News Analysis India

Tag: Steven Spielberg

  • Trailer out for Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans    

    By Express News Service

    The first official trailer for The Fabelmans captures the early years of a boy named Sammy Fabelman and how he ends up being enamoured by the art of cinema. Sammy and his entire family are loosely based on filmmaker Spielberg and his family. The trailer shows us a young Sammy being introduced to films by his artistically-inclined mother, he then goes on to take filmmaking as his passion. 

    The film is directed by the auteur filmmaker himself, based on a script that he co-wrote with Tony Kushner. The film is set in post-World War II USA and deals with various themes that represent that era. The Fabelmans stars Gabriel LaBelle as young Sammy Fabelman; he is joined by an ensemble cast that includes Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Paul Dano. Legendary filmmaker David Lynch is reported to make an appearance in the film. Spielberg is producing the film under his Amblin Entertainment along with Universal Pictures. The film just had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

    The first official trailer for The Fabelmans captures the early years of a boy named Sammy Fabelman and how he ends up being enamoured by the art of cinema. Sammy and his entire family are loosely based on filmmaker Spielberg and his family. The trailer shows us a young Sammy being introduced to films by his artistically-inclined mother, he then goes on to take filmmaking as his passion. 

    The film is directed by the auteur filmmaker himself, based on a script that he co-wrote with Tony Kushner. The film is set in post-World War II USA and deals with various themes that represent that era. The Fabelmans stars Gabriel LaBelle as young Sammy Fabelman; he is joined by an ensemble cast that includes Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, and Paul Dano. Legendary filmmaker David Lynch is reported to make an appearance in the film. Spielberg is producing the film under his Amblin Entertainment along with Universal Pictures. The film just had its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.

  • Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ scores lengthy TIFF standing ovation

    By ANI

    WASHINGTON: Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ earned a roaring standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday.

    According to Variety, the director claimed that the COVID pandemic served as the impetus for him to create his most intimate tale to date, which takes a look at his early forays into filmmaking, his upbringing in Arizona and Northern California, and the breakup of his family.

    “I’m really glad we came to Toronto,” a visibly moved Spielberg said after taking the stage as the credits rolled.

    “As things got worse and worse, I felt that if I was going to leave anything behind, what was the thing that I really need to resolve and unpack about my mom, my dad,” Spielberg said.

    He told the audience at TIFF that ‘The Fabelmans’ would not be his final film despite having come to terms with his history.

    “This is not because I’m going to retire and this is my swansong,” he said. “Don’t believe any of that.”

    Gabriel LaBelle plays Sam Fabelman, Spielberg’s cinematic persona, in the director’s autobiographical drama, along with Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, and Seth Rogen.

    The ‘Jurassic Park’ director estimated before the screening that ‘The Fabelmans’ is his first to officially play in the selection of a film festival in his 34-picture career, apparently forgetting that “Bridge of Spies” only recently had its world debut there. Making this movie seemed to sting more deeply.

    The ensemble cast of “The Fabelmans” includes Jeannie Berlin, Julia Butters, Robin Bartlett, Keeley Karsten, and David Lynch, who make a brief appearance but are not revealed here. Producing the movie are Spielberg, Tony Kushner, and Kristie Macosko Krieger.

    ‘The Fablemans’ is backed by Universal Pictures, which is set to release the film in theatres on November 11. 

    WASHINGTON: Steven Spielberg’s ‘The Fabelmans’ earned a roaring standing ovation at the Toronto International Film Festival on Saturday.

    According to Variety, the director claimed that the COVID pandemic served as the impetus for him to create his most intimate tale to date, which takes a look at his early forays into filmmaking, his upbringing in Arizona and Northern California, and the breakup of his family.

    “I’m really glad we came to Toronto,” a visibly moved Spielberg said after taking the stage as the credits rolled.

    “As things got worse and worse, I felt that if I was going to leave anything behind, what was the thing that I really need to resolve and unpack about my mom, my dad,” Spielberg said.

    He told the audience at TIFF that ‘The Fabelmans’ would not be his final film despite having come to terms with his history.

    “This is not because I’m going to retire and this is my swansong,” he said. “Don’t believe any of that.”

    Gabriel LaBelle plays Sam Fabelman, Spielberg’s cinematic persona, in the director’s autobiographical drama, along with Michelle Williams, Paul Dano, and Seth Rogen.

    The ‘Jurassic Park’ director estimated before the screening that ‘The Fabelmans’ is his first to officially play in the selection of a film festival in his 34-picture career, apparently forgetting that “Bridge of Spies” only recently had its world debut there. Making this movie seemed to sting more deeply.

