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Béla Károlyi, the gymnastics coach who honed the talents of Olympians like Nadia Comăneci and Kerri Strug, has died at 82. USA Gymnastics announced Károlyi died on Friday, November 15, but did not specify a cause of death. Károlyi started his athletic career as a Romanian national junior boxing champion and a hammer throw competitor in the 1956 Olympics, CNN reports. At the Romania College of Physical Education, Károlyi started coaching the women’s gymnastics team, which is how he met gymnast Márta Erőss, who’d become his wife. After starting a national gymnastics school, Károlyi and his wife found Comăneci, then 6 years old. Under Károlyi’s coaching, Comăneci went on to the first perfect 10 and then six more at the 1976 Olympics when she was just 14. Károlyi defected to the United States in 1981, and shortly thereafter, he bought a private gym in Houston, Texas, dubbing the facility Károlyi’s ...

"And still I rise…" is not only the title of one of Maya Angelou’s most notable poems but also a phrase tattooed on the front of Simone Biles’ right shoulder. It is a statement that resonates deeply with her and her gymnastics career. Simone Biles, an American professional artistic gymnast, is arguably the greatest gymnast and athlete ever. At 27, she has accomplished an extraordinary amount, surpassing many athletes with 37 Olympic and World Championship medals and having five skills named after her. Biles is the most decorated gymnast in history. "Simone Biles Rising," a Netflix docuseries about this elite-level athlete, captures the chilling emotions of her gymnastics journey, highlighting the lows of Tokyo 2020, therapy, and her mental and physical road to recovery and preparation for Paris 2024. Things to do: Subscribe to The Hollywood Insider’s YouTube Channel, by clicking here. Limited Time Offer – Free Subscription to The Hollywood Insider...

Ready for a nonstop assault on your sports senses as media coverage of the 2024 Summer Olympics begins this week? There’s no better way to stretch your comedy calves than this series of Saturday Night Live sketches sending up the ridiculous pomposity of the global competition.

Here are 10 sketches that will make you want to take a torch to the whole thing…

1 Little Chocolate Donuts

If you have to train like an elite athlete, do it the John Belushi way — with a cigarette and little chocolate donuts. They’ve got the sugar you need to get you going in the morning.

Play 2 Olga Korbut

Hey, modern-day SNL, take note — in the early days, a one-joke premise might be executed in about a minute of show time. And hey, it works better! Imagine that…

3 Synchronized Swimming

This Christopher Guest/Martin Short/Harry Shearer gem has been missing from YouTube for years,...

Biles faced online hate after pulling out of Tokyo 2020 but found strength in the words of fellow gymnasts and Maya Angelou. Simone Biles: Rising showcases Biles' struggles with mental blocks and external pressure in gymnastics as she decides to return to the competition. Biles' journey to the Paris 2024 Olympics is explored in the first two episodes of the docuseries.

Netflix's docuseries Simone Biles: Rising follows the gymnast as she mentally and physically prepares for an Olympic return following the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games while revealing information about how the unexpected turn of events that year affected her. While in Tokyo, Biles famously pulled out of the competition. What followed was a slew of online hate as many felt Biles was abandoning her team. As much as conversations got to her, Biles found motivation in the words of Maya Angelou's And Still I Rise a phrase she has tattooed on her.

In the first episode of Netflix’s Simone Biles Rising, the titular sports icon details her approach to the 2023 World Championships.

“Not talking to media,” Biles says. “Staying in my zone. Still following up with my therapist. I turned off my comments on Instagram… Twitter I have actually deleted a couple times off my phone.”

Later that same week, Biles became the first-ever woman to land a Yurchenko double-pike at the competition, earning her a 5th skill named after her. Onscreen, gymnastics commentators swoon over the historicism of Biles’ feat, emphasizing how much the athlete has done for the sport. But in the documentary, the now-27-year-old is is clear: She stuck the landing of this one all for herself.

Simone Biles Rising director Katie Walsh, along with the team at production company Religion of Sports, began working with Biles in 2019 — their first project with the gymnastics legend was 2021’s Simone vs. Herself,...

Hollywood is leaving milk and cookies out for Olivia Wilde this holiday season with news that she’s striking a deal with LuckyChap to direct Naughty, a comedy described as Bridesmaids in the North Pole. Cocaine Bear writer Jimmy Warden wrote the script with Margot Robbie, Tom Ackerley, and Josey McNamara, producing through LuckyChap.

According to Deadline‘s exclusive report, Naughty follows Mallory, whose only hope of securing custody of her son from her gaslighting trashbag ex is to find Santa Claus in the North Pole and convince him to testify in her divorce hearing.

