Amy Sherman-Palladino’s highly anticipated return to original television,”The Marvelous Mrs Maisel,” first premiered back in the spring of 2017 to bubbly, joyous acclaim. The Amazon Prime Video series chronicled the fictitious rise of recently separated Jewish-American housewife Miriam “Midge” Masiel (Rachel Brosnahan), as she pursued an unlikely career change to standup comedy. For its fifth and final season, the show nabbed 14 Emmy nominations including Luke Kirby as real-life comic Lenny Bruce in Best Comedy Guest Actor for the series finale, “Four Minutes.”
Having set the piece in late 1950s New York, Sherman-Palladino didn’t shy away from drawing her character inspirations from real-life figures of the time. Midge, for one, was largely based on trailblazing female comic and legend, Joan Rivers. From her upper-class jewish upbringing to her no-holds-barred style of comedy, the character of Mrs. Maisel was very much indebted to history. So too were other characters in...
Having set the piece in late 1950s New York, Sherman-Palladino didn’t shy away from drawing her character inspirations from real-life figures of the time. Midge, for one, was largely based on trailblazing female comic and legend, Joan Rivers. From her upper-class jewish upbringing to her no-holds-barred style of comedy, the character of Mrs. Maisel was very much indebted to history. So too were other characters in...
- 12/23/2023
- by Nick Bisa
- Gold Derby
When Barbra Streisand delivered her 992-page memoir to her editor at Viking earlier this year, did anyone urge her to cut? Even gently?
Not that it would have done any good, for Streisand has a lot to say and her opus was termed “exhausting, ecstatic and undeniably moving” by the New Yorker this week.
Streisand hasn’t changed. On her first day of shooting On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970), when her director Vincente Minnelli shouted “cut,” she shook her head, saying she intended to keep going.
Minnelli had made great movies like An American In Paris and Gigi and had even survived working with (and being married to) Judy Garland. “One doesn’t say ‘no’ to Minnelli,” Streisand was warned by legendary writer Alan Jay Lerner (My Fair Lady).
Neither had as yet learned their Barbra lesson. Nor had her agent, Sue Mengers, who later tried to...
Not that it would have done any good, for Streisand has a lot to say and her opus was termed “exhausting, ecstatic and undeniably moving” by the New Yorker this week.
Streisand hasn’t changed. On her first day of shooting On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970), when her director Vincente Minnelli shouted “cut,” she shook her head, saying she intended to keep going.
Minnelli had made great movies like An American In Paris and Gigi and had even survived working with (and being married to) Judy Garland. “One doesn’t say ‘no’ to Minnelli,” Streisand was warned by legendary writer Alan Jay Lerner (My Fair Lady).
Neither had as yet learned their Barbra lesson. Nor had her agent, Sue Mengers, who later tried to...
- 12/7/2023
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Barbra Streisand was determined to get Robert Redford to star opposite her in The Way We Were, as detailed in her upcoming memoir, My Name Is Barbra, out on Nov. 7.
“Bob is that rare combination… an intellectual cowboy… a charismatic star who is also one of the finest actors of his generation,” Streisand wrote in an excerpt in Vanity Fair. “But like my husband, he’s almost apologetic about his looks, and I liked that about him.”
She added, “So I wanted Redford for Hubbell. But he turned it down.”
Streisand turned to director Sydney Pollack, a close friend of Redford, for help.
“I have to give Sydney credit,” she confessed. “He was as persistent as I was, because we both felt that only Redford would make the picture work.”
It wasn’t easy.
“Bob was concerned that the script was so focused on Katie that Hubbell’s character was underdeveloped.
“Bob is that rare combination… an intellectual cowboy… a charismatic star who is also one of the finest actors of his generation,” Streisand wrote in an excerpt in Vanity Fair. “But like my husband, he’s almost apologetic about his looks, and I liked that about him.”
She added, “So I wanted Redford for Hubbell. But he turned it down.”
Streisand turned to director Sydney Pollack, a close friend of Redford, for help.
“I have to give Sydney credit,” she confessed. “He was as persistent as I was, because we both felt that only Redford would make the picture work.”
It wasn’t easy.
“Bob was concerned that the script was so focused on Katie that Hubbell’s character was underdeveloped.
- 10/8/2023
- by Bruce Haring
- Deadline Film + TV
Barbra Streisand is looking back at how she convinced Robert Redford to star in the 1973 film The Way We Were after he turned down the role twice.
The romantic drama follows an unlikely couple, Katie Morosky (Streisand) and Hubbell Gardiner (Redford), who fall in love despite political and historical events. The pair must navigate their relationship while trying to overcome fundamental societal beliefs.
In an excerpt from her upcoming memoir, My Name Is Barbra, in Vanity Fair, the actress-singer opens up about what she and director Sydney Pollack went through to get Redford to star opposite Streisand.
“Bob is that rare combination … an intellectual cowboy … a charismatic star who is also one of the finest actors of his generation,” she wrote. “But like my husband, he’s almost apologetic about his looks, and I liked that about him.”
Streisand continued, “So I wanted Redford for Hubbell. But he turned it down.
The romantic drama follows an unlikely couple, Katie Morosky (Streisand) and Hubbell Gardiner (Redford), who fall in love despite political and historical events. The pair must navigate their relationship while trying to overcome fundamental societal beliefs.
In an excerpt from her upcoming memoir, My Name Is Barbra, in Vanity Fair, the actress-singer opens up about what she and director Sydney Pollack went through to get Redford to star opposite Streisand.
“Bob is that rare combination … an intellectual cowboy … a charismatic star who is also one of the finest actors of his generation,” she wrote. “But like my husband, he’s almost apologetic about his looks, and I liked that about him.”
Streisand continued, “So I wanted Redford for Hubbell. But he turned it down.
- 10/8/2023
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Barbra Streisand has revealed in her upcoming memoir “My Name is Barbra” the lengths she went to in order to cast Robert Redford in Sydney Pollack’s 1973 romantic drama “The Way We Were,” even after he initially refused the part.
“The Way We Were” stars Streisand and Redford as Katie and Hubbell, an unlikely couple who fall in love and marry against the backdrop of various political and historical events.
“Bob is that rare combination… an intellectual cowboy… a charismatic star who is also one of the finest actors of his generation,” Streisand wrote in her memoir (via Vanity Fair). “But like my husband, he’s almost apologetic about his looks, and I liked that about him.”
She continued, “So I wanted Redford for Hubbell. But he turned it down.”
Streisand turned to Pollack, who was friends with Redford, to help convince him to take the part. “I have to give Sydney credit,...
“The Way We Were” stars Streisand and Redford as Katie and Hubbell, an unlikely couple who fall in love and marry against the backdrop of various political and historical events.
“Bob is that rare combination… an intellectual cowboy… a charismatic star who is also one of the finest actors of his generation,” Streisand wrote in her memoir (via Vanity Fair). “But like my husband, he’s almost apologetic about his looks, and I liked that about him.”
She continued, “So I wanted Redford for Hubbell. But he turned it down.”
Streisand turned to Pollack, who was friends with Redford, to help convince him to take the part. “I have to give Sydney credit,...
- 10/7/2023
- by Jaden Thompson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Moulin Rouge! The Musical, based on Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 luscious pop classic movie starring Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor and Jim Broadbent, has recouped its costs — not only the $28 million Broadway price tag, but it also recouped sizable sums in London’s West End and Australia.
Luhrmann tells me that it’s “so gratifying that breaking even is such a big deal in the theater.”
As an antipodean, he’s especially gratified with Moulin Rouge!’s hit status in Australia.
“Australia, the English one, the Broadway one — they’ve all done it,” and “that’s down to the relentless drive that Carmen and her team in Australia, New York and London had to fulfill the dictum that the show must go on,” he says with brio in referring to Carmen Pavlovic, CEO of Sydney-based Global Creatures, the principal production company behind Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
“Check with Carmen,” Luhrmann suggests.
Luhrmann tells me that it’s “so gratifying that breaking even is such a big deal in the theater.”
As an antipodean, he’s especially gratified with Moulin Rouge!’s hit status in Australia.
“Australia, the English one, the Broadway one — they’ve all done it,” and “that’s down to the relentless drive that Carmen and her team in Australia, New York and London had to fulfill the dictum that the show must go on,” he says with brio in referring to Carmen Pavlovic, CEO of Sydney-based Global Creatures, the principal production company behind Moulin Rouge! The Musical.
“Check with Carmen,” Luhrmann suggests.
