The Playlist

'Zombieland' & 'Gangster Squad' Director Ruben Fleischer Going Sci-Fi With New Project

By Ken Guidry
|
April 26, 2013 1:00 PM
|
0 Comments

News

It was probably be a safe bet that Ruben Fleischer would want to move on from “Gangster Squad” as quickly as possible. The numerous delays, the re-shoots and the middling box office returns must have put a damper on what initially seemed like a star-studded potential hit. It seems the young director is looking to broaden his genre base by signing on to direct and produce an as yet untitled sci-fi/fantasy film on behalf of Sony Pictures.

More:

Creating A New 1940s Los Angeles, Responding To Aurora & More From The Cast & Crew About 'Gangster Squad'

By Charlie Schmidlin
|
January 8, 2013 10:03 AM
|
0 Comments

News

For his third directorial effort following the genre mélange of action comedies “Zombieland” and “30 Minutes or Less,” Ruben Fleischer has taken a leap forward in scope and ambition, while taking the narrative back to 1940s Los Angeles. Inspired by the seven-part LA Times articles by Paul Lieberman, “Gangster Squad” charts the apex of NY gangster Mickey Cohen's westward reign, and the guerilla band of LAPD organized to bring it to an end. Armed with a passion for period detail and a modern sensibility, Fleischer has stepped up to the challenge with a fantastic cast behind him, and at the film's Beverly Hills press conference last month, stars Ryan Gosling, Josh Brolin and Emma Stone -- along with screenwriter/former LAPD cop Will Beall and producers Dan Lin and Kevin McCormick -- joined the director in describing the experience of bringing the project to the screen.

More:

‘Gangster Squad’ Director Ruben Fleischer Says Cutting Shooting Sequence Was The "Appropriate And Responsible Thing To Do"

By Edward Davis
|
December 18, 2012 12:52 PM
|
13 Comments

News

Shooting tragedies in this country are becoming a chillingly common occurrence of late. Responses are tricky: how to balance the desire to be respectful, with not going overboard and becoming overprotective? The question of censorship hit in July, after the shooting tragedy at a movie theater in Aurora, Colorado. The 1940s period picture “Gangster Squad” starring Sean Penn, Josh Brolin and Ryan Gosling landed at the center of the fallout for a sequence in the film's trailers that showed Mickey Cohen (Penn) and his men in the middle of a firefight in a movie theater. The connotations of purposely gunning down moviegoers, like the disturbed real-life shooter, no doubt left many feeling that "Gangster Squad" was suddenly in poor taste. Warner Bros. rightly decided to begin pulling the trailer from theaters, and then considered what their next move should be.

More:

Watch: Ryan Gosling & Sean Penn Shoot It Out In New Trailer For 'Gangster Squad'

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
October 11, 2012 8:10 PM
|
10 Comments

News

We're not sure if we'd go far as to describe it as 'troubled,' but "Gangster Squad" certainly hasn't had the best luck. The period actioner, directed by "Zombieland" helmer Ruben Fleischer, was one of Warner Bros' great hopes for 2012, with an A-list cast assembled including Ryan Gosling, Emma Stone, Josh Brolin and Sean Penn. But after the Aurora shootings in July, the studio made the decision to pull advertising for the movie, delay the release from September until January, and reshoot the ending (which was originally a gunfight in a movie theater).

More:

'Zombieland' Director Ruben Fleischer To Helm Video Game Adaptation 'Spy Hunter'

By Kevin Jagernauth
|
September 25, 2012 9:55 AM
|
0 Comments

News

Well, it can't be said that Ruben Fleischer is being predictable with his movie choices. After breaking out with the horror comedy "Zombieland," he's gone on to direct a zany buddy movie in "30 Minutes Or Less," and is currently finishing up the period gangster flick "Gangster Squad," which recently underwent reshoots following the tragic events in Aurora, Colorado over the summer. And for his next move, Fleischer will take on a video game.

More:

Rumor: Are The Wachowskis Another Possibility To Direct 'Justice League'?

By Oliver Lyttelton
|
August 26, 2012 9:52 AM
|
20 Comments

News

The big directorial vacancy right now in Hollywood is the one for "Justice League," the superhero team-up movie that Warner Bros. hope will help them catch up to the success of Marvel's "The Avengers." The studio unsuccessfully tried to get the supergroup going a few years back with George Miller at the helm, but with Christopher Nolan's Bat series wrapped up and "Man of Steel" on the way, it's now a major priority for the studio, with a script commissioned from "Gangster Squad" scribe Will Beall and an active hunt for a director underway in the hope that the film would provide a launching pad for other DC heroes like Wonder Woman, The Flash and a revamped Green Lantern.

More:

Analeigh Tipton & Miles Teller Will Have A 'Two Night Stand'

By Joe Cunningham
|
August 2, 2012 12:24 PM
|
0 Comments

News

Ruben Fleischer’s probably happy just to be able to have some degree of control over a film he’s working on at the moment after the farce that has developed around the much-discussed “Gangster Squad.” But some positive development on one of his producing projects is something for the “Zombieland” director to cling on to, with “Two Night Stand” lining up a pair of exciting young leads. Mark Hammer’s Black List script has Max Nichols attached to direct what will be his debut feature, and now the casting is in full swing with Miles Teller and Analeigh Tipton joining the project.

More:

Meet The 'Gangster Squad' In New Photo From Ruben Fleischer's L.A. Noir Flick

By Simon Dang
|
January 15, 2012 10:08 AM
|
2 Comments

News

There's been glimpses here and there from paparazzi pics and, of course, the first official image of Josh Brolin and Sean Penn squaring off but we now have our first look at the titular "Gangster Squad" in "Zombieland" and "30 Minutes Or Less" director Ruben Fleischer's L.A.-set noir flick.

More:

Little-Known Ambyr Childers Books PTA's 'The Master' & Ruben Fleischer's 'Gangster Squad'

By Simon Dang
|
October 4, 2011 3:47 AM
|
5 Comments

It's an early sign of talent to watch out for when little-known actors manage to score roles in major, highly anticipated films. Going by that theory then, Ambyr Childers -- best known for her stint as Colby Chandler on "All My Children" -- is definitely someone to keep an eye on after nabbing a part in Paul Thomas Anderson's "The Master" and now joining Ruben Fleischer's "Gangster Squad."

More: