News

Matt Rife has lined up his next movie role!

The 29-year-old actor and comedian has signed on to lead the upcoming comedy movie The Escort from Wedding Crashers director David Dobkin.

Written by Justin Adler with revisions by David, the upcoming movie follows “a reckless, flirtatious flight attendant on the brink of losing everything, who is unexpectedly tasked with minding a neurotic 14-year-old on his solo flight to boarding school,” according to Deadline. “When a hurricane diverts their flight and strands them in the wrong city, the two opposites embark on a disastrous road trip that forces them to confront their fears, flaws, and what it really means to grow up.”

Keep reading to find out more…Matt said in a statement, “I’m so excited to work with David Dobkin, who’s directed some of my favorite movies growing up. I think the two of us can bring back on-screen comedies!

Exclusive: Upgrade is launching international sales in Cannes on comedy The Escort from Wedding Crashers and Shanghai Knights helmer David Dobkin, and starring in-demand stand-up comedian Matt Rife.

Written by Justin Adler with revisions by David Dobkin, the Black List script is a character-driven feature that follows “a reckless, flirtatious flight attendant on the brink of losing everything, who is unexpectedly tasked with minding a neurotic 14-year-old on his solo flight to boarding school. When a hurricane diverts their flight and strands them in the wrong city, the two opposites embark on a disastrous road trip that forces them to confront their fears, flaws, and what it really means to grow up.”

Pic will be produced by Tom McNulty (Spectacular Now), Megan Wolpert Dobkin (Untitled Will Ferrell Esports Comedy, Maroon 5’s Girls Like You & Sugar), Christina Shams (Rolling Loud), and Matt Rife.

Jonathan Kier and the team at Upgrade will launch international sales,...

Exclusive: Cairo-based Mad Solutions has added rising Egyptian actor Youssef Omar to the cast of UK-Chinese action thriller Shashou, which the company will also release across Arabic-speaking territories.

“It’s an Arab spin on the packaging strategy that Hollywood has long deployed,” said Mad Solutions co-founders Alaa Karkouti and Maher Diab.

“We remain adamant that Arab creative talents should enjoy the same standing in the global entertainment market as their peers from other regions.”

Founded in 2010 to fill a gap in the international promotion of Arab cinema, Mad Solutions’ activities now span distribution, talent management, content, marketing and international sales.

Shashou marks a first international role for Omar, who was seen most recently at home in the high-profile Ramadan series A Woman’s Youth (Shabab Emraa), co-starring opposite Egyptian actress Ghada Abdel Razek.

The movie is being produced by Hong Kong’s Phoenix Waters Productions together with London-based Berkeley Media Group and Ostara Pictures,...

Pereda da el salto internacional. © Getty Images

De acuerdo con Deadline, Chloë Grace Moretz (Kick-Ass: Listo para machacar) y Rupert Friend (La acompañante) encabezarán The Edge Of Normal, el debut en inglés de la cineasta española Carlota Pereda.

El proyecto, un thriller de asesinos en serie, cuenta con un guion firmado por Matt Venne (Dexter: Resurrection), con revisiones de Lori Evans Taylor (Destino final: Lazos de sangre) y está basado en la novela homónima de Carla Norton.

La novela sigue a Reeve LeClaire, atormentada por el recuerdo de cuando un hombre sádico la mantuvo cautiva cuando era adolescente. Cuando su psiquiatra le pide que sea la mentora de una superviviente recién rescatada, LeClaire se ve arrastrada a un escalofriante juego del gato y el ratón que amenaza con arrastrarla de nuevo a la pesadilla de la que apenas pudo escapar.

El rodaje de la película está previsto para esta primavera.

Michel Blanc, the legendary French actor best known for his roles in the Les Bronzés films and Monsieur Hire, has died. He was 72.

He died early Friday morning at a Parisian hospital after suffering a heart attack the previous night, according to Agence France-Presse (Afp).

France’s President Emmanuel Macron also paid tribute to Blanc on X (formerly Twitter), writing, “He made us cry with laughter and moved us to tears. A monument of French cinema, Michel Blanc has gone. Our thoughts go out to his loved ones and his acting accomplices.”

Born on April 16, 1952, in Courbevoie (Hauts-de-Seine), France, Blanc had a passion for classical music from a young age. But he later changed direction and co-founded the Le Splendid troupe, a café-théâtre company, in the 1970s with his friends, Christian Clavier, Gérard Jugnot, Thierry Lhermitte, Josiane Balasko, Marie-Anne Chazel, Bruno Moynot and Claire Magnin.

