Meg Ryan will make a comeback to the movies, but behind the lens – the actress will make his first feature, a comedy drama called Into the Beautiful.
Centered on a screenplay by Anne Meredith, the pic is presented as a contemporary adaptation of The Big Chill, focusing on a group of friends who get back in touch.
The 1983 Big Chill was directed by Lawrence Kasdan including Jeff Goldblum, Glenn Close, William Hurt and Kevin Costner as the dead character Alex.
Wendy Finerman and Nathalie Marciano will produce and Finerman will executive produce along Lisa Zupan. Finerman told Variety:
I’m often drawn to pictures that make you laugh and cry. I think this is the perfect project for Meg to bring to life. She’s poignant and funny and heartfelt.”
Finerman also said she’s planning to start casting soon but Meg Ryan does will not appear. Should all the pieces come together,...
Centered on a screenplay by Anne Meredith, the pic is presented as a contemporary adaptation of The Big Chill, focusing on a group of friends who get back in touch.
The 1983 Big Chill was directed by Lawrence Kasdan including Jeff Goldblum, Glenn Close, William Hurt and Kevin Costner as the dead character Alex.
Wendy Finerman and Nathalie Marciano will produce and Finerman will executive produce along Lisa Zupan. Finerman told Variety:
I’m often drawn to pictures that make you laugh and cry. I think this is the perfect project for Meg to bring to life. She’s poignant and funny and heartfelt.”
Finerman also said she’s planning to start casting soon but Meg Ryan does will not appear. Should all the pieces come together,...
- 4/6/2011
- by Nikola Mraovic
- Filmofilia
Meg Ryan is set to step behind the camera to direct a comedy-drama titled Into the Beautiful, which is being produced by Wendy Finerman and Bcdf Prods. The film has a script written by Anne Meredith and is being developed as "a contemporary "Big Chill" with longtime friends reconnecting." Finerman and Nathalie Marciano will serve as producersw with Wendy Finerman Prods. exec Lisa Zupan as executive producer. According to Variety, the film is scheduled to begin shooting in September in New York state. Here is what Finerman said in a statement:
"I'm often drawn to pictures that make you laugh and cry. I think this is the perfect project for Meg to bring to life. She's poignant and funny and heartfelt."
Finerman also revealed that casting will begin soon and that there are no plans to include Ryan in the cast. Finerman has produced such films as, Forrest Gump, The Devil Wears Prada,...
"I'm often drawn to pictures that make you laugh and cry. I think this is the perfect project for Meg to bring to life. She's poignant and funny and heartfelt."
Finerman also revealed that casting will begin soon and that there are no plans to include Ryan in the cast. Finerman has produced such films as, Forrest Gump, The Devil Wears Prada,...
- 4/6/2011
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
Meg Ryan will be making her directorial debut with Into The Beautiful, Variety is reporting.
The film is to be a comedy-drama, scripted by Anne Meredith, a relatively little-known writer, who was part of the team that wrote Rated X, the Emilio Estevez-directed TV movie about the notorious Mitchell Brothers, starring Estevez and his brother Charlie Sheen in the leading roles.
Ryan, who is approaching the big 50 mark this year with her birthday in November, has had a wealth of experience in comedy-dramas throughout her career, after her leading role in When Harry Met Sally… brought her international recognition back in 1989. Now, she has decided to step behind the camera lens for the first time, and I have to admit, I’m quite looking forward to seeing how this film turns out. Ryan’s expertise in the genre will almost certainly give her a great vantage point from which to start her directorial career.
The film is to be a comedy-drama, scripted by Anne Meredith, a relatively little-known writer, who was part of the team that wrote Rated X, the Emilio Estevez-directed TV movie about the notorious Mitchell Brothers, starring Estevez and his brother Charlie Sheen in the leading roles.
