Lives of historical figures often get cinematic treatment to tell sweeping tales of real life events. From United States Presidents to their wives and First Ladies, to Supreme Court Justices to scientists and brilliant minds, nobody is off limits, especially if the stories are triumphant. Others have more tragic endings.
The 2024 Academy Awards showed just how popular a biopic can be amongst voters with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer netting Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. Actors and actresses do almost anything to become the real-life person they portray in a biopic, from working with movement coaches to wearing prosthetics and makeup to enhance their facial features.
Those looking to learn about influential men and women over the years can find a list of historical biopics can read on for an immersive selection.
Photo : Weinstein Company Courtesy Everett Collection
The Imitation Game (2014)
Based on Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges,...
The 2024 Academy Awards showed just how popular a biopic can be amongst voters with Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer netting Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor. Actors and actresses do almost anything to become the real-life person they portray in a biopic, from working with movement coaches to wearing prosthetics and makeup to enhance their facial features.
Those looking to learn about influential men and women over the years can find a list of historical biopics can read on for an immersive selection.
Photo : Weinstein Company Courtesy Everett Collection
The Imitation Game (2014)
Based on Alan Turing: The Enigma by Andrew Hodges,...
- 5/25/2024
- by Dessi Gomez
- Deadline Film + TV
Disney+ still has eyes for Vision. Paul Bettany will return to his Marvel role as the humanoid conception of the malevolent supercomputer Ultron, but a good guy, but also undead because Thanos killed him a few movies back. It’s comics, it’s meant to be confusing.
“WandaVision,” in which Bettany starred opposite Elizabeth Olsen, remains one of the most successful of the Disney+ Marvel shows, netting both Bettany and Olsen Emmy nominations—one of eight Primetime Emmy nominations for the show, as well as 12 Creative Arts Emmy nominations and three wins.
Terry Matalas has been tapped as executive producer and showrunner for the series, due to stream in 2026. Matalas’s most recent gig was over at Paramount+, where he had the center seat on the third season of “Star Trek: Picard.” Most nerds will agree that the third season was the best, pivoting away from the original mandate of...
“WandaVision,” in which Bettany starred opposite Elizabeth Olsen, remains one of the most successful of the Disney+ Marvel shows, netting both Bettany and Olsen Emmy nominations—one of eight Primetime Emmy nominations for the show, as well as 12 Creative Arts Emmy nominations and three wins.
Terry Matalas has been tapped as executive producer and showrunner for the series, due to stream in 2026. Matalas’s most recent gig was over at Paramount+, where he had the center seat on the third season of “Star Trek: Picard.” Most nerds will agree that the third season was the best, pivoting away from the original mandate of...
- 5/23/2024
- by Jordan Hoffman
- Gold Derby
From Whitney Houston to Elvis, there is no shortage of iconic singers who inspire sweeping films that dramatize their life stories. No matter the genre, cinematic features have captured the careers of the King of Rock and Roll Elvis Presley to country singer Jonny Cash. Most recently, Back to Black (2024) launched in theaters to capture the life and musical career of Amy Winehouse.
Still other films in the works will add to the canon of singer biography movies, like Timothée Chalamet’s upcoming portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown and nephew to Jaafar Jackson’s portrayal of his uncle the late Michael Jackson in Michael.
We’ve compiled a list of music-centric biopics available to stream should the urge overcome viewers.
Photo: Sony Pictures Entertainment /Courtesy Everett Collection
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2022)
Naomi Ackie embodied singer Whitney Houston in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
Still other films in the works will add to the canon of singer biography movies, like Timothée Chalamet’s upcoming portrayal of Bob Dylan in A Complete Unknown and nephew to Jaafar Jackson’s portrayal of his uncle the late Michael Jackson in Michael.
We’ve compiled a list of music-centric biopics available to stream should the urge overcome viewers.
Photo: Sony Pictures Entertainment /Courtesy Everett Collection
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2022)
Naomi Ackie embodied singer Whitney Houston in Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody.
- 5/22/2024
- by Dessi Gomez
- Deadline Film + TV
Hello, and welcome to the Scene 2 Seen Podcast!
I am Valerie Complex, an associate editor and film writer at Deadline. You may be wondering why this is publishing on a Tuesday, instead of Friday? Well, the good news is this is the first of a special two-part episode series taking place this month. Don’t worry, though! The show will be back for its third season officially on Fridays soon!
Today, I’m chatting with actress, singer and dancer Melissa Barrera, a dynamic, multifaceted talent who has captured the attention of audiences through her versatile and charismatic performances. Barrera can currently be seen starring in the Universal Studios horror film Abigail.
The film follows a group of criminals who have been hired to kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure. All they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion,...
I am Valerie Complex, an associate editor and film writer at Deadline. You may be wondering why this is publishing on a Tuesday, instead of Friday? Well, the good news is this is the first of a special two-part episode series taking place this month. Don’t worry, though! The show will be back for its third season officially on Fridays soon!
Today, I’m chatting with actress, singer and dancer Melissa Barrera, a dynamic, multifaceted talent who has captured the attention of audiences through her versatile and charismatic performances. Barrera can currently be seen starring in the Universal Studios horror film Abigail.
The film follows a group of criminals who have been hired to kidnap the 12-year-old ballerina daughter of a powerful underworld figure. All they have to do to collect a $50 million ransom is watch the girl overnight. In an isolated mansion,...
- 4/30/2024
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Paul Bettany has joined Sky’s upcoming limited series “Amadeus,” which tells the story of famed composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
“The White Lotus” star Will Sharpe was previously announced in the role of Mozart. Bettany will play Italian composer Antonio Salieri, Mozart’s longtime rival. The limited series hails from “Giri/Haji” collaborators Joe Barton and Julian Farino and is reimagined from Peter Shaffer’s award-winning stage play.
According to a press release, “Barton’s adaptation will expand and interrogate the mythic rivalry of the two composers. Hero of his own story but villain to history, Salieri’s envy turns vengeful as he uses any means necessary to thwart Mozart and protect his position in the establishment.”
“Amadeus” follows 25-year-old Amadeus (Sharpe) as he arrives to the bustling musical hub of Vienna at the end of the 18th century. “Recently unemployed and without the management of his father, Amadeus finds an...
“The White Lotus” star Will Sharpe was previously announced in the role of Mozart. Bettany will play Italian composer Antonio Salieri, Mozart’s longtime rival. The limited series hails from “Giri/Haji” collaborators Joe Barton and Julian Farino and is reimagined from Peter Shaffer’s award-winning stage play.
According to a press release, “Barton’s adaptation will expand and interrogate the mythic rivalry of the two composers. Hero of his own story but villain to history, Salieri’s envy turns vengeful as he uses any means necessary to thwart Mozart and protect his position in the establishment.”
“Amadeus” follows 25-year-old Amadeus (Sharpe) as he arrives to the bustling musical hub of Vienna at the end of the 18th century. “Recently unemployed and without the management of his father, Amadeus finds an...
- 4/9/2024
- by Ellise Shafer
- Variety Film + TV
Paul Bettany is set to star opposite Will Sharpe in Sky’s limited series about composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The WandaVision and A Very British Scandal star will portray renowned composer Antonio Salieri in Amadeus, with Sharpe playing Mozart, as we previously revealed.
It is a reimagining of Peter Shaffer’s award-winning stage play, and will expand and interrogate the mythic rivalry of the two composers. Hero of his own story but villain to history, Salieri’s envy turns vengeful as he uses any means necessary to thwart Mozart and protect his position in the establishment.
Giri/Haji and The Lazarus Project scribe Joe Barton is writing the series, with Julian Farino directing. Stv Studios-owned Two Cities Television is producing in association with Sky Studios. Megan Spanjian is executive producer for Sky Studios. Michael Jackson (Patrick Melrose) and Stephen Wright (Blue Lights) are EPs for Two Cities Television,...
The WandaVision and A Very British Scandal star will portray renowned composer Antonio Salieri in Amadeus, with Sharpe playing Mozart, as we previously revealed.
It is a reimagining of Peter Shaffer’s award-winning stage play, and will expand and interrogate the mythic rivalry of the two composers. Hero of his own story but villain to history, Salieri’s envy turns vengeful as he uses any means necessary to thwart Mozart and protect his position in the establishment.
Giri/Haji and The Lazarus Project scribe Joe Barton is writing the series, with Julian Farino directing. Stv Studios-owned Two Cities Television is producing in association with Sky Studios. Megan Spanjian is executive producer for Sky Studios. Michael Jackson (Patrick Melrose) and Stephen Wright (Blue Lights) are EPs for Two Cities Television,...
- 4/9/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Paul Bettany (A Very British Scandal, WandaVision) will star in Sky original series Amadeus, portraying composer Antonio Salieri opposite Will Sharpe (Giri/Haji, The White Lotus) in the titular role of Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.
The series is described as a “playfully reimagined limited event series” from writer Joe Barton (Giri/Haji, The Lazarus Project) and director Julian Farino (Giri/Haji). “Deftly reimagined from Peter Shaffer’s award-winning stage play, Barton’s adaptation will expand and interrogate the mythic rivalry of the two composers,” according to a description. “Hero of his own story but villain to history, Salieri’s envy turns vengeful as he uses any means necessary to thwart Mozart and protect his position in the establishment.”
