AMC Networks has picked up the highly anticipated film adaptation of the Jack Kerouac classic On The Road. This doesn’t mean the film will debut after Mad Men on Sunday nights, but that AMC’s distribution labels, IFC Films and Sundance Selects, will bring the movie to theaters this fall.
The Walter Salles directed drama debuts at the end of the month in competition at the famed Cannes Film Festival. Known as the beat generation’s biography, On The Road has been decades in the making, starting in 1978 when Francis Ford Coppola first tried to bring the story to the big screen.
On The Road features performances by Kristen Stewart, Garrett Hedlund and Sam Riley as the three drifting young adults driving cross country experiencing the freedom of the open road, a trek that brought cast and crew to Louisiana. The film is scheduled to debut in theaters this fall.
We’ve received quite a few inquiries regarding a Groupon that offers the opportunity to be an extra on a film called The Dark Tales of El Diablo for $149. and would like to underscore a few facts about the film industry:
1) You do not have to pay to be an extra. In fact, you are normally PAID to be an extra. There is a great guide here for how to become an extra in Louisiana: http://www.filmneworleans.org/for-the-local-community/becoming-an-extra/
2) You can choose to do it for free, or you can be paid as an extra. On films that will actually be distributed in theaters or DVD, you are usually paid. THE OVERWHELMING VAST MAJORITY OF ACTING AND EXTRA JOBS THAT ASK YOU TO ***PAY*** ARE SCAMS.
3) That said, if you’ve read items 1 and 2, and you still want to pay to be in this particular zombie film, that’s ok! It may fit into your schedule perfectly, and you do not want to postpone the opportunity to be a zombie. However, just know that what you are actually paying for is for the filmmakers to make their movie. And supporting independent filmmakers is a good thing. However, Groupon works by taking half of the money that it receives. So, only about $74.50 of your money will go to the filmmakers, and the other half to Groupon.
Thursday, May 10th, HBO will premiere its newest documentary Weight of the Nation at Manship Theatre. The reception begins at 6:00 PM, and the documentary’s screening will start at 7:00 PM. A post discussion will follow the showing. Speakers include Colettta Barrett, Vice President of Mission at Our Lady of the Lady and Chairman of the Mayor’s Healthy Initiative Board of Directors, who will lead a discussion on obesity with: Dr. Gerald Berenson, Tulane University School of Medicine; Stephenie Broyles, PhD Epidemiologist at Pennington Biomedical Research Center; Pam Romero, RD, LDN, CDE, Nutritional Consultant/Let’s Move! Cities and Towns State Coordinator Louisiana Dietetic Association; and Cindy Roach, School Bus Driver, Bogalusa, LA.
The CW has announced its early renewal of several popular shows including the network’s top rated series, The Vampire Diaries. Starring Louisiana native Ian Somerhalder, Vampire Diaries is based on a series of books by L.J. Smith.
The upcoming season will be the fourth for the television series.
Beasts of the Southern Wild became the sensation of Sundance this year winning the Grand Jury Prize at the fest as well as countless accolades from the press. Fox Searchlight bought the rights for the fantasy flick and has just debuted the trailer in preparation for its summer release.
The trailer gives audiences a glimpse of the film’s fairytale setting and story, showing young heroine Hushpuppy as she prepares for the end of the world. Surrounding the six-year-old are her ailing father, her small southern community and prehistoric creatures called aurochs. Shot around New Orleans by Behn Zeitlin and Court 13 Pictures, Beasts of the Southern Wild will hit theaters June 27.
HBO has signed on for the eight-part drama series “True Detective,” starring Woody Harrelson and Matthew McConaughey in the leading roles. Cary Fukunaga will helm the project as director of the cop drama written by Nic Pizzolato, and the show will be a straight-to-series order.
The premise of the series follows two detectives hunting down a seventeen-year serial killer case in Louisiana.The framework of the series include flashbacks to the original case in 1995 alongside the reopened, present case. The series also promises multiple personalities with these framed time periods, and the first season will resolve the mystery under Woody and Matthew’s hands. Following seasons will abide by the same plot structure, but with new characters and problems to solve. The series is in production now.
Green Planet Productions will release one of its latest documentaries,The Big Fix, on June 19 via digital distribution and on DVD. The film will be available on DVD through Lionsgate, as well as through digital distributor, GoDigital. The documentary chronicles the 2010 destruction of the drilling platform Deepwater Horizon and the resulting oil spill, which quickly escalated to become the largest offshore oil spill in U.S. history. Produced and directed by Josh and Rebecca Harrell Tickell and narrated by Peter Fonda, the film was the only Official Selection Documentary of the 2011 Cannes Film Festival. Along with Fonda, executive producers Tim Robbins and Maggie Wachsberger join associate producer Jason Mraz in this documentary. Mraz also provides his new song “Collapsible Plans” to the film.
A new clip has just been released from Universal’s Battleship starring Taylor Kitsch, Alexander Skarsgard and Liam Neeson. The action film has been dominating the international box office for the past three weekends, so far earning $170.9 million. Battleship won’t open in North America until May 18th, but in the meantime, follow the link below to see an exclusive clip featuring Rihanna and Alexander Skarsgard.
An inescapable cloud of hype currently surrounds Rian Johnson’s newest project Looper. The director, whose credits include Brick and The Brothers Bloom, just released several stills of the futuristic thriller. The sci-fi flick stars Joseph Gordon-Levitt as Joe, a hit man working for a mob that operates by sending their targets back in time from the future. Joe’s job as an assassin pays well, but he finds his good life cut short once he realizes his newest target is his future self, played by Bruce Willis. Emily Blunt also stars in the New Orleans-shot film, which hits theaters on September 28th. Check out the new stills below.
AMC Networks has picked up the highly anticipated film adaptation of the Jack Kerouac classic On The Road. This doesn’t mean the film will debut after Mad Men on Sunday nights, but that AMC’s distribution labels, IFC Films and Sundance Selects, will bring the movie to theaters this fall.
