Colin Farrell is a private eye in new series ‘Sugar’.
Mark Protosevich created the new show.
The series launches on Apple TV+ on April 5th.
A perennial go-to genre across pop culture, the detective drama is as healthy as ever. We’ve had Clive Owen playing one of the most famous examples for ‘Monsieur Spade’, Jodie Foster digging through a chilled cold case in ‘True Detective: Night Country’ and Mandy Patinkin investigating murder at sea on ‘Death and Other Details’.
But Apple TV+ being Apple TV+, the company naturally wanted to raise the stakes. In ‘Sugar’, Oscar nominee Colin Farrell is John Sugar, the latest in a long line of private eyes whose own life is just as complicated as the cases they tackle.
What’s the story of ‘Sugar’?
Colin Farrell in ‘Sugar,’ premiering April 5, 2024 on Apple TV+.
Farrell here is a slightly tarnished private investigator on the heels of the mysterious disappearance of Olivia Siegel (Sydney Chandler ), the beloved granddaughter of legendary Hollywood producer Jonathan Siegel (James Cromwell).
As Sugar tries to determine what happened to Olivia, he will also unearth Siegel family secrets; some very recent, others long-buried.
And from the looks of the trailer, Sugar’s own life is almost as knotty and filled with mystery. He’s certainly handy with his fists (and the odd weapon), but he also has his own obsessions.
It also boasts the sheen you expect from an Apple series, which usually hands out a hefty budget –– so of course things look good when they need to and grubby in the right places. Plus, you can expect plenty of the detective standby: the voice-over, with Farrell intoning that if you tipped the world on its side, everything loose lands in Los Angeles.
This also marks the first of Farrell’s leading roles in TV to arrive –– we’re also still waiting to see his turn as Oswald Cobblepot in ‘The Batman’ spin-off ‘The Penguin’, which should be on Max later this year.
Who else is in ‘Sugar’?
(L to R) Amy Ryan and Colin Farrell in ‘Sugar,’ premiering April 5, 2024 on Apple TV+.
(L to R) director Matt Reeves and actor Robert Pattinson on the set of ‘The Batman’
Preview:
DC boss James Gunn has clarified where Matt Reeves’ Batman projects fall in the DCU.
Reeves’ movies and TV shows will fall into different categories.
He’s currently working on ‘The Batman 2’, its Penguin TV spin-off and the Arkham series.
With the previous iteration of the DC Movie and TV universe effectively wrapping up this week via the release of ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’, fans’ attention has naturally been turning to the next evolution of the massive media world, as overseen by current co-chiefs James Gunn and Peter Safran.
And Gunn, not shy of answering questions and offering teases of the future on social media, has been fielding queries about how Matt Reeves’ Batman-based output will factor into that universe.
Currently, Reeves, who released ‘The Batman’ last year, has three projects on the go: a sequel to ‘The Batman’ he’s writing and directing, a spin-off TV series about Colin Farrell’s crime boss Penguin character set in the same world as the movie, and a more mysterious show based in Gotham City’s notorious Arkham Asylum.
Right now, Reeves has written and is intending to start directing the sequel to ‘The Batman’ early next year. A plan to kick off production in November was scrapped after the writers’ strike delayed work on the script and the associated actors’ strike affected cast availability.
Current reports have the film –– which will see the return of Robert Pattinson to the Batsuit –– starting shooting in March, taking aim at a planned October 2025 release.
‘The Batman’ and its sequel fall into what Gunn and Safran have described as “Elseworlds” stories, those which don’t directly take place in the DC Universe continuity that the two filmmakers are building.
Similarly, the Penguin series, on which Reeves is an executive producer (with Lauren LeFranc as showrunner and Craig Zobel as primary director), is set in the same “Elseworlds” locale as the movie it is connected to.
To debut on HBO’s streaming service Max later next year (current word points to fall), the show sees Colin Farrell return the grimy, crime-y world of Oswald Cobblepot as he seeks to secure a grip on power in Gotham’s underworld.
The show was teased in a recent Max video showing the service’s future output.
