Polish composer Jan A.P. Kaczmarek, who won a 2004 Oscar for “Finding Neverland,” died Tuesday in Krakow, the Polish Music Foundation announced. He was 71 and had suffered from Multiple System Atrophy (Msa) in recent years.
Also among Kaczmarek’s 50-plus film and television scores, mostly from the 1990s and 2000s, were “Unfaithful,” “Bliss,” “Aimee and Jaguar,” “The Visitor” and “Get Low.” He also scored the lavish four-part French-Italian miniseries of “War and Peace” in 2007.
Kaczmarek had one of the most unusual backgrounds of any film composer of his time. Born in Konin in 1953, he was educated as a lawyer. But he abandoned a planned career as a diplomat to compose music for an experimental theater company, headed by avant-garde theater director Jerzy Grotowski, in Poznan during the 1970s.
He formed his own ensemble, the Orchestra of the Eighth Day, which toured Europe in the late 1970s and early 1980s, releasing an LP,...
Also among Kaczmarek’s 50-plus film and television scores, mostly from the 1990s and 2000s, were “Unfaithful,” “Bliss,” “Aimee and Jaguar,” “The Visitor” and “Get Low.” He also scored the lavish four-part French-Italian miniseries of “War and Peace” in 2007.
Kaczmarek had one of the most unusual backgrounds of any film composer of his time. Born in Konin in 1953, he was educated as a lawyer. But he abandoned a planned career as a diplomat to compose music for an experimental theater company, headed by avant-garde theater director Jerzy Grotowski, in Poznan during the 1970s.
He formed his own ensemble, the Orchestra of the Eighth Day, which toured Europe in the late 1970s and early 1980s, releasing an LP,...
- 5/21/2024
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Take a look at new footage from "White Bird", the upcoming war drama feature, directed by Marc Forster, based on the 2019 graphic novel by R. J. Palacio, as a spin-off, prequel and 'companion piece' to the feature "Wonder" (2017), starring Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Gillian Anderson, and Helen Mirren, releasing October 4, 2024 in theaters:
"...following the events of 'Wonder', 'Julian' has left 'Beecher Prep' for good.
"He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young girl in occupied France during World War II, while being hidden by a distant classmate and his parents..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...following the events of 'Wonder', 'Julian' has left 'Beecher Prep' for good.
"He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young girl in occupied France during World War II, while being hidden by a distant classmate and his parents..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 5/17/2024
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Ryan Murphy is looking to part ways with a historic mid-century home designed by iconic architect Richard Neutra — to the tune of $33.9 million.
The clean-lined house in Bel Air, California is known as The Brown House and was built in 1955 by the late architect, who was known for pioneering the idea of indoor-outdoor California living and whose houses have since been owned and prized by such entertainment names as Flea, Mitch Glazer and Kelly Lynch, stylist Jeanne Yang, and directors Josef von Sternberg and Marc Forster.
Feud and American Horror Story creator Murphy purchased the Brown House in 2022 and set about renovating it and decorating it in an eclectic style that wasn’t slavish to its mid-century roots. As he wrote in Architectural Digest earlier this year, “Instead of surrounding ourselves in one particular midcentury style that had long gone out of fashion (and was actually uncomfortable), why not invite...
The clean-lined house in Bel Air, California is known as The Brown House and was built in 1955 by the late architect, who was known for pioneering the idea of indoor-outdoor California living and whose houses have since been owned and prized by such entertainment names as Flea, Mitch Glazer and Kelly Lynch, stylist Jeanne Yang, and directors Josef von Sternberg and Marc Forster.
Feud and American Horror Story creator Murphy purchased the Brown House in 2022 and set about renovating it and decorating it in an eclectic style that wasn’t slavish to its mid-century roots. As he wrote in Architectural Digest earlier this year, “Instead of surrounding ourselves in one particular midcentury style that had long gone out of fashion (and was actually uncomfortable), why not invite...
- 5/14/2024
- by Degen Pener
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
European production and sales studio Vuelta Group has bought German producer Telepool from Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook.
The deal, struck through Vuelta subsidiary SquareOne, will see a combined business operating under the SquareOne banner. SquareOne and Vuelta Group Germany CEO Al Munteanu will lead the banner, with Michael Heyd serving as CFO and COO.
Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the combined group will boast a library of over 1,200 titles such as Drive, Intouchables, Olympus Has Fallen, Transporter 3 and the recently released One Life. It will form part of the growing Vuelta Group, which in July last year we revealed had formed through the acquisitions of SquareOne, Paris-based international sales firm Playtime Group and Nordic distributor-producer Scanbox.
Vuelta Group Chairman Jeromt Levy, who launched the group with $50M backing from an unnamed U.S. private equity firm, announced the news today along with Munteanu.
The deal, struck through Vuelta subsidiary SquareOne, will see a combined business operating under the SquareOne banner. SquareOne and Vuelta Group Germany CEO Al Munteanu will lead the banner, with Michael Heyd serving as CFO and COO.
Financial terms of the deal weren’t disclosed, but the combined group will boast a library of over 1,200 titles such as Drive, Intouchables, Olympus Has Fallen, Transporter 3 and the recently released One Life. It will form part of the growing Vuelta Group, which in July last year we revealed had formed through the acquisitions of SquareOne, Paris-based international sales firm Playtime Group and Nordic distributor-producer Scanbox.
Vuelta Group Chairman Jeromt Levy, who launched the group with $50M backing from an unnamed U.S. private equity firm, announced the news today along with Munteanu.
- 5/8/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Neon has hired marketing and publicity veteran Joey Monteiro as EVP, International Marketing and Ashley Hirsch as Manager of International Sales and Marketing. The move further expands the company’s global footprint as it grows its international sales arm headed up by seasoned sales executive Kristen Figeroid.
With a career spanning more than two and a half decades, Monteiro joins Neon from Sierra-Affinity/eOne, where he served as EVP of Marketing and Publicity and was responsible for creative marketing across film markets and festivals as well as international distribution. He handled campaigns on Academy Award-winning titles including: Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, starring Ryan Gosling; Miles Teller starrer Whiplash; Margot Robbie starrer I, Tonya; Manchester By The Sea with Casey Affleck; and Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal, among others.
Prior to that, Monteiro worked at Warner Brothers Pictures as Director of Digital Marketing and Lionsgate as SVP of International Marketing,...
With a career spanning more than two and a half decades, Monteiro joins Neon from Sierra-Affinity/eOne, where he served as EVP of Marketing and Publicity and was responsible for creative marketing across film markets and festivals as well as international distribution. He handled campaigns on Academy Award-winning titles including: Nicolas Winding Refn’s Drive, starring Ryan Gosling; Miles Teller starrer Whiplash; Margot Robbie starrer I, Tonya; Manchester By The Sea with Casey Affleck; and Nightcrawler with Jake Gyllenhaal, among others.
Prior to that, Monteiro worked at Warner Brothers Pictures as Director of Digital Marketing and Lionsgate as SVP of International Marketing,...
- 5/1/2024
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
The 96th Academy Award Ceremony is approaching, and the buzz around the Oscars has evolved to an astounding height. Looking back at history, the Oscars have created several significant moments elevating actor’s career. However, all stars don’t have the same blessing.
Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Who wouldn’t want to win an Oscar? The award has been one of the most prestigious accolades for achievement in almost every category related to movies. However, in another turn of events, winning an Oscar may not be as good as you might think. An idea called the Oscars Curse has altered the fate of several celebrities, including Matthew McConaughey and Halle Berry.
