What can serve a viewer better than a perfectly worked out mix of genres in one movie? So the fans of, for example, a bizarre comedy and a crime thriller could enjoy it together, right? Well, these exact genres get mixed together in a new movie that most certainly flew under your radar, but is a must-watch!
The movie we are talking about is called Laroy, Texas, and as you can tell from the name, this is exactly where everything takes place. The movie was released in April of this year, but still hasn't made it to the masses.
Directed and written by Shane Atkinson, it's one of the best dark comedy thrillers in years, about a small town plagued by vigilantes, beauty queens, and murder. At the center of the movie is a rather surreal story that actually begins with a gripping image of a killer aiming at his...
The movie we are talking about is called Laroy, Texas, and as you can tell from the name, this is exactly where everything takes place. The movie was released in April of this year, but still hasn't made it to the masses.
Directed and written by Shane Atkinson, it's one of the best dark comedy thrillers in years, about a small town plagued by vigilantes, beauty queens, and murder. At the center of the movie is a rather surreal story that actually begins with a gripping image of a killer aiming at his...
- 6/8/2024
- by info@startefacts.com (Rachel Bailey)
- STartefacts.com
Exclusive: Matthew Del Negro (City on a Hill) is joining season 3 of Mayor of Kingstown.
Del Negro will play the role of Will Breen, a charming, seemingly good natured corrections officer at the Kingstown Women’s Prison. He will recur for five episodes.
The 10-episode third season of the Paramount+ drama series will premiere Sunday, June 2. In Season 3, a series of explosions rock Kingstown and its citizens, as a new face of the Russian mob sets up shop in the city, and a drug war rages inside and outside prison walls. The pressure is on Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner) to end the war but things get complicated when a familiar face from his incarcerated past threatens to undermine the Mayor’s attempts to keep the peace among all factions.
Most recently, Del Negro co-starred as Detective Chris Caysen on Showtime’s City on a Hill opposite Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge.
Del Negro will play the role of Will Breen, a charming, seemingly good natured corrections officer at the Kingstown Women’s Prison. He will recur for five episodes.
The 10-episode third season of the Paramount+ drama series will premiere Sunday, June 2. In Season 3, a series of explosions rock Kingstown and its citizens, as a new face of the Russian mob sets up shop in the city, and a drug war rages inside and outside prison walls. The pressure is on Mike McLusky (Jeremy Renner) to end the war but things get complicated when a familiar face from his incarcerated past threatens to undermine the Mayor’s attempts to keep the peace among all factions.
Most recently, Del Negro co-starred as Detective Chris Caysen on Showtime’s City on a Hill opposite Kevin Bacon and Aldis Hodge.
- 5/8/2024
- by Lynette Rice
- Deadline Film + TV
"It's important to finish things once we start them..." Vudu has revealed an official trailer for an indie crime comedy called Laroy, Texas, formerly known as just Laroy. This is officially set for a release starting in April, streaming directly on the Vudu service if anyone is interested in this tomfoolery. When Ray discovers that his wife is cheating on him, he decides he is going to kill himself. His plans suddenly change when a stranger mistakes him for a low-rent hitman. Broke and depressed, Ray is mistaken for a dangerous hitman and given an envelope of cash. Along with his P.I. friend Skip, he must escape the actual hitman to make it out of Laroy alive. Starring John Magaro (from Past Lives & First Cow) as Ray, Steve Zahn as his kooky P.I. friend, Dylan Baker, Galadriel Stineman, Matthew Del Negro, Bob Clendenin, Brad Leland, Megan Stevenson, & Emily Pendergast.
- 3/8/2024
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Exclusive: Plan B Entertainment has started a new micro budget film finance initiative to produce and finance lower cost films which will be led by newly hired Caddy Vanasirikul. The veteran film producer and acquisition and production executive will manage Plan B’s forthcoming slate in this sector.
The first film under this new initiative is Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke’s Olmo, which recently completed shooting in New Mexico under an interim agreement. Co-written with Vanesa Garnica and directed by Eimbcke, and produced with Erendira Nunez LariosEréndira Núñez Larios and Michel Franco’s Teorema, the bilingual story is about 14 year-old Olmo, who must take care of his bedridden father who has Multiple Sclerosis. But when Olmo’s goddess neighbor Nina Sandoval invites him to a party, his world is turned upside down.