On stage, Bettany most recently starred in the Broadway production of Anthony McCarten’s drama The Collaboration as Andy Warhol.
“I can’t wait to work with Julian Farino, Joe Barton, Sky and Will Sharpe who,...
The series is described as a “playfully reimagined limited event series” from writer Joe Barton (Giri/Haji, The Lazarus Project) and director Julian Farino (Giri/Haji). “Deftly reimagined from Peter Shaffer’s award-winning stage play, Barton’s adaptation will expand and interrogate the mythic rivalry of the two composers,” according to a description. “Hero of his own story but villain to history, Salieri’s envy turns vengeful as he uses any means necessary to thwart Mozart and protect his position in the establishment.”
On stage, Bettany most recently starred in the Broadway production of Anthony McCarten’s drama The Collaboration as Andy Warhol.
“I can’t wait to work with Julian Farino, Joe Barton, Sky and Will Sharpe who,...
- 4/9/2024
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Greta Gerwig could be in line for a hattrick of Oscar nominations this year for Picture, Director, and Original Screenplay for her marvelous work on Warner Bros.’s “Barbie.” The multi-hyphenate co-wrote the movie with her partner, Noah Baumbach, while she brought to life the world of Barbie as a visionary helmer of one of the biggest films of the year. She has reaped three Oscar bids to date for two of her previous pictures. Let’s take a closer look at those races.
Her first bids came in 2018 for “Lady Bird,” which tells the story of a 17-year-old girl who comes of age in Sacramento, California, in 2002. Saoirse Ronan stars in the lead role while Timothée Chalamet, Lucas Hedges, and Laurie Metcalf also featured. “Lady Bird” was a critical darling, which meant that Gerwig enjoyed a good time at the Critics Choice Awards, securing nominations for both Original Screenplay and Director.
Her first bids came in 2018 for “Lady Bird,” which tells the story of a 17-year-old girl who comes of age in Sacramento, California, in 2002. Saoirse Ronan stars in the lead role while Timothée Chalamet, Lucas Hedges, and Laurie Metcalf also featured. “Lady Bird” was a critical darling, which meant that Gerwig enjoyed a good time at the Critics Choice Awards, securing nominations for both Original Screenplay and Director.
- 12/20/2023
- by Jacob Sarkisian
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Stars Collective, a Los Angeles-based film finance and mentorship arm, has announced the launch of Stars Asian International Film Festival – a new capsule film showcase to take place in Los Angeles November 12-16.
The festival, which will include a dozen feature selections celebrating Asian cinema, will spotlight a broad range of exceptional films by Asian filmmakers, including a Xiaogang Feng Retrospective which will run from the 9th to the 16th. Kicking off the festival will be the Opening Ceremony on November 12th; the StarS Summit held at the Petersen Automotive Museum on November 13th; followed by the StarS Gala, in collaboration with Women In Film (Wif) on November 14th at the Audrey Irmas Pavilion; and concluding with the Closing Gala at the Los Angeles Theatre on November 16th.
“We are thrilled to launch the Stars Asian International Film Festival. This festival embodies our commitment to showcasing the richness and diversity of Asian cinema,...
The festival, which will include a dozen feature selections celebrating Asian cinema, will spotlight a broad range of exceptional films by Asian filmmakers, including a Xiaogang Feng Retrospective which will run from the 9th to the 16th. Kicking off the festival will be the Opening Ceremony on November 12th; the StarS Summit held at the Petersen Automotive Museum on November 13th; followed by the StarS Gala, in collaboration with Women In Film (Wif) on November 14th at the Audrey Irmas Pavilion; and concluding with the Closing Gala at the Los Angeles Theatre on November 16th.
“We are thrilled to launch the Stars Asian International Film Festival. This festival embodies our commitment to showcasing the richness and diversity of Asian cinema,...
- 11/6/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Anthony McCarten, a screenwriter on the blockbuster “Bohemian Rhapsody,” has settled a lawsuit filed against producer Gk Films. He alleged that he had not seen his share of profits after the Oscar-winning Freddy Mercury biopic earned $911 million at the global box office. The writer moved to dismiss the suit on Oct. 31, in documents TheWrap has obtained, while the terms of the agreement were not disclosed.
The two-time Academy Award nominee, for “Darkest Hour” and “Theory of Everything,” received the sole “screenplay by” credit for the film. Under his deal with Gk Films, the complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2021 claimed, he was entitled to “[a]n amount equal to 5% of 100%” of net proceeds, which was defined as the company’s standard definition.”
However, McCarten claims he has received no profit-related revenue from the picture, while accounting statements issued by 20th Century Studios show a $51 million deficit on the film.
The two-time Academy Award nominee, for “Darkest Hour” and “Theory of Everything,” received the sole “screenplay by” credit for the film. Under his deal with Gk Films, the complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2021 claimed, he was entitled to “[a]n amount equal to 5% of 100%” of net proceeds, which was defined as the company’s standard definition.”
However, McCarten claims he has received no profit-related revenue from the picture, while accounting statements issued by 20th Century Studios show a $51 million deficit on the film.
- 11/3/2023
- by Scott Mendelson
- The Wrap
Updated with latest: The two-year-old lawsuit between Bohemian Rhapsody writer Anthony McCarten and the producers of the Oscar-winning film is over.
On Halloween, lawyers for the two-time Oscar-nominated scribe filed “request for dismissal” paperwork in Los Angeles Superior Court. The document asks that McCarten’s November 2021 profits action against the Graham King-run Gk Films LLC and production company Wagw Inc. over the blockbuster biopic be dismissed “with prejudice.”
This ends for good the lawsuit in which McCarten sought to be paid the 5% of Gk’s profits he says he was promised for writing the Freddie Mercury film. No information on any settlement or other details were made public in the October 31 filing.
As Queen themselves once sang: “Easy come, easy go, little high, little low.”
Previously, November 2021 Exclusive: Bohemian Rhapsody screenwriter Anthony McCarten has filed a breach of contract suit against Graham King and his Gk Films for money owed...
On Halloween, lawyers for the two-time Oscar-nominated scribe filed “request for dismissal” paperwork in Los Angeles Superior Court. The document asks that McCarten’s November 2021 profits action against the Graham King-run Gk Films LLC and production company Wagw Inc. over the blockbuster biopic be dismissed “with prejudice.”
This ends for good the lawsuit in which McCarten sought to be paid the 5% of Gk’s profits he says he was promised for writing the Freddie Mercury film. No information on any settlement or other details were made public in the October 31 filing.
As Queen themselves once sang: “Easy come, easy go, little high, little low.”
Previously, November 2021 Exclusive: Bohemian Rhapsody screenwriter Anthony McCarten has filed a breach of contract suit against Graham King and his Gk Films for money owed...
- 11/3/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr and Dominic Patten
- Deadline Film + TV
Bohemian Rhapsody screenwriter Anthony McCarten has settled a lawsuit alleging he hasn’t seen his share of profits from the hit Freddie Mercury biopic despite it earning more than $900 million at the box office.
McCarten on Oct. 31 moved to dismiss the lawsuit against producer Gk Films. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed.
The two-time Academy Award nominee (Darkest Hour, The Theory of Everything) received the sole “screenplay by” credit on the movie. Under his deal with Gk Films, he’s entitled to “[a]n amount equal to 5% of 100%” of net proceeds, which was defined as the company’s standard definition, according to the complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2021.
But McCarten alleged he hasn’t gotten any profits, with accounting statements issued by Fox’s 20th Century Studios showing a $51 million deficit for the movie. He took issue with the computation of net proceeds under Fox’s standard...
McCarten on Oct. 31 moved to dismiss the lawsuit against producer Gk Films. Terms of the agreement weren’t disclosed.
The two-time Academy Award nominee (Darkest Hour, The Theory of Everything) received the sole “screenplay by” credit on the movie. Under his deal with Gk Films, he’s entitled to “[a]n amount equal to 5% of 100%” of net proceeds, which was defined as the company’s standard definition, according to the complaint filed in Los Angeles Superior Court in 2021.
But McCarten alleged he hasn’t gotten any profits, with accounting statements issued by Fox’s 20th Century Studios showing a $51 million deficit for the movie. He took issue with the computation of net proceeds under Fox’s standard...
- 11/3/2023
- by Winston Cho
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Hybe America has elevated James Shin to the role of President of Film and Television for both the company and its Scooter Braun subsidiary Sb Projects, where he’s worked for seven years, most recently serving as EVP, Film & Television.
Shin’s promotion comes after two years of work with Hybe, which acquired music magnate Braun’s Ithaca Holdings in 2021, in a deal valued at more than $1B. In his new role, he will continue to spotlight projects at the intersection of music, film, television and new media, guiding and consulting, to start, on Hybe and Geffen Records’ newly announced Netflix music docuseries, The Debut: Dream Academy. Marking the first-ever partnership for the companies, the project was instrumental in bringing together the music video for the hit single “New Jeans” from South Korean girl group NewJeans, which showcased IP related to Warner Bros Discovery’s belved animated franchise The Powerpuff Girls.
