Latest news with #ImaginariumProductions
Elle
14-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Elle
First Look: Olivia Cooke and Robin Wright Face Off in 'The Girlfriend'
Landing the man of your dreams is one thing, but impressing his mom? That's a whole other challenge. Prime Video's The Girlfriend takes that obstacle course to a dangerous extreme, turning the clash between a mother and her son's new flame into a juicy, gripping psychological thriller. Adapted from Michelle Frances's bestselling 2018 novel of the same name, the story follows Laura, a successful art gallerist and protective mother—played by star, director, and executive producer Robin Wright—and Cherry, an alluring real estate agent with a mysterious past, played by Olivia Cooke. The six-episode series, which premieres on September 10, will have you constantly second-guessing whose side you're on. Laura lives an exquisite life in London with her son, Daniel (Laurie Davidson), and husband, Howard (Waleed Zuaiter). The three have in an elegant home (plus a vacation property in Spain), and she boasts a fruitful career. But Cherry's arrival, in her high heels and flashy dresses, sends Laura spinning. After an awkward first meeting over dinner, Laura believes Cherry, who hails from a working-class background, is hiding something. Is she with Daniel for the right reasons? Meanwhile Cherry has her own suspicions. Is Laura just out to get her? Amid their snooping and sabotage, things get taken too far. Naomi Sheldon and Gabbie Asher adapted the book for TV. The cast also includes Tanya Moodie as Isabella, Shalom Brune-Franklin as Brigitte, Karen Henthorn as Tracey, Anna Chancellor as Lilith, Leo Suter as Nicholas, and Francesca Corney as Millie. Frances remembers beginning to write the story around 2015. 'I was toying with the idea of this thriller about these interlocking two women fighting over this guy, and it's such a universal problem,' she tells ELLE. At the time, her children were young 'and I became a real tiger mother,' and the story evolved from there. Wright agrees on the universality. 'I think you would ask any mother, and they probably had a little bit of that, where they're like, is she good enough for him?' she says. The project came her way a few years ago during COVID, when Imaginarium Productions reached out for her to possibly direct. (Wright has previously directed episodes of House of Cards, Ozark, Tell Me Lies, as well as the film Land.) 'I read the pilot, and I could see the show just from that one episode,' she remembers. Filming ultimately took place from the end of May to end of September last year. The team had to move fast, though. With meetings quickly approaching to pitch the series to streamers, they were running out of time to find an actress for Laura's role. 'At the end of the day, I think [they] all were like, 'Why don't you just play Laura?' And I was like, 'Okay,'' Wright says. 'But it worked out great in the end, and then we got Olivia, which was heaven.' Cooke was her top choice for Cherry after watching her in Thoroughbreds, Vanity Fair, and Slow Horses. 'I liked the kind of toughness that she has embedded in her,' Wright adds. Cooke, on the other hand, had no idea she was favored. 'I thought that I was having to beg, borrow, and steal that part,' she jokes. The House of the Dragon star loves 'an underdog story' and is a fan of Wright's work, hence why she was drawn to The Girlfriend. 'There was something that was so ballsy and confident about Cherry that I just really wanted to play,' she says. The character is 'so daring and cutthroat and sort of Machiavellian, but also just with a heart of gold, in a way.' Cherry clashes with Laura's seemingly perfect life and tight-knit bond with Daniel. After suffering a personal tragedy in the past, Laura put all her energy into her son. 'He was her buddy until Cherry moved in,' Wright adds. 'It's just almost like the rug got ripped up from under Laura, and she's like, I don't like her. I don't trust her, and I need to get my son away from her.' And while they're on opposing sides, Cooke believes Laura and Cherry have some things in common. 'I don't think they're that dissimilar, really. There are moments in the show where you're like, oh God, these two people could really be friends. ... I think Cherry, at the start, looks up to Laura and thinks, 'God, what an amazing, just incredibly accomplished woman who I would want to be.'' And in the middle of them both is Daniel. 'Through one lens, you see it as this beautiful thing,' Davidson says of the mother-son relationship. But it's 'hard for someone [else] coming into that. Laura occupies a lot of the same space that a girlfriend [or] a partner would occupy or should occupy. So when Cherry turns up, she's like, 'Where do I fit in?' And that's where some of the problems start.' To exaggerate the drama, the series is told from Laura and Cherry's two different points of view. 'Halfway through the episodes, you're going to get the other perspective of what actually happened,' Wright says. Often, you'll see the same event portrayed differently depending on who's telling the story. It's not far from real life: Frequently, two people won't remember an incident in the same way. But that meant the actors had to tweak their performances slightly based on how each of the two women would view a scene. 