Set in Gotham City’s notorious prison/ psychiatric hospital where some of the most dangerous criminals are housed, the Arkham series is still shrouded in mystery, though it reportedly evolved from the show about the Gotham City police force that had previously been in development.
Antonio Campos, who served as showrunner on HBO’s critically-acclaimed limited series ‘The Staircase’, is leading development on the Arkham TV show for Reeves. He replaced Terence Winter (‘Boardwalk Empire’) who departed the show over creative differences.
According to Gunn, this series will, unlike Reeves’ other work, have an impact on the DC Universe going forward:
Post by @jamesgunn
View on Threads
So now you know… Batman and his associated rogues’ gallery is a big enough topic that it can fit wherever it wants. Hopefully Gunn and Safran have a real plan in place and DC doesn’t become a sprawling, chaotic place once again.
President & CEO of Discovery Streaming & International JB Perrette. Photograph by Jeff Kravitz/Warner Bros. Discovery.
HBO Max is (nearly) dead! Long live… Max? Yes, the Warner Bros. Discovery streaming service will be evolving into a shared app known simply as Max in May, and as part of today’s big announcement, the company has released a raft of news about shows that heretofore had existed more as rumor and speculation.
Here, then, is your handy breakdown of the most exciting titles heading our way…
Long rumored, but the subject of busy negotiations between HBO and controversial Potter creator J.K. Rowling, we now know that the ‘Harry Potter’ series is officially a go.
According to the official announcement, the Potter books will become a decade-long series featuring a new cast. Each season will be authentic to the original books
“We are delighted to give audiences the opportunity to discover Hogwarts in a whole new way,” says Casey Bloys, Chairman of Max content. “‘Harry Potter’ is a cultural phenomenon and it is clear there is such an enduring love and thirst for the Wizarding World. In partnership with Warner Bros. Television and J.K. Rowling, this new Max Original series will dive deep into each of the iconic books that fans have continued to enjoy for all of these years.”
“Max’s commitment to preserving the integrity of my books is important to me, and I’m looking forward to being part of this new adaptation which will allow for a degree of depth and detail only afforded by a long form television series,” adds J.K. Rowling, who will be an executive producer but not directly involved in running it.
While the prospect of adaptations able to include all the details the movies couldn’t is certainly one to anticipate, HBO is at lengths to point out that the movies will still be available to stream and a key focal point for fandom.
(L to R) Emma Watson as Hermione Granger, Rupert Grint as Ron Weasley and Daniel Radcliffe as Harry Potter in Warner Bros. Pictures’ fantasy adventure ‘Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release.
‘Game of Thrones’ Prequel ordered
A century before @GameofThrones, there was Ser Duncan the Tall and his squire, Egg.
Executive produced by George R. R. Martin, Ira Parker, Ryan Condal, and Vince Gerardis, A Knight of the #SevenKingdoms: The Hedge Knight has received a straight to series order. #StreamOnMaxpic.twitter.com/MRPUke5Upt
With ‘House of the Dragon’ already a big success for HBO, the company has naturally been busy looking to expand the chronicles of Westeros yet further. In the years since ‘Game of Thrones’ finished, there has been talk of spin-offs that flamed out (before ‘Dragon’, one concept made it to pilot but no further’) and chatter about various other options, including one put forward by Kit “Jon Snow” Harington.
As it turns out, the next show given the official nod is another prequel, ‘A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms: The Hedge Knight’, which will see novelist George R.R. Martin adapting his “Dunc and Egg” novellas alongside fellow executive producer Ira Parker.
Set a century before the events of ‘Thrones,’, the show will follow two unlikely heroes who wandered Westeros… A young, naïve but courageous knight, Ser Duncan the Tall, and his diminutive squire, Egg. Set in an age when the Targaryen line still holds the Iron Throne and the memory of the last dragon has not yet passed from living memory, great destinies, powerful foes, and dangerous exploits all await these improbable and incomparable friends.
Given that the series is still at an early stage, there’s no word on casting or when we might see it hit screens –– and fans are already facing a wait for Season 2 of ‘House of the Dragon’, which is back shooting, but won’t be airing until 2024.
Matt Smith as Prince Daemon Targaryen in HBO Max’s ‘House of the Dragon.’
