Moviefone Editorial

Tag: paul-greengrass

  • Movie Review: ‘The Lost Bus’

    (L to R) America Ferrera and Matthew McConaughey in ‘The Lost Bus,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
    (L to R) America Ferrera and Matthew McConaughey in ‘The Lost Bus,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    On Apple TV+ on 3 October is ‘The Lost Bus’, a based-on-truth thriller directed by ‘United 93’ and ‘Bloody Sunday’ filmmaker Paul Greengrass, which stars Matthew McConaughey (‘Dallas Buyers Club’).

    4owyAXEff2d5kIZFTI9sm4

    The movie also features the likes of America Ferrera (‘Barbie’), Ashlie Atkinson (‘The Gilded Age’), and keeping it in the family, McConaughey’s mother Kay (‘Bernie’) and son Levi (who makes his film acting debut with this movie).

    Related Article: Matthew McConaughey to Star in Paul Greengrass’ Peasant Revolt Drama ‘The Rage’

    Initial Thoughts

    ‘The Lost Bus,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
    ‘The Lost Bus,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    Paul Greengrass can direct this sort of ripped-from-the-headlines drama with one hand tied behind his back; he’s proved time and again that he’s capable of wringing real emotion out of human chaos.

    Fortunately, ‘The Lost Bus’ finds him fully in control of his faculties as a filmmaker, keeping the focus sharp and largely side-stepping cliches like a bus careening away from falling power lines.

    Script and Direction

    Director Paul Greengrass on the set of ‘The Lost Bus,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
    Director Paul Greengrass on the set of ‘The Lost Bus,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    Written by Brad Ingelsby (no stranger to either taught, tense drama or against-the-odds stories having created such projects as ‘Mare of Easttown’) and Greengrass, the new movie doesn’t seek to sensationalize the devastating events of the Camp Fire that tore through the town of Paradise in California and its environs, but keeps its eye largely on the occupants of the bus.

    Greengrass near documentary style keeps things compelling as the disaster erupts around the community, stopping in on the fire fighting forces trying to tame the deadly blaze and those in charge of running the school bus system that proves vital to the evacuation.

    Cast and Performances

    Matthew McConaughey presents a nominee for Oscar® for Actor in a Leading Role during the live ABC telecast of the 96th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Credit/Provider: Trae Patton / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.
    Matthew McConaughey presents a nominee for Oscar® for Actor in a Leading Role during the live ABC telecast of the 96th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Credit/Provider: Trae Patton / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

    Naturally, the focus is on the two leads and the kids aboard the bus, who all give good, naturalistic performances. A lot of weight is given early on to Kevin McKay’s (McConaughey) frustrations in life and fractured relationship with his son, but that’s mostly to provide drive for him as he seeks to save his young charges then get back to his own child.

    But one other performance deserves a shout-out: Ashlie Atkinson, who is superb as Ruby, the manager/dispatcher at the bus depot, who initially clashes with Kevin, but soon shows her own spine of steels as the crisis worsens.

    Final Thoughts

    It might be a fairly standard version of the heroic small-town true story, but in Greengrass’ hands it’s scary, impressive and watchable.

    Kudos also to the effects team, who bring the various fires to such vivid life you might feel yourself getting warm.

    ‘The Lost Bus’ receives 80 out of 100.

    ‘The Lost Bus,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.
    ‘The Lost Bus,’ now streaming on Apple TV+.

    What’s the story of ‘The Lost Bus’?

    ‘The Lost Bus’ is a white-knuckle ride through one of America’s deadliest wildfires as a wayward school bus driver (Matthew McConaughey) and a dedicated school teacher (America Ferrera) battle to save 22 children from the terrifying inferno.

    Who is in the cast of ‘The Lost Bus’?

    • Matthew McConaughey as Kevin McKay
    • America Ferrera as Mary Ludwig
    • Yul Vazquez as Ray Martinez
    • Ashlie Atkinson as Ruby
    • Levi McConaughey as Shaun McKay
    • Kay McCabe McConaughey as Sherry McKay
    • Kate Wharton as Jen Kissoon
    WYa0WxKW

    Movies starring Matthew McConaughey:

    Buy Matthew McConaughey Movies On Amazon

     

  • Matthew McConaughey to Star in Paul Greengrass’ ‘The Rage’

    Matthew McConaughey presents a nominee for Oscar® for Actor in a Leading Role during the live ABC telecast of the 96th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Credit/Provider: Trae Patton / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.
    Matthew McConaughey presents a nominee for Oscar® for Actor in a Leading Role during the live ABC telecast of the 96th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Credit/Provider: Trae Patton / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

    Preview:

    • Matthew McConaughey will star in new historical drama ‘The Rage.’
    • Paul Greengrass is directing.
    • It’s a reunion for the pair following the upcoming ‘The Lost Bus.’

