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CS Interview: Sasheer Zamata on Social Media-Slamming Spree

CS Interview: Sasheer Zamata on social media-slamming Spree

ComingSoon.net got the opportunity to chat with star Sasheer Zamata (I Feel Pretty) to discuss her role in the social media-critiquing comedic thriller Spree led by Joe Keery (Stranger Things), which is now available on digital platforms and in select theaters! Click here to rent or purchase the thriller!

In looking at the “wild ride” of the film, Zamata found that she was drawn to the project as she really “liked the script” and its “interesting dissection of both relationship with social media and how many different ways you can have a relationship with social media,” expressing that the story also created a feeling of wanting to “be more protective of myself” on social media.

“I play a comedian in the movie, which is a huge stretch for me,” Zamata joked. “I really had to like, break out my acting chops for this one. But it just seemed fun, and I also am new to the like, thriller/horror genre and would love to do more. I enjoyed watching it, so I think it’s cool that everyone thought I could do it and they let me. Jessie in the movie is very open and streaming everything and is showing where her grandmother lives and like, lets everyone know where she is and what time. It makes me very easy to find. There’s some people who have a very unhealthy relationship with social media, like Kurt’s character, and you can see the worst case scenario with that. Jessie’s realizing maybe she’s doing things in her life that are detrimental, and how does she want to like, remove those from her life completely. So I’m not ready to get off social media completely yet, but I am definitely aware of what I put on there, and is this too personal and is there a person out there who could be looking at this and maybe plotting something?”

Despite Zamata having starred in films before, this marks a new genre for the 34-year-old star and in looking at this transition, she described it as “really, really fun” and she was excited to “try a new thing” and is looking forward to people seeing this different side to her.

“Eugene, the director, created such an open, communicative space on set and he let us improvise, he let us pitch ideas for things,” Zamata explained. “I really loved the experience, and yeah, it’s just cool a cool thing to do. This is the first time I’ve had to perform while also film. So like, a lot of the camera angles are phones or they’re handheld, where it’s like, I’m now responsible for the angle of the shot and I’m talking to somebody and I’m thinking about the position and I’m moving. So there was a lot of choreography to get used to in the beginning, but the more we did it, the more I got used to it. And also, as my character, she is a person who is constantly talking to her phone, so I decided to like, dive into that and be like, well, I would be doing this anyway. So I had to be aware of all of the perspectives.”

Joe Keery is a Madman in Spree Red-Band Trailer

The various lengths at which Zamata and her co-stars got to improvise proved to be some of her favorite moments on the set of the project, namely the ones in which she was just in the car with Keery, who was driving the car himself during their scenes, even if they were some of the more terrifying moments for audiences.

“They were fun to do because we would just drive, we would just drive for a long period of time,” Zamata recalled. “Eugene would be in another car watching us and giving us notes and telling us to do it again and do it again. And eventually we got to like, a very interesting dynamic for the both of us. And those are the parts that I loved, because we just like, flowed together. I don’t know how long he’s got a license for, but we were driving safely [laughs]. There was a moment where I had to drive, too, well, towards the end, where things get really crazy. And yeah, there’s some wild moments. They had a stunt driver show us how to do stuff. It was like, it was really, really cool.”

Driving around Los Angeles not only allowed Zamata to see a lot of new locations in the city, but she also found the location helped further tap into the social media fame nature of the story, as it’s “what people are doing here in LA.”

“There’s this element of wanting to be famous or wanting to gain fame from the internet, that’s why people come to LA, and we see it with Mischa Barton and Frankie Grande,” Zamata noted. “We see all these celebs throughout the film and it makes it feel like a very LA movie. I’ve only lived in LA for two years, and I guess maybe only a year when we shot this. So there was a lot of new LA spots for me. And it was nice to be able to see a new place and also work there.”

One of the things that she definitely looked forward to when it came to joining the production was reuniting with Upright Citizens Brigade and SNL alum Kyle Mooney, calling her experience getting to work with her 35-year-old frequent collaborator “wonderful.”

“I think Kyle is hilarious and he’s so great to work with, so I was really excited to work with him again in a different way,” Zamata warmly described. “He’s just like, so funny and I was cracking up watching him perform whenever he would do a take. It’s a joy to have someone that I already know on set. We had a funny relationship because we’re both comedians in the film, and he’s kind of like a mooch. And you can read that from my face and from my energy, so it was fun to have some nonverbal improvisation going on while we were communicating.”

After making its premiere at Sundance Film Festival earlier this year, the film has now made its simultaneous theatrical and digital release and in looking at this hybrid debut, Zamata expressed she was “so excited” for audiences to see the film and that “they’re going to get a lot out of it,” especially as the horror genre is seeing an elevated renaissance.

