‘Girl With a Pearl Earring’ Director Peter Webber Joins Wartime Thriller ‘Irena Sendler’ (Exclusive)
Peter Webber has signed on to direct the wartime thriller “Irena Sendler.” It tells the true story of Irena Sendler, a Polish social worker who defied the Nazis and organized a team of young women to smuggle 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto during the Holocaust. Casting is currently underway and production is expected to start in Poland later this year or early in 2024.
The script was penned by Agatha Dominik, Brian Pittman & Rachel Long, Stuart Hazeldine, and Jeff Most. The film will be produced by Most (“The Crow”), BAFTA Award winning and Academy Award winning producer Ewa Puszczyńska, Jeff Rice, Armory Films’ Christopher Lemole and Tim Zajaros, and Golden Globe winning producer Gareth Wiley of Phoenix Wiley.
“Irene Sendler was an icon, an inspiration, an incredibly brave young woman who risked her own life to save hundreds of young children in the Warsaw Ghetto from certain death at...
The script was penned by Agatha Dominik, Brian Pittman & Rachel Long, Stuart Hazeldine, and Jeff Most. The film will be produced by Most (“The Crow”), BAFTA Award winning and Academy Award winning producer Ewa Puszczyńska, Jeff Rice, Armory Films’ Christopher Lemole and Tim Zajaros, and Golden Globe winning producer Gareth Wiley of Phoenix Wiley.
“Irene Sendler was an icon, an inspiration, an incredibly brave young woman who risked her own life to save hundreds of young children in the Warsaw Ghetto from certain death at...
- 7/11/2023
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Stuart Hazeldine, who helmed Lionsgate’s $97M faith-based hit The Shack, will next direct the wartime thriller Irena Sendler, about the Polish social worker who organized a team of young women to smuggle 2,500 Jewish children out of the Warsaw Ghetto in defiance of the Nazi extermination program.
Pic will be produced by Armory Films which has been relishing some great success at the specialty box office recently with its SXSW and Deauville Audience winner The Peanut Butter Falcon (current B.O. $15M).
Irena Sendler is being written by Agatha Dominik, Brian Pittman & Rachel Long and Hazeldine. The film will be produced by Jeff Most, Jeff Rice, Armory Films’ Christopher Lemole and Tim Zajaros, and BAFTA and Oscar-winning producer Ewa Puszczyńska of Extreme Emotions. Golden Globe winning producer Gareth Wiley of Phoenix Wiley will serve as Ep.
Most along with Jeff Rice obtained Sendler’s authorized biography and life rights, including access to unpublished details about her life, as well as securing her blessing to tell her story prior to her passing in 2008. Ingenious Media arranged the funding for the development of the script.
Armory Films’ Christopher Lemole and Tim Zajaros tell Deadline, “What Irena and her courageous group of women were able to accomplish is miraculous. It’s remarkable that so few people know about her incredible story. We couldn’t be more excited to have Stuart on board to direct this incredible script and tell the world the story of the inspirational hero Irena Sendler.”
Most added, “Knowing her as I did, I’m certain that if Irena Sendler was alive today she would be thrilled that her story is in the capable hands of Stuart Hazeldine, who has crafted a compelling vision to bring one of the most daring, exciting and moving tales of WW2 to the big screen.”
Hazeldine’s feature directorial debut Exam starring Luke Mably and Chukwudi Iwuji and Gemma Chan was nominated for a BAFTA in the British filmmaker debut category. Hazeldine is repped by Wme, Brillstein Entertainment and Stone Genow Smelkinson Binder & Christopher.
Pic will be produced by Armory Films which has been relishing some great success at the specialty box office recently with its SXSW and Deauville Audience winner The Peanut Butter Falcon (current B.O. $15M).
Irena Sendler is being written by Agatha Dominik, Brian Pittman & Rachel Long and Hazeldine. The film will be produced by Jeff Most, Jeff Rice, Armory Films’ Christopher Lemole and Tim Zajaros, and BAFTA and Oscar-winning producer Ewa Puszczyńska of Extreme Emotions. Golden Globe winning producer Gareth Wiley of Phoenix Wiley will serve as Ep.
Most along with Jeff Rice obtained Sendler’s authorized biography and life rights, including access to unpublished details about her life, as well as securing her blessing to tell her story prior to her passing in 2008. Ingenious Media arranged the funding for the development of the script.
Armory Films’ Christopher Lemole and Tim Zajaros tell Deadline, “What Irena and her courageous group of women were able to accomplish is miraculous. It’s remarkable that so few people know about her incredible story. We couldn’t be more excited to have Stuart on board to direct this incredible script and tell the world the story of the inspirational hero Irena Sendler.”
Most added, “Knowing her as I did, I’m certain that if Irena Sendler was alive today she would be thrilled that her story is in the capable hands of Stuart Hazeldine, who has crafted a compelling vision to bring one of the most daring, exciting and moving tales of WW2 to the big screen.”
Hazeldine’s feature directorial debut Exam starring Luke Mably and Chukwudi Iwuji and Gemma Chan was nominated for a BAFTA in the British filmmaker debut category. Hazeldine is repped by Wme, Brillstein Entertainment and Stone Genow Smelkinson Binder & Christopher.
- 9/18/2019
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Tensions flare between Lapd rookie K (Ryan Gosling) and Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) in today’s all-new pic for Blade Runner 2049, Denis Villeneuve’s long-in-development sequel that’s due to light up theaters in October.
And we do mean long in development. Before Villeneuve officially signed on – thereby teeing up a welcome springboard ahead of his journey over to Legendary’s live-action Dune movie – a sequel to Ridley Scott’s cult sci-fi classic had been kicking around in some shape or form form for almost 20 years. In 1999, for instance, Stuart Hazeldine pitched an idea for Blade Runner Down, a follow-up that mined inspiration from The Edge of Human novel. While ambitious, that project was ultimately shelved, which became something of a recurring theme as the time worn on.
But soon after Ridley Scott passed the torch on to Denis Villeneuve – for the record, the former director still holds an...
And we do mean long in development. Before Villeneuve officially signed on – thereby teeing up a welcome springboard ahead of his journey over to Legendary’s live-action Dune movie – a sequel to Ridley Scott’s cult sci-fi classic had been kicking around in some shape or form form for almost 20 years. In 1999, for instance, Stuart Hazeldine pitched an idea for Blade Runner Down, a follow-up that mined inspiration from The Edge of Human novel. While ambitious, that project was ultimately shelved, which became something of a recurring theme as the time worn on.