- 7/31/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Jennifer Lawrence is sharing an update on the comedy script she’s been working on with Amy Schumer after first teasing it years ago.
During her Monday appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, a fan asked Lawrence about the project’s lengthy development process. Back in 2015, the Oscar winner told The New York Times that she and Schumer had been writing a screenplay together for a movie in which they intended to star as sisters.
“Ok, if you know anything about me and Amy, it’s that we are lazy,” Lawrence quipped on Wwhl. “It’s not that it’s off — it’s on. It’s just going at our pace.”
Host Andy Cohen also asked the No Hard Feelings star about the planned biopic of Sue Mengers following reports in 2021 that the actress was attached to star as the legendary talent agent who died in 2011 at the...
During her Monday appearance on Bravo’s Watch What Happens Live, a fan asked Lawrence about the project’s lengthy development process. Back in 2015, the Oscar winner told The New York Times that she and Schumer had been writing a screenplay together for a movie in which they intended to star as sisters.
“Ok, if you know anything about me and Amy, it’s that we are lazy,” Lawrence quipped on Wwhl. “It’s not that it’s off — it’s on. It’s just going at our pace.”
Host Andy Cohen also asked the No Hard Feelings star about the planned biopic of Sue Mengers following reports in 2021 that the actress was attached to star as the legendary talent agent who died in 2011 at the...
- 6/28/2023
- by Ryan Gajewski
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence gets down as a desperate woman looking to sell her body for a new car in the latest comedy from “Good Boys” director Gene Stupnitsky.
Lawrence stars as Maddie, an Uber driver whose car gets impounded and resorts to high-class sex work by answering a Craigslist ad posted by wealthy parents, played by Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti, looking to help their 19-year-old son (Andrew Feldman) lose his virginity.
On the brink of losing her childhood home, Maddie (Lawrence) discovers an intriguing job listing: wealthy helicopter parents looking for someone to “date” their introverted 19-year-old son, Percy (Feldman), before he leaves for college. To her surprise, Maddie soon discovers the awkward Percy is no sure thing.
Lawrence promises to “date his brains out” in the interview but soon learns that Percy is “unfuckable” due to his dorkiness. The “American Hustle” actress also serves as a producer on the film,...
Lawrence stars as Maddie, an Uber driver whose car gets impounded and resorts to high-class sex work by answering a Craigslist ad posted by wealthy parents, played by Matthew Broderick and Laura Benanti, looking to help their 19-year-old son (Andrew Feldman) lose his virginity.
On the brink of losing her childhood home, Maddie (Lawrence) discovers an intriguing job listing: wealthy helicopter parents looking for someone to “date” their introverted 19-year-old son, Percy (Feldman), before he leaves for college. To her surprise, Maddie soon discovers the awkward Percy is no sure thing.
Lawrence promises to “date his brains out” in the interview but soon learns that Percy is “unfuckable” due to his dorkiness. The “American Hustle” actress also serves as a producer on the film,...
- 3/9/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
At the 25th Costume Designers Guild Awards (CDGAs) on Feb. 27 at L.A.’s Fairmont Century Plaza, special honorees will include costume designers Deborah L. Scott (Avatar: The Way of Water) and Rachael M. Stanley (Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Ally McBeal); Black Panther: Wakanda Forever Oscar nominee Angela Bassett, who will receive the Spotlight Award; and Bette Midler, who will be recognized with the Distinguished Collaborator Award.
Midler jokes with THR that the Costume Designers Guild award recognizes her “willingness to stand in front of a mirror for hours on end! What could be more delightful?” All kidding aside, Midler continues, “A great costume is like a second skin; you feel as if you belong in it. It’s very freeing because it provides so much information to the audience, and you don’t have to work so hard.”
Midler got an early taste of the work that goes into...
Midler jokes with THR that the Costume Designers Guild award recognizes her “willingness to stand in front of a mirror for hours on end! What could be more delightful?” All kidding aside, Midler continues, “A great costume is like a second skin; you feel as if you belong in it. It’s very freeing because it provides so much information to the audience, and you don’t have to work so hard.”
Midler got an early taste of the work that goes into...
- 2/26/2023
- by Degen Pener
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jennifer Lawrence has joined the cast of ‘You Were Never Really Here’ filmmaker Lynne Ramsay’s ‘Die, My Love.’
The adaptation is based on Ariana Harwicz’s novel of the same name. Based in the French countryside. The story follows a woman who is battling her demons: embracing exclusion yet wanting to belong, craving freedom whilst feeling trapped, and yearning for family life but wanting to burn the entire house down.
Given surprising leeway by her family for her increasingly erratic behaviour, she nevertheless feels ever more stifled and repressed.
Also in news – Lupita Nyong’o cast in ‘A Quiet Place’ Spinoff ‘Day One’
“It reads like Sylvia Plath, especially because it’s about a woman suffering from postpartum and cycling into madness. And Martin Scorsese is producing” Lawrence stated in an interview with the New York Times.
Martin Scorsese is on board to produce the project.
Lawrence also teased her...
The adaptation is based on Ariana Harwicz’s novel of the same name. Based in the French countryside. The story follows a woman who is battling her demons: embracing exclusion yet wanting to belong, craving freedom whilst feeling trapped, and yearning for family life but wanting to burn the entire house down.
Given surprising leeway by her family for her increasingly erratic behaviour, she nevertheless feels ever more stifled and repressed.
Also in news – Lupita Nyong’o cast in ‘A Quiet Place’ Spinoff ‘Day One’
“It reads like Sylvia Plath, especially because it’s about a woman suffering from postpartum and cycling into madness. And Martin Scorsese is producing” Lawrence stated in an interview with the New York Times.
Martin Scorsese is on board to produce the project.
Lawrence also teased her...
- 11/3/2022
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Click here to read the full article.
Jennifer Lawrence says she has departed Adam McKay’s Bad Blood, the writer-director’s take on Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’ fraud controversy.
The New York Times‘ Kyle Buchanan was first to report the departure, tweeting what Lawrence had told him about the decision following the publication of his profile on the Causeway star. The Times awards season columnist said the decision followed Lawrence seeing Amanda Seyfried play Holmes in the Hulu limited series The Dropout.
“I thought she was terrific,” Lawrence, who was also a producer on the film, told Buchanan. “I was like, ‘Yeah, we don’t need to redo that.’ She did it.”
Picked up by Apple in December 2021, Bad Blood had Lawrence attached to pull double-duty as lead actress and producer, with McKay writing and directing. It was a reteaming for the duo following their work on the Oscar-nominated Don’t Look Up.
Jennifer Lawrence says she has departed Adam McKay’s Bad Blood, the writer-director’s take on Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes’ fraud controversy.
The New York Times‘ Kyle Buchanan was first to report the departure, tweeting what Lawrence had told him about the decision following the publication of his profile on the Causeway star. The Times awards season columnist said the decision followed Lawrence seeing Amanda Seyfried play Holmes in the Hulu limited series The Dropout.
“I thought she was terrific,” Lawrence, who was also a producer on the film, told Buchanan. “I was like, ‘Yeah, we don’t need to redo that.’ She did it.”
Picked up by Apple in December 2021, Bad Blood had Lawrence attached to pull double-duty as lead actress and producer, with McKay writing and directing. It was a reteaming for the duo following their work on the Oscar-nominated Don’t Look Up.
- 11/2/2022
- by Abbey White
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jennifer Lawrence will no longer be playing Theranos CEO Elizabeth Holmes in Adam McKay’s film “Bad Blood.”
Lawrence revealed the development during interviews with The New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan for a profile he wrote on her for the publication, according to a tweet by the reporter.
Lawrence said she dropped out of the film after watching Amanda Seyfried’s Emmy award-winning performance as Holmes in Hulu’s “The Dropout.”
“I thought she was terrific,” the actress said, according to Buchanan. “I was like, ‘Yeah, we don’t need to redo that. She did it.'”
Also Read:
Jennifer Lawrence Reveals Lynne Ramsay Will Direct Her in ‘Die, My Love’
Seyfried won her first Emmy Award in September for her role in “The Dropout,” for best actress in a limited series or TV movie.
The production plans for “Bad Blood” were revealed in January 2021, with McKay set to direct,...
Lawrence revealed the development during interviews with The New York Times’ Kyle Buchanan for a profile he wrote on her for the publication, according to a tweet by the reporter.