    Is Matthew McConaughey the new Matt Damon? No, we don’t mean he’s taking over Damon’s role as Jason Bourne… he’s instead become a repeat creative collaborator with writer/director Paul Greengrass, who worked with Damon on several films, including some of the ‘Bourne’ franchise.

    McConaughey, meanwhile, starred for Greengrass in wildfire drama ‘The Lost Bus’ (more on that below), and is now in talks to take another leading role, this time in history-based drama ‘The Rage.’

    4owyAXEff2d5kIZFTI9sm4

    According to Deadline, McConaughey will play a key figure in the new movie, which Greengrass is gearing up to direct next.

    It’s certainly in keeping with much of Greengrass’ work, which outside of the ‘Bourne’ films, often focuses on real-life events and high drama.

    Related Article: Matthew McConaughey to Play a Real-Life Hero in ‘The Lost Bus’

    What’s the story of ‘The Rage’?

    Matthew McConaughey arrives on the red carpet of The 90th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, March 4, 2018. Credit/Provider: Scott Diussa / A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: A.M.P.A.S.
    Matthew McConaughey arrives on the red carpet of The 90th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, March 4, 2018. Credit/Provider: Scott Diussa / A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: A.M.P.A.S.

    The new movie, which Greengrass also wrote, is set to take place during the Peasants’ Revolt, a major uprising that took part across large parts of England in 1381 in response to socio-economic and political tensions and high taxation.

    McConaughey is on for the role to play a farmer who becomes the leader of the revolt (which could indicate that he’s playing the legendary Wat Tyler, who led the uprising before being killed by forces loyal to King Richard, but that has yet to be confirmed).

    Interestingly, the former title of the movie was ‘The Hood,’ since Tyler is one of the real-life people that has been taken as inspiration for the legend of Robin Hood (whose historical provenance is somewhat cloudier).

    This is not the first incarnation of the movie; Greengrass previously set it up in 2022 with Benedict Cumberbatch attached to the Tyler role, and FilmNation (which is still aboard to represent the movie) had the rights for sale at that year’s Cannes Film Festival.

    What is ‘The Lost Bus’?

    Matthew McConaughey backstage during the live ABC Telecast of The 90th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, March 4, 2018. Credit/Provider: Matt Sayles / A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: A.M.P.A.S.
    Matthew McConaughey backstage during the live ABC Telecast of The 90th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, March 4, 2018. Credit/Provider: Matt Sayles / A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: A.M.P.A.S.

    ‘The Lost Bus’ has been a passion project for Jamie Lee Curtis since 2022, after hearing Lizzie Johnson talk about her book ‘Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire’ on the Camp Fire situation in an NPR interview. She investigated the rights and set it up with Blumhouse, where her Comet Pictures company has a first-look deal.

    It follows heroic bus driver Kevin McKay (McConaughey in the film) and school teacher Mary Ludwig (America Ferrera), who helped navigate a bus full of children through the deadly wildfire as the town of Paradise in California is caught in the destruction and chaos. The fire destroyed most of the mountain town and killed 85.

    ‘Out Of The Furnace’s Brad Ingelsby adapted the script based on the book, and Greengrass came aboard as director in 2023.

    Despite delays due to the strikes, it shot last year and seems certain to have particular resonance this year following the devastating fires in the territory north of Los Angeles.

    What else does Matthew McConaughey have going on?

    Matthew McConaughey at The 96th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Credit/Provider: Nick Agro ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.
    Matthew McConaughey at The 96th Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 10, 2024. Credit/Provider: Nick Agro ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

    Alongside ‘The Lost Bus,’ McConaughey has one other project shot and ready to head to theaters –– Andrew Patterson’s crime thriller ‘The Rivals of Amziah King.’

    This movie follows a young woman named Kateri (Angelina LookingGlass), whose life takes a tragic turn when she loses her mother and leaves foster care.

