Stars: Russell Crowe, Kelly Greyson, Pacharo Mzembe, Marton Csokas, Tommy Flanagan, Karen Gillan | Written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage | Directed by Adam Cooper
Based on E.O. Chirovici’s novel The Book of Mirrors, Sleeping Dogs opens with a look at Roy Freeman and his apartment. It’s an apartment with notes taped everywhere, even on the TV Dinner he’s about to cook. They’re reminders, meant to help him cope with his Alzheimer’s while an experimental treatment he opted for starts to work. Neither the operation nor the notes prevented him from microwaving the TV remote, however.
He’s contacted by Emily Dietz from Project Clean Hands, a group devoted to freeing the wrongly convicted. They’re interested in the case of Isaac Samuel a death row inmate Freeman arrested and helped convict for the brutal murder of college professor Joseph Wieder.
I think they missed a great...
Based on E.O. Chirovici’s novel The Book of Mirrors, Sleeping Dogs opens with a look at Roy Freeman and his apartment. It’s an apartment with notes taped everywhere, even on the TV Dinner he’s about to cook. They’re reminders, meant to help him cope with his Alzheimer’s while an experimental treatment he opted for starts to work. Neither the operation nor the notes prevented him from microwaving the TV remote, however.
He’s contacted by Emily Dietz from Project Clean Hands, a group devoted to freeing the wrongly convicted. They’re interested in the case of Isaac Samuel a death row inmate Freeman arrested and helped convict for the brutal murder of college professor Joseph Wieder.
I think they missed a great...
- 3/26/2024
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Q&a’s are a staple of indie opening weekends since they tend to sell tickets but Bob and Jeanne Berney’s Picturehouse has raised that bar, offering audiences seven-minute live burlesque revues before selected screenings of documentary Carol Doda Topless At The Condor. The ode to the woman, and to 1960s San Francisco where she broke out topless, opens in limited release in New York, LA, San Francisco and San Rafael. Dancers in what Bob Berney called a “Doda-esqe burlesque” will not be topless,” he said — “but pretty close.”
Dancers start in the audience then move to the front of the theater against a specially designed backdrop of image and sound on screen. “It brings you into that world immediately. You are there before the film starts,” he said.
“Eventizing” a film is great if you can do it. The box office is much better but still a bit weird since Covid.
Dancers start in the audience then move to the front of the theater against a specially designed backdrop of image and sound on screen. “It brings you into that world immediately. You are there before the film starts,” he said.
“Eventizing” a film is great if you can do it. The box office is much better but still a bit weird since Covid.
- 3/22/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Intentionally or not, Sleeping Dogs invites comparison to Memento. In Adam Cooper’s steadfastly self-serious directorial debut, a bedraggled ex-homicide detective, Roy Freeman (Russell Crowe), is tasked with solving a brutal murder that he can’t recall due to his memory loss. But the comparison to Christopher Nolan’s breakout doesn’t do Sleeping Dogs any favors. For one, we know we’re in trouble from the moment we see Freeman stumbling through a decrepit apartment, its otherwise sparse walls adorned with handwritten messages that exist as much for his benefit as ours, like the unfortunately hilarious “You Have Alzheimers.”
From the start, the film lays it on thick. Freeman’s apartment has all the markers of someone whose mind is slowing deteriorating: staplers that have been left in water glasses, melted pieces of technology in the microwave, and half-eaten meals on top of furniture. The man wears the thickest...
From the start, the film lays it on thick. Freeman’s apartment has all the markers of someone whose mind is slowing deteriorating: staplers that have been left in water glasses, melted pieces of technology in the microwave, and half-eaten meals on top of furniture. The man wears the thickest...
- 3/20/2024
- by Greg Nussen
- Slant Magazine
Starring Russell Crowe, Karen Gillan, Márton Csókás, Thomas M. Wright, Harry Greenwood, and Tommy Flanagan, check out the trailer for the upcoming film Sleeping Dogs.
Crowe plays ex-homicide detective Roy Freeman suffering from a memory loss and is forced to solve a brutal murder he can’t recall. As a man’s life hangs in the balance on death row, Freeman must piece together the brutal evidence from a decade-old murder investigation, uncovering a sinister web of buried secrets and betrayals linking to his past. But as evidence uncovers secrets tied to his forgotten past, he is led to a chilling truth – sometimes, it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.
Fun fact – Crowe and Gillan both appeared in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) as Zeus and Nebula.
In Theaters on March 22, 2024, Sleeping Dogs is directed by Adam Cooper, and written by Adam Cooper & Bill Collage and based on “The Book Of Mirrors” by E.O. Chirovici.
Crowe plays ex-homicide detective Roy Freeman suffering from a memory loss and is forced to solve a brutal murder he can’t recall. As a man’s life hangs in the balance on death row, Freeman must piece together the brutal evidence from a decade-old murder investigation, uncovering a sinister web of buried secrets and betrayals linking to his past. But as evidence uncovers secrets tied to his forgotten past, he is led to a chilling truth – sometimes, it’s best to let sleeping dogs lie.
Fun fact – Crowe and Gillan both appeared in Thor: Love and Thunder (2022) as Zeus and Nebula.
In Theaters on March 22, 2024, Sleeping Dogs is directed by Adam Cooper, and written by Adam Cooper & Bill Collage and based on “The Book Of Mirrors” by E.O. Chirovici.
- 1/26/2024
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Adam Cooper has made his feature directorial debut with the thriller Sleeping Dogs, working from a screenplay he wrote with his writing partner Bill Collage. Starring Russell Crowe (The Pope’s Exorcist) and Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy), the film is set to reach theatres on March 22nd – and with that date swiftly approaching a trailer for Sleeping Dogs has arrived online! You can watch it in the embed above.
Cooper and Collage’s previous collaborations include New York Minute, Accepted, Tower Heist, The Transporter Refueled, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Allegiant, and Assassin’s Creed. The script they wrote for Sleeping Dogs is based on the novel The Book of Mirrors by E. O. Chirovici. The film has the following synopsis: In the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, former homicide detective Roy Freeman is tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past – the grisly murder of a college professor.
Cooper and Collage’s previous collaborations include New York Minute, Accepted, Tower Heist, The Transporter Refueled, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Allegiant, and Assassin’s Creed. The script they wrote for Sleeping Dogs is based on the novel The Book of Mirrors by E. O. Chirovici. The film has the following synopsis: In the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, former homicide detective Roy Freeman is tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past – the grisly murder of a college professor.
- 1/25/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
A few months ago, we heard that filming was underway on a thriller called Sleeping Dogs, starring Russell Crowe (The Pope’s Exorcist). Filming has since wrapped, and now we’ve gotten our hands on the first image from the film! The image features Crowe and co-star Tommy Flanagan (Alien vs. Predator), and you can check it out at the bottom of this article.
Adam Cooper is making his feature directorial debut with this project, working from a screenplay he wrote with his writing partner Bill Collage. Cooper and Collage’s previous collaborations include New York Minute, Accepted, Tower Heist, The Transporter Refueled, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Allegiant, and Assassin’s Creed. The script Cooper and Collage wrote for Sleeping Dogs is based on the novel The Book of Mirrors by E. O. Chirovici. The film has the following synopsis: In the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, former homicide detective...
Adam Cooper is making his feature directorial debut with this project, working from a screenplay he wrote with his writing partner Bill Collage. Cooper and Collage’s previous collaborations include New York Minute, Accepted, Tower Heist, The Transporter Refueled, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Allegiant, and Assassin’s Creed. The script Cooper and Collage wrote for Sleeping Dogs is based on the novel The Book of Mirrors by E. O. Chirovici. The film has the following synopsis: In the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, former homicide detective...
