James Gray

Started by Pas, April 12, 2010, 10:40:30 AM

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wilder

Canal Plus Bites Into 'Hard Apple' With James Gray
via Variety

Looking to explore different genre and worlds, French pay TV giant Canal Plus is joining forces with American filmmaker James Gray to foray into "Hard Apple," an adult-skewing animated series.

Gray, whose latest movie, the Marion Cotillard starrer "The Immigrant," opened in competition at Cannes, will serve as executive producer and will supervise all creative aspects of the series, including the writing.

Inspired by New York-born author Jerome Charyn's "Isaac Sidel" novels, the series opens in the 1970s and charts the rise of New York City's premier law enforcer, detective Isaac Sidel, as he covers three decades of crime and political corruption.

"Hard Apple" brings together an A-list creative team, leading with Israeli illustrators Tomer and Asaf Hanuka, who have worked for the New Yorker, Rolling Stone, as well as Ari Folman's film "Waltz With Bashir." The pair will create the animation designs such as the decor and characters.

Charyn's Isaac Sidel literary collection kicked off 40 years ago with "Blue Eyes" and have been translated into seven languages, attracting a cult following worldwide. The franchise's latest thriller novel, "Under the Eye of God," came out in 2012.

The series is being produced by Yonatan Israel ("Watermarks") and Bruno Nahon ("The Churchmen"), Arnold Barkus, Adam Yaffe, Lalou Dammond, and Joaquin Baca-Asay.

Barkus and Yaffe will write the series and will be joined by a few other European scribes. A showrunner and a director will soon be attached.

Fabrice de la Patelliere, the topper of French drama and co-productions for Canal Plus, said the group was particularly proud to "venture into such a singular animated TV series for adults with someone as talented and visionary as James Gray."

"Animation for adults is rare on television, even though it's a very rich field of expression," explained the mild-mannered De la Patelliere, who is notoriously demanding when it comes to scripts and has originated lots of hits and very few misses since joining Canal Plus in 2012. "We love Jerome Charyn's crime novels, the visual universe of the Hanuka brothers and the sensibility of James Gray. This project is the unique occasion to bring together all this talents."

Nahon pointed out that while the thriller/detective genre is widely popular in live-action drama series, it has not been explored in animation up until now." Added Nahon, "Animation for adults has been done successfully with comedies such as 'South Park,' which shows us there is an audience for that kind of edgy animation material, so mixing crime drama and animation will allow us to explore a globally appreciated but very familiar genre in a completely original way."

Per Nahon and Israel, "Gray has a unique sensibility and aesthetic that is a perfect match for the series."

De la Patelliere has been the driving force behind Canal Plus' Creation Originale division, which in the last few years has co-produced such hits as "The Returned" and "Braquo" and the upcoming sprawling spy thriller "Le Bureau des Legendes."

OpO1832

I love James Gray, I think The Yards is a masterpiece and i think his first feature is perhaps one of the greatest first movies a director can make, and he made in in his 20s! We Own the Night was a great looking movie but it need a re write but I adore that movie's look. I really dug Two Lovers ( James Gray's own cringe moments for me are when he attempts to do a nightclub scene, the music never works< two lovers  & we own the night/ the yard nightclub stuff was good_ since i am on the topic 25th hour's night club sequences hold it down, liquid liquid cavern then cyamende bra...greatness)

the immigrant was disappointing. j.p was okay , i did not buy marion being a polish immigrant...why the hell didn't he hire a polish actress for that part? I believe he thought he would bank on marion's star power and his ability to bring people in the theatre but it didn't work, she just did not come across well but the worst part was Jeremy Renner, his character was underwritten and his acting was dull. The set pieces and cinematography were astounding and lush, considering that gray had a ton of source material to have fun with ( Sante's Lowlife book is filled to the fucking brim with great stuff ) i was underwhelmed but again the movie is perhaps of the best looking films of the year.

I have HIGH hopes for Lost City of Z. I love the Percy Fawcett story, I love that Gray is going to the jungle. I am huge fan of Herzog and Fitzcarraoldo, Aguire and Cobr Verde!
What has me really excited is the fact that Cumberach is not in the movie and Charlie Hunman is! HE IS PERFECT for the role of Fawcett! I can't wait to see this movie, its the movie I am most excited for to see!



OpO1832

Any production photos of Lost City of Z this is one of my most anticipated films.


OpO1832

damn i missed the uploaded trailer and now its been taken down anyone download and save it?

Drenk

Quote from: OpO1832 on April 16, 2016, 12:59:16 PM
damn i missed the uploaded trailer and now its been taken down anyone download and save it?

Don't watch it, it was a trailer to sell the movie: it showed way too much.
Ascension.

wilder


wilder

James Gray Says 'Heart Of Darkness'-Esque Sci-Fi 'Ad Astra' Starring Brad Pitt Shoots This Summer
via The Playlist

A couple months back it was reported that Pitt was circling Gray's sci-fi flick "Ad Astra," and the director confirms the film is going ahead, with cameras rolling very soon. Finally, Pitt and Gray will get to make a movie.

"I'm terrified by it. The science-fiction genre is so tricky because there are elements of fantasy usually involved, and there are also fantastical elements. What I'm trying to do is the most realistic depiction of space travel that's been put in a movie and to basically say, 'Space is awfully hostile to us.' It's kind of a 'Heart of Darkness' story about traveling to the outer edge of our solar system. I have a lot of hopes for it but it is certainly ambitious... It starts shooting July 17th, so not too far away," the director told Collider.