'In Laura's perspective, it needs to look like Daniel is moving away from her completely and is going towards Cherry, and she's trying to hold onto … her son. So in those moments, Daniel would seem like he was just kind of ignoring his mom and moving towards Cherry,' Davidson says. 'And in Cherry's perspective, we probably pushed the sense of him being a bit of a manchild, a bit of a mummy's boy, because that's what she sees. And my job was to try and make sure that these are part of the same person and that there's continuity of character there, so they're not just two completely different people.' That added a 'tricky' layer to Wright's responsibilities, as both an actor and director on the series. 'When you're in the scene with Laurie or Olivia, I'm looking at that actor going, oh yes, they got that beat, they nailed it, but then you have to remember you have a line. … So, you're looking out of two sides of your brain at the same time.' Cooke, for one, was amazed to see Wright's brain in action. 'One of our first days was her filming this really emotional scene, and she'd be bringing this really gut-wrenching performance, and then she'd be like, 'Okay, and cut. Okay, we're going to go to a mid shot. What lens is that? Okay, yeah, let's go with that.'' The series also dives into more than just mother-girlfriend rivalry and family dynamics. It also explores wealth disparity, privilege, and the lack of social mobility, as Daniel grew up wealthy and Cherry did not. 'When I was much younger, I remember just wanting to try and change where I came from socially,' Frances says of her experiences that inspired The Girlfriend. 'Classism in our country is so embedded in our daily lives. It sort of feels innate at this point,' says Cooke, who hails from Manchester. And though the series is set in the U.K., there's no doubt it'll resonate across the pond and elsewhere, especially in an era of TV that is obsessed with analyzing the rich (think The White Lotus and Your Friends & Neighbors). But even if the series doesn't radicalize viewers against the 1 percent, Cooke hopes that, at the very least, audiences can 'sink their teeth into this world for a little bit and have some reprieve.' After all, The Girlfriend boasts plot twists, steamy scenes, jet set-worthy filming locations, and bold wardrobe, on top of all the drama. As for Wright, 'I'm hoping that they get hooked, and they're like, I can't wait to go to episode 2.' If the response is anything like it was for Frances's book, that's likely. The author remembers receiving personal messages from readers debating whether they're 'Team Laura' or 'Team Cherry.' 'That was really exciting,' she says. 'And I'm sure it'll be the same with the TV [version].'
Hype Malaysia
31-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Hype Malaysia
Secret Idol: What We Know About The New K-pop Spy Film Under Lee Jung Jae's Studio
It seems more Korean-made movies are going global, thanks to exciting partnerships with international companies. Recently, news outlets revealed that a South Korean production studio led by 'Squid Game' star Lee Jung Jae (이정재) has partnered up with a UK-based production company to work on a K-pop spy film. Tentatively titled 'Secret Idol', the movie is about a spy who goes undercover as a K-pop idol trainee. The movie is still in its early stages, but there are already a few notable details about the project. Here's what we know about the film so far: It's A Collaboration Between Lee Jung Jae's Studio & A Top UK Production Company The upcoming movie is a collaboration between Artist Studio and Imaginarium Productions. The partnership includes the early stages of story development and coordinating production strategies. The two companies are currently discussing the movie's casting, global distribution and expansion of international production partnerships. Artist Studio, led by Lee Jung Jae, is the content production division of the actors' agency, Artist Group. Meanwhile, Imaginarium Productions was co-founded by actor-director Andy Serkis and producer Jonathan Cavendish. The company is known for its expertise in performance capture and tech-driven storytelling. Some of its current projects include a 'Lord Of The Rings' prequel. The Movie Revolves Around A Young Spy-Turned-Kpop Trainee According to news outlets, the live-action film blends the K-pop world with the teen spy action genre. The story follows a secret agent who infiltrates the K-pop industry by going undercover as a K-pop trainee. The character has to navigate fierce competition behind glamorous stages while taking on a global crime syndicate. Lee Jung Jae Might Also Sign On As Producer & Director There's no news on what Lee Jung Jae's role is in the movie besides his studio's involvement. However, there is a high chance that the star might sign on as the executive producer for the project and even the director. If true, this wouldn't be the first time Lee Jung Jae helmed a spy movie. The actor's directorial debut was the 2022 South Korean film, 'Hunt', which follows two National Intelligence Service (NIS) agents. Fans Want BTS Jin & T.O.P In The Cast Since the movie revolves around the K-pop industry, it's no surprise that fans want a K-pop star in the cast. Some commonly mentioned names in fans' casting include BTS Jin (진) and former Big Bang member T.O.P (Choi Seung Hyun/최승현). Interestingly, T.O.P has played an assassin in the 2009 hit Korean drama 'IRIS' and has co-starred with Lee Jung Jae in 'Squid Game', so he might be a top contender for the spy role. Since the project is in its planning stage, there's probably another year or two before 'Secret Idol' could see a premiere date. What are your thoughts on the movie so far? Sources: Allkpop, Chosun, Instagram What's your Reaction? +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0 +1 0