In case you forgot, LuckyChap produced Barbie, which earned $1.4 billion at the worldwide box office. Combine Barbie‘s success level with Wilde’s in-demand status as a filmmaker, and you’ve got a recipe for making money fall in a blizzard-like fashion.

Wilde’s next film is the biographical sports drama Perfect, starring McKenna Grace and Thomasin McKenzie.

Actor-turned-filmmaker Olivia Wilde (“Booksmart”) is certainly making waves in the cinematic space and will be taking a crack at the television with the help of A24. After directing two feature films, including the most recent, “Don’t Worry Darling,” a report from Deadline reveals that Wilde is now looking to direct series adaptations of the Jennifer Egan novels “A Visit From The Goon Squad” and “The Candy House.”

Read More: ‘Perfect’: Thomasin McKenzie To Team With Director Olivia Wilde For A Sports Biopic About Kerri Strug

“Goon Squad” takes place within the world of punk music world and should allow for an interesting take on the genre from Wilde.

Continue reading Olivia Wilde Teaming With A24 For TV Adaptations Of ‘A Visit From The Goon Squad’ & ‘The Candy House’ at The Playlist.

Olivia Wilde and A24 are teaming up to adapt Jennifer Egan’s best-selling novel A Visit From the Goon Squad and its sequel The Candy House, for television. Wilde is directing the series adaptation and executive producing with Jennifer Fox. A Visit From the Goon Squad is a Pulitzer Prize-winning novel comprised of 13 interconnected stories with many characters revolving around Bennie Salazar, a record company executive, and his assistant Sasha. Bennie was a punk rocker in his prime. The book explores Bennie and Sasha’s pasts alongside the lives they touch. Music fuels the story, hailed as a startling, exhilarating novel about self-destruction and redemption.

The adaptation is Wilde’s first television project as a director. A24 is known for delivering unique and award-winning films. Still, the studio recently dropped Beef onto Netflix to rave reviews. Beef stars Steven Yeun and Ali Wong as two people who let a road...

Bunny King just wants to throw a birthday party. She’s promised her five-year-old daughter Shannon (Amelia Baynes) that they’ll spend her birthday together, in their home – which sounds like an innocuous enough promise, except for the tenuous situation in which Bunny finds herself, as depicted in Gaysorn Thavat’s “The Justice of Bunny King.”

The unhoused Bunny is a self-described “homeless squeegee bandit.” She earns a meager keep washing windshields in traffic with a scrappy crew and does chores at her sister’s house in exchange for crashing on their couch. Her sister Grace (Toni Potter) is an overworked nurse; her brother-in-law Bevan is a user and a loser.

Bunny has highly supervised visits with her anxious teenage son Reuben (Angus Stevens) and loving young daughter, both of whom live with a foster family. Bunny has vowed to the vigilant social worker Ai Ling that she will get...

This past April, Olivia Wilde was excited to introduce her upcoming film, “Don’t Worry Darling,” to theater exhibitors at CinemaCon, a ticketed industry convention.

Wilde was onstage and ready to show the first footage from her second directorial project, a psychological thriller starring Florence Pugh and Harry Styles. Suddenly, she was handed a mysterious manila envelope, which was first reported to have had a script inside — soon after, it was reported that the contents of the envelope were actually child custody papers from her former partner, Jason Sudeikis.

At the time, Sudeikis declined having anything to do with the incident, stating he had no prior knowledge that Wilde would be served at the event.

“Papers were drawn up to establish jurisdiction relating to the children of Ms. Wilde and Mr. Sudeikis,” a statement read on behalf of Sudeikis. “Mr. Sudeikis had no prior knowledge of the time or place that...

Exclusive: Ghostbusters: Afterlife and The Handmaid’s Tale star Mckenna Grace is joining Thomasin McKenzie (Jojo Rabbit) in Olivia Wilde and Searchlight’s feature Perfect.

Filming is set to begin in 2022 on the buzzy package about Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug. Based on the book Landing On My Feet, A Diary Of Dreams by Strug and John P. Lopez, the movie will tell the true story of the gymnast’s triumph against the odds to win Team USA’s first gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. Strug was hailed as an American hero when she completed her final vault at the Atlanta games on a badly injured ankle to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

McKenzie will be playing Strug. Grace’s role has yet to be revealed. Searchlight snapped the project up out of the EFM last year, as we first revealed.

Producers are Riverstone Pictures and Pulse Films from...

Olympic gold champion Simone Biles’ decision to withdraw from the gymnastics team final and not defend her all-around gold medal has been praised by both Hollywood and fellow athletes alike.