- 5/22/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Adam Cooper makes feature directorial debut.
Highland Film Group and Nickel City Pictures are handling worldwide sales and have released the first look image of Russell Crowe and Karen Gillan crime thriller Sleeping Dogs, which recently wrapped production in Australia.
Adam Cooper makes his feature directorial debut on the project from Nickel City Pictures and New Leaf Literary project about a former homicide detective tasked with re-examining a murder case from his past who enlists the help of his former partner.
The cast includes Marton Csokas, Harry Greenwood, Tommy Flanagan, and Thomas M. Wright.
Cooper and Bill Collage adapted E.O. Chirovici...
Highland Film Group and Nickel City Pictures are handling worldwide sales and have released the first look image of Russell Crowe and Karen Gillan crime thriller Sleeping Dogs, which recently wrapped production in Australia.
Adam Cooper makes his feature directorial debut on the project from Nickel City Pictures and New Leaf Literary project about a former homicide detective tasked with re-examining a murder case from his past who enlists the help of his former partner.
The cast includes Marton Csokas, Harry Greenwood, Tommy Flanagan, and Thomas M. Wright.
Cooper and Bill Collage adapted E.O. Chirovici...
- 5/20/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Sons of Anarchy alum Tommy Flanagan has signed on to star alongside Academy Award winner Russell Crowe, Karen Gillan, Marton Csokas and more in the crime thriller Sleeping Dogs from Nickel City Pictures.
Related Story A24 Sets Disaster Comedy ‘Y2K’, To Be Directed By ‘SNL’ Alum Kyle Mooney; Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, Julian Dennison & More To Star Related Story Jaeden Martell, Maxwell Jenkins & Sadie Soverall Join Nicolas Cage In Survival Action-Thriller 'Sand And Stones' Related Story Rlje Films & Shudder Acquire Neil Marshall's Horror 'The Lair' From Highland Film Group
The film currently in production in Australia adapts the E.O. Chirovici novel, The Book of Mirrors. Its protagonist is former homicide detective Roy Freeman (Crowe), who in the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, is tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past — the grisly murder of a college professor (Csokas). Intrigued and fighting to regain his memory,...
Related Story A24 Sets Disaster Comedy ‘Y2K’, To Be Directed By ‘SNL’ Alum Kyle Mooney; Jaeden Martell, Rachel Zegler, Julian Dennison & More To Star Related Story Jaeden Martell, Maxwell Jenkins & Sadie Soverall Join Nicolas Cage In Survival Action-Thriller 'Sand And Stones' Related Story Rlje Films & Shudder Acquire Neil Marshall's Horror 'The Lair' From Highland Film Group
The film currently in production in Australia adapts the E.O. Chirovici novel, The Book of Mirrors. Its protagonist is former homicide detective Roy Freeman (Crowe), who in the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, is tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past — the grisly murder of a college professor (Csokas). Intrigued and fighting to regain his memory,...
- 3/23/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Russell Crowe (Gladiator) and Karen Gillan (Guardians of the Galaxy) star in Sleeping Dogs, a thriller that started filming in Australia this month. Adam Cooper is making his feature directorial debut with this project, working from a screenplay he wrote with his writing partner Bill Collage. Cooper and Collage’s previous collaborations include New York Minute, Accepted, Tower Heist, The Transporter Refueled, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Allegiant, and Assassin’s Creed.
The script Cooper and Collage wrote for Sleeping Dogs is based on the novel The Book of Mirrors by E. O. Chirovici. The film has the following synopsis: In the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, former homicide detective Roy Freeman is tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past – the grisly murder of a college professor. Intrigued and fighting to regain his memory, Roy enlists his former partner to help him revive the investigation. This time though,...
The script Cooper and Collage wrote for Sleeping Dogs is based on the novel The Book of Mirrors by E. O. Chirovici. The film has the following synopsis: In the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, former homicide detective Roy Freeman is tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past – the grisly murder of a college professor. Intrigued and fighting to regain his memory, Roy enlists his former partner to help him revive the investigation. This time though,...
- 2/20/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Karen Gillan, Marton Csokas, Harry Greenwood and Thomas M Wright join the cast of book-to-film crime drama film “Sleeping Dogs,” which shoots in Australia from next month. They join the previously announced Russell Crowe in the cast.
The film is a book-to-film adaptation of E.O. Chirovici’s critically acclaimed novel, “The Book of Mirrors,” with a screenplay by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage. The film also marks Cooper’s feature directorial debut.
In the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, Crowe’s character, a former homicide detective, is tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past – the grisly murder of a college professor (Csokas). Fighting to regain his memory, the detective enlists his former partner to help him revive the investigation. They encounter a magnetic and mysterious woman (Gillan), a tangle of contradictions and secrets and a horrific reality that changes the detective’s world view in the blink of an eye.
The film is a book-to-film adaptation of E.O. Chirovici’s critically acclaimed novel, “The Book of Mirrors,” with a screenplay by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage. The film also marks Cooper’s feature directorial debut.
In the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, Crowe’s character, a former homicide detective, is tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past – the grisly murder of a college professor (Csokas). Fighting to regain his memory, the detective enlists his former partner to help him revive the investigation. They encounter a magnetic and mysterious woman (Gillan), a tangle of contradictions and secrets and a horrific reality that changes the detective’s world view in the blink of an eye.
- 2/18/2023
- by Patrick Frater
- Variety Film + TV
Will Smith was supposed to be the most controversial element of Emancipation, Apple TV+’s big-budget epic from director Antoine Fuqua chronicling an enslaved man’s bid for freedom in 1860s Louisiana. Apple TV+ raised eyebrows by choosing to release its record-breaking acquisition — the streamer paid a reported 105 million for the drama during Cannes’ virtual market in 2020 — in early December, just nine months after Smith infamously slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars (and Smith’s subsequent 10-year ban from the ceremony).
With all eyes on whether the film could help rehabilitate Smith’s image after the incident, Emancipation producer Joey McFarland managed to deflect some of the attention away from the film’s lead star at a red carpet premiere in November, when he proudly brandished what he claimed to be the original print of the haunting photo that inspired the movie.
Revealing the famed 1863 image known as The Scourged...
With all eyes on whether the film could help rehabilitate Smith’s image after the incident, Emancipation producer Joey McFarland managed to deflect some of the attention away from the film’s lead star at a red carpet premiere in November, when he proudly brandished what he claimed to be the original print of the haunting photo that inspired the movie.
Revealing the famed 1863 image known as The Scourged...
- 1/30/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Charmaine Bingwa had just finished a monologue on the set of Emancipation when she had a request for director Antoine Fuqua. Could she do the speech she had just done in English, but this time in Haitian Creole? He said yes. “If my characters speak in another language, but I don’t know it, I feel like a fraud,” Bingwa says. “So I just kind of took it upon myself [to learn the language].” That take, without subtitles, is the one that ended up in the drama starring Will Smith.
In Emancipation, Smith plays Peter, a character based on a man in a photograph commonly called “Whipped Peter” because of his scarred back. The movie traces Peter’s escape from slavery to find Union forces after learning that Abraham Lincoln has declared enslaved people free. Bingwa plays Peter’s wife, Dodienne. As he is pursued in Louisiana swamps, her faith tells her that her husband will return.
In Emancipation, Smith plays Peter, a character based on a man in a photograph commonly called “Whipped Peter” because of his scarred back. The movie traces Peter’s escape from slavery to find Union forces after learning that Abraham Lincoln has declared enslaved people free. Bingwa plays Peter’s wife, Dodienne. As he is pursued in Louisiana swamps, her faith tells her that her husband will return.
