(Left) Charles Melton as Joe in ‘May December.’ Photo: François Duhamel / Courtesy of Netflix. (Center Left) Cailee Spaeny in director Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla.’ Photo: A24. (Center Right) Jake Gyllenhaal as Sgt. John Kinley in ‘The Covenant,’ directed by Guy Ritchie, a Metro Goldwyn Mayer Pictures film. (Right) Anne Hathaway in Apple TV+’s ‘WeCrashed.’
Preview:
Creator Lee Sung Jin is developing a new series of ‘Beef’.
Anne Hathaway, Jake Gyllenhaal, Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny are circling the leads.
Scripts for the new season are in place.
While we could certainly see a way forward for the characters in ‘Beef’ Season 1, it would appear that Netflix and creator Lee Sung Jin are going the anthology route for the series, taking a leaf out of Ryan Murphy’s ‘American Horror Story’/‘American Crime Story’ shows or Noah Hawley’s ‘Fargo’, which both switch out characters and stories between seasons.
But the idea of more ‘Beef’ is hardly a shock, since the first season has been scooping up trophies left, right and center, including at this past weekend’s Screen Actors Guild Awards. And from the sounds of Deadline’s new report, the cast is set to get even starrier.
The first batch of ‘Beef’ episodes charted the aftermath of a road rage incident between two strangers.
Danny Cho (Steven Yeun), a failing contractor with a chip on his shoulder, goes head-to-head with Amy Lau (Ali Wong), a self-made entrepreneur with a picturesque life. The increasing stakes of their feud unravel their lives and relationships.
(L to R) Lee Sung Jin, Ali Wong and Steven Yeun attend Netflix’s Los Angeles premiere of ‘BEEF’ at Netflix Tudum Theater on March 30, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.
Details are extremely scarce on the new season, which Jin and his writers have apparently already worked on. But apparently it’ll pivot from characters feuding one-on-one to couples clashing.
That’s certainly a nice twist on the concept, and opens up possibilities for the future –– will we see families fight? Companies? Countries?
Who is being considered for ‘Beef’ Season 2?
(L to R) Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal in ‘Love & Other Drugs.’ Photo: 20th Century Fox.
While Deadline cautions that talks are at a very early stage and deals have most certainly not been locked in place yet, word is that Jin is courting Anne Hathaway and Jake Gyllenhaal (who already played a troubled couple in 2010 movie ‘Love & Other Drugs’) alongside Charles Melton and Cailee Spaeny.
Hathaway and Gyllenhaal need little introduction, as they’re established stars. Melton, who was best known for ‘Riverdale’, broke out big last year in movie terms with ‘May December’, for which he was nominated for a slew of awards.
Spaeny, meanwhile, has had some solid roles, including in ‘Pacific Rim: Uprising’ and ‘Vice’ (plus TV series such as ‘Mare of Eastown’ and ‘Devs), but has earned rave reviews for her performance as Priscilla Presley in Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla’.
A24 and Netflix are looking to get this one moving to maintain the momentum, hoping for a shoot in late summer or fall.
(L to R) Lee Sung Jin, Ali Wong and Steven Yeun attend Netflix’s Los Angeles premiere of ‘BEEF’ at Netflix Tudum Theater on March 30, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Charley Gallay/Getty Images for Netflix.
(Left) Timothy Olyphant in FX’s ‘Justified.’ (Right) 2012’s ‘Prometheus.’
Preview:
Timothy Olyphant will reunite with ‘Fargo’s Noah Hawley for his ‘Alien’ TV series.
The show will resume filming early next year.
On the big screen front, Cailee Spaeny has offered an update on Fede Alvarez’ ‘Alien’ movie.
Not content with ‘Fargo’ returning for a fifth season, Noah Hawley has been working on his ‘Alien’ prequel TV series for cable channel FX.
And it appears he’s recruited someone who has previously on the darkly comic crime series, as Timothy Olyphant is, according to Deadline, set to take one of the lead roles.
Olyphant, of course, appeared in Season 4 of ‘Fargo’, playing Dick ‘Deafy’ Wickware.
So far, very few details have been revealed about the new show. We do know that it’ll factor into the main ‘Alien’ storyline (so has no connection to the ‘Alien Vs. Predator’ movies, which were set on Earth and closer to present day) but located on Earth and taking place roughly 70 years in the future.
Thanks to the Deadline story, we now know that Olyphant is reportedly playing Kirsh, a synth who acts as a mentor and trainer for Sydney Chandler’s Wendy who is a hybrid, a meta-human who has the brain and consciousness of a child but the body of an adult. We’d caution that no official confirmation has arrived for that.
With ‘Alien’ director (and franchise overseer) Ridley Scott giving his stamp of approval as executive producer, the series kicked off shooting in Thailand on July 19th, just four days into the actors’ strike.
