Disney direct

EXCLUSIVE: WME has signed filmmaker R.J. Cutler and his production company This Machine , fresh off the announcement of Cutler’s upcoming documentary on Elton John. “The agency will work with the award-winning filmmaker – who has made some of the most significant documentaries and television series of the past quarter century – in all areas,” according to Cutler’s PR reps. Deadline broke the news last week that Disney Original Documentary and Disney+ won the rights to the Elton John feature, to be co-directed by Cutler and John’s life partner David Furnish, in a deal pegged at around $30 million. Goodbye Yellow Brick Road : The Final Elton John Performances And the Years That Made His Legend will include concert performances spanning 50 years, as well as the recording artist’s journals and contemporary footage of his family (John and Furnish are parents to two boys—Zachary, age 8, and Elijah, 6). Over the course of a 30-year career, Cutler has become one of … [Read more...] about Award-Winning Filmmaker R.J. Cutler Signs With WME As He Embarks On Elton John Doc

EXCLUSIVE : Bong Joon-Ho ’s follow-up film to Oscar winner Parasite is currently in pre-production at Warner Bros Studios Leavesden. Robert Pattinson , coming off The Batman , is set to star in the anticipated sci-fi film, which is due to begin shoot over the summer. As we revealed last week, also joining are Toni Collette , Mark Ruffalo and Naomi Ackie. The untitled film is based on the novel Mickey7 by Edward Ashton. Bong is writing, directing and producing for his production company Offscreen, alongside Kate Street Picture Company’s Dooho Choi and Plan B’s Dede Gardner and Jeremy Kleiner, as part of the latter’s overall deal with Warner Bros. The project re-teams Bong and Choi with Brad Pitt’s Plan B following their collaboration on the director’s 2017 film Okja . The novel, which was published in February, follows Mickey7, an Expendable: a disposable employee on a human expedition sent to colonize the ice world Niflheim. Whenever there’s a … [Read more...] about Bong Joon-Ho’s Sci-Fi Movie Starring Robert Pattinson In Pre-Production At UK’s Warner Bros Studios Leavesden

EGOT winner Rita Moreno ( West Side Story ) has joined the cast of Fast X , as the grandmother of Vin Diesel ’s Dominic Toretto, Deadline can confirm. She joins an ensemble that also includes Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Momoa, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, Alan Ritchson, Nathalie Emmanuel, Michael Rooker, Daniela Melchior, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Ludacris, Cardi B and Scott Eastwood, as previously announced. Breaking the news Tuesday morning was producer and star Diesel, who was joined in a brief Instagram video by Moreno and franchise veteran Rodriguez. “It’s been my dream forever to work with Rita Moreno, and the fact that she’s here playing my grandmother makes my soul smile,” said Diesel. “I am so blessed.” “You know what…I think my old age was waiting for you to invite me. Isn’t that nice? And I’m here—and the answer is yes, I’ll do it,” added Moreno. “And yes, not only do it. I’m tickled. I’m so thrilled. This is going to be such fun!” … [Read more...] about Rita Moreno To Play Dominic Toretto’s Grandmother In ‘Fast X’

EXCLUSIVE : Rob Reiner has offered a satirical response to being banned from Russia by Vladimir Putin . The veteran filmmaker, who was a surprise inclusion on a list published by Russia over the weekend, quipped to us: “No comment. Except to say that I’m heartbroken and will have to live with the disappointment.” The Princess Bride and This Is Spinal Tap filmmaker was among 960 Americans “permanently banned”  from entering Russia . The Hollywood legend directed a 2017 video about the Kremlin meddling in the 2016 U.S. presidential election. As we reported Monday, the list includes such seeming no-brainers as Joe Biden, Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton , but there’s no shortage of eyebrow-raising names as well. Also persona non grata are Morgan Freeman — who narrated the aforementioned 2017 video — along with Mark Zuckerberg and John McCain, who is one of three deceased senators to make the list. All are accused of spreading “Russophobia,” per a … [Read more...] about Rob Reiner Responds To Being Banned From Russia By Vladimir Putin

EXCLUSIVE: Josh Lucas is set to star opposite Kristen Wiig in Apple TV+ comedy series Mrs. American Pie , executive produced by Laura Dern. Based on Juliet McDaniel’s book, Mrs. American Pie hails from creator Abe Sylvia ( The Eyes of Tammy Faye ) and director Tate Taylor ( Breaking News in Yuba County ). Dern also is eyeing a “key role” in the series. Written by Sylvia and directed by Taylor, Mrs. American Pie is set during the powderkeg era of the early 1970s and follows Maxine Simmons (Wiig) and her attempt to secure her seat at America’s most exclusive table: Palm Beach high society. As Maxine attempts to cross that impermeable line between the haves and the have nots, the series asks the same questions that baffle us today: Who gets a seat at the table, how do you get a seat at the table, and what will you sacrifice to get there? Lucas will play Douglas, Maxine’s (Wiig) husband. In addition to Wiig he joins previously announced Allison Janney, Leslie … [Read more...] about Josh Lucas Joins Kristen Wiig In ‘Mrs. American Pie’ Apple Comedy Series

