Category: Press

May
19

News: Sebastian Stan to Produce ‘Blue Banks,’ Feature Debut of Rising Romanian Talent Andreea Cristina Bortun (EXCLUSIVE)

Deadline – Sebastian Stan to Produce ‘Blue Banks,’ Feature Debut of Rising Romanian Talent Andreea Cristina Bortun (EXCLUSIVE)

Actor Sebastian Stan has come on board to produce “Blue Banks,” the feature debut of Romanian director Andreea Cristina Bor?un, whose 2021 short film “When Night Meets Dawn” premiered in Directors’ Fortnight.

Pic follows Lavinia, a single mother trying to make a better life on her own terms for herself and her 13-year-old son, who live in a poor Romanian village. She is impulsive, prone to misreading situations, and not sure how to love. But her son, on the threshold between childhood and adolescence, needs his mother more than ever, and over the course of four seasons their relationship is put to the test.

Stan, who was born in Romania, will produce the film alongside Romanian producer Gabi Suciu, French co-producers Jean-Laurent Csinidis and Jerome Nunes and Slovenian co-producer Ales Pavlin. Shooting will take place in Romania throughout the year and is set to wrap in October.

Best known for playing Bucky Barnes in Marvel Cinematic Universe films and also starring in A24’s horror comedy “Fresh,” Stan — who first met Bor?un in Cannes in 2021 — said the film’s script hit close to home.

“Being that I was raised by a single mother, moved and lived in three different countries at an early age, with my mother determined to find me security and a better life out of communist Romania and my inability to grasp the sacrifice and the profound impact of all this at the time, this story really spoke to me on a deeply personal level,” said the actor.

“I’ve been an admirer of Romanian films for a long time, in awe of their rawness, authenticity and unfiltered, fearless lens on life. When Andreea talked to me about the story, I was immediately drawn in,” he continued. “I understood the characters, their journey, the inner struggle against the primal instinct we are born with, and especially the torn mother-son relationship at the core.”

To recreate the spirit of rural Romania as realistically as possible, Bor?un will work with a mix of professional screen and theatrer actors as well as amateurs, put together by casting director Florentina Bratfanof.

The producers are aiming for a mid-2024 release.

Apr
15

News: Sebastian Stan & Maria Bakalova Set For Spy Comedy In Works At Paramount; Paul Feig Eyeing To Direct From Jenny Bicks’ Script

Deadline – Sebastian Stan & Maria Bakalova Set For Spy Comedy In Works At Paramount; Paul Feig Eyeing To Direct From Jenny Bicks’ Script

EXCLUSIVE: Sebastian Stan (Pam & Tommy) and Maria Bakalova (Borat Subsequent Moviefilm) are attached to star in an untitled spy comedy in very early development at Paramount, Deadline has learned.

Jenny Bicks (Welcome to Flatch) is set to pen the script, which is said to involve a failed double agent who becomes an unlikely success, based off an original pitch. Paul Feig (The School for Good and Evil) is eyeing to direct and will also produce alongside Laura Allen Fischer for Feigco Entertainment, as well as Stan (A Different Man) and Emmy winner Emily Gerson Saines (Temple Grandin, Tokyo Vice).

Stan landed his first Emmy, Golden Globe and Critics’ Choice Award nominations for his turn as Tommy Lee in Hulu’s acclaimed miniseries Pam & Tommy, also recently starring in Apple’s thriller Sharper opposite Julianne Moore, and in Mimi Cave’s horror-thriller Fresh with Daisy Edgar-Jones. The actor is otherwise best known for his MCU role as Bucky Barnes/Winter Soldier in the Avengers films, The Falcon and the Winter Soldier and more, as well as his starring turn opposite Margot Robbie in Neon’s I, Tonya. He exec produced and stars opposite The Worst Person in the World‘s Reinate Reinsve in the forthcoming A24 thriller A Different Man and will also soon return to the MCU with Thunderbolts.

Bakalova broke out with her Oscar-nominated turn opposite Sacha Baron Cohen in Prime Video’s Borat Subsequent Moviefilm and more recently starred in A24’s darkly comedic horror-thriller Bodies Bodies Bodies from filmmaker Halina Reijn. She can be seen opposite Emilia Jones and Scoot McNairy in the Sofia Coppola-produced drama Fairyland, which world premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and plays the role of Cosmo the Spacedog in James Gunn’s Marvel franchise ender Guardians of the Galaxy Vol. 3, which hits theaters on May 5th.

A DGA Award winner, as well as a PGA Award and 5x Emmy nominee, Feig is currently in production on the Amazon action-comedy Grand Death Lotto led by John Cena, Awkwafina and Simu Liu. He previously co-wrote, directed and produced Netflix’s starry fantasy pic The School for Good and Evil, based on Soman Chainani’s novel, which debuted at #1 on the streamer in 88 countries. He’s a writer, EP and director of Fox’s Welcome to Flatch and also exec produces Minx, which has headed to Starz for its second season. Additional films directed by Feig that have grossed $1B+ worldwide include Bridesmaids, Last Christmas, The Heat, Ghostbusters, Spy and A Simple Favor. And a sequel to the latter is in the works, as we were first to tell you last summer, with Feig directing and producing. Other upcoming projects for the multi-hyphenate include an adaptation of Maureen Kilmer’s novel Suburban Hell for Legendary, on which he’s teamed with Sam Raimi; Netflix’s adaptation of the Riley Sager bestseller The House Across the Lake, which he’ll produce and potentially direct; and the ABC pilot Motherland, which he’s exec producing.

