthood, the duo seeks refuge in each other as they navigate difficult decisions about their futures.

“The Cage is Looking for a Bird” is produced by Hype Studios, the recently launched outfit of producer Ilya Stewart, whose upcoming slate includes new features from...

As we do every year, after we’ve unveiled our massive top list for the upcoming year (check out our Top 200) we like to shake the magic eight ball and peer into the future and what we find are likes of Jacques Audiard, Kantemir Balagov, Audrey Diwan, Fabrice Du Welz, Valeska Grisebach, Payal Kapadia, Dea Kulumbegashvili, Joshua Oppenheimer, Lynne Ramsay and Kirill Serebrennikov.

…...

When the HBO TV series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us premiere a week ago (you can read our review Here), it became HBO’s second-biggest debut since 2010, only coming in behind the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon. The first episode of The Last of Us was watched by 4.7 million viewers. Now Variety reports that even more viewers tuned in for the show’s second episode – so many that The Last of Us broke HBO’s record for a viewership increase.

Variety says: Episode 2 brought in 5.7 million viewers across linear airings on HBO and streams on HBO Max. That marks a 22 increase from last week’s record-breaking 4.7 million. … Per HBO, the jump from the initial premiere viewership to Episode 2’s debut audience is the “largest week 2 audience growth for an HBO Original drama series in the history of the network.” The network also offered...

Over the years, plenty of video games have been considered "unadaptable," but "The Last of Us" may be the rare game that almost seems too adaptable. After all, the 2013 Naughty Dog masterpiece is cinematic, character-driven, and its combined cut scenes are already the length of a limited series. It's an apocalypse saga that resonates deeply not because of massive set pieces or unique mythology (though it has those too), but because of quiet moments that take place between two talented actors. The game brought a movie-like quality to its medium like never before, and now it's finally making the move to the small screen with HBO's "The Last of Us." Luckily, the compelling and fantastically-acted nine-episode adaptation rises to meet the challenge.

Neil Druckmann and Craig Mazin's adaptation of "The Last of Us" (which is based on the game written by Druckmann) hews closely to the original saga's plot and structure.

A Bird Looking for a Cage

Russian filmmaker Malika Musaeva won’t be on too many radars, but for those keeping a watchful eye on the Alexander Sokurov factory (that produced the likes of Kantemir Balagov and Kira Kovalenko) will want to keep tabs on this name come next May. So far with three short films under her name, with A Bird Looking for a Cage said to be ready for last year’s Cannes. We imagine production would have taken place around the time of the pandemic in a Chechen village of local non actors.

Gist: Tbd.

Release Date/Prediction: We assume that Cannes did have a first look last year, so this could be headed to a Berlinale or Locarno – where Sokurov premiered his last feature.…...

We’re just ten days away from the January 15th premiere of the HBO TV series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us, which will kick off with a pilot episode that is expected to have a running time of 85 minutes. With the premiere date drawing near, a featurette has arrived online that gives a behind-the-scenes look at the show, featuring interviews with series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann as well as series stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey. Check it out in the embed above!

The story of the The Last of Us video game is set years after a fungal plague wiped out much of humanity, transforming most into vicious zombie-like monsters, the story follows Joel, who’s living in a militarized quarantine zone. He has a close relationship with Tess, who operates in the black market of this community. Together, they’ve become known...

Don’t expect to see much, if any, “filler” in the nine episodes that make up the first season of HBO’s TV series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us, which is set to premiere on January 15th, kicking off with a pilot episode that is expected to have a running time of 85 minutes. Series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann recently sat down for an interview with The Hollywood Reporter, and during the interview it was revealed that this season of the show will cover the entirety of the first The Last of Us game. If the show gets a second season, it’s expected to cover the story of the second game, The Last of Us Part II. As Mazin told The Hollywood Reporter, “I don’t like filler.”

What if there’s a third season? The Last of Us game creator Druckmann wouldn’t...

Actor Troy Baker provided the voice and motion-capture performance for the character Joel in the video game The Last of Us – and while he has handed that role over to Pedro Pascal for the upcoming HBO TV series adaptation of the game, Baker will be appearing on the show. He has been cast as James, “a senior member of a group of settlers who must fight to keep their community alive in the face of increasingly brutal odds.” And that’s not his only involvement with it. It has been announced that Baker will also be hosting the official companion podcast, where he will sit down with series creators Craig Mazin and Neil Druckmann for “a scene-by-scene deep dive of each episode.” Which sounds like a good time for The Last of Us fans!

The story of the The Last of Us video game is set years after a fungal...

A TV series based on the hit video game The Last of Us is set to premiere on HBO on January 15th, kicking off with a pilot episode that is expected to have a running time of 85 minutes. In anticipation of the show’s premiere, writer Craig Mazin and the game’s creative director Neil Druckmann sat down for an interview with The New Yorker – and during the conversation, they revealed some of the differences between the video game and the TV series adaptation.

