Netflix released the first official trailer for “Searching for Sheela,” a short feature film follow-up to its smash hit docuseries “Wild Wild Country,” about the controversial Oregon Rajneesh cult and its spiritual leader, Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh. The film follows the enigmatic cult leader’s right hand woman, known as Ma Anand Sheela, an intensely devoted follower who instantly became the most compelling and unsettling character in the series. “Searching for Sheela” will capitalize on the fascination with this dangerously charismatic woman.
Here’s the official synopsis provided by Netflix: “Osho’s controversial and sassy ex-secretary, Ma Anand Sheela returns to India after 34 years of exile and people just can’t get enough of her. Searching for Sheela is an intimate look into her journey across India, observing the rebranding of her as a pop-culture icon, with audiences unable to decide if they deem her a “criminal” or remain...
Here’s the official synopsis provided by Netflix: “Osho’s controversial and sassy ex-secretary, Ma Anand Sheela returns to India after 34 years of exile and people just can’t get enough of her. Searching for Sheela is an intimate look into her journey across India, observing the rebranding of her as a pop-culture icon, with audiences unable to decide if they deem her a “criminal” or remain...
- 4/13/2021
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
The too-strange-to-be-fiction documentary series “Wild Wild Country” took Netflix by storm back in March 2018, with its lurid exploration of controversial Indian guru Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, his personal assistant Ma Anand Sheela, and their community of followers in Wasco County, Oregon. It was inevitable this wild saga, which led to one of the largest bio-terrorism attacks ever committed on U.S. soil, would make its way to a bigger screen. But it’s not the one you think.
“Sheela,” the movie inspired by the story behind the series, has been set up at Amazon Studios, per Deadline. Personal secretary turned convicted bio-terrorist Sheela will be played by Priyanka Chopra in a film set to be directed by Barry Levinson, in a script from Nick Yarborough.
Ultimately sentenced to 20 years in federal prison but paroled after just 39 months, Sheela served as Osho’s lieutenant throughout the early 1980s, helping to move his...
“Sheela,” the movie inspired by the story behind the series, has been set up at Amazon Studios, per Deadline. Personal secretary turned convicted bio-terrorist Sheela will be played by Priyanka Chopra in a film set to be directed by Barry Levinson, in a script from Nick Yarborough.
Ultimately sentenced to 20 years in federal prison but paroled after just 39 months, Sheela served as Osho’s lieutenant throughout the early 1980s, helping to move his...
- 2/20/2020
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Amazon Studios has set up Sheela, an intriguing drama that Barry Levinson will direct with Priyanka Chopra starring as Ma Anand Sheela, a guru who perpetrated what is called the largest bio-terrorist attack executed on U.S. soil.
She was the personal secretary of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh from 1981 through 1985, and supervised his move to relocate his thousands of followers — known as the Rajneesh — to the small town of Wasco County, Oregon. Sheela was appointed president but unbeknownst to both of them, this move would be met by resistance from the local community that led to a full blown war within the county. As a way to claim governing control of the land, Sheela devised a plan to fix the election by recruiting hundreds of homeless people to register to vote in their favor. Ultimately, she was convicted of conspiring to poison local restaurants with salmonella to prevent the opposing locals from voting.
She was the personal secretary of Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh from 1981 through 1985, and supervised his move to relocate his thousands of followers — known as the Rajneesh — to the small town of Wasco County, Oregon. Sheela was appointed president but unbeknownst to both of them, this move would be met by resistance from the local community that led to a full blown war within the county. As a way to claim governing control of the land, Sheela devised a plan to fix the election by recruiting hundreds of homeless people to register to vote in their favor. Ultimately, she was convicted of conspiring to poison local restaurants with salmonella to prevent the opposing locals from voting.
- 2/20/2020
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Training Day is one of the gems of early 2000’s cinema. It featured both Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke at the height of their games and the movie displayed a raw and gritty take on what it meant to be a police officer in the modern age, not shying away from some of the harsh truths, even while it was exaggerating them.
The film, which was written by David Ayer and directed by Antoine Fuqua, went on to become a huge hit with fans and grossed more than $100 million at the box office. It was also a critical darling, with reviewers gushing over the no holds barred story.
Denzel Washington’s portrayal of the egomaniacal Detective Alonzo Harris was particularly lauded, with many calling it one of his best performances. Washington would go on to be nominated for a plethora of awards, too, including the Academy Award for Best Actor,...
The film, which was written by David Ayer and directed by Antoine Fuqua, went on to become a huge hit with fans and grossed more than $100 million at the box office. It was also a critical darling, with reviewers gushing over the no holds barred story.
Denzel Washington’s portrayal of the egomaniacal Detective Alonzo Harris was particularly lauded, with many calling it one of his best performances. Washington would go on to be nominated for a plethora of awards, too, including the Academy Award for Best Actor,...
