News

Olivia Wilde (Tron: Legacy) and Gael García Bernal (Werewolf by Night) have signed on to star in a psychological thriller called Monkey Hill for director Sarah Adina Smith, whose previous credits include The Midnight Swim, Buster’s Mal Heart, Birds of Paradise, and The Drop, as well as a segment of the horror anthology Holidays and episodes of Wrecked, Room 104, Legion, Hanna, Looking for Alaska, and Lessons in Chemistry, winning the DGA Award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Movies for Television and Limited Series for directing the pilot episode of that last show. She has also directed half of the upcoming first season of the Game of Thrones spin-off called A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms.

According to Deadline, Monkey Hill is being described as “sexy and seductive.” Based on the Paul Theroux story of the same name, the film will show us what happens when an heiress accused of...

Exclusive: Emmy-nominated Gaby Hoffmann, best known for her work on Amazon’s Transparent and HBO’s Girls, has signed with Gersh for representation in all areas.

Hoffmann earned three Emmy nominations, two for Supporting Actress on Transparent for her role as Ali Pfefferman, and a Guest Actress nomination for her performance as Adam’s erratic and mesmerizing sister Caroline on Girls. She was most recently seen in Abi Morgan’s Netflix drama series Eric and in Adam McKay’s Winning Time at HBO. She’ll next be seen starring in Netflix’s limited series Zero Day, opposite Lizzy Caplan, Jesse Plemons and Robert DeNiro.

Her other notable credits include C’Mon, C’Mon opposite Joaquin Phoenix, Wild, Obvious Child, You Can Count On Me and 200 Cigarettes.

Also a director, Hoffmann has helmed episodes of Transparent and HBO’s Room 104.

Hoffmann continues to be repped by Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment and Peikoff Mahan Law Office.

The new series “Penelope,” premiering Tuesday on Netflix, opens with a 16-year-old girl dancing at an outdoor silent disco. Feeling out of place, she tries to push past the awkwardness of dancing in a room with her summer camp peers. But Penelope’s attentions always drift to the surrounding wilderness.

It’s a quieter start than the typical show premiering on the streaming home of the black comedy-thriller “Baby Reindeer,” but its impact lingers. And creators Mark Duplass and Mel Eslyn hope their thought-provoking teen drama can show the industry that middle-budget television still has a place in an IP-ridden ecosystem — even if creators have to first fund the projects on their own.

“This is the project that I felt most passionately needed to be made and that could be, maybe, my legacy,” Duplass told TheWrap. “So while it was way more expensive than anything I’ve self-financed, and [it was] f...

TV giant Fremantle has acquired the worldwide rights to “Penelope,” the coming-of-age indie drama produced by Duplass Brothers Productions

Created by Mark Duplass and Mel Eslyn, the 8-part series premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival and is set to launch on Netflix in the U.S. on Sep. 24.

The series follows Penelope, played by Megan Stott, a 16-year-old who feels out of place in modern society and is drawn into the unknown wilderness, where she begins to form a new life for herself in a National Forest.

Alongside Stott, the cast also includes Austin Abrams, Krisha Fairchild and Rhenzy Feliz.

“It is an honour to be partnering with the esteemed Duplass Brothers to introduce ‘Penelope’ to the world. This premium, coming-of-age series has strong emotional heart and beautiful production values, all whilst addressing important, timely and relatable issues that consume our everyday lives” said Rebecca Dundon, senior vice president of scripted content for international Fremantle.

Comedian Atsuko Okatsuka is set to debut her sophomore special on Hulu in the U.S. and Disney+ internationally, Disney announced on Tuesday.

Okatsuka is getting into business with Hulu after debuting her first special, The Intruder, on HBO in 2022. While no title or logline for her new hour has been disclosed, she’ll tape it at El Capitan Theatre in Hollywood on Saturday November 9 as part of a newly added date on her 2024 “Full Grown Tour,” produced by Live Nation. Further information, including its premiere date, is forthcoming.

Okatsuka’s “Full Grown Tour” continues September 13 with 20 dates across the U.S. and Canada. Presale tickets for the LA shows will be available beginning September 4 at 10 a.m. local with general on-sale beginning September 6 at the same time.

Stated Okatsuka, “As a company that pioneered cartoons, it was only a matter of time until they asked to work with me.

Atsuko Okatsuka is joining the likes of Jim Gaffigan, Bill Burr, Roy Wood Jr. and Ilana Glazer in the Hularious comedy brand lineup, with her second stand-up special set to premiere on the streamer and Disney+ internationally.

The special, whose title, launch date and other information will be revealed at a later date, will be filmed during Okatsuka’s newly added Los Angeles date on her 2024 Full Grown Tour produced by Live Nation, which will take place on Nov. 9 at Hollywood’s El Capitan Theatre.

The tour, which includes 20 stops across the U.S. and Canada, kicks off on Sept. 13, with presale tickets for the L.A. shows available starting Sept. 4 at 10 a.m. local time and general on-sale available Sept. 6 at 10 a.m. local time. Full Grown has sold out theaters worldwide with over 200 shows in more than 100 cities in 20 countries and over 100,000 tickets sold.

