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Exclusive: After winning Series Mania’s Best Actress Award for her turn opposite Cooper Raiff in Mubi’s Hal & Harper, Lili Reinhart has come aboard to star in and exec produce The Love Hypothesis, an adaptation of the New York Times bestseller by Ali Hazelwood, for Amazon MGM Studios and MRC.

In the romantic comedy, Olive Smith, a biology PhD candidate, and Dr. Adam Carlsen, a hotshot professor and well-known tyrant, enter into a fake relationship, seeing each of their carefully calculated theories on love get thrown into chaos.

Published by Berkley, an imprint of Penguin Random House, Hazelwood’s novel spent 10 months on the New York Times bestseller list, breaking out internationally in 40 countries. Originally acquired for publication by editor Sarah Blumenstock at Berkley, the book was also named the Best Romance of the Year by Amazon. Hazelwood is also known for titles like Problematic Summer Romance, Deep End,...

Exclusive: Jaimie Alexander (Thor), Chloe Fineman (Saturday Night Live), and Cathy Moriarty (Raging Bull) are new additions to the cast of The Very Best People, the comedic thriller marking the feature directorial debut of Tony Award winner Brian Swibel, which is currently in production in New York.

The trio joins a cast that also includes Paul Walter Hauser, Lili Reinhart, Tim Roth, Jake Lacy, Jai Courtney, and Kerry Bishé, as we were first to tell you last month. Character details are under wraps, as is the film’s plot. Pic is written by John Lavelle — based on his play The Very Best People, which premiered at Iama theatre company in the fall of 2024 — along with Swibel and Blades of Glory‘s Craig Cox.

Brent Emery (The Stanford Prison Experiment), Justin Klosky, Alex Peace-Power, Tara Smith and Bita Khorrami are producing for Swibel’s Triptyk Studios, which is venturing into narrative...

Exclusive: Emmy, Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award winner Paul Walter Hauser has signed with WME for representation.

Hauser is perhaps best known for starring opposite Taron Egerton in Apple TV+’s crime drama Black Bird, for which he received an Emmy, Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award, in addition to a SAG Award nomination. Most recently, he was seen starring in drama The Luckiest Man in America, which premiered at last year’s Toronto Film Festival and had a theatrical release via IFC Films in April.

Hauser has quite a packed slate, looking ahead to the rest of the year. First up is Marvel’s The Fantastic Four: First Steps, which is slated to hit theaters on July 25. Subsequently, he has Paramount Pictures’ comedy The Naked Gun, revitalizing the classic franchise of the same name, on August 1, and the Western crime thriller Americana on August 22. He stars opposite Sydney Sweeney...

Paul Walter Hauser and Lili Reinhart are to star in the comedy thriller ‘The Very Best People’.The 38-year-old actor and the ‘Riverdale’ star, 28, will lead Brian Swibel’s upcoming film in what will be his directorial debut alongside Tim Roth, Jake Lacey, Jai Courtney and Kerry Bishe.While plot details are being kept under wraps, Deadline reports ’The Very Best People’ will be based on John Lavelle’s stage play of the same name, and is due to enter production in New York on May 22, 2025.Set in a Staten Island pub, ‘The Very Best People’ follows two childhood friends who, after the mysterious shooting of a disgraced NYPD detective, embark on a misguided mission for redemption. Armed with conspiracy theories and a warped sense of patriotism, they plot to confront the so-called “Deep State”, leading to a series of absurd and violent events, including a light-hearted kidnapping. Lavelle is...

This summer, we’ll see Paul Walter Hauser (“Richard Jewel”) in Marvel‘s “Fantastic Four” reboot and has now attached himself to a new comedy that will see the feature directorial debut of Tony Award-winner Brian Swibel (who has strong ties with the absurdist and improv comedy community) with “The Very Best People.”

News on the project heading to the Cannes Film Market hails from Deadline, who add that the rest of the cast will consist of Lili Reinhart (“Riverdale”), Tim Roth (“The Hateful Eight”), Jake Lacy (“Carol”), Jai Courtney (“Dangerous Animals”), and Kerry Bishé (“Halt & Catch Fire”).

Continue reading ‘The Very Best People’: Paul Walter Hauser, Lili Reinhart, Tim Roth, Jai Courtney & More Star In Ensemble Comedy at The Playlist.

Exclusive: Tony Award winner Brian Swibel has set a stacked cast for his feature directorial debut, comedic thriller The Very Best People. The ensemble piece will feature Paul Walter Hauser (Black Bird), Lili Reinhart (Hal & Harper), Tim Roth (Pulp Fiction), Jake Lacy (The White Lotus), Jai Courtney (Suicide Squad), and Kerry Bishé (Halt and Catch Fire).

