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Just over six years have passed since Saudi Arabia announced the lifting of its 35-year cinema ban as part of a strategy to open up the country and move its economy away from a reliance on oil.

In a sign that things were already bubbling prior to the Ministry of Culture’s official announcement in December 2017, the country’s Saudi Film Festival (Sff), taking place in the Eastern Province city of Dhahran, will mark its 10th anniversary from May 2 to 9.

The event grew out of under-the-radar screenings in the early 2000s at a local culture association of arthouse DVDs, subtitled into Arabic by an underground outfit.

“We were fighting to screen films in public,” recounts Sff’s founding director Ahmed Almulla, the artist and poet who spearheaded the screenings. “Things changed in the blink of eye. It’s a revolution, what’s happened in Saudi Arabia with art and culture.

Exclusive: Rising Saudi Star Mohammed Elshehri has been announced as master of ceremonies at the 10th edition Saudi Film Festival, running from May 2 to 9 in the Eastern Province city of Dhahran.

Elshehri is the star of hit Mbc Ramadan comedy TV series Road Trip (Sekket Safar), which has just completed its third season run.

He also hosted the first season of Mbc reality game show One Million Dollar Land and also starred in Saudi musical movie Valley Road after getting his acting breakthrough in Mbc platform Shahid’s hit crime and drama The Fates Hotel.

“Like many great festivals we exist to promote our local talent. Mo is a rising star in our country and the region,” said Saudi Film Festival head Ahmed Almulla.

“We’re so proud of what he has accomplished and believe he will be one of the greatest actors of our time. We are very honored...

Pierce Brosnan will star with Amir El-Masry in the sports drama “Giant,” based on the true-life story of British-Yemeni boxer Prince Naseem “Naz” Hamed and his rags to riches ascent to a world championship under the tutelage of his Irish-born boxing trainer Brendan Ingle.

El-Masry will play Naz and Brosnan is set to portray Ingle. The film will be written and directed by Rowan Athale, and produced by Mark Lane of Tea Shop Productions and Kevin Sampson of White Star Productions. AGC chairman and CEO Stuart Ford will also produce.

AGC Studios and BondIt Media Capital are financing the film.

On board to executive produce are Sylvester Stallone and Braden Aftergood of Balboa Productions, AGC Studios’ Miguel Palos, Zach Garrett and Anant Tamirisa, BondIt’s Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor and Tyler Gould, Michael Ewing and True Brit’s Zygi Kamasa.

Kamasa’s True Brit Entertainment has taken U.K. distribution...

After an exhaustive yearlong search to find the show’s next host, Jon Stewart is returning to The Daily Show on a part-time basis, just in time for the 2024 election season. But he won’t be doing it alone. He’ll host Monday night’s broadcast beginning Feb. 12, with a roster of rotating correspondents from Tuesday to Thursday. For some, his return speaks to the dire state of late-night TV.

Stewart left the chair of the satirical news program in 2015, and ever since his absence, the show has taken a dive.

The Daily Show is bringing back beloved former host Jon Stewart on a part-time basis to shepherd the late-night show through the 2024 election season.

Following Trevor Noah’s exit in December 2022, the series spent 2023 relying on a revolving door of special guests and correspondents to hold down the fort while Comedy Central settled on a permanent host. However — despite Roy Wood Jr.’s very public pleadings at the Emmys — The Daily Show has opted not to bring in a full-time host, and instead will have Stewart return for Monday night broadcasts.

Dead Times, the project of Lee Buford (The Body) and Steven Vallot, have announced their self-titled debut album and shared the lead single “Psyche Surprises Love.”

Buford and Vallot both hail from an industrial/noise background, and Dead Times melds their particular brands of harshness into a singular unit. “Psyche Surprises Love” features discernible percussion — a sort of thwop-thwop in the distance — but the rest unfurls itself in a tapestry of chaos. Grinding noise builds to a climactic vocal crescendo courtesy of Buford, as screams of horror suddenly overwhelm the other textures.

The two musicians go way back, as it were, to their days when they shared a Providence, Rhode Island, DIY space called The Sickle in the late aughts. There, the two would start the short-lived Aum War imprint, releasing early records by The Body and Assembly of Light Choir (that have since become sought after artifacts for fans...

Exclusive: Robin Wright, Ray Winstone, Nick Robinson, Brooke Carter and Shohreh Aghdashloo have joined previously announced star and EP Millie Bobby Brown and star Angela Bassett in the Netflix fantasy film Damsel, we can tell you first.

