Jim Viscardi is moving to Image Comics, with the publisher behind The Walking Dead hiring Viscardi as VP of Business Development.
Viscardi is well known in the comic book space as the top editor of ComicBook.com, which launched in 2015 and sold to CBS Interactive three years later. He oversaw its overall editorial strategy, among other duties at the site as it rose to prominence. At Image, he will report to Eric Stephenson, publisher & chief creative officer.
“Image Comics stands as the vanguard of creator-owned publishing, embodying the spirit of artistic freedom and empowerment. In joining this team, I am excited by the opportunity to contribute to Image’s legacy of fostering creative independence while driving strategic business growth that helps our partners in the Direct Market & beyond,” said Viscardi. “Together, we will continue to push boundaries, inspire innovation, and amplify the voices of creators worldwide.”
Viscardi previously worked at Marvel Entertainment,...
Viscardi is well known in the comic book space as the top editor of ComicBook.com, which launched in 2015 and sold to CBS Interactive three years later. He oversaw its overall editorial strategy, among other duties at the site as it rose to prominence. At Image, he will report to Eric Stephenson, publisher & chief creative officer.
“Image Comics stands as the vanguard of creator-owned publishing, embodying the spirit of artistic freedom and empowerment. In joining this team, I am excited by the opportunity to contribute to Image’s legacy of fostering creative independence while driving strategic business growth that helps our partners in the Direct Market & beyond,” said Viscardi. “Together, we will continue to push boundaries, inspire innovation, and amplify the voices of creators worldwide.”
Viscardi previously worked at Marvel Entertainment,...
- 4/3/2024
- by Aaron Couch
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The Women’s Cancer Research Fund is putting the pieces together for An Unforgettable Evening.
The org has zeroed in on a pair of honorees for its annual fundraiser. Demi Moore is set to receive a Courage Award for her support in raising awareness for breast cancer. High-profile philanthropist Wallis Annenberg will be honored with the Unsung Hero Award in honor of her dedication to fighting cancer and improving community wellbeing through her Annenberg Foundation.
The gala, scheduled for April 10, will return to the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. Proceeds from the starry event will support the work of Wcrf, founded by Quinn Ezralow, Marion Laurie, Kelly Chapman Meyer, Jamie Tisch and the late Anne Douglas and Renette Ezralow. Honorary chairs include Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks with gala chairs Ezralow, Chapman Meyer, Tisch and Anastasia Soare. Event co-chairs include NJ Falk, Tom Ford, Judy and Leonard Lauder, Kris Levine,...
The org has zeroed in on a pair of honorees for its annual fundraiser. Demi Moore is set to receive a Courage Award for her support in raising awareness for breast cancer. High-profile philanthropist Wallis Annenberg will be honored with the Unsung Hero Award in honor of her dedication to fighting cancer and improving community wellbeing through her Annenberg Foundation.
The gala, scheduled for April 10, will return to the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. Proceeds from the starry event will support the work of Wcrf, founded by Quinn Ezralow, Marion Laurie, Kelly Chapman Meyer, Jamie Tisch and the late Anne Douglas and Renette Ezralow. Honorary chairs include Rita Wilson and Tom Hanks with gala chairs Ezralow, Chapman Meyer, Tisch and Anastasia Soare. Event co-chairs include NJ Falk, Tom Ford, Judy and Leonard Lauder, Kris Levine,...
- 3/21/2024
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“Always be two steps ahead,” repeatedly says Rachel Hyde, the famous alter ego of the namesake character in Hammer Studios’ “Doctor Jekyll.” The film’s director, Joe Stephenson, and his screenwriter Dan Kelly-Mulhern don’t take her advice, and it’s much to the detriment of their contemporary adaptation of the 1886 Robert Louis Stevenson novella, which can’t decide singularly what Jekyll’s transformation is a metaphor for. All volunteered options are either obvious or severely undercooked. Though Stephenson offers plenty of suitably spooky imagery, and importantly finds a more-than-game collaborator in Izzard as both the good and evil doctor, “Doctor Jekyll” is meandering and empty, an update with neither enough loyalty to its source material or imagination to make its departures meaningful.
The film stars Scott Chambers as Rob Stevenson, a just-released ex-convict whose brother Ewan (Morgan Watkins) secures him a job “providing care” for Dr. Nina Jekyll (Izzard...
The film stars Scott Chambers as Rob Stevenson, a just-released ex-convict whose brother Ewan (Morgan Watkins) secures him a job “providing care” for Dr. Nina Jekyll (Izzard...
- 3/15/2024
- by Todd Gilchrist
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: SAG-AFTRA President Fran Drescher, Kyra Sedgewick, Frontline’s Raney Aronson-Rath and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Alex Borstein will among those honored at the New York Women In Film & Television Muse Awards later this month.
Aronson-Rath, editor-in-chief and executive producer of PBS Frontline, whose doc 20 Days in Mariupol won an Oscar Sunday, will receive the Enid Roth Award for Excellence in Journalism. The Made in NY Award from Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment will be presented to actress, writer, and producer and star of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Alex Borstein.
Honorees also include actress Critics Choice Award and BAFTA Rising Star Award-nominated actress Millicent Simmonds (A Quiet Place), who will receive the Loreen Arbus Changemaker Award; Michèle Stephenson (Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project), a filmmaker, artist and author, awarded the Nancy Malone Directing Award.
Cardinal, and Latasha Gillespie,...
Aronson-Rath, editor-in-chief and executive producer of PBS Frontline, whose doc 20 Days in Mariupol won an Oscar Sunday, will receive the Enid Roth Award for Excellence in Journalism. The Made in NY Award from Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment will be presented to actress, writer, and producer and star of The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Alex Borstein.
Honorees also include actress Critics Choice Award and BAFTA Rising Star Award-nominated actress Millicent Simmonds (A Quiet Place), who will receive the Loreen Arbus Changemaker Award; Michèle Stephenson (Going To Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project), a filmmaker, artist and author, awarded the Nancy Malone Directing Award.
Cardinal, and Latasha Gillespie,...
- 3/13/2024
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
British screenwriter Simon Stephenson has accused the makers of The Holdovers of plagiarism, saying its similarity to his 2013 script, Frisco, is “brazen”.
Mere hours before Alexander Payne’s comedy drama The Holdovers was garlanded with an Oscar win – Da’Vine Joy Randolph walked off with a Best Supporting Actress gong – controversy suddenly blew up thanks to a report published by Variety.
According to British novelist and screenwriter Simon Stephenson – whose credits include The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain – The Holdovers was “plagiarised line by line” from Frisco, a screenplay he wrote in 2013.
One of the scripts shortlisted for 2013’s Black List of unproduced screenplays, Frisco is about a middle-aged, grouchy pediatrician who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a 15 year-old patient. This, Stephenson has argued, is markedly similar to the premise of The Holdovers, in which a middle-aged, grouchy teacher (played by Paul Giamatti in the film) strikes up an...
Mere hours before Alexander Payne’s comedy drama The Holdovers was garlanded with an Oscar win – Da’Vine Joy Randolph walked off with a Best Supporting Actress gong – controversy suddenly blew up thanks to a report published by Variety.
According to British novelist and screenwriter Simon Stephenson – whose credits include The Electrical Life Of Louis Wain – The Holdovers was “plagiarised line by line” from Frisco, a screenplay he wrote in 2013.
One of the scripts shortlisted for 2013’s Black List of unproduced screenplays, Frisco is about a middle-aged, grouchy pediatrician who strikes up an unlikely friendship with a 15 year-old patient. This, Stephenson has argued, is markedly similar to the premise of The Holdovers, in which a middle-aged, grouchy teacher (played by Paul Giamatti in the film) strikes up an...
- 3/11/2024
- by Ryan Lambie
- Film Stories
As Paul Giamatti’s character in The Holdovers quoted, “History is not just a study of the past, it is an explanation of the present.” So what if looking at a piece of the past led to a successful present? That’s the situation The Holdovers – one of the best films of last year – is finding itself in, as the script is now accused of plagiarism ahead of a potential win for Best Original Screenplay at Sunday’s Academy Awards.
According to Variety, screenwriter Simon Stephenson — who has credits on Pixar’s Luca and Paddington 2 — issued a complaint to a representative for the Writers Guild of America that The Holdovers was suspiciously close to his own Frisco, one of the films featured on The Blacklist, the annual list of best screenplays that have yet to be greenlit. As per The Blacklist, here is the official plot of Frisco: “A forty-something pediatric allergist,...