Korea Herald
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Korea Herald
Lee Jung-jae's studio teams with 'Lord of the Rings' producer for K-pop spy film
'Squid Game' star expands into global production with genre-blending thriller Artist Studio, the production banner headed by actor Lee Jung-jae, has signed a development partnership with UK-based Imaginarium Productions to co-create a global K-pop spy thriller, the companies announced Monday. The collaboration will bring "Secret Idol" (working title) to the screen -- a live-action thriller that blends the glitzy world of K-pop with high-stakes espionage. The plot centers on a secret agent who goes undercover as a K-pop trainee to take down an international crime ring. The two companies are collaborating from script development through production, with discussions underway for casting Hollywood actors and securing global distribution and international co-production deals, officials said. Lee, who began as a fashion model before becoming a household name in Korean cinema, rose to global fame through his Emmy-winning performance in Netflix's "Squid Game." In addition to his recent appearance in Disney+'s "The Acolyte," Lee made his directorial debut in 2022 with the spy action film "Hunt." In 2016, he co-founded the management agency Artist Company with longtime friend and fellow actor Jung Woo-sung ("Steel Rain," "12.12: The Day"). Its production arm, Artist Studio, now operates within Lee's expanded entertainment group following recent consolidation. The company served as distributor for two films last year: "Following" and "One Win." Imaginarium Productions was founded in 2011 by Andy Serkis -- known for his motion-capture roles in "The Lord of the Rings" and "Planet of the Apes" -- and Jonathan Cavendish, producer of "Bridget Jones's Diary." The company is currently prepping "The Hunt for Gollum," a "Lord of the Rings" prequel with Warner Bros.
Pink Villa
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Pink Villa
Squid Game star Lee Jung Jae's agency teams up with UK studio for Secret Idol: All we know about K-pop spy thriller
South Korea's Artist Company has entered into an ambitious creative partnership with the U.K.'s Imaginarium Productions. This newly announced collaboration, revealed on May 26, sets the stage for the production of Secret Idol. It is an innovative live-action film that seeks to merge the pulsating energy of the K-pop industry with the intense suspense of a global espionage thriller. Founded by Korean film icons Lee Jung Jae and Jung Woo Sung, Artist Company has become a respected name in the Korean entertainment landscape. Long before Lee Jung Jae 's international breakout role in Squid Game, the studio had already been making waves as a talent-driven production house, It represents a roster of top-tier Korean actors such as Kim Hye Yoon, Lim Ji Yeon, Park Hae Jin, Won Jin Ah, Choi Yi Hyun, among others. With this new international venture, the company takes a bold step into the global film market. This signals its intent to become a cross-border creative powerhouse. The film at the heart of this partnership, Secret Idol, offers a unique and genre-defying premise. In this, a covert intelligence operative goes undercover as a K-pop trainee, immersing themselves in the hyper-competitive idol training system. At the same time, they pursue a high-stakes mission against a dangerous global crime syndicate. The story promises to bring high-octane action with plot twists. It will also provide a rare behind-the-scenes glimpse into the pressure-cooker world of K-pop, where stardom comes at a cost and appearances are everything. What sets this project apart is not only its original concept but also the deep level of collaboration between the two production companies. Artist Company and Imaginarium Productions are working closely together from the earliest stages of development. They are co-creating the story, visual style, and production plan. There is already talk of assembling an international cast, with interest in including both Korean and Western talent. Additionally, both companies are in discussions with potential global distributors and co-producers, aiming to give Secret Idol a truly international release. Imaginarium Productions was co-founded in 2011 by performance-capture pioneer and actor-director Andy Serkis and producer Jonathan Cavendish. The studio's portfolio includes feature films like Mowgli: Legend of the Jungle, The Ritual, as well as The Bastard Son & The Devil Himself. Currently, the company is in pre-production on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum. Meanwhile, Secret Idol stands out as a project with the potential to break new ground. With its fresh concept, strong creative backing, and cross-continental collaboration, the film could serve as a cultural bridge between East and West. Fans of both K-pop and spy thrillers are already buzzing with anticipation. They are eager for more details as production ramps up.
