Latest news with #AnnaBoden
The Independent
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Independent
With 'Atmosphere,' Taylor Jenkins Reid leaves the Evelyn Hugo-verse behind and travels to space
Taylor Jenkins Reid recalls a moment writing her new novel, 'Atmosphere: A Love Story,' set against NASA's robust 1980s shuttle program, where she felt stuck. She went, where she often goes, to her husband to talk it through. 'I said, 'I can't write this book. I don't know enough about the space shuttle. I don't know what happens when the payload bay doors won't shut and you have to get back within a certain amount of revs, but they can't land at White Sands. They have to land at Cape Kennedy.' And he's like, 'Just listen to yourself. You know so much more than you knew a couple months ago. Keep doing what you're doing.'' 'Atmosphere," out Tuesday, follows the journey of astronomer Joan Goodwin, an astronomer selected to join NASA's astronaut program. She and fellow trainees become like family and achieve their dream of going to space — until tragedy strikes. The story unfolds in two timelines: One when Joan first joins the NASA program and the other in December 1984 when a mission goes terribly wrong. The duo behind 'Captain Marvel,' Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, are adapting the book into a film with a theatrical release in mind. Reid knew that she had to do more than just her average six to eight weeks of research. Research and rabbit holes, by the way, are Reid's jam. She's written blockbuster novels set in the golden age of Hollywood in 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," the 1970s rock scene in 'Daisy Jones & the Six," 1980s surf culture in 'Malibu Rising' and professional tennis in 'Carrie Soto is Back.' With 'Atmosphere,' though, it took extra time, reading and understanding. 'It feels like a fever dream now when I think about it," Reid told The Associated Press. "It was a very intense period of time.' For this endeavor, she needed assistance. 'I had to reach out to people, complete strangers that I did not know and say, 'Will you please help me?'" Reid was surprised at how many people said yes. One of the most important voices was Paul Dye, NASA's longest-serving flight director. 'He spent hours of time with me," Reid said. "He helped me figure out how to cause a lot of mayhem on the space shuttle. He helped figure out exactly how the process of the connection between mission control and the space shuttle work. The book doesn't exist if he hadn't done that.' In an interview, Reid also talked about astronomy, social media and yes, the latest on 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' movie at Netflix. Answers are condensed for clarity and length. —- AP: How has writing 'Atmosphere' changed you? REID: I'm really into astronomy. Last Thanksgiving my family took a road trip to the Grand Canyon. I routed us through Scottsdale, Arizona, because I wanted to go to a dark sky park. Because of light pollution, we can only see the brightest stars when we go out and look at the night sky in a major city. Whereas when you go to a dark sky park there is very limited man-made light. So you can see more stars. We got there and it was cloudy. I was beside myself. The next night we got to the Grand Canyon and all the clouds had disappeared and you could see everything. I stood there for hours. I was teary-eyed. I can't emphasize enough: If anyone has any inclination to just go outside and look up at the night sky, it's so rewarding. AP: Last fall you left social media. Where are you at with it now? REID: I didn't realize how much social media was creating so many messages in my head of, you're not good enough. You should be better. You should work harder. You should have a prettier home. You should make a better dinner. And when I stopped going on it, very quickly I started to hear my own voice clearer. It was so much easier to be in touch with what I thought, how I felt, what I valued. I was more in touch with myself but also I'm going out into the world and I'm looking up at the sky and I am seeing where I am in relation to everything around me and I starting to understand how small my life is compared to the scale of the universe. AP: Serena Williams is executive producing 'Carrie Soto' for a series at Netflix. Did you meet her? REID: Yes. It's the only time I've been starstruck. I was in my bones, nervous. I had to talk to myself like, 'Taylor, slow down your heart rate.' The admiration I have for her as an athlete but also as a human is immense. The idea that I might have written something that she felt captured anything worth her time, is a great honor. And the fact that she's coming on board to help us make it the most authentic story we possibly can, I'm thrilled. It's one thing for me to pretend I know what it's like to be standing at Flushing Meadows and win the U.S. Open. Serena knows. She's done it multiple times. And so as we render that world, I think it is going to be really, really special because we have Serena and her team to help us. AP: Now for your favorite question. What's up with the 'Evelyn Hugo' movie? REID: There's not much that I am allowed to say but a lot of times I think people mistake me not saying anything as a lack of interest or focus and that's not the case. Everyone is working incredibly hard to get this movie made and everyone knows that there is a lot of pressure to get it exactly right. We're all hard at work. We're taking it very seriously and I give Netflix so much credit because they have such an immense respect for the readership of that book. They want to make them happy.