Oscars Curse Victims, Matthew McConaughey, and Halle Berry Are Among Prominent
Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball
Several actors have witnessed the downfall of their careers after winning an Oscar. Of course, any filmmaker and actor or anyone...
Matthew McConaughey in Dallas Buyers Club
Who wouldn’t want to win an Oscar? The award has been one of the most prestigious accolades for achievement in almost every category related to movies. However, in another turn of events, winning an Oscar may not be as good as you might think. An idea called the Oscars Curse has altered the fate of several celebrities, including Matthew McConaughey and Halle Berry.
Oscars Curse Victims, Matthew McConaughey, and Halle Berry Are Among Prominent
Halle Berry in Monster’s Ball
Several actors have witnessed the downfall of their careers after winning an Oscar. Of course, any filmmaker and actor or anyone...
- 3/9/2024
- by Lachit Roy
- FandomWire
Exclusive: Game Of Thrones star Lena Headey is set to reprise her role as an avenging mother in action-thriller Ballistic.
The 300 star will play alongside Amybeth McNulty (Stranger Things) in the project about a mother (Headey) who works for an ammunition manufacturing company but is devastated when her son serving in Afghanistan is killed. Despair gives way to rage and a desire for revenge when she discovers it was a bullet from her factory that was responsible for her son’s death.
Red Sea Media is handling worldwide sales on the movie, which is written and directed by Chad Faust (Girl). Producers are Thomas Michael of Fella Films (Backcountry) and executive producers are David Tish and Lee Nelson of Envision Media Arts (The Ice Road), and Roman Kopelevich and Crystal Hill of Red Sea Media.
The film is currently in pre-production, with Red Sea Media launching ahead of the upcoming European Film Market.
The 300 star will play alongside Amybeth McNulty (Stranger Things) in the project about a mother (Headey) who works for an ammunition manufacturing company but is devastated when her son serving in Afghanistan is killed. Despair gives way to rage and a desire for revenge when she discovers it was a bullet from her factory that was responsible for her son’s death.
Red Sea Media is handling worldwide sales on the movie, which is written and directed by Chad Faust (Girl). Producers are Thomas Michael of Fella Films (Backcountry) and executive producers are David Tish and Lee Nelson of Envision Media Arts (The Ice Road), and Roman Kopelevich and Crystal Hill of Red Sea Media.
The film is currently in pre-production, with Red Sea Media launching ahead of the upcoming European Film Market.
- 2/11/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Ryan Murphy’s upcoming FX series “Feud: Capote vs. The Swans” boasts one of the greatest casts of the TV season. But it has also broken new ground on the music side: a father-daughter team providing the musical score.
It’s believed to be a first for music in films and TV. Emmy winner and 15-time Oscar nominee Thomas Newman has written the theme, but his daughter Julia Newman, in her first major outing, has composed the score for the entire eight-hour miniseries.
Julia Newman, 29, earned a master’s degree from the University of Southern California’s screen scoring program in 2020 and has since worked on short films, documentaries, games and web series. But “Feud” was a massive new challenge, and, she says, “my dad and [executive producer] Alexis Martin Woodall allowed me the opportunity to spread my wings.”
The series (which debuts Jan. 31) takes place between 1955 and 1984 and depicts a literary...
It’s believed to be a first for music in films and TV. Emmy winner and 15-time Oscar nominee Thomas Newman has written the theme, but his daughter Julia Newman, in her first major outing, has composed the score for the entire eight-hour miniseries.
Julia Newman, 29, earned a master’s degree from the University of Southern California’s screen scoring program in 2020 and has since worked on short films, documentaries, games and web series. But “Feud” was a massive new challenge, and, she says, “my dad and [executive producer] Alexis Martin Woodall allowed me the opportunity to spread my wings.”
The series (which debuts Jan. 31) takes place between 1955 and 1984 and depicts a literary...
- 12/22/2023
- by Jon Burlingame
- Variety Film + TV
Take a look at new footage from "White Bird", the upcoming war drama feature, directed by Marc Forster, based on the 2019 graphic novel by R. J. Palacio, as a spin-off, prequel and 'companion piece' to the feature "Wonder" (2017), starring Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Gillian Anderson, and Helen Mirren, releasing October 4, 2024 in theaters:
"...following the events of 'Wonder', 'Julian' has left 'Beecher Prep' for good.
"He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young girl in occupied France during World War II, while being hidden by a distant classmate and his parents..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...following the events of 'Wonder', 'Julian' has left 'Beecher Prep' for good.
"He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young girl in occupied France during World War II, while being hidden by a distant classmate and his parents..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 12/20/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"When kindness can cost you your life, it becomes like a miracle." Lionsgate has released another brand new 2024 release trailer for the movie White Bird, formerly known as White Bird: A Wonder Story. A sort of "spin-off" from the Wonder movie with Jacob Tremblay & Julia Roberts. Based on the graphic novel, it's a harrowing WWII survival story. The movie is about a boy named Julian who meets his French grandmother, who shares her story: how she, a young Jewish girl, was hidden by a family in a Nazi-occupied French village during World War II; how the boy she and her classmates once shunned became her savior and best friend. From Marc Forster (the director of Finding Neverland and Christopher Robin) White Bird, like Wonder before it, is an emotional story about how empathy for others can make a difference in the world. Starring Helen Mirren, Gillian Anderson, Bryce Gheisar, Ariella Glaser,...
- 12/19/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Mattel headquarters, in El Segundo, is some three freeways removed from the heart of Hollywood. It shares a parking lot with a DoubleTree, and the Stamps.com headquarters is across the road, but given the hold that Barbie has on the entertainment industry, it might as well be the center of the universe. Inside, Hot Wheels decorate the walls, a giant Magic 8 Ball sits by the elevator, Barbie-centric Warhols and Basquiats are housed on the upper floors, and Robbie Brenner is navigating future projects after producing the movie that became the cultural touchstone of 2023.
It’s a world away from her former indie film realm, one that saw her triumph with Dallas Buyers Club, the Oscar-winning AIDS drama, but also struggle to get funding for stories fewer and fewer in Hollywood want to tell. A New York City native who made student films at NYU with Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball), Brenner...
It’s a world away from her former indie film realm, one that saw her triumph with Dallas Buyers Club, the Oscar-winning AIDS drama, but also struggle to get funding for stories fewer and fewer in Hollywood want to tell. A New York City native who made student films at NYU with Marc Forster (Monster’s Ball), Brenner...
- 12/18/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Lionsgate’s follow-up to the $315M global grossing feature Wonder, White Bird, will be returning to the theatrical release calendar with a new date of Oct. 4, 2024.
The pic will be counterprogramming to Warner Bros.’ sequel on that date, Joker: Folie a Deux.
White Bird is from director Marc Forster off a screenplay by Mark Bomback, based on the book by Rj Palacio. The movie was previously dated for an Aug. 18 limited release and Aug. 25 expansion, but had to delay its opening to next year due to the actors’ strike. The movie stars Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson.
In White Bird, Bryce Gheisar reprises his role as Julian, who has struggled to belong ever since he was expelled from his former school for his treatment of Auggie. To transform his life, Julian’s grandmother (Helen Mirren) finally reveals to Julian her own story of courage — during her youth in Nazi-occupied France,...
The pic will be counterprogramming to Warner Bros.’ sequel on that date, Joker: Folie a Deux.
White Bird is from director Marc Forster off a screenplay by Mark Bomback, based on the book by Rj Palacio. The movie was previously dated for an Aug. 18 limited release and Aug. 25 expansion, but had to delay its opening to next year due to the actors’ strike. The movie stars Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson.