“As a company that pioneered cartoons,...

Mark Duplass and Mel Eslyn are venturing into the wilderness with teen runaway tale “Penelope.”

The independently-financed series, which premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival, has found a home at Netflix. Duplass Brothers’ production banner head Eslyn is the showrunner of the series, which she co-wrote with Mark Duplass. “Little Fires Everywhere” alum Megan Stott leads the show.

The official synopsis reads: “Feeling out of place in the modern world, 16-year-old Penelope (Stott) finds herself almost cosmically drawn to nature. With no plan in place, she leaves her family behind for the beguiling wilderness of Washington State, where she begins to establish a different kind of life for herself. As Penelope forges an alternative life for herself, survivalism and coming-of-age go hand-in-hand as she learns by trial and error.”

“Euphoria” actor Austin Abrams co-stars in the pilot.

The series was independently produced by Duplass Brothers Productions, and is is executive...

Exclusive: Emmy-nominated Gaby Hoffmann, best known for her work on Amazon’s Transparent and HBO’s Girls, has signed with Odenkirk Provissiero Entertainment for management.

Hoffman earned three Emmy nominations, two for Supporting Actress on Transparent for her role as Ali Pfefferrman, and a Guest Actress nomination for her performance as Adam’s erratic and mesmerizing sister Caroline on Girls. She currently can be seen starring as the distraught mother of a missing son in Netflix’s praised limited series Eric opposite Benedict Cumberbatch.

Hoffmann got her start as a child actor, landing scene-stealing roles with filmmakers such as John Hughes and Nora Ephron. Early credits include features Uncle Buck, Sleepless in Seattle and Field of Dreams.

Hoffmann’s other recent notable credits include indie features C’mon C’mon; Wild; Obvious Child; You Can Count On Me; 200 Cigarettes; and for TV, Adam McKay’s Winning Time at HBO. Upcoming, she...

With production underway in Belfast, Ireland on A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms, HBO has announced five new additions to the cast, along with a new director.

New cast members include Finn Bennett (True Detective: Night Country), Bertie Carvel (The Crown), Tanzyn Crawford (Tiny Beautiful Things), Daniel Ings (The Gentlemen) and Sam Spruell (Fargo). Bennett plays Aerion Targaryen, with Carvel as Baelor Targaryen, Crawford as Tanselle, Ings as Ser Lyonel Baratheon, and Spruell as Maekar Targaryen.

Also new to the production is Sarah Adina Smith (Lessons in Chemistry), who has joined to direct three of the six episodes. As previously announced, Peter Claffey and Dexter Sol Ansell will also star. Check out a first look still from the series below.

A drama series based on the novella The Hedge Knight from George R. R. Martin, the visionary whose A Song of Ice and Fire inspired Game of Thrones, A Knight...

The Duplasses are starting miniature with their first full-fledged family affair on all sides of the camera: the short film “Oh, Christmas Tree,” a bittersweet 10-minute ode to a father and daughter reliving their favorite holiday traditions.

It’s written by Mark Duplass, directed by his wife Katie Aselton (“Mack and Rita“), and stars their 16-year-old daughter Ora opposite her dad in roles that aren’t exactly autobiographical despite the onscreen, lived-in rapport. Here, the mother is dead, and the daughter, Claire, is now the one doing the parenting as her father grapples with mental health struggles. The short, currently seeking buyers out of Tribeca Festival, packs a lot into its brief running time, and for this trio, it also marks Ora’s entry into filmmaking as she readies to follow in her parents’ footsteps.

“Oh, Christmas Tree” is close to home in other ways: The Duplass family brain factory...

Can television have its own New Hollywood moment?

Much like movies such as Bonnie and Clyde, The Graduate, Rosemary’s Baby and Easy Rider took the late 1960s by storm, a group of writers and directors are hoping that their own independent TV projects can break through and find their way to the small screen amidst the current Hollywood contraction.

After a number of web series such as Issa Rae’s The Mis-Adventures of Awkward Black Girl, Broad City and High Maintenance were turned into TV series over the past decade, writers and directors hoped that this would lead to more.

However, the rise of streaming originals saw the business go the other way, with incredibly expensive dramas and comedies, often led by movie stars, taking over. This trend is now waning and a new generation of creators hopes that cost-conscious companies will now pay more attention to their projects instead.

The intricacies of a green card marriage are uncovered in romantic dramedy “Paper Marriage,” executive produced by the Duplass Brothers.

The indie feature is written and directed by Jeff Man, a longtime mentee of Jay Duplass. Man also leads the film as an unemployed man who agrees to marry a Chinese immigrant (Effy Han) facing deportation so she can stay in the U.S. Per the official synopsis, during the couples’ year-long charade, they tiptoe around each other’s differences. As quiet moments turn into clashes, they navigate through their awkwardness and are forced to learn to work together. This is Man’s feature directorial debut.

“I’ve been working closely with Jeff Man for 13 years on everything I’ve created, and I’m so thrilled to now be a part of his feature film debut,” Jay Duplass said.