Eimbcke’s feature directorial debut Temporada de patos (Duck Season) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won...
The first film under this new initiative is Mexican filmmaker Fernando Eimbcke’s Olmo, which recently completed shooting in New Mexico under an interim agreement. Co-written with Vanesa Garnica and directed by Eimbcke, and produced with Erendira Nunez LariosEréndira Núñez Larios and Michel Franco’s Teorema, the bilingual story is about 14 year-old Olmo, who must take care of his bedridden father who has Multiple Sclerosis. But when Olmo’s goddess neighbor Nina Sandoval invites him to a party, his world is turned upside down.
Eimbcke’s feature directorial debut Temporada de patos (Duck Season) premiered at the Cannes Film Festival and won...
- 12/1/2023
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Kristian Mercado (Nuevo Rico) directed from a screenplay by Angela Bourassa (A Little Distracted).
The Exchange has boarded international sales rights to the romantic comedy If You Were The Last starring Anthony Mackie and Zoe Chao and will launch AFM sales this week.
Kristian Mercado (Nuevo Rico) directed from a screenplay by Angela Bourassa (A Little Distracted) about a male and female astronaut stranded in their broken-down spaceship who argue over whether they should spend their remaining days as friends or something more.
The film just debuted in the US on the Peacock streaming platform and is produced by The Promise,...
The Exchange has boarded international sales rights to the romantic comedy If You Were The Last starring Anthony Mackie and Zoe Chao and will launch AFM sales this week.
Kristian Mercado (Nuevo Rico) directed from a screenplay by Angela Bourassa (A Little Distracted) about a male and female astronaut stranded in their broken-down spaceship who argue over whether they should spend their remaining days as friends or something more.
The film just debuted in the US on the Peacock streaming platform and is produced by The Promise,...
- 10/30/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The American Film Festival (Aff) in Wrocław have unveiled the line-up for their upcoming 14th edition (November 7th to 12th) and we find Kristoffer Borgli’s Dream Scenario opening the fest (the film had its world preem in the Platform section at TIFF) and Michel Franco‘s Venice-winning Memory closes the festival. Along with Deauville as one of the premium stops showcasing American indie film outside of North America, this year’s competition section (Spectrum) will showcase films such as Savanah Leaf’s Earth Mama, Raven Jackson’s All Dirt Roads Taste of Salt, Lucy Kerr’s Family Portrait, Shane Atkinson’s Laroy and Monica Sorelle’s Mountains.…...
- 10/24/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
Gritty drama premiered at Tribeca Festival.
The Exchange has boarded international sales to Jennifer Esposito’s debut feature Fresh Kills and will launch sales at AFM on the female-driven family story set in the world of organised crime.
The gritty drama, also written by, starring and co-produced by Esposito, premiered at 2023 Tribeca Festival and has had a strong run on the US festival circuit since.
It won the audience award for best narrative feature and an honorary prize for Excellence in Directing a Narrative Film from NY Women in Film & Television at Hamptons International Festival, in addition to the Best...
The Exchange has boarded international sales to Jennifer Esposito’s debut feature Fresh Kills and will launch sales at AFM on the female-driven family story set in the world of organised crime.
The gritty drama, also written by, starring and co-produced by Esposito, premiered at 2023 Tribeca Festival and has had a strong run on the US festival circuit since.
It won the audience award for best narrative feature and an honorary prize for Excellence in Directing a Narrative Film from NY Women in Film & Television at Hamptons International Festival, in addition to the Best...
- 10/24/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Not long ago, an award-winning Polish composer who’d scored dozens of films approached Ula Śniegowska about U.S. in Progress, an industry event conceived as a bridge between the Polish and American markets that runs parallel to the American Film Festival in Wrocław, Poland.
“He approached me saying, ‘I’ve done enough in the Polish market. I need an introduction to the international market. Can you, as U.S. in Progress, help me?’” Śniegowska recalls. “It seems we are a perfect matchmaker for those types of companies to have their work exposed in the U.S.”