- 1/14/2023
- by Esther Zuckerman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“It’s always nice to be included,” declares “Emancipation” prosthetic makeup artist Christien Tinsley about his reaction to the film’s inclusion on the Oscar shortlist of 10 films vying for a nomination for Best Makeup and Hairstyling. Tinsley is shortlisted alongside his colleagues makeup department head Ken Diaz, hair department head Andrea Bowman, and Judy Murdock and Pierce Austin, who respectively took charge of the makeup and hair for the film’s star Will Smith. For our recent webchat he adds, “I’m a huge fan of Ken Diaz. He’s been doing this for 40 plus years, and he’s been a colleague, a peer, a mentor. In a lot of ways, he was an inspiration when I was a child, uh, wanting to get into the business. So, to be working with Ken and then to be on the shortlist with him for the same film has been really spectacular for me.
- 1/11/2023
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
“I was that cheerleader in the trailer to get them motivated, because we start the day early. We’re what I call the heartbeat of the film,” reveals hair department head Andrea Bowman about working on the historical action drama “Emancipation.” For our recent webchat she adds, “when I went to the premiere, I hadn’t seen any of the cast since we wrapped and that’s the first thing they were saying to me: ‘Thank you for being that support system for us to be able to embark on these characters and make us feel like we were special when we left, and we were able to get that stuff off of us to be able to come back the next day and be able to do it all over again.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See Exclusive Video Interview: Ben Foster (‘Emancipation’)
“Emancipation” is directed by Antoine Fuqua...
See Exclusive Video Interview: Ben Foster (‘Emancipation’)
“Emancipation” is directed by Antoine Fuqua...
- 12/22/2022
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
“I thought she was remarkable, how she was almost like this little oasis in this storm of harrowing things that were going on,” declares Charmaine Bingwa about portraying enslaved woman Dodienne, a fiercely loyal wife and dedicated mother in the historical action drama “Emancipation.” For our recent webchat she adds, “She really felt like the heartbeat of the film for me and was absolutely this magnet drawing him home. I had so much admiration for her bravery and her courage under fire. You know, once Peter is taken from her, she has to do everything to protect her family and she does.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See Exclusive Video Interview: Ben Foster (‘Emancipation’)
“Emancipation” is directed by Antoine Fuqua from a screenplay by William N. Collage, based on the real-life story of former enslaved man Gordon (named “Peter” in the film) who posed for photographs of his bare back,...
See Exclusive Video Interview: Ben Foster (‘Emancipation’)
“Emancipation” is directed by Antoine Fuqua from a screenplay by William N. Collage, based on the real-life story of former enslaved man Gordon (named “Peter” in the film) who posed for photographs of his bare back,...
- 12/22/2022
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
“I had just fairly recently completed a film called ‘The Survivor,’ and that follows a man who’s at a concentration camp and escapes. I’m finding myself on the other side of the wire in this one and what what struck me was how similar the plantations felt the way that Auschwitz felt when we visited to prep for ‘The Survivor,'” reveals Ben Foster about co-starring in the historical action drama “Emancipation” right after playing a Holocaust survivor in the HBO film for which he was nominated for an Emmy earlier this year. For our recent webchat he adds, “Those stark similarities, I still haven’t worked through that, but you hope that your life lived as you educate yourself, informs you and you keep growing.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See Oscars spotlight: Don’t overlook ‘Emancipation’ cinematographer Robert Richardson for 11th nomination
“Emancipation” is directed...
See Oscars spotlight: Don’t overlook ‘Emancipation’ cinematographer Robert Richardson for 11th nomination
“Emancipation” is directed...
- 12/21/2022
- by Rob Licuria
- Gold Derby
Will Smith and Ben Foster in “Emancipation,” now streaming on Apple TV+. Courtesy of Apple Studios
An unrecognizable Will Smith stars as an enslaved man in Civil War era Louisiana, who decides upon hearing about Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to escape from a labor camp through the bayou in an attempt to reach Union forces in Baton Rouge, in Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation. Will Smith’s character was inspired by a real person, the man with the heavily scarred back in the famous Civil War photo, who really did escape slavery to reach an Union encampment. The photo, known as “Whipped Peter” or “the Scourged Back,” was widely circulated during the Civil War and was instrumental in convincing Northerners of the truth of the brutality of slavery.
Emancipation is a true-story inspired tale of the Civil War South without the mint juleps and “Gone with the Wind” fantasy. As the film opens,...
An unrecognizable Will Smith stars as an enslaved man in Civil War era Louisiana, who decides upon hearing about Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation to escape from a labor camp through the bayou in an attempt to reach Union forces in Baton Rouge, in Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation. Will Smith’s character was inspired by a real person, the man with the heavily scarred back in the famous Civil War photo, who really did escape slavery to reach an Union encampment. The photo, known as “Whipped Peter” or “the Scourged Back,” was widely circulated during the Civil War and was instrumental in convincing Northerners of the truth of the brutality of slavery.
Emancipation is a true-story inspired tale of the Civil War South without the mint juleps and “Gone with the Wind” fantasy. As the film opens,...
- 12/13/2022
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
One of the most powerful images in American history is of a slave who escaped a Mississippi plantation during the last days of the Civil War and found refuge with Union soldiers in Louisiana. The stark photo, with the man’s back a mess of gnarled scars, was a crucial tool in showing the evils of slavery and supporting Abolitionists’ cause. There’s a powerful story to be told about that photo and the power of images to illuminate truth. Unfortunately, Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation is more interested in having Will Smith fight alligators.
Smith plays Peter, a slave ripped away from his wife and daughter to help build a railroad for the Confederates. When he hears that Lincoln has emancipated slaves, he makes a daring escape through the Louisiana swamps to try and reach Union troops and urge them to rescue his family.
Fuqua, director of action thrillers like...
Smith plays Peter, a slave ripped away from his wife and daughter to help build a railroad for the Confederates. When he hears that Lincoln has emancipated slaves, he makes a daring escape through the Louisiana swamps to try and reach Union troops and urge them to rescue his family.
Fuqua, director of action thrillers like...
- 12/9/2022
- by Chris Williams
- CinemaNerdz
Emancipation Review — Emancipation (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Antoine Fuqua, written by Bill Collage and starring Will Smith, Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, Ronnie Gene Blevins, Aaron Moten, Jabbar Lewis, Michael Luwoye, Steven Ogg, Grant Harvey, Mustafa Shakir, Paul Ben-Victor, Jesse C. Boyd, David Denman, Imani Pullum, Jeremiah Friedlander, Jordyn [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Emancipation (2022): Antoine Fuqua’s Film Showcases Will Smith in Another Finely Rendered Performance...
Continue reading: Film Review: Emancipation (2022): Antoine Fuqua’s Film Showcases Will Smith in Another Finely Rendered Performance...
- 12/4/2022
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on “The Morning Mess” with Jason Makos on Wbgr-fm on December 1st, 2022, reviewing “Emancipation,” featuring Will Smith and set in the Civil War period within the eradication of slavery. In theaters on December 2nd, streaming December 9th on Apple TV+.
Rating: 4.5/5.0
This based-on-history story has Smith portraying Peter, a slave during the Civil War era who is separated from his family and forced to work for the Confederacy building a railroad. The overseer during this project is Fassel (Ben Foster), a notorious slave hunter and wrangler. Peter overhears that Lincoln has freed slaves, so when the war disrupts the worksite, he escapes. He is intent on getting to Baton Rouge, after also hearing that the Union occupies it. Fassel is in pursuit, but Peter has his own power, and it leads his into another realm … eventually as a solider for the Union.
”Emancipation...
