Moviefone Editorial

Tag: scott-caan

Carla Gugino Joins ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’
(Left) Carla Gugino as Verna in ‘The Fall of the House of Usher.’ Photo: Eike Schroter/Netflix © 2023. (Right) Brad Pitt in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.

Preview:
- Carla Gugino is the latest to join the ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ follow-up.
- ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’ will star Brad Pitt.
- David Fincher is the director.
As David Fincher continues the preparation work to shoot the follow-up to Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood’ (yes, take a moment to keep convincing yourself that this surprising project exists), he’s added another cast member to the ensemble.

The movie, which we now know is called ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’ will find Brad Pitt reprising his role as the stuntman character from Tarantino’s 2019 film, and will also boast Carla Gugino in its cast.
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Deadline brings word of Gugino’s casting, but there are zero details about who she’ll be playing. We’re honestly just happy to see her added to the movie.

Related Article: Yahya Abdul-Mateen II Joins the Cast of ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’

What do we know about the ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ follow-up?

Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ Photo: Sony Pictures.

We know that this riff on ‘Once’s Booth character –– the movie isn’t strictly a sequel, more a spin-off ––is something that Tarantino was noodling with and could potentially have been born from his scrapped script ‘The Movie Critic,’ which supposedly included Pitt.

Now QT has turned it into a new script, and with both Fincher and Pitt aboard, Netflix has put together the deal, which will probably end up being around a $200 million budget (the streamer reportedly paid a cool $20 million for the script) to shoot in California this July. We’re talking real fast track here.

But what of Sony, which released ‘Once?’ A couple of things… it has a deal to send much of its output to Netflix and ‘Once’ was a special case anyway; Tarantino’s deal for the original included him hanging on to certain rights. Presumably, he could take Cliff where he wanted.

Handing it to Fincher is no bad compromise if we’re not to get another slice of that character from his creator alone.

There’s more! Reporter Jeff Sneider is adding to the story, bringing word that Leonardo DiCaprio has been trying to hash out a deal to also appear in the movie. It’s not yet closed and he may not even end up in the movie, but surely the appeal of A) another Tarantino script, B) working with Fincher and reuniting with Pitt is strong.

What was the story of ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’?

(L to R) Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt star in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’

Tarantino’s original movie is set during the summer of 1969, as Hollywood’s Golden Age is winding down.

Television actor Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his stunt double Booth endeavor to achieve lasting success in Hollywood while meeting several colorful characters along the way.

Not the least is Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who in this alternate version of history ends up saved from death by the members of the Manson family.

The cast also included the likes of Emile Hirsch, Austin Butler, Julia Butters, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, Al Pacino, Lena Dunham, Maya Hawke, Sydney Sweeney, and Mikey Madison.

Where else have we seen Carla Gugino?

Carla Gugino as Verna in ‘The Fall of the House of Usher’ Photo: Eike Schroter/Netflix © 2023.

Gugino might be best known for her appearance in Zack ‘Snyder’s ‘Watchmen’, but she’s enjoyed a lengthy and varied career including recent work in ‘The Friend’ and ‘Lisa Frankenstein’.

She’s no stranger to Netflix either, as a longstanding cast member of Mike Flanagan’s projects, including ‘Gerald’s Game’, ‘The Haunting of Hill House’, ‘Midnight Mass’ and ‘The Fall of the House of Usher.’

For ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’, Gugino joins Scott Caan and Elizabeth Debicki, alongside Yahya Abdul-Mateen II, who was the most recent person cast.

When will ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’ be in theaters?

Fincher is looking to shoot this one later in the year, so it seems this will likely arrive next year.

But will it be on a big or small screen? While Fincher and Pitt are certainly big names, the director didn’t warrant a theatrical release for his previous movie, ‘The Killer,’ despite his established professional relationship with the streaming service.

Still… a follow-up to a Tarantino movie? Starring Brad Pitt and potentially Leonardo DiCaprio? Surely a candidate for at least a limited theatrical push.