Shin’s promotion comes after two years of work with Hybe, which acquired music magnate Braun’s Ithaca Holdings in 2021, in a deal valued at more than $1B. In his new role, he will continue to spotlight projects at the intersection of music, film, television and new media, guiding and consulting, to start, on Hybe and Geffen Records’ newly announced Netflix music docuseries, The Debut: Dream Academy. Marking the first-ever partnership for the companies, the project was instrumental in bringing together the music video for the hit single “New Jeans” from South Korean girl group NewJeans, which showcased IP related to Warner Bros Discovery’s belved animated franchise The Powerpuff Girls.
- 10/5/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Will Swenson will play his final performance as Neil Diamond in Broadway’s A Beautiful Noise, The Neil Diamond Musical on Sunday, Oct. 29, producers announced today.
A replacement for the starring role will be announced at a future date.
“It’s been the thrill of a lifetime to get to stand in Neil’s shoes,” Swenson said in a statement. “It’s been such an incredible honor to get to know Neil, to tell his powerful story, and bring his amazing songs to Broadway audiences every night. I’m immensely proud of the moving, beautiful show we made. I will miss it very much.”
A reason for Swenson’s departure was not disclosed, but his planned departure date suggests a year-long contract coming to a close: He and the bio-musical began previews at the Broadhurst Theatre last Nov. 2 (official opening was Dec. 4).
“Making A Beautiful Noise with Will Swenson was a deep and wonderful experience,...
A replacement for the starring role will be announced at a future date.
“It’s been the thrill of a lifetime to get to stand in Neil’s shoes,” Swenson said in a statement. “It’s been such an incredible honor to get to know Neil, to tell his powerful story, and bring his amazing songs to Broadway audiences every night. I’m immensely proud of the moving, beautiful show we made. I will miss it very much.”
A reason for Swenson’s departure was not disclosed, but his planned departure date suggests a year-long contract coming to a close: He and the bio-musical began previews at the Broadhurst Theatre last Nov. 2 (official opening was Dec. 4).
“Making A Beautiful Noise with Will Swenson was a deep and wonderful experience,...
- 9/28/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Producers of the struggling A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical are hoping for better attendance by breaking with a long-held Broadway tradition: Beginning next month, the musical will play four weekly matinees rather than the usual three while cutting the number of evening performances to four from the traditional five.
Beginning Sept. 6, the Wednesday evening performance will be no more, with a matinee added on Thursdays to take its place. The number of weekly performances will remain the traditional eight.
In a lengthy statement on social media, producer Ken Davenport explained that he believes the 2020-21 Covid pandemic shutdown interrupted and changed audience habits and preferences. “If you are in the habit of doing something every day, getting up at 5 Am, going to the gym, etc, you’re likely to keep doing it,” Davenport writes. “If you skip a day … even one day … you’ll have a harder time getting back into your routine.
Beginning Sept. 6, the Wednesday evening performance will be no more, with a matinee added on Thursdays to take its place. The number of weekly performances will remain the traditional eight.
In a lengthy statement on social media, producer Ken Davenport explained that he believes the 2020-21 Covid pandemic shutdown interrupted and changed audience habits and preferences. “If you are in the habit of doing something every day, getting up at 5 Am, going to the gym, etc, you’re likely to keep doing it,” Davenport writes. “If you skip a day … even one day … you’ll have a harder time getting back into your routine.
- 8/23/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Hong Kong-based producer Tsui Hark has boarded the ship as partner and co-producer of the Chinese pirate epic Shih, Queen of the Sea. Hark will partner with Anthony McCarten, Dakota Group and Facing East.
McCarten, whose biopic scripts range from Bohemian Rhapsody to The Theory of Everything, The Two Popes, Darkest Hour and numerous others, has here written the script about Shih Yang, aka Cheng I Sao, who dominated the South China Sea during the Qing Dynasty. Born into poverty, she worked on a “flower boat” brothel where she met the notorious pirate leader Cheng Yi, joining him at sea. Upon his death in 1807, she assumed full command of the fearsome Red Flag Fleet, commanding over 1,800 pirate ships and an estimated 80,000 pirates. By comparison, Blackbeard commanded four ships and 300 pirates within the same century. Shih instigated sweeping reforms to the rules of piracy, ordering execution for rape or marital...
McCarten, whose biopic scripts range from Bohemian Rhapsody to The Theory of Everything, The Two Popes, Darkest Hour and numerous others, has here written the script about Shih Yang, aka Cheng I Sao, who dominated the South China Sea during the Qing Dynasty. Born into poverty, she worked on a “flower boat” brothel where she met the notorious pirate leader Cheng Yi, joining him at sea. Upon his death in 1807, she assumed full command of the fearsome Red Flag Fleet, commanding over 1,800 pirate ships and an estimated 80,000 pirates. By comparison, Blackbeard commanded four ships and 300 pirates within the same century. Shih instigated sweeping reforms to the rules of piracy, ordering execution for rape or marital...
- 8/23/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
In 1985 Whitney Houston took the music world by storm with her record-setting self-titled debut album. The diamond-certified release included three Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers: “Saving All My Love For You,” “How Will I Know” and “Greatest Love of All.” Two years later, with a sophomore disc simply titled “Whitney,” she became the first woman to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart. Four more number ones – “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” “So Emotional” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” made her the first artist (and only to this day) to have seven consecutive number one singles.
The legendary diva’s musical success continued through “I’m Your Baby Tonight” in 1990, with two more number one singles including the title track and “All the Man That I Need,” but it was her foray into film that shot Houston’s career into another stratosphere.
The legendary diva’s musical success continued through “I’m Your Baby Tonight” in 1990, with two more number one singles including the title track and “All the Man That I Need,” but it was her foray into film that shot Houston’s career into another stratosphere.
- 8/9/2023
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
“Barbie” is a box office smash, along with its acclaim from critics and audiences alike. If you follow the social media chatter and the general feeling from most pundits, it could be a viable awards contender for Warner Bros. One category being debated is where the screenplay by Greta Gerwig and Noah Baumbach would be able to compete — whether in original or adapted screenplay. The answer lies in how the WGA classifies it and whether the Academy could or would overrule that choice.
Variety confirms there are ongoing conversations with strategists and Warner Bros regarding where “Barbie” would compete at next year’s ceremony.
On the title cards, it reads “Based on ‘Barbie’ by Mattel,” which is, of course, a toy company. At the same time, there have been multiple CGI films and TV series featuring the fashion doll since its debut in the late 1980s (42 to be precise). This...
Variety confirms there are ongoing conversations with strategists and Warner Bros regarding where “Barbie” would compete at next year’s ceremony.
On the title cards, it reads “Based on ‘Barbie’ by Mattel,” which is, of course, a toy company. At the same time, there have been multiple CGI films and TV series featuring the fashion doll since its debut in the late 1980s (42 to be precise). This...
- 7/25/2023
- by Clayton Davis
- Variety Film + TV
Tomorrow Studios has announced the promotion and hiring of Alissa Bachner and Josh Bratman. After joining the company in 2016, Bachner has been elevated to EVP of development where she will continue to oversee the production of the company’s slate of TV dramas and comedies. Bratman joins Tomorrow Studios as its new head of features.
“As we continue our acquisition and development of unparalleled IP, and our work with the leading creatives in Hollywood, we want to maximize our storytelling ability for all formats and produce each project for the format that best tells its story, including opportunities for feature run/streamer double play,” said Tomorrow Studios CEO/Partner Marty Adelstein and President/Partner Becky Clements. “Josh brings a keen eye for developing feature films to the team, and Alissa’s instincts for television are consistently unmatched. We are excited for the greatness to come from them.”
Bachner began her...
“As we continue our acquisition and development of unparalleled IP, and our work with the leading creatives in Hollywood, we want to maximize our storytelling ability for all formats and produce each project for the format that best tells its story, including opportunities for feature run/streamer double play,” said Tomorrow Studios CEO/Partner Marty Adelstein and President/Partner Becky Clements. “Josh brings a keen eye for developing feature films to the team, and Alissa’s instincts for television are consistently unmatched. We are excited for the greatness to come from them.”
Bachner began her...
- 6/6/2023
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: While still in post with Compelling Pictures on the Warhol-Basquiat film The Collaboration, based on the play he directed in both its debut London run and its Broadway transfer, Kwame Kwei-Armah has closed a deal to direct Mission Hill, a Boston-set crime thriller that will mark a reteam with the producer-financier.
Based on an original screenplay by Michael McGrale (The Following), developed by Compelling, Mission Hill is based on a real-life homicide case that brought Boston to its knees in 1989. It follows an up-and-coming police officer and a seasoned detective racing against time to bring a suspect in before the city implodes over racial tensions.
Compelling Pictures will finance and produce the film which is aiming for a late 2023 start date, pending the ongoing WGA strike and potential other labor actions from SAG-AFTRA and the DGA.
