Following up one of the best documentaries of 2023, Kokomo City (which we awarded with the 2023 Indie Film Site Network Advocate Award), director D. Smith has set her next project with an ambitious undertaking. Blvd, backed by Media Res and Brandon Sharp’s Agenda, will aim to explore what connects and divides people throughout America.
Here’s the synopsis via Deadline: “Infused with visual poetry, and applying the same innovative techniques and signature style established in Smith’s debut, the genre-bending Blvd aims to show audiences what really connects and divides people from each other and the rest of the country. The film shines a light on Black communities with the aim to tell not just a neighborhood story or a history lesson, but a story about all of who Black people are, here and now.”
“Blvd is a raw real reflection of where we are,” said Smith. “The best way...
Here’s the synopsis via Deadline: “Infused with visual poetry, and applying the same innovative techniques and signature style established in Smith’s debut, the genre-bending Blvd aims to show audiences what really connects and divides people from each other and the rest of the country. The film shines a light on Black communities with the aim to tell not just a neighborhood story or a history lesson, but a story about all of who Black people are, here and now.”
“Blvd is a raw real reflection of where we are,” said Smith. “The best way...
- 4/18/2024
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Cruise. Criterion. Just a matter of time, really, until the world’s premier movie star made his way into the collection. Smart money might not have been on Paul Brickman’s Risky Business, a great film mostly known for one or two sequences but which will now be seen in 4K when released this July, a month that brings 2,160-pixel releases for Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid (featuring an essay from the great novelist Steve Erickson), Perfect Days, Farewell My Concubine, and the stunning-looking Le Samouraï restoration.
Don’t sleep, however, on maybe the best film to get a release in July: Glauber Rocha’s Cinema Novo masterpiece Black God, White Devil, which recently received a 4K restoration that looks so good I envy anybody who saw it for the first time like so.
Find artwork below and more details at Criterion:
The post The Criterion Collection’s July...
Don’t sleep, however, on maybe the best film to get a release in July: Glauber Rocha’s Cinema Novo masterpiece Black God, White Devil, which recently received a 4K restoration that looks so good I envy anybody who saw it for the first time like so.
Find artwork below and more details at Criterion:
The post The Criterion Collection’s July...
- 4/15/2024
- by Nick Newman
- The Film Stage
There’s no doubting that the budgets and ambitions of music videos have dwindled since the glory days of MTV. We live in the age of TikTok-targeted ephemera. Yet miraculously, 2023 gave a much-needed shot of cinematic life to the form.
The best videos of the year emphasized meticulous technique over virality, offering intimate, impressionistic portraits of their respective artists’ interior lives and thoughts. Lana Del Rey and Lucy Dacus subverted Old Hollywood tropes, with a meta riff on studio system-era glamor and a lesbian tweaking of Wizard of Oz, respectively.
Others went bigger. Troye Sivan brought back the sheen and unabashed sexuality of Y2K pop princesses with a drag transformation that represents the performance of his career to date. Doja Cat took a maximalist approach to portraying the simultaneous highs and horrors of stardom, while Olivia Rodrigo constructed an elaborate, blood-splattered supernatural story to rival The Lost Boys.
As...
The best videos of the year emphasized meticulous technique over virality, offering intimate, impressionistic portraits of their respective artists’ interior lives and thoughts. Lana Del Rey and Lucy Dacus subverted Old Hollywood tropes, with a meta riff on studio system-era glamor and a lesbian tweaking of Wizard of Oz, respectively.
Others went bigger. Troye Sivan brought back the sheen and unabashed sexuality of Y2K pop princesses with a drag transformation that represents the performance of his career to date. Doja Cat took a maximalist approach to portraying the simultaneous highs and horrors of stardom, while Olivia Rodrigo constructed an elaborate, blood-splattered supernatural story to rival The Lost Boys.
As...
- 12/11/2023
- by Slant Staff
- Slant Magazine
Postmodern attempts at genre defiance have become de rigueur for pop artists today. In a streaming-dominated world where we can type away on our laptops to ambient hip-hop in the morning, sing along to old yacht-rock hits on our afternoon commute, and dance to Edm at night, what other way is there to keep our attention than to try to give us everything everywhere all at once? We’ve gotten a few attempts to do just that in 2023, from Kara Jackson’s quietly rebellious blending of folk and R&b, to Yves Tumor’s kitchen-sink instrumentation, to 100 gecs’s audacious and absurd hyperpop assaults.
Many of the artists who appear on this list, though, no longer seem content to just break down old barriers, as they also seek to shatter interpersonal and emotional ones as well. The oft-cited isolation of modern living, heavily exacerbated by the pandemic, has compelled some...
Many of the artists who appear on this list, though, no longer seem content to just break down old barriers, as they also seek to shatter interpersonal and emotional ones as well. The oft-cited isolation of modern living, heavily exacerbated by the pandemic, has compelled some...
- 12/7/2023
- by Slant Staff
- Slant Magazine
If the biggest, hookiest songs of 2023 are united by anything, it’s the insurgents who made them. For one, English singer PinkPantheress made good on her underground fandom with a remix of “Boy’s a Liar,” featuring raspy-voiced female rapper of the moment Ice Spice, whose eye-rolling attitude ingeniously cuts against her own unguardedly emotional pop minimalism.
Others similarly subverted expectations of what makes a hit. Troye Sivan ditched his moody bedroom-pop roots for unashamedly horny bangers that confront our collective hang-ups about what a gay artist should deliver. The aggro sonic hijinks of hyperpop duo 100 gecs coalesced into something strangely beautiful and profound, especially on “Hollywood Baby,” a satire of Barbie-fied showbiz aspirations that’s at least partly aimed at themselves.
Rock noise of the less blaring kind flourished elsewhere, proving that the genre was never dead, just slyly mutating. Lana Del Rey, reigning queen of the extremely extended cut,...
Others similarly subverted expectations of what makes a hit. Troye Sivan ditched his moody bedroom-pop roots for unashamedly horny bangers that confront our collective hang-ups about what a gay artist should deliver. The aggro sonic hijinks of hyperpop duo 100 gecs coalesced into something strangely beautiful and profound, especially on “Hollywood Baby,” a satire of Barbie-fied showbiz aspirations that’s at least partly aimed at themselves.
Rock noise of the less blaring kind flourished elsewhere, proving that the genre was never dead, just slyly mutating. Lana Del Rey, reigning queen of the extremely extended cut,...
- 12/6/2023
- by Slant Staff
- Slant Magazine
Steven Spielberg's "The Fabelmans" opens with two unseen parents pitching their son on the wonders of the moviegoing experience. The kid is scared to enter the theater; it's his first movie, and he's not keen on seeing huge faces onscreen in the dark.
For reasons both understandable and just unfortunate (cinema's declining cultural clout), moviegoers in the 2020s likewise seem less inclined to see Spielberg's films. The parental appeal to young Sammy Fabelman (Mateo Zoryan) is as much an appeal on behalf of Spielberg, for whom Sammy serves as a semi-autobiographical stand-in.
Lowering themselves into the frame next to Sammy, his father, Burt Fabelman (Paul Dano), and mother, Mitzi Schildkraut-Fabelman (Michelle Williams), take on the voice of motion picture science and art, respectively, as they continue their appeals for moviegoing. Last month, Spielberg played cinema advocate in a similar way when he publicly thanked his "Minority Report" and "War of the Worlds" collaborator,...