As for his film projects,...

Michel Blanc, the French actor known for the “Les Bronzés” films and crime drama “Monsieur Hire,” has died. He was 72.

Blanc died early Friday morning after suffering a heart attack the previous night, according to Agence France-Presse (Afp).

Blanc was known for his role as the awkward bachelor Jean-Claude Dusse in the 1978 film “Les Bronzés” (“French Fried Vacation”), directed by Patrice Leconte. He starred in the 1979 and 2006 follow-up films to the cult French comedy.

Blanc was also revered for his dramatic performances in film, including in Leconte’s 1989 crime thriller “Monsieur Hire,” where he played the titular character. In 2012, Blanc received the César for best supporting actor for “L’Exercice de l’État” (“The Minister”), written and directed by Pierre Schoeller.

Blanc directed, co-wrote and starred in the 1984 film “Marche à l’ombre” and 2002’s “Summer Things.” Additional film credits include “Les Filles de Malemort” (1974), “Let Joy Reign Supreme” (1975), “The Best...

Lukas Nola was a master of Croatian cinema, crafting poignant tales that shone lights into shadows of his homeland. With his final film, The Escort, this beloved auteur saved his boldest work for last—a thrilling drama with depths beyond its gripping surface.

We meet Miro, a respected family man visiting a hotel one night. There, tragedy strikes when an escort mysteriously sent to his room is found dead. This plunges Miro into a conspiracy forged by threatening staff. As sinister forces close in, clues hint of rot beneath a picturesque facade.

Nola was revered for works exploring Croatian society with empathy, warmth, and thought-provoking insight. The Escort proved no different, offering an engrossing saga and one final opportunity to appreciate his gifts. Beneath slick intrigue lay piercing questions about morality, cooperation versus innocence, and societal unrest bubbling near surfaces. Nola invited us to reflect on the fragile lines between opportunity and ruin,...

Upcoming action thriller to be sold at Filmart.

Hong Kong singer Anson Lo has joined the cast of Bizhan Tong’s upcoming zombie thriller Chungking Mansions, which is being discussed with buyers at Filmart Online this week.

Lo is a member of popular boyband Mirror and previously starred in hit Bl series Ossan’s Love.

Further additions to the cast include Hong Kong-Canadian actresses Selena Lee and Jeannie Chan, Korean star Choi Si-Hun, and Hong Kong actor Louis Cheung. Davika Hoorne, known for Pee Mak, Thailand’s highest grossing film of all time, also joins the cast, taking over a...

Megaton Entertainment, an indie distribution and film sales firm, has picked up a pair of titles from Hong Kong production entities Amm Entertainment and Phoenix Waters. It is launching them at the American Film Market (AFM) this week.

Megaton is pre-selling “Chungking Mansions,” which it bills as the biggest zombie film in Hong Kong cinema history, and also as “ ’The Raid’ with zombies.” Directed by banker turned producer and director Bizhan Tong (“The Escort”), the film tracks a diverse group of people who, following a zombie attack, try to break into Chungking Mansions.

The building was made famous in Wong Kar-wai’s Chungking Express and is possibly the richest cultural melting pot in the predominantly Chinese city. Wong is reputed to have called it a “mass-populated and hyperactive place.”

Currently in pre-production, the film is set to employ a suitably diverse cast including: Japan’s Rina Takeda (“Attack on Titan...

Asia Television, previously Hong Kong’s number two free-to-air broadcaster, may no longer be visible on local TV screens. But the ex-broadcaster is now being recast as a content studio, with its new offshoot Amm Global leading the charge.

The division is headed by Bizhan Tong, a Chinese-British former banker turned filmmaker (“The Escort”). He joined the company after directing “Lockdown,” a U.K.-Hong Kong co-venture film produced and co-financed by Tong’s Phoenix Waters Productions, Hong Kong asset management firm Yg Capital, and Amm Global. International sales are handled jointly by Amm Global and US firm OneTwoThree.

The movie, being launched at FilMart, is a pandemic-era thriller in which an actor must keep passing devious tests set by a casting director in order to keep the people around him alive. As events escalate and more people are trapped the actor must confront his past, overcome his present, and...

Hulu is out with its list of everything new coming and everything leaving the streaming service in the month of October.

Highlights include seasons four and seven of “90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days,” Season 8 of “My 600-lb Life” featuring the late star Coliesa McMillian, and a bunch of cooking shows including seasons nine and 10 of “Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern,” Season 13 of “Cutthroat Kitchen” and Season 18 of “Hell’s Kitchen.” All of those come out Oct. 1.

