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BBC News
4 days ago
- Business
- BBC News
'When the other side declares war on you, you still have to do the job': Clinton on being president and his new thriller
Former US President Bill Clinton and best-selling author James Patterson sat down with the BBC to discuss how real life informed their new political thriller, The First Gentleman. What happens when the president's husband is put on trial for murder? That's the conundrum at the heart of former US President Bill Clinton and thriller maestro James Patterson's latest collaboration, The First Gentleman. It's a novel that only those two could conjure up, after the huge success of their earlier books, 2018's The President Is Missing (three million copies sold) and The President's Daughter (2021). Patterson is as big as they come in the thriller world (with more than 230 million books sold worldwide) but as Clinton, a long-time fan of the genre, tells the BBC: "it was just an adventure in my old age" when they first collaborated. And it's clear while speaking to them in person just how much fun they're still having together. Their gripping new novel centres on US President Madeline Wright and husband, Cole Wright, a former professional American football star. He still carries the scars of his career and is looking for a purpose in the White House, as he fights to clear his name in a trial for the murder of a cheerleader more than 20 years ago. It's a classic police procedural-meets-courtroom drama, as journalists, detectives and political operatives all work to uncover the truth behind who killed the cheerleader and to exonerate the First Gentleman – or to destroy him – and his wife's political agenda. And, of course, the role of First Gentleman is one that President Clinton might have found himself taking on in 2017 if his wife, Hillary Clinton, had won the 2016 election against US President Donald Trump. It's clear that Bill Clinton's presidency is still with him as he writes. "There were times in the White House, and not just when the Republicans were trying to impeach me, but when we were going through really controversial hard things, where I had the feeling that I was – in the minds of those covering me – more a storyline than a story. We tried to get all that in there." Rather than focussing the narrative on the First Couple, however, the book has a pair of journalists at its core. Independent investigative journalist and lawyer Brea Cooke and her partner, Garrett Wilson, are digging into the disappearance of Suzanne Bonanno, a cheerleader who the First Gentleman was seeing back when he was playing for the New England Patriots football team 17 years earlier. It looks like Wright might have killed her, as Cook and Wilson unravel what really happened and where her body might be. Inspired by an iconic pair like Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, Patterson sees it as natural that journalists would be at the novel's centre, "journalists, sometimes they deserve what they get, but most journalists want to go after the truth… That's what we want journalists to do." Clinton, who had his own tussles with conspiracy-minded journalists through the years, agrees that even in an era of fevered partisanship honourable journalists will succeed: "I still think being able to stand up as a standout person who will tell the truth even when it means, 'I was wrong, but here's what I think the truth is.'" And when the story makes its Hollywood debut (it has been sold and is being written by Peaky Blinders' Steven Knight), it's likely that Brea Cooke will be the central character – the journalist digging for the truth. But The First Gentleman is not just a courtroom drama. It's also likely the first thriller in history to have as a central part of the plot a grand bargain on the US debt and spending. Without spoiling the ending, let's just say President Wright lays out how to solve entitlement spending and balance the budget. This book is coming out at the same time as Donald Trump and the Republican Party are laying out their own plans. Could President Wright's proposal work? Patterson jokes: "We have a big, beautiful bill in our book." Sneaking in some substantive information is all part of how they see their books connecting, says Clinton: "I think people don't mind learning something useful while being entertained by a hell of a good story." In their first book it was cybersecurity, now it's budget negotiations. 