“Paper Marriage” will have its world premiere May 5 at the Vc...

Jay Duplass and Kelvin Yu are the latest additions to the cast of FX’s limited series adaptation of “Dying for Sex,” Variety has learned exclusively.

The series is based on the podcast of the same name. Duplass and Yu join previously announced series lead Michelle Williams and cast members Jenny Slate, Rob Delaney, David Rasche, and Esco Jouléy.

The official description of the series states “Molly (Williams), a woman diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, leaves her husband of 15 years and begins to explore her sexuality. She gets the courage and support to go on this adventure from her best friend (Slate), who stays by her side all the way to the very end.”

Duplass will play Steve, Molly’s husband. Yu will play Noah, described as “a talented musician with genuinely earnest, big feelings about his girlfriend Nikki that he isn’t shy about sharing.”

As an actor, Duplass...

Mark Duplass, star of The Morning Show, is to be handed the Excellence in Acting Award at the upcoming SeriesFest event.

The event is held in Denver between May 1 and 5 and features the likes of Minnie Driver and the cast of Grey’s Anatomy across its lineup.

Duplass, who also co-created HBO series Togetherness, is giving an Innovation Talk, where he will be handed the award. Duplass has also starred in The League, Goliath and The Mindy Project as well as being behind films such as The Puffy Chair and Cyrus as well as HBO’s anthology series Room 104 and a raft of documentaries including Evil Genius, Wild Wild Country and Sasquatch.

Also joining the lineup are Shark Tank’s Daymond John, who will be in conversation with Emil Pinnock and SAG-AFTRA Leadership, including Linda Powell, Shari Belafonte and Jodi Long.

There will be a screening and a panel...

Exclusive: Reba McEntire’s Untitled NBC Comedy pilot has added three to its expanding cast including Tokala Black Elk (Yellowstone), Rex Linn (Young Sheldon) and Pablo Castelblanco (Alaska Daily).

The pilot follows Bobbie (McEntire) who inherits her father’s restaurant and is less than thrilled to discover that she has a new business partner in the half-sister she never knew she had.

As Deadline exclusively revealed on Monday, Belissa Escobedo will star as Bobbie’s half-sister and Melissa Peterman will play a bartender at the tavern who wishes she was Bobbie’s sister.

Tokala will play Takoda, a waiter at the tavern with serious handyman skills and probably the kindest person you’ve ever met. Linn will play Emmett, a cook at the tavern who is described as a man of few words. Castelblanco will play Steve, the accountant for the tavern who does his work at the bar. He...

Mark Duplass was feeling insecure.

At one point in his career, he would get greenlight after greenlight for the TV projects he pitched on behalf of Duplass Brothers Productions, the beloved indie banner he founded with Jay Duplass in the late ’90s, when the duo was focused on feature films. But recently, he and company president Mel Eslyn noticed a problem.

“All the executives who used to buy all of our stuff before we could even open our mouths were passing,” he says. “We were like, ‘Have we lost it?’ And then we started talking to all of our friends. They were like, ‘It’s not you. It’s us too.’ We started sharing these war stories.”

The war they spoke of was the decline of Peak TV. For nearly a decade, Hollywood was producing and distributing more television than ever before, thanks to the exponential growth of the streaming economy.

The acclaimed film Killers of the Flower Moon, featuring talents like Leonardo DiCaprio, and Robert De Niro, and directed by Martin Scorsese, saw top-notch performances from multiple actors. However, the standout at the heart of the tragic Osage people’s story was Lily Gladstone.

Killers of the Flower Moon

Lily Gladstone made history by becoming the first Native American woman to receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actress. In addition to that, Gladstone had a very strange experience watching the movie for the first time.

Suggested“We call each other Infinity Stones”: Emma Stone and Lily Gladstone Have the Cutest Nicknames For Each Other Lily Gladstone Had A Bizarre Experience During Her Initial Viewing of Killers of the Flower Moon Lily Gladstone and Martin Scorsese in Killers of the Flower Moon

While speaking to Vanity Fair, Lily Gladstone expressed a similar sentiment to Martin Scorsese’s experience with their...

Mark Duplass and producing partner Mel Eslyn are continuing their Sundance reign with the debut of series “Penelope.”

The entirely independently financed and produced series follows the titular Penelope (Megan Stott), a teen who feels more connected with nature than she does her own family. As Penelope escapes into the wilderness, she seeks to find herself in the coming-of-age indie drama.

Duplass and Eslyn co-created and co-wrote the series, which is seeking a distributor at the festival. CAA is handling sales. The Duplass Brothers formerly debuted adult animated series “Animals,” which premiered at 2016 Sundance in the early days of the festival expanding to include episodics.

The official synopsis reads: Feeling out of place in the modern world, 16-year-old Penelope (Stott) finds herself almost cosmically drawn to nature. With no plan in place, she leaves her family behind for the beguiling wilderness where she begins to establish a different kind of life for herself.

IndieWire’s 2024 Sundance lineup of events is officially being revealed.

In addition to IndieWire’s annual Sundance Studio, the publication is partnering with Adobe for three panel discussions taking place at Adobe’s 558 Main Street location in Park City. Sign up to gain access to the space here.

