PGA Show Reports

 

 

Hammond: Producers Guild Validates ‘The Artist’ As Its March To The Oscars Intensifies

By PETE HAMMOND | Sunday January 22, 2012 @ 3:23am PST

In the last two years the winner of the Producers Guild of America’s Best Picture award (or Darryl F. Zanuck award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures) has turned the Oscar race on its head. The choice in 2010 of low grossing indie The Hurt Locker over the highest grossing movie ever, Avatar just one week after its Golden Globe win was a shocker. So was last year’s defeat of The Social Network by Harvey Weinstein’s upstart, The King’s Speech also just one week after the Sony Facebook film’s Globe triumph.

Saturday night’s victory by front runner The Artist isn’t inspiring the same comparisons.  If the PGA winner had been any thing other than The Artist  the race would take on new meaning but instead it went the way most pundits expected and would appear, on the surface at least , to mean the little French black and white silent movie is well on its way to victory at the Oscars.  After all the PGA is the first real industry test and it has a good track record matching its winner with the eventual Best Picture Oscar for the past four years (it has missed three others in the last decade though).

It is the first guild to reveal its choice and many members of the PGA are also Oscar voters so it carries a good deal of weight. The glum faces of competitors in the Beverly Hilton lobby afterwards would seem indicate a sense of the seemingly inevitable crowning of The Artist that is beginning to creep into this race. There was no Newt Gingrich surging from behind to overtake the front runner, but as I pointed out to producers of both The Descendants and The Help to name two , it ain’t over ’til its over — and in fact we don’t even get the nominations until Tuesday.

Next weekend with both the DGA and SAG awards is the awards season equivalent of Super Tuesday. This is where one of the rival films is going to have to stop the momentum of Harvey’s little-movie-that-could before its Best Picture fortunes turn into a foregone conclusion and Academy voters start sniffing a winner.  It’s a strategy Lionsgate employed in 2005 when Brokeback Mountain seemed just as invincible.  The company put everything it had including a DVD screener mailing to the entire membership of SAG in order to help their movie, Crash pull off an upset. And that’s exactly what it did in beating Brokeback for the coveted SAG ensemble prize (their equivalent of Best Picture) and going on to an Oscar victory.  Both Descendants and Help are aggressively pursuing the same win and even Universal’s upstart Bridesmaids is hoping for a momentum-snapping win at SAG next Sunday. In fact all five SAG ensemble nominees have sent screeners to the 90,000-plus SAG membership, a pricey move that underlines its strategic and psychological importance. Stranger things have happened and coming as it does just as final Oscar ballots are in the mail could be something to try and slow down The Artist.

Still Thomas Langmann, producer of The Artist , played the role of underdog in his classy acceptance speech when he said, “we were just writing a love letter to American cinema. We never dreamed we would get to taste the American dream”. It went over well in the room, especially when he pointed out none of them could believe they were in the same room as Steven Spielberg, much less the same category.  Later in the lobby Executive Producer Richard Middleton told me they really didn’t dare to  dream this big. “(the Director) Michel would just tell me he hoped to get a nice DVD out of it. It never occurred to anyone we would be sitting here today. It really didn’t”.

While I was congratulating Langmann in the lobby , Harvey Weinstein came up and warned him there is still a long way to go and that nothing should be taken for granted. He recalled being on the opposite side last year when it seemed inevitable Social Network was going to win.  In fact last year Harvey didn’t make the trek up to L.A. from Sundance for the night like he did this year. But then this year he knew he might be riding a winner. Harvey looked like the cat that just ate the canary.

As for the show itself this was one of the tightest and certainly best produced PGA awards I have seen. In fact it was one of the best Guild shows period. The clip reels across the board were exceptional starting with a hilarious opening montage of movies featuring actors playing producers. It killed as did a reel introducing Milestone Award recipient Leslie Moonves that even featured clips of his (way) past career as a fledgling actor . He wisely gave that up for the career path he is on now. The clips chosen for Norman Lear Television Achievement winner (and Oscar show co-producer) Don Mischer  as well as those for David O. Selznick Career Achievement winner Steven Spielberg were also great.  In fact Spielberg was so blown away by it he asked in his speech who put it together. “I think we should have them working for us,”  he said. His colleague and co-founder of Dreamworks Jeffrey Katzenberg presented his award saying “no one has given us so many intimate , unforgettable movie moments as Steven Spielberg. As director and producer no one has given us more than any person in movie history.”  In accepting Spielberg gave credit to many of his early mentors in television  and later in film, particularly Dick Zanuck and David Brown , producers of  Jaws and his longtime producing partner (and former PGA head) Kathleen Kennedy. “I love what this Guild has become, recognizing producing as an indispensible creative necessity,”  he said.

That definitely seems to be the case and current PGA presidents Mark Gordon and Hawk Koch announced the Guild is thriving and just welcomed its 5000th member. “J.J. Abrams is number 4999 and Brad Pitt  is number 5000,”  they said. Pitt, a nominee for Moneyball didn’t win but his significant other, Angelina Jolie won a standing ovation as she accepted the socially conscious Stanley Kramer Award for her Bosnian war-set film, In The Land of Blood and Honey. She said she was “humbled” by it before singling out her cast who were on all sides of the early 90′s conflict that became the bloodiest war in Europe since World War 2. “This belongs to them. It is their story and their film and by honoring them you remember them and we thank you,”  she said.

One of the highlights of the show was a clip Mischer ran in his acceptance detailing the stress he was under while directing the 2002 Winter Olympic games opening ceremony as the skaters who were passing the torch were going so slow the fabled Olympic flame was in danger of burning out. George Clooney also got lots of laughs presenting his former E.R. boss Les Moonves’s award, particularly with a riotous impression of the CBS honcho. Moonves got him back saying, “I think everyone is aware of the last few weeks and what a low profile you have taken,” he quipped .  ”Every production is a minor miracle, every TV show, every movie,”  he said while giving credit to producers like Mark Burnett and Jerry Bruckheimer for overcoming the odds and turning out hits.

With the 2012 PGA awards now history the march towards Oscar night intensifies and nominees get announced at the crack of dawn Tuesday morning. Will there be surprises? Hope so. We have to keep this thing interesting.