Oscar® nominee, Quentin Tarantino arrives on the red carpet of The 92nd Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 9, 2020. Credit/Provider: Nick Agro / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Movies Directed by Quentin Tarantino:
- ‘Reservoir Dogs‘ (1992)
- ‘Pulp Fiction‘ (1994)
- ‘Jackie Brown‘ (1997)
- ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1‘ (2003)
- ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 2‘ (2004)
- ‘Death Proof‘ (2007)
- ‘Inglourious Basterds‘ (2009)
- ‘Django Unchained‘ (2012)
- ‘The Hateful Eight‘ (2015)
- ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood‘ (2019)
Buy Quentin Tarantino Movies on Amazon
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June 23, 2025
‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’ Adds Yahya Abdul-Mateen II
(Left) Yahya Abdul-Mateen II in 2021’s ‘Candyman.’ Photo: Universal Pictures. (Right) Brad Pitt in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.

Preview:
- Yahya Abdul-Mateen II is the latest cast member for the ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ follow-up.
- ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’ will star Brad Pitt.
- David Fincher is directing.
The surprising follow-up to Quentin Tarantino’s alt-history drama ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ keeps on moving forward, and now, via Deadline, we know that ‘Aquaman’s Yahya Abdul-Mateen II will be part of the cast.
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While Tarantino wrote and directed the 2019 original, this will be a collaboration between Brad Pitt –– who played stuntman Cliff Booth –– and director David Fincher.

The other latest development on the movie is that it’ll be titled ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’, which makes sense, since Pitt’s character will be at the core of the new movie.

Related Article: David Fincher to Direct Brad Pitt in ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ Follow-Up

What do we know about the ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ follow-up?

Brad Pitt as Cliff Booth in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ Photo: Sony Pictures.

We know that this riff on ‘Once’s Booth character –– the movie isn’t strictly a sequel, more a spin-off ––is something that Tarantino was noodling with and could potentially have been born from his scrapped script ‘The Movie Critic,’ which supposedly included Pitt.

Now QT has turned it into a new script, and with both Fincher and Pitt aboard, Netflix has put together the deal, which will probably end up being around a $200 million budget (the streamer reportedly paid a cool $20 million for the script) to shoot in California this July. We’re talking real fast track here.

But what of Sony, which released ‘Once?’ A couple of things… it has a deal to send much of its output to Netflix and ‘Once’ was a special case anyway; Tarantino’s deal for the original included him hanging on to certain rights. Presumably, he could take Cliff where he wanted.

Handing it to Fincher is no bad compromise if we’re not to get another slice of that character from his creator alone.

There’s more! Reporter Jeff Sneider is adding to the story, bringing word that Leonardo DiCaprio is in the middle of hashing out a deal to also appear in the movie. It’s not yet closed and he may not even end up in the movie, but surely the appeal of A) another Tarantino script, B) working with Fincher and reuniting with Pitt is strong.

Deadline’s report mentions that Mateen, while not confirmed, is playing a character in the vein of Jim Brown, who famously ended his Hall of Fame football career early to focus on acting starring in such hits as ‘The Dirty Dozen.’

He joins Scott Caan and Elizabeth Debicki, who were also recently added to the cast list.

What was the story of ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’?

(L to R) Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt star in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’

Tarantino’s original movie is set during the summer of 1969, as Hollywood’s Golden Age is winding down.

Television actor Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his stunt double Booth endeavor to achieve lasting success in Hollywood while meeting several colorful characters along the way.

Not the least is Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who in this alternate version of history ends up saved from death by the members of the Manson family.

The cast also included the likes of Emile Hirsch, Austin Butler, Julia Butters, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, Al Pacino, Lena Dunham, Maya Hawke, Sydney Sweeney, and Mikey Madison.

As for the follow-up, it certainly shoves everything else on Fincher’s To Do list down a notch or two. Apologies to ‘20,000 Leagues Under the Sea’, you just got pushed deeper down.

Where else have we seen Yahya Abdul-Mateen II?

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II as Black Manta in Warner Bros. Pictures’ action adventure ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom,’ a Warner Bros. Pictures release. Photo Courtesy Warner Bros Pictures/ ™ & © DC Comics.