“It’s really thrilling and it’s a rollercoaster, and when I watched it at Sundance, that was my first time seeing the whole film at once and in front of a crowd,” Zamata recalled. “Just hearing everyone gasp and when they laughed and laughing at things that I didn’t even necessarily know was a funny part when we were filming it, it was so amazing. I feel like a lot of really good and classic horror films have humor in it, so it’s nice to be a part of a film like that, to make a point to make it funny, but also kind of making you think about society in a certain way and it’s thrilling and makes you scared at times, too. And I like that it does multiple things, that it’s not one note and you can come away feeling so many things.”

Meet Kurt (Keery), a 23-year-old rideshare driver for Spree, who is so desperate for social media attention that he’ll stop at nothing to go viral. He comes up with a plan to livestream a rampage as a shortcut to infamy – coining his evil scheme “#thelesson”, he installs a set of cameras in his car and begins streaming his rides. Wildly miscalculating the popularity that would come from his lethal scheme, Kurt’s desperation grows as he tries to find a way to overcome the plan’s flaws. In the middle of all this madness, a stand-up comedian with her own viral agenda crosses Kurt’s path and becomes the only hope to put a stop to his misguided carnage.

In addition to Keery, the film features an ensemble cast that includes Sasheer Zamata (Saturday Night Live), Mischa Barton (The Cat and the Moon), John DeLuca (All Hallows’ Eve), David Arquette (Scream 5) and Kyle Mooney (The Unicorn).

The film is co-written by Eugene Kotlyarenko and Gene McHugh, with the former directing and producing alongside Sumaiya Kaveh, Matthew Budman and John H. Lang.

Spree is now available in select theaters and on digital platforms and VOD!

The post CS Interview: Sasheer Zamata on Social Media-Slamming Spree appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

Snoot Entertainment, Campo Santo Developing Firewatch Film Adaptation

Snoot Entertainment, Campo Santo developing Firewatch film adaptation

Campo Santo’s Firewatch was a surprise hit upon its 2016 release and after initially being set at Good Universe, the video game developer is partnering with Snoot Entertainment to develop a film adaptation of the title, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

The game, first released on Mac, PC and PlayStation 4 in early 2016, is set in the Wyoming wilderness in 1989 and has players step into the shoes of Henry, a fire look out in the Shoshone National Forest. Connected to Henry’s supervisor, Delilah, via hand-held radio, players explore the surrounding woodlands as mysterious things begin happening to him and begin uncovering clues while communicating with Delilah to discuss the mystery and their own personal issues.

The film adaptation is set to be produced by Keith and Jesse Wu Calder for Snoot Entertainment, well-known for Blindspotting, Little Monsters and You’re Next, alongside Sean Vanaman and Jake Rodkin for Campo Santo.

“Firewatch is a stunning accomplishment, a beautiful and heartbreaking piece of art,” Keith Calder said in a statement. “I’m delighted that Sean and Jake are letting us ruin their perfect video game by turning it into a movie and/or TV show.”

A film adaptation was previously in the works at Good Universe, but following the production company begin acquired by Lionsgate, the rights to the property reverted to Campo Santo, though in his official statement Vanaman spoke kindly of the original studio.

“Jess and Keith are hard-working and visionary film producers with impeccable taste in video games,” Vanaman said in a statement.“Not unlike when we met Joe Drake and the team at Good Universe in 2016, we knew in our first conversation with Jess and Keith that they’d make great partners. We have no doubt in their expertise, their taste and their passion and assume that our experience as so-so game developers will make us first-rate producing partners.”

Snoot Entertainment’s next project is Regina King’s directorial debut, the historical drama One Night in Miami, which is set to make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival and Toronto International Film Festival this September.

The post Snoot Entertainment, Campo Santo Developing Firewatch Film Adaptation appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

CS Interview: Scott Adkins Talks Legacy of Lies

Scott Adkins has starred in action greats such as Ninja: Shadow of a Tear, Boyka: Undisputed, Savage Dog, The Bourne Ultimatum, and Triple Threat, and each film sees the actor push his physical limits to deliver a bloody, violent, and thrilling bit of pop culture entertainment. With his recent film, Legacy of Lies, Adkins delves into the world of espionage; and to commemorate this recent endeavor, ComingSoon.net reached out to the actor to discuss everything from filmmaking to the current state of action movies.

Here’s the official synopsis for Legacy of Lies (via IMDB), which you can you can purchase here:

“An ex-MI6 agent is thrown back into the world of espionage and high stakes to uncover the shocking truth about operations conducted by unknown secret services.”

The film stars Adkins, Honor Kneafsey, Andrea Vasiliou, Yuliia Sobol, Ann Butkevich, and Martin McDougall. Adrian Bol wrote and directed the pic which currently holds a 100% approval rating on RottenTomatoes.