In White Bird, Bryce Gheisar reprises his role as Julian, who has struggled to belong ever since he was expelled from his former school for his treatment of Auggie. To transform his life, Julian’s grandmother (Helen Mirren) finally reveals to Julian her own story of courage — during her youth in Nazi-occupied France,...
- 12/14/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Kingdom Story Company Appoints Partners Kevin Downes As CEO & Andrew Erwin As Chief Creative Officer
Exclusive: Kingdom Story Company, the production shingle behind Lionsgate’s cash cow Jesus Revolution among other hits, has appointed Kevin Downes as CEO and Andrew Erwin as Chief Creative Officer ahead of its 2024 theatrical film slate with the studio.
In addition, Kingdom Story Company and Lionsgate have entered into a partnership on the follow-up to Wonder, White Bird from filmmaker Marc Forster based on the book by Rj Palacio. The studios will leverage Kingdom’s incredible faith-based reach to promote the movie, which will now release on Oct. 4, 2024.
Other movies on the Kingdom Story-Lionsgate slate include 2x Oscar winner Hilary Swank’s Ordinary Angels on Feb. 23, the April dated Unsung Hero and The Unbreakable Boy, and the year-end holiday title The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, directed by Dallas Jenkins, creator of the TV series The Chosen.
Downes and Erwin are both partners in the Nashville-based Kingdom Story Company, along with...
In addition, Kingdom Story Company and Lionsgate have entered into a partnership on the follow-up to Wonder, White Bird from filmmaker Marc Forster based on the book by Rj Palacio. The studios will leverage Kingdom’s incredible faith-based reach to promote the movie, which will now release on Oct. 4, 2024.
Other movies on the Kingdom Story-Lionsgate slate include 2x Oscar winner Hilary Swank’s Ordinary Angels on Feb. 23, the April dated Unsung Hero and The Unbreakable Boy, and the year-end holiday title The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, directed by Dallas Jenkins, creator of the TV series The Chosen.
Downes and Erwin are both partners in the Nashville-based Kingdom Story Company, along with...
- 12/14/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
White Bird.The repeatedly delayed film White Bird, based on the 2019 graphic novel by R.J. Palacio, follows an elderly Jewish woman looking back on her youth in France during World War II, particularly the time she spent hiding from the Nazis. The framing is odd: She is telling this tale to impart a lesson to her grandson, a bully character from a different, earlier novel by Palacio, Wonder. Both stories are part of a wider fictive universe authored by Palacio, the “World of Wonder,” which comprises spinoff books, film adaptations, and merchandise, all branded with the poptimistic slogan/hashtag “Choose Kind.” A friendly schoolmate refusing to persecute White Bird’s protagonist for being Jewish is implicitly an example of “choosing kind,” divorced from any historically based understanding of solidarity or resistance to fascism. More problematically, White Bird has as its epigraph George Santayama’s famous quote “Those who can’t...
- 11/28/2023
- MUBI
Halle Berry filmed several iconic moments with her Oscar-winning role in Monster’s Ball. But some of those moments were a bit rough to watch for her husband at the time Eric Benet.
The surprising ‘Monster’s Ball’ scene that made Halle Berry’s ex-husband feel uncomfortable Halle Berry | Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Monster’s Ball required Berry to do a lot of scenes that might’ve been out of the actor’s comfort zone. For instance, she needed to remove her clothes for her much talked about love scene with Billy Bob Thornton . It was only the second time in her career where she went nude for the camera. The experience was far from pleasant.
“We’re not doing what it looks like we’re doing, and I think sometimes it’s hard for people to wrap their brain [around that],” she once told Chicago Tribune. “There’s a roomful of people, and it...
The surprising ‘Monster’s Ball’ scene that made Halle Berry’s ex-husband feel uncomfortable Halle Berry | Matt Winkelmeyer/Getty Images
Monster’s Ball required Berry to do a lot of scenes that might’ve been out of the actor’s comfort zone. For instance, she needed to remove her clothes for her much talked about love scene with Billy Bob Thornton . It was only the second time in her career where she went nude for the camera. The experience was far from pleasant.
“We’re not doing what it looks like we’re doing, and I think sometimes it’s hard for people to wrap their brain [around that],” she once told Chicago Tribune. “There’s a roomful of people, and it...
- 11/25/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Christopher Nolan is opening up about rumors that point to him taking over the James Bond film franchise and directing the next chapter of the franchise.
In a new interview, the Oppenheimer director finally addresses if there’s any truth to the talk he’ll helm the action movie.
“No. Sadly no truth to those rumors, but I’m very thrilled the strike is over and we can all get back to work,” Nolan said in an interview with the Associated Press.
The next James Bond film has no timetable set for release but the last actor to play the 007 agent was Daniel Craig. Craig took over the role in 2006 after Pierce Brosnan’s stint in the iconic role. Casino Royale was the first film with Craig in the lead role with Quantum of Solace being released in 2008. Craig would reprise the Bond role in 2012 with Skyfall, in 2015 in Spectre...
In a new interview, the Oppenheimer director finally addresses if there’s any truth to the talk he’ll helm the action movie.
“No. Sadly no truth to those rumors, but I’m very thrilled the strike is over and we can all get back to work,” Nolan said in an interview with the Associated Press.
The next James Bond film has no timetable set for release but the last actor to play the 007 agent was Daniel Craig. Craig took over the role in 2006 after Pierce Brosnan’s stint in the iconic role. Casino Royale was the first film with Craig in the lead role with Quantum of Solace being released in 2008. Craig would reprise the Bond role in 2012 with Skyfall, in 2015 in Spectre...
- 11/23/2023
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s Lucca Comics & Games (Nov. 1-5) is set to end on a high note with a special fan screening of “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” one of the most anticipated launch events hosted by Europe’s largest pop culture meet.
The release of the prequel to the iconic saga will be handled by Rome-based Notorious Pictures, which takes over distribution duties, previously handled by Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures.
The dystopian sci-fi movie is set 64 years before the events of the first 2012 installment and follows young Coriolanus Snow’s rise to power as the tyrannical leader of Panem, including his relationship with tribute Lucy Gray Baird during the year of the 10th Hunger Games. The cast is toplined by Tom Blyth (“Billy the Kid”) and Rachel Zegler, starring alongside Hunter Schafer, Peter Dinklage and Jason Schwartzman, among others. Francis Lawrence is again at the helm.
The release of the prequel to the iconic saga will be handled by Rome-based Notorious Pictures, which takes over distribution duties, previously handled by Warner Bros. and Universal Pictures.
The dystopian sci-fi movie is set 64 years before the events of the first 2012 installment and follows young Coriolanus Snow’s rise to power as the tyrannical leader of Panem, including his relationship with tribute Lucy Gray Baird during the year of the 10th Hunger Games. The cast is toplined by Tom Blyth (“Billy the Kid”) and Rachel Zegler, starring alongside Hunter Schafer, Peter Dinklage and Jason Schwartzman, among others. Francis Lawrence is again at the helm.
- 10/30/2023
- by Davide Abbatescianni
- Variety Film + TV
Although Manuel Garcia-Rulfo has gained more exposure playing Mickey Haller in Netflix’s The Lincoln Lawyer, he has been around since 2006 when he debuted as José, a lead character in a short Mexican drama, Valle de lágrimas. He got his breakthrough a decade later as Vasquez in The Magnificent Seven, starring alongside established performers, including Denzel Washington, Chris Pratt, and Ethan Hawke. Garcia-Rulfo has since consolidated with impressive performances in Hollywood productions like Steve McQueen’s Widows, Michael Bay’s 6 Underground, Aaron Schneider’s Greyhound, and Marc Forster’s A Man Called Otto. Given the actor’s background, his growing Hollywood reputation inspires foreign...
