It’s a long tradition in Hollywood to make historical biopics about United States Presidents. Good or bad, eventually a biopic will emerge. So, that begs the question—when will we see Donald Trump get the biopic treatment? Well, it appears the project that was seemingly going to be one of the first has recently been aborted. 

According to The Ankler, Apple has stopped development on a Donald Trump biopic, based on the recent book, “Confidence Man” by author Maggie Haberman.

Continue reading Apple Reportedly Cancels Plans To Develop Donald Trump Biopic at The Playlist.

Sean Baker is a fearless filmmaker. It’s hard to disagree with that statement when you consider the risks he’s taken over the course of his career, especially with his most recent features. With “Tangerine,” the filmmaker told a story about trans people back in 2015 using only an iPhone to film the feature. He would go on to earn near-universal acclaim. Then, in 2017, he followed that film up with “The Florida Project,” which featured a cast of unknowns (outside of Oscar-nominated Willam Dafoe) and once again, earned acclaim because of his choices.

Continue reading Sean Baker Knows ‘Red Rocket’ Will Be A Divisive Film: “I Understand I’m Going To Get Some Hate Mail” at The Playlist.

After the box office juggernaut “Avengers: Endgame,” The Russo Brothers have been keeping busy with the Tom Holland (“Spider-Man: Homecoming,” “The Impossible,” “The Heart of The Sea“) crime drama “Cherry” and are currently shooting the $200+ million budgeted Netflix spy action film “The Gray Man” led by Ryan Gosling (“Drive“) and Chris Evans (“Snowpiercer“). 

READ MORE: The Russo Brothers Directing Chris Evans & Ryan Gosling In Netflix’s Most Expensive Film To Date, ‘The Gray Man’

The sibling duo is also producing a heap of films via their production company AGBO Films, and one project is a political tech drama about the real-life company Cambridge Analytica. Collider is reporting that that untitled project is looking to add Oscar winners Eddie Redmayne (“The Theory of Everything,” “Trial of The Chicago 7“) and director Peter Farrelly (“Green Book“), which would quickly place the move into the festival circuit and possibly lead to multiple awards consideration. 

If you’re unfamiliar with the project or the company, Collider gives us a refresher, “Cambridge Analytica, a data analytics firm that illegally harvested the personal data of 87 million Facebook users to influence Donald Trump‘s presidential victory and the Brexit vote.”

READ MORE: ‘Fantastic Beasts 3’: It’s Official, Mads Mikkelsen Will Replace Johnny Depp As Grindelwald

Eddie Redmayne is said to be wanted for the role of Canadian data consultant and whistleblower Christopher Wylie. The British actor recently wrapped on the Potterverse sequel “Fantastic Beasts 3” after multiple production hiccups alongside Mads Mikkelsen (“Another Round“), replacing Johnny Depp as the franchise villain.

Continue reading Eddie Redmayne & Peter Farrelly Circling Political Tech Drama About Cambridge Analytica; Produced By The Russo Brothers at The Playlist.

Following their last successful American political show, “The Comey Rule,” Showtime is looking to make a limited series about another big and timely news topic with the same creators. This time they’ll be moving forward with a project about the deadly insurrection at the U.S. Capital back on January 6.

READ MORE: ‘The Comey Rule’: Billy Ray’s Showtime Miniseries Is An Intriguing FBI Procedural Until It’s Not [Review]

According to Deadline, Showtime is again collaborating with writer/director Billy Ray (“Shattered Glass“) and writer Shane Salerno on the project that will focus on multiple perspectives about the attack and the Trump Administration’s final days.

Continue reading ‘The Comey Rule’s Billy Ray To Make Showtime Series About The U.S. Capitol Insurrection Attack & Final Days Of The Trump Administration at The Playlist.

Since its announcement, there’s been a lot of excitement surrounding the upcoming film from James Gray, “Armageddon Time.” Though the title of the film might make you think it’s a post-apocalyptic action film, Gray’s new feature is a drama that pulls from his own life as a kid in New York City, attending the Kew-Forest School in Queens, which happens to be the same school that former POTUS, Donald Trump attended.

Continue reading James Gray Says Cate Blanchett Plays Donald Trump’s Sister In His New Film, ‘Armageddon Time’ at The Playlist.

Back in 2014, in the lead-up to the release of “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” there was a lot of talk about how the Russo Brothers were mixing the political espionage film with a typical superhero feature. Since then, the Russos and other Marvel filmmakers have talked about the real-world and cultural influences on the features, mixing genres and making kinda-sorta (never really overt) political statements. And according to the Russo Brothers, that’s exactly how they view their ‘Avengers’ work.

Continue reading The Russo Brothers Say Their ‘Avengers’ Films Are A “Powerful Tool” To Combat The Last 4 Years Of Political Turmoil at The Playlist.