'In the beginning, it was a mess' And on their third outing, what have the writing pair learned from each other? For Patterson, it's all about research and authenticity, and after finishing his recent memoir, he's more focused on "paying much more attention to the sentences… I think I'm better than I've ever been, between keeping it real and being really conscious of the sentences." But even for this experienced pair, the first drafts of this book were tough. Patterson admitted that: "In the beginning, it was a mess, honestly, which we've never had before. We did not have the president, and they were not good characters. The journalists were not good characters. We kind of knew what the story was, but the characters were just all wrong." And then Clinton called him one night to say, "I have a real problem. I don't give a damn about any of these people." They added depth and scenes to draw the characters out. More like this: • The world's most misunderstood novel • Author Ann Patchett on finding kindness in chaos • Forty of the most exciting books to read in 2025 But as much as they are warm collaborators, they're also united by a certain outlook on life. Patterson describes it: "One of the things we have in common, I think we look at the world as not black and white. It's always complicated. It's subtle. There's shades, and I think that's one of the reasons we can work together." And in the end, what drives this novel to its twisting denouement is a sense of duty. Will the president do the right thing by her husband and by the country? The echoes are clear to Clinton: "One thing I know something about, when the other side declares war on you in the White House, you still have to show up and do the job." In a tumultuous moment, this thriller from a former president might offer an essential piece of advice for world leaders. Lucas Wittmann is the executive director of the Unterberg Center for Poetry and Literature at the 92nd Street Y in New York. He was previously an editor at Time and The Daily Beast. The First Gentleman by Bill Clinton and James Patterson is published by Century and is out now. --
Washington Post
24-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Washington Post
Iranian dissident Jafar Panahi wins the Palme d'Or at Cannes
A massive five-hour regional power outage on the day of the Cannes Film Festival closing ceremony gave new meaning to 'if there's a will, there's a way.' Somehow, electricity was restored just in time for a moment that those present will never forget: Jafar Panahi winning the Palme d'Or. The Iranian dissident director, who has been jailed twice in his country and until April 2023 was serving a 20-year ban from traveling or making films, won for 'It Was Just An Accident' — a riveting political thriller in which a group of former prisoners kidnap and confront the guard who tortured them. But do they have the right guy? Panahi, freed after serving 14 years of that ban, still made the film in secret to avoid his government's required script approval and other rules, like requiring all the women in the film to wear hijabs.
New York Times
19-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Times
‘The Order,' ‘The Outrun' and More Streaming Gems
'The Order' (2024) This tightly-wound mixture of political thriller and police procedural from the director Justin Kurzel was sadly lost in the shuffle of the year-end prestige pictures. It dramatizes the true story of the title organization, a more-extreme splinter group of the Aryan Nation that was linked to multiple crimes, motivated both by money and by hate, in the early 1980s, including the killing of the Denver talk radio host Alan Berg. Jude Law, working in the gruff, lived-in manner of a middle-aged Gene Hackman, stars as an F.B.I. agent who is tracking the Order's activities, while Tye Sheridan as a local deputy, and Jurnee Smollett as an F.B.I. colleague, lend ample support. (Marc Maron also impresses in a brief but powerful turn as Berg.) And as Robert Jay Mathews, the leader of the Order, Nicholas Hoult deftly conveys the surface appeal of such a horrific figure — and the emptiness at his center. 'The Outrun' (2024) You may think you've seen this story of a young woman, recently out of rehabilitation for drugs and alcohol, more than once before, and for good reason; the recovery narrative is certainly a durable one in contemporary memoir and fiction. But you haven't seen this story brought to life by Saoirse Ronan. The staggeringly gifted Irish actress occupies every frame of the director Nora Fingscheidt's adaptation of Amy Liptrot's 2016 memoir (Fingscheidt and Liptrot wrote the script), and she never fails to hold your attention. Even when the beats of her character's journey are familiar, individual moments are so honestly inhabited, so vivid and electric, that they feel fresh. And the filmmakers impose a bracingly unconventional structure on the story, intercutting various phases of their protagonist's fall and rise via stream-of-consciousness triggers and unexpected connections. Fingscheidt deploys vivid audio and visual depictions of how it looks and sounds (and therefore feels) to be inebriated, but ultimately, 'The Outrun' isn't about filmmaking flash. It's the story of a woman's journey to sanity and self-preservation, and it's a richly rewarding one. 