ComingSoon.net: What led you to Legacy of Lies?

Scott Adkins: Well, it came to me through my agent, the script came through and he said, I think you should look at this. And so, I read it and I liked it and I had a Skype conversation with the writer/director Adrian Bol and the producers. And they convinced me that you know, I just liked it, I liked Adrian, I liked the script. He had a short film that he’d done that was kind of similar to the script and I responded well to that. And it’s always a little bit of a leap of faith sometimes, when you’re working with people that you’ve not worked with before. But I’m very happy I did it. It turned out really good.

CS: So what was Adrian Bol’s approach to the project?

Adkins: He took it all in his stride. He was always very prepared. I mean, I like working with directors that have written the scripts as well because they have a clear vision for the movie because it’s all come from their head. And they understand every character’s motivation and all the rest of it. So that’s always a good sign. If the script is good and the director’s written it, you’re halfway there anyway. And yes, he had great producers behind him, like Alla and Kryz and Mark from the UK. And the DP, Simon Rowling just did a fantastic job in shooting it and he’s an English kid, pretty new to the game himself, but did a brilliant job, an excellent job. And yeah, it was a good experience.

CS: How does Martin Baxter differ from other characters you’ve played before in the past?

Adkins: Well, he’s not in a good place, that’s for sure. But not many of my characters are, to be honest. He’s hurting on the inside and he’s self-sabotaging in many ways. He’s punishing himself for the things that happened in the past. And even though he loves his daughter very much and he really wants to do right by her, there’s something eating away at him inside that’s causing him to be quite, quite mean-spirited towards her at times. He’s a bit too tough on her. He’s running away from his past and he definitely feels the brunt of it. And he thinks he’s given her everything she needs, like be self-sufficient and I’ll teach you how to use a gun and look after yourself. And he can exist off the grid, that I’m teaching you everything you ever need. But what she really wants is a normal life, just to be a normal girl with a loving father, but she’s not getting that. And by the time the movie is — you know, there’s a lot of things that take place in our movie that allow those two characters to reconcile a lot of the lies that have been told in the relationship. So you know, there’s a very personal story going on there. But then, there’s this overreaching plot as well, the espionage and the Russians and all the rest of the spy thriller stuff going on. But at its heart, it’s this very personal story.

CS: Let’s talk about Honor Kneafsky — you guys have a terrific father-daughter relationship, specifically in that scene where you are teaching her how to shoot a gun and she talks about wanting to go to school. What was it like working with her? Because I felt like you guys had a good rapport.

Adkins: Yeah, that’s good. A lot of people say that. And people have thought that, you know, what I should’ve done was spent a lot of time with her beforehand, but the truth is, we just didn’t have enough time for that. She turned up on the set and we just started filming. But I guess we fell into it and she’s going to go a long way. She’s fantastic to work with. She was the most professional person on the set, probably the most grown-up person on the set as well. I’m much more immature. And it worked for the characters as well, to be honest, because you know, she’s almost like the adult in the relationship in some ways. And it was a little bit like that on set as well. But she’s just a fantastic actress, so I think that chemistry came easily because she’s very giving as an actress. I could draw a lot from her.

CS: Martin’s Achilles heel was the emotional soft spot that he has for his daughter, which drives the plot. How important was that aspect of the film to you?

Adkins: Well, I mean, it is what it is. I can certainly relate to having a young daughter. I’ve got a daughter. She’s nine years old. And my daughter, in this movie, she’s 12. So I could relate to it. And of course, that helped, especially with the more emotional parts.

CS: Similarly, what was it like working with Yuliia Sobol?

Adkins: Yeah, well, she’s a really good natural actress, very emotional, very in touch with her emotions and just a great, great person, very unselfish actress, you know? We had some very difficult scenes to do and some more fun scenes to do. And it was a pleasure working with her. She’s a great actress and it was a lot of fun.

CS: When you’re making these kind of films, which aspect of the film do you prefer more, the more emotional aspects of the film or more of the action-driven elements of the story?

Adkins: I enjoy the acting more because the action, even though it’s what I do and I’m very good at it, I also demand a lot of myself, and in turn, that means I’m putting myself through pain. To do it right is physically quite taxing, so you know, maybe when you’re getting a bit jaded. No, it kind of hurts, so I never enjoy it, but I love the finished product. I absolutely adore seeing it all come together and it working. But the doing of it can be a bit frustrating sometimes. The acting for the most part is always a lot of fun. But you know, the emotional scene in the movie is kind of hanging over your head for the whole thing. It’s like, oh, that’s the day that I’ve got to do this emotional scene and I hope it’s going to be — I tend not to think about it too much because it’s a stress. You want to do it right because that’s the hardest part. For me, the emotion is probably the hardest part. So it’s nice to get it out of the way sometimes, if you know you’re doing a good job of it. I can almost see it there in the timeline. Oh, tomorrow’s the day for this big emotional scene, so it’s a funny one.