While The Last of Us is such a faithful adaptation that some of the game’s dialogue was dropped right into the TV show, Druckmann also felt it was freeing to be able to move away from the lead characters Joel and Ellie sometimes – something the game never did. As The New Yorker explains, “Whereas players could piece together what had happened to the rest of...

Next month, we’ll get to see how Pedro Pascal does playing the role of Joel in the TV series based on the hit video game The Last of Us, which is set to premiere on HBO on January 15th. But during a recent convention appearance, Jensen Ackles – who played the role of Dean Winchester on fifteen seasons of the show Supernatural and was recently seen as Soldier Boy in season 3 of The Boys – revealed that he had been “pushing hard” to be cast as Joel before Pascal signed on.

As seen in the Twitter embed below, Ackles said, “I was really kind of pushing hard, but I don’t think I was really in the mix or even had a shot at it, for Pedro Pascal’s role in The Last of Us. That was high up on my radar.“

Jensen Ackles wanted to play Joel in HBO's #TheLastOfUs pic.

HBO has already released multiple posters for their upcoming series based on the hit video game The Last of Us, including a large batch of character posters… and now they’ve decided to go ahead and unveil another poster. This poster focuses on the two lead characters, Joel and Ellie (played by Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey), and you can take a look at it at the bottom of this article.

The Last of Us TV series will premiere on HBO on January 15, 2023. The video game’s story is set

years after a fungal plague wiped out much of humanity, transforming most into vicious zombie-like monsters, the story follows Joel, who’s living in a militarized quarantine zone. He has a close relationship with Tess, who operates in the black market of this community. Together, they’ve become known by the local criminal underworld for their ruthlessness. On a mission to reclaim their stolen guns,...

"You've come this far, then you know what's out there…" HBO has debuted a full-length official trailer for their highly anticipated post-apocalyptic survival series The Last of Us, based on the popular video game series. It's now set to start streaming in mid January just over a month from now. Joel and Ellie, a pair connected through the harshness of the world they live in, are forced to endure brutal circumstances and ruthless killers on a trek across post-pandemic America. This "get her to the right people" plot reminds me of Children of Men. This stars Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey as Joel and Elli, with Gabriel Luna, Nick Offerman, Merle Dandridge, Murray Bartlett, Jeffrey Pierce, Melanie Lynskey, and Anna Torv. Original game composer Gustavo Santaolalla is scoring, and Kantemir Balagov (of Beanpole) directs the pilot ep. Said to be the largest TV production in Canadian history. Still looks great!

We’re just over a month away from the January 15, 2023 premiere of the HBO series based on the hit video game The Last of Us, and HBO has finally revealed the full trailer, courtesy of a presentation at Brazil’s Ccxp (Comic Con Experience) which has been absolutely loaded with exclusives and reveals dropping left and right. The much-anticipated first full look gives us a good idea of the chemistry between Pedro Pascal’s Joel, and Bella Ramsey’s Ellie, along with a glimpse of the show’s scale which is said to be huge. I especiailly liked the use of A-Ha’s classic “Take On Me”. The show comes from the man behind one of the greatest HBO limited series of all-time, Chernobyl, Craig Mazin. Whether or not the elevated vibe of that series will come into play here remains to be seen, but based on what we’ve seen so far,...

After revealing a whack of character posters earlier this week for their upcoming adaptation of The Last of Us, HBO has unleashed the big one with the official trailer. Set to a-ha’s “Take On Me” (seriously), the new trailer sports almost entirely new footage, as well as recreating some iconic scenes from the first game.

Co-written and executive produced by Chernobyl creator Craig Mazin and Naughty Dog vice president Neil Druckmann, the series will cover the events of the first game, twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed due to the Cordyceps infection. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl who holds the cure for the infection, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse across the US and depend on each other for survival.

HBO‘s “The Last of Us...

HBO‘s “The Last of Us” will premiere on January 15, 2023 on HBO Max, and today HBO has debuted a series of posters that introduce the characters and the actors playing them.

Pedro Pascal (“The Mandalorian”) is starring in the series as Joel and Bella Ramsey (“Game of Thrones”) is playing Ellie. Gabriel Luna (Terminator: Dark Fate) is playing Tommy, the brother of Pascal’s Joel. Storm Reid, Anna Torv, Jeffrey Pierce, Nick Offerman, Merle Dandridge, Nico Parker, Murray Bartlett and Con O’Neil will also star in the series.

Meet the cast by checking out Eleven brand new posters below.

“The series takes place twenty years after modern civilization has been destroyed. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, a 14-year-old girl, out of an oppressive quarantine zone. What starts as a small job soon becomes a brutal, heartbreaking journey, as they both must traverse across the U.S.