Exclusive: Peter Morgan’s next project for Netflix is likely to be a film adaptation of his stage play Patriots rather than more of The Crown, according to sources close to the writer.
There has been a flurry of reports in the UK this week about The Crown returning following the success of Scoop, but Deadline understands that Morgan is planning to take a break from the royals.
One project Morgan is prioritizing is a screen version of Patriots, which chronicles the rise of billionaire Boris Berezovsky and the deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin.
The play recouped during its 12-week run at the Noel Coward Theatre in London’s West End, helping it transfer to Broadway’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
Netflix backed the Broadway show, marking its Broadway producing debut. A source said the deal also included a commitment to develop a Patriots film. The project is yet to be fully greenlit.
There has been a flurry of reports in the UK this week about The Crown returning following the success of Scoop, but Deadline understands that Morgan is planning to take a break from the royals.
One project Morgan is prioritizing is a screen version of Patriots, which chronicles the rise of billionaire Boris Berezovsky and the deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin.
The play recouped during its 12-week run at the Noel Coward Theatre in London’s West End, helping it transfer to Broadway’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre.
Netflix backed the Broadway show, marking its Broadway producing debut. A source said the deal also included a commitment to develop a Patriots film. The project is yet to be fully greenlit.
- 5/9/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
In the new play Patriots, The Crown creator Peter Morgan delves into the enigmatic world of Russian politics and oligarchs’ role in constructing modern Russian history.
Through the play, Morgan, renowned for his portrayal of villainous characters, seizes the opportunity to expose a Byzantine spectrum of moral values through four Russian men, as their destinies intricately intertwined in the post-Soviet era.
“There’s a sort of violence,” Morgan recently told The New York Times of the play. “Whereas in The Crown, there’s this politeness and there’s repression, and it’s very female. There’s something very male, very violent about this play. It felt like a natural thing to do, having spent so much time in the one world to go into another world just to relax a little.”
Among the numerous influential individuals who contributed to Putin’s meteoric rise, Morgan selected Boris Berezovsky as the play’s focal point.
Through the play, Morgan, renowned for his portrayal of villainous characters, seizes the opportunity to expose a Byzantine spectrum of moral values through four Russian men, as their destinies intricately intertwined in the post-Soviet era.
“There’s a sort of violence,” Morgan recently told The New York Times of the play. “Whereas in The Crown, there’s this politeness and there’s repression, and it’s very female. There’s something very male, very violent about this play. It felt like a natural thing to do, having spent so much time in the one world to go into another world just to relax a little.”
Among the numerous influential individuals who contributed to Putin’s meteoric rise, Morgan selected Boris Berezovsky as the play’s focal point.
- 5/7/2024
- by Baila Eve Zisman
- Uinterview
Netflix is about to make its Broadway producing debut, joining the team of Peter Morgan’s upcoming play Patriots.
The play from the creator of the Netflix signature series The Crown arrives on Broadway April 1 for a 12-week engagement following a record-breaking run at London’s Almeida Theatre and a sold-out 12-week West End transfer at the Noël Coward Theatre. Opening night at Broadway’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre is April 22.
The play is set in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union and chronicles the rise of oligarchs like billionaire Boris Berezovsky (Michael Stuhlbarg) and a little-known deputy mayor of St. Petersburg named Vladimir Putin (Will Keen). When an eventual successor to President Boris Yeltsin is needed, Berezovsky turns to Putin, whose ruthless rise threatens Berezovsky’s reign and sets off a confrontation between the two powerful, fatally flawed men.
Netflix’s participation was announced in a press release today...
The play from the creator of the Netflix signature series The Crown arrives on Broadway April 1 for a 12-week engagement following a record-breaking run at London’s Almeida Theatre and a sold-out 12-week West End transfer at the Noël Coward Theatre. Opening night at Broadway’s Ethel Barrymore Theatre is April 22.
The play is set in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union and chronicles the rise of oligarchs like billionaire Boris Berezovsky (Michael Stuhlbarg) and a little-known deputy mayor of St. Petersburg named Vladimir Putin (Will Keen). When an eventual successor to President Boris Yeltsin is needed, Berezovsky turns to Putin, whose ruthless rise threatens Berezovsky’s reign and sets off a confrontation between the two powerful, fatally flawed men.