CS: I can understand that. At this point, you’ve done a number of action films featuring a variety of fighting styles and such. Have you gotten to the point where you feel like you’ve mastered every technique in the book? Or are you still learning new and unique ways to kick ass?

Adkins: In terms of filmmaking, in terms of putting fight scenes down on film, no, there’s still a lot to learn. I certainly know that I know what I’m doing and I can definitely — you put me on a film with people that don’t know what they’re doing and I will rally them together and I will force them to make a good fight scene because I know how to do it. But I still have much to learn. I recently did a film with Donnie Yen, Ip Man 4 in Hong Kong — sorry, in China, with Yuen Woo-Ping, who was the fight director. And I learned a lot and there was a lot more that I needed to learn, that’s for sure. But I do know quite a bit.

CS: You’ve been working a lot more behind the scenes. Does that change the way you approach a film? Does it afford you more control?

Adkins: I have control in all the films that I’m starring in, more control than I used to, anyway, whether I’ve got the executive producer thing there or not. Sometimes it’s there for other reasons. Sometimes it’s a creative thing. But you know, at the end of the day, when you’re in my position, you saying that you’re going to do this movie is the difference between them being able to make it or not. Do you know what I mean? It’s a very important position to be in. So I never would want to hijack somebody’s vision. If somebody doesn’t see the movie the way I think it should go, then it’s probably best not to do it. But what I did do with this one was, you know, I’m very aware that people expect me to do action, so we upped the amount of action in the movie once I came on board. Because that’s what people expect to see, and I’m aware of that. But at the same time, what I try to do is I want to give people the action that they normally get, but I want to give them a good story and good character as well. And that’s what we were trying to do with this film.

CS: Going back to Legacy of Lies, how difficult was it to film the hospital sequence, which is one of the film’s standout sequences?

Adkins: Well, the location was really dusty. See, when you go up there and you’re the director, you’re going to go looking what it’s going to look like, cinematical sense, how the shadow’s going to come in through the architecture in the windows and all the rest of it. And yes, this is going to be a great shot. What they’re not really thinking about is the fact that the floor is rock hard concrete and it’s covered in dust. We were inhaling mud constantly for two nights. It was a night shoot as well, which always makes things suck even more. So it was a bit of a miserable experience, to be honest. You know, you say to the costume lady, you could film a scene directly after that before you’ve done it and you just know that as soon as you hit the floor, my costume’s going to go from black to gray with all the dust all over it. So you try to say, put a bit more dust on me. But they don’t get it and still, you’ve gone down on the floor for the first time and they’re like, oh, you’re covered. Yeah, it’s not easy. It’s not easy doing fights, to be honest.

CS: Have you guys talked about a sequel to Legacy of Lies?

Adkins: No, we haven’t talked about it. We’ll see how this film does and if there’s an appetite for it, I’m sure we would have a conversation about it. I’d certainly like to work with Adrian again. So you know, we’ll see. But we want to see how this film does first.

CS: These types of films — the gritty, violent thrillers that we used to get in the 80s and 90s — are making a comeback. What has led to this sudden outpouring of films from this genre?

Adkins: Well, I don’t know if we would call this film — like certainly, I’ve done some movies which are very 80s, 90s inspired. I don’t know if I would call this film one of those, to be honest. But for me, in general, in my career, as a guy that is an action guy, likes to do his own fight sequences and all the rest of it, I feel like I’ve been keeping that genre alive from the beginning, from just after the millennium, to be honest. I’ve been trying, anyway. It’s not been easy because the super heroes have kind of took over with all their stunt doubles, but I’ve been doing my bit. So I will just continue to do that.

CS: Would you have any interest ever in being in like a super hero type of film?

Adkins: Oh yeah, I’m not knocking it. I’m just saying that that’s the reason why we don’t get films the way they were in the 80s and 90s, because first of all, actors can be trained up to look like they can fight pretty well these days. But also, the camera tricks and face replacement and you know, what’s easy about the super hero movies is once the mask is on, the costume is on, then anyone can be in that suit, even if it’s a CGI thing. So that’s where the action films had gone into the comic books. And I do enjoy them. I absolutely love them. But I also miss the way things used to be, and I still have an appetite for seeing that. And it does seem like it’s coming back, of course, with things like John Wick. And there’s a lot of these great stuntmen that have become second unit directors and are now coming through as directors that are bringing back that old style. So I think the future’s looking pretty bright for it, to be honest.

