Remember that time Mark Wahlberg said he could've stopped 9/11? He later apologized, but it seems the world-famous hamburger salesman likes to fantasize about being present for ripped-from-recent-headlines tragedies as a way of "honoring" the real people involved. In fact, he did this on no less than three occasions in the 2010s with director Peter Berg; first on the film "Lone Survivor" in 2013, and then twice in a single year with "Deepwater Horizon" and "Patriots Day" in 2016.
Of these three, "Deepwater Horizon" is probably the best, if only because it's devoid of the suspect political overtones of the other two. The film dramatizes the 2010 Deepwater Horizon semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit explosion and oil spill, pointing the finger of blame squarely at the corner-cutting Bp middle managers who ignored safety concerns raised by the rig's workers. With Wahlberg off playing action hero for most of the movie as Chief Electronics Technician Michael "Mike" Williams,...
Of these three, "Deepwater Horizon" is probably the best, if only because it's devoid of the suspect political overtones of the other two. The film dramatizes the 2010 Deepwater Horizon semi-submersible mobile offshore drilling unit explosion and oil spill, pointing the finger of blame squarely at the corner-cutting Bp middle managers who ignored safety concerns raised by the rig's workers. With Wahlberg off playing action hero for most of the movie as Chief Electronics Technician Michael "Mike" Williams,...
- 5/20/2024
- by Sandy Schaefer
- Slash Film
This summer, Sarah McLachlan will celebrate the 30th anniversary of her album, Fumbling Towards Ecstasy, by embarking on a North American tour (get tickets here). As a preview, the Canadian singer-songwriter stopped by Jimmy Kimmel Live! to perform the album track “Possession.” Watch the relay below.
McLachlan’s tour begins in Seattle on May 25th, and takes her to cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, New York City, and more. Along the way, she’ll enjoy support from Feist and Allison Russell on select dates.
Get Sarah McLachlan Tickets Here
All this comes as McLachlan is reportedly working on new music. Last month, she revealed that she was making a new album with producer Tony Berg.
“I had been writing and had enough material that I thought, ‘Let’s get into the studio and see what happens,’” McLachlan told The Canadian Press. “I absolutely love Phoebe Bridgers and Boygenius and...
McLachlan’s tour begins in Seattle on May 25th, and takes her to cities like Los Angeles, Chicago, Toronto, New York City, and more. Along the way, she’ll enjoy support from Feist and Allison Russell on select dates.
Get Sarah McLachlan Tickets Here
All this comes as McLachlan is reportedly working on new music. Last month, she revealed that she was making a new album with producer Tony Berg.
“I had been writing and had enough material that I thought, ‘Let’s get into the studio and see what happens,’” McLachlan told The Canadian Press. “I absolutely love Phoebe Bridgers and Boygenius and...
- 5/11/2024
- by Jo Vito
- Consequence - Music
Shailene Woodley, Ben Foster and Pablo Schreiber will join the previously announced Alan Ritchson in the action thriller “Motor City.”
Potsy Ponciroli will direct the picture. Production begins July 10 in New Jersey and AlUla, Saudi Arabia as part of Stampede Ventures’ 10-picture slate deal with Film AlUla.
Greg Silverman and Jon Berg will produce for Stampede Ventures, alongside Rohini Singh, Paramdeep Singh and Manmeet Singh of Astro Lion Pictures, and Cliff Roberts and Chad St. John, who also penned the script. Mike Tadross Jr. and Eric Hedayat will executive produce.
Black Bear represents international rights with WME Independent co-representing domestic rights with Stampede, and Sacker Entertainment Law overseeing production legal.
“Motor City” follows John Miller (Ritchson), a Detroit auto-worker whose life and girlfriend (Woodley) are taken away from him when he’s framed by a local gangster (Foster) and sent to prison. On his release, Miller unleashes a maelstrom of...
Potsy Ponciroli will direct the picture. Production begins July 10 in New Jersey and AlUla, Saudi Arabia as part of Stampede Ventures’ 10-picture slate deal with Film AlUla.
Greg Silverman and Jon Berg will produce for Stampede Ventures, alongside Rohini Singh, Paramdeep Singh and Manmeet Singh of Astro Lion Pictures, and Cliff Roberts and Chad St. John, who also penned the script. Mike Tadross Jr. and Eric Hedayat will executive produce.
Black Bear represents international rights with WME Independent co-representing domestic rights with Stampede, and Sacker Entertainment Law overseeing production legal.
“Motor City” follows John Miller (Ritchson), a Detroit auto-worker whose life and girlfriend (Woodley) are taken away from him when he’s framed by a local gangster (Foster) and sent to prison. On his release, Miller unleashes a maelstrom of...
- 5/10/2024
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Hulu has given a piot order to “Downforce” (working title), a comedy pilot written and executive produced by “Silicon Valley” writers Alec Berg and Adam Countee.
The official logline for “Downforce” reads, “When the heiress to a dynastic racing team is thrust back into the family business, she needs to make some hard choices about the future of the team and her family’s legacy.”
The pilot will be produced by ABC Signature, where Berg and Countee both have overall deals. Non-writing executive producers include Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey of Temple Hill as well as Daniel Ricciardo, Amy Solomon and Lionsgate Television.
Berg is best known for serving as showrunner and executive producer on “Silicon Valley,” which ran on HBO for six seasons from 2014 to 2019, and for co-creating HBO’s “Barry,” which concluded after four seasons in 2023. Earlier in his career, he joined “Seinfeld” in its sixth season as...
The official logline for “Downforce” reads, “When the heiress to a dynastic racing team is thrust back into the family business, she needs to make some hard choices about the future of the team and her family’s legacy.”
The pilot will be produced by ABC Signature, where Berg and Countee both have overall deals. Non-writing executive producers include Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey of Temple Hill as well as Daniel Ricciardo, Amy Solomon and Lionsgate Television.
Berg is best known for serving as showrunner and executive producer on “Silicon Valley,” which ran on HBO for six seasons from 2014 to 2019, and for co-creating HBO’s “Barry,” which concluded after four seasons in 2023. Earlier in his career, he joined “Seinfeld” in its sixth season as...
- 5/8/2024
- by Selome Hailu
- Variety Film + TV
Hulu has given a pilot order to Downforce (working title) from ABC Signature.
Alec Berg and Adam Countee, who have overall deals at ABC Signature, will executive produce the comedy.
It’s about an heiress to a dynastic racing team who is thrust back into the family business. She needs to make some hard choices about the future of the team and her family’s legacy.
Non-writing EPs are Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey of Temple Hill Entertainment; Daniel Ricciardo, Amy Solomon; and Lionsgate.
Berg co-created Barry with Bill Hader. He also served as showrunner of the HBO comedy. His previous credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm and Silicon Valley.
Countee worked with Berg on Silicon Valley. He also co-executive produced The Shrink Next Door.
Alec Berg and Adam Countee, who have overall deals at ABC Signature, will executive produce the comedy.
It’s about an heiress to a dynastic racing team who is thrust back into the family business. She needs to make some hard choices about the future of the team and her family’s legacy.
Non-writing EPs are Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey of Temple Hill Entertainment; Daniel Ricciardo, Amy Solomon; and Lionsgate.
Berg co-created Barry with Bill Hader. He also served as showrunner of the HBO comedy. His previous credits include Curb Your Enthusiasm and Silicon Valley.
Countee worked with Berg on Silicon Valley. He also co-executive produced The Shrink Next Door.
- 5/8/2024
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Alec Berg and Adam Countee are moving from Silicon Valley to the world of F1.
Hulu is teaming with the duo for Downforce, a comedy that has been picked up to pilot at the Disney-run streamer.
Described as Entourage set in the world of Formula 1 racing, Downforce follows what happens when the heiress to a dynastic racing team is thrust back into the family business and the hard choices she must make about the future of the team and her family’s legacy.
Berg and Countee will write and serve as showrunners on the potential series, which is produced by ABC Signature. Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey will exec produce alongside Berg, Countee, Aussie F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo and Amy Solomon. The latter serves as head of development for Berg’s ABC Signature-based production company after working with the writer-producer on Barry and Silicon Valley. Ricciardo...
Hulu is teaming with the duo for Downforce, a comedy that has been picked up to pilot at the Disney-run streamer.
Described as Entourage set in the world of Formula 1 racing, Downforce follows what happens when the heiress to a dynastic racing team is thrust back into the family business and the hard choices she must make about the future of the team and her family’s legacy.
