It’s been nearly a decade since “Justified” ended its run back in 2015, after six seasons. Over that time, the series still remains one of the most popular in the history of FX.
15.05.2023 - 07:51 / deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: Django Unchained and Captain Marvel star Samuel L. Jackson has been set to star in death-row drama Last Meals, joining the previously announced Boyd Holbrook (Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, Narcos).
Jackson will play Walter, a disgraced White House chef who finds himself many years later working in a maximum-security prison cooking last meals for inmates on death row. Holbrook will play Reed, the inmate who embarks on a hunger strike on Walter’s watch. The two men form an unlikely bond which gives Walter a look into the soul of a man who is willing to forgo his last pleasurable experience in order to protest his innocence.
This is a package whose script garnered good feedback in the last couple of years but was initially impacted by the pandemic and it has now been refashioned. It previously had Delroy Lindo attached in the Sam Jackson role and British filmmaker Adewale Akinnuoye Agbaje aboard to direct.
The film will now be helmed by New Yorker Andrew Levitas, whose films include Minimata starring Johnny Depp and Lullaby with Garrett Hedlund and Amy Adams.
The Solution has replaced Sentient International for international sales and will co-rep domestic with CAA Media Finance.
Script comes from Nicholls Fellowship-winning scribe Justin Piasecki, whose Stakehorse was recently acquired by Amazon in a heated bidding war.
Renée Tab and Christopher Tuffin of Sentient Entertainment are still aboard to produce and co-finance; also producing are Oscar winner Morgan Freeman, Oscar nominee Gary Lucchesi, and Lori McCreary and Michael McKay of Revelations Entertainment.
Andrew Schefter, Justin Piasecki, Myles Nestel and Lisa Wilson will executive-produce.
Samuel L. Jackson is represented by CAA, Anonymous
It’s been nearly a decade since “Justified” ended its run back in 2015, after six seasons. Over that time, the series still remains one of the most popular in the history of FX.
Tina Turner revealed she 'always had a crush' on Mick Jagger shortly before her death at 83. How Tina Turner finally found happiness. Mary Tyler Moore ‘was nearly blinded’ by diabetes in her final years as she fought the disease, her husband says.
Jason Statham suits up sharp with longtime partner, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, as they attend the 2023 Kering Women in Motion Awards during the 2023 Cannes Film Festival over the weekend in France.
Still sisters! Christine Brown enjoyed an adventurous outing with her fiancé, David Woolley — and fellow Sister Wives star Janelle Brown tagged along for the fun.
Christine and Janelle Brown are together again and getting in some quality time with Christine's new fiancé, David Woolley! The stars and former sister wives enjoyed some quality time together with Janelle's daughter, Savannah, and David over the weekend.Christine shared a sweet video of the foursome riding together in an open-air RZR vehicle that David was driving.«We went RZR riding with a couple special guests this weekend! #rzr #moab #riding,» Christine captioned the video.The group seemed to be having a blast together in the clip, with Janelle holding on and screaming and laughing as they enjoyed the off-roading adventure.A post shared by Christine Brown (@christine_brownsw)It's unclear whether this is Janelle's first time meeting David. Christine went public with her romance with David on Valentine's Day after the pair started dating in December 2022.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Cate Blanchett kicked off her stilettos on Friday night as she took the stage a Cannes Film Festival party hosted by Variety and the Golden Globes. Because this is Cannes, where women are mandated to wear heels on the red carpet, shoes have become a political symbol on the French Riviera. And indeed, in this case, Blanchett went barefoot to make a statement — to stand in solidarity with the women of Iran. The A-list actor, on hand to present “Holy Spider” star Zahra Amir Ebrahim with a breakthrough artists award, grabbed the trophy and joked, “This is to stab everyone who stands in the way of women’s rights. Up the vajayjay!” In her remarks, an emotional Ebrahimi called attention to her home country, which is “executing innocent people.” She said, “I always thought being an actress was a paradox: serving the emotions of your own and being a flag or mirror or light. This award celebrates this paradox.”
Harrison Ford showed off the honorary award he received at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival while attending a photocall for his new movie Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny on Friday (May 19) in Cannes, France.
Johnny Depp. A man who sued his ex-wife for defamation – and won – after she wrote a column in which she claimed to have been a victim of domestic abuse. A man who sued a British newspaper for calling him a ‘wife beater’, but lost his libel case after the judge found the article ‘substantially true’.
Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Fun fact that Hollywood actors hate to admit… people get older. The natural progression of life, Hollywood has engaged in de-aging effects for older actors to play younger versions of their characters, whether it’s in a franchise or standalone film — such as Robert DeNiro in “The Irishman,” Samuel L. Jackson in “Captain Marvel” and most recently, Harrison Ford in “Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny.” Like most new technology that comes into the industry, it takes some getting used to. However, with more than two dozen high-profile experiments thus far, the misfires greatly outweigh the successes. De-aging effects in Hollywood still need to be fine-tuned, and Hollywood should only use it once we can perfect the technique.
The first reactions from critics for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny have been revealed following the film’s world premiere at the 2023 Cannes Film Festival!
Japanese filmmaker Hirokazu Kore-eda’s latest gem, “Monster,” begins on an enormous inferno. The facade of a hostess club is engulfed in flames of mysterious origin, attracting everyone from curious neighbors to squealing children chasing down roaring fire engines to witness the chaos.
“Johnny! Johnny!! Johnny!!! Johnny Depp!!!!” The celebrity dutifully signed autographs for his followers on the red carpet for the premiere of Jeanne du Barry, director Maiwenn’s Cannes Film Festival opener.
Jack Whitehall wants to die from a drugs overdose.
EXCLUSIVE: Shia LaBeouf has joined action thriller Mace, directed by Jon Amiel from a script by David Chisholm. Trevor Jackson (Grown-ish, Superfly) will co-star. Myriad Pictures is shopping the project to buyers here in Cannes this week.
Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Disney has pegged total cash content spending at around $30 billion for this year — but the ongoing Writers Guild of America strike may drive that down, CFO Christine McCarthy said. “If you haven’t noticed we’re in the middle of a writers strike,” McCarthy said, speaking Wednesday at MoffettNathanson’s Technology, Media and Telecom Conference in New York. The WGA walkout may reduce Disney’s cash spending on content for the balance of the year, she said. At the MoffettNathanson conference, MCarthy appeared alongside Disney president of ad sales Rita Ferro. The two Disney execs spoke a day after the media conglom’s upfront presentation in the Big Apple to ad buyers and brands — which was noticeably light on scripted fare, given the writers strike. Marvel’s Kevin Feige previewed upcoming Disney+ series “Secret Invasion,” featuring Samuel L. Jackson and Don Cheadle, and announced premiere dates for “Loki” Season 2 and “Hawkeye” spinoff “Echo.”
Johnny Depp's first film since his defamation trial got a seven-minute-long standing ovation at Cannes, as the film festival kicked off in France. The actor stars in historical drama Jeanne Du Barry as King Louis XV, alongside director Maiwenn, which opened the world-famous event on the French Riviera. It comes a year after he won a court case against his ex-wife Amber Heard, who wrote an op-ed claiming Depp was an abuser.
Timothée Chalamet is gearing up to showcase his multiple talents on Wonka, a prequel musical film based on the characters from Roal Dahl’s Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.
Naman Ramachandran Breaking Glass Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to Jay Arnold’s award-winning LGBTQ+ romantic drama feature “Shoulder Dance” and will launch sales at the Cannes film market. The film stars Matt Dallas (“Kyle XY”), Rick Cosnett (“The Flash”), Taylor Frey (“It Chapter Two”), Samuel Larsen (“Glee”) and Maggie Geha (“Gotham”). Arnold (“What Happens Next”) directed from his original screenplay. The deal was negotiated between Breaking Glass Pictures CEO Rich Wolff, Amanda Rae Simon, Esq., COO Susan Helfrich, Arnold, and Ethan Bearman, Esq., The Bearman Firm.
EXCLUSIVE: Here’s your first look at Samuel L. Jackson (Pulp Fiction) and Vincent Cassel (La Haine) in action-thriller Damaged, which wrapped this spring in Scotland.
William Earl Variety will host a “New Gen Voices in Filmmaking” panel, presented by Adobe, at the American Pavilion during Cannes Film Festival on May 20 at 3 p.m. Panelists include Amy White, global head of corporate social responsibility at Adobe and the executive director of the Adobe Foundation, and Dr. Stacy Smith, founder of the USC Annenberg Inclusion Initiative. They will be joined by filmmakers Yupeng He (“A Bright Sunny Day”), Katie Blair (“Imogene”), Shafagh Abosaba (“Daroone Poust”) and Maryam Mahdye (“Daroone Poust”). The conversation will be moderated by Variety’s senior awards editor Clayton Davis. The panel will explore how young, diverse filmmakers are putting a new creative stamp on the Cannes Film Festival. Speakers will discuss how their heritage has informed their projects, the latest technologies crucial to cutting-edge film production, obstacles they have overcome as artists from underrepresented communities and how people from disadvantaged communities can break into the filmmaking world.