The Playlist

James McTeigue To Direct Period Crime Drama 'Ness/Capone' For Relativity

By Drew Taylor
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September 8, 2011 11:28 AM
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0 Comments

Former Wachowski Brothers protégé James McTeigue (he directed both "V for Vendetta" and the gory-good "Ninja Assassin" for the Brothers and producer Joel Silver) has apparently made the suits at Relativity happy. The director helmed their forthcoming Edgar Allan Poe thriller "The Raven," and according to Deadline, they've just hired him back to take on the high profile historical drama "Ness/Capone."

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The '70s Come Alive In First Set Pics from Ben Affleck's 'Argo'

By Drew Taylor
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September 8, 2011 10:01 AM
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3 Comments

For the last few weeks Ben Affleck has been hurriedly assembling an eclectic cast for his next directorial effort, the historical thriller "Argo." We've watched (and reported) as Affleck has brought together a wonderful cast of actors, including Alan Arkin, John Goodman, Bryan Cranston (in a role that forced him out of Ruben Fleischer's "Gangster Squad" and apparently "World War Z"), Kyle Chandler, Tate Donovan, Richard Kind and Michael Parks, who all appear alongside the talented director-star.

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Ruben Fleischer Initially Thought '30 Minutes Or Less' Would Have A Darker, 'Fargo'-Esque Vibe

By Edward Davis
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August 10, 2011 7:02 AM
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0 Comments

Filmmaker Talks Killing Off Characters & The Surprising Survivors Of This Action Comedy & MoreExclusive: Dwayne and Travis (Danny McBride and Nick Swardson), two lazy, but conniving white-trash layabouts, want to open up a tanning salon, but they're broke and Travis' dad (Fred Ward) is a millionaire who refuses to give his indolent son any money. A crazy and circuitous scheme is hatched: kill dad. Where will they get the money to hire an assassin? It's elementary: just force some nobody pizza boy (Jesse Eisenberg) to rob a bank by knocking him out and strapping a bomb to his chest.

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Review: '30 Minutes Or Less' Is A Fun But Forgettable Conclusion To The Summer Of R-Rated Excess

By Drew Taylor
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August 5, 2011 5:31 AM
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2 Comments

Zipping along at a brisk pace -- albeit one that feels like it's rushing to be over -- featuring dueling bromance buddy tales from both protagonists and villains, and mostly amusing in its vulgar humor and gags, the "action"-comedy "30 Minutes Or Less," is entertaining, but ultimately only a mild effort in the mediocre R-Rated comedy sweepstakes that have dominated this season.

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Scheduling Forces Bryan Cranston Out Of Ruben Fleischer's 'Gangster Squad'

By Simon Dang
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July 20, 2011 3:19 AM
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9 Comments

There's just not enough of Bryan Cranston to go around in Hollywood.

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Exclusive: Ruben Fleischer Says 'Zombieland 2' Script Is Done, But Casts Some Doubts

By The Playlist
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July 17, 2011 5:42 AM
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2 Comments

Director Ruben Fleischer made a splash with his debut feature, the satirical genre film, "Zombieland." The surprise hit of summer 2009, the film grossed $102 million worldwide off a relatively low $23 million dollar budget. Not gangbusters numbers, but enough to jumpstart a career for Fleischer and screenwriters Rhett Reese and Paul Wernick who would go on to score coveted (or high-paying) writing assignments like "Deadpool" and "G.I. Joe 2."

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Anthony Mackie Joins Sean Penn, Ryan Gosling and Josh Brolin In 'Gangster Squad'

By Oliver Lyttelton
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June 10, 2011 5:20 AM
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3 Comments

Update: Jamie Foxx & Tom Hanks Courted For Project, Although Unlikely To End Up In FilmGod damn if Ruben Fleischer doesn't keep finding new ways to makes us excited about "Gangster Squad." The "Zombieland" director is moving into more serious territory with Warner Brothers' big-budget period actioner, and has assembled a mouth-watering cast of awards bait, with Sean Penn, Josh Brolin, Ryan Gosling and "Crash" star Michael Peña all confirmed for the film, written by ex-cop Will Beall, based on a series of L.A. Times articles about an L.A.P.D unit in the 1940s.

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Ruben Fleischer Says Michael Peña Has Also Joined 'Gangster Squad'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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June 7, 2011 7:50 AM
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3 Comments

Also Confirms Josh Brolin As Part Of The CastMichael Peña is a great actor who we've been waiting to fall into the right project after breaking out with a strong turn in "Crash." To be fair, he's chosen roles that seemed good on paper but just didn't deliver for a variety of reasons -- "Lions For Lambs," "World Trade Center," "Shooter," "Battle: Los Angeles," "My Son, My Son, What Have Ye Done" -- but 2011 seems to find the actor on the uptick. He recently co-starred in the strong indie flick "Everything Must Go," this spring he was part of the sleeper hit "The Lincoln Lawyer" and he's got the comedy "30 Minutes Or Less" on the horizon. But now it looks like he's joining an incredibly top-shelf cast for one of the hottest projects on the Warner Bros. lot.

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Warner Bros. Wants Sean Penn & Ryan Gosling For Ruben Fleischer's 'Tales From The Gangster Squad'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 30, 2011 7:20 AM
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1 Comment

There is no doubt that "Tales From The Gangster Squad" is very, very high on the priority list at Warner Bros. With names like Darren Aronofsky, Paul Greengrass, Francis Lawrence, Martin Campbell, Greg Berlanti, Scott Cooper and Jose Padilha all being tossed around at various points to direct the film, "Zombieland" helmer Ruben Fleischer landed the gig late last year. But WB isn't done yet trying to lure top talent to their crimeland pic.

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Ruben Fleischer In Negotiations To Direct 'Tales From The Gangster Squad'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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December 1, 2010 9:51 AM
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0 Comments

One of Warner Bros. highest priority projects of late is the true life pic "Tales From The Gangster Squad." They've courted a number of candidates for the gig including Ben Affleck and Darren Aronofsky with names like Paul Greengrass, Francis Lawrence, Martin Campbell and Greg Berlanti said to be on the studio’s short-list. Last we heard, "Crazy Heart" helmer Scott Cooper, Brazilian director of “Elite Squad” Jose Padilha and "Zombieland" director Ruben Fleischer were in contention and now one has risen to the top.

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