    Reuniting with her former foster parent, Amziah (McConaughey), changes everything: he becomes her mentor, revealing hidden skills when a devastating situation arises. Kateri relies on her newfound strength to seek justice.

    ‘The Rivals of Amziah King’ will premiere at this year’s SXSW festival in March.

    But that’s not all that McConaughey is attached to: he’s also preparing to star in Apple TV+ comedy series which was formerly known as ‘Brother from Another Mother’ (but is listed as untitled right now) alongside old pal Woody Harrelson.

    The 10-episode half-hour Apple TV+ comedy from ‘The Big Door Prize’ showrunner David West Read reunites Harrelson and McConaughey, who play heightened versions of themselves in a heartfelt odd couple love story revolving around their strange and beautiful sibling-like bond.

    Matthew and Woody’s close friendship is tested when their combined families attempt to live together on Matthew’s ranch in Texas. Break out the bongs –– and the bongos –– and let the bonding commence!

    Deadline brings word that Holland Taylor is now aboard the show as a fellow regular, playing McConaughey’s mother, Ma Mac.

    Taylor, a veteran of stage and screen, was most recently seen in the likes of ‘Quiz Lady’ and scored her ninth Emmy nomination for her role in one of Apple’s big TV series ‘The Morning Show.’

    When will ‘The Rage’ be in theaters?

    ‘The Rage’ is a project currently looking for a buyer, and its rights will be on sale at this year’s European Film Market in Berlin, so there is no release date to speak of as of yet.

    On the other hand, ‘The Lost Bus’ will arrive this year via Apple (whether that means it hits theaters or goes straight to Apple TV+ remains to be seen).

    Matthew McConaughey in 'The Gentlemen.' Photo: STX films.
    Matthew McConaughey in ‘The Gentlemen.’ Photo: STX films.

    Movies and TV Shows starring Matthew McConaughey:

    Buy Matthew McConaughey Movies On Amazon

    JRqVhCPs

  • Matthew McConaughey Starring in ‘The Lost Bus’

    Matthew McConaughey in 'The Gentlemen.'
    Matthew McConaughey in ‘The Gentlemen.’ Photo: STX films.

    Preview:

    • Matthew McConaughey is in talks for ‘The Lost Bus’.
    • Paul Greengrass is considering directing.
    • Jamie Lee Curtis developed the project based on a real-life story.

    It’s been a couple of years since we’ve seen Matthew McConaughey on our screens (that would be in Guy Ritchie’s 2019 movie ‘The Gentlemen’, though he reprised his voice role as ambitious koala Buster Moon in 2021’s ‘Sing 2’), but if Apple and Blumhouse have their way, he’ll be back.

    According to Deadline, he’s locking in a deal to star in ‘The Lost Bus’, a new based-on-truth thriller that is headed our way from Blumhouse and Apple Original Films. But despite the Blumhouse company being involved, this isn’t a horror film –– unless you hate fire, perhaps (which is far from the most illogical fear).

    Instead, this will draw from a real life act of bravery by two ordinary people in an extraordinary situation.

    Related Article: Matthew McConaughey in Negotiations for ‘Yellowstone’ Spin-Off in Midst of Scheduling Conflict with Kevin Costner

    What’s the story of ‘The Lost Bus’?

    Matthew McConaughey in 'Killer Joe.'
    Matthew McConaughey in ‘Killer Joe.’ Photo: LD Entertainment.

    The movie will chart the efforts heroic bus driver Kevin McKay and school teacher Mary Ludwig, who helped navigate a bus full of children through the deadly wildfire as the town of Paradise is caught in the destruction and chaos. The fire destroyed most of the mountain town and killed 85.

    ‘Out Of The Furnace’s Brad Ingelsby adapted the script from Lizzie Johnson’s book ‘Paradise: One Town’s Struggle to Survive an American Wildfire’, which chronicled the deadly incident.

    Who is behind ‘The Lost Bus’?

    Jamie Lee Curtis poses backstage with the Oscar® for Actress in a Supporting Role during the live ABC telecast of the 95th Oscars® at Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 12, 2023.
    Jamie Lee Curtis poses backstage with the Oscar® for Actress in a Supporting Role during the live ABC telecast of the 95th Oscars® at Dolby® Theatre at Ovation Hollywood on Sunday, March 12, 2023.