For reasons both understandable and just unfortunate (cinema's declining cultural clout), moviegoers in the 2020s likewise seem less inclined to see Spielberg's films. The parental appeal to young Sammy Fabelman (Mateo Zoryan) is as much an appeal on behalf of Spielberg, for whom Sammy serves as a semi-autobiographical stand-in.
Lowering themselves into the frame next to Sammy, his father, Burt Fabelman (Paul Dano), and mother, Mitzi Schildkraut-Fabelman (Michelle Williams), take on the voice of motion picture science and art, respectively, as they continue their appeals for moviegoing. Last month, Spielberg played cinema advocate in a similar way when he publicly thanked his "Minority Report" and "War of the Worlds" collaborator,...
- 3/19/2023
- by Joshua Meyer
- Slash Film
On the release of what was to be the late Monte Hellman’s final feature film in 2011, critic Steve Erickson noted “Monte Hellman is the ultimate outlaw filmmaker.”
A decade earlier, filmmaker-critic Kent Jones wrote that “anything written in America about Monte Hellman … cinema’s most under-appreciated great director … must be a defense.”
Decades before Jones’ astute assessment, film critic David Thomson had noted, “No system could digest the willful arbitrariness of Monte Hellman’s best films,” which is probably as clear an explanation of why Hellman made only one Hollywood Studio film in a directing career that stretched from 1959 to 2011 and included stints as Jack Nicholson’s filmmaking partner and Quentin Tarantino’s directorial debut enabler-producer.
That assessment of Hellman’s importance, that notion that a defensive posture is the inevitable position of the Hellman fan and the idea that Hellman’s Hollywood Failure was his greatest success, all...
A decade earlier, filmmaker-critic Kent Jones wrote that “anything written in America about Monte Hellman … cinema’s most under-appreciated great director … must be a defense.”
Decades before Jones’ astute assessment, film critic David Thomson had noted, “No system could digest the willful arbitrariness of Monte Hellman’s best films,” which is probably as clear an explanation of why Hellman made only one Hollywood Studio film in a directing career that stretched from 1959 to 2011 and included stints as Jack Nicholson’s filmmaking partner and Quentin Tarantino’s directorial debut enabler-producer.
That assessment of Hellman’s importance, that notion that a defensive posture is the inevitable position of the Hellman fan and the idea that Hellman’s Hollywood Failure was his greatest success, all...
- 4/22/2021
- by Steven Gaydos
- Variety Film + TV
A bona fide film classic, George Stevens’ movie is less revered as an excellent adaptation of Theodore Dreiser than for its intense, almost hallucinatory romantic scenes between Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor. A guileless poor boy tries to succeed above his economic background and entangles himself between two very different women. I guess the Academy wasn’t ready to take the glamorous young MGM beauty seriously: both Clift and their co-star Shelley Winters received acting nominations, but not Liz. Stevens’ first ‘fifties picture is perhaps the most balanced of his ‘heavy’ and ‘important’ works, a tragedy that’s too deeply felt to be merely ponderous.
A Place in the Sun
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 8
1951 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 122 min. / Street Date August, 2020 /
Starring: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters, Anne Revere, Keefe Brasselle, Fred Clark, Raymond Burr, Walter Sande, Ted de Corsia, Kathleen Freeman, Kasey Rogers, Douglas Spencer, Ian Wolfe.
Cinematography: William C. Mellor...
A Place in the Sun
Blu-ray
Viavision [Imprint] 8
1951 / B&w / 1:37 Academy / 122 min. / Street Date August, 2020 /
Starring: Montgomery Clift, Elizabeth Taylor, Shelley Winters, Anne Revere, Keefe Brasselle, Fred Clark, Raymond Burr, Walter Sande, Ted de Corsia, Kathleen Freeman, Kasey Rogers, Douglas Spencer, Ian Wolfe.
Cinematography: William C. Mellor...
- 10/6/2020
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
The USC Libraries Scripter Awards honor the year’s best film and television adaptations, as well as the works on which they are based. This group of academics, industry professionals, and critics (for which I vote) is often predictive of the Adapted Screenplay Oscar race.
While Netflix dominated this year’s nominations with three adapted scripts, for movies “The Irishman” (Steve Zaillian adapted Charles Brandt’s “I Heard You Paint Houses”) and “The Two Popes” (Anthony McCarten adapted his own play), and Susannah Grant, Michael Chabon, and Ayelet Waldman’s limited series “Unbelievable,” the winners were Amazon’s “Fleabag” (play and series author Phoebe Waller-Bridge was in London), and Sony’s “Little Women,” whose scribe Greta Gerwig gave a heartfelt speech. This could presage another win at the WGA Awards next week and on Oscar night in the Adapted Screenplay category.
“It’s the book of my life,” Gerwig said...
While Netflix dominated this year’s nominations with three adapted scripts, for movies “The Irishman” (Steve Zaillian adapted Charles Brandt’s “I Heard You Paint Houses”) and “The Two Popes” (Anthony McCarten adapted his own play), and Susannah Grant, Michael Chabon, and Ayelet Waldman’s limited series “Unbelievable,” the winners were Amazon’s “Fleabag” (play and series author Phoebe Waller-Bridge was in London), and Sony’s “Little Women,” whose scribe Greta Gerwig gave a heartfelt speech. This could presage another win at the WGA Awards next week and on Oscar night in the Adapted Screenplay category.
“It’s the book of my life,” Gerwig said...
- 1/26/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The USC Libraries Scripter Awards honor the year’s best film and television adaptations, as well as the works on which they are based. This group of academics, industry professionals, and critics (for which I vote) is often predictive of the Adapted Screenplay Oscar race.
While Netflix dominated this year’s nominations with three adapted scripts, for movies “The Irishman” (Steve Zaillian adapted Charles Brandt’s “I Heard You Paint Houses”) and “The Two Popes” (Anthony McCarten adapted his own play), and Susannah Grant, Michael Chabon, and Ayelet Waldman’s limited series “Unbelievable,” the winners were Amazon’s “Fleabag” (play and series author Phoebe Waller-Bridge was in London), and Sony’s “Little Women,” whose scribe Greta Gerwig gave a heartfelt speech. This could presage another win at the WGA Awards next week and on Oscar night in the Adapted Screenplay category.
“It’s the book of my life,” Gerwig said...
While Netflix dominated this year’s nominations with three adapted scripts, for movies “The Irishman” (Steve Zaillian adapted Charles Brandt’s “I Heard You Paint Houses”) and “The Two Popes” (Anthony McCarten adapted his own play), and Susannah Grant, Michael Chabon, and Ayelet Waldman’s limited series “Unbelievable,” the winners were Amazon’s “Fleabag” (play and series author Phoebe Waller-Bridge was in London), and Sony’s “Little Women,” whose scribe Greta Gerwig gave a heartfelt speech. This could presage another win at the WGA Awards next week and on Oscar night in the Adapted Screenplay category.
“It’s the book of my life,” Gerwig said...
- 1/26/2020
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
The USC Libraries has revealed the finalists for the 32nd-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award, which honors the year’s best film and television adaptations, as well as the works on which they are based. This group of academics, industry professionals and critics (for which I vote) is often predictive of the Adapted Screenplay Oscar race.
