Kevin Feige’s “Star Wars” Movie Nabs “Doctor Strange in the Multiverse of Madness” Writer
Much of the buzz surrounding Star Wars lately has focused primarily on The Mandalorian. This is understandable considering just how successful, critically and commercially, the first-ever live-action Star Wars series has been on Disney+. Then there was the huge news that came out of the Disney Investors Day—the biggest being that Wonder Woman writer/director Patty Jenkins would be helming a brand new Star Wars movie, ...
Every Marvel Film & TV Series You’ll See in 2021
Remember when 2021 was supposed to wash the taste of 2020 out of our collective mouths? Yeah, well, it’s not going so well thus far. But, the year is young and one can hope (one must hope) that things will turn around. We look to the film and TV calendar and dream of enjoying these titles in a calmer, saner, and hopefully healthier environment. To that end, here’s a list for all your Marvel fans on what you can expect to see this year...
Vanessa Kirby & Ellen Burstyn on Their Poignant New Film “Pieces of a Woman”
It is rare that a film as difficult to watch as Pieces of a Woman compels you to watch it multiple times. That’s the case with Netflix’s new aching drama, in which the acting and story are presented in such an authentic way that it offers new layers with each successive viewing.
The first English language film by director Kornél Mundruczó and his partner and screenwriter Kata Wéber, Pieces of a Woman will resonate most with those who understand loss in a personal way,...
Watch the First Bewitching Clip From “WandaVision”
We’ve been gearing up for WandaVision, Marvel’s first Disney+ series, for what feels like decades at this point. But at long last, with the series set to premiere on January 15, we’ve got our first actual clip, thanks to star Elizabeth Olsen’s appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live on Tuesday night. Olsen offered the sneak peek of the deliciously oddball confection, which posits a world in which Wanda Maximoff (Olsen) and a somehow resurrected Vision (Paul Bettany) are living in a sitcom suburban idyll that harkens back to the Golden Age of TV (think floral wallpaper,...
Screenwriter Kata Wéber on Grief and Healing in “Pieces of a Woman”
Screenwriter and playwright Kata Wéber wrote Pieces of a Woman as a play before adapting it for the screen in partnership with director Kornél Mundruczó for their first English language film (premiering on January 7 on Netflix). Their last film was the award-winning White God, and the two have had both a long creative and personal history together. This story of Martha (Vanessa Kirby), a mother grieving the loss of her newborn child, is deeply personal to them both...
HBO Max Reveals New Trailers for “Locked Down” and “Search Party”
HBO Max has just released two fresh trailers for two of their early 2021 offerings. In Locked Down, you’ve got Anne Hathaway’s Linda and Chiwetel Ejiofor’s Paxton finally deciding that it’s time to separate, only to have the pandemic force them together. While this sounds like the making of a Love in the Time of Corona-type of story (and it sort of is), it’s also a heist flick. Directed by the very talented Doug Liman (Edge of Tomorrow) and written by Steven Knight (Peaky Blinders), ...
Robert Pattinson, Michael Keaton, and Ben Affleck Will All Play Batman in 2022
An unprecedented multiverse is coming to a theater near you—in 2022. DC Films has confirmed that Michael Keaton, Ben Affleck, and our newest Caped Crusader, Robert Pattinson, will all play Batman in 2022. In an interview with the New York Times, DC Films president Walter Hamada confirmed that the three actors will portray Gotham’s greatest in films set in parallel worlds. The notion of different superheroes existing simultaneously in a multiverse is par for the course in the world of comics,...
Translating the Untranslatable: The Impossible Art of Subtitling “Taco Chronicles”
Subtitle translation is a fascinating, complicated, and often overlooked part of the filmmaking process. It’s a delicate dance of literal translation and cultural interpretation, all the while practicing a serious economy of words. Most subtitles are capped at only forty-four characters (less than this sentence). Plus, the eye reads much slower than the ear hears.
My own up-close experience with the art form came with Netflix’s Taco Chronicles (Las Crónicas del Taco), which I produced along with my colleagues Pablo Cruz,...
A New “WandaVision” Trailer Highlights 2021’s First Must-See Series
A new year is upon us, and while it doesn’t yet feel all that different from 2020—what with the pandemic, the election still going, etcetera, etcetera—one bit of proof we truly have entered 2021 is that we’re a mere two weeks away from WandaVision‘s premiere on Disney+. WandaVision will be the first Marvel series to make it to air since the pandemic upended production schedules and release dates, and a new trailer reminds us that this Jac Schaeffer-written,...
Producer Monica Levinson on “Borat 2” & “The Trial of the Chicago 7”
Producer Monica Levinson might have been able to call 2020 a banner year were not for the fact such a sentiment would be in poor taste considering how atrocious 2020 was. Yet two of her films factored into the larger conversations we were having in ways that would have been unthinkable at the start of the year.
One of those films was Aaron Sorkin’s The Trial of the Chicago 7, which premiered on Netflix in mid-October...