Netflix’s participation was announced in a press release today...
- 2/27/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix has joined as a producer of the stage play Patriots, marking the media giant’s first Broadway producing credit.
The play, which is written by Peter Morgan, creator of the Netflix series, The Crown, is set in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union, and follows a Russian billionaire, Boris Berezovsky, trying to recruit a then-unknown Vladimir Putin to run for president. But Putin’s rise to power soon threatens Berezovsky’s own interests, putting the two at odds.
A spokesperson for Netflix confirmed that the company is developing a screen adaptation of the play, as had been reported in the New York Times.
While this is Netflix’s first Broadway credit, the streamer is also a producer on the currently running London production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which is a prequel to the Netflix series.
Patriots is directed by three-time Olivier Award winner and Artistic Director...
The play, which is written by Peter Morgan, creator of the Netflix series, The Crown, is set in 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union, and follows a Russian billionaire, Boris Berezovsky, trying to recruit a then-unknown Vladimir Putin to run for president. But Putin’s rise to power soon threatens Berezovsky’s own interests, putting the two at odds.
A spokesperson for Netflix confirmed that the company is developing a screen adaptation of the play, as had been reported in the New York Times.
While this is Netflix’s first Broadway credit, the streamer is also a producer on the currently running London production of Stranger Things: The First Shadow, which is a prequel to the Netflix series.
Patriots is directed by three-time Olivier Award winner and Artistic Director...
- 2/27/2024
- by Caitlin Huston
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Peter Morgan’s play Patriots, the drama about the aftermath of the Soviet Union’s fall, will transfer from a celebrated London run to Broadway this spring, with previews beginning April 1 at the Barrymore Theatre ahead of a reported April 22 opening.
The limited engagement will run through June 23.
The play, produced by Sonia Friedman with Rupert Goold directing, will star Will Keen, reprising his Olivier-winning performance as Vladimir Putin, with Luke Thallon, also a West End cast member, playing Roman Abramovich. Michael Stuhlbarg will portray Boris Berezovsky, with additional casting to be announced.
Official synopsis: In 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the new Russia belongs to its oligarchs – and no one is more powerful than billionaire Boris Berezovsky. When an eventual successor to President Boris Yeltsin is needed, Berezovsky turns to the little-known deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin. But soon Putin’s ruthless rise threatens Berezovsky’s reign,...
The limited engagement will run through June 23.
The play, produced by Sonia Friedman with Rupert Goold directing, will star Will Keen, reprising his Olivier-winning performance as Vladimir Putin, with Luke Thallon, also a West End cast member, playing Roman Abramovich. Michael Stuhlbarg will portray Boris Berezovsky, with additional casting to be announced.
Official synopsis: In 1991, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the new Russia belongs to its oligarchs – and no one is more powerful than billionaire Boris Berezovsky. When an eventual successor to President Boris Yeltsin is needed, Berezovsky turns to the little-known deputy mayor of St. Petersburg, Vladimir Putin. But soon Putin’s ruthless rise threatens Berezovsky’s reign,...
- 1/22/2024
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Patriots, the hot new play by The Crown’s Peter Morgan, has recouped during its 12-week run in London’s West End, making a move to Broadway more than likely.
The play’s success is a remarkable achievement. Transferring the drama from the Almeida Theatre in Islington to the Noel Coward Theatre was a risky proposition to start with and it was always a gamble.
All those involved were nervous, including Morgan, I understand.
The production team wondered whether audiences would be drawn to a story about Russian oligarchs and the rise to power of Vladimir Putin. But, as producer Sonia Friedman says, the play is both “incredibly timely and relevant,” although she notes that Morgan “wrote the bulk prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
Rupert Goold, the show’s director and artistic chief of the Almeida, says that he and Morgan began discussing the idea of Patriots...
The play’s success is a remarkable achievement. Transferring the drama from the Almeida Theatre in Islington to the Noel Coward Theatre was a risky proposition to start with and it was always a gamble.