- 10/29/2023
- by Banks Onuoha
- TVovermind.com
David Fincher, who was set to direct a World War Z sequel before it was canceled by Paramount, is revealing some of the plans he had for the follow-up film.
In an interview with GQ UK, published online Wednesday, the Fight Club filmmaker said the zombie movie would have been a “little like The Last of Us,” the hit HBO series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey that premiered earlier this year
“I’m glad that we didn’t do what we were doing, because The Last of Us has a lot more real estate to explore the same stuff,” he explained. “In our title sequence, we were going to use the little parasite … they used it in their title sequence, and in that wonderful opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style talk show.”
The 2013 hit film starring Brad Pitt and directed by Marc Forster was an adaptation of...
In an interview with GQ UK, published online Wednesday, the Fight Club filmmaker said the zombie movie would have been a “little like The Last of Us,” the hit HBO series starring Pedro Pascal and Bella Ramsey that premiered earlier this year
“I’m glad that we didn’t do what we were doing, because The Last of Us has a lot more real estate to explore the same stuff,” he explained. “In our title sequence, we were going to use the little parasite … they used it in their title sequence, and in that wonderful opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style talk show.”
The 2013 hit film starring Brad Pitt and directed by Marc Forster was an adaptation of...
- 10/25/2023
- by Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
David Fincher is “glad” the long-gestating “World War Z” sequel was ultimately scrapped.
The “Killer” director told GQ UK that the slated “World War Z” sequel would have explored similar themes to hit HBO series “The Last of Us,” which was based off of the video game franchise of the same name.
“Well, it was a little like ‘The Last of Us,'” Fincher said of the follow-up he planned to Marc Forster’s 2013 zombie apocalypse movie. “I’m glad that we didn’t do what we were doing, because ‘The Last of Us’ has a lot more real estate to explore the same stuff.”
Fincher continued, “In our title sequence, we were going to use the little parasite…they used it in their title sequence, and in that wonderful opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style talk show.”
“World War Z” starred Brad Pitt as a U.N.
The “Killer” director told GQ UK that the slated “World War Z” sequel would have explored similar themes to hit HBO series “The Last of Us,” which was based off of the video game franchise of the same name.
“Well, it was a little like ‘The Last of Us,'” Fincher said of the follow-up he planned to Marc Forster’s 2013 zombie apocalypse movie. “I’m glad that we didn’t do what we were doing, because ‘The Last of Us’ has a lot more real estate to explore the same stuff.”
Fincher continued, “In our title sequence, we were going to use the little parasite…they used it in their title sequence, and in that wonderful opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style talk show.”
“World War Z” starred Brad Pitt as a U.N.
- 10/25/2023
- by Samantha Bergeson
- Indiewire
The 2013 film World War Z isn’t very popular, but it made a lot of money at the box office, pulling in over $540 million worldwide. So of course a sequel was put into development. Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom director J.A. Bayona worked on the project for a year before stepping away because they couldn’t quite figure out the story, despite having great set pieces in mind. Then the sequel very nearly went into production in 2019 with Fight Club director David Fincher at the helm – but the studio decided it to scrap it over budgetary issues. Now, during an interview with GQ Magazine UK, Fincher revealed that he’s glad his World War Z sequel didn’t get made because it would have been similar to HBO’s TV series adaptation of the video game The Last of Us – and the TV series format allows The Last of Us to...
- 10/25/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
There was a time when David Fincher was attached to direct a sequel to the zombie epic World War Z, you may recall, but we learned back in 2019 that it was no longer happening. So what happened? And what would Fincher’s take on the material have been like?
Chatting with GQ UK this week, Fincher opens up about the unmade sequel.
“Well, it was a little like The Last of Us,” Fincher explains. “I’m glad that we didn’t do what we were doing, because The Last of Us has a lot more real estate to explore the same stuff.
“In our title sequence, we were going to use the little parasite. They used it in their title sequence, and in that wonderful opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style talk show.”
When asked by GQ UK if his World War Z sequel was going to stick...
Chatting with GQ UK this week, Fincher opens up about the unmade sequel.
“Well, it was a little like The Last of Us,” Fincher explains. “I’m glad that we didn’t do what we were doing, because The Last of Us has a lot more real estate to explore the same stuff.
“In our title sequence, we were going to use the little parasite. They used it in their title sequence, and in that wonderful opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style talk show.”
When asked by GQ UK if his World War Z sequel was going to stick...
- 10/25/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
David Fincher is opening up about the scrapped World War Z sequel and revealing that it was going to be like HBO’s The Last of Us.
“It was a little like The Last of Us. I’m glad that we didn’t do what we were doing, because The Last of Us has a lot more real estate to explore the same stuff,” Fincher told GQ in an interview. “In our title sequence, we were going to use the little parasite… they used it in their title sequence, and in that wonderful opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style talk show.:
World War Z is a 2013 film directed by Marc Forster with a screenplay from Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard and Damon Lindelof based on the 2006 novel by Max Brooks. The film starred Brad Pitt as a former United Nations investigator looking to find a solution to the zombie apocalypse.
“It was a little like The Last of Us. I’m glad that we didn’t do what we were doing, because The Last of Us has a lot more real estate to explore the same stuff,” Fincher told GQ in an interview. “In our title sequence, we were going to use the little parasite… they used it in their title sequence, and in that wonderful opening with the Dick Cavett, David Frost-style talk show.:
World War Z is a 2013 film directed by Marc Forster with a screenplay from Matthew Michael Carnahan, Drew Goddard and Damon Lindelof based on the 2006 novel by Max Brooks. The film starred Brad Pitt as a former United Nations investigator looking to find a solution to the zombie apocalypse.
- 10/25/2023
- by Armando Tinoco
- Deadline Film + TV
The horror genre and its directors may have endured the most clashes with the Motion Picture Association and the world's other regulatory boards, but Wes Craven, Tobe Hooper, Ruggero Deodato, and a dozen other horror filmmakers are not the only ones. Numerous directors across action, drama, and even comedy have adjusted their content for release, and often at the perilous threshold between R and Nc-17.
This distinction is particularly important because some theater chains refuse to show Nc-17-certified films and several media outlets even refuse to run ads (via NPR). It's an odd streak of puritanism not found in other markets, such as the United Kingdom, where the equivalent "18" rating carries no such stigma.
R ratings can be very lucrative, but only one example — the disturbing, incendiary "Joker" — has ever made over $1 billion, which places it toward the bottom of the top 50 highest-grossing films — a space dominated by...
This distinction is particularly important because some theater chains refuse to show Nc-17-certified films and several media outlets even refuse to run ads (via NPR). It's an odd streak of puritanism not found in other markets, such as the United Kingdom, where the equivalent "18" rating carries no such stigma.
R ratings can be very lucrative, but only one example — the disturbing, incendiary "Joker" — has ever made over $1 billion, which places it toward the bottom of the top 50 highest-grossing films — a space dominated by...
