Offering a glimpse of its highly anticipated new series “Krank Berlin,” Beta Film has bowed the first trailer for the gritty and fast-paced medical drama, revealing a bold and modern take on the genre.
The trailer drops as Beta Film unveils its MipTV line-up.
The eight-part series follows a team of young doctors who are underpaid, poorly equipped, chronically overtired and beset with an increasingly callous healthcare system.
Created by British writer Samuel Jefferson, himself a former emergency-room doctor, “Krank Berlin” is set in the toughest and most overcrowded hospital in the German capital.
Haley Louise Jones (“Dear Child”) stars as Zanna Parker, the new head of the chaotic emergency room, who has her work cut out for her as she struggles with her own personal dilemmas. When she tries to implement new reform measures, she is met with resistance from the staff, particularly rebellious emergency doctor Ben, played by...
The trailer drops as Beta Film unveils its MipTV line-up.
The eight-part series follows a team of young doctors who are underpaid, poorly equipped, chronically overtired and beset with an increasingly callous healthcare system.
Created by British writer Samuel Jefferson, himself a former emergency-room doctor, “Krank Berlin” is set in the toughest and most overcrowded hospital in the German capital.
Haley Louise Jones (“Dear Child”) stars as Zanna Parker, the new head of the chaotic emergency room, who has her work cut out for her as she struggles with her own personal dilemmas. When she tries to implement new reform measures, she is met with resistance from the staff, particularly rebellious emergency doctor Ben, played by...
- 4/5/2024
- by John Hopewell and Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
At last week’s A Day of Unreasonable Conversation held at The Getty Center, entertainment industry members heard from Hollywood and government leaders with varying cultural perspectives.
Jill Biden and Halle Berry at A Day of Unreasonable Conversation
Through thought-provoking discussions, impactful performances, and, at times, emotional conversations, A Day of Unreasonable Conversation surfaced new perspectives on today’s most complex topics to an audience of television writers, showrunners, and executives. Speakers were vulnerable in sharing stories that often do not get heard and urged the audience of TV creators to incorporate these experiences into their work.
First Lady Jill Biden and Halle Berry candidly discussed formerly taboo women’s health topics such as menopause, emphasizing the need for a new approach to women’s health research. Berry shared a personal story about how she realized that she was going through perimenopause, bringing forth blushes and laughter from the audience.
Jill Biden and Halle Berry at A Day of Unreasonable Conversation
Through thought-provoking discussions, impactful performances, and, at times, emotional conversations, A Day of Unreasonable Conversation surfaced new perspectives on today’s most complex topics to an audience of television writers, showrunners, and executives. Speakers were vulnerable in sharing stories that often do not get heard and urged the audience of TV creators to incorporate these experiences into their work.
First Lady Jill Biden and Halle Berry candidly discussed formerly taboo women’s health topics such as menopause, emphasizing the need for a new approach to women’s health research. Berry shared a personal story about how she realized that she was going through perimenopause, bringing forth blushes and laughter from the audience.
- 4/3/2024
- Look to the Stars
Spoiler Alert: This post contains spoilers from “Bring Me to Life,” the Season 2 finale of Hallmark’s “The Way Home,” which streams on Peacock and Hallmark Movies Now.
“The Way Home” added another jaw-dropping twist in the Season 2 finale, “Bring Me to Life,” which aired Sunday night on Hallmark. Jacob (Spencer MacPherson) returned home to the present day, bringing Kat’s (Chyler Leigh) Season 2 quest to a close — but that wasn’t the most shocking moment of the finale. After Kat declared, “I wish Dad was here to see this,” to her little brother, the show moved to a flashback of a very young Colton in period clothing talking to an old woman about how it wasn’t his time to go in the pond. Another flashback revealed that it was actually adult Colton (Jefferson Brown) standing in the bushes watching himself with a young Jacob (Remy Smith) at the...
“The Way Home” added another jaw-dropping twist in the Season 2 finale, “Bring Me to Life,” which aired Sunday night on Hallmark. Jacob (Spencer MacPherson) returned home to the present day, bringing Kat’s (Chyler Leigh) Season 2 quest to a close — but that wasn’t the most shocking moment of the finale. After Kat declared, “I wish Dad was here to see this,” to her little brother, the show moved to a flashback of a very young Colton in period clothing talking to an old woman about how it wasn’t his time to go in the pond. Another flashback revealed that it was actually adult Colton (Jefferson Brown) standing in the bushes watching himself with a young Jacob (Remy Smith) at the...
- 4/1/2024
- by Megan Vick
- Variety Film + TV
‘American Fiction’ Star Erika Alexander Lands Series Regular Role In Apple’s ‘Invasion’ For Season 3
Exclusive: Coming off a busy award season, Erika Alexander has landed a series regular role in Apple’s Invasion for Season 3. Production is currently underway on the Simon Kinberg and David Weil-created series.
Alexander joins the ensemble cast that includes Golshifteh Farahani, Shioli Kutsuna, Shamier Anderson, India Brown, Billy Barratt, Azhy Robertson, Tara Moayedi, Enver Gjokaj and Shane Zaza.
Invasion follows an alien invasion through different perspectives around the world. Details regarding the Season 3 storyline and who Alexander will play are under wraps. The first and second seasons are now streaming globally on Apple TV+.
Produced for Apple TV+ by Boat Rocker, the series is created by Kinberg and Weil, who also serve as executive producers alongside Audrey Chon, David Witz, Alik Sakharov, Andrew Baldwin, Dan Dietz and Katie O’Connell Marsh. Nick Nantell serves as executive producer for Boat Rocker; Grace Gilroy serves as producer.
Alexander joins the ensemble cast that includes Golshifteh Farahani, Shioli Kutsuna, Shamier Anderson, India Brown, Billy Barratt, Azhy Robertson, Tara Moayedi, Enver Gjokaj and Shane Zaza.
Invasion follows an alien invasion through different perspectives around the world. Details regarding the Season 3 storyline and who Alexander will play are under wraps. The first and second seasons are now streaming globally on Apple TV+.
Produced for Apple TV+ by Boat Rocker, the series is created by Kinberg and Weil, who also serve as executive producers alongside Audrey Chon, David Witz, Alik Sakharov, Andrew Baldwin, Dan Dietz and Katie O’Connell Marsh. Nick Nantell serves as executive producer for Boat Rocker; Grace Gilroy serves as producer.
- 3/27/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
The Writers Guild of America West announced on Tuesday that American Fiction writer-director Cord Jefferson has been named recipient of the 2024 Paul Selvin Award for the Amazon MGM Studios film, for which he won the Oscar for best adapted screenplay earlier this month.
Additionally, American Fiction — based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett — is nominated for the WGA Award for best adapted screenplay.
The comedy, which stars Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright as a frustrated novelist who writes a satirical book under a pen name that exposes the publishing industry’s limited view of Black life, has garnered numerous awards in addition to the Oscar, including the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, a BAFTA award for best adapted screenplay and Film Independent Spirit Awards for best actor (Wright) and adapted screenplay. The film was also named as one of the year’s best by the...
Additionally, American Fiction — based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett — is nominated for the WGA Award for best adapted screenplay.
The comedy, which stars Oscar nominee Jeffrey Wright as a frustrated novelist who writes a satirical book under a pen name that exposes the publishing industry’s limited view of Black life, has garnered numerous awards in addition to the Oscar, including the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, a BAFTA award for best adapted screenplay and Film Independent Spirit Awards for best actor (Wright) and adapted screenplay. The film was also named as one of the year’s best by the...
- 3/26/2024
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
In collaboration with the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, the Paris Theater has announced it will be presenting the New York “Academy Museum Branch Select” screening series starting April 3. Each of the 18 branches of the Academy has selected a film for the series that represents a major milestone in the evolution of filmmaking. Some of the films included are “Fantastic Mr.Fox,” “Showgirls,” “Bonnie and Clyde,” “Nashville,” “Yi Yi,” “In the Mood for Love” and “Citizen Kane.”
Screenings will take place on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 12 p.m. at both the Paris Theater and the Academy Museum. Tickets will be available March 28 on the Paris Theater and Academy Museum websites respectively.
Cord Jefferson to Receive Wgaw’s Paul Selvin Award
Cord Jefferson will receive the Writers Guild of America West’s 2024 Paul Selvin Award for penning the screenplay for “American Fiction.” He will receive the honor at the 2024 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday,...
Screenings will take place on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and Sundays at 12 p.m. at both the Paris Theater and the Academy Museum. Tickets will be available March 28 on the Paris Theater and Academy Museum websites respectively.
