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Snoop Dogg Film To Be Directed By ‘Hustle & Flow's Craig Brewer At Universal

Snoop Dogg Film To Be Directed By ‘Hustle & Flow's Craig Brewer At Universal

Yahooa day ago

EXCLUSIVE: Craig Brewer has been set by Universal Pictures to direct what the studio believes will be the definitive biopic of Snoop Dogg in his growth from hip hop star to iconic entertainment mogul.
Brewer will contribute revisions to a script previously written by Joe Robert Cole. The film will be produced by Snoop Dogg, Brian Grazer and Death Row Pictures president Sara Ramaker. SVP Production Development Ryan Jones will oversee the project for the studio.
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Brewer, whose gritty music-driven films include Hustle & Flow and Dolomite is My Name, most recently directed Song Sung Blue for Universal's specialty studio Focus Features, which will be released domestically on December 25, 2025.
The Snoop Dogg film is the first project under Death Row Pictures' overall deal with NBCUniversal Entertainment & Studios. It's an outgrowth of Death Row Records, the label that launched Snoop Dogg's star and now embarks on an ambitious new chapter with the expansion. The strategic evolution cements the brand's influence beyond music, ushering in a new era of innovative onscreen storytelling.
Universal has found success in the historical hip hop space with the F. Gary Gray-directed Straight Outta Compton, the story of the seminal rap group N.W.A which was nominated for a Best Screenplay Oscar and grossed more than $200 million. Before that came 8 Mile, which starred Eminem in a drama based on his life and rise. Grazer produced that film, which grossed $250 million and won an Original Song Oscar for 'Lose Yourself.'
Death Row's upcoming slate of projects starts with the Snoop Dogg biopic. Beyond film, Snoop will return to NBC's musical competition series The Voice this fall, reclaiming his red chair for Season 28. On top of that, he will continue to partner with NBCUniversal on cross-portfolio opportunities; he was a breakout star on NBC and Peacock's coverage of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.
Brewer is represented by WME and Goodman, Genow.
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David Harbour Says It's A 'Relief' That He's Almost Done With Stranger Things
David Harbour Says It's A 'Relief' That He's Almost Done With Stranger Things

Buzz Feed

time2 hours ago

  • Buzz Feed

David Harbour Says It's A 'Relief' That He's Almost Done With Stranger Things

David Harbour has admitted that a part of him is happy that Stranger Things is coming to an end. The Emmy nominee has played chief of police Jim Hopper in all four seasons of the hit Netflix sci-fi series, and will make one final outing in the role later this year for its fifth and final run. As part of a conversation with Scarlett Johansson for Interview magazine, David was asked whether it was 'a relief' that the last season of Stranger Things is almost here at last. 'When I started I loved it so much,' he responded. 'Buddies of mine who'd done TV shows for many years said, 'By season three or four you'll be running'. And I was like, 'Never! I love all these guys so much'. And then you get to a certain point where you're like, 'How much more story is there?'. 'You're having to play a lot of the same beat, and there's a feeling where you're like, 'I want to take a risk. I want to do something that people haven't seen me do before'. So yeah, after 10 years, it's like, 'Okay'.' Scarlett then said she felt similarly about her decade-long stint as a key figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe. The Black Widow star recalled: 'Some of the films that I did for Marvel engaged my character more than others. [In some] films, the cast was so enormous and there was so much plot to serve that you start to feel like you're a device to move it along. 'And if you're committed to five and a half months of that, it's like, 'Okay. I can't paint my nails, I can't get a haircut'. These sound like silly problems, but your identity is wrapped up in this job for a long time, and if you're not doing engaging work as an actor, you feel a little cagey sometimes.' 'It's the same thing with this show,' David agreed. 'There'd be certain seasons where you feel like, 'I'm going to go in this different direction'. But as you say, a piece of your psyche is occupied with this group of people and this storyline.' The final season of Stranger Things has been hit by several roadblocks (most notably the Hollywood strikes of 2023), which means it's now been three years since fans' last trip to Hawkins, Indiana. However, Netflix finally confirmed last week that the first 'volume' of Stranger Things' final season will debut at the end of November, with two more drops following on Christmas Day and New Year's Day. David previously said the script for season five was 'terrific', insisting that creators The Duffer Brothers 'continue to outdo themselves'.