- 10/16/2023
- by Jack Hawkins
- Slash Film
"White Bird" is the upcoming war drama feature, directed by Marc Forster, based on the 2019 graphic novel by R. J. Palacio, as a spin-off, prequel and 'companion piece' to the feature "Wonder" (2017), starring Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Gillian Anderson, and Helen Mirren, releasing October 2023 in theaters:
"...following the events of 'Wonder', 'Julian' has left 'Beecher Prep' for good.
"He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young girl in occupied France during World War II, while being hidden by a distant classmate and his parents..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...following the events of 'Wonder', 'Julian' has left 'Beecher Prep' for good.
"He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young girl in occupied France during World War II, while being hidden by a distant classmate and his parents..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 9/20/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Quantum of Solace is one of the most divisive movies in the James Bond franchise. The contentious Bond entry was intended to be a direct sequel to 2006’s Casino Royale, successfully launching Daniel Craig as the new 007. Still, in a rush to get it into theaters within two years of that movie, the budget ballooned to make it the costliest film in the series up to that point. It didn’t help that it was filmed during a writer’s strike (history repeats itself) and had a director in Marc Forster, who had never made a film of this scale before. When it came out, the short length (106 minutes) and Bourne-style action scenes were criticized, with many saying the film was a mind-numbing mess. Plus, there was a wimpy villain, a Bond girl with no romantic relationship with 007, and a theme song people mostly hated.
Despite the film’s failure...
Despite the film’s failure...
- 9/6/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
"White Bird" is the upcoming war drama feature, directed by Marc Forster, based on the 2019 graphic novel by R. J. Palacio, as a spin-off, prequel and 'companion piece' to the feature "Wonder" (2017), starring Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Gillian Anderson, and Helen Mirren, releasing August 25, 2023 in theaters:
"...following the events of 'Wonder', 'Julian' has left 'Beecher Prep' for good.
"He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young girl in occupied France during World War II, while being hidden by a distant classmate and his parents..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...following the events of 'Wonder', 'Julian' has left 'Beecher Prep' for good.
"He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young girl in occupied France during World War II, while being hidden by a distant classmate and his parents..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 8/22/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
James Bond is dead. Daniel Craig's version, that is. Buried beneath a hail of ballistics at the end of 2021's "No Time To Die," Craig's 007 was the first in the franchise's more than 60-year run to ever die on-screen (and not the fakeout "You Only Live Twice" kind). If you'd merely heard about, rather than witnessed, such an unprecedented and momentous moment in Bond history, you might think Craig's tenure in the tux was the finest the saga had ever seen, fully justifying longtime Bond producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson in their decision to have England's greatest spy Kia. But you'd be wrong.
The prevailing view of the Craig era goes like this: 2006's "Casino Royale" is one of, if not the best Bond movie ever made, but its follow-up, 2008's "Quantum of Solace" was a historic blunder that nearly derailed the whole enterprise just as it was getting started.
The prevailing view of the Craig era goes like this: 2006's "Casino Royale" is one of, if not the best Bond movie ever made, but its follow-up, 2008's "Quantum of Solace" was a historic blunder that nearly derailed the whole enterprise just as it was getting started.
- 8/17/2023
- by Joe Roberts
- Slash Film
Marc Forster has frequently demonstrated an ability to tastefully moderate the more manipulative or saccharine aspects of popular but somewhat blunt-edged source material, in bestseller screen translations like “The Kite Runner” and “A Man Called Otto.” That knack comes in handy once more with “White Bird,” a graceful adaptation of a YA graphic novel by R.J. Palacio. A “Wonder story” tangentially related to 2012’s “Wonder,” it may get some boost from the connection to that book’s successful 2017 film version with Julia Roberts and Owen Wilson.
This less-starry affair (with brightest luminary Helen Mirren relegated to a glorified cameo) is a period piece mixing the Holocaust and teen romance, likely to appeal to a somewhat narrower audience — albeit one that will broaden in home formats. Though one can quibble over some of the more simplistic story elements here, the director’s astute craftsmanship delivers a handsome result that hits the...
This less-starry affair (with brightest luminary Helen Mirren relegated to a glorified cameo) is a period piece mixing the Holocaust and teen romance, likely to appeal to a somewhat narrower audience — albeit one that will broaden in home formats. Though one can quibble over some of the more simplistic story elements here, the director’s astute craftsmanship delivers a handsome result that hits the...
- 8/4/2023
- by Dennis Harvey
- Variety Film + TV
Helen Mirren in Wonder sequel pushed into third quarter.
Lionsgate has pushed the releases of Helen Mirren drama White Bird and the Dirty Dancing sequel due to disruption caused by the ongoing Hollywood double strike.
White Bird has moved from its August 18 slot into the third quarter with no specific date yet. Screen understands Lionsgate pushed the film because Mirren and cast members are not allowed to do any promotional work during the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The calculation is the sequel to Wonder – which earned $132m at the North American box office and $315m worldwide in 2017 – will benefit from a later launch,...
Lionsgate has pushed the releases of Helen Mirren drama White Bird and the Dirty Dancing sequel due to disruption caused by the ongoing Hollywood double strike.
White Bird has moved from its August 18 slot into the third quarter with no specific date yet. Screen understands Lionsgate pushed the film because Mirren and cast members are not allowed to do any promotional work during the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The calculation is the sequel to Wonder – which earned $132m at the North American box office and $315m worldwide in 2017 – will benefit from a later launch,...
- 7/20/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Helen Mirren in Wonder sequel pushed into third quarter.
Lionsgate has pushed the releases of Helen Mirren drama White Bird and the Dirty Dancing sequel due to disruption caused by the ongoing Hollywood double strike.
White Bird has moved from its August 18 slot into the third quarter with no specific date yet. Screen understands Lionsgate pushed the film because Mirren and cast members are not allowed to do any promotional work during the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The calculation is the sequel to Wonder – which earned $132m at the North American box office and $315m worldwide in 2017 – will benefit from a later launch,...
Lionsgate has pushed the releases of Helen Mirren drama White Bird and the Dirty Dancing sequel due to disruption caused by the ongoing Hollywood double strike.
White Bird has moved from its August 18 slot into the third quarter with no specific date yet. Screen understands Lionsgate pushed the film because Mirren and cast members are not allowed to do any promotional work during the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The calculation is the sequel to Wonder – which earned $132m at the North American box office and $315m worldwide in 2017 – will benefit from a later launch,...
- 7/20/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Lionsgate is making moves to its release calendar, including dating the video game feature Borderlands for summer 2024 and pushing dates for Dirty Dancing sequel and its prequel to Wonder.
Borderlands is now set to bow on Aug. 9, 2024. The film hails from director Eli Roth, and also underwent additional photography from Deadpool filmmaker Tim Miller. Borderlands, based on the popular gaming franchise, is a big swing for Lionsgate, which secured big stars to fill out the expansive cast of characters. The call sheet includes Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Haley Bennett and Edgar Ramirez. Borderlands launched in 2009, and spawned multiple sequels that have sold a combined 66 million units. Gearbox Software and publisher 2K released Borderlands 3 in 2019.
White Bird: A Wonder Story was slated for an Aug. 25 wide release, but is now undated with an eye for the fourth quarter of 2023. The Marc Forster...
Borderlands is now set to bow on Aug. 9, 2024. The film hails from director Eli Roth, and also underwent additional photography from Deadpool filmmaker Tim Miller. Borderlands, based on the popular gaming franchise, is a big swing for Lionsgate, which secured big stars to fill out the expansive cast of characters. The call sheet includes Cate Blanchett, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ariana Greenblatt, Florian Munteanu, Haley Bennett and Edgar Ramirez. Borderlands launched in 2009, and spawned multiple sequels that have sold a combined 66 million units. Gearbox Software and publisher 2K released Borderlands 3 in 2019.
