Quiet at the western front

Ghost shirts, which are sacred to certain Indigenous communities, were thought to guard the wearer against bullets through spiritual power. This precious heirloom is at the center of Tony Tost ’s directorial debut film at SXSW, Americana . This western dramedy has some tricks up its sleeve, thanks to the brilliant writing and the script’s comedic timing. It boasts a big cast of actors including Sydney Sweeney , Halsey , Paul Walter Hauser , Zahn McClarnon, Simon Rex, Eric Dane and Gavin Maddox Bergman. RELATED: SXSW 2023: All Of Deadline’s Movie Reviews Cal (Bergman) loves to watch black-and-white, cowboys-and-Indians films. While he’s enthralled with what he sees on the television, Joan Jett lookalike Mandy (Halsey) and local thug Dillian (Dane) argue about why Cal, her brother, is so weird. Maybe it’s because he’s a white kid who claims to be the reincarnation of Lakota ancestor Sitting Bull. To get them away from Dillian’s abusive household, Mandy knocks him … [Read more...] about ‘Americana’ Review: Tony Tost Turns The Western Genre Upside Down In Directorial Debut Dramedy Starring Sydney Sweeney & Halsey – SXSW

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Freevee will not be moving forward with two of its half-hour scripted pilots, Western and Open Book. Both are currently being shopped elsewhere. Western is a period comedy developed by Phil Lord and Chris Miller ’s Sony TV-based Lord Miller . Pen15 co-creator and star Anna Konkle had been tapped to lead the series. Written by Michelle Morgan, Western is set in the 1800s. It follows Polly (Konkle), a young high-society woman from Philadelphia who travels out west on a desperate quest for a husband only to discover that she has been catfished by a teenage boy. Now stranded in 1866 Montana, Polly, along with the town’s other inhabitants, must find their place in this ever-changing new world, confronting and defying all expectations society has of them along the way. RELATED: 2023 Amazon Freevee Pilots & Series Orders Although her good breeding and opulent clothing make her stand out like a sore thumb in this dustbowl of … [Read more...] about Jessica Simpson’s ‘Open Book’ & Lord Miller’s ‘Western’ Pilots Not Moving Forward At Amazon Freevee; Both Being Shopped

“I love you, but you are not serious people,” says Logan Roy ( Brian Cox ) to his estranged and ambitious offspring in Succession ‘s fourth and final season. For a series stuffed to gills with verbal uppercuts that would leave Malcolm Tucker bruised and blushing, the profanity-free candor from the Emmy-winning series’ media baron fulfillingly sticks the shiv in deep. Now, beyond that quote from the Season 4 trailer , there isn’t much more that can be said. Truly. With more implied NDAs than a Waystar RoyCo corporate retreat, series creator Jesse Armstrong and HBO have requested piquant critics keep almost everything that happens in Season 4 locked down. So, let’s just cut to the non-specific chase: This final season, which debuts March 26, is where Succession truly succeeds. For one thing, the expletive-stuffed satire that has long plundered the ostentatious psychology and lifestyles of profoundly faltering people packs a tremendous emotional wallop in this … [Read more...] about ‘Succession’ Review: Final Season Of HBO’s Media Mogul Satire Has No Intention Of Going Quietly

Welcome to Global Breakouts , Deadline’s fortnightly strand in which we shine a spotlight on the TV shows and films killing it in their local territories. The industry is as globalized as it’s ever been, but breakout hits are appearing in pockets of the world all the time and it can be hard to keep track… So we’re going to do the hard work for you. This week we head down under to Australia , where Paramount+ original Last King of the Cross has been making a serious racket. Telling the true story of gang warfare in the notorious Sydney Kings Cross district, the 10-part crime thriller harks back to classics such as The Godfather . Its journey to screen has been a lengthy but enjoyable one, say producers. Name : Last King of the Cross Country : Australia Network : Paramount+ Australia Producer : Helium Pictures International sales : Cineflix Rights For fans of : Godfather, Gomorrah Neighbours may have felt like the only Australian TV drama … [Read more...] about ‘Godfather’-esque Crime Thriller ‘Last King Of The Cross’ Is Proving That Australian TV Drama Is So Much More Than ‘Neighbours’

Oscar-winning screenwriter, playwright and film director Christopher Hampton was on feisty form in a masterclass in Qatar earlier this week as part of the Doha Film Institute ’s Qumra talent incubator event (March 10-16). Hampton, who won Academy Awards for the screenplays of Dangerous Liaisons and The Father and was Oscar-nominated for Atonement , urged aspiring screenwriters in the auditorium to try to retain some sort of control of their work and creative vision. “I would advise anybody to try to get at least some sort of associate producer credit to maintain a grip on the material and you have to fight… fight with a lot of people,” he said. “They don’t want to give it to you. They don’t want to give you those powers, but I’ve always argued that since the writer is the origin of the piece, they deserve to be respected.” “Don’t be unreasonable because there is a very strong possibility that other people’s ideas will be as good as yours but there comes a … [Read more...] about Christopher Hampton Talks Screenwriter Control; ‘Dangerous Liaisons’ Sprint Against Miloš Forman – Qumra Masterclass