    The new movie has been a passion project for Jamie Lee Curtis since 2022, after hearing Johnson talk about the book in an NPR interview. She investigated the rights and set it up with Blumhouse, where her Comet Pictures company has a first-look deal.

    Together, they hired Brad Ingelsby to write a script, which has since found its way in front of ‘United 93’ and ‘News of the World’s director Paul Greengrass.

    He was interested, but forward momentum last year was stymied by the writers and actors’ strikes that shut down development and potential shooting.

    Matthew McConaughey in 'Dallas Buyers Club.'
    Matthew McConaughey in ‘Dallas Buyers Club.’ Photo: Focus Features.

    Now though, with McConaughey negotiating to star (Deadline isn’t clear on whether Curtis will appear in the film, though she could conceivably play Mary Ludwig as well as producing) and Greengrass considering making this his next film, this one looks set to speed up quickly, especially since Apple is looking to back the movie.

    The director is also attached to adapt T.J. Newman’s book ‘Drowning’ (about passengers and crew trapped in a crashed, sinking plane), but from the looks of this, he’s planning to make ‘The Lost Bus’ a priority before he moves on to the plane film.

    As for McConaughey, he’s got one other movie, crime thriller ‘The Rivals of Amziah King’ making its way through post-production, and has some TV projects gearing up to shoot, including one for Apple, ‘Brother from Another Mother’, which co-stars Woody Harrelson.

    Actors Woody Harrelson (L) and Matthew McConaughey speak onstage at the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on August 25, 2014 in Los Angeles, California.
    Actors Woody Harrelson (L) and Matthew McConaughey speak onstage at the 66th Annual Primetime Emmy Awards held at Nokia Theatre L.A. Live on August 25, 2014 in Los Angeles, California. Photo by Lester Cohen/WireImage.

    Movies starring Matthew McConaughey:

    Buy Matthew McConaughey Movies On Amazon

    JRqVhCPs

  • New Jason Bourne Movie in Development

    Matt Damon as Jason Bourne in 'The Bourne Ultimatum.'
    Matt Damon as Jason Bourne in ‘The Bourne Ultimatum.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.

    Preview:

    • Universal is looking to revisit Jason Bourne.
    • ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ director Edward Berger is in negotiations to develop the new movie.
    • Though Matt Damon played the character in the past, there is no casting information yet.

    If you had told us that ‘All Quiet on the Western Front’ director Edward Berger would follow his Oscar-winning war movie with a new iteration of the Jason Bourne film franchise, we’re not sure we would have believed you. Technically, he isn’t –– more on that below.

    But according to Deadline, he is also looking into the idea of joining a franchise, as he’s in negotiations to develop a new Jason Bourne movie for Universal.

    20077781

    What’s the story of the Bourne franchise so far?

    Matt Damon as Jason Bourne in 'The Bourne Ultimatum.'
    Matt Damon as Jason Bourne in ‘The Bourne Ultimatum.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.

    Adapted from the novels originated by Robert Ludlum in 1980 with ‘The Bourne Identity’ and continued by authors including Eric Van Lustbader and Brian Freeman, the ‘Bourne’ movie franchise kicked off in 2002 with the eponymous original film starring Matt Damon and directed by Doug Liman.

    Damon plays the title character, a man who is pulled from the Mediterranean sea with no memory of who he is, but a particular set of skills with which he can protect himself.

    As it turns out, he’s a special agent trained by a CIA black ops outfit codenamed Treadstone and must figure out the rest of his background while other Treadstone trainees and agents track him down.

    The character returned, still played by Damon in two sequels –– 2004’s ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ and 2007’s ‘The Bourne Ultimatum’, both directed by Paul Greengrass.

    Following those, the franchise took a left turn into spin-off territory, as Jeremy Renner starred as a different character (albeit with a similar background) for director Tony Gilroy in 2012’s ‘The Bourne Legacy.’

    Greengrass and Damon reunited to make 2016’s ‘Jason Bourne’, though that didn’t get quite the same rapturous reception as their previous collaborations.

    Related Article: 10 Things We Learned at the ’Air’ Press Conference with Cast and Crew

    What’s the next step?

    Matt Damon as Jason Bourne in 'The Bourne Ultimatum.'
    Matt Damon as Jason Bourne in ‘The Bourne Ultimatum.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.

    How the movie shakes out will depend on certain factors –– what Universal intends for the story to reboot the character for a new take, or whether they can entice Damon back.