Berg and Countee will write and serve as showrunners on the potential series, which is produced by ABC Signature. Temple Hill’s Marty Bowen and Wyck Godfrey will exec produce alongside Berg, Countee, Aussie F1 driver Daniel Ricciardo and Amy Solomon. The latter serves as head of development for Berg’s ABC Signature-based production company after working with the writer-producer on Barry and Silicon Valley. Ricciardo...
- 5/8/2024
- by Lesley Goldberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
On Friday nights — and special occasions! — IndieWire After Dark takes a feature-length beat to honor fringe cinema in the streaming age.
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Appointment Viewing for “Stoners, Seekers, Archivists, and Drinkers”
It took more than 1,700 miles and an honest-to-God movie theater for me to discover that the livestream I’ve been wanting my entire adult life tapes weekly just ten minutes down the street in LA. Yes, I had to fly all the way to New Orleans, Louisiana for The 2024 Overlook Film Festival to stumble onto the genius that is Museum of Home Video.
The found-footage livestream with a semi-hallucinogenic feel — described by its creators as “college radio for the...
First, the spoiler-free pitch for one editor’s midnight movie pick — something weird and wonderful from any age of film that deserves our memorializing.
Then, the spoiler-filled aftermath as experienced by the unwitting editor attacked by this week’s recommendation.
The Pitch: Appointment Viewing for “Stoners, Seekers, Archivists, and Drinkers”
It took more than 1,700 miles and an honest-to-God movie theater for me to discover that the livestream I’ve been wanting my entire adult life tapes weekly just ten minutes down the street in LA. Yes, I had to fly all the way to New Orleans, Louisiana for The 2024 Overlook Film Festival to stumble onto the genius that is Museum of Home Video.
The found-footage livestream with a semi-hallucinogenic feel — described by its creators as “college radio for the...
- 4/20/2024
- by Alison Foreman and Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
“To Say Goodbye” is part of a compilation of 7 short films that Tan Chui Mui has written, directed and edited, and which she calls “All My Failed Attempts”. She shot one every month in 2008, while developing her second feature film, “Year Without a Summer”
on CathayPlay
The movie begins with Berg, a young man, smoking, while, Fei, a girl is calling his name, asking him to open the door while yelling that she loves him. Eventually she comes in, stating that it is her birthday, but he does not seem to care, or for her in particular. Instead of reacting to her, he continues using his pen nervously on something that looks like a sketch. She is obviously dressed up, in a red dress, and she keeps walking around his room, while he tries to constrain his nerves, by ignoring her. Nothing seems to phase her though...
on CathayPlay
The movie begins with Berg, a young man, smoking, while, Fei, a girl is calling his name, asking him to open the door while yelling that she loves him. Eventually she comes in, stating that it is her birthday, but he does not seem to care, or for her in particular. Instead of reacting to her, he continues using his pen nervously on something that looks like a sketch. She is obviously dressed up, in a red dress, and she keeps walking around his room, while he tries to constrain his nerves, by ignoring her. Nothing seems to phase her though...
- 4/16/2024
- by Panos Kotzathanasis
- AsianMoviePulse
Civil rights icon and labor leader Dolores Huerta is getting the biopic treatment in a new film.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Gregory Nava is set to direct. He will also write and produce alongside the Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated Barbara Martinez.
Huerta, who turns 94 today, is a renowned American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers Union alongside Cesar Chavez. She is the originator of the famous rallying cry “Sí, se puede,” which means “Yes, we can.”
She has received numerous awards, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award from President Clinton in 1998, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2012.
Her work has continues today as she advocates for the working poor, women and children through her Dolores Huerta Foundation.
The biopic film will dramatize Huerta’s life for the first time, delivering a multi-faceted portrait of woman who became a movement leader, political activist,...
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Gregory Nava is set to direct. He will also write and produce alongside the Golden Globe and Emmy-nominated Barbara Martinez.
Huerta, who turns 94 today, is a renowned American labor leader and civil rights activist who co-founded the United Farm Workers Union alongside Cesar Chavez. She is the originator of the famous rallying cry “Sí, se puede,” which means “Yes, we can.”
She has received numerous awards, including the Eleanor Roosevelt Human Rights Award from President Clinton in 1998, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Obama in 2012.
Her work has continues today as she advocates for the working poor, women and children through her Dolores Huerta Foundation.
The biopic film will dramatize Huerta’s life for the first time, delivering a multi-faceted portrait of woman who became a movement leader, political activist,...
- 4/10/2024
- by Katcy Stephan
- Variety Film + TV
[This story contains spoilers from season 12, episode eight of Curb Your Enthusiasm, “The Colostomy Bag.”]
Conan O’Brien made his long-awaited cameo on the latest episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. The talk show host — who is a close friend to creator-star Larry David in real life — appeared on the HBO comedy as a high-profile neighbor, someone TV Larry (played by the real David) felt he needed “clearance” in order to approach.
For the final season’s eighth episode bit, Larry sought out his friend Richard Lewis (who also played a version of himself on the series) to help him get permission to approach the comedian but, due to the episode’s chain of events, clearance doesn’t come in time when Larry ends up needing a big favor.
So Larry arrives, unannounced, at O’Brien’s home, begging for “emergency clearance” because his car died (Larry angered a valet, who unplugged his electric car) and he’s afraid that Susie Greene...
Conan O’Brien made his long-awaited cameo on the latest episode of Curb Your Enthusiasm. The talk show host — who is a close friend to creator-star Larry David in real life — appeared on the HBO comedy as a high-profile neighbor, someone TV Larry (played by the real David) felt he needed “clearance” in order to approach.
For the final season’s eighth episode bit, Larry sought out his friend Richard Lewis (who also played a version of himself on the series) to help him get permission to approach the comedian but, due to the episode’s chain of events, clearance doesn’t come in time when Larry ends up needing a big favor.
So Larry arrives, unannounced, at O’Brien’s home, begging for “emergency clearance” because his car died (Larry angered a valet, who unplugged his electric car) and he’s afraid that Susie Greene...
- 3/28/2024
- by Jackie Strause
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
‘Jack Ryan’ Producer Says She Experienced ‘Panic Attacks’ as Former Nickelodeon Hitmaker’s Assistant
Following the release of Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV, a Jack Ryan producer has shared her experience on working with the Nickelodeon hitmaker Dan Schneider.
Berg, who served as Schneider’s assistant for less than a year, called the Nickelodeon writer and producer a “fucking asshole” and “psychological tormentor” on Monday in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. Berg alleges Schneider brought on her “panic attacks” and led her to develop a “significant heart arrhythmia,” or irregular heartbeat.
“I eventually had surgery to [mostly] correct the issue,...
Berg, who served as Schneider’s assistant for less than a year, called the Nickelodeon writer and producer a “fucking asshole” and “psychological tormentor” on Monday in a statement on X, formerly known as Twitter. Berg alleges Schneider brought on her “panic attacks” and led her to develop a “significant heart arrhythmia,” or irregular heartbeat.
“I eventually had surgery to [mostly] correct the issue,...
- 3/18/2024
- by Kalia Richardson
- Rollingstone.com
An ex-Nickelodeon writer and former assistant to Dan Schneider is adding to the toxic workplace claims that are being leveled against the man once dubbed “the Willy Wonka of television” by sharing that he was her “psychological tormentor” and allegedly caused her to have significant health issues.
Amy Berg, who wrote for Nick hits Kenan & Kel and All That, tweeted a brief account on Monday of her experience working for Schneider. Her post comes after the first half of the docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV debuted on Investigation Discovery and Max Sunday night, presenting tales of abuse, sexism, racism and accusations of inappropriate behavior towards underage actors who worked on Schneider’s Nickelodeon series.
In her post, Berg placed the blame for her heart arrhythmia on the star producer behind hits like The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101 and iCarly, and...
Amy Berg, who wrote for Nick hits Kenan & Kel and All That, tweeted a brief account on Monday of her experience working for Schneider. Her post comes after the first half of the docuseries Quiet on Set: The Dark Side of Kids TV debuted on Investigation Discovery and Max Sunday night, presenting tales of abuse, sexism, racism and accusations of inappropriate behavior towards underage actors who worked on Schneider’s Nickelodeon series.
In her post, Berg placed the blame for her heart arrhythmia on the star producer behind hits like The Amanda Show, Drake & Josh, Zoey 101 and iCarly, and...
- 3/18/2024
- by Kevin Dolak
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
As accusations of abuse against Nickelodeon producer Dan Schneider continue to arise from the new docuseries “Quiet on Set,” his former assistant Amy Berg recounted her stress-inducing experience working under whom she called a “psychological tormenter.”