Producing alongside Compelling is Peter Craig — who’s coming off his first Oscar nomination for his contributions to the screenplay of Top Gun: Maverick — as well as Jay Giannone. Exec producers are Kwei-Armah and McGrale, Steven Garcia for Compelling, Max Goldfarb for Redefine Entertainment, Marina Cappi for Marina Studios Productions, Ori Allon and Sal Monaco for White Lodge Productions, Tanner Beard, Lexie Beard, Janice Beard, Dennis Casali and Joshua Kushner. Two-time Emmy nominee Kim Coleman (Lovecraft Country) is handling the film’s casting.
“I’m overjoyed to be working with Compelling Pictures again on this amazing project,” said Kwei-Armah. “I couldn’t put it down when I began to read it. Overjoyed.”
“Mission Hill is a passion project for Jeff, Peter, and myself. Having just had the great pleasure of working with Kwame, we couldn’t be more excited to help bring his vision to life,” stated Compelling Pictures principal Denis O’Sullivan. “It all began with Mike’s riveting script, which has been waiting patiently since 2021 for a great director to take the reins. We’re honored to tell this story of a city that has been seen in movies we love, but rarely from this perspective, and we can’t wait for a global audience to experience this epic, propulsive ride.”
Added producer Craig, “Mike Mcgrale’s script is among the best I’ve ever read – and I’m so happy to see it now in the hands of a talented director like Kwame.”
Kwei-Armah teamed with actors Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope on both the stage and screen versions of the Anthony McCarten-penned The Collaboration, which revolves around the relationship between the iconic artists Warhol and Basquiat, starting in the summer of 1984. Otherwise known for stage productions like The Visitor and One Love: The Bob Marley Musical, he also notably co-wrote and exec produced the veteran thriller Breaking starring John Boyega, which world premiered at Sundance and was released in theaters by Bleecker Street.
Headed by O’Sullivan (Bohemian Rhapsody) and and Jeff Kalligheri (I Wanna Dance with Somebody), Compelling Pictures most recently released the McCarten-scripted Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody, starring BAFTA winner Naomi Ackie, which Sony Pictures took worldwide this past Christmas. Helmed by Kasi Lemmons, the film currently streaming on Netflix landed the #1 spot on the U.S. film chart in its first two weeks on the platform.
Kwei-Armah is repped by CAA, United Agents in the UK, Redefine and attorney Linda Lichter; McGrale by APA, Heroes and Villains, and attorney Will Jacobson; Craig by CAA and Grandview; and Compelling by Evan Krauss of Eisner Llp.
Based on an original screenplay by Michael McGrale (The Following), developed by Compelling, Mission Hill is based on a real-life homicide case that brought Boston to its knees in 1989. It follows an up-and-coming police officer and a seasoned detective racing against time to bring a suspect in before the city implodes over racial tensions.
Compelling Pictures will finance and produce the film which is aiming for a late 2023 start date, pending the ongoing WGA strike and potential other labor actions from SAG-AFTRA and the DGA.
Producing alongside Compelling is Peter Craig — who’s coming off his first Oscar nomination for his contributions to the screenplay of Top Gun: Maverick — as well as Jay Giannone. Exec producers are Kwei-Armah and McGrale, Steven Garcia for Compelling, Max Goldfarb for Redefine Entertainment, Marina Cappi for Marina Studios Productions, Ori Allon and Sal Monaco for White Lodge Productions, Tanner Beard, Lexie Beard, Janice Beard, Dennis Casali and Joshua Kushner. Two-time Emmy nominee Kim Coleman (Lovecraft Country) is handling the film’s casting.
“I’m overjoyed to be working with Compelling Pictures again on this amazing project,” said Kwei-Armah. “I couldn’t put it down when I began to read it. Overjoyed.”
“Mission Hill is a passion project for Jeff, Peter, and myself. Having just had the great pleasure of working with Kwame, we couldn’t be more excited to help bring his vision to life,” stated Compelling Pictures principal Denis O’Sullivan. “It all began with Mike’s riveting script, which has been waiting patiently since 2021 for a great director to take the reins. We’re honored to tell this story of a city that has been seen in movies we love, but rarely from this perspective, and we can’t wait for a global audience to experience this epic, propulsive ride.”
Added producer Craig, “Mike Mcgrale’s script is among the best I’ve ever read – and I’m so happy to see it now in the hands of a talented director like Kwame.”
Kwei-Armah teamed with actors Paul Bettany and Jeremy Pope on both the stage and screen versions of the Anthony McCarten-penned The Collaboration, which revolves around the relationship between the iconic artists Warhol and Basquiat, starting in the summer of 1984. Otherwise known for stage productions like The Visitor and One Love: The Bob Marley Musical, he also notably co-wrote and exec produced the veteran thriller Breaking starring John Boyega, which world premiered at Sundance and was released in theaters by Bleecker Street.
Headed by O’Sullivan (Bohemian Rhapsody) and and Jeff Kalligheri (I Wanna Dance with Somebody), Compelling Pictures most recently released the McCarten-scripted Whitney Houston biopic I Wanna Dance with Somebody, starring BAFTA winner Naomi Ackie, which Sony Pictures took worldwide this past Christmas. Helmed by Kasi Lemmons, the film currently streaming on Netflix landed the #1 spot on the U.S. film chart in its first two weeks on the platform.
Kwei-Armah is repped by CAA, United Agents in the UK, Redefine and attorney Linda Lichter; McGrale by APA, Heroes and Villains, and attorney Will Jacobson; Craig by CAA and Grandview; and Compelling by Evan Krauss of Eisner Llp.
- 6/5/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Tomorrow Studios CEO/Partner Marty Adelstein and President/Partner Becky Clements have promoted Alissa Bachner to EVP, Development. With their expansion into feature film development, they have also hired Josh Bratman as Head of Features.
“As we continue our acquisition and development of unparalleled IP, and our work with the leading creatives in Hollywood, we want to maximize our storytelling ability for all formats and produce each project for the format that best tells its story, including opportunities for feature run/streamer double play,” said Adelstein and Clements in a joint statement. “Josh brings a keen eye for developing feature films to the team, and Alissa’s instincts for television are consistently unmatched. We are excited for the greatness to come from them.”
As EVP, Development, Bachner adds leadership of studio development deals to her role of developing and producing the company’s slate of TV dramas and comedies.
“As we continue our acquisition and development of unparalleled IP, and our work with the leading creatives in Hollywood, we want to maximize our storytelling ability for all formats and produce each project for the format that best tells its story, including opportunities for feature run/streamer double play,” said Adelstein and Clements in a joint statement. “Josh brings a keen eye for developing feature films to the team, and Alissa’s instincts for television are consistently unmatched. We are excited for the greatness to come from them.”
As EVP, Development, Bachner adds leadership of studio development deals to her role of developing and producing the company’s slate of TV dramas and comedies.
- 6/5/2023
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
Editors note: Anthony McCarten has been nominated for two adapted screenplay Oscars, for The Theory of Everything and The Two Popes. Here he writes about AI, a big issue in the WGA talks with studios that broke down, leading to the current writers strike.
We now have a new name for writers: SLMs, Small Language Models. I am an Slm, an organic being with a mysterious desire to express itself. What I do is write about my fellow human beings, and about the world in which human beings live, and do so as best I can. Up till recently I have been only one of millions engaged in this enterprise, one practiced exclusively by other organic beings. SLMs write from experience, which is perforce limited, and from our imaginations, which are not. This contrasts dramatically with LLMs, Large Language Models, the new technical name for the non-organic AI machine-learn’ed tool that grows,...
We now have a new name for writers: SLMs, Small Language Models. I am an Slm, an organic being with a mysterious desire to express itself. What I do is write about my fellow human beings, and about the world in which human beings live, and do so as best I can. Up till recently I have been only one of millions engaged in this enterprise, one practiced exclusively by other organic beings. SLMs write from experience, which is perforce limited, and from our imaginations, which are not. This contrasts dramatically with LLMs, Large Language Models, the new technical name for the non-organic AI machine-learn’ed tool that grows,...
- 5/15/2023
- by Anthony McCarten
- Deadline Film + TV
HanWay Films has boarded The One, an erotic thriller starring Melissa Barrera and Nicholas Hoult and will launch sales at the Cannes Film Festival.
The project comes from writer-director team Kevin Armento and Jaki Bradley and is billed as “a nightmarish horror about the romantic and psychological warfare waged by our beloved popular entertainment — and also begs the question… are we, the viewers, complicit?”
Barrera, who’s coming off box office horror hit Scream VI, leads the cast opposite the Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated Hoult. Barrera plays Taylor, whose last-ditch effort to find love by becoming a contestant on a reality dating show begins to feel terrifyingly real as she becomes a finalist. Amidst an opulent beachfront setting, fairy-tale dates and champagne, “pursuit turns into obsession and rivalry turns into treachery as reality itself blurs.”
HanWay Films is handling worldwide sales, with WME Independent and UTA co-repping the film for North America.
The project comes from writer-director team Kevin Armento and Jaki Bradley and is billed as “a nightmarish horror about the romantic and psychological warfare waged by our beloved popular entertainment — and also begs the question… are we, the viewers, complicit?”