It initially got around the SAG-AFTRA shutdown film utilizing members of the cast who are affiliated with the British actors’ union Equity. But after a little more than a month, it had to stop.
Now, Hawley and his team will apparently gear the cameras back up in early 2024.
‘Alien’ On the Big Screen
(L to R) Cailee Spaeny in ‘Priscilla.’ Credit: Sabrina Lantos.
Our TV screens are not the only places those crafty xenomorphs are invading. Fede Alvarez has been hard at work on ‘Alien: Romulus’, the latest movie in the franchise.
Now, according to lead Cailee Spaeny (who was back on the press circuit for ‘Priscilla’), we now know when the movie will take place.
“It’s supposed to slot in between the first movie and the second movie. They brought the same team from ‘Aliens,’ the James Cameron film. The same people who built those xenomorphs actually came on and built ours. So, getting to see the original design with the original people who have been working on these films for 45-plus years and has been so much of their life has been really incredible.”
‘Alien: Romulus’ will be in theaters on August 16 next year.
(L to R) Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny in ‘Priscilla.’ Credit: Ken Woroner.
Opening in theaters in limited release on October 27th before expanding wide on November 3rd, ‘Priscilla’ is the latest film by ‘Lost in Translation’ and ‘The Bling Ring’ director Sofia Coppola, which serves as a counterpoint to last year’s ‘Elvis’.
While Baz Luhrmann’s film was almost exclusively about The King, Olivia DeJonge popped up briefly as Priscilla, but she felt like an afterthought, since the focus was on Presley (Austin Butler) and manipulative manager Colonel Tom Parker (Tom Hanks).
In this new film, it’s Elvis who drifts in and out of Priscilla’s life, and the Colonel is only ever heard as a voice on a phone.
How well does ‘Priscilla’ bring her story to life?
Cailee Spaeny in director Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla.’ Photo: A24.
How many people can have claim to have caught a music icon’s eye as a dewy-eyed teenager and actually ended up married to them? Not many.
‘Priscilla’, though it covers a more limited time period than ‘Elvis’, actually makes an advantage of that tighter focus, since it probes more deeply into its title character’s psyche than Luhrmann’s film did, albeit without laboring the points it wants to make. This is no cradle-to-grave examination of Priscilla’s world, preferring instead to chart her younger days. And let’s be honest: did anyone really need to see Cailee Spaeny made up to look like a mid-1990’s Priscilla acting in ‘The Naked Gun?’ Didn’t think so.
While ‘Elvis’ was all about the clash between Elvis and his manager, ‘Priscilla’ has her story at its core, charting the burgeoning relationship and the challenges it faced. It has space for Presley’s commitment to no sex before marriage but also his adulterous ways.
‘Priscilla’ script and direction
(L to R) Jacob Elordi, Cailee Spaeny and director Sofia Coppola on the set of ‘Priscilla.’ Photo: A24.
Coppola naturally has a keen eye (and ear, since she also adapted the script from Priscilla Presley’s memoir ‘Elvis and Me’, written with Sandra Harmon) for the story of a young woman dealing with the pressures of fame as they grow up. After all, she has a little experience in that regard.
And as a filmmaker, she’s long proved able to deliver compelling stories that forefront female characters, and Priscilla Presley’s is a notable example. Coppola truly runs with the idea, sensitively handling the chaos that was her life with Elvis and the pain and sorrow of being somewhat sidelined by the man she devoted her early life to.
Given its much more limited budget and schedule, it’s impressive how much Coppola was able to pull off with this movie.
If there are problems with the film’s, it’s in the pacing, and that Coppola sometimes has to indulge in unnecessary montage to show the passage of time –– did we really need to see Elvis and Priscilla shooting guns in the grounds of Graceland? Or see him take a bulldozer to the house of a deceased family member on the grounds because he doesn’t like it (if it is to be a metaphor for how his quirks such as demanding she indulge in his philosophical patterns demolish the relationship between him and his wife, it’s a leaden one).
And for all the examination of Priscilla’s inner life, there are times when she is frustratingly difficult to read, important moments passed over. Still, it remains a successful look at a woman that so many people think they know through footage and biographies but has rarely had her story told so keenly.
‘Priscilla’: performances
(L to R) Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny in ‘Priscilla.’ Credit: Sabrina Lantos.
This is, without a doubt, Cailee Spaeny’s film. She embodies Priscilla at different ages with empathy and grace. Working with some superb costume and make-up teams, you’ll easily believe that this is the same woman as she grows up with the iconic singer.
Spaeny never overplays the role, even in some big melodramatic moments, and she acts everyone else off the screen. For his part, though, Jacob Elordi makes for a convincing Elvis Presley (he’s not charged with much of the music side of things the way Austin Butler was) and he’s very natural as the man in the quiet moments (and not-so-quiet ones) with Priscilla.