Berg, who works as a producer and TV writer on shows like “Law & Order: Organized Crime” and “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” revealed Sunday night on social media that her “very first” job was working as Schneider’s assistant, though she noted she wasn’t aware of any “physically inappropriate behavior” from the man in question.
However, Berg called Schneider a “f–king asshole” and “a psychological tormenter” during the one year she worked under him, detailing the subsequent years of panic attacks she faced after working for him.
“He introduced me to panic attacks and the stress of working for him caused me to develop a significant heart arrhythmia,” Berg wrote. “I...
Berg, who works as a producer and TV writer on shows like “Law & Order: Organized Crime” and “Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan,” revealed Sunday night on social media that her “very first” job was working as Schneider’s assistant, though she noted she wasn’t aware of any “physically inappropriate behavior” from the man in question.
However, Berg called Schneider a “f–king asshole” and “a psychological tormenter” during the one year she worked under him, detailing the subsequent years of panic attacks she faced after working for him.
“He introduced me to panic attacks and the stress of working for him caused me to develop a significant heart arrhythmia,” Berg wrote. “I...
- 3/18/2024
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
In William Shatner's film "Star Trek V: The Final Frontier," the U.S.S. Enterprise is hijacked by a hippie Vulcan cult leader named Sybok (Laurence Luckinbill) and flown to the very center of the Milky Way. In reality, the galaxy's center is the site of a supermassive black hole called Sagittarius A*. In "Frontier," Sybok believes it's where God lives. Not a spiritual conduit to God, mind you, but the actual physical body of God Himself. Kirk (Shatner) and Spock (Leonard Nimoy) think Sybok is mad, but are dragged along in his mad scheme.
When the Enterprise arrives at its destination, however, it seems for a few moments that Sybok is right. He and the Enterprise crew encounter and land on a mysterious planet, and God Himself (George Murdock) appears. Everyone is awestruck ... except for Kirk. When God asks the mortal characters for a starship to spread His Word,...
When the Enterprise arrives at its destination, however, it seems for a few moments that Sybok is right. He and the Enterprise crew encounter and land on a mysterious planet, and God Himself (George Murdock) appears. Everyone is awestruck ... except for Kirk. When God asks the mortal characters for a starship to spread His Word,...
- 1/1/2024
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
The sci-fi action TV series The Six Million Dollar Man was so incredibly popular when it was running on ABC back in the 1970s, it’s shocking that the franchise hasn’t received a revival outside of a few TV movies that aired in the ’80s and ’90s. It’s not for a lack of trying – in fact, an update called The Six Billion Dollar Man has been making its way through development hell for almost thirty years at this point. Mark Wahlberg has been attached to star in the project since 2014… and during a recent interview with Collider, Wahlberg expressed hope that The Six Billion Dollar Man will finally be going into production soon.
Inspired by Martin Caidin’s 1972 novel Cyborg (which received three sequels), The Six Million Dollar Man had the following synopsis: After a severely injured test pilot is rebuilt with nuclear-powered bionic limbs and implants, he serves as an intelligence agent.
Inspired by Martin Caidin’s 1972 novel Cyborg (which received three sequels), The Six Million Dollar Man had the following synopsis: After a severely injured test pilot is rebuilt with nuclear-powered bionic limbs and implants, he serves as an intelligence agent.
- 12/13/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
The films are the first two titles in a 10-project deal between Stampede Ventures and Film AlUla.
Kidnap thriller Fourth Wall and romance adaptation Chasing Red have been revealed as the first two projects in a partnership between US outfit Stampede Ventures and Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUla.
It kicks off an agreement secured in October, which will bring 10 productions worth $350m to the region in north-west Saudi Arabia over the next three years. The announcement was made at Red Sea International Film Festival.
Stampede Ventures CEO Greg Silverman is a producer of Fourth Wall alongside Jon Berg. The thriller...
Kidnap thriller Fourth Wall and romance adaptation Chasing Red have been revealed as the first two projects in a partnership between US outfit Stampede Ventures and Saudi Arabia’s Film AlUla.
It kicks off an agreement secured in October, which will bring 10 productions worth $350m to the region in north-west Saudi Arabia over the next three years. The announcement was made at Red Sea International Film Festival.
Stampede Ventures CEO Greg Silverman is a producer of Fourth Wall alongside Jon Berg. The thriller...
- 12/2/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Stampede Ventures’ adaptation of Isabell Ronin’s YA romance webnovel Chasing Red will shoot in Saudi Arabia, it was announced at the Red Sea Film Festival in Jeddah on Saturday.
The production is one of two films, alongside thriller Fourth Wall, that will kick-off a previously announced three-year, 10-project pact between Greg Silverman’s West Hollywood-based Stampede Ventures and the Royal Commission for AlUla’s film agency.
The news follows hot on the heels of the announcement this week by Stampede Ventures that the Chasing Red adaptation was in the works, in partnership with Wattpad Webtoon Studios.
The romantic drama revolves around straight-a student Veronica and rich playboy Caleb, who are brought together by an unexpected series of events.
Jessika Borsiczky is signed to direct, and casting is underway. Silverman is serving as producer with Jon Berg, while Gideon Yu, Chris Bosco, Mike Tadross and Grant Torre will be credited as Executive Producers.
The production is one of two films, alongside thriller Fourth Wall, that will kick-off a previously announced three-year, 10-project pact between Greg Silverman’s West Hollywood-based Stampede Ventures and the Royal Commission for AlUla’s film agency.
The news follows hot on the heels of the announcement this week by Stampede Ventures that the Chasing Red adaptation was in the works, in partnership with Wattpad Webtoon Studios.
The romantic drama revolves around straight-a student Veronica and rich playboy Caleb, who are brought together by an unexpected series of events.
Jessika Borsiczky is signed to direct, and casting is underway. Silverman is serving as producer with Jon Berg, while Gideon Yu, Chris Bosco, Mike Tadross and Grant Torre will be credited as Executive Producers.
- 12/2/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Stampede Ventures and Wattpad Webtoon Studios will team for a feature adaptation of Chasing Red, the YA romance webnovel by Isabelle Ronin that has garnered huge attention on the digital publishing platform, Wattpad.
Jessika Borsiczky (Sex/Life) has been set to direct from a screenplay by Lauren Schacher (Hooking Up), and casting is now underway.
Chasing Red tells the story of straight-a student Veronica, who refuses to be college heartthrob Caleb’s next “conquest,” even after a chance encounter sparks an undeniable attraction between them. But with nowhere to stay and on the run from a recent tragedy, Veronica finds herself in need of Caleb’s help, despite the secrets of their pasts threatening to tear them apart. Wattpad’s #2 English-language property, following the massively popular After series from Anna Todd, the webnovel has garnered over 260 million reads since its publication in 2017. It’s been published in print in seven languages,...
Jessika Borsiczky (Sex/Life) has been set to direct from a screenplay by Lauren Schacher (Hooking Up), and casting is now underway.
Chasing Red tells the story of straight-a student Veronica, who refuses to be college heartthrob Caleb’s next “conquest,” even after a chance encounter sparks an undeniable attraction between them. But with nowhere to stay and on the run from a recent tragedy, Veronica finds herself in need of Caleb’s help, despite the secrets of their pasts threatening to tear them apart. Wattpad’s #2 English-language property, following the massively popular After series from Anna Todd, the webnovel has garnered over 260 million reads since its publication in 2017. It’s been published in print in seven languages,...
- 11/29/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Rod Serling was successful before "The Twilight Zone," but he was far from famous, at least outside of writer circles. After he came back from fighting in World War II, Serling took his talents as a writer and actor to the radio before branching out into screenwriting for feature films and then the strange new world of television.
He wrote for a popular series called "Playhouse 90," an anthology drama show where each episode played out more like a proto-Movie-Of-The-Week. This experience was filled with ups and downs for the creative mastermind, most notably in his fight with the censors who balked whenever he tried to address any of the pressing issues of the time, like racism, in his work.
His next project would see Serling's work get its full due and then some. "The Twilight Zone" is still an institution all these decades later, in large part due to...
He wrote for a popular series called "Playhouse 90," an anthology drama show where each episode played out more like a proto-Movie-Of-The-Week. This experience was filled with ups and downs for the creative mastermind, most notably in his fight with the censors who balked whenever he tried to address any of the pressing issues of the time, like racism, in his work.