Last year’s Scripter winners were the exception that prove the rule: “Leave No Trace” screenwriters Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini were not nominated for the Oscar; they adapted Peter Rock, author of “My Abandonment.”
The year before was more typical, as the Scripter Award went to “Call Me by Your Name” screenwriter James Ivory (who won the Oscar), and author André Aciman; past winners include “Moonlight,” “The Big Short,” and “The Imitation Game,” which all won Oscars. In fact, before 2019 eight Scripter Award winners went on to win Oscars.
Netflix dominated this year’s nominations with three adapted scripts,...
Last year’s Scripter winners were the exception that prove the rule: “Leave No Trace” screenwriters Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini were not nominated for the Oscar; they adapted Peter Rock, author of “My Abandonment.”
The year before was more typical, as the Scripter Award went to “Call Me by Your Name” screenwriter James Ivory (who won the Oscar), and author André Aciman; past winners include “Moonlight,” “The Big Short,” and “The Imitation Game,” which all won Oscars. In fact, before 2019 eight Scripter Award winners went on to win Oscars.
Netflix dominated this year’s nominations with three adapted scripts,...
- 12/18/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Thompson on Hollywood
The USC Libraries has revealed the finalists for the 32nd-annual USC Libraries Scripter Award, which honors the year’s best film and television adaptations, as well as the works on which they are based. This group of academics, industry professionals and critics (for which I vote) is often predictive of the Adapted Screenplay Oscar race.
Last year’s Scripter winners were the exception that prove the rule: “Leave No Trace” screenwriters Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini were not nominated for the Oscar; they adapted Peter Rock, author of “My Abandonment.”
The year before was more typical, as the Scripter Award went to “Call Me by Your Name” screenwriter James Ivory (who won the Oscar), and author André Aciman; past winners include “Moonlight,” “The Big Short,” and “The Imitation Game,” which all won Oscars. In fact, before 2019 eight Scripter Award winners went on to win Oscars.
Netflix dominated this year’s nominations with three adapted scripts,...
Last year’s Scripter winners were the exception that prove the rule: “Leave No Trace” screenwriters Debra Granik and Anne Rosellini were not nominated for the Oscar; they adapted Peter Rock, author of “My Abandonment.”
The year before was more typical, as the Scripter Award went to “Call Me by Your Name” screenwriter James Ivory (who won the Oscar), and author André Aciman; past winners include “Moonlight,” “The Big Short,” and “The Imitation Game,” which all won Oscars. In fact, before 2019 eight Scripter Award winners went on to win Oscars.
Netflix dominated this year’s nominations with three adapted scripts,...
- 12/18/2019
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
Get in touch to send in cinephile news and discoveries. For daily updates follow us @NotebookMUBI.NEWSAvant-garde filmmaker Peter Tscherkassky has provided a new ident for Mubi that displays his "sensory and tactile view on cinema." The ident features strips of film negative overlapping and whirring to the sounds of a passing train. Recommended VIEWINGThe official trailer for Clint Eastwood's Richard Jewell, based on the true story of a security guard falsely accused of planting a bomb at the 1996 Olympics. An investigation into the "real fake cameras" used to create Toy Story 4, which emulates a variety of camera lenses, from anamorphic to spherical. The elusive Roger Avary, co-writer of Pulp Fiction and director of The Rules of Attraction, returns from a long hiatus with what looks to be a delightful crime romp complete with Crispin Glover as a fake Frenchman-assassin.Mati Diop's Atlantics, which follows a woman...
- 10/9/2019
- MUBI
It was just two years ago that James Franco was enjoying critical acclaim and a Golden Globe for “The Disaster Artist”; but the actor and filmmaker’s latest film, “Zeroville,” has resulted in him hitting a new box office low.
While Franco has had plenty of mainstream success with films like “Pineapple Express” and the original “Spider-Man” trilogy, much of his recent filmography has turned to starring in and directing arthouse films that are released by niche distributors on a very small number of screens for less than a month. Aside from “The Disaster Artist,” the five other films directed by Franco, including “Zeroville,” have grossed less than $30,000 and have never had a release wider than 100 screens.
Also Read: Simon Kinberg Blames Himself for 'Dark Phoenix' Box Office Bomb
And of these films, “Zeroville” has had the lowest per screen average of any of them. According to data from comScore,...
While Franco has had plenty of mainstream success with films like “Pineapple Express” and the original “Spider-Man” trilogy, much of his recent filmography has turned to starring in and directing arthouse films that are released by niche distributors on a very small number of screens for less than a month. Aside from “The Disaster Artist,” the five other films directed by Franco, including “Zeroville,” have grossed less than $30,000 and have never had a release wider than 100 screens.
Also Read: Simon Kinberg Blames Himself for 'Dark Phoenix' Box Office Bomb
And of these films, “Zeroville” has had the lowest per screen average of any of them. According to data from comScore,...
- 10/1/2019
- by Jeremy Fuster
- The Wrap
There's no place like old Hollywood... Zeroville is actor / writer / director James Franco's latest cinematic endeavor, a feature film adapted from Steve Erickson's novel of the same name, a dream-like story that starts out in 1969 and drifts into the 1970s in Hollywood. Franco's film is as wacky and as weird as expected, especially considering James Franco has been churning out films (as a director) by the dozen over the last few years, and yet none of them seem to make any real impact. The Disaster Artist being one of the few exceptions. Has anyone seen any of his last two - Future World or The Pretenders? Since it was playing at the San Sebastian Film Festival, I took a chance and went to see Zeroville and you know, it's not that bad. It doesn't deserve the hate it's getting (in other reviews) but there's nothing really that interesting in it,...
- 9/28/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
The actor-writer-director’s adaptation of Steve Erickson’s 2007 book on 70s Hollywood is a film of staggering incompetence
All things considered, March 2011 was a pretty good month for James Franco. Years before the unseemly scandals that have since marred his career, he enjoyed the level of industry cachet befitting a young talent coming off their first Oscar nomination (even if they’d really bit the big one in their capacity as co-host). Perhaps Franco was feeling creatively emboldened by recent dabbling in novels and multimedia when he decided to take on a new challenge in his fledgling vocation of directing. Franco purchased the rights to Zeroville, an acclaimed and reputedly dense novel wending a noir-influenced path through New Hollywood, with the intention of making his most ambitious feature film yet.
Related: Is See You Soon the most hilariously awful film of the year?...
All things considered, March 2011 was a pretty good month for James Franco. Years before the unseemly scandals that have since marred his career, he enjoyed the level of industry cachet befitting a young talent coming off their first Oscar nomination (even if they’d really bit the big one in their capacity as co-host). Perhaps Franco was feeling creatively emboldened by recent dabbling in novels and multimedia when he decided to take on a new challenge in his fledgling vocation of directing. Franco purchased the rights to Zeroville, an acclaimed and reputedly dense novel wending a noir-influenced path through New Hollywood, with the intention of making his most ambitious feature film yet.
Related: Is See You Soon the most hilariously awful film of the year?...
