“The early conversations were that it would be shot on film because of the time period, and because Adam’s a film guy,” said Banhazl, who shot Episodes 1, 2, 5, 6, 9, and 10. “And we knew from the scripts that the show was going to be mixing in footage that we had shot, period footage that we had shot, real archival with photos. It was like a pop culture mixtape, pulling in from all these references from our collective memory....
“You can’t be too strong, you can’t swear, you can’t wear short skirts,” Purnell told The Independent. “You can’t be too sexy because they won’t respect you, but you can’t not be beautiful because then they think you don’t have value. We’re taught to hold our grudges inside because at the end of the day it’s still a man’s world and you’re trying to get paid.” Yet Purnell, who made her film debut at age 14 in “Never Let Me Go,” was forced to grapple with being a woman in Hollywood during her teen years....
Psychological thriller “Pussy Island” centers on cocktail waitress Frida, rumored to be played by Naomi Ackie, who sets out to seduce tech mogul Slater King (Channing Tatum). Once Frida finds herself in Slater’s inner circle, she is invited to his private island that has a sinister secret. Kravitz told ELLE that the MGM-acquired film was originally inspired by “the lack of conversation around the way women are treated specifically in the entertainment industry,” and that the script had various iterations to make it the most current reflection of gender politics....
Yet, “All Creatures Great and Small” has done each in consecutive years and still delivered cozy, season-capping holiday episodes. It’s one of the show’s enduring charms that it can present such a happy atmosphere without skipping over some serious issues. “We’re trying to find a story that’s heartwarming, but also the emotionally layered story for Christmas that sort of lifts you up,” series writer Ben Vanstone said, also acknowledging, “For me, there’s always a slight sadness associated with Christmas....
“And Just Like That” — the HBO Max sequel to HBO’s “Sex and the City” — wrapped its 10-episode season on Thursday, after two months spent stirring the discourse into a frenzy. Parsing the success of any TV show in 2022 is a difficult task, whether you’re assessing its overall quality or quantitative impact, but “And Just Like That” is trickier still: Reviews are across the board. Ratings, while strong, have only been reported by HBO Max....
“And Just Like That…” we’ll be getting more Carrie Bradshaw. HBO Max has confirmed that the “Sex and the City” revival series is renewed for a second season, with executive producers and stars Sarah Jessica Parker, Cynthia Nixon, and Kristin Davis reprising their respective roles. The official logline for Season 2 keeps fans guessing, with the network teasing that the new chapter of the HBO series will follow the central friend group as they continue to navigate the joys and tribulations of friendship in their 50s....
And what director Rhys Frake-Waterfield wanted to do was get very, very bloody. In an interview, he explained that his take on the beloved children’s literary characters is not going to pull any punches. According to him, “Blood and Honey” is a revenge-driven film that sees the anthropomorphic animals taking revenge after Christopher Robbin grows up and abandons them. “They get enraged when they see him, and all of their hatred that they’ve built up over the years unleashes and they go on this rampage,” Frake-Waterfield said....
“What I thought we could do with the series is actually just focus on Baymax and one patient at a time,” creator Don Hall said at a virtual press conference earlier this week. In search of a different perspective for “Baymax!,” the Oscar-winning director of “Big Hero 6,” “Moana,” and the upcoming “Strange World” reached back to television’s past. “I remembered back as a kid watching medical procedurals where [in each] episode there’s a patient who has a thing, and the compassionate doctors end up healing that patient,” he said....
Of course, “Better Call Saul,” like many of the other benchmark television dramas currently airing, had to put plans on hold when productions around the world went dark in 2020. As the show’s most recent season was airing, it would be almost another year entirely before “Better Call Saul” went back to Albuquerque to finish the connective tissue between it and its predecessor, “Breaking Bad.” On the precipice of its final run of 13 episodes, the show’s first five seasons are now available on both AMC+ and Netflix....
Actress Letitia Wright, who played Shuri in the first feature and is set as the lead of the sequel, is set to return to filming which is taking place in Atlanta. Wright endured an on-set injury back in August which prohibited her from continuing filming. The actress has also faced backlash on social media for controversial statements related to the pandemic. According to The Hollywood Reporter any issues with Wright, including questions of her vaccination status, have been resolved....