Celebrating its 13th edition, U.S. in Progress was launched as a showcase for emerging independent American filmmakers. Each year, the event presents a curated selection of American indie titles in the final stages of production to European sales agents, distributors and festival programmers. This year’s edition takes place Nov. 8 – 10.
Since its inception,...
“He approached me saying, ‘I’ve done enough in the Polish market. I need an introduction to the international market. Can you, as U.S. in Progress, help me?’” Śniegowska recalls. “It seems we are a perfect matchmaker for those types of companies to have their work exposed in the U.S.”
Celebrating its 13th edition, U.S. in Progress was launched as a showcase for emerging independent American filmmakers. Each year, the event presents a curated selection of American indie titles in the final stages of production to European sales agents, distributors and festival programmers. This year’s edition takes place Nov. 8 – 10.
Since its inception,...
- 10/24/2023
- by Christopher Vourlias
- Variety Film + TV
Before we get all focused on next year’s Sundance, one of the last major pit-stops for emerging American indie filmmaker talent can be found at the American Film Fest in Wrocław – more specifically the U.S. in Progress section. Now in its thirteenth edition, they’ve been championing and supporting plenty of noteworthy micro-independent films in their final editing stages. If we look at some of last year’s picks we find Shane Atkinson’s Laroy (which recently took the top prize at Deauville, we have Monica Sorelle’s Mountains which preemd at Tribeca and got an extremely rare showing afterwards for TIFF, we have Lucy Kerr who was just at Locarno with Family Portrait.…...
- 10/2/2023
- by Eric Lavallée
- IONCINEMA.com
The new initiative brings together five international filmmakers with feature films in development and three composers.
Cannes’ Critics Week has expanded its shorts-to-features Next Step programme with inaugural workshop Next Step Volume II that runs September 25-30 in the Corsican mountains.
The new initiative brings together five international filmmakers with feature films in development and three composers for what organisers call “the vital stage of script rewriting”.
The selected directors and composers will spend a week at the Northern Corsican creative hub founded by filmmaker Antoine Viviani to hone their scripts and integrate a score with the help of international experts and consultants.
Cannes’ Critics Week has expanded its shorts-to-features Next Step programme with inaugural workshop Next Step Volume II that runs September 25-30 in the Corsican mountains.
The new initiative brings together five international filmmakers with feature films in development and three composers for what organisers call “the vital stage of script rewriting”.
The selected directors and composers will spend a week at the Northern Corsican creative hub founded by filmmaker Antoine Viviani to hone their scripts and integrate a score with the help of international experts and consultants.
- 9/25/2023
- by Rebecca Leffler
- ScreenDaily
Exclusive: Indie distributor Brainstorm Media has locked down North American rights to Laroy, a darkly comedic thriller starring John Magaro (First Cow), Steve Zahn (The White Lotus) and Dylan Baker (Happiness) that world premiered at the 2023 Tribeca Festival and nabbed three awards at the Deauville American Film Festival, including the Grand Prix, Audience Award, and Critics Award.
The film is the first from writer-director Shane Atkinson and is set for release in theaters and on digital in 2024.
Hailing from Next Productions, Laroy follows a down-and-out man who is mistaken for a hired killer, leading him to play a dangerous game with dire consequences. Magaro leads the ensemble as Ray, who, after discovering his wife is cheating on him, decides to kill himself. He buys a gun, drives to the seedy motel where she and her lover are entangled, and is about to do the deed — but before he can pull the trigger,...
The film is the first from writer-director Shane Atkinson and is set for release in theaters and on digital in 2024.
Hailing from Next Productions, Laroy follows a down-and-out man who is mistaken for a hired killer, leading him to play a dangerous game with dire consequences. Magaro leads the ensemble as Ray, who, after discovering his wife is cheating on him, decides to kill himself. He buys a gun, drives to the seedy motel where she and her lover are entangled, and is about to do the deed — but before he can pull the trigger,...
- 9/14/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Paris-based leading distribution company Arp Selection has bought a pair of U.S. indie gems from the fall festival circuit, Shane Atkinson’s feature debut “Laroy” and Sofia Coppola’s “Priscilla.”
“Laroy,” a neo-noir Western comedy with Coen brothers influences, just won three major prizes at the Deauville Film Festival, including the Grand Prize, Audience Award and Critics Prize; while “Priscilla” world premiered at the Venice Film Festival and won best actress for Cailee Spaeny.