Angelina Jolie, Brad Pitt trade views on filmmaking

 

24 Frames

Producers Guild Awards: 'The Artist' takes home top honors

January 21, 2012 | 10:20 pm

The Producers Guild of America gave its top prize to "The Artist" Saturday night, confirming the black-and-white film's status as an Oscar front-runner heading into the nominations for the 84th Academy Awards Tuesday morning. The PGA and the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have agreed on best picture winners the last four years. Producer Thomas Langmann, the son of acclaimed French actor, writer and director Claude Barri, accepted the Darryl F. Zanuck Award for Outstanding Producer of Theatrical Motion Pictures for "The Artist," which took home the Golden Globe for best motion picture, comedy or musical, earlier this month.
Directed by Michel Hazanavicius, the film is a love letter to Hollywood's Golden Age, telling the story of the intersecting fates of silent film star George Valentin (Jean Dujardin) and plucky song-and-dance gal Peppy Miller (Berenice Bejo) at the dawn of the talkies. Since making its debut at the Cannes Film Festival last year, the movie has been collecting accolades and acclaim.
"When Michel and I dreamed of making 'The Artist,' we dreamed of writing a love letter to American cinema," Langmann said. "We just didn't know that we would get a taste of the American dream."
But "The Artist" wasn't the only recurring presence on the awards season circuit to take home a prize Saturday at the 23rd annual PGA Awards gala at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. Steven Spielberg's 3D performance capture film "The Adventures of Tintin," based on the work of Belgian artist Herge, won in the PGA's animated film category -- it, too, won a Golden Globe. The director accepted the statuette with his producing partner Kathleen Kennedy; "Tintin's" third nominated producer, Peter Jackson, did not attend the ceremony.
Spielberg, whose other 2011 feature, the stately World War I drama "War Horse," had been nominated alongside "The Artist," also was honored with the David O. Selznick Achievement Award in Theatrical Motion Pictures. In presenting the award, DreamWorks Animation chief Jeffrey Katzenberg said of Spielberg, "He's a great storyteller. He's maintained a deep affinity with his audiences."
During his acceptance speech, Spielberg credited his career to the fact that he came across producers who believed in him, refueled his confidence when it ran low and took a chance on him. He explained that an important aspect in making films is "being able to take chances on men and women who deserve a break. No one can succeed alone."
He continued, "For every film and television show nominated tonight, someone reached out and gave a hand. I am grateful to feel all of yours holding mine right now."
Actor Michael Rapaport certainly seemed both grateful and terribly surprised when his documentary about the groundbreaking hip-hop collective A Tribe Called Quest, "Beats, Rhymes and Life," took home honors for Outstanding Producer of Documentary Theatrical Motion Pictures -- Rapaport, Edward Parks, Frank Mele and Debra Koffler were the honored producers.
"I really can't believe we won," a visible shaken Rapaport said, before coming out with an off-the-cuff expletive.
On the television side, the Norman Felton Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic TV-drama went to HBO's Prohibition era drama "Boardwalk Empire," while ABC's popular sitcom "Modern Family" won the Danny Thomas Award for Outstanding Producer of Episodic TV, Comedy.
After collecting the first prize of the evening, "Modern Family" producer Danny Zuker appropriately made the audience roar with laughter. "I have to tell you, all through the streets today there was Producer's Guild fever and it's just such a relief for it to all be over."
Comedian Stephen Colbert and the team from Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" won for Outstanding Producer of Live Entertainment & Talk Television, though Colbert was not on hand to accept. PBS' Emmy- and Golden Globe-winning miniseries "Downtown Abbey" and its trio of producers, Julian Fellowes, Nigel Marchant and Gareth Neame, took home the PGA's long-form television award.
The prize for competition television went to CBS' globe-trotting contest "The Amazing Race" -- honored producers were Jerry Bruckheimer, Elise Doganieri, Jonathan Littman, Bertram van Munster and Mark Vertullo. PBS' "American Masters" duo Susan Lacy and Julie Sacks won for Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction TV.
Among the evening's other honorary awards, "Spider-Man" star Tobey Maguire presented comics icon Stan Lee with his Vanguard Award, while television veteran Don Mischer accepted the Norman Lear Achievement Award in Television. Both men received a standing ovation in the ballroom, as did actress Angelina Jolie, who was given the Stanley Kramer Award for her feature directorial debut, "In the Land of Blood and Honey," a love story set against the backdrop of the Bosnian war.
CBS Corp. Chief Executive Leslie Moonves won the Milestone Award, which was presented to him by George Clooney. After his own standing ovation, Moonves quipped that "there is no one in the world I would change places with, except this guy," and promptly pointed to Clooney.
The evening also saw Alicia Keys perform a rendition of her Jay-Z duet "Empire State of Mind" and her song "No One."
-- Susan King and Jasmine Elist

Inside the Producers Guild Awards with Spielberg and Jolie: 'The Artist' Wins Again

Awards by Beth Hanna


 Angelina Jolie Accepts the Stanley Kramer Award:

After being introduced by Morgan Freeman as "producer, director, writer and woman of my dreams," a visibly moved Angelina Jolie took the stage to accept the Stanley Kramer award. Speaking to the audience and also pointedly to Spielberg she said, "In the early '90's, great filmmakers were standing on stages like this being recognized for "Schindler's List"... We meant it when we said 'Never again.' But at that same time in film history, the war in Bosnia was in full force - concentration camps, rape camps, and mass executions. And the world turned a blind eye. The cast of 'Blood and Honey' were all personally affected by that war... This [award] belongs to them, and in honoring [this film] you honor them."

 