But soon after Ridley Scott passed the torch on to Denis Villeneuve – for the record, the former director still holds an...
- 6/15/2017
- by Michael Briers
- We Got This Covered
Author: Stefan Pape
To approach spirituality on screen and maintain a sense of enchantment is a hurdle many a filmmaker have fallen over; to evoke these feelings of rapture without veering into mawkish territory. However as we saw in Collateral Beauty last winter, it’s not an easy balance to get right – and it’s one that Stuart Hazeldine has struggled with, in his unbearably ethereal drama The Shack. The good news is folks, it’ only two and a quarter hours long.
Sam Worthington plays Mack, who we learn from the offset was behind the murder of his father, poisoning him when the aggressive domestic abuse got too much. Forever feeling in God’s debt, the now middle-aged father of three is convinced that when his daughter is abducted and consequently killed, it’s his punishment for his own past sins. Receiving a mysterious letter directing him to a shack in the middle of nowhere,...
To approach spirituality on screen and maintain a sense of enchantment is a hurdle many a filmmaker have fallen over; to evoke these feelings of rapture without veering into mawkish territory. However as we saw in Collateral Beauty last winter, it’s not an easy balance to get right – and it’s one that Stuart Hazeldine has struggled with, in his unbearably ethereal drama The Shack. The good news is folks, it’ only two and a quarter hours long.
Sam Worthington plays Mack, who we learn from the offset was behind the murder of his father, poisoning him when the aggressive domestic abuse got too much. Forever feeling in God’s debt, the now middle-aged father of three is convinced that when his daughter is abducted and consequently killed, it’s his punishment for his own past sins. Receiving a mysterious letter directing him to a shack in the middle of nowhere,...
- 6/9/2017
- by Stefan Pape
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales..
The fifth edition of the Disney, Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp Pirates of the Caribbean franchise easily topped the Aussie box office last weekend although the debut was well below the previous installment.
Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg and shot in Queensland after an injection of $21.6 million in funding from the federal government plus state government incentives, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales captured $5.9 million on 292 locations, according to ComScore.
That.s 41 per cent below the $9.9 million debut of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in 2011. The latter finished up earning $27.2 million, which may be out of reach of the new film.
Pirates 5 scored an estimated $US77 million over the four-day Memorial Day holiday in the Us and $208 million internationally for a global total of $285 million, so the studio may be hard-pressed to recoup the reported $230 million budget.
The fifth edition of the Disney, Jerry Bruckheimer and Johnny Depp Pirates of the Caribbean franchise easily topped the Aussie box office last weekend although the debut was well below the previous installment.
Directed by Joachim Rønning and Espen Sandberg and shot in Queensland after an injection of $21.6 million in funding from the federal government plus state government incentives, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales captured $5.9 million on 292 locations, according to ComScore.
That.s 41 per cent below the $9.9 million debut of Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides in 2011. The latter finished up earning $27.2 million, which may be out of reach of the new film.
Pirates 5 scored an estimated $US77 million over the four-day Memorial Day holiday in the Us and $208 million internationally for a global total of $285 million, so the studio may be hard-pressed to recoup the reported $230 million budget.
- 5/29/2017
- by Don Groves
- IF.com.au
Based on The New York Times Best-Selling Novel, An All-Star Cast Delivered an Uplifting Spiritual Message on Digital HD May 16 and Blu-ray and DVD May 30 from Lionsgate
Based on the worldwide best-selling novel, with over 22 million copies in print, the inspirational story of faith and love, The Shack, arrivedd on Digital HD May 16, and will be on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand May 30 from Lionsgate. Starring Sam Worthington (Avatar, Hacksaw Ridge), Academy Award® winner Octavia Spencer (Best Supporting Actress, The Help, 2011) and country music superstar Tim McGraw (The Blind Side), The Shack takes us through a father’s experience learning the ultimate truth about love, loss, and forgiveness. The Christian movie event of the year, this “powerful and gripping” (The Dove Foundation) film has been awarded the Dove Faith Friendly Seal of Approval.
Now you can own The Shack Blu-ray. We Are Movie Geeks has Five copies to give away.
Based on the worldwide best-selling novel, with over 22 million copies in print, the inspirational story of faith and love, The Shack, arrivedd on Digital HD May 16, and will be on Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand May 30 from Lionsgate. Starring Sam Worthington (Avatar, Hacksaw Ridge), Academy Award® winner Octavia Spencer (Best Supporting Actress, The Help, 2011) and country music superstar Tim McGraw (The Blind Side), The Shack takes us through a father’s experience learning the ultimate truth about love, loss, and forgiveness. The Christian movie event of the year, this “powerful and gripping” (The Dove Foundation) film has been awarded the Dove Faith Friendly Seal of Approval.
Now you can own The Shack Blu-ray. We Are Movie Geeks has Five copies to give away.
- 5/24/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Based on The New York Times Best-Selling Novel, An All-Star Cast Delivers an Uplifting Spiritual Message on Digital HD May 16 and Blu-rayT and DVD on May 30 from Lionsgate
Based on the worldwide best-selling novel, with over 22 million copies in print, the inspirational story of faith and love, The Shack, arrives on Digital HD May 16, and Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand May 30 from Lionsgate. Starring Sam Worthington (Avatar, Hacksaw Ridge), Academy Award® winner Octavia Spencer (Best Supporting Actress, The Help, 2011) and country music superstar Tim McGraw (The Blind Side), The Shack takes us through a father’s experience learning the ultimate truth about love, loss, and forgiveness. The Christian movie event of the year, this “powerful and gripping” (The Dove Foundation) film has been awarded the Dove Faith Friendly Seal of Approval.
Based on The New York Times best-selling novel, written for the screen by John Fusco (The Forbidden Kingdom) and...
Based on the worldwide best-selling novel, with over 22 million copies in print, the inspirational story of faith and love, The Shack, arrives on Digital HD May 16, and Blu-ray, DVD and On Demand May 30 from Lionsgate. Starring Sam Worthington (Avatar, Hacksaw Ridge), Academy Award® winner Octavia Spencer (Best Supporting Actress, The Help, 2011) and country music superstar Tim McGraw (The Blind Side), The Shack takes us through a father’s experience learning the ultimate truth about love, loss, and forgiveness. The Christian movie event of the year, this “powerful and gripping” (The Dove Foundation) film has been awarded the Dove Faith Friendly Seal of Approval.
Based on The New York Times best-selling novel, written for the screen by John Fusco (The Forbidden Kingdom) and...
