You are viewing the archive: “Paul Greengrass”

Longtime CAA Agent Robert Bookman Moving To Paradigm

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Friday March 8, 2013 @ 10:37am PSTTags: CAA, Paradigm, Paul Greengrass, Robert Bookman
Mike Fleming

UPDATE: Paradigm has just confirmed Deadline’s scoop about Robert Bookman joining the agency from CAA. They’ve issued a release (below original story) and the internal memo that Sam Gores sent to his staff.

EXCLUSIVE: There has been a lot of agents moving around lately, but get ready for a shocker: longtime CAA agent Robert Bookman has just given notice that he’s joining Sam Gores’s Paradigm. Bookman, who becomes a senior agent in Paradigm’s Motion Picture and Television departments starting Monday, has been a stalwart agent for CAA for more than 20 years, brokering some of the biggest buck book to movie deals ever as the co-agent for such authors as Michael Crichton and Thomas Harris. Bookie, as he is known around Hollywood, is a classy guy with good taste whose potential exit has been in the wind before. When he was not made partner, it had been rumored that he might leave CAA to partner in a production company with his longtime client, writer/director Paul Greengrass. READ MORE »

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Martin Luther King Film ‘Memphis’ Coming Back Around For Paul Greengrass And Scott Rudin

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Friday November 16, 2012 @ 3:39pm PSTTags: Big Deals Film, Martin Luther King, Memphis, Paul Greengrass, Scott Rudin, Wild Bunch
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE… UPDATE: Memphis, Paul Greengrass‘ film about the final days of Dr. Martin Luther King, is coming back around. Now, I hear that steps are underway to make Memphis Greengrass’ next directorial outing. I’ve heard that Veritas is in talks to finance with Wild Bunch. You might recall the picture was shelved after Universal Pictures dropped out, and Greengrass and producer Scott Rudin shelved it because it became too difficult to set up new financing and shoot the film so that it could be released during the MLK weekend holiday. Greengrass and Rudin moved on to make Captain Phillips, the Sony drama about the Somali pirate heist that stars Tom Hanks as Captain Richard Phillips.

Related: Opposition To MLK Films Reveals Hard Truths About Biopic Biz

The script depicts Dr. King’s final days as he struggled to organize a protest march on behalf of striking black municipal sanitation workers in Memphis, Tennessee, where he was slain. That storyline is juxtaposed with an intense manhunt for King’s assassin James Earl Ray, involving some of the federal authorities who, at Hoover’s direction, had dogged King’s every step with wiretaps and whispering campaigns before the civil rights leader’s death. Read More »

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FilmNation Selling Paul Greengrass-Directed Soccer Docu: Cannes

By NANCY TARTAGLIONE, International Editor | Thursday May 17, 2012 @ 7:15am PDTTags: Cannes Film Festival, Paul Greengrass

Barca Paul Greengrass DocumentaryBREAKING: FilmNation Entertainment will handle international sales on Barca, a documentary that Paul Greengrass is directing about the rise of the FC Barcelona soccer team. Richard Brown will produce for Anonymous Content and John Carlin will … Read More »

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Paul Greengrass Joins Fox CIA Drama As EP

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Thursday November 17, 2011 @ 8:12am PSTTags: Brian Grazer, Fox, Imagine TV, Joe Weisberg, Paul Greengrass
Nellie Andreeva

EXCLUSIVE: Feature director Paul Greengrass has joined Fox’s untitled CIA drama project from writer Joe Weisberg (Falling Skies), Imagine TV and 20th Century Fox TV. This marks the first foray into U.S. television for British director-writer Greengrass, who will … Read More »

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Mark Romanek Frontrunner For Sony’s ‘The Lost Symbol’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday October 19, 2011 @ 1:23pm PDTTags: Andrew Garfield, Brian Grazer, Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, Mark Romanek, Paul Greengrass, Ron Howard, Sony Pictures, The Lost Symbol
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Mark Romanek has emerged as frontrunner to direct The Lost Symbol, Sony Pictures’ third installment of the Dan Brown-penned thrillers focusing on symbologist Robert Langdon. After directing the global blockbusters The Da Vinci Code and Angels & Demons, Ron Howard this summer opted out of directing a third, preferring to produce with his Imagine Entertainment partner Brian Grazer. Grazer produced the first two films in the series with the late John Calley, who acquired the property before he left the Sony Pictures executive suite to become a producer.