His next project would see Serling's work get its full due and then some. "The Twilight Zone" is still an institution all these decades later, in large part due to...
- 11/20/2023
- by Eric Vespe
- Slash Film
Some did it out of a sense of obligation. Some did it out of fear of being idle. Some leaned on maternal instinct, and some acted purely out of anger. Whatever the motivation, female writers and showrunners stepped up in record numbers to serve as strike captains during the Writers Guild of America’s five-month contract battle.
“Why did this strike look different? The people at the forefront of it really have been a lot of marginalized writers — writers of color, women and queer writers,” says Caroline Renard, an early career writer-director who was a Disney-based strike captain. She came to the role with plenty of relevant experience as an activist and organizer.
“I’m loud. I know how to talk, and I know how to organize,” she says.
The WGA enlisted an estimated 365 strike captains during the 148-day action that began on May 2, relying on them to fulfill a...
“Why did this strike look different? The people at the forefront of it really have been a lot of marginalized writers — writers of color, women and queer writers,” says Caroline Renard, an early career writer-director who was a Disney-based strike captain. She came to the role with plenty of relevant experience as an activist and organizer.
“I’m loud. I know how to talk, and I know how to organize,” she says.
The WGA enlisted an estimated 365 strike captains during the 148-day action that began on May 2, relying on them to fulfill a...
- 11/18/2023
- by Cynthia Littleton
- Variety Film + TV
It's a miracle Peter Berg's "Hancock" exists at all.
The revisionist Will Smith superhero flick began life in 1996 as a spec screenplay by Vy Vincent Ngo called "Tonight, He Comes." The tale of a surly, alcoholic antihero was way ahead of its time; it was a refutation of comic book movies that weren't being made in the absurd volume we're seeing today. It was also startlingly original, which prompted no less an A-lister than Tony Scott to acquire it as a potential directing project. It was one of the hottest scripts in Hollywood, and, for six solid years, it went absolutely nowhere.
"Tonight, He Comes" nearly went before cameras in the early 2000s under the direction of Michael Mann, then nearly came to fruition with the likes of Jonathan Mostow and Gabriele Muccino at the helm. Vince Gilligan and John August were brought in to rework the script in...
The revisionist Will Smith superhero flick began life in 1996 as a spec screenplay by Vy Vincent Ngo called "Tonight, He Comes." The tale of a surly, alcoholic antihero was way ahead of its time; it was a refutation of comic book movies that weren't being made in the absurd volume we're seeing today. It was also startlingly original, which prompted no less an A-lister than Tony Scott to acquire it as a potential directing project. It was one of the hottest scripts in Hollywood, and, for six solid years, it went absolutely nowhere.
"Tonight, He Comes" nearly went before cameras in the early 2000s under the direction of Michael Mann, then nearly came to fruition with the likes of Jonathan Mostow and Gabriele Muccino at the helm. Vince Gilligan and John August were brought in to rework the script in...
- 11/4/2023
- by Jeremy Smith
- Slash Film
If you’re going to make a music biopic — and with new dramatic takes on the lives of Bob Dylan, Amy Winehouse, Bob Marley and Michael Jackson on the way, it appears everyone is — you’d better secure the music rights. Making a movie purporting to tell the story of a pop music legend without first clearing rights to use the pop music that made them legendary is a recipe for box office disaster.
Remember Stardust, Gabriel Range’s 2020 David Bowie biopic starring Johnny Flynn, shot without any music from Bowie? Or Jimi: All Is By My Side (2013) directed by John Ridley with André 3000 as Jimi Hendrix playing none of his original songs? How about England Is Mine, Mark Gill’s unauthorized Morrissey biopic with Jack Lowden and Jodie Comer? Probably not. Without the sing-alone tunes, those films sank without a trace.
The blockbuster pop biopics — Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman,...
Remember Stardust, Gabriel Range’s 2020 David Bowie biopic starring Johnny Flynn, shot without any music from Bowie? Or Jimi: All Is By My Side (2013) directed by John Ridley with André 3000 as Jimi Hendrix playing none of his original songs? How about England Is Mine, Mark Gill’s unauthorized Morrissey biopic with Jack Lowden and Jodie Comer? Probably not. Without the sing-alone tunes, those films sank without a trace.
The blockbuster pop biopics — Bohemian Rhapsody, Rocketman,...
- 11/2/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Meryl Streep is one of only a few actors who’ve managed to win multiple Oscars. But she considered her third Oscar win particularly special, as it showed her she was still passionate about the awards season.
What did Meryl Streep win her last Oscar for Meryl Streep | Franco Origlia/Getty Images
Streep scored her first two Oscars fairly early in her career. She won a Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Kramer vs. Kramer. A few years later would see her win her second Oscar, and her first Best Actress award, for Sophie’s Choice. She’d be nominated for an Oscar several times afterwards. But it wasn’t until 2012 that she picked up another Best Actress Oscar for The Iron Lady. The historical biopic saw Streep portray the first ever female British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
It was an exciting win for Streep, who admittedly still enjoyed winning the prize.
What did Meryl Streep win her last Oscar for Meryl Streep | Franco Origlia/Getty Images
Streep scored her first two Oscars fairly early in her career. She won a Best Supporting Actress award for her role in Kramer vs. Kramer. A few years later would see her win her second Oscar, and her first Best Actress award, for Sophie’s Choice. She’d be nominated for an Oscar several times afterwards. But it wasn’t until 2012 that she picked up another Best Actress Oscar for The Iron Lady. The historical biopic saw Streep portray the first ever female British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.
It was an exciting win for Streep, who admittedly still enjoyed winning the prize.
- 10/19/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
It looked like a typical U2 outdoor concert: Two helicopters zoomed through the starlit sky before producing spotlights over a Las Vegas desert and frontman Bono, who kneeled to the ground while singing the band’s 2004 hit “Vertigo”.
This scene may seem customary, but the visuals were created by floor-to-ceiling graphics inside the immersive Sphere. It was one of the several impressive moments during U2’s “Uv Achtung Baby” residency launch show at the high-tech, globe-shaped venue, which opened for the first time Friday night.
The legendary rock band, which has won 22 Grammys, performed for two hours inside the massive, state-of-the-art spherical venue with crystal-clear audio. Throughout the night, there were a plethora of attractive visuals — including kaleidoscope images, a burning flag and Las Vegas’ skyline, taking the more than 18,000 attendees on U2’s epic musical journey.
Read More: U2’s Bono & The Edge Perform Surprise Show In Ukraine Bomb Shelter
“What a fancy pad,...
This scene may seem customary, but the visuals were created by floor-to-ceiling graphics inside the immersive Sphere. It was one of the several impressive moments during U2’s “Uv Achtung Baby” residency launch show at the high-tech, globe-shaped venue, which opened for the first time Friday night.
The legendary rock band, which has won 22 Grammys, performed for two hours inside the massive, state-of-the-art spherical venue with crystal-clear audio. Throughout the night, there were a plethora of attractive visuals — including kaleidoscope images, a burning flag and Las Vegas’ skyline, taking the more than 18,000 attendees on U2’s epic musical journey.
Read More: U2’s Bono & The Edge Perform Surprise Show In Ukraine Bomb Shelter
“What a fancy pad,...
- 10/1/2023
- by Melissa Romualdi
- ET Canada
WGA picket lines on the West Coast swelled Friday in response to the call from guild leaders for a strong turnout on the streets as labor and management negotiators gathered for a third consecutive day of talks aimed at ending the more than four-month-long strike.
In Hollywood, Netflix and Paramount saw big crowds of WGA and SAG-AFTRA pickets gathered by 9 a.m. The past week has been chock full of rumors spread by social media and private online and text channels that a deal is in the offing. In West Los Angeles, a typically large crowd made the rounds outside of Fox Studios.
Many WGA veterans urged caution at getting hopes too high for what may come out of the AMPTP negotiating room later today, after a third day of talks between labor and management that involved four CEOs.
“I’m a realist,” said Amy Berg, a showrunner...
In Hollywood, Netflix and Paramount saw big crowds of WGA and SAG-AFTRA pickets gathered by 9 a.m. The past week has been chock full of rumors spread by social media and private online and text channels that a deal is in the offing. In West Los Angeles, a typically large crowd made the rounds outside of Fox Studios.
Many WGA veterans urged caution at getting hopes too high for what may come out of the AMPTP negotiating room later today, after a third day of talks between labor and management that involved four CEOs.
“I’m a realist,” said Amy Berg, a showrunner...