According to Variety, screenwriter Simon Stephenson — who has credits on Pixar’s Luca and Paddington 2 — issued a complaint to a representative for the Writers Guild of America that The Holdovers was suspiciously close to his own Frisco, one of the films featured on The Blacklist, the annual list of best screenplays that have yet to be greenlit. As per The Blacklist, here is the official plot of Frisco: “A forty-something pediatric allergist,...
- 3/10/2024
- by Mathew Plale
- JoBlo.com
The wait is finally over as the night of The Oscars is just one more night away, and with bated breaths, the general public is waiting to see who takes this prestigious awards home. But before this ceremony could start, The Holdovers, nominated for the Best Screenplay and Best Picture category by The Academy, is facing some serious plagiarism accusations.
Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa in a still from The Holdovers
These accusations have come from Simon Stephenson, the screenwriter of the hit Disney animated film Luca, who has accused both the director and the screenwriter of this Oscar-nominated film of copying his work page-by-page. But when given a closer look, it seems like he might be reaching for it a bit since the evidence he provides doesn’t make his case water-tight.
Luca Screenwriter Accuses The Holdovers To Be A Plagiarised Product Of His Script Paul Giamatti in a...
Paul Giamatti and Dominic Sessa in a still from The Holdovers
These accusations have come from Simon Stephenson, the screenwriter of the hit Disney animated film Luca, who has accused both the director and the screenwriter of this Oscar-nominated film of copying his work page-by-page. But when given a closer look, it seems like he might be reaching for it a bit since the evidence he provides doesn’t make his case water-tight.
Luca Screenwriter Accuses The Holdovers To Be A Plagiarised Product Of His Script Paul Giamatti in a...
- 3/10/2024
- by Deepak Bisht
- FandomWire
The much-awaited and the biggest night in Cinema is just around the corner. Everyone is waiting or rooting for their favorite star or film to win the respective category. Amidst such excitement, one film that earned five Oscar nominations this year has been accused of plagiarism. Luca and Paddington 2 writer Simon Stephenson claims that Alexander Payne’s The Holdovers has striking similarities to his film.
A still from The Holdovers
The Holdovers’ script has earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Paul Giamatti, Best Supporting Actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Best Original Screenplay for David Hemingson.
SUGGESTEDOscar-Nominee Paul Giamatti Had the Most Iconic Last Words For MCU Star After Admitting He Was “Drunk the entire time” While Filming Their Movie
Simon Stephenson sent an email to the Writers Guild of America stating that this favorite-to-win movie clearly copied his unproduced dramedy project.
The Holdovers Accused of...
A still from The Holdovers
The Holdovers’ script has earned five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, Best Actor for Paul Giamatti, Best Supporting Actress for Da’Vine Joy Randolph, and Best Original Screenplay for David Hemingson.
SUGGESTEDOscar-Nominee Paul Giamatti Had the Most Iconic Last Words For MCU Star After Admitting He Was “Drunk the entire time” While Filming Their Movie
Simon Stephenson sent an email to the Writers Guild of America stating that this favorite-to-win movie clearly copied his unproduced dramedy project.
The Holdovers Accused of...
- 3/10/2024
- by Prantik Prabal Roy
- FandomWire
On the eve of the Oscars, Hollywood has been rocked by allegations that "The Holdovers" -- one of the nominees for Best Screenplay -- was "plagiarized line-by-line" from an unproduced script for a film called "Frisco," by "Luca" screenwriter Simon Stephenson. Plagiarism accusations and lawsuits are a dime a dozen in Hollywood, and rarely come to anything. But the language used by Stephenson in a 33-page document shared by Variety makes it sound like there's a real story here:
The meaningful entirety of the screenplay for The Holdovers has been copied from the Frisco screenplay by transposition. This includes the Frisco screenplay's entire story, structure, sequencing, scenes, sequential sub-beats within scenes, line-by-line substance of action and dialogue, characters, arcs, relationships, theme and tone. A majority of this has been done line-for-line, and a large number of unique and highly specific elements created in Frisco are readily and unequivocally identifiable in The Holdover.
The meaningful entirety of the screenplay for The Holdovers has been copied from the Frisco screenplay by transposition. This includes the Frisco screenplay's entire story, structure, sequencing, scenes, sequential sub-beats within scenes, line-by-line substance of action and dialogue, characters, arcs, relationships, theme and tone. A majority of this has been done line-for-line, and a large number of unique and highly specific elements created in Frisco are readily and unequivocally identifiable in The Holdover.
- 3/10/2024
- by Hannah Shaw-Williams
- Slash Film
Simon Stephenson, a screenwriter whose credits include Paddington 2 and Luca, says Alexander Payne’s Oscar-nominated film The Holdovers is a product of plagiarism.
According to Variety, Stephenson recently reached out to the Writers Guild of America with allegations that the screenplay for The Holdovers “has been plagiarized line-by-line” from his own script for an unmade film called Frisco.
Frisco reportedly centers on a middle-aged children’s doctor who gets stuck looking after a 15-year-old patient, while The Holdovers stars Paul Giamatti as a middle-aged boarding school teacher who is forced to look after a 15-year-old student over holiday break.
Stephenson claims that Payne read Frisco in 2013 and again 2019, but both times he passed on the script. Around 2019, Payne began developing The Holdovers with screenwriter David Hemingson.
In a letter sent to the Writers Guild of America board on February 25th, Stephenson wrote, “I can demonstrate beyond any possible doubt...
According to Variety, Stephenson recently reached out to the Writers Guild of America with allegations that the screenplay for The Holdovers “has been plagiarized line-by-line” from his own script for an unmade film called Frisco.
Frisco reportedly centers on a middle-aged children’s doctor who gets stuck looking after a 15-year-old patient, while The Holdovers stars Paul Giamatti as a middle-aged boarding school teacher who is forced to look after a 15-year-old student over holiday break.
Stephenson claims that Payne read Frisco in 2013 and again 2019, but both times he passed on the script. Around 2019, Payne began developing The Holdovers with screenwriter David Hemingson.
In a letter sent to the Writers Guild of America board on February 25th, Stephenson wrote, “I can demonstrate beyond any possible doubt...
- 3/9/2024
- by Scoop Harrison
- Consequence - Film News
The Alexander Payne awards contender The Holdovers is facing controversy on the eve of the Oscars, where the script from David Hemingson is nominated for best original screenplay.
The feature stars Paul Giamatti as a cynical teacher at a boarding school who gets stuck caring for a teenage boy (Dominic Sessa) over Christmas break. According to Luca and Paddington 2 writer Simon Stephenson, the script has striking similarities to his unproduced screenplay for Frisco, about a cynical pediatrician who finds himself caring for a teenage patient over a period of days. The Frisco script had some notoriety, as in 2013 it landed on the Black List, which honors the year’s best unproduced screenplays.
Stephenson prepared documents comparing scenes from both screenplays as well as their overall structure. Variety, which made one of those documents public Saturday, reported Stephenson sent it to the WGA in January to seek help. According to one document,...
The feature stars Paul Giamatti as a cynical teacher at a boarding school who gets stuck caring for a teenage boy (Dominic Sessa) over Christmas break. According to Luca and Paddington 2 writer Simon Stephenson, the script has striking similarities to his unproduced screenplay for Frisco, about a cynical pediatrician who finds himself caring for a teenage patient over a period of days. The Frisco script had some notoriety, as in 2013 it landed on the Black List, which honors the year’s best unproduced screenplays.
Stephenson prepared documents comparing scenes from both screenplays as well as their overall structure. Variety, which made one of those documents public Saturday, reported Stephenson sent it to the WGA in January to seek help. According to one document,...
- 3/9/2024
- by Aaron Couch and Christy Piña
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A new report in Variety lays out a detailed argument from British screenwriter Simon Stephenson alleging that the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Focus Features’ widely praised “The Holdovers” is extremely similar to his own 2013 Black List spec script, “Frisco” — and that, according to Stephenson, “Holdovers” director Alexander Payne likely read that script.
“The Holdovers” has only one credited screenwriter: David Hemingson, who was an entertainment lawyer before becoming a TV writer and producer in the late ’90s, working on shows such as “Just Shoot Me!,” “Kitchen Confidential,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23.” “The Holdovers” is his first produced feature.
IndieWire has reached out to Focus, WGA West, and to reps for Payne, Hemingson, and Stephenson, but has not yet received a response.
Stephenson is credited as a co-writer on Pixar’s “Luca” and received an “additional material” writing credit for “Paddington 2.” Working Title is developing his novel,...
“The Holdovers” has only one credited screenwriter: David Hemingson, who was an entertainment lawyer before becoming a TV writer and producer in the late ’90s, working on shows such as “Just Shoot Me!,” “Kitchen Confidential,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23.” “The Holdovers” is his first produced feature.
