Marc Maron as Sweeney in director Michael Morris’ ‘To Leslie.’
Preview:
Marc Maron is to end his ‘WTF with Marc Maron’ podcast.
He reveals he’s burned out on hosting the show, but “utterly satisfied.”
Past guests have included Leonardo DiCaprio, Brad Pitt, Keith Richards and Barack Obama.
One of the early adopters of the celebrity podcast interview format, comedian and actor Marc Maron, is hanging up his headphones.
Maron, who in addition to his standup and other work has been in movies such as ‘To Leslie’ and animated effort ‘The Bad Guys’ (where he voices Snake), launched ‘WTF with Marc Maron’ in September 2009. And via a story in Deadline, he’s announced that the show will come to a close –– at least, its regular twice-weekly version, this coming fall.
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Maron had this to say about the decision on a recent episode:
“Sixteen years we’ve been doing this, and we’ve decided that we had a great run. Now, basically, it’s time, folks. It’s time. ‘WTF’ is coming to an end. It’s our decision. We’ll have our final episode sometime in the fall.”
Marc Maron in ‘Stick,’ premiering June 4, 2025 on Apple TV+. Photo: Apple TV+.
A slow-burn success since its launch, the podcast has had 1.1 billion downloads, listens and impressions since its launch with 1,645 episodes as well as more than 300 bonus episodes for premium subscribers.
Maron has interviewed comedy greats, A-list actors and even Presidents. His June 2015 interview with President Barack Obama broke the record for ‘WTF’s hosting service, Libsyn, for most downloads in a 24-hour period by more than double the previous record. President Obama travelled to Maron’s garage in Highland Park, California to discuss race relations and gun violence.
Other standout episodes include Todd Glass coming out in 2012 and a 2010 episode with Robin Williams, which was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the United States National Recording Registry in 2022.
Maron, whose first ever guest was Jeff Ross, has also interviewed the likes of Sir Paul McCartney, Jerry Seinfeld, Chris Rock, Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt as well as SNL creator Lorne Michaels, who was one of Maron’s white whales, the most discussed person on the podcast and the man who Maron needed closure from after a meeting that haunted him in the 1990s.
Maron and his producer Brendan McDonald were the recipients of the first-ever Governors Award by the Podcast Academy for Excellence in Audio at The Ambies in 2021.
Marc Maron talks more about the end of ‘WTF’
Marc Maron stars in ‘To Leslie,’ which opens in theaters and on VOD October 7th.
Here’s Maron discussing why he chose to end the show now:
“It really comes down to the fact that we’ve put up a new show every Monday and Thursday for almost sixteen years and we’re tired. We’re burnt out. And we are utterly satisfied with the work we’ve done. We’ve done great work. This doesn’t mean I’m never going to do something like this again. Doesn’t mean I’ll never have talks like I do here, or some kind of podcast at some point in time. But for now, we’re just wrapping things up. It’s okay. It’s okay to end things. It’s okay to try to start some other chapter in your life.”
And on his other reasons:
“It’s nice to be able to end things on our terms. We’ve always had that power to do that and that’s what we’re going to do. We started the show on our terms, we grew it on our terms, and we’ll end it on our terms.”
Where else have we seen Marc Maron?
(from left) Mr. Snake (Marc Maron), Mr. Shark (Craig Robinson), Mr. Wolf (Sam Rockwell), Mr. Piranha (Anthony Ramos) and Ms. Tarantula (Awkwafina) in DreamWorks Animation’s ‘The Bad Guys 2’, directed by Pierre Perifel. Photo: Universal Pictures.
Maron initially came to prominence through his stand-up and has had several specials.
Outside of that and ‘WTF’, stand-up comedian and podcast host.
He’s hosted ‘The Marc Maron Show,’ and been co-host of both ‘Morning Sedition’ and ‘Breakroom Live,’ all politically-oriented shows, produced under the auspices of Air America Media.
(Left) Scott Caan as Jackie Powers in the action/thriller, ‘One Day as a Lion,’ a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate. (Right) Mia Goth and Elizabeth Debicki in ‘Maxxxine’. Photo: Starmaker Studios LLC.
Preview:
Scott Caan and Elizabeth Debicki have joined the ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ follow-up.
Brad Pitt’s confirmed to return.
David Fincher is directing.
We’re still trying to pick our jaws up off the floor at the news back in April that not only was a new movie following Brad Pitt’s stuntman character Cliff Booth from Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ in the works, but A) David Fincher was directing it (with QT’s approval and at the behest of old friend Pitt) and B) Tarantino had written the script for it.
No confirmed details have emerged about who they might play, though a source for the Reporter does mention that the story called for two key female roles, one who runs a bar and mud wrestling establishment and one a trophy wife. It is unknown yet if Debicki will play one of those or another role altogether.
And as for Caan? We know nothing at this point. Security at this point is right around the level of your average ‘Star Wars’ movie.
What do we know about the ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ follow-up?
Brad Pitt in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
We know that this riff on ‘Once’s Booth character –– the movie isn’t strictly a sequel, more of a Booth spin-off ––is something that Tarantino was noodling with and could potentially have been born from his scrapped script ‘The Movie Critic,’ which supposedly included Pitt.
Now QT has turned it into a new script, and with both Fincher and Pitt aboard, Netflix has put together the deal, which will probably end up being around a $200 million budget (the streamer reportedly paid a cool $20 million for the script) to shoot in California this July. We’re talking real fast track here.
But what of Sony, which released ‘Once?’ A couple of things… it has a deal to send much of its output to Netflix and ‘Once’ was a special case anyway; Tarantino’s deal for the original included him hanging on to certain rights. Presumably, he could take Cliff where he wanted.