- 9/26/2019
- by Charles Bramesco
- The Guardian - Film News
I’m tired of hearing how some novels are “impossible to adapt.” Balderdash! Just because some books don’t lend themselves to being translated from page to screen doesn’t mean that the attempt ought not to be made. Just ask James Franco, who’s shown a speed freak’s determination to tackle some of the unlikeliest literary adaptations of the last decade, from William Faulkner to John Steinbeck (“In Dubious Battle”) to Cormac McCarthy (“Child of God”). Frankly, he’s not very good at it, but that doesn’t stop him. Nor should it. Even Franco’s failures are fascinating, like asymmetrical pottery-wheel mishaps that wouldn’t passs for a vase, but wind up looking like modern art.
From the moment of its publication in 2007, Steve Erickson’s postmodern showbiz satire “Zeroville” was widely described as “unfilmable” — which was like waving a red flag in front of Franco. Truth be told,...
From the moment of its publication in 2007, Steve Erickson’s postmodern showbiz satire “Zeroville” was widely described as “unfilmable” — which was like waving a red flag in front of Franco. Truth be told,...
- 9/20/2019
- by Peter Debruge
- Variety Film + TV
Adapted from Steve Erickson’s brilliant and hypnotic 2007 novel of the same name, this is a story about someone who thinks that movies are the most precious things in the universe; someone who believes that cinema reveals the work of God, and that celluloid hides the secrets of all creation in the space between sprocket holes. Franco, on the other hand, has always maintained a somewhat messier “throw shit at the wall and see what sticks” approach to artistic creation. Prolific to the point of self-parody before reports of sexually exploitative behavior slowed him down, he’s been emboldened by a digital culture that rewards volume and encourages disposability.
That isn’t meant to be a criticism so much as a statement of fact. Franco is a creature of the 21st century, far better equipped to pay homage to “The Room” than to solve the hidden mysteries of George Stevens’ “A Place in the Sun.
That isn’t meant to be a criticism so much as a statement of fact. Franco is a creature of the 21st century, far better equipped to pay homage to “The Room” than to solve the hidden mysteries of George Stevens’ “A Place in the Sun.
- 9/19/2019
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
"Love. Cinema. And punk rock!"
The first trailer has been dropped for James Franco’s next film project called Zeroville. Franco directed the film, wrote it, and stars in it. The movie is an adaptation of the author Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel of the same name, and it looks like it’s going to make for a weird, wild, and crazy flick.
The film is set in 1969 Hollywood, and it follows an actor named Vikar who loves movies and is taking any kind of job he can in the industry to be a part of it. Franco is joined by a solid supporting cast that includes Seth Rogen, Megan Fox, James Franco, Joey King, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, Jacki Weaver, Craig Robinson, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Cynthia Murell, and Horatio Sanz as Francis Ford Coppola.
Here’s the synopsis:
Vikar (Franco) is a lost soul journeying through Hollywood 1969, a land of myths,...
The first trailer has been dropped for James Franco’s next film project called Zeroville. Franco directed the film, wrote it, and stars in it. The movie is an adaptation of the author Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel of the same name, and it looks like it’s going to make for a weird, wild, and crazy flick.
The film is set in 1969 Hollywood, and it follows an actor named Vikar who loves movies and is taking any kind of job he can in the industry to be a part of it. Franco is joined by a solid supporting cast that includes Seth Rogen, Megan Fox, James Franco, Joey King, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, Jacki Weaver, Craig Robinson, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Cynthia Murell, and Horatio Sanz as Francis Ford Coppola.
Here’s the synopsis:
Vikar (Franco) is a lost soul journeying through Hollywood 1969, a land of myths,...
- 8/16/2019
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
It’s been a whopping five years since James Franco shot hit adaptation of Steve Erickson’s Zeroville and two years since an initial trailer leaked, but now the film has emerged from the post-production ether and will be released next month. Starring Franco, Megan Fox, Seth Rogen, Joey King, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, and Jacki Weaver, a new trailer has now arrived.
A dark parody of the New Hollywood movement, the story focuses on Ike “Vikar” Jerome, who has just moved to Hollywood in 1969. With tattoos of Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor on his head, his journey ends in both tragedy and discovery. The book features many New Hollywood icons, such as Robert De Niro, Brian De Palma, John Milius, and Paul Schrader, with the ghost of Clift even showing up.
Check out the trailer and poster below.
Vikar is a lost soul journeying through Hollywood 1969, a land of myths,...
A dark parody of the New Hollywood movement, the story focuses on Ike “Vikar” Jerome, who has just moved to Hollywood in 1969. With tattoos of Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor on his head, his journey ends in both tragedy and discovery. The book features many New Hollywood icons, such as Robert De Niro, Brian De Palma, John Milius, and Paul Schrader, with the ghost of Clift even showing up.
Check out the trailer and poster below.
Vikar is a lost soul journeying through Hollywood 1969, a land of myths,...
- 8/16/2019
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
"Love. Cinema. And punk rock!" He's back with another wacky film! The first trailer for James Franco's next new film is out now. Zeroville is Franco's latest feature that he stars in and directs, adapted from author Steve Erickson's 2007 novel. This odd indie film takes us back to 1969, the same year as Tarantino's Once Upon a Time in Hollywood, to tell a different story about another actor in town. James Franco stars as Vikar, an actor who loves movies who shows up in Hollywood during a transitional time in the industry, taking jobs doing anything. The full cast includes Megan Fox, James Franco, Joey King, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, Jacki Weaver, Craig Robinson, Thomas Ian Nicholas, Cynthia Murell, and Horatio Sanz as Francis Ford Coppola. The more movies Franco makes, the weirder he gets. And I just can't help but see this as a Franco remake of Once Upon a Time,...
- 8/15/2019
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Line-up also includes films by Louise Archambault, Guillaume Nicloux, José Luis Torres Leiva, Ina Weisse, Adilkhan Yerzhanov and David Zonana.
The San Sebastian film festival (September 20-28) has announced seven more titles that will compete for the 2019 Golden Shell award.
They include the long-delayed Zeroville directed by James Franco, who won the Golden Shell in 2017 for The Disaster Artist, and films by Louise Archambault, Guillaume Nicloux, José Luis Torres Leiva, Ina Weisse, Adilkhan Yerzhanov and David Zonana.
Zeroville is based on Steve Erickson’s novel about the changing Hollywood of the late 60s and stars Franco, Megan Fox, Seth Rogen,...
The San Sebastian film festival (September 20-28) has announced seven more titles that will compete for the 2019 Golden Shell award.
They include the long-delayed Zeroville directed by James Franco, who won the Golden Shell in 2017 for The Disaster Artist, and films by Louise Archambault, Guillaume Nicloux, José Luis Torres Leiva, Ina Weisse, Adilkhan Yerzhanov and David Zonana.
Zeroville is based on Steve Erickson’s novel about the changing Hollywood of the late 60s and stars Franco, Megan Fox, Seth Rogen,...
- 8/2/2019
- by Orlando Parfitt
- ScreenDaily
Madrid — James Franco’s “Zeroville,” Louise Archambault’s “And The Birds Rained Down” and José Luis Torres Leiva’s “Death Will Come And Shall Have Your Eyes” will compete for San Sebastian’s Golden Shell, the Spanish festival announced Friday.
Further new main competition titles unveiled take in Guillaume Nicloux’s “Thalasso,” Ina Weisse’s “The Audition,” Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s “A Dark-Dark Man,” and Mexican debutant director David Zonana’s “Workforce.”