Rating: 4.5/5.0
This based-on-history story has Smith portraying Peter, a slave during the Civil War era who is separated from his family and forced to work for the Confederacy building a railroad. The overseer during this project is Fassel (Ben Foster), a notorious slave hunter and wrangler. Peter overhears that Lincoln has freed slaves, so when the war disrupts the worksite, he escapes. He is intent on getting to Baton Rouge, after also hearing that the Union occupies it. Fassel is in pursuit, but Peter has his own power, and it leads his into another realm … eventually as a solider for the Union.
”Emancipation...
- 12/2/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
“Whipped Peter” spent 10 days traveling through the alligator- and insect-filled Louisiana swamps to join the Union Army after his escape from Lyons plantation in Louisiana. During his medical examination, onlookers marveled at the constellation of raised scars on his back from constant whippings. When war photographers took a picture of his back, and shared it with others, it reminded white people of the viciousness experienced by the enslaved. Antoine Fuqua’s Emancipation retells the story of Peter and his blood-soaked journey to freedom. Written by Bill Collage (Exodus: Gods and Kings), the film is an unforgiving portrait of a man separated from his family and risking his life to reunite with them.
Emancipation begins when Peter (Will Smith) is sold to a work camp to build the railroad. On the journey, he sees the heads of Black men lining the roads and Civil War deserters hanging from trees by their neck.
Emancipation begins when Peter (Will Smith) is sold to a work camp to build the railroad. On the journey, he sees the heads of Black men lining the roads and Civil War deserters hanging from trees by their neck.
- 12/1/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Lately, I’ve been examining my deep ambivalence toward slave movies — an attitude motivated by a suspicion of Hollywood’s insatiable appetite for tragic Black characters.
These films visualize, often gruesomely, the terror and violence inflicted upon Black people before, during and after the height of chattel slavery. There has been a recent shift toward depicting triumphs and rebellions, but for the most part these films portray brutality. They are touted as history lessons and used as bargaining chips for empathy. The fanfare surrounding them can feel cheap and callous; it may seem easier for a skeptical viewer to not engage at all.
And yet telling these stories remains important because we live in a reality where most people’s disregard for Black lives is only outmatched by a commitment to amnesia. This is true especially in the United States, where geographic location determines how history is taught.
Lately, I’ve been examining my deep ambivalence toward slave movies — an attitude motivated by a suspicion of Hollywood’s insatiable appetite for tragic Black characters.
These films visualize, often gruesomely, the terror and violence inflicted upon Black people before, during and after the height of chattel slavery. There has been a recent shift toward depicting triumphs and rebellions, but for the most part these films portray brutality. They are touted as history lessons and used as bargaining chips for empathy. The fanfare surrounding them can feel cheap and callous; it may seem easier for a skeptical viewer to not engage at all.
And yet telling these stories remains important because we live in a reality where most people’s disregard for Black lives is only outmatched by a commitment to amnesia. This is true especially in the United States, where geographic location determines how history is taught.
- 12/1/2022
- by Lovia Gyarkye
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
If there’s anything unexpected about the depiction of slavery in director Antoine Fuqua’s “Emancipation,” it’s the unflinchingly grim imagery that populates its frames. The intent seems to derive from the photographs of the real-life subject who inspired the film: Gordon, or “Whipped Peter,” an escaped slave whose viciously scarred back was immortalized as a way to show the world the unspeakable horrors Black people faced in the United States.
For their part, Fuqua and screenwriter Bill Collage (“Assassin’s Creed”) feature severed heads, burning corpses and hanged men, among other hard-to-stomach acts of brutality, as well as casualties of combat, made only slightly less bluntly shocking by the phantasmagoric quality of the extreme desaturation of colors on screen. But for as much sense as the correlation between the aesthetic choices and the themes make, the visual statements on such dehumanization overpower most other narrative elements.
The historical drama...
For their part, Fuqua and screenwriter Bill Collage (“Assassin’s Creed”) feature severed heads, burning corpses and hanged men, among other hard-to-stomach acts of brutality, as well as casualties of combat, made only slightly less bluntly shocking by the phantasmagoric quality of the extreme desaturation of colors on screen. But for as much sense as the correlation between the aesthetic choices and the themes make, the visual statements on such dehumanization overpower most other narrative elements.
The historical drama...
- 12/1/2022
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
Highland Film Group has inked distribution deals in key international territories for “Sleeping Dogs,” its upcoming thriller starring Russell Crowe. The film is an adaptation of E.O. Chirovici’s novel “The Book of Mirrors.”
Key partners for “Sleeping Dogs” distribution are Signature Entertainment for the U.K., Rialto Distribution for Australia/New Zealand, California Filmes for Latin America, Key2Media Audiovisual for Spain, Spentzos Film for Greece, Blue Swan Entertainment for Italy and Eagle Films for the Middle East.
The movie centers on former homicide detective Roy Freeman (Crowe), who is undergoing treatment for Alzheimer’s. He is tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past. A death row inmate Roy arrested 10 years prior is now proclaiming his innocence. Intrigued and fighting to regain his memory, Roy enlists his former partner to help him revive the investigation and discover the truth. This time though, things unfold very differently: as...
Key partners for “Sleeping Dogs” distribution are Signature Entertainment for the U.K., Rialto Distribution for Australia/New Zealand, California Filmes for Latin America, Key2Media Audiovisual for Spain, Spentzos Film for Greece, Blue Swan Entertainment for Italy and Eagle Films for the Middle East.
The movie centers on former homicide detective Roy Freeman (Crowe), who is undergoing treatment for Alzheimer’s. He is tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past. A death row inmate Roy arrested 10 years prior is now proclaiming his innocence. Intrigued and fighting to regain his memory, Roy enlists his former partner to help him revive the investigation and discover the truth. This time though, things unfold very differently: as...
- 11/1/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
The cast for Antoine Fuqua‘s The Equalizer 3 is growing stronger with addition. According to Deadline, That Dirty Black Bag and Promises star Gaia Scodellaro is joining Denzel Washington and Dakota Fanning for the upcoming sequel. The project is from Sony Pictures and has a script by Richard Wenk. Todd Black of Escape Artists, Jason Blumenthal, and Steve Tisch produce alongside Washington and Fuqua.
Everyone is keeping the plot of The Equalizer 3 under wraps, though we know it will feature the return of Washington’s Robert McCall. The original film, released in 2014, focuses on a man who believes he’s put the past behind him but can’t stand by when he meets a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters. A sequel was released in 2018, featuring McCall going on a rampage to serve unflinching justice for someone he loves.
Born in Naples, Italy, Scodellaro appeared...
Everyone is keeping the plot of The Equalizer 3 under wraps, though we know it will feature the return of Washington’s Robert McCall. The original film, released in 2014, focuses on a man who believes he’s put the past behind him but can’t stand by when he meets a young girl under the control of ultra-violent Russian gangsters. A sequel was released in 2018, featuring McCall going on a rampage to serve unflinching justice for someone he loves.
Born in Naples, Italy, Scodellaro appeared...
- 10/14/2022
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Emancipation Trailer — Antoine Fuqua‘s Emancipation (2022) teaser trailer has been released by Apple TV+. The Emancipation trailer stars Will Smith, Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor, Mustafa Shakir, Steven Ogg, Grant Harvey, Jabbar Lewis, Jayson Warner Smith, Ronnie Gene Bivens, Michael Luwoye, Aaron Moten, and Imani Pullum. Crew Bill Collage wrote the [...]
Continue reading: Emancipation (2022) Teaser Trailer: Will Smith tries to Escape from Slavery in Antoine Fuqua’s Film...
Continue reading: Emancipation (2022) Teaser Trailer: Will Smith tries to Escape from Slavery in Antoine Fuqua’s Film...