Handing it to Fincher is no bad compromise if we’re not to get another slice of that character from his creator alone.
There’s more! Reporter Jeff Sneider is adding to the story, bringing word that Leonardo DiCaprio is in the middle of hashing out a deal to also appear in the movie. It’s not yet closed and he may not even end up in the movie, but surely the appeal of A) another Tarantino script, B) working with Fincher and reuniting with Pitt is strong.
What was the story of ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’?
(L to R) Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt star in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’
Tarantino’s original movie is set during the summer of 1969, as Hollywood’s Golden Age is winding down.
Television actor Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his stunt double Booth endeavor to achieve lasting success in Hollywood while meeting several colorful characters along the way.
Not the least is Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who in this alternate version of history ends up saved from death by the members of the Manson family.
As for the follow-up, it certainly shoves everything else on Fincher’s To Do list down a notch or two. Apologies to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, you just got pushed deeper down.
Where else have we seen Scott Caan?
Scott Caan as Jackie Powers in the action/thriller, ‘One Day as a Lion,’ a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.
Caan, son of the late, great James Caan, has forged his own path in the acting world.
The ‘Once’ casting would mark a reunion for Pitt and the actor since Caan appeared in all three of the Steven Soderbergh-directed ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ trilogy of movies.
Yet Caan has been spending much of the last decade or so starring in TV, heading up the long-running present-day take on ‘Hawaii Five-O’ and another procedural, ‘Alert: Missing Persons Unit.’
What has Elizabeth Debicki worked on?
Elizabeth Debicki in ‘The Crown’ season 6. Copyright: Netflix / LeftBank.
The Australian actor might be best known for portraying Princess Diana on Netflix series ‘The Crown,’ but she also appeared in spy thriller series ‘The Night Manager.’
When will the ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ follow-up be out?
Since The Playlist’s story indicates a fast track, we could potentially see this on screens as early as next year –– an exciting prospect for sure.
But will it be on a big or small screen? While Fincher and Pitt are certainly big names, the director didn’t warrant a theatrical release for his previous movie, ‘The Killer,’ despite his established professional relationship with the streaming service.
Still… a follow-up to a Tarantino movie? Starring Brad Pitt and potentially Leonardo DiCaprio? Surely a candidate for at least a limited theatrical push.
Brad Pitt will collaborate with ‘Conclave’ and ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ director Edward Berger for a new drama called ‘The Riders.’
Based on a 1994 novel, the story follows a man searching for his missing wife after she fails to return from a trip abroad.
Pitt is also producing the film alongside Ridley Scott, with A24 providing financing and distribution for the project.
Brad Pitt has signed on to star in a new film called ‘The Riders,’ which will team him with German director Edward Berger.
According to Deadline, the film is an adaptation of a 1994 novel by Australian author Tim Winton, which was nominated for the prestigious Booker Prize award for literary fiction the following year. The film has been picked up after a bidding war by A24, which will finance and distribute the project. Filming is set to begin in 2026.
Winton’s novel follows a man named Fred Scully, who is on an extended vacation in Europe with his wife and seven-year-old daughter when they end up in Ireland and come upon an old farmhouse that Scully’s wife Jennifer insists they purchase. As Scully begins renovating the house, Jennifer and their daughter return to their home in Australia to wind down their affairs and sell their property there.
But when Scully arrives at the airport in Ireland to pick them up, only his daughter disembarks from the aircraft. She cannot tell Scully what’s happened, there is no word from Jennifer, and no indication of where she’s gone or what has happened to her, leading a devastated Scully to travel through Europe with his daughter in a desperate attempt to find his wife.
The book has been adapted for the screen by David Kajganich, whose previous credits include the films ‘Suspiria’ (2018) and ‘Bones and All’ (2022), as well as the 2018 AMC series ‘The Terror,’ for which he developed the first season.
Who are the key filmmakers involved in the project?
Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes in Apple Original Films’ ‘F1,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original Films.
‘The Riders’ has actually been in development as a film since the early 2000s, with actors like Sam Worthington, Mark Strong, and Luke Hemsworth all attached to various versions of it through 2014. In 2018, the film rights landed with Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions, which will produce the film alongside Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment and Berger’s production banner.
(Left) Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ Photo: Sony Pictures. (Right) David Fincher on the set of ‘Mank’. Photo: Gisele Schmidt/Netflix.
Preview:
David Fincher is directing a ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ follow-up.
Brad Pitt’s confirmed to return.
The movie has yet to gain a title.
File this one under “We Really, Really Didn’t see it Coming” and also, “We Had To Check Because It Was April 1st,” but yes… it’s real.
Yet the director won’t be behind the camera for this one; instead it’ll be handled by someone with no small experience directing Pitt: David Fincher.
You read it right… Once of the most talented filmmakers is following up the work of another.
And that’s not all!
What do we know about the ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ follow-up?
Brad Pitt in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
The Playlist’s report mentions that this riff on ‘Once’s Booth character –– the movie isn’t strictly a sequel, more of a Booth spin-off ––is something that Tarantino was noodling with and could potentially have been born from his scrapped script ‘The Movie Critic,’ which supposedly included Pitt.
Now QT has turned it into a new script, and with both Fincher and Pitt aboard, Netflix has put together the deal, which will probably end up being around a $200 million budget (the streamer reportedly paid a cool $20 million for the script) to shoot in California this July. We’re talking real fast track here.
But what of Sony, which released ‘Once?’ A couple of things… it has a deal to send much of its output to Netflix and ‘Once’ was a special case anyway; Tarantino’s deal for the original included him hanging on to certain rights. Presumably, he could take Cliff where he wanted.
Handing it to Fincher is no bad compromise if we’re not to get another slice of that character from his creator alone.
