Latest news with #TheButler
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Kristen Stewart's Directorial Debut ‘The Chronology of Water,' An Unflinching Portrait of Abuse and Addiction, Earns 4-Minute Cannes Ovation
Kristen Stewart's directorial debut 'The Chronology of Water' premiered at Cannes Film Festival to a just over four-minute standing ovation on Friday night — and left many in the crowd wiping their eyes. Imogen Poots' knockout performance was certainly a highlight of Stewart's adaptation of Lidia Yuknavitch's 2011 memoir of the same name, but just as notable was her directing style — raw, artsy and unflinching. Poots stars as the writer in Stewart's non-linear take on Yuknavitch's life, which includes shocking scenes of sexual abuse by her father and her spiral into drug use juxtaposed with the salvation she found in being in the water. More from Variety Tom Hollander Joins Jean Reno in Tom Edmunds' Action-Thriller 'The Butler' (EXCLUSIVE) 'Sons of the Neon Night' Director Juno Mak Breaks Down His Hong Kong Crime Thriller: 'There's a Nightmarish Poetry to It' 'A Man Called Ove' Producer Nicklas Wikström Nicastro Preps Swedish Cycling Biopic 'SteelGrandpa' (EXCLUSIVE) As the lights in the house went up, Stewart — dressed in a chic white short suit and matching baseball cap — hugged everyone in her cast and crew and directed the attention toward them. After kissing her wife Dylan Meyer, she allowed the spotlight to shine on her, accepting the mic from Cannes chief Thierry Fremaux for a short speech. 'This is an absolutely insane, surreal experience to be able to be here and watch this with all of you guys. We finished the movie like five minutes ago, it's not even finished yet. We just slipped under this fucking shut door and goddamn it thank you,' Stewart said to Fremaux, before literally leaping into his arms. The long-in-the-works passion project world premiered in the festival's Un Certain Regard sidebar, which this year also features debuts from fellow actors such as Scarlett Johansson ('Eleanor the Great') and Harris Dickinson ('Urchin').In addition to directing, Stewart co-wrote the film's screenplay alongside Andy Mingo. Stewart first announced the development of 'Chronology of Water' in 2018. In her Variety cover story in January 2024, Stewart revealed that she had been struggling to finance the movie and would refuse to act in another film until she was able to get 'The Chronology of Water' finished. She was able to do just that in summer 2024, when the movie filmed for six weeks in Latvia and Malta. The cast also includes Thora Birch, Earl Cave, Michael Epp, Susannah Flood, Kim Gordon and Jim Belushi. Speaking to Variety, Stewart was honest about her struggles to get the film financed. She said it was 'near impossible' to raise money for a movie that was an original idea and not based on a proven genre or pre-existing IP. 'I think there's an entire, yet-to-be-written female language,' Stewart said. 'There's a certain physicality to the type of film that I want to make that I think will be, in a slugline, really unattractive to quote-unquote 'buyers,' but in action, is entirely pervasively moving. That has just not been an easy sell. It's not about the plot. It's about someone self-Heimliching and contextualizing why that person has swallowed their own voice their whole life.' Variety caught up with Stewart in April amid rumors that her movie would premiere at Cannes. The director said she was racing to finish post-production in order to make the festival lineup. 'Well, at this point, it's a timing issue. The movie, it's like crowning,' she said. 'It's one of those stories that you hear — every filmmaker that I covet has slipped under the closing doorway of making a certain deadline for the Cannes Film Festival. And I don't know if I'm gonna be there yet I may. I may not be, but the movie is becoming itself in a way that feels so imminent, and so it's like such a relief. It's such an unbelievable relief. It's been a long labor. It's like having a baby.' 'The Chronology of Water' is seeking distribution out of Cannes. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
17-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Tom Hollander Joins Jean Reno in Tom Edmunds' Action-Thriller ‘The Butler' (EXCLUSIVE)
'The White Lotus' actor Tom Hollander has joined Jean Reno in the period action-thriller 'The Butler,' directed by Tom Edmunds, helmer of 'Dead in a Week (Or Your Money Back).' In the film, Reno plays a former WWI commando turned domestic servant whose peaceful life is upended by mobsters collecting an old debt. The narrative blends period drama with relentless action, described by Edmunds as 'equal parts 'Downton Abbey' and 'Die Hard.'' More from Variety 'Sons of the Neon Night' Director Juno Mak Breaks Down His Hong Kong Crime Thriller: 'There's a Nightmarish Poetry to It' 'A Man Called Ove' Producer Nicklas Wikström Nicastro Preps Swedish Cycling Biopic 'SteelGrandpa' (EXCLUSIVE) Documentarian Marianna Brennand to Receive Kering's Women in Motion Emerging Talent Award at Cannes K5 Intl. introduced the project at the European Film Market in Berlin and since then has closed a raft of presales in major territories, including Splendid (German-speaking territories), Mediaset (Spain), SPI Intl. (Eastern Europe and Benelux), Cinesky (airlines), Arna (CIS and Baltics), Falcon Films (Middle East) and PT Prima (Indonesia), with more territories to be announced soon. The screenplay was written by Edmunds and Craig McInnes, based on an original story by McInnes. 