News

Days of Our Lives spoilers for Thursday, October 3, 2024, are here! In tomorrow’s episode, fans can expect Kristen Dimera (Stacy Haiduk) to make a useful discovery.

Coming Up On Days Of Our Lives

Maggie Horton Kiriakis (Suzanne Rogers) pleads with Xander Cook Kiriakis (Paul Telfer). Holly Jonas (Ashley Puzemis) considers visiting her mother in Paris.

Plus, Sophia Choi (Madelyn Kientz) comforts Tate Black (Leo Howard). Keep reading to find out what is coming up in the next episode of the Peacock soap opera.

Days Of Our Lives Spoilers – Holly Jonas’ Paris Consideration

Dool spoilers for Thursday, October 3 reveal that Eric Brady (Greg Vaughan) will run into Holly again. Eric will make another attempt to encourage Holly to visit Nicole Walker (Arianne Zucker) in Paris.

Even though Holly is furious with Eric, she will give it some thought. After all, Holly’s life is spiraling out of control in every direction.

Visit Films has announced a torrent of recent deals on its slate led by a further key territory sale on Cannes Directors’ Fortnight entry Good One.

India Donaldson’s feature debut starring newcomer Lily Collias as a 17-year-old who goes on an awkward backpacking trip with her father and his best friend has gone to Cherry Pickers for Benelux after a previously reported deal with New Story for France.

Multiple territories remain in active negotiation after Cannes, and Metrograph Pictures holds North American rights.

SXSW documentary Mogwai: If The Stars Had A Sound about the cult post-rock band has been...

Zack Norman, a veteran character and producer who appeared in films including Romancing The Stone, Cadillac Man and several for director Harry Jaglom along with guested on The Nanny, The A-Team, Baywatch and other series, died April 28 of natural causes. He was 83.

His son-in-law Jeff Briller confirmed the news to Deadline.

Born Howard Zuker on May 27, 1940, Norman received an executive Mba from Harvard Business School before embarking entering show business. He performed as a comedian through the latter half of the 1960s and working the Playboy Clubs, the Flamingo and Copacabana with the Temptations. He made his TV debut in 1969 doing stand-up on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson.

He made about a half-dozen films in the 1970s before working on a pair of memorable ’80s films: He had a small role in Milos Forman’s Ragtime (1981) before being cast as Cousin Ira in Robert Zemeckis’ Romancing the Stone (1984). His character uttered the oft-quoted line,...

Tariq Temple is a recurring character in Abbott Elementary who was Janine's middle school sweetheart and now ex-boyfriend. He is an aspiring rapper and has appeared in multiple episodes throughout the show. Despite Tariq's appearance as a deadbeat, he is not a villain and has a good heart. He is always willing to help Janine and Abbott Elementary when asked and even changed his career path to be an anti-drug singer. Comedian and singer Zack Fox plays Tariq Temple in Abbott Elementary. This is his first recurring role in a television series and his biggest on-screen role to date. Tariq's return in season 3 is highly anticipated by fans.

Tariq from Abbott Elementary is a recurring character on the show who some fans may recognize from his other career. Abbott Elementary is a mockumentary comedy series in the vein of The Office, Parks and Rec, and Modern Family. The...

First-look

Pathé has dropped a first-look image from “The Lost King,” the upcoming feature film about the astonishing 2012 discovery of King Richard III’s remains. In the film, Oscar nominated and Golden Globe winning actress Sally Hawkins will play Philippa Langley, the woman who uncovered the remains which had been lost for 500 years.

An amateur historian, Langley spent years researching and searching for the ruins, in spite of skepticism from friends, family and academics. She is now president of the Scottish branch of the Richard III Society, and co-authored, with Michael K. Jones, “The King’s Grave: The Discovery of Richard III’s Lost Burial Place and the Clues It Holds.”

Hawkins is joined on-screen by Steve Coogan (“Alan Partridge”), who plays Philippa’s husband John, and Harry Lloyd (“Brave New World”) as King Richard III. Stephen Frears is directing the screenplay co-written by Coogan and Jeff Pope in a...

Oliver Parker to direct drama based on true events

Michael Caine and Glenda Jackson are to star in upcoming drama The Great Escaper, which Pathe will introduce at the virtual European Film Market (EFM) next month.

