Latest news with #Coppola
The Sun
25-05-2025
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Al Pacino's drug spiral to real mobster who spiked hookers with HEROIN… dark secrets of The Godfather Part II 50yrs on
IT should have been an offer Al Pacino and Francis Ford Coppola couldn't refuse - make a sequel to the box office blockbuster The Godfather. But half a century ago even a million dollars alone was not enough to tempt either the star of the film or its legendary director to come back. 10 10 That was despite Pacino, now 84, being in debt having blown his small fortune on fast cars, suits and booze. It took an incredible deal to make them both change their mind. The Godfather Part II - which was released in the UK 50 years ago this month - went on to win six Oscars, including Best Picture, and is widely considered to be one of the greatest films of all time. But getting the three hour and 20 minute long epic made brought Pacino close to a 'breakdown' during an eight month long shoot that drove many of the crew to breaking point. And not everyone was impressed with the end result. It was panned by some critics and the real life gangster Michael's nemesis was based on wasn't happy with his portrayal. Talking ahead of the fiftieth anniversary of The Godfather Part II's release, Pacino said: 'I was going through a bit of a dark time there. 'I was borderline breakdown, borderline make it or not make it.' 'I wasn't very happy. It's a difficult role.' In many ways that's surprising because the first Godfather in 1972 had been Pacino's breakthrough performance. He was unknown until Coppola persuaded the movie studio to take a chance on him. But back in the 1970s sequels were not popular and neither man saw the point in keeping the Corleone tale going. The idea for the follow up was to examine how cold-hearted war hero Michael became the deeper he got into the role of heading a New York criminal mob. This time his enemy was to be rival clan leader Hyman Roth, who was inspired by real life gangster Meyer Lansky. In the film Roth boasts 'we're bigger than US Steel,' which are the exact words uttered by the five ft four inch tall criminal mastermind nicknamed The Little Man. The feared Lansky, who died in 1983 aged 80, had casinos all over the world and was said to have developed the cruel idea of getting his sex workers hooked on heroin. Pacino hated 'c**p' script Pacino, though, considered the original script to be 'c***.' When he turned the role down the studio bosses 'kept coming to me with prices, and the prices kept going higher. First $100,000. Then $200,000. Then they got it to up to $600,000.' Finally, a producer visited him and said 'Al, what if I told you there's one million dollars in cash in that box?' For Pacino, though, 'it did not make one bit of difference" because the script was so bad. He only accepted the part after Coppola reluctantly agreed to re-write the script. But even when the director was happy with the story, he wanted to pass the job onto a then relative newcomer called Martin Scorsese. The man who'd go on to make classics such as Goodfellas was not considered good enough by the bigwigs. Grudgingly, Coppola agreed to do the job only if several terms were met. They were the chance to direct an opera, being chosen to write The Great Gatsby script, having his movie The Conversation greenlit, a million dollar pay packet and calling it Part II. No one numbered sequels back then because it was feared audiences would think it was the same film. Coppola said earlier this year: 'I'm the jerk that started numbers on movies. I'm embarrassed, and I apologise to everyone." 