In the movie from Oscar-nominated filmmaker Juan Carlos Fresnadillo, a dutiful damsel agrees to marry a handsome prince, only to find the royal family has recruited her as a sacrifice to repay an ancient debt. Thrown into a cave with a fire-breathing dragon, she must rely on her wits and will to survive.

Wrath of the Titans scribe Dan Mazeau is writing with Joe Roth, Jeff Kirschenbaum, Chris Castaldi producing and Emily Wolfe co-producing. EPs are Brown and Robert Brown for Pcma Productions, Mazeau, Zack Roth, Sue Baden-Powell. Nick Nesbitt is the creative lead from Netflix.

Wright is an 8x Emmy nominated actress and producer of Netflix’s House of Cards. She made...

Exclusive: We hear that Matthew Modine, Embeth Davidtz and Arian Moayed have boarded Studiocanal’s Liam Neeson thriller Retribution in key roles.

The pic, which shoots in Berlin, stars Neeson as a banking executive whose life is thrown upside down when a bomb is placed inside his car with him and his family, and the banker’s children are forced to go through the harrowing events with him. Nimrod Antal is directing.

Noma Dumezweni, Jack Champion and Lilly Aspell also star. Champion and Aspell play the banker’s son and daughter, respectively.

Modine is a Primetime Emmy nominee for his turn in the 1993 HBO movie And the Band Played On. His feature credits include such movies as Married to the Mob, Full Metal Jacket, The Dark Knight Rises, Memphis Belle, Pacific Heights, Sicario: Day of the Soldado, 47 Meters Down, Breaking News in Yuba County and the upcoming movie The Martini Shot...

Do not adjust your WiFi settings. No, you are not experiencing a severe case of Deja Streaming-vu. HBO Max’s list of new releases for May 2021 are indeed highlighted by two very recent WarnerMedia hits.

For starters, Tenet finally makes its long-awaited HBO Max this month. Mark your calendars as May 1 is the day that you can finally watch Christopher Nolan’s latest cerebral thriller. Of course, Tenet already had its theatrical release, but obviously that was not really an option for many of us. In addition to Tenet, Wonder Woman 1984 makes its triumphant return to HBO Max this month on May 13. The Wonder Woman sequel already premiered on HBO Max this past December, now it’s getting a second run on the streamer.

In terms of newer originals, May is relatively light for HBO Max. The Jean Smart-starring comedy Hacks premieres on May 13. The latest Adventure Time...

Australian group Hiatus Kaiyote return with new song “Get Sun” featuring Brazilian composer/arranger Arthur Verocai from their upcoming album, Mood Valiant. The LP arrives on June 25th via Brainfeeder Records/Ninja Tune.

“Surface it will suffice/The clay grows dry/But you keep your borders guarded,” frontwoman Naomi “Nai Palm” Saalfield sings on the opening verse. “And the heights of which you own/Feed me rhinestones/Bowing into the void.”

Though Mood Valiant is the band’s first album in six years following 2015’s Choose Your Weapon, the band...

Exclusive: Veteran communications executive Liz Biber has been named partner and Head of Content at the Lede Company in what is a new position at the agency.

The former Senior PR exec of Open Road Films, Weinstein/Dimension and Sony is overseeing a new content division at Lede focused on developing and executing strategic and creative PR and awards campaigns for films, television, podcasts and digital content. Biber joined Lede in March, and is based in the firm’s LA office. To date, she’s been working with clients including Netflix movies Ma Rainey’s Black Bottom, The Trial of the Chicago 7 and I’m Thinking of Ending Things, as well as Emmy-winning limited series Unorthodox; and Amazon Prime Video, including its recent global hit, Borat Subsequent Moviefilm, the Luminary podcasting platform, and others.

In addition to joining Lede Co-CEOs Sarah Rothman, Amanda Silverman, Meredith O’Sullivan and Christine Su, Biber...

Long before “fake news” was a rhetorical cudgel for the President to beat his perceived media enemies with, it was a term of endearment for a new breed of satirical news program. As first popularized by Comedy Central’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, news/comedy hybrids first had their moment in the early 2000s and then just never really went away.

Now, after a lengthy hiatus, one of the genre’s godfathers is finally coming back to television. Today Apple TV+ announced that it has inked a multi-year partnership with Jon Stewart to produce content, including a current affairs series a la The Daily Show.

The as-of-yet unnamed series will feature “multiple seasons” of one-hour episodes that cover topics that are part of the national conversation along with Stewart’s existing advocacy work. Each season of the series will be accompanied by a companion podcast that delves further into the chosen topic.

Jon Stewart is returning to the world of news with a current affairs series at Apple, Variety has confirmed.