Ryan, who is approaching the big 50 mark this year with her birthday in November, has had a wealth of experience in comedy-dramas throughout her career, after her leading role in When Harry Met Sally… brought her international recognition back in 1989. Now, she has decided to step behind the camera lens for the first time, and I have to admit, I’m quite looking forward to seeing how this film turns out. Ryan’s expertise in the genre will almost certainly give her a great vantage point from which to start her directorial career.
- 4/6/2011
- by Kenji Lloyd
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Meg Ryan will be stepping behind the camera for the first time to serve as the director for the upcoming movie ‘Into the Beautiful,’ variety.com is reporting. The comedy-drama, which was written by Anne Meredith, has been described as a contemporary ‘Big Chill’ with longtime friends reuniting. Wendy Finerman and Natalie Marciano will produce ‘Into the Beautiful,’ and Lisa Zupan is on board to executive produce. Finerman told Variety that production on the movie is expected to begin in September 2011. While Ryan, whose recent starring roles include ‘In the Land of Women’ and ‘The Women,’ will be making her full-length feature directorial debut with ‘Into the Beautiful,’ she will not appearing [...]...
- 4/6/2011
- by karen
- ShockYa
Meg Ryan will make her feature directing debut on Into the Beautiful, a comedy-drama. Wendy Finerman and Bcdf Productions are producing. The film is based on the script by Anne Meredith which is being developed as a contemporary Big Chill where longtime friends reconnect. Wendy Finerman Productions' Finerman and Natalie Marciano produce and Lisa Zupan will serve as an executive producer on Into the Beautiful. "I'm often drawn to pictures that make you laugh and cry," said Finerman. "I think this is the perfect project for Meg to bring to life. She's poignant and funny and heartfelt."...
- 4/6/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Meg Ryan will make her feature directing debut on Into the Beautiful, a comedy-drama. Wendy Finerman and Bcdf Productions are producing. The film is based on the script by Anne Meredith which is being developed as a contemporary Big Chill where longtime friends reconnect. Wendy Finerman Productions' Finerman and Natalie Marciano produce and Lisa Zupan will serve as an executive producer on Into the Beautiful. "I'm often drawn to pictures that make you laugh and cry," said Finerman. "I think this is the perfect project for Meg to bring to life. She's poignant and funny and heartfelt."...
- 4/6/2011
- Upcoming-Movies.com
NEW YORK -- W. Bruce Cameron's book "8 Simple Rules for Marrying My Daughter," the sequel to his best-seller-turned-hit TV series, will be brought to the big screen by 26 Films and The Devil Wears Prada producer Wendy Finerman.
Cameron is adapting his semi-autobiographical tome into a comedy with co-writer Cathryn Michon, author of the Grrl Genius Guide book series. It offers wry commentary in the same vein as his 2001 book 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, the basis of ABC's eponymous series starring the late John Ritter.
Finerman and Wendy Finerman Prods.' Lisa Zupan brought the project to 26 Films, which optioned the book. Finerman is attached to produce the feature with 26 Films principals Michelle Chydzik Sowa and Nathalie Marciano.
Chydzik Sowa said the plot will revolve around a divorced dad juggling a younger girlfriend and two daughters who both get engaged at the same time. Other details haven't been revealed, but the book's subtitle -- "And Other Reasonable Advice From the Father of the Bride (Not that Anyone Is Paying Attention)" -- provides a clue.
Cameron is adapting his semi-autobiographical tome into a comedy with co-writer Cathryn Michon, author of the Grrl Genius Guide book series. It offers wry commentary in the same vein as his 2001 book 8 Simple Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter, the basis of ABC's eponymous series starring the late John Ritter.
Finerman and Wendy Finerman Prods.' Lisa Zupan brought the project to 26 Films, which optioned the book. Finerman is attached to produce the feature with 26 Films principals Michelle Chydzik Sowa and Nathalie Marciano.