All those involved were nervous, including Morgan, I understand.
The production team wondered whether audiences would be drawn to a story about Russian oligarchs and the rise to power of Vladimir Putin. But, as producer Sonia Friedman says, the play is both “incredibly timely and relevant,” although she notes that Morgan “wrote the bulk prior to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.”
Rupert Goold, the show’s director and artistic chief of the Almeida, says that he and Morgan began discussing the idea of Patriots...
- 8/17/2023
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Peter Morgan (The Crown) was among the top winners at this year’s Critics’ Circle Theatre Awards with his latest production, Patriots, which took home the coveted Michael Billington Award for Best New Play.
Patriots is the first new play penned by Morgan in a decade. The production is billed as an “incisive study of Russian dissidence via Putin’s friend-turned-foe, Boris Berezovsky.”
Deadline first broke news of the production, which opened at the London’s Almeida Theatre in July with Tom Hollander in the lead role.
Elsewhere, Jodie Comer – who has swept the theatre awards circuit this year for her performance in Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie – was pipped to the Best Actress gong by Patsy Ferran, who won for A Streetcar Named Desire. Ferran joined the production four days before the first performance, where she stars alongside Paul Mescal.
The prize for Best Actor went to Hamilton alum...
Patriots is the first new play penned by Morgan in a decade. The production is billed as an “incisive study of Russian dissidence via Putin’s friend-turned-foe, Boris Berezovsky.”
Deadline first broke news of the production, which opened at the London’s Almeida Theatre in July with Tom Hollander in the lead role.
Elsewhere, Jodie Comer – who has swept the theatre awards circuit this year for her performance in Suzie Miller’s Prima Facie – was pipped to the Best Actress gong by Patsy Ferran, who won for A Streetcar Named Desire. Ferran joined the production four days before the first performance, where she stars alongside Paul Mescal.
The prize for Best Actor went to Hamilton alum...
- 4/17/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Peacock has set a release date and trailer for “Once Upon a Time in Londongrad,” its 6-part documentary about Russian oligarchs and the reaches of Vladimir Putin beyond Russia.
The series, from Buzzfeed Studios and Rise Films, is set to premiere on Nov. 15 on the streaming platform.
“Once Upon a Time in Londongrad” is directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jed Rothstein (“WeWork”).
It follows BuzzFeed News investigative reporter Heidi Blake as she follows a tip about the death of a multi-millionaire property tycoon, which leads her to dig into a tangled web that ensnares Russian oligarchs, the U.K. government and Washington D.C and takes in the shocking poisoning of Russian defector and Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko, the suspicious death of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who was found dead at his ex-wife’s house in Ascot, and the attempted assignation of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal.
“Set across Vladimir Putin’s two decades in power,...
The series, from Buzzfeed Studios and Rise Films, is set to premiere on Nov. 15 on the streaming platform.
“Once Upon a Time in Londongrad” is directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Jed Rothstein (“WeWork”).
It follows BuzzFeed News investigative reporter Heidi Blake as she follows a tip about the death of a multi-millionaire property tycoon, which leads her to dig into a tangled web that ensnares Russian oligarchs, the U.K. government and Washington D.C and takes in the shocking poisoning of Russian defector and Putin critic Alexander Litvinenko, the suspicious death of Russian oligarch Boris Berezovsky, who was found dead at his ex-wife’s house in Ascot, and the attempted assignation of former Russian spy Sergei Skripal.
“Set across Vladimir Putin’s two decades in power,...
- 10/17/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Peter Morgan, creator of award-winning The Crown, has shifted focus from royals to zoom in on Russian oligarchs as the topic of his new stage play Patriots. It has been fast-tracked to have its world premiere at London’s Almeida Theatre in July with Tom Hollander (The Night Manager) cast to portray Boris Berezovsky, a one-time ally of Vladimir Putin.
News of the play comes at a time when the rarified world of wealthy Russians is prominent because of the sanctions that have been imposed on Kremlin moguls following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I think when we did our first reading, we weren’t sure if there was a place for it,” Almeida Theatre artistic director Rupert Goold, who will direct the play, told Deadline during an exclusive interview.
