“Dune” filmmaker Denis Villeneuve has a lot of options for what he could make next, and one of them could be his long-gestating “Cleopatra” movie based on the Stacy Schiff novel “Cleopatra: A Life” for Sony Pictures (he has a couple of options, one of them being a third “Dune” movie too).

Before that, however, some may remember the era when filmmaker David Fincher had a version of the movie set up at Paramount, circa 2012, that would have starred Oscar-winning actress Angelina Jolie  (long before the competing Gal Gadot incarnation with Patty Jenkins and Kari Skogland).

Continue reading Brian Helgeland Shares Details On David Fincher’s Unmade ‘Cleopatra’ Film Almost Starring Angelina Jolie at The Playlist.

For years, streaming had been a great home to canceled series, revivals, and sequels. However, an attempt to get Netflix to bite on a sequel to the late Heath Ledger’s medieval rom-com “A Knight’s Tale” was recently passed on thanks to a clinical computer assessment. According to the original film’s director, Brian Helgeland (“Payback,” “Legend”), in an interview with Inverse, the filmmaker had recently shopped around an “A Knight’s Tale 2” sequel to Sony and Netflix.

Continue reading Brian Helgeland Says Netflix Scrapped ‘A Knight’s Tale’ Sequel Based On Their Algorithm at The Playlist.

“Finestkind,” the new drama from “L.A. Confidential” and “Mystic River” screenwriter and “42” director Brian Helgeland, is not a great movie, but some of it is fascinating, even when it doesn’t work. Easy to dismiss because some of its broad, ridiculous, and suspension-of-disbelief turns—it’s essentially about a New England fishing community band of brothers that turn to drug dealers and spiraling criminal consequences in order to get out of the illegal activities jam they’re already in—the plot is fairly uninspired and breaks suspension of disbelief early.

Continue reading ‘Finestkind’ Review: Dudes, Feelings, Fishing & Drug Deals Awkwardly Mix In A Dad-Rock Family Crime Drama at The Playlist.

Fisherman, family, blue-collar life, debts that pile up, and crime all swirl together in the new drama, “Finestkind” from Oscar-winning writer/director Brian Helgeland, who won the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay for “LA Confidential” in 1998. Helgeland’s done a ton since, writing the Oscar-winning “Mystic River” for Clint Eastwood, “Man on Fire” for Tony Scott, and directing the Jackie Robinson biopic “42,” “Legend” with Tom Hardy, and now, “Finestkind.”

“Finestkind” stars Ben Foster, Toby Wallace, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jenna Ortega, and it’s a crime drama about a crew of fishermen who tread dangerous waters after their debts start piling up.

Continue reading ‘Finestkind’ Trailer: Bluecollar Fisherman Get Ensared In Crime Starring Ben Foster, Jenna Ortega, Tommy Lee Jones & More at The Playlist.

A couple of years ago, it was revealed that “L.A. Confidential” writer Brian Helgeland had, at one point, met with Warner Bros. about a sequel to the Oscar-winning original film. He didn’t go into much detail, only to say that Chadwick Boseman would have starred in the movie. However, Warner Bros. passed on the idea. Now, Helgeland is opening up about it, talking about how he loved the idea, but apparently it wasn’t just WB who didn’t like the pitch. 

Continue reading ‘L.A. Confidential’ Writer Says Netflix Exec “Fell Asleep During The Pitch” For A Sequel Starring Chadwick Boseman at The Playlist.

Released almost 25 years ago, “L.A. Confidential” earned rave reviews and ended up landing 9 Oscar nominations (winning two). The film features an incredible cast and is a great detective noir. And it appears the Oscar-winning writer of the first film, Brian Helgeland, had a great idea for a sequel a few years ago, including some A-list cast members like Chadwick Boseman, but the studio turned him down.

Continue reading ‘L.A. Confidential’ Writer Says Studio Turned Down Sequel That Would Have Starred Chadwick Boseman at The Playlist.