IndieWire has reached out to Focus, WGA West, and to reps for Payne, Hemingson, and Stephenson, but has not yet received a response.
Stephenson is credited as a co-writer on Pixar’s “Luca” and received an “additional material” writing credit for “Paddington 2.” Working Title is developing his novel,...
- 3/9/2024
- by Christian Blauvelt
- Indiewire
On Jan. 12, screenwriter Simon Stephenson sent an email to the Writers Guild of America’s senior director of credits Lesley Mackey asking to set up a call to discuss an important matter. The CAA-repped writer, whose credits include Pixar’s “Luca” and StudioCanal’s “Paddington 2,” wrote, “I’ve encountered a credits-related issue on quite a high profile WGA-covered project.” According to the email exchange reviewed by Variety, a call between the two took place, and, in a follow-up missive, Stephenson wrote, “the evidence the holdovers screenplay has been plagiarised line-by-line from frisco is genuinely overwhelming – anybody who looks at even the briefest sample pretty much invariably uses the word ‘brazen.’”
Stephenson was referring to his own screenplay “Frisco,” a drama centered on a world-weary middle-aged children’s doctor and the 15-year-old patient he gets stuck looking after, and David Hemingson’s “The Holdovers” — a drama revolving around a...
Stephenson was referring to his own screenplay “Frisco,” a drama centered on a world-weary middle-aged children’s doctor and the 15-year-old patient he gets stuck looking after, and David Hemingson’s “The Holdovers” — a drama revolving around a...
- 3/9/2024
- by Tatiana Siegel
- Variety Film + TV
Plot: Recently released from prison, former thief and drug addict Rob gets a job caring for Doctor Nina Jekyll, who’s recovering from a broken leg. But the more time Rob spends around Nina, the more it becomes clear there’s something strange going on in the Jekyll mansion.
Review: Founded in 1934, the Hammer film production company became very popular when it started releasing horror films in the mid-1950s. From that point through the early ‘70s, Hammer was one of the biggest names in horror… but then they found it hard to compete with the big horror films of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, and things gradually fell apart for them. In 1979, the company went into liquidation. Attempts to revive the Hammer brand began in 2008, and we’ve seen some notable releases from the company in recent years: Let Me In, The Resident, The Woman in Black, and The Lodge among them.
Review: Founded in 1934, the Hammer film production company became very popular when it started releasing horror films in the mid-1950s. From that point through the early ‘70s, Hammer was one of the biggest names in horror… but then they found it hard to compete with the big horror films of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s, and things gradually fell apart for them. In 1979, the company went into liquidation. Attempts to revive the Hammer brand began in 2008, and we’ve seen some notable releases from the company in recent years: Let Me In, The Resident, The Woman in Black, and The Lodge among them.
- 3/7/2024
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Hit CBS comedy Ghosts came out of an interesting deal between BBC Studios, the production arm of the British public broadcaster, and Lionsgate.
That deal, which was initially signed in 2018, has now come to an end, Deadline understands.
This comes as two of the key executives involved in the co-production pact, Rachel Bendavid and Angie Stephenson, have secured new roles at BBC Studios LA Productions, the Culver City-based division of the BBC.
“Our scripted co-production partnership with Lionsgate has been successful and productive, leading to one of the biggest hit comedies on television. While we have mutually agreed not to extend our formal business agreement, Lionsgate will remain a valued partner, and we will continue to work together for years to come on the hit show Ghosts and on an array of projects in development,” a BBC Studios spokeswoman told Deadline. “We are pleased to welcome Rachel Bendavid to...
That deal, which was initially signed in 2018, has now come to an end, Deadline understands.
This comes as two of the key executives involved in the co-production pact, Rachel Bendavid and Angie Stephenson, have secured new roles at BBC Studios LA Productions, the Culver City-based division of the BBC.
“Our scripted co-production partnership with Lionsgate has been successful and productive, leading to one of the biggest hit comedies on television. While we have mutually agreed not to extend our formal business agreement, Lionsgate will remain a valued partner, and we will continue to work together for years to come on the hit show Ghosts and on an array of projects in development,” a BBC Studios spokeswoman told Deadline. “We are pleased to welcome Rachel Bendavid to...
- 2/22/2024
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
After making “American Promise,” Michèle Stephenson and Joe Brewster were looking to create a very different type of documentary. The married co-directors had spent over a decade documenting their son and his best friend’s journey through Dalton, one of the most prestigious private schools in the country.
“That was 13 years of intense verité filmmaking,” said Stephenson, when she and Brewster were on IndieWire’s Toolkit podcast. “And I think as artists, we wanted to explore the medium and figure out what other kind of storytelling can we try.”
The filmmaking partners knew they were looking for a new project that would allow them to use archival footage to focus on an artist but push beyond a normal biography profile. Brewster, in particular, was focused on making a film about a musician. “Music is an entry to your soul,” said Brewster. “And so we thought that would be emotionally resonant...
“That was 13 years of intense verité filmmaking,” said Stephenson, when she and Brewster were on IndieWire’s Toolkit podcast. “And I think as artists, we wanted to explore the medium and figure out what other kind of storytelling can we try.”
The filmmaking partners knew they were looking for a new project that would allow them to use archival footage to focus on an artist but push beyond a normal biography profile. Brewster, in particular, was focused on making a film about a musician. “Music is an entry to your soul,” said Brewster. “And so we thought that would be emotionally resonant...
- 12/12/2023
- by Chris O'Falt
- Indiewire
"I remember what's important and I make up the rest. That's what storytelling's all about." HBO unveiled an official trailer for the acclaimed documentary Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project, made by the two doc filmmakers Joe Brewster & Michèle Stephenson. This premiered at the 2023 Sundance Film Festival, where it won the top Grand Jury prize in its documentary section. This award-winning film travels through time & space to reveal the enduring influence of Nikki Giovanni, one of America's greatest living artists & social commentators. It reckons with the inevitable passing of time in a collision of memories, moments in American history, live readings, and visually unique depictions of Giovanni's poetry. Narrated by Taraji P. Henson. "Brewster & Stephenson's approach is imaginative and dreamlike, akin to the way Giovanni’s words are hair-raising in their power to summon unrealized ways of seeing." I watched this at Sundance and was also wowed by it,...
- 12/11/2023
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project centers on the poet, with Giovanni herself on screen. Co-director Joe Brewster said he did not want to do a traditional documentary or biopic, and drew inspiration from documentaries on James Baldwin and Kurt Cobain.
“We actually pitched it as I Am Not Your Negro meets Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck,” Brewster said at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary.
Co-director Michèle Stephenson added that she wanted the film to center on Giovanni, rather than other talking heads reflecting on her impact.
“Some of our visual vision and story vision came out of a bit of frustration with watching certain biographical documentaries,” Stephenson said. “We wanted to center her and her work and see everything through her voice to get a sense of how the process, the artistic poetry-making process happened.”
Brewster and Stephenson also got creative when Giovanni’s memory was limited,...
“We actually pitched it as I Am Not Your Negro meets Kurt Cobain: Montage of Heck,” Brewster said at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Documentary.
Co-director Michèle Stephenson added that she wanted the film to center on Giovanni, rather than other talking heads reflecting on her impact.
“Some of our visual vision and story vision came out of a bit of frustration with watching certain biographical documentaries,” Stephenson said. “We wanted to center her and her work and see everything through her voice to get a sense of how the process, the artistic poetry-making process happened.”
Brewster and Stephenson also got creative when Giovanni’s memory was limited,...
- 12/10/2023
- by Fred Topel
- Deadline Film + TV
Robert Louis Stevenson’s horror novella The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde is a legendary story that has been spooking audience since the 19th century.
Now Hammer Horror returns to the big screen with a modern-day adaptation of Stevenson’s work, can it transform into memorable version of the story?
Directed by Joe Stephenson, Doctor Jekyll revolves around young Rob, a drug addict who has just been released from prison. Eager to prove himself and also to earn visitation rights to his dying daughter, Rob is sent to be a caregiver for the reclusive billionaire Doctor Nina Jekyll. As the two bond, Rob starts to suspect that there is something not quite right about his new employer…
Casting Eddie Izzard as the two-sided eponymous anti-hero is the cleverest aspect of this film. The actress is having the best time in this gender-bent exploration of Stevenson’s novel.
Now Hammer Horror returns to the big screen with a modern-day adaptation of Stevenson’s work, can it transform into memorable version of the story?
Directed by Joe Stephenson, Doctor Jekyll revolves around young Rob, a drug addict who has just been released from prison. Eager to prove himself and also to earn visitation rights to his dying daughter, Rob is sent to be a caregiver for the reclusive billionaire Doctor Nina Jekyll. As the two bond, Rob starts to suspect that there is something not quite right about his new employer…
Casting Eddie Izzard as the two-sided eponymous anti-hero is the cleverest aspect of this film. The actress is having the best time in this gender-bent exploration of Stevenson’s novel.