The first, taking place January 20 at 3 p.m. Mt, is titled IndieWire: Creative Collaborations in Filmmaking, presented by Adobe.

Join the guest list here.

IndieWire’s Crafts editor Chris O’Falt will moderate a discussion with Duplass Brothers Productions president Mel Eslyn and producer/director/actor Mark Duplass. The conversation will focus on the longtime partnership behind the production company behind projects such as HBO’s “Room 104,” “Somebody Somewhere,” Hulu’s “Sasquatch,” and new release “Penelope,” which is premiering at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival.

The second conversation, at 3:30 p.m. Mt, January 20, will have O’Falt moderate a discussion with the...

IndieWire’s Sundance partner Adobe has big news for rising filmmakers: Today, January 16, Adobe and the Adobe Foundation announced the inaugural Adobe Film & TV Fund, aimed to support underrepresented creatives within the film industry.

Adobe has committed $6 million in grants, contributions, and Adobe Creative Cloud product donations to help creators and filmmakers find career opportunities in the film and TV industry. The initiative seeks to address the inequity in funding, career, and training opportunities across multiple communities in the industry with grants, contributions, and fellowships. The fund marks an ongoing collaboration between Adobe, the Adobe Foundation, and a slew of global organizations, including Easterseals, Gold House, The Latinx House, NAACP, Sundance Institute, and Yuvaa, to support representation in film and TV.

The fund will focus on providing fellowships and apprenticeships that offer direct, hands-on industry access through mentorships and networking with production houses, studios, and distributors to support filmmaking. The...

When Lily Gladstone was growing up on the Blackfeet Indian Reservation in rural Montana, acting in plays was an escape from bullies, who targeted her for being “verbose and goofy.” The idea came from her father, a Native man of Piegan Blackfeet and Nez Perce heritage, whom she describes as “a bit of a wizard” and “had me convinced when I was younger that he was able to move clouds.”

“My dad saw early on when I was onstage that I just thrived,” Gladstone says. “When I was nine, it was the worst of it.

It’s hard to even know what to say in this intro space. When we first launched this feature 10 months, Max had a different name and a much different library. It was, we wrote at the time, “a premiere destination for new shows and limited series: a successor to the HBO originals legacy that until recently seemed set to surpass it.”

Now, in the immediate wake of a complete relaunch and the residual fallout from sweeping away a giant chunk of shows that presumably were going to be available for a lot longer, it’s an interesting time to take stock of what originals are available three years after the original thing launched. They range from the franchise extensions that the company’s current leadership seems to be prioritizing going forward to the exciting, fresh ideas coming from writers that (at least until recently) were empowered to bring something new to the platform.

Exclusive: WME has signed actress Abby Ryder Fortson, the 15-year-old up-and-comer known for leading Lionsgate‘s recent coming-of-age dramedy Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret, based on the classic Judy Blume novel published in 1970.

Released on April 28th, Are You There God? tells the story of Fortson’s 11-year-old Margaret, watching as she navigates new friends, feelings, and the beginning of adolescence after her parents move her from New York City to the suburbs of New Jersey. Kelly Fremon Craig wrote and directed the pic, also starring Rachel McAdams, Benny Safdie and Kathy Bates, with Blume, Craig and James L. Brooks being amongst its producers

Fortson played the original Cassie Lang in Marvel’s Ant-Man and the sequel Ant-Man and the Wasp, also previously starring opposite Betty Gilpin in Uni/DreamWorks’ hit family film A Dog’s Journey, based on the beloved novel by W. Bruce Cameron.

On the TV side,...

Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown are seeking best friends for the end of the world.

The duo star as lifelong pals who are the last survivors on the planet after the apocalypse in Mel Esyln’s debut feature film “Biosphere,” which premiered at 2022 TIFF. The film is set to be released by IFC Films.

Per the official synopsis, in the not-too-distant future, the last two men on Earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity. Billy (Mark Duplass) and Ray (Sterling K. Brown) are lifelong best friends, brothers from another mother — they also happen to be the last two men on earth. Their survival is largely due to Ray, a brilliant scientist who designed the custom biosphere they call home, outfitting it with both creature comforts and the necessities to sustain life on a doomed planet. When the population of their fishpond — which supplies essential protein — begins waning, the...

I have an opinion: "Slasher" is better than "American Horror Story."

Maybe that's not so controversial to say in 2023, when the popular horror anthology series created by Ryan Murphy hasn't had a good season in almost five years, and hasn't had a great one in over 10. "AHS" premiered in 2011, the same year that the sci-fi/technology-run-amok anthology series "Black Mirror" premiered. Curiously, though "Black Mirror" was just as popular, and was covered as furiously as "AHS" was in its prime, its influence on subsequent sci-fi visions seems to have jumped mediums to film. One can imagine pressing play on a new season of "Black Mirror" and watching films like "Ex-Machina," "The Circle," and "Vivarium," were a few minutes shaved off each.

"AHS," however, spawned a veritable renaissance in horror anthology series, from HBO's "Room 104," to Hulu's "Castle Rock," to Syfy's "Channel Zero." Before "AHS," you'd have to...