An Emmy winner, 2x PGA Award winner and 3x WGA Award nominee, Bicks co-created and exec produces Fox’s mockumentary series Welcome to Flatch, starring Holmes, Seann William Scott and more, which returned for its second season last fall. She also created and exec produced ABC’s Men in Trees starring the late Anne Heche, and wrote and exec produced HBO’s Divorce and Showtime’s Emmy winner The Big C. Additional writing credits for Bicks include The Greatest Showman, Rio 2, the original Sex and the City and Leap of Faith. She most recently adapted the Kevin Kwan bestseller Sex & Vanity for Sony.

Stan is represented by CAA, Brookside Artist Management and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern; Bakalova by CAA, Brookside Artist Management and Insight Management & Production; Bicks by UTA and Hansen, Jacobson, Teller; and Feig by CAA and Sloane, Offer, Weber & Dern.

Mar
21

News: Sony’s GameStop Short Squeeze Film ‘Dumb Money’ Sets Fall Release

Deadline – Sony announced on Friday that they will release the starry Craig Gillespie film Dumb Money on the GameStop short squeeze of 2021 on October 20.

The Black Bear Pictures title’s fall positioning suggests a return to the awards conversation may be in the cards for Gillespie — the creative behind Hulu’s Emmy winner Pam & Tommy and Neon & 30West’s I, Tonya, which brought Margot Robbie her first Academy Award nom in 2018.

The buzzy feature based on the Ben Mezrich book The Antisocial Network tells the story of fortunes made and lost overnight in the David-vs.-Goliath short squeeze that may have changed Wall Street forever. It’s said to offer a scathing, funny and emotional portrayal of how a loosely affiliated group of amateur investors and internet denizens crushed one of the biggest hedge funds on Wall Street and upended the establishment.

Dumb Money stars Paul Dano, Seth Rogen, Sebastian Stan, Pete Davidson, Shailene Woodley, Dane DeHaan, Vincent D’Onofrio, Anthony Ramos, America Ferrera, Myha’la Herrold, Nick Offerman and Talia Ryder. Sony Pictures holds rights to the film in the U.S., Latin America, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, South Africa, India and select Asian markets.

Rebecca Angelo & Lauren Schuker Blum adapted the screenplay, with Aaron Ryder, Teddy Schwarzman and Gillespie producing. Exec producers included Michael Heimler, John Friedberg, Andrew Swett, Angelo, Blum, Mezrich, Johnny Holland, Tyler Winklevoss, Cameron Winklevoss and Kevin Ulrich.

Sony today releases the sci-fi thriller 65 written and directed by the A Quiet Place duo of Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, which stars Adam Driver, Ariana Greenblatt, Chloe Coleman and Nika King. Other upcoming releases for the studio include the supernatural horror The Pope’s Exorcist (April 14) starring Russell Crowe and the boxing drama Big George Foreman (April 28).

Feb
20

Photo/Video: More ‘Sharper’ Promo – Romeo International, On Demand, The Curvy Critic, Beondtv, Blavity TV and eCartelera w/ Screen Captures

‘Sharper’ promo continues! More interviews from Romeo International, On Demand, The Curvy Critic, Beondtv, Blavity TV and eCartelera are below. Screen Captures are now in the gallery as well.


Feb
16

Photo/Video: ‘Sharper’ Film Clip + Bad Taste Promo Interview w/ Screen Captures

Feb
16

Photo/Video: ‘Sharper’ B-Roll + On Set Interview w/ Screen Captures & SBT News Interview (Promo Part VI)

‘Sharper’ promo continues! Check out the B-Roll and and On Set Interview as well as an interview from SBT News. All of these include Screen Captures in the gallery. Enjoy.

Feb
15

Photo/Video/Article: ‘Sharper’ Promo Part IV – Yahoo UK & Metro UK Video, Screen Captures, and Corresponding Articles

Feb
15

News: Sebastian Stan and his Sharper co-stars gush over getting to work with ‘generous’ Julianne Moore on ‘intriguing’ thriller: ‘It was a masterclass’

Metro UK

Sebastian Stan and the cast of Sharper have spilled the beans on what it was that attracted them to star in Apple TV Plus‘s glossy new thriller – and it’s safe to say the number one reason was star and producer Julianne Moore, who did not disappoint.

The script was taken from the ‘Black List’ of popular but as-yet-unmade films that circulates Hollywood each year, and sees Pam & Tommy actor Stan, Justice Smith from Pokémon: Detective Pikachu and The Tender Bar’s Briana Middleton all embroiled in a high-stakes game of cat and mouse in the upper echelons of New York City society.