“The Artist” Wins Producers Guild, Angelina Makes Impassioned Speech

01/22/12 10:22am Roger Friedman

Our own LEAH SYDNEY reports from Hollywood: Thomas Langmann, the son of late famed French film director Claude Berri, won the Producers Guild of America award last night for bringing “The Artist” to the screen. It was presented to him by Annette Bening.  “The Artist,” from the Weinstein Company, is now set to garner many Oscar nominations on Tuesday. At a pre-panel for the PGA yesterday, even Steven Spielberg praised Michel Hazanavicius‘s extraordinary silent black and while film for its genius. It was quite an evening for the PGA: Alicia Keys performed, and other awards went to the The Colbert Report, Moden Family, Boardwalk Empire, CBS chief Les Moonves (who’s kept CBS a consistent winner), and to Steven Spielberg‘s “The Adventures of Tin Tin.”
Some notes from Leah: Morgan Freeman gave the Stanley Kramer Award to Angelina Jolie for her debut film “In The Land of Blood and Honey.” Freeman said Jolie, the director  made “a powerful visceral film made by brave and bold artist…Here is the writer, producer director and woman of my dreams.” Angelina then came on and gave a truly a beautiful , earnest speech that had the crowd mesmerized.
“To be in any way associated with Stanley Kramer is such an honor. It’s extraordinary and we are humbled.” She then went on and said “to my family bcause without them nothing is possible and I have nothing.  ‘Schindler’s List’ was honored here,” she said, looking at Spielberg. “It was an extraordinary film and we meant it when we said never again. But at that exact time in Bosnia in 1994 the war was happening there, 40 minutes away from Italy the world turned a blind eye.  It took great bravery and personal hardship for them to tell their story. But they did so so that in years to come someone will not be accepting an award for a war that is happening now.  Sadly that will probably be the case. By honoring this film you are honoring them as well for that we are grateful.”
Marvel Comics’ Stan Lee also won an award, presented to him by Tobey Maguire, his last “Spider Man.” Awards were also won by Masterpiece Theater, and “The Amazing Race.”
Leah reports that right before the show Moonves –kidding that he had no acceptance speech– asked writer director Judd Apatow to help him. Apatow quipped, “Does that mean you’re going to hire me now?” Stan Lee told Leah his biggest problem these days is being mistaken for Brad Pitt. (Long hair, scruffy beards.)
On a personal note, I know how much winning the PGA means to Langmann for “The Artist.” As a child in occupied France, his father was given to a Christian family rather than be killed in the Holocaust. Years later, his mother, a beloved woman, killed herself. The Holocaust story has hung over his family like a dark shadow. His father, who directed “Jean de Florette,” died two years ago. The surprise success of “The Artist” has been a miracle. Many congratulations.



 Ministry of Gossip Home

Angelina Jolie honored at Producers Guild Awards

Angelina Jolie was the woman of the night at the Producers Guild Awards, honored with the Stanley Kramer Award for her work on "In the Land of Blood and Honey.

It was recognition that caused A-lister Jolie to turn into a giddy little girl when she heard the news, she told the Ministry on Saturday night.
"What I hope is that our film helps people not forget the past," said Jolie, whose directorial effort is set against the backdrop of the Bosnian war and the violence in the Serbian-run detention camps. "I want people to see what these people have gone through and that they are able to tell their story through their bravery. Their story matters."
PHOTOS: The scene at the Producers Guild Awards
Karen Sharpe Kramer, widow of director Stanley Kramer, said that the award in his name was created to honor socially conscious filmmaking and when it came time to decide on this year's recipient, it was a "hands-down" vote for "Blood and Honey."
"I think women are better directors of violence for film," Kramer said boldly. "Genocide continues throughout the world, and if a film like this can keep being seen, we can help bring an end to the violence."
When asked if she would give up her career as an actor to continue directing, Jolie quickly and confidently said, "Definitely."
"I would love to not be in front of camera. It's nice to shine a spotlight on another actor," she said -- as rows of cameras snapped photos of her standing elegantly in a black Michael Kors gown with lace detail.

Producers Guild Awards red carpet: Angelina Jolie, Jessica Chastain go black to basics -- PHOTOS

by Kate Ward

 An A-list crowd packed the seats at last night’s Producers Guild Awards, but its red carpet was anything but flashy. Celebrities chose to go demure for the event, with many deciding that black was best. (Just see perennial red carpet stunners Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, who continue to prove this awards season that they’re better looking than we’ll ever be. Not that we’re bitter or anything.)
 

Injured Brad Pitt: No More Cane, But...

Today 10:16 AM PST by Marc Malkin

Just because Brad Pitt is no longer wobbling around on a cane, that doesn't mean he's in the clear.
The Moneyball actor says there's still work to be done on his busted knee...


"It's better," Pitt told me exclusively last night at the 23rd annual Producers Guild Awards at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. "I have to wear a brace for a month."

"Then I'll have rehab," he said. "I'll be alright as long as the kids don't hit me from the side."
The world's most famous father of six injured his knee earlier this month when he took a fall while carrying daughter Vivienne.
Angelina Jolie has said the pain never actually slowed Mr. Pitt down. "He's not that kind of guy," she told reporters at the Palm Springs International Film Festival shortly after the accident. "He still does everything."
A busted knee isn't the only thing I talked about with Pitt. Come back here later on for more scoop. Also, I'll tell you what Jolie told me about quitting acting.

Bad fish, big pond

Celebs gather at Producers Guild Awards

By Todd Kushigemachi, Dave McNary

Hollywood showed its love for last year's movies and its disappointment in Saturday night's dinner at the Producers Guild of America Awards. While presenting the Milestone Award to Leslie Moonves, George Clooney sounded off about "that fucking fish. "I'm not sure what it was, but it came from the L.A. River," Clooney said from the Beverly Hilton stage. 

Graham King and Brad Pitt attend the Variety's 2012 PGA Nominees Breakfast at Landmark Nuart Theatre.

Other A-list presenters included Kathy Bates, Viola Davis, Jessica Chastain and Morgan Freeman, who described honoree Angelina Jolie as "producer, director, writer ... the woman of my dreams."

 

Morgan Freeman presents the Stanley Kramer Award to Angelina Jolie. 

Accepting the David O. Selznick Achievement Award, Steven Spielberg took time to thank his wife, Kate Capshaw, "who so innocently asked me last night if David O. Selznick was Irish. He's the other - ish."

Kathleen Kennedy offers congrats to Steven Spielberg, who receives David O. Selznick Award.

Earlier in the day, Spielberg also provoked big laughs at the PGA Awards 2012 Nominees Breakfast, presented by Variety, when he answered a question about where he had gotten his inspiration to produce "War Horse."

"My wife saw the play and said, 'You've got to do this,'" he revealed at the Landmark Theaters confab.
"Bridesmaids" producer Barry Mendel said that pic's director, Paul Feig, shot a massive amount of footage -- 1.2 million feet -- in order to be assured that the comedy was captured.

 
 George Clooney segues from fish to pics at PGA Awards.


"Ides of March" producer Grant Heslov recalled that he and Clooney had originally set up their adaptation of the stage play when Barack Obama was running for president. "We didn't think that a very cynical look at politics would play well at the point when Obama had been elected," he noted. "About a year went by and we said, 'Maybe we can do this.'"

Michael Manheim and Judd Apatow flank PGA prexy Mark Gordon at the Beverly Hilton.

Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Brad Pitt: I’m ‘Very Proud’ Of Angelina

First Published: January 23, 2012 5:15 PM EST Credit: Getty Images

LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption With award season in full swing, Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie have been stepping out night after night in support of their numerous films. On Saturday, Access Hollywood caught up with the power couple at the Producer’s Guild Awards, where the actress-turned-writer/director was honored.

Brad told Access that he’s overjoyed with his ladylove’s success with her directorial feature debut, “In the Land of Blood and Honey.”

“I am very proud of her,” Brad said of Angelina, who was awarded the Producer’s Guild Stanley Kramer Award. “I remember the morning she woke up and said, ‘I’m going to write something,’ and six months later, she’s shooting.

“I know what it means to her and the people of the country and uniting people on both sides,” he said of the film, which is set during the Bosnian War. “It’s no small feat.”

And though the couple both have films with Oscar nomination buzz, they both told Access they might be preoccupied with other things come Tuesday morning.

“I’m sure we’ll be busy with the kids,” Angelina explained.

A modest Brad, who could be nominated for his film, “Moneyball,” added, “I haven’t thought it.”

.

GG Directors Panel, Almadovar

Jolie and Almodovar discuss future collaboration

Angelina Jolie, left, director of the Golden Globe-nominated foreign language film 'In the Land of Blood and Honey,' and Pedro Almodovar of Spain, director of the Golden Globe-nominated 'The Skin I Live In,' pose together at the Golden Globe Foreign Language Nominees Seminar at the Egyptian Theater in Los Angeles, Saturday, Jan. 14, 2012. (AP / Chris Pizzello)

The Associated Press

Date: Sunday Jan. 15, 2012 3:11 PM ET

LOS ANGELES — Don't be stunned to see a future collaboration between superstar American actress -- and now director -- Angelina Jolie and revered Spanish director Pedro Almodovar.
The two were among attendees at the annual Golden Globes foreign-language seminar on Saturday at the Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood, where directors nominated in the category discussed this year's competition.
The entries include Jolie's "In the Land of Blood and Honey," about family strife and abuse of women in Bosnia, and Almodovar's psycho-thriller "The Skin I Live In."
Unlike other celebrities at the event, Jolie surprised reporters by showing up early, relaxed and gracious as she posed for photographers and talked about what inspired her to move behind the camera for "Blood and Honey."
At one point, Jolie half-joked to a Spanish reporter that she was angry with Almodovar because he'd yet to hire her for a role. When Almodovar was given that news by an Associated Press reporter -- within earshot of Jolie -- the actress jumped into the fray.
"I am right here," Jolie noted. "Yes, because you have never given me a job."
"Oh my God," said a flustered Almodovar. "No, no don't worry, you are joining now. Absolutely."
"So one day," Jolie responded, "when all these cameras are gone, we find a film together."

RAW VIDEO: Jolie, Almodovar Make Film Deal

 

Angelina Jolie and Pedro Almodovar made a pact to work together while on the red carpet Saturday (January 14). 

Angelina Jolie, la nueva chica Almodóvar

Agencia EFE

By Fernando Mexia Los Angeles, USA / EFE

 


Angelina Jolie managed to obtain today Spanish filmmaker Pedro Almodóvar's promise that she will be in for one of his projects at an event in Los Angeles to meet the directors of the films that are candidates for Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes.
The actress and partner of Brad Pitt interrupted an interview she was giving at the entrance of Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood to come to the director of La Mancha, who had just arrived, and ask for a project under the watchful eye of journalists.
"When will you give me a job?, Someday?" Jolie asked the director of "Talk to Her" (2002).
"Do not worry, you're young," he replied, surprised by the situation.
"But promise that someday?" Continued Jolie vehemently.
"Yes, absolutely. This is a commitment in front of the cameras," Almodovar said he reminded the actress who had met in Los Angeles when she was just starring in "Girl, Interrupted" (1999) and the Spanish had released "All About My Mother "(1999).
Both Jolie as Almodovar won the Oscar for those projects, the U.S. as best supporting actress and manchego in the category of best foreign film.
"I love it," Almodovar said later, he advanced at hand a project set in New York that could lead to roll in the U.S. and in English if it achieves "the right script."
"I think (Angelina) fits perfectly (in films) because she is a girl who takes chances. Would fit in many of the female roles I've written," the filmmaker imagined Jolie as Carmen Maura the U.S..
"Angelina can be a simple but glamorous woman, she could have done Pepi (Maura) in Pepi, Luci, Bom and Other Girls Like Mom (1980) and also could have made the character of Carmen Maura in What have I done to deserve This (1984), rather disheveled and with little makeup, "said Almodovar.
Jolie did not hide her admiration at any time by the Spanish and his last film ("The skin I live") which she found "one of the most unusual, original and audacious" he had ever seen.
"It seems that there is nothing to hang (Almodovar) and that makes you think how you will receive your work. You have the freedom to let go and try it all and is so creative and so brave that you can not help but feel inspired by him. I'm very inspired by it, "he said.
Almodovar won with "The skin I live," his seventh nomination for the Golden Globe for best foreign language film, a new category for Jolie, who got his directorial debut with his film Bosnian "In the Land of Blood and Honey "was nominated by members of the Foreign Press Association of Hollywood, an organization that grants these awards.
While Spanish and U.S. caught the attention of the public and journalists, is the Iranian film "A Separation" by Asghar Farhadi, is the favorite to win the award at the gala to be held on Sunday from 5 in the afternoon in Los Angeles (0100 GMT Monday).
"I have the impression that what I was going to give me," said Almodovar who hopes to have fun with the "jokes" and you want the controversial master of ceremonies, Ricky Gervais, which boasts an offensive humor, "is very wrong "to take after" things that talk. "
The Egyptian Theatre on Hollywood was filled with about 600 people who attended a symposium in which Jolie, Almodóvar, Farhadi and the brothers Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne, Belgium candidates with the film "The Kid With A Bike", told for two hours their experiences during filming of his movies.
Zhang Yimou, the director of the fifth production nominated for a Golden Globe in the category of Best Foreign Language film, "The Flowers of War" (China), did not travel to California for Sunday's ceremony for health reasons.