Lawrence said she dropped out of the film after watching Amanda Seyfried’s Emmy award-winning performance as Holmes in Hulu’s “The Dropout.”
“I thought she was terrific,” the actress said, according to Buchanan. “I was like, ‘Yeah, we don’t need to redo that. She did it.'”
Also Read:
Jennifer Lawrence Reveals Lynne Ramsay Will Direct Her in ‘Die, My Love’
Seyfried won her first Emmy Award in September for her role in “The Dropout,” for best actress in a limited series or TV movie.
The production plans for “Bad Blood” were revealed in January 2021, with McKay set to direct,...
- 11/2/2022
- by Aarohi Sheth
- The Wrap
Jennifer Lawrence has revealed she and Lynne Ramsay are planning to collaborate in film adaptation of Ariana Harwicz’s “Die, My Love.”
The film is an intimate portrait of a woman in rural France who is driven to insanity amid marriage and motherhood. As of now, there’s no word on when the film will be released.
Ramsay, though, is a star in her own right, as she’s has directed several hit films, including “Ratcatcher,” “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” “Morven Callar” and “You Were Never Really There.”
Also Read:
Jennifer Lawrence Is a Veteran Struggling to Recover Her Memories in Emotional Trailer for ‘Causeway’ (Video)
In a New York Times profile, the “Silver Linings Playbook” actress spoke about her role in the upcoming Apple TV+ drama “Causeway,” in which she plays a soldier who struggles to adjust to her life upon returning to her New Orleans hometown.
The film is an intimate portrait of a woman in rural France who is driven to insanity amid marriage and motherhood. As of now, there’s no word on when the film will be released.
Ramsay, though, is a star in her own right, as she’s has directed several hit films, including “Ratcatcher,” “We Need to Talk About Kevin,” “Morven Callar” and “You Were Never Really There.”
Also Read:
Jennifer Lawrence Is a Veteran Struggling to Recover Her Memories in Emotional Trailer for ‘Causeway’ (Video)
In a New York Times profile, the “Silver Linings Playbook” actress spoke about her role in the upcoming Apple TV+ drama “Causeway,” in which she plays a soldier who struggles to adjust to her life upon returning to her New Orleans hometown.
- 11/2/2022
- by Aarohi Sheth
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
Jennifer Lawrence is fed up.
During a new interview with Vogue, conducted days after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, the Oscar-winning actress got heated while sharing a new perspective she’s formed around politics and civic engagement. “I can’t fuck with people who aren’t political anymore. You live in the United States of America. You have to be political. It’s too dire. Politics are killing people.”
The subject is personal for Lawrence, who shared how politics have created a rift with family members in Kentucky, specifically her father.
“I just worked so hard in the last five years to forgive my dad and my family and try to understand: It’s different. The information they are getting is different. Their life is different,” she explained of the divide, which revealed itself after the election of Donald Trump. “I...
Jennifer Lawrence is fed up.
During a new interview with Vogue, conducted days after the Supreme Court reversed Roe v. Wade, the Oscar-winning actress got heated while sharing a new perspective she’s formed around politics and civic engagement. “I can’t fuck with people who aren’t political anymore. You live in the United States of America. You have to be political. It’s too dire. Politics are killing people.”
The subject is personal for Lawrence, who shared how politics have created a rift with family members in Kentucky, specifically her father.
“I just worked so hard in the last five years to forgive my dad and my family and try to understand: It’s different. The information they are getting is different. Their life is different,” she explained of the divide, which revealed itself after the election of Donald Trump. “I...
- 9/6/2022
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Iac Films, Ipr.Vc, Excellent Cadaver and A24 producing.
Apple Original Films has added A24 Jennifer Lawrence drama Causeway to its slate and is planning a global debut in theatres and on Apple TV+ later this year.
Lila Neugebauer directs Lawrence as a soldier struggling to adjust to her life after returning home to New Orleans. Emmy nominee Brian Tyree Henry, whose credits include Atlanta and upcoming action thriller Bullet Train, co-stars.
Apple did not confirm at time of writing whether the title will be part of its awards season slate. Ottessa Moshfegh and Luke Goebel, and Elizabeth Sanders co-wrote the screenplay.
Apple Original Films has added A24 Jennifer Lawrence drama Causeway to its slate and is planning a global debut in theatres and on Apple TV+ later this year.
Lila Neugebauer directs Lawrence as a soldier struggling to adjust to her life after returning home to New Orleans. Emmy nominee Brian Tyree Henry, whose credits include Atlanta and upcoming action thriller Bullet Train, co-stars.
Apple did not confirm at time of writing whether the title will be part of its awards season slate. Ottessa Moshfegh and Luke Goebel, and Elizabeth Sanders co-wrote the screenplay.
- 7/20/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Apple Original Films continues to expand on its diverse film slate as it has landed the rights to Causeway, a new film starring and produced by Academy Award-winner Jennifer Lawrence, and directed by Lila Neugebauer. A24 produced and developed the project. The film will make its global debut in-theaters and on Apple TV+ later this year.
The pic is an intimate portrait of a soldier struggling to adjust to her life after returning home to New Orleans. Brian Tyree Henry is set to co-star alongside Lawrence. Filmed in New Orleans, the A24 film is written by Ottessa Moshfegh & Luke Goebel and Elizabeth Sanders. Lawrence produces alongside Justine Ciarrocchi for Excellent Cadaver. In addition to directing, Neugebauer serves as executive producer. “Causeway” is produced by Iac Films, Ipr.Vc, Excellent Cadaver, and A24.
The film marks the latest project for Apple Original Films and Lawrence, who is attached to star in and...
The pic is an intimate portrait of a soldier struggling to adjust to her life after returning home to New Orleans. Brian Tyree Henry is set to co-star alongside Lawrence. Filmed in New Orleans, the A24 film is written by Ottessa Moshfegh & Luke Goebel and Elizabeth Sanders. Lawrence produces alongside Justine Ciarrocchi for Excellent Cadaver. In addition to directing, Neugebauer serves as executive producer. “Causeway” is produced by Iac Films, Ipr.Vc, Excellent Cadaver, and A24.
The film marks the latest project for Apple Original Films and Lawrence, who is attached to star in and...
- 7/20/2022
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Jennifer Lawrence and A24’s long-gestating feature “Causeway” has found a home at Apple Original Films.
The Oscar-winning actress will produce and star in the drama about a veteran having a hard time transitioning to life at home in New Orleans. Two-time Emmy nominee Brian Tyree Henry will co-star in an unspecified role.
Lila Neugebauer directed from a script by Luke Goebel, Elizabeth Sanders, and best-selling author Ottessa Moshfegh.
Also Read:
Apple Lands Jennifer Lawrence and Adam McKay’s Elizabeth Holmes Film ‘Bad Blood’
As previously reported, Lawrence and Justine Ciarrocchi produced through their banner Excellent Cadaver. Scott Rudin and Eli Bush, who were attached when the film was announced in 2019, are no longer listed as producers.
“Causeway” is produced by Iac Films, Ipr.Vc, Excellent Cadaver, and A24. Neugebauer serves as executive producer.
Apple is set to release the film in theaters globally and on Apple TV+ later this year.
The Oscar-winning actress will produce and star in the drama about a veteran having a hard time transitioning to life at home in New Orleans. Two-time Emmy nominee Brian Tyree Henry will co-star in an unspecified role.
Lila Neugebauer directed from a script by Luke Goebel, Elizabeth Sanders, and best-selling author Ottessa Moshfegh.
Also Read:
Apple Lands Jennifer Lawrence and Adam McKay’s Elizabeth Holmes Film ‘Bad Blood’
As previously reported, Lawrence and Justine Ciarrocchi produced through their banner Excellent Cadaver. Scott Rudin and Eli Bush, who were attached when the film was announced in 2019, are no longer listed as producers.
“Causeway” is produced by Iac Films, Ipr.Vc, Excellent Cadaver, and A24. Neugebauer serves as executive producer.
Apple is set to release the film in theaters globally and on Apple TV+ later this year.
- 7/20/2022
- by Harper Lambert
- The Wrap
“It was like a palace of pitching. There’s never been any place like it.”
An agent friend was describing the sprawling and frenetic Netflix reception lobby, which was an almost weekly destination for him and clients. It was so packed with dealmakers that projects were often re-shaped and re-packaged even before the Netflix pitch took place.
Given news of 450 layoffs at the streamer, the pitching palace has become a cathedral of calm. With Netflix likely to lose 2 million global subscribers this quarter, its present priority is to trim costs while building an ad-supported tier to generate fresh revenue.