Sony Pictures has been interviewing helmers for one of the more prominent open directing assignments. Romanek hasn’t got the job locked up yet, but I’ve heard negotiations should begin soon. Romanek, a top video director, made his feature helming debut on One Hour Photo, and most recently directed Never Let Me Go with Keira Knightley, Carey Mulligan and Andrew Garfield. Romanek has so far made mostly budget films. He nearly helmed a big one in The Wolfman but left weeks before production started in a dispute with Universal over budget and other creative disagreements. Read More »

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Paul Greengrass In ‘Fear Index,’ Robert Zemeckis Out Of ‘Replay’ As He Takes ‘Flight’ With Denzel Washington

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Thursday August 25, 2011 @ 7:09pm PDTTags: Denzel Washington, Dylan Clark, Jason Smilovic, Jenno Topping, John Gatins, Laurie MacDonald, Paul Greengrass, Peter Chernin, Robert Zemeckis, Tom Hanks, Walter Parkes
Mike Fleming

Back in June, Deadline revealed that Fox 2000 had acquired the Robert Harris thriller novel Fear Index, about a scientist who uses a revolutionary system of computer algorithms to trade on the volatility of the world’s financial markets. His hedge fund is wildly successful until he is targeted by an intruder who breaks into his home. At the time, I’d heard that Paul Greengrass was attached to direct, and his reps at CAA denied it. I wrote it anyway. Now, Harris has said in an interview for his soon to be published book that Greengrass is indeed going to direct and the filmmaker’s reps are now acknowledging it’s true. The novel will be published next month in the UK and January in the US. Chernin Entertainment’s Peter Chernin, Dylan Clark and Jenno Topping are the producers. and Harris is scripting it. Greengrass next directs the Somali pirate pic A Captain’s Duty with Tom Hanks starring for Sony Pictures.

Robert Zemeckis has officially dropped out of the Warner Bros drama Replay, and the studio is trying to put the Jason Smilovic-scripted film back together with another filmmaker. Zemeckis exited because he has finally committed to direct Denzel Washington in the Paramount thriller Flight. Read More »

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Ron Howard, David Koepp Team Up For ‘Spy Vs. Spy’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday June 22, 2011 @ 2:54pm PDTTags: Akiva Goldsman, Captain Richard Phillips, David Koepp, Niki Lauda, Paul Greengrass, Peter Morgan, Ron Howard, Stephen King, Tom Hanks
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Remember Spy vs. Spy, the running comic strip of one-ups-manship between rival spooks from Mad Magazine? A live-action bigscreen version is moving forward at Warner Bros for Ron Howard to direct. David Koepp will produce with Howard and his … Read More »

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Paul Greengrass Offered Somali Pirate Pic By Sony Pictures, Talks Starting

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday June 8, 2011 @ 11:44am PDTTags: Captain Richard Phillips, Dana Brunetti, Kevin Spacey, Michael De Luca, Navy SEALs, Paul Greengrass, Scott Rudin, Somali Pirates, Tom Hanks
Mike Fleming

UPDATE: I’ve learned that Memphis won’t be an impediment to Paul Greengrass directing this Somali pirate movie, so I expect this to move quickly and that this will be the director’s next film.

EARLIER: Director Paul Greengrass and Sony … Read More »

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Legendary Pictures Mounts Jackie Robinson Biopic, Dick Cook Is Exec Producer

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday June 1, 2011 @ 8:53am PDTTags: Anthony Mackie, Brian Helgeland, Denzel Washington, Dick Cook, Jimi Hendrix, Legendary Pictures, Paul Greengrass, Spike Lee, Thomas Tull
Mike Fleming

Legendary Pictures has announced it has made a deal to collaborate with the estate of Jackie Robinson and his widow Rachel on a feature biopic about the Brooklyn Dodgers second baseman who broke Major League Baseball’s color line. Brian Helgeland will write the script and direct the film. Legendary chairman Thomas Tull will produce and Jon Jashni will be exec producer. Notably, Dick Cook, who has been quiet since leaving as Walt Disney Studios chairman, will be an exec producer on the film, which will be made under Legendary’s overall deal at Warner Bros. Cook is on the Legendary board and he and Tull have become close. They are also big baseball fans, which led to Cook involving himself in the picture.

Hollywood has long been interested in bringing Robinson’s story to the screen. Spike Lee once tried to direct a version with Denzel Washington in the lead role. And Robert Redford has for years tried to tackle the story from the vantage point of Branch Rickey, the Brooklyn Dodgers executive who signed Robinson and put him on the team. Redford has long wanted to play the role of Rickey. The project was stalled for years, though it recently got ink that it was resuscitated, mainly on the basis of Redford saying he still wanted to play the role, though there was no indication of who would fund it. Read More »

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Opposition To Martin Luther King Films Reveals Hard Truths About Biopic Biz

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Monday April 4, 2011 @ 6:53pm PDTTags: Andrew Young, Lee Daniels, Martin Luther King, Paul Greengrass, Scott Rudin
Mike Fleming

Few Hollywood films are as difficult to mount as the biopics of historical figures. From The Hurricane to Malcolm X, A Beautiful Mind to Munich, The Social Network to even the most recent Best Picture Oscar winner The King’s Speech, there … Read More »

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Universal Drops Paul Greengrass’ ‘Memphis’; Did MLK Estate Pressure Influence Decision?