Yahya Abdul-Mateen II has been building quite the healthy career in the last decade or so, including in ‘Aquaman’ and its sequel, ‘Aquaman and the Lost Kingdom’, ‘The Trial of the Chicago 7’, ‘The Matrix Resurrections’ and ‘Ambulance’.

The actor has a few projects in the works, including Marvel’s ‘Wonder Man’ Disney+ series, where he stars in the title role.

He also stars and executive produces the ‘Man on Fire’ series for Netflix and will star opposite Mark Wahlberg in Elegance Bratton’s crime thriller ‘By Any Means’.

When will ‘The Adventures of Cliff Booth’ be out?

We could potentially see this on screens as early as next year –– an exciting prospect for sure.

But will it be on a big or small screen? While Fincher and Pitt are certainly big names, the director didn’t warrant a theatrical release for his previous movie, ‘The Killer,’ despite his established professional relationship with the streaming service.

Still… a follow-up to a Tarantino movie? Starring Brad Pitt and potentially Leonardo DiCaprio? Surely a candidate for at least a limited theatrical push.

Oscar® nominee, Quentin Tarantino arrives on the red carpet of The 92nd Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 9, 2020. Credit/Provider: Nick Agro / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Movies Directed by Quentin Tarantino:
- ‘Reservoir Dogs‘ (1992)
- ‘Pulp Fiction‘ (1994)
- ‘Jackie Brown‘ (1997)
- ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1‘ (2003)
- ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 2‘ (2004)
- ‘Death Proof‘ (2007)
- ‘Inglourious Basterds‘ (2009)
- ‘Django Unchained‘ (2012)
- ‘The Hateful Eight‘ (2015)
- ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood‘ (2019)
Buy Quentin Tarantino Movies on Amazon
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June 13, 2025
‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ Follow-Up Adds Scott Caan
(Left) Scott Caan as Jackie Powers in the action/thriller, ‘One Day as a Lion,’ a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate. (Right) Mia Goth and Elizabeth Debicki in ‘Maxxxine’. Photo: Starmaker Studios LLC.

Preview:
- Scott Caan and Elizabeth Debicki have joined the ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ follow-up.
- Brad Pitt’s confirmed to return.
- David Fincher is directing.
We’re still trying to pick our jaws up off the floor at the news back in April that not only was a new movie following Brad Pitt’s stuntman character Cliff Booth from Quentin Tarantino’s ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ in the works, but A) David Fincher was directing it (with QT’s approval and at the behest of old friend Pitt) and B) Tarantino had written the script for it.
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Yet for all the amazement, it does really appear to happening, as The Hollywood Reporter brings word that Scott Caan and Elizabeth Debicki are now joining the cast.

No confirmed details have emerged about who they might play, though a source for the Reporter does mention that the story called for two key female roles, one who runs a bar and mud wrestling establishment and one a trophy wife. It is unknown yet if Debicki will play one of those or another role altogether.

And as for Caan? We know nothing at this point. Security at this point is right around the level of your average ‘Star Wars’ movie.

Related Article: David Fincher to Direct Brad Pitt in ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ Follow-Up

What do we know about the ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ follow-up?

Brad Pitt in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’ Photo: Sony Pictures Releasing.

We know that this riff on ‘Once’s Booth character –– the movie isn’t strictly a sequel, more of a Booth spin-off ––is something that Tarantino was noodling with and could potentially have been born from his scrapped script ‘The Movie Critic,’ which supposedly included Pitt.

Now QT has turned it into a new script, and with both Fincher and Pitt aboard, Netflix has put together the deal, which will probably end up being around a $200 million budget (the streamer reportedly paid a cool $20 million for the script) to shoot in California this July. We’re talking real fast track here.

But what of Sony, which released ‘Once?’ A couple of things… it has a deal to send much of its output to Netflix and ‘Once’ was a special case anyway; Tarantino’s deal for the original included him hanging on to certain rights. Presumably, he could take Cliff where he wanted.

Handing it to Fincher is no bad compromise if we’re not to get another slice of that character from his creator alone.

