Nick Offerman on his new role in 'Sovereign'
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Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
'Sovereign' based on West Memphis tragedy: A look at the new movie and the story behind it
Arriving with little fanfare on a weekend when few moviegoers will notice its existence as they are carried up, up and away by the new "Superman," "Sovereign" is based on a real-life Memphis-area tragedy that shocked the nation and continues to resonate: a 2010 West Memphis traffic stop that led to the deaths of two police officers and two "sovereign citizens." Depicting a deadly clash between police and adherents of what the production's publicity team calls "a deeply anti-establishment worldview rooted in distrust of government authority," the movie couldn't be more timely, in the wake of "deep state" paranoia, J6 riots and pardons, "stop the steal" election disinformation, ICE raids, Epstein file disputes, and more. Here's what to know about "Sovereign," which opens July 11 in the Memphis area exclusively at the Malco Cordova Cinema. The real-life story On May 20, 2010, a white Plymouth Voyager with Ohio plates that was traveling east on Interstate 40 was pulled over by West Memphis police as part of an ongoing drug interdiction effort. The minivan was driven by Jerry R. Kane Jr., 45, a "sovereign citizen" who declared himself unbeholden to government regulation. Kane did not possess a driver's license and had not properly registered the vehicle, but he did have two out-of-state arrest warrants pending and a brick of marijuana. A scuffle followed the stop at Exit 275, and Kane's son, 16-year-old Joseph T. Kane, opened fire on the officers with an assault rife. The officers, Brandon Paudert, 39, and Bill Evans, 38, were killed. Evans was struck 14 times; Paudert, 11. The Kanes were killed about two hours later in an exchange of gunfire with police, who tracked their van to a West Memphis Walmart Supercenter parking lot. The tragedy attracted national and international coverage, with The Commercial Appeal publishing an extensive story detailing the biographies and motivations of the men involved (Joe Kane was "the skinny, fresh-faced teenager behind the assault rifle," while Paudert was "born into a family of lawmen"). The production Rated R for what the Motion Picture Association characterizes as its "violence and language," "Sovereign" was shot in 2024 in the state where the real-life story's climactic tragedy took place, in Fayetteville, Springdale and Lincoln, Arkansas. Nick Offerman stars as Jerry Kane, while Jacob Tremblay — who first impressed moviegoers as the born-in-kidnapped-captivity little boy in "Room" (2015) — is Joe Kane. Using the names of the actual "sovereign citizens," the film focuses mainly on the Kanes, while shifting the law-enforcement focus to a fictional investigator, played by Dennis Quaid. Making his feature directorial debut is writer-director Christian Swegal, a graduate of the USC School of Cinematic Arts. He is a veteran cinematographer and scripter whose writing credits include "Proud Mary," a 2018 action film starring Taraji P. Henson as a professional assassin. MOVIE NEWS: 'Jaws' bites Memphis: 50 years ago, producers promoted Steven Spielberg shark movie here The response Described by distributor Briarcliff Entertainment as "a tense and provocative true crime thriller" about "a tragic chain of events that forces a reckoning with power, principle, and the limits of freedom," the movie premiered June 8 at the Tribeca Festival in New York. So far, reviews have been almost entirely positive, with the Austin Chronicle declaring that the film "finds its catastrophic equilibrium" in "the utterly brilliant casting of Nick Offerman," while Slant magazine compared watching "Sovereign" to "staring into a national wound." HOW TO WATCH: Stream "Sovereign" movie on Amazon Prime The release Receiving only a modest theatrical release on a weekend that will be dominated by the Man of Steel (and that will continue to find audiences for "Jurassic World Rebirth," "F1" and "Lilo & Stitch"), "Sovereign" opens July 11 on 53 screens. (In comparison, "Superman" reportedly is opening on 60,000 screens worldwide, including 1,650 IMAX screens.) In the Memphis area, its only home will be the Cordova Cinema; in Arkansas, it will be only at the Malco Towne Cinema in Jonesboro. However, it also will be made available to own and rent on July 11 via such on-demand services as Prime Video and Apple TV. West Memphis addendum At this point, Crittenden County boosters may be wondering if their borders contain any happy stories for moviemakers. "Sovereign" follows what had become almost a cottage industry of productions inspired by the area's most gruesome crime saga, the 1993 murders of three little boys and the subsequent convictions and later release of the suspects known as the "West Memphis Three." That case inspired three HBO documentaries ("Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills," "Paradise Lost 2: Revelations," and "Paradise Lost 3 Purgatory"); a documentary ("West of Memphis" produced by "Lord of the Rings" Oscar-winner Peter Jackson; and a dramatic feature-film rendering of the story ("Devil's Knot"), directed by Atom Egoyan and starring Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth. Our team of savvy editors independently handpicks all recommendations. If you purchase through our links, the USA Today Network may earn a commission. Prices were accurate at the time of publication but may change. This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Is 'Sovereign' based on a true story? 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Los Angeles Times
3 days ago
- Los Angeles Times
Jacob Soboroff will join MSNBC after network splits from NBC News
