Moviefone Editorial

Tag: mark boal

  • Apple TV+’s ‘Echo 3’ Cast Interviews

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    Premiering on Apple TV+ on November 23rd is the new action series ‘Echo 3,’ which was created, directed and executive produced by Academy Award-winner Mark Boal (‘The Hurt Locker’).

    The series stars Jessica Ann Collins as Amber, a scientist who goes missing along the Colombia-Venezuela. Her brother, Bambi (Luke Evans), and her husband, Prince (Michiel Huisman), both have extensive military experience and set out on their own to find her against the backdrop of a secret war.

    Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Luke Evans, Michiel Huisman and Jessica Ann Collins about their work on ‘Echo 3,’ their characters, preparing for their roles, and working with Mark Boal.

    Michiel Huisman, Jessica Ann Collins and Luke Evans star in Apple TV+'s 'Echo 3.'
    (L to R) Michiel Huisman, Jessica Ann Collins and Luke Evans star in Apple TV+’s ‘Echo 3.’

    You can read the full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Evans, Michiel Huisman, Collins, and Mark Boal.

    Moviefone: To begin with, Luke, can you talk about your approach to playing Bambi, and what were some of the aspects of the character you were excited to explore on screen?

    Luke Evans: When you take on a role like Bambi, there’s a lot of preparation. There’s a lot of conversations, a lot of physical training, and I was ready for it. I was forewarned by Mark Boal that it wasn’t going to be an easy job from the outset, and he was absolutely right. It was challenging physically, and mentally. It’s a long job.

    It was nine months almost in Columbia, which is an extraordinary country, but to shoot what we shot, and every single location was a real place, comes with its own demands and challenges. So, we all embraced the challenges that we were facing and made the most of it. I’m in this business, I don’t want to have an easy ride. I want to challenge myself and choose roles that are going to push me to the limits, and this one was one of those.

    MF: Michiel, can you talk about the Special Forces work that Prince and Bambi do for a living, and what training did you have to make that look as authentic as possible on screen?

    Michiel Huisman: We did a ton of training to do justice to their background as Special Forces operators. When we first met up a couple weeks before we started shooting, we were immediately introduced to Mitch Hall, who’s a former Navy Seal himself, and he really took us through the ringer and trained us in how these guys move, behave, and how they handle weapons. That was a very important part of it too.

    What was exciting to us was that it was very important to Mark Boal that we would portray this in the most realistic way possible. You don’t see that very often, and I was very happy about that. I’m very proud about that.

    Jessica Ann Collins and Michiel Huisman in 'Echo 3.'
    (L to R) Jessica Ann Collins and Michiel Huisman in ‘Echo 3,’ premiering November 23, 2022 on Apple TV+.

    MF: Jessica, can you talk about Amber, her relationship to Bambi and Prince, and what it was like for you working on those relationships with Luke and Michiel?

    Jessica Ann Collins: I think the relationships between Amber and her brother Bambi, and her husband Prince, are the actual crux of the show. I think that those are the relationships that carry the show. So, we all spend a lot of time focusing on those bonds, and talking about them, and really envisioning them. Inside of that, what is great is that there was room for being as complex as possible.

    So, all of these characters have such complexity. You hear all the time about strong female leads, which I’m all for, but you rarely hear about complex female leads. So, I loved bringing complexity to the relationships with each of these men, and what those meant, and what they did for her.

    MF: Finally, for all of you, what was it like working with Mark Boal on this project?

    LE: It was incredible. From the outset, I had access to Mark, and he had access to us so that we could process every step of the way. It’s a long job, so there’s a lot of script, and there’s a lot of rewrites and adaptations as we were moving through the story of the characters’ journeys. But Mark, his passion for what he does is immense, and his commitment to the job was immense.

    To have him on set almost every day throughout the whole process was really something I’d never experienced before from a showrunner, and it only benefited everybody by having him there. Also, it allowed us to have a dialogue all the time. He gets his feet wet. He gets his hands dirty. He wants to be there to experience what we are experiencing. So, it felt like we were a team from the outset, and we were all contributing together for the end product, and that was a really nice experience.

    MH: I completely agree with everything that Luke was saying about that. I think that the process with Mark is very intense. He’s very hands on, and I think that he’s a filmmaker that really knows what he wants. I’m very grateful that I was given the opportunity to be part of his next project.

    JAC: I think that it was very freeing for me to know that I could trust the person helping craft this performance, and that he was bringing a level of integrity, and he brought it to this, and that was a very safe place for me.

    Michiel Huisman and Luke Evans in 'Echo 3.'
    (L to R) Michiel Huisman and Luke Evans in ‘Echo 3,’ premiering November 23, 2022 on Apple TV+.
  • ‘Hurt Locker’ Writer Mark Boal to Adapt ‘Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11’ for ABC

    ‘Hurt Locker’ Writer Mark Boal to Adapt ‘Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11’ for ABC

    Harper

    ABC’s limited series adaptation of Mitchell Zuckoff’s nonfiction book “Fall and Rise: The Story of 9/11” has attached “Hurt Locker” writer Mark Boal.