Michael Cera On ‘The Phoenician Scheme' And The Wes Anderson TikTok Trend: ‘To Imitate Wes, It Would Take A Lot More Than Just That'
Michael Cera On ‘The Phoenician Scheme' And The Wes Anderson TikTok Trend: ‘To Imitate Wes, It Would Take A Lot More Than Just That'

Forbes

time3 hours ago

  • Forbes

Michael Cera On ‘The Phoenician Scheme' And The Wes Anderson TikTok Trend: ‘To Imitate Wes, It Would Take A Lot More Than Just That'

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 28: Michael Cera attends Focus Features' "The Phoenician Scheme" New York ... More Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 28, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images) During a press conference at the Cannes Film Festival, where Wes Anderson was premiering The Phoenician Scheme, the director declared that he felt like he had already worked with Michael Cera before, just because of how natural it felt to have him join the movie. And it's true, some would say that Michael Cera and Wes Anderson were a match made in heaven. The two artists even shook hands and swore they would work again together, in front of all the journalists who attended the conference. 'Wes and I, we have known each other for a long time, and we have been in touch a lot over the years,' Michael Cera told me over Zoom. Cera portrays Bjorn, a young Norwegian and insect expert who becomes Zsa-zsa Korda's tutor in that area. Benicio del Toro's character, Korda, is a rich businessman who somehow constantly narrowly escapes assassination attempts. He is also someone who likes to learn and be surrounded by tutors who are experts in a certain topic, and that's when Bjorn comes into play. The particular thing about Bjorn is that he always stands behind everyone else, where he can observe everything. Is he just shy? Or is he plotting something else? I asked the actor how where his character stood in each scene informed him on who Bjorn really was. Cera said, 'He's got his own agenda going on back there, he's always hovering closely, always having an ear on the situation, and you kind of find out later what he was really up to, but that was something we figured out a lot in rehearsal, like he's always kind of there. And then he sheds his skin and becomes someone else, but that was definitely intentional.' Michael Cera and Mia Threapleton in 'The Phoenician Scheme' The actor then shared how his costume, his big round glasses and his strong norwegian accent helped him bring Bjorn to life. He said, 'The glasses in particular had a very, very, strong prescription, so they changed the way your eyes look, they make your eyes smaller, so you just feel like you have a different face, like you're wearing a mask, you feel very different, inhabited suddenly too. I see that with my 3-year-old, he puts on a mask and he becomes a wild animal. It gives you the confidence to create something new. The outfits too, which are so beautifully designed and built from the ground up, it gives you a sense of character. You look in the mirror and see what you look like, it informs you from the outside in, on who you are creating. And it gives you an idea on how to support that, from the inside out.' Cera praised Anderson's way to work with storyboards and shared how helpful it can be for an actor to see what the next scene is going to look like. He said, 'The storyboards, they are sort of animated movies, and Wes does the voices. You get a sense of the movie, you learn a lot that way. You don't worry about blocking.' The actor then detailed how they shot the quicksands scene, where Cera jumps into quicksands to save Zsa-zsa. He said, 'There's no visual effects, that's how it looked in the camera, brilliant trick. Basically, it's a pool of water, there's a layer of cork on top of it that looks like sand. You just dive right through it, and it was pitch black under there. I had a couple of days of rehearsal and when we shot it, I just did one take.' We then spoke about how Wes Anderson's movies are so visually unique, but also about how they should not just be reduced to an aesthetic. In 2023, TikTokers started a trend that went viral, by filming their lives as if they were in a Wes Anderson movie, from using pastels colors to symmetrical frames. On the trend, Cera said, 'It's kind of reductive to only talk about the aesthetic. I think the biggest reason his movies resonate with people is because of the writing and the feelings that are in his movies. If it was only the style and the aesthetic, they wouldn't be as impactful as they are. The impact comes from the amazing warmth and the feeling of love, which goes for all his movie, there are all about connection someway or another. But I think that's why his movies affect people, even though it's easy to overlook it because writing is sort of invisible.' CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 19: Wes Anderson, Michael Cera, Mia Threapleton and Benicio del Toro during ... More "The Phoenician Scheme" photocall at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 19, 2025 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images) He added: 'I think it's a little uncreative. To imitate Wes, it would take a lot more than just that. I think you have to be a great writer too. He created those worlds, not just visually but he created them from his imagination too. It's his world, like The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, the whole family, the life they live out there, it's an amazing world to create.' Cera drew a parallel between Anderson's way to approach storytelling to Japanese filmmaker Yasujirō Ozu's. He said, 'Ozu never really strayed from his approach, I think he used one land for every movie, all the time. So all these movies kinda have the same grammar but it's not true to say, if you've seen one movie you've seen them all. Because he told a million stories with that language and they're all powerful in their own way, and they're experimental in their own ways too. It's instantly recognizable but it's too reductive to say that it means you know what you're getting into when you're putting one of his movies on.' Cera will soon be making his directorial debut with Love is not the Answer, starring Pamela Anderson and Jamie Dornan. I asked the actor if working with Anderson helped him get a sense of how he was going to enter this industry from a director's point of view for the first time. He said, 'I think that as an actor, you're always watching a director and how they run a set. You learn a lot from great directors just by seing how they conduct themselves and how they communicate with their team, how they keep the spirit alive and keep everyone motivated. It's a big part of the job actually, being a cheerleader and keeping the energy good because there's a lot of pressure on a director. If he's loosing confidence or feeling the pressure, it can affect everything, and it kind of trickles down.' He added: 'Wes' spirit on set is amazing, he's very enthusiastic, he's a great host, he's very responsible for the energy. He keeps things very bright, I loved watching him do that.' The Phoenician Scheme is now playing in theaters.