There’s more! Reporter Jeff Sneider is adding to the story, bringing word that Leonardo DiCaprio is in the middle of hashing out a deal to also appear in the movie. It’s not yet closed and he may not even end up in the movie, but surely the appeal of A) another Tarantino script, B) working with Fincher and reuniting with Pitt is strong.

Related Article: Quentin Tarantino Scraps Plans to Make ‘The Movie Critic’ Next

What was the story of ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’?

(L to R) Leonardo DiCaprio and Brad Pitt star in ‘Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.’

Tarantino’s original movie is set during the summer of 1969, as Hollywood’s Golden Age is winding down.

Television actor Rick Dalton (DiCaprio) and his stunt double Booth endeavor to achieve lasting success in Hollywood while meeting several colorful characters along the way.

Not the least is Sharon Tate (Margot Robbie), who in this alternate version of history ends up saved from death by the members of the Manson family.

The cast also included the likes of Emile Hirsch, Austin Butler, Julia Butters, Margaret Qualley, Timothy Olyphant, Dakota Fanning, Luke Perry, Damian Lewis, Al Pacino, Lena Dunham, Maya Hawke, Sydney Sweeney, and Mikey Madison.

As for the follow-up, it certainly shoves everything else on Fincher’s To Do list down a notch or two. Apologies to 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, you just got pushed deeper down.

Where else have we seen Scott Caan?

Scott Caan as Jackie Powers in the action/thriller, ‘One Day as a Lion,’ a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.

Caan, son of the late, great James Caan, has forged his own path in the acting world.

The ‘Once’ casting would mark a reunion for Pitt and the actor since Caan appeared in all three of the Steven Soderbergh-directed ‘Ocean’s Eleven’ trilogy of movies.

Outside of those, he popped up on the big screen in ‘Gone in 60 Seconds,’ ‘Varsity Blues,’ ‘Boiler Room,’ ‘Into the Blue’ and, most recently was a writer and producer of comedy thriller ‘One Day as a Lion,’ as well as leading it.

Yet Caan has been spending much of the last decade or so starring in TV, heading up the long-running present-day take on ‘Hawaii Five-O’ and another procedural, ‘Alert: Missing Persons Unit.’

What has Elizabeth Debicki worked on?

Elizabeth Debicki in ‘The Crown’ season 6. Copyright: Netflix / LeftBank.

The Australian actor might be best known for portraying Princess Diana on Netflix series ‘The Crown,’ but she also appeared in spy thriller series ‘The Night Manager.’

Her movie credits include appearances in ‘MaXXXine,’ two of the ‘Guardians of the Galaxy’ movies, ‘Widows,’ ‘The Great Gatsby’ and ‘Tenet.’

When will the ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood’ follow-up be out?

Since The Playlist’s story indicates a fast track, we could potentially see this on screens as early as next year –– an exciting prospect for sure.

But will it be on a big or small screen? While Fincher and Pitt are certainly big names, the director didn’t warrant a theatrical release for his previous movie, ‘The Killer,’ despite his established professional relationship with the streaming service.

Still… a follow-up to a Tarantino movie? Starring Brad Pitt and potentially Leonardo DiCaprio? Surely a candidate for at least a limited theatrical push.

Oscar® nominee, Quentin Tarantino arrives on the red carpet of The 92nd Oscars® at the Dolby® Theatre in Hollywood, CA on Sunday, February 9, 2020. Credit/Provider: Nick Agro / ©A.M.P.A.S. Copyright: ©A.M.P.A.S.

Movies Directed by Quentin Tarantino:
- ‘Reservoir Dogs‘ (1992)
- ‘Pulp Fiction‘ (1994)
- ‘Jackie Brown‘ (1997)
- ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 1‘ (2003)
- ‘Kill Bill: Vol. 2‘ (2004)
- ‘Death Proof‘ (2007)
- ‘Inglourious Basterds‘ (2009)
- ‘Django Unchained‘ (2012)
- ‘The Hateful Eight‘ (2015)
- ‘Once Upon a Time… in Hollywood‘ (2019)
Buy Quentin Tarantino Movies on Amazon
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June 2, 2025
‘One Day as a Lion’ Interview: Scott Caan
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Opening in select theaters on April 4th and available on digital and On Demand April 7th is the new crime drama ‘One Day as a Lion,’ which is directed by John Swab (‘Body Brokers’) and written by actor Scott Caan (‘Gone in Sixty Seconds,’ ‘Ocean’s Eleven’).