‘The Penguin’
Academy Award nominee Colin Farrell is #ThePenguin.
Also shooting right now is the first commissioned spin-off from Matt Reeves’ ‘The Batman’ featuring Colin Farrell as scheming, ambitious criminal Oz Cobblepot, better known as The Penguin.
Though he had relatively brief screen time in the movie, the new show, run by writer Lauren LeFranc (with Reeves among the executive producers) will span eight episodes and chart the rise of Farrell’s character as he looks to become the new crime kingpin of Gotham City.
‘True Detective’ will also return for Max, with the fourth season –– subtitled ‘Night Country’ –– starring Jodie Foster and Kali Reis.
The show is set in Ennis, Alaska, where the eight men who operate the Tsalal Arctic Research Station have vanished without a trace just as the long winter looms. To solve the case, Detectives Liz Danvers (Foster) and Evangeline Navarro (Reis) will have to confront the darkness they carry in themselves and dig into the haunted truths that lie buried under the eternal ice…
The show, run this time by Issa López as opposed to creator Nic Pizzolatto, will hit Max this year.
(L to R) Vera Farmiga as Lorraine Warren and Patrick Wilson as Ed Warren in ‘The Conjuring.’
‘The Conjuring’ TV spin-off
We know very little about the company’s plans for a ‘Conjuring’ TV spin-off but given that James Wan’s original has so far spawned two main sequels, three movies about supernatural doll Annabelle and two (the second is due in September) featuring the demonic nun from ‘The Conjuring 2’, this was, we suppose a safe bet as the next step.
Producer Peter Safran will be involved (when he’s not busy running DC Studios with James Gunn) and Wan is in talks to join him. What can say for sure? It promises to be spooky.
‘The Regime’
22lpgq4U
Originally titled ‘The Palace’, this new series stars Kate Winslet and, according to the limited synopsis, chronicles one year within the walls of the palace of a modern European regime as it begins to unravel.
It hails from ‘Succession’ writing veteran Will Tracy, and certainly looks to share some sweary, satirical DNA with that show, even if it’s more about politics than business. Stephen Frears directs, and it’ll be on Max next year.
‘The Sympathizer’
NYhpNVcB
Of interest to Park Chan Wook fans is ‘The Sympathizer’, a show he created with Canadian filmmaker Don McKellar.
Based on Viet Thanh Nguyen’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel of the same name, the show is an espionage thriller and cross-culture satire about the struggles of a half-French, half-Vietnamese communist spy during the final days of the Vietnam War and his resulting exile in the United States.
The series, like many of the titles announced today, will be on Max next year.
Robert Downey Jr. in Max’s ‘The Sympathizer.’ Photograph by Courtesy of HBO.
Among other offerings announced or hinted at today? A ‘Rick and Morty’ anime series, a ‘Peter and the Wolf’ short film overseen by U2’s Bono, another spin-off from ‘The Big Bang’ theory and the official launch of prequel series ‘Gremlins: Secrets of the Mogwai’.
Max will go live on May 23rd with three pricing plans: $9.99 a month/$99 a year for ad-supported tier Max Ad Light; $15.99/$149.99 for Max Ad Free, which offers two concurrent streams; and $19.99/$199.99 for Max Ultimate Ad Free, up to four concurrent streams.
Chief Executive Officer and President of Warner Bros. Discovery David Zaslav. Photograph by Jeff Kravitz/Warner Bros. Discovery.
Still, in 2020, he released what many people saw as a return to his roots, ‘The Gentlemen’, a crime caper set in London stocked with colorful characters. And since March of this year, Netflix has been looking to lock down a TV version with Ritchie involved.
Fast-forward a few months and it’s a reality, the streaming service handing out a straight-to-series order and Ritchie casting Theo James in the lead role.
‘The Gentlemen’, in case you didn’t catch it, follows American expat Mickey Pearson (Matthew McConaughey), who built a highly profitable marijuana empire in London. When word gets out that he’s looking to cash out of the business forever, it triggers plots, schemes, bribery and blackmail in an attempt to steal his domain out from under him.