CS: You’ve spoken in other interviews about your desire to be in a John Wick film. Has anything happened on that front? Is that still a sentiment that you have?

Adkins: I love the John Wick films, and I love 87eleven, which are the stunt team behind it. And I’ve worked with them many times. And I’m good friends with many of them and I know Chad Stahelski, the director of John Wick. He was the second unit director on Expendables 2, so he shot the fight that I did. And also, The Brothers Grimsby. I worked with him on that. So he knows me. He knows what I can do. And I’m sure that if the right part came up that he thought I was suitable for it, I’d like to think that he would give me a chance. But of course, I’ve been on the other side when producing and it has to be the right part and it has to fulfill whatever his vision is. So I hope that at some point, I’ll get to work with him.

CS: You have a number of projects coming out including Seized, The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud and Castle Falls. Is there anything that you can tell us about those projects or things that you’re excited about with those projects in particular?

Adkins: Well, The Intergalactic Adventures of Max Cloud is a comedy, my first attempt at a broad comedy, so it’ll be interesting to see how that turns out. I had a lot of fun making it. But as I say, it’s the first time I’ve done a comedy, so it was great fun, but I don’t know. I’m a little bit apprehensive to see what it’s like, to be honest. I haven’t seen the film yet. I want to see it. But they tell me it’s funny. But that will be interesting. Again, something different. I don’t like to just keep repeating myself doing the same old thing. And Castle Falls unfortunately, we had to stop filming because of the pandemic, so that will be the first thing that I have to complete when the world kind of gets back to normal, hopefully.

CS: What is the most difficult sequence you’ve ever filmed, in your opinion? And how do you gauge just how far to push yourself with each film?

Adkins: The hardest movies I’ve ever made were the ninja movies in terms of injuries and just getting beaten up and coming out of it like, you know, a shell of my former self. They were very difficult. You would think that the Boyka movies would be harder, but they weren’t because you’re in a nice ring and you’re nice and warm with the hot lights above you. When you’re fighting on the streets, on metal floors and everything, that’s when you get properly banged up. But you know, a lot of these action films are hard because we don’t have the luxury of time. And you’ve really got to push. You’ve got to push so hard, so, so hard to get — you know, because you just don’t have the time, so I’m constantly pushing myself and the rest of the crew, to be honest. I think they must hate me, but probably for them, it’s just another job, but for me it’s like, my career rests on the success of this film, so I think I could be a bit of a tyrant sometimes. But that’s what it takes. The budgets for these movies have been shrinking because of the piracy issue. So it’s not been easy and it looks like it’s going to get harder. But I’ll just keep continuing to do good work, do the best that I can.

The post CS Interview: Scott Adkins Talks Legacy of Lies appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

CS Interview: David Arquette on Comedic Thriller Spree

CS Interview: David Arquette on comedic thriller Spree

ComingSoon.net got the opportunity to chat with actor David Arquette (Scream, 12 Hour Shift) to discuss his role in the Joe Keery-starring comedic thriller Spree, in which he stars as the father to a social media fame-hungry madman. Click here to rent or purchase the film!

Looking back at his introduction to the project, Arquette explained how he had gone to see a few of co-writer/director Eugene Kotlyarenko’s films and how he was “really blown away by him as a filmmaker” and that after reading the script, in which he “loved the concept of the film,” and learned of the acting talent involved, it was “an easy decision.”

“He offered me the role and he was explaining sort of cringe, what a cringe video is, it’s something that sort of makes you cringe, the sort of behavior of people,” Arquette described. “And I was like, ‘Oh gosh, I’ve been a cringe factory my whole life,’ just doing things that I look back on as just like, ‘Oh, why did I do that?’ So he was like, ‘Well, you have to turn that up when we film this.’ So there was a lot of cringey moments, which are really palpable. We had this really cool opportunity to go out one night, me and Joe and Eugene, and explore our characters and develop this relationship and sort of have a shorthand with each other. And he’d say something and I’d want to respond and since I have kids and I am a parent, that I could respond the way a loving, kind parent would, but I’d have to stop myself. And then, in my head, simultaneously think, well, how would a narcissistic, self-absorbed, out of touch character react or give advice to his son. So I ended up doing that and then ended up being very misogynistic and just narcissistic and qualities that aren’t really that appealing.”

Despite being a parent and having plenty of cringe-worthy moments in his career, Arquette chuckled and noted he is “probably more in touch with technology” than that of his character Chris while also mentioning he is “not very savvy when it comes to social media” and that the film has certainly opened his eyes to the relationship some have with it and the dangers of that.