Showrunner Benjamin Cavell on Remaking Stephen King’s Beloved Dark Fantasy “The Stand”
Stephen King’s The Stand, published in 1978, has eerily stood the test of time. The epic masterpiece follows the struggle between good and evil and is set against a backdrop of an apocalyptic plague called Captain Trips that has taken countless lives worldwide. The novel has been read by millions and was adapted for a four-part television series back in 1994.
Now, with showrunner, co-creator and executive producer Benjamin Cavell (Justified,...
Art Director Daniel Lopez Muñoz on Finding Pixar’s “Soul”
Once again Pixar tackles the subjects of the meaning of life, fearlessness in the face of change, synchronicity, and inspiration in their new film Soul. It’s the first time, however, that they have centered the story on a Black man, that of middle school band teacher and jazz pianist Joe Gardner (voiced by Jamie Foxx). Daniel Lopez Muñoz has worked in such diverse roles for Pixar as a character designer for Up and Coco,...
Best of 2020: “Lovecraft Country” DP Michael Watson on Lensing HBO’s Multi-Genre Hit Series
We put together our annual “Best Of” list with an eye towards the conversations that weren’t just about our particular area of interest—how films and TV shows are made and the people who make them—but delved into broader discussions that were unavoidable in this historic, often heartbreaking year. These conversations include our chat with Laverne Cox about her role in Netflix’s Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, Lovecraft Country cinematographer Michael Watson on filming during a pandemic, and our four-part series on the briefly seen and largely unknown background actors,...
Best of 2020: The High Note Director Nisha Ganatra on the Importance of a Diverse Cast & Crew
We put together our annual “Best Of” list with an eye towards the conversations that weren’t just about our particular area of interest—how films and TV shows are made and the people who make them—but delved into broader discussions that were unavoidable in this historic, often heartbreaking year. These conversations include our chat with Laverne Cox about her role in Netflix’s Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, Lovecraft Country cinematographer Michael Watson on filming during a pandemic, and our four-part series on the briefly seen and largely unknown background actors,...
Best of 2020: DP Greig Fraser on Harnessing Cutting-Edge Tech in “The Mandalorian”
We put together our annual “Best Of” list with an eye towards the conversations that weren’t just about our particular area of interest—how films and TV shows are made and the people who make them—but delved into broader discussions that were unavoidable in this historic, often heartbreaking year. These conversations include our chat with Laverne Cox about her role in Netflix’s Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, Lovecraft Country cinematographer Michael Watson on filming during a pandemic, and our four-part series on the briefly seen and largely unknown background actors,...
Best of 2020: A Conversation With Laverne Cox
We put together our annual “Best Of” list with an eye towards the conversations that weren’t just about our particular area of interest—how films and TV shows are made and the people who make them—but delved into broader discussions that were unavoidable in this historic, often heartbreaking year. These conversations include our chat with Laverne Cox about her role in Netflix’s Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, Lovecraft Country cinematographer Michael Watson on filming during a pandemic, and our four-part series on the briefly seen and largely unknown background actors,...
Best of 2020: Meet the Background Actors Who Populate HBO’s “Perry Mason” – Part I
We put together our annual “Best Of” list with an eye towards the conversations that weren’t just about our particular area of interest—how films and TV shows are made and the people who make them—but delved into broader discussions that were unavoidable in this historic, often heartbreaking year. These conversations include our chat with Laverne Cox about her role in Netflix’s Disclosure: Trans Lives on Screen, Lovecraft Country cinematographer Michael Watson on filming during a pandemic, and our four-part series on the briefly seen and largely unknown background actors,...
Showrunner Chris Van Dusen on Creating a Modern Regency Romance in “Bridgerton”
Buckle up for Christmas Day, when Bridgerton, a romance set in England’s 19th century Regency era, debuts on Netflix. Shonda Rhimes’ first executive-produced series for the streaming service, this bright, sexy show reimagines a casually multiracial society set in a horse-drawn world of candy-colored palaces, sybaritic balls, and aristocracy on display.
Bridgerton was shot on location at storied homes like Lancaster House, where Queen Elizabeth II still holds royal functions, and on soundstages across the UK,...
The Sustainable Production Alliance: Celebrating the Green Production Guide’s 10-Year Anniversary
As issues of climate change continue to be front and center in every aspect of our lives, many areas of business and industry are investigating new ways in which they can mitigate their carbon footprint and become more engaged in policies that are centered on responsibility toward climate change.
Fortunately, the entertainment industry has been at the forefront of this issue for many years – in fact, a full decade! – and has consistently demonstrated its commitment to sustainability...
David Oyelowo & Demián Bichir on George Clooney’s Timely Sci-Fi Film “Midnight Sky”
Based on Lily Brooks-Dalton’s acclaimed novel “Good Morning, Midnight”, the new Netflix release The Midnight Sky (streaming December 23), which is directed by George Clooney, follows scientist Augustine (played by Clooney) who navigates a post-apocalyptic world alone in the Arctic, while warning away Sully (Felicity Jones) and the other astronauts returning from deep space with her. Her fellow crewmembers include partner and flight commander Adewole (David Oyelowo), astrodynamics expert Sanchez (Demián Bichir), and pilot Mitchell (Kyle Chandler)...