White Bird: A Wonder Story was slated for an Aug. 25 wide release, but is now undated with an eye for the fourth quarter of 2023. The Marc Forster...
- 7/20/2023
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Lionsgate is pushing the theatrical releases of this August’s White Bird: A Wonder Story and next year’s Dirty Dancing sequel from director Jonathan Levine due to the dual WGA and SAG-AFTRA strike, we hear.
White Bird, the spin-off prequel to the studio’s 2017 box office smash Wonder, was set to launch limited on Aug. 18 and go wider on Aug. 25. It’s now undated for Q4 at the end of this year. That leaves the last weekend in August without a wide theatrical release, which isn’t that unusual for that point in summer. White Bird stars Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson, and it’s the type of movie that really needs the push from its actors to raise it above the fray. Now it’s in the Oscar season corridor, which is a better spot than the dog days of August. Best to wait the strike out.
White Bird, the spin-off prequel to the studio’s 2017 box office smash Wonder, was set to launch limited on Aug. 18 and go wider on Aug. 25. It’s now undated for Q4 at the end of this year. That leaves the last weekend in August without a wide theatrical release, which isn’t that unusual for that point in summer. White Bird stars Helen Mirren and Gillian Anderson, and it’s the type of movie that really needs the push from its actors to raise it above the fray. Now it’s in the Oscar season corridor, which is a better spot than the dog days of August. Best to wait the strike out.
- 7/20/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Halle Berry became the first Black female actor to win an Oscar for Best Actress thanks to her starring role in Monster’s Ball. But before Berry, the movie was hip hop icon Queen Latifah’s movie to take.
Halle Berry ended up starring in ‘Monster’s Ball’ after Queen Latifah was offered the part Queen Latifah | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Monster’s Ball turned out to be one of Berry’s many career highlights. But it wasn’t a film that she pursued until reading the movie’s script. Although Berry was a rising star at the time, she wasn’t who the film’s director Marc Foster originally envisioned for the role.
“I first received the script from my manager who had gotten the script from Marc Forster’s agent. She passed it onto my manager already knowing that Marc really wasn’t interested in me. But she thought I would be right for the role,...
Halle Berry ended up starring in ‘Monster’s Ball’ after Queen Latifah was offered the part Queen Latifah | Axelle/Bauer-Griffin/FilmMagic
Monster’s Ball turned out to be one of Berry’s many career highlights. But it wasn’t a film that she pursued until reading the movie’s script. Although Berry was a rising star at the time, she wasn’t who the film’s director Marc Foster originally envisioned for the role.
“I first received the script from my manager who had gotten the script from Marc Forster’s agent. She passed it onto my manager already knowing that Marc really wasn’t interested in me. But she thought I would be right for the role,...
- 5/11/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
The start of any month brings with it batches of movies added to streaming services’ libraries. As of this week, Netflix has “Girl, Interrupted,” “Steel Magnolias” and “Traffic,” HBO Max has “Blue Valentine,” “Hustle & Flow” and “Parasite,” and Hulu has “Atonement” and “Boogie Nights.” A handful of newer titles are also premiering digitally. First up is a spellbinding thriller featuring some of Hollywood’s hottest young actors.
The contender to watch this week: “How to Blow Up a Pipeline”
Neon picked up this eco-thriller out of last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, after which it won raves for its gripping portrait of young DIY environmental activists who band together to destroy oil pipes in West Texas. Based on Andreas Malm‘s nonfiction book of the same name, “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” stars Ariela Barer (“Runaways”), Sasha Lane (“American Honey”), Lukas Gage (“The White Lotus”), Marcus Scribner...
The contender to watch this week: “How to Blow Up a Pipeline”
Neon picked up this eco-thriller out of last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, after which it won raves for its gripping portrait of young DIY environmental activists who band together to destroy oil pipes in West Texas. Based on Andreas Malm‘s nonfiction book of the same name, “How to Blow Up a Pipeline” stars Ariela Barer (“Runaways”), Sasha Lane (“American Honey”), Lukas Gage (“The White Lotus”), Marcus Scribner...
- 5/6/2023
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Gold Derby
Michael G. Wilson, the longtime producer of the James Bond movie franchise and co-steward of the 007 brand (alongside his half-sister Barbara Broccoli), always had a clear vision for the film that would follow Casino Royale. Kind of. While audiences only realized how great Daniel Craig was in the tuxedo after that ambitious reboot landed in cinemas in November 2006, the filmmakers long recognized they were making something special. So even as Casino Royale was still in pre-production, Wilson took longtime Bond scribes Neal Purvis and Robert Wade aside to make sure that the next Bond movie would spring smoothly out of Casino Royale’s ending.
If you don’t recall, Craig’s debut as 007 recreated the bitter denouement from Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel, with Bond realizing the woman he loved, Vesper Lynd was dead, and that she had betrayed him due to blackmail by a hidden enemy. “The job’s done,...
If you don’t recall, Craig’s debut as 007 recreated the bitter denouement from Ian Fleming’s 1953 novel, with Bond realizing the woman he loved, Vesper Lynd was dead, and that she had betrayed him due to blackmail by a hidden enemy. “The job’s done,...
- 5/3/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
This year marks the 10-year anniversary of action-horror movie World War Z, and Scream Factory has announced today that a 4K Uhd + Blu-ray upgrade is on the way.
World War Z comes to 4K Ultra HD on July 18, 2023.
In director Marc Forster’s World War Z, “a lethal virus, spread through a single bite, is turning healthy people into something vicious, unthinking, and feral. As the pandemic threatens to consume humanity, former U.N. investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) leads a worldwide search to find the source of the infection and, with luck, a way to halt its spread.”
Final extras and specs in progress and will be announced at a later date.
You can pre-order your copy today.
A long-awaited sequel to World War Z, meanwhile, has seemingly fallen off the map. The zombie property did, however, spawn a video game titled World War Z back in 2019.
The post...
World War Z comes to 4K Ultra HD on July 18, 2023.
In director Marc Forster’s World War Z, “a lethal virus, spread through a single bite, is turning healthy people into something vicious, unthinking, and feral. As the pandemic threatens to consume humanity, former U.N. investigator Gerry Lane (Brad Pitt) leads a worldwide search to find the source of the infection and, with luck, a way to halt its spread.”
Final extras and specs in progress and will be announced at a later date.
You can pre-order your copy today.
A long-awaited sequel to World War Z, meanwhile, has seemingly fallen off the map. The zombie property did, however, spawn a video game titled World War Z back in 2019.
The post...
- 5/2/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
"White Bird" is the upcoming war drama feature, directed by Marc Forster, based on the 2019 graphic novel by R. J. Palacio, as a spin-off, prequel and 'companion piece' to the feature "Wonder" (2017), starring Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Gillian Anderson, and Helen Mirren, releasing August 18, 2023 in theaters:
"...following the events of 'Wonder', 'Julian' has left 'Beecher Prep' for good.
"He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young girl in occupied France during World War II, while being hidden by a distant classmate and his parents..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...following the events of 'Wonder', 'Julian' has left 'Beecher Prep' for good.
"He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young girl in occupied France during World War II, while being hidden by a distant classmate and his parents..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 5/2/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
"White Bird" is the upcoming war drama feature, directed by Marc Forster, based on the 2019 graphic novel by R. J. Palacio, as a spin-off, prequel and 'companion piece' to the feature "Wonder" (2017), starring Ariella Glaser, Orlando Schwerdt, Bryce Gheisar, Gillian Anderson, and Helen Mirren, releasing August 18, 2023 in theaters:
"...following the events of 'Wonder', 'Julian' has left 'Beecher Prep' for good.