Wes Anderson On ‘The Phoenician Scheme', His Creative Process And How He Chooses His Movie Titles
Wes Anderson On ‘The Phoenician Scheme', His Creative Process And How He Chooses His Movie Titles

Forbes

time5 hours ago

  • Forbes

Wes Anderson On ‘The Phoenician Scheme', His Creative Process And How He Chooses His Movie Titles

NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 28: Wes Anderson attends Focus Features' "The Phoenician Scheme" New York ... More Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 28, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Cindy Ord/GA/The Hollywood Reporter via Getty Images) Wes Anderson's latest movie The Phoenician Scheme, stars Benicio del Toro as Zsa-Zsa Korda, a rich businessman who has survived many assassination attempts and who just designated his only daughter, Liesl, a nun played by Mia Threapleton, as sole heir of his estate. The filmmaker's career is currently being honored at the French Cinemateque in Paris, where the visitors can admire set pieces, costumes, props and photos from their favorite Anderson's movies. Anderson also lent the Cinemateque some of his work notebooks, with the temporary titles used for every single one of his films. For exemple, The Darjeeling Limited used to be called India Movie for a while, and Moonrise Kingdom or The Life Aquatic with Steve Zissou, were respectively named The Island Movie and The Oceanographer Movie. While speaking with the filmmaker over Zoom, I asked him about the temporary title of The Phoenician Scheme, and how he came up with the final titles of his films. He said, ''The Phoenician Scheme's temporary title was probably The Tycoon Movie.'' He added: ''Usually, I feel like we're kind of waiting to hear it, or one of us will say it accidentally or something like that. But you know, I had a funny conversation with a reporter from Germany the other day, who really hated the title of The Phoenician Scheme, and he especially hated the German translation, which was even more complicated. But he asked me, 'Do you think a bad title can ruin a good movie?' And I said 'Gosh I hope not, I mean…''' Anderson explained that in German, the title translated to The Phoenician Master Scheme, so Der Phönizische Meisterstreich. Yes, it is way more complicated than the original one. Anderson joked, ''It's a worse title in German!'' Wes Anderson's notebooks displayed at the Wes Anderson exhibition in Paris. For The Phoenician Scheme, Anderson collaborated once again with French music composer, Alexandre Desplat. The two artists have been working together ever since Fantastic came out in 2009. Anderson said, ''Alexandre and I have worked in different ways on different movies, because a movie like Fantastic or The Grand Budapest Hotel, or even The French Dispatch, there's a lot of music and a lot of different pieces. Whereas a movie like Isle of Dogs, there's music all the time, but most of the music is just drumming and something very simple, there's probably 1, 2 or 3 themes. It's really the same music played in different ways and reinterpreted. The same with Moonrise Kingdom, there's essentially one piece, but many different arrangements.'' He added: ''This new one, there is less music, but it is quite a lot darker, it's quite simple, it's an interpretation of Stravinsky's theme from the Firebird. So there's a lot of actual Stravinsky and then, there's Alexandre's kind of dark score. We work very closely together because we've been friends for so long, and he used to live very close to me in Paris. And his new atelier is close to me as well, so we work in the same quartier together, and we have fun. You know Alexandre is the only composer I know that will