Oliver Parker, who most recently directed Swimming With Men and a reboot of classic comedy series Dad’s Army, will direct the feature from a script by William Ivory, whose credits include Made In Dagenham. Filming is set to begin in June.

Pathé will distribute the film in the UK, France and Switzerland, and will handle world sales.

Inspired by true events, Caine will play octogenarian Bernard Jordan,...

Oliver Hermanus to direct drama, with production set to begin in spring 2021.

Lionsgate has swooped on UK distribution rights to Oliver Hermanus’ Living, starring Bill Nighy, which is produced by the UK’s Number 9 Films.

The feature is set to shoot on location in the UK next spring and is an adaptation of Akira Kurosawa’s 1952 Japanese drama Ikiru.

The most recent feature from South African filmmaker Hermanus was queer war drama Moffie. The screenplay is written by Kazuo Ishiguro, whose award-winning novels include The Remains Of The Day and Never Let Me Go.

London-based Rocket Science is handling international...

Producers hope to shoot the UK film this year.

Josh O’Connor, Odessa Young, Olivia Colman and Colin Firth have signed to star Eva Husson’s romantic drama Mothering Sunday for the UK’s Number 9 Films and Film4. Rocket Science is handling sales and introducing to buyers at this week’s Cannes virtual market.

Mothering Sunday is based on Graham Swift’s novella of the same name which is set in 1924 in England. Alice Birch has written the adaptation. Her credits include the Bifa award-winning screenplay for William Oldroyd’s Lady Macbeth, Element Pictures’ TV series Normal People and HBO’s Succession.

Odessa Young, Josh O’Connor, Olivia Colman and Colin Firth will star in “Mothering Sunday” for director Eva Husson. Rocket Science is handling sales.

Alice Birch penned the screenplay from the bestselling novel by Graham Swift.

Elizabeth Karlsen and Stephen Woolley’s Number 9 Films will produce the film, with financing from Film4 and Ingenious. The film has been developed with the support of Film4 and the BFI awarding National Lottery funding. It will shoot on location in the U.K. this Autumn.

The project has already attracted a stellar set of head of departments with Sandy Powell on board as costume designer, cinematographer Jamie Ramsay, make-up designer Nadia Stacey (“The Favourite”), production designer Helen Scott and editor Emilie Orsini.

The film is set in 1924 at Beechwood, England. Jane Fairchild, a maid in the Niven household, has the day off to celebrate Mothering Sunday while Mr. and Mrs. Niven attend a lunch...

Exclusive: Rising actress Odessa Young (Assassination Nation), BAFTA-nominee Josh O’Connor (The Crown), Oscar-winner Olivia Colman (The Favourite) and Oscar-winner Colin Firth (The King’s Speech) are set to star in drama Mothering Sunday for Carol producers Number 9 Films.

The blue chip period-drama becomes one of the hottest UK projects at the Cannes virtual market where Rocket Science is launching world sales.

Eva Husson (Girls Of The Sun) will direct from Succession and Normal People scribe Alice Birch’s adaptation of Graham Swift’s acclaimed novel.

Set over a day in 1924, the story follows Jane Fairchild (Young), a maid in the Niven household, who has the day off to celebrate Mothering Sunday while Mr and Mrs Niven (Firth and Colman) attend a lunch to celebrate the engagement of their neighbor’s only remaining son, Paul (O’Connor), to Emma Hobday. Jane rejoices at her freedom on an unseasonably hot, beautiful spring day.

Producers earmark August production start in Belgium.

Ingenious has come on to finance First World War thriller The Last Front, which Red Sea Media has introduced to virtual Cannes buyers.

Roman Kopelevich has scheduled a presentation in the Us agency-led A Demain market on Tuesday.

Paradox House and Ingenious are financing the film, which has been earmarked for an August start in Belgium and stars Sasha Luss, Joe Anderson, and Liam Cunningham.

Julien Kerknawi directs from a screenplay he co-wrote with Kate Wood, and the producers are Martin Dewitte and Virginia Hayet.

The Last Front centres on a man in...