"He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young girl in occupied France during World War II, while being hidden by a distant classmate and his parents..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...following the events of 'Wonder', 'Julian' has left 'Beecher Prep' for good.
"He is visited by his grandmother from Paris, who tells him stories of her childhood as a young girl in occupied France during World War II, while being hidden by a distant classmate and his parents..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 4/18/2023
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
A new trailer for the upcoming war-drama “White Bird”, starring Helen Mirren, has been unveiled, nearly one year after Lionsgate debuted the official trailer.
In the new two-minute clip, Mirren recounts stories from her character’s dark childhood in Nazi-occupied France, including how she fell in love with a boy who was made fun of in school and dubbed a “freak,” in order to teach her grandson a lesson about kindness.
Read More: Helen Mirren And Gillian Anderson Spread Inspiring Message Of Kindness In ‘White Bird’
“You forget many things in life but you never forget kindness,” she is heard telling her grandson, “because when kindness can cost you your life, it becomes like a miracle.”
“White Bird” — Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate
The official synopsis for the inspirational film reads:
“From the best-selling author of Wonder, the book that sparked a movement to ‘choose kind,’ comes the inspirational next chapter.
In the new two-minute clip, Mirren recounts stories from her character’s dark childhood in Nazi-occupied France, including how she fell in love with a boy who was made fun of in school and dubbed a “freak,” in order to teach her grandson a lesson about kindness.
Read More: Helen Mirren And Gillian Anderson Spread Inspiring Message Of Kindness In ‘White Bird’
“You forget many things in life but you never forget kindness,” she is heard telling her grandson, “because when kindness can cost you your life, it becomes like a miracle.”
“White Bird” — Photo: Courtesy of Lionsgate
The official synopsis for the inspirational film reads:
“From the best-selling author of Wonder, the book that sparked a movement to ‘choose kind,’ comes the inspirational next chapter.
- 4/17/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
"You forget many things in life, but you never forget kindness." Lionsgate has debuted a brand new 2023 release trailer for the movie White Bird, formerly known as White Bird: A Wonder Story. This is a sort of "spin-off" from the Wonder movie with Jacob Tremblay & Julia Roberts. Based on the graphic novel of the same name, this is a harrowing WWII survival story. The movie is about a boy named Julian who meets his French grandmother; then it goes back in time as Grandmère tells her heartrending story: how she, a young Jewish girl, was hidden by a family in a Nazi-occupied French village during World War II; how the boy she and her classmates once shunned became her savior and best friend. From Marc Forster (the director of Finding Neverland and Christopher Robin) White Bird, like Wonder before it, is an emotional story about how empathy for others can...
- 4/17/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Do you think cinematic universes and franchises are only reserved for superheroes, Vin Diesel, and horror films? Well, you’re mistaken. The latest growing franchise is growing out of the hit feel-good drama, “Wonder.” Now, we have the first sequel/spinoff, “White Bird.”
As seen in the trailer for “White Bird,” the film follows the story of a young boy, Julian, who was last seen bullying the protagonist of “Wonder.” After being expelled from his former school, Julian’s grandmother sits him down to tell him her story of growing up in Nazi-occupied France.
Continue reading ‘White Bird’ Trailer: Helen Mirren & Gillian Anderson Star In Marc Forster’s Sequel To The Hit ‘Wonder’ at The Playlist.
As seen in the trailer for “White Bird,” the film follows the story of a young boy, Julian, who was last seen bullying the protagonist of “Wonder.” After being expelled from his former school, Julian’s grandmother sits him down to tell him her story of growing up in Nazi-occupied France.
Continue reading ‘White Bird’ Trailer: Helen Mirren & Gillian Anderson Star In Marc Forster’s Sequel To The Hit ‘Wonder’ at The Playlist.
- 4/17/2023
- by Charles Barfield
- The Playlist
The next story in R.J. Palacio‘s Wonder saga is here, and if this trailer doesn’t move you, are you even human? Palacio’s Wonder inspired millions of readers to “choose kind” over cruelty. Lionsgate’s White Bird trailer reminds audiences to embrace kindness and learn to tolerate others regardless of heredity or station.
Marc Forster directs from Mark Bomback’s screenplay, which is based on the book by R.J. Palacio. In the White Bird trailer, kindness has the power to save lives. The story revolves around Wonder’s Julian Albans (Bryce Gheisar), Auggie’s antagonizing classmate who “left” Beecher Prep. In the film, Julian visits his Grandmère (Helen Mirren) from Paris and becomes transformed by her remarkable and unforgettable story of compassion and courage.
As a girl in Nazi-occupied France, the young Grandmère goes into hiding with the help of a schoolmate, a young man who risks...
Marc Forster directs from Mark Bomback’s screenplay, which is based on the book by R.J. Palacio. In the White Bird trailer, kindness has the power to save lives. The story revolves around Wonder’s Julian Albans (Bryce Gheisar), Auggie’s antagonizing classmate who “left” Beecher Prep. In the film, Julian visits his Grandmère (Helen Mirren) from Paris and becomes transformed by her remarkable and unforgettable story of compassion and courage.
As a girl in Nazi-occupied France, the young Grandmère goes into hiding with the help of a schoolmate, a young man who risks...
- 4/17/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Mireille Enos, whose new series “Lucky Hank” with Bob Odenkirk premieres this weekend on AMC, is still up for a sequel to 2013’s “World War Z,” even a decade later.
The script was finished for the follow-up to the Marc Forster-directed first film that starred Brad Pitt, and it had top talent attached to help at various points, including David Fincher and J. A. Bayona of “The Impossible.”
“The script for the second movie was great. I wish the world could get to see it,” Enos told TheWrap. “We got really close to making a sequel. At one point David Fincher was signed on there was a completed script which was excellent and then one thing and another you know [and it never got made]. But never say never. I still think it would be great.”
Also Read:
Brad Pitt Sells 60% Stake in Plan B Production Company to Mediawan
The original film went through...
The script was finished for the follow-up to the Marc Forster-directed first film that starred Brad Pitt, and it had top talent attached to help at various points, including David Fincher and J. A. Bayona of “The Impossible.”
“The script for the second movie was great. I wish the world could get to see it,” Enos told TheWrap. “We got really close to making a sequel. At one point David Fincher was signed on there was a completed script which was excellent and then one thing and another you know [and it never got made]. But never say never. I still think it would be great.”
Also Read:
Brad Pitt Sells 60% Stake in Plan B Production Company to Mediawan
The original film went through...
- 3/17/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
On the surface, World War Z looked like a big financial success back in 2013 when it scored a whopping $540 million at the global box office. But according to Deadline, the film barely broke even for Paramount at the time. A variety of factors, including extensive reshoots, ballooned the budget up to $270 million per the outlet, plus another estimated $160 million for marketing. The Marc Forster-directed zombie blockbuster starring Brad Pitt didn’t make much of a dent for the studio. The tepid critical reception, on top of all the rumors of a troubled production behind the scenes, seemed like the final nail in the coffin for this fledgling franchise.
But according to the LA Times, Paramount and Forster had always viewed the big screen adaptation of the incredibly popular Max Brooks novel as just the first chapter of a film trilogy. And initially, Paramount did intend to move forward with a sequel.
