The Playlist

Oren Moverman To Write, Maybe Direct 'Terrorist Search Engine' For Scott Rudin & Jesse Eisenberg

By Oliver Lyttelton
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August 10, 2011 1:01 AM
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0 Comments

Israeli-born writer-director Oren Moverman isn't just the owner of one of the best bald heads this side of Greg Mottola,, he's also becoming one of the most in-demand screenwriters around. Having gotten early credits on the likes of "Jesus' Son," "Married Life" and Todd Haynes' "I'm Not There," Moverman broke out with his 2009 directorial debut "The Messenger," which saw him, co-writer Alessandro Camon and star Woody Harrelson all nominated for Oscars. His follow-up "Rampart" is one of our most eagerly anticipated films at Toronto this year, and he's taken a number of high-profile screenwriting jobs of late, including biopics of Kurt Cobain and, more recently, Brian Wilson.

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Jesse Eisenberg May Star In Counter-Terrorism Biopic From 'Social Network' Producer Scott Rudin

By Oliver Lyttelton
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May 12, 2011 4:00 AM
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1 Comment

We're not sure if you're familiar with a little film called "The Social Network." Both a critical and commercial success, it also managed to catch the imagination of the media and audiences in a way that few other films could last year, subject to endless discussion and parodies. In lieu of "The Social Network 2: Tweet Harder," how could those who found such success with it possibly follow it up? Well, director David Fincher moved on to one of the biggest books of the last few years, co-star Andrew Garfield is playing one of the most iconic superheroes, and now the film's lead, Jesse Eisenberg, and producer Scott Rudin look to be reteaming for a project with source material that's just as intriguing as the Facebook picture.

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Universal Gets Cold Feet, Bails On Backing Paul Greengrass' MLK 'Memphis' Film

By The Playlist
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April 2, 2011 2:24 AM
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3 Comments

Director Paul Greengrass cannot catch a break it seems. Ever since the documentarian turned feature-length filmmaker bailed on the 4th 'Bourne' movie, he's had a string of bad luck. His Iraq war thriller, "Green Zone" ballooned around the $150 million mark (even though $100 million is the figure released) and the film pulled in a paltry $35 million domestically even with Jason Bourne-lead Matt Damon as the star. Universal took a beating on the film and the friction on that picture is part of what led Greengrass to leave 'Bourne' (though it should be said that, creatively, Damon and Greengrass were exhausted and would have left the franchise regardless). Waiting in the wings all this time was a Jimi Hendrix biopic that Greengrass had been working on since the early aughts and he had even found a star in "Hurt Locker" actor Anthony Mackie, but the Hendrix estate ultimately balked and the project was deep-sixed.

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'Easy A' Director Will Gluck To Helm 'Social Network' Writer's 'Sex On The Moon'

By Catherine Scott
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March 24, 2011 2:57 AM
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Comedy Filmmaker To Direct Ben Mezrich's NASA-Based Non-Fiction Heist NovelWithout question, one of the comedy filmmakers flying under the radar this past year is Will Gluck, director of last year’s effortlessly charming “Easy A,” starring breakout actress Emma Stone, who nabbed the female lead in "Spider-Man" role not long after that picture did super-strong box-office business.

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David Fincher Eyed To Direct 'Cleopatra' With Angelina Jolie

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 22, 2011 4:50 AM
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12 Comments

There is no doubt that Sony and producer Scott Rudin want big things out of the gestating "Cleopatra." With James Cameron previously sought and Paul Greengrass recently sniffing around (before opting for "Memphis"), the filmmakers have now taken the project to another very high profile name.

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Bill Hader Working On A Secret Project For Scott Rudin With 'Jackass' Writer Vernon Chatman

By Edward Davis
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March 10, 2011 8:38 AM
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6 Comments

Comedian Also Says Judd Apatow Slasher Comedy Is Probably Not Called 'House Of Joel' AnymoreYes, it's turning out to be Bill Hader month on The Playlist, sue us (could be worse, Michael Bay month could start April 1).

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Producer Scott Rudin Gets Behind Martin Scorsese's Frank Sinatra Biopic; Writer Being Sought

By Kevin Jagernauth
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March 7, 2011 7:29 AM
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0 Comments

'Silence' Will Shoot Next, Followed By 'The Wolf Of Wall Street'It seems there is a small flurry of activity regarding a few brewing Martin Scorsese projects recently. This morning we reported that Robert De Niro revealed that "The Irishman" was still very much on the docket, though not a certainty just yet, and recently, the director's publicist told us that he was fully committed to shooting his long-gestating passion project "Silence" next (more on this in a second). But yet another project is now gained a little more traction.

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Oscarbation: The Road To The Oscars 2011 & Predictions

By Gabe Toro
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February 26, 2011 7:52 AM
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6 Comments

Last year, the Academy Awards expanded the field of Best Picture nominees to ten, ostensibly to give the public the feeling of having influence on what awards committees deemed the finest films of the year. Some argued the move was intended to level the populist playing field in 2008 when "The Dark Knight" was not nominated for a Best Picture award, and the public seemed to be outraged over this move. But one could say the strategy backfired, as the winner was Kathryn Bigelow’s tense war picture “The Hurt Locker,” one of the lowest grossing Best Picture winners in the last few decades. And of course it lost out to the MOR-player "Avatar," now the highest grossing film of all time.

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'The Social Network' Producers Reteam To Have 'Sex On The Moon'

By Kevin Jagernauth
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January 19, 2011 3:23 AM
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2 Comments

We’re not sure anyone saw the success of “The Social Network” coming. A year ago the Aaron Sorkin-written, David Fincher-directed film was still being skeptically referred to as “the Facebook movie”, even by fans of its filmmakers. A year later the film has topped over $200 million in worldwide grosses and has become an unstoppable awards magnet. Producers Scott Rudin, Michael De Luca and Dana Brunetti are clearing space on their mantel for their forthcoming Oscars but are already hoping for lightning to strike twice with their next outing.

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Paul Greengrass May Direct 'Memphis,' A Martin Luther King Jr. Assassination Thriller

By Gabe Toro
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January 13, 2011 7:08 AM
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6 Comments

Well, so much for "Cleopatra." Vulture reports that director Paul Greengrass is eying, for his next directorial effort, a script he's penned titled "Memphis." The story centers on the final days of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in the springtime of 1968, when he was trying to help the city's sanitation workers find common ground. As Vulture notes, this was a tumultuous time for the former preacher: he was facing heat from the President over his opposition to the Vietnam War while fighting marginalization due to his insistence on focusing his efforts on the poor working class.

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