When David Kajganich was first presented with Camille DeAngelis’ novel “Bones and All,” the screenwriter didn’t initially realize the cannibal romance was intended for YA readers. Instead, the “Blood Creek” and “A Bigger Splash” writer was taken with the book’s fairytale quality, the wonderful romance at its heart, and its ability to interrogate “other”-ness in an entirely new way. It was also, of course, fairly juicy — literally and figuratively — and ripe for the screenwriter to apply his own ideas....
As was ordained by last week’s fateful standoff between Cad Bane (voiced by Corey Burton and performed by Dorian Kingi) and Cobb Vanth (Timothy Olyphant), the “Book of Boba Fett” finale had to end with the blue-skinned, red-eyed, tube-cheeked cowboy playing quickdraw with our titular bounty hunter. Besides invoking the “who shot first” argument from the original film, the mercenaries’ last duel gave Boba (Temuera Morrison) the chance to defeat his one-time mentor by refuting his teachings: “Consider this my final lesson,” Cad says....
Initially reported by Deadline, Heder will direct a biopic on noted disability rights activist Judith Heumann, based on Heumann’s memoir. The deal is part of a package through Apple Original Films with Heder already signed to the company in a multi-year agreement. Actress Ali Stroker, who became the first disabled person to win a Tony for her 2019 performance in “Oklahoma” on Broadway, is reportedly being considered for the leading role....
Released in 1988 at the height of Murphy’s popularity, “Coming to America” blended satire and fairy tale romance through the sheer power of Murphy’s screen presence. In director John Landis’ hands, the absurdist plight of the African prince from the fictional Zamunda, who bucks tradition by falling in love with an American woman he meets to avoid his arranged marriage back home, felt like the authentic tale of a man coming to terms with his true self....
But after six years of sobriety, she was also battling a relapse into drug addiction. In the upcoming four-part YouTube Originals documentary “Demi Lovato: Dancing with Devil,” the singer reveals what led to a nearly-fatal overdose on July 28, 2018, and the hospitalization and recovery treatment that followed. At YouTube Original’s virtual panel at the CTAM Winter 2021 Press Tour on Wednesday, Lovato and executive producer/director/screenwriter Michael D. Ratner spoke about the upcoming project....
Chalamet shared a photo from the “Dune: Part Two” production with his back facing the camera. The actor dons a black hooded long coat that has a skeletal outline on the rear. Production for Denis Villeneuve’s sequel installment of the adaptation of Frank Herbert’s novel wrapped in Budapest, Hungary and Italy earlier this year but now continues in the United Arab Emirates. Per the official synopsis from Warner Bros. and Legendary reads, this follow-up film will explore the mythic journey of Paul Atreides as he unites with Chani and the Fremen while on a warpath of revenge against the conspirators who destroyed his family....
Smith collaborates with “Training Day” director Antoine Fuqua for the Apple Original film “Emancipation,” based on the true story of former slave “Whipped Peter.” Smith stars as Peter and produces the film through his Westbrook Studios company. “Emancipation” tells the triumphant story of Peter (Smith), a man who escapes from slavery, relying on his wits, unwavering faith and deep love for his family to evade cold-blooded hunters and the unforgiving swamps of Louisiana on his quest for freedom....
Radio Silence is made up of directors Matt Bettinelli-Olpin, Tyler Gillett, and Chad Villella. The team is best known for their work on “Ready or Not” and for directing the fifth “Scream” film (released earlier this year) as well as the upcoming “Scream 6,” which is slated for 2023. They’ll be partnering with Carpenter himself for the “Escape from New York” reboot, which has Carpenter serving as executive producer. Radio Silence will produce alongside Alex Heineman and Andrew Rona for The Picture Company....
Warner Bros. provides same-day HBO Max access for its theatrical releases, but James Wan’s “Malignant,” a $40 million-budgeted horror film, mustered only 735,000 viewings (per Samba TV’s estimate). Clint Eastwood’s “Cry Macho” this weekend and next month’s “Dune” should do much better. Disney’s “Free Guy,” just announced for September 28 PVOD, should also find high interest. Against this backdrop, “F9” (Universal/$19.99) returned to #1 on every chart with a director’s cut that adds seven minutes to the 135-minute feature....
The series starts with a grown Aretha (Cynthia Erivo) arriving at Muscle Shoals to work under acclaimed music producer Jerry Wexler (David Cross). She’s brought along her husband, Ted White (Malcolm Barrett) and almost immediately the dynamic between the pair is evident. It also introduces one of the more frustrating things about “Genius: Aretha”: It’s a biography told with a muddled chronology, and this storytelling technique is distracting and confounding....
