‘1883’s Isabel May Joins Jurnee Smollett In Lionsgate Thriller ‘Sunflower’ From Writer-Director Misha Green

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent The colorful world of Michel Gondry, the Oscar-winning writer-director of “Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,” is the subject of an upcoming feature documentary represented worldwide by Reservoir Docs. Directed by François Nemeta, “Michel Gondry: Do it Yourself” is an 80-minute documentary shedding light on Gondry’s “inventive and unusual creative process,” from his first video clips to the shooting of his latest movie “The Book of Solutions” which recently opened at Cannes’ Directors Fortnight. “Michel Gondry: Do it Yourself” is produced by Olivier de Bannes at O2B Films, and Robin Acard at The Red Ceiling, and is co-produced by ARTE France.

After his quotes about writing for Lost appeared in a Vanity Fair book excerpt Tuesday, veteran scribe Javier Grillo-Marxuach doubled down via social media by sharing more of his experience on the ABC drama.

Brent Lang Executive Editor The return of John Wick, its popular hit man franchise, helped lift quarterly earnings at Lionsgate, enabling the company to best expectations. For the three-month period ending on March 31, revenues at Lionsgate increased 16.7% to $1.1 billion. The company also reported an operating loss of $49.6 million, which was slightly better than the $50.4 million in losses it logged in the year-ago period.  There was also a net loss attributable to Lionsgate shareholders of $96.8 million or 42 cents net loss per share. Adjusted net income attributable to Lionsgate shareholders in the quarter was $49.2 million or 21 cents in adjusted earnings per share. Lionsgate’s film business did much of the heavy lifting. The studio segment reported revenue of $823.6 million, an increase of 25% from the prior-year quarter, with the movie portion of that haul increasing by 85%. That was due to the success of “John Wick: Chapter 4,” a blockbuster sequel starring Keanu Reeves as the titular avenger, as well as the release of two modest hits in the faith-based drama “Jesus Revolution” and the Gerard Butler action-thriller “Plane.” It also helped off-set declines in Lionsgate’s television business, which the company said was the result of “timing” of when its shows are licensed or hit the airwaves.

EXCLUSIVE: Euphoria‘s Hunter Schafer has closed a deal to star opposite Academy Award winner Anne Hathaway and Emmy winner Michaela Coel in Mother Mary, the pop music epic marking writer-director David Lowery’s third film for A24 following his acclaimed efforts The Green Knight and A Ghost Story.

EXCLUSIVE: Wagner Moura (Narcos, Elite Squad, The Gray Man) is set to star in the upcoming biopic Angicos about Brazilian educator and author Paulo Freire. Felipe Hirsch will write and direct and Adriana Tavares of Café Royal will produce alongside Paula Linhares of Cenya Productions and Marcos Tellechea and Guilherme Somlo of Reagent Media.

Senegalese and French director Ramata-Toulaye Sy is only the second Black woman to make it into Competition in Cannes. Her debut feature, Banel & Adama, which had its debut Saturday, follows in the footsteps of Mati Diop’s 2019 Atlantics.

EXCLUSIVE: Caitríona Balfe, Rachel Brosnahan And Laurence Fishburne are joining Rami Malek in 20th Century’s thriller Amateur. Slow Horses helmer James Hawes is directing.

EXCLUSIVE: The Into the Wild actor and the star of TNT’s I Am the Night are boarding the feature Degenerate, we hear.

You know an artist must be doing something special when even Andrew Bujalski, the godfather of mumblecore, calls their work “excruciating and extraordinary.” But this is where Brooklyn-based director and comic-book writer Joanna Arnow is right now, after a string of darkly funny shorts that might be said to combine the sexual candor of early Chantal Akerman with the sardonic humor of Todd Solondz.

Tony winner Lena Hall is set to star in a new Broadway-aimed musical from the & Juliet writing and directing team and featuring the hit songs of rock & roll pioneer Roy Orbison.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor The major broadcast networks are trying very hard this year to do what they do best – create franchise drama series built around the adventures of larger-than-life characters. Kathy Bates, Kaitlin Olson, Carrie Preston and Shanola Hampton are among the female actors hoping to click as distinctive protagonists with new series in the 2023-24 season. Bates will bring to life a next-generation “Matlock,” while Preston limns a new chapter for Elsbeth Tascioni, the attorney character she has played on and off on CBS’ “The Good Wife” and Paramount+’s “The Good Fight” since 2010. This is good news for the hundreds of international television buyers heading to Los Angeles for next week’s LA Screenings market. Another welcome development is that the largest media congloms are now on a big push to reopen their doors to third-party buyers, after a few years of holding back the biggest shows for in-house streaming services.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Well Go USA Entertainment has taken North American distribution rights to “Mercy Road,” a new psychological thriller from Arclight Films. The film stars Australian actor Luke Bracey, who was most recently seen in Baz Lurhman’s “Elvis” and the re-make of “Point Break.” “Mercy Road” follows a flawed everyman who commits an impulsive and vicious crime. In this ultimate journey to redemption, he discovers how far he is willing to go to save his child.   It was written and directed by John Curran, the director of such acclaimed dramas as “Chappaquiddick” and “The Painted Veil.”  Chris Pelletier and Jesse Heffring penned the script. Susie Porter (“Cargo”) and Huw Higginson (“The Nightingale”) co-star with Toby Jones (“Poor Cow”). Well Go USA will release “Mercy Road” in late 2023. 

Some of Hollywood’s highest paid writers have been noticeably absent from the picket line over the last eight days — that is, until Tuesday.

Saddle up! Fort Worth Stockyards in Fort Worth, Texas has become the No. 1 destination for those hoping to channel their inner cowboys (or cowgirls!). The historic district — the only city in the world that hosts a cattle drive featuring Texas Longhorns twice a day — is the official go-to for Hollywood when searching for an authentic backdrop for Westerns.

EXCLUSIVE: Alison Oliver (Saltburn), Jurnee Smollett (Lovecraft Country), Marc Maron (To Leslie) and Odessa Young (The Staircase) have closed deals to join The Order, the crime thriller to be directed for Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios by Justin Kurzel, which is heading into production on Wednesday.

Charna Flam As Paramount Network’s “Yellowstone” comes to a close, fans will be able to catch the prequel Paramount+ series, “1883” on the network this June. Paramount Network will air the full season of the Paramount+ limited series beginning Sunday, June 18 at 8 p.m., with subsequent episodes dropping weekly thereafter. In addition to airing all 10 episodes, the network’s special broadcast will include extended featurettes at the end of each episode.

The full season of Paramount+’s awarding Yellowstone prequel limited series 1883 is headed to Paramount Network.

Kerry Condon, recently Oscar-nominated for “The Banshees of Inisherin,” will join Brad Pitt and Damson Idris in Apple Original Films’ Formula One racing flick. The yet-untitled film will be directed by Joseph Kosinski (“Top Gun: Maverick,” “Tron: Legacy”).Jerry Bruckheimer and Chad Oman of Jerry Bruckheimer Films will join Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment in producing the film alongside Kosininski and seven-time Formula One champion Sir Lewis Hamilton under his Dawn Apollo Films banner.

EXCLUSIVE: Ryan Phillippe (American Murderer), Emile Hirsch (Once Upon a Time in Hollywood) and Mena Suvari (American Horror Story) will topline Kalahari, a new action thriller from Vertical, which has wrapped production.

Remember what we told you in February that would be ending with its fifth season and Paramount was plotting a follow-up series from Taylor Sheridan?