News

"It gets easier... But it ain't ever gunna be easy." An official trailer has arrived online for an indie coming-of-age comedy titled Bully, the feature directorial debut of filmmaker Santino Campanelli. This premiered at the Dances With Films Festival last year, but hasn't played anywhere else yet - and it's pretty clear why as there's not much here. Bully is about a heavy-set high school kid named Jimmy who is constantly tormented by the resident school bully and his cronies. But after he meets a boxer, he starts training and learns how to fight back. Truly the best way to fight bullies is to literally fight them! Right?! Starring Tucker Albrizzi as Jimmy, along with Danny Trejo, Ron Canada, Vincent Pastore, Jack Difalco, Elanna White, and Jay Lee. Despite the good intentions, it looks pretty bad and impressively derivative. Check it out anyway. Here's the full-length trailer (+ official poster) for Santino Campanelli's Bully,...

In today’s film news roundup, Maya Hawke, Charlie Plummer and Andrea Riseborough have joined “Please Baby Please,” “Downhill” gets a release date, “Jumanji: The Next Level” will open early in China and “Bully” finds a new home.

Castings

Maya Hawke, Charlie Plummer and Andrea Riseborough have joined the cast of romance-drama “Please Baby Please.”

Amanda Kramer is directing “Please Baby Please.” Rob Paris is producing under his Paris Film Inc. banner alongside Gül Karakiz Bildik. Kramer co-wrote with Noel David Taylor. CAA Media Finance is handling sales and arranged the financing. Principal photography will start in February.

The story is centered on newlyweds who witness a murder in the gritty streets of a surreal 1950’s Manhattan and become the dangerous obsession of a gang that awakens a sleeping quandary into the couple’s own sexual identity.

The project will reunite Hawke with her “Ladyworld” director Kramer. She had a...

In today’s film news roundup, Danny Trejo’s “Bully” and the Harvey Weinstein documentary “The Reckoning” land distribution deals.

Acquisitions

North of Two has acquired the worldwide distribution rights to the dark comedy “Bully,” planning a release in the fall, Variety has learned exclusively.

The film was directed and produced by Santino Campanelli, and written and produced by his father, Joe Campanelli.

Tucker Albrizzi stars as a quiet, high-school student tormented by a school bully and his cronies. After an altercation on his way home from school lands him a chance meeting with a former professional boxer, played by Ron Canada, he decides to learn how to defend himself and start going to the boxing gym with a trainer, portrayed by Danny Trejo.

“I love movies about underdogs and I love filmmakers who don’t let being an underdog get in their way,” said North of Two president Mark Cartier.