'Lost River' (2015) This surrealist urban dreamscape is the first and (so far) only directorial effort by the actor Ryan Gosling, who also wrote the screenplay. Tonally and stylistically, it recalls the work of Nicolas Winding Refn, with whom Gosling collaborated on 'Drive' and 'Only God Forgives,' but also reveals the charismatic actor as a distinctive visual stylist, who finds both nightmare and fairy tale imagery in the less-populated corners of Detroit; he's also unsurprisingly good with actors, orchestrating nuanced work from Saoirse Ronan (again), Iain De Caestecker, Ben Mendelsohn, Matt Smith and, in her best non-'Mad Men' turn to date, the film's star Christina Hendricks. 'Bad Behaviour' (2024) Jennifer Connelly is marvelous — wryly cynical, righteously indignant, raw and wounded — as Lucy, a former actor attempting to attain something resembling inner peace at a spiritual retreat run by a beatific self-help guru (played with inspired comic emptiness by Ben Whishaw). The writer and director is an actor herself, Alice Englert, who also plays Lucy's daughter, Dylan, and she mines their strained relationship for both relatable laughs and startling poignancy; this is the kind of movie that lulls you into a snarky complacency, and then sucker-punches you with its piercing insights and emotional truth. This is Englert's first feature as a writer-director; hopefully, it won't be her last. 'Hello, I Must Be Going' (2012) The actor Melanie Lynskey, currently wowing viewers on 'Yellowjackets,' found a breakthrough role in this tender comedy-drama from the screenwriter Sarah Koskoff and the director Todd Louiso. It's essentially a coming-of-age movie, albeit on a slightly delayed schedule; Lynskey's Amy has moved back in with her parents following a painful divorce, and finds little motivation to do much of anything — except hang out with the much-younger stepson (Christopher Abbott) of one of her father's would-be clients. Lynskey and Abbott are excellent together, carving out a dynamic of equal parts sexual sparks and shared sadness, and Koskoff's perceptive screenplay understands Amy's listlessness with uncommon perception. 'The Silent Hour' (2024) Brad Anderson has had an odd and fascinating career as a feature filmmaker, which he launched with Sundance-friendly indie romantic comedies before moving into the genre space with the psychological horror film 'Session 9.' His latest is an action picture in the unkillable subset of ''Die Hard'' riffs; this one amounts to 'Die Hard in an abandoned apartment building,' and works splendidly on that level. Joel Kinnaman is Frank, a police detective who is losing his hearing after an accident on the job. He is sent to take a statement from Ava (Sandra Mae Frank), a deaf witness to a murder. But unluckily enough, the killers were dirty cops, so Frank and Ava end up fighting for their lives against pursuers with at least one major advantage. Dan Hall's screenplay works through several ingenious complications, while Anderson adroitly builds to moments of suspense that hit like fastballs. Also worth noting: the intricate sound design, which takes pains to put the viewer in Frank's head, to great effect. 'By Sidney Lumet' (2016) Five years after Sidney Lumet's death at 86, the director Nancy Buirski assembled this tribute to the prolific and talented New York filmmaker, using interviews shot but not used for a profile in 2008. The results are a fairly straightforward bio-doc, but that's all it needs to be. Lumet's filmography (which included '12 Angry Men,' 'Serpico,' 'Dog Day Afternoon' and 'The Verdict') was so loaded with classics, and he was such a warm and engaging storyteller, that this assemblage of clips and anecdotes goes down as smoothly as an egg cream on a Sunday afternoon.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
1989 Chile World Cup Qualifier Scandal Spotlighted in ‘Simulacro' (EXCLUSIVE)
Chile's Villano Producciones and Storyboard Media are teaming with Viven Film (Switzerland) and Chilean actor-producer Benjamín Vicuña ('Locked Up,' 'Fuga') to sign a co-production agreement for the feature film 'Simulacro' during this year's Cannes market. Directed by Juan Ignacio Sabatini, the film is a political-sports thriller based on a real event that shocked the world of football. Set in Brazil, 'Simulacro' dramatizes the 1989 scandal during a World Cup qualifier between Chile and Brazil, when Chilean goalkeeper Roberto Rojas staged an injury during the match at the Maracanã Stadium. The incident sparked global outrage and exposed deep-rooted issues within the sport. More from Variety Next Gen World Sales Prize at Iberseries Platino Industria Renewed by Egeda, FilmSharks (EXCLUSIVE) Cannes Caméra d'Or Winner Anthony Chen Begins Production on 'We Are All Strangers,' Completing His 'Growing Up' Trilogy (EXCLUSIVE) Twin Directors Tarzan and Arab Nasser on Spaghetti Western 'Once Upon a Time in Gaza': 'With What Is Happening, the Title Is Even More Appropriate' 'The Condor Rojas case was a milestone in my life and in the life of an entire generation of a country and, why not say it, a scar on world football,' Vicuña tells Variety. 