Film critic Richard Roeper finds new role after Sun-Times exit
The latest: Roeper announced this morning he's joining RogerEbert.com as a regular contributor. The site is one of the leading spots for film criticism in the country, named after one of the leading film critics of our generation.
Catch up quick: Roeper took the voluntary buyout at the Sun-Times in March, leaving the paper after 37 years.
What they're saying: " Writing for RogerEbert.com is particularly meaningful for me because I owe so much of my career to him," Roeper tells Axios.
"Going all the way back to the late 1980s, when Roger couldn't review a film or do an interview because of scheduling conflicts, I became the go-to guy off the bench, with Roger's blessing."
Zoom out: Roeper replaced the late Gene Siskel as Ebert's co-host on the television show "At the Movies," which was later renamed "Ebert & Roeper." They spent eight years (2000-2008) working together while also writing together at the Sun-Times before Ebert passed away after a long battle with thyroid cancer in 2013.
RogerEbert.com is run by Ebert's wife, Chaz Ebert.
"I am thrilled to have Richard join us, and I know that Roger would have been overjoyed," Chaz Ebert said in a statement.
The intrigue: Roeper says he's looking forward to writing without a daily deadline.
"Since leaving the Sun-Times, I've discovered that I don't really want to return to the grind of cranking out a half-dozen or more reviews every week, but I really miss writing about movies and TV," Roeper says.
"I'll be doing reviews for the site, but I'm equally excited about doing the kinds of columns that I really didn't have time for in the past."
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