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Harvey Keitel and Britt Robertson have teamed for comedy-drama “The Letter,” now in its final week of filming in Buenos Aires, with Rodrigo H. Vila directing.

Written by Vila and Sebastián Meschengieser with script collaboration from Andy Weiss, the film follows Finn (Keitel), an old war veteran, who wants to write a goodbye letter to his only daughter. He decides to hire failed writer Julia (Robertson), who is desperate for money. The two, each feeling lost in their own ways, form an unusual yet endearing friendship that ultimately transforms both their lives.

“The Letter” marks the second collaboration between writer, director and producer Vila and Keitel. The two first worked together on the 2019 sci-fi thriller “The Last Man.”

“I’ve worked with Harvey in the past, and we promised to make another film together,” Vila said. “This film, crafted specifically for him, has the potential to be a small gem that moves,...

Beim Screenforce Festival hat Andreas Bartl mit seinem Rtl-Zwei-Team die Stärken des Senders mit Reality und Doku unterstrichen. Diverse neue Formate wurden für den Herbst angekündigt.

Neues Rtl-Zwei-Format: „Diese Büchners – Familientrubel unter Palmen“ (Credit: Picture Puzzle Medien / Rtl Zwei)

Der Geschäftsführer von Rtl Zwei und dem Vermarkter El Cartel, Andreas Bartl, der als Mariachi auf die Bühne des Screenforce Festival verkleidet kam, klang fast ein bisschen wehmütig, als er erklärte, warum er immer noch dabei ist. Das liege am Sender und den Menschen, die diesen Sender mit so viel Liebe umsetzten.

Für die Herbstsaison 2024/25 kündigte der Sender diverse neue Doku-Soaps, Dokumentationen und Reality-Formate auf dem Branchenevent in Düsseldorf an. ITV Studios Germany macht „Love Island VIP” als wöchentliches Format und bringt Kandidatinnen und Kandidaten aus früheren Staffeln, aber auch aus anderen Reality-Shows zusammen.

Von der Produktionsfirma Brot & Butter kommt die neue Doku-Reihe „Unser Supermarkt“ über einen realen Supermarkt in der Nähe des Kölner Hauptbahnhofs.

Exclusive: Byron Allen’s Freestyle Digital Media has announced that George Gallo’s fitness pioneer pic Bigger about the Weider Brothers will hit all digital platforms and DVD on Jan. 15.

Joe & Ben Weider were the architects of muscle. Against all odds, they launched a fitness empire that included the Mr. Olympia competition and along the way discovered Arnold Schwarzenegger. Bigger, which had a theatrical release back in October, stars Tyler Hoechlin as the young Joe Weider, Julianne Hough as his wife Betty, who was instrumental in the brothers’ fitness franchise, and Aneurin Barnard as Ben Weider. Victoria Justice, Colton Haynes, Max Martini, Tom Arnold, Steve Guttenberg, Calbum Von Moger, DJ Qualls, with Kevin Durand, and Robert Forster also star.

“There is far more to this film that one would ever expect, it’s a rich and layered tale that is a true triumph of the spirit,” says producer Steve Lee Jones...

Exclusive: George Gallo is set to direct the feature adaptation of A.J. Benza’s 2015 childhood memoir ’74 and Sunny from Simon & Schuster.

Benza, the former Daily News show business columnist and E!’s Mysteries & Scandals host and producer, is currently writing the script.

’74 and Sunny recounts when Benza’s shy, effeminate cousin from New Jersey came to live with his Sicilian-American family during the summer of 1974 in Long Island, memories that were dominated by the author’s short-tempered, outspoken, hyper-masculine father. Through anecdotes of fishing with his father, playing tackle football and conquering neighborhood bullies, Benza tells a story of triumph and acceptance, of a loving but rough-around-the-edges family that puts aside its prejudices to welcome with open arms a young boy struggling to understand his sexuality and ultimately accept himself. It’s a story in which tolerance wins over ignorance, family neutralizes fear, and love triumphs over all.

Greg Ansin...

Stars: Matthew McConaughey, Richie Merritt, Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, Rj Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, Taylour Paige, Bruce Dern, Piper Laurie, Raekwon Haynes, Ishmael Ali, James Howard, Kyanna Simone Simpson | Written by Andy Weiss, Logan Miller, Noah Miller | Directed by Yann Demange

White Boy Rick is the tough rugged and gritty gangster affair in typical conventional style, albeit endorsed with a series of fabulous performances with sufficient twists and turns that save this venture from becoming an average biopic of sorts. The film tells the real-life story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison.

Yann Demange’s film has a frighteningly chaotic and nightmarish story. It is bizarre and shocking as it unfolds in quite unbelievable circumstances that are incredibly engaging with the...

“The Predator” is about to take a bite out of the box office.