Vertical Entertainment has acquired Skylin3s, the third installment of the Skyline franchise, for North America, UK, Ireland, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa rights ahead of Afm. Series co-creator Liam O'Donnell returns to write and direct after helming 2017's surprise hit sequel Beyond Skyline which Vertical also released. Producer Matthew Chausse returns alongside Colin and Greg Strause and O'Donnell to take the film franchise into its next chapter.

Lindsey Morgan (The 100) is back as Rose Corley from Beyond Skyline to star along with Jonathan Howard (Godzilla: King of Monsters), Alexander Siddig (Game of Thrones), Rhona Mitra (Underworld: Rise of the Lycans), Daniel Bernhardt (John Wick) and James Cosmo (Chernobyl). Nate Bolotin of Xyz Films brokered the deal for the North American rights. Highland Film Group is handling international distribution rights with Xyz handling Chinese rights.

When a virus threatens to wipe out Earth, a super powered hybrid (Morgan...

Fall is upon us, and so is Hulu’s list of every title coming and going from the streaming service in November.

Among the list of arriving titles is a new episode of Hulu’s original monthly anthology series, “Into the Dark.” November’s episode is called “Pilgrim,” and claims to be inspired by true events — in which a woman invites a bunch of Pilgrim re-enactors over for Thanksgiving dinner. But things get spooky when the “actors” refuse to break character.

Other new arrivals include Season 5 of “You’re the Worst,” described as a modern look at love, the complete first seasons of “Dollface,” about a young woman re-entering the world of women, “The Accident,” which begins with a deadly explosion at a construction site, and “Love Island: Australia,” an answer to the U.K. and U.S. versions of the beloved reality dating show.

Also Read: Here's Everything New...

“Dirt Music” casts Kelly Macdonald as Georgie opposite Garrett Hedlund as Lu, in an Australia-set story of love, grief and, ultimately, hope. Macdonald is living with legendary local fisherman Jim Buckridge (David Wenham) and his kids in a small fishing town. Unfulfilled and lost, she meets Lu, an outsider, poacher and onetime musician who is wearing the scars of a terrible family tragedy. The film has its world premiere at the Toronto Film Festival.

It seems that what initially feels like it could be a straightforward romantic drama becomes something more involved and nuanced as the film unfolds.

I felt it is somewhat of three films in one. The first act is witnessing this small-town Australian coastal life among these commercial fisherman. And then you are introduced to Lu, who is essentially living as this kind of ghost, and who is traumatically scarred by an accident that happened to him and his family.

Project begins shooting in Malta this week.

Peter Stormare has joined Timothy Spall in the cast of The Obscure Life Of The Grand Duke Of Corsica, a UK comedy that begins shooting in Malta this week.

Daniel Graham is directing the project, his second feature after 2017 drama Opus Zero, which starred Willem Dafoe.

Stormare will play the titular Grand Duke, an eccentric billionaire who commissions a cantankerous architect (Spall). When an epidemic hits the island, all its inhabitants must flee, but the architect remains behind to finish the job.

Stormare’s previous roles include Fargo, Prison Break and Minority Report.

The time has come for Hulu to release its list of everything coming and going in the month of August.

This will come in handy after the “Bachelorette” season finale in late July leaves us in desperate need of something else to watch.

In August, a new episode of Hulu’s horror anthology “Into The Dark” arrives, in which a group of social outcasts who are stuck in weekend detention are confronted by the school’s legendary hauntings.

Also Read: 'Mrs. Maisel' Star Alex Borstein Is Frequently Asked to Sign Plungers, and She Thinks It's Weird

Other Hulu originals include: “The Amazing Johnathan Documentary,” in which a filmmaker profiles a dying magician on his final tour, but the lines between reality and magic begin to blur; Season 2 of “Find Me in Paris,” and “Jawline,” a Hulu original documentary that follows 16-year-old Austyn Tester, a rising star in the live-broadcast ecosystem...

Amazon Prime Video has announced its new content offerings for July 2019, a list that includes five Amazon Original series and one Amazon Original movie. The service will also start streaming Epix’s new series “Pennyworth,” which takes a look at the early life of Batman’s famous butler Alfred, on July 28.