The show is part of a multi-year first-look deal the former “Daily Show” host has signed with the streamer via his production company, Busboy Productions. Apple has ordered multiple seasons of the new show right out of the gate. The one-hour series will explore a single topic with each episode, with each topic being part of current national events as well as Stewart’s advocacy work. Each season will be accompanied by a companion podcast.

In addition to hosting, Stewart will executive produce through his Busboy Productions. Former HBO boss Richard Plepler will also executive produce through his Eden Productions, which has an overall production deal with Apple. Stewart’s longtime manager James Dixon will also serve as an executive producer.

Stewart broke ground with his comedic political commentary as the...

British actor Amir El-Masry has been ubiquitous on international screens in the last five years, but like most Arab actors in the U.K., he’s reached his threshold for backward stereotypes, and is trying to forge his own narrative in the industry.

Born in Egypt but raised in the U.K., El-Masry, who leads Ben Sharrock’s refugee drama and festival darling “Limbo,” graduated from the prestigious London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (Lamda) in 2013 to an industry whose reckoning around race and representation was still years away.

“When I started out, I never thought I was ‘Other,’ I never thought I was different. But when I came out of Lamda, I quickly realized that the industry differentiates you, and makes you look at yourself and go, ‘Actually, you know what? Even if I wanted to play James Bond, I can’t play him,’” the 30-year-old actor tells Variety,...

Exclusive: Gael García Bernal is set to join M. Night Shyamalan’s new secret movie from Universal. Eliza Scanlen, Thomasin McKenzie, Aaron Pierre, Alex Wolff, Vicky Krieps, Abbey Lee, Nikki Amuka-Bird and Ken Leung are already on board to star in the top-secret project.

Shyamalan will write, produce and direct the untitled film. Like most of his movies, plot details are shrouded in secrecy and can become interconnected to his other films. Shyamalan will also produce along with Ashwin Rajan for Blinding Edge Pictures. Marc Bienstock also serves as producer and Steven Schneider will exec produce.

Reps for Universal and Shyamalan had no comment on the casting.

Universal recently dated Shaymalan’s movie for July 23, 2021 after earlier taking it off the release calendar due to the Covid-19 pandemic. While it is unclear when production will begin given stay-at-home measures, the hope is to start rolling cameras by the fall as...

This weekend sees a trio of new comedies arriving to streaming and video-on-demand platforms, taking viewers to the disparate worlds of European music competitions to the campaign trail to tactical espionage.

Six years after his debut feature “Rosewater” was released, Jon Stewart has re-emerged with his second film, “Irresistible,” and reunited with “The Daily Show” correspondent Steve Carell. The cast also includes Rose Byrne, Chris Cooper, Mackenzie Davis, Topher Grace and Natasha Lyonne. Since most theaters across the country remain closed due to social distancing regulations, Focus Features has decided to give the movie a home premiere and price 48-hour digital rentals at $19.99.

Both Netflix and Amazon Prime Video are debuting exclusive comedies. Netflix’s “Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga” features Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams as an Icelandic musical duo trying to make it big while competing in one of the largest music contests in the world.

It's been years since Jon Stewart tackled politics on the regular as host of the hugely successful Daily Show. Since then, he surprised us with the feature film Rosewater, and now he returns with Irresistible. In his latest, the writer/director explores a small, but important, campaign that takes place in a Midwest town. It's a funny and intriguing take on how elections are handled by those with financial access and a bit of leverage. Yet it manages to do so while examining…...

In what has been one hell of an election year, Jon Stewart is cutting through all of it with his biting political comedy Irresistible starring Steve Carell, Rose Byrne and Chris Cooper. The Focus Features film was originally set to hit theaters on May 29, but like all films impacted by the pandemic, it pivoted to PVOD and drops today.

Written by Stewart, Irresistible follows a Democrat political consultant (Carell) who helps a retired Marine colonel (Cooper) run for mayor against a Republican rival (Byrne) in a small Wisconsin town. This marks a reunion of sorts for Stewart and Carell, who was a recurring correspondent on The Daily Show between 1999 and 2005. The film is also Stewart’s latest outing as a feature film director. His first pic, Rosewater, was released in 2014 and told the story of Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari who was accused and brutally interrogated by Iranian forces for being a spy.