Hitting back at negative criticism from the likes of conservative pundit Charlie Kirk, who branded Biles a “shame to the country,” and Piers Morgan, came a world of support from those who believe the 4-time gold medalist did the right thing.

Fellow Olympian Dominique Moceanu is among the recent supporters of Biles, as she posted a video to Twitter documenting the injuries she endured as a 14-year-old competing in a floor exercise routine.

Moceanu tweeted, “I was 14 y/o w/ a tibial fracture, left alone w/ no cervical spine exam after this fall. I competed in the Olympic floor final minutes later. Simone Biles decision demonstrates that we have a say in our own health – ‘a say” I Never felt I had as an Olympian.

Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug became an American hero overnight thanks to her gold medal-winning final vault at the 1996 summer Olympic games. The story took the nation by storm, and now it will be told on the big screen in Perfect, a new film that will be directed by Olivia Wilde (Booksmart). After an extensive […]

The post ‘Jojo Rabbit’ Star Thomasin McKenzie to Play Olympic Gymnast Kerri Strug in ‘Perfect’ appeared first on /Film.

Thomasin McKenzie seems primed for a huge breakout performance soon. She really caught the eye of film fans after her incredible role in the underseen drama, “Leave No Trace.” Then, McKenzie delighted people in her supporting role in Taika Waititi’s “Jojo Rabbit.” But she has yet to really become an A-lister. Maybe Olivia Wilde can help usher that along with the upcoming film, “Perfect.”

Read More: Olivia Wilde Explains “No Assholes Policy” & “Terrible Advice” She Has Received From Another Prominent Filmmaker

According to The Wrap, Thomasin McKenzie is set to play Kerri Strug in the upcoming Searchlight Pictures sports biopic, “Perfect,” directed by Olivia Wilde.

Continue reading ‘Perfect’: Thomasin McKenzie To Team With Director Olivia Wilde For A Sports Biopic About Kerri Strug at The Playlist.

Thomasin McKenzie is going for the gold.

The young star has signed on to play Olympic gold medalist Kerri Strug in the upcoming biopic “Perfect,” from director and exec. producer Olivia Wilde.

McKenzie, best known for her breakout performances in “Leave No Trace” and “Jojo Rabbit,” will portray Strug in the film, which is described as “an intimate and unflinching portrait of grit and determination” and tells the story behind Strug’s historic olympic vault which secured America’s first-ever gold medal in team gymnastics during the 1996 Atlanta Games.

The film’s script comes from Ronnie Sandahl (“Borg v. McEnroe). Riverstone Pictures and Pulse Films will produce the project, with Nik Bower, Thomas Benski, Jeremy Baxter and Moss Barclay serving as producers. Wilde and Sandahl are executive produces alongside Deepak Nayar and Marisa Clifford.

Filming on the Searchlight Pictures film is set to begin in 2022.

Since breaking onto the scene...

Film set up at Searchlight Pictures has a script by Ronnie Sandahl

Thomasin McKenzie, the young star of “Jojo Rabbit” and “Leave No Trace,” will play Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug in the biopic “Perfect” from director Olivia Wilde, an individual with knowledge told TheWrap.

“Perfect” is set up at Searchlight Pictures and tells the story of how Strug led the USA women’s gymnastics team to its first gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta — including completing her final vault on a badly injured ankle — and the price she paid for her heroic efforts.

Ronnie Sandahl, who wrote “Borg v. McEnroe,” is writing the screenplay for “Perfect,” which is based on Strug’s memoir she co-wrote with John P. Lopez, “Landing on My Feet, a Diary of Dreams.”

Filming is expected to begin in 2022.

Nik Bower, Thomas Benski, Jeremy Baxter and Moss Barclay are producing “Perfect.” Olivia Wilde and Ronnie...

Exclusive: Following an extensive search, director Olivia Wilde looks to have found her Kerri Strug setting Leave No Trace breakout Thomasin McKenzie to play the Olympian gymnast in Perfect for Searchlight. Wilde will direct from a script by Ronnie Sandahl. Nik Bower & Jeremy Baxter will produce through Riverstone Pictures along with Thomas Benski & Moss Barclay who will produce through Pulse Films. Deepak Nayar of Riverstone and Marisa Clifford of Pulse will exec produce along with Wilde and Sandahl.

An intimate and unflinching portrait of grit and determination, Perfect charts the story behind Kerri Strug’s historic Olympic vault to secure America’s first ever gymnastics team gold.

Since her directorial debut on the coming-of-age-comedy Booksmart, studios have been lining up to work with Wilde. When she attached herself to the Perfect package at last year’s EFM, Searchlight moved fast to land rights the script paying $15 million for global rights.

