Or, as Zeke puts it: “Forrest Gump made a billion dollars selling shrimp, and Jenny still won’t fuck him!” It’s a twisted punchline to open the latest entry in a series mostly known for hacking people to death in depraved Rube Goldberg-like contraptions, and makes it clear that Rock — who originated the idea for this sequel — clearly had input on the screenplay, even if he doesn’t have a writing credit....
Production on the series had already begun and was roughly one-fifth of the way through before the events of last spring reconfigured everything. Speaking on a panel as part of the Television Critics Association’s virtual Summer Press Tour, producers and members of the cast shared their experiences from various stages of lockdown and how those, in turn, informed the show they were all working to create. “The themes of the show were becoming so resonant as we’re going forward, it really made us think so much about what’s important in life, which is really what the show’s about,” said Jeremy Podeswa, an executive producer and director on the series....
“Alex,” the filmmaker said, looking into his screen. “Are you available to me?” Winter chuckled. “Steven,” he said, “I will always be available to you.” For all his dexterity behind the camera over the years, Soderbergh has maintained a foothold in the industry by supporting other projects that jibe with his sensibilities, building out his network as he moves along. The surreal antics of “Bill and Ted” might seem a bit broader than most of Soderbergh’s work, but that’s also why the filmmaker chose to help push the project along, rather than directing it himself....
WarnerMedia announced on Wednesday that Soderbergh will direct all six episodes of the series, which will be written by Ed Solomon. The duo also executive produce alongside Casey Silver; “Full Circle” serves as a reunion for the team following “No Sudden Move,” which premiered on HBO Max in July. Per WarnerMedia, “Full Circle” will center on an investigation into a botched kidnapping that uncovers long-held secrets connecting multiple characters and cultures in present day New York City....
The “Stranger Things” S4 finale will likely become the longest episode of American television in history. In industry parlance, these “supersized” episodes have become more commonplace, but they stretch back to the 1983 series finale of “MAS*H.” It was 2 1/2 hours long, although that was considered to be a TV movie — and one that contained a number of very expensive commercials. “The Long Night” episode from Season 8 of “Game of Thrones” ran 82 minutes and the 2016 “Gilmore Girls” revival offered four installments of 90 minutes each....
In a May interview with The Wrap, stars Millie Bobby Brown and Noah Schnapp were open about their desire to see more main characters killed off, citing the show’s ballooning cast size. Schnapp suggested writing a “massacre scene” into an upcoming episode to get rid of unnecessary characters, while Brown called showrunners Matt and Ross Duffer “sensitive Sallies” for refusing to kill more characters. If that wasn’t enough of a hint, she gave the writers even more clear marching orders....
The stakes are high: Organizers during the Day One press conference Thursday said they expect their largest festival audience ever, driven by the fact that tickets are available to anyone in the US with a computer and internet connection. In 2020, the festival reported 116,800 people in attendance and 215,873 tickets redeemed. “‘If you build it, will they come?’ — we weren’t sure,” said Sundance Institute Executive Director/CEO Keri Putnam. “We’ve met and exceeded the goals that we had for audience reach and accessibility....