Cord Jefferson to Receive Wgaw’s Paul Selvin Award
Cord Jefferson will receive the Writers Guild of America West’s 2024 Paul Selvin Award for penning the screenplay for “American Fiction.” He will receive the honor at the 2024 Writers Guild Awards on Sunday,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Jazz Tangcay, Jaden Thompson and Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
This is fact: Oscar-winning American Fiction screenwriter Cord Jefferson will receive the WGA West’s 2024 Paul Selvin Award next month. The first-time feature scribe will be feted during the West Coast ceremony for strike-delayed 77th Writers Guild Awards on April 14 at the Hollywood Palladium.
He also is up for the Adapted Screenplay prize at the WGA Awards, having written his script based on Percival Everett’s novel Erasure.
Jefferson also directed American Fiction, which stars Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a frustrated novelist fed up with the literary establishment’s continual ignorance and blind promotion of what they consider “Black” entertainment. He writes an outlandish “Black” book of his own under a pen name, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Related: 2024 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For Writers Guild, Tonys & More
Along with the accolades for Jefferson’s first big-screen script,...
He also is up for the Adapted Screenplay prize at the WGA Awards, having written his script based on Percival Everett’s novel Erasure.
Jefferson also directed American Fiction, which stars Jeffrey Wright as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a frustrated novelist fed up with the literary establishment’s continual ignorance and blind promotion of what they consider “Black” entertainment. He writes an outlandish “Black” book of his own under a pen name, a book that propels him to the heart of hypocrisy and the madness he claims to disdain.
Related: 2024 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For Writers Guild, Tonys & More
Along with the accolades for Jefferson’s first big-screen script,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
RankFilm (distributor)Three-day gross (Mar 22-24)Total gross to dateWeek 1. Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire (Sony) £4.1m £4.1m 1 2. Dune: Part Two (Warner Bros) £2.6m £30.7m 4 3. Immaculate (Black Bear) £491,000 £522,000 1 4. Wicked Little Letters (Studiocanal) £373,413 £8.2m 5 5. Migration (Universal) £370,415 £19.5m 8
Sony’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire topped the UK-Ireland box office with a £4.1m opening weekend, ending the three-week run of Dune: Part Two atop the chart.
Opening in 687 sites, Frozen Empire took a £5,904 location average. Its opening was up 7.7% on the £3.8m start of 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the first in a reboot of the franchise in 2021, with that film taking a £5,721 location average.
It is also...
Sony’s Ghostbusters: Frozen Empire topped the UK-Ireland box office with a £4.1m opening weekend, ending the three-week run of Dune: Part Two atop the chart.
Opening in 687 sites, Frozen Empire took a £5,904 location average. Its opening was up 7.7% on the £3.8m start of 2021’s Ghostbusters: Afterlife, the first in a reboot of the franchise in 2021, with that film taking a £5,721 location average.
It is also...
- 3/25/2024
- ScreenDaily
The 96th Academy Awards, like any other year, was a historic event. While movies like Oppenheimer made it big and entered into the history books, Cord Jefferson made history in his way. The first-time director not only won an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay for his feature American Fiction but also called out Hollywood for its lack of inclusivity when it comes to movies and budgets.
Cord Jefferson | Source: CBS
Advocating for the film industry and the audience to be more inclusive towards small-budget films, his speech has been going viral on the internet, earning some well-earned praise from the fans.
Oscar Winner Cord Jefferson Goes Brutal At The Oscars
Cord Jefferson at the Oscars (Image: YouTube | ABC News)
Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction is not a big-budget film, yet it has an Oscar win against five nominations and countless other accolades. A critical hit, the movie is based on the 2011 novel by Percival Everett,...
Cord Jefferson | Source: CBS
Advocating for the film industry and the audience to be more inclusive towards small-budget films, his speech has been going viral on the internet, earning some well-earned praise from the fans.
Oscar Winner Cord Jefferson Goes Brutal At The Oscars
Cord Jefferson at the Oscars (Image: YouTube | ABC News)
Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction is not a big-budget film, yet it has an Oscar win against five nominations and countless other accolades. A critical hit, the movie is based on the 2011 novel by Percival Everett,...
- 3/11/2024
- by Maria Sultan
- FandomWire
Actor Sterling K. Brown is popularly known for portraying Randall Pearson in NBC’s This Is Us from 2016 to 2022. He has also appeared in the NBC sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine and Amazon Prime’s The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. With his stature as an actor in addition to appearing in critically acclaimed projects, the actor is regarded as one of the most influential people in the world.
Sterling K. Brown portrayed the character of N’Jobu in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Black Panther in 2018. He has been a part of projects including Waves, Marshall, Frozen II, and more. The actor recently appeared in American Fiction for which he received the Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Academy Awards 2024. Sterling K. Brown’s endearing reaction to holding a friend’s award is the most inspiring thing on the Internet.
Sterling K. Brown, Jeffrey Wright, and Erika Alexander,
Sterling K. Brown’s endearing reaction...
Sterling K. Brown portrayed the character of N’Jobu in Marvel Cinematic Universe’s Black Panther in 2018. He has been a part of projects including Waves, Marshall, Frozen II, and more. The actor recently appeared in American Fiction for which he received the Best Supporting Actor nomination at the Academy Awards 2024. Sterling K. Brown’s endearing reaction to holding a friend’s award is the most inspiring thing on the Internet.
Sterling K. Brown, Jeffrey Wright, and Erika Alexander,
Sterling K. Brown’s endearing reaction...
- 3/11/2024
- by Avneet Ahluwalia
- FandomWire
The 96th Academy Awards are officially in the history books. The ceremony provided great honors, amazing performances and, as usual, some incredible acceptance speeches. The 2024 winners were full of gratitude, humor, occasional humility and deep emotion. Here’s a look at the six best speeches at this year’s Oscars. Which one was your favorite? Did we not include it in this recap? Sound off in the comments section below.
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Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
Randolph started the night’s speeches on a high note by talking about how when she started as a singer her mother told her to look for an opportunity in the theater department. She then thanked Ron Van Lieu who “told me I was enough. And when I told you I don’t see myself, you said, ‘That’s fine. We’re...
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Best Supporting Actress: Da’Vine Joy Randolph, “The Holdovers”
Randolph started the night’s speeches on a high note by talking about how when she started as a singer her mother told her to look for an opportunity in the theater department. She then thanked Ron Van Lieu who “told me I was enough. And when I told you I don’t see myself, you said, ‘That’s fine. We’re...
- 3/11/2024
- by Charles Bright
- Gold Derby
The Academy Awards telecast had its fair share of memorable highlights, like John Cena’s naked presentation of the costumes category, or Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt’s faux “Barbenheimer” feud while presenting a special tribute to stunt professionals.
But there was plenty that the audience at home didn’t see, from the pre-show pandemonium caused by late arrivals to the sweetest interactions at the Governor’s Ball after party.
See the full list of Oscar winners here.
Late Start
Viewers at home may not have noticed when the broadcast began, but the room was filled with chaos in the moments before the program, causing a five-minute delay to the show’s start. The ceremony was slated to begin earlier than usual this year, bumped up an hour to 4 p.m. Pt. Couple that with hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters shutting down a major section of Hollywood and many A-listers arrived with just seconds to spare.
But there was plenty that the audience at home didn’t see, from the pre-show pandemonium caused by late arrivals to the sweetest interactions at the Governor’s Ball after party.
See the full list of Oscar winners here.
Late Start
Viewers at home may not have noticed when the broadcast began, but the room was filled with chaos in the moments before the program, causing a five-minute delay to the show’s start. The ceremony was slated to begin earlier than usual this year, bumped up an hour to 4 p.m. Pt. Couple that with hundreds of pro-Palestine protesters shutting down a major section of Hollywood and many A-listers arrived with just seconds to spare.
- 3/11/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety Film + TV
They held the 96th Academy Awards at the Dolby Theatre on Sunday an hour earlier than usual (4 p.m.) – broadcast as always on ABC – and as Oscar shows go, this one was mostly a lot of fun and highlight-packed, even if the results were overwhelmingly predictable. There were heartfelt and entertaining acceptance speeches, a few incredibly powerful moments and one showstopper for the ages: the Ryan Gosling “I’m Just Ken” production number. (More on that in a moment.) If I were giving the whole thing a grade, it would be a B+.
These shows are more often about the sum of their individual parts than the whole. The quality and watchability and relative level of excitement can vary radically inside each segment. This one characteristically featured some wild swings in tone, running the gamut from amped-up and captivating to low-energy and forced. The fact two movies (“Oppenheimer” and “Poor Things...