'The Butler' is produced by Christopher Tuffin, Amanda Delaplaine, Ari Novak and Kevin DeWalt. Executive producers include Kevin Townsend, Nadezda Motina, Aram Ovannisyan, Edmunds, Chris Ochs and Andrew Bates, along with Daniel Baur for K5 Intl., William Ramsey and Colin Bates for Valecroft, and Roy Scott MacFarland for Tetrad. The film is a Strong Island production. The film is in pre-production and will shoot in Ireland in this summer. Hollander's credits include 'The Night Manager,' for which he won a BAFTA, 'Feud,' for which he was Emmy-nominated, and 'Bohemian Rhapsody.' 'We are beyond excited to welcome Tom Hollander,' Tuffin said. 'His versatility and intelligence add incredible depth to our story, and alongside Jean Reno, audiences are in for a fun ride and a treat.' The stellar cast will be rounded out by Bobby Gilchrist, with several additional cast members to be announced shortly. Tuffin also has 'Last Meals,' starring Mads Mikkelsen and Boyd Holbrook from director Ramin Bahrani as a hot seller at Cannes. K5 Intl.'s Cannes slate includes Roland Joffé's John F. Kennedy assassination thriller 'November 1963,' starring John Travolta, Dermont Mulroney and Mandy Patinkin. Legal and business affairs for Strong Island are being handled by Jere R. Hausfater and Larry Weinberg. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Yahoo
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Anna Nicole Smith Biopic ‘Hurricanna' Heading To Cannes Market With Millennium Media & UTA
EXCLUSIVE: Francesca Gregorini's long-gestating Anna Nicole Smith biopic Hurricanna will be on sale at the upcoming Cannes Market with Millennium Media and UTA. Millennium Media has boarded the project to handle international while UTA represents North American rights. More from Deadline Produced by producer Cassian Elwes (The Butler), Hurricanna is executive produced by Matthew Helderman and Luke Taylor of BondIt Media Capital (Terrifier 3). The film stars Holly Hunter, Mark Duplass, and Sylvia Hoeks. The plot follows the chaotic final 24 hours in the life of Anna Nicole Smith. Told from the fragmented and colliding perspectives of Smith, her psychiatrist, and her former lover, the film explores themes of fame, codependency, and self-destruction in a fractured American psyche. Gregorini (Killing Eve) directs from a script by Rachel and Matt Sarnoff. The film was previously on sale in international territories with Sierra/Affinity. 'Francesca brings an intense and intimate lens to one of pop culture's most sensationalized figures,' Elwes said in a statement. 'Hurricanna is not a biopic—it's a pressure cooker character drama that interrogates fame, identity, and collapse with fearless precision.' Cannes Market runs from May 13 to 21. Best of Deadline Sign up for Deadline's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
New York Times
24-04-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Warriors downplay Rockets' physicality after Jimmy Butler's hard fall, Game 2 loss
HOUSTON — Nobody in the Golden State Warriors' direct orbit called Amen Thompson's first-quarter stumble into Jimmy Butler's airborne legs purposeful or malicious. Reckless was the strongest postgame word used for the collision that has altered the trajectory of this increasingly chippy first-round series between the Warriors and Houston Rockets. Advertisement Thompson missed a short floater over a contesting Draymond Green with 2:30 left in the first quarter. Steven Adams, perhaps the league's most rugged offensive rebounder, tried to power through Brandin Podziemski toward the rim and bulldozed left into Green's and Thompson's vicinity just as Thompson, another aggressive offensive rebounder, sprang forward. This is Houston's style. It succeeds in the possession game by hunting second-chance points. The paint can become a mosh pit. Mosh pits are dangerous. When Adams plowed left, it appeared that Thompson tripped over his or Green's foot while stepping forward, sending him spearing through Green and Adams right into Butler's legs at the top of his jump. 'I was trying to box out Thompson,' Green said. 'Somehow, he ended up under Jimmy's legs. I didn't see it.' 'Inadvertent,' Steve Kerr made sure to call it. The Warriors lost Game 2 in Houston 109-94, tying the series at a game apiece. That was the short-term impact of Butler's hard fall. They were down 22-15 when he left. They were down 40-20 when Podziemski — who was sick all Wednesday with a stomach issue — joined him in the locker room. Without two of their four most impactful players, they didn't have enough to stay within reach of a desperate Rockets team that received 38 points from Jalen Green in a bounce-back performance. The longer-term impact of Butler's fall is unknown. He had an X-ray in Houston's arena that ruled out any obvious significant damage, but his MRI in San Francisco on Thursday will give the Warriors' medical team a clearer and more detailed look. If it's confirmed as a contusion with no deeper damage, which was the belief late Wednesday night, it becomes a pain tolerance issue that Steph Curry and Jonathan Kuminga both dealt with recently. Curry missed two games. Kuminga missed one game. Butler had a similar injury in December 2021 and missed four games. Advertisement But those instances were treated with regular-season caution. There is playoff urgency surrounding this scare. Thirty minutes after the fall, a pained Butler walked down the tunnel back from the X-ray room to the visiting locker room at a snail's pace. The limp wasn't nearly as pronounced when he left the arena two hours later. 'Jimmy always says he's going to be fine,' Kerr said. 