For Halloween, catch the Hulu Original series “Monsterland” out Oct. 2.

On Oct. 14, catch the season premiere of “The Bachelorette” just one day after it airs on ABC.

Leaving Hulu on Oct. 31 are all five of the “Twilight” movies, “Forgetting Sarah Marshall” and “Footloose.”

See the full list below.

Oct. 1

90 Day Fiancé: Before the 90 Days: Complete Season 4 (TLC)

90 Day Fiancé: Complete Season 7 (TLC)

All-Star Halloween Spectacular: Special (Food Network)

Bizarre Foods With Andrew Zimmern:...

October is officially spooky season and it’s nice to know that some streaming services (*cough*Disney+*cough*) are taking that responsibility very seriously.

For its new releases in October 2020, Hulu is premiering the Marvel TV universe’s first-ever outright horror series. Helstrom debuts on Oct. 16 and follows Marvel Comics character Daimon Helstrom as he struggles against all manner of demonic forces. Another spooky treat arriving this month is Monsterland on Oct. 2. This anthology will feature scary stories from around the country.

On the movie side of things, Hulu is bringing out Clive Barker adaptation Books of Blood on Oct. 7 and Bad Hair on Oct. 23. Thank you, Hulu, for your spooky service.

There are a lot of non-Hulu TV shows of note arriving in October as well. The final season of Homeland will be available to stream on Oct. 26. The premiere of Saturday Night Live‘s 46th season will arrive on Oct.

We’re now just over halfway through September, so let’s turn our attention to what’s coming to Hulu next month. Every October, the streaming service celebrates “Huluween” by adding a bunch of new Halloween-themed content. And this year is no different, with countless classic movies going up on the site that you’ll want to check out to get you in the spooky mood as well as a few notable originals.

These include anthology series Monsterland (October 2nd) and horror comedy film Bad Hair (October 23rd), starring Lena Waithe, Vanessa Williams and Laverne Cox, from Dear White People director Justin Simien. Superhero fans will also want to catch supernatural-themed Marvel series Helstrom (October 16th). The final production from Marvel Television, it’s sadly already doomed to just the one season.

See below for the full list of everything that’s coming to Hulu in October:

Released October 1

90 Day...

Awkwafina and Karen Gillan are set to star in a new action/comedy called Shelly. The duo previously starred alongside one another in last year's Jumanji: The Next Level. Jude Weng is set to direct the movie, with a script by Michael Doneger and Liz Storm. The project, described as "Mean Girls" meets "Barry," will be shopped around to studios and is expected to sell in a hurry.

According to a new report, Shelly is being shopped around currently. There is no word, as of this writing, where the movie might land but it is expected to generate heavy interest. The story is said to take place a decade after an embarrassing prank at a high school prom, which forced Shelly Wheeler (Awkwafina) out of town.

The experience hardened her so much that she became a cold-blooded hit-woman. Shelly is then presented with the opportunity for sweet revenge as she...

Nikita alumna Lyndsy Fonseca and Carra Patterson (The Arrangement) have been cast as female leads opposite Josh Peck in Turner & Hooch, Disney+’s reboot of the classic 1989 buddy-cop comedy feature. The TV series, which has a 12-episode order, comes from Burn Notice creator Matt Nix and 20th Century Fox TV.

Additionally, Fonseca has been tapped for a season-long arc on Fox’s 9-1-1: Lone Star, playing Liv Tyler’s sister. Both series are produced by 20th TV, and she will be filming them concurrently.

Like the movie, the hourlong series centers on Scott Turner (Peck), who now is a U.S. marshal — versus the police detective played by Tom Hanks in the movie. When the ambitious, buttoned-up marshal inherits a big unruly dog, he soon realizes the pet he didn’t want may be the partner he needs.

Fonseca will play Laura, Scott’s sister and the mother of 7-year-old Matthew.

Here’s the latest episode of the The Filmmakers Podcast, part of the ever-growing podcast roster here on Nerdly. If you haven’t heard the show yet, you can check out previous episodes on the official podcast site, whilst we’ll be featuring each and every new episode as it premieres.

For those unfamiliar, with the series, The Filmmakers Podcast is a podcast about how to make films from micro budget indie films to bigger budget studio films and everything in-between. Our hosts Giles Alderson, Dan Richardson, Andrew Rodger and Cristian James talk how to get films made, how to actually make them and how to try not to f… it up in their very humble opinion. Guests will come on and chat about their film making experiences from directors, writers, producers, screenwriters, actors, cinematographers and distributors. They also shoot the breeze about their new films, The Dare, World of Darkness,...