(L to R) Hugh Grant, Jeremy Strong, Henry Golding, Colin Farrell, Matthew McConaughey, Charlie Hunnam, and Michelle Dockery in Guy Ritchie’s ‘The Gentlemen.’ Photo courtesy of STX Films.
All we know of the show’s cast so far is James, playing Eddie Halstead, who has inherited his father’s sizeable estate only to discover that it’s sitting on top of a weed empire owned by the legendary Mickey Pearson. Has this straight-up soldier got what it takes to master the dark arts of the British criminal underworld and take control of the entire operation?
No word on whether McConaughey or any of the others could pop up in the series, but we’ll find out soon enough. Ritchie wrote a pilot script with ‘Peaky Blinders’ veteran Matthew Read and is about to start shooting. He’ll direct the first two episodes (setting up the show’s feel) and is an executive producer overseeing the rest.
Ritchie’s TV work is rare, but not unheard of, as he’s adapted his films before – he created and co-wrote ‘Lock, Stock….’, which turned his debut into a show for UK broadcaster Channel 4.
And the director is busy on the big-screen front, too. He has action comedy ‘Operation Fortune: Ruse de guerre’ complete and headed to screens next year, and is attached to develop and direct a new, live action/CG ‘Hercules‘ movie for Disney with Joe and Anthony Russo producing.
Produced by Jerry Bruckheimer and co-starring Eiza González, the based-on-truth World War II spy thriller will focus on Winston Churchill’s and Bond writer Ian Fleming’s secret combat organization. The clandestine squad’s unconventional and entirely ‘ungentlemanly’ fighting techniques against the Nazis helped change the course of the war and in part gave birth to the modern Black Ops unit.
We’ve known since before ‘The Batman’ burst into theaters that an HBO Max-based spin-off was in development, one focused on Colin Farrell’s Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot, AKA The Penguin from the movie.
It has been moving forward since then and is now adding ‘Palm Springs’ Cristin Milioti to the cast list in a major role.
The series, which has been described as in the style of classic crime drama ‘Scarface’ will pick up the story of ambitious criminal type Oz as he rises to power in Gotham City. Mild spoiler alert in case you’ve yet to see ‘The Batman’, but part of the movie involves Oz’s bosses either dying or heading to jail, leaving him a path to achieve his aims.
Yet given that there’s a whole series to fill with this story, we doubt the road will be an easy one. And there’s still that pesky Caped Crusader lurking around (even if Batman likely wouldn’t appear much in the show).
Milioti, meanwhile, will be Sofia Falcone daughter of the late Carmine (as played by John Turturro in ‘The Batman’). Following his assassination – which Oz orchestrated – Sofia will be competing with Farrell’s character for control of the city’s criminal element.
If she’s anything like her father, this fight will get nasty.
Matt Reeves, who co-wrote and directed ‘The Batman’ is an executive producer here, but while he’ll certainly have input (alongside the movie’s fellow producer, Dylan Clark), he won’t be overseeing the day-to-day work of the show. That job falls to Lauren LeFranc, who has worked on series including ‘Agents of SHIELD’, ‘Chuck’ and ‘Hemlock Grove’.
“Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in ‘The Batman’ and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill’” Reeves says in a statement when the show was confirmed. “Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.”
Craig Zobel, who last directed ‘The Hunt’ is aboard as another executive producer and to direct the first two episodes, meaning that he’ll help guide the visual tone of the show. Aside, of course from the template already established by Reeves in the movie.
The show doesn’t yet have a premiere date, but it could conceivably drop on the streaming service in late 2023 or early 2024.
And it’s just one of the spin-offs in the works, as Reeves is also trying to develop a series set at Gotham’s infamous Arkham Asylum and has been meeting writers to hear pitches about potential movie spin-offs featuring the Caped Crusader’s expansive rogues’ gallery.
As for Milioti, she’s been busy of late, more on TV than cinema screens, appearing in shows such as ‘Made for Love’ and ‘The Resort’. She’s also been seen on shows including ‘No Activity’ and ‘Black Mirror’.
Set in the small Irish town of Inisherin during the Irish Civil War, Pádraic Súilleabháin (Colin Farrell) discovers one day to his surprise that his best friend and drinking buddy Colm Doherty (Brendan Gleeson) no longer wants anything to do with him, with no other reason given.