- 11/3/2023
- by Sarah Cook
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Fox is further paring down its live action comedy roster.
The network has canceled Welcome to Flatch after two seasons. The mockumentary series, created by Jenny Bicks and based on the BBC series This Country, finished its second season in February. The series also counts Paul Feig among its executive producers.
“While audience response was not as strong as we had hoped, we were thrilled with the creativity of the enormously talented Jenny Bicks and Paul Feig, as well as the outstanding, dedicated cast and crew they assembled,” Fox said in a statement. “We look forward to collaborating with them again in the future and are thankful for all of our partners at Lionsgate, Jenny’s Perkins Street Productions, Paul’s Feigco Entertainment, BBC Studios’ Angie Stephenson, and Charlie Cooper and Daisy May Cooper.”
Welcome to Flatch follows the eccentric residents of a small Ohio town, centered on two cousins...
The network has canceled Welcome to Flatch after two seasons. The mockumentary series, created by Jenny Bicks and based on the BBC series This Country, finished its second season in February. The series also counts Paul Feig among its executive producers.
“While audience response was not as strong as we had hoped, we were thrilled with the creativity of the enormously talented Jenny Bicks and Paul Feig, as well as the outstanding, dedicated cast and crew they assembled,” Fox said in a statement. “We look forward to collaborating with them again in the future and are thankful for all of our partners at Lionsgate, Jenny’s Perkins Street Productions, Paul’s Feigco Entertainment, BBC Studios’ Angie Stephenson, and Charlie Cooper and Daisy May Cooper.”
Welcome to Flatch follows the eccentric residents of a small Ohio town, centered on two cousins...
- 10/6/2023
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Director Joe Stephenson’s Doctor Jekyll, “a modern interpretation” of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde that stars gender fluid comedian/actor Eddie Izzard (The Lost Symbol) as Doctor Nina Jekyll, is set to reach cinemas in the UK on October 27th – and with that date just a few weeks away, a trailer for the film has arrived online. You can check it out in the embed above.
Stephenson developed Doctor Jekyll with first-time writer Dan Kelly-Mulhern during the UK lockdown. The story they crafted follows the reclusive Nina Jekyll finding friendship with her newly hired help, Rob. They must work together to prevent Hyde from destroying her life.
Rob is played by Scott Chambers, who worked with Stephenson on the film Chicken. Also in the cast are Tony Jayawardena (The Crown), Robyn Cara (Ackley Bridge), the appropriately named Jonathan Hyde (Titanic), and...
Stephenson developed Doctor Jekyll with first-time writer Dan Kelly-Mulhern during the UK lockdown. The story they crafted follows the reclusive Nina Jekyll finding friendship with her newly hired help, Rob. They must work together to prevent Hyde from destroying her life.
Rob is played by Scott Chambers, who worked with Stephenson on the film Chicken. Also in the cast are Tony Jayawardena (The Crown), Robyn Cara (Ackley Bridge), the appropriately named Jonathan Hyde (Titanic), and...
- 10/5/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Hammer Films returns to life with a new owner and a new slate of movies, and up first is the previously announced Doctor Jekyll, which stars Eddie Izzard in the title role.
Doctor Jekyll will release in UK cinemas on October 27, and the official trailer has been debuted by the freshly relaunched Hammer this morning. Watch it down below.
Director Joe Stephenson recently told Fangoria, “There’ve been over 100 cinematic adaptations of Stevenson’s novella, but there has never been a trans Dr. Jekyll. There seem to be some assumptions that because Nina is a trans character, we are somehow going to make it about gender. That is not the case; the themes of our film are true to the original work.”
Emmy winner Eddie Izzard stars as Dr. Nina Jekyll in the Hammer Studios/B Good Picture Company feature film Doctor Jekyll, a modern interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson...
Doctor Jekyll will release in UK cinemas on October 27, and the official trailer has been debuted by the freshly relaunched Hammer this morning. Watch it down below.
Director Joe Stephenson recently told Fangoria, “There’ve been over 100 cinematic adaptations of Stevenson’s novella, but there has never been a trans Dr. Jekyll. There seem to be some assumptions that because Nina is a trans character, we are somehow going to make it about gender. That is not the case; the themes of our film are true to the original work.”
Emmy winner Eddie Izzard stars as Dr. Nina Jekyll in the Hammer Studios/B Good Picture Company feature film Doctor Jekyll, a modern interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson...
- 10/4/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Rumors of a Meghan Markle memoir continue to run rampant in royal circles. However, one commentator believes royal watchers are “not interested” in her story and believes there is no “story for her to tell.”
A royal commentator claims people are ‘not interested’ in Meghan Markle’s memoir
Nova Radio’s Michelle Stephenson spoke to Sky News Australia, revealing that she believes there won’t be much interest in Meghan Markle’s memoir. However, rumors persist the Duchess of Sussex will follow in her husband’s footsteps to tell her story.
“I don’t think there’s a story for her to tell. I don’t think anyone would be interested in her story,” Stephenson told Sky News host Caroline Di Russo.
Stephenson believes there just won’t be enough content to fill up a book. “She hasn’t achieved anything apart from Suits. I don’t think she’s...
A royal commentator claims people are ‘not interested’ in Meghan Markle’s memoir
Nova Radio’s Michelle Stephenson spoke to Sky News Australia, revealing that she believes there won’t be much interest in Meghan Markle’s memoir. However, rumors persist the Duchess of Sussex will follow in her husband’s footsteps to tell her story.
“I don’t think there’s a story for her to tell. I don’t think anyone would be interested in her story,” Stephenson told Sky News host Caroline Di Russo.
Stephenson believes there just won’t be enough content to fill up a book. “She hasn’t achieved anything apart from Suits. I don’t think she’s...
- 9/25/2023
- by Lucille Barilla
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Hammer Films is coming back to life with a new owner and a new slate of movies, and up first is the previously announced Doctor Jekyll, which stars Eddie Izzard in the title role.
Empire Online reports this morning that Doctor Jekyll will release in UK cinemas on October 27, in the wake of the film’s recent World Premiere at FrightFest on August 25.
Director Joe Stephenson recently told Fangoria, “There’ve been over 100 cinematic adaptations of Stevenson’s novella, but there has never been a trans Dr. Jekyll. There seem to be some assumptions that because Nina is a trans character, we are somehow going to make it about gender. That is not the case; the themes of our film are true to the original work.”
Emmy winner Eddie Izzard stars as Dr. Nina Jekyll in the Hammer Studios/B Good Picture Company feature film Doctor Jekyll, a modern interpretation...
Empire Online reports this morning that Doctor Jekyll will release in UK cinemas on October 27, in the wake of the film’s recent World Premiere at FrightFest on August 25.
Director Joe Stephenson recently told Fangoria, “There’ve been over 100 cinematic adaptations of Stevenson’s novella, but there has never been a trans Dr. Jekyll. There seem to be some assumptions that because Nina is a trans character, we are somehow going to make it about gender. That is not the case; the themes of our film are true to the original work.”
Emmy winner Eddie Izzard stars as Dr. Nina Jekyll in the Hammer Studios/B Good Picture Company feature film Doctor Jekyll, a modern interpretation...
- 9/13/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Eight months after it won the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” has been officially picked up by HBO Documentary Films, which is buying U.S. and Canada television and streaming rights. Backed by Confluential Films and Rada Studio and directed and produced by respected veterans Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, producer Tommy Oliver (HBO’s “40 Years A Prisoner”), and executive producers Taraji P. Henson and Codie Elaine Oliver, the film will also screen in the Spotlight section of the upcoming 61st New York Film Festival.
To qualify for the Oscars, the film will play in theaters this fall ahead of its 2024 debut on HBO and Max. Sundance always supplies a number of Oscar nominees in the documentary race and “Going to Mars” is a strong contender.
As innovative and unpredictable as its subject, “Going to Mars” travels through time and space,...
To qualify for the Oscars, the film will play in theaters this fall ahead of its 2024 debut on HBO and Max. Sundance always supplies a number of Oscar nominees in the documentary race and “Going to Mars” is a strong contender.
As innovative and unpredictable as its subject, “Going to Mars” travels through time and space,...
- 8/29/2023
- by Anne Thompson
- Indiewire
“It’s a mad way to make a film, and I’m not sure it’s not something I would rush into again,” director Hope Dickson Leach said of the process behind her latest feature, the Edinburgh competition title The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
Leach, best known for her well-received debut, The Levelling, which debuted at Toronto in 2016, was approached by the National Theatre of Scotland during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic to create a hybrid film-theatre project that could engage audiences while health restrictions were still in place.