'Being able to make a movie and reveal what really happened, how that moment was built, what is true, what is myth, what is real, what the consequences were, I find it extremely compelling because it's a story that, anywhere in the world, a simulation like this one is simply unbelievable.' The film centers on Chomsky, an obsessive radio journalist who investigates the incident, uncovering a network of corruption, political manipulation and media spectacle. Combining thriller elements with black humor, the story moves between Rio de Janeiro and São Paulo. 'We envision a high-voltage film, full of action and touches of humor, at times bordering on a police thriller, featuring lovable and relatable characters, appealing not only to football fans but also to those who are fascinated by the madness that surrounds it,' says Sabatini. ''Simulacro' is a story so incredible it seems made up, but it happened. It's a story that exposes how great national narratives are constructed, engaging with our collective memory and the global spectacle,' explain Storyboard's Gabriela Sandoval and Carlos Nuñez. 'At the Marché du Film, we are looking for partners, especially Brazilian ones, who want to be part of this story that resonates with audiences around the world.' Fellow co-producers Javier Krause and Sebastián Cepeda add, ''Simulacro' represents a unique opportunity for Viven Films: the starting point of our project development plan in co-production with Latin America. We are driven both by our Argentine roots and a deep desire to remain connected to our culture. Moreover, we are fortunate to be in an ideal moment, surrounded by strategic partners and accompanied by a director who knows exactly how to bring this fable to life.' The producers are actively seeking Brazilian and additional Latin American partners, as a large portion of the film is set in Brazil. Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Emmy Predictions: Talk/Scripted Variety Series - The Variety Categories Are Still a Mess; Netflix, Dropout, and 'Hot Ones' Stir Up Buzz Oscars Predictions 2026: 'Sinners' Becomes Early Contender Ahead of Cannes Film Festival
Geek Tyrant
16-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Geek Tyrant
Lili Taylor Confirms Governor Role in DAREDEVIL: BORN AGAIN Season 2, Teases Themes of Power and Authoritarianism — GeekTyrant
Daredevil: Born Again Season 2 is starting to sound like a full-blown political thriller, and actor Lili Taylor just dropped some interesting details about her new role and the larger story at play. Speaking with Rural Intelligence about her new book Turning to Birds: The Power and Beauty of Noticing , Taylor casually confirmed her role in the series, saying: 'I'm the Governor, which is great.' That lines up with speculation from Season 1's finale, where Commissioner Gallo tried (and failed) to reach New York's Governor after Mayor Wilson Fisk declared martial law. If you watched the series, then you know why that call didn't go through. Taylor elaborated on the production, saying: 'I know Albany, and I know the politics there. We've got a set for inside, and then we did the outside at this really nice place in Tarrytown—that was the governor's house.' Taylor went on to describesthe tone of the show under showrunner Dario Scardapane, saying: 'It's a TV show in New York. The locations are very familiar to me. More importantly, the people I'm working with—Dario [Scardapane] the creator, the producer Sana [Amanat], and Vince D'Onofrio—really care about what they're making. So it doesn't feel like this big corporate thing. It feels like we're telling a story that matters.' With Kingpin pushing New York toward an authoritarian regime and unleashing his Anti-Vigilante Task Force, it makes sense that the Governor would emerge as a key player. Taylor didn't go into plot specifics, but she hinted at the show's deeper themes: 'They're creating something meaningful. And the show's dealing with a lot of topical stuff—power, authoritarianism.' So while Daredevil might not be arguing in court this time around, the battle looks like it's heading straight into the halls of government. The question now is, how far will Fisk go to keep his grip on the city and can Taylor's Governor push back before New York fully becomes his personal kingdom?