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Friday April 1, 2011 @ 6:39pm PDTTags: Andrew Young, Lee Daniels, Martin Luther King Jr., Paul Greengrass, Scott Rudin, Universal Pictures
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures has dropped plans to finance and distribute Memphis, the Paul Greengrass-directed film about the final days and assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King. The studio has halted progress on a film scripted by Greengrass and produced by … Read More »

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Producer Scott Rudin Joins Martin Scorsese’s Frank Sinatra Biopic At Universal

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Monday March 7, 2011 @ 11:11am PSTTags: Cathy Schulman, David Fincher, Frank Sinatra, Jonathan Safran Foer, Jordan Belfort, Leonardo DiCaprio, Martin Luther King Jr., Paul Greengrass, Peter Guber, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sandra Bullock, Scott Rudin, Steve Zaillian, Stieg Larsson, Tom Hanks, Universal Pictures
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures has set Scott Rudin to produce Sinatra, the film Martin Scorsese will direct about the life of singer-actor Frank Sinatra. Rudin joins Mandalay’s Peter Guber and Cathy Schulman, who brought in the project to the studio almost two years ago after they secured life and music rights from Frank Sinatra Enterprises, which is a joint venture of the estate of Ol’ Blue Eyes and the Warner Music Group. Phil Alden Robinson had been the original writer, but I’m told they are looking for another scribe. Scorsese’s Sikelia is also producing as is Tina Sinatra.

Rudin, nominated twice in the Best Picture Oscar race this year for producing The Social Network and True Grit, produced the 1999 Scorsese-directed Bringing Out the Dead. Rudin’s currently producing the David Fincher-directed  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, which Steve Zaillian adapted from the Stieg Larsson novel, and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close, the Stephen Daldry-directed adaptation of Jonathan Safran Foer’s novel that stars Tom Hanks and Sandra Bullock. He is prepping at Paramount the Sacha Baron Cohen comedy The Dictator, and at Universal he’s got the Paul Greengrass-directed Martin Luther King Jr.  assassination drama Memphis. Read More »

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DreamWorks Enters WikiLeaks Movie Sweepstakes, Buying Two Major Books

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Tuesday March 1, 2011 @ 5:25pm PSTTags: Aaron Sorkin, Alex Gibney, Ben Mezrich, Bill Keller, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, David Leigh, Facebook, Holly Bario, Jesse Eisenberg, Julian Assange, Luke Harding, Marc Shmuger, Mark Boal, Mark Sourian, Mark Zuckerberg, Martin Luther King, Megan Ellison, Movie Deals, Movies, Paul Greengrass, Raffi Khatchadourian, Scott Rudin, Stacey Snider, Steven Spielberg, The Guardian, The Social Network, Wikileaks
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: DreamWorks has officially entered the derby to turn the story of Julian Assange and WikiLeaks into a feature film. The studio has acquired rights to two books by pivotal players in the WikiLeaks drama. DreamWorks has secured screen rights … Read More »

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Universal Steps Up For Paul Greengrass On Martin Luther King Drama ‘Memphis’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday February 23, 2011 @ 11:28am PSTTags: Martin Luther King, Memphis, Paul Greengrass, Universal Pictures
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures will make Memphis, the drama about the assassination of Martin Luther King written and directed by Paul Greengrass. The picture is being produced by Scott Rudin, the Oscar-nominated producer of Best Picture candidates The Social Network and … Read More »

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Fox And James Cameron Tap Shawn Levy For 3D ‘Fantastic Voyage’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Monday February 7, 2011 @ 7:43am PSTTags: 20th Century Fox, Darren Aronofsky, Deadliest Warrior, Fantastic Voyage, James Cameron, Laeta Kalogridis, Louis Leterrier, Movie Deals, Movies, Paul Greengrass, Shane Salerno, Shawn Levy, Spike TV, Steve Carell, Timur Bekmambetov, Tina Fey
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: 20th Century Fox has set Shawn Levy to direct Fantastic Voyage, the James Cameron-produced 3D tent pole film. I’m told that Levy has boarded the re-imagining of the 1966 original about a team of scientists shrunk into a ship … Read More »