Produced by Cannes-based company Adastra Films, the film stars John Magaro as Ray, who decides to kill himself after discovering his wife has been cheating on him. But just before he pulls a trigger, a stranger takes him for a low-rent hitman.
Michele Halberstadt, who presides over Arp Selection with Laurent Pétin, praised “Laroy” for its “wonderful script, pitch-perfect performances and heart.” She said she had a “coup de coeur” for the movie after discovering...
“Laroy,” a neo-noir Western comedy with Coen brothers influences, just won three major prizes at the Deauville Film Festival, including the Grand Prize, Audience Award and Critics Prize; while “Priscilla” world premiered at the Venice Film Festival and won best actress for Cailee Spaeny.
Produced by Cannes-based company Adastra Films, the film stars John Magaro as Ray, who decides to kill himself after discovering his wife has been cheating on him. But just before he pulls a trigger, a stranger takes him for a low-rent hitman.
Michele Halberstadt, who presides over Arp Selection with Laurent Pétin, praised “Laroy” for its “wonderful script, pitch-perfect performances and heart.” She said she had a “coup de coeur” for the movie after discovering...
- 9/10/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Shane Atkinson’s “Laroy,” a crime thriller laced with dark comedy, swept three major prizes at the 49th edition of the Deauville American Film Festival.
The movie, which marks Atkinson’s feature debut and showcases Coen brothers influences, won the Grand Prize, the Audience Award and the Critics Award. It stars John Magaro as Ray, who decides to kill himself after discovering his wife has been cheating on him. But just before he pulls a trigger, a stranger takes him for a low-rent hitman. The movie was produced by the Cannes-based company Adastra Films and was acquired by a French distributor, Arp Selection, during the Deauville Film Festival. It previously opened at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The Jury Prize, meanwhile was shared by two films, Sean Price Williams’ “The Sweet East” and Iranian-born director Babak Jalali’s “Fremont.” “The Sweet East” marks the feature debut of Price, a well-established cinematographer whose credits include “Good Time.
The movie, which marks Atkinson’s feature debut and showcases Coen brothers influences, won the Grand Prize, the Audience Award and the Critics Award. It stars John Magaro as Ray, who decides to kill himself after discovering his wife has been cheating on him. But just before he pulls a trigger, a stranger takes him for a low-rent hitman. The movie was produced by the Cannes-based company Adastra Films and was acquired by a French distributor, Arp Selection, during the Deauville Film Festival. It previously opened at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The Jury Prize, meanwhile was shared by two films, Sean Price Williams’ “The Sweet East” and Iranian-born director Babak Jalali’s “Fremont.” “The Sweet East” marks the feature debut of Price, a well-established cinematographer whose credits include “Good Time.
- 9/9/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Deauville American Film Festival will forge ahead with its honorary tributes to stars such as Natalie Portman, Jude Law, Peter Dinklage and Joseph Gordon-Levitt despite the fact that they won’t be in attendance due to the SAG-AFTRA strike.
The festival’s artistic director, Bruno Barde, told Variety ahead of the event’s press conference on Thursday that he empathized with actors and writers who are on strike to “protect themselves against the dangers of artificial intelligence.”
“AI has always existed in cinema and it’s now posing a threat to screenwriters, set designers, dubbers and, of course, to actors whom we’re using the image of. Cinema is an art that elevates humankind, and artificial intelligence does the exact opposite. It’s a danger,” Barde said.
And while he stands in solidarity with the strike, he has opted “to maintain all the tributes which will pay homage to careers...
The festival’s artistic director, Bruno Barde, told Variety ahead of the event’s press conference on Thursday that he empathized with actors and writers who are on strike to “protect themselves against the dangers of artificial intelligence.”
“AI has always existed in cinema and it’s now posing a threat to screenwriters, set designers, dubbers and, of course, to actors whom we’re using the image of. Cinema is an art that elevates humankind, and artificial intelligence does the exact opposite. It’s a danger,” Barde said.
And while he stands in solidarity with the strike, he has opted “to maintain all the tributes which will pay homage to careers...