What is the plot of ‘One Day as a Lion?’

‘One Day as a Lion’ centers on Jackie Powers (Scott Caan), a nice guy but a lousy hitman who is sent by gangster Pauley Russo (Frank Grillo) to take out Walter Boggs (J.K. Simmons), who owes him money, but Jackie only pisses him off.

Fleeing the scene Jackie takes bored waitress Lola (Marianne Rendon) as a hostage. Jackie needs money to get his son (Dash Melrose) out of jail and Lola cooks up a scheme for them to get cash from her dying mother (Virginia Madsen). Meanwhile Russo sends his thug Dom (George Carroll) to kill Jackie, but instead he ends up with Jackie’s ex, Taylor (Taryn Manning).
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Who is in the cast of ‘One Day as a Lion?’

‘One Day as a Lion’ stars Scott Caan (‘Enemy of the State,’ ‘Varsity Blues’) as Jackie Powers, Marianne Rendon (‘Charlie Says’) as Lola Brisky, Taryn Manning (‘8 Mile’) as Taylor Love, George Carroll (‘The Town’) as Dom Lorenzo, Dash Melrose (‘Little Dixie’) as Billy Powers, Billy Blair (‘Alita: Battle Angel’) as Ken Walsh, Frank Grillo (‘Captain America: The Winter Soldier’) as Pauley Russo, Oscar-nominee Virginia Madsen (‘Sideways’) as Valerie Brisky, and Oscar-winner J.K. Simmons (‘Whiplash’) as Walter Boggs.

Moviefone recently had the pleasure of speaking with Scott Caan about his work on ‘One Day as a Lion,’ writing the screenplay, its fun tone, creating his character, collaborating with director John Swab and working with the impressive cast.

Scott Caan as Jackie Powers in the action/thriller, ‘One Day as a Lion,’ a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.

You can read our full interview below or click on the video player above to watch our interviews with Caan, director John Swab, and actor Frank Grillo.

Moviefone: To begin with, can you talk about your writing process and specifically breaking the story for this film, and when you were creating the character of Jackie Powers, did you know that you would eventually play the role yourself?

Scott Caan: I’ll start with that and I’ll go backwards. Usually when I’m writing something close to home like this, because it has a lot of stuff from my childhood and a lot of characters are based on people that I grew up around and with, I’m usually writing the main character with my sensibility. Happy to have somebody else play the role down the line, but when I’m writing, certainly something like this, I’m writing it as me or some version of me. My process is I come up with an idea and I write it down, and then if I keep writing notes on it for about a week or two, then I know that it’s a solid idea and I got to stick with it. A lot of the time I’ll come up with an idea for a play, or a movie, or TV, and within four days I’m stuck. There’s nothing, and I’m not going anywhere else, and then that’s when I kind of leave it alone. But if I keep going at something and my phone starts adding notes, and then my book is filled with stuff over a couple weeks, then I know it’s something that I got to stick with. Also this role specifically, I get typecast as a certain guy. I feel like I look one way, but on the inside I’m different. So Jackie, to me, was a way to dig into a role that I probably otherwise maybe wouldn’t be hired for. Just the fact that I feel like he’s a sensitive dude who’s not a tough guy on the inside at all. He’s got muscles and he can fight, but he’s a sensitive dude, he’s not a heroic dude. He’s not somebody who walks around with his chest out all the time. He’s a dude who’s got issues and he’s kind of messed up, hence the title ‘One Day as a Lion.’ It’s him doing something for the first time in his life that’s heroic and for somebody else. So it’s like a hero who’s an unlikely hero.

Scott Caan as Jackie Powers in the action/thriller, ‘One Day as a Lion,’ a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.

MF: The movie deals with some serious subject matter but still has a really fun tone. Was that important to you while writing the screenplay?