These shows are more often about the sum of their individual parts than the whole. The quality and watchability and relative level of excitement can vary radically inside each segment. This one characteristically featured some wild swings in tone, running the gamut from amped-up and captivating to low-energy and forced. The fact two movies (“Oppenheimer” and “Poor Things...
- 3/11/2024
- by Ray Richmond
- Gold Derby
From Billie Eilish’s heartrending performance to John Cena’s beefcake cameo, the 96th Academy Awards served up some pretty terrific moments and more than a few surprises.
Here were the highlights — and lowlights — from Sunday’s telecast on ABC.
Great Moment when members of Osage Nation walked the red carpet. Like the costumes we saw in Killers of the Flower Moon, their Indigenous attire was both extravagant and gorgeous.
Surprise how the show started five minutes late because some attendees still hadn’t made it into the theater. Arrivals has been complicated by the security measures meant to keep pro-Palestinian protesters at a distance, and that led to “hundreds of people” getting stuck outside the entrance.
Pro-Palestinian protesters in Hollywood, CA ahead of 96th Oscars
Snub delayed for Greta Gerwig and how she didn’t get a nomination for Best Director.
Here were the highlights — and lowlights — from Sunday’s telecast on ABC.
Great Moment when members of Osage Nation walked the red carpet. Like the costumes we saw in Killers of the Flower Moon, their Indigenous attire was both extravagant and gorgeous.
Surprise how the show started five minutes late because some attendees still hadn’t made it into the theater. Arrivals has been complicated by the security measures meant to keep pro-Palestinian protesters at a distance, and that led to “hundreds of people” getting stuck outside the entrance.
Pro-Palestinian protesters in Hollywood, CA ahead of 96th Oscars
Snub delayed for Greta Gerwig and how she didn’t get a nomination for Best Director.
- 3/11/2024
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Cord Jefferson won at the Oscars on Sunday, taking home the award for Best Adapted Screenplay for American Fiction.
Based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett, the film straddled the line between drama and satire to depict social commentary on microaggression and pigeonholing of Black creatives in the publishing and film industry. To tell this story, American Fiction centers around Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), an intelligent and jaded author frustrated by the high-profit margins on Black entertainment that relies on discriminatory behaviors and tropes. But, in wanting to challenge the construction and prove his point about the bias for Black narratives that are more palatable for white audiences, he uses an alias to create a stereotypical book that accidentally gains him critical acclaim and notoriety.
The first-time director and now Academy Award winner talked about the importance of what his Oscar meant to him in light of telling...
Based on the novel Erasure by Percival Everett, the film straddled the line between drama and satire to depict social commentary on microaggression and pigeonholing of Black creatives in the publishing and film industry. To tell this story, American Fiction centers around Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), an intelligent and jaded author frustrated by the high-profit margins on Black entertainment that relies on discriminatory behaviors and tropes. But, in wanting to challenge the construction and prove his point about the bias for Black narratives that are more palatable for white audiences, he uses an alias to create a stereotypical book that accidentally gains him critical acclaim and notoriety.
The first-time director and now Academy Award winner talked about the importance of what his Oscar meant to him in light of telling...
- 3/11/2024
- by Destiny Jackson
- Deadline Film + TV
It was a summer 2024 clash of the titans when Barbie and Oppenheimer were scheduled to open on the same day. There were reported overtures from the two producing teams but no one blinked, each film staking its claim on the July 21 release date.
What followed was nothing short of extraordinary, with Barbie and Oppenheimer ranking as the No. 1 and No. 3 highest grossing movies of 2023, amassing $1.4B and $958M worldwide, respectively. The blockbusters also carried their friendly rivalry over to awards season, landing 13 (Oppenheimer) and 8 (Barbie) Oscar nominations, including a slot in the Best Picture category for each.
Academy Award-nominated stars from each movie, Oppenheiner‘s Emily Blunt and Barbie‘s Ryan Gosling, took the friendly rivalry to the Oscar stage. The “Kitty and Ken” banter, in which Blunt and Gosling looked to clear the air and squash the beef between the two hit movies, got a little too intense.
Related:...
What followed was nothing short of extraordinary, with Barbie and Oppenheimer ranking as the No. 1 and No. 3 highest grossing movies of 2023, amassing $1.4B and $958M worldwide, respectively. The blockbusters also carried their friendly rivalry over to awards season, landing 13 (Oppenheimer) and 8 (Barbie) Oscar nominations, including a slot in the Best Picture category for each.
Academy Award-nominated stars from each movie, Oppenheiner‘s Emily Blunt and Barbie‘s Ryan Gosling, took the friendly rivalry to the Oscar stage. The “Kitty and Ken” banter, in which Blunt and Gosling looked to clear the air and squash the beef between the two hit movies, got a little too intense.
Related:...
- 3/11/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Cord Jefferson is calling on Hollywood to take more “risks” when it comes to low- and mid-budget films.
The “American Fiction” writer/director won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for adapting Percival Everett’s “Erasure” for the big screen. Jeffery Wright and Sterling K. Brown are additionally nominated in the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor categories, respectively; the film is also up for Best Picture.
“I understand that this is a risk-averse industry, I get it,” Jefferson said during his acceptance speech onstage. “But $200 million movies are also a risk. And it doesn’t always work out, but you the risk anyway. Instead of making one $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies. Or 50 $4 million movies.”
Jefferson, who was previously celebrated at the 2023 IndieWire Honors, called his remarks “a plea to acknowledge and recognize that there are so many people out there who want the opportunity that I was given.
The “American Fiction” writer/director won the Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for adapting Percival Everett’s “Erasure” for the big screen. Jeffery Wright and Sterling K. Brown are additionally nominated in the Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor categories, respectively; the film is also up for Best Picture.
“I understand that this is a risk-averse industry, I get it,” Jefferson said during his acceptance speech onstage. “But $200 million movies are also a risk. And it doesn’t always work out, but you the risk anyway. Instead of making one $200 million movie, try making 20 $10 million movies. Or 50 $4 million movies.”
Jefferson, who was previously celebrated at the 2023 IndieWire Honors, called his remarks “a plea to acknowledge and recognize that there are so many people out there who want the opportunity that I was given.
- 3/11/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
American Fiction‘s Cord Jefferson is officially an Oscar winner — and he’s pleading with Hollywood studios to give more up and coming creatives a shot at their own golden statuette.
While accepting the award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 96th Academy Awards, Jefferson used his speech to acknowledge how many people had passed on his film about a frustrated novelist who struggles to reconcile with the establishments that profit off of Black entertainment relying on offensive tropes to do so.
Related: All The Best Picture Oscar Winners – Photo Gallery
But eventually, someone said yes, and it led him to his first Oscar. He called this moment “a plea to acknowledge and recognize that there are so many people out there who want the opportunity that I was given.”
“I understand that this is a risk averse industry. I get it. But $200 million movies are also a risk, and...
While accepting the award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 96th Academy Awards, Jefferson used his speech to acknowledge how many people had passed on his film about a frustrated novelist who struggles to reconcile with the establishments that profit off of Black entertainment relying on offensive tropes to do so.
Related: All The Best Picture Oscar Winners – Photo Gallery
But eventually, someone said yes, and it led him to his first Oscar. He called this moment “a plea to acknowledge and recognize that there are so many people out there who want the opportunity that I was given.”
“I understand that this is a risk averse industry. I get it. But $200 million movies are also a risk, and...
- 3/11/2024
- by Katie Campione
- Deadline Film + TV
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.
Quick Answer: Viewers can watch American Fiction online by renting it on Prime Video, streaming it on Apple TV+, or by getting a free trial on Philo.
Get free trial at philo
Step into the world of American Fiction, a film that dives deep into the complexities of creativity and cultural identity with unparalleled depth and cinematic grandeur. Adapted from Percival Everett’s novel Erasure, this Cord Jefferson...
Quick Answer: Viewers can watch American Fiction online by renting it on Prime Video, streaming it on Apple TV+, or by getting a free trial on Philo.
Get free trial at philo
Step into the world of American Fiction, a film that dives deep into the complexities of creativity and cultural identity with unparalleled depth and cinematic grandeur. Adapted from Percival Everett’s novel Erasure, this Cord Jefferson...
- 3/8/2024
- by Noel Santos
- Rollingstone.com
The films in contention for the 2024 Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar are “American Fiction,” “Barbie,” “Oppenheimer,” “Poor Things,” and “The Zone of Interest.” Our odds currently indicate that “American Fiction” (7/2) will win the award, followed in order of likelihood by “Oppenheimer” (18/5), “Barbie” (4/1), “Poor Things” (9/2), and “The Zone of Interest” (9/2).