- 8/17/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy
- Variety Film + TV
Frances Fisher Says Striking Actors’ Morale Still High: ‘Nothing Has Changed in Our Resolve’ (Video)
Actress Frances Fisher, who’s also a SAG-AFTRA negotiator, said on Monday that “nothing has changed in our resolve,” despite AMPTP’s lack of communication with the actors’ guild and Friday’s unproductive talks between the studio’s reps and the WGA.
“We’re all standing strong. You know, nothing has changed in our resolve, the negotiating committee, the national board, and all of our local boards are 100% behind this,” she told TheWrap at the Paramount picket line, video of which you can watch above.
“The business model has got to change and it will, come hell or high water. It’s up to the studios, it’s up to the CEOs to make that call,” the “Titanic” actress said.
Other actors TheWrap who spoke to on Monday shared her take that morale among strikers has not taken a hit, even as the financial effects of the strike are being felt more deeply.
“We’re all standing strong. You know, nothing has changed in our resolve, the negotiating committee, the national board, and all of our local boards are 100% behind this,” she told TheWrap at the Paramount picket line, video of which you can watch above.
“The business model has got to change and it will, come hell or high water. It’s up to the studios, it’s up to the CEOs to make that call,” the “Titanic” actress said.
Other actors TheWrap who spoke to on Monday shared her take that morale among strikers has not taken a hit, even as the financial effects of the strike are being felt more deeply.
- 8/8/2023
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Today, the Deauville American Film Festival in France reveals the 14 U.S. independent films selected for competition at the festival’s 49th edition, to take place September 1-10. This year, French actor, director and producer Guillaume Canet will preside over the main competition jury, which also includes filmmakers Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Alexandre Aja and Léa Mysius and actress Rebecca Marder. We’ve covered several titles in this year’s lineup on the Filmmaker site: Vadim Rizov positively reviewed Babak Jalali’s Fremont out of Sundance, Scott Macaulay recommended Joanna Arnow’s The Feeling That The Time For Doing Something Has Passed and Shane Atkinson’s Laroy […]
The post Deauville American Film Festival Reveals 2023 U.S. Indie Competition Titles first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Deauville American Film Festival Reveals 2023 U.S. Indie Competition Titles first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 7/27/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine - Blog
Today, the Deauville American Film Festival in France reveals the 14 U.S. independent films selected for competition at the festival’s 49th edition, to take place September 1-10. This year, French actor, director and producer Guillaume Canet will preside over the main competition jury, which also includes filmmakers Laure de Clermont-Tonnerre, Alexandre Aja and Léa Mysius and actress Rebecca Marder. We’ve covered several titles in this year’s lineup on the Filmmaker site: Vadim Rizov positively reviewed Babak Jalali’s Fremont out of Sundance, Scott Macaulay recommended Joanna Arnow’s The Feeling That The Time For Doing Something Has Passed and Shane Atkinson’s Laroy […]
The post Deauville American Film Festival Reveals 2023 U.S. Indie Competition Titles first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
The post Deauville American Film Festival Reveals 2023 U.S. Indie Competition Titles first appeared on Filmmaker Magazine.
- 7/27/2023
- by Filmmaker Staff
- Filmmaker Magazine-Director Interviews
Shane Atkinson’s debut sets itself in the ever-so-small town of Laroy. Ray (John Magaro) is a man living the simple life, married to the local beauty-pageant queen and working at his family’s hardware store alongside his brother, Junior (Matthew Del Negro). He’s not unhappy, but not quite happy either. His existence depends on raising enough money for his wife Stacy-Lynn (Megan Stevenson) to open a salon. Her happiness results in his own happiness. Unfortunately, she’s not happy––at least not with Ray.
An unabashed quasi-homage to the Coen brothers, Laroy concerns a case of mistaken identity. Ray happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and so when he’s assumed to be a hitman he obliges. As the confusion and dead bodies begin stacking up, Ray and his friend-turned-private eye Skip (Steve Zahn) must solve the plethora of crimes that lay in their wake.
An unabashed quasi-homage to the Coen brothers, Laroy concerns a case of mistaken identity. Ray happens to be at the wrong place at the wrong time, and so when he’s assumed to be a hitman he obliges. As the confusion and dead bodies begin stacking up, Ray and his friend-turned-private eye Skip (Steve Zahn) must solve the plethora of crimes that lay in their wake.
