Tag Archives: Miramax

Colman Domingo to Make Film Directorial Debut with Miramax’s “Scandalous”

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Colman Domingo is preparing to make his scandalous film directorial debut.

The 54-year-old Emmy-winning Belizean-Guatemalan American actor and activist will make his film directorial debut in Scandalous, a fast-tracked Miramax drama about the clandestine love affair between film star Kim Novak and singer/dancer and film star Sammy Davis Jr. in 1957.

Colman DomingoSydney Sweeney will play Novak, and David Jonsson will play Davis.

The plan is to shoot the film — imagine a film about classic Hollywood being shot in Los Angeles — when Domingo and Sweeney complete Season 3 of the HBO series Euphoria.

Much the way she did with the sleeper hit Anyone But You, Sweeney was active in putting this one together and she’ll be a producer along with Tani Cohen and Bobby Rock, with Jon Levin executive producing.

Matthew Fantaci wrote the script.

Before he became Miramax CEO, Jon Glickman originated the project at Panoramic, and remained high on it.

Novak, star of Vertigo, and Rat Pack member Davis were at the peak of star power when they met while guests on The Steve Allen Show. They fell hard for each other, but as rumors spread, the rampant racism in America threatened to derail their careers. Novak experienced the ire of Harry Cohn, the Columbia Pictures chief who had the actress under contract. Their covert affair became big news when a Chicago gossip columnist in early 1958 wrote a detailed account of their relationship, including their plans to marry. This despite their denials. Davis nine days later married a Black chorus girl named Loray White.

Domingo is coming off acclaimed turns in Rustin and Sing Sing, and he’s also working on a film about Nat King Cole that he would star in and direct.

He has directed television in the past and he’s currently in production on Netflix and Tina Fey’s The Four Seasons and he has the Netflix limited series The Madness. He also plays Joe Jackson in the Michael Jackson biopic Michael.

Lights Out: Nat King Cole, which Domingo wrote with director Patricia McGregor, will premiere at New York Theater Workshop in the spring, after it premiered at the Geffen Theater in 2019.

Netflix Renews Guy Ritchie’s “The Gentlemen,” Starring Kaya Scodelario, for Second Season

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There’s more gentlemen in Kaya Scodelario’s future.

Netflix has renewed Guy Ritchie’s series The Gentlemen, starring the 32-year-old half Brazilian actress, for a second season.

Kaya Scodelario,Scodelario and her co-stars Theo James and Daniel Ings will reprise their roles for the eight-episode second installment of the hit series, which was created by Ritchie and based on his film of the same name.

Produced by Miramax Television, the series earned Ritchie an Emmy nomination for his directing work in Season 1. He’ll return to direct and is co-writing season two alongside Matthew Read.

Commissioned by Netflix UK, The Gentlemen was an instant breakout when it was released on March 7, spending 10 weeks in the Top 10 for English-language series, the first three at No. 1.

Talks about another season kicked off right away, with James closing a deal to return in June.

Back in April, he explained why a renewal for the series was not straight-forward.

“It wasn’t genuinely discussed,” he said about a potential second season. “I think it would be a wrangling process with all of us and Guy. But also, I think with a show like this, if you’re going to do more, you need to come up with a really interesting concept for Season 2. Because as much as we enjoyed it and as fun as it was, it needs narrative drive.”

Set in the world of Ritchie’s 2019 Miramax film, the series’ first season centered on Eddie Horniman (James) who unexpectedly inherits his father’s sizeable country estate – only to discover it’s part of a cannabis empire. Moreover, a host of unsavory characters from Britain’s criminal underworld want a piece of the operation. Determined to extricate his family from their clutches, Eddie tries to play the gangsters at their own game. However, as he gets sucked into the world of criminality, he begins to find a taste for it, with an unexpected ally found in the sophisticated yet ruthless Susie Glass (Scodelario).

Netflix Releases Trailer for Kaya Scodelario’s “The Gentlemen” Series

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Kaya Scodelario has found her gentlemen…

Netflix has released the official trailer for Guy Ritchie’s highly-anticipated television series The Gentlemen, a spin-off of the Matthew McConaughey-led film starring the 31-year-old half-Brazilian English actress.

Kaya Scodelario, Theo James, The GentlemenThe trailer introduces a wealth of new characters into the Gentlemen universe, with the series set to be helmed by White Lotus star Theo James and drop on the streamer in March.

The eight-part show is created by Ritchie, inspired by the 2019 Miramax film.

It follows Eddie Horniman (James), who has inherited his English aristocrat father’s sizable estate and becomes the new Duke of Halstead — only to discover that it’s sitting on top of the biggest weed farm in Europe, which is owned by the legendary Mickey Pearson.