'But we have to wait and see the MRI.' Steve Kerr: 'Jimmy always says he's fine.' MRI tomorrow Kerr said their feeling was the Butler fall was an 'inadvertent' accident in a jumbled up rebound situation and credited Houston for outplaying them — Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) April 24, 2025 The Butler crash and its ramifications only upped the temperature of a series already heading toward a boiling point. Dillon Brooks spent the opening minutes barking at the Warriors' bench. Curry and Jalen Green put some extra charge into the tail end of two jump balls. Tari Eason adjusted Gary Payton II's headband and threw a towel at Pat Spencer. Draymond Green was in the mix of just about every dust-up, either committing hard fouls or absorbing hard fouls. Jalen Green was whistled for a flagrant after glancing at Draymond's chin with a forearm shiver. Jalen and Draymond had words after Jalen told him to stop flopping. In the fourth quarter, Draymond went chest to chest with Fred VanVleet during a timeout, causing an elongated shouting match between both sides and another mosh pit that needed separation. That's when Eason threw a towel and picked up a technical. 'I thought it was a little bit less physical than Game 1,' Draymond Green said. The Warriors made it a point not to complain about Houston's physicality postgame, instead blaming their poor defense on Jalen Green as the night's biggest problem, understanding that this series will need to be won in a rugged environment when it restarts in San Francisco. Advertisement 'Actually I might agree with (Draymond that it was less physical),' Curry said. 'There were a couple crashes that happened out there, but we know what they're trying to do — use their size advantage at times to try to bully us. We held up a pretty good fight both games. We just let Jalen get going a little bit and he got free to space. There's no reason he should get up 18 3s.' More than one person noted postgame that Curry only has six free throws in 77 minutes in this series, but there was an understanding that a few extra whistles wouldn't have solved Wednesday's problem. They need Podziemski to recover and Butler to heal quickly. They need a better, more revved-up version of Kuminga, who went from out of the rotation to 26 minutes in Game 2, scoring 12 points but mostly floating around without a high level of impact on either end. They need the two days of rest before Saturday and their first home playoff game since 2023. 'Houston played great,' Kerr said. 'They came out with amazing force defensively. Obviously Green got going. It was their night.' (Photo of Steph Curry and Jalen Green wrestling for the ball: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
The Guardian
19-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
David Oyelowo: ‘My wife and I made the decision early on never to be apart for longer than two weeks''
David, you are going to walk among kings.' This was my mum's prophecy when I was small. My father is from a royal family in Nigeria, so I interpreted it that way. Remarkably, she was right: I went on to play King Pelasgus, Henry VI, Martin Luther King and Seretse earliest memory is sitting on my dad's shoulders as he walked down Balham High Street in London. I was eating a cream puff, watching the sugar fall into his hair. I can still smell and taste the cream. It felt magical, both the longest and the shortest walk moved from the UK to Nigeria, where I attended a military-style boarding school for three years. There were lashings and I was made to cut an entire field with a cutlass. Those formative years were character-building and made me value the wisdom of elders, but the idea of subjecting my own children to that is inconceivable. When we returned to the UK, we lived in a hostel for a time. Mum was coping with a lot of challenges, but she was a joyful person and always made our environment feel like we were kings wife [actor Jessica Oyelowo] was told her IQ is off the charts during an assessment for ADHD. Now, she's a member of Mensa. Our four children are neurodiverse, too. They have incredibly special attributes that they wear as superpowers. I'm in awe that I get to be their lasting relationship needs non-negotiables. We made the decision early on never to be apart for longer than two weeks: 26 years married and we've only broken that rule once, by 11 hours, when my wife was in Sleepy Hollow. If I ever meet [director] Tim Burton, I'll be having let the sun go down on your wrath. We won't go to bed if a disagreement isn't resolved – sleep makes it grow like cancer. Before you know it, you don't remember why you were fighting, ego and pride becomes a factor, and then it starts to fall has never let me down. He's a key factor in guiding my decisions and feeling safe within them. My wife and I suffered three miscarriages, one of them quite late in the pregnancy. Without faith, we would have retreated into our own corners to lick our wounds, but our love Poitier, a hero of mine, was full of compliments and respect when we met. I mustered up the courage to say hello and to tell him what he means to me, but instead he started talking about my work. I still doubt myself that it happened, but I have the Winfrey played my mother in The Butler. In one scene, she slaps me across the face, which was nerve-racking, because with each take she was gaining in confidence. Oprah taught me that the intention with which you do something manifests in the thing itself. If your intentions are pure, the chances are that it will be edifying both for you and the people you're doing it is subjective. It can sometimes mean coming away from something that failed, knowing you gave your best. That has been a guiding and guarding principle for me and has stood me in very good stead. Government Cheese is available to stream globally on Apple TV+