Tween studio Brat has taken the lid off its first original series for Facebook Watch, Turnt.

The company briefly teased Turnt when it announced that it had raised $30 million in fresh funding last week from Anchorage Capital and others. Turnt will skew more mature than Brat’s previous programming, which is perhaps typified by its popular Chicken Girls franchise starring 13-year-old digital influencer Annie LeBlanc.

Starring newcomers Madeleine Byrne, Elsie Hewitt, and YouNow-slash-Musical.ly star Cristian Oliveras, Turnt is a 40-epsiode teen soap following an ensemble cast as they navigate the travails of high school after a scandalous hookup leads to bad trips, budding romance, and secret sex. The series will premiere on Aug. 1 with a four-episode drop, per The Hollywood Reporter, with three additional installments arriving every week thereafter. The series was created by Rachel Stern, while Will Slocome (The Escort) will direct. Brat co-founder Rob Fishman calls the series “provocative and timely.

2017-07-03T09:57:19-07:00Rumer Willis Has Been Sober for Six Months

Rumer Willis celebrated a life-changing milestone this weekend, announcing on Instagram that she’s six months sober.

“I will be the first one to say I’m not perfect and I mess up sometimes and every once in a while I get it right but I wanted to share this because I am really proud of myself,” the actress shared alongside a seemingly makeup-free selfie. “Yesterday I celebrated 6 Months Sobriety.”

Willis, 28, called the personal achievement her proudest moment.

“It’s not something I planned on but after the long journey of getting here I can honestly say I have never been more proud of myself in my entire life,” Willis wrote. “Thank you all for the love and support and remember to be gentle with yourself.”

Read the rest of this article at Page Six.

Blossom, Bubbles and Buttercup are set to fight crime in Townsville for another season.

Cartoon Network has renewed The Powerpuff Girls for Season 2 after the series received an Emmy nomination for Outstanding Short Form Animated Program.

RelatedEmmys 2016 Nominations List: Game of Thrones and People v. O.J. Lead Pack, The Americans Enters Race

The Powerpuff Girls, which originally ran from 1995 to 2004, will make its San Diego Comic-Con debut with a panel and Townsville-inspired booth later this week.

Ready for more of today’s newsy nuggets? Well…

* MTV is developing a pilot based on Michael Doneger’s 2015 film The Escort, which...

Exclusive: Michael Doneger has been set to write, executive produce and star in The Escort, an MTV drama pilot based on the 2015 feature Doneger co-wrote and starred in alongside Lyndsey Fonseca. Blake Goza and Mark Dicristofaro, who produced the film, will also serve as executive producers on the TV project. The film, directed by Will Slocombe, centered on a sex-obsessed writer (Doneger) in need of a big story to land an editorial gig. After retaining the help of a…...

“Agent Carter” star Lyndsy Fonseca isn’t your average prostitute in “The Escort,” available today on iTunes and on demand via the Orchard. Fonseca’s character, Natalie, is a Stanford-educated, high-end hooker in downtown Los Angeles. Working at a staggering rate of $1,000 per hour, Natalie proves she’s well worth the time. Sex-crazed journalist Mitch (Michael Doneger​) can’t afford Natalie’s attention when they first meet, but the two engage in a business transaction for other reasons. Also Read: Rumer Willis to Make Broadway Debut in 'Chicago' Mitch convinces Natalie to let him shadow her for a magazine exposé,...

The world of high-priced call girls gets a darkly comic twist in The Escort's trailer.

Michael Doneger wrote, produced and stars in the comedy about a reporter who tries to kick start his fledgling career with a truly sexy story.

Following a high-priced escort on the job for a week, he discovers the highs and lows of working in the sex trade.

The Escort's ensemble cast includes Bruce Campbell (Ash vs Evil Dead), Lyndsy Fonseca (Marvel's Agent Carter) and Rumer Willis (Dancing with the Stars), with supporting roles also going to Sonya Walger and Dan Bakkedahl.

The film is directed by Will Slocombe, who is best known for his work on the series Reception.

The Escort debuts in the Us on July 28 through VOD services.

Lyndsy Fonseca has done a pretty good job of staying on our radar since the Kick-ass films with appearances in How I Met Your Mother and Agent Carter, but even that's not enough. Thankfully, Fonseca is gracing the screen again, this time in the comedy The Escort, co-starring with none other than Bruce "boomstick" Campbell, Rumer Willis, Tommy Dewey, and Michael Doneger, which has a kind of... Read More...