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‘Hurt Locker’s Mark Boal At Center Of WikiLeaks Film Deal As Other Julian Assange Movies Mobilize

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday February 2, 2011 @ 5:55pm PSTTags: Alex Gibney, Bill Keller, CAA, Daniel Domscheit-Berg, David Leigh, Der Spiegel, DreamWorks, Julian Assange, Kathryn Bigelow, Luke Harding, Management 360, Marc Shmuger, Mark Boal, Megan Ellison, Paul Greengrass, Raffi Khatchadourian, Stieg Larsson, The Guardian, The New York Times, The New Yorker, Tom Hanks, Universal Pictures, Wikileaks
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: The Hurt Locker screenwriter Mark Boal and Management 360 have partnered with financier/producer Megan Ellison to option The Boy Who Kicked the Hornet’s Nest, an article about WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange in The New York Times Magazine written by the … Read More »

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More Film Deals: Paul Greengrass Eyes MLK

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday January 13, 2011 @ 4:02pm PSTTags: Martin Luther King Jr., Memphis, Movie Deals, Movies, Paul Greengrass, Scott Rudin

Paul Greengrass is reportedly considering an MLK drama he’s written called Memphis, which would be produced by Scott Rudin. I’m told it’s by no means definite, but if Vulture’s scoop happens – it will happen fast, and will be done … Read More »

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Filmmakers “Pretty Close” On ‘Cleopatra’: Will Paul Greengrass Direct This Mega-Gig?

By NIKKI FINKE AND MIKE FLEMING JR | Tuesday January 4, 2011 @ 6:53pm PSTTags: Angelina Jolie, Cleopatra, Movie Deals, Movies, Paul Greengrass, Scott Rudin, Sony Pictures Cleopatra

Producer Scott Rudin reveals to Deadline that “we’re pretty close” to pinning down a director for his mega-high-profile Sony Pictures 3D movie Cleopatra starring Angelina Jolie and based on Pulitzer Prize-winner Stacy Schiff’s biography Cleopatra: A Life. Rudin isn’t spilling but we hear that the filmmakers “like the idea” of the much respected Paul Greengrass although his name hasn’t even been mentioned yet to Angie who’s attached. Greengrass, who helmed the most recent two Bourne franchise action thrillers as well as Green Zone and United 93. He also flirted with doing the 3D Fantastic Voyage for producer James Cameron, who himself flirted with directing the 3D Cleopatra for Rudin. Love it when these things come full circle. We’re obsessed with this project and think Greengrass would be an intriguing hire, perhaps less about spectacle and more about story. “Smart, tough, political, hard-nosed…,” an insider described the director to Deadline. “Sort of the idea of Cleopatra in the book.” Not a bad thing considering that the last time Hollywood tried that subject of Cleopatra on a grand scale, back in 1963, it nearly bankrupted 20th Century Fox.

So why will this version fare better? ”It is a completely revisionist Cleopatra, a much more grown-up sophisticated version,” Rudin recently told Mike Fleming. “She’s not a sex kitten, she’s a politician, strategist, warrior. In the Joseph Mankiewicz movie, Elizabeth Taylor is a seductress, but the histories of Cleopatra have been written by men. This is the first to be written by a woman. It felt like such a blow-the-doors-off-the-hinges idea of how to tell it, impossible to resist. We’re pretty close. A lot of directors want to do it, but there is only a handful we’ll make it with.” Of course, Cameron was seriously discussing Rudin’s pic before taking that huge deal at Fox to direct the two Avatar sequels. Did Rudin feel leveraged? “No,” he tells Fleming. “I’ve been a good friend of Jim Cameron’s since I was the executive on Aliens. I got promoted because of my relationship with Jim Cameron and the guy’s been a seminal figure in my career. I never for one second thought we were being leveraged. I fully expected Fox to make the play they did, to make sure he didn’t do Cleopatra. I wasn’t surprised when they did.”

Rudin, who acquired the Schiff book, is producer. Deadline has had the scoop on this project all along, from Cameron’s interest, to Jolie anxious to make the movie, to Sony Pictures Entertainment Co-Chair Amy Pascal deciding to fast-track this PG-13 and 3D Cleopatra after screenwriter Bran Helgeland wrote what is being described as a “brilliant script deserving of epic treatment” about Read More »

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Paul Greengrass Talks British Film Woes

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Monday December 20, 2010 @ 9:59am PSTTags: British Film Industry, Paul Greengrass
Mike Fleming

We don’t often get a look inside the process of Paul Greengrass, but here’s a glimpse in a short interview done by actor David Morrissey. Though he doesn’t get to the bottom of why Greengrass left the Bourne … Read More »

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