- 10/11/2019
- by John Mason
- We Got This Covered
The 2001 Antoine Fuqua-directed film Training Day starring Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke might be getting a prequel. According to Collider, Warner Bros. has hired Black List scribe Nick Yarborough to write a prequel to the original film. The original film was written by David Ayer, and it’s an incredibly well-made movie!
The prequel story is to be “set nearly a decade earlier in late April of 1992, two days before the Rodney King verdict was delivered. Los Angeles was already a powder keg just waiting to explode that week, and the verdict led to the L.A. riots.” The film will follow a younger version of Washington’s Alonzo Harris.
There’s no word on if anyone involved with the original film will work on the sequel, but it’s safe to say that Washington or Hawke will not be back to reprise their roles. The report suggests that Denzel’s son,...
The prequel story is to be “set nearly a decade earlier in late April of 1992, two days before the Rodney King verdict was delivered. Los Angeles was already a powder keg just waiting to explode that week, and the verdict led to the L.A. riots.” The film will follow a younger version of Washington’s Alonzo Harris.
There’s no word on if anyone involved with the original film will work on the sequel, but it’s safe to say that Washington or Hawke will not be back to reprise their roles. The report suggests that Denzel’s son,...
- 10/10/2019
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Warner Bros has set in motion a prequel to the Antoine Fuqua-directed crime thriller, Training Day. Newcomer Nick Yarborough has been commissioned to pen the film which is said to be set a decade before the 2001 original that was written by David Ayer. Denzel Washington and Ethan Hawke starred in the film. Both actors earned Oscar nominations for their performances with Washington taking home the trophy for Best Actor.
The first installment took place over a 12-hour period where a rookie Los Angeles narcotics officer (Hawke), on his first day on the job, must deal with the perils brought on by his crooked detective partner(Washington).
The prequel will reportedly pick up around the time of the L.A. Riots that followed after the infamous Rodney King verdict.
Jerry Bruckheimer produced a TV series based on Training Day, which aired on CBS during the 2016-17 season. The series, which...
The first installment took place over a 12-hour period where a rookie Los Angeles narcotics officer (Hawke), on his first day on the job, must deal with the perils brought on by his crooked detective partner(Washington).
The prequel will reportedly pick up around the time of the L.A. Riots that followed after the infamous Rodney King verdict.
Jerry Bruckheimer produced a TV series based on Training Day, which aired on CBS during the 2016-17 season. The series, which...
- 10/10/2019
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
A prequel to Antoine Fuqua’s 2001 Academy Award-winning crime drama “Training Day” is now in the works at Warner Bros. According to Collider’s Jeff Sneider, the prequel penned by Black List scribe Nick Yarborough will take place in Los Angeles in 1992 just two days before the Rodney King verdict, in which Lapd officers were acquitted of charges of the brutal beating of King, rocked the city and divided its citizens. This would set the film just on the eve of the La Riots that followed. The riots, which turned Los Angeles into a fiery war zone that left nearly no neighborhood unscathed, lasted nearly a week — and changed the face of the city forever. No word yet on any additional cast or crew attached to the upcoming “Training Day” prequel.
According to Sneider, the prequel will center on a younger version of Alonzo Harris, the shady, off-the-books narcotics detective...
According to Sneider, the prequel will center on a younger version of Alonzo Harris, the shady, off-the-books narcotics detective...
- 10/10/2019
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
The Handmaid's Tale star Elisabeth Moss will produce and star as Rosemary Kennedy in the biopic, A Letter From Rosemary Kennedy, directed by Ritesh Batra (The Lunchbox, Our Souls at Night). The pic, which hails from Nick Yarborough’s 2016 Black List script, explores the heartbreaking story of John F. Kennedy's older sister who spent a lifetime hidden from public view by her politically ambitious father, Joseph Kennedy. Jason Michael Berman of Mandalay Pictures and Kevin…...
- 2/9/2018
- Deadline
The Handmaid's Tale star Elisabeth Moss is set to star as Rosemary Kennedy in director Ritesh Batra's A Letter From Rosemary Kennedy.
The film, based on a Black List spec script by Nick Yarborough, portrays the story of John F. Kennedy's troubled older sister, Rosemary Kennedy, who was kept from public view and eventually institutionalized. Rose Marie (also known as "Rosemary") Kennedy, the daughter of Joseph Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald, showed signs of mental disability that the family kept hidden.
When she was 23, Rosemary was one of the first people to receive a ...
The film, based on a Black List spec script by Nick Yarborough, portrays the story of John F. Kennedy's troubled older sister, Rosemary Kennedy, who was kept from public view and eventually institutionalized. Rose Marie (also known as "Rosemary") Kennedy, the daughter of Joseph Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald, showed signs of mental disability that the family kept hidden.
When she was 23, Rosemary was one of the first people to receive a ...