The behavior of Netflix employees has reflected this change. “I’m taking pitches for shows all morning, then checking out job possibilities in the afternoon,” reports one Netflix executive I’ve known for years. “If I hear one more person lecturing me about ‘resilience,’ I’ll deck him.”
Inevitably, turbulence in...
An agent friend was describing the sprawling and frenetic Netflix reception lobby, which was an almost weekly destination for him and clients. It was so packed with dealmakers that projects were often re-shaped and re-packaged even before the Netflix pitch took place.
Given news of 450 layoffs at the streamer, the pitching palace has become a cathedral of calm. With Netflix likely to lose 2 million global subscribers this quarter, its present priority is to trim costs while building an ad-supported tier to generate fresh revenue.
The behavior of Netflix employees has reflected this change. “I’m taking pitches for shows all morning, then checking out job possibilities in the afternoon,” reports one Netflix executive I’ve known for years. “If I hear one more person lecturing me about ‘resilience,’ I’ll deck him.”
Inevitably, turbulence in...
- 6/30/2022
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: John Burnham, a cornerstone talent and literary agent who has spent more than 25 years at ICM Partners, is leaving to become a manager and partner at Atlas Artists and Atlas Literary, the Atlas Entertainment subsidiary. The exit is amicable, and Burnham will bring with him a client list of renowned writers, filmmakers and actors he now will represent as a manager.
The long list of clients that will follow him includes Oscar, Emmy and Pulitzer winners. The roster includes Brandon Cronenberg, John Cusack, Stephen Dorff, Diane English, Kleber Mendonca Filho, Stephen Frears, Walter Hill, Felicity Huffman, Adrian Lyne, Sophia Macy, William H. Macy, Clara Mamet, David Mamet, Joe Mantegna, Nicholas Martin, Elaine May, Malcolm Mays, Takashi Miike, Pat McKinley, Keith McNally, David Milch, Rob Reiner, Emma Tammi, Caroline Thompson, David Twohy, Wayne Wang, Peter Weir, Alice Winn, John Woo and Terry Zwigoff. Others will follow as his exit gets sorted.
The long list of clients that will follow him includes Oscar, Emmy and Pulitzer winners. The roster includes Brandon Cronenberg, John Cusack, Stephen Dorff, Diane English, Kleber Mendonca Filho, Stephen Frears, Walter Hill, Felicity Huffman, Adrian Lyne, Sophia Macy, William H. Macy, Clara Mamet, David Mamet, Joe Mantegna, Nicholas Martin, Elaine May, Malcolm Mays, Takashi Miike, Pat McKinley, Keith McNally, David Milch, Rob Reiner, Emma Tammi, Caroline Thompson, David Twohy, Wayne Wang, Peter Weir, Alice Winn, John Woo and Terry Zwigoff. Others will follow as his exit gets sorted.
- 4/11/2022
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Apple on Tuesday unveiled new details with regard to its upcoming movie slate, including premiere dates for its titles Cha Cha Real Smooth and Luck, along with a series of first-look photos from titles including Argylle, Raymond and Ray and The Greatest Beer Run Ever.
Writer-director Cooper Raif’s Sundance Dramatic Audience Award winner Cha Cha Real Smooth will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on June 17, with Skydance’s animated feature Luck starring Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Flula Borg, Lil Rel Howery, Colin O’Donoghue, John Ratzenberger and Adelynn Spoon set to premiere August 5. Also premiering this summer is Apple’s untitled documentary about the career and life of the late Sidney Poitier, exec produced by Oprah Winfrey and directed by Reginald Hudlin.
In the fall, Apple will release titles including the feature doc Black & Blues: The Colorful Ballad of Louis Armstrong, produced under Apple’s first-look...
Writer-director Cooper Raif’s Sundance Dramatic Audience Award winner Cha Cha Real Smooth will premiere globally on Apple TV+ on June 17, with Skydance’s animated feature Luck starring Jane Fonda, Whoopi Goldberg, Eva Noblezada, Simon Pegg, Flula Borg, Lil Rel Howery, Colin O’Donoghue, John Ratzenberger and Adelynn Spoon set to premiere August 5. Also premiering this summer is Apple’s untitled documentary about the career and life of the late Sidney Poitier, exec produced by Oprah Winfrey and directed by Reginald Hudlin.
In the fall, Apple will release titles including the feature doc Black & Blues: The Colorful Ballad of Louis Armstrong, produced under Apple’s first-look...
- 3/8/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
By Lee Pfeiffer
I know I'm not only getting old, but I'm there already. That's apparent in the fact that I remember seeing the 1981 comedy "All Night Long" at an advanced critic's screening in New York. Back in those prehistoric days before the internet, you had to read trade industry publications to get the background story or buzz on forthcoming films. Sure, the general public was always aware that expensive epics were experiencing production problems, but everyday movie fans were generally unaware of the scuttlebutt on mid-range fare. Within industry circles, however, the word-of-mouth was negative about the film despite the fact that it starred Gene Hackman and Barbra Streisand, both then very much at the peak of their acting careers. The film had gone through some almost surrealistic production problems that involved high profile people and had come in massively over the original budget estimate. I recalled thinking the...
I know I'm not only getting old, but I'm there already. That's apparent in the fact that I remember seeing the 1981 comedy "All Night Long" at an advanced critic's screening in New York. Back in those prehistoric days before the internet, you had to read trade industry publications to get the background story or buzz on forthcoming films. Sure, the general public was always aware that expensive epics were experiencing production problems, but everyday movie fans were generally unaware of the scuttlebutt on mid-range fare. Within industry circles, however, the word-of-mouth was negative about the film despite the fact that it starred Gene Hackman and Barbra Streisand, both then very much at the peak of their acting careers. The film had gone through some almost surrealistic production problems that involved high profile people and had come in massively over the original budget estimate. I recalled thinking the...
- 3/6/2022
- by nospam@example.com (Cinema Retro)
- Cinemaretro.com
Exclusive: Sony Pictures is closing a deal for No Hard Feelings, an edgy comic vehicle for Jennifer Lawrence that will be directed by Gene Stupnitsky. Sony prevailed in stiff competition.
Script was written by Stupnitsky, whose credits range from The Office to Bad Teacher and Good Boys. He wrote the script with John Phillips. This is an R-rated comedy very much in that spirit, a raucous comedy in the vein of Bad Teacher and There’s Something About Mary.
Sony won the deal for a sizeable sum and its zeal to provide a theatrical release for the comedy. Producers include Alex Saks, Marc Provissiero, Naomi Odenkirk, Lawrence and Justine Polsky.
Unclear where the picture factors into the dance card of Lawrence, who has several films vying for her next slot. They include the Paolo Sorrentino-directed film about the late Hollywood super agent Sue Mengers for Apple, and the Adam McKay...
Script was written by Stupnitsky, whose credits range from The Office to Bad Teacher and Good Boys. He wrote the script with John Phillips. This is an R-rated comedy very much in that spirit, a raucous comedy in the vein of Bad Teacher and There’s Something About Mary.
Sony won the deal for a sizeable sum and its zeal to provide a theatrical release for the comedy. Producers include Alex Saks, Marc Provissiero, Naomi Odenkirk, Lawrence and Justine Polsky.
Unclear where the picture factors into the dance card of Lawrence, who has several films vying for her next slot. They include the Paolo Sorrentino-directed film about the late Hollywood super agent Sue Mengers for Apple, and the Adam McKay...
- 10/13/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
There are infinite anecdotes about what happened to our best-laid plans when the coronavirus hit. But in the context of Hollywood, one must stop and appreciate the unique pain of Erik Feig — a veteran film executive whose rogue production and financing company Picturestart was only months into its infancy when the global shutdown arrived.
Funded by a consortium of top private and strategic investors, former Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Feig’s vision was to serve distinct voices with a uniquely pliable infrastructure. A shop that could fully or partially finance and produce indie-to-mid-budget films without the deep pockets of streaming or tie-ups with the studios. One that could foster talent, cross it over into new mediums and offer full marketing services. Covid-19 scrambled those ambitions.
“The thing I came back to, the principle behind why we set up Picturestart, was to be strong but flexible. Everything we make...
Funded by a consortium of top private and strategic investors, former Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Feig’s vision was to serve distinct voices with a uniquely pliable infrastructure. A shop that could fully or partially finance and produce indie-to-mid-budget films without the deep pockets of streaming or tie-ups with the studios. One that could foster talent, cross it over into new mediums and offer full marketing services. Covid-19 scrambled those ambitions.