The seven titles join three already-announced Spanish competition contenders: Alejandro Amenábar’s “While At War,” Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga’s “The Endless Trench” and Belén Funes’ “A Thief’s Daughter.”
Playing out-of-competition will be “Heroic Losers,” , starring and co-produced by Ricardo Darín, which receives a Special Screening, and Daniel Sánchez-Arévalo’s “Diecisiete,” marking the first time a Netflix Original Film makes San Sebastian’s Official Selection cut.
After winning the Golden Shell in 2017 with “The Disaster Artist,...
Further new main competition titles unveiled take in Guillaume Nicloux’s “Thalasso,” Ina Weisse’s “The Audition,” Adilkhan Yerzhanov’s “A Dark-Dark Man,” and Mexican debutant director David Zonana’s “Workforce.”
The seven titles join three already-announced Spanish competition contenders: Alejandro Amenábar’s “While At War,” Aitor Arregi, Jon Garaño and Jose Mari Goenaga’s “The Endless Trench” and Belén Funes’ “A Thief’s Daughter.”
Playing out-of-competition will be “Heroic Losers,” , starring and co-produced by Ricardo Darín, which receives a Special Screening, and Daniel Sánchez-Arévalo’s “Diecisiete,” marking the first time a Netflix Original Film makes San Sebastian’s Official Selection cut.
After winning the Golden Shell in 2017 with “The Disaster Artist,...
- 8/2/2019
- by Emiliano De Pablos
- Variety Film + TV
The San Sebastian International Film Festival (Sept. 20-28) unveiled seven new films for its official competition section of the upcoming 67th edition.
James Franco, who previously won the festival's Golden Shell prize for 2017's The Disaster Artist, will premiere Zeroville, based on the novel by Steve Erickson. The 60s-set film stars Franco, Seth Rogan, Megan Fox and Joey King in the tale of an awkward architecture student who finds a new life in Hollywood that will ultimately end in tragedy.
Six additional new competitors in the official section were also announced Friday, joining the three previously announced Spanish titles: Alejandro Amenabar's ...
James Franco, who previously won the festival's Golden Shell prize for 2017's The Disaster Artist, will premiere Zeroville, based on the novel by Steve Erickson. The 60s-set film stars Franco, Seth Rogan, Megan Fox and Joey King in the tale of an awkward architecture student who finds a new life in Hollywood that will ultimately end in tragedy.
Six additional new competitors in the official section were also announced Friday, joining the three previously announced Spanish titles: Alejandro Amenabar's ...
The San Sebastian International Film Festival (Sept. 20-28) unveiled seven new films for its official competition section of the upcoming 67th edition.
James Franco, who previously won the festival's Golden Shell prize for 2017's The Disaster Artist, will premiere Zeroville, based on the novel by Steve Erickson. The 60s-set film stars Franco, Seth Rogan, Megan Fox and Joey King in the tale of an awkward architecture student who finds a new life in Hollywood that will ultimately end in tragedy.
Six additional new competitors in the official section were also announced Friday, joining the three previously announced Spanish titles: Alejandro Amenabar's ...
James Franco, who previously won the festival's Golden Shell prize for 2017's The Disaster Artist, will premiere Zeroville, based on the novel by Steve Erickson. The 60s-set film stars Franco, Seth Rogan, Megan Fox and Joey King in the tale of an awkward architecture student who finds a new life in Hollywood that will ultimately end in tragedy.
Six additional new competitors in the official section were also announced Friday, joining the three previously announced Spanish titles: Alejandro Amenabar's ...
If you follow the world of movies, you might have once heard about Zeroville, James Franco‘s screen adaptation of Steve Erickson’s novel. Franco’s film has been in the can since 2015, but legal issues kept it from seeing the light of day. Now, myCinema digital content distribution system has rescued the film, and will release in September of […]
The post James Franco’s ‘Zeroville’ Movie Being Released After 4 Year Delay appeared first on /Film.
The post James Franco’s ‘Zeroville’ Movie Being Released After 4 Year Delay appeared first on /Film.
- 4/3/2019
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
You may recall, dear reader, that in the years preceding “The Disaster Artist” James Franco was writing and directing films at a breakneck pace — “As I Lay Dying,” “Child of God,” “The Sound and the Fury,” and “In Dubious Battle” all premiered within a three-year span. So did “Zeroville,” a comedy based on Steve Erickson’s novel of the same name, but because it was acquired by Alchemy — the ill-fated distributor that went out of business mere months after picking up the film — it has yet to receive a theatrical release.
Until now, that is, as myCinema appears to have saved “Zeroville” from limbo. The company is based online but partners with some 500 theaters that have the option of licensing its films — like “The Chaperone,” written by “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes — for traditional brick-and-mortar releases.
Here’s the (rather lengthy) synopsis:
Join Vikar (James Franco), a wide-eyed innocent in love with the movies,...
Until now, that is, as myCinema appears to have saved “Zeroville” from limbo. The company is based online but partners with some 500 theaters that have the option of licensing its films — like “The Chaperone,” written by “Downton Abbey” creator Julian Fellowes — for traditional brick-and-mortar releases.
Here’s the (rather lengthy) synopsis:
Join Vikar (James Franco), a wide-eyed innocent in love with the movies,...
- 4/1/2019
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Nagra-kudelski’s myCinema digital content distribution system has announced its full slate of films a year after it’s launch, teed off by the James Franco feature Zeroville, which the actor both directed and headlines.
Originally, Alchemy took domestic rights at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival to Zeroville months before the company capsized due to bankruptcy. Since its pick-up at Tiff, Zeroville unfortunately became entangled in Alchemy’s financial woes and was thrown into distribution limbo until the Us distribution rights were recently acquired by Nagra. The pic will hit cinemas in September. The comedy based on Steve Erickson’s novel about a young actor who arrives in Hollywood during a transitional time also stars Seth Rogen, Megan Fox, Joey King, Will Ferrell, Dave Franco, Danny McBride, and Jacki Weaver. myCinema delivers films over the internet which individual theaters can then licenses for any number of weeks of play.
Originally, Alchemy took domestic rights at the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival to Zeroville months before the company capsized due to bankruptcy. Since its pick-up at Tiff, Zeroville unfortunately became entangled in Alchemy’s financial woes and was thrown into distribution limbo until the Us distribution rights were recently acquired by Nagra. The pic will hit cinemas in September. The comedy based on Steve Erickson’s novel about a young actor who arrives in Hollywood during a transitional time also stars Seth Rogen, Megan Fox, Joey King, Will Ferrell, Dave Franco, Danny McBride, and Jacki Weaver. myCinema delivers films over the internet which individual theaters can then licenses for any number of weeks of play.
- 4/1/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
The Last Days of WinterMehrdad Oksouei has been making documentaries about marginalized people in Iran for many years, becoming an acclaimed filmmaker in the past decade. And yet he’s still relatively unknown in the U.S. Viewers in the New York City area are in luck, for critic and programmer Steve Erickson has devised a program for the Anthology Film Archives, the most complete in the country, dedicated to Oskouei’s work. Oskouei, an independent filmmaker financing his own films through his production company, still hasn’t received the exposure he deserves in the States. There are many reasons for this, but one may in fact be the paltry theatrical release of his first feature, Starless Dreams (2016), his third work on children incarcerated in a juvenile detention center outside Tehran. In New York, it played a week at the Museum of the Moving Image, and only twice a day on Friday and weekends.