The Handmaid's Tale star Elisabeth Moss is set to star as Rosemary Kennedy in director Ritesh Batra's A Letter From Rosemary Kennedy.
The film, based on a Black List spec script by Nick Yarborough, portrays the story of John F. Kennedy's troubled older sister, Rosemary Kennedy, who was kept from public view and eventually institutionalized. Rose Marie (also known as "Rosemary") Kennedy, the daughter of Joseph Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald, showed signs of mental disability that the family kept hidden.
When she was 23, Rosemary was one of the first people to receive a ...
The film, based on a Black List spec script by Nick Yarborough, portrays the story of John F. Kennedy's troubled older sister, Rosemary Kennedy, who was kept from public view and eventually institutionalized. Rose Marie (also known as "Rosemary") Kennedy, the daughter of Joseph Kennedy Sr. and Rose Fitzgerald, showed signs of mental disability that the family kept hidden.
When she was 23, Rosemary was one of the first people to receive a ...
Seventy-three unproduced screenplays comprise this year’s Black List, an annual ranking of well-regarded scripts that have yet to make the leap from page to screen. More than 250 executives in the film industry voted on this year’s edition, and their consensus is that Elyse Hollander’s Madonna biopic “Blond Ambition” is the “most liked” of them.
Previous screenplays that have appeared on the Black List and gone on to be produced include “Spotlight,” “Arrival” and “Manchester by the Sea.” Full list below:
“Blond Ambition” by Elyse Hollander (48)
“Life Itself” by Dan Fogelman (35)
“The Olympian” by Tony Tost (35)
“The Post” by Liz Hannah (35)
“Voyagers” by Zach Dean (28)
“In the Blink of an Eye” by Colby Day (25)
“O2” by Christie LeBlan (22)
“Untitled Lax Mandis Project” by Seth Spector (22)
“Dark Money” by Matt Fruchtman (21)
“Letters from Rosemary Kennedy” by Nick Yarborough (21)
“Linda and Monica” by Flint Wainess (20)
“Hala” by Minhal Baig (19)
“The...
Previous screenplays that have appeared on the Black List and gone on to be produced include “Spotlight,” “Arrival” and “Manchester by the Sea.” Full list below:
“Blond Ambition” by Elyse Hollander (48)
“Life Itself” by Dan Fogelman (35)
“The Olympian” by Tony Tost (35)
“The Post” by Liz Hannah (35)
“Voyagers” by Zach Dean (28)
“In the Blink of an Eye” by Colby Day (25)
“O2” by Christie LeBlan (22)
“Untitled Lax Mandis Project” by Seth Spector (22)
“Dark Money” by Matt Fruchtman (21)
“Letters from Rosemary Kennedy” by Nick Yarborough (21)
“Linda and Monica” by Flint Wainess (20)
“Hala” by Minhal Baig (19)
“The...
- 12/12/2016
- by Michael Nordine
- Indiewire
Exclusive: The biography The Secret Life of Dr. James Miranda Barry: Victorian England’s Most Eminent Surgeon from author Rachel Holmes has just been optioned by Maven Pictures and they have hired Nick Yarborough to adapt. Rachel Weisz, who previously co-starred in Maven’s The Whistleblower, is attached to star as the woman in the 1800s who disguised herself as a man to fulfill her dream. Maven co-founders Trudie Styler (Lock, Stock, and Two Smoking Barrels, American Honey…...
- 12/12/2016
- Deadline
It’s been some time since we last reported on Letters From Rosemary – seven months, to be precise – but today the period drama has sprung into life with theater director Sam Gold closing in on a deal to take the reins.
Variety has the scoop, confirming that Gold, a stalwart of Broadway who’s coming off the award-winning Fun Home, will direct Emma Stone in the Rosemary Kennedy film. In what would be Gold’s debut feature film, Letters From Rosemary chronicles the upbringing of John F. Kennedy’s eldest sister – so often referred to as ‘The Forgotten Kennedy’ – who suffered from crippling mental illness from an early age due to medical complications during her birth in 1918.
Years later, Rosemary’s father whipped together plans for her to become one of the very first people to undergo prefrontal lobotomy at the age of 23. A primitive form of treatment, its failure left her permanently incapacitated.
Variety has the scoop, confirming that Gold, a stalwart of Broadway who’s coming off the award-winning Fun Home, will direct Emma Stone in the Rosemary Kennedy film. In what would be Gold’s debut feature film, Letters From Rosemary chronicles the upbringing of John F. Kennedy’s eldest sister – so often referred to as ‘The Forgotten Kennedy’ – who suffered from crippling mental illness from an early age due to medical complications during her birth in 1918.
Years later, Rosemary’s father whipped together plans for her to become one of the very first people to undergo prefrontal lobotomy at the age of 23. A primitive form of treatment, its failure left her permanently incapacitated.
- 10/12/2016
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.