Back during his time hosting The Daily Show, Jon Stewart was among the smartest and most biting political satirists out there. Ever since he departed, Stewart’s voice has been missing from the day to day discourse. Now, for his sophomore feature as a filmmaker, he’s tackling a political satire with Irresistible. More mainstream, at least on the surface, than his directorial debut, Rosewater, this is a sneakily effective delivery system for his beliefs. Initially seeming like a broad comedy, Stewart has a subversive streak just beneath the surface, waiting to be sprung on viewers. Hitting VOD services this week, Stewart is about to make his voice heard once again. The film is a political comedy and satire, looking at how the most extreme versions of politics can seep into even a very small town. In the aftermath of the 2016 election, Democrats are looking for a new strategy, and...

Sprung from the fertile mind of comedian Jon Stewart, who wrote and directed the film, Irresistible tells the story of Democratic political consultant, Gary Zimmer (Steve Carell), who signs on to help a retired Marine colonel run for mayor of a small town in Wisconsin.

Stewart, who was so brilliant skewering politicians during his tenure as host of The Daily Show on Comedy Central, and did such a fine job with his previous directorial effort, 2014’s Rosewater, feels slightly overwhelmed by the enormity of the issues at hand here. The concise, biting commentary that Stewart excels at is present at times here, but it is shrouded in excess that causes the central message and tone to be muddled and even completely lost at some points in the film.

Steve Carell in “Irresistible.” © 2020 – Focus Features

Carell does his best to keep things on track through his performance as the affable Gary,...

There was a time when Jon Stewart was clearly one of the sharpest comic minds on TV, and also one of its most astute political voices. And maybe if Stewart’s new movie, “Irresistible,” had come out at that time, it too would feel timely and trenchant.

But things are different now than in Stewart’s heyday, which came in the first 15 years of this century when he was hosting “The Daily Show.” And while it wasn’t that long ago that Stewart was an essential part of political discourse, the world has undergone such seismic changes that a comedy about how crazy elections are may feel out of touch and even curiously tame by the time it comes to VOD and some theaters on Friday, June 26.

Sure, “Irresistible” gets some laughs as it tars both Democrats and Republicans with the same brush, and it slides in a few effective...

The stumbling block for political satire is that it’s almost always partisan — which is great if it flatters your views, and grating if it doesn’t. But not for Jon Stewart. In his first writing-directing gig since 2014’s docudrama Rosewater, the former late-night fixture ingeniously makes it impossible to take sides … since both sides totally suck. As host of The Daily Show between 1999 and 2015, Stewart knew that the only way to deal with the toxic mix of politics, media, and money afflicting the body politic was to resist. Or...

Irresistible takes place in Rural America, Heartland USA. Seriously, that’s the insert title placed over a small Wisconsin town where farmer Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper) becomes a viral sensation after criticizing his local government’s voter ID law. It’s also the kind of generic Americana imagery sold to us every two years by an endless barrage of political campaign ads, a fact writer-director Jon Stewart aims to deconstruct in this parable about red states and blue states, and Cooper’s country mouse meeting a particularly desperate city one—elite Democrat strategist Gary Zimmer (Steve Carell).

As Stewart’s second film after Rosewater, which was an ambitious biopic about a tortured journalist in Iran, Irresistible feels like it should be a return to familiar territory, one that’s in the same direction as his 16-year stint on The Daily Show. There he was acerbic but approachable, intellectually rigorous in...

“Irresistible” is the second film written and directed by Jon Stewart, but unlike the first, the deadly serious and surprisingly accomplished true-life Iranian prison drama “Rosewater” (2014), this one comes straight out of Stewart’s satirical-political wheelhouse. Set shortly after the 2016 presidential election, it’s a close-to-the-bone tall tale — slightly exaggerated but still basically plausible — of what happens when America’s two ruling political parties descend upon the rural heartland of Deerlaken, Wisconsin, to take over a small-town election for mayor.

At the center of the movie is a cynical sharpie of a campaign consultant, Gary Zimmer (Steve Carell), who combines the philosophy of a liberal, the high-maintenance fussiness of an East Coast lifestyle elitist, and the do-what-it-takes amorality of a corporate sociopath. He’s just coming off his time as “the grand consigliere” of Hillary Clinton’s failed presidential bid, and like most Democrats he’s in a slight state...

The most famous TV moment of Jon Stewart’s 16-year tenure as the host of “The Daily Show” actually happened on a different program altogether, as the sober-minded satirist dropped by CNN’s “Crossfire” in 2004 and nuked the long-running political debate program from the inside out like an oil rigger detonating a truth bomb from deep within the heart of a giant asteroid before it wipes out all intelligent life on Earth. Referring to hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala as “partisan hacks” and pleading with them to “stop hurting America,” Stewart accused “Crossfire” and the rest of its ilk of being glorified noise pollution — of turning public discourse into political theater and making it harder for people across the country to hear each other clearly.