SC: For sure, man. If we succeeded in that, to me, that’s the biggest compliment. Because I think it’s a really hard thing to do, to deal with tricky, tough subject matter and find humor in it. It’s my favorite thing to do as a writer, and I feel like you fail a lot with that. It’s a hard line to walk but yes, that’s my jam. I want to take the most horrific, awful things and find humor in them. I feel like if I have anything to offer the world as a creative, it’s trying to find humor in really terrible situations.

(L to R) Marianne Rendón as Lola Brisky and Scott Caan as Jackie Powers in the action/thriller, ‘One Day as a Lion,’ a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.

Related Article: Exclusive: Frank Grillo Leaves the MCU for James Gunn’s DC Universe

MF: Can you talk about the relationship Jackie forms with Lola and your experience working with actress Marianne Rendon?

SC: Maryanne is a monster talent. She is so good. We scored so big with her. I can’t believe she’s not a movie star. She should star in every Wes Anderson movie. She should be in Cohen Brothers films. The way she deals with drama and comedy, and her honesty. I can’t say enough about Maryanne. Look, I don’t want to admit to it, but one of my favorite movies of all time and one of my favorite love stories of all time is ‘Buffalo ’66’. I’ve definitely been a fan of that movie. I’m a fan of Vincent Gallo and Christina Ricci in that movie. Also ‘True Romance’ a little bit. ‘True Romance’ is definitely a little more fantastical, but just these two messed up people who, there’s no way that at the beginning of the movie they are going to end up being together. It’s not romance, it’s not a love story, but somehow at the end you believe these two people are going to end up together without a goofy cinematic romance. That was my goal. I was like, I want to touch on that. If we can succeed with that, then I’ll be happy. That’s sort of what I was going for. Also, because the movie is a nod to ‘90s independent film. We really tried to make a ‘90s independent movie. So those were my inspirations. Those types of love stories are really interesting to me. To have a love story where there is no sex, there is no kissing, there aren’t those moments. I think it’s a really cool problem to solve and I think John Swab did a fantastic job with making that happen. Maryanne is, man, we got so lucky with her. It blows my mind she’s not a big movie star. She will be.

Scott Caan as Jackie Powers in the action/thriller, ‘One Day as a Lion,’ a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.

MF: Can you also talk about Jackie’s relationship with his son and how he’s willing to do anything to make sure he is safe?

SC: When I was a kid, I had a little problem with the law and I remember being in juvenile hall thinking, I don’t belong here. I wrote a movie years ago that took place in juvenile hall, and I picked that section out and put it in this movie because I wanted to write a movie about a dude stepping up for one time and being a hero, and there’s nothing more heroic than stepping up for your son. I just related to that character having been in his shoes. I always had this idea of a father breaking his son out of juvenile hall somehow. But when you make an independent movie, the break-in turns into a lawyer finessing it. It originally was a big dramatic action sequence, but we couldn’t afford that. So it turned into a lawyer.

(L to R) J.K. Simmons as Walter Boggs and Frank Grillo as Pauly Russo in the action/thriller, ‘One Day as a Lion,’ a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.

MF: Finally, the movie has a fantastic cast that also includes Virginia Madsen, Frank Grillo and J.K. Simmons. What was it like to have actors of that caliber join you on this project?

SC: Those are hard roles and John Swab is really smart and he knows the difference between good acting and bad acting. All three of those people you just mentioned are monsters and we were just lucky to have them. I don’t think a movie like this works without people that are that talented, regardless of if they’re famous or they’ve won Academy Awards. You talk about ‘Buffalo ’66.’ You look at those cameos that Vince was able to get. It’s not them being famous that makes those scenes work. It’s their talent that makes those scene works. It’s the director figuring out how to use that talent and make it work. Specifically with J.K., he’s a friend of mine. I don’t write anything without writing something for him. So I think the movie works because of those people.

Scott Caan as Jackie Powers in the action/thriller, ‘One Day as a Lion,’ a Lionsgate release. Photo courtesy of Lionsgate.