EEUU GLOBOS DE ORO ANGELINA JOLIE, LA NUEVA CHICA ALMODÓVAR

Agencia EFE Domingo, 15 ene. 2012, 03:00h

La actriz estadounidense Angelina Jolie posa hoy, sábado 14 de enero de 2012, a su llegada al teatro Egipcio de Hollywood en Los Ángeles (EEUU). Jolie logró arrancar al cineasta español Pedro Almodóvar la promesa de que contará con ella para alguno de sus proyectos en un evento que reunió en Los Ángeles a los directores de los filmes candidatos a mejor película de habla no inglesa en los Globos de Oro.

@glorialoera Gloria Loera

Angelina Jolie & Pedro Almodovar @ the Golden Globes Best Foreign Picture event today. pic.twitter.com/624EvJSA

Celebuzz

Golden Globe Foreign Language Nominees Panel: Jolie, Almodovar, Farhadi & Dardennes Talk Style, Content

Awards by Sophia Savage | January 14, 2012 | 

Angelina Jolie meets Asghar Farhadi after the Golden Globes panel. Photo: Sophia Savage

 

Yet again, there's much to learn from the Golden Globe nominees for Best Foreign Language Film. Screen International's Mike Goodridge moderated the Cinematheque panel: Angelina Jolie ("In The Land of Blood and Honey," USA), Pedro Almodovar ("The Skin I Live In," Spain), Asghar Farhadi ("A Separation," Iran) and Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne ("The Kid With a Bike," France/Belgium). Not present was China's nominee Zhang Yimou ("The Flowers of War").

Thankfully the HFPA nominated a woman director again this year; eventual Globe-winner Susanne Bier ("In A Better World") more than held her own at last year's male-dominated panel. And Jolie lit up the panel Saturday with her native eloquence (the others needed translators). Much as Jolie has the power to draw an audience, that was not the reason for her nomination, the HFPA assured the audience during their intro to the film at the Aero Theater last week. Clearly the film doesn't need that caveat -- it speaks for itself.  This panel's audience was equally admiring.

"In The Land of Blood and Honey," Angelina Jolie:

Throughout the filming, Jolie's Yugoslavian cast "focused on their similarity, their unity," she said, while coming together to tell a sensitive and difficult part of their history. "The wounds are still very fresh," but "we want the world not to forget about it." Her actors "guided me through this; they taught me everyday." The film has been shown in their region, spurring a necessary dialogue. She hopes audiences not only fall in love with the actors and feel pity for people who lived through this period in Bosnian history, but also to "see how extraordinary the region is." For her, it isn't a film or a piece of art, "it's where my heart is, this is my family." As for the bumps along the way to getting the film made, Jolie and her cast trusted that because they were armed with the right intentions, they had to trust people would see that upon viewing the film. So far, the response (including that of the war's rape victims) has reassured them.

Wasn't "Blood and Honey"'s love story bizarre?
No, Jolie said: "It was very common at the time," and it wasn't this idea of Romeo and Juliet on two different sides. "They were born the same -- they are the same. They fell in love in a time when it was normal to have mixed marriages. It was the war that turned them into enemies. To me it's a very sad love story because it's a love story about what should have been: They should have been alive today, they should have a family..[the love story] is symbolic of what happened to the country."

Why did Jolie choose this particular piece of history, given her considerable experience with struggling nations throughout the world?
"I made this film about this region at this time because the themes are universal -- sexually violence against women and the lack of intervention." She remembered being seventeen and hearing hardly anything about the conflict while it was happening. She was ashamed by how little she knew, and an obligation to get back into a dialogue about it. "There's still many displaced people, still work to be done." She added that "as an artist I was extremely inspired [by the people in the region]. They understand art, and what it is to be an artist and how it helps us survive -- in a way very few people do. It's a different breed of artist that comes with such a resilience and passion and openness: survivors."

Jolie, Almodovar

How did she develop the austere style of the film? "The style for this was dictated by the war. It's austere in that -- some people said the light was so beautiful -- [that's because] in some scenes there was no electricity -- it just looked like a Vermeer or Rembrandt because there was light coming in through the window!" She adds that her set designers "tried to not make it more than it was."

Future directorial plans?
"It's harder to be a director than an actor," she said. "The responsibility as a director --you want to do everything, and it takes your life; for that you have to have a reason." She finds it hard to imagine doing another film that would mean as much as this one did.  But yes, she'll continue to direct, but only if Almodovar refuses to give her a job.
"The Skin I live In," Pedro Almodovar:

Is it a horror movie?
"What happens in the movie, it's awful," responded Almodovar. "It was a way to talk about something interesting -- identity."

Almodovar enjoyed working with old collaborator Antonio Banderas again, and recalled working with him on "Tie Me Up! Tie Me Down!" "He was the most brilliant natural talent that I had ever met, wild and crazy, full of desire." He likes having the same actors in all his films, "it's a good feeling -- of having a family."

Almodovar said he's "obsessed with everything that's in front of the camera," and that while he has nothing against Naturalism, it's not the style he wants. When he began as a filmmaker, shooting on Super 8mm, he and his cohorts were "creating the reality we wanted to be a part of"; it was a darker time for Spain. They were interested in "representing feelings, styles, actions, adventures, plots -- that was so important for me and the Spanish people at that moment."
Like all his films, this one is also about "mothers and people who desire people." He shed some light on the film's ending, saying that "sometimes through desire you can recognize someone," but we'll stop there.

Will Almodovar ever work outside of Spain?
Maybe once, but he warns: "I don't think the production style of this town -- LA - really fits me," he says. "And I'm too old to learn."

"A Separation," Asghar Farhadi:

Why does the film resonate so much with everyone who sees it, all over the world?
"I don't know exactly why but I can venture a guess: This is in a way a detective story, but the detective is actually the audience. We've seen many detective movies where the language is not realistic, in a way we're seeing a combo of a detective movie and a drama - a hybrid of the two." He added: "I don't think that local films can't also be universal; they can be both. If you tell a local story very precisely and accurate, it can become quite universal."

Doesn't the film open audiences up to the world of Iran?
"There's an image of Iran that's not correct. I don't mean to say there are no issues or problems--there are. But the type of problems you often imagine are not the ones there. Western audiences might go into this movie with a preconceived notion. For them, it might be strange than Iranians have such layered, complicated issues. But I think people all over the world are quite similar. People all over the world have quite complicated issues. The problem is we look through the people of the county through the prism of politics. If you see the people you see how similar we are." The response to his film all over the world has been that "we are very similar." He's said it many times, but it's worth saying again: "Similarities between people and their cultures, throughout the world, are far greater than their differences, but its better for the interest of politics to highlight the differences."