In terms of original series, “Kung Fu Panda: The Paws of Destiny” returns for Season 1B on July 5. Season 2 of “Comicstaan” airs July 12, while Season 4 of “All or Nothing” premieres July 19. Season 3 of “Dino Dana” and the series premiere of “The Boys” — a superhero comic book adaptation — are coming July 26.

The Amazon original movie “Peterloo” — a historical drama that chronicles one of that bloodiest chapter’s in Britain’s history — debuts July 3.

Some other movies to look forward to include “Under the Silver Lake,” the new “Hellboy,” “Corpse Bride,” “Rosemary’s Baby,” and five different “Star Trek” films ranging...

Exclusive: And they’re off at the 2019 Cannes Film Market where Bleecker Street and Topic Studios have jointly boarded U.S rights to Toni Collette and Damian Lewis starrer Dream Horse, produced by American Animals and Three Identical Strangers outfit Raw.

Currently in production in Wales, this is the true story of Jan Vokes (Hereditary star Collette), a cleaner and bartender, who decides on a whim to breed and rear a race horse in her village. She eventually persuades her neighbors to invest in her crazy scheme, and together they name the new foal ‘Dream Alliance’. With little experience but a lot a heart, the collective of townspeople follow ‘Dream’ as he rises through the ranks against all the odds, ultimately pitting all of them against the racing elite in a nail-biting race for the national championship. Billions star Lewis plays Howard Davies, the local accountant Volkes persuades to join...

Dream Horse, the upcoming drama starring Toni Collette and Damian Lewis, has found a stable in the U.S.

Bleecker Street and Topic Studios have jointly acquired U.S. rights to the film, directed by Euros Lyn and currently shooting in Wales.

Joining the two leads are new castmembers, including Owen Teale (Game of Thrones), Joanna Page (Gavin & Stacey), Nicholas Farrell (The Iron Lady), Sian Philips (Dune) and Karl Johnson (Peterloo).

Based on the hit 2015 documentary Dark Horse, the film is a Raw production, with Film4, Ingenious and Ffilm Cymru Wales financing. Warner Bros. will distribute in the U.K....

Exclusive: Here’s a racy first look at Garrett Hedlund (Mudbound) and Kelly Macdonald (No Country For Old Men) in Oz-uk drama Dirt Music.

Shoot began last month on director Gregor Jordan’s (Buffalo Soldiers) movie, adapted from Tim Winton’s novel by Jack Thorne (The Aeronauts). Producers are Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey (Brooklyn) of Wildgaze Films and Angie Fielder (Lion) and Polly Staniford (Berlin Syndrome) of Australian outfit Aquarius Films.

The novel charts the illicit romance in a tightly-knit community between a fragile woman named Georgie and a mysterious young poacher. When Georgie’s partner gets wind of the tryst a chase ensues between the two men across Australia’s remote and unforgiving terrain. David Wenham also stars.

Film4 developed the project with Wildgaze Films and are financing along with Screen Australia, the West Australian Regional Film Fund, Screenwest and Ingenious Media. Cornerstone Films is handling international sales at the American Film Market.

Principal photography commences this week in Australia on Gregor Jordan’s (Buffalo Soldiers) movie Dirt Music, adapted from Tim Winton’s novel by Jack Thorne (The Aeronauts).

As we previously revealed, Kelly Macdonald (No Country for Old Men) and Garrett Hedlund (Mudbound) will star in the film. They will be joined by David Wenham (Lion). Additional cast includes singer Julia Stone of Oz duo Angus & Julia Stone, Aaron Pederson (Mystery Road), Chris Haywood (Muriel’s Wedding), George Mason (Home and Away) and Dan Wyllie (Animal Kingdom).

Producers are Finola Dwyer and Amanda Posey (Brooklyn) of Wildgaze Films and Angie Fielder (Lion) and Polly Staniford (Berlin Syndrome) of Australian entity Aquarius Films.

Film4 developed the project with Wildgaze Films and are financing along with Screen Australia, the West Australian Regional Film Fund, Screenwest and Ingenious Media. Cornerstone Films will handle international rights and distribution and will commence sales at the upcoming American Film Market.

New titles available on Amazon Prime next month include Amazon original series like “Six Dreams” Season 1, the second half of “Wishenproof” Season 2, “Pete the Cat” Season 1, “Forever” Season 1 and “King Lear” Season 1.