“I’ve learned a little, I figured out how to kind of respond in a nice way, a quick way, rather than take things incredibly personally,” Arquette expressed. I’ve ended up not reading very many comments. I just kind of post what I post and just kind of walk away from stuff. I try not to get too involved in having my phone and being attached to social media that much. There’s a great lesson in the film in just sort of taking a break from social media, and you can definitely get caught up in it. I mean, when you have a film coming out, it’s really important to be able to promote on it and put stuff out there. But there’s also, my daughter’s grown up with it, so she’s 16. She really understands it in a way that I don’t. So she’s got a good handle on it, where she doesn’t post anything too personal. She’ll maybe post a picture or two every week, nothing like every day. And she’ll do TikTok videos, and I asked her, what does she like about TikTok? And she said she likes the sense of humor it has. It has an algorithm that can connect her with people with similar senses of humor than her, so she gets all these videos of people that she finds funny that she’d never come across unless it was for TikTok.”

After making the rounds in the festival circuit earlier this year, the film was acquired by RLJE Films for a theatrical and digital release and in looking at the hybrid release of the project, the 48-year-old star finds it to be “interesting” and “loves the fact that it’ll be at some drive-ins.”

“Eugene saw it at a drive-in last night and he was really excited, and you could hear it in his voice, he was like, ‘Oh, I’ve always wanted to be in the Arclight Theater,’ so that’s exciting for him,” Arquette described. “It’s a new world. I mean, it’s really a great opportunity to be able to provide people entertainment during this time, when we’re all sort of locked down and trying to stay safe. So that’s why we do this to start with. We want to entertain people. We want to do films that people enjoy, and every film has a different sort of way it comes together and you never know if what you read on the script ends up being what’s on film. So when films do come together and a cast is really wonderful and you have an incredible director, then it makes it really wonderful to be able to go to an incredible festival like Sundance and premiere it and have buyers see it and have an opportunity to get it out to the world is really an honor.”

Though people may be stuck indoors right now, Arquette hopes audiences really connect to the film’s message to “put your phones down, connect with nature, don’t take social media too seriously.”

“You know, I don’t know, if you ask a lot of kids, like what do you want to be when you grow up, a lot of them will say, famous,” Arquette noted. “And it’s this whole world where people want fame for fame’s sake. Fame really doesn’t have that many benefits. Its most important aspect is the ability to support charities, which people can do without being famous. So being famous for fame’s sake is kind of a strange thing. And once people sort of experience that, I think they’ll understand what I’m talking about.”

The film is co-written by Eugene Kotlyarenko and Gene McHugh, with the former directing and producing alongside Sumaiya Kaveh, Matthew Budman, and John H. Lang.

The post CS Interview: David Arquette on Comedic Thriller Spree appeared first on ComingSoon.net.

Coastal Elites Trailer Previews HBO’s Timely Comedy Film

Coastal Elites trailer previews HBO’s timely comedy film

HBO has released the official trailer for Emmy winner Jay Roach’s forthcoming remote comedy film Coastal Elites, featuring the all-star cast led by Bette Midler and Sarah Paulson as their characters try to grapple with effects of the new normal brought upon by the ongoing pandemic. The film is scheduled to premiere on Saturday, September 12, 2020. Check out the video in the player below!

Coastal Elites is comedic satire film that the tells contemporary stories of characters breaking down and breaking through as they grapple with politics, culture and the pandemic. Bette Midler (Tony Award winner for Hello, Dolly!), Kaitlyn Dever (Unbelievable, Booksmart), Dan Levy (Emmy nominee for Schitt’s Creek), Sarah Paulson (Emmy, Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild Award winner for American Crime Story) and Issa Rae (Emmy nominee for HBO’s Insecure) star in this special presentation that explores our current world of deeply divided politics and the universal pursuit of human connection.

The film spotlights five distinct and impassioned points-of-view across the United States. When the shutdown forces these characters to cope in isolation, they react with frustration, hilarity and introspection. The character descriptions read as follows:

Miriam Nessler (Bette Midler) is a long-time teacher in the New York City public school system, who loves her students, the New York Times and the theater, and who finds herself in police custody.

Sharynn Tarrows (Kaitlyn Dever) is a young nurse from Wyoming who flies to New York to volunteer at a hospital at the height of the area’s COVID-19 crisis.

Mark Hesterman(Dan Levy) is a young actor in West Hollywood videoconferencing with his therapist at a moment of peak career and personal stress.

Clarissa Montgomery (Sarah Paulson) is a YouTube personality filming episode 28 of her Mindful Meditations, hoping to soothe, inspire and heal her followers.

Callie Josephson (Issa Rae) is a well-connected philanthropist whose prep school network leads her to the highest levels of government.