Broken hearted, Pádraic confides in his sister, Siobhán (Kerry Condon), who encourages him not to give up on their friendship. Pádraic tries to befriend Colm again, or at least find out why he no longer wants to be his friend. But Colm will not change his mind and tells Pádraic that if he ever speaks to him again, he will cut off his own fingers. What follows is a war between the two men, one that the town of Inisherin will not soon forget.
‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ is a simple story, beautifully written and directed by Martin McDonagh, featuring brilliant performances from Brendan Gleeson, and especially Colin Farrell. The movie examines friendship, loneliness, and sacrifice, while still being quite funny and having a lot to say about humanity.
McDonagh’s script is very smart and says a lot about human nature. While the story is simple, it allows the filmmaker to really focus on these characters and examine their relationships with each other. Everything about Inisherin seems authentic, right down to the accents and the gorgeous landscapes shot by cinematographer Ben Davis. McDonagh builds an immersive environment that as an audience member you completely fall in love with.
But McDonagh’s screenplay is also very funny, and the film finds the dark humor in the unfortunate situation. Farrell and Gleeson both clearly understand their characters, and much of the humor comes out of how serious the situation becomes. The dialogue is also very clever but seems incredibly organic at the same time.
McDonagh also wisely chose the Irish Civil War as the backdrop to this smaller but still very bloody war between former friends. It acts as an allegory for what war really is and how any person is capable of waging war on another human being. The fact that Pádraic and Colm were lifelong friends that could so easily turn on each other, is parallel to the actual family members fighting against each other in the Irish Civil War.
Kerry Condon also gives a strong performance as Siobhán, Pádraic’s understanding sister. She tries to make the peace between Pádraic and Colm but to no avail. Condon has great chemistry with Farrell and they are terrific in their scenes together.
Pádraic is reliant on Siobhán, and that has been difficult for her as she dreams of leaving her small town but worries what will happen to her brother if she leaves him behind. Condon’s performance communicates her character’s feelings with very little dialogue.
Barry Keoghan does his best as Dominic Kearney, a local who tries to befriend Pádraic when Colm turns his back on him. Keoghan is a promising young actor, but his character is never given enough time to really be fleshed out and his outcome does little to affect the main characters.
Brendan Gleeson gives a very powerful performance and as crazy as his characters actions are, makes them completely believable to the audience. While he may seem cold at first, the actor is able to break his character’s facade at times and lets us in on the sorrow and emptiness he feels. Colm seeks greatness to outlast him mortality, and in doing so, forsakes friendship and humanity.
The movie is really an examination of what happens when we shut other people out of our lives. After we all spent time in lockdown during the pandemic, the movie really illuminates for the audience the idea that human beings need other human beings to survive, and what happens to a person in complete solidarity.
But frankly, I expect a top-level performance from an actor like Brendan Gleeson, what I didn’t expect was how good a performance Colin Farrell would give. I’ve always really liked Farrell as an actor, but thought he was unfairly underrated. I hope that changes with this film, because it is the best performance of his career and definitely deserves Oscar attention.
In some ways, Farrell is really a character actor rather than a leading man, having given great performances in supporting roles in ‘The Batman,’ ‘The Gentlemen,’ and even ‘Dumbo.’ While Pádraic is definitely the main character of this story, Farrell completely loses himself in the role, creating an awkward and insecure man heartbroken by rejection.
Gleeson and Farrell also have great chemistry together after appearing in McDonagh’s modern classic ‘In Bruges,’ and make a compelling onscreen duo. I imagine many ‘Bruges’ fans will want to see this movie because of the reuniting cast, they won’t be disappointed, but should be prepared that this is NOT ‘In Bruges 2.’
In the end, writer and director Martin McDonagh has crafted another compelling, if not slightly odd, comedic drama with brilliant performances from its lead actors. ‘The Banshees of Inisherin’ is one of the best films of the year, and Colin Farrell’s performance deserves a lot of attention come awards time.
Now playing in select theaters and premiering on August 5th on Prime Video is the new film ‘Thirteen Lives,’ which was directed by Oscar winner Ron Howard and is based on a true story.