Associated Press
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Associated Press
With 'Atmosphere,' Taylor Jenkins Reid leaves the Evelyn Hugo-verse behind and travels to space
Taylor Jenkins Reid recalls a moment writing her new novel, 'Atmosphere: A Love Story,' set against NASA's robust 1980s shuttle program, where she felt stuck. She went, where she often goes, to her husband to talk it through. 'I said, 'I can't write this book. I don't know enough about the space shuttle. I don't know what happens when the payload bay doors won't shut and you have to get back within a certain amount of revs, but they can't land at White Sands. They have to land at Cape Kennedy.' And he's like, 'Just listen to yourself. You know so much more than you knew a couple months ago. Keep doing what you're doing.'' 'Atmosphere,' out Tuesday, follows the journey of astronomer Joan Goodwin, an astronomer selected to join NASA's astronaut program. She and fellow trainees become like family and achieve their dream of going to space — until tragedy strikes. The story unfolds in two timelines: One when Joan first joins the NASA program and the other in December 1984 when a mission goes terribly wrong. The duo behind 'Captain Marvel,' Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, are adapting the book into a film with a theatrical release in mind. Reid knew that she had to do more than just her average six to eight weeks of research. Research and rabbit holes, by the way, are Reid's jam. She's written blockbuster novels set in the golden age of Hollywood in 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo,' the 1970s rock scene in 'Daisy Jones & the Six,' 1980s surf culture in 'Malibu Rising' and professional tennis in 'Carrie Soto is Back.' With 'Atmosphere,' though, it took extra time, reading and understanding. 'It feels like a fever dream now when I think about it,' Reid told The Associated Press. 'It was a very intense period of time.' For this endeavor, she needed assistance. 'I had to reach out to people, complete strangers that I did not know and say, 'Will you please help me?'' Reid was surprised at how many people said yes. One of the most important voices was Paul Dye, NASA's longest-serving flight director. 'He spent hours of time with me,' Reid said. 'He helped me figure out how to cause a lot of mayhem on the space shuttle. He helped figure out exactly how the process of the connection between mission control and the space shuttle work. The book doesn't exist if he hadn't done that.' In an interview, Reid also talked about astronomy, social media and yes, the latest on 'The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo' movie at Netflix. Answers are condensed for clarity and length. —- AP: How has writing 'Atmosphere' changed you? REID: I'm really into astronomy. Last Thanksgiving my family took a road trip to the Grand Canyon. I routed us through Scottsdale, Arizona, because I wanted to go to a dark sky park. Because of light pollution, we can only see the brightest stars when we go out and look at the night sky in a major city. Whereas when you go to a dark sky park there is very limited man-made light. So you can see more stars. We got there and it was cloudy. I was beside myself. The next night we got to the Grand Canyon and all the clouds had disappeared and you could see everything. I stood there for hours. I was teary-eyed. I can't emphasize enough: If anyone has any inclination to just go outside and look up at the night sky, it's so rewarding. AP: Last fall you left social media. Where are you at with it now? REID: I didn't realize how much social media was creating so many messages in my head of, you're not good enough. You should be better. You should work harder. You should have a prettier home. You should make a better dinner. And when I stopped going on it, very quickly I started to hear my own voice clearer. It was so much easier to be in touch with what I thought, how I felt, what I valued. I was more in touch with myself but also I'm going out into the world and I'm looking up at the sky and I am seeing where I am in relation to everything around me and I starting to understand how small my life is compared to the scale of the universe. AP: Serena Williams is executive producing 'Carrie Soto' for a series at Netflix. Did you meet her? REID: Yes. It's the only time I've been starstruck. I was in my bones, nervous. I had to talk to myself like, 'Taylor, slow down your heart rate.' The admiration I have for her as an athlete but also as a human is immense. The idea that I might have written something that she felt captured anything worth her time, is a great honor. And the fact that she's coming on board to help us make it the most authentic story we possibly can, I'm thrilled. It's one thing for me to pretend I know what it's like to be standing at Flushing Meadows and win the U.S. Open. Serena knows. She's done it multiple times. And so as we render that world, I think it is going to be really, really special because we have Serena and her team to help us. AP: Now for your favorite question. What's up with the 'Evelyn Hugo' movie? REID: There's not much that I am allowed to say but a lot of times I think people mistake me not saying anything as a lack of interest or focus and that's not the case. Everyone is working incredibly hard to get this movie made and everyone knows that there is a lot of pressure to get it exactly right. We're all hard at work. We're taking it very seriously and I give Netflix so much credit because they have such an immense respect for the readership of that book. They want to make them happy.