Hollywood — the world where stars are born or made has also been called out for having so many vices and for encouraging stereotypes. And the Netflix hit show Stranger Things is no different. The show has faced heavy criticism in the past for its lack of diversity and now for typecasting. In fact, Stranger Things star Shannon Purser called out the show and the industry at large, saying that “fat actors” are not allowed upward mobility.

Shannon Purser | Desiree Navarro / Contributor Shannon Purser’s role in ‘Stranger Things’

Purser made her onscreen debut in season 1 of Stranger Things. Her performance on the show was widely appreciated by fans and critics alike. She even earned an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Guest Actress in a Drama Series in 2017.

Purser played Barbara Holland (Barb), a dorky teenager with the signature “dorky glasses” and Nancy Wheeler’s best friend (played by Natalia Dyer). As...

Exclusive: Logan Miller (Escape Room franchise) has signed on to star alongside Barbarian breakout Georgina Campbell in Psycho Killer, a new horror-thriller from New Regency, which is heading into production in early spring.

Related Story Megan Thee Stallion Circling Josh & Benny Safdie’s Netflix Film With Adam Sandler Related Story 'Amsterdam': Read The Screenplay For David O. Russell's Wild Comic Mystery Related Story 'Amsterdam' Stands To Lose Nearly $100 Million: What This Means For Upscale Movies

The film penned by Andrew Kevin Walker reportedly follows Jane Thorne (Campbell), a police officer who makes it her mission to take down a serial killer referred to on the news as the ‘Satanic Slasher,’ following the murder of her state trooper husband. Miller will play Marvin, a goth-type nebbish who works for the mysterious Pendleton in his massive mansion.

Directing Psycho Killer is Gavin Polone,...

Mark Duplass and Sterling K. Brown have survived the apocalypse. Now what?

The “Safety Not Guaranteed” star and “This Is Us” alum actor play the two last men on Earth who must adapt and evolve to save humanity in Mel Eslyn’s debut feature “Biosphere.” The film premiered at 2022 TIFF and is executive produced by Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass.

Per the official synopsis, Billy (Duplass) and Ray (Brown) are lifelong best friends, brothers from another mother —they also happen to be the last two men on Earth. Their survival is largely due to Ray, a brilliant scientist who designed the custom biosphere they call home, outfitting it with both creature comforts and the necessities to sustain life on a doomed planet. When the population of their fishpond — which supplies essential protein — begins waning, the men find themselves facing an ominous future. But life may yet find a way…

Director...

Mel Eslyn’s feature directorial debut stars Sterling K. Brown, Mark Duplass.

Blue Fox Entertainment will kick off international sales at EFM next week on Mel Eslyn’s TIFF 2022 sci-fi comedy Biosphere starring Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass.

Eslyn and Duplass wrote the screenplay set in not-too-distant future where the last two men on earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity.

Producers are Zackary Drucker, Eslyn, Maddie Buis, and Shuli Harel. Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass serve as executive producers through their Duplass Brothers Productions.

Blue Fox Entertainment is screening Biosphere in the market. Head of international Lisa Gutberlet...

Exclusive: Legendary Entertainment and AfterShock Media have closed a deal for a feature adaptation of the latter’s graphic novel Party & Prey from creators Steve Orlando & Steve Foxe, in a competitive situation. Patrick Brice (Creep) has been tapped to direct from a script by Rob Forman (iZombie).

Published in 2021, the graphic novel penned by Orlando and Foxe is billed as a social horror-thriller with a bold genre twist. It tells the story of Alan, a wealthy, older gay man, who meets a confident and attractive young man named Scott at a nightclub. Their chemistry leads them to end up at Alan’s house, where the men’s dark secrets are laid bare and they have a night together neither of them expected.

AfterShock Media and Legendary will produce the film adaptation alongside Lee Kramer, David Sigurani and Jon Kramer, with Orlando and Foxe exec producing, and Max Zupanovic serving as co-producer.

Catalina Sandino Moreno joins ‘Ballerina’ (Photo Credit: Troy Jensen)

Oscar nominee Catalina Sandino Moreno has joined the cast of Ballerina, a new addition to the John Wick franchise. Ana de Armas is starring in the spinoff which is set between the events of John Wick: Chapter 3 – Parabellum and John Wick: Chapter 4.

Keanu Reeves is expected to show up in a few scenes. John Wick veterans Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane, and Lance Reddick are also reprising their roles for the spinoff.

Filming is currently underway with Len Wiseman directing from a script by Shay Hatten. Basil Iwanyk, Erica Lee, and Chad Stahelski are on board as producers.

“One of the challenges of casting Ballerina is making sure that the new roles are played by actors with as much power, emotional presence, and physical skill as Ana has. After working with Catalina on John Woo’s Silent Night, it was clear that...

Exclusive: The Oscar nominated actress of Maria Full of Grace, Catalina Sandino Moreno, is joining Ana de Armas in the John Wick spinoff Ballerina in a sizeable role, Deadline has learned. Moreno’s part remains under wraps.