The Orchard has nabbed North American distribution rights to The Escort in a deal made just before the comedy world-premieres tonight at the Los Angeles Film Festival. The plan is to give it a VOD release beginning July 28. The pic centers on Mitch (Michael Doneger, who also penned the script with Brandon Cohen), a sex-crazed writer, and Natalie (Lyndsy Fonseca), a Stanford-educated prostitute, who form a mutually beneficial partnership in a world of high-class escorts. Br…...

The world premiere of cult web series creators 5-Second Films’ first feature Dude Bro Party Massacre III will screen at the upcoming festival as top brass introduced the Zeitgeist and Nightfall sections.

The festival, set to run from June 10-18, announced programming in both strands as well as the second edition of La Muse strand.

Associate director of programming and curated content Roya Rastegar said Zeitgeist comprised films that speak to pivotal junctures in the lives of young people.

Zeitgeist programme encompasses six world premieres of Us films: Band Of Robbers by Aaron Nee and Adam Nee; A Girl Like Grace by Ty Hodges; In The Treetops by Matthew Brown; Manifest Destiny by Michael Dwyer and Kaitlin McLaughlin; Stealing Cars by Bradley Kaplan; and What Lola Wants by Rupert Glasson.

Describing Nightfall, senior programmer Jennifer Cochis said the films were designed to make audiences squirm.

Films premiering for the first time in the Us are nominated for the...

Rumer has it that we know the first star who has signed on for season 20 of Dancing With the Stars! Rumer Willis was photographed during rehearsals at the Millennium Dance Complex in Studio City, Calif. on Saturday, Feb. 21, with dance pro Val Chmerkovskiy. And, indeed, Us Weekly can confirm that The Escort star, 26, will be competing on the ABC smash, which premieres on March 16.  The oldest daughter of Bruce Willis and Demi Moore wore a cutoff gray top and skintight black shorts with [...]...

Ant-Man

David Dastmalchian ("The Dark Knight," "Prisoners") has signed on to play a role in Peyton Reed's "Ant-Man" movie at Marvel Studios.

It's a role the studio is reportedly keeping under wraps. The actor will join an ensemble headed by Paul Rudd, Michael Douglas and Michael Pena. [Source: Deadline]

Black Mass

Tony-nominated actor David Harbour ("The Equalizer ," "A Walk Among The Tombstones") will play corrupt FBI agent John Morris in Scott Cooper's Whitey Bulger biopic "Black Mass" at Warner Bros. Pictures.

Morris, Morris, along with fellow agent John Connolly (Joel Edgerton) allowed Whitey to evade law enforcement and become one of the most ruthless and powerful gangsters in Boston history. [Source: Deadline]

The Escort

Lyndsy Fonseca ("Kick Ass," "Nikita") has scored the lead role in the romantic comedy "The Escort". Will Slocombe directs the film which is currently shooting in Los Angeles and also stars Bruce Campbell, Tommy Dewey, Rumer Willis, Rachel Resheff,...

After winning the hearts of action aficionados everywhere by starring on The CW’s Nikita for four seasons and appearing in the superhero caper Kick-Ass, Lyndsy Fonseca is set to delve into more comedic territory for her next big screen role, having recently signed on to star in romantic comedy The Escort.

As per Deadline, the pic “tracks a sex-obsessed journalist (Michael Doneger) who throws himself into the world of high class escorts when he starts following a Stanford-educated prostitute (Fonseca).”

That cursory plot outline doesn’t give us much to go on, but it’s clear that Doneger, who also co-wrote the script with Brandon A. Cohen, is hoping to use The Escort to prove himself as a leading man. Doneger tried something similar with indie flick This Thing with Sarah last year, directing, starring in and scripting that project, but it never made much noise upon release. Of course,...

Exclusive: Romantic comedy The Escort has found its lead in Lyndsy Fonseca, the Kick-Ass actress who’s coming off a four-season run on The CW’s Nikita. Pic tracks a sex-obsessed journalist (Michael Doneger) who throws himself into the world of high class escorts when he starts following a Stanford-educated prostitute. Will Slocombe (Cold Turkey, Crime Fiction) is directing from a script by Doneger and Brandon A. Cohen, with Doneger, Bruce Campbell, Tommy Dewey, Rumer Willis, Rachel Resheff, and Sonya Walger rounding out the cast. Filming on the Cloverhill Pictures production is underway in La. Blake Goza is producing and Tyler Konney […]...