Fox’s thriller reboot is on its way to an estimated $25 million debut from 4,037 North American sites. The projection is on the lower end of earlier forecasts, which had placed it in the $23 million to $32 million range. The film earned an estimated $10.45 million on Friday.

Directed by Shane Black, “The Predator” stars Boyd Holbrook, Trevante Rhodes, Keegan-Michael Key, Olivia Munn, Alfie Allen, Thomas Jane, and Sterling K. Brown. The fourth installment of the “Predator” franchise follows a group of former soldiers and a biologist who have to face alien Predators that land in the Georgian backwoods. It has a 34% Rotten Tomatoes score and C+ CinemaScore. “The Predator” faced controversy after Black hired Steven Wilder Striegel, a registered sex offender, to act in the film without the knowledge of the cast or crew. Black has since apologized and...

Fox’s “The Predator” earned $2.5 million at the Thursday box office, while Paul Feig’s noir thriller “A Simple Favor” grossed $900,000.

Produced for $88 million, Shane Black’s film is expected to earn in the high $20 million range. “The Predator” stars Boyd Holdbrook, Sterling K. Brown, Olivia Munn, Jacob Tremblay, Trevante Rhodes and Keegan-Michael Key. It currently holds a score of 34 percent on Rotten Tomatoes.

“The Predator” starts with a boy (Tremblay) who accidentally turns on an alien signal that he thinks is a toy. The signal triggers the return of the titular alien race, which has become even stronger thanks to DNA fusion with other races it has hunted.

Also Read: Does 'The Predator' Have a Post-Credits Scene?

“A Simple Favor” is expected to gross somewhere in the mid-teens this weekend. Starring Anna Kendrick, Blake Lively, and “Crazy Rich Asians” star Henry Golding, the film follows a small-town...

True crime stories usually like to focus on the rise and fall of someone we know in our hearts is due justice. We may like him or her, but there’s never a doubt that prison is deserved. With the new film White Boy Rick, opening in theaters this weekend, things are different. Watching a teenager be set up and then go down is not what you normally get. And yet, that’s the story being depicted here. It isn’t always particularly easy to watch, but the heft of the tale is never lost on you. Especially in the final scenes, the cost stays with you. The movie is a biographical drama/crime story, though one more focused on characters. This is the official synopsis on IMDb for the film: “The story of teenager Richard Wershe Jr., who became an undercover informant for the FBI during the 1980s and...

A demonic nun and a race of extraterrestrial hunters will go head-to-head at the box office this weekend as 20th Century Fox’s “The Predator” will take on “The Nun” in its second weekend, with analysts expecting “The Predator” to take the top spot, albeit with rather lackluster numbers.

Releasing this weekend on over 4,000 screens, “The Predator” is expected to earn an opening weekend in the high $20 million range, with the top end of independent projections standing at $30 million. By comparison, last year’s “Alien: Covenant” opened to $36.1 million in May and went on to gross just $74.2 million domestically and $240 million worldwide against a $97 million budget.

While “The Predator” would hold the highest opening weekend for the 31-year-old franchise, it’s also by far the most expensive in the series with a reported production budget of $88 million. The original 1987 film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger was produced on a $15 million budget — around...

A familiar group of monsters are returning to invade multiplexes this weekend.

Fox’s “The Predator,” the fourth installment in the sci-fi series, looks to top a trio of fellow new offerings — “A Simple Favor,” “White Boy Rick,” and “Unbroken: Path to Redemption” — at the domestic box office. The No. 1 spot, however, could be a close call depending on the staying power of Warner Bros.’ “The Nun,” which led North America last weekend with its sizable debut. Another factor that could impact the weekend box office is Hurricane Florence, the category four storm that is targeting the east coast, specifically the Carolinas, Virginia, and Maryland. It’s too soon to tell the potential damage, though storm surges and heavy winds could close theaters.

Estimates show Shane Black’s “The Predator” could earn between $25 million and $32 million when it launches in more than 3,900 venues. A debut over $25 million would rank as...

There are times when you watch a newcomer in a role and know, just know, that they’ll go on to tackle great, eclectic challenges; with “Call Me By Your Name” still in moviegoers’ rearview mirrors, Timothee Chalamet, for example, is already proving himself an enormous, versatile talent. But other times, such as with Richie Merritt, the star of “White Boy Rick,” you’re no less transfixed, but you wonder: Is this young actor simply perfect in this one role? Or can he countenance others with that beautifully, ordinarily dull expression? While there isn’t a single moment in his performance that doesn’t feel utterly believable, it also seems singularly engineered for this character and this one alone.

“White Boy Rick,” director Yann Demange’s account of the young, wasted life of real-life teen drug dealer and FBI informant Richard Wershe Jr., is punctuated by surprising verisimilitude that uplifts...