Elvis himself has been brought to the screen many times, but Elordi never seeks to pull off a basic impression –– in concert with Coppola, he finds fresh shades to play and embodies the spirit of the man. He also nails the voice at times. The film, by its nature, had to dive more into the quieter, more intimate moments of the relationship, rather than needing to portray giant concerts (there is clever use of archive footage to show the couple in Vegas and one big musical moment is only briefly glimpsed on TV).
Around them, there is a fully immersed supporting cast, from Priscilla’s stalwart parents (even if they do fluctuate being very protective and somehow ready to let their young daughter fly off to see her older boyfriend) to Elvis’ family and coterie of friends and hangers-on (who enjoy more of his attention than his wife at times).
(L to R) Cailee Spaeny in ‘Priscilla.’ Credit: Sabrina Lantos.
‘Priscilla’ doesn’t live in the shadow of ‘Elvis’ or previous examinations of its subject’s life. In Sofia Coppola’s assured hands, it works on its own terms, and is helped along by two excellent central performances.
If you were wanting to see the story of one of the most famous women in the world brought to compelling life, ‘Priscilla’ is the film to watch.
‘Priscilla’ receives 8 out of 10 stars.
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What’s the story of ‘Priscilla’?
When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu (Cailee Spaeny) meets Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi) at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock- and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend.
Through Priscilla’s eyes, the film tells the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla’s long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his dream-world estate at Graceland, covering the time between their first meeting and their fraught final separation.
Who else is in ‘Priscilla’?
Cailee Spaeny (‘Vice‘) as Priscilla Presley (née Beaulieu)
(L to R) Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny star in director Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla.’
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi about their work on ‘Priscilla,’ bringing her story to the screen, how Spaeny prepared for the role, Elordi’s performance, showing a different side of Elvis, and working with Sofia Coppola.
Cailee Spaeny in director Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla.’ Photo: A24.
You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Spaeny and Elordi, as well as music supervisor Randall Poster.
Moviefone: To begin with, Cailee, how did you prepare to play this role and what was it like bringing Priscilla Presley’s story to the screen?
Cailee Spaeny: Well, it was first the book that she wrote in the 1980s and the script leans heavily on it. Then it was sitting down with Priscilla Presley herself, which I got the honor to do, and just taking the time and letting her walk through this section of her life. She shared little details and moments, and how she was feeling on certain nights or inside jokes they had together. To watch her go back to that time, and maybe she’d giggle a bit thinking about a memory they had together. Those were so precious to have in putting this puzzle piece together.
Jacob Elordi in director Sofia Coppola’s ‘Priscilla.’ Photo: A24.
MF: Jacob, how did you prepare to play Elvis Presley, arguably one of the most famous people in modern history, and what was it like examining his darker side?
Jacob Elordi: For me it was less about what side of him was being portrayed and more about trying to find the human being in him and make it a believable and real person. There were just months of boring study, reading, watching and listening. It would do your head in, just like it did mine in getting ready for it, if I told you about it all.
(L to R) Jacob Elordi, Cailee Spaeny and director Sofia Coppola on the set of ‘Priscilla.’ Photo: A24.
MF: Cailee, can you talk about collaborating with Sofia Coppola on set and what she was like to work with as a director?
CS: She really creates a safe space for everyone to feel like they can collaborate and share their thoughts and opinions. She knows exactly what she wants, but she also knows when to have fun, and remind everyone we’re making a film, and we should all enjoy it while we’re doing it. It was a quick 30-day shoot, but we had a lot of laughs in between and it was a real treat. She was a dream director for me to work with. She was the director I wanted to work with, and it was more than anything I could have imagined.
(L to R) Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny in ‘Priscilla.’ Credit: Sabrina Lantos.
MF: Finally, Jacob, what was it like for you to work with Sofia Coppola? Was it as much fun as you had hoped it would be?
JE: More fun. She let us know immediately that you didn’t have to be dark and brooding and go through all these heavy things to make a good movie. She is the artist. She’s everything that you would want as an actor and more. I love her so much.
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What is the plot of ‘Priscilla’?
The film follows Priscilla Presley (Cailee Spaeny) and her life with Elvis Presley (Jacob Elordi).
(Left) Director Ridley Scott on the set of ‘Black Hawk Down.’ Photo: Oscars.com. (Right) A scene from 2012’s ‘Prometheus.’
Preview
Director Fede Alvarez has been working on a new ‘Alien’ movie for release next year.
Original ‘Alien’ director Ridley Scott, who’s also producing, has seen it and declared it “great.”
The new film from Alvarez, director of ‘Evil Dead’ and ‘Don’t Breathe,’ is said to be a standalone story.
If you’re filmmaker Fede Álvarez, you’re feeling pretty good right about now.