Barrera, who’s coming off box office horror hit Scream VI, leads the cast opposite the Emmy and Screen Actors Guild Award-nominated Hoult. Barrera plays Taylor, whose last-ditch effort to find love by becoming a contestant on a reality dating show begins to feel terrifyingly real as she becomes a finalist. Amidst an opulent beachfront setting, fairy-tale dates and champagne, “pursuit turns into obsession and rivalry turns into treachery as reality itself blurs.”
HanWay Films is handling worldwide sales, with WME Independent and UTA co-repping the film for North America.
- 5/9/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Whitney Houston had “the Voice.” It was trained, expressive, and clear. She didn’t write the songs she sang, but interpreted them, capturing the imagination of a generation. The first triple RIAA Diamond-certified-selling Black artist, Houston broke records set by the Beatles, Elvis, and Sinatra, which had nothing to do with racial divides. Now streaming on Netflix, I Wanna Dance with Somebody stars British actress Naomi Ackie, who plays Houston as a harried artist, only taking her time during performance, but rushed on and off the stage.
Directed by Kasi Lemmons and written by Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody), the musical biopic captures the melody of Houston’s life but also speeds the beat. It misses the rests between notes. Most of the erroneous materials come from narrative streamlining. For instance, Houston wasn’t discovered because her mother, the ever-professional Cissy Houston (Tamara Tunie), showed up at a club like Sweetwaters pretending to have laryngitis.
Directed by Kasi Lemmons and written by Anthony McCarten (Bohemian Rhapsody), the musical biopic captures the melody of Houston’s life but also speeds the beat. It misses the rests between notes. Most of the erroneous materials come from narrative streamlining. For instance, Houston wasn’t discovered because her mother, the ever-professional Cissy Houston (Tamara Tunie), showed up at a club like Sweetwaters pretending to have laryngitis.
- 4/26/2023
- by David Crow
- Den of Geek
Exclusive: Following the success of the recent Scream films, Melissa Barrera is looking to reteam with some familiar faces as sources tell Deadline Barrera is set to join Radio Silence’s Untitled Monster Thriller at Universal.
Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett, who directed the recent Scream pics she starred in, will helm the project with Scream producer Chad Villella serving as producer alongside William Sherak, Paul Neinstein and James Vanderbilt at Project X Entertainment. The script was written by Stephen Shields, with revisions by Guy Busick.
Tripp Vinson will produce as well with Radio Silence and Project X, who are recently coming off the huge success of Scream VI that Bettinelli-Olpin & Gillett directed, Project X produced and Radio Silence’s Villella executive produced. Co-written by Project X’s Vanderbilt, the film set a franchise record opening at the global box office and grossed $67.1 million globally. The teams also...
Radio Silence’s Matt Bettinelli-Olpin & Tyler Gillett, who directed the recent Scream pics she starred in, will helm the project with Scream producer Chad Villella serving as producer alongside William Sherak, Paul Neinstein and James Vanderbilt at Project X Entertainment. The script was written by Stephen Shields, with revisions by Guy Busick.
Tripp Vinson will produce as well with Radio Silence and Project X, who are recently coming off the huge success of Scream VI that Bettinelli-Olpin & Gillett directed, Project X produced and Radio Silence’s Villella executive produced. Co-written by Project X’s Vanderbilt, the film set a franchise record opening at the global box office and grossed $67.1 million globally. The teams also...
- 4/13/2023
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Matt Reeves’ 6th & Idaho is teaming with Zq Entertainment to produce God’s Country — a new genre film starring Scream VI’s Melissa Barrera, which will mark the American directorial debut of Egor Abramenko (Sputnik).
The film going into production this summer will have Barrera playing a young Salvadoran woman who travels to Kentucky to meet her fiancé. What she uncovers is something sinister beyond comprehension, as her American dream curdles into a nightmare of biblical proportions.
Related Story ‘The Backrooms’ Horror Film Based On Viral Shorts By 17-Year-Old Kane Parsons In Works At A24, Atomic Monster, Chernin & 21 Laps Related Story Lionsgate Acquiring Blumhouse Thriller 'Imaginary' To Be Directed By Jeff Wadlow – EFM Related Story Evan Rachel Wood, Josh Gad & Anthony Carrigan Set For Murder Mystery 'The Adults' From Filmmaker Alex Winter – EFM
Will Soodik (Westworld) wrote the script. Reeves (The Batman) and Rafi Crohn (Tales from the Loop) will produce for 6th & Idaho,...
The film going into production this summer will have Barrera playing a young Salvadoran woman who travels to Kentucky to meet her fiancé. What she uncovers is something sinister beyond comprehension, as her American dream curdles into a nightmare of biblical proportions.
Related Story ‘The Backrooms’ Horror Film Based On Viral Shorts By 17-Year-Old Kane Parsons In Works At A24, Atomic Monster, Chernin & 21 Laps Related Story Lionsgate Acquiring Blumhouse Thriller 'Imaginary' To Be Directed By Jeff Wadlow – EFM Related Story Evan Rachel Wood, Josh Gad & Anthony Carrigan Set For Murder Mystery 'The Adults' From Filmmaker Alex Winter – EFM
Will Soodik (Westworld) wrote the script. Reeves (The Batman) and Rafi Crohn (Tales from the Loop) will produce for 6th & Idaho,...
- 2/7/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Ben Stiller hasn’t been on our screens quite as much over the last few years, but he’s set to return in a big way with Three Identical Strangers, a limited series inspired by the incredible true story of identical triplet brothers separated at birth.
Set in New York over several decades, Three Identical Strangers will tell the story of Bobby Shafran, David Kellman and Eddy Galland, “three complete strangers who inadvertently discover that they are identical triplets separated at birth. When the 19-year-olds’ joyous reunion catapults them to international fame, it also sets a chain of extraordinary and disturbing events in motion.” Ben Stiller is in final negotiations to star in Three Identical Strangers and executive produce the series. It’s expected that he will play all three brothers as adults.
Related Vince Vaughn chats Dodgeball 2 possibility
Amy Lippman (Party of Five) is writing the series and serving as showrunner,...
Set in New York over several decades, Three Identical Strangers will tell the story of Bobby Shafran, David Kellman and Eddy Galland, “three complete strangers who inadvertently discover that they are identical triplets separated at birth. When the 19-year-olds’ joyous reunion catapults them to international fame, it also sets a chain of extraordinary and disturbing events in motion.” Ben Stiller is in final negotiations to star in Three Identical Strangers and executive produce the series. It’s expected that he will play all three brothers as adults.
Related Vince Vaughn chats Dodgeball 2 possibility
Amy Lippman (Party of Five) is writing the series and serving as showrunner,...
- 2/6/2023
- by Kevin Fraser
- JoBlo.com
Ben Stiller is setting an acting return with Three Identical Strangers, a high-profile limited series package that just hit the premium/streaming marketplace.
Stiller is in final negotiations to headline and executive produce the series, a multi-decade family drama inspired by the incredible true story of identical triplet brothers separated at birth. The project hails from Party of Five co-creator Amy Lippman, Sony Pictures Television and its TriStar Television division as well as Sk Global Entertainment.
Related Story Ben Stiller On Making ‘Severance’, Meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy And Prioritizing Fatherhood Related Story 'Severance': Gwendoline Christie, Bob Balaban, Merritt Wever, Alia Shawkat Among 8 Cast In Season 2 of Apple Series Related Story Sean Penn & Ben Stiller Permanently Banned From Russia By Country's Foreign Ministry
Set in New York over several decades, Three Identical Strangers tells the story of Bobby Shafran, David Kellman and Eddy Galland, three complete strangers who inadvertently discover...
Stiller is in final negotiations to headline and executive produce the series, a multi-decade family drama inspired by the incredible true story of identical triplet brothers separated at birth. The project hails from Party of Five co-creator Amy Lippman, Sony Pictures Television and its TriStar Television division as well as Sk Global Entertainment.
Related Story Ben Stiller On Making ‘Severance’, Meeting Volodymyr Zelenskyy And Prioritizing Fatherhood Related Story 'Severance': Gwendoline Christie, Bob Balaban, Merritt Wever, Alia Shawkat Among 8 Cast In Season 2 of Apple Series Related Story Sean Penn & Ben Stiller Permanently Banned From Russia By Country's Foreign Ministry
Set in New York over several decades, Three Identical Strangers tells the story of Bobby Shafran, David Kellman and Eddy Galland, three complete strangers who inadvertently discover...
- 2/6/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Michael Jackson will be played by the late icon’s 26-year old nephew Jaafar Jackson in the Antoine Fuqua-directed film biopic for Lionsgate. Fuqua just posted a confirmation on Instagram. The singer and songwriter is the son of Jermaine Jackson, who is the brother of Michael and member of The Jackson 5. Jaafar has been singing and dancing since age 12, and has showcased himself singing tunes from Sam Cooke to Marvin Gaye, along with originals.
As Deadline revealed last week, the Emancipation helmer signed on to next direct Michael, which has a script by John Logan. The film’s being produced by Graham King, who turned the Freddie Mercury Queen story into the blockbuster Bohemian Rhapsody. Gk Films will produce alongside the co-executors of Jackson’s estate, John Branca and John McClain.