Written by John Lavelle based on his play The Very Best People, which premiered at Iama theatre company in the fall of 2024, along with Blades of Glory‘s Craig Cox, the film’s plot is being kept under wraps. Production kicks off in New York on May 22nd.

Brent Emery (The Stanford Prison Experiment), Justin Klosky, Alex Peace-Power, Tara Smith and Bita Khorrami are producing for Swibel’s Triptyk Studios, which is venturing into narrative features for the first time on this project. Veteran producer and casting director Bonnie Timmermann is also set to produce,...

Very few fundraising events bring together the combined talents of Zooey Deschanel and former United States Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge, but that’s exactly what’s happening Sunday with United to Save the Vote. These leading lights of Hollywood and the Beltway will join a star-stunned lineup that also includes Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence, Sia, Dave Matthews, Jamie Foxx, Jennifer Lopez, Alex Rodriguez, Property Brothers’ Jonathan Scott, George Lopez, Kenny G and Keenan Thompson.

Ed Helms will host the Zoom-enabled event, which is free to view. The audience is encouraged to donate, and the variety show’s backers, which include the non-profit RepresentUs, hope to raise $2 million to support voter safety and access. The show is produced by Tara Smith Swibel, Brian Swibel, and Adam Westbrook, partners in the theatrical company Triptyk, and written by Matt O’Brien, the head writer at “Conan.”

“This is a non-partisan organization,” says Tara Smith Swibel.

What does it take for Oscar-winner Jennifer Lawrence, Ed Helms, Zooey Deschanel, Sia, Dave Matthews, Nick Kroll, Comedy Central’s Drunk History, Property Brothers’ Jonathan Scott, George Lopez, Jake Johnson, Kenny G, Ben Harper, and former United States Secretary of Homeland Security Tom Ridge to get on one big Zoom call?

It turns out the answer is voter access and safety. On Sunday, August 30th, these and other A-list entertainers are coming together to save the 2020 election and our democracy in United to Save the Vote, a one-of-a-kind, can’t miss night of original entertainment, music, and comedy. The virtual gala and fundraiser is hosted by fiercely non-partisan anti-corruption organization RepresentUs and cross-partisan coalition VoteSafe and will air live at 5:00 pm Pt/8:00 pm Et.

Hosted by comedian Ed Helms, the event is free and open to the public. It will be an active, live fundraiser, with a goal...

Exclusive: After three decades at the helm of her own boutique company, respected manager/producer Nancy Sanders is closing shop to join Thruline Entertainment as a Partner.

The move comes on the heels of Sanders recently parting ways with long-time partners Mark Armstrong and Steve Caserta as the trio opted to dissolve their Sanders Armstrong Caserta Management. (Armstrong and Caserta have since joined Principal La as partners.)

“I am thrilled to be starting another new chapter in my career by joining Thruline and to have the opportunity to take advantage of the scope of their business representing prestigious talent, and shepherding projects with the support of these incredibly experienced partners,” Sanders said.

Joining Sanders at Thruline will be long-time associate and manager at Sanders Armstrong Caserta, Ruth Bornhauser, with whom Sanders has worked for 15 years.

“Ruth is a powerhouse with incredible domestic and international relationships, and there is no one...

NBC is bringing one of America’s most tumultuous periods to television, in adapting author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Betty DeRamus’ acclaimed book "Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories From the Underground Railroad," as an epic 8-hour miniseries titled “Freedom Run.” It will focus on three specific journeys and love stories, each based on actual people. Stevie Wonder will serve as an executive producer of the series. B. Swibel, Adam Westbrook and Charles Randolph-Wright will write the miniseries and serve as executive producers. Tara Smith and Brian Laroda will also executive produce. In addition, "Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories From the Underground...

NBC has announced plans for the eight-hour miniseries "Freedom Run" based on the novel "Forbidden Fruit: Love Stories From the Underground Railroad" by author and Pulitzer Prize finalist Betty DeRamus.

Musician Stevie Wonder will serve as an executive producer on the event series which will focus on three specific epic journeys and love stories, each based on actual couples who became a part of what would come to be known as the Underground Railroad.

These tales are about ordinary men and women, slave and free, black and white, who risked everything to be together. B. Swibel, Adam Westbrook and Charles Randolph-Wright will pen the miniseries and serve as executive producers alongside Tara Smith and Brian Laroda.