There’s more! Reporter Jeff Sneider is adding to the story, bringing word that Leonardo DiCaprio is in the middle of hashing out a deal to also appear in the movie. It’s not yet closed and he may not even end up in the movie, but surely the appeal of A) another Tarantino script, B) working with Fincher and reuniting with Pitt is strong.
What was the story of ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’?
(L to R) Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt star in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’
Tarantino’s original movie is set during the summer of 1969, as Hollywood’s Golden Age is winding down.
Television actor Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his stunt double Booth endeavor to achieve lasting success in Hollywood while meeting several colorful characters along the way.
Not the least is Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who in this alternate version of history ends up saved from death by the members of the Manson family.
As for the follow-up, it certainly shoves everything else on Fincher’s To Do list down a notch or two. Which brings us to…
What is David Fincher currently working on?
David Fincher on the set of ‘Mank’. Photo: Gisele Schmidt/Netflix.
With various projects as ever on the go waiting for corporate overlords to give the greenlight, Fincher seems closer on a couple of potential next gigs than others on his list.
First off, there is the Western script ‘Bitterroot,’ written by Michael Gilio, which concerns an elderly rancher whose life savings have been stolen.
He sets out to get his money back by robbing banks and hunting down the thieves — all while being pursued by his son… who is the sheriff.
Comparisons have been made to Clint Eastwood classic ‘Unforgiven,’ so even with the riskier marketplace, this is a script that will surely be produced at some point. And it’s perhaps not surprising that given its long lifespan in the Hollywood marketplace, there has been at least one previous attempt to bring it to screens. Blind Wink Productions and Aversano Films were working on it with Gilio on board to both write and direct and Gore Verbinski to produce back in 2011.
Netflix owns the rights to the script, and Fincher has a long relationship with the company, but it has yet to confirm anything concrete about it.
(L to R) David Fincher and Gary Oldman on the set of ‘Mank’. Photo: Miles Crist/Netflix.
And the hurdles faced by Kevin Costner’s ‘Horizon: An American Saga’ are likely giving pause. Still, the streaming service has violent frontier limited series ‘American Primeval’ coming out on January 9th, so perhaps it will see how that does before making a decision.
Yet the Western faces some serious competition on Fincher’s To Do list, as the filmmaker has also been developing an American version of giant Netflix hit ‘Squid Game.’
The Korean drama series about the twisted and frequently lethal competition recently released its second season and is racking up huge viewership once more.
Much like ‘Bitterroot,’ we’re still waiting for anything approaching official comment from Netflix about a potential Fincher version, but it certainly feels like a solid match for filmmaker and topic.
A dark, satirical series where morality is questioned, and death lurks around every corner? Surely something he can do well.
Still, we’ll have to wait and see whether it actually surfaces.
When will the ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ follow-up be out?
Since The Playlist’s story indicates a fast track, we could potentially see this on screens as early as next year –– an exciting prospect for sure.
But will it be on a big or small screen? While Fincher and Pitt are certainly big names, the director didn’t warrant a theatrical release for his previous movie, ‘The Killer,’ despite his established professional relationship with the streaming service.
Still… a follow-up to a Tarantino movie? Starring Brad Pitt and potentially Leonardo DiCaprio? Surely a candidate for at least a limited theatrical push.
Earlier this week, Moviefone had the pleasure of attending a virtual press conference, along with other members of the press, for ‘F1’ featuring director Joseph Kosinski, and a video introduction from Lewis Hamilton, producer and Formular One World Champion.
Here’s what Kosinski and Hamilton had to say about making ‘F1’.
The Champion Speaks
The press conference began with an introduction from Formula One World Champion race driver Lewis Hamilton, who is also a producer on the film.
“Joe (Kosinski), Jerry (Bruckheimer), Brad (Pitt), the cast and the whole filmmaking team put an incredible amount of effort to deliver a genuine Formula One racing experience, unlike anything you’ve ever experienced before on screen. As you may have heard, the film was shot during the F1 races over the course of a season, and with Joe at the helm, audiences around the globe are going to feel like they’re on the track and in the driver’s seat.”
Hamilton went on to discuss working with Brad Pitt and his commitment to the project.
“Watching Brad drive around speeds over 180 miles an hour was impressive to see because it’s not something you can just learn overnight. The dedication and the focus that Brad put into this process has been amazing to witness. This film has got it all. Brad Pitt, speed, thrills, an epic underdog story, drama, humor, and a little bit of romance.”
Finally, Hamilton expressed his pride in the film and promised something for Formular One fans and non-fans alike.
“You may even recognize some familiar faces from the world of Formula One racing. As someone who’s dedicated his whole life to this sport, I’m so honored to have worked alongside this team of actors and filmmakers. This has been such a thrill for me. I genuinely promise this film delivers on every level.”
Why Formula One?
After Hamilton’s introduction, director Joseph Kosinski discussed why he wanted to make a movie about Formula One racing.
“Well, I think like a lot of people during Covid, I found myself starting to watch the races and found this great television show called ‘Formula 1: Drive to Survive’. I found that it’s an incredibly unique sport in that your teammate is also your, in many ways, your greatest competition. For me, that makes for a great drama. I also loved how the first season of the show focused on the last place teams, the underdogs rather than the Ferrari, the Mercedes, the Red Bull, the teams that you see at the front of the pack. I thought that there was an interesting story to be told about an underdog team trying to not win the championship, but just trying to win one race against these titans of the sport. So that’s where it started. Lucky for me, I had a contact who was in Formula One that I could reach out to, so I did.”
Commitment to Authenticity
Brad Pitt as Sonny Hayes in Apple Original Films’ ‘F1,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo: Courtesy Warner Bros. Pictures / Apple Original Films.