10 10 10 All the other terms were agreed to as well. It is also rumoured that he refused to work with The Godfather producers Robert Evans and Albert S Ruddy. Coppola was not on speaking terms with Ruddy by the end of the first film and said the Hollywood mogul Evans 'did nothing on The Godfather other than annoy me." But the all powerful director didn't get everything his own way. He asked Marlon Brando to reprise his role as Vito Corleone even though the mafia don died in the first movie. In Part II the story flashes back to how he became a criminal back home in Sicily before emigrating to the US. Coppola believed the Oscar winning actor would be capable of playing a young Vito even though he was almost 50 at the time. I took Valium. I took that and drank at the same time, which is a no-no Al Pacino Brando turned him down and newcomer Robert De Niro, who had missed out on the chance to play Sonny Corleone in the first film, was given the part instead. New Yorker De Niro proved his dedication to the role by spending four months learning a particular Sicilian dialect. That patience was needed because perfectionist Coppola ordered all the Sicily scenes to be reshot after he found out that the costumes had been wrong. In the original cut the cast had zips in their trousers, which hadn't been invented in the era that part of the story was set. The painstaking approach did not appeal to Pacino who is said to have complained that the film was taking too long to make. He had personal problems to contend with. 10 10 Pacino's battle with the booze got worse as he struggled with the pressures of celebrity. The actor said: 'It was a tough shoot for me because of my drinking. 'I found myself in a state of mind that was difficult. I took Valium. I took that and drank at the same time, which is a no-no.' He was also in an on-off relationship with actress Diane Keaton, 78, who played his on screen love in all the Godfather films. She was 'mad for him'and wanted Pacino to marry her, but he wasn't ready to walk down the aisle and by the end of the third Godfather in 1990 the romance was over for good. The key new character in the sequel is Roth, who makes a failed attempt on Michael Corleone's life. British comic actor Peter Sellers had been considered for the role, but Pacino persuaded Coppola to go for his former drama teacher Lee Strasberg. Panned by critics Strasberg, who died in 1982 aged 80, was famous for promoting 'method' acting which meant drawing on his own experiences for a role. His understated performance won an Oscar nomination, but did not win over the criminal overlord Roth was based on. Lansky, whose interest in Cuba is depicted in the film and was linked to the plot around the assassination of the US president John F Kennedy, would have preferred a more positive spin. After seeing The Godfather Part II he's said to have telephoned Strasberg, and complained "why couldn't you have made me more sympathetic? After all, I am a grandfather." Not all the critics were impressed by the movie either. The famous American critic Roger Ebert said it was 'disappointing' in comparison to the original. But the Academy Awards disagreed, giving it six awards including best director, which was two more than the first one. Unsurprisingly, the Hollywood moneymen wanted the Godfather to go on and on. It would take another sixteen years for their wish to come true. The financial dire straits of Coppola and Pacino played a major part in getting the cameras rolling. Pacino admitted in his memoirs this year: "The choice could not have been easier. I was broke. Francis was broke. We both needed the bread." The actor couldn't stop spending and Coppola's own movie studio was facing bankruptcy after making a string of expensive flops. Sadly, The Godfather Part III had the air of a movie made out of desperation. They should have listened to Keaton's character Kay in the second film, who broke Michael's heart by telling him that she'd aborted their son. The reason, she said, is "because this must all end."
CNN
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CNN
In pictures: Filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola
Coppola, second from left, holds the Palme d'Or for his film "The Conversation" at the 1974 Cannes Film Festival. He is one of only a handful of directors to win the award twice, the second time for his 1979 war epic "Apocalypse Now." Jean-Jacques Levy/AP Coppola and his father, Carmine, hold three of the six Academy Awards won for "The Godfather Part II" in 1975. Coppola won best director, best picture and best adapted screenplay, and his father shared the Oscar for best musical score. Max B. Miller/From left, Laurence Fishburne, Martin Sheen, Albert Hall, Coppola, Frederic Forrest,and John Milius attend a special 40th anniversary screening of "Apocalypse Now" in 2019.
