Trent Reznor & Atticus Ross Talk ‘Bones & All,’ Embracing New Musical Challenges, Writing An Original Song & More [The Playlist Podcast]

“I’ve worked since I was 13 years old,” says Taylor Russell. “So many random things. Mostly restaurants, but I worked at a jewelry store, and I almost worked for Amazon, doing shipping and receiving.” She laughs. “Yeah, I’ve dipped my toe in a few different sectors.” Surprisingly, the job that probably proved useful in later life was a short stint in a butcher’s shop: handling all that raw meat must have come in handy when Luca Guadagnino came calling with the female lead for his stylish new horror project, an adaptation of Camille DeAngelis’s acclaimed 2016 YA novel Bones and All.

It’s no secret that George Lucas struggled to develop 1988’s “Willow.” Lucas hatched his idea for the film before “Star Wars,” but he couldn’t make it until he approached Ron Howard to direct in 1985. Shortly afterward, MGM entered the production process, Bob Dolman came on board to pen the script, and things moved forward.

APPOINTMENTSLive giant AEG has filled five leadership roles at its UK division. Jacqui Harris is now Vice President and General Manager for AEG Presents UK; Lucky Thompson is Senior Director, Events And Operations; Connie Shao is Vice President and General Manager for International Touring; Leonie Wakeman is Director Of Commercial Operations; and Stuart Dorn is Group Venue Operations Director. “It’s an exciting time for our business as we break new ground and, in turn, build out a people structure that powers the successful delivery of our growth plans”, says AEG Presents UK CEO Steve Homer.ATC Management has recruited three new managers for its new New York office, Brandon Sanchez, Jordan Alper and Ben Rafson.

Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea International Film Festival has unveiled a star-studded In-Conversations program as the second edition gets underway in the port city of Jeddah today.

Composer Andrew Lloyd Webber and international producer and longtime collaborator Michael Harrison announced today the creation of a new musical theater partnership to find and develop new musicals, and create new productions from Lloyd Webber’s catalog.

Reza Dormishian, Iranian filmmaker and producer of Dariush Mehrjui’s A Minor, which is set to have it world premiere in competition at the on-going International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa, has not been granted a permit to leave Iran, so is unable to attend the event.

Refresh for updates: A24 once again dominated the Film Independent Spirit Award nominations with 24 noms this year, and their Dan Kwan and Daniel Scheinert directed arthouse blockbuster Everything Everywhere All at Once leading with eight nominations. That movie launched out of SWSW last March, ultimately becoming A24’s biggest grossing movie with $70M domestic, $103M WW and will close to the year later continue its rally to the Santa Monica Pier where the Spirits will take place on March 4, eight days before the Oscars on March 12, 2023. There is no broadcast partner this year for the Spirits and that there will be more info on the various ways to stream the show globally as the show gets closer.

EXCLUSIVE: The wild story of crypto king Sam Bankman-Fried and the $32B meltdown of FTX is drawing considerable interest from Hollywood.

The American Music Awards 2022 brought the stars together under the Microsoft Theatre roof in Downtown Los Angeles. As the celebrities made their way into the venue, they flashed some of their fashion looks showcasing their personality.

Luca Guadagnino’s Timothée Chalamet-starring, edgy cannibal road trip romance Bones And All pulled in young demos (79% in the 18-34 rage) and women (54%-46% female) for an opening weekend gross of $120k, or $23.9k per screen average in five theaters. That’s respectable and in line with distributor UAR expectations although below recent debuts including Banshees of Inisherin and Tár last month and The Fabelmans last week, where PSAs all cracked $40k.

Romance and cannibalism might seem like an unlikely pairing, but that’s exactly why Bones and All screenwriter David Kajganich thought that only director Luca Guadagnino could do justice to his script, which he adapted from Camille DeAngelis’ 2015 novel. 

A new crop of prestige titles plant a flag at the arthouse in limited release this weekend from Luca Guadagnino’s Bones and All to Jerzy Skolimowski’s EO, to Elegance Bratton’s The Inspection. Greenwich Entertainment opens docLove, Charlie: The Rise And Fall Of Charlie Trotter IFC Films presents Bad Axe and Cohen Media Group is taking a swing at Fernando Trueba’s Memories Of My Father.

EXCLUSIVE: The 3x Gotham Award nominated drama from Sarah Polley is moving its exclusive opening date from Dec. 2 to Dec. 23, that weekend when moviegoing ratchets up after moviegoers get through their holiday distractions. United Artists Releasing’s Women Talking follows women in an isolated religious community who are grappling with reconciling a brutal reality with their faith.

The Recording Academy announced the 2023 Grammy Award nominations this morning and there were few surprises. Beyonce led all nominees with nine nods followed by Kendrick Lamar with eight, Adele with seven, and Future and Harry Styles with six each.

New kid at school Maren (Taylor Russell), has been invited to a sleepover by a few popular girls, a rite of passage she correctly recognizes as fraught with potential for catastrophe. She doesn’t totally fit in, her off-trend wardrobe and zealously protective father putting a radius between her and her peers, and now she’s faced with a battery of tests to unspoken, intricate teen etiquette.