Chydzik Sowa said the plot will revolve around a divorced dad juggling a younger girlfriend and two daughters who both get engaged at the same time. Other details haven't been revealed, but the book's subtitle -- "And Other Reasonable Advice From the Father of the Bride (Not that Anyone Is Paying Attention)" -- provides a clue.
At the moment, movie tearjerkers about late spouses who haunt loved ones are all the rage.
In Grace Is Gone, a father and two daughters cope with the loss of Mom in Iraq. In Things We Lost in the Fire, a mother and two youngsters mourn the death of the husband and father. P.S. I Love You is the oddest of the bunch, though, because it feels like the late husband of Hilary Swank's Holly Kennedy, a happy-go-lucky Irishman played engagingly by Gerard Butler, refuses to go away no matter how dead he is. Odder still, when we do see the couple together -- in an opening scene and then in flashbacks -- there is always so much tension between the two.
This bittersweet story about a bereaved young widow struggling to move on might connect with female audiences. Yet its boxoffice should be modest despite the presence of two-time Oscar-winning Swank. The film, written (with Steven Rogers) and directed by Richard LaGravenese, is long and drags in places. But the chief problem is that P.S. feels like a gimmick.
The film starts awkwardly with a curious sequence in which Holly (Swank) and Gerry Butler) quarrel about a remark he made over dinner with Holly's highly judgmental mother (Kathy Bates). Then, with calculated abruptness, the movie plunks you down at Gerry's wake in a Manhattan restaurant run by Holly's mother.
Girlfriends Sharon (Gina Gershon) and Denise (Lisa Kudrow) comfort Holly while Sharon's husband John (James Marsters) gets the Irish toasts going. Denise is soon cruising the joint in a determined search for her own potential mate while the new bartender Daniel (Harry Connick Jr.) hits on Holly.
A few weeks later, it's her 30th birthday. A birthday cake and tape recording arrive -- from Gerry! Seems while Gerry lay dying of a brain tumor, he concocted a scheme to send letters to Holly for the year following his death. They come through the mail or are discovered in clothes. At one point, he buys her a trip with her girlfriends to his native Ireland. There she meets a new Irish playmate, William Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and visits Gerry's parents, who also hand her a letter.
Nothing here outside the realm of plausibility, but how exactly are these constant communications from the dead supposed to ease Holly's transition to her new life? They serve, for dramatic purposes, to remind her of their courtship and marriage. Just once you'd like to see her get annoyed at these messages from a dead spouse who won't go away. But then she has her disapproving Mom to do that.
It turns out Gerry's parents weren't too thrilled about the marriage, either. So why, you wonder, is an audience supposed to care about this couple?
There is nothing special about this romance. Holly does like to watch old Hollywood movies, which remind you of how these things were once done. Now it's all such a convoluted mess of letters from the dead and guys who can't measure up to a ghost.
The Irish scenery is quite lovely as caught by Terry Stacey's camera and designer Shepherd Frankel makes the Irish and American pubs, homes and apartments feel cozy and lived-in. But the movie itself feels oddly uninhabited.
P.S. I LOVE YOU
Warner Bros.
Alcon Entertainment presents a Wendy Finerman productionin association with Grosvenor Park Films
Credits:
Director: Richard LaGravenese
Screenwriters: Richard LaGravenese, Steven Rogers
Based on the novel by: Cecelia Ahern
Producers: Wendy Finerman, Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove, Molly Smith
Executive producers: John H. Starke, Lisa Zupan, James Hollond, Donald A. Starr, Daniel J.B. Taylor
Director of photography: Terry Stacey
Production designer: Shepherd Frankel
Music: John Powell
Co-producers: James Flynnn, Morgan O'Sullivan, Steven P. Wegner
Costume designer: Cindy Evans
Editor: David Moritz
Cast:
Holly: Hilary Swank
Gerry: Gerard Butler
Sharon: Gina Gershon
Denise: Lisa Kudrow
Elizabeth: Kathy Bates
Daniel: Harry Connick Jr.