Kosinski discussed what steps he took to make sure the race scenes looked as authentic and accurate as possible.
“Well, the first thing I did was I reached out to Lewis Hamilton who gave that incredible intro, and obviously he lives that sport every day. He’s one of the greatest of all time and I asked him to be my partner on making this film. So having Lewis gave me this incredible in into this world, and one of the people he introduced me to was Toto Wolf, the team principal of Mercedes. I started talking with them about wanting to capture the speed of this sport, and It was actually Toto who came up with the idea of rather than making a movie car fast enough to achieve these speeds, but he said, “Why don’t you start with a race car and take a real race car and then work the cameras that you need into that”. So, we did that. We bought six F2 cars, real F2 race cars and worked with Mercedes AMG, the Formula One team and their engineers to build real race cars that could carry our camera equipment recorders and transmitters for making this film. So, every time you see Brad or Damson driving in this movie, they’re driving on their own in one of these real race cars on a real F1 track. So that’s kind of how we approached the making of this film.”
Kosinski also talked about the research he did to prepare for the movie.
“It’s one of the nice benefits of making a movie about Formula One is a lot of research, a lot of travel, and I got to see amazing tracks all over the world. One thing I really love about Formula One is every race has its own character and every weekend it’s very different. We end the film in Abu Dhabi, which is this incredible track that is just a spectacular way to end the film. But every track has its own personality, its own character, and because we went to all these places for real, you really feel like you’ve gone around the world when you watch the movie.”
Shooting the Racing Scenes
Coming off the success of ‘Top Gun: Maverick’, Kosinski explained how that movie prepared him for this film and how he was able to capture the incredible Formula One race scenes and bring that excitement and action to the big screen.
“I mean, the big challenge was just the camera system itself. We had to develop a brand-new camera system taking everything we learned on ‘Top Gun: Maverick’ and pushing it much further. You can’t put 60 pounds of gear onto a race car and expect it’s going to perform the same way. So, we took those ‘Top Gun’ cameras and we worked closely with Sony, sizing them down to something about a quarter of the size. Then on top of that, something I really wanted to do on this film was to be able to operate and move the cameras while we were shooting, which was something we couldn’t do on ‘Top Gun’. So, we have motorized mounts on the car as well. So, you have transmitters that are transmitting the picture back. We’ve got transmitters controlling the movement of the camera. I’m sitting at the base station with Claudio (Miranda), our cinematographer looking at 16 screens. I’ve got camera operators on the controls for the cameras and it’s calling out. The Camera moves like a live television show while they’re shooting. So much research and technology and development went into just being able to roll a frame of footage in addition to the training for the actors and the logistics of shooting at a real race. So, it was a lot of prep to be able to pull this off.”
Kosinski shot some scenes during real Formula One Championship races and explained the complications of trying to execute those scenes in a small window of time.
“I mean, the tracks, the locations are one thing, but on race weekend, it just becomes this whole different world. It’s like a traveling circus. So, we couldn’t just shoot at the track without the race going on. It would’ve been the wrong dynamic. So, we were there on race weekend with hundreds of thousands of people watching us finding these slots between practice and qualifying, that Formula One graciously afforded us. So, we’d get these 10- or 15-minute slots where we’d have to have Brad and Damson ready in the cars, warmed up with and ready to go, and as soon as practice ended, they would pull out onto the track. We’d have 24 to 30 cameras ready, rolling, and I’d have to shoot these scenes in these very short, intense, high-speed windows. But the crowd you’re seeing was there in the stands. I don’t think the crowd realized that Brad Pitt was in the car that was in front of them. So, there was this heightened quality to every race. We were also shooting dramatic scenes on the grid before races, so it was a unique way of working rather than having a whole day to shoot a scene like you normally would on a movie. We had these 9- or 10-minute slots, so it was like a live stage play, but in front of hundreds of thousands of people shooting at 180 miles an hour, literally. So, it was an adrenaline rush every weekend, but what we captured is something you can’t fake, you can’t stage. it was like game day. I remember our first day shooting at Silverstone (racetrack) with Javier (Bardem), Brad and Tobias Menzies. I literally had a piece of paper with, it looked like an American football diagram of where everyone had to stand and walk and where you had moved to. It was like we looked at it and it was like, break, let’s go do this. I think we got three takes in seven minutes or something and got what you see in the film. But the actors, you feel that in their performance, they know it’s like, we’re not going to get 15 tries at it. You got to nail it.”
Driving School
‘F1’ opens in theaters on June 27, 2025.
Actors Brad Pitt and Damson Idris had to learn to drive real Formula One cars for the film and Kosinski discussed how Hamilton helped in their training.
“Brad and Damson are both driving in this film and to get them into these race cars, it required months, literally months of training. But the first day was fun. It was me, Brad and Lewis Hamilton at the track together, all of us jumping in cars and driving each other around in sports cars. Which was one of those things, I’ll never forget having Lewis Hamilton as your driving instructor. But what we learned and what Lewis was really interested was seeing did Brad know how to drive right? Because if Brad can’t drive, this whole film wasn’t going to work. What Lewis was very happy to discover was that Brad had a lot of just natural ability right from the start, and I don’t know where he got that or if he was born with it, but he rides motorcycles, which I think has something to do with it. He’s just a very talented, naturally blessed driver, which for Lewis, gave him a lot of confidence that we might have a shot at pulling this off. He just had that natural feel for grip in the car and what we’re doing on this film is dangerous. So yeah, you must be fearless, and when you see Brad driving, that’s not acting. He’s really concentering on keeping that car on the track and out of the wall during all those scenes. So that’s something that you just can’t fake, I think. I hope the audience feels that when they watch the movie.”