This marks only the 14th instance in 96 years of all five Best Adapted Screenplay-nominated films also being in the running for Best Picture. Prior to the last time in 2017 – the year “Moonlight” achieved dual victories – this had happened only twice during the 21st century (2011; 2013) and once during the latter half of the 20th (1965). The bulk of cases occurred almost annually from 1934 to 1943, with the only inapplicable year being 1937.
Respective “The Zone of Interest” and “Oppenheimer” writers Jonathan Glazer and Christopher Nolan are simultaneously nominated for Best Director, while Nolan is also set to face off against “American Fiction” scripter Cord Jefferson in the Best Picture race.
This marks only the 14th instance in 96 years of all five Best Adapted Screenplay-nominated films also being in the running for Best Picture. Prior to the last time in 2017 – the year “Moonlight” achieved dual victories – this had happened only twice during the 21st century (2011; 2013) and once during the latter half of the 20th (1965). The bulk of cases occurred almost annually from 1934 to 1943, with the only inapplicable year being 1937.
Respective “The Zone of Interest” and “Oppenheimer” writers Jonathan Glazer and Christopher Nolan are simultaneously nominated for Best Director, while Nolan is also set to face off against “American Fiction” scripter Cord Jefferson in the Best Picture race.
- 3/7/2024
- by Matthew Stewart
- Gold Derby
Variety Awards Circuit section is the home for all awards news and related content throughout the year, featuring the following: the official predictions for the upcoming Oscars, Emmys, Grammys and Tony Awards ceremonies, curated by Variety senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The prediction pages reflect the current standings in the race and do not reflect personal preferences for any individual contender. As other formal (and informal) polls suggest, competitions are fluid and subject to change based on buzz and events. Predictions are updated every Thursday.
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Adapted Screenplay Oppenheimer, from left: Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, 2023. © Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Weekly Commentary: Cord Jefferson stands on the brink of potentially making history in the adapted screenplay category with “American Fiction,” potentially becoming only the second...
Visit the prediction pages for the respective ceremonies via the links below:
Oscars | Emmys | Grammys | Tonys
2024 Oscars Predictions:
Best Adapted Screenplay Oppenheimer, from left: Florence Pugh as Jean Tatlock, Cillian Murphy as J. Robert Oppenheimer, 2023. © Universal Pictures / Courtesy Everett Collection
Weekly Commentary: Cord Jefferson stands on the brink of potentially making history in the adapted screenplay category with “American Fiction,” potentially becoming only the second...
- 3/7/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
That’s all, Oscar folks!
In just 12 days, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will crack open 23 illustrious envelopes to unveil the victors of this year’s 96th Oscars. It’s a night where predictability usually reigns supreme, but hey, there’s always room for a curveball or two.
During the past six days of intense voting, Variety has been on the scene, chatting it up with over 50 AMPAS members to get the lowdown on which movies and performances have been getting the thumbs-up on their ballots. While some answers were as predictable as Tom Sandoval’s choice of nail polish, there were definitely a few curveballs that caught us off guard.
The Oscars are like a mystical black box — AMPAS never spills the beans on who voted for what. But fear not! Armed with a pinch of speculation and a dash of insider voter knowledge, Variety can...
In just 12 days, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences will crack open 23 illustrious envelopes to unveil the victors of this year’s 96th Oscars. It’s a night where predictability usually reigns supreme, but hey, there’s always room for a curveball or two.
During the past six days of intense voting, Variety has been on the scene, chatting it up with over 50 AMPAS members to get the lowdown on which movies and performances have been getting the thumbs-up on their ballots. While some answers were as predictable as Tom Sandoval’s choice of nail polish, there were definitely a few curveballs that caught us off guard.
The Oscars are like a mystical black box — AMPAS never spills the beans on who voted for what. But fear not! Armed with a pinch of speculation and a dash of insider voter knowledge, Variety can...
- 2/28/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
This year’s Film Independent Spirit Awards stayed ahead of the Oscar curve once more, announcing their winners on Sunday, February 25 in the usual chilly white tent on the Santa Monica beach (and on YouTube). With Oscar voting not over until the evening of February 27, the winners at the 39th Spirits could gain valuable Oscar momentum.
Host Aidy Bryant played to a warm crowd who chuckled at her jokes. The Spirits are “also known as the bisexual Oscars,” she said. Being an awards show host is tricky, she added, “I could be panned, considered out of touch, and sexist, and potentially be slapped. Worst case: nobody mentions me.”
When she tried roasting the celebrities, she called “May December” star Natalie Portman a “stupid bitch,” Sterling K. Brown “a Stupid K. Bitch,” and said of Charles Melton, “everyone wants to have sex with you, you stupid bitch” and Greta Lee, “you...
Host Aidy Bryant played to a warm crowd who chuckled at her jokes. The Spirits are “also known as the bisexual Oscars,” she said. Being an awards show host is tricky, she added, “I could be panned, considered out of touch, and sexist, and potentially be slapped. Worst case: nobody mentions me.”
When she tried roasting the celebrities, she called “May December” star Natalie Portman a “stupid bitch,” Sterling K. Brown “a Stupid K. Bitch,” and said of Charles Melton, “everyone wants to have sex with you, you stupid bitch” and Greta Lee, “you...
- 2/26/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
A24’s Past Lives won the top prize for best feature at the 39th annual Film Independent Spirit Awards, with writer-director Celine Song also winning best director for her feature film debut.
American Fiction’s Jeffrey Wright won best lead performance for his role in the Amazon MGM Studios comedy, presented to him by his fellow Oscar nominee Colman Domingo. “It’s funny, you go to these award shows, and you kind of grow tired of them,” laughed Wright. “And then you get one. It changes the vibe a little bit.”
American Fiction writer-director Cord Jefferson also won best screenplay for his directorial debut. “Our film is so independent that one morning I woke up at our hotel to find out that there had been a triple stabbing the night before in the lobby,” said Jefferson. “They were cleaning up the blood. And I would not have it any other way.
American Fiction’s Jeffrey Wright won best lead performance for his role in the Amazon MGM Studios comedy, presented to him by his fellow Oscar nominee Colman Domingo. “It’s funny, you go to these award shows, and you kind of grow tired of them,” laughed Wright. “And then you get one. It changes the vibe a little bit.”
American Fiction writer-director Cord Jefferson also won best screenplay for his directorial debut. “Our film is so independent that one morning I woke up at our hotel to find out that there had been a triple stabbing the night before in the lobby,” said Jefferson. “They were cleaning up the blood. And I would not have it any other way.
- 2/26/2024
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Prior to American Fiction, Sterling K. Brown was best known as Randall Pearson in the long-running, award-winning NBC family drama series This is Us. The part that director Cord Jefferson was offering him couldn’t have been more different: in Jefferson’s adaptation of the satirical novel by Percival Everett, Brown plays Clifford ‘Cliff’ Ellison, a caustic plastic surgeon and brother to the film’s protagonist, Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison (Jeffrey Wright). After divorcing his wife, Cliff comes out as gay, further estranging him from his uptight family. This nuanced role allowed Brown to explore the many facets of Blackness and the challenges of the LGBTQ+ community.
Deadline: You studied economics at Stanford and interned at the Federal Reserve, among other things that mesh with this upper echelon of the Black experience. American Fiction also touches on other avenues of the Black experience. How did you relate?
Sterling K. Brown:...
Deadline: You studied economics at Stanford and interned at the Federal Reserve, among other things that mesh with this upper echelon of the Black experience. American Fiction also touches on other avenues of the Black experience. How did you relate?
Sterling K. Brown:...
- 2/24/2024
- by Destiny Jackson
- Deadline Film + TV
Jeffrey Wright is finally an Oscar nominee. The actor’s storied career had already brought him under the direction of masters such as Sidney Lumet, Ang Lee, and most recently, newcomer Cord Jefferson in the satirical dramedy “American Fiction.” But with his Oscar nom, Wright says he feels more supported than ever by the Hollywood community and studios.
“I’ve never had this level of support behind a project that I was central to from the powers that be, the business side of our industry,” he tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast. “I’ve never had it until now. I’m really grateful for that. We’re here now, and I’m so pleased the film has been recognized across the board. With a small movie and 26 days of filming, our budget was probably the catering budget for the last Bond movie I did.”
In this episode of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit Podcast,...