The pitch is as follows: Ricky Wershe Jr. (newcomer Richie Merritt) was a street hustler, drug kingpin, and FBI informant by the age of seventeen. If that doesn’t hook you, the added bonus of it all being real should. Welcome to White Boy Rick, a look at the American Dream that cuts through the bullshit to show what the term truly means outside of false promises. Ricky isn’t some hotshot who worked through the ranks and got too close to the sun. The order of those labels in the trailer isn’t even correct, a difference with dire consequences. He was simply the kid of a shady gun reseller (Matthew McConaughey’s Rick Sr.) whose best friend (Rj Cyler’s Boo) had family in the game. He was a product of his circumstances with a mind, ambition, and heart to break free.

Just as the marketing materials fudge the timeline for additional drama,...

Exclusive: A rifle, a screaming and half-dressed young woman, squealing tires and a near-miss car incident — it’s just your typical family spat in this clip from White Boy Rick, which is having its international premiere tonight at the Toronto Film Festival after bowing at Telluride last week. Typical, that is, for the Wershe clan. Check it out above.

Set in 1980s Detroit at the height of the crack epidemic and the War on Drugs, White Boy Rick follows the true story of a blue-collar father (Matthew McConaughey) and his teenage son, Rick Wershe Jr. (Richie Merritt), who became an undercover police informant and later a drug dealer, before he was abandoned by his handlers and sent to prison.

Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, Rj Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, Bruce Dern and Piper Laurie co-star in the pic directed by Yann Demange from a...

Everybody in “White Boy Rick” seems to be running some kind of scam. The title character (newcomer Richie Merritt), né Richard Wershe Jr., and his huckster dad have some kind of borderline-illegal gun business going. His sister’s a teenage drug addict dating a shady dude who offers her a ticket out of their sad Detroit home. Then there are the cops, who are recruiting suckers to go undercover, making the rules up as they go along. Every other speaking character — including Rick’s own grandparents (an opportunity for the inspired casting of Bruce Dern as McConaughey’s dad) — is a drug dealer or in some way associated with the crack epidemic.

Even director Yann Demange appears to be hustling here. On the strength of his blistering Ira thriller “’71,” he’s desperate to make the transition to Hollywood, who was equally excited to work with him, although it took no...

In today’s film news roundup, Patrick Wilson has been cast in “Midway,” Art House Convergence announces its programming and fitness drama “Bigger” gets distribution.

Casting

Patrick Wilson has joined Woody Harrelson, Luke Evans and Mandy Moore in the World War II action movie “Midway,” directed by Roland Emmerich.

Wilson will play Edwin Layton, the rear admiral in the U.S. Navy who was part of the intelligence team that correctly pinpointed the location of the Imperial Japanese Navy’s attacking fleet near Midway Atoll in 1942. The damage to the Japanese fleet was so extensive that it never recovered and military historians regard the battle as a turning point in the war.

Harrelson is playing Admiral Chester Nimitz, the commander of the Pacific Fleet during the war. Emmerich is producing the movie with longtime partner Harald Kloser. Starlight Entertainment Group and Providence Entertainment are financing the film. Lionsgate is on board to distribute domestically,...

Exclusive: Freestyle Releasing has acquired U.S. theatrical distribution rights to George Gallo’s Bigger which tells the tale of how brothers Joe and Ben Weider launched a fitness empire and along the way discovered Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Bigger will have its U.S. premiere on September 13 in Las Vegas to coincide with the Mr. Olympia competition that was created by the Weider brothers, and will be in theaters on October 12.

Tyler Hoechlin plays Joe Weider and Aneurin Barnard portrays brother Ben. Victoria Justice is Kathy, Joe Weider’s first wife and Julianne Hough is his other spouse, pin-up Betty Weider, with whom he launched Shape magazine. Robert Forster and DJ Qualls also star. Calum Von Moger plays Schwarzenegger.

Bee Holder Productions chief Steve Lee Jones produces with Scott Lastaiti. Camila Castro and Eric Weider are executive producing. Bigger was written by Gallo, Brad and Ellen Furman, and Andy Weiss (the...

Exclusive: Winston Duke, who recently broke out as T’Challa’s ally M’Baku in Marvel’s multi-billion dollar grossing Black Panther and Avengers: Infinity War, is taking on the role of Mma legend Kevin “Kimbo Slice” Ferguson in Backyard Legend.

Deadline exclusively announced the news about the feature last October, which is being produced by Steve Lee Jones’ Bee Holder Productions and Michael J. Weiss’ Webros Entertainment.

White Boy Rick scribe Andy Weiss is writing the screenplay about the Bahamian-born backyard brawler who rose from homelessness to mixed martial arts fame after his brutal backyard fights drew a huge YouTube audience. Kimbo Slice died suddenly in June 2016 at 42 from heart failure and a liver mass. Though he battled high blood pressure for years, Kimbo Slice insisted on boxing months before his death, winning a three-round heavyweight match against Dhafir “Dada 5000” Harris at Bellator 149 in Houston. Before dying Kimbo Slice...