- 10/4/2022
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
In a surprise shift to this year’s awards season, Will Smith’s next film “Emancipation” will release in 2022 after all. Apple announced the news Monday, releasing the first trailer for the Antoine Fuqua-directed historical drama.
“Emancipation” premieres in theaters on Dec. 2 and will stream on Apple TV+ starting Dec. 9.
Though “Emancipation” had originally been set for a 2022 release date, Apple elected to delay the film to 2023 after Smith became embroiled in controversy for slapping Chris Rock onstage at the Academy Awards. The embattled actor has since publicly apologized for his actions, sharing an emotional video released online in June, but has largely steered clear of the public eye since the Oscar ceremony.
For all intents and purposes, that initial delay has now been reversed. A few months ago, Apple was seen as a potentially formidable Oscar contender. After become the first streaming service to win best picture with “Coda,...
“Emancipation” premieres in theaters on Dec. 2 and will stream on Apple TV+ starting Dec. 9.
Though “Emancipation” had originally been set for a 2022 release date, Apple elected to delay the film to 2023 after Smith became embroiled in controversy for slapping Chris Rock onstage at the Academy Awards. The embattled actor has since publicly apologized for his actions, sharing an emotional video released online in June, but has largely steered clear of the public eye since the Oscar ceremony.
For all intents and purposes, that initial delay has now been reversed. A few months ago, Apple was seen as a potentially formidable Oscar contender. After become the first streaming service to win best picture with “Coda,...
- 10/3/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
Actor Russell Crowe will play a former homicide detective tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past in ‘Sleeping Dogs’.
The Nickel City Pictures film marks the directorial debut of Adam Cooper, who wrote the script with Bill Collage, reports Variety.
The film is an adaptation of E.O. Chirovici’s acclaimed novel, ‘The Book of Mirrors’. Cooper and Collage previously penned the scripts for ‘Assassins Creed’ and ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’.
Crowe played Roy Freeman, who is undergoing a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment. He is forced to grapple with the impact of an investigation from his former life after a death row inmate that Freeman arrested 10 years prior starts to proclaim his innocence.
Intrigued and fighting to regain his memory, Freeman enlists his former partner to help him revive the case and discover the truth. Together, they set off to unravel a tangled web of secrets, forcing Freeman to make some horrific discoveries.
The Nickel City Pictures film marks the directorial debut of Adam Cooper, who wrote the script with Bill Collage, reports Variety.
The film is an adaptation of E.O. Chirovici’s acclaimed novel, ‘The Book of Mirrors’. Cooper and Collage previously penned the scripts for ‘Assassins Creed’ and ‘Exodus: Gods and Kings’.
Crowe played Roy Freeman, who is undergoing a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment. He is forced to grapple with the impact of an investigation from his former life after a death row inmate that Freeman arrested 10 years prior starts to proclaim his innocence.
Intrigued and fighting to regain his memory, Freeman enlists his former partner to help him revive the case and discover the truth. Together, they set off to unravel a tangled web of secrets, forcing Freeman to make some horrific discoveries.
- 9/1/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Russell Crowe will play a former homicide detective tasked with re-examining a brutal murder case from his past in “Sleeping Dogs.” The Nickel City Pictures film marks the directorial debut of Adam Cooper, who wrote the script with Bill Collage.
The film is an adaptation of E.O. Chirovici’s acclaimed novel, “The Book of Mirrors.” Cooper and Collage previously penned the scripts for “Assassins Creed” and “Exodus: Gods and Kings.”
Crowe played Roy Freeman, who is undergoing a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment. He is forced to grapple with the impact of an investigation from his former life after a death row inmate that Freeman arrested 10 years prior starts to proclaim his innocence. Intrigued and fighting to regain his memory, Freeman enlists his former partner to help him revive the case and discover the truth. Together, they set off to unravel a tangled web of secrets, forcing Freeman to make some horrific discoveries.
The film is an adaptation of E.O. Chirovici’s acclaimed novel, “The Book of Mirrors.” Cooper and Collage previously penned the scripts for “Assassins Creed” and “Exodus: Gods and Kings.”
Crowe played Roy Freeman, who is undergoing a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment. He is forced to grapple with the impact of an investigation from his former life after a death row inmate that Freeman arrested 10 years prior starts to proclaim his innocence. Intrigued and fighting to regain his memory, Freeman enlists his former partner to help him revive the case and discover the truth. Together, they set off to unravel a tangled web of secrets, forcing Freeman to make some horrific discoveries.
- 8/31/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
“Have no fear of perfection — you’ll never reach it.”
A quote by Spanish artist Salvador Dalí feels appropriate when discussing the apprehension about releasing the Will Smith-starrer “Emancipation” this year. With “Killers of the Flower Moon” staying the course for 2023, and Smith posting an apology video for slapping Chris Rock at the 94th Oscars, a path to bowing the Apple Original Film is becoming more clear.
There’s never going to be a “perfect” time to release any Smith vehicle in the future — whether it’s in 2022 or a decade from now — nor will the public ever forget his actions of the evening. Apple Original Films, Westbrook Studios and all the various filmmakers attached to the project should simply bite the bullet and go forth with the film’s release, and an awards campaign, if warranted.
Before Smith won best actor for playing Venus and Serena Williams’ father...
A quote by Spanish artist Salvador Dalí feels appropriate when discussing the apprehension about releasing the Will Smith-starrer “Emancipation” this year. With “Killers of the Flower Moon” staying the course for 2023, and Smith posting an apology video for slapping Chris Rock at the 94th Oscars, a path to bowing the Apple Original Film is becoming more clear.
There’s never going to be a “perfect” time to release any Smith vehicle in the future — whether it’s in 2022 or a decade from now — nor will the public ever forget his actions of the evening. Apple Original Films, Westbrook Studios and all the various filmmakers attached to the project should simply bite the bullet and go forth with the film’s release, and an awards campaign, if warranted.
Before Smith won best actor for playing Venus and Serena Williams’ father...
- 7/29/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Don’t expect an “Emancipation” for Oscar winner Will Smith in 2022. Originally expected to drop on the fall festival circuit later this year, the actor’s next film from Apple, and co-produced by his production company Westbrook Studios, is planning to delay the film’s release to sometime in 2023.
Directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”), the movie would have been the first release for Smith following his assault on comedian Chris Rock during the 94th Oscars. As a result, he was banned from attending the Oscars and other Academy-related events for 10 years.
Though the studio did not officially date “Emancipation,” it was expected to be the streamer’s next potential awards project this year after winning best picture for “Coda.” While Apple has not shared an official date, one source familiar with the situation said “it’s the unspoken truth” that the action-drama will not hit the platform in 2022. However,...
Directed by Antoine Fuqua (“Training Day”), the movie would have been the first release for Smith following his assault on comedian Chris Rock during the 94th Oscars. As a result, he was banned from attending the Oscars and other Academy-related events for 10 years.
Though the studio did not officially date “Emancipation,” it was expected to be the streamer’s next potential awards project this year after winning best picture for “Coda.” While Apple has not shared an official date, one source familiar with the situation said “it’s the unspoken truth” that the action-drama will not hit the platform in 2022. However,...
- 5/6/2022
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
The Hamptons Intl. Film Festival will open with the world premiere of Matthew Heineman’s “The First Wave” on Oct. 7 and buzzy titles including Pablo Larrain’s “Spencer” as the Saturday centerpiece film and Jane Campion’s “The Power of the Dog” in the additional spotlight selection. The in-person festival ends Oct. 13 with Wes Anderson’s “French Dispatch.” The festival takes place in the Hamptons on the Eastern End of Long Island, N.Y. from Oct. 7-13. Masks and proof of vaccination are required in theaters.