- 2/23/2018
- MUBI
“All the films in this book share an air of disreputability… I have tried to avoid using the word art about the movies in this book, not just because I didn’t want to inflate my claims for them, but because the word is used far too often to shut down discussion rather than open it up. If something has been acclaimed as art, it’s not just beyond criticism but often seen as above the mere mortals for whom its presumably been made. It’s a sealed artifact that offers no way in. It is as much a lie to claim we can be moved only by what has been given the imprimatur of art as it would be to deny that there are, in these scruffy movies, the very things we expect from art: avenues into human emotion and psychology, or into the character and texture of the time the films were made,...
- 8/6/2017
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
James Franco is currently working on a few upcoming films that he will star in and direct, including “Zeroville,” based on Steve Erickson’s 2007 book by the same name, and “The Masterpiece” about the making of Tommy Wiseau’s “The Room.” Though busy with many projects, Franco also directed a black-and-white short film entitled “Do It Right” starring fashion model Gigi Hadid. The film promotes a collaboration between Hadid and fashion designer Stuart Weitzman on new footwear “The Gigi Boot,” which is featured prominently in the video. Watch it below.
Read More: James Franco Endorses ‘Most Interesting Woman in the World’ Hillary Clinton in Funny Video
In the video, Hadid stars as a boxer who strikes poses as well as she spars against her masked opponents in the ring. All the while, she’s wearing The Gigi Boot while she’s taking down the men who enter into battle with her.
Read More: James Franco Endorses ‘Most Interesting Woman in the World’ Hillary Clinton in Funny Video
In the video, Hadid stars as a boxer who strikes poses as well as she spars against her masked opponents in the ring. All the while, she’s wearing The Gigi Boot while she’s taking down the men who enter into battle with her.
- 10/27/2016
- by Vikram Murthi
- Indiewire
First Trailer For ‘Zeroville’ Featuring James Franco, Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride & More
After adapting William Faulkner and Cormac McCarthy, what looks to be James Franco‘s most ambitious directorial effort yet is an adaptation of Zeroville, based on Steve Erickson‘s book, which serves as a dark parody of the New Hollywood movement. Now the first sales trailer, clocking in at over four minutes, has landed.
The story focuses on Ike “Vikar” Jerome, who has just moved to Hollywood in 1969. With tattoos of Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor on his head, his journey “ends in both tragedy and discovery.” The book features many New Hollywood icons, such as Robert De Niro, Brian De Palma, John Milius and Paul Schrader, with the ghost of Clift even showing up.
However, outside of the cast — including Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Craig Robinson, Will Ferrell and Danny McBride — in terms of filmmaking icons, the first trailer only features a Wim Wenders cameo, which makes...
The story focuses on Ike “Vikar” Jerome, who has just moved to Hollywood in 1969. With tattoos of Montgomery Clift and Elizabeth Taylor on his head, his journey “ends in both tragedy and discovery.” The book features many New Hollywood icons, such as Robert De Niro, Brian De Palma, John Milius and Paul Schrader, with the ghost of Clift even showing up.
However, outside of the cast — including Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Craig Robinson, Will Ferrell and Danny McBride — in terms of filmmaking icons, the first trailer only features a Wim Wenders cameo, which makes...
- 8/19/2016
- by Jordan Raup
- The Film Stage
Today brings new images from a batch of films likely arriving this fall, the majority coming from A24. First up, perhaps our most-anticipated of the group is John Cameron Mitchell‘s adaptation of the Neil Gaman short story How To Talk To Girls At Parties. Led by Elle Fanning and Alex Sharp (seen in the first still above), the cast also includes Nicole Kidman, Ruth Wilson, and Matt Lucas.
One can see the synopsis below, followed by the first image from the Zoe Kazan-led horror feature There Are Monsters, from The Strangers director Bryan Bertino, as well as Ben Wheatley‘s star-studded actioner Free Fire, executive produced by Martin Scorsese. The only one not in the hands of A24 is James Franco‘s adaptation of Steve Erickson‘s Zeroville, which features the cast of Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell and Danny McBride.
John Cameron Mitchell, director...
One can see the synopsis below, followed by the first image from the Zoe Kazan-led horror feature There Are Monsters, from The Strangers director Bryan Bertino, as well as Ben Wheatley‘s star-studded actioner Free Fire, executive produced by Martin Scorsese. The only one not in the hands of A24 is James Franco‘s adaptation of Steve Erickson‘s Zeroville, which features the cast of Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell and Danny McBride.
John Cameron Mitchell, director...
- 5/10/2016
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
[caption id="attachment_24623" align="aligncenter" width="575"] Edgar G. Ulmer/caption]
Seeing Edgar G. Ulmer’s The Black Cat (1934) again recently, my appetite was whetted to re-read Theodore Roszak’s Flicker, which uses Ulmer’s strange career as a master stylist exiled to a career toiling in B-movie obscurity as a jumping-off point for a sinister story engorged with a decadent and whispered history of movies. Three years ago I was commissioned to write about Flicker for writer Bill Ryan’s annual October consideration of horror at his great blog The Kind of Face You Hate. I had to admit, I never really thought of Flicker as a horror novel in the strictest sense while I was immersed in it-- the first half reads more like an indulgent orgy of movie lore woven expertly into a pleasingly reluctant, expertly teased detective story. But the book certainly qualifies as horror in that it shares the obsessive nature of its protagonist,...
Seeing Edgar G. Ulmer’s The Black Cat (1934) again recently, my appetite was whetted to re-read Theodore Roszak’s Flicker, which uses Ulmer’s strange career as a master stylist exiled to a career toiling in B-movie obscurity as a jumping-off point for a sinister story engorged with a decadent and whispered history of movies. Three years ago I was commissioned to write about Flicker for writer Bill Ryan’s annual October consideration of horror at his great blog The Kind of Face You Hate. I had to admit, I never really thought of Flicker as a horror novel in the strictest sense while I was immersed in it-- the first half reads more like an indulgent orgy of movie lore woven expertly into a pleasingly reluctant, expertly teased detective story. But the book certainly qualifies as horror in that it shares the obsessive nature of its protagonist,...
- 4/2/2016
- by Dennis Cozzalio
- Trailers from Hell
Alchemy has found all the right ingredients in James Franco‘s latest big-screen effort, acquiring the North American rights to “Zeroville” in Toronto. Directed and starring the multitasking Franco, the film is an adaptation of Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel about a young man obsessed with cinema who climbs the ranks of 1970s Hollywood. The film stars Franco pal Seth Rogen, Megan Fox, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jacki Weaver, Joey King and James’ brother Dave Franco. Also Read: 10 Toronto Breakouts: From 'Len and Company' Star Jack Kilmer to 'Hardcore' Director Ilya Naishuller “Erickson’s novel is a hysterical trip into Hollywood history,...
- 9/12/2015
- by Matt Donnelly
- The Wrap
In a preemptive swoop, the distributor has picked up James Franco’s dramedy about a young man obsessed with cinema who rises through the ranks in 1970s Hollywood.
Franco directs and stars alongside Megan Fox, Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jacki Weaver, Joey King and Dave Franco.
Franco and Vince Jolivette produce via their Rabbit Bandini Productions alongside Caroline Aragon and Michael Mendelsohn through his Patriot Pictures.