“I’ve never had this level of support behind a project that I was central to from the powers that be, the business side of our industry,” he tells Variety‘s Awards Circuit Podcast. “I’ve never had it until now. I’m really grateful for that. We’re here now, and I’m so pleased the film has been recognized across the board. With a small movie and 26 days of filming, our budget was probably the catering budget for the last Bond movie I did.”
In this episode of the award-winning Variety Awards Circuit Podcast,...
- 2/22/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
On Wednesday night, the African American Film Critics Association honored the top actors, directors and films of the year at the 15th annual Aafca Awards, in a Los Angeles ceremony hosted by Roy Wood Jr.
One of night’s top honors — which were announced in advance — went to American Fiction star Jeffrey Wright, who delivered a humorous speech about the debt actors owe to critics as he accepted the Legend Award.
“There is a line in The Dresser which, to my mind, is the film that best captures what it is to be an actor,” he began. “Albert Finney, playing this blustery, brilliant, Shakespearean actress, says these horrible words: ‘The critics. Hate the critics. I have nothing but compassion for them. How can one hate the crippled, the mentally deficient, and the dead?'”
“I’ve been changed,” Wright said to a response of thunderous laughter. “After this moment I...
One of night’s top honors — which were announced in advance — went to American Fiction star Jeffrey Wright, who delivered a humorous speech about the debt actors owe to critics as he accepted the Legend Award.
“There is a line in The Dresser which, to my mind, is the film that best captures what it is to be an actor,” he began. “Albert Finney, playing this blustery, brilliant, Shakespearean actress, says these horrible words: ‘The critics. Hate the critics. I have nothing but compassion for them. How can one hate the crippled, the mentally deficient, and the dead?'”
“I’ve been changed,” Wright said to a response of thunderous laughter. “After this moment I...
- 2/22/2024
- by Brande Victorian
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Hollywood is often criticized about the amount of follow through there is on promises for diversity and inclusivity. Yet there is much to celebrate about the films that are being made about Black life, and the 15th annual awards by the African American Film Critics Assn. will do just that on Feb. 21.
“American Fiction,” “The Color Purple” and “Origin” — named best comedy, musical and drama, respectively — all scored multiple film honors and inclusion on Aafca’s list of top 10 films of the year. Performers including Colman Domingo, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Lily Gladstone, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Danielle Brooks will also be celebrated during the ceremony, hosted once again by Roy Wood Jr.
Aafca will follow up that event with a March 3 special achievement ceremony honoring industry figures including Jamie Foxx and Datari Turner for their work producing films such as “The Burial,” choreographer Fatima Robinson for her work on “The Color Purple...
“American Fiction,” “The Color Purple” and “Origin” — named best comedy, musical and drama, respectively — all scored multiple film honors and inclusion on Aafca’s list of top 10 films of the year. Performers including Colman Domingo, Aunjanue Ellis-Taylor, Lily Gladstone, Da’Vine Joy Randolph and Danielle Brooks will also be celebrated during the ceremony, hosted once again by Roy Wood Jr.
Aafca will follow up that event with a March 3 special achievement ceremony honoring industry figures including Jamie Foxx and Datari Turner for their work producing films such as “The Burial,” choreographer Fatima Robinson for her work on “The Color Purple...
- 2/21/2024
- by Daric L. Cottingham
- Variety Film + TV
While medical dramas have long been a favorite staple on German TV, a new series helmed by Alex Schaad, director of the award-winning fantasy romance “Skin Deep,” and penned by British writer Samuel Jefferson looks set to give the genre a bold, modern take.
“Krank Berlin” is an eight-part series that follows a young team of doctors in the toughest and most overcrowded medical facility in the city. Underpaid, poorly equipped, chronically overtired and beset with an increasingly callous healthcare system, the doctors nevertheless cope with dark humor, although some turn to more extreme measures.
Produced by Real Film Berlin and Violet Pictures for ZDFneo and based on an idea by creative producer and co-creator Viktor Jakovleski, “Krank Berlin” stars Haley Louise Jones (“Dear Child”) as Zanna Parker, the hospital’s new chief doctor, whose reform measures are immediately met with resistance from the staff, particularly anarchist emergency doctor Ben,...
“Krank Berlin” is an eight-part series that follows a young team of doctors in the toughest and most overcrowded medical facility in the city. Underpaid, poorly equipped, chronically overtired and beset with an increasingly callous healthcare system, the doctors nevertheless cope with dark humor, although some turn to more extreme measures.
Produced by Real Film Berlin and Violet Pictures for ZDFneo and based on an idea by creative producer and co-creator Viktor Jakovleski, “Krank Berlin” stars Haley Louise Jones (“Dear Child”) as Zanna Parker, the hospital’s new chief doctor, whose reform measures are immediately met with resistance from the staff, particularly anarchist emergency doctor Ben,...
- 2/20/2024
- by Ed Meza
- Variety Film + TV
Best Adapted Screenplay is one of the most interesting categories at the Oscars this year. “Barbie” has been shoved into that lineup after months of campaigning in Best Original Screenplay pitting it against the likes of awards titans “Oppenheimer” and “Poor Things” Coming on strong is “American Fiction,” which writer-director Cord Jefferson adapted from Percival Everett‘s 2001 novel “Erasure.”
He followed up his Adapted Screenplay win at the Critics Choice Awards with a victory at the BAFTAs, triumphing over rival nominees “All of Us Strangers” (Andrew Haigh), “Oppenheimer” (Christopher Nolan), “Poor Things” (Tony McNamara), and “The Zone of Interest” (Jonathan Glazer). But what sets his adaptation the part as the best of the pack?
“To me, the key to a great adaptation isn’t keeping close to the source material, it’s keeping close to the way that the book makes you feel. The essence and spirit of what the author was trying to accomplish.
He followed up his Adapted Screenplay win at the Critics Choice Awards with a victory at the BAFTAs, triumphing over rival nominees “All of Us Strangers” (Andrew Haigh), “Oppenheimer” (Christopher Nolan), “Poor Things” (Tony McNamara), and “The Zone of Interest” (Jonathan Glazer). But what sets his adaptation the part as the best of the pack?
“To me, the key to a great adaptation isn’t keeping close to the source material, it’s keeping close to the way that the book makes you feel. The essence and spirit of what the author was trying to accomplish.
- 2/19/2024
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
The 39th Santa Barbara International Film Festival came to a close Sunday, but one of its highlights came three days earlier, with the last of the filmmaker tributes that serve as the spine of the fest.
On Thursday evening, inside Santa Barbara’s historic 2000-seat Arlington Theatre, veteran stage and screen actor Jeffrey Wright — who is Oscar-nominated for the first time in his nearly 30-year film career, for his leading performance in Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, a dramedy about race in America — was feted with the fest’s Montecito Award following a deeply engaging career-retrospective conversation with Sbiff executive director and passionate Wright admirer Roger Durling.
Wright, 58, spoke about being raised by his mother and his aunt, and never really even considering acting until he got to Amherst College, where he began to fall in love with the craft (and to abandon the notion of attending law school). He...
On Thursday evening, inside Santa Barbara’s historic 2000-seat Arlington Theatre, veteran stage and screen actor Jeffrey Wright — who is Oscar-nominated for the first time in his nearly 30-year film career, for his leading performance in Cord Jefferson’s American Fiction, a dramedy about race in America — was feted with the fest’s Montecito Award following a deeply engaging career-retrospective conversation with Sbiff executive director and passionate Wright admirer Roger Durling.
Wright, 58, spoke about being raised by his mother and his aunt, and never really even considering acting until he got to Amherst College, where he began to fall in love with the craft (and to abandon the notion of attending law school). He...
- 2/19/2024
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With just four days remaining until final Oscar voting officially opens, the race has taken a few unexpected turns at the BAFTA Awards.
Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” a biographical drama about the father of the atomic bomb, has continued to surge ahead after seven wins, including best film and director. Its trajectory towards a triumphant night on the Dolby Theatre stage on March 10 seems assured.
However, surprises abound with other awards contenders making pronounced showings. Yorgos Lanthimos’ sci-fi black comedy “Poor Things” garnered four prizes, including leading actress for Emma Stone, production design, special visual effects, costumes and makeup and hair. The unexpected success, particularly in makeup, could foreshadow a possible upset for presumed favorite “Maestro” at the upcoming Academy Awards. Notable, since Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan missed out on their respective lead acting prizes, signaling the Netflix feature will need a rebound sooner rather than later.
Read: Variety...
Christopher Nolan’s “Oppenheimer,” a biographical drama about the father of the atomic bomb, has continued to surge ahead after seven wins, including best film and director. Its trajectory towards a triumphant night on the Dolby Theatre stage on March 10 seems assured.
