Tag Archives: AFTRA

Oscar Isaac to Star in the Crime Thriller “In the Hand of Dante”

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Oscar Isaac has a new project on his hand(s)…

The 44-year-old Cuban-Guatemalan actor will star in the crime thriller In the Hand of Dante, with Oscar nominee Julian Schnabel directing and Martin Scorsese among the executive producers.

Oscar IsaacIsaac will star opposite Jason Momoa and Gerard Butler in the film, which is in production in Italy and recently landed an Interim Agreement from SAG-AFTRA allowing it to film during the actors strike.

Based on the novel by Nick Tosches, it follows the story of the original manuscript for The Divine Comedy emerging in the clutches of a black-market smuggling ring in the dangerous underbelly of New York City, and weary scholar Nick is called by the mob to authenticate it.

Overwhelmed by temptation, Nick defies the mafia and steals the manuscript in a frenzied bid to have it all. He follows a dark and violent path from a metaphorical Hell into Paradise with his love Giulietta, while a parallel tale unfolds: the odyssey of Dante himself, a man who is trapped in a loveless marriage with Gemma and bolstered only by his mentorship under an austere intellectual. He escapes to Sicily and creates his greatest work, immortalizing his lost love, Beatrice.

Nick and Dante’s timelines weave separate paths, and yet the two men are inextricably linked — both lose themselves chasing love, beauty and the very promise of the divine.

Scorsese will executive produce alongside DreamCrew, Screen Capital/Screen One and Tribune Pictures, with Isaac (through his production company Mad Gene Media) and Schnabel also executive producing.

A24 Moves Release Date of Jacob Elordi’s New Film “Priscilla” to November

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Jacob Elordi’s Blue Suede Shoes will have to wait an extra week…

A24’s Sofia Coppola-directed film, Priscilla, starring the 26-year-old half-Spanish Australian actor, will now go wide on November 3 instead of October 27.

Jacob Elordi, Elvis, PriscillaThe news comes on the heels of a glowing world premiere out of the Venice Film Festival where the movie based on the Priscilla Presley’s memoir Elvis and Me grabbed a 94% critics score on Rotten Tomatoes.

With Dune: Part Two moving off of November 3, it creates more breathing room for others movies and availability of theaters. And, it’s also the last ‘official’ weekend of the Taylor Swift: Eras Concert movie.

Talent and creators of the film including Coppola, Cailee Spaeny and Jacob Elordi are now cleared to promote the film since it was granted a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement ahead of its world premiere.

The film stars Spaeny as Priscilla and Elordi as Elvis. Coppola adapted the memoir. Producers are Coppola, Lorenzo Mieli and Youree Henley.

HBO Orders Half-Hour Comedy “The Franchise,” Featuring Daniel Brühl, to Series

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Daniel Brühl is a franchisee…

HBO has ordered to series the half-hour comedy The Franchise, featuring the 45-year-old Spanish-German actor.

Daniel BruhlFrom Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes, Armando Iannucci and writer Jon Brown, the series takes a wry look at superhero movie-making.

Work on the pilot was completed before the SAG-AFTRA strike began, and production on the series won’t begin until the strikes have concluded.

Himesh Patel and Aya Cash have joined as series regulars on the comedy, which revolves around the crew of an unloved franchise movie who fight for their place in a savage and unruly cinematic universe.

The Franchise shines a light on the secret chaos inside the world of superhero moviemaking to ask the question: How exactly does the cinematic sausage get made? Because every f*ckup has an origin story.

Patel and Cash are featured in the pilot, but their roles never were announced.

In addition to Brühl in a recurring role, the previously announced cast includes series regulars Jessica Hynes, Billy Magnussen, Lolly Adefope, Darren Goldstein, and Isaac Powell.

“With a deft touch only he can bring, Sam has brilliantly captured the romance and the reality of filmmaking today, said Amy Gravitt, EVP, HBO Programming, Head of HBO & Max Comedy. “Jon is superb at sending up worlds we think we already know. Together, with Armando, they have delivered a truly hilarious comedy ensemble. I can’t wait to see more.”