The result was a stage production of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, performed live at the Leith Theatre in Edinburgh by a troop of actors who were tracked around the venue by six cameras. The footage was mixed and edited live by Leach, who sat in an operating van outside the venue.
Leach, best known for her well-received debut, The Levelling, which debuted at Toronto in 2016, was approached by the National Theatre of Scotland during the height of the Covid-19 pandemic to create a hybrid film-theatre project that could engage audiences while health restrictions were still in place.
The result was a stage production of Robert Louis Stevenson’s classic novel, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, performed live at the Leith Theatre in Edinburgh by a troop of actors who were tracked around the venue by six cameras. The footage was mixed and edited live by Leach, who sat in an operating van outside the venue.
- 8/21/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Eddie Izzard stars in the upcoming Doctor Jekyll, which will receive its World Premiere at FrightFest on August 25. While you wait, a short teaser has debuted this morning.
There’s not much to see here, but the teaser does give us a fresh look at Eddie Izzard as Dr. Nina Jekyll, a brand new take on the classic horror character. Check it out below.
Director Joe Stephenson recently told Fangoria, “There’ve been over 100 cinematic adaptations of Stevenson’s novella, but there has never been a trans Dr. Jekyll. There seem to be some assumptions that because Nina is a trans character, we are somehow going to make it about gender. That is not the case; the themes of our film are true to the original work.”
Emmy winner Eddie Izzard stars as Dr. Nina Jekyll in the Hammer Studios/B Good Picture Company feature film Doctor Jekyll, a modern...
There’s not much to see here, but the teaser does give us a fresh look at Eddie Izzard as Dr. Nina Jekyll, a brand new take on the classic horror character. Check it out below.
Director Joe Stephenson recently told Fangoria, “There’ve been over 100 cinematic adaptations of Stevenson’s novella, but there has never been a trans Dr. Jekyll. There seem to be some assumptions that because Nina is a trans character, we are somehow going to make it about gender. That is not the case; the themes of our film are true to the original work.”
Emmy winner Eddie Izzard stars as Dr. Nina Jekyll in the Hammer Studios/B Good Picture Company feature film Doctor Jekyll, a modern...
- 8/8/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
Eddie Izzard stars in the upcoming Doctor Jekyll from Hammer Studios, and our friends over at Fangoria have shared brand new official poster art with us this morning.
The poster comes courtesy of Creepy Duck Design, and you’ll find it down below.
Director Joe Stephenson recently told Fangoria, “There’ve been over 100 cinematic adaptations of Stevenson’s novella, but there has never been a trans Dr. Jekyll. There seem to be some assumptions that because Nina is a trans character, we are somehow going to make it about gender. That is not the case; the themes of our film are true to the original work.”
Emmy winner Eddie Izzard stars as Dr. Nina Jekyll in the Hammer Studios/B Good Picture Company feature film Doctor Jekyll, a modern interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. Scott Chambers co-stars, with Lindsay Duncan,...
The poster comes courtesy of Creepy Duck Design, and you’ll find it down below.
Director Joe Stephenson recently told Fangoria, “There’ve been over 100 cinematic adaptations of Stevenson’s novella, but there has never been a trans Dr. Jekyll. There seem to be some assumptions that because Nina is a trans character, we are somehow going to make it about gender. That is not the case; the themes of our film are true to the original work.”
Emmy winner Eddie Izzard stars as Dr. Nina Jekyll in the Hammer Studios/B Good Picture Company feature film Doctor Jekyll, a modern interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. Scott Chambers co-stars, with Lindsay Duncan,...
- 7/13/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
PGA officials were in the hot seat on Tuesday as they faced lawmakers questions about the tour’s abrupt reversal that led to a deal with Saudi-backed rival Liv, despite months of criticism over the human rights record of the Saudi gpvernment.
At a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee On Investigations, PGA COO Ron Price, pressed to provide an estimate of just how much the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund would contribute to a new entity, said that “north of $1 billion” was being discussed, but that negotiations on a final agreement were ongoing.
Price and Jimmy Dunne, board member of the PGA Tour, said that the new entity would still be controlled by the PGA. They each stressed to lawmakers that the PGA decided to enter into the agreement rather than face years of litigation and a division among its athletes, as well as the threat posed by the rival Liv league,...
At a hearing of the Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee On Investigations, PGA COO Ron Price, pressed to provide an estimate of just how much the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund would contribute to a new entity, said that “north of $1 billion” was being discussed, but that negotiations on a final agreement were ongoing.
Price and Jimmy Dunne, board member of the PGA Tour, said that the new entity would still be controlled by the PGA. They each stressed to lawmakers that the PGA decided to enter into the agreement rather than face years of litigation and a division among its athletes, as well as the threat posed by the rival Liv league,...
- 7/11/2023
- by Ted Johnson
- Deadline Film + TV
Randall Stephenson, the former chairman and CEO of AT&T and architect of the telecom giant’s ill-fated acquisition of Time Warner, has resigned from the policy board of the Professional Golf Association at a critical moment.
On Tuesday morning, PGA officials and others are expected to testify before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is chaired by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct). Among those the committee will question are Jimmy Dunne, the policy board member who helped broker the deal, and Ron Price, the PGA Tour’s chief operating officer.
Stephenson, who had been a member of the influential policy board since 2012, stepped down from it over the weekend, with his sharply worded resignation letter reported by the Washington Post, The New York Times and others. The exec said he could not abide the deal brokered between the PGA and upstart rival Liv, which is funded by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.
On Tuesday morning, PGA officials and others are expected to testify before the Senate Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, which is chaired by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Ct). Among those the committee will question are Jimmy Dunne, the policy board member who helped broker the deal, and Ron Price, the PGA Tour’s chief operating officer.
Stephenson, who had been a member of the influential policy board since 2012, stepped down from it over the weekend, with his sharply worded resignation letter reported by the Washington Post, The New York Times and others. The exec said he could not abide the deal brokered between the PGA and upstart rival Liv, which is funded by the Saudi Arabian Public Investment Fund.
- 7/10/2023
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Suzy Eddie Izzard (“Stay Close”) and Ed Speelers (“Outlander”) are the new additions to the cast of “Midas Man,” the delayed film on The Beatles manager Brian Epstein that has now wrapped filming.
The film began production with Jonas Akerlund (“Lords of Chaos”) as director, who departed the project for unknown reasons. Sara Sugarman (“Vinyl”) was attached to the project for a year before Joe Stephenson (“Doctor Jekyll”) stepped in. Stephenson has just wrapped the shoot, canning what will be 95% of the completed film, Variety understands.
Written by Brigit Grant, the film follows Epstein, manager of The Beatles from 1962 until his untimely death at the age of 32 in 1967. Epstein’s impact extended beyond the Fab Four, encompassing British Invasion acts such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas.
Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (“The Queens Gambit”) plays Epstein. The ensemble cast includes Emily Watson, Eddie Marsan and Jay Leno as Ed Sullivan.
The film began production with Jonas Akerlund (“Lords of Chaos”) as director, who departed the project for unknown reasons. Sara Sugarman (“Vinyl”) was attached to the project for a year before Joe Stephenson (“Doctor Jekyll”) stepped in. Stephenson has just wrapped the shoot, canning what will be 95% of the completed film, Variety understands.
Written by Brigit Grant, the film follows Epstein, manager of The Beatles from 1962 until his untimely death at the age of 32 in 1967. Epstein’s impact extended beyond the Fab Four, encompassing British Invasion acts such as Gerry and the Pacemakers, Billy J. Kramer and the Dakotas.
Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (“The Queens Gambit”) plays Epstein. The ensemble cast includes Emily Watson, Eddie Marsan and Jay Leno as Ed Sullivan.
- 6/14/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: It’s been a long and winding road but Beatles manager movie Midas Man has finally reached post-production having recently taken on a third director to get it over the line.
UK director Joe Stephenson (Doctor Jekyll) quietly took the reins earlier this year from previous filmmaker Sara Sugarman (Vinyl) who left after what sources described to us as creative differences and scheduling issues.
Sugarman herself took over in late 2021 from filmmaker Jonas Åkerlund (Polar) who also left during shoot after not seeing eye to eye with producers.
The Queen’s Gambit actor Jacob Fortune-Lloyd stars in the biopic as The Beatles manager Brian Epstein. Also starring are Emily Watson, Eddie Marsan, Lukas Gage, Bill Milner, Rosie Day as Cilla Black and Jay Leno as Ed Sullivan.