- 6/22/2023
- by Michael Frank
- The Film Stage
Comparisons to the work of the Coen brothers are made too often in film criticism, but sometimes a film comes along regarding which it is entirely appropriate, where a particular blend of quirkiness, pitch black comedy and heart is matched by compelling performances and easy visual flair. Laroy is such a film, and although director Shane Atkinson may not be a serious threat to the brothers’ status as yet, there is enough here to guarantee fans of that style a thoroughly good time.
It begins with two men in a car. One has broken down and hitched a lift with the other. They chat, and their conversation gradually turns to the subject of how risky it is to pick up a hitchhiker on a lonely road at night. Then again, could the risk be the other way round? Though all we do is watch them talk, it’s a gripping scene which.
It begins with two men in a car. One has broken down and hitched a lift with the other. They chat, and their conversation gradually turns to the subject of how risky it is to pick up a hitchhiker on a lonely road at night. Then again, could the risk be the other way round? Though all we do is watch them talk, it’s a gripping scene which.
- 6/9/2023
- by Jennie Kermode
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Twenty-one years ago, Robert De Niro co-founded the Tribeca Film Festival with Jane Rosenthal. While its dates sandwich it between more prestigious festivals like Cannes and Venice, film fans can’t sleep on the festival, especially because of its world premieres. And Tribeca is also a major event that helps kick off the summer months in NYC. During the opening night celebration, Martin Scorsese and New York City Mayor Eric Adams stated that De Niro “revitalized the city after 9/11” and that “the Tribeca festival is an indomitable institution and beacon of the city.”
Read More: Tribeca 2023 Festival: 20 Films To Watch
Shane Atkinson is among the 127 filmmakers bringing their art to the festival this year.
Continue reading ‘Laroy’ Clip: Shane Atkinson Brings An Eccentric Comedy To The 2023 Tribeca Film Festival [Exclusive] at The Playlist.
Read More: Tribeca 2023 Festival: 20 Films To Watch
Shane Atkinson is among the 127 filmmakers bringing their art to the festival this year.
Continue reading ‘Laroy’ Clip: Shane Atkinson Brings An Eccentric Comedy To The 2023 Tribeca Film Festival [Exclusive] at The Playlist.
- 6/9/2023
- by Jamie Rogers
- The Playlist
When Ray Jepsen (John Magaro) pulls into a strip club parking to blow his brains out, his plans for the rest of the week are the furthest thing from his mind. But that’s one of the many, many downsides of suicide that nobody talks about — you create scheduling nightmares for everyone else in your life. And it’s particularly inconvenient when a local sleazebag erroneously believes that he hired you to carry out a murder that must be done tomorrow.
But that’s just life in Laroy, Texas. Shane Atkinson’s feature directorial debut takes place in a fictional town where residents only have three interests: extramarital affairs, blackmailing each other about extramarital affairs, and child beauty pageants. When an obstacle hinders someone’s ability to enjoy those treasured pastimes, murder is the most popular solution.
While suicide is never the answer, it’s easy to understand why Ray is so bummed.
But that’s just life in Laroy, Texas. Shane Atkinson’s feature directorial debut takes place in a fictional town where residents only have three interests: extramarital affairs, blackmailing each other about extramarital affairs, and child beauty pageants. When an obstacle hinders someone’s ability to enjoy those treasured pastimes, murder is the most popular solution.
While suicide is never the answer, it’s easy to understand why Ray is so bummed.
- 6/9/2023
- by Christian Zilko
- Indiewire
The Leader, the upcoming biopic about the Heaven’s Gate cult set to star Tim Blake Nelson and Vera Farmiga, has lured another big-name follower.
The Hollywood Reporter can reveal that Simon Rex has joined the real-life crime drama, unveiled earlier this week at the European Film Market in Berlin, where The Exchange is introducing the project to buyers.
Farmiga and Nelson are set to play Ti and Do, the founders of the UFO cult that in 1997 committed the largest mass suicide to ever take place on American soil. THR understands that Rex — who received critical acclaim for the Cannes-bowing Red Rocket and recently wrapped production on Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debut Pussy Island, one of several upcoming roles — will play a key devotee of the religion who faces devastating consequences when he falls in love with a fellow cult member.