The first time Joe Alwyn came to the Cannes Film Festival in 2018, he walked away with the Trophée Chopard. Now he is back to help director Claire Denis compete for the Palme d’Or with Stars at Noon , based on the novel by Denis Johnson. Alwyn stars in the romantic thriller as a mysterious businessman in Nicaragua who falls in love with an American journalist, played by Margaret Qualley . In addition to Stars at Noon , Alwyn also stars in the BBC Three/Hulu series Conversations with Friends directed by Lenny Abrahamson and based on the Sally Rooney novel, which premiered May 15. DEADLINE: How did you get involved with Stars at Noon ? JOE ALWYN : I got involved pretty late in the game. I was sent the script on literally a Friday morning to read with an email saying Claire would like to Zoom me that afternoon. “If you’re interested, and if they want you, then you’ll be flying to Panama. Can you go tomorrow?” Claire was already there. So, I read the … [Read more...] about Joe Alwyn On Claire Denis’ Cannes Film ‘Stars at Noon’ & His “Numb” ‘Conversations With Friends’ Character

Long before he became a premier storyteller for Paramount+, Taylor Sheridan was a journeyman actor who struggled to support his family. The older he got, the more he found himself descending on the call sheet. What should have been a welcome burst of momentum — playing Deputy Chief David Hale on Sons of Anarchy — turned out to be the final dose of humiliation that led him to change horses. An ask for a decent raise was the thing that compelled Sheridan to begin writing scripts. Sheridan was several seasons into playing what he believed to be a pivotal role in the SAMCRO universe, but the studio suits didn’t seem to share his assessment. “When my attorney said, ‘Look, there are kids on the Cartoon Network making more than you’re offering this guy,’ this jerk business affairs attorney goes, ‘He probably deserves to make more, but we’re not going to pay him more, because guess what? He’s not worth more. There are 50 of him. He is 11 on the call sheet. That’s what that guy … [Read more...] about The Insult That Awoke A Ferocious Writer’s Voice In ‘Yellowstone’s Taylor Sheridan — Deadline Disruptors

(As a tribute to late actor Rajiv Kapoor, Filmibeat won't be giving ratings to his swansong, Toolsidas Junior ) "Jaundice ko Rajinikanth ka punch, Totta ko Mithun ka Disco King aur Kaalia ko Bachchan sahab ka full chamaat," coach Mohammad Salaam's words ring in Toolsidas Junior's mind as he hits the coloured cue balls in the pockets one after the other. Director Mridul Mahendra gives his sports drama a perfect 'Bollywood' touch to keep things interesting. Available on: Netflix What's Yay: Performances What's Nay: Predictable Plot Story Set in Calcutta, the film opens in the year 1994 where Toolsidas (late Rajiv Kapoor) gears up to defeat the five-time champion Jimmy Tandon (Dalip Tahil) at the Calcutta Sports Club Snooker Championship. Toolsidas assures his younger son Midi (Varun Buddhadev) that the trophy is coming home this time. Unfortunately, Jimmy takes advantage of one of Toolsidas' shortcomings due to which the latter ends up … [Read more...] about Toolsidas Junior Movie Review: Rajiv Kapoor-Sanjay Dutt’s Film Is A Heartwarming Watch Till The Final Frame

Stranger Things is one of Netflix’s defining series. But as the Eighties horror pastiche returns this week after a nearly three-year absence, the show and the streamer seem to be going in opposite directions. Netflix is contracting; Stranger Things is expanding. It’s been a rough spring for Netflix. Subscriber growth has slowed, and actual subscriber losses are predicted later this year, which sent the streaming giant’s stock price stumbling. Employees have been laid off, and there’s a plan for a cheaper ad-supported subscription tier later this year to staunch the bleeding. There have been other belt-tightening measures in recent years, particularly when it comes to how long shows are allowed to run, and how quickly cancellations are handed down. Stranger Things , though, just keeps getting bigger. This delayed fourth season has been split into two chunks: seven episodes now, two more in July. The cast is bigger — both in numbers, and in height, where Finn Wolfhard’s Mike … [Read more...] about ‘Stranger Things’ Season 4 Is Back — Bigger, Bloodier and More Bloated Than Ever

Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans square off in a battle of wits, guns, and questionable facial hair choices in the new trailer for The Gray Man , set to arrive July 22 on Netflix . In the film, Gosling stars as Court Gentry — otherwise known as the titular “Gray Man” — a CIA operative plucked from a prison to carry out the agency’s various under-the-radar wetwork assignments. Evans, meanwhile, plays Lloyd Hansen, a former CIA cohort who’s been enlisted to take out Gentry for reasons that are unspecified in the trailer. The only clue offered about the motive behind this cat-and-mouse chase is when Gentry says he “has something they really want” while looking at a locket. But who needs more context in a trailer when a goatee’d Gosling and Evans, sporting a “trash stache” (Gentry’s words in the clip), are destroying buildings and raising havoc on city streets in the name of American intelligence? Along with Gosling and Evans, The Gray Man boasts a stacked cast that also … [Read more...] about Ryan Gosling and Chris Evans Duke It Out With Guns, Facial Hair in ‘The Gray Man’ Trailer