    The ensemble cast of “The Fabelmans” includes Jeannie Berlin, Julia Butters, Robin Bartlett, Keeley Karsten, and David Lynch, who make a brief appearance but are not revealed here. Producing the movie are Spielberg, Tony Kushner, and Kristie Macosko Krieger.

    ‘The Fablemans’ is backed by Universal Pictures, which is set to release the film in theatres on November 11. 

  • Laura Dern on ‘Jurassic’ franchise’s feminist approach: It’s in line with what Steven Spielberg intended

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Actor Laura Dern says when Steven Spielberg offered her the role of paleobotanist Dr Ellie Sattler in 1993’s “Jurrasic Park”, they both were clear about making her an empowering character, a vision that has been carried forward in the new “Jurassic World” trilogy.

    Dern became a global star with her portrayal of Sattler in Spielberg’s trilogy of “Jurassic Park”, “The Lost World: Jurassic Park”, “Jurassic Park III” alongside Sam Niell’s Dr Alan Grant and Jeff Goldblum’s Ian Malcolm.

    The three actors have reunited for the final film in Colin Trevorrow’s “Jurrasic World” trilogy, which she believes has powerful women who are “equal to the men in the story”.

    “Now we’re seeing a lot of movies, and I’m so happy we are. Because of the industry being shamed into considering gender and diversity in storytelling, we are seeing ourselves reflected in the stories, thank God.

    “But what I love is that this franchise, from its beginning, treated female equal to the men and it has continued to evolve with powerful women at the helm,” Dern told PTI in a virtual interview from Los Angeles.

    The 55-year-old actor said during the press tour of the first movie, most of the people would talk about boys loving dinosaurs, but the success of “Jurassic Park”, which was based on Michael Crichton’s 1990 novel of the same name, changed that perception.

    “I met a woman last week who told me she’s the first female Congresswoman in her area in the United States and Ellie Sattler was her hero because she had never seen women who were equal to the men in a film. That was her first memory of that experience. It really gave her the courage to go into politics. That means so much to me,” the actor said.

    In her illustrious career, Dern has featured in critically-acclaimed films like “Rambling Rose”, “Wild”, “Little Women”, “Marriage Story”, as well as series “Enlightened”, “Big Little Lies” and “Twin Peaks: The Return”.

    She has won all the top awards including Oscar, Golden Globe and Emmy, for her work.

    When she was offered a chance to return to the world of dinosaurs, Dern said she wanted to ensure that her character had evolved with times.

    “In the movie she has to move forward. She has to evolve as a woman. I love her being an independent single woman, but also in the area of science. She would take her expertise in paleontology, move towards soil science and focus on climate change. This is exactly what Dr Ellie Sattler would do today. She would figure out a way to avoid another extinction and take care of all of us with the bravery and an intellect that she has,” the actor said.

    Titled “Jurrasic World: Dominion”, the last film in Trevorrow’s trilogy also features Bryce Dallas Howard as former Jurassic World park’s former manager Claire Dearing, DeWanda Wise as former Air Force pilot Kayla Watts and young actor Isabella Sermon as Maisie Lockwood.

    Having spent time with these “amazing” actors, Dern said she realised that the franchise has been on the right track.

    “These characters are really in line with what Steven Spielberg intended when we collaborated on who Ellie Sattler would be and it makes me very proud. It made for an amazing time.”

    And even though there are a lot of “heroic” men in the movie, like franchise stars Chris Pratt, Neill and Goldblum, Dern joked she would want the women of the film to be by her side in the time of crisis.

    “We have a lot of safe heroic men in this movie that are amazing, but if I was in trouble I would definitely want those girls on my team,” she quipped.

    One of the most versatile actors of her generation, Dern has worked with celebrated filmmakers like David Lynch, Robert Altman, Paul Thomas Anderson, Martha Coolidge, Noah Baumbach, Jennifer Fox and Greta Gerwig.

    She credits her parents, actors Bruce Dern and Diane Ladd, for teaching her at a young age to follow “filmmakers with vision”.

    “I am so grateful for my parents who taught me at a very young age to follow filmmakers with vision. If I feel there’s a story that must be told, either because it’s a unique voice and vision or if it is telling a woman’s story with all her flaws and vulnerability, I do it. I feel so grateful. I’ve been lucky enough to follow filmmakers in that way.”

    “Jurrasic World: Dominion”, a follow up to “Jurassic World” and “Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom”, is scheduled to be released in India on June 10.