It was a pyrrhic victory. While the segment proved so devastating that “Crossfire” was soon ethered out of existence, shows like it have only...

The most famous TV moment of Jon Stewart’s 16-year tenure as the host of “The Daily Show” actually happened on a different program altogether, as the sober-minded satirist dropped by CNN’s “Crossfire” in 2004 and nuked the long-running political debate program from the inside out like an oil rigger detonating a truth bomb from deep within the heart of a giant asteroid before it wipes out all intelligent life on Earth. Referring to hosts Tucker Carlson and Paul Begala as “partisan hacks” and pleading with them to “stop hurting America,” Stewart accused “Crossfire” and the rest of its ilk of being glorified noise pollution — of turning public discourse into political theater and making it harder for people across the country to hear each other clearly.

It was a pyrrhic victory. While the segment proved so devastating that “Crossfire” was soon ethered out of existence, shows like it have only...

Steve Carell is lacklustre as a political strategist for the Democrats in this flaccid film that sits on the fence

Jon Stewart made his reputation as a smart political comedian and commentator on Comedy Central’s The Daily Show on TV, before quitting in 2015 to develop movie projects, of which the first was his excellent Rosewater. But this – heartsinkingly – is the follow-up. It’s a flaccid, toothless, supercilious political non-satire for liberals too fastidious to take sides or take action. The film perches on a fence of wry disdain and makes droll gestures of disapproval at the wasteful big-money awfulness of everyone’s political campaign. And it’s leading to a big tortuous plot twist which frankly isn’t convincing, despite the talking-head expert interviewee who is wheeled on over the closing credits to assure us that it is. What we’re left with is a bland cop-out, which incidentally...

It’s been five years since Jon Stewart retired from “The Daily Show,” and the veteran comedian is still closely following politics and the news media. Stewart, who hosted the late-night show for 16 years, recently spoke to the New York Times’ David Marchese in a wide-ranging interview about current events, contemporary news coverage, and his legacy at “The Daily Show.”

His opinion on the latter-most point stemmed from a question regarding the current state of Fox News. Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly was a frequent guest on “The Daily Show” during Stewart’s tenure and Stewart said that consistently giving O’Reilly such a large platform was possibly the worst aspect of his work on the comedy show.

“The question was always, ‘Why would you talk to him? Why do you have him on the show if you can’t destroy him?’ If you want to talk about the...

It’s been five years since Jon Stewart retired from “The Daily Show,” and the veteran comedian is still closely following politics and the news media. Stewart, who hosted the late-night show for 16 years, recently spoke to the New York Times’ David Marchese in a wide-ranging interview about current events, contemporary news coverage, and his legacy at “The Daily Show.”

His opinion on the latter-most point stemmed from a question regarding the current state of Fox News. Former Fox News host Bill O’Reilly was a frequent guest on “The Daily Show” during Stewart’s tenure and Stewart said that consistently giving O’Reilly such a large platform was possibly the worst aspect of his work on the comedy show.

“The question was always, ‘Why would you talk to him? Why do you have him on the show if you can’t destroy him?’ If you want to talk about the...

"I'm gonna make a big deal of this! Tons of press. Lots of money." Focus has unveiled a final official trailer for Irresistible, Jon Stewart's second feature film following Rosewater in 2014. This trailer is a reminder that this is now going to be released on VOD everywhere on June 26th. This is about a Democrat strategist who helps a retired veteran run for mayor in a small, conservative Midwest town. Steve Carell stars as Gary Zimmer, who tries to get an unexpected ex-Marine local elected to office in Wisconsin. Also with Chris Cooper, Topher Grace, Natasha Lyonne, Mackenzie Davis, Cj Wilson and Will Sasso. This looks quite fun (dare I say) or at least the trailer plays up the laughs, but I hope it isn't depressing in the end. Don't let us down, Jon Stewart. Here's the second & final trailer (+ a featurette) for Jon Stewart's ...

Jon Stewart’s latest film, a political comedy called “Irresistible,” will skip theaters and make its premiere online for on demand digital rental on June 26.

The film from Focus Features stars Steve Carell and Rose Byrne and was meant to open in theaters on May 29.

“Irresistible” will be available for a 48-hour rental period for $19.99 beginning on June 26 on nearly all on-demand platforms including – Amazon, Apple, Comcast, DirecTV, Fandango, Google/YouTube, Charter/Spectrum, Verizon, Microsoft, Dish, Sony, Cox, Altice, Vudu, Frontier, and Row8.