Spotlight Titles
Newly announced Spotlight titles include the East Coast premiere of Joe Wright’s “Cyrano,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial feature debut of “The Lost Daughter,” Academy Award-winning director Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers,” Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut “Passing” and Campion’s “The Power of the Dog.”
Signature Programs
As part of the Signature Programs, the Conflict and Resolution section will include Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee,...
Spotlight Titles
Newly announced Spotlight titles include the East Coast premiere of Joe Wright’s “Cyrano,” Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial feature debut of “The Lost Daughter,” Academy Award-winning director Pedro Almodóvar’s “Parallel Mothers,” Rebecca Hall’s directorial debut “Passing” and Campion’s “The Power of the Dog.”
Signature Programs
As part of the Signature Programs, the Conflict and Resolution section will include Jonas Poher Rasmussen’s “Flee,...
- 9/15/2021
- by Jennifer Yuma
- Variety Film + TV
Ben Foster, Charmaine Bingwa, Gilbert Owuor and Mustafa Shakir have joined the cast of “Emancipation,” the runaway slave drama starring Will Smith that’s set up at Apple.
Antoine Fuqua is directing the film from a script by Bill Collage, which is based on true events and is the story of Peter, a runaway slave forced to outwit cold-blooded hunters and the punishing Louisiana swamp on a tortuous journey to the Union Army and his only chance at freedom. Smith is playing the lead.
Foster (“Hell or High Water”) in the film will play Fassel, a man who doggedly pursues any enslaved person who attempts to flee to freedom. Bingwa will play Peter’s beloved wife Dodienne. Owuor will play Gordon, an enslaved man working at the same camp as Peter. And Shakir plays Cailloux, a free Black man who serves in the Union Army.
The film is inspired by...
Antoine Fuqua is directing the film from a script by Bill Collage, which is based on true events and is the story of Peter, a runaway slave forced to outwit cold-blooded hunters and the punishing Louisiana swamp on a tortuous journey to the Union Army and his only chance at freedom. Smith is playing the lead.
Foster (“Hell or High Water”) in the film will play Fassel, a man who doggedly pursues any enslaved person who attempts to flee to freedom. Bingwa will play Peter’s beloved wife Dodienne. Owuor will play Gordon, an enslaved man working at the same camp as Peter. And Shakir plays Cailloux, a free Black man who serves in the Union Army.
The film is inspired by...
- 8/3/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Lionsgate won an auction and is paying north of $1 million and under $2 million for Black Collar, a heist thriller pitch to be written by William N. Collage and produced by Kenya Barris through his Khalabo Ink Society banner. Lionsgate took it off the table as bidders were circling. It is one of the biggest pitch deals of the year.
Specific plot under wraps, but this is a globe trotting suspense action heist adventure said to be reminiscent of hits like The Thomas Crown Affair and Inside Man, but with a fresh contemporary way in with timely themes. Collage scripted Emancipation, which became a $4 million spec script that sold to Apple for a film currently in production starring Will Smith and directed by Antoine Fuqua. Collage also scripted Exodus, Assassin’s Creed, the final installment of Divergent, and the ABC series Of Kings and Prophets among his credits. Collage is exec producing.
Specific plot under wraps, but this is a globe trotting suspense action heist adventure said to be reminiscent of hits like The Thomas Crown Affair and Inside Man, but with a fresh contemporary way in with timely themes. Collage scripted Emancipation, which became a $4 million spec script that sold to Apple for a film currently in production starring Will Smith and directed by Antoine Fuqua. Collage also scripted Exodus, Assassin’s Creed, the final installment of Divergent, and the ABC series Of Kings and Prophets among his credits. Collage is exec producing.
- 7/23/2021
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Sophie Dawson’s cannibal drama “Headhunter” and Jingyi Shao’s basketball story “Chang Can Dunk” earned the top spots on the 2020 edition of The Black List.
“Headhunter” follows a cannibal who chooses his victims based on their Instagram clout, but he finds his routine shaken by a man who wants to be eaten. “Chang Can Dunk” centers on an Asian American teen and basketball fan who wants to be able to dunk. He soon learns much more about himself, his friends and his family.
Cat Wilkins’ high-school comedy script “Two-Faced” was fourth on the list. Taraji P. Henson will make her feature directorial debut on the Bron Studios pic, in addition to producing and starring in the movie. “Two-Faced” follows Joy, a Black high school senior whose chance of attending the college of her dreams is threatened by her wildly popular and charismatic school principal after she confronts him with evidence of his racist past.
“Headhunter” follows a cannibal who chooses his victims based on their Instagram clout, but he finds his routine shaken by a man who wants to be eaten. “Chang Can Dunk” centers on an Asian American teen and basketball fan who wants to be able to dunk. He soon learns much more about himself, his friends and his family.
Cat Wilkins’ high-school comedy script “Two-Faced” was fourth on the list. Taraji P. Henson will make her feature directorial debut on the Bron Studios pic, in addition to producing and starring in the movie. “Two-Faced” follows Joy, a Black high school senior whose chance of attending the college of her dreams is threatened by her wildly popular and charismatic school principal after she confronts him with evidence of his racist past.
- 12/14/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Showtime may have found its next Homeland. The network is tying up a preemptive deal to acquire and turn the Nathan Englander Israeli-Palestine conflict novel Dinner at the Center of the Earth into a series that Homeland architects Howard Gordon & Alex Gansa will write and run as executive producers. Deal is being made through Sony Pictures Television Studios, where Gordon and Gansa made a four-year overall deal last year.
Showtime isn’t commenting, but Deadline hears the commitment is for a pilot that will be written by Gordon & Gansa, who steered Homeland through eight solid seasons. The hope is for this to be the next major series for the duo.
The novel is a sprawling drama that has some basis in real players in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, set in the Middle East and Europe, but the simplest way to describe it is a spy thriller in the vein of Homeland and The Night Manager.
Showtime isn’t commenting, but Deadline hears the commitment is for a pilot that will be written by Gordon & Gansa, who steered Homeland through eight solid seasons. The hope is for this to be the next major series for the duo.
The novel is a sprawling drama that has some basis in real players in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, set in the Middle East and Europe, but the simplest way to describe it is a spy thriller in the vein of Homeland and The Night Manager.
- 11/24/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
One of the most coveted projects to emerge out of the digital edition of this year’s Cannes Marché du Film has just sold for a record-breaking sum. Apple has picked “Emancipation,” a Civil War-era thriller starring Will Smith as a runaway slave, after a tense bidding war throughout the week which at one point saw Warner Bros. vying for the title. Deadline reports the deal is above the $120 million mark, but a source close to Apple says the number was near the $105 million mark. This is likely the biggest festival acquisition deal of all time.
CAA Media Finance and FilmNation Entertainment were handling sales for the package, which includes a script from Bill Collage centered on the escape of Peter, a slave who must outwit enemies in the swamps of Louisiana while on a perilous journey to the North, where he will join the Union Army. The script is based on a true story,...
CAA Media Finance and FilmNation Entertainment were handling sales for the package, which includes a script from Bill Collage centered on the escape of Peter, a slave who must outwit enemies in the swamps of Louisiana while on a perilous journey to the North, where he will join the Union Army. The script is based on a true story,...
- 7/1/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Exclusive: In what I believe will become one of the hottest film packages for the upcoming Cannes Virtual Market, Antoine Fuqua will direct Will Smith in Emancipation, a Willam N. Collage-scripted action thriller about the harrowing escape of Peter, a runaway slave forced to outwit cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on a tortuous journey North. There he joined the Union Army.