Business Wire
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Business Wire
Filmmakers Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck to Bring #1 NY Times Bestselling Author Taylor Jenkins Reid's Upcoming Novel
HILLSBORO, Ore. & LOS ANGELES--(BUSINESS WIRE)--LAIKA has tapped filmmakers Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck (Captain Marvel, Masters of the Air) to adapt and direct a live action film based on the novel Atmosphere (Pub 6/3/25; Ballantine Books) by #1 NYT bestselling author Taylor Jenkins Reid (Daisy Jones and the Six). LAIKA's President, Live Action Film & Series Matt Levin made the announcement today. The book is a sweeping romance between two pioneering female astronauts breaking into NASA in the early days of the shuttle program in the late '70s/early '80s. While the principal characters are fictionalized, the historical context and authenticity of the world-building is grounded in the spirit of films like Apollo 13, The Right Stuff, and Gravity. The epic story is set against the backdrop of the 1980s space shuttle program and shows the extraordinary lengths we go to in living and loving beyond our limits. Atmosphere is a LAIKA production in association with Circle M+P. Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck are screenwriters and directors. Producers are Travis Knight, Matt Levin, Boden & Fleck, Taylor Jenkins Reid and Brad Mendelsohn. Jeremy Kipp Walker is executive producer. 'We couldn't be more excited to team up with three boundary-pushing creative voices on this very special film,' said Levin. 'From books like The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo to Carrie Soto is Back, Taylor Jenkins Reid always captivates us with rich, emotionally complex characters and she is in peak form with Atmosphere. There are no better filmmakers to adapt Taylor's story for the screen than Ryan and Anna, who throughout their amazing careers have crafted deeply human stories set against canvases of stunning cinematic spectacle. We can't wait to see them bring Taylor's world of Atmosphere to life." Taylor Jenkins Reid (subject of this week's TIME Magazine cover story) is the author of the New York Times Bestselling novels Carrie Soto Is Back, Malibu Rising, Daisy Jones and The Six and The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, as well as One True Loves, Maybe in Another Life, After I Do, and Forever, Interrupted. Her books have been chosen by Reese's Book Club, Read with Jenna, Indie Next, Best of Amazon, and Book of the Month. Daisy Jones and The Six was adapted as a limited series on Amazon Prime, garnering nine Emmy Award® nominations and two wins. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck are an Emmy®-winning Director/Writer/Producer duo with over two decades of collaboration, spanning a wide range of genres. Their latest film, Freaky Tales, is a genre-blending action comedy that premiered at the 2024 Sundance Film Festival. With roots in documentary and independent film, Boden and Fleck are also known for co-writing and directing the billion-dollar box office hit Captain Marvel. In 2006, Boden and Fleck made their feature debut with the award-winning film Half Nelson starring Ryan Gosling, who received an Academy Award® nomination for his performance. The film also won Movie of the Year at the AFI Awards, received Spirit Award nominations for Best Feature, Best Director, and Best Screenplay, and won Best Film, Director and Breakthrough Performance at the Gotham Awards. Next, they wrote and directed the independent film Sugar, an introspective sports drama following the life of a talented Dominican baseball player, which won Movie of the Year at the AFI Awards and received a Spirit Award nomination for Best Screenplay. In 2010, Boden and Fleck wrote and directed It's Kind of a Funny Story for Focus Features starring Keir Gilchrist, Zach Galifianakis and Zoë Kravitz. Mississippi Grind starred Ryan Reynolds and Ben Mendelsohn, who received a Spirit Award nomination for Best Actor. In