In 1980s Detroit, there was a young kid named Ricky Wershe Jr. who was a street hustler who rose up to become a drug kingpin and FBI informant all before he turned 16 years old. This upcoming film White Boy Rick tells that true story and today we have the first trailer for you to watch.

The movie stars Matthew McConaughey in the role of Ricky Wershe Jr.’s father, and Ricky is played by newcomer Richie Merritt. This is one of those "stranger than fiction" kind of stories and it looks like it's going to be a great film filled with incredible performances. The movie also stars Andy Weiss, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Bruce Dern, Bel Powley, and Piper Laurie.

McConaughey ended up meeting the real Wershe Jr. at one point, and he told USA Today:

"This guy was not equipped to handle his family. He’s singing the chorus,...

Following his 2014 BAFTA-nominated drama ’71, Yann Demange returns for his second feature film, alongside scripters Andy Weiss and Logan Miller. White Boy Rick, led by Matthew McConaughey, will arrive this September, and now Sony Pictures just released the first trailer for the crime drama.

Based on a true story, the film takes place in 1980s Detroit and follows Rick Wershe Jr. (played by Richie Merritt in his debut role) and his criminal decent into the world of hustling; all while his father (Matthew McConaughey) tries to keep his family’s financials afloat. The film also stars Jennifer Jason Leigh, Eddie Marsan, Rory Cochrane, Brian Tyree Henry, and Bel Powley.

The trailer capitalizes off the vibrancy that is often associated with the ‘80s: Tat Radcliffe’s distinctive cinematography and the electronic funk music work together in perfect harmony, giving an adequate foundation to exhibit the well-rounded ensemble performances. White Boy Rick seems...

Richie Merritt and Matthew McConaughey star as Richard Wershe Jr. and Richard Wershe Sr. in Columbia Pictures’ and Studio 8’s White Boy Rick.

Set in 1980s Detroit at the height of the crack epidemic and the War on Drugs, White Boy Rick is based on the moving true story of a blue-collar father and his teenage son, Rick Wershe Jr., who became an undercover police informant and later a drug dealer, before he was abandoned by his handlers and sentenced to life in prison.

See the trailer now.

The cast also includes Bel Powley, Jennifer Jason Leigh, Brian Tyree Henry, Rory Cochrane, Rj Cyler, Jonathan Majors, Eddie Marsan, with Bruce Dern and Piper Laurie.

Directed by Yann Demange (71) and written by Andy Weiss and Logan & Noah Miller, White Boy Rick opens in theaters Fall 2018.

(l to r) “White Boy Rick” (Richie Merritt), FBI Agent Alex Snyder (Jennifer Jason Leigh...

Hustler, dealer, kingpin, informant, legend … teenager. It’s 1984 Detroit — and the only thing hotter than the Tigers that year was crack cocaine. Well, maybe the War on Drugs. Kids asks, “How come we stay [here], Dad?” He replies, “Son, a lion don’t leave the Serengeti.”

Here is the first trailer for White Boy Rick, starring Oscar winner Matthew McConaughey as the father and Richie Merritt as the 15-year-old. Here’s the logline: Based on the moving true story of a blue-collar father and his teenage son, Rick Wershe Jr., who became an undercover police informant and later a drug dealer, before he was abandoned by his handlers and sentenced to life in prison.

Little Rick gets mixed up in deep in some stuff but handles and does it well. “You wanna move weight, you come to me,” he’s told — and the kid is on his way to being “legit.

Today has been a hell of a day for Trailers. Over the course of the morning/early afternoon, a quartet of high profile films released first looks. The movies in question are the remake of Suspiria from Luca Guadagnino, White Boy Rick, Widows from Steve McQueen, and Wreck-It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks The Internet. With so many other things to talk about this week, it wasn’t feasible to give them their own posts right now, so we’ll be doing one big round up article. From genre entertainment to Academy Award hopefuls, we’ve got a little bit of everything to take a look at. First up is Suspiria. Coming from the aforementioned Guadagnino as his follow up to Call Me By Your Name, it’s a long brewing remake of Dario Argento’s horror classic. Finally hitting this November 2nd, it seeks to introduce a whole new generation to the story.

Emmy-nominated producer Steve Jones is developing an English-language film about Silvio Berlusconi and a questionable real-estate deal involving the former Italian leader’s mansion outside Milan. Titled “La Marchesa” (“The Marquise”), the project is based on a journalistic exposé and comes as Paolo Sorrentino’s two-part film “Loro,” which also looks at Berlusconi, hits Italian theaters.

The book on which “La Marchesa” is based, by Italian journalist and TV personality Luca Telese, reconstructs a 1970s sex scandal on a privately owned island that led to a triple murder. The Villa San Martino, which belonged to one of the scandal’s participants, was then inherited by a Milanese noblewoman who was allegedly tricked into selling it for a fraction of its worth by Berlusconi’s lawyer, Cesare Previti. The complicated inheritance procedure allegedly made it possible for Previti to leverage the deal to Berlusconi’s advantage.