As you can see from the video below, the young man has the voice and moves to do right by his uncle.
As Deadline revealed last week, the Emancipation helmer signed on to next direct Michael, which has a script by John Logan. The film’s being produced by Graham King, who turned the Freddie Mercury Queen story into the blockbuster Bohemian Rhapsody. Gk Films will produce alongside the co-executors of Jackson’s estate, John Branca and John McClain.
As you can see from the video below, the young man has the voice and moves to do right by his uncle.
- 1/30/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Jean-Michel Basquiat in Gray with Michael Holman and Shannon Dawson (Konk), seen in Sara Driver’s Boom For Real: The Late Teenage Years of Jean-Michel Basquiat Photo: Nick Taylor (Gray), courtesy of Magnolia Pictures
Anthony McCarten’s The Collaboration (currently on Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club) with Jeremy Pope as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Paul Bettany as Andy Warhol, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah takes liberties with time while Sara Driver’s inspiring Boom For Real: The Late Teenage Years Of Jean-Michel Basquiat (2018) captures the artist and the scene around him through on-camera interviews with Jim Jarmusch, Carlo McCormick, Fred Brathwaite (aka Fab 5 Freddy), Sur Rodney (Sur), Glenn O’Brien, Kenny Scharf, Lee Quiñones, Patricia Field, Jamie Nares, Lucy Sante, Al Diaz, Michael Holman, Jennifer Jazz, Coleen Fitzgibbon, Mary-Ann Monforton, Bud Kliment, Felice Rosser, and Alexis Adler, who says “If we don't tell the history, then others will, who weren't there and don't know the truth.
Anthony McCarten’s The Collaboration (currently on Broadway at the Manhattan Theatre Club) with Jeremy Pope as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Paul Bettany as Andy Warhol, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah takes liberties with time while Sara Driver’s inspiring Boom For Real: The Late Teenage Years Of Jean-Michel Basquiat (2018) captures the artist and the scene around him through on-camera interviews with Jim Jarmusch, Carlo McCormick, Fred Brathwaite (aka Fab 5 Freddy), Sur Rodney (Sur), Glenn O’Brien, Kenny Scharf, Lee Quiñones, Patricia Field, Jamie Nares, Lucy Sante, Al Diaz, Michael Holman, Jennifer Jazz, Coleen Fitzgibbon, Mary-Ann Monforton, Bud Kliment, Felice Rosser, and Alexis Adler, who says “If we don't tell the history, then others will, who weren't there and don't know the truth.
- 1/27/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Andy Warhol (Paul Bettany) filming Jean-Michel Basquiat (Jeremy Pope) in Anthony McCarten’s The Collaboration, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah Photo: Jeremy Daniel
In the second instalment with Anthony McCarten we discuss A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, starring Will Swenson and Mark Jacoby as Diamond (now and then respectively), directed by Michael Mayer and The Collaboration with Jeremy Pope (terrific in Elegance Bratton’s impressive The Inspection) as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Paul Bettany as Andy Warhol and Erik Jensen as Bruno Bischofberger, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah.
Michael Stewart and Defacement, Pablo Picasso’s portrait of Gertrude Stein, Ernst Lubitsch’s Heaven Can Wait, Alexander Hall’s Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s White Noise, and an imagined production of Anthony’s play The Two Popes with Whitney Houston playing and a Warhol on the wall of the Pope’s quarters inhabiting the “same sort of eerie.
In the second instalment with Anthony McCarten we discuss A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, starring Will Swenson and Mark Jacoby as Diamond (now and then respectively), directed by Michael Mayer and The Collaboration with Jeremy Pope (terrific in Elegance Bratton’s impressive The Inspection) as Jean-Michel Basquiat, Paul Bettany as Andy Warhol and Erik Jensen as Bruno Bischofberger, directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah.
Michael Stewart and Defacement, Pablo Picasso’s portrait of Gertrude Stein, Ernst Lubitsch’s Heaven Can Wait, Alexander Hall’s Here Comes Mr. Jordan, Noah Baumbach’s adaptation of Don DeLillo’s White Noise, and an imagined production of Anthony’s play The Two Popes with Whitney Houston playing and a Warhol on the wall of the Pope’s quarters inhabiting the “same sort of eerie.
- 1/8/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Update, with new Collaboration closing date: Ohio State Murders, the play starring Audra McDonald that made history by being the first Broadway production of acclaimed 91-year-old playwright Adrienne Kennedy, will play its final performance on Sunday, January 15.
Though generally well-reviewed, Ohio State Murders has struggled at the box office, grossing just 311,893 for nine-performances during Broadway’s generally lucrative New Year’s week. Attendance for the week, which ended Jan. 1, was only 49 of capacity at the recently renamed James Earl Jones Theatre.
Directed by Kenny Leon, Ohio State Murders starred McDonald as a writer and lecturer coming to terms with a horrific incident from her past: the murders of her two infant daughters. The production also featured Bryce Pinkham, Lizan Mitchell, Mister Fitzgerald, and Abigail Stephenson, with understudies Brett Diggs, Brooke Gardner, Christian Pedersen and Gayle Samuels.
Ohio State Murders began previews on Friday, November 11, 2022 and officially opened on Thursday, December...
Though generally well-reviewed, Ohio State Murders has struggled at the box office, grossing just 311,893 for nine-performances during Broadway’s generally lucrative New Year’s week. Attendance for the week, which ended Jan. 1, was only 49 of capacity at the recently renamed James Earl Jones Theatre.
Directed by Kenny Leon, Ohio State Murders starred McDonald as a writer and lecturer coming to terms with a horrific incident from her past: the murders of her two infant daughters. The production also featured Bryce Pinkham, Lizan Mitchell, Mister Fitzgerald, and Abigail Stephenson, with understudies Brett Diggs, Brooke Gardner, Christian Pedersen and Gayle Samuels.
Ohio State Murders began previews on Friday, November 11, 2022 and officially opened on Thursday, December...
- 1/5/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Broadhurst Theatre curtain call for a jubilant Mark Jacoby (Neil Diamond now) and Will Swenson (Neil Diamond then) in A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical, book by Anthony McCarten, directed by Michael Mayer Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
When I spoke with Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer in April of 2022 he had just launched his Broadway revival of Funny Girl, starring Beanie Feldstein (since replaced by Lea Michele) in the Barbra Streisand role as Fanny Brice and Ramin Karimloo taking on Nicky Arnstein, played by Omar Sharif in the film. Now he has A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical with Will Swenson starring as Diamond (then) and Mark Jacoby as Diamond (now). The book is by Anthony McCarten. McCarten also has on Broadway The Collaboration with Jeremy Pope...
When I spoke with Tony Award-winning director Michael Mayer in April of 2022 he had just launched his Broadway revival of Funny Girl, starring Beanie Feldstein (since replaced by Lea Michele) in the Barbra Streisand role as Fanny Brice and Ramin Karimloo taking on Nicky Arnstein, played by Omar Sharif in the film. Now he has A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical with Will Swenson starring as Diamond (then) and Mark Jacoby as Diamond (now). The book is by Anthony McCarten. McCarten also has on Broadway The Collaboration with Jeremy Pope...
- 1/1/2023
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Anthony McCarten’s The Collaboration starring Jeremy Pope as Jean-Michel Basquiat and Paul Bettany as Andy Warhol at the Manhattan Theatre Club Samuel J Friedman Theatre Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Acclaimed screenwriter, playwright, novelist, and producer Anthony McCarten has two shows that have recently opened on Broadway, and the biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody in cinemas globally.
Anthony McCarten with Anne-Katrin Titze from a Manhattan restaurant: “During the early years of the 2000s I was something of a name as a novelist in Germany.”
In Fernando Meirelles’s The Two Popes, screenplay by McCarten, starring Anthony Hopkins (Pope Benedict XVI) and Jonathan Pryce (Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to become Pope...
Acclaimed screenwriter, playwright, novelist, and producer Anthony McCarten has two shows that have recently opened on Broadway, and the biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody in cinemas globally.
Anthony McCarten with Anne-Katrin Titze from a Manhattan restaurant: “During the early years of the 2000s I was something of a name as a novelist in Germany.”
In Fernando Meirelles’s The Two Popes, screenplay by McCarten, starring Anthony Hopkins (Pope Benedict XVI) and Jonathan Pryce (Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio to become Pope...
- 12/30/2022
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
No one will accuse Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody of glossing over the turbulent life of Whitney Houston. In its two-plus hours, the movie, which was authorized by Houston’s family and was co-produced by her music mentor Clive Davis, features a multi-layered performance by British actress Naomi Ackie, whose lip-synching to Houston’s vocals is incredibly convincing. The movie doesn’t skimp on scenes of Houston in the possession of drugs, kissing and frolicking with her close companion (and future creative director) Robyn Crawford, going into rehab,...