“The thing I came back to, the principle behind why we set up Picturestart, was to be strong but flexible. Everything we make...
- 10/7/2021
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has dropped the teaser trailer and art for Paolo Sorrentino’s upcoming The Hand Of God. The latest from the maker of Oscar winner The Great Beauty will world premiere in competition at the Venice Film Festival on September 2. It then releases in select cinemas in Italy on November 24, followed by the rest of the world on December 3 and on Netflix on December 15. Check out the powerful teaser above and the new poster below.
For the film, Sorrentino returned to his hometown to shoot what is billed as his most personal story yet, that of a young man’s heartbreak and liberation in 1980s Naples. The Hand Of God centers on Fabietto Schisa (newcomer Filippo Scotti), an awkward Italian teen whose life and vibrant, eccentric family are suddenly upended — first by the electrifying arrival of soccer legend Diego Maradona, and then by a shocking accident from which Maradona inadvertently saves Fabietto,...
For the film, Sorrentino returned to his hometown to shoot what is billed as his most personal story yet, that of a young man’s heartbreak and liberation in 1980s Naples. The Hand Of God centers on Fabietto Schisa (newcomer Filippo Scotti), an awkward Italian teen whose life and vibrant, eccentric family are suddenly upended — first by the electrifying arrival of soccer legend Diego Maradona, and then by a shocking accident from which Maradona inadvertently saves Fabietto,...
- 8/19/2021
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
Variety’s annual report on the biggest movie stars’ salaries reveals it cost around $55 million to combine the A-list talents of Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Lawrence onscreen. The two Oscar-winning actors are leading Adam McKay’s Netflix comedy “Don’t Look Up” in what is easily the biggest star pairing of the year. While $20 million paydays are the norm for both actors, DiCaprio received a reported $30 million salary and Lawrence a reported $25 million salary for “Don’t Look Up.”
DiCaprio and Lawrence star in “Don’t Look Up” as two low-level astronomers forced to travel around the U.S. to warn the population that a giant meteor is heading straight toward the planet and will destroy it. The two Oscar winners are joined in the movie by Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Rob Morgan, Ron Perlman, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Mark Rylance, and Cate Blanchett. When the film first came together, THR...
DiCaprio and Lawrence star in “Don’t Look Up” as two low-level astronomers forced to travel around the U.S. to warn the population that a giant meteor is heading straight toward the planet and will destroy it. The two Oscar winners are joined in the movie by Meryl Streep, Jonah Hill, Rob Morgan, Ron Perlman, Timothée Chalamet, Ariana Grande, Kid Cudi, Mark Rylance, and Cate Blanchett. When the film first came together, THR...
- 8/18/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Academy Award-winning Italian director Paolo Sorrentino (“La Grande Bellezza,” “The Young Pope“) and Academy Award-winning actress Jennifer Lawrence are teaming up for an untitled biopic about the trailblazing Hollywood superagent Sue Mengers. Mengers crashed the Hollywood boys club of agenting in the ’60s and ’70s with an outsized personality to go with her client list that included actors like Barbra Streisand, Candice Bergen, Peter Bogdanovich, Michael Caine, Dyan Cannon, Cher, Joan Collins, and many more.
Read More: Jennifer Lawrence To Star In Paolo Sorrentino’s Superagent Project; Starts $80 Million Streaming Bidding War
Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo, and John Logan wrote the screenplay.
Continue reading Apple Expected To Land Sue Mengers Biopic Starring Jennifer Lawrence & Directed By Paolo Sorrentino at The Playlist.
Read More: Jennifer Lawrence To Star In Paolo Sorrentino’s Superagent Project; Starts $80 Million Streaming Bidding War
Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo, and John Logan wrote the screenplay.
Continue reading Apple Expected To Land Sue Mengers Biopic Starring Jennifer Lawrence & Directed By Paolo Sorrentino at The Playlist.
- 8/15/2021
- by Christopher Marc
- The Playlist
Exclusive: We are hearing that Apple will emerge victorious for the big Sue Mengers biopic project we told you about on Sunday night with Oscar winner Jennifer Lawrence circling and Paolo Sorrentino attached to direct. Apple is in advanced talks to get this coveted package which came down to a run-off between the tech corp’s Original Films division and Netflix. There are still moving parts here and details are being worked out.
Apple recently shelled out $200M for a huge Matthew Vaughn feature Argylle. They also spent $120M+ for the global rights to Emancipation, the film package with Antoine Fuqua directing and Will Smith starring, and made a big commitment to Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, all of which Deadline first reported.
Pic is being written by Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo and John Logan. Erik Feig and his Picturestart are producing. Lawrence’s producing partner Justine Polsky is also producing.
Apple recently shelled out $200M for a huge Matthew Vaughn feature Argylle. They also spent $120M+ for the global rights to Emancipation, the film package with Antoine Fuqua directing and Will Smith starring, and made a big commitment to Martin Scorsese’s Killers of the Flower Moon, all of which Deadline first reported.
Pic is being written by Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo and John Logan. Erik Feig and his Picturestart are producing. Lawrence’s producing partner Justine Polsky is also producing.
- 8/13/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro and Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
• Av Club Sue Mengers superagent biopic in the works with Jennifer Lawrence to star and Paolo Sorrentino behind the camera. You may recall that Sue Mengers got this treatment on Broadway already with the play "I'll Eat You Last" starring Bette Midler
• Collider in unexpected casting news Luiz Guzmán is the new Gomez Addams in a future live-action Netflix series spun off from The Addams Family
• Mnpp the first poster for Parallel Mothers is never going to make it to the US
• Celebitchy Looks like Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander had a baby during those couple of years when neither of them were in the press or on the screen
Gemma Chan, Beanie Feldstein, West Side Story's non-reopening on Broadway, South Park forever more, Clue memories, Zola tweets and more after the jump...
• Collider in unexpected casting news Luiz Guzmán is the new Gomez Addams in a future live-action Netflix series spun off from The Addams Family
• Mnpp the first poster for Parallel Mothers is never going to make it to the US
• Celebitchy Looks like Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander had a baby during those couple of years when neither of them were in the press or on the screen
Gemma Chan, Beanie Feldstein, West Side Story's non-reopening on Broadway, South Park forever more, Clue memories, Zola tweets and more after the jump...
- 8/10/2021
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Jennifer Lawrence‘s last film was Dark Phoenix in 2019. But she has a new movie with Leonardo DiCaprio coming this year, Don’t Look Up, and now a bidding war has opened over her next project, a biopic about talent agent Sue Mengers. Deadline reports that Lawrence is circling the Mengers project and director Paolo Sorrentino (The […]
The post Jennifer Lawrence and Paolo Sorrentino Project, About Hollywood Superagent Sue Mengers, Sparks Bidding War appeared first on /Film.
The post Jennifer Lawrence and Paolo Sorrentino Project, About Hollywood Superagent Sue Mengers, Sparks Bidding War appeared first on /Film.
- 8/10/2021
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
After not appearing on screen for the last few years, Jennifer Lawrence is gearing up for quite a return. With Adam McKay’s star-studded ensemble film Don’t Look Up arriving later this year and Lila Neugebauer’s Red, White and Water still in post-production, the actress now has another major project lined up.
She’s set to star in a new biopic centered on famous talent agent Sue Mengers, directed by Italy’s Paolo Sorrentino. As reported by Matt Belloni and confirmed by Deadline, the film is scripted by Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo, and John Logan, and is the subject of an $80 million streaming war between Apple and Netflix, which includes a $20 million payday for Lawrence.
Mengers, who passed away in 2011, was a major force in 1960s and 1970s Hollywood, breaking into a boys club to represent stars and filmmakers like Candice Bergen, Gene Hackman, Peter Bogdanovich, Barbra Streisand,...
She’s set to star in a new biopic centered on famous talent agent Sue Mengers, directed by Italy’s Paolo Sorrentino. As reported by Matt Belloni and confirmed by Deadline, the film is scripted by Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo, and John Logan, and is the subject of an $80 million streaming war between Apple and Netflix, which includes a $20 million payday for Lawrence.
Mengers, who passed away in 2011, was a major force in 1960s and 1970s Hollywood, breaking into a boys club to represent stars and filmmakers like Candice Bergen, Gene Hackman, Peter Bogdanovich, Barbra Streisand,...