He said that there was an awareness in London “of a really big Russian presence in London, you know,...
News of the play comes at a time when the rarified world of wealthy Russians is prominent because of the sanctions that have been imposed on Kremlin moguls following Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.
“I think when we did our first reading, we weren’t sure if there was a place for it,” Almeida Theatre artistic director Rupert Goold, who will direct the play, told Deadline during an exclusive interview.
He said that there was an awareness in London “of a really big Russian presence in London, you know,...
- 5/5/2022
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
The Key Buyers Event: Digital Edition, a market showcase for the Russian film and TV industry, launched Monday with a welcome video from actress Anya Chipovskaya, the event’s ambassador, sent to its 400 international participants, including buyers, commissioners and producers from 55 countries.
In the video Chipovskaya appears as an A.I. guide, explaining how to use the platform, arrange meetings, find information, and avoid any difficulties that may arise while attending the online event. The video was created by film, music and commercials director Dilia Alshina, and producer Alexey Kiselev of Kisa Communications.
The Key Buyers Event, organized by Roskino with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Moscow government, runs until June 15.
During the event, participants will have access to material about 300 Russian projects, including premieres of films, drama series, animation and non-scripted formats.
The event will also host 14 panel discussions with global executives,...
In the video Chipovskaya appears as an A.I. guide, explaining how to use the platform, arrange meetings, find information, and avoid any difficulties that may arise while attending the online event. The video was created by film, music and commercials director Dilia Alshina, and producer Alexey Kiselev of Kisa Communications.
The Key Buyers Event, organized by Roskino with the support of the Ministry of Culture of the Russian Federation and the Moscow government, runs until June 15.
During the event, participants will have access to material about 300 Russian projects, including premieres of films, drama series, animation and non-scripted formats.
The event will also host 14 panel discussions with global executives,...
- 6/8/2020
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
When Tim Bell died in London last summer, the media response was largely, somewhat sheepishly, polite: It was hard not to envision the ruthless political spin doctor still massaging his legacy from beyond the grave. “Irrepressible” was the first adjective chosen in the New York Times obituary. “He had far too few scruples about who he would represent,” tweeted journalist Robert Peston, “but he was the best company, always honest with me, enormous fun.” These were among several dedications to portray the former head of disgraced PR powerhouse Bell Pottinger — a man who offered his services to the likes of Margaret Thatcher and Augusto Pinochet, and met his professional downfall by masking South African governmental corruption with race-baiting fake news — as a kind of incorrigible rogue, as if his amoral taste for profoundly bad company amounted to mere rakish bravado.
This is not a trap, thankfully, that “Influence” falls into,...
This is not a trap, thankfully, that “Influence” falls into,...
- 2/2/2020
- by Guy Lodge
- Variety Film + TV
Truly Original has partnered with Vanity Fair special correspondent Bryan Burrough to develop the true crime documentary series currently titled “The Kremlin’s Long Shadow.”
The series will chronicle Scotland Yard’s newly reopened investigations into 15 mysterious deaths that could underscore a diabolical Russian program.
Presented by Burrough, the series will explore a recent chain of bizarre deaths and assassination attempts, utilizing a network of exclusive sources, including widows and children, defectors and spies.
Following the March 2018 assassination attempt on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal via a military-grade nerve agent, the British government is reviewing the cases of 15 suspicious deaths, none of which were originally classified as murders. The series aims to connect the dots between each death.
Cases also include Boris Berezovsky, an anti-Putin Russian oligarch living in exile in London, found dead in what was deemed a suicide, not long after four of his British lawyers and three...
The series will chronicle Scotland Yard’s newly reopened investigations into 15 mysterious deaths that could underscore a diabolical Russian program.
Presented by Burrough, the series will explore a recent chain of bizarre deaths and assassination attempts, utilizing a network of exclusive sources, including widows and children, defectors and spies.