Finding the Right Story
The director talked about how important it was to find the right script and unique characters for ‘F1’.
“It always starts with a great script and a great story. I knew that no matter how accurate or exciting the racing is, it doesn’t mean anything if you’re not telling a story supported with great characters. So, it all starts with the script, and I worked with Ehren Kruger, who also worked on ‘Top Gun: Maverick’. He wrote an incredible script for us to start with. This story has everything. It has the tension you would expect in a movie like this with all the action, but at the same time, there’s real heart here, especially in the story of Sonny Hayes and this kind of redemption journey he’s on. There’s humor in there, there’s some romance, there’s a little bit of everything that you need to tell a fully fleshed out rich story like this.”
The Cast
(L to R) Damson Idris and Brad Pitt in ‘F1’. Photo: Warner Bros. and Apple Original FIlms.
The director also discussed his exceptional cast and what it was like to work with Oscar winners Brad Pitt and Javier Bardem.
“The most important thing a director does beyond developing the script is casting. Casting is everything. The group of actors that we pulled together for this film is incredible. Javier Bardem and Brad together, their friendship, which is an old one- three decades old, really is the core of this story and of this film and just seeing them together on screen is special. Kerry Condon, she’s incredible. She plays the team technical director, so she’s the person in charge of designing the car and the engineers and the drivers. There’s some healthy tension there on every team, and it makes for a great relationship between the two of them. Then Damson Iris, who people might know from his television career (‘Snowfall’), but maybe not from the movies. I’m really excited for people to see him here going toe to toe with Brad on a big screen and a big story. So, we have an incredible cast of supporting actors as well. It’s a great ensemble.”
Is ’F1’ for Racing Fans Only?
“Not at all,” answered Kosinski and the director went on to assure audiences that they don’t need to be Formula One fans to enjoy the movie.
“This is a movie about friendship, teamwork, sacrifice, and redemption. The story I think is universal. It’s just set in this incredibly exciting world of Formula One, and if you are a Formula One fan, I think you’re going to like this movie. If you don’t know anything about Formula One, I think you’re going to like this movie and you might come out wanting to watch some races or maybe even go to a race. So yeah, you don’t need to know anything going in. We’ll teach you everything you need to enjoy this story.”
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What is the plot of ‘F1”?
Sonny Hayes (Brad Pitt), a Formula One driver who raced in the 1990s, has a horrible crash, forcing him to retire from Formula One and start racing in other disciplines. A Formula One team owner and friend, Ruben (Javier Bardem), contacts Hayes and asks him to come out of retirement to mentor rookie prodigy Joshua “Noah” Pearce (Damson Idris) for the Apex Grand Prix team (APXGP).
Brad Pitt will star in and produce ‘Heart of the Beast.’
It marks a reunion with his ‘Fury’ director David Ayer.
The story will see him as a soldier trying to survive after a plane crash.
Back in 2014, David Ayer wrote and directed ‘Fury,’ a World War II action movie about a grizzled tank commander who must make tough decisions as he and his crew fight their way across Germany in April 1945.
Clearly, Pitt had enough of a good time working with Ayer that the two are now teaming back up –– albeit 11 years later –– for a new movie, this time a survival drama called ‘Heart of the Beast,’ to which Ayer has been attached since last year.
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According to Deadline, Paramount has snagged Pitt’s services to both star and co-produce the movie via his Plan B company.
What’s the story of ‘Heart of the Beast’?
Brad Pitt in ‘Fury’. Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.
Written by Cameron Alexander (who is more known as a music video director), ‘Heart of the Beast’ follows a former Army Special Forces Soldier and his retired combat dog who battle for survival after a plane crash deep in the unforgiving Alaskan wilderness.
Also on the behind-the-scenes team for the movie is ‘La La Land’ and ‘Babylon’ director Damien Chazelle, who signed a first-look deal with Paramount last year and will produce through his Wild Chickens banner, which he runs with wife and fellow filmmaker Olivia Hamilton.
What else is David Ayer working on?
Director David Ayer talks ‘The Beekeeper.’
Ayer, who has been campaigning for years to get his director’s cut of 2016 superhero outing ‘Suicide Squad’ out into the world, has otherwise been keeping busy directing the likes of ‘Bright,’ ‘The Tax Collector’ and last year’s surprisingly successful ‘The Beekeeper,’ which starred Jason Statham as a former member of a shadowy group known as the Beekeepers, who are brought in for extraordinary missions.
Ayer and Statham have already teamed back up for a new offering, ‘A Working Man,’ which will see the actor playing a retired counter-terrorism expert who now works in construction, but who calls upon his particular set of skills when a local girl goes missing.
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That movie will be in theaters on March 28th.
What else is Brad Pitt involved with?
Brad Pitt in ‘F1’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Pitt was most recently seen in Apple TV+ movie ‘Wolfs’ opposite old friend George Clooney. Directed by Jon Watts, the film saw Pitt and Clooney as two lone-wolf fixers who are forced to team up on the same job.
The film was controversially given an extremely limited one-week cinema release before showing up on the company’s streaming service, and despite performing well there, the rumored follow-up has quietly gone away.
Despite that, he’ll be back on screens this June in ‘F1,’ the Joseph Kosinski-directed movie about a Formula 1 racing driver who comes out of retirement to coach a younger driver –– only to get back behind the wheel himself.
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That movie boasts a giant $300 million budget and has been shooting at various Formula 1 races around the world. It should be in cinemas for a little bit longer than ‘Wolfs’…
The actor is also aboard Jeff Nichols’ next film, ‘Land of Opportunity’ and has a wealth of other potential projects on his to-do list.
