Moviefone Editorial

Tag: biopic

  • Andrew Garfield to Play Pianist James Rhodes in Biopic ‘Instrumental’

    Andrew Garfield to Play Pianist James Rhodes in Biopic ‘Instrumental’

    Andrew Garfield in Breathe
    Bleecker Street

    Next up for Andrew Garfield is another biopic. The actor is set to star in the drama “Instrumental,” Deadline reports. It’s based on James Rhodes’s memoir of the same name and tells the story of how music helped the acclaimed concert pianist cope with abuse, trauma, and addiction.

    Garfield will play Rhodes, and the pianist seems thrilled about it. After the news broke, Rhodes tweeted about it, writing, “Well this is some exciting news to share… What an awesome team!” He also added that he hopes the adaptation will “do a lot for classical music.”

    Garfield previously played British advocate Robin Cavandish in the biopic “Breathe.” More recently, he starred in the neo-noir mystery film “Under the Silver Lake.” The actor is also well-known for roles in “Hacksaw Ridge” and “The Social Network,” among others.

    “Instrumental” has an Academy Award-winning director on board, as James Marsh (“The Theory of Everything”) is helming. Production is scheduled to begin in the U.K. before the end of the year. Monumental Pictures’ Debra Hayward and Alison Owens are set to produce.

    [via: Deadline]

  • Scarlett Johansson to Star in ‘Rub & Tug’ as ’70s Crime Boss

    Walt Disney Pictures

    Marvel may be keeping Scarlett Johansson busy, but she still has room in her schedule for other projects.

    The actress is starring in Rub & Tug, an upcoming Rupert Sanders-directed film that New Regency has won a bidding war for, according to Deadline. The production company beat out five rival bidders to buy the film’s worldwide rights, putting the project on track to start production in February, per the publication’s sources.

    Johansson is set to play Jean Marie Gill, a woman who became a powerful criminal figure during the 1970s. Gill ran massage parlors but also prostitution and steroids rings, and was connected to the Pittsburgh Steelers. Notably, she cross-dressed to make her path easier. The heart of the story, though, will be her complex relationship with her girlfriend Cynthia.

    With Sanders at the helm, Johansson will again be working with her “Ghost in the Shell” director. She’ll produce the film alongside Joel Silver, Tobey Maguire, Matthew Plouffe, and Jonathan Lia, as well as Gary Spinelli, the writer of the script. The film comes from Silver Pictures, Material Pictures, and These Pictures, with Hal Sadoff, Ethan Erwin, Sarah Meyer, Brendan Koerner, and Richard Weinberg executive producing.

    Johansson still has a much-anticipated standalone Black Widow movie to film, not to mention “Avengers 4,” but we’ll be happy to see her on the wrong side of the law in “Rub & Tug.”

    [via: Deadline]

  • Trevor Noah ‘in Heaven’ After Lupita Nyong’o Takes Starring Role in His Biopic

    Lupita Nyong’o is starring in Trevor Noah‘s biopic, and the “Daily Show” host couldn’t be happier.

    News broke Wednesday that the Oscar-winning actress had boarded the project not only as a star but a producer. She’ll play Noah’s mother, Patricia, in the movie, which is an adaptation of his memoir, “Born a Crime, Deadline reports. It’s a development that both Nyong’o and Noah are thrilled by.

    Nyong’o shared in a Feb. 21 tweet that she read Noah’s memoir and “could not put the book down.” (The book shares stories from Noah’s childhood in South Africa at a time when interracial relationships like his parents’ were taboo.) She also added that she was excited about starring in and producing the adaptation.

    In response to Nyong’o’s tweet, Noah wrote that he was “in heaven.” He didn’t specify why, but we assume it’s because he is honored to have such a talented actress play such an important woman in his life.

    Along with Nyong’o, Noah is producing the project via his banner Ark Angel Productions. Other producers include Norman Aladjem, Derek Van Pelt, and Sanaz Yamin of Mainstay Entertainment.

  • A Flamin’ Hot Cheetos-Inspired Film Is in the Works

    Original Cheetos’ much spicier cousin, Flamin’ Hot Cheetos, has inspired a movie, and the idea is actually not as crazy as it sounds.

    Fox Searchlight has bought the rights to “Flamin’ Hot,” an upcoming film about how the man who created the painfully delicious snack, Variety reports. The story will follow Richard Montanez as he starts out picking grapes in Southern California before having his billion-dollar idea. We’ll see him rise from working as a janitor at Frito Lay to having a corner office.

    So, no, don’t worry: This is clearly not the story of Chester the Cheetah on an animated adventure. “Flamin’ Hot” sounds instead like a truly inspiring story. Numerous people on Twitter became excited about the project once they discovered what it really was.

    The project pitch was developed by Montanez himself along with DeVon Franklin and Lewis Colick. Franklin is set to produce through Franklin Entertainment alongside Fox Searchlight, while Colick will write the script.

  • Zac Efron Shares First Photo of Himself as Serial Killer Ted Bundy

    Rest assured that former teen heartthrob Zac Efron can pull off looking like a cold-blooded killer, especially one as handsome and charming as Ted Bundy was reported to be.

    As the star of “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile,” an upcoming Bundy-centric thriller, Efron will portray the notorious murderer. The actor shared a first-look, behind-the-scenes photo via Twitter on Wednesday, telling fans, “Meet Ted.” The image shows Efron posing for a mug shot as his chilling character.