The film stars Colin Farrell, Viggo Mortensen, Joel Edgerton, and Tom Bateman as a group of elite divers that help save a junior football team and their coach after they are trapped in a Northern Thailand cave for 18 days.
Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with director Ron Howard and actor Colin Farrell about their work on ‘Thirteen Lives,’ the real-life story that inspired it, and shooting the underwater sequences.
You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Ron Howard, Collin Farrell, Viggo Mortensen, Joel Edgerton, Tom Bateman, Sahajak “Poo” Boonthankit, Teeradon “James” Supapunpinyo, Weir Sukollawat Kanaros, Pattrakorn “Ploy” Tungsupakul, and co-producer Raymond Phathanavirangoon.
Moviefone: To begin with, Ron what was it about this true story that inspired you to make this movie?
Ron Howard: It’s such a story for this moment because it’s about putting divisions aside, putting politics aside, and international people across borders getting something done. That requires a lot. That requires a spirit of volunteerism. It also requires that the country that is where the crisis is occurring has to also allow for this.
So, I thought on so many levels the story was inspiring, and informative, and set a great example. Also, it’s just a great movie story. It’s suspenseful, it’s emotional, and it’s all the things that I love to see in a film.
MF: Colin, the character you play, John Volanthen, was uniquely qualified as a diver for this particular rescue. Can you talk about his experience as a diver and the challenges of convincing the government officials to let him help?
Colin Farrell: The experience of the divers? I mean, it’s such a cottage industry, cave diving. There’re not many cave divers in the world. I think it’s becoming a little bit more popular through the years, but maybe that means the addition of an extra 20 divers globally every year. It’s something that they love to do.
I play John Volanthen and he mixes it up. He’s an incredibly measured man, incredibly bright, but he also has an extreme side to him. He runs ultra-marathons, and he’s been doing cave diving for 30 years. They make their own equipment as well, Rick and John, they’re just a one stop shop. They make their own equipment and they modify it themselves.
All this stuff, it didn’t look like it was high end technologically advanced gear that they brought to Thailand. It was all homemade stuff. They were just the only ones that were really equipped with a certain set of skills to do this particular thing.
Colin Farrell at Prime Video’s ‘Thirteen Lives’ premiere.
So, they, without hesitation, went over and they didn’t know. They didn’t know when they arrived. Nobody knew if the boys were still alive, even by that point. I do know that there was a stage where they believed that they were going to be finding dead bodies as opposed to alive children.
This story is very much about the coming together and the communal experience of shared care, focused in toward one direction of the rescue that was needed to take place. But of course, there were arguments and of course there were misunderstandings. Of course, understandably certain factions of the Thai government were suspicious about outsiders, as they should be. But at the end of the day, they worked it out on site.
I wasn’t there, but I know they worked it out and I know they all came together. It’s been very documented. Some of the tensions have also been documented. It’s already a two-and-a-half-hour film, so we didn’t have time. Ron didn’t want to explore that. It wasn’t the point of the story that we were telling. You have to make judicial cuts, of course.
But at the end of the day, everyone did come together, and they came together for one common purpose. That was the most beautiful aspect of being part of this film, in such a divided world. This was the opposite. It was people that looked beyond national division, looked beyond even cultural separation and said, “Okay, let’s do what’s right by these kids. The most important thing is to get them out alive.”
MF: Finally, Ron can you talk as a director about the challenges of shooting the underwater sequences and training the actors to be able to accomplish those scenes?
RH: Well, I was a little cavalier about it because I’ve done a lot of filming underwater, going back to ‘Splash’ and ‘Cocoon.’ Over the years, I’ve done a lot of filming underwater in the heart of the sea. It’s always been exciting and very productive.
But I underestimated the degree of difficulty when you create the caves. We built all of those caves and recreated the most dangerous spots along the cave system. But I underestimated how difficult it was going to be and how much the safety issues were going to factor into making sure we even could shoot on a tank with these caves. It was just so constricted and risky.
You’re still talking about trapping people in a space like that. The training was vital. Two of the actual cave rescuers were technical advisors on the movie and came not only to make sure we were getting it right, but they got in the water with our actors, our stunt people, and our stunt coordinators and made sure that we got it right. That the technique was right.