In addition to Scodelario and James, the series also stars the likes of  Vinnie Jones, Joely Richardson, Daniel Ings, Giancarlo Esposito, Peter Serafinowicz and Max Beesley, most of whom can be seen in the trailer.

Ritchie directs the first two episodes.

Freddie Prinze Jr. Signs with A3 Artists Agency for Representation

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Freddie Prinze Jr. has new representation…

The 47-year-old part-Puerto Rican actor has signed with A3 Artists Agency for representation.

Freddie Prinze Jr. Prinze is best known for starring in such films as the Miramax rom-com She’s All That with Rachael Leigh Cook, Columbia Pictures’ slasher hit I Know What You Did Last Summer and sequel I Still Know What You Did Last Summer, which had him sharing the screen with Jennifer Love Hewitt, and Warner Bros’ Scooby-Doo films of the early 2000s.

Prinze most recently starred opposite Lucifer‘s Aimee Garcia in the Netflix holiday rom-com Christmas with You, which last year spent two weeks on Netflix’s Global Top 10 list for English-Language Films.

He’s also in recent years lent his voice to video games and family-friendly animated series like Disney XD’s Star Wars Rebels, which had him voicing Kanan Jarrus, one of the last surviving Jedi Knights.

His additional television credits include Peacock’s recent Punky Brewster revival and 24.

Prinze has also expanded of late into the podcast space, co-hosting Wrestling with Freddie on iHeartMedia’s My Cultura Network with Jeff Dye and That Was Pretty Scary, a film podcast co-hosted by Jon Lee Brody, which has the pair discussing their favorite iconic horror films.

Prinze and Hewitt entered talks to star in a new I Know What You Did Last Summer sequel for Sony earlier this year. Jennifer Kaytin Robinson is attached to direct from a script by Leah McKendrick, with producer Neal H. Moritz in talks to return, as well.

Kaya Scodalerio Joins Cast of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix Series “The Gentlemen”

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Kaya Scodalerio has entered into a Gentelmen’s agreement

The 30-year-old half-Brazilian actress has joined the cast of Guy Ritchie’s Netflix series The Gentlemen, inspired by Ritchie’s 2019 Miramax film.

Kaya ScodelarioScodalerio is among a list of new cast additions that includes Vinnie Jones, Giancarlo Esposito, Daniel Ings, Joely Richardson and Peter Serafinowicz.

The eight-part drama series follows Eddie Halstead (James), who has inherited his father’s sizeable estate only to discover that it’s sitting on top of a weed empire owned by the legendary Mickey Pearson. Has this straight-up soldier got what it takes to master the dark arts of the British criminal underworld and take control of the entire operation?

Scodalerio will play Susie Glass, the yin to Eddie Halstead’s (Theo James) yang who oversees Mickey Pearson’s drug business; Jones will play Geoff Seacombe, the groundskeeper of the estate; Ings will play Freddy Halstead, Eddie’s older sibling who owes dangerous people a debt; Richardson will play Lady Sabrina, Eddie and Freddy’s mother.

Ritchie is at the helm of the production, serving as creator, co-writer and executive producer and will direct the first two episodes. Matthew Read will co-write The Gentlemen with Ritchie.

“The world of The Gentlemen is a little bit of me,” Ritchie said in a statement. “I’m thrilled that with Netflix, Miramax and Moonage we have this opportunity to inhabit it once again. We’re looking forward to bringing fans back into that world, introducing new characters and their stories and I am excited to be doing it with this extremely talented cast.”

Production begins November 7 in London on the series set in the world of the 2019 film but not starring the original characters.

“The Gentlemen marks a proud moment for Miramax Television,” said the head of global television at Miramax TV. “We are thrilled to partner with the always brilliant Guy Ritchie as he directs his unique cinematic lens towards television for the very first time.  We are excited to partner with Netflix and Moonage in bringing Guy’s distinctive creative vision to a global audience.”

Scodelario’s previous credits include Spinning Out, the Maze Runner film series, Resident Evil: Welcome to Raccoon City and Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales.

Bobby Cannavale to Star Opposite Bill Burr in the Comedy “Old Dads”

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Bobby Cannavale is reporting for (old) dad duty…

The 51-year-old half-Cuban American actor will star in the original comedy film Old Dads.

Bobby CannavaleWritten, directed and co-starring comedian/actor Bill Burr, the film centers on a middle-aged father (Burr) and his two best friends (Cannavale and Bokeem Woodbine) who after selling their company to a millennial, find themselves out of step and behind the times as they hilariously struggle to navigate a changing world of culture, career and fatherhood.

