Interview

Cinematographer

Cinematographer Jay Keitel on Shooting the Deliciously Creepy “She Dies Tomorrow”

Director Amy Seimetz’s new feature, She Dies Tomorrow, opens on a tight close-up of a teary blue eye ringed with streaked mascara. When we next see Amy (Kate Lyn Sheil), the film’s patient zero, she’s dazedly moving through her sunny new Los Angeles home. The house is modest and half unpacked, but hip light fixtures and the beginnings of some artsy wallpaper hint at what once had been a more normal life. By nightfall,...

By Susannah Edelbaum  |  August 20, 2020
Olivia Wilde Will Direct Female-Centered Marvel Movie For Sony

The news coming out of Hollywood lately has been pretty fantastic, all things considered. Especially where it concerns women directing Marvel films. First, we learned that Candyman co-writer and director Nia DaCosta would be helming Captain Marvel 2, making her the first Black woman to direct a film for Marvel. Awesome news. The possibilities for a DaCosta-led Captain Marvel 2 are extremely exciting. Now, Deadline reports that Booksmart director Olivia Wilde will be helming a female-centered Marvel movie for Sony...

By The Credits  |  August 20, 2020

Interview

Composer

“Becoming” Composer Kamasi Washington on Scoring Michelle Obama’s Life

As one of the most famous women in the world, we’re familiar with the broad strokes of Michelle Obama’s life, from her rarefied resume and progressive values to her playfully chic sense of fashion. Thanks to her critically-acclaimed memoir, “Becoming,” the former First Lady’s legions of fans have also gotten to know more about her early life, marriage to Barack Obama, and their eight years in the White House. With Becoming adapted into a Netflix documentary directed by Nadia Hallgren (She’s the Ticket,...

By Susannah Edelbaum  |  August 19, 2020
Star-Studded Cast Converge in Kenneth Branagh’s Murder Mystery “Death on the Nile”

Kenneth Branagh’s first stab (pun intended!) at adapting an Agatha Christie novel went as smoothly as the perfect crime. His 2017 hit Murder on the Orient Express matched his impressive direction, acting (and that world-beating mustache) with a fantastic cast and stellar sets. Branagh is back with his second Christie adaptation, Death on the Nile. He returns as mustachioed detective Hercule Poirot, who trades in a frosty train trip for a sultry Egyptian river steamer...

By The Credits  |  August 19, 2020
Daniel Dae Kim & Randall Park Taking on Asian American-Led Heist Film for Amazon

This is a dream pairing. The last time Randall Park and Daniel Dae Kim were in a film together, they were vying for Ali Wong’s affection in Always Be My Maybe. Now, they’re teaming up for a heist film for Amazon, scripted by Billions scribe Young Il Kim (his script Rodham made the Black List, too). Deadline reports that several streamers and studios were keen on the pitch, with Amazon Studios ultimately winning out...

By The Credits  |  August 19, 2020
A Surprise “Space Jam 2” Teaser Reveals LeBron James in Tune Squad Jersey

Looking good, LeBron!

In case you missed the news last night, we got our first glimpse at LeBron James in the Tune Squad jersey during an event for the LeBron James Family Foundation. LeBron is starring in Malcolm D. Lee’s Space  Jam: A New Legacy, his sequel to the 1996 classic starring Michael Jordan. In a brief video, we see James walking towards the camera in the Tune Squad’s multichromatic jersey.

There’s a lot of excitement for Lee’s sequel,...

By The Credits  |  August 18, 2020
Jordan Peele, The Russo Brothers & More Bringing Their Next Films to California

Not all film news needs to be bad film news. In what we’re hoping is a sign of optimism and good old business acumen, some of Hollywood’s biggest directors and stars are banking on making their movies in California. While the entertainment industry has been upended by the ramifications of COVID-19 and the shuttering of productions across the globe, there is a slew of big features and intriguing projects planned for production in the Golden State.

The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop from the California film commission,...

By The Credits  |  August 18, 2020
New “Mulan” Spot Teases the Streaming Event of the Season

Disney is going to make history on September 4. That’s because this is the date they’re releasing Niki Caro’s epic, live-action remake of Mulan on Disney+. Disney decided to offer Caro’s sweeping, stunning film on its streaming platform rather than wait for the situation at theaters to improve. Mulan will be getting a theatrical release, however. Countries where Disney+ isn’t available, or, where theaters have reopened will get to see Caro’s film on the big screen...

By The Credits  |  August 18, 2020

Interview

Director

“Boys State” Directors Amanda McBaine & Jesse Moss on Their Timely Doc

The documentary Boys State (now streaming on Apple TV+) follows four teenagers navigating a week-long annual program in which a thousand high school seniors in Texas create their own mock government. Winner of the Documentary Grand Jury Prize at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival, the film is like a riveting mix of a soap opera, Lord of the Flies, and Breaking Away. The Credits spoke to directors Amanda McBaine and Jesse Moss about the making of Boys State,...

By Leslie Combemale  |  August 17, 2020

Interview

Production Designer

Emmy-Nominated “Watchmen” Production Designer on The Show’s Eclectic Inspirations

Not only did Watchmen top all TV rivals by earning 26 Emmy nominations; the sprawling HBO series also tackled racism in America en route to becoming arguably the most topical drama of the year. Rooted in the horrific 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre of more than 300 Black citizens, Watchmen pits fictional superhero Sister Night (Regina King) against a secret society of white supremacists Hell-bent on taking over the world...