However, surprises abound with other awards contenders making pronounced showings. Yorgos Lanthimos’ sci-fi black comedy “Poor Things” garnered four prizes, including leading actress for Emma Stone, production design, special visual effects, costumes and makeup and hair. The unexpected success, particularly in makeup, could foreshadow a possible upset for presumed favorite “Maestro” at the upcoming Academy Awards. Notable, since Bradley Cooper and Carey Mulligan missed out on their respective lead acting prizes, signaling the Netflix feature will need a rebound sooner rather than later.
Read: Variety...
- 2/18/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
After nearly a decade of the BAFTA and Oscars failing to match on their choice for Best Picture, you can probably take it to the bank that this year that streak will be broken. Oppenheimer continues its flawless roll toward the Academy Awards, adding seven wins at BAFTA on Sunday including the big prize to its previous triumphs at the Golden Globes, Critics Choice and DGA awards. It is all going according to plan.
And after a similar Oppenheimer-style sweep at last year’s BAFTAs with seven wins for its All Quiet on the Western Front, Netflix was shut out this year despite coming in with seven nominations for Masestro and 12 overall. For that matter every single streamer was pretty much royally snubbed, to use my best British term, including an even bigger loss for Apple...
And after a similar Oppenheimer-style sweep at last year’s BAFTAs with seven wins for its All Quiet on the Western Front, Netflix was shut out this year despite coming in with seven nominations for Masestro and 12 overall. For that matter every single streamer was pretty much royally snubbed, to use my best British term, including an even bigger loss for Apple...
- 2/18/2024
- by Pete Hammond
- Deadline Film + TV
The Avenue release Land of Bad, powered by Variance, grossed $1.8 million on 1,120 screens, landing in the top ten for the weekend as Variance noted strong word of mouth with Saturday grosses jumping 37% from Friday’ (not including Thursday sneaks). The estimate for the four days is $2.07 million.
The William Eubank film starring Russell Crowe and Liam and Luke Hemsworth is performing best on the West Coast and the heartland/Midwest, with suburban theaters delivering the biggest Fri-to-Sat growth. Thi s is the tale of a covert Special Forces operation in the South Philippines that spirals into a brutal 48-hour battle for survival.
Also strong, Oscar Nominated Short Films opened Friday for their traditional a four-week run, a 19-year ritual that packages animated, live action and documentary shorts into three feature length films. They grossed an estimated $765k on 375 screens for the three-day weekend and $915k for the four days. Packaged and...
The William Eubank film starring Russell Crowe and Liam and Luke Hemsworth is performing best on the West Coast and the heartland/Midwest, with suburban theaters delivering the biggest Fri-to-Sat growth. Thi s is the tale of a covert Special Forces operation in the South Philippines that spirals into a brutal 48-hour battle for survival.
Also strong, Oscar Nominated Short Films opened Friday for their traditional a four-week run, a 19-year ritual that packages animated, live action and documentary shorts into three feature length films. They grossed an estimated $765k on 375 screens for the three-day weekend and $915k for the four days. Packaged and...
- 2/18/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Every year, I get a kick out of interviewing the Oscar-nominated screenwriters at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival. This year’s panel included two rookie film writer-directors (Cord Jefferson of “American Fiction” and Celine Song of “Past Lives”), two first-time feature screenwriters (Samy Burch of “May December” and David Hemingson of “The Holdovers”), two who studied law (Hemingson and Josh Singer of “Maestro”) and two co-writers with live-in partners (Burch and Arthur Harari of “Anatomy of a Fall”). And oddly, three have westerns in the works as their next projects.
Here’s a few highlights of what I gleaned from these brilliant writers.
1. David Hemingson leaned on his relatives for “The Holdovers.”
The television writer first wrote a pilot about an East Coast boarding school that his agent told him he could use as a writing sample. But the script got to Alexander Payne who liked it and cold-called...
Here’s a few highlights of what I gleaned from these brilliant writers.
1. David Hemingson leaned on his relatives for “The Holdovers.”
The television writer first wrote a pilot about an East Coast boarding school that his agent told him he could use as a writing sample. But the script got to Alexander Payne who liked it and cold-called...
- 2/16/2024
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Sterling K. Brown made audiences cry as the obsessively responsible Randall Pearson on the hit NBC drama “This Is Us.” Randall wasn’t humorless, exactly, but he was more serious than his siblings Kate and Kevin on the show, and the drama’s most emotional moments often hinged on revealing the cracks in Randall’s tortured facade.
So it’s a joy to watch him cut loose in “American Fiction” as Cliff, a recently outed gay man who uses drugs, sex and a sharp wit to deal with grief. Though not the lead, Brown steals every scene. Whether flaunting his new lover in front of Monk, frolicking in the family’s swimming pool in the middle of the night or enjoying a cocktail for breakfast, Cliff is the screw-up an audience can’t help but adore. Or, to put it in “This Is Us” terms: After years of playing Randall,...
So it’s a joy to watch him cut loose in “American Fiction” as Cliff, a recently outed gay man who uses drugs, sex and a sharp wit to deal with grief. Though not the lead, Brown steals every scene. Whether flaunting his new lover in front of Monk, frolicking in the family’s swimming pool in the middle of the night or enjoying a cocktail for breakfast, Cliff is the screw-up an audience can’t help but adore. Or, to put it in “This Is Us” terms: After years of playing Randall,...
- 2/15/2024
- by Jenelle Riley
- Variety Film + TV
Cord Jefferson to Write Gender-Swapped Series Adaptation of ‘Just Cause’ Starring Scarlett Johansson
Cord Jefferson already has his post-“American Fiction” project in the works.
Jefferson (“Watchmen”) will return to TV to write and executive produce the adaptation of John Katzenbach’s 1992 novel “Just Cause” for Amazon Prime Video. He’s up for it: “American Fiction,” culled from Percival Everett’s “Erasure,” was Jefferson’s first adaptation. We’d say it worked out.
This “Just Cause” will star Scarlett Johansson in the gender-swapped lead role, marking her first major television job. It’s a return to the material for Johansson, who as a 10-year-old starred in the 1995 feature film of the same name starring Sean Connery. Johansson was Connery’s daughter. That version also featured Blair Underwood, Laurence Fishburne, Ed Harris, Ruby Dee, and Kate Capshaw.
John Wells will co-write the series as well as executive produce. Johansson’s production company banner These Pictures produces the TV series adaptation. Variety first reported the news.
Jefferson (“Watchmen”) will return to TV to write and executive produce the adaptation of John Katzenbach’s 1992 novel “Just Cause” for Amazon Prime Video. He’s up for it: “American Fiction,” culled from Percival Everett’s “Erasure,” was Jefferson’s first adaptation. We’d say it worked out.
This “Just Cause” will star Scarlett Johansson in the gender-swapped lead role, marking her first major television job. It’s a return to the material for Johansson, who as a 10-year-old starred in the 1995 feature film of the same name starring Sean Connery. Johansson was Connery’s daughter. That version also featured Blair Underwood, Laurence Fishburne, Ed Harris, Ruby Dee, and Kate Capshaw.
John Wells will co-write the series as well as executive produce. Johansson’s production company banner These Pictures produces the TV series adaptation. Variety first reported the news.
- 2/14/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
Emmy winner and Oscar nominee Cord Jefferson will write and executive produce the upcoming Scarlett Johansson limited series, which serves as her first major television role.
The “American Fiction” filmmaker has boarded the Amazon Prime Video adaptation of John Katzenbach’s novel “Just Cause.” Additionally, acclaimed writer John Wells has joined the project, co-writing the series with Jefferson, and will also serve as an executive producer.
“Just Cause,” first published in 1992, tells the story of Matt Cowart, a Miami reporter. In this adaptation, Johansson will portray a female iteration of Cowart, named Madison “Madi” Cowart. The narrative follows Cowart after receiving a letter from a death row inmate claiming innocence. The ensuing investigation not only casts doubt on the inmate’s guilt but also uncovers other hidden horrors.
This project marks the second adaptation of “Just Cause,” the first being a 1995 film featuring Sean Connery, Blair Underwood, Laurence Fishburne, Ed Harris,...
The “American Fiction” filmmaker has boarded the Amazon Prime Video adaptation of John Katzenbach’s novel “Just Cause.” Additionally, acclaimed writer John Wells has joined the project, co-writing the series with Jefferson, and will also serve as an executive producer.