- 5/12/2017
- by Tom Stockman
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
If you’re a movie critic, you shouldn’t make any preconceptions about a film — not even if the Happy Madison logo appears or a title card saying “A Tyler Perry Film” arises. But when breathy radio personality Delilah comes before the “wonderful” film you’re about to see, singing all its benevolent praises before a single slice of celluloid appears, you have good reason to be skeptical.
Based on the phenomenally bestselling novel, The Shack tells a spiritual story of perseverance against and acceptance towards life’s unspeakable cruelties. It’s told through the perspective of Mack (Sam Worthington), a husband and grieving father, fighting to release months upon years of pain and inner torment through one-on-one interactions with Papa (Octavia Spencer), a.k.a God, Jesus (Avraham Aviv Alush) and Sarayu (Sumire), a.k.a. the Holy Spirit, in the titular shack which once housed unfathomable evil. It’s blatantly religious,...
Based on the phenomenally bestselling novel, The Shack tells a spiritual story of perseverance against and acceptance towards life’s unspeakable cruelties. It’s told through the perspective of Mack (Sam Worthington), a husband and grieving father, fighting to release months upon years of pain and inner torment through one-on-one interactions with Papa (Octavia Spencer), a.k.a God, Jesus (Avraham Aviv Alush) and Sarayu (Sumire), a.k.a. the Holy Spirit, in the titular shack which once housed unfathomable evil. It’s blatantly religious,...
- 3/3/2017
- by Will Ashton
- We Got This Covered
Chicago – To create spirituality from tragedy is like shooting the proverbial fish – a prominent symbol for Christianity – in a barrel. “The Shack” is based on a popular novel, and doesn’t try to do anything different or cinematic with a man encountering the Holy Trinity after a horrific incident.
Rating: 2.5/5.0
This film is impossible to review from a basis of the spirit, because believers and lovers of the novel won’t care what a snotty critic has to say regarding the weird-but-soft encounter of a desperate man with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But I can judge it as a film, and it really needed more character development. The wife of the emotionally hurt man is nearly invisible, the religiosity of the family is never really explored and the next door neighbor, a presumably good Christian man, seems oddly clingy to his sad buddy. The two hour and fifteen...
Rating: 2.5/5.0
This film is impossible to review from a basis of the spirit, because believers and lovers of the novel won’t care what a snotty critic has to say regarding the weird-but-soft encounter of a desperate man with God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. But I can judge it as a film, and it really needed more character development. The wife of the emotionally hurt man is nearly invisible, the religiosity of the family is never really explored and the next door neighbor, a presumably good Christian man, seems oddly clingy to his sad buddy. The two hour and fifteen...
- 3/3/2017
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
When self-published novel “The Shack” hit shelves back in 2007, first-time author William P. Young’s Christian drama was met with significant controversy, thanks to its inventive portrayal of the Holy Trinity as an African American woman, a young Middle-Eastern man and an Asian woman. Despite outcry from the exact kind of religious audience the book was pursuing, the book became an unexpected smash hit. Ten years later, it’s finally spawned a glossy, inevitable Hollywood adaptation – and one made palatable only because of that same off-beat trio. That’s particularly true for Octavia Spencer, who literally embodies God in the Stuart Hazeldine film.
Read More: Why ‘Hidden Figures’ Is the Inspiring Awards Season Contender We Need Now — Consider This
Clocking in at a brutally overstuffed 135 minutes, the film manages to fit a feature’s worth of drama into its opening credits. Hobbled by a hammy, exposition-heavy voiceover from Tim McGraw...
Read More: Why ‘Hidden Figures’ Is the Inspiring Awards Season Contender We Need Now — Consider This
Clocking in at a brutally overstuffed 135 minutes, the film manages to fit a feature’s worth of drama into its opening credits. Hobbled by a hammy, exposition-heavy voiceover from Tim McGraw...
- 3/2/2017
- by Kate Erbland
- Indiewire
Papa Does Preach: Hazeldine Adapts Heavy-handed Religious Melodrama
For his sophomore directorial effort, Stuart Hazeldine helms The Shack, an adaptation of the successful novel by William P.
Continue reading...
For his sophomore directorial effort, Stuart Hazeldine helms The Shack, an adaptation of the successful novel by William P.
Continue reading...
- 3/2/2017
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
“The Shack” is an upcoming “faith-based” film directed by Stuart Hazeldine and written by John Fusco, based on the 2007 novel of same name by William P. Young. In case you haven’t been paying attention, “faith-based” films are popular right… Continue Reading →...
- 2/4/2017
- by shadowandact
- ShadowAndAct
It was only a matter of time before William P. Young’s phenomenal bestselling novel The Shack found itself on the silver screen. Now, nearly ten years since its original publication, that film adaptation is finally making its way into theaters. And the first trailer, if nothing else, proves that it’s going to be a visual spectacle worth gazing upon.
Like the book, The Shack follows Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington), a devout husband/father struck with tragedy and left searching for answers in a world where everything, including his faith, is put into question. One cold day in the midst of his despair, however, he receives a mysterious letter, delivered by someone without footprints in the snow, saying he should visit a mysterious shack in the middle of rural Oregon. Doing as he’s told, he’s met by three strangers, including one referred to as Papa (Octavia Spencer...
Like the book, The Shack follows Mack Phillips (Sam Worthington), a devout husband/father struck with tragedy and left searching for answers in a world where everything, including his faith, is put into question. One cold day in the midst of his despair, however, he receives a mysterious letter, delivered by someone without footprints in the snow, saying he should visit a mysterious shack in the middle of rural Oregon. Doing as he’s told, he’s met by three strangers, including one referred to as Papa (Octavia Spencer...
- 12/2/2016
- by Will Ashton
- We Got This Covered
Everyone loves a good faith-based movie, because if not they’ll get tortured by Satan for an eternity, but those films don’t normally look as competently produced as Stuart Hazeldine’s The Shack does in this trailer. Granted, stuff like God’s Not Dead set the bar pretty low, but this trailer actually starts off looking more like a legitimate drama than an after-church special…at least until Octavia Spencer shows up as God. At that point, it enters into a fantastical wonderland full of magic trees, Tim McGraw, and people walking on water, with Sam Worthington doing a Batman voice the whole time that is nearly impossible to understand. Also, in a fun twist that will surely make The Shack as popular with the Kirk Cameron crowd as other religious movies are, Jesus is played here by Israeli actor Aviv Alush and not some white guy. Fun!
The...
The...