By Hugh Hart  |  August 17, 2020
Elizabeth Debicki Cast as Princess Diana for Last Two Seasons of “The Crown”

One of the most sought-after roles in all of TV has been filled.

Netflix’s lush period drama The Crown has two more seasons to go. This past season introduced the great Olivia Colman as Queen Elizabeth, stepping in to replace the also splendid Claire Foy as the Queen in middle age. Now, the role that fans have been waiting to see filled—that of the Queen’s most famous in-law of them all, Princess Diana—has been cast. Rising star Elizabeth Debicki will play Princess Di,...

By The Credits  |  August 17, 2020
The Official Schedule for The DC FanDome Event is Here

You will have precisely 24-hours to enjoy DC FanDome, the epic virtual event coming to your computer screen on August 22. This Warner Bros./DC mega-event is essentially doing a lot of the work that usually gets done during San Diego’s Comic-Con. All your favorite DC superheroes, more or less, will be on hand. There will be panels, previews, teasers, trailers, and more from some of the biggest upcoming films. We’re talking Matt Reeves’ The Batman. ...

By Bryan Abrams  |  August 14, 2020
Watch the Teaser for Justin Simien’s New Hulu Horror “Bad Hair”

This summer we had the pleasure of interviewing both actress/producer Laverne Cox and writer/director Justin Simien. Both of these ultra-talents mentioned Bad Hair, Simien’s upcoming horror film which he wrote and directed, and in which Cox plays Virgie, a hairdresser who gives Anna (Elle Lorraine) a cut she won’t soon forget. Now, Hulu has dropped the first official teaser for the film, giving us a glimpse of what had Cox so excited about this film when we spoke to her...

By The Credits  |  August 14, 2020
It’s Tom Holland vs. Robert Pattinson in First “The Devil All The Time” Trailer

The first trailer for director Antonio Campos’ The Devil All The Time builds to a feverish climax, like a great oratory from a preacher, if you will. The film, based on Donald Ray Pollock’s 2011 novel of the same name, tracks Arvin Russell (Tom Holland), a decent young man living in Knockemstiff, Ohio in the decades following World War II. Knockemstiff is the type of place that preys on decency, and Arvin is more or less surrounded by predators...

By The Credits  |  August 13, 2020
Check Out These Massive Sets in New “Avatar 2” Photos

Last week it was the brand new Crabsuit, this week, it’s the High Camp Bio Lab. Things are really cooking on the set of Avatar 2 in New Zealand, and producer Jon Landau is making sure we’re being kept up to speed on director James Cameron’s long-simmering sequel.

Cameron is genuinely obsessed with the natural world. This was evident in his box-office smashing Avatar, released in 2009 and revealing the Na’vi tribe and their lush planet of Pandora. ...

By The Credits  |  August 13, 2020

Interview

Editor

“Hanna” Editor Morten Højbjerg on Cutting Amazon’s High-Octane Thriller

Hanna editor Morten Højbjerg cut the first two episodes of season one of creator David Farr’s relentlessly action-packed Amazon series, which was adapted from Joe Wright’s 2011 film (which Farr wrote) that starred Saoirse Ronan in the title role. In the series, Esme Creed-Miles takes over for Ronan as the titular young girl with a certain set of extraordinary skills not usually found in youngsters. Instead of planning sleepovers, doing homework, or arguing with siblings, Hanna is a forest-raised young woman who counts among her antagonists an off-book CIA agent and,...

By Bryan Abrams  |  August 12, 2020

Interview

Casting Director

Allison Jones & Ben Harris On the Funny-Unfunny “Curb Your Enthusiasm” Casting Process

How do you cast a show where most household name actors play themselves and entire scenes are based on improv? Well, it’s complicated. To get on Larry David’s Curb Your Enthusiasm, now in its 10th season and booked to begin shooting Season 11 come fall, coronavirus permitting, you need to be funny, but you don’t have to be funny, and you definitely can’t seem to be trying to be funny. On actors who make it to an in-person audition,...

By Susannah Edelbaum  |  August 12, 2020
Hans Zimmer Extended Netflix’s Signature “Ba-dum” Sound for Theaters

Well, this is making us miss movie theaters even more. Again. Hans Zimmer, one of the greatest living film composers, has taken Netflix’s iconic “Ba-dum” sound and given it a proper extension for when a Netflix movie plays in theaters. You know the sound. The “Ba-dum” is what greets viewers as you settle in for a Netflix series or film, that two-note thump that augers in some serious Netflix and chill time. The brief sound, which now has a Pavlovian effect on millions of people (signaling,...

By The Credits  |  August 12, 2020
“The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” Getting Rebooted as a Drama

It’s time to start singing the Fresh Prince theme again (and really, why did we ever stop?). In a piece of fantastic news, The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop that Will Smith and Morgan Cooper, the creator of the viral YouTube trailer Bel-Air, are teaming up to adapt Cooper’s vision of a dramatic version of the iconic NBC comedy. THR writes that Bel-Air is being described as a dramatic riff on the comedy that turned Smith into a household name,...

By Bryan Abrams  |  August 11, 2020
Watch The Best Dance Scenes From Netflix’s “Work It”

Director Laura Terruso’s Work It, which premiered on Netflix on August 7, is something of a love letter to hip-hop. In the film, a straight-A high school senior Quinn (Sabrina Carpenter) wants nothing more than to go to Duke. She wants to become a Blue Devil so bad, in fact, that she responds to her college interviewer’s offhanded comment that she appreciates dance with a lie, claiming she’s also a dance lover. Reader, she’s not. Thus begins Quinn’s mission to learn how to dance,...

By The Credits  |  August 11, 2020