(L to R) Brad Pitt and Ziggy Marley attend the Los Angeles Premiere of “Bob Marley: One Love” at the Regency Village Theatre in Los Angeles, CA on Tuesday, February 6th, 2024. Photo: Alex J. Berliner/ABImages.
Outside of his acting work, Pitt, though his company, was an executive producer on recent cinematic titles including ‘Beetlejuice Beetlejuice’ and ‘Bob Marley: One Love,’ as well as RaMell Ross’s ‘Nickel Boys,’ adapted by Amazon from the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel by Colson Whitehead, which yesterday landed Academy Award nominations for Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay.
Coming up, he’ll also carry the same producer title on Bong Joon-ho’s ‘Mickey 17,’ which releases on March 7th following a Berlin Film Festival premiere, as well as the upcoming ‘Hedda,’ Nia DaCosta’s feature take on the Henrik Ibsen play for Orion.
When will ‘Heart of the Beast’ be in theaters?
With filming yet to start, Paramount hasn’t handed out a release date for ‘Heart of the Beast’ just yet. It may well depend on Pitt’s schedule as for when it’s ready to head to theaters.
Director David Ayer on the set of Netflix’s ‘Bright.’ Photo: Matt Kennedy.
(Left) David Leitch in Paris for ‘Bullet Train.’ Credit: Oliver Vigerie/Sony Pictures. (Right) George Clooney and Brad Pit in ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Preview:
David Leitch is in talks to direct ‘Ocean’s Fourteen.’
George Clooney, Brad Pitt and other leads would likely return.
Warner Bros. is backing the movie as always.
Las Vegas casinos, you might want to check your security setup. Because the ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ crew is looking to pay another visit.
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At least, that’s the plan for Warner Bros. and George Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures company, which have been trying for a few years now to put together an ‘Ocean’s Fourteen.’
It would aim to reunite the reunite the crew from the previous outing, which includes Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon and more for a new movie.
Yet while Clooney seems committed to coming back, director Steven Soderbergh is apparently sitting this one out, having handled the previous three main entries.
There were rumours last year that Edward Berger, who made the Oscar-winning ‘All Quiet on the Western Front,’ (and is back in awards contention with ‘Conclave’) was in talks to take it on, but he denied them in an interview with Collider:
“Well, I feel very honored that people think of me to be able to do something like that, and of course, I would love the challenge to do either, but again, it’s rumors that are just people wanting to print some news that just have no basis in fact.”
It’s not exactly considered the greatest movie ever made, so a remake was a smart move.
The updated ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ landed in 2001, with Soderbergh directing from a script by Ted Griffin.
Clooney played Ocean, with his crew including Pitt, Damon, Casey Affleck, Scott Caan, Bernie Mac and more. They staged a sophisticated and elaborate casino heist involving robbing three Las Vegas casinos simultaneously during a popular boxing event.
It was a success for Warner Bros., earning $450 million from an $85 million budget.
Its 2004 sequel, the Europe-set ‘Ocean’s Twelve,’ also directed by Soderbergh (with a script this time by George Nolfi) saw Danny rustle up one more team member so he can pull off three major European heists and help his team pay back debts.
With a bigger budget ($110 million) it wasn’t quite as successful, but still earned $320 million.
The final film in the Soderbergh-directed trilogy, 2007’s ‘Ocean’s Thirteen’ had Brian Koppelman and David Levien on scripting duty and had Danny rounding up the crew for a third heist after casino owner Willy Bank (Al Pacino) double-crosses one of the original eleven, Reuben Tishkoff (Elliott Gould).
With a budget reduced back down to $85 million, it crept close to ‘Twelve’s earnings with $311 worldwide.
In 2018, we got spin-off ‘Ocean’s Eight,’ directed by Gary Ross from a script he wrote with Olivia Milch.
The movie was budgeted around the $70 million mark and earned $297 million worldwide.
What has George Clooney said about a new ‘Ocean’s’ movie?
George Clooney in ‘Ocean’s Eleven’. Photo: Warner Bros. Pictures.
Clooney, who is a producer on the ‘Ocean’s franchise in addition to its lead actor, told Uproxx about a development for the future back in 2023:
“We have a really good script for another ‘Ocean’s’ now, so we may end up doing another one. It’s actually a great script. the idea is kind of like ‘Going in Style.’ ”
David Leitch in Paris for ‘Bullet Train.’ Credit: Oliver Vigerie/Sony Pictures.
Leitch has spun quite the career from his days as a stuntman doubling for Keanu Reeves. After graduating to stunt coordinator and second-unit director, he co-directed ‘John Wick’ with action colleague Chad Stahelski.
Last year’s ‘The Fall Guy,’ which starred Ryan Gosling and Emily Blunt, didn’t succeed at the box office but doesn’t seem to have hurt Leitch’s prospects.
He’s also a producer via his 87North company and has the likes of ‘Love Hurts‘ and ‘Nobody 2’ on the way in that capacity.
Wasn’t there another ‘Ocean’s movie in the works?
‘Barbie’ CinemaCon 2023 Presentation and Press Line, April 25th. Photos By Eric Charbonneau.
With Jay Roach reportedly directing, Carrie Solomon’s script is set in Europe in the 1960s and may see Gosling and Robbie as Danny Ocean’s heist-happy parents.
There has been little movement on that one recently, so we’ll wait and see if it actually comes to fruition.
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Opening in theaters in limited release from September 20th ahead of a September 27th arrival on Apple’s TV+ service, ‘Wolfs’ is the latest attempt by the tech giant to lure in audiences with big names and healthy budgets, though seemingly –– given that one-week run in theaters –– more concerned about buzz (and subscribers) than box office.
Still, the movie itself offers enough fun to make it a worthwhile effort, even if it seems a little too much in love with the star wattage of its two central famous faces.