Also Read: Steve Carell Tries to Save the Democrats in Jon Stewart's 'Irresistible' Trailer (Video)

In the film, Carell plays a Democrat political consultant who helps a retired Marine colonel (Chris Cooper) run for mayor in a small Wisconsin town. It also stars Mackenzie Davis, Topher Grace and Natasha Lyonne.

Stewart wrote “Irresistible,” which is his second feature film following his debut “Rosewater.” And Stewart...

Here’s another notable theatrical release to hit Pvod due to Covid-19: Focus Features’ Jon Stewart-directed political comedy Irresistible. Originally scheduled for a May 29 theatrical release, the Steve Carell-Rose Byrne-Chris Cooper movie now will play in homes starting Friday, June 26.

Irresistible will be available for the 48-hour rental price of $19.99 on such platforms as Amazon, Apple, Comcast, DirecTV, Fandango, Google/YouTube, Charter/Spectrum, Verizon, Microsoft, Dish, Sony, Cox, Altice, Vudu, Frontier and Row8.

There’s also the possibility, I hear, that the movie will still play theatrically starting the weekend of June 26, in those cinemas that are open.

Irresistible follows a Democrat political consultant (Carell) who helps a retired Marine colonel (Cooper) run for mayor in a small Wisconsin town. Part of the rush to get the movie out there stems from the timeliness of the current election year and releasing Irresistible before this...

Jon Stewart has mostly been out of the spotlight since his retirement from The Daily Show in 2015, but he’s still working behind the scenes. He has turned his energy from the news circuit to behind the camera to express his fervent political ideals. Following his debut feature Rosewater in 2014, he’s back with Irresistible starring his Daily Show buddy Steve Carrell, along with Chris Cooper and Rose Byrne. Ahead of a summer release, the first trailer has now arrived.

The film follows the campaign of retired army veteran Jack Hastings (Chris Cooper) whose impassioned speech for the rights of undocumented workers in his small right-wing Wisconsin town draws the attention of Democratic strategist Gary Zimmer (Steve Carrell) who decides to help him win the local mayoral election, but the Republican National Committee counters his attempts by sending in Republican strategist Faith (Rose Byrne) to hinder his campaign. Mackenzie Davis,...

"I am telling you guys, Jack could be the real deal." Focus Features has debuted the first official trailer for Jon Stewart's latest film, titled Irresistible, his second feature following Rosewater in 2014. The tagline already drops a provocative tease: "Jon Stewart is back, and he has something to say." The film is about a Democrat strategist who helps a retired veteran run for mayor in a small, conservative Midwest town. Steve Carell stars as Gary Zimmer, who tries to get an unexpected ex-Marine local elected to office in Wisconsin. This also stars Chris Cooper, Topher Grace, Natasha Lyonne, Mackenzie Davis, Cj Wilson and Will Sasso. It seems pretty damn good so far, in my opinion. Hopefully it's as provocative as it sounds, an entertaining yet stirring look at the many flaws in America's democracy. Recommend giving this one a look. Here's the first official trailer for Jon Stewart's Irresistible,...

The first trailer for Jon Stewart’s upcoming film Irresistible has arrived and it features the Democrats trying to get back on top in conservative America.

In the trailer for the film, which was written and directed by Stewart, Steve Carell appears as a Democratic political consultant hired to help a retired ex-Marine colonel (Chris Cooper) run for mayor in a small Wisconsin town.

“We need some ways to road test a more rural-friendly message,” Carell’s character says in the trailer, suggesting the Democrats focus on Cooper’s former colonel,...

Political maverick and former talk-show host turned filmmaker Jon Stewart is returning to the director’s chair for the first time since 2014’s “Rosewater” with “Irresistible,” a political satire starring Steve Carell, Chris Cooper, and Rose Byrne. It’s Stewart’s first stab at an outright comedy film, and he also wrote the film. Below, Focus Features has dropped the film’s first trailer ahead of a high-profile summer release date of May 29, 2020 — Memorial Day Weekend.

The film stars Carell as a successful Democratic strategist who, after discovering a video of a retired marine colonel, played by Chris Cooper, pledging support for the rights of his local townsfolk’s undocumented workers, is convinced he’s found a way into the right-wing-skewing Heartland. But he’s soon pitted against Faith (aptly named and played by Rose Byrne), who’s dispatched by the Republicans to challenge Gary (Carell) in a race that...

“Democrats are getting their asses kicked!” It’s

been five years since Jon Stewart

left Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” and six since his first

film, 2014’s political drama “Rosewater”

starring Gael Garcia Bernal, but the

comedian, writer/director and activist is finally back with “Irresistible,” a political satire,

produced by Stewart and Plan B Entertainment

(Brad Pitt’s company, he’s one of

the producer’s too).