Portraying the Fab Four are newcomers Jonah Lees as John Lennon, musician Blake Richardson as Paul McCartney, Leo Harvey Elledge as George Harrison,...
UK director Joe Stephenson (Doctor Jekyll) quietly took the reins earlier this year from previous filmmaker Sara Sugarman (Vinyl) who left after what sources described to us as creative differences and scheduling issues.
Sugarman herself took over in late 2021 from filmmaker Jonas Åkerlund (Polar) who also left during shoot after not seeing eye to eye with producers.
The Queen’s Gambit actor Jacob Fortune-Lloyd stars in the biopic as The Beatles manager Brian Epstein. Also starring are Emily Watson, Eddie Marsan, Lukas Gage, Bill Milner, Rosie Day as Cilla Black and Jay Leno as Ed Sullivan.
Portraying the Fab Four are newcomers Jonah Lees as John Lennon, musician Blake Richardson as Paul McCartney, Leo Harvey Elledge as George Harrison,...
- 6/9/2023
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Using deep-sea mapping, a team of scientists has created an “exact ‘Digital Twin’ of the Titanic wreck for the first time,” revealing never-before-seen views of the luxury passenger liner that tragically sunk after being struck by an iceberg while sailing from South Hampton, England, to New York in April 1912.
The disaster has long concerned the minds of researchers and historians believe that this new 3-D scan, 111 years after the Titanic’s infamous sinking, may provide some answers to the lingering questions surrounding the shipwreck that killed more than 1,500 people.
In Memoriam 2022: 100 Great Celebrities Who Died In 2022
“It allows you to see the wreck as you can never see it from a submersible,” a Titanic analyst, Parks Stephenson, told the BBC. “You can see the wreck in its entirety, you can see it in context and perspective,” he said of the Titanic that was discovered in 1985 resting 12,500 feet down in the Atlantic.
The disaster has long concerned the minds of researchers and historians believe that this new 3-D scan, 111 years after the Titanic’s infamous sinking, may provide some answers to the lingering questions surrounding the shipwreck that killed more than 1,500 people.
In Memoriam 2022: 100 Great Celebrities Who Died In 2022
“It allows you to see the wreck as you can never see it from a submersible,” a Titanic analyst, Parks Stephenson, told the BBC. “You can see the wreck in its entirety, you can see it in context and perspective,” he said of the Titanic that was discovered in 1985 resting 12,500 feet down in the Atlantic.
- 5/20/2023
- by Nicky Kashani
- Uinterview
Madison Thompson as Susan Charlotte Kavanagh, Josette Halpert, Lola Clare, Britt Good, Danielle Brokopp, Nadia White and Stephenson, Kaleah Crump, Joanna Reyes, Briggs Gibbins, Beta Chan, Brianne Mapson, Tessa Tamura, Quincy Pipella, Brittany Spiteri, Rina Pellerin as dancers in Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies “Sloppy Seconds Ain’t My Style” EP#106 streaming on Paramount +, 2022. Photo Credit: Eduardo Araquel/Paramount+ As a musical series, Grease: Rise of the Pink Ladies was likely to succeed or fail based on its songs. That’s why the production team brought in Justin Tranter as its executive music producer. Tranter, who has written songs for a wide variety of artists, including Justin Bieber, Britney Spears, Kelly Clarkson, Selena Gomez, Imagine Dragons, and Fall Out Boy, has either written or co-written all of the show’s nostalgia-infused tracks. When we spoke to Tranter about the show’s music, they explained how the writing process...
- 5/4/2023
- by Hollywood Outbreak
- HollywoodOutbreak.com
Director Joe Stephenson’s Doctor Jekyll, “a modern interpretation” of Robert Louis Stevenson’s 1886 novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde, wrapped production over a year ago, and while we continue to wait to hear when we’re going to have a chance to see the movie, Fangoria has unveiled a new image that shows gender fluid comedian/actor Eddie Izzard (The Lost Symbol) as Doctor Nina Jekyll. You can take a look at the image on the Fangoria website, or at the bottom of this article.
Stephenson developed Doctor Jekyll with first-time writer Dan Kelly-Mulhern during the UK lockdown. The story they crafted follows the reclusive Nina Jekyll finding friendship with her newly hired help, Rob. They must work together to prevent Hyde from destroying her life.
Rob is played by Scott Chambers, who worked with Stephenson on the film Chicken. Also in the cast are...
Stephenson developed Doctor Jekyll with first-time writer Dan Kelly-Mulhern during the UK lockdown. The story they crafted follows the reclusive Nina Jekyll finding friendship with her newly hired help, Rob. They must work together to prevent Hyde from destroying her life.
Rob is played by Scott Chambers, who worked with Stephenson on the film Chicken. Also in the cast are...
- 5/2/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Eddie Izzard stars in the upcoming Doctor Jekyll from Hammer Studios, and our friends over at Fangoria have shared an exclusive first-look image with us this afternoon.
Director Joe Stephenson tells Fangoria, “There’ve been over 100 cinematic adaptations of Stevenson’s novella, but there has never been a trans Dr. Jekyll. There seem to be some assumptions that because Nina is a trans character, we are somehow going to make it about gender. That is not the case; the themes of our film are true to the original work.”
Check out your first look at Eddie Izzard in the new Doctor Jekyll movie below.
As previously announced, Emmy winner Eddie Izzard stars as Dr. Nina Jekyll in the Hammer Studios/B Good Picture Company feature film Doctor Jekyll, a modern interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. Scott Chambers co-stars, with Lindsay Duncan,...
Director Joe Stephenson tells Fangoria, “There’ve been over 100 cinematic adaptations of Stevenson’s novella, but there has never been a trans Dr. Jekyll. There seem to be some assumptions that because Nina is a trans character, we are somehow going to make it about gender. That is not the case; the themes of our film are true to the original work.”
Check out your first look at Eddie Izzard in the new Doctor Jekyll movie below.
As previously announced, Emmy winner Eddie Izzard stars as Dr. Nina Jekyll in the Hammer Studios/B Good Picture Company feature film Doctor Jekyll, a modern interpretation of Robert Louis Stevenson’s iconic novella The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde. Scott Chambers co-stars, with Lindsay Duncan,...
- 5/1/2023
- by John Squires
- bloody-disgusting.com
On Thursday, March 16, 2023 The Women's Cancer Research Fund (Wcrf) Honorary Chairs Rita Wilson & Tom Hanks and Kate Capshaw & Steven Spielberg, along with Gala Chairs Quinn Ezralow and Jamie Tisch, and Co-Chairs Wallis Annenberg & Kris Levine, NJ Falk, Tom Ford, Judy & Leonard Lauder, William P. Lauder, Danielle Lauder, Marion Laurie, Kelly Chapman Meyer and Steve Tisch will welcome guests to An Unforgettable Evening.
The gala will return to the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, with proceeds from the event benefiting the Women’s Cancer Research Fund, a program of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (Bcrf). Wcrf was founded by Quinn Ezralow, Marion Laurie, Kelly Chapman Meyer, Jamie Tisch and the late Anne Douglas and Renette Ezralow.
This year’s gala will honor actress Sharon Stone with the Courage Award for her support of breast cancer research and dedication to raising awareness for the cause. Doctor, business owner, philanthropist, public speaker,...
The gala will return to the Beverly Wilshire, A Four Seasons Hotel, with proceeds from the event benefiting the Women’s Cancer Research Fund, a program of the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (Bcrf). Wcrf was founded by Quinn Ezralow, Marion Laurie, Kelly Chapman Meyer, Jamie Tisch and the late Anne Douglas and Renette Ezralow.
This year’s gala will honor actress Sharon Stone with the Courage Award for her support of breast cancer research and dedication to raising awareness for the cause. Doctor, business owner, philanthropist, public speaker,...
- 3/10/2023
- Look to the Stars
Sundance prize winning directors Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson have signed with Range Media Partners
At the 2023 festival, Brewster and Stephenson won the grand jury prize for U.S. Documentary for their feature ”Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.”
Harvard-and Stanford–trained psychiatrist, Brewster, and Columbia Law School graduate Stephenson decided to pursue filmmaking together, and by 2006 the two founded Rada Studio. The studio has provided creators the opportunity to think radically about storytelling and work to disrupt nonfiction spaces. The pair works together to build reality, fiction, immersive and hybrid stories that embrace and deliver compelling narratives, which are all created by, for, and about the Black and Brown communities.
The couple’s award-winning documentary retells the story of acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni, highlighting the revolutionary historical periods Giovanni lived through. “Going to Mars” recounts Giovanni’s experiences that span from the Civil Rights and Black Arts...