The actress, whose deal just closed, joins Anjelica Huston, Ian McShane and Lance Reddick in the Lionsgate release. Cameras are currently rolling on the Len Wiseman directed, Shay Hatten scripted title in the 586M-grossing John Wick universe.

Producer Erica Lee said: “One of the challenges of casting Ballerina is making sure that the new roles are played by actors with as much power, emotional presence, and physical skill as Ana has. After working with Catalina on John Woo’s Silent Night, it was clear that she belonged at the top of our list, and it’s a thrill to be reuniting with her.”

Moreno was Oscar nominated out of the gate for her...

The “Percy Jackson and the Olympians” series at Disney+ has added Jay Duplass and Timothy Omundsen in guest star roles, Variety has learned exclusively.

The pair will appear in the series alongside Walker Scobell as Percy as well as Aryan Simhadri as Grover and Leah Sava Jeffries as Annabeth. Additional cast members include Virginia Kull, Glynn Turman, Jason Mantzoukas, Megan Mullally and Timm Sharp as well as Dior Goodjohn, Olivea Morton, Charlie Bushnell, and recent additions like Adam Copeland, Suzanne Cryer, Jessica Parker Kennedy, and Lin-Manuel Miranda.

Duplass will play Hades, the god of the Underworld. Per the official character description, “Hades feels like an outcast from his family and a misunderstood genius. He holds a grudge for past wrongs and plays his cards close to the chest.”

Omundson will play Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths. “Hephaestus became disabled when he was thrown off Mount Olympus as a babe,” his character description states.

IFC Films has acquired North American rights to the sci-fi pic Biosphere, marking the feature directorial debut of award-winning producer Mel Eslyn (The One I Love). The film is slated for release in 2023, and will stream exclusively on AMC+ following its debut in theaters.

World premiering at this year’s Toronto Film Festival, Biosphere is set in the not-too-distant future, watching as the last two men on earth must adapt and evolve to save humanity. Emmy winners Mark Duplass (The Morning Show) and Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us) star.

Best known as the long-time president of Duplass Brothers Productions, Eslyn directed from her script written with Mark Duplass. She also produced alongside Zackary Drucker, Maddie Buis and Shuli Harel, with Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass serving as executive producers.

“We are thrilled to work with producer Mel Eslyn again to bring her extraordinary feature directing debut out into the...

IFC Films has acquired North American rights to “Biosphere,” the directorial debut of award-winning producer Mel Eslyn, which stars Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass, the company announced on Monday.

Set in the not-too-distant future, Duplass and Brown play the last two men on earth who must adapt and evolve to save humanity.

“Biosphere” premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September to a strong audience response and enthusiastic reviews.

Also Read:

Where Are the Sales? Why This Year’s Toronto Film Festival Market Slowed to a Crawl

The film was produced by Eslyn, artist/filmmaker Zackary Drucker—who previously co-directed the Duplass Brothers-produced docuseries “The Lady and the Dale”—and Duplass Brothers Productions’ Shuli Harel and Maddie Buis. Mark and Jay Duplass executive produced.

“We are thrilled to work with producer Mel Eslyn again to bring her extraordinary feature directing debut out into the world and could not be...

IFC Films has acquired the North American rights to “Biosphere,” a sci-fi film from Mel Eslyn starring Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass. The film, which premiered at the Toronto Film Festival in September, will be released in 2023 before streaming on AMC+.

“Biosphere” is set in the not-too-distant future where Duplass and Brown play the last two men on earth and must adapt and evolve to save humanity. The film is the debut feature directed by veteran producer Mel Eslyn, who produced alongside Zackary Drucker and Duplass Brothers Productions’ Shuli Harel and Maddie Buis. Mark and Jay Duplass serve as executive producers.

Eslyn’s film producing credits include Charlie McDowell’s “The One I Love,” Clea DuVall’s “The Intervention,” Lynn Shelton’s “Outside In,” Natalie Morales’ “Language Lessons” and Roshan Sethi’s “7 Days.” In 2016, she won the Independent Spirit Producer’s Award. On TV, she’s produced HBO’s...

Plot: An intimate portrait of a soldier struggling to adjust to her life after returning home to New Orleans.

Review: As great of an actress as she has proven herself to be, Jennifer Lawrence has spent the last decade of her career in everything from big-budget superhero projects to marquee Oscar contenders. It is easy to forget her stunning early work in indie films like Winter’s Bone and The Burning Plain. Her latest film, Causeway, is one of Lawrence’s most subtle performances and more proof of why she has consistently been one of the most acclaimed actors working today. A powerful look at trauma, both emotional and physical, Causeway is exactly the type of film that wins awards and proves how the right director, writers, and actors can be to elevate a script to one of the best films of the year.

Causeway opens and closes on a shot of Lynsey,...

Episodic anthologies in the entertainment age of “content” are a tricky proposition. Crafting unique and compelling narratives is a challenge unto itself, made all the more difficult when creators have to start from scratch every episode… a notion that bucks against modern audiences’ inclination toward serialized stories. If viewers aren’t watching a movie, they want their favorite characters to keep them company for days and days (if not weeks and months). Merely making each episode longer isn’t the answer either, as hourlong anthologies have proven especially hit-or-miss. Where 30-minute entries (like many in “Room 104” and “Roar”) can be quick and cutting, a doubled runtime can result in bloat, banality, or both.