The Uruguayan-born writer and director of the 2013 ‘Evil Dead’ remake and 2016’s sleeper horror hit ‘Don’t Breathe’ has been quietly toiling away on a new ‘Alien’ movie for 20th Century Studios, but little has been heard about it since it was first announced in early 2022.
Scott was of course also behind the camera for the original ‘Alien’ and two later entries in the series, ‘Prometheus’ and ‘Alien: Covenant.’ His reaction to the new film?
According to Alvarez:
“…he did say, ‘Fede, what can I say? It’s f***ing great.’ For me, it was like… My family knows it was one of the best moments of my life to have a master like him, whom I admired so much, to even watch a movie I made, but particularly something like this… and talk to me for an hour about what he liked about it.”
Alvarez noted that Scott is notoriously tough on films, both his own and those made by others, even apparently giving a “meh” to ‘Top Gun: Maverick,’ the sequel to his late brother Tony Scott’s 1986 ‘Top Gun.’
The new movie, the first in the series since ‘Alien: Covenant,’ is said to feature a group of young colonists on a distant planet and is not connected to the previous eight entries in the franchise (including the two ‘Alien vs. Predator’ spinoffs).
What has been happening with the ‘Alien’ franchise in recent years?
2012’s ‘Prometheus.’
‘Alien: Romulus’ will be the first film in the franchise since Disney acquired 20th Century Fox (now 20th Century Studios) in 2019.
After seeing diminishing returns with the ‘Alien vs. Predator’ movies in the mid-2000s, the studio put the series on the back burner until Scott himself returned to direct 2012’s ‘Prometheus,’ a prequel set in the same universe as the previous ‘Alien’ films.
While ‘Prometheus’ wasn’t a box office blockbuster, it did well enough for Scott to keep going, helming ‘Alien: Covenant’ in 2017 and promising two more films for an entirely new trilogy.
But a tepid response from moviegoers to ‘Covenant,’ as well as the pending sale of the studio to the Mouse House, also put those plans – along with another proposed sequel by director Neill Blomkamp – on a seemingly permanent hold.
The only other activity since then, before the announcement of Alvarez’s film, has been the development of an ‘Alien’ TV series by Noah Hawley (‘Fargo,’ ‘Legion’), set decades before the first film and set to stream via FX on Hulu. Filming began this past summer but was halted by the SAG-AFTRA strike.
According to Variety, ‘Alien: Romulus’ was initially slated for a Hulu debut as well, but will now be released in theaters on August 18, 2024.
Following the recent few years where it felt like only Ridley Scott was allowed to make ‘Alien’ movies, Fede Álvarez finally managed to convince him that someone else deserved a shot back in March, with his own take on the concept.
Little is yet known about exactly what is, but when the news first broke, 20th Century Studios boss Steve Asbell commented that Scott and the studio had been convinced by the director’s pitch, which will include “a bunch of characters you haven’t seen before”.
With Álvarez having delivered his latest script draft to Scott and the studio, the momentum is building for this one, and shooting should be underway next year. While the rest of the cast is being gathered through auditions and test screenings, Spaeny has been the favorite for the lead role following meetings with Álvarez and the producers.
The new movie won’t directly follow the original series of extraterrestrial horror/action movies as kicked off by Scott’s ‘Alien’ in 1979, nor will it continue the story in the director’s ‘Prometheus’-led prequel films (Scott keeps saying he’ll make another of those himself). Instead, it’ll be set in the same universe following a new set of characters dealing with facehugger/xenomorph terror.
Kristen Stewart arrives on the red carpet of the 94th Oscars® at the Dolby Theatre at Ovation Hollywood in Los Angeles, CA, on Sunday, March 27, 2022. Photo: Michael Baker / A.M.P.A.S.
In related Scott Free news, there are fresh details on a movie that we are relatively confident won’t feature slavering creatures with acid for blood or chests bursting open in a spray of bodily fluids.
Kristen Stewart, who cut her directorial teeth on a short film for the company, has now locked in a deal to make her feature directing debut with ‘The Chronology of Water’, which has Imogen Poots set to star.
Stewart has also worked with Andy Mingo on the script, which adapts Lidia Yuknavitch’s memoir.
The tome is described as a lyrical journey through a life saved by art. A young woman finds her voice through the written word and her salvation as a swimmer – ultimately becoming a triumphant teacher, mother and a singular modern writer.
“Lidia’s memoir honors corporeal experience, radically,” says Stewart in a statement carried by Deadline. “To make that experience physical feels vital to me and what this impulse means … is that it absolutely must be a film. This project has been cooking for five years with the help of Scott Free, whom I could not be more privileged to have as partners and friends. Imogen Poots will carry this movie and the staggering weight of Lidia’s life. She can hold it. I am beyond lucky to have her.”
Ridley Scott on the set of 1979’s ‘Alien.’
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