- 12/24/2022
- by David Browne
- Rollingstone.com
The December holidays is a time for many to gather with friends and/or family and eat a lot of food, but plenty also take the opportunity to head to the local multiplex to check out a new movie. But if you’re wondering just what new movies are playing in theaters right now, we’ve got you covered. Below we’ve run down the major new releases currently playing, from Oscar contenders to thrillers to blockbuster sequels.
Avatar: The Way of Water Disney
Over a decade after “Avatar” first hit theaters, James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel (the first of a planned four sequels in total) has arrived. And “Avatar: The Way of Water” is precisely the kind of movie for which movie theaters were made. This is an eye-popping, three-hour thrill ride that transports you to Pandora well beyond the sights and sounds of the first film. As the title suggests,...
Avatar: The Way of Water Disney
Over a decade after “Avatar” first hit theaters, James Cameron’s long-awaited sequel (the first of a planned four sequels in total) has arrived. And “Avatar: The Way of Water” is precisely the kind of movie for which movie theaters were made. This is an eye-popping, three-hour thrill ride that transports you to Pandora well beyond the sights and sounds of the first film. As the title suggests,...
- 12/23/2022
- by Adam Chitwood and Dessi Gomez
- The Wrap
Chicago – Patrick McDonald of HollywoodChicago.com appears on The Eddie Volkman Show with Hannah B on Wssr-fm on December 23rd, reviewing the new Whitney Houston movie bio “I Wanna Dance with Somebody,” in theaters beginning December 23rd.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
The pop singer’s life is shown from her breakthrough to her death, heart achingly portrayed by the Naomi Ackle. This film also has a tour guide, and it comes in the form of Clive Davis (Stanley Tucci) the mentor of Whitney, who as a reminder had seven Number One singles in a row in 1988, still a record. The turmoil with her parents (Clarke Peters and Tamara Tunie), husband Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders) and her early girlfriend, yes girlfriend (Nafessa Williams).
“Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody” is in theaters beginning December 23rd. Featuring Naomi Ackles, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Nafessa Williams, Clarke Peters, and Tamara Tunie. Written by Anthony McCarten.
Rating: 3.0/5.0
The pop singer’s life is shown from her breakthrough to her death, heart achingly portrayed by the Naomi Ackle. This film also has a tour guide, and it comes in the form of Clive Davis (Stanley Tucci) the mentor of Whitney, who as a reminder had seven Number One singles in a row in 1988, still a record. The turmoil with her parents (Clarke Peters and Tamara Tunie), husband Bobby Brown (Ashton Sanders) and her early girlfriend, yes girlfriend (Nafessa Williams).
“Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody” is in theaters beginning December 23rd. Featuring Naomi Ackles, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Nafessa Williams, Clarke Peters, and Tamara Tunie. Written by Anthony McCarten.
- 12/23/2022
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
In 1985 Whitney Houston took the music world by storm with her record-setting self-titled debut album. The diamond-certified release included three Billboard Hot 100 chart-toppers: “Saving All My Love For You,” “How Will I Know” and “Greatest Love of All.” Two years later, with a sophomore disc simply titled “Whitney,” she became the first woman to debut at the top of the Billboard 200 albums chart. Four more number ones – “I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)”, “Didn’t We Almost Have It All,” “So Emotional” and “Where Do Broken Hearts Go” made her the first artist (and only to this day) to have seven consecutive number one singles.
See Whitney Houston songs ranked: Her 35 best hits we will always love [Photos]
The legendary diva’s musical success continued through “I’m Your Baby Tonight” in 1990, with two more number one singles including the title track and “All the Man That I Need,...
See Whitney Houston songs ranked: Her 35 best hits we will always love [Photos]
The legendary diva’s musical success continued through “I’m Your Baby Tonight” in 1990, with two more number one singles including the title track and “All the Man That I Need,...
- 12/23/2022
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody Review — Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody (2022) Film Review, a movie directed by Kasi Lemmons, written by Anthony McCarten and starring Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Ashton Sanders, Tamara Tunie, Nafessa Williams, Clarke Peters, Daniel Washington, Bailee Lopes, Bria Danielle Singleton, JaQuan Malik Jones, Kris [...]
Continue reading: Film Review: Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2022): Naomi Ackie Will Wow Audiences in a Standard but Energetic Biopic...
Continue reading: Film Review: Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody (2022): Naomi Ackie Will Wow Audiences in a Standard but Energetic Biopic...
- 12/23/2022
- by Thomas Duffy
- Film-Book
Plot: The life of Whitney Houston (Naomi Ackie), from her early days as an up-and-comer to her eventual run as a superstar and drug-fuelled decline.
Review: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a mixed bag as far as music biopics go. While it follows the familiar beats and doesn’t shy away from the darker side of Houston’s life and career, the film is perhaps too devoted to Houston’s music to work as a compelling drama. Of the 144-minute running time, conservatively, forty (or more) minutes are devoted to lengthy restagings of Houston’s live performances. Given that Houston’s real vocals were used, that means star Noami Ackie is given little to do but mime to these performances. While Houston’s once-in-a-generation voice obviously can’t be imitated, it leaves Ackie too little time to inhabit the part effectively.
Ackie’s performance suffers partly because Houston is...
Review: I Wanna Dance with Somebody is a mixed bag as far as music biopics go. While it follows the familiar beats and doesn’t shy away from the darker side of Houston’s life and career, the film is perhaps too devoted to Houston’s music to work as a compelling drama. Of the 144-minute running time, conservatively, forty (or more) minutes are devoted to lengthy restagings of Houston’s live performances. Given that Houston’s real vocals were used, that means star Noami Ackie is given little to do but mime to these performances. While Houston’s once-in-a-generation voice obviously can’t be imitated, it leaves Ackie too little time to inhabit the part effectively.
Ackie’s performance suffers partly because Houston is...
- 12/22/2022
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Kasi Lemmons had quite a few reservations prior to boarding the biopic Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody. For starters, she’d run in similar circles to the iconic musician in the ‘80s and early ‘90s, back when Lemmons was acting in films like School Daze and The Silence of the Lambs. After transitioning to filmmaking with her remarkable debut Eve’s Bayou, she met with Whitney to pitch a screenplay she’d written for her about the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, a trailblazing all-women swing and jazz group in the ‘30s and ‘40s,...
- 12/22/2022
- by Marlow Stern
- Rollingstone.com
Update: The Collaboration has canceled performances through Friday, Dec. 23, with producers saying they expect the show to resume performances on Monday, Dec. 26.
Due to a case of Covid in the cast, producers canceled last night’s opening night performance. Like some other Broadway productions, the play had not been scheduled for staging on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Ticket holders should contact their point of purchase for exchanges or refunds.
Previous, Dec. 20: Tonight’s opening night performance of Broadway’s The Collaboration has been canceled due to a positive Covid case in the company.
Performances at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre will resume on a date to be announced. An official opening night will be rescheduled in the next few days, although a spokesperson for the production said critics’ reviews may be released tonight as planned.
The Collaboration, written by Anthony McCarten and directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, stars Paul Bettany...
Due to a case of Covid in the cast, producers canceled last night’s opening night performance. Like some other Broadway productions, the play had not been scheduled for staging on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.
Ticket holders should contact their point of purchase for exchanges or refunds.
Previous, Dec. 20: Tonight’s opening night performance of Broadway’s The Collaboration has been canceled due to a positive Covid case in the company.
Performances at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre will resume on a date to be announced. An official opening night will be rescheduled in the next few days, although a spokesperson for the production said critics’ reviews may be released tonight as planned.
The Collaboration, written by Anthony McCarten and directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah, stars Paul Bettany...
- 12/21/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
I Wanna Dance with Somebody review: The first authorised biopic turns Whitney Houston into a product
When Whitney Houston died in 2012, in a drug-related accidental drowning at age 48, the search for an explanation took on a desperate edge. Tell-all memoirs were published by her inner circle. Documentaries – 2017’s Whitney: Can I Be Me and 2018’s Whitney among them – functioned more like space probes. A Lifetime series directed by Houston’s Waiting to Exhale co-star, Angela Bassett, came across as earnest but slight. Most of these positioned Houston as an Icarus plummeting back down to Earth, with an outsized focus on her latter years of addiction, her fading vocal range, and her tabloid domination.
She’d become one of the many, cautionary tales that haunt pop culture’s margins, all at the expense of that miraculous talent that once earned her the nickname “The Voice”. So, it’s hard to fault Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, the first biopic authorised by her estate, for its attempt to recentre her legacy.
She’d become one of the many, cautionary tales that haunt pop culture’s margins, all at the expense of that miraculous talent that once earned her the nickname “The Voice”. So, it’s hard to fault Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody, the first biopic authorised by her estate, for its attempt to recentre her legacy.
- 12/21/2022
- by Clarisse Loughrey
- The Independent - Film
Directed by Kasi Lemmons, written by Anthony McCarten, Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody is the new biopic on the singer’s life. Her history is full of dense material and naturally some things have to be left out for the sake of time, but 2.5 hours isn’t enough to do the story justice. The movie stars Naomi Ackie, Stanley Tucci, Nafessa Williams, and Ashton Sanders.