- 8/9/2021
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Another day, another bidding war.
Apple and Netflix are among the deep-pocketed steaming services willing to shell out big money to land an Oscar-baity film. In this case, it’s for the chance to see Jennifer Lawrence playing Sue Mengers, a legendary super agent who donned a caftan-like a suit of armor and wielded a joint like a mace while trying to get the best deal possible for her A-list clients. Paolo Sorrentino, an Oscar winner for “The Great Beauty,” is attached to direct from a script by Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo and John Logan. The film will be produced by Excellent Cadaver, Lawrence’s production company, as well as by her producing partner Justine Polsky. Bidding has reportedly eclipsed $80 million and there are some mutterings it has reached $95 million, which means a big payday for Lawrence, Sorrentino and company, one that they likely would not receive from studios interested in pesky things like,...
Apple and Netflix are among the deep-pocketed steaming services willing to shell out big money to land an Oscar-baity film. In this case, it’s for the chance to see Jennifer Lawrence playing Sue Mengers, a legendary super agent who donned a caftan-like a suit of armor and wielded a joint like a mace while trying to get the best deal possible for her A-list clients. Paolo Sorrentino, an Oscar winner for “The Great Beauty,” is attached to direct from a script by Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo and John Logan. The film will be produced by Excellent Cadaver, Lawrence’s production company, as well as by her producing partner Justine Polsky. Bidding has reportedly eclipsed $80 million and there are some mutterings it has reached $95 million, which means a big payday for Lawrence, Sorrentino and company, one that they likely would not receive from studios interested in pesky things like,...
- 8/9/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Top streamers such as Apple and Netflix are reportedly bidding on a biopic about legendary Hollywood talent agent Sue Mengers, with Jennifer Lawrence tapped to the star in the lead role and Paolo Sorrentino on board to direct. Deadline confirmed the hot package is being shopped around, adding: “We hear that Apple is in the mix for the Sue Mengers project, and has read the script with Netflix also buzzed to be another contender for the project.”
Matthew Belloni, former editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter, also confirmed Apple and Netflix are two of the big contenders for Lawrence and Sorrentino’s Sue Mengers movie. Writing in his “What I’m Hearing…” newsletter, Belloni shared that the “Apple bid is in the $80 million range, says one source, including the $20 million-plus fee for Lawrence to star and produce with partner Justine Polsky via their Excellent Cadaver shingle.” John Logan, Lauren Schuker Blum,...
Matthew Belloni, former editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter, also confirmed Apple and Netflix are two of the big contenders for Lawrence and Sorrentino’s Sue Mengers movie. Writing in his “What I’m Hearing…” newsletter, Belloni shared that the “Apple bid is in the $80 million range, says one source, including the $20 million-plus fee for Lawrence to star and produce with partner Justine Polsky via their Excellent Cadaver shingle.” John Logan, Lauren Schuker Blum,...
- 8/9/2021
- by Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
Streamers Bidding On Superagent Sue Mengers Biopic Package With Jennifer Lawrence & Paolo Sorrentino
A big biopic project about famed talent agent Sue Mengers is being shopped around town Deadline has confirmed with Oscar winners Jennifer Lawrence circling and filmmaker Paolo Sorrentino attached. Lauren Schuker Blum, Rebecca Angelo and John Logan wrote the screenplay about the female agent who crashed the Hollywood boys club of agenting with her brandishing an outsized personality to go with her client list.
We hear that Apple is in the mix for the Sue Mengers project, and has read the script with Netflix also buzzed to be another contender for the project. Apple and Netflix did not return calls tonight when reached.
Mengers had stints at McA, ICM and Wma, and she repped a list of clients that at one time or other included Barbra Streisand, Candice Bergen, Peter Bogdanovich, Michael Caine, Dyan Cannon, Cher, Joan Collins, Brian De Palma, Faye Dunaway, Bob Fosse, Gene Hackman, Sidney Lumet, Ali McGraw,...
We hear that Apple is in the mix for the Sue Mengers project, and has read the script with Netflix also buzzed to be another contender for the project. Apple and Netflix did not return calls tonight when reached.
Mengers had stints at McA, ICM and Wma, and she repped a list of clients that at one time or other included Barbra Streisand, Candice Bergen, Peter Bogdanovich, Michael Caine, Dyan Cannon, Cher, Joan Collins, Brian De Palma, Faye Dunaway, Bob Fosse, Gene Hackman, Sidney Lumet, Ali McGraw,...
- 8/9/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The parties within its walls were glitzy, the arguments were epic and the scandals provided perfect gossip fuel. If only houses could talk: This one, however, is a battered shadow of its proud Regency past, its interior walls torn apart, trucks parked on its tennis court. Its only occasional visitor is David Zaslav, newly minted king of Hollywood, who comes to commune with its ghosts and summon up plans for its glistening future.
Zaslav needs the house as badly as it needs Zaslav. A fiercely ambitious man with an appetite for the theatrical, Zaslav paid $16 million for the late Bob Evans home in Beverly Hills, originally telling friends he may spend three months a year in Hollywood, creating a livelier aura for his Discovery Channel. That may now stretch to nine months, since Zaslav, having negotiated the $43 billion Discovery-AT&T deal, has now expanded his domain to include Warner Bros,...
Zaslav needs the house as badly as it needs Zaslav. A fiercely ambitious man with an appetite for the theatrical, Zaslav paid $16 million for the late Bob Evans home in Beverly Hills, originally telling friends he may spend three months a year in Hollywood, creating a livelier aura for his Discovery Channel. That may now stretch to nine months, since Zaslav, having negotiated the $43 billion Discovery-AT&T deal, has now expanded his domain to include Warner Bros,...
- 5/27/2021
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Over the course of her legendary career, Alice Lee “Boaty” Boatwright has cast iconic movies, served as a studio exec and repped starry talent including Joan Didion, Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward. Reflecting on it today, she says her career really took off after a pivotal encounter at Sardi’s restaurant more than 60 years ago. Sitting with her friend Sue Mengers, not yet the legendary agent she would become, Boatwright jumped out of her seat and grabbed Alan Pakula, whom she had never met.
“I have to find you Scout,” Boatwright, then a young publicist at Universal, informed Pakula. She knew that he and Robert Mulligan had recently secured the film rights to Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” for the studio.
The following day, after a conversation with her boss, Boatwright had lunch with Pakula and Mulligan. Her Southern background and charm won the producing-directing duo over, and...
“I have to find you Scout,” Boatwright, then a young publicist at Universal, informed Pakula. She knew that he and Robert Mulligan had recently secured the film rights to Harper Lee’s “To Kill a Mockingbird” for the studio.
The following day, after a conversation with her boss, Boatwright had lunch with Pakula and Mulligan. Her Southern background and charm won the producing-directing duo over, and...
- 5/5/2021
- by Addie Morfoot
- Variety Film + TV
His credentials seemed impeccable. He was 60, a Yale graduate, a former studio chief, a gifted dealmaker and now a newly named company president. But there were a few clouds: He was also a convicted embezzler, a compulsive gambler and his Yale degree was bogus.
This was 1981 and David Begelman, the new boss of MGM, was in many ways representative of the executives who were running Hollywood in that period – men who compulsively operated on the margin.
The cast of characters of that generation would not have been comfortable in the same room with the corporate soldiers who are presently taking their seats at the CEO table – Jason Kilar (WarnerMedia), Bob Chapek (Disney), Jeff Shell (NBCUniversal), et al. All came armed with Harvard MBAs and have already proved their management skills at various corporate levels: Kiler built Hulu. Chapek ran the world’s biggest theme parks. Shell built a giant global distribution machine.
This was 1981 and David Begelman, the new boss of MGM, was in many ways representative of the executives who were running Hollywood in that period – men who compulsively operated on the margin.
The cast of characters of that generation would not have been comfortable in the same room with the corporate soldiers who are presently taking their seats at the CEO table – Jason Kilar (WarnerMedia), Bob Chapek (Disney), Jeff Shell (NBCUniversal), et al. All came armed with Harvard MBAs and have already proved their management skills at various corporate levels: Kiler built Hulu. Chapek ran the world’s biggest theme parks. Shell built a giant global distribution machine.
- 6/25/2020
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
In case you haven’t noticed, Adam Driver delivered memorable performances this year as a newly divorced husband, a government whistleblower, a zombie fighter and a Star Wars warrior (in a Kylo Ren mask). I missed his Broadway opening (Burn This).