William: Jeffrey Dean Morgan
John: James Marsters
Running time -- 124 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
In Grace Is Gone, a father and two daughters cope with the loss of Mom in Iraq. In Things We Lost in the Fire, a mother and two youngsters mourn the death of the husband and father. P.S. I Love You is the oddest of the bunch, though, because it feels like the late husband of Hilary Swank's Holly Kennedy, a happy-go-lucky Irishman played engagingly by Gerard Butler, refuses to go away no matter how dead he is. Odder still, when we do see the couple together -- in an opening scene and then in flashbacks -- there is always so much tension between the two.
This bittersweet story about a bereaved young widow struggling to move on might connect with female audiences. Yet its boxoffice should be modest despite the presence of two-time Oscar-winning Swank. The film, written (with Steven Rogers) and directed by Richard LaGravenese, is long and drags in places. But the chief problem is that P.S. feels like a gimmick.
The film starts awkwardly with a curious sequence in which Holly (Swank) and Gerry Butler) quarrel about a remark he made over dinner with Holly's highly judgmental mother (Kathy Bates). Then, with calculated abruptness, the movie plunks you down at Gerry's wake in a Manhattan restaurant run by Holly's mother.
Girlfriends Sharon (Gina Gershon) and Denise (Lisa Kudrow) comfort Holly while Sharon's husband John (James Marsters) gets the Irish toasts going. Denise is soon cruising the joint in a determined search for her own potential mate while the new bartender Daniel (Harry Connick Jr.) hits on Holly.
A few weeks later, it's her 30th birthday. A birthday cake and tape recording arrive -- from Gerry! Seems while Gerry lay dying of a brain tumor, he concocted a scheme to send letters to Holly for the year following his death. They come through the mail or are discovered in clothes. At one point, he buys her a trip with her girlfriends to his native Ireland. There she meets a new Irish playmate, William Jeffrey Dean Morgan), and visits Gerry's parents, who also hand her a letter.
Nothing here outside the realm of plausibility, but how exactly are these constant communications from the dead supposed to ease Holly's transition to her new life? They serve, for dramatic purposes, to remind her of their courtship and marriage. Just once you'd like to see her get annoyed at these messages from a dead spouse who won't go away. But then she has her disapproving Mom to do that.
It turns out Gerry's parents weren't too thrilled about the marriage, either. So why, you wonder, is an audience supposed to care about this couple?
There is nothing special about this romance. Holly does like to watch old Hollywood movies, which remind you of how these things were once done. Now it's all such a convoluted mess of letters from the dead and guys who can't measure up to a ghost.
The Irish scenery is quite lovely as caught by Terry Stacey's camera and designer Shepherd Frankel makes the Irish and American pubs, homes and apartments feel cozy and lived-in. But the movie itself feels oddly uninhabited.
P.S. I LOVE YOU
Warner Bros.
Alcon Entertainment presents a Wendy Finerman productionin association with Grosvenor Park Films
Credits:
Director: Richard LaGravenese
Screenwriters: Richard LaGravenese, Steven Rogers
Based on the novel by: Cecelia Ahern
Producers: Wendy Finerman, Broderick Johnson, Andrew A. Kosove, Molly Smith
Executive producers: John H. Starke, Lisa Zupan, James Hollond, Donald A. Starr, Daniel J.B. Taylor
Director of photography: Terry Stacey
Production designer: Shepherd Frankel
Music: John Powell
Co-producers: James Flynnn, Morgan O'Sullivan, Steven P. Wegner
Costume designer: Cindy Evans
Editor: David Moritz
Cast:
Holly: Hilary Swank
Gerry: Gerard Butler
Sharon: Gina Gershon
Denise: Lisa Kudrow
Elizabeth: Kathy Bates
Daniel: Harry Connick Jr.
William: Jeffrey Dean Morgan
John: James Marsters
Running time -- 124 minutes
MPAA rating: PG-13...
- 12/14/2007
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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