San Francisco Chronicle
19-05-2025
- Business
- San Francisco Chronicle
Francis Ford Coppola Winery owner shutters production facility in latest Wine Country closure
The owner of Francis Ford Coppola Winery has closed one of its two production facilities. Delicato, which purchased the winery from the famous film director in 2021, closed the Francis Ford Coppola Winery Too production facility in Geyserville and laid off 15 employees, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice filed earlier this month with California authorities. The layoffs at 22281 Chianti Road, Geyserville, took effect on May 15, according to the filing. Most of the employees worked in wine production roles; all were offered severance. Delicato, the fourth largest U.S. wine producer, is best known for supermarket brands like boxed wine Bota. Vice president of communications Brent Dodd told the Chronicle that the company has 'ample production capacity' throughout its California facilities and has moved production from the Chianti Road winery to its nearby Francis Ford Coppola Winery, 'which remains fully open for tasting, restaurant, pool, bottling and crushing.' Delicato is one of several major wine companies to downsize this year amidst a worsening global wine downturn. Earlier this month, Duckhorn announced the closure of three tasting rooms and plans to phase out four brands. In April, Jackson Family Wines confirmed layoffs and Constellation Brands sold off a huge chunk of its wine portfolio. Lawrence Wine Estates has also recently laid off employees, closed a winemaking facility and consolidated much of its production. Delicato acquired the Francis Ford Coppola Winery Too facility, formerly known as Virginia Dare Winery, along with the Francis Ford Coppola Winery and label, plus a vineyard. (Coppola had purchased the Virginia Dare facility, originally the home of Geyser Peak Winery, in 2014.) As part of the deal, which Coppola told the Wall Street Journal was worth about $650 million, the director joined Delicato's board of directors and received an equity stake in the company. Coppola, who still owns his noted Napa Valley wine estate, Inglenook, said he borrowed $200 million against that equity stake to help fund his controversial and costly film 'Megalopolis.' Despite the recent facility closure, the Coppola acquisition seems to have paid off for Delicato. The Coppola Diamond brand, featuring a wide array of wines priced under $20, accounts for 1.2 million cases of Delicato's $16 million case production and surpasses Bota, which is at 900,000 cases, according to Wine Business.
Yahoo
15-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
The 50th AFI Life Achievement Award Dinner For Francis Ford Coppola Is One Of The Starriest And Most Heartfelt Tributes Of Them All
On a night saluting the independence and go-for-broke cinematic life of Francis Ford Coppola, Al Pacino perhaps best summed up why the legendary filmmaker has opted out of accepting many honors over the decades by quoting Coppola himself, who once said, 'The things you do when you're young that you get fired for, are the same things that years later, they give you lifetime achievement awards for.' Well Coppola, finally on the 50th anniversary of the AFI Life Achievement Award dinners, got the most prestigious one of all for movie makers, and having been to numerous of these AFI events over the decades (Frank Capra's in 1982 was my first), this warm and very starry evening Saturday was among the very best, and certainly one of the best attended by other legends and past AFI honorees themselves. More from Deadline Francis Ford Coppola Felt Like He Returned 'To The Old Neighborhood' In AFI Life Achievement Tribute Speech — Watch AFI Life Achievement Award Red Carpet: Elle Fanning, Ron Howard, George Lucas, Spike Lee & More Honor Francis Ford Coppola Adam Driver Praises Francis Ford Coppola For "Not Letting The Money Dictate" 'Megalopolis' At AFI Life Achievement Tribute No less than seven, count 'em, seven past AFI Life Achievement Award laureates were not only on hand in the Dolby Theatre, they all got on stage to sing his praises. Pacino, Robert De Niro, Morgan Freeman, Dustin Hoffman, Harrison Ford, George Lucas and Steven Spielberg (the latter pair bookending Coppola at his long table in the middle of the room) were all there to pass the torch, but you have to wonder why it took until the 50th to give this man his due, arguably the godfather himself of his generation of filmmakers (and many of those who received this years ago). Well, it wasn't because the