Coastal Elites is written by Paul Rudnick; directed by Jay Roach; executive producers Paul Rudnick, Jay Roach, Jeffrey Seller, Flody Suarez, Scott Chaloff, Michelle Graham. Originally conceived for the Public Theater in New York, Coastal Elites took the leap from the stage to the screen at the beginning of the pandemic and evolved in real time as the unprecedented events of 2020 unfolded. Filming took place earlier this summer under quarantine guidelines.

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CS Video: The One and Only Ivan Interview With Director Thea Sharrock

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CS Video: The One and Only Ivan interview with director Thea Sharrock

Ahead of the film’s debut on Disney+ later this week, ComingSoon.net got the chance to chat with director Thea Sharrock to discuss the film adaptation of Katherine Applegate’s acclaimed children’s novel The One and Only Ivan. Our interview can be viewed in the player below!

An adaptation of the award-winning book about one very special gorilla, Disney’s The One and Only Ivan is an unforgettable tale about the beauty of friendship, the power of visualization and the significance of the place one calls home. Ivan is a 400-pound silverback gorilla who shares a communal habitat in a suburban shopping mall with Stella the elephant, Bob the dog, and various other animals. He has few memories of the jungle where he was captured, but when a baby elephant named Ruby arrives, it touches something deep within him. Ruby is recently separated from her family in the wild, which causes him to question his life, where he comes from, and where he ultimately wants to be.

The heartwarming adventure, which comes to the screen in an impressive hybrid of live-action and CGI, is based on Katherine Applegate’s bestselling book, which won numerous awards upon its publication in 2013, including the Newbery Medal.

Purchase the original novel here!

The film features a star-studded voice led by Oscar winners Sam Rockwell (Jojo Rabbit) as Ivan, Angelina Jolie (Maleficent) as Stella and Helen Mirren (The Queen) as the voice of Snickers the poodle along with Danny DeVito (Hercules) as the voice of Bob the dog, Brooklynn Prince (The Florida Project) as the voice of Ruby, Grammy winner Chaka Khan as the voice of Henrietta the chicken, Mike White (School of Rock) as the voice of Frankie the seal; Ron Funches (Trolls World Tour) as the voice of Murphy the rabbit and Phillipa Soo (Hamilton) as the voice of Thelma the parrot.

It will also star Emmy winner Bryan Cranston (Breaking Bad) as Mack, the mall’s owner. Ramon Rodriquez (Iron Fist) as the mall employee George, and Ariana Greenblatt (Monster Problems) as George’s daughter Julia.

Based on the true story, The One and Only Ivan is being directed by Thea Sharrock (Me Before You) from the screenplay written by two-time Independent Spirit Award winner Mike White (Pitch Perfect 3, The School of Rock). Oscar and three-time Golden Globe winner Angelina Jolie (First They Killed My Father, Maleficent) is producing along with the late Allison Shearmur (Solo: A Star Wars Story, Cinderella) and Brigham Taylor (Christopher Robin, The Jungle Book).

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The Secrets We Keep Trailer & Poster Starring Noomi Rapace & Joel Kinnaman

Bleecker Street has released the trailer and poster for the upcoming thriller The Secrets We Keep, starring BAFTA nominee Noomi Rapace (The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan, Prometheus) and Joel Kinnaman (The Killing, Altered Carbon, For All Mankind). You can check out the trailer in the player below as well as the full poster!

In post-WWII America, a woman (Rapace), rebuilding her life in the suburbs with her husband (Chris Messina), kidnaps her neighbor (Kinnaman) and seeks vengeance for the heinous war crimes she believes he committed against her.

The Secrets We Keep also stars Chris Messina (The Sinner, Argo, Devil) and was directed by Yuval Adler (The Operative, Shooter, Bethlehem) and from a script by Ryan Covington (Bula’s Fortune, Ball’s Out!) and Adler.

The Secrets We Keep will open in theaters on September 16 and on VOD October 16.

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Will Smith & Kevin Hart to Star in Planes, Trains & Automobiles Remake From Paramount

Will Smith & Kevin Hart to star in Planes, Trains & Automobiles remake

It has already been 33 years since the successful theatrical release of John Hughes’ Planes, Trains & Automobiles, and now Deadline brings word that Paramount Pictures is officially in the process of developing a remake of the 1987 classic road trip comedy film with blockbuster stars Will Smith and Kevin Hart signing on for the leading roles.

Pick up a copy of the original film here!

The remake will be penned by Brooklyn Nine-Nine writer Aeysha Carr. On top of starring, Smith and Hart are also expected to serve as producers through their Westbrook Studios and Hartbeat Productions banners, respectively. Westbrook’s Jon Mone and Hartbeat’s Bryan Smiley are also set to produce.