Farhadi's goal was not to make a film to help foreign audiences better understand Iran:
"No movie can claim to have a complete view of a country. How could I possibly say that my movie is an image of 70 million people - this would be belittling people." He and his fellow Iranian filmmakers don't like to have all their issues brought up or to receive sympathy: "When you see my movie, assume that i made it under the best possible circumstances. That doesn't mean that I condone the difficult situations in Iran, but I don't want to be a beggar on the street who exposes his wounds just to get sympathy for it. Nobody forced me to become a filmmaker under those circumstances, I chose to do so, knowing those circumstances, we Iranian filmmakers don't like to be treated like 'wow, they created…' Just watch our movies."

Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne

 

As for the purported difficulties of bringing films to foreign audiences with language barriers:
"Sometimes it's a good thing to not understand the language, you get down to the real stuff." Farhadi worked in theater for years before becoming a filmmaker. His process is still very theatrical. "We do the type of exercises that if anyone were to see us they'd think we were bizarre." He had "A Separation"'s actors do method-like preparation before production began. "For months ahead of time you work with actors, it's not like sitting around a table reading a script together."

Of the joys of filmmaking:
"Every time I show up on set I feel that my childhood hasn't left me. This is the greatest gift a person can have -- to have their childhood with them."

"The Kid with a Bike," Luc and Jean-Pierre Dardenne

"Realism is a correction of reality":
Naturalism is the Dardenne brothers' style: with a documentary and theater background, their goal may be to create an organic environment, but they don't think naturalism really exists in art. "We start from things that actually have existed," they said, noting their inspiration for "The Kid with a Bike" came from a news story about a boy in Tokyo. "From that story we tried to find a fable that tells something a little bit different from the original story." The boy from Tokyo's story involved him leaving the orphanage and committing murder. "We started to think, how could we have this boy not commit murder and escape that destiny?"
The solution for them was to bring a woman into that story who would intervene in this journey and prevent him from a similar fate. They felt that for the character Samantha, "it was important not to attribute a psychological motivation for her, because it would distance the audience from why she was doing [helping him], and they needed to go on the journey with her," adding that unfortunately, people immediately start looking for a reason when people do something good; "as human beings, if she had left him there, we would have understand that. It's like if someone falls off their bike on the side of the road - some people stop, some people don't."

One of the most extraordinary things for a director is to see someone on camera for the first time, said Luc Dardenne. They often do, using mostly unknown or non-actors. With Cecile de France, the process was slightly different, and involved figuring out how to make her fall into their universe. The brothers spoke of needing actors to surrender and give in to the process. They spend forty days rehearsing and forty-fifty days shooting. "We spend so much time together that it gets to the point where no one is protecting their self-image anymore, and that's when the character comes to life..We're able to forget ourselves. Then the characters can be born." Regardless of working with professional or non-professional actors, they say they have to "break their image" of themselves.

The final message of the film:
"What we wanted to do with the end of our film is say love is stronger than death--sometimes--and for a short time."

The Golden Globe foreign-language winner will be announced at Sunday's ceremony.

More on the lawsuit

n The Land of Blood & Lawsuits: Jolie, GK Films and FilmDistrict Sued Over Film's Similarities to Croatian Book

News by Sophia Savage | December 6, 2011 | 

Jolie on the set of "In The Land of Blood and Honey"

Angelina Jolie (along with GK Films, FilmDistrict and Scout Film) is being sued. Croatian journalist James Braddock alleges that her film, "In The Land of Blood and Honey," has similarities with his 2007 book, "The Soul Shattering." For two years beginning in 2008, he states that he consulted with Edin Sarkic, a co-producer on the film (on points including "plot and character development and the story's cultural significance and historical accuracy"). The two allegedly discussed the possibility of adapting his book, but that's as far as it went until Braddock learned of Jolie's film. Among the alledged similarities between the book and the film: the Bosnian war backdrop, a captured female prisoner raped by soldiers and a Serbian commander who falls in love with her and aids her escape. This sort of thing comes up all the time and is hard to prove. As THR puts it, if Braddock's case can prove "substantial similarity in expression, not merely the use of unprotectable ideas," then Jolie & Co. may not have such a Merry Christmas; Braddock seeks not only statutory damages but an injuction on the release, which is slated for December 23. In talking to press, Jolie has been open to questions and feedback to make the film as accurate as possible. She says that she wrote the script over the course of a month during a flu-induced quarantine in the attic of her house in France.
If this website is the real deal, Braddock, aka Josip J. Knezevic, lays it all out in an angry statement, in which he states "her idea is nothing but a doctored version of my novel," and that "she played with my novel by dissecting and reducing it into a banal love story that would be impossible during the war." Newsweek's Janine di Giovanni, who herself lived through the siege of Sarajevo in the early 1990s, states that she scanned the film with a critical eye for anything inauthentic and was impressed.
Here's more on the lawsuit, the film and Jolie on 60 Minutes.

Angelina Jolie Sued For Copyright Infringement Over New Film

11:47 AM PST 12/5/2011 by Eriq Gardner

Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Just weeks before Angelina Jolie is scheduled to release her directorial debut, In the Land of Blood and Honey, the actress/filmmaker has been sued by Croatian journalist James Braddock, who claims the forthcoming movie about a love affair during the Bosnian Civil War violates his copyright on a book, The Soul Shattering.

