Mike Figgis has been shooting a behind-the-scenes documentary for the past 18 months about the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s Megalopolis. It’s called Megadoc.
Figgis told me Monday that it’s been edited but there’s allowance for the fact that the film played in competition here at the Cannes Film Festival. He recorded an interview with the cinema titan the other day.
Figgis, who was introduced into the Coppola clan back in the mid 1990s after directing Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas, told me that the documentary is “very much a fly-on-the-wall” and also features conversations with various cast members — Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, Shia Labeouf — and Coppola’s wife Eleanor Coppola, who shot the footage and directed her own study of her husband’s work for the acclaimed Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, about the making of 1979s Apocalypse Now.
He will go...
Figgis told me Monday that it’s been edited but there’s allowance for the fact that the film played in competition here at the Cannes Film Festival. He recorded an interview with the cinema titan the other day.
Figgis, who was introduced into the Coppola clan back in the mid 1990s after directing Nicolas Cage in Leaving Las Vegas, told me that the documentary is “very much a fly-on-the-wall” and also features conversations with various cast members — Adam Driver, Aubrey Plaza, Dustin Hoffman, Shia Labeouf — and Coppola’s wife Eleanor Coppola, who shot the footage and directed her own study of her husband’s work for the acclaimed Hearts of Darkness: A Filmmaker’s Apocalypse, about the making of 1979s Apocalypse Now.
He will go...
- 5/21/2024
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Human remains recently discovered by hikers in the Mount Baldy wilderness outside Los Angeles were identified as those of British actor Julian Sands, who had been missing since January, authorities announced Tuesday.
On Saturday morning, civilian hikers contacted the Fontana Sheriff’s Station after they found the remains, which were then taken to the San Bernardino County Coroner for identification.
“The identification process for the body located on Mt. Baldy on June 24, 2023, has been completed and was positively identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood,” the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results. We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to locate Mr. Sands.”
An avid outdoorsman, Sands was reported missing by his family Jan. 13 after he had gone hiking in the Baldy Bowl Trail area of the San Gabriel Mountains that day.
On Saturday morning, civilian hikers contacted the Fontana Sheriff’s Station after they found the remains, which were then taken to the San Bernardino County Coroner for identification.
“The identification process for the body located on Mt. Baldy on June 24, 2023, has been completed and was positively identified as 65-year-old Julian Sands of North Hollywood,” the San Bernardino Sheriff’s Department said in a statement. “The manner of death is still under investigation, pending further test results. We would like to extend our gratitude to all the volunteers that worked tirelessly to locate Mr. Sands.”
An avid outdoorsman, Sands was reported missing by his family Jan. 13 after he had gone hiking in the Baldy Bowl Trail area of the San Gabriel Mountains that day.
- 6/27/2023
- by Mike Barnes and Carly Thomas
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
It looks like the play’s the (stranger) thing!
London’s Phoenix Theatre is planning to turn things Upside Down when it debuts “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a prequel theatrical experience tied to the runaway Netflix hit. The fifth and final season of the series begins production this May, and the new play will be up “later this year.”
The author is Kate Trefry, a staff writer, story editor, and co-executive producer on the series, credited as writer on three teleplays, one from the second, third, and fourth seasons. The prequel play is based on a story from Trefry and “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer, as well as Jack Thorne. Thorne is the writer behind Netflix’s hit “Enola Holmes,” but, more relevant to this endeavor, he is the author of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” the two-part theatrical experience/license to print money with productions in London,...
London’s Phoenix Theatre is planning to turn things Upside Down when it debuts “Stranger Things: The First Shadow,” a prequel theatrical experience tied to the runaway Netflix hit. The fifth and final season of the series begins production this May, and the new play will be up “later this year.”
The author is Kate Trefry, a staff writer, story editor, and co-executive producer on the series, credited as writer on three teleplays, one from the second, third, and fourth seasons. The prequel play is based on a story from Trefry and “Stranger Things” creators Matt and Ross Duffer, as well as Jack Thorne. Thorne is the writer behind Netflix’s hit “Enola Holmes,” but, more relevant to this endeavor, he is the author of “Harry Potter and the Cursed Child,” the two-part theatrical experience/license to print money with productions in London,...
- 3/1/2023
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
Production on season 2 of Sky and AMC’s crime drama series “Gangs of London” has been paused after a crew member tested positive for Covid-19 on Thursday.
The crew member tested positive during regular production testing, Variety understands. Production will pause for the appropriate isolation period — 10 days — in line with the latest U.K. government advice. As standard protocol, the production tests cast and close-contact crew twice weekly.
Sky has a set of protocols in place, including separate bubbles and close contact groups, that have been applied successfully across a number of productions both at Sky and across the industry. Because these protocols were in place, only those working inside this close contact group, have been sent home to isolate as a precaution.
“Throughout this time, the safety of our colleagues and customers remains our number one priority,” a spokesperson for Sky told Variety. “‘Gangs of London’ S2 production has...