Paul Felten and Ian Olds adapted the Zeroville screenplay from Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel of the same name.
Alchemy plans to release the film, currently in post-production, in 2016.
Vice-president of acquisitions Jeff Deutchman negotiated the deal with Patriot CEO Mendelsohn.
Franco directs and stars alongside Megan Fox, Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jacki Weaver, Joey King and Dave Franco.
Franco and Vince Jolivette produce via their Rabbit Bandini Productions alongside Caroline Aragon and Michael Mendelsohn through his Patriot Pictures.
Paul Felten and Ian Olds adapted the Zeroville screenplay from Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel of the same name.
Alchemy plans to release the film, currently in post-production, in 2016.
Vice-president of acquisitions Jeff Deutchman negotiated the deal with Patriot CEO Mendelsohn.
- 9/12/2015
- by jeremykay67@gmail.com (Jeremy Kay)
- ScreenDaily
Alchemy has acquired North American rights to James Franco's Zeroville, an adaptation of the acclaimed Steve Erickson novel, with Megan Fox co-starring.
Alchemy is planning to release the film, which is now in postproduction, in 2016. Set against the backdrop of late 1960s Hollywood, the dramedy is directed by Franco from a screenplay by Paul Felten and Ian Olds.
Franco and Fox star alongside Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jacki Weaver and Joey King.
"James has proven there is no subject matter that he and his collaborators can’t brilliantly satirize, and we can’t wait to share their comedic take on ...
Alchemy is planning to release the film, which is now in postproduction, in 2016. Set against the backdrop of late 1960s Hollywood, the dramedy is directed by Franco from a screenplay by Paul Felten and Ian Olds.
Franco and Fox star alongside Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jacki Weaver and Joey King.
"James has proven there is no subject matter that he and his collaborators can’t brilliantly satirize, and we can’t wait to share their comedic take on ...
- 9/12/2015
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Alchemy has acquired North American rights to James Franco's Zeroville, an adaptation of the acclaimed Steve Erickson novel, with Megan Fox co-starring.
Alchemy is planning to release the film, which is now in postproduction, in 2016. Set against the backdrop of late 1960s Hollywood, the dramedy is directed by Franco from a screenplay by Paul Felten and Ian Olds.
Franco and Fox star alongside Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jacki Weaver and Joey King.
"James has proven there is no subject matter that he and his collaborators can’t brilliantly satirize, and we can’t wait to share their comedic take on ...
Alchemy is planning to release the film, which is now in postproduction, in 2016. Set against the backdrop of late 1960s Hollywood, the dramedy is directed by Franco from a screenplay by Paul Felten and Ian Olds.
Franco and Fox star alongside Seth Rogen, Craig Robinson, Danny McBride, Jacki Weaver and Joey King.
"James has proven there is no subject matter that he and his collaborators can’t brilliantly satirize, and we can’t wait to share their comedic take on ...
- 9/12/2015
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Have you ever seen Will Ferrell really flip his shit? Well, actually, he did that a little bit of that in Old School. And in Anchorman. And in Zoolander. And Elf. So, in most of his films there.s at least one major freakout moment. His latest one in the upcoming movie Zeroville might take the cake, though. Zeroville: working with the funniest man alive, will farrell. Um vídeo publicado por James Franco (@jamesfrancotv) em Jan 20, 2015 at 3:32 Pst James Franco, Will Ferrell.s co-star and director of Zeroville, revealed the footage you see above on his Instagram account and we.re already intrigued. It.s pretty poor quality, since he filmed it from a TV screen, but we want to see more of Ferrell throwing papers up in the air as Franco screams, "It.s art!" Based on the 2007 novel by Steve Erickson, Zeroville is the story of...
- 1/22/2015
- cinemablend.com
• Megan Fox will take the female lead in Zeroville, starring opposite James Franco, who is also directing. Adapted from the novel by Steve Erickson, the story follows a film-obsessed man (Franco) who arrives in Hollywood in 1969, hoping to break in to the business just as the industry is at a major turning point. Fox will play a Hollywood starlet with an uneasy past who becomes the romantic interest and obsession of Franco’s character. Seth Rogen, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson, Will Ferrell, Jacki Weaver, and Horatio Sanz also star. Vince Jolivette of Rabbit Bandini is producing along with Caroline Aragon,...
- 10/24/2014
- by C. Molly Smith
- EW - Inside Movies
James Franco has recruited a cabal of pals for his “proto-punk Forrest Gump goes to 1970’s Hollywood” lit adaptation Zeroville, now filming in La. Joining Franco and the recently announced Jacki Weaver are Franco’s The Interview co-star Seth Rogen, Megan Fox, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, Craig Robinson, Joey King, and Horatio Sanz. Franco is directing and stars as a naive loner who’s drawn to the film business, becomes mistaken for a Manson family member and gets hired as a film editor. Paul Felton and Ian Olds adapted the script from Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel. Franco is producing with Vince Jolivette for Rabbit Bandini Productions, Caroline Aragon, and Michael Mendelsohn for Patriot Pictures. Union Patriot Capital Management financed the pic and Embankment is selling internationally next month at Afm.
Brad Carter (True Detective, Sons of Anarchy) has been cast in Fox and New Regency’s The Revenant opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.
Brad Carter (True Detective, Sons of Anarchy) has been cast in Fox and New Regency’s The Revenant opposite Leonardo DiCaprio and Tom Hardy.
- 10/24/2014
- by Jen Yamato
- Deadline
Their Finest Hour and a Half
Sam Claflin ("The Hunger Games") and Lily James ("Cinderella") are circling the lead roles in "An Education" director Lone Scherfig's "Their Finest Hour and a Half" for BBC Films.
Based on Lissa Evans' 2009 novel, the story follows a WW2 British movie crew trying to boost morale in the wake of the London Blitz. Gabby Chiappe ("Shetland," "The Paradise") is penning the script. Shooting is scheduled to take place in summer 2015. [Source: Deadline]
Ricki and the Flash
Sebastian Stan ("Captain America: The Winter Soldier") is set to play the estranged son of Meryl Streep in the Jonathan Demme-directed, Diablo Cody-penned "Ricki and the Flash". Kevin Kline and Rick Springfield also star.
Streep plays a woman chasing her dreams of being a rock star, which resulted in losing her family. Now a grocery store clerk, she gets one final shot at fulfilling her rock and roll destiny.
Sam Claflin ("The Hunger Games") and Lily James ("Cinderella") are circling the lead roles in "An Education" director Lone Scherfig's "Their Finest Hour and a Half" for BBC Films.
Based on Lissa Evans' 2009 novel, the story follows a WW2 British movie crew trying to boost morale in the wake of the London Blitz. Gabby Chiappe ("Shetland," "The Paradise") is penning the script. Shooting is scheduled to take place in summer 2015. [Source: Deadline]
Ricki and the Flash
Sebastian Stan ("Captain America: The Winter Soldier") is set to play the estranged son of Meryl Streep in the Jonathan Demme-directed, Diablo Cody-penned "Ricki and the Flash". Kevin Kline and Rick Springfield also star.
Streep plays a woman chasing her dreams of being a rock star, which resulted in losing her family. Now a grocery store clerk, she gets one final shot at fulfilling her rock and roll destiny.