NBC News correspondent Jacob Soboroff will join MSNBC full time once the progressive cable channel is spun off into a new company, which will be called Versant. Later this year, MSNBC is heading to Versant, which will be the new stand-alone home for current parent company Comcast's cable networks. As a result, MSNBC will no longer have the resources of NBC News and is putting together its own editorial operation. The stylized NBC peacock will also disappear from the MSNBC logo. NBC News correspondents who moved seamlessly between NBC's broadcast programs and MSNBC will no longer appear on both platforms once the spin-off is complete. (The one exception is expected to be Willie Geist, who has anchor roles on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe' and NBC's 'Sunday Today.') Soboroff, a Los Angeles native who earlier this year reported on how his childhood home was lost in the Palisades fire, is the highest profile talent so far to leave NBC News in the split. He will remain based on the West Coast. Soboroff, 42, was hired as an MSNBC correspondent in 2015. He was later named an NBC News correspondent and in recent years has frequently appeared as a fill-in co-host on the network's morning franchise 'Today.' NBC News employees who worked both on the broadcast and cable sides have been asked to choose which entity they will join. Most NBC News staffers are choosing to stick with the network. Steve Kornacki, the number-crunching star of MSNBC's election nights, chose the broadcast network over cable as he also works for NBC Sports. But a number of NBC News correspondents, producers and executives are choosing to go to the cable side. The migration to MSNBC is surprising, considering the business environment. Comcast is spinning off the cable networks because it believes the mature outlets face a bleak future due to pay TV cord-cutting and are an albatross weighing down its stock price. MSNBC, the second most watched cable news channel behind leader Fox News, is seen its reach into pay TV homes decline by 33% over the last 10 years. That has not kept some significant names from giving the start-up a shot. Earlier this week, Versant announced that 'NBC Nightly News' executive producer Meghan Rafferty is joining the company as vice president of news standards. NBC News correspondents moving to the cable side include Ken Dilanian, who covers the Justice Department. Vaughn Hillyard is moving over to become senior White House correspondent, and Daniel Noriega will be a national correspondent based in Los Angeles. The new company has also attracted talent and executives from CNN, Politico and the New York Times. TV news agents say privately that many NBC News staffers are expecting layoffs in the division over the next year as ratings and advertising revenue for broadcast TV decline. (The division has not announced any such plans). While the channels going to Versant, which include CNBC, Golf Channel and USA Network, face similar challenges, the spinoff group is aggressively hiring and promises substantial investment in the channels that still turn a profit. Correspondents are also attracted to the platform that a 24-hour cable network provides. Soboroff, the son of Los Angeles civic leader Steve Soboroff, has focused on issues that appeal to the MSNBC audience. He aggressively covered the family separation crisis at the southern border in 2018, which earned a Cronkite Award. He wrote a book on the topic and executive produced an Emmy-nominated documentary in 2024. Most recently in June 2025, Soboroff led MSNBC's coverage of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement raids in Los Angeles and the resulting protests. His upcoming book, 'Firestorm: The Great Los Angeles Fires and America's New Age of Disaster,' will be released in January.
New York Post
26-07-2025
- New York Post
Nick Offerman does not want to ‘pick an argument' with Trump-supporter co-star Dennis Quaid
Actor Nick Offerman said last week he wasn't looking to have a political squabble with his 'Sovereign' co-star Dennis Quaid over President Donald Trump. 'Dennis Quaid is a fantastic actor whom I've looked up to my whole life, and he [is] better in this film than almost anything I've seen him in,' Offerman said in a response on Reddit to a commenter asking about how he deals with Trump supporters like Quaid. Offerman had made an 'ask me anything' post on the site inviting users to inquire about 'Sovereign,' his new film with Quaid about an anti-government extremist and his son, and an eventual police standoff. 'We didn't have a lot of time together on set, so the context wasn't really conducive to digging into settling the world's problems, or even just those of America. 'Good morning, Dennis. How about those Epstein files? Anyway, want to run our lines,'' Offerman added. The actor, famous for his role as Ron Swanson on 'Parks & Recreation,' said he believes those who voted for the 47th president are good people, even though he disagrees with them. 4 Nick Offerman at the Tribeca Film Festival on June 8, 2025. Andrew H. Walker/Shutterstock 4 Dennis Quaid attends the photocall at the 71st Taormina Film Festival on June 13, 2025 in Taormina, Italy. Getty Images 'Dealing with Trump supporters in the world is something I try to handle with nuance, because I know many others around the states who are very good people and citizens and would give you the shirt of their back,' Offerman said. 'They are on the receiving end of an absolute firehose of misinformation, so it's really cognitively dissonant (impossible) to engage in rational discourse.' He has said that his libertarian 'Parks and Recreation' character would have 'despised Trump,' and he thinks Republicans trend toward fascism. 4 Dennis Quaid spoke at one of Trump's rallies in California ahead of the 2024 election. 'I think we're all wrong about a lot of things, but the reason I lean left is because at the end of the Republican plan is austerity and literal fascism, sad military muscle parades and mounted troops in the LA, the coolest city in the world, and all the rest of the current bed-s—tings, and at the end of the Democrat plan is health care and life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness for everybody,' he said. 4 Sovereign movie starring Nick Offerman and Dennis Quaid. Briarcliff Entertainment Offerman added that he wanted to work with Quaid and leave politics out. 'No matter who we voted for, it requires all of us (including an overwhelming number of immigrants) to make the great bounty this country produces, and is then so disproportionately pocketed by the ultra-wealthy, so I am not going to pick an argument with Dennis Quaid over our political leanings because I'm going to shake his hand and try to make a great film,' Offerman said.