Continue reading ‘Irresistible’ Trailer: Jon Stewart Returns With A New Political Satire at The Playlist.

Focus Features will release the latest film from director Jon Stewart called “Irresistible” on May 29, 2020, the distributor announced Wednesday.

Steve Carell, Chris Cooper and Rose Byrne star in the political comedy that the former “Daily Show” host both wrote and directed.

“Irresistible” is a satire about what happens when a small Wisconsin town becomes the main attraction of our political circus. After the Democrat’s top strategist Gary (Steve Carell) sees a video of a retired Marine Colonel (Chris Cooper) standing up for the rights of his town’s undocumented workers, Gary believes he has found the key to winning back the Heartland. However, when the Republicans counter him by sending in his brilliant nemesis Faith (Rose Byrne), what started out as a local race quickly becomes an out-of-control and hilarious fight for the soul of America.

Focus Features said Wednesday that it has set a May 29, 2020 domestic release date for Irresistible, the new film written and directed by Jon Stewart.

The political satire, produced by Stewart and Plan B Entertainment, revolves around what happens when a small Wisconsin town becomes the main attraction of our political circus. After the Democrat’s top strategist Gary (Steve Carell) sees a video of a retired Marine Colonel (Chris Cooper) standing up for the rights of his town’s undocumented workers, Gary believes he has found the key to winning back the Heartland.

However, when the Republicans counter him by sending in his brilliant nemesis Faith (Rose Byrne), what started out as a local race quickly becomes an out-of-control and hilarious fight for the soul of America.

Topher Grace, Natasha Lyonne, Mackenzie Davis, Cj Wilson and Will Sasso co-star. Universal Pictures International will release internationally.

The Memorial Day weekend dating...

In the midst of the real-life presidential race, Jon Stewart's political satire Irresistible will get a high-profile release in theaters this summer.

The star-studded pic is set to open nationwide May 29, Focus Features announced Wednesday. Irresistible marks the second feature film that Stewart — the former host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show — has directed, following 2014’s Rosewater,

The comedy tells the story of what happens when a small Wisconsin town transforms into a political circus after a top Democratic strategist (Steve Carell) sees a video of a retired Marine colonel (Chris Cooper) standing up for the rights ...

In the midst of the real-life presidential race, Jon Stewart's political satire Irresistible will get a high-profile release in theaters this summer.

The star-studded pic is set to open nationwide May 29, Focus Features announced Wednesday. Irresistible marks the second feature film that Stewart — the former host of Comedy Central's The Daily Show — has directed, following 2014’s Rosewater,

The comedy tells the story of what happens when a small Wisconsin town transforms into a political circus after a top Democratic strategist (Steve Carell) sees a video of a retired Marine colonel (Chris Cooper) standing up for the rights ...

Following her critically acclaimed Netflix series “Russian Doll,” Natasha Lyonne is heading back to the big screen. The actress is joining Steve Carell in the ensemble cast of Jon Stewart’s upcoming comedy “Irresistible.”

The movie, also starring Topher Grace, Rose Byrne, and Chris Cooper, follows a Democrat political consultant (Carell) who helps a retired ex-Marine colonel (Cooper) run for mayor in a small Wisconsin town. Lyonne’s role is currently unknown.

Variety first reported that Stewart and Carell would team together on what would be Stewart’s second directing project. His directorial debut was 2014’s political drama “Rosewater,” which centered on journalist Maziar Bahari, who was detained by Iranian forces who brutally interrogated him under suspicion that he was a spy.

Stewart will also produce “Irresistible” alongside Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment. Focus Features and Universal Pictures International will distribute the film worldwide.

Lyonne most recently starred in “Russian Doll,...

“Irresistible,” a new political comedy which is being directed by Jon Stewart and stars Steve Carell, has landed at Focus Features, the studio announced Tuesday.

Focus will partner with Plan B Entertainment to produce and distribute “Irresistible,” a comedy set during a political campaign.

Chris Cooper also joins the previously announced cast of Carell and Rose Byrne. Stewart will also produce alongside Plan B Entertainment.

Also Read: Jon Stewart Admits He Should've Taken Donald Trump's Presidential Candidacy More Seriously (Video)

“In the age of fake news, Jon Stewart continues to be the real deal. He’s been making us laugh at the bipartisan commitment to bending the truth for years, and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with him and Plan B as Jon brings his signature wit to the big screen with the incredibly versatile talents of Steve, Rose, and Chris,” Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski said in a statement.