The film starts with Whitney (Naomi Ackie) singing in the church choir run by her mother Cissy (Tamara Tunie), who also has a small band she performs with where Whitney sings back up. While chilling in the park listening to music the young singer meets Robyn (Nafessa Williams), a young girl from her neighborhood who she befriends. A friend of the family brings Arista Records CEO Clive Davis (Stanley Tucci) to a show where Cissy is supposed to lead, but she pushes...
The film starts with Whitney (Naomi Ackie) singing in the church choir run by her mother Cissy (Tamara Tunie), who also has a small band she performs with where Whitney sings back up. While chilling in the park listening to music the young singer meets Robyn (Nafessa Williams), a young girl from her neighborhood who she befriends. A friend of the family brings Arista Records CEO Clive Davis (Stanley Tucci) to a show where Cissy is supposed to lead, but she pushes...
- 12/21/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
‘I Wanna Dance with Somebody’ Review: A Basic Whitney Houston Biopic Sets Her Wikipedia Page to Song
A music biopic so broad and hacky it makes “Jersey Boys” seem like “All that Jazz,” Kasi Lemmons’ well-acted but laughably trite “Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance with Somebody” is an anonymous portrait of a singular artist — a by-the-numbers “Behind the Music” episode that needs 146 minutes to say almost nothing about a once-in-a-lifetime voice. Not even “Bohemian Rhapsody” was so obviously written by the guy who wrote “Bohemian Rhapsody,” as Anthony McCarten’s algorithmic script
Here’s young Whitney as a choir soloist at the New Jersey church where she discovers her love for music. There she is at Arista Records’ HQ listening to the demo track for her future hit single, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”. Once her career takes off, the rest of her life is reduced to a diminishingly unsophisticated series of reactions to whatever happened in the previous scene, which doesn’t express Houston’s struggle...
Here’s young Whitney as a choir soloist at the New Jersey church where she discovers her love for music. There she is at Arista Records’ HQ listening to the demo track for her future hit single, “I Wanna Dance with Somebody”. Once her career takes off, the rest of her life is reduced to a diminishingly unsophisticated series of reactions to whatever happened in the previous scene, which doesn’t express Houston’s struggle...
- 12/21/2022
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Naomi Ackie is excellent in the title role and the film delivers all the singer’s big hits, but it swerves the difficult questions
Whitney Houston has already been the subject of two startling and effectively competing documentaries: Nick Broomfield’s Whitney: Can I Be Me? from 2017 and Kevin Macdonald’s Whitney, which was released a year later. Each in its own way was hamstrung by legal issues and family pressure, although Broomfield’s was perhaps the more judicious and insightful. Now here is a music biopic on very traditional lines from screenwriter Anthony McCarten and director Kasi Lemmons: a smoothly watchable and well performed piece of work. It is almost a 144-minute narrative montage, and very avoidant on key issues – seemingly deferring to everyone who is still alive and suing.
British actor Naomi Ackie is very strong in the role of Houston (though with Whitney’s original singing...
Whitney Houston has already been the subject of two startling and effectively competing documentaries: Nick Broomfield’s Whitney: Can I Be Me? from 2017 and Kevin Macdonald’s Whitney, which was released a year later. Each in its own way was hamstrung by legal issues and family pressure, although Broomfield’s was perhaps the more judicious and insightful. Now here is a music biopic on very traditional lines from screenwriter Anthony McCarten and director Kasi Lemmons: a smoothly watchable and well performed piece of work. It is almost a 144-minute narrative montage, and very avoidant on key issues – seemingly deferring to everyone who is still alive and suing.
British actor Naomi Ackie is very strong in the role of Houston (though with Whitney’s original singing...
- 12/21/2022
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
Hollywood pop-music biopics tend to be about artists who go back a long way. “Bohemian Rhapsody” felt rooted in a fresher, less done-to-death-by-biopics era — though when the Freddie Mercury drama came out, its title song was already 43 years old. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” which tells the exultant and tragic story of Whitney Houston, feels different. Houston’s first album was released in 1985, and maybe because her triumphs and travails were chronicled, right as they were happening, by a newly emerging entertainment-media-gossip complex, the film feels like it’s telling a story that never went away. Yet as you watch, you may realize how much there is to the story you didn’t know, and how transporting it is. “I Wanna Dance With Somebody” is the kind of lavishly impassioned all-stops-out biopic you either give into or you don’t — and if you do, you may find yourself getting so emotional,...
- 12/21/2022
- by Owen Gleiberman
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Among the many winning qualities of Kasi Lemmons’ Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody is that unlike most musical biopics, which tend to hurtle through frustrating fragments of the hits that leave you wanting more, this one serves up many generous performance interludes. It’s fitting that in a portrait of the woman considered the greatest voice of her generation, we hear that voice in all its full-throated glory. The power, self-possession, the joy and even spiritual wealth in every vocal probably has a lot to do with this feeling less like a tragic rise-and-fall saga than a celebration of an enduring icon to whom fame wasn’t always kind.
That doesn’t mean that Lemmons and screenwriter Anthony McCarten — cornering the market in the musical bio-drama after Bohemian Rhapsody and the Neil Diamond Broadway jukebox assembly A Beautiful Noise — gloss over...
Among the many winning qualities of Kasi Lemmons’ Whitney Houston: I Wanna Dance With Somebody is that unlike most musical biopics, which tend to hurtle through frustrating fragments of the hits that leave you wanting more, this one serves up many generous performance interludes. It’s fitting that in a portrait of the woman considered the greatest voice of her generation, we hear that voice in all its full-throated glory. The power, self-possession, the joy and even spiritual wealth in every vocal probably has a lot to do with this feeling less like a tragic rise-and-fall saga than a celebration of an enduring icon to whom fame wasn’t always kind.
That doesn’t mean that Lemmons and screenwriter Anthony McCarten — cornering the market in the musical bio-drama after Bohemian Rhapsody and the Neil Diamond Broadway jukebox assembly A Beautiful Noise — gloss over...
- 12/21/2022
- by David Rooney
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Engineered to satisfy the nostalgia of adoring fans, the Whitney Houston biopic “I Wanna Dance with Somebody” unfurls as an inventory of touchstone moments in the gifted singer’s tumultuous career — a greatest hits album if you will.
With Naomi Ackie (“Small Axe”) in the central role and veteran director Kasi Lemmons (“Eve’s Bayou”) at the helm, the generally by-the-numbers execution and structure still yields some goosebumps-inducing highlights that evoke Houston’s stage presence.
The screenplay by Anthony McCarten, a sought-after biopic writer whose recent credits include the utterly conventional but awards-friendly “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Darkest Hour,” drops us into the timeline in 1983 when Houston shared her privileged pipes with her congregation and at a local New Jersey club with her mother, Cissy (Tamara Tunie).
Unexpectedly — considering how McCarten’s film on the Queen vocalist sanitized his sexuality — Houston’s romantic attraction for women is established from the early scenes,...
With Naomi Ackie (“Small Axe”) in the central role and veteran director Kasi Lemmons (“Eve’s Bayou”) at the helm, the generally by-the-numbers execution and structure still yields some goosebumps-inducing highlights that evoke Houston’s stage presence.
The screenplay by Anthony McCarten, a sought-after biopic writer whose recent credits include the utterly conventional but awards-friendly “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Darkest Hour,” drops us into the timeline in 1983 when Houston shared her privileged pipes with her congregation and at a local New Jersey club with her mother, Cissy (Tamara Tunie).
Unexpectedly — considering how McCarten’s film on the Queen vocalist sanitized his sexuality — Houston’s romantic attraction for women is established from the early scenes,...
- 12/21/2022
- by Carlos Aguilar
- The Wrap
The wig gives it away, otherwise we’d be hard-pressed to immediately – or even slowly – recognize Paul Bettany’s fast-talking, extroverted and inquisitive artist character in Anthony McCarten’s The Collaboration as that historic icon of cryptic, mumbled monosyllables Andy Warhol.
Unfortunately, Bettany isn’t the only thing that feels smudged in this ’80s-set paint-by-numbers and highly fictionalized dual bio-play about Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, opening tonight in a Manhattan Theatre Club production at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway.
Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah and inspired by the real life 1984 painting collaboration of the aging (at least in terms of artistic relevance) Warhol and the soaring Basquiat – a project presented so much more convincingly and movingly in the 1996 film Basquiat, starring Jeffrey Wright and, in the definitive performance of Warhol, David Bowie, who haunts this play like a shadow – The Collaboration is an oddly lifeless endeavor, a failure in...
Unfortunately, Bettany isn’t the only thing that feels smudged in this ’80s-set paint-by-numbers and highly fictionalized dual bio-play about Warhol and Jean-Michel Basquiat, opening tonight in a Manhattan Theatre Club production at the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on Broadway.
Directed by Kwame Kwei-Armah and inspired by the real life 1984 painting collaboration of the aging (at least in terms of artistic relevance) Warhol and the soaring Basquiat – a project presented so much more convincingly and movingly in the 1996 film Basquiat, starring Jeffrey Wright and, in the definitive performance of Warhol, David Bowie, who haunts this play like a shadow – The Collaboration is an oddly lifeless endeavor, a failure in...
- 12/21/2022
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
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