The best part about Sacha Baron Cohen’s undercover mockumentary projects, such as “Borat,” “Bruno,” or even the recent “Borat Subsequent Moviefilm,” is how each of them builds to a comedic crescendo. As we saw with ‘Moviefilm,’ the sequel to “Borat,” the climax came when Baron Cohen was able to literally catch Rudy Guiliani with his hand down his pants.

Continue reading ‘Borat 2’ Finale Could Have Featured MyPillow Founder On A Bed Instead Of Rudy Guiliani at The Playlist.

If you have Netflix, you’re well aware that Aaron Sorkin’s latest feature, “The Trial of the Chicago 7,” is now available to stream globally on the platform. The new drama tells the true story of a group of people in the late-‘60s that were accused of conspiracy after protesting the Democratic National Convention. And though the film takes place more than 50 years ago, the reason the film is being released now is thanks to the current President, Donald Trump.

Continue reading ‘Chicago 7’ Montclair Film Festival Exclusive: Aaron Sorkin Explains How Donald Trump’s Words Helped Get The Film Made at The Playlist.

While the filmmakers behind Showtime’s two-part “The Comey Rule” have clearly overestimated the public’s desire for— uhhh, gestures in the general direction of anything and everything in entertainment vaguely resembling the Trump Shitshow, any ancillary offshoots (see the Fox News portrait “The Loudest Voice”) and generally, politics in the corrosive age of toxic politics— writer/director Bill Ray’s “The Comey Rule” does open up with a good, if simplistic, bit and intriguing question.

Continue reading ‘The Comey Rule’: Billy Ray’s Showtime Miniseries Is An Intriguing FBI Procedural Until It’s Not [Review] at The Playlist.

One of the unexpected joys that have come to film fans during the pandemic is the launch of David Lynch Theater on YouTube. The enigmatic filmmaker has taken to becoming a bonafide social media star thanks to his interesting mix of unreleased shorts, daily weather updates, and general discussions, all in compact video morsels. And in his most recent video, he takes time to shout out the USPS, which finds itself in the middle of a war with the White House, with the fate of the upcoming Presidential Election hanging in the balance.

Continue reading David Lynch Praises Postal Workers During His Daily Update As Trump Targets USPS at The Playlist.

Without bringing specific political issues into consideration, it’s clear that there is a huge difference between the presidencies of Barack Obama and Donald Trump. Anyone with eyes can see that. However, in the new documentary, “The Way I See It,” it takes a photographer to really break down some of the clearest differences between how Trump runs the White House and how his predecessors carried themselves.

Continue reading ‘The Way I See It’ Trailer: Dawn Porter’s Doc Looks At The White House Through The Eyes Of A Photographer at The Playlist.

Nothing busts canons quite like living in interesting times. In our ongoing Inflection Point series, we look back at the films that have taken on new relevance due to our ongoing cultural and political upheaval. Some beloved, some undiscovered, these titles deserve newfound consideration as film criticism evolves to meet the moment

Even when placed alongside the other films that have taken on new relevance and poignancy in These Troubled Times, the prescience of James McTeigue’s “V for Vendetta” is sort of astonishing.

Continue reading ‘V for Vendetta’ Isn’t Science Fiction Anymore at The Playlist.

If you’ve been paying attention to the news or been involved in protests in the wake of the brutal killing of George Floyd, you probably have heard the message from people asking to “defund the police.” Unfortunately, depending on where you get your news from, you may not fully grasp what that movement is about. And this is something that Spike Lee thinks can be detrimental to the changes that people are hoping will happen.

Continue reading Spike Lee Thinks The “Defund The Police” Movement Needs “Better Terminology” at The Playlist.

One wonders what the original audiences thought, as they settled into their seats thirty years ago, of the out-of-nowhere opening to Joe Dante’s six-years-later sequel to his 1984 smash “Gremlins.” Because “Gremlins 2: The New Batch” does not open like a conventional summer sequel; it opens with Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck, in a Warner Bros. logo animation that breaks out of the movie entirely for a brief bit of Merrie Melodies-inspired lunacy.

Continue reading ‘Gremlins 2’ At 30: The Case For Letting A Franchise Go Absolutely Berzerk at The Playlist.

“Space Force” isn’t a great series. Far from it. But it is a show that Netflix is hoping will turn into a big deal, hopefully filling the void left by comedies such as “Friends” and “The Office.” However, even if it isn’t the next big thing, “Space Force” might actually become a major headache for the US government in regards to copyright claims.

Continue reading ‘Space Force’: Netflix Reportedly Has Upper Hand In Copyright Battle Against The U.S. Government at The Playlist.

Shortly after the video was released of George Floyd being killed by a police officer and protests began to rise up around the US, Spike Lee released a short clip editing together the videos of Floyd and Eric Garner being killed alongside a similar scene in the director’s own “Do The Right Thing,” asking the question, “When will history stop repeating itself?” In a new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Lee talked about the connection between his 1989 acclaimed film and the recent racist killings of Black folks and why he thinks 2020 is already one of the worst years ever.

Continue reading Spike Lee Talks George Floyd Killing & Says 2020 Is “One Of The Worst Years Ever” at The Playlist.