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Do you long to see George Clooney and Brad Pitt reunited on screen for the first time since –– no, not the ‘Ocean’s movies but actually the Coenbrothers’ ‘Burn After Reading,’ which barely counts since they only occupy the same cinematic space for a very brief time?
If you’re yearning to have two of the most famous movie stars Hollywood has to offer trading barbs, occasionally letting themselves look vulnerable but generally being just as cool as you expect, then Apple has the answer for you. And the giant tech corporation has kindly agreed to put in theaters for exactly a week before the whole affair shuffles off to its Apple TV+ service.
That might sound sarcastic or cynical, but it’s hard not to see the ploy in the same light: agree to back ‘Spider-Man’ trilogy director Jon Watts’ new original crime caper, see him secure two giant stars then look for buzz over box office.
Still, the film that was made does have enough going for it to warrant seeing it on the big screen, even if you must be quick. Just don’t go expecting a completely original tale, as what unspools is largely a fun version of stories we’ve seen before with a tweak here and there.
Script and Direction
(L to R) Director Jon Watts, Brad Pitt and George Clooney on the set of ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Watts has been sitting on the ‘Wolfs’ script for years, fully hoping that Clooney and Pitt might agree to star, since the roles very much feel written for them in ‘Ocean’s chatty mode. Of course, Spidey has gotten in the way for the last few years (albeit doing plenty for the filmmaker’s profile and bank balance), but the director has now broken free of Marvel’s grasp to get back to the sort of movie that launched his career, ‘Cop Car.’
The ‘Wolfs’ script is light on its feet, mostly driven by the banter between Clooney and Pitt, though it does at times twist itself in knots trying to figure out certain situations. And there is also sometimes too much of a reliance on certain repetitive dialogue tricks, such as the duo overlapping each other or one saying a curse word, then the other saying the same thing when they discover what he’s looking at.
It all adds up to the movie at times feeling exactly that, a movie –– while we don’t go to star-driven films such as this for gritty reality, it does jolt you out of the experience from time to time.
And Watts knows how to direct both actors and action, New York shot in appealing tones as the characters make their way on their unexpected mission. One moment in particular –– no spoilers, but it involves a car and one of the characters is played in slow-mo for maximum impact.
Performances
(L to R) George Clooney and Brad Pitt in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Aside from Clooney and Pitt, almost everyone else is a cipher (and one particular actor should feel hard done by –– see below.)
George Clooney as “Margaret’s Man”
Neither of the stars’ characters are given names that we learn here; that pretty much comes with the job of mysterious, gruff fixer. Still, Clooney can knock this sort of role out of the park in his sleep and here he’s offered the chance to sideline the twinkly charm for a more circumspect character.
Brad Pitt as “Pam’s Man”
Both Pitt and Clooney are channeling their real-life friendship here, albeit, submerging under layers of characters who don’t want to work together. Pitt, like his co-star, is on good form, underplaying it and keeping his cool. There are a few funny grace notes to the pair aging, such as cracking backs or downing Advil, and it all adds to the layers of the two fixers.
Yes, names really are not a thing in this movie (with a couple of exceptions), but Abrams doesn’t need one to make an impact. He’s a fine pick to play off of the two leads, his nervy, slightly manic energy (since his character is in the midst of a drug trip/comedown during the story) works well against their measured stoicism and he really makes the part work.
Ryan is the first person we meet in the film, and though she only makes a brief appearance as a panicked district attorney who initially summons Clooney’s character for help when she thinks she has a dead body in her room after a hookup gone awry, she does a lot with a little.
Supporting cast
A few other roles pop –– ‘Never Have I Ever’s Poorna Jagannathan is dry and funny as June, the doctor to whom the central pair take the kid, while Zlatko Burić dutifully portrays the gangster Dimitri with whom our heroes interact during the movie.
Still, there is one giant crime in the movie (and we don’t mean murder or drugs), and that’s the utter waste of the brilliant Richard Kind, who while he’s great as always, has maybe a couple of lines of dialogue and a minute or two of screen time.
Final Thoughts
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
‘Wolfs’ gets by on star power for good and ill, slowly turning the dial on the central characters, peeling away some layers and adding in some moral questions, which is surely why Clooney and Pitt took the gig beyond the chance to team back up again on screen.
It doesn’t totally succeed, but it’s better than your average crime caper.
‘Wolfs’ receives 7 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the plot of ‘Wolfs’?
‘Wolfs’ sees George Clooney as a professional fixer hired to cover up a high-profile crime. But when a second fixer (Brad Pitt) shows up and the two “lone wolves” are forced to work together, they find their night spiraling out of control in ways that neither one of them expected.
Who stars in ‘Wolfs’?
George Clooney as Jack
Brad Pitt as Nick
Amy Ryan as Margaret
Austin Abrams as Kid
Poorna Jagannathan as June
Zlatko Burić as Dimitri
Richard Kind as Kid’s dad
(L to R) George Clooney and Brad Pitt in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
On a recent interview for Bill Maher’s Club Random podcast, Tarantino opened up on a variety of subjects, including what he sees as “misinformation” about movies he’d been considering. Oh, and in a very grumpy old man style, he also talked ‘Toy Story’ of all things.
1979’s ‘Star Trek: The Motion Picture.’ Photo: Paramount Pictures.
Though chatter began back in 2017 about Tarantino conceiving and potentially directing a ‘Star Trek’ movie for Paramount, the seemingly endless churn of development and lack of a clear plan for the franchise’s future seemingly scuttled his ambitions.