AFI didn't ask. I am told AFI had tried on many occasions to get him to agree. At last he did, and boy, what a night. AFI president and CEO Bob Gazzale welcomed everyone and started the evening with a remembrance of one of the first graduates of the AFI Conservatory, the late great David Lynch. But the day didn't start out well. The sudden rainstorm Saturday morning in parts of Southern California took a toll on Hollywood Boulevard and literally sent a river flooding the AFI red carpet that had already been set up for the event. Organizers, taken by surprise, flew into action, completely trashing the entire soaked carpet, and getting a new one in place before the first of many stars arrived. These included Spielberg, who has been in New York making a movie, but to show his respect for Coppola, didn't just send in a video greeting, but got a private plane, picked up De Niro and Spike Lee as well, and flew in earlier Saturday before immediately flying back so he can be back on set Monday morning. American Film Institute founder (and creator of this event) George Stevens Jr. had tipped me off Friday evening at the TCM Classic Film Festival event honoring him, that Spielberg felt so strongly about being there in person, and joining with Lucas to present the award they both had gotten long ago, that he just had to do this. When he got up on stage at the end of the evening, he said to Coppola, 'We have come all the way up the river to find you buddy,' in a wry reference to one of the master's masterpieces, Apocalypse Now. 'Francis is a warrior for independent artists and always championing their causes,' he added before pronouncing The Godfather as 'the greatest American film ever made.' But there was so much more before we got to that point. Freeman opened the show portion of the evening by telling the audience he was there despite never having been in a movie written, directed or produced by Coppola, who he noted was still ever so the independent filmmaker. 'He may have lost millions but tonight, f— the bankers!'' Throughout the night, there were not just film clips, but portions of an interview his daughter Sofia Coppola conducted with her father that took us through each step of his life and career from directing Fred Astaire in Finian's Rainbow in 1967 (where a young college intern named George Lucas would come by the set to learn) all the way to 2024's Megalopolis. Sofia couldn't be at the Dolby however since she is shooting her own new film in London. The interesting thing is how few sent tapes. They were all there, including Ron Howard who starred in Lucas' American Grafitti, which Coppola produced in order to even get this low-budget ($700,000) movie made by the largely untested young director. The studio (Universal) wasn't thrilled with what they were seeing, 'So after a very early screening, studio executives said to Francis and George, 'You should be embarrassed by this movie. It's too long. We hate the way it looks. It seems unprofessional.' George was shocked, so Francis, with unblinking authority, pulled out a checkbook and said, 'Alright, listen. You don't want the picture? Okay, I will buy it back from you right now. I will buy it back from you today.' Well never mind he didn't have the money, it worked. And the film went on to make well over $100 million, which at that time made it the most profitable ROI (return on investment) in Hollywood history. So that's a producer and that's Francis Ford Coppola.' Next up, the evening's first big standing ovation (after Coppola's as he was seated) went to De Niro and Pacino who made some brief remarks, including the aforementioned one from Pacino, and De Niro's gratitude for not getting cast as Sonny in The Godfather. A clip had been shown from De Niro's screen test and he would have been great, but Coppola thought he was not quite right for the role (James Caan got it). 'Thank you for not casting me in The Godfather, Francis, which meant I was available for The Godfather Part II!' he said of the role that won him his first Oscar. RELATED: Harrison Ford arrived to tell how he was a carpenter but determined to be an actor when he said he got lucky and landed the role in American Graffiti, and later a smaller one in The Conversation. 'Not the part I wanted but I got the part,' he smiled, saying he now felt part of the family. 