They did such a great job that the actors came to me and said, “We now believe we can do this safely. Please, let’s not use any stunt people. We want to do it ourselves. It’s literally part of the characters that we now have to create.” That’s the way it worked out. It was heroic.
Director/Producer Ron Howard at Prime Video’s ‘Thirteen Lives’ premiere.
k5HrbazcTJaS4NabcFl6u5
Bringing based-on-truth dramas to the screen can be a tricky affair – while you’ve got all that built-in tension and (usually) at least a happy ending to wrap things up. But then there’s the touchy subject of real lives being involved, and, in this case, also tragically lost.
Still, Ron Howard is an old hand at this sort of thing (‘Rush’, ‘Apollo 13’) and this time he’s bringing ‘Thirteen Lives’ the compelling tale of an international effort by divers to rescue a team of soccer players.
You might find yourself wondering quite why divers would need to rescue sportsmen outside of the likes of rowing or swimming, but ‘Thirteen Lives’ has a twist. In June and July 2018, the members of a junior football team were trapped for 18 days in Thailand’s Tham Luang Nang Non cave, after heavy rainfall flooded the cave system and blocked their way out.
As the team – who ranged in age from 11-16 years old – and their coach remained trapped for weeks, the situation attracted global interest and an international rescue team was assembled to locate them. Howard’s film will chronicle the events of the rescue, focusing on the efforts of the divers to save the trapped team members.
The event captured the world’s attention, and naturally several projects have either emerged or are still in developed. Suffice it to say, Howard’s carries a high profile.
“Like a lot of people, I was aware of what was going on,” says the director. “My wife, Cheryl, was really glued and paying attention, and of course, the outcome was a relief to the world. It was one of those tremendous moments. When I had a chance to read William Nicholson’s script, it not only delivered on everything I had recalled, but it suggested so much more. There were more levels and dimensions to the heroics and to the people involved, especially the Thai people, and there were surprises in the story.”
“I just felt like I could make something really visceral and immediate and do what a scripted version of a telling of a true story is supposed to do, which is to make it more engaging and engage the nervous system of the audience, in addition to trying to give all the information. It was a really exciting creative opportunity for me, and I knew I would learn a lot about Thai culture,” he adds.
Howard, who has also garnered plenty of experience on the factual side of things with the documentaries he’s either directed or produced, here errs on the side of heroics, but doesn’t discount the danger. And then there’s that cast – Mortensen in particular breaking out a pretty solid British accent.
While ‘Thirteen Lives’ was produced by MGM, the company’s deal with Amazon means the movie will arrive in select theaters on July 29th before hitting Prime Video globally on August 5th.
Colin Farrell clearly didn’t mind wearing prosthetics to play the Penguin in ‘The Batman’ – as he’s set to slap them on again for a fair bit longer. The actor is now attached to star in a spin-off TV series featuring his character for HBO Max.
Originally reported as in development back in September last year (a clear vote of confidence from Warner Bros., as the movie was still months from release), the show is moving forward from the pilot stage with a straight-to-series order.
The series, which has been described as in the style of classic crime drama ‘Scarface’ will pick up the story of ambitious criminal type Oswald “Oz” Cobblepot as he rises to power in Gotham City. Mild spoiler alert in case you’ve yet to see ‘The Batman’, but part of the movie involves Oz’s bosses either dying or heading to jail, leaving him a path to achieve his aims.
Yet given that there’s a whole series to fill with this story, we doubt the road will be an easy one. And there’s still that pesky Caped Crusader lurking around (even if Batman likely wouldn’t appear much in the show).
Matt Reeves, who co-wrote and directed ‘The Batman’ is an executive producer here, but while he’ll certainly have input (alongside the movie’s fellow producer, Dylan Clark), he won’t be overseeing the day-to-day work of the show. That job falls to Lauren LeFranc, who has worked on series including ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’, ‘Chuck’ and ‘Hemlock Grove’.
“Colin exploded off the screen as the Penguin in ‘The Batman’ and having the chance to thoroughly explore the inner life of that character on HBO Max is an absolute thrill’” Reeves says in a statement. “Dylan and I are so excited to work with Lauren in continuing Oz’s story as he grabs violently for power in Gotham.”