Indeed, at 36, Driver has appeared in 25 movies in the seven years since he first loomed tall as the befuddled lover on HBO’s Girls. Three of his movies are now in theaters, and he cleaned up this week at the Gotham Awards.
Driver clearly wins applause for versatility, but will he pay a price for ubiquity? “The great thing about acting is that you never figure anything out,” Driver told Rolling Stone.
Hollywood’s stars, and their agents, have struggled with this question for generations: At what point do actors become so overexposed that they are too familiar? Leonardo DiCaprio, a savvy star, shut down for a couple of years after The Revenant.
Indeed, at 36, Driver has appeared in 25 movies in the seven years since he first loomed tall as the befuddled lover on HBO’s Girls. Three of his movies are now in theaters, and he cleaned up this week at the Gotham Awards.
Driver clearly wins applause for versatility, but will he pay a price for ubiquity? “The great thing about acting is that you never figure anything out,” Driver told Rolling Stone.
Hollywood’s stars, and their agents, have struggled with this question for generations: At what point do actors become so overexposed that they are too familiar? Leonardo DiCaprio, a savvy star, shut down for a couple of years after The Revenant.
- 12/5/2019
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Judy & Liza & Robert & Freddie & David & Sue & Me, the memoir written by Judy Garland’s manager and female power agent Stevie Phillips, is being adapted into a ‘Mad Men’-style television series.
Athena Pictures, the new banner set up by Andra Gordon and Sarena Khan, and American Entertainment Investors, which has backed feature films including Hotel Mumbai, are developing the project.
Stevie, written by Gordon, who worked on Tatiana Maslany-fronted feature The Other Half, will tell the story of Phillips’ rise from secretary to tour manager to agent to producer in a pre-MeToo era.
Having started as a secretary, working for McA’s Freddie Fields and David Begelman, under the glare of Lew Wasserman, she moved with the pair to Creative Management Associates, where she became Judy Garland’s “shadow”. Phillips went on to manage Garland’s daughter Liza Minnelli as well as Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Henry Fonda,...
Athena Pictures, the new banner set up by Andra Gordon and Sarena Khan, and American Entertainment Investors, which has backed feature films including Hotel Mumbai, are developing the project.
Stevie, written by Gordon, who worked on Tatiana Maslany-fronted feature The Other Half, will tell the story of Phillips’ rise from secretary to tour manager to agent to producer in a pre-MeToo era.
Having started as a secretary, working for McA’s Freddie Fields and David Begelman, under the glare of Lew Wasserman, she moved with the pair to Creative Management Associates, where she became Judy Garland’s “shadow”. Phillips went on to manage Garland’s daughter Liza Minnelli as well as Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Henry Fonda,...
- 11/13/2019
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Six decades into his career, Stacy Keach is finally receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame. The 78-year-old actor muscled into notoriety playing everyone from Hamlet to Hemingway to Mike Hammer. When the New York Times spotted the then-27-year-old up-and-comer in “Henry IV,” it gushed that his “superb” Falstaff was “so freshly observed that it is almost a new character.”
In the late 1960s, Keach was hailed as America’s Laurence Olivier — right when the country decided it didn’t need one. His agent, the powerhouse Sue Mengers, gave him the truth: “Come out of your ivory tower. Forget the classics. Get to Hollywood.”
He obeyed, and today Keach is best-known for playing heavyweights who tend to kill and be killed on film and TV, where the camera can closely observe his intimidating build, defining harelip and what Elia Kazan called “a sense of violence behind the eyes that’s not housebroken.
In the late 1960s, Keach was hailed as America’s Laurence Olivier — right when the country decided it didn’t need one. His agent, the powerhouse Sue Mengers, gave him the truth: “Come out of your ivory tower. Forget the classics. Get to Hollywood.”
He obeyed, and today Keach is best-known for playing heavyweights who tend to kill and be killed on film and TV, where the camera can closely observe his intimidating build, defining harelip and what Elia Kazan called “a sense of violence behind the eyes that’s not housebroken.
- 7/31/2019
- by Amy Nicholson
- Variety Film + TV
Bruce Tufeld, a Hollywood agent and manager who once repped stars like Rob Lowe, Laura Dern, and Kelsey Grammer, died Tuesday in Los Angeles as a result of complications from liver cancer. He was 66.
The son of respected television announcer Richard “Dick” Tufeld and Adrienne Tufeld, Bruce began his career as an assistant at ICM under famous agent Sue Mengers, who represented stars like Cher, Burt Reynolds, Candice Bergen, Brian De Palma, Faye Dunaway, Ali MacGraw, Barbra Streisand and Steve McQueen. He was promoted to agent in 1978.
He went on to take jobs at the Writers & Artists Agency and then the Artists Agency, before becoming a personal manager at Tufeld Entertainment Group, where he represented clients like Charley Robinson, Jim Beaver, Leslie Easterbrook and William Allen Young.
Tufeld was born July 28, 1952, graduated from the Rexford School in Beverly Hills, and went on to earn a bachelors degree in Television,...
The son of respected television announcer Richard “Dick” Tufeld and Adrienne Tufeld, Bruce began his career as an assistant at ICM under famous agent Sue Mengers, who represented stars like Cher, Burt Reynolds, Candice Bergen, Brian De Palma, Faye Dunaway, Ali MacGraw, Barbra Streisand and Steve McQueen. He was promoted to agent in 1978.
He went on to take jobs at the Writers & Artists Agency and then the Artists Agency, before becoming a personal manager at Tufeld Entertainment Group, where he represented clients like Charley Robinson, Jim Beaver, Leslie Easterbrook and William Allen Young.
Tufeld was born July 28, 1952, graduated from the Rexford School in Beverly Hills, and went on to earn a bachelors degree in Television,...
- 1/17/2019
- by Margeaux Sippell
- Variety Film + TV
Bruce Tufeld, who began his Hollywood career as an assistant under legendary agent Sue Mengers before becoming an agent and later a personal manager, died January 15 from complications due to liver cancer. He was 66.
The son of TV announcer Richard “Dick” Tufeld and Adrienne Tufeld, Bruce Tufeld attended the Rexford School in Beverly Hills and graduated from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse. That led to his first job, at ICM, working an an assistant to Mengers during the time she repped the likes of Candice Bergen, Cher, Brian De Palma, Faye Dunaway, Ali MacGraw, Steve McQueen, Burt Reynolds and Barbra Streisand to name a few.
Tufeld was promoted to agent in 1978, and helped guide the early careers of Laura Dern, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe and Kelsey Grammer among others. He later worked at Writers & Artists Agency (1984-1989), then the Artists Agency (1989-2009). After that shuttered, he became a personal manager and,...
The son of TV announcer Richard “Dick” Tufeld and Adrienne Tufeld, Bruce Tufeld attended the Rexford School in Beverly Hills and graduated from the Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse. That led to his first job, at ICM, working an an assistant to Mengers during the time she repped the likes of Candice Bergen, Cher, Brian De Palma, Faye Dunaway, Ali MacGraw, Steve McQueen, Burt Reynolds and Barbra Streisand to name a few.
Tufeld was promoted to agent in 1978, and helped guide the early careers of Laura Dern, Ralph Macchio, Rob Lowe and Kelsey Grammer among others. He later worked at Writers & Artists Agency (1984-1989), then the Artists Agency (1989-2009). After that shuttered, he became a personal manager and,...
- 1/16/2019
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Bruce Tufeld, an agent and personal manager who repped Laura Dern, Rob Lowe, Jim Beaver and others during his career, died Tuesday in Los Angeles of complications from liver cancer. He was 66.
Tufeld began his career at ICM as an assistant to the legendary Sue Mengers before being promoted to agent in 1978. He then helped guide the early careers of Dern, Lowe, Ralph Macchio and Kelsey Grammer.
After working at the Writers & Artists Agency (1984-89) and The Artists Agency (1989-2009), he launched Tufeld Entertainment Group. As a personal manager, he worked for clients including Beaver, Charles Robinson,...
Tufeld began his career at ICM as an assistant to the legendary Sue Mengers before being promoted to agent in 1978. He then helped guide the early careers of Dern, Lowe, Ralph Macchio and Kelsey Grammer.
After working at the Writers & Artists Agency (1984-89) and The Artists Agency (1989-2009), he launched Tufeld Entertainment Group. As a personal manager, he worked for clients including Beaver, Charles Robinson,...