- 12/2/2016
- by Sam Barsanti
- avclub.com
"We've lost so much already, I don't want to lose you, too." Lionsgate has debuted a powerful trailer for an adaptation of a bestselling novel titled The Shack, a spiritual journey story about a father who spends time at a remote shack in Oregon and "finds important truths that will transform his understanding of tragedy and change his life forever." Sam Worthington stars, along with Octavia Spencer, Radha Mitchell, Tim McGraw, Graham Greene, Ryan Robbins, Megan Charpentier, Gage Munroe, Amélie Eve, Derek Hamilton, Jordyn Ashley Olson, Emily Holmes, and Aviv Alush as Jesus (you'll see). This is actually some serious religious propaganda, with a story about Worthington getting a "mysterious, personal invitation to meet with God at a place called The Shack." This looks tailor made for American audiences. Here's the first official trailer (+ poster) for Stuart Hazeldine's The Shack, direct from YouTube: Based on the bestselling novel, The Shack...
- 12/1/2016
- by Alex Billington
- firstshowing.net
Lionsgate has dropped a new trailer to the forthcoming faith-based film The Shack, directed by Stuart Hazeldine and starring Sam Worthington, Octavia Spencer, and Tim McGraw. Based on a New York Times bestseller by William P. Young, the pic follows Mack Phillips (Worthington) who is grieving after the abduction of his young daughter. He receives a mysterious note from 'Papa', which is his wife's name for God, urging him to go to an abandoned shack deep in the Oregon…...
- 12/1/2016
- Deadline
“The Shack” is an upcoming “faith-based” film directed by Stuart Hazeldine and written by John Fusco, based on the 2007 novel of same name by William P. Young. In case you haven’t been paying attention, “faith-based” films are popular right… Continue Reading →...
- 12/1/2016
- by shadowandact
- ShadowAndAct
Tim McGraw has been added to the cast of The Shack, an upcoming film based on the 2007 bestselling novel by William Paul Young. The faith-based drama stars Sam Worthington as a father whose young daughter was kidnapped and believed to have been murdered while on a family camping trip. Years later, he receives a note from "Papa" — which is his wife's nickname for God — asking him to return to the shack where his daughter's bloodied clothes were found. It is there where his mourning is met with a spiritual epiphany.
- 6/17/2015
- Rollingstone.com
“Tomorrowland’s” Tim McGraw and “Elyisum” star Alice Braga will join Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer in Lionsgate’s adaptation of “The Shack,” director Stuart Hazeldine revealed on Facebook on Sunday.Based on the bestselling 2007 novel by William Paul Young, “The Shack” is a faith-based drama stars Worthington as a man whose youngest daughter is abducted during a family vacation. Evidence found in an abandoned shack leads authorities to believe she was murdered. Four years later, the man receives a note, apparently from God, inviting him back to the shack. Against his better judgment, he accepts the invitation and finds something there.
- 6/7/2015
- by Jeff Sneider
- The Wrap
The cameras are about to start rolling on Exam director Stuart Hazeldine’s latest, the adaptation of William Paul Young’s 2007 novel The Shack. He’s just added some new actors to the cast, including Radha Mitchell, Graham Greene and Aviv Alush.Adapted by John Fusco from Young’s book, the story follows a man (Sam Worthington) whose youngest daughter is kidnapped during a family holiday. Evidence turns up in an abandoned shack to suggest she was murdered, which stymies the case. But then, four years later, he receives a note, apparently from God, inviting him to go back to the ruined building. He accepts, against his better judgment, and what he finds there changes his life forever. As it turns out, he might be in luck twice over, as Greene is on to play Male Papa, a calm and serene representation of the deity, with Spencer playing the female take.
- 6/7/2015
- EmpireOnline
Sam Worthington has been cast as the lead in The Shack, joining Octavia Spencer.
The Avatar actor will play a man who's young daughter is kidnapped before evidence of her murder is found in an abandoned shack, according to Empire.
Four years later, he gets a note from someone claiming to be God (Spencer) and returns to the shack, finding something that will alter his life forever.
Stuart Hazeldine will direct from a script adapted by John Fusco.
Worthington will return to Pandora when James Cameron starts production on the sequels, with rumours there could be four follow-on films.
Worthington and Lara Bingle welcomed their first child, a baby son in late March.
The Avatar actor will play a man who's young daughter is kidnapped before evidence of her murder is found in an abandoned shack, according to Empire.
Four years later, he gets a note from someone claiming to be God (Spencer) and returns to the shack, finding something that will alter his life forever.
Stuart Hazeldine will direct from a script adapted by John Fusco.
Worthington will return to Pandora when James Cameron starts production on the sequels, with rumours there could be four follow-on films.
Worthington and Lara Bingle welcomed their first child, a baby son in late March.
- 5/2/2015
- Digital Spy
As he starts work on his new film, Exam director Stuart Hazeldine is building quite the cast. With Octavia Spencer already attached to play no lesser role than God, Sam Worthington is now aboard as the lead.Adapted by John Fusco from William Paul Young’s 2007 novel, the story follows a man (Worthington) whose youngest daughter is kidnapped during a family holiday. Evidence turns up in an abandoned shack to suggest she was murdered, which stymies the case. But then, four years later, he receives a note, apparently from God, inviting him to go back to the ruined building. He accepts, against his better judgment, and what he finds there changes his life forever. Given whom Spencer is playing, we’re guessing it won’t be a false lead.Hazeldine has been busy setting up the film, which has yet to lock in a release date. As for Worthington, he...
- 5/1/2015
- EmpireOnline
Votiv Films and Taggart Productions have released the first trailer for the psychological thriller, Circle. Last week we brought you the first stills from the claustrophobic thriller reminiscent of Stuart Hazeldine’s Exam (2009) and or Jonathan Liebesman's The Killing Room.
The story, written and directed by Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione, features 50 strangers held captive in a deadly, mysterious chamber, forced to choose the one person among them that deserves to escape with their life.
Circle is being describes as a genre-bending, real-time examination of the many ways in which we see one another and the lengths we will go to in order [Continued ...]...
The story, written and directed by Aaron Hann and Mario Miscione, features 50 strangers held captive in a deadly, mysterious chamber, forced to choose the one person among them that deserves to escape with their life.
Circle is being describes as a genre-bending, real-time examination of the many ways in which we see one another and the lengths we will go to in order [Continued ...]...