Braddock is demanding statutory damages plus an injunction against the film's release.
Jolie is a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, and she certainly travels far and wide promoting humanitarian causes, but what is the likelihood she had seen Braddock's original book, which was published in Croatian in 2007? According to Braddock's lawsuit, the key figure might be an individual named Edin Sarkic, a co-defendant in the lawsuit who served as one of the film's producers and has been credited in the press with helping Jolie attain the necessary permits to film in Sarajevo.
PHOTOS: Hollywood's 10 Highest-Paid Actresses
Braddock claims that after publishing his book in 2007, he traveled to Sarajevo to promote his work and create awareness for Bosnian war victims. There, he says he was allegedly approached by Sarkic, who told Braddock that he read The Soul Shattering and wanted to meet to discuss the book in further detail. Braddock and Sarkic allegedly met three more times in 2008 to discuss details about the book, "including plot and character development and the story's cultural significance and historical accuracy."
The discussions are said to have evolved into the possibility of creating a film adaptation of the book. The two kept in touch over telephone and text messages over the next two years. Braddock also says he e-mailed an individual at one of Jolie's charities to propose a collaboration on a project to build villages across Sarajevo and New Orleans.
VIDEO: Angelina Jolie Reveals Past Aspirations to Become Funeral Director
Then, Braddock says he learned of Jolie's movie. He details some of the similarities, including the backdrop of war-torn Bosnia and Herzogovina in the early 1990s, a main female character who is captured and imprisoned and raped by soldiers, and a Serbian camp commander who falls in love with the woman and helps her escape.
VIDEO: Angelina Jolie Reveals Inspiration Behind Her Directorial Debut, 'In the Land of Blood and Honey'
It'll be up to a judge to determine whether the claimed "obvious" similarities meet the high threshold needed to prove copyright infringement. Braddock's lawyer, Kelly Saindon, will have to demonstrate substantial similarity in expression, not merely the use of unprotectable ideas. Besides Jolie and Sarkic, the other defendants are GK Films, FilmDistrict, and Scout Film. The film is scheduled to be released on December 23.

Salt 2 > Wanted 2

Box Office

Angelina Jolie Chooses Wisely: Salt Sequel Moves Forward

By Anne Thompson, Thompson on Hollywood

Angelina Jolie may have said no to a Wanted sequel (for another film that eventually lost her, Gravity), but that doesn’t mean she doesn’t know a good franchise when she sees one. Salt went from a Tom Cruise vehicle to an Angelina Jolie action classic, and it’s getting a sequel. We’ve said it before and we’ll say it again: Angelina Jolie is the first actress to transcend gender. And it’s hard to argue that any other actress can do what she can.

So why did she choose Salt over Wanted, which Universal desperately wanted her to do? Worldwide tallies put Salt at $293.5 million (62% Tomatometer) while Wanted earned $341.4 million (71% Tomatometer). Trailers for both are below.

But her decision makes sense (pending her approval of Kurt Wimmer’s script) if you look at Jolie as a piece of the Wanted puzzle, but the main event in Salt (sorry, James McAvoy). Salt offers many possibilities as an action-spy franchise, as well as the added frisson of putting a woman through her action paces. Under Phil Noyce’s sure direction, Jolie delivered in Salt, even though the plot was less inspired than Wanted‘s.

Of playing Evelyn Salt, a character intended to be a man, Jolie told Vogue: “I felt it was a weird thing that every time you ask for a strong female role, it’s written in this strange way where it uses sexuality far too much. Or it’s all about being a woman and beating a man. So it wasn’t a surprise to me that the only way to do a strong female role properly was to not have it originally written for a woman.”

There is no question that Jolie adds edge and sex appeal to whatever side-kick role she’s had. She stole the show in Gone in 60 Seconds, Girl, Interrupted and Wanted. She makes cars and guns very sexy. Tomb Raider and Wanted were using her sexuality to sell movie tickets, and while one could argue Salt does the same, it doesn’t get her naked to do so. She’s one of a kind and she knows it. She doesn’t have to pander to anyone’s fantasy.

There will always be naysayers and tabloids tugging at her to come down from the pedestal. But she’s there for a reason. Jolie’s Tourist director, Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, told Vogue that the actress “gets every single script that has a female role aged between eighteen and 40—every script. And she just follows her feeling, holds her own counsel. She’s probably the only global megastar that doesn’t even have an agent—she doesn’t even have a publicist.”

She’s not Angelina Jolie, Movie Star, by accident. She trusts her instincts and is in a position to re-write the rules. So why not?

Sony’s Columbia has Salt writer Kurt Wimmer writing #2, and Lorenzo di Bonaventura is returning to produce. While Philip Noyce directed the first, there is no word on who will helm #2. Jolie will likely request a rewrite or exit the film should the story not be to her liking. She has that power. And that’s what makes her so sexy.

There’s more in our July 15, 2010 story on Jolie transcending gender.

X-Men thoughts

X-Men: First Class: Winners and Losers, Fassbender Up, Lawrence Down

By Anne Thompson, Thompson on Hollywood

X-Men: First Class‘s $56 million opening (no 3-D premium ticket sales) marks a big win for most of the folks involved. But there are a few losers, too.

WINNERS
Twentieth Century Fox and Marvel Entertainment:
Both companies recognized that the X-Men franchise needed a reboot. With Patrick Stewart (Charles Xavier) and Ian McKellan (Magneto) heading into senior status, the only real star in the franchise was Hugh Jackman as Wolverine, so those spin-offs made sense. They also commissioned a Magneto origins story from Sheldon Turner (Up in the Air), but decided to use that material in their X-Men origins feature, First Class. That was also smart, because now they can go back to a Magneto series if they want to, because the X-Men series now boasts a new star: Michael Fassbender.

Michael Fassbender:
That this German-born, multi-lingual, masculine, athletic Irishman would become a major movie star did not take much figuring. Everyone in Hollywood saw the promise in The Hunger, Fish Tank and Inglourious Basterds. Now, after the double-whammy of his Mr. Rochester turn in the class-act romance Jane Eyre and the successful reboot of a major studio comic-book franchise, Fassbender has arrived. The world is his oyster. Judging from my early interview with him, he has a good head on his shoulders and will not go crazy with foolish material (he managed to survive B-movies Jonah Hex and Centurion, which served to showcase his action chops).

Coming up: Steven Soderbergh’s black ops actioner Haywire (Relativity, August 11), the role of Carl Jung in David Cronenberg’s Oscar-bait drama <>A Dangerous Method (which still seeks a U.S. distributor), The Hunger director Steve McQueen’s sex addict drama Shame (also lacking a U.S. distrib), Ridley Scott’s currently filming big-budget 3-D actioner Prometheus (Fox, 2012), possible Brit music movie Good Vibrations, and Jim Jarmusch’s untitled “crypto-vampire flick,” set to start in 2012. It sounds like an intelligent mix of big and small.

Matthew Vaughn. The man walked away from one chance to direct X-Men, and stepped up to do this one when he felt ready. The idea of filtering the movie through a 60s Bond film works brilliantly for the most part—visually the movie soars, and most of the actors manage to rise above the action pyrotechnics. The return to a focus on character is welcome. While the movie boasts awkward moments, Vaughn still enters the big leagues. He may not have to do Kick-Ass 2. (I flipcammed him for Kick-Ass).