Watch: Twin Tom Hardys Terrorize London In Teaser Trailer For Brian Helgeland's 'Legend'

Continue reading Watch: Twin Tom Hardys Terrorize London In Teaser Trailer For Brian Helgeland’s ‘Legend’ at The Playlist.

First Look At Tom Hardy As Gangster Twins Ronnie & Reggie Kray In 'Legend'

Continue reading First Look At Tom Hardy As Gangster Twins Ronnie & Reggie Kray In ‘Legend’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading Tom Hardy To Play Twin Gangsters In ‘Legend’ From ‘L.A. Confidential’ Writer Brian Helgeland at The Playlist.

Review: '42' Admirably & Carefully Weaves Together The History Of Baseball & Civil Rights

Continue reading Review: ’42’ Admirably & Carefully Weaves Together The History Of Baseball & Civil Rights at The Playlist.

Watch: New Trailer & Featurette For Jackie Robinson Biopic '42'

Continue reading Watch: New Trailer & Featurette For Jackie Robinson Biopic ’42’ at The Playlist.

Watch: Trailer For Jackie Robinson Biopic '42' Hits A Home Run

Continue reading Watch: Trailer For Jackie Robinson Biopic ’42’ Hits A Home Run at The Playlist.

First Look: Chadwick Boseman & Nicole Beharie In Brian Helgeland's Jackie Robinson Film '42'

Continue reading First Look: Chadwick Boseman & Nicole Beharie In Brian Helgeland’s Jackie Robinson Film ’42’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading ‘Pretty Little Liars’ Star Ryan Merriman To Play Fellow Dodger Dixie Walker In Jackie Robinson Biopic ’42’ at The Playlist.

'Shame' Star Nicole Beharie Joins Brian Helgeland's Jackie Robinson Biopic '42'

Continue reading ‘Shame’ Star Nicole Beharie Joins Brian Helgeland’s Jackie Robinson Biopic ’42’ at The Playlist.

Continue reading Newcomer Chadwick Boseman and Harrison Ford Lock Lead Roles In Brian Helgeland’s Jackie Robinson Biopic ’42’ at The Playlist.

Harrison Ford Courted For Jackie Robinson Biopic '42'

Continue reading Harrison Ford Courted For Jackie Robinson Biopic ’42’ at The Playlist.

An in-depth article by NY Magazine has dug into the drama around the production of Scott’s enervating merry men tale and if anything it confirms two things: 1) Hollywood really has its head up its ass sometimes especially when it comes to kowtowing to egos and 2) after the very expensive bombs of “The Wolf Man” and “Green Zone,” (both costing over $150 million and both likely not recouping), Universal is having a really, really tough year (let’s add the $20o million dollar cost of “Robin Hood” and a pretty soft opening and you’re looking at a year that will probably stay in the red even when the 4th quarter finally arrives, ouch).

Continue reading Anatomy Of A Botched Development: How ‘Robin Hood’ Went From Bad To Worse at The Playlist.

With the two latter ‘Bourne’ movies — “The Bourne Supremacy” and “The Bourne Ultimatum” — Greengrass not only reversed engineered the spy genre and reassembled it, he game-changed it, modernizing and radicalizing the films with a realistic magneticism that has colored all action spy films since.

Continue reading Review: ‘Green Zone’ A Heady Mixture Of Thrills & Commentary at The Playlist.

And honestly, there’s not that much new out there in detail, but we did find several new set photos, videos and quotes.

Remember that idea that Robin Hood would also be the Sheriff of Nottingham?

Continue reading New Set Photos From Ridley Scott’s ‘Robin Hood’; Russell Crowe Says ‘Prince Of Thieves’ Is Like A Bon Jovi Video at The Playlist.

Crass, frequently ham-fisted and occasionally flat-out intellectually bankrupt, ‘Pelham’ is also as subtle as a dentist performing surgery at a Slayer concert, but hello, this is Tony Scott we’re talking about, what else is new?

Continue reading Despite Best Efforts, Tony Scott’s Style Overkill Can’t Completely Derail, ‘The Taking Of Pelham 123’ at The Playlist.