But according to the LA Times, Paramount and Forster had always viewed the big screen adaptation of the incredibly popular Max Brooks novel as just the first chapter of a film trilogy. And initially, Paramount did intend to move forward with a sequel.
- 3/17/2023
- by John Saavedra
- Den of Geek
Drama stands at $104.5m worldwide.
Columbia Pictures’ A Man Called Otto has been given the go-ahead by Chinese authorities and will open in the country on March 24.
The Tom Hanks drama has amassed $104.5m worldwide at time of writing, of which $42m hails from international markets and $6.5m from North America.
Marc Forster directs Hanks in the remake of Scandinavian hit A Man Called Ove. Hanks plays a neighbourhood curmudgeon who no longer has the will to live after the death of his wife. His heart softens when a family moves in next door and he strikes up a friendship with quick-witted Marisol.
Columbia Pictures’ A Man Called Otto has been given the go-ahead by Chinese authorities and will open in the country on March 24.
The Tom Hanks drama has amassed $104.5m worldwide at time of writing, of which $42m hails from international markets and $6.5m from North America.
Marc Forster directs Hanks in the remake of Scandinavian hit A Man Called Ove. Hanks plays a neighbourhood curmudgeon who no longer has the will to live after the death of his wife. His heart softens when a family moves in next door and he strikes up a friendship with quick-witted Marisol.
- 3/3/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
A Man Called Otto is a movie directed by Marc Forster starring Tom Hanks.
A remake whose only appeal lies in seeing Tom Hanks handle the role of a grouch… to reconvert the character to his own kind, sensitive and simple style.
One of its charms: we get to see Tom Hanks’ son, Truman Hanks, play Otto as a young man.
Storyline
Otto is one of those neighbors no one wants to have: grumpy, picky, gossipy and bitter. A new family moves into a nearby house, which will cause Otto’s life, about to end, to change forever.
Movie Review
A Man Called Otto is one of those easy, simplistic, crowd-pleasing movies that give “good vibes” everywhere and that, in essence and without satisfying almost anyone, leave a feeling that the world can still be a nice place full of nice people with a charming neighborhood.
A feelgood movie, they will say,...
A remake whose only appeal lies in seeing Tom Hanks handle the role of a grouch… to reconvert the character to his own kind, sensitive and simple style.
One of its charms: we get to see Tom Hanks’ son, Truman Hanks, play Otto as a young man.
Storyline
Otto is one of those neighbors no one wants to have: grumpy, picky, gossipy and bitter. A new family moves into a nearby house, which will cause Otto’s life, about to end, to change forever.
Movie Review
A Man Called Otto is one of those easy, simplistic, crowd-pleasing movies that give “good vibes” everywhere and that, in essence and without satisfying almost anyone, leave a feeling that the world can still be a nice place full of nice people with a charming neighborhood.
A feelgood movie, they will say,...
- 3/1/2023
- by Martin Cid
- Martin Cid Magazine - Movies
Tom Hanks is, once again, proving his worth as one of the world's most beloved movie stars. While some of the actor's more recent work has been relegated to the streaming world (such as "Finch" and "Pinocchio"), Hanks made his return to the silver screen at the tail end of last year with "A Man Called Otto," a relatively rare adult-skewing movie that was, for all intents and purposes, an original film, even though it is adapted from the book by Fredrik Backman. Now, more than eight weeks into its run, the film has crossed a pretty impressive milestone.
As per The Numbers, director Marc Forster's latest has officially crossed the $100 million mark at the global box office. That includes $61.1 million domestic and $39.2 internationally for a grand total of $100.4 million. That is, without a doubt, rare air for this kind of movie in the pandemic era. Adult-focused movies have...
As per The Numbers, director Marc Forster's latest has officially crossed the $100 million mark at the global box office. That includes $61.1 million domestic and $39.2 internationally for a grand total of $100.4 million. That is, without a doubt, rare air for this kind of movie in the pandemic era. Adult-focused movies have...
- 2/22/2023
- by Ryan Scott
- Slash Film
“A Man Called Otto,” a heartfelt drama starring Tom Hanks as a cranky widower, has notched an important box office milestone, crossing $100 million globally.
The film’s tally stands at $100.4 million, including $61.2 million in North America and $39.2 million internationally. Overseas, the top-selling markets are the United Kingdom ($6.28 million), Australia ($5.17 million), Mexico ($5.06 million), Spain ($2.6 million) and Germany ($2.5 million).
In pandemic times, the $100 million benchmark is notable because only a few movies aimed at older audiences, such as Baz Luhrmann’s kaleidoscopic biopic “Elvis,” Tom Cruise’s sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” and Brad Pitt’s action-comedy “Bullet Train,” have managed to bring audiences to theaters.
Sony initially planned to premiere the $50 million-budgeted “A Man Called Otto” around Christmas, but the studio decided to open the film in limited release theaters on Dec. 30 before expanding it nationwide on Jan. 13. By waiting until the new year, which is usually a slower time at the box office,...
The film’s tally stands at $100.4 million, including $61.2 million in North America and $39.2 million internationally. Overseas, the top-selling markets are the United Kingdom ($6.28 million), Australia ($5.17 million), Mexico ($5.06 million), Spain ($2.6 million) and Germany ($2.5 million).
In pandemic times, the $100 million benchmark is notable because only a few movies aimed at older audiences, such as Baz Luhrmann’s kaleidoscopic biopic “Elvis,” Tom Cruise’s sequel “Top Gun: Maverick,” and Brad Pitt’s action-comedy “Bullet Train,” have managed to bring audiences to theaters.
Sony initially planned to premiere the $50 million-budgeted “A Man Called Otto” around Christmas, but the studio decided to open the film in limited release theaters on Dec. 30 before expanding it nationwide on Jan. 13. By waiting until the new year, which is usually a slower time at the box office,...
- 2/22/2023
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: In a seven-figure deal finalised over the last week, Sony Pictures’ Stage 6 Films has beaten out competitors for UK rights to Ari Aster’s Beau Is Afraid, which A24 is releasing in the U.S. on April 21.
Stage 6 also acquired rights from A24 in Middle East, worldwide ships and airlines and pan Asia pay TV.
As we revealed last week, Leonine has picked up German rights. Russia (Volga), Switzerland (Ascot Elite) and Australia (Roadshow) have also been sold.
Ari Aster’s (Midsommar) third feature for A24 stars Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Hayley Squires, Denis Ménochet, Kylie Rogers, Armen Nahapetian, Zoe Lister-Jones, Parker Posey, and Patti LuPone.
Described as a “bold and depraved film”, the big-budget movie will chart the story of a paranoid man who embarks on an epic odyssey to get home to his mother. Phoenix will play the man at different stages in his life.
Stage 6 also acquired rights from A24 in Middle East, worldwide ships and airlines and pan Asia pay TV.
As we revealed last week, Leonine has picked up German rights. Russia (Volga), Switzerland (Ascot Elite) and Australia (Roadshow) have also been sold.
Ari Aster’s (Midsommar) third feature for A24 stars Oscar winner Joaquin Phoenix, Nathan Lane, Amy Ryan, Stephen McKinley Henderson, Hayley Squires, Denis Ménochet, Kylie Rogers, Armen Nahapetian, Zoe Lister-Jones, Parker Posey, and Patti LuPone.
Described as a “bold and depraved film”, the big-budget movie will chart the story of a paranoid man who embarks on an epic odyssey to get home to his mother. Phoenix will play the man at different stages in his life.
- 2/22/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
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