The thriller is based on a true story, fueled by an indelible image; when Peter showed his bare back during an Army medical examination, photos were taken of the scars from a whipping delivered by an overseer on the plantation owned by John and Bridget Lyons that nearly killed him. When the photo known as “the scourged back” was published by the Independent in May, 1863 and then in Harper’s Weekly‘s July 4 issue, it became indisputable proof of the cruelty and barbarity of slavery in America.
The thriller is based on a true story, fueled by an indelible image; when Peter showed his bare back during an Army medical examination, photos were taken of the scars from a whipping delivered by an overseer on the plantation owned by John and Bridget Lyons that nearly killed him. When the photo known as “the scourged back” was published by the Independent in May, 1863 and then in Harper’s Weekly‘s July 4 issue, it became indisputable proof of the cruelty and barbarity of slavery in America.
- 6/15/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Executive producer Akiva Goldsman continues to develop an 'Old West' TV drama pilot for HBO focusing on real-life gunslinger, gambler, killer, 'Doc Holliday'.
Script is by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage ("Accepted"), adapting author Mary Doria Russell's novel "Doc", that takes a closer look at the 'love triangle' between Holliday, his prostitute wife, 'Big Nose Kate Elder' and best friend, lawman 'Wyatt Earp'.
'John Henry Holliday' was born in 1851 in Griffin Georgia. In 1872, after earning his 'Doctor of Dental Surgery', he opened an office in Atlanta with a fellow graduate, but was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
Hoping to gain some more years of life, he moved to Dallas, Texas, but his illness forced him to find other ways to live and he became an avid gambler, while learning how to handle a 'six-shooter' gun.
In 1875, Holliday killed a well known citizen, forcing him to flee Dallas under the pursuit of lawmen.
Script is by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage ("Accepted"), adapting author Mary Doria Russell's novel "Doc", that takes a closer look at the 'love triangle' between Holliday, his prostitute wife, 'Big Nose Kate Elder' and best friend, lawman 'Wyatt Earp'.
'John Henry Holliday' was born in 1851 in Griffin Georgia. In 1872, after earning his 'Doctor of Dental Surgery', he opened an office in Atlanta with a fellow graduate, but was diagnosed with tuberculosis.
Hoping to gain some more years of life, he moved to Dallas, Texas, but his illness forced him to find other ways to live and he became an avid gambler, while learning how to handle a 'six-shooter' gun.
In 1875, Holliday killed a well known citizen, forcing him to flee Dallas under the pursuit of lawmen.
- 8/25/2018
- by Michael Stevens
- SneakPeek
Exclusive: It’s always nice to see another female screenwriter get a gig. Tiffany Romigh has been tapped to write an untitled romantic comedy for Nickel City Pictures and the production company’s partner, Telepool GmbH. Romigh most recently completed work on the Amy Baer/Laurence Mark produced Parents’ Weekend.
The plot of the romantic comedy is being kept under wraps right now. Romigh’s Getwell Road script is currently in pre-production with Gold Star Films.
The author of two novels, Elasticity and Deferred, Romigh was also a successful advertising copywriter at Ogilvy and Deutsch as well as VP of Consumer and Lifestyle at Edelman Public Relations prior to becoming a screenwriter.
Nickel City Pictures, which recently acquired the Silver Bear book series from author/screenwriter Derek Haas is currently building an interesting slate of feature films. Those include Marlowe adapted by Bill Monahan, Hammer written by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage,...
The plot of the romantic comedy is being kept under wraps right now. Romigh’s Getwell Road script is currently in pre-production with Gold Star Films.
The author of two novels, Elasticity and Deferred, Romigh was also a successful advertising copywriter at Ogilvy and Deutsch as well as VP of Consumer and Lifestyle at Edelman Public Relations prior to becoming a screenwriter.
Nickel City Pictures, which recently acquired the Silver Bear book series from author/screenwriter Derek Haas is currently building an interesting slate of feature films. Those include Marlowe adapted by Bill Monahan, Hammer written by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage,...
- 4/13/2018
- by Anita Busch
- Deadline Film + TV
ABC has ordered a pilot for The French Detective, which is based on James Patterson‘s Luc Moncrief mysteries. ComingSoon.net reports that Luc Besson (The Fifth Element) is set to direct, it will also be his TV directorial debut and Jean Dujardin (The Artist) will star in the series.
The French Detective is written by Assassin's Creed scribes Bill Collage and Adam Cooper and Jonathan Collier (Bones). The show is being described as a “light procedural drama” and will tell the story of Parisian detective Luc Moncrief who joins the NYPD in an effort to start a new life.
The James Patterson series has three books; French Kiss, The Christmas Mystery and French Twist. On Amazon the description of French Kiss reads:
“Very handsome and charming French detective Luc Moncrief joined the NYPD for a fresh start–but someone wants to make his first big case his last. Welcome to New York.
The French Detective is written by Assassin's Creed scribes Bill Collage and Adam Cooper and Jonathan Collier (Bones). The show is being described as a “light procedural drama” and will tell the story of Parisian detective Luc Moncrief who joins the NYPD in an effort to start a new life.
The James Patterson series has three books; French Kiss, The Christmas Mystery and French Twist. On Amazon the description of French Kiss reads:
“Very handsome and charming French detective Luc Moncrief joined the NYPD for a fresh start–but someone wants to make his first big case his last. Welcome to New York.
- 11/16/2017
- by Kristian Odland
- GeekTyrant
Kirsten Howard Nov 16, 2017
Luc Besson is set to direct a television show for the first time with his new project The French Detective...
It looks like EuropaCorp's TV branch are angling for a safe bet to ease the company's financial losses in the new year. Their maestro Luc Besson will call the shots on a brand new series called The French Detective, starring Jean Dujardin (The Artist), in 2018.
See related The Punisher episode 2 review & nerdy spots: Two Dead Men The Punisher episode 1 review & nerdy spots: 3Am The Punisher spoiler-free review
This adaptation of James Patterson’s Luc Moncrief novels will mark Besson's TV directorial debut, and Bill Collage, Adam Cooper and Jonathan Collier will be on writing duties for the procedural show at ABC.
Via Dark Horizons, the series will follow "charming Parisian detective Luc Moncrief (Dujardin) who joins the NYPD to star a new life. Luc will try...
Luc Besson is set to direct a television show for the first time with his new project The French Detective...
It looks like EuropaCorp's TV branch are angling for a safe bet to ease the company's financial losses in the new year. Their maestro Luc Besson will call the shots on a brand new series called The French Detective, starring Jean Dujardin (The Artist), in 2018.
See related The Punisher episode 2 review & nerdy spots: Two Dead Men The Punisher episode 1 review & nerdy spots: 3Am The Punisher spoiler-free review
This adaptation of James Patterson’s Luc Moncrief novels will mark Besson's TV directorial debut, and Bill Collage, Adam Cooper and Jonathan Collier will be on writing duties for the procedural show at ABC.
Via Dark Horizons, the series will follow "charming Parisian detective Luc Moncrief (Dujardin) who joins the NYPD to star a new life. Luc will try...
- 11/16/2017
- Den of Geek
One of the best French actors today is going to make his way to the American television. ABC has given a put pilot comment to the drama pilot, The French Detective, based on James Patterson’s Luc Moncrief mysteries, from EuropaCorp TV Studios. Oscar-winning actor Jean Dujardin is attached to star in the project. EuropaCorp founder and Taken creator Luc Besson is set to direct the pilot, making his TV directional debut. Written by Assassin’s Creed writers Bill Collage and Adam Cooper, and Jonathan Collier (Bones), The French Detective is a light procedural drama that centers on Luc Moncrief, a Parisian
Jean Dujardin to Star in ABC Pilot The French Detective...
Jean Dujardin to Star in ABC Pilot The French Detective...