The series comes from the mind of Mendes and marks his first U.S. TV directorial project. He won a Best Director Oscar for American Beauty and earned three Academy Award nominations for 1917, for Best Picture, Director and Original Screenplay.

Patel stars as Daniel, Cash as Anita, Hynes as Steph, Magnussen as Adam, Adefope as Dag, Goldstein as Pat and Powell as Bryson. Brühl recurs as Eric.

The pilot was directed by Mendes and written by Jon Brown, who serves as showrunner.

Bella Thorne to Star in the Fantastical Indie Drama “The Tower”

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Bella Thorne is towering ahead…

The 25-year-old half-Cuban American actress/singer will star opposite Jack Kilmer in The Tower, one of 102 projects to have been granted a SAG-AFTRA Interim Agreement following the launch of the actors strike.

Bella ThorneThe fantastical drama, from filmmaker Adam Sigal , will also feature Cam Gigandet and Chris Mullinax.

The film currently in production is billed as a dark tale about a mysterious mermaid trapped and forgotten for years in the water tower of a small Southern town.

Sigal described it as his “attempt to interpret the isolation and wanderlust I felt growing up in a small Southern town.”

The Tower is among the projects that began shooting shortly before the SAG-AFTRA strike launched and went on pause in the wake of the walkout until the securement of a SAG waiver.

Of his project’s ability to move forward amidst the dual SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes, Sigal said, “It breaks my heart that there are so many actors, writers and crews unable to work at the moment, and I realize how fortunate we are to have the opportunity to finish this film. I am incredibly grateful to SAG for continuing to support independent film, and as soon as we wrap, the cast of The Tower and I will be out there on the picket lines beside our fellow actors and writers, fighting for what they deserve.”

Rising to fame with her starring role on Disney Channel’s Shake It Up, Thorne has since appeared in numerous films including Blended, Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Road Chip, Netflix’s The Babysitter and its sequel, Amityville: The Awakening and Infamous.

Esai Morales to Star in National Geographic’s Sci-Fi Series “Mars”

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Esai Morales has landed an out-of-this-world role…

The 54-year-old Puerto Rican actor has joined the cast for season two of National Geographic global sci-fi series Mars, from Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment and Radical Media.

Esai Morales

Shooting began this week in Budapest on the six-episode series, which is slated to premiere in spring 2018.

The second season’s six-part arc jumps ahead several years into the future after the Daedalus astronauts have built a full-fledged colony called Olympus Town. Having established humankind as an interplanetary species, Mars examines the impact that humans have on the Red Planet and the consequences the planet has on us.

Morales will play Roland St. John, CEO of private enterprise Lukrum Corporation.

Reprising their roles from Season 1 are JiHAE (Mortal Engines) as Hanna Seung, a mission pilot and twin sister of Joon Seung, capsule communicator of mission control; Sammi Rotibi (The Darkest Minds) as Robert Foucault, a Nigerian mechanical engineer and roboticist; Alberto Ammann (Narcos) as Javier Delgado, a hydrologist and geochemist; Clémentine Poidatz (Marie Antoinette) as Amelie Durand, French mission physician and biochemist; Anamaria Marinca (4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days) as Marta Kamen, a Russian exobiologist and geologist; and Cosima Shaw (The Danish Girl) as Leslie Richardson, a British nuclear physicist.

“This season takes us literally into new territory,” said showrunner Dee Johnson. “With no laws, no government and no safety nets of any kind, what is it like to be among the first settlers of Mars? Not only do we explore dangers and mysteries of this brand-new world, but we also explore what it means to be human in a place where so few exist.”

Morales, a presidential candidate for SAG-AFTRA, most recently starred on Ozark. His other credits include How To Get Away With Murder, Chicago P.D. and Criminal Minds: Beyond Borders.