Sure, there are exceptions to the rule. “Black Mirror” became a streaming sensation (albeit after being developed outside of L.A.’s studio system), and “The Twilight Zone” remains the format’s gold standard (released back...

Editor’s note: This review was originally published at the 2022 Toronto International Film Festival. IFC Films releases the film in theaters and on VOD on Friday, July 7.

Toward the beginning of “Jurassic Park,” while debating the efficacy of the rigid confines of Isla Nublar’s foolproof dinosaur containment and control system, chaos theorist Ian Malcolm ominously intones the now iconic line, “Life finds a way.”

This line is referenced numerous times, first directly and later more obliquely, throughout “Biosphere,” the directorial debut of producer Mel Eslyn. Led by Sterling K. Brown and Mark Duplass, it follows two men as they cope with being the last humans alive on the planet and the evolutionary changes that nature throws their way.

Ray (Brown) and Billy (Duplass) are the only residents of an apartment-sized bio-dome after some unknown catastrophe appears to have annihilated all other life on Earth. It’s implied eventually that Billy,...

Fest runs September 8-18.

An on-stage conversation with Taylor Swift and the feature Biosphere produced by the Duplass Brothers have been added to TIFF programming.

TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey will interview pop icon Swift under the In Conversation With… Industry Conference banner on September 9.

The star will discuss filmmaking and the visual aspects of her music following the first screening of All Too Well: The Short Film on 35mm which she wrote, directed and produced.

Biosphere will play in Special Presentations on September 10 and marks the feature directing debut of Mel Eslyn, the long-time president of Duplass Brothers Productions whose producing credits include Room 104,...

Veteran producer Mel Eslyn’s feature directorial debut Biosphere, starring Emmy winners Sterling K. Brown (This Is Us) and Mark Duplass (The Morning Show), will be making its world premiere as a surprise Special Presentation at the 47th edition of the Toronto Film Festival. The film will make its festival bow in the Visa Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre at 2:30 p.m. on September 10th.

Set in the not-too-distant future, the latest feature from Duplass Brothers Productions follows the last two men on Earth as they adapt and evolve to save humanity. Eslyn directed from her script written with Mark Duplass. She also produced alongside Zackary Drucker, Maddie Buis and Shuli Harel, with Mark Duplass and Jay Duplass serving as executive producers.

Take Two: The Fall Film Festivals’ Must-See Movies From Venice To Telluride To Toronto To New York

“I can’t wait for Toronto audiences...

Click here to read the full article.

Sony is making moves on its adaptation of the 2020 novel Home Before Dark, adding filmmaker Patrick Brice to direct from a script by Blair Butler. 21 Laps, the Shawn Levy-led production banner behind Stranger Things and The Adam Project, is producing.

The plot of the film, which is in early development, is being kept under wraps, though Riley Sager’s book is centered on a young woman, Maggie, whose family fled their Victorian home 25 years earlier in an event that inspired her father to pen a best-selling nonfiction book claiming they experienced a haunting. Maggie, now an adult, doesn’t remember those events and doesn’t believe her father’s book. But when she inherits the old family home after her father’s death, she starts to question if there’s more to the house than she believed.

SVP Emily Morris and creative...

Actor and comedian Jillian Bell has signed with CAA for representation.

Bell is best known for comedic hits such as “Idiotsitter,” the Comedy Central series which she created and starred in for two seasons, and the critically-acclaimed movie “Brittany Runs a Marathon,” directed by Paul Downs Colaizzo. She most recently starred in “The Drop,” which premiered at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, directed by Sarah Adina Smith.

Other highlights of Bell’s filmography include a standout role in “22 Jump Street” — for which she was nominated for two MTV movie awards as well as a Teen Choice Award. The actor also nabbed the lead role of Eleanor, an unskilled young fairy godmother, in the Disney+ movie “Godmothered,” starring opposite Isla Fisher. Her additional film credits include “Fist Fight,” “Office Christmas Party, “The Night Before,” “Inherent Vice” and “Rough Night,” among comedy and drama titles. On television, Bell has starred in series including “Room 104,...

Apple Original Films continues to expand on its diverse film slate as it has landed the rights to Causeway, a new film starring and produced by Academy Award-winner Jennifer Lawrence, and directed by Lila Neugebauer. A24 produced and developed the project. The film will make its global debut in-theaters and on Apple TV+ later this year.

The pic is an intimate portrait of a soldier struggling to adjust to her life after returning home to New Orleans. Brian Tyree Henry is set to co-star alongside Lawrence. Filmed in New Orleans, the A24 film is written by Ottessa Moshfegh & Luke Goebel and Elizabeth Sanders. Lawrence produces alongside Justine Ciarrocchi for Excellent Cadaver. In addition to directing, Neugebauer serves as executive producer. “Causeway” is produced by Iac Films, Ipr.Vc, Excellent Cadaver, and A24.