    The film is backed by Universal Pictures and Amblin Entertainment.

  • Steven Spielberg told me to stop making ‘Transformers’ movies, I should’ve stopped: Michael Bay

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Filmmaker Michael Bay recently shared that he should’ve stopped making the ‘Transformers’ films at a certain point.

    According to ‘Variety’, he told Unilad UK (via IndieWire). Bay directed 2007’s ‘Transformers’, which grossed $709 million worldwide, and then returned for four sequels.

    Two follow-up films, ‘Transformers: Dark of the Moon’ and ‘Transformers: Age of Extinction’, grossed over $1 billion worldwide. According to Bay, even franchise executive producer Steven Spielberg told him to stop after the third movie, reports ‘Variety’.

    “I made too many of them,” Bay said.

    “Steven Spielberg said, ‘Just stop at three’. And I said I’d stop. The studio begged me to do a fourth, and then that made a billion too. And then I said I’m gonna stop here. And they begged me again. I should have stopped. (But) they were fun to do.”

    Bay’s final ‘Transformers’ outing, the Mark Wahlberg-starring 2017 entry ‘Transformers: The Last Knight’, bombed with film critics and grossed a franchise low $605 million worldwide.

    Bay told Unilad UK that he still remembers just how “scary” it was taking on the original ‘Transformers’ movie.

    “It was technology we didn’t know would work, and then it became very successful,” Bay said. “It was the first time digital effects were that highly reflective, so it broke a lot of new ground. It was a fun experience. It made more than ($709 million), that’s a lot of movie tickets and a lot of people that have seen it.”

    Bay stepped away from directorial duties on the aTransformers’ franchise starting with the 2018 spinoff movie ‘Bumblebee’, which was directed by ‘Kubo and the Two Strings’ animation director Travis Knight in his live-action debut.

    The ‘Transformers’ franchise is returning in 2023 with ‘Transformers: Rise of the Beast’.

    Set in the year 1994, the upcoming tentpole is directed by ‘Creed II’ helmer Stephen Cable Jr. and stars Anthony Ramos, Dominique Fishback and Luna Lauren Velez.

    Bay’s next is titled ‘Ambulance’, an action thriller, which will release on April 8.

  • ‘West Side Story’ star Rachel Zegler reveals she wasn’t invited to the Oscars 

    By PTI

    LOS ANGELES: Actor Rachel Zegler has revealed that she will not be at the Oscars to support “West Side Story” as she was not invited to the ceremony on Sunday.

    The Steven Spielberg directed musical is nominated for seven Oscars, including the best picture at the movie gala.

    Zegler plays the role of Maria in Spielberg’s ambitious new adaptation of the 1957 musical of the same name, which was later turned into a successful Hollywood movie in 1961.

    Zegler spoke about the missing invite when a fan asked her what she planned to wear for the Oscars.

    “I’m not invited so sweatpants and my boyfriend’s flannel,” the actor said in her reply.

    The comments left many of the actor’s fans angry as it is normal for stars to attend the ceremony to support the film even if they did not receive a nomination.

    The actor later wrote, “IDK y’all I have tried it all but it doesn’t seem to be happening. I will root for ‘West Side Story’ from my couch and be proud of the work we so tirelessly did 3 years ago. I hope some last-minute miracle occurs and I can celebrate our film in person but hey, that’s how it goes sometimes, I guess. thanks for all the shock and outrage, I’m disappointed, too. but that’s OK. So proud of our movie.”

    The 94th Academy Awards will take place on Sunday, March 27

  • Steven Spielberg won’t direct another musical after ‘West Side Story’