Leave No Trace actor Thomasin McKenzie has been cast to play gymnast Kerri Strug in Olivia Wilde’s Perfect biopic for Searchlight, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Strug was hailed as an American hero when she completed her final vault at the Atlanta Olympics on a badly injured ankle to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Wilde will direct the biopic based on a script by Ronnie Sandhal.

The producer credits are shared by Sandhal, Nik Bower and Jeremy Baxter for Riverstone Pictures and Thomas Benski and Moss Barclay for Pulse Films. Wilde will executive produce alongside Deepak Nayar, Marisa Clifford and ...

Leave No Trace actor Thomasin McKenzie has been cast to play gymnast Kerri Strug in Olivia Wilde’s Perfect biopic for Searchlight, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

Strug was hailed as an American hero when she completed her final vault at the Atlanta Olympics on a badly injured ankle to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. Wilde will direct the biopic based on a script by Ronnie Sandhal.

The producer credits are shared by Sandhal, Nik Bower and Jeremy Baxter for Riverstone Pictures and Thomas Benski and Moss Barclay for Pulse Films. Wilde will executive produce alongside Deepak Nayar, Marisa Clifford and ...

To Bonni Cohen and Jon Shenk, directors of the Netflix documentary Athlete A, the women who came forward to call out rampant sexual abuse within the USA Gymnastics program are “American heroes.”

“We were used to watching them as amazing athletes do incredible things,” Shenk says during the film’s panel at Deadline’s Contenders Documentary awards-season event. “But really when they were presented with this challenge of how to overcome a system that really abused many of them along the way, they had to step up in a totally unexpected way and they did it in such an inspiring way.”

Athlete A exposes the culture within USA Gymnastics, the organization that oversees the U.S. Olympic Team, that in Shenk’s words chose “money and medals over the health and safety of these young athletes.”

Deadline’s Amanda N’Duka asked the filmmakers about the response from USA Gymnastics to their documentary.

“Booksmart” director Olivia Wilde is set to develop and direct an untitled female-centered Marvel film at Sony Pictures, according to an individual with knowledge of the nascent project.

Not many details were disclosed, but it’s to be expected that the film would center on Spider-Woman, seeing as Sony has a partnership with Marvel to produce films based on the Spider-Man characters.

A spokesperson for Sony declined to comment.

Wilde has become one of the most sought after female directors in Hollywood, since earning praise for last year’s “Booksmart.” Katie Silberman (“Set it Up”), who worked with Wilde on “Booksmart” is set to write the script, with Amy Pascal producing and Rachel O’Connor serving as executive producer.

Also Read: Olivia Wilde Says She'll Approach Real-Life Characters Differently After 'Richard Jewell' Flap

The Wilde, Silberman, Pascal filmmaking team is already set up to also do a film for...

Florence Pugh, Shia Labeouf, and Chris Pine are set to star in Olivia Wilde's Don't Worry Darling. Wilde is teaming up with New Line to finance and distribute her upcoming highly anticipated follow-up to last summer's Booksmart. In addition to directing, Wilde will also co-star in the project, which was expected to begin production this spring. However, due to the world's current state of affairs, the production has been postponed. It is unclear when work will commence.

Specific story details on Don't Worry Darling are currently being kept under wraps. The psychological thriller is set in a 1950s utopian community focusing on a housewife, played by Florence Pugh, who "soon learns her life isn't as idyllic as she believes." It takes place in an isolated community in the California desert. No other details about the project have been revealed as of this writing. With that being said, New Line...

“Little Women” actress Florence Pugh is set to star in Olivia Wilde’s next film set up at New Line, “Don’t Worry Darling,” and she’ll play the lead in the cast that has also added Wilde, Shia Labeouf and Chris Pine.

Wilde is directing, producing and co-starring in the film, and she’ll work from a screenplay from her collaborator on “Booksmart,” Katie Silberman.

“Don’t Worry Darling” is a psychological thriller set in an isolated, utopian community in the 1950s California desert. Character details are being kept under wraps beyond the logline, but Pugh will lead the cast.

Also Read: Searchlight Pictures Acquires Olivia Wilde's Kerri Strug Biopic 'Perfect'

New Line acquired “Don’t Worry Darling” as a spec script last August, beating out 18 different studios in a hefty auction. Silberman wrote the screenplay based on the spec by Shane and Carey Van Dyke.

Vertigo Entertainment...

Little Women Oscar nominee Florence Pugh, Shia Labeouf and Chris Pine are set to star in Olivia Wilde’s genre feature Don’t Worry Darling at New Line.