Previti, who later became one of Berlusconi’s government ministers,...

Sun’s out, guns out.

Julianne Hough (Dirty Grandpa) and Tyler Hoechlin (Road to Perdition, Teen Wolf) are beach ready in Bigger, set to tell the real-life rags-to-riches story of modern body-building pioneers Joe and Ben Weider (who helped launch the career of one Arnold Schwarzenegger through their Mr. Olympia competition).

The film — also starring Tom Arnold, DJ Qualls, Robert Forster and Victoria Justice, and directed by Bad Boys story writer George Gallo — was written by Gallo, Andy Weiss (upcoming White Boy Rick), Brad Furman (The Lincoln Lawyer) and Ellen Brown Furman (The Infiltrator). Steve Lee Jones (Emmy-nominated producer ...

Sun’s out, guns out.

Julianne Hough (Dirty Grandpa) and Tyler Hoechlin (Road to Perdition, Teen Wolf) are beach ready in Bigger, set to tell the real-life rags-to-riches story of modern body-building pioneers Joe and Ben Weider (who helped launch the career of one Arnold Schwarzenegger through their Mr. Olympia competition).

The film — also starring Tom Arnold, DJ Qualls, Robert Forster and Victoria Justice, and directed by Bad Boys story writer George Gallo — was written by Gallo, Andy Weiss (upcoming White Boy Rick), Brad Furman (The Lincoln Lawyer) and Ellen Brown Furman (The Infiltrator). Steve Lee Jones (Emmy-nominated producer ...

Exclusive: George Gallo has signed on to direct the thriller Covet as his next feature film after he completes The Poison Rose. The latter pic stars John Travolta and Morgan Freeman and is gearing up to start shooting this month in Georgia.

The filmmaker, noted for his screenwriting credits on Bad Boys 1 & 2 and Midnight Run as well as directing such titles as Middle Men, will reunite with Emmy-nominated producer Steve Lee Jones and Scott Lastaiti. Previously, they worked on the fitness guru Weider brothers feature Bigger, which is being sold at Cannes by 13 Films.

Written by Washington, D.C. attorney George Mahaffey, who sold his first script to Paramount, Covet tells the intense tale of a home invasion of a wealthy Persian-Jewish family by ruthless anti-Immigrant Nationalist perpetrators that goes horribly awry.

Jones says: Covet cuts deep into the zeitgeist of the current notion of anti-immigration being masqueraded as patriotism.

Studio 8’s titles Alpha and White Boy Rick are swapping release dates on Sony’s August-September release schedule.

Alpha, from director Albert Hughes, was originally scheduled for September 14 and will now occupy White Boy Rick‘s original calendar date of August 17.

White Boy Rick now goes to September 14 for an exclusive launch with a wide break on September 21. Smells like White Boy Rick, which has been a hot property and drama internally, is headed for an early awards season debut, and it wouldn’t be a shocker if the movie winds up at the fall film festivals.

The Yann Demange directed movie follows Rick Wershe who became an undercover police informant and drug dealer during the 1980s Detroit scene. Andy Weiss and Logan & Noah Miller wrote the story with Weiss, the Millers and Steve Kloves penning the screenplay. John Lesher, Julie Yorn, Darren Aronofsky, Scott Franklin are producers with Matthew McConaughey,...

British director Yann Demange ("'71," "Top Boy") has been set to direct an untitled feature for Studio 8.

The project has been inspired by the true story of teenager Rick Wershe Jr., an undercover informant for the police during the 1980s. He was ultimately arrested for drug-trafficking and sentenced to life in prison.

Studio 8 is in final talks to acquire a script penned by Andy Weiss which was previously setup at Scott Franklin and Darren Aronofsky's Protozoa Pictures. Franklin and Aronofsky, along with John Lesher, Rick Yorn and Julie Yorn will produce.

Wershe will consult on the project and shooting kicks off early next year.

Source: Deadline...

Exclusive: Bad Boys and Midnight Run scribe George Gallo has teamed with his Middle Men collaborator Andy Weiss to pen The Bummy Davis Story, an independent feature which New York City real estate developer Peter Fine will produce and finance. Fine came to the project after reading Ron Ross' novel about the legendary boxer, Bummy Davis Vs. Murder Inc.: The Rise and Fall of the Jewish Mafia and an Ill-Fated Prizefighter. Bummy Davis marks the second feature that Gallo and…...

Darren Aronofsky and Scott Franklin of Protozoa Pictures are set to produce a movie about “White Boy Rick” Wershe, the former drug kingpin from Detroit who has agreed to help the filmmakers tell his incredible story, TheWrap has learned. Franklin will be the lead producer for his and Aronofsky’s Protozoa Pictures, which is currently out to directors. Aronofsky has not set a follow-up to last year’s biblical epic “Noah.” Andrew Weiss wrote the script with input from Wershe, who was just a teenager when he began trafficking cocaine throughout the Motor City. Also Read: Joseph Kosinski to Direct 'The Trials of White.