“Just Cause,” first published in 1992, tells the story of Matt Cowart, a Miami reporter. In this adaptation, Johansson will portray a female iteration of Cowart, named Madison “Madi” Cowart. The narrative follows Cowart after receiving a letter from a death row inmate claiming innocence. The ensuing investigation not only casts doubt on the inmate’s guilt but also uncovers other hidden horrors.
This project marks the second adaptation of “Just Cause,” the first being a 1995 film featuring Sean Connery, Blair Underwood, Laurence Fishburne, Ed Harris,...
- 2/13/2024
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
“I want to do an erotic thriller and I’m also working on a neo-western that is also is like a noir,” beamed American Fiction filmmaker Cord Jefferson about his potential sophomore directorials.
The director spilled the beans on his next project to Deadline while walking the DGA Awards red carpet.
Jefferson is up tonight for first-time feature filmmaker. Following the world premiere of his Amazon MGM satirical comedy at TIFF, Jefferson was further launched out of a canon after the movie grabbed the Grolsch People’s Choice Award at the Great White North film fest; an Oscar bellwether.
Jefferson is twice nominated at this year’s Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Motion Picture of the Year.
Further teasing his next genre directorials, Jefferson said, “Both of them have similar themes to what’s in American Fiction through a much, much different lens.”
In regards to who he’d like to cast,...
The director spilled the beans on his next project to Deadline while walking the DGA Awards red carpet.
Jefferson is up tonight for first-time feature filmmaker. Following the world premiere of his Amazon MGM satirical comedy at TIFF, Jefferson was further launched out of a canon after the movie grabbed the Grolsch People’s Choice Award at the Great White North film fest; an Oscar bellwether.
Jefferson is twice nominated at this year’s Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Motion Picture of the Year.
Further teasing his next genre directorials, Jefferson said, “Both of them have similar themes to what’s in American Fiction through a much, much different lens.”
In regards to who he’d like to cast,...
- 2/11/2024
- by Antonia Blyth and Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The Directors Guild will hand out the season’s next big precursor prizes this weekend, and one of the movies the organization might honor is newly available to watch at home.
The contender to watch this week: “American Fiction“
One of the last few Best Picture nominees to hit digital platforms, Cord Jefferson‘s observant directorial debut — part publishing-industry satire, part domestic drama — is now available to purchase on VOD for $19.99. The movie, which earned acting nods for Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown, could pull off a minor surprise and take home Best Adaptation Screenplay on Oscar night, though it would have to beat both “Oppenheimer’ and “Barbie” to do so. Jefferson may also win Best First-Time Feature Director at the DGA Awards on Saturday.
Other contenders:
“Suncoast”: Sitcom veteran Laura Chinn‘s coming-of-age drama premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month, where the reviews were mixed to positive.
The contender to watch this week: “American Fiction“
One of the last few Best Picture nominees to hit digital platforms, Cord Jefferson‘s observant directorial debut — part publishing-industry satire, part domestic drama — is now available to purchase on VOD for $19.99. The movie, which earned acting nods for Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown, could pull off a minor surprise and take home Best Adaptation Screenplay on Oscar night, though it would have to beat both “Oppenheimer’ and “Barbie” to do so. Jefferson may also win Best First-Time Feature Director at the DGA Awards on Saturday.
Other contenders:
“Suncoast”: Sitcom veteran Laura Chinn‘s coming-of-age drama premiered at the Sundance Film Festival last month, where the reviews were mixed to positive.
- 2/10/2024
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Gold Derby
Both Best Original Screenplay and Best Adapted Screenplay are full of beautiful writing, with a variety of genres and writers being acknowledged for their work this year.
We have previous Oscar winners nominated, such as Josh Singer, who co-wrote “Maestro” with Bradley Cooper; previous nominees such as “Oppenheimer” scribe Christopher Nolan and “Poor Things” penman Tony McNamara; and we have a whole bunch of first-time nominees such as “Past Lives” writer and director Celine Song.
But… could we have two first-time nominees win both writing categories? Oscar history says this is unlikely; this has not happened a single time in the last 10 years. There have, however, been five instances in both categories where rookie contenders have won the Oscar.
Best Original Screenplay
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” in 2023 Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman” in 2021 Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won for “Parasite” in 2020 Brian Currie,...
We have previous Oscar winners nominated, such as Josh Singer, who co-wrote “Maestro” with Bradley Cooper; previous nominees such as “Oppenheimer” scribe Christopher Nolan and “Poor Things” penman Tony McNamara; and we have a whole bunch of first-time nominees such as “Past Lives” writer and director Celine Song.
But… could we have two first-time nominees win both writing categories? Oscar history says this is unlikely; this has not happened a single time in the last 10 years. There have, however, been five instances in both categories where rookie contenders have won the Oscar.
Best Original Screenplay
Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert for “Everything Everywhere All at Once” in 2023 Emerald Fennell for “Promising Young Woman” in 2021 Bong Joon-ho and Han Jin-won for “Parasite” in 2020 Brian Currie,...
- 2/9/2024
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Cord Jefferson may be a first-time feature director, but the longtime television writer and Emmy-winner is more than well-versed in classic cinema. Jefferson, who is Oscar-nominated for Best Adapted Screenplay and Best Picture for “American Fiction,” has a diverse palette in terms of his all-time favorite films, with picks ranging from auteurs like Quentin Tarantino to Spike Lee and Stanley Kubrick.
Of course, given “American Fiction’s” status as a darkly comedic satire about racism and tokenizing in the publishing industry, several of Jefferson’s favorite films are also meta projects that spoof modern issues. It won’t be a surprise to see that he took influence from projects like “Network” and “Adaptation” while writing the hit comedy, which stars Jeffrey Wright as an author whose attempt to parody the stereotypical Black works championed by the publishing world backfires when his book becomes an unironic smash hit.
Jefferson previously wrote for acclaimed series like “Succession,...
Of course, given “American Fiction’s” status as a darkly comedic satire about racism and tokenizing in the publishing industry, several of Jefferson’s favorite films are also meta projects that spoof modern issues. It won’t be a surprise to see that he took influence from projects like “Network” and “Adaptation” while writing the hit comedy, which stars Jeffrey Wright as an author whose attempt to parody the stereotypical Black works championed by the publishing world backfires when his book becomes an unironic smash hit.
Jefferson previously wrote for acclaimed series like “Succession,...
- 2/9/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The Directors Guild of America Awards are on February 10, and while the race for Best Film Director looks like a runaway for Christopher Nolan (“Oppenheimer”), Best First-Time Feature Director could be a little more suspenseful. The top two contenders are also first-time Oscar nominees this year: Celine Song for “Past Lives” and Cord Jefferson for “American Fiction.” They’re both Oscar-nominated for their screenplays, though. So which will be the industry’s choice for their direction?
As of this writing Song is the heavy favorite to win with leading odds of 31/10. Betting on her to win are all 11 of the Expert journalists currently making their predictions, 10 out of the 11 Gold Derby Editors who cover awards year-round, 23 of the Top 24 Users who got the best scores predicting last year’s DGA winners and 23 of the All-Star Top 24 who got the highest scores when you combine multiple years’ results. Jefferson trails in...
As of this writing Song is the heavy favorite to win with leading odds of 31/10. Betting on her to win are all 11 of the Expert journalists currently making their predictions, 10 out of the 11 Gold Derby Editors who cover awards year-round, 23 of the Top 24 Users who got the best scores predicting last year’s DGA winners and 23 of the All-Star Top 24 who got the highest scores when you combine multiple years’ results. Jefferson trails in...
- 2/8/2024
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
Cord Jefferson is revealing the advice his “hero” Spike Lee gave him after screening Oscar-nominated film “American Fiction.”
During Turner Classic Movies’ “Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast,” hosted by Ben Mankiewicz, Jefferson shared that Lee advised him to make his second film as “quickly as possible” on the heels of Jefferson’s debut feature success.
“I showed [‘American Fiction’ to] Spike Lee’s graduate school class at NYU and talked to some of his students and talked to Spike. And afterward, he came up to me, and he said, ‘Make the next one as quickly as possible. Get out there and make the next one as quickly as possible,'” Jefferson said.
The filmmaker called Lee “one of my heroes,” saying, “I’ve loved his work since I was a boy,” citing “Do the Right Thing” as his “most memorable movie-watching experience.” Lee was honored with a tribute award...
During Turner Classic Movies’ “Talking Pictures: A Movie Memories Podcast,” hosted by Ben Mankiewicz, Jefferson shared that Lee advised him to make his second film as “quickly as possible” on the heels of Jefferson’s debut feature success.