    If he is considered, he’ll likely wait for the script (no writer is attached) to be written before he commits at all.

    As for Berger, he’s also developing a spy series for Netflix based on Christopher Reich’s Simon Riske book series, which have been compared to both Bourne and the James Bond series.

    Plus, he’s already in post-production on a film for Universal’s Focus Features arm –– religious thriller ‘Conclave’, about the group of Catholic Cardinals responsible for selecting a new Church leader while one of their number is trying to uncover a secret from the late Pontiff.

    Stanley Tucci, Ralph Fiennes and Isabella Rossellini are in the cast for that movie, which has yet to lock down a release date.

    Matt Damon as Jason Bourne in 'The Bourne Supremacy.'
    Matt Damon as Jason Bourne in ‘The Bourne Supremacy.’ Photo: Universal Pictures.

    Other Movies in ‘The Bourne Identity’ Franchise:

    Buy Matt Damon Movies on Amazon

    8vSsVASf
  • ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ At 15: 13 Things You Didn’t Know About The Spy Sequel

    ‘The Bourne Supremacy’ At 15: 13 Things You Didn’t Know About The Spy Sequel

    Universal Pictures

    When “The Bourne Identity” was released in 2002, the film marked only the third time Hollywood adapted one of Robert Ludlum’s best-selling books for the big screen. Its tremendous success opened the floodgates for other adaptations, but most importantly, Doug Liman’s film paved the way for three sequels that quite literally changed the way that audiences watched and experienced action cinema (thanks largely to director Paul Greengrass’ visceral, you-are-there style). To celebrate the 15th anniversary, “The Bourne Supremacy” is the rare sequel that surpasses its predecessor, but it’s also a film that lingers in the minds of moviegoers as an emotionally engaging and uniquely visceral cinematic experience. Check out a few of the details of its production and release that underscore what made it so special.

    1. Although Ludlum wrote two additional books in the “Bourne” series, no plan was enacted at the time of “The Bourne Identity” to make a sequel. Owing to the enormous cultural changes between 1986, when the “Bourne Supremacy” novel was written, and 2003, when the sequel went into production, screenwriter Tony Gilroy was tasked with departing significantly from the source material for his script.

    2. Although Doug Liman leveled up handsomely from his previous films “Swingers” and “Go” for “The Bourne Identity,” production problems, reportedly owing to Liman’s improvisational, find-it-in-the-editing-room approach, led producers to select Greengrass as director.

    3. Greengrass’ previous film was the acclaimed “Bloody Sunday,” an account of the shootings of the same name in Northern Ireland. Impressed by his immersive, febrile style behind the camera, the producers encouraged Greengrass to use handheld cameras even during big action scenes, and eschew computer-generated effects as much as possible in order to lend the film a palpable sense of realism.

    Universal Pictures

    4. As a juxtaposition to spy series like James Bond, Jason Bourne is presented as a well-trained but never superhuman agent. Further to that end, all of the technological devices Bourne uses to exact his revenge and stay in contact with the CIA are consumer-grade and were available for purchase at the time of the film.

    5. Matt Damon reportedly knocked out actor Tim Griffin during the scene in which Bourne fights CIA interrogator John Nevins and a security guard.

    6. Additionally, Bourne’s fight training includes Bruce Lee’s Jeet Kune Do and the Philippine martial art Escrima, which uses everyday objects as weapons, such as the rolled-up newspaper in “Supremacy,” or ball-point pens in “Identity.” The style especially suits Bourne’s necessarily improvised exploration of each new space he enters.

    Universal Pictures

    7. Brian Helgeland (“A Knight’s Tale”) did an uncredited rewrite of Gilroy’s script where among other things he eliminated the USSR as a presence since it had fallen a decade earlier. Greengrass otherwise only used Helgeland’s ideas sparingly, but occasionally swapped out version of scenes between the two scripts in order to arrive at the version audiences saw on screen.

    8. Greengrass’ shooting and editing style rapidly accelerated the number of shots in the film and the speed with which they cut from one to the next – resulting in shots with an average length of 1.9 seconds.

    9. Most of the events in the film were shot in reverse order — in terms of the overall production. This mean that the Moscow chase at the climax of the film was shot first and the scenes in Goa were shot last.

    10. Per a 2008 article in The Guardian, Greengrass and Damon re-conceived the ending with just two weeks to go before the film’s release and reshot it at a cost of $200,000, requiring Damon to be pulled from reshoots on “Ocean’s Twelve.” The movie subsequently tested 10 points higher with that new ending.

