Latest news with #antiwoke
Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Bari Weiss seeks more than $200mn for media start-up The Free Press
Bari Weiss is seeking a valuation of more than $200mn for The Free Press amid talks over the sale of her 'anti-woke' media Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
The Sun
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Sun
Huge 90s box office smash hit to get ‘anti-woke' reboot with Margot Robbie and Sydney Sweeney in running for lead role
BASIC Instinct is getting an 'anti-woke' reboot, with fans hoping actresses Sydney Sweeney or Margot Robbie will land Sharon Stone's role. The 1992 erotic thriller saw Stone play a serial killer who had an affair with a homicide detective, portrayed by Michael Douglas. 5 5 It was a huge box office hit and original writer Joe Eszterhas has now been signed up by Amazon MGM to pen a script. The original features an iconic interrogation scene in which Sharon's character uncrosses her legs while not wearing underwear. On who should play the female lead, one fan wrote on X: 'Sydney Sweeney would be perfect.' Another said: 'Remake it with Margot Robbie.' While others voted for Queen's Gambit star Anya Taylor-Joy. The original movie was criticised for its promotion of smoking and portrayal of homosexual relationships, but sources with knowledge of the deal said the new film will be 'anti-woke'. According to bookmakers William Hill, British actress Florence Pugh, 29, is the favourite to land the lead role, ahead of Margot, Sydney and Anya. Sharon Stone breaks down in tears about finally finding 'success' - 32 years after infamous leg-crossing scene in Basic Instinct 5 5
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘A wild and orgasmic ride': Basic Instinct set for ‘anti-woke' reboot
Joe Eszterhas, the screenwriter of 1992 smash Basic Instinct, is to write a reboot sources close to the project are calling 'anti-woke'. As first reported by the Wrap, Eszterhas, 80, has signed a deal with Amazon MGM for the script; the streamer guarantees a $2m fee, which will be upped to $4m should the film be made, making it the most lucrative spec sale of the year. The original film starred Sharon Stone as a serial killer author who has an affair with the investigating detective, played by Michael Douglas. An interrogation scene in which Stone's character uncrosses her legs, without underwear, made the film infamous. Stone later said revealing shots were captured without her consent. 'To those who question what an 80-year-old man is doing writing a sexy, erotic thriller: the rumours of my cinematic impotence are exaggerated and ageist,' Esztherhas said in a statement to the Wrap. 'I call my writing partner the TWISTED LITTLE MAN and he lives somewhere deep inside me. He was born 29 and he will die 29 and he tells me he is 'sky high up' to write this piece and provide viewers with a wild and orgasmic ride. That makes me very happy.' It remains unclear whether Stone's character, Catherine Tramell, will return for the film, as she did for the 2006 belated sequel directed by Michael Caton-Jones without involvement from Eszterhas. That film was both a critical and commercial failure, making back just half its budget, while the original made some $352m (more than $800m adjusted for inflation). In 2018, Eszterhas told the Hollywood Reporter that the most problematic aspect of the first film was a sex scene between Douglas and his character's psychiatrist, played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, who said in 1993 that director Paul Verhoeven had described a 'lighter' encounter to her before filming. Some 'serious #MeToo protesters' would take issue with the sequence, he said. 'It was rough sex,' he added, 'but today's yardstick is different.' According to an individual with knowledge of the deal who spoke to the Wrap, the reboot is expected to be 'anti-woke'. The first film attracted criticism from gay and lesbian activists for its portrayal of homosexual relationships and its depiction of the central murderous bisexual psychopath. The National Organisation for Women was among those who also took issue with its treatment of women, calling it 'the most blatantly misogynistic film in recent memory'. One French mayor banned the film from showing in his municipality, calling it an apology for rape. After being diagnosed with throat cancer, Eszterhas apologised for the film's glamorisation of smoking. After the success of the film, he wrote scripts for films including Sliver, Showgirls and Jade before moving back to Ohio and returning to his Catholic faith. A planned collaboration with Mel Gibson in 2012 on a biblical film fell apart after Eszterhas accused Gibson of being unhinged and encouraging antisemitic supporters to attack him. The Basic Instinct reboot is the latest in a number of pricey blockbuster projects from Amazon MGM Studios, including the Ryan Gosling sci-fi Project Hail Mary and the first in the studio's series of James Bond films, to be directed by Denis Villeneuve.