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Filmmaker Steven Spielberg, who is one of the nominees for the Producers Guild of America (PGA) awards for his musical ‘West Side Story’, has said he will never direct another musical in his career, although he’ll be involved as a producer on some.He made the remarks at the annual breakfast with the nominees for the Darryl F. Zanuck Award at the Skirball Cultural Center. The theme of the panel was Spielberg.During the conversation, the two-time Oscar-winning director for ‘Schindler’s List’ and ‘Saving Private Ryan’ said he was currently co-producing the musical adaptation of ‘The Color Purple’ with Fantasia Barrino and Danielle Brooks in the lead roles.He helmed the 1985 Alice Walker adaptation, which was nominated for 11 Academy Awards and won him his first DGA prize, though he failed to score an Oscar nomination for best director. The adoration for Spielberg and the overall gratitude from all of the nominated producers was beautifully pronounced at the event.In response to a question about how producers can be successful and enter the business, Spielberg replied by saying: “The smartest thing I do is hire women. I always have and always will. I believe in the power of the producer. You’re not just the leaders. You are therapists. I rely on someone stronger than me to produce.”He reflected on the challenge of getting the rights to ‘West Side Story’, going to lyricist Stephen Sondheim’s home saying: “His dogs were sniffing my crotch, and I was afraid to push them away (as) I didn’t want to offend him.”He was able to achieve his goal sharing that this was an opportunity to keep the Romeo and Juliet story alive for another 30 years. “My favourite channels are TCM and the Criterion Channel, but they don’t get the highest ratings.”One representative from each Producers Guild-nominated films took the stage for the in-person event – Todd Black, Philippe Rousselet, Mary Parent, Tim White, Sara Murphy, Tanya Seghatchian, Julie Oh and Spielberg, while Kenneth Branagh and Kevin Messick both appeared virtually via Zoom.Fisher opened by thanking everyone, telling the film producers in the room that they have “prevailed”; “They tried to kill us but couldn’t.”She also highlighted the diversity of this year’s crop of producing nominees, which includes nine female producers. Fisher indicated that nearly 50 per cent of the guild is composed of women, reports ‘Variety’. The support that was given by streaming giant Netflix was also a common talking point among its three nominated films.Tanya Seghatchian revealed the brilliance of her producing team, especially from ‘Power of the Dog’ director and writer Jane Campion.According to Variety’, the rights to the Thomas Savage novel had gone through multiple hands over the past 55 years, including classic actor Paul Newman, who was going to play the lead character Phil Burbank, portrayed by Benedict Cumberbatch in the final film.Julie Oh’s charisma shined the brightest on stage, speaking about the journey to bring composer Jonathan Larson’s stage musical: “There’s a reason there’s a Wikipedia page for development hell.”Oh attended one of only five performances that took place in New York starring Lin-Manuel Miranda. She initially wasn’t aware of the show and was surprised the rights were available.Kevin Messick talked about the “urgency for climate change” in ‘Don’t Look Up’ and how Adam McKay wrote the film with Jennifer Lawrence in mind. Most poignant was his answer for the roughest day of production; “the worst day was January 7,” referring to the January 6, 2021 riots at the US Capitol.Todd Black spoke about wanting to make a movie about Lucille Ball’s life in 1995, but the comedian’s children didn’t want it at the time. He also shared he knew “Aaron Sorkin was the right man to write it” regarding the eight-year journey to get the film made.Philippe Rousselet started his opening remarks by acknowledging the strong year for movies. Discussing the journey to get ‘CODA’ made, and ultimately sold at Sundance for a record $25 million to Apple, he said: “It’s been the most extraordinary journey of my producer life.”Mary Parent had been watching the rights for ‘Dune’ go through various hands, waiting for the right opportunity to seize the moment.Parent almost hinted that ‘Dune: Part II’ is “not a sequel. It’s half of the story”.’King Richard’ producer Tim White recalled seeing the real life Richard Williams, who is played in the film by best actor frontrunner Will Smith, holding signs at a 1999 tennis match in Miami, well before he knew he wanted to make movies.Sara Murphy talked about the story of ‘Licorice Pizza’ ruminating in writer-director Paul Thomas Anderson’s mind for a long time. Branagh championed his three female producers — Laura Berwick, Becca Kovacik and Tamar Thomas — and recalled everyone’s availability during the pandemic.He heard back from two of his stars, Caitrona Balfe and Jamie Dornan, within hours of sending them an initial email regarding the project. Branagh also recalled showing the semi-autobiographical ‘Belfast’ to his family.”There was Tremendous uncertainty. The most difficult moment was showing this personal story about my family, to my family. My brother saying that things that I say happened to me, happened to him.”

  • Steven Spielberg’s ‘Halo’ helps Shabana Azmi explore AI and evolve as an actress

    By IANS

    MUMBAI: Celebrated actress Shabana Azmi, who’ll be soon seen in the upcoming sci-fi series, ‘Halo’, backed by Steven Spielberg, said that the show gave her the opportunity to explore a completely new genre and that it has been a learning curve for her as an actor.

    The actress, who has moved out completely from her comfort zone, said: “Working on this project has been a dream come true. The show deals in Artificial Intelligence, which is a completely new genre for me, hence it gave me the opportunity to learn and evolve.”