- 4/15/2015
- QuietEarth.us
Over the years we've seen many actors portray God on the big screen, from George Burns to Morgan Freeman, but now it is apparently Octavia Spencer's time toe become omnipotent and all-powerful. This is because she is now in final negotiations to play God in an adaptation of the novel The Shack, which is now in the works over at Lionsgate. Variety has gotten the scoop on this casting, reporting that newcomer director Stuart Hazeldine will be at the helm of the project. The book, penned by author William P. Young, centers on a man named Mackenzie Allen Phillips, who is devistated following the abduction of his youngest daughter, Missy, during a family vacation. Following an investigation, it appears that the girl has been brutally murdered, with evidence discovered in an abandoned shack in Oregon. Four years late, Mackenzie receives a note inviting him back to that shack -...
- 3/8/2015
- cinemablend.com
Move over Morgan Freeman: there’s a new God in Hollywood. And her name is Octavia Spencer. The Oscar-winning actress has secured the role in Stuart Hazeldine’s new drama, The Shack.The Exam filmmaker is headed for a welcome return behind the camera, working from John Fusco’s adaptation of the William Paul Young novel. The Shack will follow a character named Mackenzie Allen Phillips who, while trying to recover from a huge personal tragedy, receives a mysterious note that invites him to the titular structure.The most intriguing part of the note is that it’s signed 'Papa', his wife’s nickname for God. Phillips decides to play along, and discovers that the shack has more of a biblical overtone than even the note suggested. With Spencer taking on the part of the deity, you’ve got to figure he’ll find something interesting. Hazeldine is set...
- 3/8/2015
- EmpireOnline
Octavia Spencer is in final negotiations to play God in Stuart Hazeldine's film adaptation of the bestselling novel "The Shack" at Lionsgate.
Based on William P. Young's 2007 novel, the story follows a man whose youngest daughter is abducted during a family vacation and evidence is found in an abandoned shack indicating she was murdered.
Four years on the man receives a note, apparently from God, inviting him back to the shack. Against his better judgment, he accepts the invitation and finds something there that will change his life forever.
The book has sold more than than eighteen million copies worldwide. Gil Netter and Brad Cummings will produce with filming to kick off this spring.
Source: Variety...
Based on William P. Young's 2007 novel, the story follows a man whose youngest daughter is abducted during a family vacation and evidence is found in an abandoned shack indicating she was murdered.
Four years on the man receives a note, apparently from God, inviting him back to the shack. Against his better judgment, he accepts the invitation and finds something there that will change his life forever.
The book has sold more than than eighteen million copies worldwide. Gil Netter and Brad Cummings will produce with filming to kick off this spring.
Source: Variety...
- 3/7/2015
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Octavia Spencer is tipped to play God in the adaptation of William P Young's 2007 bestselling novel, The Shack.
According to Variety, the Academy Award-winning actress is in final talks to secure the role.
The story follows a man whose youngest daughter is abducted and possibly murdered in a shack during a family vacation.
Four years later, the man receives a note, apparently from God, inviting him back to the shack and when he arrives, his experiences change his life forever.
Exam's Stuart Hazeldine is directing the adaptation, with Gil Netter producing.
The Help star can next be seen in Divergent sequel, Insurgent when it is released on March 19. Watch the trailer below:...
According to Variety, the Academy Award-winning actress is in final talks to secure the role.
The story follows a man whose youngest daughter is abducted and possibly murdered in a shack during a family vacation.
Four years later, the man receives a note, apparently from God, inviting him back to the shack and when he arrives, his experiences change his life forever.
Exam's Stuart Hazeldine is directing the adaptation, with Gil Netter producing.
The Help star can next be seen in Divergent sequel, Insurgent when it is released on March 19. Watch the trailer below:...
- 3/7/2015
- Digital Spy
Octavia Spencer wants to play God. And she will, entering final negotiations to star in Lionsgate’s “The Shack,” based on William P. Youngs novel. Also Read: TheWrap’s 25 Most Anticipated Movies of 2015: From ‘Fifty Shades’ to ‘Star Wars’ and ‘Spectre’ The bestselling novel, released in 2007, follows a man whose youngest daughter is abducted during a family vacation, with all evidence leading to her having been murdered. Years later, he receives a note which appears to be from God, urging him to reexamine the shack centrally linked to his daughter’s disappearance. Stuart Hazeldine is directing the adaptation. Gil Netter is producing through.
- 3/6/2015
- by Linda Ge
- The Wrap
Last we updated you on this project, a year ago, Idris Elba and Oprah Winfrey were reportedly offered lead roles in Forest Whitaker's adaptation of the best-selling novel "The Shack," which Whitaker was to both direct and star in. Today, Variety is reporting that Octavia Spencer is in final negotiations to star in the film, playing God, with Stuart Hazeldine directing, and production set to start this spring. Summit Entertainment/Lionsgate picked up film adaptation rights to William Paul Young's novel "The Shack," 2 years ago, which is to be to be adapted to script by John Fusco, produced by Gill...
- 3/6/2015
- by Tambay A. Obenson
- ShadowAndAct
Lionsgate’s adaptation of William P. Young bestseller The Shack has finally found its maker, with Variety reporting that The Help and Insurgent star Octavia Spencer is poised to play God. Early negotiations are underway as Spencer has yet to fully commit to the movie.
After winning the rights to the novel back in 2013, the studio hooked a director last November in the shape of Stuart Hazeldine. The main thrust of his filmmaking experience stems from screenwriting, with the Brit having penned a number of as-yet un-produced epics (Spielberg’s Gods And Kings, for one), with his underrated indie, Exam, serving as proof that he’s got the skills to direct a knockout tale.
And what a knockout The Shack could be! Young’s novel racked up international sales of around 18 million, almost guaranteeing a built-in audience keen to see the popular tome on the big screen. The story follows...
After winning the rights to the novel back in 2013, the studio hooked a director last November in the shape of Stuart Hazeldine. The main thrust of his filmmaking experience stems from screenwriting, with the Brit having penned a number of as-yet un-produced epics (Spielberg’s Gods And Kings, for one), with his underrated indie, Exam, serving as proof that he’s got the skills to direct a knockout tale.
And what a knockout The Shack could be! Young’s novel racked up international sales of around 18 million, almost guaranteeing a built-in audience keen to see the popular tome on the big screen. The story follows...
- 3/6/2015
- by Gem Seddon
- We Got This Covered
Finally, an adaptation of William P. Young’s inspirational Christian bestseller The Shack is picking up steam over at Lionsgate, now that the studio has set Stuart Hazeldine to sit behind the camera on the project.