Hollywood has fallen for White Boy Rick. A third project is in development based on the infamous Detroit teen drug kingpin. Darren Aronofsky and Scott Franklin's Protozoa Pictures will produce the film based on a script by Andrew Weiss. Wershe was a teen living in Detroit in the 1980s when he joined the ranks of the city's drug kingpins, trafficking cocaine on the predominantly black East Side and going by the name "White Boy Rick." Read More 'Oblivion' Director Joseph Kosinski to Helm 'The Trials of White Boy Rick' (Exclusive) Wershe also worked as an undercover informant for the FBI

read more...

Middle Men

Stars: Luke WIlson, Giovanni Ribisi, Gabriel Macht, James Caan, Kevin Pollak | Written by George Gallo, Andy Weiss | Directed by George Gallo

Essentially Boogie Nights for the internet generation, Middle Men is based on the true story of Christopher Mallick, who here serves as a producer on the film. Taking a very Scorsese-esque slant, the film follows Jack Harris, played by Luke Wilson, who has made a name for himself in more comedic roles in recent years, but here he returns to the more dramatic role and is all the better for it – Wilson should really take more serious roles like this in future. Harris is a family man with a successful career and an idyllic life, who through a series of friend-of-a-friend favours manages to get involved with two would-be geniuses, Buck Dolby (what a name!) and Wayne Beering, played by Macht and Ribisi respectively, who, in a moment of financial frustration,...

If you haven’t had the pleasure of seeing Middle Men yet (check out my review here) then you’re missing out on one of the more original and exciting films to come out this year. For those who have seen the film, you would know that its based on a true story, but what you might not know is that its based on one of the films producers Christopher Mallick.

Mallick is a maverick in every sense of the word, emerging victorious from the Wild West of the burgeoning Internet culture and commerce. He is now using his success to follow his dream of making movies. He’s also got a great mentality about the process, trying to remain true the way it was done when films were truly great and only producing original content. I was fortunate enough to have a lengthy one-on-one interview with Chris where he...

By Christopher Stipp

The Archives, Right Here

Check out my other column, This Week In Trailers, at SlashFilm.com and follow me on Twitter under the name: Stipp

George Gallo - Interview

One of the most thrilling things you get to do when you’re in a position to see a film very, very early is knowing that whatever you are feeling about the experience of seeing that movie, is pure. Pure because you are not tainted by the pool of public opinion or subconsciously projecting someone’s off-handed comment onto your own. It’s devoid of judgment and expectation and watching a movie like Middle Men, with a crowd that only knew that it starred Luke Wilson, who hasn’t given such a dynamic performance since The Royal Tennenbaums, Giovanni Ribisi, a complete terror who delightfully and shamelessly steals every scene he’s in, and James Caan, who lets...

Luke Wilson in Middle Men

Photo: Paramount Pictures Talk about Filmmaking 101; Middle Men is a would-be interesting story saddled with cliched trailer music and obnoxious voice over describing everything you see on screen as if you didn't have eyes and a brain of your own. This is a film where the straight men play it straight and everyone else plays it way over the top, and it's all too bad because this is a story that really could have turned a few heads had it been handled differently.

Producer Christopher Mallick, of whom the story is loosely based, describes the film in the press notes as something of a Wall Street-like feature only instead of having to do with the stock market it's dealing with the porn industry. Of course, as he points out, it's not about porn. He likes to say it's about greed, which it is for some parties involved,...

By Anthony D’Alessandro

HollywoodNews.com: Not many producer-financiers make movies about themselves, especially early in their career.

However, Christopher Mallick, whose film “Middle Men” opens tomorrow, has lived such a topsy-turvy life filled with mobsters and X-rated actresses, he can only wish it was fictitious.

Mallick, a Texas entrepreneur, was at the forefront of the adult entertainment industry’s explosion on the internet, minting millions as a billing middle party. Leaving his seedy past behind, Mallick divulged his story to “Bad Boys” scribe George Gallo.

“Middle Men” tells the story of two Los Angeles-based loose cannons played by Giovanni Ribisi and Gabriel Macht who hatch the idea of launching the internet’s first adult entertainment website. The million-dollar venture becomes too unwieldy for them to handle and a straight-laced businessman played by Luke Wilson steps in to shepherd the operation, ultimately making the website a billing party to several portals.

Middle Men is a film that harkens back to the days when cinema was truly original. It’s a gritty story full of witty dialogue, fast camera work and compelling characters while examining a subject that is both taboo and universal: Internet pornography.