LOSERS
1. James McAvoy.
McAvoy is a terrific actor who ably carried Wanted and Atonement. But oddly, in both cases his co-stars, Keira Knightley and Angelina Jolie, respectively, were considered the films’ real marquee draws. Unfortunately, McAvoy missed the opportunity for a franchise with Jolie’s refusal to do a Wanted sequel. He’s solid and charming in X-Men: First Class, but because he plays the film’s humane conscientious hero, he comes off soft to Fassbender’s hard. It’s a case of the straight leading man looking less sexy and dangerous than the bad guy. Fassbender comes out ahead on this one. McAvoy remains a lovely Ewan McGregor-style leading man—as opposed to a move star. I define movie star very strictly—and have gotten into fights about this. It’s someone who actually puts butts in seats. Will Smith. Angelina Jolie. Past their prime are Tom Hanks, Mel Gibson, Julia Roberts, and Tom Cruise. The list keeps getting smaller, have you noticed?

2. Jennifer Lawrence.
This untrained young actress deserved her Oscar nomination for Winter’s Bone, for which she was perfectly cast. Jodie Foster also used her well in The Beaver, as a high school over-achiever, a role that most young actresses would have walked through—but Lawrence nailed it. She brings depth and grit to her roles, and has the makings of a movie star. I suspect she’s well-cast in what will be a huge franchise: Hunger Games. But in X-Men: First Class she’s a lox. The weakness of this movie, which played better to men than women, by the way—is the female characters. While Rose Byrne makes a competent if uninspired CIA agent, Vaughn uses gorgeous Mad Men star January Jones as a Modesty Blaise/Pussy Galore sex object, and wasn’t able to save Lawrence from standing around awkwardly. Her Mystique makeup is just awful. She looks uncomfortable throughout. (I flipcammed her for Winter’s Bone.)

Hollywood Waits for Brad Pitt

Source: Thompson on Hollywood

In Hollywood, Kevin Kline is known as “Kevin Decline,” because he’s so picky about his parts. Robert Redford and Warren Beatty were notoriously indecisive about choosing projects to star in or direct. They could keep movies on hold for years. Today, the star that can freeze a movie in its tracks is Brad Pitt. While someone like James Franco is saying yes to every project in sight—“how long will this heat last?”—Pitt is very selective. And he’s in demand: at 47 he’s still handsome, not too young and callow, not too old and grey. He carries a masculine, athletic authority. He can be serious The Curious Case of Benjamin Button), funny (Burn After Reading), sexy (Mr. and Mrs. Smith) or dangerous (Inglourious Basterds). That’s a deadly combo.

He’s also known for pulling out of movies such as Darren Aronofsky’s The Fountain and The Fighter and Kevin Macdonald’s State of Play when they aren’t just right. Why not be choosey? A star doesn’t stay a star by doing favors for cronies and studio execs (see Burt Reynolds, Bruce Willis, Sylvester Stallone). Longevity comes from the right mix of making your audience happy (Harrison Ford) and thinking about how your legacy will look in the history books (George Clooney). It certainly has nothing to do with how much money you get paid. So what’s coming up for Pitt?

Wrapped or In Production:
The Tree of Life (Mr. O’Brien): Terrence Malick’s long-awaited drama premiering at Cannes May 16 (Fox Searchlight, May 27, limited).
Moneyball (Billy Beane): Director Bennett Miller’s baseball drama with Robin Wright, Jonah Hill and Phillip Seymour Hoffman (Sony, September 23, 2011).
Happy Feet 2 in 3D (voice): George Miller’s animated musical sequel (Warner Bros., November 18, 2011).
Cogan’s Trade (Jackie Cogan, producer): Andrew Dominik’s drama about an enforcer investigating heist after a mob-protected poker game co-stars Ray Liotta and James Gandolfini (Weinstein Co., March 3, 2012).

It remains to be seen which of the projects not yet filmed or in development to which Pitt is connected will get made with him:
World War Z (Gerard Lane, producer)
Director Marc Forster is actively casting this Paramount zombie horror thriller adapted by J. Michael Straczynski and Matthew Michael Carnahan from Max Brooks’ novel (World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War) for a June start on location in London and Malta. Pitt plays the interviewer collecting stories about the past zombie war. Mereilles Enos (The Killing) is his wife.

The Tiger (actor, producer )
Focus Features, Plan B and director Darren Aronofsky are developing this adventure-drama-thriller about hunting down a marauding tiger in Siberia, adapted by Babel‘s Guillermo Arriaga from John Vaillant’s book.

Selma (producer): Lee Daniels directs Robert De Niro, Hugh Jackman, Tim Blake Nelson and David Oyelowo in this Martin Luther King, Jr. biopic. Currently in pre-production, with funding from Pathe.

Vlad (producer)
Plan B’s biopic centered on a young Vlad the Impaler with director Anthony Mandler and Summit Entertainment attached. Scott Kosar (The Machinist) is penning the script.

Important Artifacts and Personal Property from the Collection of Lenore Doolan and Harold Morris, Including Books, Street Fashion, and Jewelry (actor)
This Paramount project, with a script from Greg Mottola (adapted from Leanne Shapton’s book) has been listed for a while, with Natalie Portman (and her Handsomecharlie Films banner) also attached.

The Fortress of Solitude (producer)
Pitt and Dede Gardner’s Plan B is producing this Alfonso Gomez-Rejon writing/directing gig based on Jonathan Lethem’s novel.

The Imperfectionists (producer)
Plan B has the rights for this Tom Rachman’s sprawling bestseller, which follows various scribes over the decades who work in a fictional English-language newsroom in Rome.

Zebra Murders (producer)
This DreamWorks project is based on Prentice Earl Sanders’s non-fiction book which chronicles racially charged serial murders in 1970s San Francisco and the two detectives trying to solve the crimes.

The Night Manager (producer)
Paramount’s adaptation of the John le Carre novel, a 1994 bestseller.

The Sparrow (producer)
Warner Bros.‘s adaptation of Mary Doria Russell’s novel about humanity’s first encounter with extraterrestrial life, scripted by Michael Seitzman with Jason Rothenberg.

Untitled Jerry Lee Lewis project (producer)
A biopic about the controversial rock and roll and country music legend, with director Terrence Malick.

Untitled Linda Trest Project (producer)
Paramount, with director Anthony Walton, script by Andrew Dresher, based on the true story of the journalist who exposed a con-man who posed as a federal agent to break into people’s homes.