    She also spoke about her experience of being a part of the show, which is set to release worldwide on March 24, “I thoroughly enjoyed working on the sets with stellar actors such as Natascha McElhone, Pablo Schreiber and Jen Taylor. The visuals are stunning and I cannot wait for the release to see how it will be received by audiences across the globe.”

    Back home, Shabana will also be seen in R. Balki’s ‘Ghoomer’ and Karan Johar’s ‘Rocky Aur Rani Ki Prem Kahani’, where she will be seen sharing the screen with Jaya Bachchan, Alia Bhatt, Ranveer Singh and Dharmendra.

  • Steven Spielberg developing original Frank ‘Bullitt’ movie

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Filmmaker Steven Spielberg is developing an original feature film based on the character of Frank Bullitt, the San Francisco cop first played by Steve McQueen in the 1968 thriller ‘Bullitt’.

    Josh Singer is set to write the screenplay, with regular Spielberg collaborator Kristie Macosko Krieger on board to produce with the director, reports variety.com.

    McQueen’s son Chad McQueen and granddaughter Molly McQueen are executive producing after a lengthy negotiation process with the McQueen estate to secure the rights to the character.

    Warner Bros., which released the 1968 ‘Bullitt’, will be the studio for Spielberg’s new film, which is not a remake, but an original story about the character, arguably McQueen’s most iconic role. The 1968 ‘Bullitt,’ based on the 1963 novel ‘Mute Witness’, follows Bullitt’s investigation into the death of a mob informant that he was tasked with protecting.

    Directed by Peter Yates, ‘Bullitt’ features one of the most memorable car chases in movie history with McQueen famously doing all of his own driving in a modified Ford Mustang.

    The film won the Oscar for editing and was also nominated for sound.

    No script is in place for Spielberg’s take on the character, and no deals have been set, so this will not be the filmmaker’s next movie after ‘The Fabelmans’ debuts in November.

    Spielberg is on something of a cinema history kick, having just earned two Academy Award nominations for directing and producing his reimagining of the classic musical ‘West Side Story’, which is also nominated for picture, supporting actress, production design, costume design, sound and cinematography.

  • Filmmaker David Lynch joins cast of  The Fabelmans

    By Express News Service

    Hollywood filmmaker David Lynch has joined the cast of Steven Spielberg’s upcoming film The Fabelmans.

    The project marks the first collaboration between the two legendary filmmakers. Lynch will star alongside Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Paul Dano, Julia Butters, and newcomer Gabriel LaBelle.

    Lynch has previously featured in guest roles in many shows and movies, including his own series Twin Peaks, in which he played the role of Gordon Cole.

    The Fabelmans is a semi-autobiographical film that is loosely based on Spielberg’s childhood. Spielberg co-wrote the script with Tony Kushner of Lincoln and Munich fame.

    The film is currently in post-production. The film’s ensemble also includes Judd Hirsch, Sam Rechner, Oakes Fegley, Chloe East, Julia Butters, Jeannie Berlin, Robin Bartlett, Jonathan Hadary, and Isabelle Kusman.

  • David Lynch signed for Spielberg’s semi-autobiographical ‘The Fabelmans’

    By IANS

    LOS ANGELES: Legendary filmmaker David Lynch, who is known for films like ‘Mulholland Drive’, ‘Eraserhead’, ‘Blue Velvet’, and the historical drama ‘The Elephant Man’, has come on board in the capacity of an actor for Steven Spielberg’s upcoming drama ‘The Fabelmans’.

    The project will serve as the first collaboration between the two celebrated directors, who broke out in the 1970s and have charmed the cinephiles through their exceptional body of work, reports Variety.

    As per Variety, while plot details are yet unknown, ‘The Fabelmans’ is touted to be a semi-autobiographical project and borrows heavily from its helmer, Spielberg’s time growing up in Arizona.

    The other cast members on the project include Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Paul Dano, Julia Butters and debutant Gabriel LaBelle. As per Variety, Williams and Dano are expected to essay the characters drawn from Spielberg’s parents, while Rogen’s role is said to be influenced by Spielberg’s uncle.

    LaBelle is reported to star as aspiring filmmaker Sammy, a Spielberg analogue, while Butters portrays his sister, Anne. However, the details about David’s are heavily guarded.

    In addition, ‘The Fabelmans’ also stars Judd Hirsch, Sam Rechner, Oakes Fegley, Chloe East, Julia Butters, Jeannie Berlin, Robin Bartlett, Jonathan Hadary and Isabelle Kusman. Spielberg has been co-written the script with Tony Kushner, who is his frequent collaborator.