The story is based on the real life story of producer Christopher Mallick, who became entwined in the burgeoning Internet culture and the commerce possibilities that spawned from it in the late ’90s. Directed with the confidence of an established auteur, George Gallo (Trapped in Paradise, Midnight Run) mixes humor and action with a distinctive style and an impressive ensemble cast. To draw the inevitable comparison, Middle Men is the Boogie Nights of internet porn — and that’s a good thing.

Before the World Wide Web, getting access to pornography was a real chore that somewhat invaded your privacy. But with the advent of the Internet, a...

See new clips from Paramount Vantage's "Middle Men" including interviews with Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Gabriel Macht, James Caan, Kevin Pollak as well as director James Gallo. The drama opens August 6th. Gallo helms as well as writing the screenplay alongside Andy Weiss. Christopher Mallick, William Sherak, Jason Shuman and Michael J. Weiss produce. Harris (Luke Wilson) had the perfect life – a beautiful family and a successful career fixing problem companies. And then he met Wayne Beering (Giovanni Ribisi) and Buck Dolby (Gabriel Macht), two genius but troubled men, who had invented the way adult entertainment is sold over the internet. When Jack agrees to help steer their business...

Chicago – This 31-image slideshow contains all of the official press images for the highly anticipated “Middle Men,” starring Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Gabriel Macht, Jacinda Barrett, Laura Ramsey, Terry Crews, Rade Sherbedgia, with Kevin Pollak and James Caan. The film was written by George Gallo & Andy Weiss and directed by Gallo. It will be released on August 6th, 2010.

Synopsis: “In 1995, everyone had a Vcr, music was sold in record stores, and the world-wide-web was a new found discovery. Businessman Jack Harris (Luke Wilson) had the perfect life - a beautiful family and a successful career fixing problem companies. And then he met Wayne Beering (Giovanni Ribisi) and Buck Dolby (Gabriel Macht), two genius but troubled men, who had invented the way adult entertainment is sold over the internet. When Jack agrees to help steer their business, he soon finds himself caught between a 23 year-old porn star and the FBI all...

FilmoFilia movie photo gallery has been updated with 26 new photos from Middle Men.

In 1995, everyone had a Vcr, music was sold in record stores, and the world-wide-web was a new found discovery. Businessman Jack Harris (Luke Wilson) had the perfect life – a beautiful family and a successful career fixing problem companies. And then he met Wayne Beering (Giovanni Ribisi) and Buck Dolby (Gabriel Macht), two genius but troubled men, who had invented the way adult entertainment is sold over the internet. When Jack agrees to help steer their business, he soon finds himself caught between a 23 year-old porn star and the FBI all the while becoming one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs of his time. Inspired by a true story that proves business is a lot like sex… getting in is easy, pulling out is hard.

Middle Men Movie Photo Gallery

Giovanni Ribisi as Wayne Beering in Middle Men

Laura Ramsey...

Paramount Pictures has released the first poster and trailer for Middle Men starring Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi and Gabriel Macht

In 1995, everyone had a Vcr, music was sold in record stores, and the world-wide-web was a new found discovery. Businessman Jack Harris (Luke Wilson) had the perfect life – a beautiful family and a successful career fixing problem companies. And then he met Wayne Beering (Giovanni Ribisi) and Buck Dolby (Gabriel Macht), two genius but troubled men, who had invented the way adult entertainment is sold over the internet. When Jack agrees to help steer their business, he soon finds himself caught between a 23 year-old porn star and the FBI all the while becoming one of the wealthiest entrepreneurs of his time. Inspired by a true story that proves business is a lot like sex… getting in is easy, pulling out is hard.

The film co-stars Jacinda Barrett, Laura Ramsey, Terry Crews,...

Paramount Pictures has debuted the first trailer for "Middle Men" which is inspired by a true story of how pornography business begins spreading through internet. Luke Wilson plays Jack Harris, a man with seemingly perfect family who jumps into an adult entertainment business when he is offered a chance to make big money.

He teams up with Wayne Beering and Buck Dolby, two genius but troubled men who have invented a way to sell adult entertainment over the internet, devising a way to bill the entertainment through a third party, taking the guilt out of the ultimate guilty pleasure. Before he knows it, Jack finds himself caught among the Russian mob, a 23-year old porn star, the FBI and losing his family in the process of becoming rich.

Giovanni Ribisi and Gabriel Macht share screen with Luke as they portray Wayne and Buck respectively. They are joined by the likes...

Based on a true story, "Middle Men" is the new drama directed by George Gallo, written by Gallo and Andy Weiss starring Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Gabriel Macht and James Caan.

"...In 1995, music was still bought in record stores. There was a Vcr in every house. And you couldn't buy anything online...until they came along..."

Premise focuses on a straight-and-narrow businessman 'Jack Harris' (Wilson) who builds the first online billing company dealing exclusively with adult entertainment. Finding himself in the middle of a whirlwind of starlets, conmen, mobsters, federal agents and international terrorists, Harris tries to hold onto his marriage and family.