television, Boden & Fleck directed and executive produced the Emmy Award-winning limited series Mrs. America starring Cate Blanchett for FX. Other recent work includes Masters of the Air, executive produced by Tom Hanks, Steven Spielberg, and Gary Goetzman for Apple TV+ and Criminal, to be released later this year, which Boden & Fleck directed and executive produced for Amazon Studios. Circle M+P executive produced Prime Video's Daisy Jones & The Six, based on client Taylor Jenkins Reid's bestselling novel, alongside Hello Sunshine. The breakout series debuted at No. 1 on Prime Video's Top 10 list in the U.S. and went on to receive nine Emmy nominations, winning two. Additionally, the company is known for executive producing the worldwide hit franchise, The Walking Dead. Reps: Taylor Jenkins Reid: WME, Park Fine & Brower Literary Management, Circle Management + Production, Jill Fritzo Public Relations and law firm Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher. Anna Boden & Ryan Fleck: WME, Entertainment 360 and law firm Jackoway Austen Tyerman Wertheimer Mandelbaum Morris Bernstein Trattner Auerbach Hynick Jaime LeVine Sample & Klein. Circle M+P: Behr, Abramson, Levy & Johnson LAIKA: CAA About LAIKA LAIKA was founded in 2005 in Oregon by President & CEO Travis Knight. The studio's five films: Missing Link (2019), Kubo and the Two Strings (2016), The Boxtrolls (2014), ParaNorman (2012) and Coraline (2009) have all been nominated for the Academy Award® for Outstanding Animated Feature. Kubo and the Two Strings won the BAFTA® Award for Best Animated Film and received an additional Oscar® nomination for Visual Effects. Missing Link was awarded the Golden Globe® for Best Animated Film. LAIKA was awarded a Scientific and Technology Oscar® in 2016 for its innovation in 3D printing. LAIKA is currently in production on its next animated film Wildwood. The studio is developing the animated feature films The Night Gardener, from an original idea by Bill Dubuque, creator of the hit series Ozark, and Piranesi, based on the NYT bestselling novel by Susanna Clarke. LAIKA's Live Action subsidiary has a range of projects in development including feature films based on the action thriller novel Seventeen by screenwriter John Brownlow and an original script Crumble, written and directed by Brian Duffield (Spontaneous) with Phil Lord and Chris Miller (Spider-verse films) producing. Oscar®-nominated screenwriter Jon Spaihts (Dune) will write and make his directorial debut on an untitled original live action film project.
The Guardian
20-04-2025
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
Freaky Tales review – fun, scuzzy tribute to the exploitation flick
Ryan Coogler is not the only film-maker this week to have cashed in his Marvel card and made something savagely unexpected. Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck, who burst on to the US indie scene with the lean, hard-edged drama Half Nelson in 2006 and went on to direct Captain Marvel, return to our screens with the grungy homage to exploitation flicks Freaky Tales. The setting for this baggy, loose-limbed anthology of four interconnected stories is Oakland, California, in 1987. But it's a parallel reality in which residents are able to channel a glowing green cosmic energy, and in which real-life basketball legend 'Sleepy' Floyd (Jay Ellis) is recast as a martial arts master in a stab-happy Kill Bill-style revenge spree. It's not clear whether Boden and Fleck are drawing on Tarantino for inspiration or on the same pulpy grindhouse schlock that informed many of his latter-day exploitation flicks. It hardly matters. With its VHS bargain-bin aesthetic, this is scuzzily enjoyable stuff that pits punks against neo-Nazis, Pedro Pascal's beaten-up debt collector against Ben Mendelsohn's chilling corrupt cop; a girl rap duo called Danger Zone against the hip-hop patriarchy. Plus, there's the added bonus of Tom Hanks clearly having the time of his life as a know-it-all clerk at a video rental store. In UK and Irish cinemas