Deadline first broke the news about the auction for Wilde’s highly anticipated follow-up directorial after last summer’s Booksmart, with New Line winning the deal to finance and distribute.

Pugh will be the lead in the psychological thriller which is set in an isolated, utopian community in the 1950s California desert. Wilde will also star, as we previously reported, as well as direct and produce. BAFTA nominated screenwriter Katie Silberman, who was...

In this digital era, more and more creatives are going the online streaming way to get difficult projects funded by more accomodating streaming giants like Netflix and HBO. But a theatrical release is still a powerful draw, as proven by Searchlight Pictures' recently winning a fierce bidding war to produce American gymnast biopic Perfect, with Olivia Wilde set to direct, for $15 million.

Perfect is based on gymnast Kerri Strug's memoir 'Landing on my Feet, a Diary of Dreams'. The story follows Strug's career all the way to the 1996 Olympics when an 18-year-old Strug performed her routine despite having a severely injured ankle, helping her team win its first gold medal.

It is the kind of positive, inspiring true-to-life story with a feminist twist that has every chance of becoming a darling of the critics and a box-office hit, so there is no wonder there was a fierce bidding war...

In today’s film news roundup, Olivia Wilde’s “Perfect” gets sold, Music Box StreamLocal launches and the American Black Film Festival, Fantaspoa, Greenwich and TCM Classic festivals are all making adjustments to the coronavirus pandemic.

Acquisition

Searchlight Pictures has closed a deal for global rights for $15 million to the gymnastics movie “Perfect,” with Olivia Wilde attached to direct.

The project tells the story of American gymnast Kerri Strug and is based upon her memoir, written with John P. Lopez, “Landing On My Feet, A Diary of Dreams.” The film will follow her career-defining performance at the 1996 Olympics, when the 18-year-old Strug executed her routine on a severely injured ankle to help the gymnastics team to its first gold medal.

Wilde, who directed “Booksmart,” made the presentation at the Berlin Film Festival last month, triggering the bidding war. The script is by Ronnie Sandahl. Nik Bower is producing for Riverstone Pictures...

Searchlight Pictures has closed a global rights deal for Olivia Wilde’s “Perfect” about Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug.

Negotiations began last month at the European Film Market in Berlin. The film, which was one of the hottest projects for sale, sold for $15 million. It was subject of a high bidding war. CAA Media Finance brokered the deal.

In February, it was reported that Wilde would direct the film for Riverstone Pictures and Pulse Films.

Also Read: Olivia Wilde to Direct 'Perfect' Biopic of Us Olympic Gymnast Kerri Strug

The fact-based film will follow Strug’s heroic efforts to secure Team USA’s first gold medal at the 1996 Olympics — including completing her final vault at the Atlanta Olympics on a badly injured ankle — as well as the price she paid for her heroic efforts.

Ronnie Sandahl (“Borg/McEnroe”) wrote the screenplay for “Perfect,” adapted from Strug and John P. Lopez...

Reports first emerged in Berlin.

Searchlight Pictures’ has closed a $15m worldwide deal on gymnastics Olympic gold medal drama Perfect for Olivia Wilde to direct.

Riverstone Pictures and Pulse Films are producing the drama about Us gymnast Kerri Strug, who defied the pain of an injured ankle to earn Team USA’s first gold medal at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996.

Strug was in such pain after her final gold-clinching vault that her coach carried her to the podium. She was later taken to hospital and diagnosed with tendon damage and severe sprain.

FilmNation handles international sales and CAA Media Finance...

Exclusive: Olivia Wilde’s Perfect, about Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug, has pre-sold to Searchlight Pictures in a big deal after negotiations began at the Efm in Berlin last month. This was one of the hottest scripts at the market and we understand the global deal has closed at $15M.

The Riverstone Pictures and Pulse Films-produced movie sparked a frenzy among buyers with A24, WB, Paramount and HBO Max among those hot for it last month. The streamer is understood to have offered significantly more for the movie, almost double, but the lure of theatrical and Searchlight’s prestige track record won out. CAA Media Finance brokered the deal.

Hot on the heels of her Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature, Booksmart director Wilde went to Berlin to discuss the project with buyers at a buzzy presentation. As we revealed at the time, Searchlight was leading the pack of suitors.

The film, based on the book Landing On My Feet, A Diary Of Dreams by Strug and John P. Lopez, tells the true story of the gymnast’s triumph against the odds to win Team USA’s first gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. Strug was hailed as an American hero when she completed her final vault at the Atlanta games on a badly injured ankle to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

In iconic images, Strug was carried onto the medals podium to join her team, after which she was treated at a hospital for tendon damage. She became an instant national hit, visiting President Clinton, appearing on various talk shows, and making the cover of Sports Illustrated. Casting is underway. A start date has yet to be set.