    Universal Pictures

    11. During a press screening for the film, at least one attendee vomited after the Moscow car chase because of its intensity and camerawork.

    12. At the 2005 Taurus World Stunt Awards, Russian stunt coordinator Viktor Ivanov and Scottish stunt driver Gillie McKenzie were recognized with a “Best Vehicle” award for their coordination and participation in the Moscow car chase.

    13. Like with its predecessor, the filmmakers were unsure at the time of their intentions to mount a third film, and shot the ending of “Supremacy” to provide emotional closure to the character, culminating in him taking responsibility for murdering the parents of a young girl. But after a third film, “The Bourne Ultimtum,” was green lit, Scott Z. Burns and George Nolfi took over scripting duties from Tony Gilroy to give the character new conflicts and new adventures to explore.

    Universal Pictures
  • Tom Hanks Movie ‘News of the World’ Finds New Home After Fox 2000 Shutdown

    Tom Hanks Movie ‘News of the World’ Finds New Home After Fox 2000 Shutdown

    20th Century Fox

    The period drama “News of the World,” starring Tom Hanks, has a new home.

    The film, which reunites Hanks with his “Captain Phillips” director Paul Greengrass, was one of the projects in development at Fox 2000. With Disney shutting down the division after its purchase of Fox, “News of the World” is now being set up at Universal, where Greengrass made his “Bourne” films.

    The story, which is based on the novel by Paulette Jiles, is about a widower who travels from town to town in Texas announcing the latest news after the end of the Civil War.

    He’s hired to find a young orphan girl who was abducted and raised by a Native American tribe. As they travel the 400 miles back to her family in San Antonio, he questions his task and the motivations of his employers.

    Luke Davies, who was Oscar-nominated for his “Lion” script, is writing the screenplay.

    Fox 2000 titles that are already in production, including the thriller “The Woman in the Window” starring Amy Adams and Gary Oldman, and “The Art of Racing in the Rain,” will now be released by Disney, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

    [Via THR]

  • Paul Greengrass in Talks to Direct Tom Hanks in ‘News of the World’

    Paul Greengrass in Talks to Direct Tom Hanks in ‘News of the World’

    Columbia Pictures

    A “Captain Phillips” reunion is in the making, with director Paul Greengrass in talks to reunite with star Tom Hanks for “News of the World.”

    The adaptation of Paulette Jiles’ novel “News of the World” comes from screenwriter Luke Davies (“Lion”).

    Hanks will play a widowed news reader in the the aftermath of the Civil War. Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels from town to town announcing the news of the day to illiterate locals. Then, he’s offered money to take an orphaned 10-year-old girl to her family in San Antonio, 400 miles away. Forming an unlikely friendship, they must face harsh trials and dangerous terrain together.

    Greengrass and Hanks collaborated on 2013’s “Captain Phillips,” the based-on-a-true-story hostage drama that received six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture.

    The director’s last project was the crime drama “22 July.” Hanks can next be heard in “Toy Story 4” this June.

  • Here’s Why ‘Jason Bourne’ Is Both a Box-Office Hit and a Disappointment

    Remember what we noted last week about sequel fatigue? The seemingly strong return of the “Bourne” franchise with “Jason Bourne” doesn’t disprove that. Indeed, it might have done even better if it didn’t have to compete for women’s attention against a non-sequel comedy, “Bad Moms.”

    “Jason Bourne” opened near the higher end of expectations with an estimated $60.0 million. That’s better than a lot of live-action sequels this year, which have struggled to open above $50 million. It also outdid many of this year’s sequels in that it opened with bigger numbers than the last installment, 2012’s “The Bourne Legacy,” which debuted with $38.1 million.

    Then again, that film starred Jeremy Renner and was directed by Tony Gilroy, attempting to make the franchise work without mainstays Matt Damon and Paul Greengrass. This year, we’ve seen over and over what happens when sequels lose one or more major players: you get box office disappointments like “The Huntsman: Winter’s War,” “Alice Through the Looking Glass,” or “Independence Day: Resurgence.”
    It’s clear that the main reason for the new “Bourne’s” robust premiere is the return of Damon and Greengrass for the first time since 2007’s “The Bourne Ultimatum.” As a result, “Bourne” earned a healthy A- at CinemaScore, indicating strong word-of-mouth from ticketbuyers.