“I have long been a fan of the world of ‘The Batman’, and Matt’s film is such a powerful and bold entry into the canon. I am excited and humbled to continue telling stories in the grimy world of Gotham City – and what better excuse to channel my inner villain than to tell the story of Oswald Cobblepot?” adds LeFranc. “I am thrilled to work with Colin, Matt, Dylan, 6th & Idaho, Warners, and HBO Max as we work to bring this story to the screen.”
“The world that Matt Reeves created for ‘The Batman’ is one that warrants a deeper gaze through the eyes of Oswald Cobblepot,” Farrell comments. “I couldn’t be more excited about continuing this exploration of Oz as he rises through the darkened ranks to become The Penguin. Will be good to get him back on the streets of Gotham for a little madness and a little mayhem.”
This news comes on the heels of word that another ‘Batman’ spin-off, one focused on the corrupt Gotham PD from the POV of one of its cops, has been tabled for now, with Reeves and the rest focusing instead on developing a series about Arkham Asylum. You can read more about that change right here.
As for when the Penguin series might see the light of day? That all depends on how quickly it all comes together. Yet we’d imagine Warners Bros. would want to have it out as soon as possible, especially since ‘The Batman’ recently crossed $300 million at the worldwide box office. Holy earning power, Batman!
As ‘The Batman’ continues to do decent numbers at the box office ($134 million domestically, and more than $258 million worldwide) attention is naturally still on this latest live-action incarnation of the Caped Crusader, which stars Robert Pattinson as Bruce Wayne.
And that attention includes the planned TV spin-offs that were announced even before the movie itself came out. Now, according to director Matt Reeves, at least one of the shows is evolving into something new.
Originally planned to focus on corruption at the heart of the Gotham Police Department, the show initially had ‘Boardwalk Empire’ boss Terrence Winter as head writer and showrunner. The narrative focus would have been on Batman’s first year as a vigilante (though without really featuring the character in any major fashion) as his presence starts to send waves through the city’s criminal underworld. And the main character was planned as a crooked cop, which made it sound a little like ‘The Shield’.
Yet after some creative differences, Winter left the series, to be replaced by ‘Giri/Haji’ writer Joe Barton in January. Back then it was still described as featuring the police. Now, though there, is a big change afoot, at least according to Reeves.
Talking on the Happy/Sad/Confused podcast, the director/producer explained the change. “One thing that we’re not doing that I was gonna do… So, there’s the Gotham police show, which, that one actually is put on hold. We’re not really doing that,” he told host Josh Horowitz.
So, what form might it take now? Reeves shared that in a separate interview, this one with The Cyber Nerds YouTube channel. “That story has kinda evolved,” explained Reeves. “We’ve actually now [moved] more into the realm of exactly what would happen in the world of Arkham as it relates coming off of our movie, and some of the characters … almost leaning into the idea of … it’s like a horror movie or a haunted house that is Arkham.”
“The idea, again the way that Gotham is a character in the movie, I really want Arkham to exist as a character,” he continues. “You go into this environment and encounter these characters in a way that feels really fresh. And so, in our work on Gotham, that story started to evolve, and it started feeling like, ‘Wait, we should really lean into this.’ And then that’s kinda where that’s gone.”
There has also been talk that Reeves and the HBO Max team were also wanting to shift the focus to a recognizable character instead of a completely original one. Who that might be is anyone’s guess, though Arkham is usually full of Batman’s opponents.
The changing series is just one of the spin-offs in the works – the other is focused on The Penguin’s rise to power. The criminal character played Colin Farrell in ‘The Batman’ will be at the center of a series that has been compared to ‘Scarface’ in tone. If you’ve seen the movie, you know the character isn’t quite in as powerful a position as he is in other versions of the Batman story, so there’s plenty of material to mine here.
Farrell is reportedly attached to reprise the character, and will be an executive producer on the show, which comes from Reeves and producing partner Dylan Clark. ‘Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.’ veteran Lauren LeFranc is in board to run the show itself assuming it makes it out of development.