Other Movies Similar to ‘One Day as a Lion:’
- ‘True Romance‘ (1993)
- ‘Buffalo ’66‘ (1998)
- ‘Enemy of the State‘ (1998)
- ‘Varsity Blues‘ (1999)
- ‘The Way of the Gun‘ (2000)
- ‘Gone in Sixty Seconds‘ (2000)
- ‘Ocean’s Eleven‘ (2001)
- ‘Dallas 362‘ (2005)
- ‘The Dog Problem‘ (2006)
- ‘Mercy‘ (2010)
Buy Tickets: ‘One Day as a Lion’ Movie Showtimes

Buy Scott Caan Movies on Amazon

‘One Day as a Lion’ is now available in select theaters and will be available On Digital and On Demand on April 7, 2023.
April 10, 2023
James Caan Dies at the Age of 82

James Caan in director Michael Mann’s ‘Thief’ (1981).

James Caan, who built a career playing tough guys but proved he could be so much more besides, has died at the age of 82.

Born in 1939 in New York’s Bronx borough the son of a meat dealer and a dancer. Caan was initially more focused on sports than performance, becoming an athlete and class president at his high school.

He went to Michigan State University intending to secure a route to an NFL career, but discovered he was too small to make the team and opted to switch to Hofstra University, studying theater before he dropped out

Undeterred, Caan studied at the Neighborhood Playhouse School of Theatre with legendary acting coach Sanford Meisner in New York and began his career on the stage. After several roles on Broadway, he moved to Los Angeles to take try his hand at TV.

He worked on the likes of ‘Naked City’, ‘Route 66’ ‘Wagon Train’ and ‘Get Smart’, before making his biggest impact on the small screen in 1971 TV movie ‘Brian’s Song,’ playing a real-life football player stricken with cancer. The role scored him an Emmy nomination and in his later years, during quieter periods of movie work, he looked for starring work on TV, including ‘Las Vegas’ for four years.

(L to R) Billy Dee Williams as Gale Sayers and James Caan as Brian Piccolo in ‘Brian’s Song’ (1971).

Caan made his movie debut with a tiny, uncredited role in 1963’s ‘Irma la Douce’. His proper first role was in 1964s ‘Lady in a Cage.’ But it was his collaboration with Francis Ford Coppola helped for 1969’s ‘The Rain People’ that had a true impact leading to him being cast – briefly – as Michael Corleone and then Sonny Corleone in ‘The Godfather’. It stands as perhaps his finest performance, for which he was nominated as Best Supporting Actor at the Oscars.

Yet in his long career, Caan put showed real range in a variety of performances – while he often played assured, strong men, he was never afraid of sensitivity and subtlety.

Other roles included work in ‘Thief’, ‘Funny Lady’, ‘Chapter Two’, ‘Kiss Me Goodbye’, ‘Alien Nation’, ‘Misery’, ‘For the Boys’, ‘Honeymoon in Vegas’, ‘Bottle Rocket,’ ‘The Way of the Gun’, ‘Elf’, ‘The Yards’ and, most recently, ‘Queen Bees’.

Off-screen, his life was a troubled one, marked by family loss, run-ins with the law, struggles with drugs, anger management and depression.

Caan, whose family marked his passing on Twitter (below), is survived by his children Tara, Scott (a fellow actor), Alexander, James Arthur and Jacob Nicholas.

It is with great sadness that we inform you of the passing of Jimmy on the evening of July 6.

The family appreciates the outpouring of love and heartfelt condolences and asks that you continue to respect their privacy during this difficult time.

End of tweet

— James Caan (@James_Caan) July 7, 2022

“What is inevitable, no matter what heights you achieve, is that there is a slide down. The degree varies of course, but if your whole life is acting, you’re nuts,” he told The Daily News in 1998. “Because then when your career slides, your life goes with it. So acting is not my life, it’s my job. It’s very, very important to me. But my life, my family, my wife, my children, my friends, my health, their health. After that, of course, I’d also like to be the best actor in the world.”

(L to R) Kathy Bates as Annie Wilkes and James Caan as Paul Sheldon in director Rob Reiner’s ‘Misery’ (1990).

July 7, 2022