The Paramount Pictures release from Oxymoron Entertainment and Mallick Media will be released August 6, 2010.

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "Middle Men"...

See the new trailer for Paramount Pictures' "Middle Men" from the guys who brought the XXX to the www. Inspired by a True Story. The film is helmed by George Gallo who writes alongside Andy Weiss. Cast includes Luke Wilson, Giovanni Ribisi, Gabriel Macht, Jacinda Barrett, Laura Ramsey, Terry Crews, Rade Sherbedgia, with Kevin Pollak and James Caan. In 1995, everyone had a Vcr, music was sold in record stores, and the world-wide-web was a new found discovery. Businessman Jack Harris (Luke Wilson) had the perfect life – a beautiful family and a successful career fixing problem companies. And then he met Wayne Beering (Giovanni Ribisi) and Buck Dolby (Gabriel Macht), two genius but troubled men, who had invented the way adult entertainment is sold over the internet...

The full trailer for Paramount's upcoming Middle Men has just hit the web and, in honor of the release, the studio held a special reception last night by the rooftop pool at the London West Hollywood Hotel. Cast and crew in attendance included producers Christopher Mallick, William Sherak, Jason Shuman, Saliza Somani, Michael and Andy Weiss, director George Gallo and stars Gabriel Macht and Giovanni Ribisi, all anxious to premiere the new trailer for the first time anywhere. Set in 1995, Middle Men tells the based-on-reality story of Jack Harris (Luke Wilson), a family man who teams up with Wayne Beering (Giovanni Ribisi) and Buck Dolby (Gabriel Macht) in finding a way to distribute pornography over the then-unknown internet. Finding that success comes with a lot more...

Paramount has acquired domestic rights to George Gallo's "Middle Men." The studio is hoping for a 2010 release for the film, which stars Luke Wilson, James Caan, Giovanni Ribisi and Gabriel Macht.Gallo directed from a script by Andy Weiss.The film is based on the true story of Jack Harris (Wilson), who helps to build the first online billing company dealing exclusively with pornography. While becoming rich, he becomes entangled with the Russian mob, a porn star and the FBI.According to Variety, Christopher Mallick, William Sherak, Jason Shuman and Michael J. Weiss produced. Gallo recently finished writing and directing "Columbus Circle" starring Jason Lee, Amy Smart and Selma Blair.

By Wrap Staff

Paramount Pictures has acquired the movie "Middle Men," which just premiered at the Santa Barbara Film Festival, for a planned release later this year.

Directed by George Gallo from a screenplay he wrote with Andy Weiss, "Middle Men" stars Luke Wilson, James Caan, Giovanni Ribisi and Gabriel Macht.

Gallo's credits include writing “Midnight Run” and “Bad Boys” and directing “29th Street”; Weiss was a wr...

Paramount Pictures announced today it has acquired distribution rights to Middle Men which debuted at the Santa Barbara Film Festival. It stars Luke Wilson, James Caan, Giovanni Ribisi and Gabriel Macht in a true story about a successful business “fixer” who gets caught between the Russian mob, a 23-year-old porn star, the FBI, and losing his family – but also becomes incredibly rich in the process. Directed by George Gallo (writer on Midnight Run, writer on Bad Boys, director on 29th Street) from a screenplay by Gallo and Andy Weiss (White Boy), the Oxymoron Entertainment/Blue Star Entertainment film was produced by [...]...

Paramount has snapped up distribution rights to "Middle Men," which premiered Sunday as the closing-night film at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival.

Based on a true story about the early days of the online adult entertainment business, the film is directed by George Gallo, who co-wrote it with Andy Weiss.

It stars Luke Wilson, James Caan, Giovanni Ribisi and Gabriel Macht.

The Oxymoron Entertainment/Blue Star Entertainment film was produced by Christopher Mallick, William Sherak, Jason Shuman and Michael J. Weiss.

Paramount will release "Middle Men" this year.

Spike TV has greenlit docu-series that examine the world of little person wrestling and Brooklyn scrap-metal workers.

In "Scrappers," a crew of competitors and friends hunt for the best crap in Brooklyn, recycling everything from old cars to building materials. Spike has ordered 10 episodes of the series from executive producer George Verschoor through his Hoosick Falls Prods. as well as exec producers Michael J. Weiss and Andy Weiss.

The second show, "Half Pint Brawlers," is a six-episode series following a chaotic traveling troupe of little person wrestlers that journey around the United States and is led by their gregarious owner, Puppet "The Psycho Dwarf."

The series is billed as a cross between "Jackass" and "Little People, Big World" and is executive produced by Darryl Silver, Stephen David, Duke Straub, Royal Malloy, Jeff Guerriero and Trip Taylor.

"The driving forces behind these new shows are the tremendous personalities of these very distinctive characters,...