'After that film, I built something for Francis because he hired me again as a carpenter. I'm not kidding. I was installing a library portico entrance for his offices, as one does, and George Lucas walks in and says (to Francis), 'I am looking for someone to play Hans Solo,' and I am covered in sawdust, wearing my tool belt, sweeping the floor. Well you know the rest… He created a world where the carpenter could be the guy. And by the way, thank you for Apocalypse Now, where I played a guy named Colonel Lucas. Subtle!' Lee talked about the influence Coppola had on him from the days he was a student at NYU ('I couldn't get into AFI'), seeing the uncut version of The Cotton Club with Coppola, and announcing he still has his ticket stub from Apocalypse Now. Also highlighted was Coppola's dream-like musical One From the Heart, one of his self-financed American Zoetrope swings for the fences, and early dances with bankruptcy, a movie now being reconsidered and watched again, even as a predecessor to the likes of La La Land. And then a look at The Outsiders, one of many films where Coppola rolled the dice with new talent including Tom Cruise, Rob Lowe, Patrick Swayze, Matt Dillon, Emilio Estevez, and at the Dolby onstage, both Ralph Macchio and C. Thomas Howell. Macchio drew big laughs with a story about borrowing $5 from Coppola on the set but never paying it back, or for that matter everything he owed the director for his career, until this night when he told Coppola to look under the centerpiece in front of him at his table. There was a $5 dollar bill, which got a smile from Coppola, who promptly handed it to Lucas, who probably doesn't need it. In the audience was a librarian, Jo Ellen Misakian from Lone Star Elementary School in Fresno, California, who had sent Coppola a letter (that somehow got to him) with the enthusiasm of her class, who loved the book, suggesting he read S.E. Hinton's The Outsiders in hopes that he might make a movie out of it. 'Stay gold, Francis,' she said to him, repeating a key phrase from the book that urged Ponyboy to retain his youthful optimism and innocence, 'Stay gold.' It was one of the undisputed highlights of the night. Another Outsiders star, Diane Lane, was next, and interestingly the only female participant onstage for the evening who talked about the four films she has made with Coppola, including how while making Outsiders, they all had such a good time, they decided to make another film on the spot. That movie was Rumble Fish. After Roman Coppola paid tribute to his father for putting him to work on the visual effects for Bram Stoker's Dracula and starting his career, it was Dustin Hoffman's turn, who began by saying, 'Word has it you turned down a lot of these awards in the past.' He also said it took a while for Coppola to hire him. 'I waited until I was 86 for you to cast me in Megalopolis! It was worth the wait.' Regarding that movie, it was star Adam Driver who showed up to tell the tale of the futuristic and controversial, but unquestionable risk-taking and wild ride of a cinematic journey Coppola had been trying to get made for over 40 years and finally did by financing it himself to the tune of $120 million. Driver said at one point Coppola addressed the cast and crew and said, 'We're not being brave enough.' Of all the speakers, I thought Driver really summed up best just who this genuine maverick of a filmmaker is. 'Knowing Francis as I know him now, being brave is not such a surprising note if you consider the source. You can pick any section of Francis' work, open it up, and find bravery, whether it be fighting the studio over cuts of The Godfather; forming American Zoetrope; making Apocalypse Now, again with his own money; giving Ellie (his late wife Eleanor Coppola) a camera and saying 'shoot what you want'; running a studio that ended up bankrupting him; hiring Marlon Brando; defending Al Pacino; breaking all four of his Oscars by throwing them out of a window—I'm not sure that is especially brave but it certainly is passionate [ed note: he actually has five]; moving into the jungle and starting a hotel; spending $120 million on a piece of art and not letting the money dictate the content of the film,' Driver listed for the crowd. 'This is a principled life, and for a year in our culture where the importance of the arts is minimized and our industry is seemingly out in the open, that the only measure to judge a film's success is simply by how much money it makes, I hang on to individuals like Francis for inspiration who live though their convictions, through big moves, all in service of pushing the medium forward. Francis took $120 million dollars and created a singular gesture for what he thought film could be, and I think that's pretty great.' RELATED: The actual award to Coppola was preceded by an orchestra on stage with Josh Groban, who sang, all in Italian, a beautiful version of the immortal theme from The Godfather. Spielberg added to his remarks about seeing a five-hour cut of Apocalypse Now with other filmmakers invited to give their thoughts, and Lucas recounted the key lesson he learned from his American Graffiti producer. 