This is what he said on the subject and the wider topic of misinformation about what he’s up to:
“Well, it’s never going to happen, but there has been so much misinformation about what it was going to be, nothing but misinformation. Because I’m not on Instagram and social media, consequently, if you’re Joe Schlomoko and you’re a transient reporter of some kind, if you hear Quentin is going to do a ‘Star Trek’ film or ‘The Movie Critic’ or anything, it’s a lot like that guy who wrote that Howard Hughes biography that ended up being a hoax.”
Quentin Tarantino on ‘The Movie Critic’
Tom Cruise attends the Abu Dhabi Red Carpet and Premiere of ‘Mission: Impossible – Dead Reckoning Part One’ presented by Paramount Pictures and Skydance at Emirates Palace Hotel on June 26, 2023, in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. Photo by Darren Arthur/Getty Images for Paramount Pictures.
Another topic widely reported was his plan to make his “final” film, and for a while it looked like it would be ‘The Movie Critic’, based around a writer the younger Tarantino used to read, who reviewed regular films in an adult magazine.
Speculation swirled around casting, including mentions of Tom Cruise being involved, Brad Pitt’s Cliff Booth character from ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ and Paul Walter Hauser playing the critic.
Here’s the director dismissing those ideas:
“They can say anything. ‘Quentin is going to cast Tom Cruise, it’s for sure. The thing that was kind of funny about ‘The Movie Critic’ that I was going to cast Paul Walter Hauser… they just think he looks like a critic, so that’s why they picked him!”
Quentin Tarantino on future endeavors
Quentin Tarantino on the set of ‘Django Unchained.’
So with the opportunity to talk openly about anything he wanted, he was also quizzed about what he wants to do next.
And from the sounds of it, the idea that he’ll be making his tenth –– and, according to the man himself –– final movie, could be further off than we thought.
Here’s his mention of theater musings:
“I’m leaning more towards writing— or trying for a while—theater. And in theater, it would be funny stuff.”
According to Tarantino, he’s also considering mining his past for theatrical shows, with an idea to turn his expanded novelizations of his movies into potential stage productions.
Quentin Tarantino on ‘Toy Story’
(L to R) Woody (Tom Hanks) and Buzz Lightyear (Tim Allen) in Pixar Animation Studios’ ‘Toy Story.’
Finally, and most surprisingly, the filmmaker turned his attention to Pixar’s most famous franchise, and his love for the trilogy starring Buzz, Woody and the gang.
This is what he said:
“In the case of ‘Toy Story,’ the third one is just magnificent. It’s one of the best movies I’ve ever seen. And if you’ve seen the other two, it’s just devastating. But the thing is, then three years later or something, they did a fourth. I have no desire to see it. You literally ended the story as perfect as you could, so no, I don’t care if it’s good. I’m done.”
Sssh… Nobody tell him about ‘Toy Story 5’, due in theaters in 2026!
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Quentin Tarantino accepts the Oscar® for original screenplay for “Django Unchained” during the live ABC Telecast of The Oscars® from the Dolby® Theatre, in Hollywood, CA, Sunday, February 24, 2013.
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
Preview:
George Clooney and Brad Pitt’s ‘Wolfs’ is getting a sequel.
It’s the new film from ‘Spider-Man’ recent trilogy director Jon Watts.
Yet the movie will also now not be in wide release.
There is some good news and bad news for the Apple-backed crime caper ‘Wolfs’ that stars George Clooney and Brad Pitt.
Apple has, via Deadline, decided to start developing a sequel to the Jon Watts movie that will be with us next month. That’s the good news.
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Here comes the gut punch: instead of a wide release for the original movie, it will now land in theaters just one week before it arrives globally on Apple TV+. Seemingly gone (at least for now) are the days when any movie featuring big stars launches in cinemas and enjoys a healthy run at the box office.
Still, it’s perhaps not surprising for Apple –– while its big-name releases (such as ‘Killers of the Flower Moon’ and ‘Emancipation’ haven’t been box office behemoths, they’ve enjoyed plenty of buzz and some awards recognition.
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
‘Wolfs’, which Watts (currently best known for the three most recent ‘Spider-Man’ movies starring Tom Holland) wrote, directed and produced, Clooney plays a professional fixer hired to cover up a high-profile crime.
But when a second fixer (Pitt) shows up and the two lone wolves are forced to work together, they find their night spiraling out of control in ways neither expected.
Here’s what Apple Original Films head of features Matt Dentler said to Deadline about the news:
“‘Wolfs’ is the kind of big event movie that makes Apple TV+ such an exceptional home for the best in entertainment. With George and Brad’s remarkable and engaging chemistry under Jon Watts’ extraordinary direction, ‘Wolfs’ blends all the great elements of comedy, action, and drama into a hugely entertaining movie that will leave audiences ready for what’s next. Releasing the movie to theaters before making it widely available to Apple TV+ customers brings the best of both worlds to audiences, and we’re excited to see fans embrace the movie as we start working with Jon on the sequel.”
What about other movies from Apple?
(L to R) Matt Damon and Casey Affleck in ‘The Instigators’. Photo: Apple TV+.
It’s a case of the company judging based on the market. The likes of new crime pic ‘The Instigators’ (which boasts Matt Damon and Casey Affleck as its leads) will be on limited release ahead of its Apple TV+ debut, while the mammoth-budget ‘F1’ that Pitt has been shooting for a while now with Joseph Kosinski directing from a script by Ehren Kruger, is still targeting a wide launch in cinemas next year.
So, when will ‘Wolfs’ be on screen?
(L to R) Brad Pitt and George Clooney in ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
The movie will have its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival before a limited run in cinemas on September 20th and then lands on Apple TV+ on September 27th.
(L to R) Director Jon Watts, Brad Pitt and George Clooney on the set of ‘Wolfs’. Photo: Sony Pictures.