Anne Hathaway ( Eileen ) has signed on to star in a mysterious new film that David Robert Mitchell ( It Follows , Under the Silver Lake ) will direct for Warner Bros. Pictures , Bad Robot and Jackson Pictures. While the pic is billed as a “thrill-ride” to be shot in IMAX, which will head into production this fall, other details are scarce at present. Mitchell penned the original script and will produce alongside J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella for Bad Robot , and Jackson Pictures’ Matt Jackson. Jake Weiner and Chris Bender of Good Fear Content will serve as exec producers. Other projects currently in development at Warner Bros Discovery under the studio’s deal with Bad Robot include a Ta-Nehisi Coates-scripted Superman film; an animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s iconic children’s book Oh, the Places You’ll Go! to be directed by Jon M. Chu; the Jason Bateman-directed supernatural Western, The Pinkerton ; and a live-action Hot Wheels pic to be made in … [Read more...] about David Robert Mitchell, Anne Hathaway, Bad Robot Team For Mystery Warner Bros. Pic

Two icons are back in action this weekend as Roadside Attractions presents the comedy Moving On with Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin on close to 800 screens, hoping it will connect with female audiences. Willem Dafoe -starring Inside from Vasilis Katsoupis on 350+ screens. It’s been relatively quiet on the specialty front. “There’s not that much out there for this audience right now,” said Howard Cohen, co-president of Roadside Attractions. “I think this is the opportunity that we felt — it’s after the Oscars and before the Sundance movies and summer movies.” Fonda and Tomlin have a great alchemy. They co-starred in 1980’s 9 to 5 , played together for seven years on the Netflix sitcom Grace and Franki e and co-led the recent 80 for Brady . The cast of their Paul Weitz-directed Moving On , which premiered in Toronto, also includes Malcolm McDowell and Richard Roundtree. Deadline review here . It’s wide for specialty, and Cohen said it’s a good sign … [Read more...] about Jane Fonda & Lily Tomlin Reunite In ‘Moving On’ – Specialty Preview

TikTok/@heyitszeeee_ Jamal Murray needed both Nikola Jokic and a referee to keep him from going after a fan in the stands during Thursday night's game ... with the Denver Nuggets star losing his cool over disrespectful words being hurled his way. The altercation was caught on video -- showing Murray on the court playing against the Pistons in Little Caesars Arena as multiple Pistons fans heckle him. Murray heard the jabs loud and clear ... and once the whistle was blown to stop the play, the 6'4" guard began walking toward the guy with a few words of his own. Getty The referee immediately got in Murray's way and held him back ... while the guy in the crowd yelled, "you ain't gon' do s*** boy!!!" Jokic -- who stands at 6'11" -- ran over to assist the ref ... and pulled Murray back to center court. Arena security witnessed the exchange between Murray and the man ... and you can see in the video what seems to be police officers pointing … [Read more...] about Jamal Murray Confronts Heckler In Heated Mid-Game Exchange, Held Back By Jokic

Djimon Hounsou ’s acting career spans 30-plus years, includes two Oscar nominations and roles in myriad prestige and blockbuster projects such as Amistad, Gladiator , In America, Laura Croft, Blood Diamond, Guardians of the Galaxy, Furious 7, Aquaman, Captain Marvel, Shazam!, A Quiet Pace Part II and Day One , Black Adam, Rebel Moon and this weekend’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods . Yet Hounsou told the Guardian in a recent interview, “I have yet to meet the film that paid me fairly.” He elaborated: “I’m still struggling to try to make a dollar! I’ve come up in the business with some people who are absolutely well off and have very little of my accolades. So I feel cheated, tremendously cheated, in terms of finances and in terms of the workload as well.” Specifically, the actor says, “I’ve gone to studios for meetings and they’re like: ‘Wow, we felt like you just got off the boat and then went back [after Amistad ]. We didn’t know you were here as a true actor.’ … [Read more...] about Djimon Hounsou: “I Have Yet To Meet The Film That Paid Me Fairly…I Feel Cheated”

The mother of one of the Flight 93 heroes wants Carson Daly to know ... gay people ARE brave and tough ... and her son was living proof. TMZ broke the story ... Daly joked on his L.A. radio show that gay people wouldn't have been able to take down a crazed pilot who freaked out on a recent JetBlue flight ... instead, they would have been more interested in going to a "floral convention." Now, Alice Hoagland ... the mother of Mark Bingham ... has a message for the radio host ... saying, "Yes, my gay son was known in our family for bringing me flowers on my birthday and Mother’s Day. He also was known for careening down the rugby pitch, and, on the morning of September 11, 2001, for charging unarmed down the aisle of a doomed Boeing 757 to face knife-wielding Islamist thugs in a hijacked cockpit." She adds, "No one among his pick-up team of fellow passengers was asking 'Are you straight? Are you gay?' No one doubted that a guy who weighed 220 and stood 6’4” … [Read more...] about Mother of 9/11 Hero — My Son Was Gay … And Tougher Than Carson Daly