Hazeldine doesn’t have too much directing experience, but he’s made his mark on the film industry by scripting multiple epics, from Gods and Kings (the Moses pic which Steven Spielberg was developing before Ridley Scott powered ahead with Exodus) to Irish war saga Gods and Men and Bernard Cromwell adaptation Agincourt (which has Michael Mann set to direct). Previously, Hazeldine also helmed the BAFTA-nominated indie Exam, which he also wrote, and the short film Christian, about Jesus Christ disguising himself as a 14-year old boy to visit a tough British high school.
On The Shack, Hazeldine will be working from a script by John Fusco (Hidalgo, Netflix’s Marco Polo, upcoming Crouching Tiger,...
Hazeldine doesn’t have too much directing experience, but he’s made his mark on the film industry by scripting multiple epics, from Gods and Kings (the Moses pic which Steven Spielberg was developing before Ridley Scott powered ahead with Exodus) to Irish war saga Gods and Men and Bernard Cromwell adaptation Agincourt (which has Michael Mann set to direct). Previously, Hazeldine also helmed the BAFTA-nominated indie Exam, which he also wrote, and the short film Christian, about Jesus Christ disguising himself as a 14-year old boy to visit a tough British high school.
On The Shack, Hazeldine will be working from a script by John Fusco (Hidalgo, Netflix’s Marco Polo, upcoming Crouching Tiger,...
- 11/7/2014
- by Isaac Feldberg
- We Got This Covered
Solution Entertainment Group has released the first image from the Shia Labeouf-led psychological thriller "Man Down" which also Gary Oldman, Kate Mara and Jai Courtney. Set in a savage post-apocalyptic America, Labeouf and Courtney play a pair who are in search of the former's family.
"Zhang Yimou's first English-language film, 'The Great Wall' at Legendary East, has seen a budget increase to $135 million with filming to begin in February. The period action spectacular with sci-fi elements is currently casting..." (full details)
"Ivanhoe Pictures has picked up the film rights to Ryan Graudin's young adult action-adventure novel 'The Walled City'. The story follows three teenagers who are fighting to survive and escape a lawless, walled city..." (full details)
"On Entertainment, Wild Bunch and Pathe are teaming for an $80 million animated feature based on the iconic Playmobil toys brand. Much of the team behind 'The Little Prince' will be...
"Zhang Yimou's first English-language film, 'The Great Wall' at Legendary East, has seen a budget increase to $135 million with filming to begin in February. The period action spectacular with sci-fi elements is currently casting..." (full details)
"Ivanhoe Pictures has picked up the film rights to Ryan Graudin's young adult action-adventure novel 'The Walled City'. The story follows three teenagers who are fighting to survive and escape a lawless, walled city..." (full details)
"On Entertainment, Wild Bunch and Pathe are teaming for an $80 million animated feature based on the iconic Playmobil toys brand. Much of the team behind 'The Little Prince' will be...
- 11/7/2014
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Almost a year ago now, it looked like Forest Whitaker would be taking on an adaptation of William Paul Young’s bestseller The Shack as his next directing gig. He’s moved on since then, and now Lionsgate/Summit has found someone else for the job: step forward Exam’s Stuart Hazeldine.John Fusco has written the adaptation, which will follow a character named Mackenzie Allen Phillips who, while trying to recover from a huge personal tragedy, receives a mysterious note that invites him to the titular structure.The most intriguing part of the note is that it’s signed Papa, his wife’s nickname for God. Phillips decides to play along, and discovers that the Shack has more of a Biblical overtone than even the note suggested.Williams’ book hit shelves in 2007 and has been in development since 2013, when Summit bought the rights. Hazeldine has been busy as a...
- 11/6/2014
- EmpireOnline
Exclusive: Following her exit from the executive suites of Warner Bros after steering Gravity, Magic Mike, Man Of Steel and others over a decade, Lynn Harris was rumored to be headed for a multitude of exec jobs that included being part of former boss Jeff Robinov’s new shingle. She instead chose to become her own boss. Harris has partnered with her husband Matti Leshem in Weimaraner Republic Pictures, a company that will generate content in film, TV and digital. They have quietly set up a bunch of projects at studios around town, and I only found out about their overall plans when Deadline revealed the heated auction for the Tony Jaswinski girl-vs.-shark pitch In The Deep, which Sony acquired as two other studios circled in the water.
Harris has a long track record shaping pictures from her days at New Line with Se7en, Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Blade,...
Harris has a long track record shaping pictures from her days at New Line with Se7en, Boogie Nights, Magnolia and Blade,...
- 10/2/2014
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline
Odd List Ryan Lambie Simon Brew 13 Mar 2014 - 05:44
Our voyage through history's underappreciated films arrives at the year 2011, and a great year for lesser-seen gems...
Even a cursory glance at the top 10 grossing films of 2011 reveals something strange: nine of the entries are sequels. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 brought the fantasy franchise to a close with a staggering $1.3bn haul. Transformers: Dark Of The Moon wasn't too far behind with just over $1.1bn. On Stranger Tides continued the Pirates Of The Caribbean series' wave of success, despite mixed reviews.
Elsewhere in the top 10, you'll find another Twilight, a fourth Mission: Impossible, a second Kung Fu Panda, a fifth Fast, another Hangover, and further Cars. Standing alone on the list is The Smurfs, the adaptation of Peyo's Belgian comic strip. In fact, 2011 saw the release of no fewer than 28 sequels - the most we've yet seen in any given year.
Our voyage through history's underappreciated films arrives at the year 2011, and a great year for lesser-seen gems...
Even a cursory glance at the top 10 grossing films of 2011 reveals something strange: nine of the entries are sequels. Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows: Part 2 brought the fantasy franchise to a close with a staggering $1.3bn haul. Transformers: Dark Of The Moon wasn't too far behind with just over $1.1bn. On Stranger Tides continued the Pirates Of The Caribbean series' wave of success, despite mixed reviews.
Elsewhere in the top 10, you'll find another Twilight, a fourth Mission: Impossible, a second Kung Fu Panda, a fifth Fast, another Hangover, and further Cars. Standing alone on the list is The Smurfs, the adaptation of Peyo's Belgian comic strip. In fact, 2011 saw the release of no fewer than 28 sequels - the most we've yet seen in any given year.