Some classic comedies will also become available in September, like the original “Ghostbusters,” “Jerry Maguire,” and “Smokey and the Bandit.” In more of a dramatic mood as the weather shifts? Dramas like “Sleepless in Seattle” starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan should do the trick.

Other movies arriving include newer flicks “Future World,” “Beirut,” “Strangers Prey at Night,” “Pistorius,” “Stronger,” “On Chesil Beach,” “My Little Pony,” “Hot Summer Night,” “Escape Plan 2,” “Jigsaw” and “Suburbicon.”

Also Read: Amazon Explores Acquisition of Landmark Theatres (Report)

See below for the complete list.

September Tbd

*King Lear, Season 1 (Prime Original series)

Sept. 1

Series

Asylum, Season 1

The Blue Rose, Season 1

The Broker’s Man, Seasons 1-2

The Field of Blood, Seasons 1-2

Golden,...

Exclusive: Jim Reeve and Robert Halmi Jr.’s London-based Great Point Media (Gpm) has made three additions to its film and TV sales team.

Jordan Allwood joins as Sales Executive after working most recently at Altitude Film Sales as International Sales Co-ordinator. Joining as Sales Assistant are both Lucas Meurin, formerly a production manager at Canal + in Paris, and Regys Badi, who was most recently a Team Co-ordinator at Discovery Communications.

Last November, sales veteran Nada Cirjanic, formerly of Independent Film Sales, joined as Gpm’s Head of Sales while Peta Browne, Gpm’s Head of International Marketing, joined from Umedia.

In a joint statement, Reeve and Halmi said, “Jordan Allwood brings a superb set of skills and knowledge to Great Point and he is already a firm favorite with international buyers.” Cirjanic added, “We’re delighted to add Jordan, Lucas and Regys to our growing team in time for our autumn slate announcements.

5th Update Sunday 7Am: With updated chart as of 9Am A dull weekend at the box office, and Saturday night really didn’t move the needle that much. Disney is calling Solo: A Star Wars Story at $29.3M, -65%, for a running total of $148.9M. This is after a Saturday that was +51% over Friday with $12.4M. That’s the lowest second weekend for any Disney Star Wars title, plus the 20th Century Fox released Episodes I-iii. For any big event title that opened over Memorial Day weekend, a mid 60% drop in weekend 2 is common; it’s just extremely painful for Solo because it didn’t start out so high. In the previous update, we continued to harp on what went wrong. But clearly that A- CinemaScore and overall 87% positive score from PostTrak isn’t triggering word of mouth to hook more people into the theater. There’s still too much...

In the wake of the best Memorial Day stretch since 2014 with $227.6M, the box office will now go to sleep this weekend.

While there are wide releases, many of them are counterprogramming options to the event titles out there. Disney’s Solo: A Star Wars Story will pull in a second weekend in the low $30Ms, experiencing a 60% drop (from its $84.4M Fss opening) on par with other event titles during their post Memorial Day weekends, read X-Men: Days of Future Past and Pirates of the Caribbean: At World’s End. That’s because this weekend is coming off a beefy Sunday where moviegoing was roughly equal to Saturday’s business. Even if Solo opened higher, it would still likely face a 55%-60% decline.

Even though Solo will lead all movies again this weekend, that may not be the case next weekend when Warner Bros./Village Roadshow’s Ocean’s...

Exclusive: Against All Enemies, the political thriller that stars Kristen Stewart as iconic actress Jean Seberg, has added key cast components. Vince Vaughn, Zazie Beetz, Yvan Attal (Munich) and Stephen Root (Get Out) are all now on board for the Benedict Andrews-directed film.

Fred Berger (La La Land) and Brian Kavanaugh-Jones of Automatik are producing alongside Kate Garwood and Stephen Hopkins. Phreaker Films, led by Alan Ritchson and Marina Acton, has come on board to produce and finance. Bradley Pilz of Bradley Pilz Productions is also producing. Sales kick off in Cannes this week via Memento Films International. UTA is repping U.S. rights.