'Don't be afraid of jumping off cliffs. I have lived by that my entire life,' he said while confirming Coppola was indeed the first cinema student to make it big and prove the worth of that education. As for Coppola, he was brief but charming in his acceptance (after all, we had seen him talk about his career all night in that interview with Sofia). He talked about his childhood and remembrances of growing up before addressing this community of those who toil in the same fields he does. '(I see) all the beautiful faces are welcoming me back because I am, and will always be, nothing more than one of you.' Stay gold indeed, Francis Ford Coppola. The evening earned a record $2.5 million for AFI and will be broadcast on TNT on June 18 at 10 p.m. ET/PT with an encore on TCM on July 31 at 8 p.m. ET/PT. Best of Deadline Francis Ford Coppola's Career In Photos, From 'Apocalypse Now' To 'The Godfather' Everything We Know About The 'Hunger Games: Sunrise On The Reaping' Movie So Far Everything We Know About Netflix's 'The Thursday Murder Club' So Far
Yahoo
12-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Netflix sets premiere date for Lena Dunham's new series, Michelle Yeoh to star in action thriller ‘The Surgeon,' and more of today's top news stories
Gold Derby's for May 12, 2025. Golden Globe-winning Girls creator and star Lena Dunham is returning to TV with Too Much, the first series she's created since 2018's Camping. The semi-autobiographical romantic comedy series premieres July 10 on Netflix. Dunham writes and directs the series, which she cocreated with her husband, Luis Felber. Megan Stalter (Hacks) stars as Jessica, "a New York workaholic in her mid-thirties, reeling from a broken relationship that she thought would last forever and slowly isolating everyone she knows. When every block in New York tells a story of her own bad behaviour, the only solution is to take a job in London, where she plans to live a life of solitude like a Bronte sister. But when she meets Felix (Will Sharpe) — a walking series of red flags — she finds that their unusual connection is impossible to ignore, even as it creates more problems than it solves. Now they have to ask themselves: do Americans and Brits actually speak the same language? From the creator of Girls and the producers of Love Actually, Too Much is an ex-pat rom-com for the disillusioned who wonder if true love is still possible, but sincerely hope that it is." The cast also includes Michael Zegan, Janicza Bravo, Richard E. Grant, Rita Wilson, Naomi Watts, Andrew Rannells, Rhea Perlman, Emily Ratajkowski, and Adwoa Aboah. More from GoldDerby 'New York audiences like weird': 'Dead Outlaw' cast and creatives on their 'freight train' of a musical Jonathan Groff would be the first person to win Best Actor in a Musical consecutively 'One of the best creative teams in the business': NBC orders Tracy Morgan, Daniel Radcliffe comedy from '30 Rock' producers Academy Award winner Michelle Yeoh is set to star in The Surgeon, an action film from producers Patrick Wachsberger, Basil Iwankyk, and Erica Lee, all of whom have worked on the John Wick franchise. The Surgeon is written and directed by Roshan Sethi, who is also a practicing doctor. Yeoh will play a retired surgeon who is kidnapped and forced to operate on a mysterious patient, and she fights back against her captors using her 35 years of surgical experience. Megadoc, director Mike Figgis' documentary about the making of Francis Ford Coppola's Megalopolis, will be distributed by Utopia, which was co-founded by Coppola's nephew Robert Schwartzman. Megadoc is something of a spiritual sequel to Hearts of Darkness, Eleanor Coppola's classic documentary on the making of Apocalypse Now!, and presents a behind-the-scenes look at the creation of Coppola's idiosyncratic epic, which premiered at Cannes last year. 'The great filmmaker Mike Figgis shot the making of Megalopolis as he saw it,' Coppola said in a statement. 