Exclusive: Oscar winner Chris Cooper (Adaptation) is joining Steve Carell and Rose Byrne in Jon Stewart’s sophomore feature as writer-director Irresistible, which we can confirm will be backed by Focus Features.

Set amidst a heated political campaign trail, the comedy is being produced by Vice and Moonlight producers Plan B with Focus and former The Daily Show host Stewart. Focus and Universal Pictures International will distribute the film worldwide with shoot due to get underway this spring.

Focus’s Josh McLaughlin, president of production, will oversee the film. Additional plot details are being kept under wraps for now.

Focus Features chairman Peter Kujawski said, “In the age of fake news, Jon Stewart continues to be the real deal. He’s been making us laugh at the bipartisan commitment to bending the truth for years, and we couldn’t be more excited to partner with him and Plan B as...

It’s been five years since former The Daily Show host Jon Stewart got behind the camera for the first time with the drama Rosewater. Now he’s heading back to the big screen with his sophomore directing effort, and a new cast member is in talks to join the production. Irresistible already had Steve Carell on […]

The post Rose Byrne Joining ‘Irresistible’, Jon Stewart’s New Movie Starring Steve Carell appeared first on /Film.

Jon Stewart was the face of Comedy Central’s “The Daily Show” for 16 years, and during that time he got a valuable lesson on the institutionalized sexism taking place in the comedy industry. The comedian recently appeared opposite Dave Chappelle for an interview with CNN’s Christiane Amanpour and remembered a time during his run as “Daily Show” host when he got personally criticized for his all-male writing staff.

“There was an article about [‘The Daily Show’] that said it was a sexist environment, we didn’t have women writers. And I got very offended by that. I was very mad. I was like, ‘Are you saying I’m not a feminist?’ I was raised by a single mother. She wore a T-shirt that said, ‘A woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle.’ And me and my brother were like, ‘I think we might be men?’ So...

Jon Stewart has found his next film project. It’s called Irresistible, it’s based on an original idea that he came up with, and he wants Steve Carell to star in it.

Just in case you don’t remember, before Carell became the big star that he is, he was a contributor on Comedy Central’s news satire program The Daily Show with Stewart. So it’s kinda cool that the two will eventually be working together again.

There’s no information on what the story for the film will entail, but it is said to be a political satire film, which, as you know, is one of Stewart’s strengths.

Stewart previously directed the 2014 film Rosewater, which centered on journalist Maziar Bahari, who was detained by Iranian forces who brutally interrogated him under suspicion that he was a spy.

If you’re a fan of Stewart or Carell,...

Tony Sokol Oct 4, 2018

The Daily Show's Jon Stewart will direct his next feature and is calling in former correspondent Steve Carell

Standup comic, actor, activist and former Daily Show host Jon Stewart is set to direct his next feature, an original political satire called Irresistible, and he is calling on his former correspondent, actor Steve Carell, to star in the film, according to Variety.

Irresistible will be produced by Stewart, along with Plan B, Brad Pitt's production banner which is currently working on the upcoming features Beautiful Boy and If Beale Street Could Talk. Plot details are being kept under wraps while the project is in the process of securing financing.

Stewart retired from the Comedy Central late-night talk show in 2015 to focus a sanctuary for abused animals he runs with his wife in New Jersey. He made his feature film directorial debut with Rosewater in 2014, which he...

Jon Stewart will return to the director’s chair for upcoming political satire, Irresistible, Variety reports.

The former The Daily Show host is slated to direct the film, which is based on his original idea. Steve Carell, a former Daily Show correspondent during the Stewart era, is reportedly the top choice to star, though financing and scheduling is still being established.

Stewart made his directorial debut with 2014’s Rosewater, which is based on the true story of Iranian journalist Maziar Bahari, who was jailed on charges of espionage and interrogated...

Jon Stewart is returning to directing.

The former host of “The Daily Show” will direct the feature film “Irresistible,” a political satire, individuals with knowledge of the project told TheWrap. Steve Carell is also in early talks to star, an individual with knowledge of the project said.

The film is based on Stewart’s original idea, and it is his first since his directorial debut, 2014’s “Rosewater,” and his first since leaving “The Daily Show” in 2015. Plot details are still under wraps.

Also Read: Jon Stewart Strolled Down Hollywood Blvd in an Incredible Hulk Costume (Video)

Stewart will also produce the film with Brad Pitt’s Plan B Entertainment. The project is in the beginning stages of development, and it’s unclear when production will begin.

“Rosewater,” a drama, was the story of Iranian-Canadian journalist Maziar Bahari, who was detained and tortured by Iranian forces for several months under suspicion that he was a spy.