    Even so, “Ultimatum” opened nearly $10 million higher, with $69.3 million — playing on nearly 400 fewer screens than “Bourne” and at ticket prices 20 percent lower than today’s. If you view “Jason Bourne” as the nine-years-in-the-making follow-up to “Bourne Ultimatum” (since I guess we’re all supposed to pretend “Legacy” didn’t happen), then it actually does fit the sequel-fatigue pattern we’ve seen all year.

    One possible reason more moviegoers didn’t feel the “Bourne” is that it didn’t have the appeal to both sexes that everyone assumed it did. Sure, it’s the fifth installment in a popular action franchise, and “The Martian” star Damon is beloved by men and women alike. And yet, according to studio exit polling, the “Bourne” audience this weekend was only 45 percent female.

    Where did the women go? Maybe to “Bad Moms,” which premiered in third place with an estimated $23.4 million, just a hair behind the second-week returns for “Star Trek Beyond” (an estimated $24.0 million). That’s a good number for a film that cost only a reported $20 million to make. While it was marketed as something of a gender-switched version of “The Hangover,” “Moms” was still an original comedy, not subject to sequel fatigue.
    BAD MOMSIndeed, ever since “Bridesmaids,” Hollywood always seems surprised to discover there’s an audience for a female-driven ensemble comedy. Nonetheless, “Moms” enjoyed a bigger debut than any R-rated comedy in the past 13 months, save for Melissa McCarthy‘s “The Boss” and Amy Schumer‘s “Trainwreck.”

    The movie earned the best reviews of the week among wide releases (63 percent fresh at Rotten Tomatoes) and the best customer word-of-mouth (an A at CinemaScore). Even with fellow all-gal comedy “Ghostbusters” still in the top 10 (in its third weekend, the reboot came in at No. 7 with an estimated $9.8 million), “Moms” was still able to draw plenty of women to the multiplex.

    Also drawing women was another new, original movie, thriller “Scream Queens” star Emma Roberts and strong word-of-mouth (an A- CinemaScore) stemming from the film’s mid-week opening, “Nerve” enjoyed an estimated $9.0 million debut (coming in eighth, a shade behind “Ghostbusters”), for a total of $15.1 million since it premiered on Wednesday.
    Meanwhile, “Lights Out,” an original movie starring Teresa Palmer, continued to do well. In its second weekend, it came in fifth with an estimated $10.8 million. Horror movies, of course, tend to sell more tickets to women. Indeed, if you look at the whole top 10 this weekend, including “Bad Moms,” “Lights Out,” “Ghostbusters,” “Nerve,” and “The Legend of Tarzan” (starring Alexander Skarsgård‘s abs), at least five of the ten movies have strong appeal to women, and three of those are original stories.

    None of this is going to stop Hollywood from churning out more “Jason Bourne”-type action movies that appeal primarily to men and draw upon familiar titles and performers. As expensive as “Bourne” was to make (a reported $120 million, or about six times as much as “Bad Moms”), it will most likely earn more than “Bad Moms,” “Nerve,” and “Lights Out” put together.

    Still, this week’s results suggest that there are only so many times a franchise can return to the well before it runs dry, and that the studios ignore female audiences and original storytelling at their peril.

  • Directors Dish: Actor Tried to Punch Joe Wright, David Fincher Once Did 107 Takes

    This one is for the real cinephiles. Empire asked Bond director Sam Mendes to guest edit the “Spectre” issue and he launched a massive Q&A with fellow A-ist directors, talking to Steven Spielberg, David Fincher, Ang Lee, Edgar Wright, Alfonso Cuaron, Joe Wright, Paul Greengrass, Joss Whedon, Rob Marshall, Sofia Coppola, Susanne Bier, George Clooney, Alexander Payne, Roger Michell, and Christopher Nolan. He got those famous names to candidly (and often hilariously) answer questions including…

    • “Have you ever walked off a set in a temper?”
    • “What is the most common phrase you use on set?”
    • “Music or no music on set?”
    • “What’s the most takes you’ve ever done?”
    • “How many cups of coffee a day?”
    • “What’s your best-ever day on set?”

    Here are the “most takes” responses:

    Spielberg: I did 50 takes on Robert Shaw assembling the Greener Gun on Jaws. The shark wasn’t working, so I just kept shooting to make the production report look like we were accomplishing something and to keep cast and crew from going crazy from boredom. It was a strategic indulgence.