Along with Stewart — also at Cannes as a member of the festival’s competition jury — Deadline previously revealed the cast includes Jack O’Connell, Anthony Mackie, Margaret Qualley and Colm Meaney. Filming is set for June in Los Angeles.

Seberg, an American...

British film and TV investor Ingenious Media has tapped Warner Bros exec Will Harrison to become its new Managing Director.

Harrison was previously COO for Warner Bros’ Harry Potter franchise and oversaw the commercial expansion of Jk Rowling’s brand including the prequel Fantastic Beasts and Where To Find Them. He will report to Ingenious Media CEO Neil Forster and will join the board. His hire comes as the company looks to ramp up its investment in four areas: media, infrastructure, real estate and education.

Ingenious is behind a number of current feature projects including Renee Zellweger’s Judy Garland biopic Judy, Gurinder Chadha’s Blinded By The Light and Baltasar Kormakur’s Shailene Woodley-fronted Adrift.

“Will brings over 20 years’ experience at world-class media businesses where he has helped to create and develop some of the industry’s best-known brands,” said Forster. “His commercial and operating experience will build...

Alec Bojalad Jun 20, 2019

Here's everything coming to Amazon Prime instant video in July 2019!

Amazon Prime is on a good pace of releasing at least one notable original series per month. For Amazon Prime's new releases for July 2019, that honor goes to dark superhero dramedy The Boys. 

The series, based on the Garth Ennis book of the same name, stars Karl Urban and arrives on July 26. And that's about it for Amazon's originals! Unless you are a big All or Nothing fan. 

And that's alright as the movie offerings for July should keep plenty of folks occupied. David Robert Mitchell's moody It Follows followup Under the Silver Lake arrives on July 1. Gone Baby Gone, Hellboy, and Serenity all arrive mid-month.

Then as new traditions demand, the lion's share of content arrives at the end of the month. Rosemary's Baby, Corpse Bride, and Dumb and Dumber premiere on July 31 - an...

Man of Steel star Ayelet Zurer is in talks to star in MGM and Paramount's epic remake Ben-Hur, which is being directed by Timur Bekmambetov.

If a deal is finalized, Ayelet Zurer will play Naomi, the mother of Judah Ben-Hur (Jack Huston). The story follows Judah as he is sold into slavery by his childhood friend Messalla (Toby Kebbell), which sends him on a journey of vengeance. Morgan Freeman is playing Ben-Hur's mentor, who teaches him the fine art of chariot racing, a skill which will come in handy during the remake's finale.

The story, which was originally written by Keith R. Clarke with rewrites by John Ridley, also follows the parallel tale of Jesus Christ, an aspect of the plot that was in Lew Wallace's original 1880 novel, but left out of the 1959 Ben-Hur adaptation starring Charlton Heston.

Mark Burnett is producing alongside Sean Daniel and Joni Levin,...

Alison Thompson, co-president of Focus Features International (Ffi), announced multi-territory sales on director Asif Kapadia’s (Senna, The Warrior) untitled documentary on five-time Grammy award-winning singer/songwriter Amy Winehouse. Ffi also saw strong sales on seven-time Academy Award-nominated writer/director Mike Leigh‘s (Another Year, Vera Drake, Secrets & Lies) J.M.W. Turner film, which stars Timothy Spall (Harry Potter, Secrets & Lies).

Ffi has secured the following territories and respective distributors on behalf of Asif Kapadia’s Amy Winehouse documentary: France – Mars Films; Germany – Prokino; Benelux – Cineart; Greece – Odeon; Iceland – Sena; Israel – Lev Cinema; Middle East – Italia Film; Portugal – Lusomundo Audiovisuals; Turkey – D Productions; Hong Kong – Edko Films; India – PVR Limited; Singapore – Shaw Renters; Thailand – Ipa Pacific; Australia/Nz – eOne; and South Africa – Ster-Kinekor. Focus Features International is currently fielding multiple offers for the UK, Cis, and Italy.

The untitled Amy Winehouse documentary is produced by James Gay-Rees (Senna, Exit Through the Gift Shop...