- 9/22/2023
- by Cynthia Littleton, Adam B. Vary and Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
A showrunners picket at Fox that started as a way to show solidarity during the strike ended up raising close to $45,000 for crew members who have been adversely affected by the work stoppage.
Strike Captain Amy Berg encouraged showrunners who attended the Sept. 12 picket to bring along gift cards so she could distribute them to support staff in need. More than 300 high-powered scribes, including Steve Levitan, Shawn Ryan, Aline Brosh-McKenna, Carlton Cuse, Rene Balcer, Jack Burditt, Mike Scully, Matt Selman, Andy Gordon, Tucker Cawley and David Shore, walked the line that day.
At today’s IATSE appreciation day at Fox, Berg distributed the gift cards to 115 people. She plans to mail more out this week to crew members.
“I was looking at all these amazing funds we have out there, but noticed that most require a long application process which can delay people getting the help they need,” Berg told Deadline. “I just thought, what could we do that offered immediate assistance?”
Those who participated in today’s IATSE appreciation picket received at least $150 word of cards to grocery stores and retail outlets like Target.
“Things everyone can use,” said Berg. “I basically started a nonprofit in one week, thanks to the generosity of my fellow showrunners.”
Showrunners have already contributed more than $500,000 recently to the Entertainment Community Fund. (Click for the showrunner donation link). Most of the donors have been anonymous.
There’s renewed optimism that the WGA and AMPTP can reach a deal now that both parties have agreed to meet tomorrow.
The WGA sent out a note to members confirming the talks: “The WGA and AMPTP now have a confirmed schedule to bargain this week, starting on Wednesday. You might not hear from us in the coming days while we are negotiating, but know that our focus is getting a fair deal for writers as soon as possible. We’ll reach out again when there is something of significance to report. In the meantime, please continue to demonstrate your commitment and unity by coming out to the picket lines – for yourselves and fellow writers, SAG-AFTRA, other unions’ members, and all those in our community who are impacted by the strikes.”...
Strike Captain Amy Berg encouraged showrunners who attended the Sept. 12 picket to bring along gift cards so she could distribute them to support staff in need. More than 300 high-powered scribes, including Steve Levitan, Shawn Ryan, Aline Brosh-McKenna, Carlton Cuse, Rene Balcer, Jack Burditt, Mike Scully, Matt Selman, Andy Gordon, Tucker Cawley and David Shore, walked the line that day.
At today’s IATSE appreciation day at Fox, Berg distributed the gift cards to 115 people. She plans to mail more out this week to crew members.
“I was looking at all these amazing funds we have out there, but noticed that most require a long application process which can delay people getting the help they need,” Berg told Deadline. “I just thought, what could we do that offered immediate assistance?”
Those who participated in today’s IATSE appreciation picket received at least $150 word of cards to grocery stores and retail outlets like Target.
“Things everyone can use,” said Berg. “I basically started a nonprofit in one week, thanks to the generosity of my fellow showrunners.”
Showrunners have already contributed more than $500,000 recently to the Entertainment Community Fund. (Click for the showrunner donation link). Most of the donors have been anonymous.
There’s renewed optimism that the WGA and AMPTP can reach a deal now that both parties have agreed to meet tomorrow.
The WGA sent out a note to members confirming the talks: “The WGA and AMPTP now have a confirmed schedule to bargain this week, starting on Wednesday. You might not hear from us in the coming days while we are negotiating, but know that our focus is getting a fair deal for writers as soon as possible. We’ll reach out again when there is something of significance to report. In the meantime, please continue to demonstrate your commitment and unity by coming out to the picket lines – for yourselves and fellow writers, SAG-AFTRA, other unions’ members, and all those in our community who are impacted by the strikes.”...
- 9/20/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Welcome to the premiere episode of Doc Talk, our new podcast hosted by Oscar-winning writer-director John Ridley and Deadline’s documentary editor Matt Carey. We’re kicking off with a deep dive into a signature power of documentary: The capacity to right a grave wrong in the criminal justice system by freeing a wrongfully convicted prisoner. Only a handful of major nonfiction filmmakers has achieved this extraordinary feat, springing men and women who faced Death Row or life sentences.
We talk with Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line), Joe Berlinger (the Paradise Lost trilogy), Amy Berg (The Case Against Adnan Syed and West of Memphis), and Deborah Esquenazi (Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four).
Morris shares his theory of why Randall Dale Adams — the man who almost certainly would have been put to death by the state of Texas if not for The Thin Blue Line — turned around and sued him.
We talk with Errol Morris (The Thin Blue Line), Joe Berlinger (the Paradise Lost trilogy), Amy Berg (The Case Against Adnan Syed and West of Memphis), and Deborah Esquenazi (Southwest of Salem: The Story of the San Antonio Four).
Morris shares his theory of why Randall Dale Adams — the man who almost certainly would have been put to death by the state of Texas if not for The Thin Blue Line — turned around and sued him.
- 9/12/2023
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Rolling Stone may receive an affiliate commission.
Feeling sick or sluggish? You might just be thirsty.
Doctors say more than 75% of Americans suffer from some form of dehydration, often caused by not drinking enough water. Without proper hydration, you could suffer from fatigue, poor bowel movements, and lower immunity. You could also be more susceptible to things like heatstroke and hangovers — not to mention decreased energy and mental alertness levels.
Experts recommend drinking at least...
Feeling sick or sluggish? You might just be thirsty.
Doctors say more than 75% of Americans suffer from some form of dehydration, often caused by not drinking enough water. Without proper hydration, you could suffer from fatigue, poor bowel movements, and lower immunity. You could also be more susceptible to things like heatstroke and hangovers — not to mention decreased energy and mental alertness levels.
Experts recommend drinking at least...
- 8/25/2023
- by RS Editors
- Rollingstone.com
Note: the following contains spoilers for “Painkiller” episodes 1-6.
As “Painkiller” viewers make their way to the end of the six-episode limited series, those holding out hope for justice or a happy ending for characters overtaken by opioid addiction might be disappointed — a choice that director and EP Pete Berg says is only “honest” to the tragedy of the crisis.
“As Uzo [Aduba] says in the middle of the series, the story is a tragedy, and … no matter how much money Purdue Pharma pays to the families of dead people, I don’t know that there’s a number that’s going to ever turn this thing in anything even close to happy,” Berg told TheWrap. “We didn’t want to pretend that there is a happy ending to this story. Unfortunately, there is not.”
In the last episode of “Painkiller,” which is now streaming on Netflix, Shannon’s cooperation enables...
As “Painkiller” viewers make their way to the end of the six-episode limited series, those holding out hope for justice or a happy ending for characters overtaken by opioid addiction might be disappointed — a choice that director and EP Pete Berg says is only “honest” to the tragedy of the crisis.
“As Uzo [Aduba] says in the middle of the series, the story is a tragedy, and … no matter how much money Purdue Pharma pays to the families of dead people, I don’t know that there’s a number that’s going to ever turn this thing in anything even close to happy,” Berg told TheWrap. “We didn’t want to pretend that there is a happy ending to this story. Unfortunately, there is not.”
In the last episode of “Painkiller,” which is now streaming on Netflix, Shannon’s cooperation enables...
- 8/21/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Painkiller’s Peter Berg is unfazed by the Dopesick comparison.
Concurrent development of similar projects is a tale as old as time in Hollywood, and while it might be a negative for disaster flicks such as 1998’s Armageddon and Deep Impact, Berg views the Painkiller–Dopesick situation as a positive. It means that more and more people are able to learn about the still-ongoing opioid crisis and the massive role that Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family played in its origin. This story has also been told in other films and documentaries, so Berg’s Netflix series with EP Eric Newman, which debuted atop the streamer’s U.S. TV chart with 7.2 million views, and Danny Strong’s Hulu series are by no means alone. And similar to Berg, each present-and-past storyteller likely welcomes additional stories into the fold until this crisis is finally solved.
One of the most devastating aspects of the series,...
Concurrent development of similar projects is a tale as old as time in Hollywood, and while it might be a negative for disaster flicks such as 1998’s Armageddon and Deep Impact, Berg views the Painkiller–Dopesick situation as a positive. It means that more and more people are able to learn about the still-ongoing opioid crisis and the massive role that Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family played in its origin. This story has also been told in other films and documentaries, so Berg’s Netflix series with EP Eric Newman, which debuted atop the streamer’s U.S. TV chart with 7.2 million views, and Danny Strong’s Hulu series are by no means alone. And similar to Berg, each present-and-past storyteller likely welcomes additional stories into the fold until this crisis is finally solved.