- 3/12/2014
- by ryanlambie
- Den of Geek
*full disclosure: an online screener of this film was provided by Vision Films. It is hard to recommend a film that borrows so heavily from others. The Employer, from director Frank Merle, is an almost complete adaption of Stuart Hazeldine's United Kingdom shot Exam (2009). Both films deal with anonymous corporations and strange hiring practices. While it is not unusual to see a horror film borrow from another, The Employer is a film that this critic has seen many times before. And, The Employer does not bring anything new to the claustrophobic style of filmmaking, which has been seen in films such as The Steam Experiment, 247°F and many others. Instead, this film is very predictable, with Malcolm McDowell's performance as the boss, the only reason to watch. Exam and The Employer have very comparable stories. Both films deal with some very ambitious job seekers. Their ambition is turned...
- 5/11/2013
- by noreply@blogger.com (Michael Allen)
- 28 Days Later Analysis
Michael Mann is set to direct a big screen adaptation of the Bernard Cornwell novel Agincourt from a script written by Stuart Hazeldine. The last movie Mann directed was Public Enemies, and it's going to be good to see him make another historical epic. He hasn't done one since Last of the Mohicans in 1992, which is one of my favorite movies of his.
The story follows "an archer who comes of age under Henry V as the king prepares to lead his outnumbered English troops against the French in the Battle Of Agincourt. The protagonist is a young man with a death sentence on his head who is saved when his skills with the bow catch the attention of the king. The archer develops into a warrior and falls in love with a young woman whose virtue he saved from a lecherous priest. He becomes the portal to the bloody battle.
The story follows "an archer who comes of age under Henry V as the king prepares to lead his outnumbered English troops against the French in the Battle Of Agincourt. The protagonist is a young man with a death sentence on his head who is saved when his skills with the bow catch the attention of the king. The archer develops into a warrior and falls in love with a young woman whose virtue he saved from a lecherous priest. He becomes the portal to the bloody battle.
- 5/3/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
Though he’s set to shoot his first film in three years this month, the untitled cyber theft thriller starring Chris Hemsworth, Michael Mann is still keeping an eye on what comes next. Originally floated as his next potential film in 2010, Mann started developing “Agincourt” with a script by “Elizabeth” and “The Tudors” writer Michael Hirst before bringing on “Rko 281” director Benjamin Ross for a rewrite. Now Deadline reports that a new writer has been brought on in the form of Stuart Hazeldine (the writer behind Alex Proyas' scuttled take on “Paradise Lost” and co-writer of Moses movie “Gods and Kings”). Adapted from the Bernard Cornwell novel, the film retells the famous battle between Henry V’s English Army and the French Army, and focuses on “a young man with a death sentence who is saved when his skills with the bow catch the attention of the king.
- 5/2/2013
- by Cain Rodriguez
- The Playlist
Yes, it looks that Agincourt adaptation is happening after all! Especially now when we know that Stuart Hazeldine is on board to adapt Bernard Cornwell‘s 2008 novel of the same name, while Michael Mann is set to direct the whole thing. Get ready for our new hero – Nicholas Hook and check the rest of this report for more details… So, as we said, Bernard Cornwell‘s historical novel relates the events leading to the Battle of Agincourt, one of the most famous battles ever fought: the victory of a small, despised, sick and hungry army over an enemy that massively outnumbered it. In other words,...
Click to continue reading Stuart Hazeldine To Adapt, Michael Mann To Direct Agincourt! on www.filmofilia.com...
Click to continue reading Stuart Hazeldine To Adapt, Michael Mann To Direct Agincourt! on www.filmofilia.com...
- 5/2/2013
- by Jeanne Standal
- Filmofilia
Michael Mann has chosen his next project. It’ll be an adaptation of Bernard Cornwell’s 2008 novel Agincourt, which tells the story of an archer who comes of age under Henry V as the king prepares to lead his outnumbered English troops against the French in the Battle Of Agincourt. British writer Stuart Hazeldine has been brought aboard to adapt the film.
Here’s a full synopsis of the movie:
Agincourt (Azincourt in French) is one of the most famous battles ever fought; the victory of a small, despised, sick and hungry army over an enemy that massively outnumbered it. Azincourt, the novel coming soon, tells the story of that small army; how it embarked from England confident of victory, but was beaten down and horribly weakened by the stubborn French defence of Harfleur.
By the end of that siege common-sense dictated that the army sail for home, but Henry V...
Here’s a full synopsis of the movie:
Agincourt (Azincourt in French) is one of the most famous battles ever fought; the victory of a small, despised, sick and hungry army over an enemy that massively outnumbered it. Azincourt, the novel coming soon, tells the story of that small army; how it embarked from England confident of victory, but was beaten down and horribly weakened by the stubborn French defence of Harfleur.
By the end of that siege common-sense dictated that the army sail for home, but Henry V...
- 5/2/2013
- by Laura Frances
- LRMonline.com
Michael Mann is hard at work preparing to direct his next film, an untitled thriller about cyber crime, but while he prepares to roll cameras on that project he is still thinking about the future. One of his long in-development projects, the 15th century war story Agincourt, is getting some of the dust blown off of it. According to Deadline, screenwriter Stuart Hazeldine has been hired to do a rewrite of the script for the upcoming film, which is based on the book by Bernard Cornwell. Set in the 15th century, the story follows an man who grows up under the rule of King Henry V, gets recognized as an incredibly skilled archer and goes to the Battle of Agincourt to fight for his country against the French. Hazeldine's only feature credit is the 2009 thriller Exam, which he also directed. This won't be the first time that Mann has made...
- 5/2/2013
- cinemablend.com
Stuart Hazeldine ("Gods and Kings," "Paradise Lost") has been hired to rewrite the script for the film adaptation of Bernard Cornwell's "Agincourt".
Michael Mann is attached to direct this story of a young man under a death sentence who is saved by his skills as an archer when King Henry V notices him.
The archer develops into a warrior and falls in love with a young woman whose virtue he saved from a lecherous priest, while the king prepares to lead his outnumbered English troops against the French in the Battle Of Agincourt.
Michael Hirst and Benjamin Ross penned previous drafts. Mann will shoot the film after he wraps his Chris Hemsworth-led cyber crime thriller at Legendary Pictures.
Source: Deadline...
Michael Mann is attached to direct this story of a young man under a death sentence who is saved by his skills as an archer when King Henry V notices him.
The archer develops into a warrior and falls in love with a young woman whose virtue he saved from a lecherous priest, while the king prepares to lead his outnumbered English troops against the French in the Battle Of Agincourt.
Michael Hirst and Benjamin Ross penned previous drafts. Mann will shoot the film after he wraps his Chris Hemsworth-led cyber crime thriller at Legendary Pictures.
Source: Deadline...
