Thompson on Hollywood

Zaillian's Film Rites Banner Signs with Fox; Whither 'The Girl Who Played with Fire?'

News

There's no reason why screenwriter Steve Zaillian ("Schindler's List," "Gangs of New York") and his Film Rites banner with Garrett Basch shouldn't sign a first-look deal with 20th Century Fox. The question is, why didn't Zaillian go with Sony, which backed his Oscar-nominated script for "Moneyball" and "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo"?

By Anne Thompson
|
May 18, 2012 3:28 AM
|
0 Comments

More:

Sundance Institute Announces Directors and Screenwriters Lab Participants for 2012

News

Congrats to the thirteen projects taken on for this summer's Sundance Institute annual Directors and Screenwriters Labs, which is held May 28 - June 28 at Robert Redford's Sundance Resort in Utah. Countries represented include the United States, Italy, Romania, Australia, Algeria, France, Chile and the UK.

By Sophia Savage
|
May 8, 2012 4:46 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

SUNDANCE LONDON: Minnie Driver, David Harewood Table Read Adewale Akinnuoye-Agbaje’s Autobiographical 'Farming'

Festivals

The inaugural Sundance London had much to recommend it over the weekend: the presence of Robert Redford; a concert by Rupert and Martha Wainwright; a giant white dome (the O2 Arena) in which to seek shelter from the non-stop rain while catching the pick of this year’s Sundance crop...

By Matt Mueller
|
May 1, 2012 12:21 PM
|
1 Comment

More:

'Little Miss Sunshine''s Carell & Collette Reteam for 'Descendants' Writers' Directorial Debut

News

Toni Collette and Steve Carell, who played sister and brother in indie fave "Little Miss Sunshine," will reteam for "The Way, Way Back" alongside Sam Rockwell, Allison Janney and Annasophia Robb. Actor-writers Jim Rash and Nat Faxon will make their directorial debut, following up on their Oscar win (with director Alexander Payne) for Best Adapted Screenplay for "The Descendants."

By Sophia Savage
|
April 18, 2012 1:36 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Tribeca Film Institute & Sloan Foundation's Screenwriting Award Goes to Grainger David's 'Penny Stock'

News

The winner of the Tribeca Film Institute and Alfred P. Sloan Foundation's $50,000 screenwriting award for a science-themed script goes to Grainger David of NYU's Tisch School of the Arts...

By Sophia Savage
|
April 5, 2012 4:38 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Screenwriter James Vanderbilt Is On Fire: 'White House Down,' 'RoboCop,' 'Total Recall,' 'Amazing Spider-Man' & More

News

"Zodiac" writer-producer James Vanderbilt is hot. He wrote "The Amazing Spider-Man" (July 3). He is adapting Brit mini-series "Red Riding" for producers Steven Zaillian and Ridley Scott, and shares screenwriting credit on upcoming "Total Recall" and "RoboCop" remakes. This week, his "White House Down" screenplay was picked up by Sony.

By Sophia Savage
|
April 3, 2012 4:59 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Melissa Leo Heads Into 'Oblivion' with Cruise, Freeman, Riseborough, Kurylenko

News

Melissa Leo is joining Tom Cruise, Morgan Freeman, Andrea Riseboroigh and Olga Kurylenko in Joseph Kosinski's "Oblivion." The "TRON: Legacy" director wrote the comic book upon which the film is based with Arvid Nelson, while William Monahan ("The Departed") wrote the screenplay with him...

By Sophia Savage
|
March 23, 2012 7:48 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Michael Bacall Scores with '21 Jump Street' & 'Project X'; Sequels in the Works, Plus Cruise's Len Grossman

Box Office

It's good to be Michael Bacall. The actor-screenwriter's "21 Jump Street" and "Project X" have both raked in a pretty penny at the recent box office. "21" opened this past weekend to $35 million, while "X" has come out of two weekends with $48 million - and both are getting sequels. Bacall shares story credits with "21" star Jonah Hill (who revealed that the sequel had been greenlit last month), and Matt Drake for "X," but he's currently credited as the sole writer of the latter's sequel. Check out GQ's interview with Bacall here, in which he explains how he boarded "21" (through Hill) and applauds Channing Tatum; "He annihilates in the movie. It's as if we wrote the role specifically for him, which we didn't."

By Sophia Savage
|
March 20, 2012 8:30 AM
|
1 Comment

More:

Deadlines Approach for Academy's 2012 Nicholl Screenwriting Competition

Awards

Proof-reading your screenplay? The deadline for the Academy's 2012 Nicholl Screenwriting Competition is approaching.

By Maggie Lange
|
March 15, 2012 12:51 PM
|
0 Comments

More:

Tribeca 2012 Shorts Lineup includes Men-Hattan Program with Labute's 'Bff' and Burns' 'Doggy Bags'

Festivals

Tribeca announces the lineup for its 2012 shorts program. Of the sixty shorts (selected from 2,800 submitted films), twenty-six will be making their world premiere. The films will play in nine thematic programs - five narrative, three documentary and one experimental...