The film marks the latest project for Apple Original Films and Lawrence, who is attached to star in and...

Atsuko Okatsuka has lined up her first comedy special, which will air on HBO and HBO Max, Variety has learned exclusively.

The special will tape this fall. The news comes just over a month after Okatsuka was named one of Variety‘s 10 Comics to Watch. She is a writer, actor, and stand up comedian currently based in Los Angeles.

”I’m so excited to work with HBO on what my family calls ‘an hour of you talking funny,'” Okatsuka said. “That’s what I’ll be doing. But normal enough so you know what I’m saying. I wrote this special when I realized that all the things that made me feel like a freak growing up were actually my superpowers. And I hope you’ll feel that way too after watching. This one’s for the weirdos, the lovers, those who got picked last or even first but...

Philip Baker Hall, one of Hollywood’s most recognizable character actors, has died at the age of 90. He was best known today for his roles on “Seinfeld” and in the films of Paul Thomas Anderson. The news was first announced by Hall’s neighbor and friend, Los Angeles sports writer Sam Farmer, on Twitter.

“My neighbor, friend, and one of the wisest, most talented and kindest people I’ve ever met, Philip Baker Hall, died peacefully last night. He was surrounded by loved ones. The world has an empty space in it,” Framer wrote on Twitter.

Hall was born in Toledo, Ohio in 1931 to Alice Birdene and William Alexander Hall. He attended the University of Toledo and served as a U.S. Army translator in Germany before launching his acting career in some small New York theater productions. Hall made his film debut in 1970’s “Cowards,” from director Simon Nuchtern. He...

Click here to read the full article.

Philip Baker Hall, the journeyman character actor who was a favorite of director Paul Thomas Anderson but surely is best remembered for bringing library investigator Lt. Bookman to life on a 1991 episode of Seinfeld, has died. He was 90.

Hall died Sunday night, Los Angeles Times sportswriter Sam Farmer, his friend and neighbor, announced. No other details of his death were immediately available.

With his hangdog face and world-weary eyes, Hall looked as if he had seen it all and was using that knowledge to go forward. The everyman actor racked up more than 100 television appearances during his five-decade career, and one of his more endearing characters of late was Walt Kleezak, the cantankerous neighbor who befriends the young Luke Dunphy (Nolan Gould) on Modern Family.

Hall portrayed Richard Nixon in the acclaimed one-man play Secret Honor, then reprised the part of the disgraced...

Exclusive: Vivian Bang, the co-writer and star of the Sundance Film Festival debut White Rabbit, has boarded the New Line ensemble comedy The Parenting for HBO Max.

She joins Brian Cox, Edie Falco, Lisa Kudrow, Dean Norris, Nik Dodani, Brandon Flynn and Parker Posey in the Craig Johnson directed, Kent Sublette scripted movie.

In the pic, a young couple, Rohan and Josh, host a “meet the parents” weekend at a cozy rental house in the country, only to find it is already inhabited by a 400-year-old poltergeist.

Chris Bender and Jake Weiner are producing via their Good Fear Content

Bang played played the role of ‘Jenny’ in Netflix’s hit romcom Always Be My Maybe with Ali Wong, Randall Park, Keanu Reeves and recently appeared on HBO’s comedy series Room 104. She starred in the Warner Bros./TB sitcom Sullivan and Son for three Seasons and as ‘Sun,’ a...

Catalina Sandino Moreno and Harold Torres have been cast in “Silent Night,” an action-thriller starring Joel Kinnaman.

Hong Kong filmmaker John Woo (“A Better Tomorrow”) is directing the film, which is currently in production in Mexico City. The story centers on Godlock (Kinnaman), a father on a mission to avenge his young son, who was tragically caught in the crossfire of gang violence on Christmas Eve. Moreno will portray Saya, Godlock’s wife, and Torres will take on the role of the gang leader, Playa.

Robert Lynn is writing the screenplay, which contains almost no dialogue. Instead, the film will rely on the actor’s abilities to convey meaning and intention through Woo’s stylized imagery and intense action sequences.

Thunder Road Pictures and Capstone Studios are producing “Silent Night.”

“We couldn’t be happier to have the immensely talented Catalina and Harold join ‘Silent Night,’” said Capstone’s head of production,...

Exclusive: Katie Aselton (The Morning Show) has signed on to star alongside Bill Burr, Bobby Cannavale and Bokeem Woodbine in the comedy Old Dads, which Burr wrote and is directing for Miramax and his company All Things Comedy.

The comedian’s feature directorial debut centers on a middle-aged father, Jack (Burr), and his two best friends (Cannavale and Woodbine), who after selling their company to a millennial, find themselves out of step and behind the times as they hilariously struggle to navigate a changing world of culture, career and fatherhood.

Aselton is playing Jack’s wife, Leah. Burr and Ben Tishler penned the script and are producing alongside Bill Block, Monica Levinson and Mike Bertolina, with production underway in Los Angeles.

Aselton is an actor and filmmaker perhaps best known for her starring role as Jenny on FX’s comedy The League. She...