There are also plans for a Broadway stage musical adaptation which Triptyk Studios and Universal Stage Productions will develop and which Wonder is attached to provide the score. Randolph-Wright will write the musical's book.

James Gandolfini is developing a new project with HBO, and he'll be involved both behind and possibly in front of the camera.

"The Sopranos" star will executive produce a drama called "Big Dead Place," which has the rather novel setting of the McMurdo Station research outpost in Antarctica, Deadline reports. The show is based on a memoir by Nicholas Johnson about his time spent working for the U.S. Antarctic Program.

Gandolfini is also likely to star in the pilot, which will chronicle how the people stationed at McMurdo deal with being so far removed from the rest of civilization.

"Breaking Bad" writer-producer Peter Gould (who also wrote "Too Big to Fail" for HBO) will pen the pilot and executive produce with Gandolfini. Jimmy Miller ("Bad Teacher," "The Life and Times of Tim"), Nancy Sanders, Mark Armstrong and Brian Swibel will also serve as exec producers.

If "Big Dead Place" goes through,...

Sopranos star James Gandolfini has begun work on drama adaptation Big Dead Place for HBO. Gandolfini, who has been looking for a project to get himself back on HBO since he signed a production deal with them in 2006, is expected to star in the drama. Gandolfini is currently exec-producing a Hemingway & Gellhorn biopic for HBO, but it will star Clive Owen and Nicole Kidman rather than himself. Gandolfini will also executive produce Big Dead Place alongside his managers Nancy Sanders and Mark Armstrong, Mosaic's Jimmy Miller and actor Brian Swibel. Big Dead Place is based on the memoirs of Nicholas Johnson during his work on the Us Antarctic (more)...

HBO is understandably determined to keep The Sopranos star James Gandolfini in the family.  Gandolfini returned earlier this year as one of the stars in the telepic Cinema Verite, and is at the center of two more projects in development at HBO: Taxi 0-22 and Eating with the Enemy.  THR adds one more to the list in Big Dead Place.  Peter Gould (Breaking Bad) will adapt the pilot script from the memoir by Nicholas Johnson---Johnson went to the scientific research center hoping to find "adventure, beauty, penguins and lofty-minded scientists; instead, he found boredom, alcohol and bureaucracy." Gandolfini will produce, and may choose to star as the fictional Johnson.  Nancy Sanders (Huff), Mark Armstrong (Hellraiser), Jimmy Miller (Bad Teacher), and actor Brian Swibel will also produce.  Read the book synopsis after the jump. When Johnson went to work for the U.S. Antarctic Program (devoted to scientific research and...

Exclusive: HBO has teamed with James Gandolfini for Big Dead Place, a drama based on Nicholas Johnson’s memoir about his stint working for the U.S. Antarctic Program. Gandolfini is executive producing the project, which is being developed as a starring vehicle for him. Breaking Bad writer-producer Peter Gould has been tapped to write the series adaptation, a tragicomic eye view of the fear and loathing, arrogance and insanity of the people living and working the last untamed frontier on the planet — the research base at McMurdo Station, Antarctica. Gandolfini and Gould are executive producing with Mosaic’s Jimmy Miller, Gandolfini’s managers Nancy Sanders & Mark Armstrong and actor-writer Brian Swibel, with Sam Hansen serving as co-executive producer. HBO, where Gandolfini has had a production deal for his Attaboy banner since 2006, has been looking to find a new series vehicle for Gandolfini, a followup to his iconic role on...

I swore up and down to myself I would never return. But over a decade later, here I was back at the maximum security prison where I served a 15 to life sentence for a non-violent drug crime under the Rockefeller Drug Laws of New York State. But this time I was lucky. I was not there to serve time for committing a new crime. Instead, I was there on a tour of the prison with my producer Brian Swibel and screenwriter Mike Jones. In October of 2004, my prison memoir 15 to Life: How I Painted My Way to Freedom was published. The book was a riveting account about making a single mistake and having my life being torn apart by the unjust drug laws of Nys. My memoir was soon optioned by Brian...

Anthony Papa's prison memoir 15 to Life: How I Painted My Way to Freedom is set to be adapted for the big screen. Variety reports producers B. Swibel and Barrett Stuart have picked up options and are looking for Mike Jones to adapt. The book describes Papa's life inside prison after he gets a heavy sentence for a first-time drug offense. His wife leaves, he can't see his daughter, and he even considers suicide. However, this all changes when he discovers painting. When a self-portrait is displayed at the Whitney Museum in 1994, the governor takes notice and this eventually and leads to Papa's release. You can read more about the book in our database.