One of the most devastating aspects of the series,...
- 8/17/2023
- by Brian Davids
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Legal disclaimers are a necessary part of any TV series that purports to cover real life events. Not only do filmmakers, studios, and distributors want to avoid any potential for litigation, they also must acknowledge to their audiences that no scripted enterprise can perfectly capture reality.
Still, legal disclaimers have a way of taking some of the dramatic wind out of the truly compelling stories they usually precede. It’s hard to fully engage with a narrative when you can practically hear the in-house lawyers scribbling away at the beginning of it. That’s why it’s so impressive how Netflix‘s Painkiller finds a way to remain on solid ethical and legal ground while also priming its viewers for the tragedy to come.
This miniseries, which is a fictionalized retelling of events from the opioid crisis, begins each episode with a kind of disclaimer we’ve never heard before.
Still, legal disclaimers have a way of taking some of the dramatic wind out of the truly compelling stories they usually precede. It’s hard to fully engage with a narrative when you can practically hear the in-house lawyers scribbling away at the beginning of it. That’s why it’s so impressive how Netflix‘s Painkiller finds a way to remain on solid ethical and legal ground while also priming its viewers for the tragedy to come.
This miniseries, which is a fictionalized retelling of events from the opioid crisis, begins each episode with a kind of disclaimer we’ve never heard before.
- 8/16/2023
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
[Warning: The following contains Major spoilers for Painkiller.] Pete Berg teamed up with Taylor Kitsch for Netflix‘s Painkiller, making for another Friday Night Lights reunion. In the Netflix limited series, which debuted Thursday, August 10, on the streamer, Kitsch plays Glen Kryger, a blue collar father of two who gets addicted to OxyContin after being prescribed the opioid to treat pain from a work injury. Berg, director and executive producer of the six-episode series, told TV Insider Kitsch was the only person he considered for the role. Painkiller is a fictional story tracking the origins of the U.S. opioid crisis, the Sackler family/Purdue Pharma’s role in it, and the stories of families who lost loved ones to opioid overdoses in real life. The Sacklers and Purdue Pharma are still paying the price for their creation and alleged manipulative distribution of OxyContin today. In fact, the Supreme Court of the United States halted the company...
- 8/14/2023
- TV Insider
Netflix’s new limited series “Painkiller” tackles the Sackler dynasty and Purdue Pharma’s role in the opioid crisis through a fictional retelling of the epidemic — similar to Hulu’s 2021-released “Dopesick.”
“Painkiler” EP and director Pete Berg says the coincidence was simply a matter of timing.
“We were sort of moving at the same pace,” Berg told TheWrap about the Netflix six-episode series and “Dopesick.” “Both shows were in development around the same time, which happens every once in a while and our business. They went first.”
“Dopesick,” which premiered October 2021, stars Kaitlyn Dever, Michael Stuhlbarg and Michael Keaton, whose portrayal of a doctor getting bit by addiction Berg called “shattering.” Centering on similar themes of the destruction prompted by the opioid epidemic, “Painkiller,” which was released Thursday on Netflix, balances its critique of the Sackler family — led by Matthew Broderick’s Richard Sackler — with touching vignettes portrayed by Uzo Aduba,...
“Painkiler” EP and director Pete Berg says the coincidence was simply a matter of timing.
“We were sort of moving at the same pace,” Berg told TheWrap about the Netflix six-episode series and “Dopesick.” “Both shows were in development around the same time, which happens every once in a while and our business. They went first.”
“Dopesick,” which premiered October 2021, stars Kaitlyn Dever, Michael Stuhlbarg and Michael Keaton, whose portrayal of a doctor getting bit by addiction Berg called “shattering.” Centering on similar themes of the destruction prompted by the opioid epidemic, “Painkiller,” which was released Thursday on Netflix, balances its critique of the Sackler family — led by Matthew Broderick’s Richard Sackler — with touching vignettes portrayed by Uzo Aduba,...
- 8/11/2023
- by Loree Seitz
- The Wrap
Purdue Pharma and the Sackler family, the entities responsible for the creation of OxyContin and its subsequent addiction epidemic, seem to finally be facing consequences. On Thursday, August 10, the Supreme Court blocked Purdue Pharma’s bankruptcy deal that would settle the scores of civil lawsuits against the pharmaceutical company, which has been evading legal persecution for its alleged role in the U.S. opioid crisis for decades. Painkiller, a six-part scripted limited series tracking the origins of the crisis and that evasion, premiered on Netflix the same day. TV Insider spoke with director and executive producer Pete Berg (Friday Night Lights) on August 11 to discuss the series. Given the coincidental synchronicity of the Scotus decision and Painkiller‘s release date, we asked Berg for this thoughts on the matter. “I think it’s exactly what should have happened,” Berg tells us. “The Sacklers have been really, really effective at using...
- 8/11/2023
- TV Insider
This story about “Barry” first appeared in the Down to the Wire: Comedy issue of TheWrap’s awards magazine. All actor interviews in that issue were conducted before the SAG-AFTRA strike began.
Bill Hader had a physical reaction to the end of his HBO comedy series “Barry.” He was wiped out from directing and starring in the entire eight-episode final season to be sure, but he wasn’t prepared to literally ache once the series was over. “It’s like for nine years I had my fist clenched as tight as it possibly could go, fingernails digging into my palms and drawing blood,” he said in an interview conducted the day before SAG-AFTRA went on strike. “And then the day the finale aired they’re like, ‘Alright, you can open your hand now.’ And it’s just like, Ahhhh!”
Hader had reason to be relieved. The HBO series debuted in...
Bill Hader had a physical reaction to the end of his HBO comedy series “Barry.” He was wiped out from directing and starring in the entire eight-episode final season to be sure, but he wasn’t prepared to literally ache once the series was over. “It’s like for nine years I had my fist clenched as tight as it possibly could go, fingernails digging into my palms and drawing blood,” he said in an interview conducted the day before SAG-AFTRA went on strike. “And then the day the finale aired they’re like, ‘Alright, you can open your hand now.’ And it’s just like, Ahhhh!”
Hader had reason to be relieved. The HBO series debuted in...
- 8/11/2023
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
Cults come in many shapes, sizes and forms, not all of them involving a charismatic figurehead, secluded hideaway, or cache of weapons. Sometimes, as in Netflix’s lively new Sackler family takedown Painkiller, the angels of death are short-skirted sales reps, heroin Barbies who scream their heads off at sales “conferences” and seduce doctors with gifts, hefty speaker fees, and, sometimes, sex. They’re paid handsomely, plied with Porsches and luxury apartments, all for spreading the lethal lies that Oxycontin isn’t terribly addictive and doctors are professionally if not...
- 8/10/2023
- by Chris Vognar
- Rollingstone.com
It’s hard to say how “Painkiller,” a fictionalized Netflix limited series based on America’s opioid crisis, would play had one never seen the similarly themed and structured – and vastly superior – 2021 Hulu limited series “Dopesick.”
The new show’s misuse of lead actors Uzo Aduba, who plays a crusading U.S. Attorney’s office investigator, and Matthew Broderick, who plays real-life former Purdue Pharma head Richard Sackler – would be evident either way. So would director Peter Berg’s overuse of early aughts-style rock ‘em sock ‘em shaky camera work, quick edits and blue light.
But “Painkiller” likely would not seem so wholly unnecessary if “Dopesick” did not exist.
Unfolding over six hour-long episodes, “Painkiller” makes compelling points about Purdue, the pharmaceutical company that overhyped the painkilling potential of its drug OxyContin while underplaying its addictive qualities. Characters repeatedly call OxyContin what it is: heroin in candy coating. Such frankness...
The new show’s misuse of lead actors Uzo Aduba, who plays a crusading U.S. Attorney’s office investigator, and Matthew Broderick, who plays real-life former Purdue Pharma head Richard Sackler – would be evident either way. So would director Peter Berg’s overuse of early aughts-style rock ‘em sock ‘em shaky camera work, quick edits and blue light.
But “Painkiller” likely would not seem so wholly unnecessary if “Dopesick” did not exist.
Unfolding over six hour-long episodes, “Painkiller” makes compelling points about Purdue, the pharmaceutical company that overhyped the painkilling potential of its drug OxyContin while underplaying its addictive qualities. Characters repeatedly call OxyContin what it is: heroin in candy coating. Such frankness...