'Interestingly, there are many interpretations of what really happened and it's all in the documentary although the documentary doesn't always say which is what ... it is for the viewer to behold and interpret.' Utopia plans to release the film theatrically this fall. Jason Segel is teaming up with director and fellow Shrinking executive producer on psychological thriller Sponsor, which is up for sale at Cannes. Segel and Ponsoldt wrote the script, which is about Peter (Segel), a drunk driver whose court-ordered treatment introduces him to Jerry (still being cast), an "enigmatic 12-step guru" who takes over his life. 'We set out to explore what happens when support becomes control — when the person you turn to for salvation slowly becomes your worst nightmare,' Segel and Ponsoldt said in joint statement. "After collaborating on Shrinking, we were excited to channel that same emotional intimacy into a psychological thriller, where the stakes are darker, more dangerous, and deeply personal." Emmy-winning Killing Eve star Sandra Oh is set to star in Canadian psychological thriller Child's Play from director Wang Xiaoshuai and writer Hannah Moscovitch. Here's the official description: "Marlene Lee (Oh), the daughter of Chinese immigrant parents and who in 1983 attends an all-white summer camp for girls. In order to fit in and impress her new friend Charlene, Marlene crosses a line that will forever change her life. Some 41 years later in 2024 and have devoted herself to a successful political career, adult Marlene strives to make meaningful societal change. But as she stands on the brink of a pivotal electoral victory, dark shadows from her past resurface when she and Charlene are forced to reconnect." The film will shoot this fall. George Clooney's Good Night, and Good Luck has recouped its initial $9.5 million production cost after just seven weeks on Broadway. The show set a record for highest-grossing week in Broadway history when it became the first show to gross over $4 million in one week. The play is based on Clooney's 2005 film of the same name. He stars as broadcaster Edward R. Murrow as he speaks out against Sen. Joseph McCarthy during the Red Scare. Netflix revealed the premiere date for Untamed, a mystery thriller set at Yosemite National Park. Eric Bana stars as Kyle Turner, a special agent for the National Park Service Investigative Services Branch (ISB) investigating a brutal death in the park that uncovers secrets in the park's past — and his own. The series hails from creators Mark L. Smith (American Primeval) and Elle Smith (The Marsh King's Daughter) and also stars Sam Neill, Lily Santiago, Rosemary DeWitt, and Wilson Bethel. All six episodes premiere July 17. Netflix has begun production on a fourth season of Lupin, the heist thriller starring Omar Sy as gentleman thief Assane Diop. The series is the one of the streaming service's most-watched non-English-language shows. The most recent season debuted in 2023. The series was created by George Kay, with Sy and Louis Leterrier serving as showrunners. Kevin Spacey, the two-time Academy Award winner who is once again booking film roles after his 2023 acquittal on sexual assault charges, has joined the cast of The Awakening, a conspiracy thriller that will be up for sale at Cannes. The film stars and was cowritten — and financed — by Justin Tinto, and directed by Matt Routledge. It follows "Jason (Tinto) and Rebecca (Alice Eve) as they uncover a conspiracy to control the world. Their investigation leads them into a maze of secrets, making their quest to expose the truth in a thrilling race against time." The cast also includes Peter Stormare, Steve Berkoff, Julian Glover, Matt Hookings, and former World's Strongest Man Eddie Hall. The 2025 Anime Awards, the fan-voted award show honoring the best in anime, announced its musical performer and celebrity presenter lineup ahead of the May 25 ceremony. Japanese singer-songwriter Lisa, hip-hop duo Creepy Nuts, and rock band Flow will perform, and reggaeton singer J Balvin, country star Kacey Musgraves, and Ready Player One screenwriter Zak Penn will present awards. The ninth annual Crunchyroll Anime Awards will take place at the Grand Prince Hotel Shin Takanawa in Tokyo on May 25, with hosts Sally Amaki and Jon Kabira. The show will stream live at 6 p.m. JST on Crunchyroll's Twitch and YouTube channels as well as Sony Pictures Core and the Sony Group Corp Global YouTube Channel. Best of GoldDerby 'I didn't think he was a jerk': Paul Giamatti on finding the humanity in his standout 'Black Mirror' episode 'Grotesquerie' star Niecy Nash-Betts on that shocking coma twist, and Travis Kelce's 'greedy' appetite TV Cinematography panel: 'Anne Rice's Interview With the Vampire,' 'Bridget Jones: Mad About the Boy,' 'Étoile' Click here to read the full article.