Out of all the new characters to appear on The Walking Dead during the first half of this third season, the one that arrived with the least fanfare is Woodbury’s resident scientist Milton Mamet. Played effectively with an understated cautiousness and optimism by Dallas Roberts (The Grey), Milton has become slowly but surely become a bit of a fan favorite while trying his best to stay in the Governor’s good graces by doing his evil experimental bidding. Will Milton suddenly decide to toss aside his glasses and pick up a weapon during this Sunday’s midseason finale on AMC? I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

FEARnet recently sat down with actor Dallas Roberts to discuss his allegiance to science and the Governor, working with the “insane” Michael Rooker, and the prospect of watching Matthew McConaughey chow down on a tasty hamburger.

It looks like...

Matt (Dallas Roberts) and Sam (Jeremy Renner) have been friends for 20 years. Matt is the ideas man and Sam the salesman for a whole slew of inventions that never quite grab the market in the way they want. Matt keeps exasperating his long-suffering wife by blowing the little money they manage to scrape together on various gambling enterprises, while simultaneously continuing to look out for that one great idea that will make them their millions.

*****

Ingenious (or Lightbulb as it is also known) has been sitting around for a few years now, having wrapped back in 2009. Produced by Arriba Films, its distribution is intended to be funded through Kickstarter, instead of forging a deal with a distribution company. In some ways, it provides an interesting synergy with the theme of the film – eschewing conventional routes to success and development, forging new paths, committing to an idea and persevering in making it happen.

There’s a scene in Ingenious where Sam, the seat-of-his-pants flying salesman, convinces Matt, the quirk-filled inventor, to gamble away the money they have to re-invest in their novelty gift business at the dog track. His brilliant can’t-lose method? Bet large on the dog that drops a deuce before getting into the gate. It’s slightly less than scientific, but there’s a good chance that writer/producer Mike Cram was feeling a blend of what Matt and Sam felt at the track when he and director Jeff Balsmeyer emerged from the festival circuit without any viable distribution offers. There were deals on the table, but nothing close to ideal, meaning Cram and company were about to take a massive gamble. It’s a position that thousands of filmmakers find themselves in every year, but Ingenious was different in one specific way: the guy playing the slick co-lead had just been nominated for an Oscar after...

While Jeremy Renner is receiving positive reviews for his portrayal of Sam in ‘Ingenious,’ his first comedy in 20 years, the independent movie won’t be released into theaters without additional funding to pay for distribution, Radar Online is reporting. So the film’s production company, Arriba Films, is asking the Academy Award nominee’s fans to pay in advance for DVDs or digital downloads. With enough money, ‘Ingeniousm’ which is being directed by Jeff Balsmeyer, can be finished and released into theaters. Arriba Films is using Kickstarter to help raise money to finish production on ‘Ingenious.’ The film has currently raised $43,000 on Kickstarter, and needs to raise $5,000 more by its [ Read More ]

The post Jeremy Renner’s First Comedy in 20 Years Needs Help From Fans For Distribution appeared first on Shockya.com.

Jeff Balsmeyer’s second feature, Ingenious, may be about a couple of down on their luck inventors and salesmen, but you can’t help but get the sense that it says a lot about indie film at the same time. It takes a certain amount of drive, and love of one’s craft to dedicate so much to something that doesn’t always deliver rewards. And in Ingenious, you can feel that drive and love, both in front of the camera, and behind it.

Ingenious tells the true story of two best friends Matt (Dallas Roberts) and Sam (Jeremy Renner), two novelty item inventors who are at the very bottom of rock bottom. Their current line of watches inspired by dogs, golf, and the lottery just aren’t taking off as much as they hoped and they’re at the end of their line.

Barely making ends meet, and trying...

Kickstarter has been something of a game changer in the movie industry, allowing smaller scale projects or more creatively ambitious endeavors, that the studios wouldn't touch, to find an audience and the financing to make it happen. But what happens if you already have a movie finished, but you just need to get it out there? Well, the crowd-sourcing option is there as well, and the team behind "Ingenious" starring Jeremy Renner are hoping to raise enough funds to get their movie out there. Shot a few years ago, and having already played a strong handful of festivals around the world, picking up some awards along the way, the movie until now has continued to sit on the shelf. But it has a clever and compelling story behind it. The movie is about a pair of inventors trying to find the next big product, and the movie itself was financed...