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Guardian
‘A wild and orgasmic ride': Basic Instinct set for ‘anti-woke' reboot
Joe Eszterhas, the screenwriter of 1992 smash Basic Instinct, is to write a reboot sources close to the project are calling 'anti-woke'. As first reported by the Wrap, Eszterhas, 80, has signed a deal with Amazon MGM for the script; the streamer guarantees a $2m fee, which will be upped to $4m should the film be made, making it the most lucrative spec sale of the year. The original film starred Sharon Stone as a serial killer author who has an affair with the investigating detective, played by Michael Douglas. An interrogation scene in which Stone's character uncrosses her legs, without underwear, made the film infamous. Stone later said revealing shots were captured without her consent. 'To those who question what an 80-year-old man is doing writing a sexy, erotic thriller: the rumours of my cinematic impotence are exaggerated and ageist,' Esztherhas said in a statement to the Wrap. 'I call my writing partner the TWISTED LITTLE MAN and he lives somewhere deep inside me. He was born 29 and he will die 29 and he tells me he is 'sky high up' to write this piece and provide viewers with a wild and orgasmic ride. That makes me very happy.' It remains unclear whether Stone's character, Catherine Tramell, will return for the film, as she did for the 2006 belated sequel directed by Michael Caton-Jones without involvement from Eszterhas. That film was both a critical and commercial failure, making back just half its budget, while the original made some $352m (more than $800m adjusted for inflation). In 2018, Eszterhas told the Hollywood Reporter that the most problematic aspect of the first film was a sex scene between Douglas and his character's psychiatrist, played by Jeanne Tripplehorn, who said in 1993 that director Paul Verhoeven had described a 'lighter' encounter to her before filming. Some 'serious #MeToo protesters' would take issue with the sequence, he said. 'It was rough sex,' he added, 'but today's yardstick is different.' According to an individual with knowledge of the deal who spoke to the Wrap, the reboot is expected to be 'anti-woke'. The first film attracted criticism from gay and lesbian activists for its portrayal of homosexual relationships and its depiction of the central murderous bisexual psychopath. The National Organisation for Women was among those who also took issue with its treatment of women, calling it 'the most blatantly misogynistic film in recent memory'. One French mayor banned the film from showing in his municipality, calling it an apology for rape. After being diagnosed with throat cancer, Eszterhas apologised for the film's glamorisation of smoking. After the success of the film, he wrote scripts for films including Sliver, Showgirls and Jade before moving back to Ohio and returning to his Catholic faith. A planned collaboration with Mel Gibson in 2012 on a biblical film fell apart after Eszterhas accused Gibson of being unhinged and encouraging antisemitic supporters to attack him. The Basic Instinct reboot is the latest in a number of pricey blockbuster projects from Amazon MGM Studios, including the Ryan Gosling sci-fi Project Hail Mary and the first in the studio's series of James Bond films, to be directed by Denis Villeneuve.
Gizmodo
04-07-2025
- Business
- Gizmodo
Dr. Phil's ‘Anti-Woke' TV Network Files for Bankruptcy After Only a Year
Last year, in an effort to capitalize on anti-woke backlash, Dr. Phil (real name Phil McGraw) launched his own TV channel, which he said would be used to fight the good fight against the far left's radical crazies. Merit Street Media, according to McGraw, would be a vanguard in the battle for the soul of America. 'Merit Street Media will be a resource of information and strategies to fight for America and its families, which are under a cultural 'woke' assault as never before,' said McGraw at the time. 'I love this country and I believe family is the backbone of our society. Together we are going to stand strong and fight for the very soul and sanity of America and get things that matter back on track.' Merit Street partnered with Trinity Broadcasting Network, which calls itself the 'most-watched faith-and-family broadcasting network' in the world. Since then, things have not gone particularly well for the TV mogul's company. Last summer, just a few months after it launched, the company laid off 28 staff members, which was purported to be over a third of its staff at the time. Then, last month, Merit Street laid off another 40 employees, culling the staff further. This week, Merit Street also filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, Variety reports. At the same time, the company has sued TBN, and accused it of sabotaging the business, the outlet notes. Merit Street claims that TBN has 'abused its position as the controlling shareholder' and that, as a result, Merit Street was forced to 'pay or incur obligations to third parties in excess of $100 million.' The litigation further has stated that TBN made the 'conscious and knowing choice to cause Merit Street to lose its national distribution by withholding distribution payments despite repeatedly acknowledging those distribution payments were 100% TBN's sole responsibility.' The company further states that TBN provided production services that were 'comically dysfunctional. Although it promised the equivalent of the professional facilities and services that Dr. Phil had long relied on when producing his show in Los Angeles for CBS, the supposed 'first class' services TBN promised under the Joint Venture Agreement were nothing of the sort. TBN provided screens and teleprompters that blacked out during live shows, an incomplete control room operating out of a truck, an unusable cell phone app for viewers, and amateur video editing software.' The bankruptcy motion filed in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Northern District of Texas states that the company has reported 'assets and liabilities of between $100 million and $500 million,' The Daily Beast writes. 'These failures by TBN were neither unintended nor inadvertent,' Merit Street says in its lawsuit. 'They were a conscious, intentional pattern of choices made with full awareness that the consequence of which was to sabotage and seal the fate of a new but already nationally acclaimed network.' Gizmodo reached out to Merit Street for more information. A representative from TBN said that the company currently had no comment on the litigation.