- 8/10/2023
- by Carla Meyer
- The Wrap
[This interview was conducted prior to the SAG-AFTRA strike authorization.] OxyContin was promoted as a nonaddictive pill that would end pain; instead, it brought agony. Netflix‘s six-episode limited series Painkiller (covering similar ground as Hulu’s Dopesick) dramatizes how the powerful prescription opioid, manufactured by drug company Purdue Pharma, led to a massive rise in addiction and deaths. It’s populated by real and composite players. The Villains Purdue’s owners, the Sackler family, especially cunning president and chairman Richard. “This is a conspiracy story,” says executive producer Eric Newman, comparing Purdue to the Mexican cartels in his hit show Narcos. Executive producer and director Pete Berg adds, “They knew they were basically mass-producing heroin.” Young sales reps were sent out to charm doctors into buying their wonder drug, promising higher profits. “From a capitalist standpoint,” observes Berg, “it was a brilliant plan. For humanity, it was an absolute ...
- 8/6/2023
- TV Insider
Calling all Bravoholics! Fans will be able to purchase three-day tickets for the upcoming BravoCon beginning Friday, July 21 at 12 p.m. Et/ 9 a.m. Pt, NBCU announced on Thursday.
Fans who decide to purchase tickets on July 21, will have the choice between the three-day “Bravoholic” general admission and “Future Bravolebrity” VIP tickets for the Las Vegas event.
The annual convention will relocate for the 2023 event and take place from Nov. 3-5 at Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip. Fans will have the opportunity to attend over 60 live events that will host their favorite cast members, from several Bravo franchises including “The Real Housewives,” “Vanderpump Rules,” “Below Deck,” “Southern Charm,” “Summer House” and “Winter House.” In between attending live events, fans will have the opportunity to shop around the Bravo Bazaar, attend VIP talent meet and greets and participate in immersive activations.
In addition to panels with the casts, fans...
Fans who decide to purchase tickets on July 21, will have the choice between the three-day “Bravoholic” general admission and “Future Bravolebrity” VIP tickets for the Las Vegas event.
The annual convention will relocate for the 2023 event and take place from Nov. 3-5 at Caesars Forum on the Las Vegas Strip. Fans will have the opportunity to attend over 60 live events that will host their favorite cast members, from several Bravo franchises including “The Real Housewives,” “Vanderpump Rules,” “Below Deck,” “Southern Charm,” “Summer House” and “Winter House.” In between attending live events, fans will have the opportunity to shop around the Bravo Bazaar, attend VIP talent meet and greets and participate in immersive activations.
In addition to panels with the casts, fans...
- 7/13/2023
- by Sophia Scorziello, Charna Flam and McKinley Franklin
- Variety Film + TV
In the comedy Emmys race, voters have to choose. Yes, on a literal level, they’ll have to choose between Abbott Elementary and The Bear and Barry and Ted Lasso as well as others. But there’s also a more existential choice on the table: a choice between optimism and cynicism.
On one hand, shows like Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso and ABC’s Abbott Elementary are about the essential goodness of people. In the former, nearly all the stuffy Brits have come around to the inspirational messaging of the coach from Kansas; in the latter, Philadelphia teachers are caring for kids and one another while trying to fend off an encroaching charter school that would make public education less equitable.
But then, on the other hand, you have HBO/Max’s Barry, which proved in its final season to be more convinced than ever that humans are rotten to the core.
On one hand, shows like Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso and ABC’s Abbott Elementary are about the essential goodness of people. In the former, nearly all the stuffy Brits have come around to the inspirational messaging of the coach from Kansas; in the latter, Philadelphia teachers are caring for kids and one another while trying to fend off an encroaching charter school that would make public education less equitable.
But then, on the other hand, you have HBO/Max’s Barry, which proved in its final season to be more convinced than ever that humans are rotten to the core.
- 6/24/2023
- by Esther Zuckerman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
While professional football has always captivated American audiences with its gladiatorial drama and drive, it’s at heart a multi-billion-dollar enterprise, propelled by profits and ratings. But amateur football, especially at the high school level, is a galvanizing force for communities, both rural and urban. It brings hope and unity; it’s an escape and an outlet; and for some it’s a pathway out of poverty.
Pete Berg’s Friday Night Lights, the feature film and subsequent long running fiction series about football culture in a small town in Texas, arguably paved the way for such docs as Undefeated, Last Chance U and Outta the Muck, where football serves as the narrative throughline and pretext for a deeper exploration of race and class. Boys in Blue, Berg’s docuseries about a Minneapolis high school football team and the sociocultural challenges that its community faces, premiered on Showtime in January...
Pete Berg’s Friday Night Lights, the feature film and subsequent long running fiction series about football culture in a small town in Texas, arguably paved the way for such docs as Undefeated, Last Chance U and Outta the Muck, where football serves as the narrative throughline and pretext for a deeper exploration of race and class. Boys in Blue, Berg’s docuseries about a Minneapolis high school football team and the sociocultural challenges that its community faces, premiered on Showtime in January...
- 6/16/2023
- by Tom White
- Deadline Film + TV
Daisy Jones & The Six star Sam Claflin arrived at his final audition to play fictional 1970s rock star Billy Dunne without, by his own admission, the strongest grasp on the type of musician he was expected to embody.
His future showrunners had already taken a shine to the dimpled British actor, as had music supervisor Frankie Pine and producer Hello Sunshine’s president Lauren Neustadter, but one last hurdle remained before he could land the male lead in Amazon’s hot adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel of the same name. He had to sing live for the project’s music producers, Blake Mills and Tony Berg. Pine gave Claflin a shot of moonshine to soothe his nerves. The actor entered the storied halls of Sound City Studios, the Van Nuys building where Mick Fleetwood first met Lindsey Buckingham, and proceeded to kind of blow it. “I had prepared Elton John’s ‘Your Song,...
His future showrunners had already taken a shine to the dimpled British actor, as had music supervisor Frankie Pine and producer Hello Sunshine’s president Lauren Neustadter, but one last hurdle remained before he could land the male lead in Amazon’s hot adaptation of Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel of the same name. He had to sing live for the project’s music producers, Blake Mills and Tony Berg. Pine gave Claflin a shot of moonshine to soothe his nerves. The actor entered the storied halls of Sound City Studios, the Van Nuys building where Mick Fleetwood first met Lindsey Buckingham, and proceeded to kind of blow it. “I had prepared Elton John’s ‘Your Song,...
- 6/15/2023
- by Mikey O'Connell
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sometimes the best way for a performer to gain screen time is to write their own material — and there are dozens of multihyphenates who have balanced writing and acting duties on their respective series this season. That’s particularly true in comedy, a genre that sees many series led by performers who mine their own lives for onscreen laughs. (See, for example, HBO Max’s Bridget Everett-led Somebody Somewhere, Peacock’s Pete Davidson vehicle Bupkis and Netflix’s Mo, co-created by and starring Mo Amer.)
But running a show is also a great way for an actor to branch out into the directing field. This season, these five actor-writers also helmed episodes of their Emmy-contending shows.
Donald Glover
Atlanta (FX/Hulu)
Donald Glover in Atlanta
The star-creator won two Emmys, one for directing and one for acting, for the dark comedy’s first season in 2017. During the fourth and final season,...
But running a show is also a great way for an actor to branch out into the directing field. This season, these five actor-writers also helmed episodes of their Emmy-contending shows.
Donald Glover
Atlanta (FX/Hulu)
Donald Glover in Atlanta
The star-creator won two Emmys, one for directing and one for acting, for the dark comedy’s first season in 2017. During the fourth and final season,...
- 6/12/2023
- by Tyler Coates
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
CBS Studios executive Kevin Berg is leaving after 25 years at the company.
The senior executive vice president, production for CBS Network Television Entertainment is departing the company as part of a consolidation effort across CBS Studios with Paramount TV Studios. Liz Miller, EVP and head of production for Paramount TV Studios, is set to oversee production for both studios moving forward.
Berg was involved with the development of the popular “CSI” and “NCIS” franchises, as well as shows like “Blue Bloods,” “The Good Fight,” “Seal Team,” “Survivor,” “The Amazing Race,” “The Talk,” “Big Brother,” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” “The Late Late Show With James Corden” and more. He is also known for leading CBS Studios and CBS network productions through the Covid-19 era.
Also Read:
Paramount Remains ‘Very Open Minded’ to Consolidation Opportunities, CFO Says
The news of Berg’s exit was first announced in a memo to staff from Bryon Rubin,...