Burr and Ben Tishler penned the script and are producing with Bill Block, Monica Levinson and Mike Bertolina.

Production on the film, Burr’s feature directorial debut, kicked off in Los Angeles this week.

Miramax has come aboard to produce in conjunction with Burr’s All Things Comedy.

“I’m very excited to start shooting Old Dads,” said Burr. “This comedy is based on my own and my co-writer, Ben Tishler’s, lives. Miramax has been awesome to work with and I think people are really going to like this movie.”

“Burr is one of the top comedic voices of his generation and he has written a script that’s not just unwaveringly funny, but also full of heart and unfiltered cultural commentary,” added Miramax CEO Bill Block. “We’re thrilled to be collaborating with him and this fantastic cast, including Bobby Cannavale and Bokeem Woodbine.”

Cannavale will next be seen in Andrew Dominik’s Marilyn Monroe film Blonde, toplined by Ana de Armas, also featuring in Netflix’s upcoming Big Mouth spin-off Human Resources.

The actor recently featured in the casts of Illumination and Universal’s Sing 2 and Hulu’s Nine Perfect Strangers. He’s also appeared in such series as Homecoming, Mr. Robot, Angie Tribeca, Will & Grace, Master of None, Vinyl, Nurse Jackie and Boardwalk Empire.

His additional film credits include Superintelligence, The Jesus Rolls, The Irishman, Motherless Brooklyn, Ant-Man and Ant-Man and the Wasp, Ferdinand, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, I, Tonya, The Fundamentals of Caring, Daddy’s Home, Danny Collins, Annie, Adult Beginners, Chef, Blue Jasmine, Win Win, The Other Guys, Brief Interviews with Hideous Men, Paul Blart: Mall Cop, Snakes on a Plane, Fast Food Nation and The Station Agent.

Lorenza Izzo Signs with M88 for Representation

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Lorenza Izzo has new representation…

The 32-year-old Chilean actress and producer has signed with M88 and its sister company Uncmmn for representation.

Lorenza IzzoIzzo will next be seen in Greg Mottola’s Miramax comedy, Confess, Fletch, opposite Jon Hamm.

She can currently be seen in HBO Max’s Emmy-winning comedy series Hacks, and in Lissette Feliciano’s award-winning film Women Is Losers, which was released by HBO Max after premiering in competition at SXSW. Izzo also produced the latter title, in which she stars opposite Shang-Chi‘s Simu Liu.

Izzo has previously appeared on the film side in Quentin Tarantino’s Oscar winner Once Upon a Time… In Hollywood; Universal and Amblin’s The House with a Clock in Its Walls, opposite Jack Black and Cate Blanchett; and writer-director Dan Fogelman’s multigenerational Amazon drama, Life Itself, opposite Oscar Isaac and Olivia Wilde.

She also starred opposite Keanu Reeves and Ana de Armas in the Lionsgate psychological thriller Knock Knock, from director Eli Roth.

Izzo also recently starred on the television side in John Logan’s Penny Dreadful spin-off, City of Angels. Additional TV credits include AMC’s Feed the Beast, in which she starred alongside David Schwimmer and Jim Sturgess, the Gaumont/Netflix series Hemlock Grove, Hulu’s Dimension 404 and the fourth and final season of Hulu’s Casual.

Izzo is well known in Chile for starring in a pair of comedies from director Nicolas Lopez: Que Pena Tu Boda and Que Pena Tu Familia.

She continues to be represented by ICM and Viewpoint.

Former WME Partner Phillip Sun and Macro Founder & CEO Charles D. King launched M88 in 2020, with an eye toward supporting the work of the next generation of artists and cultural leaders. Sun leads the firm with partners Oronde Garrett and Gaby Mena.

Natalie Mendoza to Star as Satine in Broadway’s “Moulin Rouge! The Musical”

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Natalie Mendoza is seeing rouge…

The 42-year-old part-Spanish Australian actress/singer has been cast as the lead role of Broadway’s Moulin Rouge! The Musical, filling the vacancy left when the Tony Award-nominated Karen Olivo resigned in April.

Natalie Mendoza

With the casting of Mendoza, the full Moulin Rouge! cast is in place for the resumption of performances on Friday, September 24, at the Al Hirschfeld Theatre.

The musical originally opened on July 25, 2019, but performances were suspended in March 2020 when Broadway went dark due to the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown.

Mendoza joins a principal cast that also includes Aaron Tveit, Danny Burstein, Sahr Ngaujah, Tam Mutu, Ricky Rojas and Robyn Hurder.

The casting is a bit of a homecoming for Mendoza, who portrayed a can-can dancer named China Doll in Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge!