Following the March 2018 assassination attempt on former Russian spy Sergei Skripal via a military-grade nerve agent, the British government is reviewing the cases of 15 suspicious deaths, none of which were originally classified as murders. The series aims to connect the dots between each death.
Cases also include Boris Berezovsky, an anti-Putin Russian oligarch living in exile in London, found dead in what was deemed a suicide, not long after four of his British lawyers and three...
- 7/17/2018
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Hot of the heels of the news he's teaming with Mariah Carey for a Christmas movie, filmmaker Brett Ratner and his RatPac Entertainment are teaming with Warner Bros. Pictures for a film version of Ben Mezrich's upcoming book "Once Upon a Time in Russia".
The upcoming work centers on Russian billionaires Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich. The former made his fortune privatising Government property in the 1990s, teaming with his protege Abramovich on various hugely profitable investments.
Ratner reportedly provided the origins of the idea for the book and pitched it to Mezrich whose previous works became the films "21" and "The Social Network". James Packer and John Cheng will executive produce.
Source: Variety...
The upcoming work centers on Russian billionaires Boris Berezovsky and Roman Abramovich. The former made his fortune privatising Government property in the 1990s, teaming with his protege Abramovich on various hugely profitable investments.
Ratner reportedly provided the origins of the idea for the book and pitched it to Mezrich whose previous works became the films "21" and "The Social Network". James Packer and John Cheng will executive produce.
Source: Variety...
- 4/8/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Rupert Wyatt scored this summer with Rise of the Planet of the Apes, and Fox is already moving forward with the development [1] of another Apes film that Wyatt is provisionally set to direct. But that sequel isn't yet written, so Wyatt has a chance to do something else until Fox pulls together a working Apes script. That something may be Londongrad, a Warner Bros. film about Kgb spy Alexander Litvinenko, who was poisoned in 2006 and accused Russian president Vladimir Putin of masterminding the attempt on his life. Furthermore, for a star Warner Bros. is looking to another man who helped Fox this summer: X-Men: First Class star Michael Fassbender. Deadline [2] announces the possible deal, but doesn't have many more details. There was a point where Mike Newell was going to make the movie (it had the title The Terminal Spy at one point) and the David Scarpa script that Wyatt...
- 11/7/2011
- by Russ Fischer
- Slash Film
Newell's film will be based on the book The Terminal Spy about the former Kgb spy Alexander Litvinenko who was thought to have been poisoned in a London hotel in 2006
The Bafta-winning British director Mike Newell is to shoot a film about the former Kgb spy Alexander Litvinenko, who accused the then Russian president Vladimir Putin of being responsible for his murder as he lay dying in a London hospital bed in 2006. Variety reports that the movie is at an advanced stage of development, though no casting details have emerged. David Scarpa, writer of 2008's big budget remake of science fiction classic The Day the Earth Stood Still, will work on the screenplay.
Litvinenko's death was the subject of enormous speculation in the press, with reports suggesting he was killed by the Russian secret services. A postmortem found that he died as the result of imbibing a tiny amount of...
The Bafta-winning British director Mike Newell is to shoot a film about the former Kgb spy Alexander Litvinenko, who accused the then Russian president Vladimir Putin of being responsible for his murder as he lay dying in a London hospital bed in 2006. Variety reports that the movie is at an advanced stage of development, though no casting details have emerged. David Scarpa, writer of 2008's big budget remake of science fiction classic The Day the Earth Stood Still, will work on the screenplay.
Litvinenko's death was the subject of enormous speculation in the press, with reports suggesting he was killed by the Russian secret services. A postmortem found that he died as the result of imbibing a tiny amount of...
- 2/17/2010
- by Ben Child
- The Guardian - Film News
The sudden death in February 2008 of Badri Patarkatsishvili, Georgia’s richest man, rocked the ruthless world of the Russian oligarchy, pitting his widow, Inna, against his partner, exiled billionaire Boris Berezovsky, in one of the biggest estate battles ever, and landing an American lawyer in a Belarusian penal colony. Talking to key players in New York and London, the author reports on suspected forgery, secret marriage, and an alleged private-jet kidnapping.
- 9/9/2009
- Vanity Fair
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