Script is by Ronnie Sandahl (Borg/McEnroe). Nik Bower is producing for Riverstone Pictures and Thomas Benski for Pulse Films, together with Jeremy Baxter and Moss Barclay. Wilde will executive produce with Deepak Nayer, Marisa Clifford and Sandahl. FilmNation was the international sales agent.

Searchlight Pictures has emerged as the frontrunner for the Olivia Wilde-directed gymnastics movie “Perfect,” amid a days-long bidding war out of Berlin’s Efm.

Variety understands that the studio is ‘heavily pursuing’ world rights to the hot title — one of a crop of female-led projects at the market — with A24 and Warner Bros. also in the picture. The deal hasn’t yet closed.

The feature tells the story of American gymnast Kerri Strug and is based upon her memoir, written with John P. Lopez, “Landing On My Feet, A Diary of Dreams.”

The film follows her career-defining performance at the 1996 Olympics, when the 18-year-old Strug executed her routine on a severely injured ankle to help the gymnastics team to its first gold medal.

The “Booksmart” director presented the film to buyers in Berlin on Wednesday and was immediately met with an enthusiastic response. Talks began in earnest with a...

Riverstone Pictures, Pulse Films producing Olympic gymnastics true drama.

A pack of studios understood to be led by Searchlight Pictures is chasing worldwide rights in Berlin to the gymnastics Olympic gold medal drama Perfect that marks another directing vehicle for Olivia Wilde.

FilmNation handles international sales and CAA Media Finance arranged financing and represents Us rights to the project about Us gymnast Kerri Strug, who defied the pain of an injured ankle to earn Team USA’s first gold medal at the Atlanta Olympic Games in 1996.

Strug was in such pain after her final gold-clinching vault that her coach carried her to the podium.

Exclusive: Olivia Wilde’s Perfect about Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug is getting top scores from the buyers here at Efm. We’re hearing that a big deal is in the works for world rights to the project, which is one of the Efm’s hottest projects.

We understand Searchlight Pictures is in pole position but this is still in play and a deal isn’t locked.

The movie has sparked a frenzy among buyers with A24, WB, Paramount and another streamer among those hot for the movie. We hear pre-buy offers range from $20-30M. Wilde was in Berlin to discuss the project and her presentation went down a storm.

The film, based on the book Landing On My Feet, A Diary Of Dreams by Strug and John P. Lopez, tells the true story of the gymnast’s triumph against the odds to win Team USA’s first gold medal at the 1996 Olympics.

Trends and shifts in the global indie film biz mark the 2020 European Film Market.

Women direct or star in some of the hottest packages being brought to Berlin: Olivia Wilde’s biopic of gymnast Kerri Strug, “Perfect,” from FilmNation; Maggie Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut, “The Lost Daughter,” starring Olivia Colman, sold by Endeavor Content; Noomi Rapace-starrer “O2” a Black List survival thriller from Wild Bunch with Alexandre Aja producing; and Gaby Dellal’s shark attack thriller “Something in the Water,” from Studiocanal.

Claire Denis’ “The Stars at Noon,” with Robert Pattinson, was the subject of the Efm’s first high-profile U.S. deal on Tuesday, sold to A24.

Although there will be bigger projects, such as Gerard Butler action-thriller “Remote Control,” from STXInternational; or Solstice Studios’ deep space thriller “Ground Control to Major Tom,” with Seth Gordon directing, in today’s climate, $30 million — the reported budget of FilmNation’s...

Even if you’re not a fan of the Olympics, it’s likely that you heard about the triumph of gymnast Kerri Strug and her incredible gold medal-winning final vault at the 1996 summer Olympic games. At the very least, you’ve probably seen the famous image of coach Béla Károlyi carrying her to the medals podium since […]

The post Olivia Wilde to Direct ‘Perfect’ Sports Biopic About Olympic Gold Medal Gymnast Kerri Strug appeared first on /Film.

Fresh off her Film Independent Spirit Awards win for Best First Feature for the critically acclaimed comedy Booksmart, filmmaker Olivia Wilde is setting her sights on the sports movie genre. Per Deadline, Wilde intends to direct a Kerri Strug biopic called Perfect, which will chronicle the true story of the titular gymnast’s triumph despite an injury to win Team USA’s first gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. The film will be based on the book Landing on My Feet, A Diary of Dreams by Strung and John P. Lopez, and in a statement Wilde expressed her desire to …...