The crew member tested positive during regular production testing, Variety understands. Production will pause for the appropriate isolation period — 10 days — in line with the latest U.K. government advice. As standard protocol, the production tests cast and close-contact crew twice weekly.
Sky has a set of protocols in place, including separate bubbles and close contact groups, that have been applied successfully across a number of productions both at Sky and across the industry. Because these protocols were in place, only those working inside this close contact group, have been sent home to isolate as a precaution.
“Throughout this time, the safety of our colleagues and customers remains our number one priority,” a spokesperson for Sky told Variety. “‘Gangs of London’ S2 production has...
- 7/23/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
HBO has paused shooting on its “Game of Thrones” prequel “House of the Dragon” because of a positive Covid-19 case on set, Variety has confirmed.
As part of testing implemented for all production employees, a production member on the series tested positive for Covid-19. In compliance with industry guidelines, the production member is in isolation, and close contacts will be required to quarantine. Production will resume on Wednesday after a two-day pause.
This is the third Covid-affected shoot in the U.K. in the last few days. Netflix’s “Bridgerton” paused shooting after a positive case, resumed, and paused again after another case. The streamer’s “Matilda” has also paused for the same reason. London’s Riverside Studios has canceled its revival of Terence Rattigan’s play “The Browning Version,” starring Kenneth Branagh, because of the Covid-enforced absence of cast members during rehearsals.
The news of “House of the Dragon...
As part of testing implemented for all production employees, a production member on the series tested positive for Covid-19. In compliance with industry guidelines, the production member is in isolation, and close contacts will be required to quarantine. Production will resume on Wednesday after a two-day pause.
This is the third Covid-affected shoot in the U.K. in the last few days. Netflix’s “Bridgerton” paused shooting after a positive case, resumed, and paused again after another case. The streamer’s “Matilda” has also paused for the same reason. London’s Riverside Studios has canceled its revival of Terence Rattigan’s play “The Browning Version,” starring Kenneth Branagh, because of the Covid-enforced absence of cast members during rehearsals.
The news of “House of the Dragon...
- 7/19/2021
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Kenneth Branagh has been forced to cancel a significant UK theater production due to an “increasing number of Covid-enforced absences”.
The play was a revival of The Browning Version by Terence Rattigan and was due to be staged at London’s Riverside Studios next month. The venue sent a note to ticket holders explaining that the production was “no longer viable” and that refunds would be issued. Producers said a number of the team had tested positive, some of whom were symptomatic, despite Covid protocols being observed.
This is the latest in a string of Covid-enforced closures. Deadline revealed today that HBO has been forced to shut down the UK shoot of its its Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon due to a positive test, while we also had the scoop that Netflix’s Bridgerton had been shut down twice, and the streamer’s Matilda is also suffering similar disruption.
The play was a revival of The Browning Version by Terence Rattigan and was due to be staged at London’s Riverside Studios next month. The venue sent a note to ticket holders explaining that the production was “no longer viable” and that refunds would be issued. Producers said a number of the team had tested positive, some of whom were symptomatic, despite Covid protocols being observed.
This is the latest in a string of Covid-enforced closures. Deadline revealed today that HBO has been forced to shut down the UK shoot of its its Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon due to a positive test, while we also had the scoop that Netflix’s Bridgerton had been shut down twice, and the streamer’s Matilda is also suffering similar disruption.
- 7/19/2021
- by Tom Grater
- Deadline Film + TV
Four-time Oscar nominee Peter Lamont, who worked on 18 James Bond films and received an Academy Award for production design for “Titanic,” has died. He was 91.
Lamont’s death was disclosed Friday by the official 007 account on Twitter, which posted a statement by producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli that reads, “Peter Lamont was a much beloved member of the Bond family and a giant in the industry. Inextricably linked with the design and aesthetic of James Bond since Goldfinger (1964).”
“He became Production Designer on For Your Eyes Only (1981) working on 18 of the 25 films including nine as Production Designer. He was a true success story proving that with talent and hard work you will achieve your dreams,” the statement went on. “He won the Academy Award for Titanic in 1998 as well as nominations for Fiddler On The Roof (1971), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), and Aliens (1986). Our hearts go out to...
Lamont’s death was disclosed Friday by the official 007 account on Twitter, which posted a statement by producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli that reads, “Peter Lamont was a much beloved member of the Bond family and a giant in the industry. Inextricably linked with the design and aesthetic of James Bond since Goldfinger (1964).”
“He became Production Designer on For Your Eyes Only (1981) working on 18 of the 25 films including nine as Production Designer. He was a true success story proving that with talent and hard work you will achieve your dreams,” the statement went on. “He won the Academy Award for Titanic in 1998 as well as nominations for Fiddler On The Roof (1971), The Spy Who Loved Me (1977), and Aliens (1986). Our hearts go out to...