It's another interesting clue about the movie, which follows a slightly autistic space engineer who embarks on a one-way trip to Neptune to find out why his father's previous mission to find signs of intelligent life failed.


Drenk

Brad Pitt in a James Gray movie was something I was really excited about for The Lost City of Z almost ten years ago, so I'm very happen it will happen this time!

Ascension.

wilder

James Gray To Write & Direct New Film About Life In 1980s Queens
via The Playlist

According to RT Features, the production company has teamed with Gray on a new semi-autobiographical film about life in 1980s New York City, titled "Armageddon Time." The film is written and will be directed by Gray. "Armageddon Time" is being described as a memoir-type film that will cover life in Queens during that era. However, Variety adds a wrinkle saying that the film will also include Fred Trump and his son Donald J. Trump as supporting characters.

"Armageddon Time" is said to pull from Gray's time attending Kew-Forest School in Queens. The aforementioned Fred Trump served on the board for the school, and his son, Donald, is an alumnus. The film is said to include the Principal of Kew-Forest School as a central character.

Gray is currently wrapping up "Ad Astra," and is supposed to helm "I Am Pilgrim" next. That being said, "Armageddon Time" is said to be casting now, with an eye towards production beginning in early 2020.

Alethia

Exciting! Who will portray the Trumps?

wilder

Cate Blanchett Joins James Gray's Next Film
Variety

Cate Blanchett is set to star in James Gray's next picture "Armageddon Times" at RT Features.

"Armageddon Time" will be written and directed by Gray with his "Ad Astra" partners RT Features producing. The story draws on Gray's own experiences as a student at the Kew-Forest School in Queens. Fred Trump served on the board of the private school and Donald Trump was an alumnus. The school's principal will be a central character.

wilder

James Gray To Write & Direct Drama Series About Norman Mailer
Deadline

Norman Mailer, the celebrated and controversial author behind books such as The Executioner's Song, made headlines earlier this year as part of a publishing brouhaha related to a new collection of the late author's work.

The author of The White Negro: Superficial Reflections on the Hipster is now back in the news with a television series about his life.

John Buffalo Mailer, the son of the writer who died in 2007, created Mailer and has now teamed up with Ad Astra writer/director James Gray on the project.

Gray is also behind feature films including Charlie Hunnam-fronted The Lost City of Z and The Immigrant. In 2014, he directed an episode of SundanceTV's The Red Road, but Mailer marks his first full television series.

Mailer will tell the story of the rebel-intellectual, who documented the journey America took from World War II to WiFi and engaged in one of the most publicly controversial lives – of violent confrontations with literary lions like Truman Capote and Gore Vidal, political icons, sports legends, six wives and numerous mistresses.

The series is based on J. Michael Lennon's biography Norman Mailer: A Double Life.

It will explore a life teeming with adventure, sex, love, violence, hope, strife, betrayal, disappointments, brutal tragedies, and epic triumphs – and some of the most influential writings of the 20th Century.

It is produced by Mailer Tuchman Media, run by John Buffalo Mailer, who himself has starred in films including Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps and Blind. Rudy Langlais, who produced Denzel Washington film The Hurricane, exec produces alongside Mailer, Martin Tuchman and Jennifer Gelfer. UTA's Jeremy Barber is representing the project.

"It's hard to come up with another individual whose voice meant more in his time than Norman Mailer's – he chronicled humanity in all its outrageous and ugly glory through a lens that was uniquely his own. I look forward to the exciting challenge of examining his wild legacy through this series," said James Gray.

"Mailer loomed – and still looms – large over American culture, every part of it – and as much lived an epically large and complex life – of exquisite writing, violent confrontations, drunken lifestyle, volatile marriages, brilliant ideas, clashes with fellow writers, feminists, cops, politicians – the whole gamut of America in a life lived not on the margins but in the center of the tumult — much of which he created himself so he could be the star of it," added Rudy Langlais. "I worked with Mailer for 20 years. You couldn't make him up, couldn't find a better subject for a dramatic series."

John Buffalo Mailer said, "This series is going to be a no-holds-barred, pull-no-punches, intimate chronicle of my father's life, as well as his role in shaping the American dialogue for over half a century. As we examine this unique cultural moment we are experiencing today in America, looking back on how we got here through one of the most fascinating, prophetic, and controversial lenses of the 20th century will be an extraordinary tool in terms of understanding how far we have come, and how far we still have yet to go. I cannot imagine a better visionary voice to bring this journey to life today than James Gray. We are honored that it will be in his hands."

"Throughout life writers have been the mainstay of recording the world's history. It is my belief that Norman Mailer was one of our greatest. Not only did he write about life's pathos, whether it be about a presidential race which changed the trajectory of our country, or diving into the mind of the world's most beloved as well as maligned figures. Norman not only wrote about history, he lived it as well. His life was full of drama, humor, and ultimately love. It's the kind of life that makes for great storytelling. We plan to tell it warts and all," added Jennifer Gelfer.

Drenk

This made me sad when I realized Drama meant Series. I don't feel like Gray has any interest in TV Series, but that's just where the business is for his kind of fiction. Not that he should be pitied. His last two movies had comfortable budgets. This is history, etc. Let's make a Series about James Gray leaving Cannes empty handed for the hundredth time and calling Amazon.
Ascension.