come with us to the Cannes Film Festival and do everything with us, he likes to be part of it all. He's brilliant, he's got a very special kind of musical mind.'' CANNES, FRANCE - MAY 18: Alexandre Desplat, Wes Anderson and Mia Threapleton attends the "The ... More Phoenician Scheme" red carpet at the 78th annual Cannes Film Festival at Palais des Festivals on May 18, 2025 in Cannes, France. (Photo by Stephane Cardinale - Corbis/Corbis via Getty Images) Anderson is known for storyboarding his movies and showing what the next scene is going to look like to his cast. While this method has been praised by many of the actors he has collaborated with, Anderson revealed that it mostly has to do with budget and timing. "We do the script first, but often when I'm writing the script, I might have ideas of how we might film it, so I might have some notes or a plan on how we might stage something, especially what we might build, what the set might be like. Nowadays, when we have maybe 10 or 15 pages, we start working on this storyboard version because it's very time consuming. So I don't wait until we have the whole script. But the script always comes first, we might just do a first section of the script and begin it.'' He added: ''The reason we do the storyboards has not really anything to do with the actors, it has to do with the construction of the sets, to know what we need to build, so we can built the most efficiently. We don't build more than we need, essentially, it's a way to make the movie within our budget. But it's a way to make something that maybe will feel bigger than our budget would normally allow. It's also a part of the process where I can take the time to really dream about what we might do, without a lot of pressure or people around. It's a version of writing, but for the visual part, for how to shoot it. I like that experience.'' NEW YORK, NEW YORK - MAY 28: (L-R) Scott Shepherd, F. Murray Abraham, Hope Davis, Bryan Cranston, ... More Mia Threapleton, Wes Anderson, Benicio del Toro, Stephen Park, Michael Cera, Scarlett Johansson and Tom Hanks attend Focus Features' "The Phoenician Scheme" New York Premiere at Jazz at Lincoln Center on May 28, 2025 in New York City. (Photo by Jamie McCarthy/WireImage) Anderson told me that he has worked with the same two collaborators for years, a storyboard artist named Jay Clarke, and his editor, Edward Bursch, who first started as Anderson's assistant. This storyboarding method comes from animation, even if in that case, a whole team of people is needed to work on it. ''Here, it's just the three of us,'' Anderson told me. I told Anderson that I had interviewed Lyna Khoudri a few years ago, for the release of The French Dispatch. The actress had then shared an anecdote about the director gifting a pair of traditional French slippers called Charentaises to the entire cast. Anderson said, ''Oui! Because we were in Charentes, we needed the charentaises for the prisoners in our story, they all have these charentaises with stripes, yes, but then it became a present for everyone.'' Anderson jumped on this opportunity to share that he would love to work with Khoudri again. He said, ''But you know, Lyna, she's very, very good! I would like to do another film with her because so far I haven't had the chance.'' He added: ''She was playing with Frances McDormand and Timothée Chalamet, and she was very forceful. Playing these scenes with Frances McDormand, she was very confronting! She's speaking French and English back and forth, there is a lot of dialogue, it's a difficult task for an actor and she was perfect.'' The Phoenician Scheme is now playing in theaters.

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