At the 2023 festival, Brewster and Stephenson won the grand jury prize for U.S. Documentary for their feature ”Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project.”
Harvard-and Stanford–trained psychiatrist, Brewster, and Columbia Law School graduate Stephenson decided to pursue filmmaking together, and by 2006 the two founded Rada Studio. The studio has provided creators the opportunity to think radically about storytelling and work to disrupt nonfiction spaces. The pair works together to build reality, fiction, immersive and hybrid stories that embrace and deliver compelling narratives, which are all created by, for, and about the Black and Brown communities.
The couple’s award-winning documentary retells the story of acclaimed poet Nikki Giovanni, highlighting the revolutionary historical periods Giovanni lived through. “Going to Mars” recounts Giovanni’s experiences that span from the Civil Rights and Black Arts...
- 3/7/2023
- by Charna Flam
- Variety Film + TV
Filmmakers Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson are capturing Nikki Giovanni in a state of transition. The trailblazing Black woman poet and activist whose words inspired the Civil Rights and Black Power movement, is making an effort to share her deepest, most personal emotions. Now in the winter of her life, Giovanni contends with seizures, whose every occurrence depletes her memory. Scenes of her bedroom bathed in blue hues, the overbearing sound of static, the numbing overexposure of light, along with compositions that see her body blinking in and out of reality, visualize her harshest fight. Her health problems, however, haven’t dimmed her sharp wit, her charismatic personality, and her unflinching independence.
“Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” , sees her promoting a new collection of poetry entitled “A Good Cry: What We Learn from Tears and Laughter.” In it, the writer draws upon the raw emotions of her upbringing — a violent father,...
“Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project,” , sees her promoting a new collection of poetry entitled “A Good Cry: What We Learn from Tears and Laughter.” In it, the writer draws upon the raw emotions of her upbringing — a violent father,...
- 1/20/2023
- by Robert Daniels
- Indiewire
The title of “Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project” teases galactic possibilities and plays with the notion of the unfinished work. Not the film’s labor — directors Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson have crafted an eloquent and engaging portrait — but that of its spiky, brilliant subject. One of the luminaries of the Black Arts Movement of the 1960s into the 1970s, the now 79-year-old Giovanni continues to address the pain and joys, the anger and resilience of the descendants of the Middle Passage, who know much about uncertain and dangerous journeys.
Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tn, in 1943, before moving with her parents and sister to Cincinnati, Oh. During the summers as a child, she returned to Tennessee to visit her maternal grandparents. She later attended Fisk University in Nashville and currently lives in Christiansburg, Va, not far from Virginia Tech, where until recently, she was a Distinguished Professor of Writing and English.
Giovanni was born in Knoxville, Tn, in 1943, before moving with her parents and sister to Cincinnati, Oh. During the summers as a child, she returned to Tennessee to visit her maternal grandparents. She later attended Fisk University in Nashville and currently lives in Christiansburg, Va, not far from Virginia Tech, where until recently, she was a Distinguished Professor of Writing and English.
- 1/20/2023
- by Lisa Kennedy
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar-nominated actress Taraji P. Henson is joining the Sundance documentary Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project as executive producer and voice of Giovanni’s poems throughout the film.
Going to Mars, directed by Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, premieres Friday at the festival in U.S. Documentary Competition. It examines the life and work of Giovanni, who emerged in the 1960s as one of the nation’s foremost poets and a leader of the Black Arts Movement. She has won seven NAACP Image Awards and has been named one of Oprah’s 25 “Living Legends.”
“I’m thrilled to join Michèle and Joe in bringing Nikki’s remarkable work to life on screen,” Henson said in a statement. “Interpreting and giving voice to her powerful words was a revelatory and emotional process, and moved me completely. This film reflects Nikki’s vibrance and legacy in all its complexity, and I...
Going to Mars, directed by Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson, premieres Friday at the festival in U.S. Documentary Competition. It examines the life and work of Giovanni, who emerged in the 1960s as one of the nation’s foremost poets and a leader of the Black Arts Movement. She has won seven NAACP Image Awards and has been named one of Oprah’s 25 “Living Legends.”
“I’m thrilled to join Michèle and Joe in bringing Nikki’s remarkable work to life on screen,” Henson said in a statement. “Interpreting and giving voice to her powerful words was a revelatory and emotional process, and moved me completely. This film reflects Nikki’s vibrance and legacy in all its complexity, and I...
- 1/19/2023
- by Matthew Carey
- Deadline Film + TV
Taraji P. Henson will lend her voice to the Sundance-bound Nikki Giovanni doc Going to Mars: The Nikki Giovanni Project. Henson, who has also been named an executive producer, will voice Giovanni’s seminal poems throughout the film.
Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson directed the feature, which will debut in the festival’s U.S. documentary competition section. The doc, according to the project’s description, sees “present-day Giovanni reckon with the inevitable passing of time, while an evocative melding of vérité and archival images act as openings into her mindscape, transcending time and place. The Afro-futuristic lens honors Giovanni’s complexity and transports us on a journey through Black liberation from the perspective of one of America’s most acclaimed and beloved writers, a profound artist and activist.”
Brewster, Stephenson and Tommy Oliver produced Going to Mars, with Codie Elaine Oliver executive producing along with Henson. Cinetic Media is...
Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson directed the feature, which will debut in the festival’s U.S. documentary competition section. The doc, according to the project’s description, sees “present-day Giovanni reckon with the inevitable passing of time, while an evocative melding of vérité and archival images act as openings into her mindscape, transcending time and place. The Afro-futuristic lens honors Giovanni’s complexity and transports us on a journey through Black liberation from the perspective of one of America’s most acclaimed and beloved writers, a profound artist and activist.”
Brewster, Stephenson and Tommy Oliver produced Going to Mars, with Codie Elaine Oliver executive producing along with Henson. Cinetic Media is...
- 1/19/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
London, Sep 24 (Ians) Several counties are up against the England and Wales Cricket Board’s (Ecb) plans to radically shake up the County structure in the country, including the proposal to reduce the number of County Championship matches by up to four per county.
The Ecb has reportedly completed a “high performance review” under former captain Andrew Strauss and published the final report with 17 recommendations. One of the recommendations reportedly says the County Championship should be a three-division competition, with a six-team top division and two secondary conferences where the winners face each other for one promotion spot each year.
Under the proposed format, the 18 counties will also play fewer matches, with each side set to play four less T20 Blast matches and up to four less Championship games.
Sussex county chairman Jon Filby and chief executive of Essex, John Stephenson, have flayed the Ecb’s proposed changes as “unworkable” and have raised “integrity” concerns,...
The Ecb has reportedly completed a “high performance review” under former captain Andrew Strauss and published the final report with 17 recommendations. One of the recommendations reportedly says the County Championship should be a three-division competition, with a six-team top division and two secondary conferences where the winners face each other for one promotion spot each year.
Under the proposed format, the 18 counties will also play fewer matches, with each side set to play four less T20 Blast matches and up to four less Championship games.
Sussex county chairman Jon Filby and chief executive of Essex, John Stephenson, have flayed the Ecb’s proposed changes as “unworkable” and have raised “integrity” concerns,...
- 9/24/2022
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Click here to read the full article.
Poison Pen Studios, the upcoming ITV Studios scripted label from former BBC and Bad Robot exec Ben Stephenson, has named Preethi Mavahalli as creative director.
Mavahalli, who will move from Sky Studios, where she has been creative director of in-house drama, will join Poison Pen — which will be based in London and Los Angeles and focus on high-end premium TV — when it officially launches in the new year, working across both teams with Stephenson to develop a range of U.K. and U.S. dramas.
Prior to Sky Studios, Mavahalli was director of drama at the award-winning, fellow ITV Studios indie Mammoth Screen, where she developed and executive produced a number of series, including the critically acclaimed The Serpent, Noughts + Crosses and The City & the City. Other credits include The War of the Worlds, McDonald & Dodds, Nw and Next of Kin. Before Mammoth Screen,...
Poison Pen Studios, the upcoming ITV Studios scripted label from former BBC and Bad Robot exec Ben Stephenson, has named Preethi Mavahalli as creative director.
Mavahalli, who will move from Sky Studios, where she has been creative director of in-house drama, will join Poison Pen — which will be based in London and Los Angeles and focus on high-end premium TV — when it officially launches in the new year, working across both teams with Stephenson to develop a range of U.K. and U.S. dramas.
Prior to Sky Studios, Mavahalli was director of drama at the award-winning, fellow ITV Studios indie Mammoth Screen, where she developed and executive produced a number of series, including the critically acclaimed The Serpent, Noughts + Crosses and The City & the City. Other credits include The War of the Worlds, McDonald & Dodds, Nw and Next of Kin. Before Mammoth Screen,...