    Many fans were impressed with what they saw, and a few even dove deep into photos of the serial killer to show how well Efron fits the role.

    The film, which is directed by Joe Berlinger, focuses on Bundy’s relationship with his girlfriend Elizabeth Kloepfer (Lily Collins). They dated for several years, and although she grew suspicious of him and reported Bundy to the police multiple times, their entanglement continued even after he was arrested.

    So far, the release date for “Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile” has not been announced.

  • First Look at Felicity Jones as Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Biopic

    US-OSCARS-ARRIVALSRBG in the house! Felicity Jones is transforming from rogue to Ruth.

    The “Rogue One” and “Theory of Everything” actress is starring as a young Ruth Bader Ginsburg in the upcoming biopic “On the Basis of Sex.” The movie follows Ginsburg as a talented young lawyer who teams up with her husband Marty (Armie Hammer) to bring a groundbreaking gender discrimination case before the Supreme Court.

    Filming has begun on the movie and Participant Media has released the first image of Jones as the now-Supreme Court Justice.

    Mimi Leder is directing from a script written by Ginsburg’s nephew, Daniel Stiepleman.

    “Our story of Ruth Bader Ginsburg resonates with me on so many levels — from the inspiring partnership she found in her marriage, to overcoming adversity as a woman and discovering the strength of her own voice, to her empathetic commitment to those in need of a voice no matter their gender, race, status or religious beliefs,” Leder said.

    “In these tumultuous times, stories like this speak to the heart of humanity and remind us what it means to lead with love and compassion as the way forward.”

    Justin Theroux, Kathy Bates, Sam Waterston, and Stephen Root also star in the movie, which will be released sometime next year in conjunction with Ginsburg’s 25th anniversary on the Supreme Court.

  • 8 Mistakes You Never Noticed in Unforgettable Biopics

    8 Mistakes You Never Noticed in Unforgettable Biopics

  • Madonna on Unauthorized Biopic ‘Blonde Ambition’: ‘Only I Can Tell My Story’

    US-ENTERTAINMENT-WOMEN IN MUSIC

    At least one person is unhappy about the upcoming Madonna biopic “Blonde Ambition” — and that person is the legendary entertainer herself.

    After news broke Monday that the unauthorized project was in the works, Madonna voiced her opinion in an Instagram post. Her comments came Tuesday and made it clear she doesn’t like the idea of having someone else tell her story.

    “Nobody knows what I know and what I have seen,” she wrote. “Only I can tell my story. Anyone else who tries is a charlatan and a fool. Looking for instant gratification without doing the work. This is a disease in our society.”

    The Universal project is set to explore the early years of her career as she tried to get her first album released. Whether or not her reaction will have any impact on the film remains to be seen. Who knows — maybe she’ll be inspired to tell her own story. We’d definitely love to hear it!

    [via: Madonna/Instagram; h/t: Deadline]

  • New ‘All Eyez on Me’ Trailer Teases Tupac Shakur’s Untold Story

    The mystery and conspiracy theories surrounding Tupac Shakur’s death haven’t gone away, but the upcoming biopic “All Eyez on Me” aims to tell the legendary rapper’s untold story.

    The first full trailer was released Thursday, and it takes us from his early days in New York all the way to his tragic end. The preview reminds us that Shakur (played by Demetrius Shipp Jr.) wasn’t just chasing fame; he wanted to use his platform to share his message and he wasn’t afraid to do it in unconventional ways.

    “You got to enter in somebody’s world in order to lead them out,” he says at one point.

    That’s not to say there isn’t a dark side, too. The trailer shows Jada Pinkett (Katerina Graham) coming to him with concerns about his actions, not to mention him serving time in prison. In spite of that, there’s no denying that Shakur remains a fascinating figure.Shipp and Graham star alongside Lauren Cohan, Hill Harper, Jamal Woolard, Danai Gurira, Jamie Hector, and more.

    “All Eyez on Me” is due out in theaters June 16.

  • Yoko Ono to Produce a Film About Her Relationship With John Lennon

    'The Beatles LOVE By Cirque du Soleil' Celebrates Its 10th Anniversary At The Mirage In Las VegasYoko Ono and John Lennon’s relationship has long fascinated Beatles fans, and there’s no one better to be involved in telling their story than Ono herself.

    The artist is set to produce a film about their relationship and their anti-war activism, THR reports. She’s joining forces with an accomplished team: Michael De Luca (“Moneyball”), Anthony McCarten (“Darkest Hour”) , and Josh Bratman (“Fright Night”).

    The film doesn’t have a title yet, but the producers have revealed that it will follow Ono and Lennon’s relationship. Along the way, it will focus on “ripe and relevant themes of love, courage, and activism in the U.S.,” according to De Luca. They hope it will inspire younger generations, he shared.

    Ono and Lennon do have quite a story. They met in 1966 through the London art scene when he was still married to his first wife. It was another three years before they got married, and when they did, they held high-profile protests during their honeymoon in Amsterdam. Ultimately, their marriage didn’t end till Lennon’s death in 1980, in spite of an 18-month separation in the early ’70s.

    With two iconic subjects and so much memorable and controversial history, the film’s bound to be an interesting one.

    [via: THR]