“Booksmart” didn’t get a ton of awards season love like many film fans had hoped last year, but what the film did succeed in doing is announce to the world that Olivia Wilde is a filmmaker worth keeping an eye on. And now, fresh off her successful directorial debut, Wilde has a number of projects on her slate, including one that finds her telling the story of one of the greatest American Olympic gymnasts ever.

Continue reading Olivia Wilde To Direct A Sports Biopic About Olympic Gymnast Kerri Strug at The Playlist.

“Booksmart” filmmaker Olivia Wilde will direct “Perfect,” a biopic of U.S. Olympic gymnast Kerri Strug, for Riverstone Pictures and Pulse Films, the companies announced Friday.

The fact-based film will follow Strug’s heroic efforts to secure Team USA’s first gold medal at the 1996 Olympics — including completing her final vault at the Atlanta Olympics on a badly injured ankle — as well as the price she paid for her heroic efforts.

Wilde has become a hot directing talent since her directorial debut “Booksmart,” which just won the Independent Spirit Award for Best First Feature. Next, she will direct, produce and star in “Don’t Worry, Darling” for New Line. She recently starred in Clint Eastwood’s “Richard Jewell,” which was also set during the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Also Read: Olivia Wilde Says She'll Approach Real-Life Characters Differently After 'Richard Jewell' Flap

Ronnie Sandahl (“Borg/McEnroe”) wrote the screenplay for “Perfect,...

Hot on the heels of her Independent Spirit Award for best first feature, Booksmart director Olivia Wilde is heading to Berlin with a new film.

Produced by Riverstone Pictures and Pulse Films from a script by Ronnie Sandahl, Perfect is the extraordinary true story of gymnast Kerri Strug’s triumph against all odds to win Team USA’s first gold medal at the 1996 Olympics.

Producers are Nik Bower for Riverstone Pictures and Thomas Benski for Pulse Films, together with Jeremy Baxter and Moss Barclay. Wilde will executive produce with Deepak Nayar, Marisa Clifford and Sandahl. Based on the book Landing on my ...

Hot on the heels of her Independent Spirit Award for best first feature, Booksmart director Olivia Wilde is heading to Berlin with a new film.

Produced by Riverstone Pictures and Pulse Films from a script by Ronnie Sandahl, Perfect is the extraordinary true story of gymnast Kerri Strug’s triumph against all odds to win Team USA’s first gold medal at the 1996 Olympics.

Producers are Nik Bower for Riverstone Pictures and Thomas Benski for Pulse Films, together with Jeremy Baxter and Moss Barclay. Wilde will executive produce with Deepak Nayar, Marisa Clifford and Sandahl. Based on the book Landing on my ...

Exclusive: Booksmart filmmaker Olivia Wilde is set to direct Kerri Strug biopic Perfect, which will be among the hottest packages at the Efm in Berlin next week.

The film, based on the book Landing On My Feet, A Diary Of Dreams by Strug and John P. Lopez, tells the true story of the gymnast’s triumph against the odds to win Team USA’s first gold medal at the 1996 Olympics. Strug was hailed as an American hero when she completed her final vault at the Atlanta games on a badly injured ankle to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

In iconic images, Strug was carried onto the medals podium to join her team, after which she was treated at a hospital for tendon damage. She became an instant national hit, visiting President Clinton, appearing on various talk shows, and making the cover of Sports Illustrated.

Hot on the heels...

For more than 35 years, the names Bela and Martha Karolyi have been synonymous with elite American gymnastics. The duo — who defected from Romania in 1981 — have coached legends from Mary Lou Retton to Kerri Strug, and Martha oversaw both the 2012 and 2016 gold-medal winning teams.

Young gymnasts dreaming of Olympic gold knew there was only one place to go if they wanted to earn their place on the Olympic team: Karolyis Camp.

The secluded ranch in the Sam Houston National Forest is now under scrutiny as several former gymnasts have come forward to allege that former team doctor Larry Nassar sexually abused them on the property.

The time has come: After plenty of gold medals and Final Five domination, the gymnastics portion of the 2016 Olympics is over. But if you feel a wave of gymnastics withdrawal coming over you, not to worry - there's plenty more where those killer routines came from. Here, 10 need-to-see, pretty-much-perfect gymnastic routines that'll help to ease the post-Olympics void. 1. McKayla Maroney's flawless vault from the 2012 Olympics team final.It's only been four years since Maroney pulled this off, but it's still as impressive as the day she did it. 2. Shawn Johnson's gold medal-winning balance beam routine from the 2008 Olympics.