- 10/24/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
James Franco’s next filmmaking project, Zeroville, began its journey back in 2011 when the director-actor-writer-poet-artist optioned the rights to Steve Erickson’s novel. Alas, with so many ventures cluttering Franco’s plate it’s easy to see how this zany caper hasn’t received much notice. That is until today, as Screen Daily has learned that the film has already begun shooting – and there’s a ton of big names attached.
In addition to the main man himself nabbing a starring role, Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, Craig Robinson, Joey King and Horatio Sanz have also signed on to star. The basic premise revolves around a film nerd who relocates to Hollywood in the 1960s to be closer to the ‘biz. However, he “enters a world of sex, drugs, rock and roll, the decline of the movie studios and the rise of independent renegade directors.
In addition to the main man himself nabbing a starring role, Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, Craig Robinson, Joey King and Horatio Sanz have also signed on to star. The basic premise revolves around a film nerd who relocates to Hollywood in the 1960s to be closer to the ‘biz. However, he “enters a world of sex, drugs, rock and roll, the decline of the movie studios and the rise of independent renegade directors.
- 10/24/2014
- by Gem Seddon
- We Got This Covered
Megan Fox is set as the female lead in Zeroville, James Franco’s adaptation of the acclaimed Steve Erickson novel set against the backdrop of late 1960s Hollywood. Franco is directing the movie as well as starring as a film-obsessed man who arrives in Hollywood in 1969, as the studios are in decline and independents are rising. As the world around him transforms culturally with sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, he gets his dream job of being a film editor, only to encounter a host of characters ranging from former starlets, burglars and political guerrillas to punk musicians and
read more...
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- 10/24/2014
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It's not easy to keep track of the 1001 things James Franco is up to at any moment, so you probably forgot that in 2011, he optioned the rights to "Zeroville" by Steve Erickson. Well, Franco surely didn't forget this was on his To Do list, as the project is up and running, and he's using his extensive Rolodex to fill out the cast. Screen Daily reports that Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, Craig Robinson, Joey King and Horatio Sanz have joined "Zeroville," which is now shooting with Franco directing and, of course, leading the film. And it has a meta flavor to it, it's a movie about the movies, with the story revolving around a film-obsessed architecture student who is mistaken for one of the perpetrators of the Manon murders, and has the pictures of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift from "A Place In The Sun...
- 10/24/2014
- by Kevin Jagernauth
- The Playlist
In case you hadn't heard, James Franco is directing and starring in an adaptation of Zeroville, the 2007 novel of the same name by Steve Erickson. The story follows a naive, alienated young man who moves to Hollywood in the 1960s, driven by his love and obsession for the movies, and meeting various filmmaking types like John Milius and Martin Scorsese. But he ends up getting caught up in the world of sex, drugs and rock and roll. It's a must-read for any cinephile, and the film is already in production right now. So far we hadn't heard any cast members beyond Franco taking the lead role (he shaved his head for it), but that changes today with a report from ScreenDaily revealing that some of Franco's best buddies are on board too. Seth Rogen, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Craig Robinson and brother Dave Franco are all starring in the film,...
- 10/24/2014
- by Ethan Anderton
- firstshowing.net
Megan Fox is set as the female lead in Zeroville, James Franco’s adaptation of the acclaimed Steve Erickson novel set against the backdrop of late 1960s Hollywood.
Franco is directing the movie as well as starring as a film-obsessed man who arrives in Hollywood in 1969, as the studios are in decline and independents are rising. As the world around him transforms culturally with sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, he gets his dream job of being a film editor, only to encounter a host of characters ranging from former starlets, burglars and political guerrillas to punk musicians and veteran ...
Franco is directing the movie as well as starring as a film-obsessed man who arrives in Hollywood in 1969, as the studios are in decline and independents are rising. As the world around him transforms culturally with sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, he gets his dream job of being a film editor, only to encounter a host of characters ranging from former starlets, burglars and political guerrillas to punk musicians and veteran ...
- 10/24/2014
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Megan Fox is set as the female lead in Zeroville, James Franco’s adaptation of the acclaimed Steve Erickson novel set against the backdrop of late 1960s Hollywood.
Franco is directing the movie as well as starring as a film-obsessed man who arrives in Hollywood in 1969, as the studios are in decline and independents are rising. As the world around him transforms culturally with sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, he gets his dream job of being a film editor, only to encounter a host of characters ranging from former starlets, burglars and political guerrillas to punk musicians and veteran ...
Franco is directing the movie as well as starring as a film-obsessed man who arrives in Hollywood in 1969, as the studios are in decline and independents are rising. As the world around him transforms culturally with sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll, he gets his dream job of being a film editor, only to encounter a host of characters ranging from former starlets, burglars and political guerrillas to punk musicians and veteran ...
- 10/24/2014
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
James Franco has been on a run of adapting novels recently, and for his latest directorial job, he’s turning Steve Erickson’s 2007 book Zeroville into a film. The new project will find him turning the tables (and cameras) on his This Is The End co-star/director Seth Rogen, with Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Danny McBride, Horatio Sanz, Dave Franco, Craig Robinson and Will Ferrell all also aboard.Zeroville, which Paul Felton and Ian Olds have scripted, finds Franco as a young, movie-obsessed architecture student arriving in Hollywood in 1969 and almost immediately mistaken for one of the perpetrators in the Charles Manson murders.He’s plunged into a world of sex, fame and drugs as the old guard movie studios decline and the renegade directors rise, and he’s present for the big changes in the 1980s.Rogen will be Viking Man, an eccentric, cigar-loving, surf-happy hippy who acts as...
- 10/24/2014
- EmpireOnline
Exclusive: Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell to star; Embankment to sell.
London-based sales and finance outfit Embankment Films has boarded James Franco’s comedy-drama Zeroville, which is now shooting in California, and is shaping up to be among the most-intriguing and fun new projects at the Afm (Nov 5-12)
127 Hours star Franco is directing and will star in the adaptation of Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel about a naive loner driven to Hollywood in the 1960s by the allure of the movies.
Franco is joined in the all-star cast by Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, Craig Robinson, Joey King and Horatio Sanz.
In recent days, Franco has posted pictures of himself on set with Fox and Ferrell on Twitter and Instagram.
Paul Felton and Ian Olds have adapted Erickson’s novel.
Franco plays a young film-obsessed architecture student with images of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift (as they...
London-based sales and finance outfit Embankment Films has boarded James Franco’s comedy-drama Zeroville, which is now shooting in California, and is shaping up to be among the most-intriguing and fun new projects at the Afm (Nov 5-12)
127 Hours star Franco is directing and will star in the adaptation of Steve Erickson’s 2007 novel about a naive loner driven to Hollywood in the 1960s by the allure of the movies.
Franco is joined in the all-star cast by Seth Rogen, Jacki Weaver, Megan Fox, Will Ferrell, Danny McBride, Dave Franco, Craig Robinson, Joey King and Horatio Sanz.
In recent days, Franco has posted pictures of himself on set with Fox and Ferrell on Twitter and Instagram.
Paul Felton and Ian Olds have adapted Erickson’s novel.
Franco plays a young film-obsessed architecture student with images of Elizabeth Taylor and Montgomery Clift (as they...
- 10/24/2014
- by andreas.wiseman@screendaily.com (Andreas Wiseman)
- ScreenDaily
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