As perspectives shift and stories play out from different angles, the audience is left guessing the truth of what they know about student Sandy (Middleton), bookstore owner Tom (Smith) and the con-artist duo of Max (Stan) and Madeline (Moore).

On the question of if working with Oscar-winner Moore was a big motivation for agreeing to the project, the trio were effusive, with Smith saying she was ‘the reason I wanted to do this’, while Middleton states: ‘Watching her and getting to work with her was a masterclass.’

With the trio speaking exclusively to Metro.co.uk ahead of the film’s release, Stan agreed that she was ‘the reason why we’re all here.’

He added: ‘What was amazing is sometimes you meet somebody you’ve watched for such a long time and [you know] the image and you don’t know how they’re going to be in [real] life.

Sebastian Stan, who plays Max, praised Moore’s generous attitude on set as ‘the icing on the cake’

‘You’ve got all this time that you’re sitting around waiting for the shots and all that – and the fact that she was just as welcoming and just as nice and generous off-screen, and connecting with each person… It was the icing on the cake.’

During Sharper, the actors’ characters take on different roles of their own as the power dynamic shifts and secrets are uncovered.

Stan’s Max is introduced as a ruthless but smooth con to begin with, but when Moore’s Madeline makes her fashionably late entrance in the movie, his motivations become murkier – part of what the Emmy nominee was keen to sink his teeth into.

‘When I first read the script, I didn’t really understand what my character was trying to do, what was he after really,’ Stan explained.

‘Was it a revenge thing or was he… I don’t want to go into what happens in the movie! So, it was more kind of just going into and trying to figure that out, and that part of it was intriguing to me. I liked how it started, how he starts out and suddenly it’s totally something else.’

Avoiding some pretty major spoilers, Middleton shared: ‘Without trying to give too much away… I think just the fact that there are so many different characters that my character is playing – that was the biggest selling point for me.’

For Screen Captures and the corresponding video click here

Feb
15

News: Sharper’s Sebastian Stan: ‘Money imprisons and isolates you’

Yahoo UK – “We’re exploring the consequences of money and, to some extent, capitalism”

The Menu, Triangle of Sadness, The White Lotus; we’re fascinated by the lives of millionaires – and Sharper, an upcoming Julianne Moore-starring thriller heading to Apple TV+ on Friday, 17 February, takes another shot at the wealthy.

“We’re exploring the consequences of money and, to some extent, capitalism,” Sebastian Stan, one of Sharper’s leads, tells Yahoo UK when asked about the current wave of ‘eat the rich’ content coming to cinemas and streamers.

Read more: Sebastian Stan undergoes transformation for new movie

“Money is supposed to give you all these opportunities, but at the same time, it takes so much away.

“It divides in so many ways, and it imprisons you and isolates you.”

Justice Smith, who appears alongside Stan in Sharper, believes we’re all fascinated by “the darkness inside of ourselves”.

“We all like to imagine that we would be good people under different circumstances,” the actor – best known for Detective Pikachu and Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom – says.

“But we’re fascinated by our capability of darkness. Same reason why we’re so fascinated by serial killers. We’re fascinated to the extent that people can be horrible to one another.

“Because we recognise in ourselves how we are, how we could potentially be horrible.”

It’s a theory that’s fitting considering Sharper’s about a group of people who, on the surface, appear normal, yet transpire to be a bunch of liars, thieves, and double-crossing scam artists.

To say too much more would spoil the fun – over its runtime, the movie slowly reveals itself, every new scene unravelling more secrets as we discover what drove a young woman (Briana Middleton) to steal $350,000 from a book-store owner (Smith).

Directed by Benjamin Caron, who helmed the last two episodes of the Star Wars series Andor, Sharper’s a tight mystery that, ideally, should be seen on the big screen. However, the movie’s heading to streaming a week after its theatrical debut in the US. That’s not too much of an issue for Smith.

“I like streaming,” he says. “It’s accessible. “There are people, me included, where sometimes I can’t sit through a two hour film. I need to watch it on my own terms. And I enjoy it because I got to watch it on my own terms.”

Stan is slightly more cautious. “I think having the choice is important,” he says. “But maybe I’m more old school. I hope that we continue to also protect the theatrical experience.”

Yahoo points out that a film like Sharper probably wouldn’t get made without a streamer’s backing. “Where does [a movie like this] live nowadays?” Stan asks. “I’d rather have it exist, quite frankly, than not.”

“I was going to sit through the movie [in a cinema] because I was like, ‘I don’t remember what my acting is like on a big screen. I don’t even know if it’s any good,’” he continues.

“There’s something that gets processed in a different way when it’s like that.”

Sharper will enjoy a limited theatrical release in the US and UK, and will stream on Apple TV+ from 17 February, 2023.

For Screen Captures and the corresponding video click here

Feb
14

Photo/Video: ‘Sharper’ Generic Press Interview w/ Screen Captures (Promo Part III)