The time has come: After plenty of gold medals and Final Five domination, the gymnastics portion of the 2016 Olympics is over. But if you feel a wave of gymnastics withdrawal coming over you, not to worry - there's plenty more where those killer routines came from. Here, 10 need-to-see, pretty-much-perfect gymnastic routines that'll help to ease the post-Olympics void. 1. McKayla Maroney's flawless vault from the 2012 Olympics team final.It's only been four years since Maroney pulled this off, but it's still as impressive as the day she did it. 2. Shawn Johnson's gold medal-winning balance beam routine from the 2008 Olympics.

The U.S. women's gymnastics program has flourished under the guidance of Romanian couple Martha and Béla Károlyi who have coached America's top gymnasts to Olympic gold since defecting to the U.S. in 1981. Martha, who was handed the coveted position of U.S. national team coordinator in 2001, will follow her husband into retirement after Rio with an impressive number of successes under her belt, including, most recently, the 2016 women's squad who won gold in the team all-around competition on Tuesday. Team members Simone Biles, Gabby Douglas, Aly Raisman, Madison Kocian and Laurie Hernandez are even calling themselves the "Final...

When the Rio Olympics cauldron is extinguished on Aug. 21, it will officially mark the end of one Romanian couple's 40-year dominance over the sport of gymnastics, making America's so-called Final Five their last gold medal champions. Martha and Béla Károlyi have coached top American gymnasts since defecting to the country in 1981. From the confines of their ranch in Huntsville, Texas, the husband and wife team eventually overhauled the U.S. approach to the sport, successfully taking over command of the national team nearly 16 years ago. As the national team coordinator, Martha has led the U.S. women's gymnastics team to four Olympic medals.

When the Rio Olympics cauldron is extinguished on Aug. 21, it will officially mark the end of one Romanian couple's 40-year dominance over the sport of gymnastics, making America's so-called Final Five their last gold medal champions. Martha and Béla Károlyi have coached top American gymnasts since defecting to the country in 1981. From the confines of their ranch in Huntsville, Texas, the husband and wife team eventually overhauled the U.S. approach to the sport, successfully taking over command of the national team nearly 16 years ago. As the national team coordinator, Martha has led the U.S. women's gymnastics team to four Olympic medals.

Most people remember the 1996 Olympics because of Kerri Strug's vault on an injured ankle. And well they should - it's rightly become the stuff of Olympic legend. But headed into the 1996 Summer Olympics, eyes were on another member of the women's gymnastic team (or, as they were dubbed, the Magnificent Seven): Shannon Miller. Miller started training in gymnastics when she was 5 years old. At 12, she finished third in the 1989 Olympic Festival - a sort of junior Olympics. Through the early 1990s, Miller would embark on an impressive international record: Two perfect 10's on the balance beam at the...

They only come around once every two years, so the Olympics are exciting no matter what. But hearts really start pounding when a competitor that's favored to win ends up getting surpassed by another. And if that underdog is from your own home country, that's when things really get crazy. In the build up to Rio, let's take a look at the captivating - and at times, heart-breaking - upsets from Olympics past. 1. Argentina's basketball gold in Athens, 2004The United States had taken home the gold medal in basketball every year since 1988, so it came as a big shock when...

There’s a kernel of a good idea in Bryan Buckley‘s The Bronze — in fact, scratch that — there’s a whole bunch of kernels of various good ideas in the raunchy comedy, though most of them lay unpopped throughout the bloated, unflinchingly fucked up feature, like a giant bag of particularly bad movie theater popcorn. Buckley’s debut feature tries to tackle far too much for its own good, both in terms of basic narration and its a series of increasingly off-kilter tonal choices. A dark comedy about stunted adulthood and the diminishing returns of success, The Bronze shows promise, though it ultimately limps off the screen, much like its lead character. Melissa Rauch stars in the film (which she co-wrote alongside her husband, Winston Raunch) as former Olympian (bronze medalist, obviously) Hope Annabelle Greggory, the hometown pride of a teensy Ohio burg that doesn’t have much else going for it beyond that one time...

Read my review of The Bronze Here

Melissa Rauch is best known for her role as role as Dr. Bernadette Rostenkowski-Wolowitz on the CBS sitcom The Big Bang Theory but the actress is making her mark on the big screen with the upcoming comedy The Bronze, in which she plays Hope Annabelle Gregory, a former bronze-winning Olympic gymnast. Melissa wrote the film along with her husband and writing partner Winston Rauch. We Are Movie Geeks was part of a round-table interview with Melissa Rauch when she was in town last week to promote The Bronze.

Interview conducted March 5th, 2016

Q: Does this come from a personal history? Were you a gymnast as a young girl?

Mr: I’m super unathletic and very uncoordinated, but I’ve always love gymnastics. My husband and I love watching the Olympics together. The whole idea came about when I started having just a little...