The original Planes, Trains & Automobiles film was written and directed by John Hughes (Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, The Breakfast Club). Comedy icons Steve Martin and the late John Candy starred as Neal Page and Del Griffith, who were forced to travel together and become bunkmates in order to get home in time for Thanksgiving after their flights were suddenly cancelled. Along their three-day travel, the unlikely duo get themselves into a lot of embarrassing mishaps. After its release in 1987, the film was immediately met with positive reviews and has become one of the greatest comedy films to date.

(Photo by Jason Kempin/MTV1415/Getty Images for MTV)

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Vida’s Melissa Barrera Lands Key Role in Scream Reboot

Vida’s Melissa Barrera lands key role in Scream reboot

After landing Courteney Cox to return for the highly-anticipated slasher reboot, the fifth film in the Scream franchise has expanded its cast with the addition of Vida star Melissa Barrera for the an unknown key role in the film, according to Deadline.

Arquette became the first actor from the original franchise to sign on for the fifth film in the series, with Cox signing on at the end of July for the film and word coming earlier this year that lead heroine Neve Campbell is currently in talks to reprise her role of Sidney Prescott.

While plot details are currently scarce, it is being reported that the film will follow “a woman returning to her home town to try to find out who has been committing a series of vicious crimes.”

The new film will be produced by Project X Entertainment’s James Vanderbilt (Zodiac), who is also co-writing the screenplay with Guy Busick (Ready or Not), as well as Paul Neinstein and William Sherak for Spyglass, with original screenwriter Kevin Williamson executive producing with Radio Silence’s third member Chad Villella.

The first film, released in 1996, was a surprise smash upon its debut, helping to revive the horror genre for the decade and becoming the highest-grossing slasher movie of all-time until it was dethroned by last year’s Halloween reboot. The first’s success spawned a franchise that includes three sequels, the first of which remained equally as successful as the first while the previous two saw middling box office returns and mixed reviews.

After years of struggling to get another film off the ground, MTV picked up a series adaptation that became a cult hit, with two well-received seasons from fans before it was passed off to VH1 for its rebooted third season, which saw mixed-to-negative reviews from critics and audiences alike, but was a minor improvement in the ratings from the second season.

The Scream revival marks the second major horror franchise reboot Spyglass is working on, with the studio developing a remake of the Clive Barker cult horror classic Hellraiser, with David S. Goyer (Terminator: Dark Fate) attached to pen the script.

Neve Campbell (Party of Five, The Craft) has played Sidney Prescott in the original blockbuster hit Scream way back in 1996. Since then, she became the face of the popular slasher franchise as she also starred in three follow-up sequels. The most recent entry, Scream 4, released in 2011 and grossed $97 million worldwide on a $40 million budget. Campbell recently appeared in Netflix’s House of Cards and the film Castle in the Ground.

(Photo Credit: Dominik Bindl/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival)

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Amandla Stenberg Joins Universal’s Dear Evan Hansen

Amandla Stenberg joins Universal’s Dear Evan Hansen

Universal Pictures is looking to expand its cast for the long-awaited film adaptation of Broadway hit Dear Evan Hansen as Deadline has brought word that The Hate U Give breakout Amandla Stenberg has joined the musical dramedy alongside Booksmart‘s Kaitlyn Dever.

The 21-year-old star is set to play Alana, a high school senior whose cheery façade and social-media savvy hide a deeper loneliness and isolation and chooses to respond to the death of a classmate by igniting a movement. The role of Alana is being reconceived and expanded for the film adaptation, with Stenberg also partnering with Academy Award-winning duo Benj Pasek and Justin Paul, who composed the music and wrote the lyrics for the Broadway production, to compose a new original song for the film.

Dever is set to star as Zoe, the sister to the classmate, who begins dating the titular character after he enters a relationship with her family. Original star Ben Platt is reportedly set to reprise his role for the film, though sources report Universal could not confirm his casting.

Dear Evan Hansen tells a story exploring themes of teen suicide and mental illness, following a high schooler who’s plagued with social anxiety, eventually making up a story to befriend the family of a classmate of his who had committed suicide. The musical won multiple Tony Awards in 2017, including Best Musical as well as Best Actor and Best Actress for stars Ben Platt and Rachel Bay Jones.

Marc Platt and Adam Siegel will be producing through Marc Platt Productions while Pasek and Paul are expected to be executive producers. Steven Levenson, who authored Dear Evan Hansen, and also won a Tony for Best Book of a Musical, is set to write the script with Wonder‘s Stephen Chbosky attached to direct the project.

Pasek and Paul previously won an Oscar for Best Song for “City of Stars” from Damien Chazelle’s La La Land. They were also nominated for Best Original Song for “This is Me” from the Hugh Jackman vehicle, The Greatest Showman.

(Photo Credit: Rachel Luna/Getty Images)

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