- 12/18/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Sir Ronald Harwood, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of the 2002 film “The Pianist,” has died. He was 85.
He died Tuesday of natural causes, his agent Judy Daish said in a statement to BBC. “His wife Natasha died in 2013 and Sir Ronald is survived by their children Antony, Deborah and Alexandra,” Daish said.
Harwood was born in South Africa and went on to become one of Britain’s greatest playwrights. He is perhaps best known for his play “The Dresser,” which follows the assistant of an aging actor and is based on Harwood’s own time as a dresser. The play debuted on West End in 1980 and then on Broadway in 1981.
“The Dresser” was then adapted into a 1983 film, for which Harwood wrote the screenplay. Star Tom Courtenay, who portrayed the dresser, won the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama. The story was also adapted for TV and radio.
Harwood wrote...
He died Tuesday of natural causes, his agent Judy Daish said in a statement to BBC. “His wife Natasha died in 2013 and Sir Ronald is survived by their children Antony, Deborah and Alexandra,” Daish said.
Harwood was born in South Africa and went on to become one of Britain’s greatest playwrights. He is perhaps best known for his play “The Dresser,” which follows the assistant of an aging actor and is based on Harwood’s own time as a dresser. The play debuted on West End in 1980 and then on Broadway in 1981.
“The Dresser” was then adapted into a 1983 film, for which Harwood wrote the screenplay. Star Tom Courtenay, who portrayed the dresser, won the Golden Globe for best actor in a drama. The story was also adapted for TV and radio.
Harwood wrote...
- 9/9/2020
- by Liz Lane
- The Wrap
As Disney quietly disappears huge swathes of film history into its vaults, I'm going to spend 2020 celebrating Twentieth Century Fox and the Fox Film Corporation's films, what one might call their output if only someone were putting it out.And now they've quietly disappeared William Fox's name from the company: guilty by association with Rupert Murdoch, even though he never associated with him.***There are some films where, lacking access to one's own personal cinematheque, one has to speculate. For example, some of Fox's fifties films, shot in CinemaScope as all movies at that studio had to be, have never been made available in widescreen formats. Richard Fleischer was one the directors who adapted zestfully to that format, so it's a crying shame that Crack in the Mirror (1960) seems to exist only in blurry, 4:3 TV recordings. His other Orson Welles film, Compulsion (1959), is a cracker.Anatole Litvak's...
- 8/20/2020
- MUBI
It’s expressive silent filmmaking at its best — Anthony Asquith vies with Alfred Hitchcock for direction in silent-era England. Elissa Landi and Brian Aherne meet in the Tube but become entangled in the jealous scheme of the jealous Cyril McLaglen. Restored just a few years back after being unavailable for generations, this is a beauty: the BFI gives it a full orchestral orchestra score, plus a second avant-garde ‘contextual audio’ track.
Underground
Blu-ray
Kino Classics / BFI
1928 / B&W / 1:33 silent ap. / 93 min. / Street Date April 23, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Elissa Landi, Brian Aherne, Cyril McLaglen, Norah Baring.
Cinematography: Stanley Rodwell
Art Direction: Ian Campbell-Gray
Written and Directed by Anthony Asquith
If one was asked to come up with the name of a ‘tame’ English director, the answer a while back might have been Anthony Asquith, a privileged toff whose post-grad lark was to spend a year in Hollywood, learning all...
Underground
Blu-ray
Kino Classics / BFI
1928 / B&W / 1:33 silent ap. / 93 min. / Street Date April 23, 2019 / available through Kino Lorber / 29.95
Starring: Elissa Landi, Brian Aherne, Cyril McLaglen, Norah Baring.
Cinematography: Stanley Rodwell
Art Direction: Ian Campbell-Gray
Written and Directed by Anthony Asquith
If one was asked to come up with the name of a ‘tame’ English director, the answer a while back might have been Anthony Asquith, a privileged toff whose post-grad lark was to spend a year in Hollywood, learning all...
- 3/30/2019
- by Glenn Erickson
- Trailers from Hell
Timely news comes on the heels of Martin Luther King Jr. Day: DreamWorks has tapped a screenwriter for its biopic about the civil rights leader. Ronald Harwood, who won an Oscar for penning Roman Polanski's Holocaust drama The Pianist, will handle the task of adapting Mlk's life once again for the screen, this time with the authorization of part of the King Estate. While other films and miniseries about or involving the Reverend Doctor have been made in the past, none have been approved by any members of his family or had access to his intellectual property (such as the "I Have a Dream" speech). This as yet untitled biopic will also be a bigger deal than past efforts due to the fact it's being produced by Steven Spielberg.
Harwood is also a pretty significant player. In addition to winning an Academy Award, he's been nominated for his scripts...
Harwood is also a pretty significant player. In addition to winning an Academy Award, he's been nominated for his scripts...
- 1/20/2010
- by Christopher Campbell
- Cinematical
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