    Soderbergh: 48.

    Fincher: 107.

    Clooney: 18.

    Nolan: I never pay attention to the number of takes.

    Edgar Wright: I don’t think I have ever gone Kubrick crazy. So maybe 20 or so… But it’s usually six or seven takes.

    Payne: Probably around 26. I’m normally a four-to- seven kind of guy, but every so often, when the actors, the operator, the dolly grip and the assistant cameramen must all work in sync, it might take a while to get right.

    Marshall: I try not to do more than seven or eight. It can become counterproductive.

    Cuarón: The long takes process doesn’t allow for that many takes. In the past I have shot over 50 takes of different shots. Sometimes you end up using take 64, sometimes take four.

    Michell: Like current Australian batsmen… Very rarely double figures.

    Lee: For acting, 13. For action, 36.

    Bier: Twenty-five, I think. Which, if you’re trying to get the best performance, is way, way too much.

    Joe Wright: Thirty-seven maybe, can’t really remember. I’m usually in the range of 12 to 16 unless it’s a very technically challenging shot.

    Coppola: I can’t remember, nothing too crazy, because we never have that much time in the schedule.

    Whedon: On an elaborate shot, 30. On a bit of dialogue, I’ve seldom gone into double digits.

    Greengrass: I don’t count over ten.

    The hard copy issue had more questions, and Collider shared the responses for “What’s your worst-ever day on set?”

    Joe Wright: The day an actor tried to punch me. I’ll say no more.

    Whedon: Buffy presentation. My first gig. Whole thing was a nightmare. At one point there was pure chaos and a total lack of confidence from all involved. I stood outside the set, wanting to slink off home and realising that if I did, if I didn’t walk in there and somehow take control, I was going to be an increasingly miserable script doctor forever. So I walked in. Worst day ended up not so bad.

    Edgar Wright: Too many. I can remember a low point on every shoot. Shaun, it was in the pub finale; we were up against it and had to cut action. Hot Fuzz, we were rained off, lost the light or night shoots went abysmally slow. Scott Pilgrim, I think there was a complicated, disastrous day of effect cues that sent me into a deep funk, and then on World’s End I remember a day where nothing went right where we ditched an entire sequence. Cue my transformation into The Sulk.

    Payne: I abhor when the actors don’t know their dialogue cold. When I have to spoon-feed dialogue to a lazy actor, I think of all the great Russian novels I could be reading instead of wasting my time. It makes me want to turn exclusively to documentaries — no hair and make-up, no second takes, and everyone knows his or her dialogue.

    Read more at Empire. Who tried to punch Joe Wright, director of the new “Pan,” “Atonement,” “Pride & Prejudice,” and “Hanna”? And do you think Fincher was just joking with the 107 or was that the exact highest number? The “Fight Club,” “Gone Girl,” “Seven,” “Benjamin Button,” “Social Network” and “Girl With the Dragon Tattoo” director is known for being a perfectionist, so it wouldn’t be a shock if the real number were even higher.


    Want more stuff like this? Like us on Facebook.
    %Slideshow-328282%

  • Tommy Lee Jones Joins the New ‘Bourne’ Sequel

    AFI FEST 2014 Presented By Audi Gala Screening Of "The Homesman" - Red CarpetOscar winner Tommy Lee Jones has joined the upcoming “Bourne” sequel, according to a new report.

    Variety writes that Jones is set to play a high-ranking CIA officer in the flick, which will reunite titular star Matt Damon with the hit action franchise. Damon last appeared in “The Bourne Ultimatum” in 2007, then turned the franchise over to Jeremy Renner in 2012 reboot “The Bourne Legacy.”

    Jones has plenty of experience in the action and thriller genres (his Academy Award-winning role in “The Fugitive” is just one of many shining examples), so he should fit in nicely with the “Bourne” crew, which also includes the returning Julia Stiles (like Damon, she starred in the first three flicks) and Alicia Vikander. Paul Greengrass, who helmed “The Bourne Supremacy” and “Ultimatum,” is also on board for the new flick.

    Variety reports that production on the new sequel — which is still untitled — is expected to begin this summer. The film is due out on July 29, 2016.

    [via: Variety]

    Photo credit: Getty Images for AFI

    %Slideshow-181631%