- 11/15/2017
- by Michael Baculinao
- TVovermind.com
ABC has given a put pilot commitment to light drama The French Detective, based on James Patterson’s Luc Moncrief mysteries, from EuropaCorp TV Studios, with The Artist‘s Jean Dujardin attached to star and EuropaCorp founder and Taken creator Luc Besson set to direct in his TV directorial debut. Written by Assassin’s Creed scribes Bill Collage and Adam Cooper, and Jonathan Collier (Bones), The French Detective is a light procedural drama that centers on Luc Moncrief, a…...
- 11/14/2017
- Deadline TV
The Sundance Film Festival is just getting started in Park City, Utah, and virtual reality company Jaunt Inc. is heating things up at the winter event by announcing a Vr series reimagining of The Lawnmower Man, the 1992 film based on the Stephen King short story of the same name.
A far cry from King’s short story upon which it is based, Brett Leonard’s The Lawnmower Man movie heavily incorporated virtual reality in its plot. No details on the Vr series’ plot are known at this time, other than the fact that it will be a “reimagination of the film.”
We have the full press release with more details on Janut’s upcoming Vr slate below, as well as trailer for The Lawnmower Man film, which stars Pierce Brosnan and Jeff Fahey. In case you missed it, Scream Factory recently announced an upcoming collector’s edition Blu-ray of The Lawnmower Man.
A far cry from King’s short story upon which it is based, Brett Leonard’s The Lawnmower Man movie heavily incorporated virtual reality in its plot. No details on the Vr series’ plot are known at this time, other than the fact that it will be a “reimagination of the film.”
We have the full press release with more details on Janut’s upcoming Vr slate below, as well as trailer for The Lawnmower Man film, which stars Pierce Brosnan and Jeff Fahey. In case you missed it, Scream Factory recently announced an upcoming collector’s edition Blu-ray of The Lawnmower Man.
- 1/19/2017
- by Derek Anderson
- DailyDead
Chicago – I’m not a gamer, but of course I’ve heard about “Assassin’s Creed.” The film based on the video game is a wild and undisciplined attempt to expand that particular universe, but does succeed in creating an oddball science fiction that has implications in geo-religious power and control.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
It is the combination of game and story that nearly does both sides in, but there is just enough to keep the intrigue intact. The high octane story from director Justin Kurzel – who used lead performers Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in his adaptation of “Macbeth” in 2015 – manages a symbolic story about duality, technology and megalomania, while barely clinging to any of it making sense. There are crazy visuals, overwrought action and knocks on religion aplenty, which sets it apart both as a video game adaptation and creative use of a dystopian prophecy. Part Indiana Jones, part “Fail Safe” and all weird,...
Rating: 3.0/5.0
It is the combination of game and story that nearly does both sides in, but there is just enough to keep the intrigue intact. The high octane story from director Justin Kurzel – who used lead performers Michael Fassbender and Marion Cotillard in his adaptation of “Macbeth” in 2015 – manages a symbolic story about duality, technology and megalomania, while barely clinging to any of it making sense. There are crazy visuals, overwrought action and knocks on religion aplenty, which sets it apart both as a video game adaptation and creative use of a dystopian prophecy. Part Indiana Jones, part “Fail Safe” and all weird,...
- 12/26/2016
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Over three-dozen times has Hollywood tried their hand at the videogame adaptation, and the results, to say the least, have left much to be desired. Perhaps it’s the lack of venerable source material, but translating the entertainment factor of videogames — an experience in which the user often repeatedly fails until some enjoyment is ultimately had — has most adaptations feeling like one is watching characters play in God mode, making most big-screen attempts come across as dull, live-action cut-scenes. Enter Macbeth and Snowtown director Justin Kurzel, who brings perhaps the best visual eye yet for a videogame adaptation (apologies, Paul W.S. Anderson defenders), along with one of the finest ensembles. Despite this talent, Assassin’s Creed bears a jumbled narrative and self-serious approach that ends up feeling far too assaultive on the senses without any genuine pay-off.
Michael Fassbender portrays Callum Lynch, a criminal on death row who, after a lethal injection,...
Michael Fassbender portrays Callum Lynch, a criminal on death row who, after a lethal injection,...
- 12/19/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Michael Fassbender reteams with Macbeth’s Justin Kurzel for Assassin’s Creed. But is it any good?
Videogame movies are - you don't need us to tell you this - a tough nut to crack, but Michael Fassbender and director Justin Kurzel give that nut a fair bashing with their take on Assassin’s Creed. A quite successful bashing too, although not without falling into some quite familiar traps.
Essentially, there’s a lot of good stuff here. Kurzel – as you’ll know if you’ve seen either of his previous films, Snowtown and Macbeth – really knows how to frame a landscape, and he uses that skillset here to bring the Spanish inquisition to life in impressively eye-catching ways. Those transitions, from the modern day to hundreds of years ago, are visually delicious.
Drones, helicopters, cameras mounted to actors, and unique rigs built especially for this movie were all within...
Videogame movies are - you don't need us to tell you this - a tough nut to crack, but Michael Fassbender and director Justin Kurzel give that nut a fair bashing with their take on Assassin’s Creed. A quite successful bashing too, although not without falling into some quite familiar traps.
Essentially, there’s a lot of good stuff here. Kurzel – as you’ll know if you’ve seen either of his previous films, Snowtown and Macbeth – really knows how to frame a landscape, and he uses that skillset here to bring the Spanish inquisition to life in impressively eye-catching ways. Those transitions, from the modern day to hundreds of years ago, are visually delicious.
Drones, helicopters, cameras mounted to actors, and unique rigs built especially for this movie were all within...
- 12/16/2016
- Den of Geek
20th Century Fox has released a brand new international trailer for Assassin's Creed, which you can out below.
The film stars Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Khalid Abdalla, Michael K. Williams.
Assassin's Creed is based on the Ubisoft video game franchise of the same name. The film is directed by Justin Kurzel from a screenplay written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, and Michael Lesslie.
Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day.
Assassin's Creed opens in theaters worldwide on on December 21, 2016.
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The film stars Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Khalid Abdalla, Michael K. Williams.
Assassin's Creed is based on the Ubisoft video game franchise of the same name. The film is directed by Justin Kurzel from a screenplay written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, and Michael Lesslie.
Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day.
Assassin's Creed opens in theaters worldwide on on December 21, 2016.
Don't forget to share this post on your Facebook wall and with your Twitter followers! Just hit the buttons...
- 12/9/2016
- by Kellvin Chavez
- LRMonline.com
20th Century Fox has released an extended film clip from Assassin's Creed, which debuted at this year's at The Game Awards. The film clip focuses on a carriage chase scene and look pretty damn good if you ask me. You can check out the clip below.
The film stars Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Khalid Abdalla, Michael K. Williams.
Assassin's Creed is based on the Ubisoft video game franchise of the same name. The film is directed by Justin Kurzel from a screenplay written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, and Michael Lesslie.
Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day.
The film stars Michael Fassbender, Marion Cotillard, Jeremy Irons, Brendan Gleeson, Khalid Abdalla, Michael K. Williams.
Assassin's Creed is based on the Ubisoft video game franchise of the same name. The film is directed by Justin Kurzel from a screenplay written by Adam Cooper, Bill Collage, and Michael Lesslie.
Through a revolutionary technology that unlocks his genetic memories, Callum Lynch (Michael Fassbender) experiences the adventures of his ancestor, Aguilar, in 15th Century Spain. Callum discovers he is descended from a mysterious secret society, the Assassins, and amasses incredible knowledge and skills to take on the oppressive and powerful Templar organization in the present day.
- 12/2/2016
- by Kellvin Chavez
- LRMonline.com
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