“From the moment Natalie was cast as China Doll in Moulin Rouge! the film, we knew we had discovered a major young talent,” Luhrmann said in a statement. “That young talent has now blossomed into the lead in our Broadway production. I could not be more thrilled that Natalie will be lowered in that glorious swing as Broadway’s Sparkling Diamond.”

Said Mendoza, “Having been involved with the film from its early conception, the role of Satine has always been close to my heart. This rare jewel of an opportunity to play a character like her on Broadway feels like a full circle moment. With this stunning group of bohemian artists and this uniquely conscious creative team I couldn’t be in better care.”

Mendoza, raised in Australia, previously worked with the Broadway musical’s director Alex Timbers when she appeared as Imelda Marcos in Here Lies Love at London’s Royal National Theatre.

 

He starred on the BBC One drama series Hotel Babylon and The Descent horror film franchise.

On the film side, she’ll next be seen in the buzzy Cannes Film Festival film Annette, directed by Leos Carax and starring Adam Driver and Marion Cotillard.

Mendoza’s other credits include Michael Winterbottom’s futuristic thriller Code 46, Miramax’s The Great Raid and, on television, ABC’s production of South Pacific, ITV’s McDonald & Dodds, CBS’ Blue Bloods and in upcoming episodes of Amazon Prime’s Jack Ryan.

On stage, additional credits include Miss Saigon, Spiderman: Turn Off The Dark and Ghost.

Aubrey Plaza to Star Opposite Jason Statham in Guy Ritchie’s Next Thriller

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Aubrey Plaza is ready to thrill…

The 36-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress will star in Guy Ritchie’s untitled thriller film, which began shooting in Doha, Qatar, this week.

Aubrey Plaza

Plaza stars opposite British rapper Bugzy Malone, Jason Statham and Cary Elwes in the project, which will also shoot in Antalya, Turkey.

The film reunites Ritchie with Statham, marking their second film together for Miramax following Wrath of Man.

“Guy and Jason have repeatedly impressed audiences with their collaborations, and we’re looking forward to bringing this production to the city of Doha, Qatar, a growing market in the entertainment and media space,” said Nasser Al-Khelaifi, chairman of Miramax-owner beIN Media Group.

“This film marks our third collaboration with Ritchie, adding to our expanding list of nearly 20 projects having been released or currently in production since beIN’s acquisition of Miramax – a testament to our continued success achieving the target goals we set forth for the studio’s evolution while remaining committed to prioritizing investments in innovative and culturally relevant films.”

In the film, MI6 guns-and-steel agent Orson Fortune (Statham) is recruited by a global intelligence agency to track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology that threatens to disrupt the world order. Reluctantly paired with CIA high-tech expert Sarah Fidel, Fortune sets off on a globe-trotting mission where he will have to use his charm, ingenuity and stealth to track down and infiltrate billionaire arms broker Greg Simmonds.

Ritchie will direct and produce from a screenplay written by Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies.

STX will distribute directly in the U.S., UK and Ireland.

Plaza’s previous film credits include Happiest Season, Ingrid Goes West and Dirty Grandpa.

Aubrey Plaza to Star Opposite Jason Statham in Guy Ritchie’s Next Thriller

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High five to Aubrey Plaza!

The 36-year-old half-Puerto Rican actress/comedian is set to star Jason Statham in the Guy Ritchie untitled thriller formally known as Five Eyes. Miramax is producing and financing with STX handling distribution.

Aubrey Plaza

The story follows MI6 guns-and-steel agent (Statham) who’s recruited by a global intelligence alliance to track down and stop the sale of a deadly new weapons technology that threatens to disrupt the world order. Reluctantly paired with CIA high-tech expert, Fortune sets off on a globe-trotting mission where he will have to use all of his charm, ingenuity and stealth to track down and infiltrate billionaire arms broker.

 

The film will be produced Bill Block for Miramax, which is also fully financing the film.

Ritchie will direct and produce from a screenplay written by The Gentlemen scribes Ivan Atkinson and Marn Davies with revisions by Ritchie.

The news comes after Plaza’s scene-stealing role in the romantic comedy Happiest Season, which earned her critical acclaim and a massive amount of praise across social media.

She can be seen next in Lawrence Levine’s Black Bear on December 4th.  The film premiered at the 2020 Sundance Film Festival and garnered Plaza rave reviews for her performance.

She recently recently wrapped production on Lina Roessler’s Best Sellers starring opposite Michael Caine. Plaza most recently received critical acclaim for her role in Ingrid Goes West, which she produced and won the 2018 Independent Spirit Award for “Best First Feature.” Additionally, she recently starred in Noah Hawley’s television series, Legion on FX.