- 1/16/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Bruce Tufeld, an agent and personal manager who repped Laura Dern, Rob Lowe, Jim Beaver and others during his career, died Tuesday in Los Angeles of complications from liver cancer. He was 66.
Tufeld began his career at ICM as an assistant to the legendary Sue Mengers before being promoted to agent in 1978. He then helped guide the early careers of Dern, Lowe, Ralph Macchio and Kelsey Grammer.
After working at the Writers & Artists Agency (1984-89) and The Artists Agency (1989-2009), he launched Tufeld Entertainment Group. As a personal manager, he worked for clients including Beaver, Charles Robinson,...
Tufeld began his career at ICM as an assistant to the legendary Sue Mengers before being promoted to agent in 1978. He then helped guide the early careers of Dern, Lowe, Ralph Macchio and Kelsey Grammer.
After working at the Writers & Artists Agency (1984-89) and The Artists Agency (1989-2009), he launched Tufeld Entertainment Group. As a personal manager, he worked for clients including Beaver, Charles Robinson,...
- 1/16/2019
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
With three films already in release this year and another coming, Melissa McCarthy has been wallowing in worshipful media coverage. “Has anyone ever worked so hard to make us laugh?” the New York Times Magazine asked in this week’s cover story. Having established that she “owns” comedy, however, McCarthy, in true movie star fashion, has now switched to high drama. Mirthless Melissa’s new film, appropriately titled Can You Ever Forgive Me?, is best described by the New Yorker as “a mournful film suffused with an air of doom.”
I don’t want to pick on Melissa McCarthy, but the compulsion of stars to shed their true persona has always intrigued me. The pages of Hollywood history are steeped in examples of famed actors who want to prove that they can “stretch” — code for self-destruct.
On occasion, of course, the results have been inspiring: Remember how Tom Hanks, obviously...
I don’t want to pick on Melissa McCarthy, but the compulsion of stars to shed their true persona has always intrigued me. The pages of Hollywood history are steeped in examples of famed actors who want to prove that they can “stretch” — code for self-destruct.
On occasion, of course, the results have been inspiring: Remember how Tom Hanks, obviously...
- 10/25/2018
- by Peter Bart
- Deadline Film + TV
After years of being mistaken for each other, Dylan McDermott and Dermot Mulroney are finally having a laugh. McDermott plays the macho pilot Captain Dave in Fox’s “La To Vegas,” while Mulroney shows up in at least two episodes this season as a high-flying rival.
“It’s been 30 years of people confusing us,” McDermott says on the latest edition of IndieWire’s Turn It On podcast. “Obviously it culminated on the SNL sketch [2012’s “Dylan McDermott or Dermot Mulroney?” faux game show].” In the bit, Jamie Foxx’s character is a game show contestant who comes up with another name for the two of them: Derbel McDillet — which became McDermott’s Instagram handle for a time.
McDermott noted that he and Mulroney even shared the same agent early in their careers, the legendary Sue Mengers, who told them they had to change their names. “I was going to be Mick Dermott,” he said. “That was my genius plan.
“It’s been 30 years of people confusing us,” McDermott says on the latest edition of IndieWire’s Turn It On podcast. “Obviously it culminated on the SNL sketch [2012’s “Dylan McDermott or Dermot Mulroney?” faux game show].” In the bit, Jamie Foxx’s character is a game show contestant who comes up with another name for the two of them: Derbel McDillet — which became McDermott’s Instagram handle for a time.
McDermott noted that he and Mulroney even shared the same agent early in their careers, the legendary Sue Mengers, who told them they had to change their names. “I was going to be Mick Dermott,” he said. “That was my genius plan.
- 1/10/2018
- by Michael Schneider
- Indiewire
New York -- The mother of all Hollywood superagents, Sue Mengers let it be known she was displeased at being crassly parodied by Shelley Winters in a giant muumuu in the 1981 Blake Edwards comedy S.O.B. But as famously abrasive as she could be, it’s impossible to believe the late Mengers wouldn’t have puckered up for John Logan’s big wet kiss, I’ll Eat You Last. It’s equally hard to imagine her not being tickled by the eternally fabulous Bette Midler’s portrayal of her – a fusion of one self-made, larger-than-life persona with another in which the ...
- 4/24/2013
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
New York -- The mother of all Hollywood superagents, Sue Mengers let it be known she was displeased at being crassly parodied by Shelley Winters in a giant muumuu in the 1981 Blake Edwards comedy S.O.B. But as famously abrasive as she could be, it’s impossible to believe the late Mengers wouldn’t have puckered up for John Logan’s big wet kiss, I’ll Eat You Last. It’s equally hard to imagine her not being tickled by the eternally fabulous Bette Midler’s portrayal of her – a fusion of one self-made, larger-than-life persona with another in which the ...
- 4/24/2013
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former William Morris agent Sue Mengers, best known for repping major stars including Barbra Streisand and Cher, died at her home in Beverly Hills Saturday.
Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter broke the news, blogging Sunday that Mengers died from a series of small strokes, surrounded by close friends Ali MacGraw, Joanna Poitier, and Boaty Boatwright.
Mengers -- who kept her real age secret, although she was widely believed to be around 80 -- was one of...
Vanity Fair editor Graydon Carter broke the news, blogging Sunday that Mengers died from a series of small strokes, surrounded by close friends Ali MacGraw, Joanna Poitier, and Boaty Boatwright.
Mengers -- who kept her real age secret, although she was widely believed to be around 80 -- was one of...
- 10/16/2011
- Extra
Freddie Fields, who reigned as the personification of the free-wheeling, high-living Hollywood agent from the 1960s through the '70s, has died. He was 84.
He died Tuesday of lung cancer at his home in Beverly Hills.
Although Fields went on to become a studio executive and film producer, he made his mark on the industry through the Creative Management Agency, which he co-founded with David Begelman in 1960. CMA -- which later evolved into the current ICM -- exemplified what at the time was called the New Hollywood.
From its headquarters on Beverly Boulevard, it boasted a glittering talent roster that included Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Gene Hackman, Michael Caine, Woody Allen, Barbra Streisand and Steve McQueen along with such directors as Arthur Penn, Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks, Sydney Pollack, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola and Paul Mazursky. It also employed some of the era's most dynamic agents including Sue Mengers, Richard Shepherd, Guy MacElwaine and Mike Medavoy.
Jeff Berg, who joined CMA as a young agent and now heads ICM as its chairman and CEO, said: "It was a very high-energy environment, a very collegial place. Freddie taught us a great deal about how to think and operate. He was extremely creative. He understood the needs of artists and how to manage the complexity of a career. All of us in the agency business owe him a huge debt."
Fields worked aggressively to ensure that his clients not only got the best projects but also were richly compensated with lucrative backend deals, often augmented with top-of-the-line perks.
When Fields first decided to go into business for himself with a handful of clients that included his then-wife Polly Bergen and Phil Silvers -- at the time, Fields had spent 10 years at MCA -- one of the first performers he pursued was Judy Garland, even though her career was then at a low ebb.
He died Tuesday of lung cancer at his home in Beverly Hills.
Although Fields went on to become a studio executive and film producer, he made his mark on the industry through the Creative Management Agency, which he co-founded with David Begelman in 1960. CMA -- which later evolved into the current ICM -- exemplified what at the time was called the New Hollywood.
From its headquarters on Beverly Boulevard, it boasted a glittering talent roster that included Robert Redford, Paul Newman, Gene Hackman, Michael Caine, Woody Allen, Barbra Streisand and Steve McQueen along with such directors as Arthur Penn, Steven Spielberg, Mel Brooks, Sydney Pollack, George Lucas, Francis Ford Coppola and Paul Mazursky. It also employed some of the era's most dynamic agents including Sue Mengers, Richard Shepherd, Guy MacElwaine and Mike Medavoy.
Jeff Berg, who joined CMA as a young agent and now heads ICM as its chairman and CEO, said: "It was a very high-energy environment, a very collegial place. Freddie taught us a great deal about how to think and operate. He was extremely creative. He understood the needs of artists and how to manage the complexity of a career. All of us in the agency business owe him a huge debt."
Fields worked aggressively to ensure that his clients not only got the best projects but also were richly compensated with lucrative backend deals, often augmented with top-of-the-line perks.
When Fields first decided to go into business for himself with a handful of clients that included his then-wife Polly Bergen and Phil Silvers -- at the time, Fields had spent 10 years at MCA -- one of the first performers he pursued was Judy Garland, even though her career was then at a low ebb.
- 12/13/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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