    Boal will pen the scripts and serve as executive producer.

    “Fall and Rise” chronicles the stories of those who were lost, saved and forever altered by the deadliest acts of terrorism on American soil.

    Earlier this month, ABC announced it was developing the adaptation with plans to air it in 2021 for the 20th anniversary of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

    Boal previously won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for “The Hurt Locker,” which also won Best Picture. He was also nominated for writing “Zero Dark Thirty.” Most recently, he co-wrote the Netflix drama “Triple Frontier.”

  • ‘Hurt Locker’ Writer Mark Boal Developing Spy Series at Showtime

    ‘Hurt Locker’ Writer Mark Boal Developing Spy Series at Showtime

    Summit Entertainment

    The Oscar-winning writer and producer of “The Hurt Locker” is bringing his multihyphenate talents to the small screen, developing an espionage series — inspired by real events — for Showtime.

    Variety reports that the premium cable outlet has already made a series commitment to “Intelligence,” which will be written, directed, and executive produced by Mark Boal. The show is described as “a spy thriller series” that puts a fictional spin on “real stories from around the world.”

    Here’s the scoop, per Variety:

    The show … will explore the secret inner workings of power and how espionage intersects with politics, finance, media and Silicon Valley. The first season will dramatize the behind-the-scenes history leading up to the 2016 U.S. election, with each potential subsequent season looking at a major world event through the lens of covert operations.

    Boal, a frequent collaborator of director Kathryn Bigelow, also co-wrote the filmmaker’s “Zero Dark Thirty” and “Detroit.” Most recently, he wrote and executive produced the Netflix film “Triple Frontier,” starring Oscar Isaac and Ben Affleck. This will mark his first time working on a television series.

    No word yet on a premiere date. Stay tuned.

    [via: Variety]

  • The Long, Strange Journey of ‘Triple Frontier’

    The Long, Strange Journey of ‘Triple Frontier’

    Netflix

    There’s a reason why Hollywood coined the term “development hell” — namely, because even when there’s lots of interest in a project and motivation and big stars and distributors, the process of making a movie can be a protracted, painful experience. Since first garnering attention in 2010, “Triple Frontier” went through director and casting changes, studio shake-ups and more before finally getting released this week via Netflix, a distributor fast gaining a reputation for swooping in and supporting films that are obscure passion projects, underfunded or otherwise troubled. To commemorate its opening, we decided to look back at just a few of those stumbling blocks the filmmakers faced while attempting to get it to the screen.

    When the project was first announced in October 2010, Johnny Depp and Tom Hanks were in talks to star in the film for director Kathryn Bigelow, still hot off of “The Hurt Locker.” Hanks was officially cast a month later and production was set to start early the next year. But some five years later, there was no movement on the project — Bigelow moved on to “Zero Dark Thirty,” and a project focusing on US soldier Bowe Bergdahl and his time as a prisoner in Afghanistan. After “All Is Lost” and “A Most Violent Year” made waves with critics groups, writer-director J.C. Chandor entered into talks in 2015 to direct the project from Mark Boal’s script for Paramount Pictures. He later signed on to direct the film in September of that year.

    By then, Hanks’ commitment to the film was on shakier ground, though he and Will Smith were still negotiating the possibility of joining the film. Additionally, Depp’s name re-entered the picture as a potential star as Smith left the film due to scheduling conflicts for “Collateral Beauty.” But by January 2017, Depp and Hanks were out, and Channing Tatum and Tom Hardy were being considered for roles in the film, followed by Mahershala Ali, who was collecting accolades for his work in “Moonlight.” All three joined the production officially, but by April of that year, Paramount dropped the project altogether, and only Ali remained among the confirmed cast members, now joined by Adria Arjona (HBO’s “True Detective”).

    One month later, Netflix began negotiating for the rights to the film, eyeing Ben Affleck and his brother Casey for the roles that were previously to be filled by Tatum and Hardy. Ben Affleck left the film a month later citing “personal reasons,” and Mark Wahlberg entered into talks to replace him. By July 2017, Charlie Hunnam, Garrett Hedlund and Pedro Pascal had joined the film, even as Ali was forced to drop out due to production delays. And less than a year later, in March 2018, began production in Oahu, Hawaii, with Ben Affleck once again in the lead role.

    In addition to Affleck, Hunnam, Hedlund and Pascal, Oscar Isaac also eventually joined the film — a big get for Chandor, who wanted to reunite with his “A Most Violent Year” star (timing originally prevented them from working together). Chandor, who is a writer or co-writer on all of his films, eventually received a co-writing credit alongside Mark Boal, who first conceived the story. At various stages, the film was also rumored to receive a name change to “Sleeping Dogs,” but clearly that idea didn’t take.

    Nevertheless, Deadline’s Mike Fleming had it right back in March of 2018 when he considered the movie’s endurance a “study in how a worthy script can stay alive , despite setbacks that are often fatal.” “Triple Frontier” is not just a prestige project or star-studded, military-themed thriller, but a testament to the longevity of good ideas and the fortitude of producers and filmmakers committed to bringing them to the screen.

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