You’ve probably never heard of the film “Ingenious,” but it’s in an undeniably unique position for a low-budget indie looking for finishing funds on Kickstarter. Shot in the Tucson area in 2008, the based-on-real-life story of a struggling inventor and his salesman friend who finally hit on a successful idea was directed by Jeff Balsmeyer and written by Mike Cram. It had its world premiere at the Santa Barbara Film Festival and played more than a dozen other third-tier fests throughout 2009, just as “The Hurt Locker” was working a similar circuit. This is relevant because “Ingenious” stars Jeremy Renner. We all know what happened from there. “Locker” won the big prize at the Academy Awards, while Renner was nominated for a pair of Oscars (“Locker” and “The Town”) and cast by every studio looking for the next big star. In the last 10 months alone, Renner has appeared in a trio of.

Welcome back to another edition of Kickstart This, FirstShowing's weekly column dedicated to spreading the word about indie projects that need your help to become a reality. Today, we're featuring an indie that's already completed filming and is hoping to secure distribution funds for a theatrical release. It's a drama called Ingenious that has some pretty heavy hitters in the cast, including Jeremy Renner, The Grey star Dallas Roberts, and Munich/Angels & Demons actress Ayelet Zurer. Check this out, leave a comment to tell us what you think, and don't forget to toss the filmmakers a few bucks if you can help out. Check it out! Ingenious tells the story of two friends, an inventor (Roberts) and a charismatic salesman (Renner), whose lives crumble before they have a breakthrough and invent an item that becomes a worldwide sensation. It's not 100% explicitly clear from the trailer what that item actually is...

The Cannes Film Festival is currently running over in France, and while the Fest hosts the premieres of such prestige pictures as Wes Anderson’s Moonrise Kingdom and John Hillcoat’s Lawless, it’s also a place to sell movies for distribution. We’ve already brought you some billboards and sales posters for Django Unchained, One Shot, Spring Breakers and more, and now our international correspondent Magdalena has sent over quite a few more posters. We've got new looks at the Gerard Butler-fronted White House Taken, Chris Colfer’s Struck By Lightning, the drama Love and Honor starring Liam Hemsworth, a film called Homefront written and produced by Sylvester Stallone and starring Jason Statham, and many more. Hit the jump to check out all the posters. Here’s a quick rundown of some of the more high profile films: White House Taken – Gerard Butler Love and Honor – Liam Hemsworth...

Tom Hardy, The Dark Knight Rises Warner Bros.’ The Dark Knight Rises got a nice plug when six minutes of footage premiered before IMAX screenings of Paramount’s Tom Cruise blockbuster Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. (One could also say that MI4 got a boost from the Tdkr footage as well.) On May 4, The Dark Knight Rises trailer 3 will premiere before screenings of Joss Whedon’s The Avengers, a Marvel production to be released by Walt Disney Studios. But Batman is a DC comics character, how could that be? Well, good business sense. That’s it. And remember, as MTV.com explains, back in 2008 The Dark Knight trailer was shown before Marvel’s Iron Man. And it gets better for fanboys, fangirls, and fanseniors: the new The Amazing Spider-Man trailer will also be screened before The Avengers. The rebooted Spider-Man has been much less buzzed about than either The Avengers, which...

The 24th edition of the Santa Barbara Film Festival will kick off Jan. 22 at the Arlington Theatre with Rod Lurie's political thriller "Nothing but the Truth," starring Kate Beckinsale.

The Feb. 1 closing-night film is the world premiere of Jeff Balsmeyer's "Lightbulb," starring Dallas Roberts and Jeremy Renner.

The fest's lineup, announced Wednesday, encompasses more than 200 films from 41 countries, including 21 world premieres and 29 U.S. premieres.

David Fincher has been named guest director. On Jan. 30, the festival will present "A Celebration of David Fincher," at which the director of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" will be joined by a number of his friends.

Santa Barbara also will feature an array of tributes to many of this season's awards hopefuls, including Kate Winslet, Penelope Cruz, Kristin Scott Thomas, Clint Eastwood and Mickey Rourke. Its Virtuosos 2009 Award will shine a spotlight on Viola Davis, Rosemarie DeWitt, Sally Hawkins, Richard Jenkins,...