- 9/22/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Ben Stephenson’s new transatlantic scripted label Poison Pen Studios has tapped Sky Studios exec Preethi Mavahalli as its new creative director.
Before joining Sky, Mavahalli was at indie Mammoth Screen, where she as director of drama she developed and executive produced hits including “The Serpent,” “Noughts + Crosses” and “The War of the Worlds.” She has also worked at Film4 and Film London.
Poison Pen was launched under the ITV Studios banner by Stephenson, formerly Bad Robot’s head of television, in July. The studio is based between London and L.A. and will focus on high-end premium drama. Mavahalli will work across both locations alongside Stephenson.
“When I decided to start my own company there was only one person I wanted by my side,” said Stephenson. “I’m so grateful she agreed! Preethi is an exceptionally talented and lovely person with great taste and a fantastic track record. I cannot wait to get started,...
Before joining Sky, Mavahalli was at indie Mammoth Screen, where she as director of drama she developed and executive produced hits including “The Serpent,” “Noughts + Crosses” and “The War of the Worlds.” She has also worked at Film4 and Film London.
Poison Pen was launched under the ITV Studios banner by Stephenson, formerly Bad Robot’s head of television, in July. The studio is based between London and L.A. and will focus on high-end premium drama. Mavahalli will work across both locations alongside Stephenson.
“When I decided to start my own company there was only one person I wanted by my side,” said Stephenson. “I’m so grateful she agreed! Preethi is an exceptionally talented and lovely person with great taste and a fantastic track record. I cannot wait to get started,...
- 9/22/2022
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Sky Studios In-House Drama Director Preethi Mavahalli has joined Ben Stephenson’s transatlantic ITV Studios-backed indie, which will be called Poison Pen Studios.
Stephenson, a former BBC Drama boss and Head of TV at JJ Abram’s Bad Robot, has signed up former ITV Studios-backed Mammoth Screen Drama Director Mavahalli from the new year as Creative Director.
He announced he was leaving Bad Robot in July to form the ITV Studios-backed shingle, which will forge high-end premium drama TV on both sides of the pond.
“When I decided to start my own company there was only one person I wanted by my side,” he said. “Preethi is an exceptionally talented and lovely person with great taste and a fantastic track record. I cannot wait to get started, have fun and make some great drama with her.”
Mavahalli has spent the past year as In-House Drama Director at Sky Studios,...
Stephenson, a former BBC Drama boss and Head of TV at JJ Abram’s Bad Robot, has signed up former ITV Studios-backed Mammoth Screen Drama Director Mavahalli from the new year as Creative Director.
He announced he was leaving Bad Robot in July to form the ITV Studios-backed shingle, which will forge high-end premium drama TV on both sides of the pond.
“When I decided to start my own company there was only one person I wanted by my side,” he said. “Preethi is an exceptionally talented and lovely person with great taste and a fantastic track record. I cannot wait to get started, have fun and make some great drama with her.”
Mavahalli has spent the past year as In-House Drama Director at Sky Studios,...
- 9/22/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
ITV bosses have talked up the Plimsoll Productions and Ben Stephenson deals as “ticking the box on genre and geography” and detailed how soon-to-launch streamer Itvx will attract bigger audiences.
Over the past weeks, ITV Studios has closed huge deals to acquire a majority stake in Hostile Planet and Tiny World producer Plimsoll for £103M (126M) and set up a transatlantic talent label within the production arm for former Bad Robot exec and BBC Drama Controller Stephenson.
Speaking to the press after the unveiling of ITV’s half-year results, CEO Carolyn McCall said the pair of landmark deals “tick the box on genre and geography,” allowing the production/distribution arm to move into a new space, natural history, and helping with the push to make more high-end scripted hours and work more regularly with U.S. streaming platforms.
She praised Plimsoll for being a “rare asset in the world of production,...
Over the past weeks, ITV Studios has closed huge deals to acquire a majority stake in Hostile Planet and Tiny World producer Plimsoll for £103M (126M) and set up a transatlantic talent label within the production arm for former Bad Robot exec and BBC Drama Controller Stephenson.
Speaking to the press after the unveiling of ITV’s half-year results, CEO Carolyn McCall said the pair of landmark deals “tick the box on genre and geography,” allowing the production/distribution arm to move into a new space, natural history, and helping with the push to make more high-end scripted hours and work more regularly with U.S. streaming platforms.
She praised Plimsoll for being a “rare asset in the world of production,...
- 7/28/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Ben Stephenson is leaving as head of Bad Robot TV to launch a transatlantic scripted label within ITV Studios.
Stephenson’s new label will be based in London and Los Angeles, and will focus on high-end premium drama. With his departure, Rachel Rusch Rich is promoted from executive vp to her new role as president of Bad Robot TV.
“We wish Ben the very best in his new endeavor and appreciate all he has brought to Bad Robot … Rachel and her team will continue to oversee our robust slate of projects, working with our incredible creative partner,” J.J. Abrams, co-ceo of Bad Robot, said in a statement.
In 2015, Stephenson joined Bad Robot as head of television at Abrams’ film and TV production banner Bad Robot Productions. He oversaw development and executive produced the TV slate.
His Bad Robot TV credits included Westworld and LoveCraft Country for HBO,...
Ben Stephenson is leaving as head of Bad Robot TV to launch a transatlantic scripted label within ITV Studios.
Stephenson’s new label will be based in London and Los Angeles, and will focus on high-end premium drama. With his departure, Rachel Rusch Rich is promoted from executive vp to her new role as president of Bad Robot TV.
“We wish Ben the very best in his new endeavor and appreciate all he has brought to Bad Robot … Rachel and her team will continue to oversee our robust slate of projects, working with our incredible creative partner,” J.J. Abrams, co-ceo of Bad Robot, said in a statement.
In 2015, Stephenson joined Bad Robot as head of television at Abrams’ film and TV production banner Bad Robot Productions. He oversaw development and executive produced the TV slate.
His Bad Robot TV credits included Westworld and LoveCraft Country for HBO,...
- 7/12/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former BBC drama boss leaves JJ Abram’s Bad Robot after seven years.
Ben Stephenson is leaving JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot to launch a transatlantic drama label with ITV Studios.
The company will have bases in London and Los Angeles, and the former BBC controller of drama commissioning will split his time between the two. Distribution for the new label will be led by ITV Studios.
Stephenson has been head of television at Bad Robot since 2015, where he was responsible for developing and executive producing titles including HBO’s Westworld and LoveCraft Country and Stephen King’s Lisey’s Story and Little Voice at Apple.
Ben Stephenson is leaving JJ Abrams’ Bad Robot to launch a transatlantic drama label with ITV Studios.
The company will have bases in London and Los Angeles, and the former BBC controller of drama commissioning will split his time between the two. Distribution for the new label will be led by ITV Studios.
Stephenson has been head of television at Bad Robot since 2015, where he was responsible for developing and executive producing titles including HBO’s Westworld and LoveCraft Country and Stephen King’s Lisey’s Story and Little Voice at Apple.
- 7/12/2022
- by Heather Fallon Broadcast
- ScreenDaily
Ben Stephenson is leaving Bad Robot to set up a new production company with ITV.
Stephenson, who has been head of TV at JJ Abrams’ company since 2015, will exit to start up his own drama firm within ITV Studios. He will be replaced by Rachel Rusch Rich.
Former BBC drama boss Stephenson has worked on series including Westworld, Lovecraft Country, Lisey’s Story, Little Voice and UFO as well as upcoming series My Glory Was That I had Such Friends and Presumed Innocent at Apple.
The label will have teams based in both the UK and the U.S., with Stephenson splitting his time between the two.
Former Fox exec Rusch Rich has been at Abrams’ company since 2018 as EVP, Television.
Stephenson said, “I have had the most amazing time at Bad Robot and will be forever grateful to JJ, Katie and Brian and the whole team at Bad Robot, as...
Stephenson, who has been head of TV at JJ Abrams’ company since 2015, will exit to start up his own drama firm within ITV Studios. He will be replaced by Rachel Rusch Rich.
Former BBC drama boss Stephenson has worked on series including Westworld, Lovecraft Country, Lisey’s Story, Little Voice and UFO as well as upcoming series My Glory Was That I had Such Friends and Presumed Innocent at Apple.
The label will have teams based in both the UK and the U.S., with Stephenson splitting his time between the two.
Former Fox exec Rusch Rich has been at Abrams’ company since 2018 as EVP, Television.
Stephenson said, “I have had the most amazing time at Bad Robot and will be forever grateful to JJ, Katie and Brian and the whole team at Bad Robot, as...
- 7/12/2022
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
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