Nicolas Winding Refn is a filmmaker that marches to the beat of his own drum. Often, his films tend to strike a chord with a vocal contingent of film fans, while others are left confused or frustrated by his film work. That isn’t to say that he’s not a great auteur filmmaker, but instead, he’s just a director with films that vary wildly in quality in the eyes of many. But Refn doesn’t really care about that, as he’s always going to do whatever he wants to in his films and is brutally honest about that.

Continue reading Nicolas Winding Refn’s Quarantine Watchlist Includes Christian Propaganda, A Ned Hockman Noir & More at The Playlist.

Over the past decade, there aren’t many blockbuster films that have caused as much controversy as the 2016 remake of “Ghostbusters,” directed by Paul Feig. From the moment the first trailer dropped on YouTube, a social media movement began to discredit the film and do everything in its power to make sure the film didn’t succeed. Why? Well, mainly because the film starred four women instead of the original all-male cast.

Continue reading Paul Feig Blames “Anti-Hillary Movement” For ‘Ghostbusters’ Failure at The Playlist.

There have been plenty of iconic moments from films and TV series featuring a great actor portraying the President of the United States. There’s Martin Sheen in scenes from “The West Wing.” Morgan Freeman is incredible in the underrated “Deep Impact.” And who can forget Harrison Ford’s “Get off my plane!” moment from “Air Force One?” But the best of the best might very well be Bill Pullman from Roland Emmerich’s “Independence Day.” And apparently, it’s such a great performance that President Donald Trump felt it was appropriate to share a video where his face is put on Pullman’s during the film’s pivotal moment.

Continue reading Bill Pullman Isn’t Pleased Trump Used His ‘Independence Day’ Speech For A Tweet at The Playlist.

Ridley Scott, like many of us around the world, has recently gone back to painting. Why? Well, the filmmaker is doing his best to avoid social interaction and wait around for the COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic to run its course. And that means the filmmaker has to do things that don’t involve large sets and a huge film crew. So, painting.

He talked about his love of painting, as well as the current production delay of his new period film, “The Last Duel,” in a new interview with Variety.

Continue reading Ridley Scott Promotes Food Rationing During This Pandemic & Isn’t A Fan Of “Nutcase” Trump at The Playlist.

Yesterday, the Cannes Film Festival finally put an end to the speculation and announced a postponement of the May film event due to the global COVID-19 pandemic. Now, without a date, there’s still the chance that the Cannes Film Festival finds itself canceled, if the postponement lasts too long. That being said, Jury President Spike Lee is pleased with the announcement.

READ MORE: Cannes Is Officially Postponed With Possible Dates In June Being Considered

Speaking to Variety, Lee opened up about his feelings now that Cannes 2020 has officially been postponed.

Continue reading Jury President Spike Lee Agrees With Cannes Postponement: “We Are In A War-Like Time” at The Playlist.

With the coronavirus taking over the news cycle, with the pandemic affecting nearly every walk of life around the world, it’s clear that people turn to media to help figure out what to do or whether or not to panic. And that would likely explain why there’s been a sudden burst of interest in Steven Soderbergh’s 2011 film, “Contagion.” And according to the film’s writer, Scott Z. Burns, there’s information in the film worth revisiting in relation to COVID-19, but it’s the leadership of the country that needs to do better to figure out how to fix this situation.

Continue reading ‘Contagion’ Writer Says Trump “Has Gut Our Defense” Against Coronavirus By Slashing Budgets at The Playlist.

Trump is gonna Trump. It’s just the way of the world, right? And normally, considering we don’t cover many political stories on this website, we can avoid the latest comments made by the President. But for some reason (well, I think we can all guess a number of reasons), Trump decided to use his rally in Colorado recently to talk about “Parasite” and how it won the big prize at the Oscars.

Continue reading NEON Correctly Responds To Trump’s Recent Anti-‘Parasite’ Comments By Pointing Out The Obvious at The Playlist.

Sure, he was a major TV star before he turned into the President of the United States, but no one would ever say that Donald Trump is film force. In fact, if you think of Trump’s appearances in films (IMDB says he’s been in over a dozen), you’re likely only remembering one appearance — a cameo in the Christmas film “Home Alone 2: Lost in New York.” Well, if you watched the film recently in Canada, odds are you missed Trump’s appearance in the film.

Continue reading Donald Trump’s Cameo In ‘Home Alone 2’ Was Edited Out Of A Recent Canadian Broadcast at The Playlist.

Has Hollywood transformed more over the course of its 100-year history than from 2010 to 2020?  Perhaps the last time there was such fundamental change was when television reshaped America in the 1950s.  Maybe the cultural events of the 1960s witnessed across all media were just as impactful.  That being said, neither the advent of VHS in the 80s or DVDs and the explosion of the internet in the 90s prompted as much change in the film and television industries as they have over the past ten years.

Continue reading Biggest Entertainment Stories Of The Decade [2010s] at The Playlist.