- 5/2/2013
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Exclusive: Stuart Hazeldine has been tapped to rewrite Agincourt, which Michael Mann will direct based on the Bernard Cornwell bestseller about an archer who comes of age under Henry V as the king prepares to lead his outnumbered English troops against the French in the Battle Of Agincourt. That epic battle was immortalized by Shakespeare’s Henry V. The protagonist is a young man with a death sentence on his head who is saved when his skills with the bow catch the attention of the king. The archer develops into a warrior and falls in love with a young woman whose virtue he saved from a lecherous priest. He becomes the portal to the bloody battle. Anyone who has seen Mann’s Last Of The Mohicans can understand my Eddie Haskell-like effusion over the prospect of the director getting back to a major historical battlefield event (“Stay alive, no matter what occurs.
- 5/2/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Exam writer/director Stuart Hazeldine is no stranger to writing for big projects and big name directors. His next gig looks to follow that trend, as no lesser a filmmaker than Michael Mann has Hazeldine toiling on a new draft of Agincourt.Based on Sharpe creator Bernard Cornwell’s 2008 novel Azincourt, the film will follow a young man who sees the opportunity for a second chance. Our hero is Nicholas Hook, an archer who comes of age under Henry V as the king prepares to lead his outnumbered English troops against the French at the Battle Of Agincourt, as immortalised in Shakespeare’s Henry V. Hook has a death sentence on his head, but is saved when his skills with the bow catch the attention of the king. The archer develops into a warrior and falls in love with a young woman whose virtue he saved from a lecherous priest.
- 5/2/2013
- EmpireOnline
Michael Mann has lined up his next directing project in Agincourt , an adaptation of Bernard Cornwell's 2008 novel. Deadline reports that Stuart Hazeldine has been brought aboard to adapt the tome, officially described as follows: Agincourt (Azincourt in French) is one of the most famous battles ever fought; the victory of a small, despised, sick and hungry army over an enemy that massively outnumbered it. Azincourt, the novel coming soon, tells the story of that small army; how it embarked from England confident of victory, but was beaten down and horribly weakened by the stubborn French defence of Harfleur. By the end of that siege common-sense dictated that the army sail for home, but Henry V was stubbornly convinced that God was on his side and insisted on marching from...
- 5/1/2013
- Comingsoon.net
It looks like Life of Pi director Ang Lee could be replacing Steven Spielberg as the director on Warner Bros' epic biblical film project Gods and Kings, which would tell the story of Moses. According to Deadline Spielberg decided not to direct the movie, but Lee has shown some interest. There's been no meeting on the script or offer made, but he's flirting with the idea. I loved Lee's Life of Pi, and I think he would be an amazing director for a project like this. I've love to see what he would do with it.
The project has been described as “a Braveheart-ish version of the Moses story." It will reportedly be a gritty take on the source material, and feature Moses "coming down the river, being adopted, leaving his home, forming an army, and getting the Ten Commandments.” The script was written by Stuart Hazeldine and Michael Green.
The project has been described as “a Braveheart-ish version of the Moses story." It will reportedly be a gritty take on the source material, and feature Moses "coming down the river, being adopted, leaving his home, forming an army, and getting the Ten Commandments.” The script was written by Stuart Hazeldine and Michael Green.
- 3/15/2013
- by Joey Paur
- GeekTyrant
— Moses is a hot commodity these days with the History Channel broadcasting the religious tale of the Hebrew prophet in The Bible and Ridley Scott preparing to take on Adam Cooper and Bill Collage's Exodus after he wraps The Counselor. Steven Spielberg had jumped on that bandwagon, also, but Deadline reports he's passing on the project with a script by Michael Green and Stuart Hazeldine, Gods and Kings. Ang Lee is interested, but nothing has been formalized yet as the studio tries to court the Oscar-winning director. Take note sci-fi fans: Robopocalypse is still postponed. For now, it seems Spielberg could be putting his attention toward that Napoleon miniseries based on the great Stanley Kubrick's script we previously reported on. &mdash...
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- 3/15/2013
- by Alison Nastasi
- Movies.com
Fresh off his Oscar win as Best Director for "Life of Pi," Ang Lee is fielding a number of potential and solidified upcoming projects. News comes today that the Taiwanese-born director is being eyed to helm Warner Bros.' Moses biopic "Gods and Kings," now that Steven Spielberg has dropped out. Lee is reportedly "intrigued" by the possibility of taking on the project. It is co-penned by Stuart Hazeldine and Michael Green, and follows Moses from infancy through the Ten Commandments. Lee is also circling "Cleopatra," a film that David Fincher was previously attached to--Lee was looking forward to examining Eric Roth's script based on Stacy Schiff's authentic best-selling biography at awards time--which has Angelina Jolie set to star in the eponymous role. Meanwhile, Lee is set to direct the pilot of "Tyrant," a new series for FX, centering on an American family drawn into the crosshairs of Middle Eastern political unrest.
- 3/15/2013
- by Beth Hanna
- Thompson on Hollywood
Exclusive: Don’t consider this etched in stone yet, but it looks like Fox is putting a rush on the Moses movie it has been developing with Ridley Scott. I’m hearing that the director and studio are courting Christian Bale to star. The project is called Exodus, which was originally scripted by Adam Cooper and Bill Collage. But it has become a big priority after Steve Zaillian signed on to do a rewrite. He teamed with Scott on American Gangster. Scott is looking to mobilize this as soon as he completes The Counselor. The talks with Bale are early stage. This comes as Warner Bros deals with Steven Spielberg dropping out of its mega-Moses project, Gods And Kings, the epic-sized film about life of Moses based on the script by Michael Green and Stuart Hazeldine. The studio’s Hail Mary pass is trying to secure the services of Ang Lee,...
- 3/15/2013
- by MIKE FLEMING JR
- Deadline
Only Steven Spielberg could generate this much press without actually agreeing to direct a movie. The other day, we speculated about the Oscar-winning director possibly returning to the Jurassic Park franchise, only to learn that Safety Not Guaranteed director Colin Trevorrow would be helming the sequel instead. Because Spielberg had pushed back Robopocalypse, the director reportedly had a hole to fill on his production schedule. Now it sounds like he.s passing on another opportunity to fill it. Deadline says Spielberg has .ended his long flirtation. with the Biblical epic Gods and Kings, and now Warner Bros. is approaching Ang Lee, hoping the Life of Pi director will attach his name to Michael Green and Stuart Hazeldine.s screenplay of the Moses story. WB is worried about a rival Moses project set up at Fox, which Sir Ridley Scott reportedly is circling and might dive into once he wraps The...
- 3/15/2013
- cinemablend.com
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