“I showed [‘American Fiction’ to] Spike Lee’s graduate school class at NYU and talked to some of his students and talked to Spike. And afterward, he came up to me, and he said, ‘Make the next one as quickly as possible. Get out there and make the next one as quickly as possible,'” Jefferson said.
The filmmaker called Lee “one of my heroes,” saying, “I’ve loved his work since I was a boy,” citing “Do the Right Thing” as his “most memorable movie-watching experience.” Lee was honored with a tribute award...
- 2/6/2024
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
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Good news, cinephiles! First, I will try never to use the word "cinephiles" to describe us ever again. But secondly and much more importantly, movie aficionados will be able to catch one of the best movies of the year ... while also doing a little more prep work ahead of this year's Academy Awards. Where I come from, we call that a win-win.
Every year, we anxiously await the reveal of the nominees for Best Picture, and, more often than not, we come away disappointed that our personal favs didn't make the cut. This year, however, perhaps the most pleasantly surprising pick turned out to be "American Fiction."
Written and directed by Cord Jefferson -- in his feature film debut, no less -- the movie stars Jeffrey Wright as a cynical and jaded novelist who actually has pretty good reason to feel so cynical and jaded.
Good news, cinephiles! First, I will try never to use the word "cinephiles" to describe us ever again. But secondly and much more importantly, movie aficionados will be able to catch one of the best movies of the year ... while also doing a little more prep work ahead of this year's Academy Awards. Where I come from, we call that a win-win.
Every year, we anxiously await the reveal of the nominees for Best Picture, and, more often than not, we come away disappointed that our personal favs didn't make the cut. This year, however, perhaps the most pleasantly surprising pick turned out to be "American Fiction."
Written and directed by Cord Jefferson -- in his feature film debut, no less -- the movie stars Jeffrey Wright as a cynical and jaded novelist who actually has pretty good reason to feel so cynical and jaded.
- 2/6/2024
- by Jeremy Mathai
- Slash Film
American Fiction is a provocative, profound new drama from Cord Jefferson, with exceptional performances from Jeffrey Wright and Sterling K. Brown. Not just our opinion either, but that of the Academy’s, as the film – and both actors – have seen efforts rightly rewarded with Oscar nominations.
To mark the film’s UK release, we had the pleasure of speaking to all three of the aforementioned individuals, to discuss the merits and layers to this film, and also to spotlight each other’s talents. Below you can watch both interviews in their entirety, as we speak to Wright and Brown about the strength of the script, the performances, what it truly means to be Oscar nominated, and of course, about the former’s friendship with David Bowie. Meanwhile we dig into the themes of the film with a fascinating chat with Jefferson. Enjoy!
Jeffrey Wright & Sterling K. Brown
Cord Jefferson
Synopsis...
To mark the film’s UK release, we had the pleasure of speaking to all three of the aforementioned individuals, to discuss the merits and layers to this film, and also to spotlight each other’s talents. Below you can watch both interviews in their entirety, as we speak to Wright and Brown about the strength of the script, the performances, what it truly means to be Oscar nominated, and of course, about the former’s friendship with David Bowie. Meanwhile we dig into the themes of the film with a fascinating chat with Jefferson. Enjoy!
Jeffrey Wright & Sterling K. Brown
Cord Jefferson
Synopsis...
- 2/6/2024
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Toho International’s Godzilla Minus One – with an Oscar nom and a $2.6 million estimated three-day gross – was no. 10 at the U.S. box office in week 9, and hit a milestone Friday. The giant radioactive reptile, on 2,001 screens, became the third highest-grossing foreign-language film Stateside passing Hero and Parasite.
Godzilla’s cume will pass an estimated $55 million this weekend.
The film by Takashi Yamazaki, starring Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe was on about 2,050 screens. The number is quadruple last week’s footprint as it prepares to exit theaters with a bang on Feb. 1. That gives it only a few days to overtake the no. 2 foreign-language film spot currently held by Life Is Beautiful. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in first place remains pretty un-catchable.
Meanwhile, Bollywood has a big one. Hindi action thriller Fighter from Viva Entertainment grossed $3.74 million in 662 locations, for a no. five spot at the...
Godzilla’s cume will pass an estimated $55 million this weekend.
The film by Takashi Yamazaki, starring Ryunosuke Kamiki and Minami Hamabe was on about 2,050 screens. The number is quadruple last week’s footprint as it prepares to exit theaters with a bang on Feb. 1. That gives it only a few days to overtake the no. 2 foreign-language film spot currently held by Life Is Beautiful. Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon in first place remains pretty un-catchable.
Meanwhile, Bollywood has a big one. Hindi action thriller Fighter from Viva Entertainment grossed $3.74 million in 662 locations, for a no. five spot at the...
- 1/28/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the year’s most talked-about scripts continues with writer-director Cord Jefferson’s feature film debut American Fiction.
Adapted from Percival Everett’s 2021 novel Erasure, American Fiction emerges as a hard-hitting commentary on identity, storytelling and the microaggressive terrains of the publishing industry. With a powerhouse ensemble led by Jeffrey Wright and supported by Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, John Ortiz, Leslie Uggams and Adam Brody along with Sterling K. Brown and Issa Rae, the film aims to deconstruct that world as it relates to myriad facets of Black lives.
It centers on Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright), a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, he uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart...
Adapted from Percival Everett’s 2021 novel Erasure, American Fiction emerges as a hard-hitting commentary on identity, storytelling and the microaggressive terrains of the publishing industry. With a powerhouse ensemble led by Jeffrey Wright and supported by Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, John Ortiz, Leslie Uggams and Adam Brody along with Sterling K. Brown and Issa Rae, the film aims to deconstruct that world as it relates to myriad facets of Black lives.
It centers on Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright), a frustrated novelist who’s fed up with the establishment profiting from “Black” entertainment that relies on tired and offensive tropes. To prove his point, he uses a pen name to write an outlandish “Black” book of his own, a book that propels him to the heart...
- 1/3/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Cord Jefferson (‘American Fiction’): ‘I’m really happy people are coming in and enjoying themselves’
“American Fiction” has won over audiences around the world since its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival in September. Often literally: the debut film from writer and director Cord Jefferson has received multiple audience awards from major festivals, including top honors from Toronto attendees.
“From the very beginning, I wanted to make a movie that felt like it was a big-tent film – that it was inviting to a lot of different kinds of people. I didn’t want to make a movie that was for people in New York and Los Angeles,” Jefferson tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview as part of our Meet the Experts: Film Directors panel. “I’m 41, and this is the most divided I’ve ever seen our nation, and, in many ways, the entire world. The only way we move past that reality is if we can find ways to sort...
“From the very beginning, I wanted to make a movie that felt like it was a big-tent film – that it was inviting to a lot of different kinds of people. I didn’t want to make a movie that was for people in New York and Los Angeles,” Jefferson tells Gold Derby in an exclusive video interview as part of our Meet the Experts: Film Directors panel. “I’m 41, and this is the most divided I’ve ever seen our nation, and, in many ways, the entire world. The only way we move past that reality is if we can find ways to sort...
- 12/6/2023
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
After winning Toronto International Film Festival’s people’s choice award, “American Fiction” has pushed back its limited release to Dec. 15 and will expand in theaters on Dec. 22.
MGM announced Wednesday that Cord Jefferson’s feature directorial debut, which was originally set for a Nov. 3 limited opening and would expand on Nov. 10 and 17, has now been moved to December in order to take advantage of the holiday play period.
The satirical dramedy, starring Jeffrey Wright, met with rave reviews out of Toronto and received the festival’s people’s choice award on Sept. 17, bolstering its Oscar chances. Previous winners of the prize such as “Green Book,” “12 Years a Slave” and “Nomadland” went on to be named best picture at the Academy Awards.
Variety film critic Peter Debruge wrote in his review, “First published in 2001 (the year after Spike Lee’s confrontational satire came out), Percival Everett’s novel ‘Erasure’ had fangs.
MGM announced Wednesday that Cord Jefferson’s feature directorial debut, which was originally set for a Nov. 3 limited opening and would expand on Nov. 10 and 17, has now been moved to December in order to take advantage of the holiday play period.
The satirical dramedy, starring Jeffrey Wright, met with rave reviews out of Toronto and received the festival’s people’s choice award on Sept. 17, bolstering its Oscar chances. Previous winners of the prize such as “Green Book,” “12 Years a Slave” and “Nomadland” went on to be named best picture at the Academy Awards.
Variety film critic Peter Debruge wrote in his review, “First published in 2001 (the year after Spike Lee’s confrontational satire came out), Percival Everett’s novel ‘Erasure’ had fangs.
- 9/21/2023
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
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