“Simon Rex is the perfect actor to inhabit this humorous,...
The Hollywood Reporter can reveal that Simon Rex has joined the real-life crime drama, unveiled earlier this week at the European Film Market in Berlin, where The Exchange is introducing the project to buyers.
Farmiga and Nelson are set to play Ti and Do, the founders of the UFO cult that in 1997 committed the largest mass suicide to ever take place on American soil. THR understands that Rex — who received critical acclaim for the Cannes-bowing Red Rocket and recently wrapped production on Zoe Kravitz’s directorial debut Pussy Island, one of several upcoming roles — will play a key devotee of the religion who faces devastating consequences when he falls in love with a fellow cult member.
“Simon Rex is the perfect actor to inhabit this humorous,...
- 2/19/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
AnnaSophia Robb has joined Kathy Bates, John Malkovich, Tim Blake Nelson, Stephen Root and Lewis Pullman in the cast of “Thelma.” The Exchange is selling the film at Berlin’s European Film Market.
Robb starred in Hulu’s Emmy-winning series “The Act,” Hulu’s “Little Fires Everywhere” and HBO Max’s “The Carrie Diaries,” and is toplining Netflix’s upcoming “Rebel Ridge.”
“Thelma” tells the true story of the 11-year battle by the mother of John Kennedy Toole, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of “A Confederacy of Dunces,” to get his novel published after his suicide.
“Thelma” was written by Black List screenwriter Andrew Farotte, and is to be directed by Ken Kwapis, who was Emmy-nominated for “The Office” and “Malcolm in the Middle.” Kwapis’ film credits include “A Walk in the Woods” with Robert Redford, “He’s Just Not That into You” with Jennifer Aniston and “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
Robb starred in Hulu’s Emmy-winning series “The Act,” Hulu’s “Little Fires Everywhere” and HBO Max’s “The Carrie Diaries,” and is toplining Netflix’s upcoming “Rebel Ridge.”
“Thelma” tells the true story of the 11-year battle by the mother of John Kennedy Toole, the Pulitzer Prize winning author of “A Confederacy of Dunces,” to get his novel published after his suicide.
“Thelma” was written by Black List screenwriter Andrew Farotte, and is to be directed by Ken Kwapis, who was Emmy-nominated for “The Office” and “Malcolm in the Middle.” Kwapis’ film credits include “A Walk in the Woods” with Robert Redford, “He’s Just Not That into You” with Jennifer Aniston and “The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.
- 2/18/2023
- by Leo Barraclough
- Variety Film + TV
Berlin: Tim Blake Nelson, Vera Farmiga to Star in Heaven’s Gate Cult Biopic ‘The Leader’ (Exclusive)
Tim Blake Nelson and Vera Farmiga are set to play the founders of the religious cult Heaven’s Gate — which participated in a mass suicide in 1997 — in true-crime biopic The Leader, The Hollywood Reporter has learned
Being introduced to buyers at the European Film Market by The Exchange and with Cinemand and Balcony 9 Productions producing, the film sees Farmiga play cult leader Bonnie Nettles, aka “Ti,” with Nelson as the group’s infamous frontman, Marshall Applewhite, aka “Do.”
The Leader tells the true story of the 39 members of Heaven’s Gate — an American UFO cult that believed its followers could transform into immortal extraterrestrials and would ascend to heaven — and how they would commit the largest mass suicide to ever take place on American soil. The film tracks Nettles and Applewhite as they develop the religion, build a devout following and face unforeseen conflict when the spaceship they believed...
Being introduced to buyers at the European Film Market by The Exchange and with Cinemand and Balcony 9 Productions producing, the film sees Farmiga play cult leader Bonnie Nettles, aka “Ti,” with Nelson as the group’s infamous frontman, Marshall Applewhite, aka “Do.”
The Leader tells the true story of the 39 members of Heaven’s Gate — an American UFO cult that believed its followers could transform into immortal extraterrestrials and would ascend to heaven — and how they would commit the largest mass suicide to ever take place on American soil. The film tracks Nettles and Applewhite as they develop the religion, build a devout following and face unforeseen conflict when the spaceship they believed...
- 2/16/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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