The senior executive vice president, production for CBS Network Television Entertainment is departing the company as part of a consolidation effort across CBS Studios with Paramount TV Studios. Liz Miller, EVP and head of production for Paramount TV Studios, is set to oversee production for both studios moving forward.
Berg was involved with the development of the popular “CSI” and “NCIS” franchises, as well as shows like “Blue Bloods,” “The Good Fight,” “Seal Team,” “Survivor,” “The Amazing Race,” “The Talk,” “Big Brother,” “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert,” “The Late Late Show With James Corden” and more. He is also known for leading CBS Studios and CBS network productions through the Covid-19 era.
Also Read:
Paramount Remains ‘Very Open Minded’ to Consolidation Opportunities, CFO Says
The news of Berg’s exit was first announced in a memo to staff from Bryon Rubin,...
- 6/8/2023
- by Jose Alejandro Bastidas
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Kevin Berg, a 25-year CBS veteran, is departing as Senior Executive Vice President, Production, CBS Network Television Entertainment.
The departure is part of the ongoing consolidation across CBS Studios with Paramount TV Studios, which started when the two studios were put under the purview of George Cheeks last October. Liz Miller, EVP and Head of Production for Paramount TV Studios — and a CBS Studios alum — will now oversee production for both studios.
The move was outlined in an internal memo sent to staff by Bryon Rubin COO and CFO of CBS Entertainment Group; to whom Miller reports, CBS Studios President David Stapf and Paramount Television Studios President Nicole Clemens. There will be a period of transition with other changes likely; no layoffs are expected at this time.
In November, Cheeks, President and CEO, CBS, and Chief Content Officer, News and Sports, Paramount+, outlined his plan for the two studios,...
The departure is part of the ongoing consolidation across CBS Studios with Paramount TV Studios, which started when the two studios were put under the purview of George Cheeks last October. Liz Miller, EVP and Head of Production for Paramount TV Studios — and a CBS Studios alum — will now oversee production for both studios.
The move was outlined in an internal memo sent to staff by Bryon Rubin COO and CFO of CBS Entertainment Group; to whom Miller reports, CBS Studios President David Stapf and Paramount Television Studios President Nicole Clemens. There will be a period of transition with other changes likely; no layoffs are expected at this time.
In November, Cheeks, President and CEO, CBS, and Chief Content Officer, News and Sports, Paramount+, outlined his plan for the two studios,...
- 6/8/2023
- by Lynette Rice and Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
For many years, filmmaker Peter Berg held nothing but fond memories from his college days in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul. “My memory was just one of happiness and real joy, and it felt extremely diverse and inclusive,” the Macalester College alum tells THR — until decades later, when the murder of George Floyd by Minneapolis police officer Derek Chauvin shook the nation to its core. “When I first saw the killing, I was horrified,” he says. “And I was further horrified when I realized that it was in the Twin Cities.”
Peter Berg
The aftermath caused Berg to examine how the community had changed in the decades since he’d left. Eager to do something constructive and enlightening, the director-producer of the Friday Night Lights film and TV series journeyed back to helm the four-part documentary series Boys in Blue, taking a deep look at the football...
Peter Berg
The aftermath caused Berg to examine how the community had changed in the decades since he’d left. Eager to do something constructive and enlightening, the director-producer of the Friday Night Lights film and TV series journeyed back to helm the four-part documentary series Boys in Blue, taking a deep look at the football...
- 6/1/2023
- by Scott Huver
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Warning: contains spoilers for Barry Season 4 and the series finale
It’s a balmy evening in Los Angeles and Barry Berkman is screaming. Sat next to him in a parked car, his mentor Monroe Fuches, and an offscreen massacre sequence involving what was possibly a lion and a handful of unfortunate Bolivian gangsters.
Over the ten episodes Hader had directed ahead of the fourth season he’d turned in a stunning showcase of ambitiously choreographed action and a strong intuition when filming his beloved characters. In the final eight he let rip via slow, dread-inducing scenes of violence and moments of understated cinematic splendour. It’s hugely exciting to think where his filmmaking career might take him next.
In comparison to its peers, the fourth season was positively glacial. Which is not to be mistaken for uneventful – there were still exploding fingers, ruthless beatings and a cameo from an Oscar-winning...
It’s a balmy evening in Los Angeles and Barry Berkman is screaming. Sat next to him in a parked car, his mentor Monroe Fuches, and an offscreen massacre sequence involving what was possibly a lion and a handful of unfortunate Bolivian gangsters.
Over the ten episodes Hader had directed ahead of the fourth season he’d turned in a stunning showcase of ambitiously choreographed action and a strong intuition when filming his beloved characters. In the final eight he let rip via slow, dread-inducing scenes of violence and moments of understated cinematic splendour. It’s hugely exciting to think where his filmmaking career might take him next.
In comparison to its peers, the fourth season was positively glacial. Which is not to be mistaken for uneventful – there were still exploding fingers, ruthless beatings and a cameo from an Oscar-winning...
- 5/29/2023
- by Beth Webb
- Empire - TV
The end of "Barry" is nigh, and while we don't know exactly where these characters will end up, we do know that the actors had a major say in it. The very nature of the show intertwines the roles of performer and creator: Bill Hader isn't just the star, he also co-created the series. He's written several "Barry" episodes and directed plenty too (including the entire fourth season), showing off his filmmaking chops in the process.
Hader's experience on both sides of the camera might be why, according to his co-stars, he's generous about letting their perceptions inform their characters. Ahead of the series finale, the "Barry" main cast sat down with the Los Angeles Times for a group interview. Henry Winkler (Gene Cousineau) and Sarah Goldberg (Sally Reed) both described how Hader gave them a voice at the table.
According to Winkler, he was concerned after the table read...
Hader's experience on both sides of the camera might be why, according to his co-stars, he's generous about letting their perceptions inform their characters. Ahead of the series finale, the "Barry" main cast sat down with the Los Angeles Times for a group interview. Henry Winkler (Gene Cousineau) and Sarah Goldberg (Sally Reed) both described how Hader gave them a voice at the table.
According to Winkler, he was concerned after the table read...
- 5/27/2023
- by Devin Meenan
- Slash Film
With an acting career stretching back to 1994, Mark Wahlberg has starred in everything from independent character studies to blockbuster action fare. Often bringing a focused intensity to his performances, Wahlberg parlays his talents into taking on everything from Transformers to super-intelligent apes to effectively playing against type as an earnest comedic foil. Possessing a subtly wide range, Wahlberg has gone on to work with some of the biggest filmmakers in Hollywood, sometimes on multiple projects and often with critical acclaim and box office success.
Wahlberg is at an inevitable stage in his career that defies typecasting and gives him the freedom to choose from a robust variety of projects. And despite his movie star good looks, Wahlberg often maintains an everyman quality that makes him a relatable actor, even as his characters face extraordinary circumstances. Here are the 14 best Mark Wahlberg movies ranked, elevated by his sheer commitment and the...
Wahlberg is at an inevitable stage in his career that defies typecasting and gives him the freedom to choose from a robust variety of projects. And despite his movie star good looks, Wahlberg often maintains an everyman quality that makes him a relatable actor, even as his characters face extraordinary circumstances. Here are the 14 best Mark Wahlberg movies ranked, elevated by his sheer commitment and the...
- 5/20/2023
- by Samuel Stone
- Slash Film
In 1967, Bob Dylan and The Beatles both released albums. Dylan, along with many other people, made an appearance on the cover of The Beatles’ album Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band. When he released his album John Wesley Harding several months later, people wondered if Dylan had returned the favor and put The Beatles on the cover.
Bob Dylan | Steve Morley/Redferns Did Bob Dylan hide The Beatles’ faces on his ‘John Wesley Harding’ album?
Dylan’s 1967 album John Wesley Harding had a snapshot of him standing in front of a tree with three men. It was a good fit for the album, which had a relatively simple production value compared to the psychedelic rock his peers were releasing at the time.
When listeners looked closely at the album cover, they began to wonder if faces hid in the tree branches. Per Rolling Stone, when the album is upside down,...
Bob Dylan | Steve Morley/Redferns Did Bob Dylan hide The Beatles’ faces on his ‘John Wesley Harding’ album?
Dylan’s 1967 album John Wesley Harding had a snapshot of him standing in front of a tree with three men. It was a good fit for the album, which had a relatively simple production value compared to the psychedelic rock his peers were releasing at the time.
When listeners looked closely at the album cover, they began to wonder if faces hid in the tree branches. Per Rolling Stone, when the album is upside down,...
- 5/12/2023
- by Emma McKee
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.