[Spoiler alert: Do not read on if you haven’t seen “Ma.”]
Octavia Spencer does some crazy, crazy stuff in “Ma,” from locking up teenagers to sewing their mouths shut. The actress was game for a lot, director Tate Taylor tells TheWrap, but was scared of shooting one particular scene in the horror movie.
“She was so game, her favorite guilty pleasure in real life is watching murder TV and forensic shows — she loves it,” Taylor said. “The only thing she wasn’t excited about was that huge explosion in the basement — that was real and it was scary.”
To calm Spencer down, Taylor said, a “really handsome” special effects guy gave her a big hug and told her: “Look me in the eye — we’ve got this.” In fact, the scene was incredibly difficult to shoot because they just had one day to shoot it.
See Video: Octavia Spencer Traumatizes Teenagers in Chilling 'Ma' First Trailer
Spencer plays Ma, a veterinary...
Octavia Spencer does some crazy, crazy stuff in “Ma,” from locking up teenagers to sewing their mouths shut. The actress was game for a lot, director Tate Taylor tells TheWrap, but was scared of shooting one particular scene in the horror movie.
“She was so game, her favorite guilty pleasure in real life is watching murder TV and forensic shows — she loves it,” Taylor said. “The only thing she wasn’t excited about was that huge explosion in the basement — that was real and it was scary.”
To calm Spencer down, Taylor said, a “really handsome” special effects guy gave her a big hug and told her: “Look me in the eye — we’ve got this.” In fact, the scene was incredibly difficult to shoot because they just had one day to shoot it.
See Video: Octavia Spencer Traumatizes Teenagers in Chilling 'Ma' First Trailer
Spencer plays Ma, a veterinary...
- 6/3/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Allison Janney has signed up for The Girl on the Train.
The Mom actress joins Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Jared Leto and Justin Theroux in the cast of the novel adaptation, reports Variety.
Tate Taylor is bringing the Paula Hawkins bestseller to the big screen, from a screenplay by Erin Cressida Wilson.
It tells the story of recently divorced Rachel (Blunt) whose daydreaming about a young couple she passes on her commute each morning is shattered when the wife Megan (Bennett) goes missing.
Janney would play a police detective assigned to the case.
Janney has previously worked with Taylor on The Help, Get on Up and Pretty Ugly People.
Cameras are due to start rolling soon on The Girl on the Train with a prospective October 7, 2016 release in the Us.
The Mom actress joins Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Jared Leto and Justin Theroux in the cast of the novel adaptation, reports Variety.
Tate Taylor is bringing the Paula Hawkins bestseller to the big screen, from a screenplay by Erin Cressida Wilson.
It tells the story of recently divorced Rachel (Blunt) whose daydreaming about a young couple she passes on her commute each morning is shattered when the wife Megan (Bennett) goes missing.
Janney would play a police detective assigned to the case.
Janney has previously worked with Taylor on The Help, Get on Up and Pretty Ugly People.
Cameras are due to start rolling soon on The Girl on the Train with a prospective October 7, 2016 release in the Us.
- 10/29/2015
- Digital Spy
Emily Blunt, Rebecca Ferguson, Haley Bennett, Jared Leto and Justin Theroux are already all aboard, but The Girl On The Train is still accepting more passengers. Allison Janney is the latest to join the ensemble cast for Tate Taylor's adaptation of Paula Hawkins' bestseller. Erin Cressida Wilson wrote the screenplay from the much buzzed-about book, which drew comparisons to Gillian Flynn’s Gone Girl for its narrative. We’ll caution that even the basic synopsis might be considered a spoiler, but read on if you wish… The story follows a recently divorced woman called Rachel (Blunt) struggling with her life and sinking into alcoholism to try to cope. She spies a seemingly perfect couple from her London train ride every day and starts to fantasise about their lives. But things take a turn when she sees something shocking…Janney will play a police detective, continuing a working relationship...
- 10/29/2015
- EmpireOnline
Papa's got a brand-new bag, and this time it's in the form of a biopic. James Brown will finally see his life play out on the big screen now that Universal and Imagine Entertainment are moving forward with the long-gestating film.
According to Variety, Chadwick Boseman, who broke onto the scene this year as Jackie Robinson in "42," will play Brown. Tate Taylor ("The Help," "Pretty Ugly People") is on board to direct a script by Jez and John Henry Butterworth ("Fair Game").
The biopic will trace Brown's rise to fame, from his early days living in poverty in Georgia to his breakout as an R&B superstar. The film will be shot solely in Mississippi, Taylor and the state's governor announced.
Pleased to announce Tate Taylor will lead the production of another film project in Ms >> http://t.co/uH2zuNiOBf http://t.co/z9N8dx6QbI
— Phil Bryant...
According to Variety, Chadwick Boseman, who broke onto the scene this year as Jackie Robinson in "42," will play Brown. Tate Taylor ("The Help," "Pretty Ugly People") is on board to direct a script by Jez and John Henry Butterworth ("Fair Game").
The biopic will trace Brown's rise to fame, from his early days living in poverty in Georgia to his breakout as an R&B superstar. The film will be shot solely in Mississippi, Taylor and the state's governor announced.
Pleased to announce Tate Taylor will lead the production of another film project in Ms >> http://t.co/uH2zuNiOBf http://t.co/z9N8dx6QbI
— Phil Bryant...
- 8/27/2013
- by Matthew Jacobs
- Huffington Post
The Help writer and director Tate Taylor is officially in charge for the upcoming big screen adaptation of Stephen King‘s latest novel titled Joyland! So, who dares enter the funhouse or fear? Apparently Taylor, who made his directorial debut with 2008′s Pretty Ugly People is more than ready for this challenge, ’cause he will both adapt and direct the hard-boiled thriller. At this moment we can inform you that Stephen King‘s novel arrives this June from publisher Hard Case Crime, and that the whole thing is set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, where: …college student Devin Jones arrives at the park...
Click to continue reading Tate Taylor To Adapt & Direct Stephen King’s Latest Novel Joyland! on www.filmofilia.com...
Click to continue reading Tate Taylor To Adapt & Direct Stephen King’s Latest Novel Joyland! on www.filmofilia.com...
- 5/3/2013
- by Jeanne Standal
- Filmofilia
Although the book won't hit shelves until June, The Help writer-director Tate Taylor is already eyeing an adaptation of Stephen King's latest, Joyland . Deadline reports that Taylor has picked up an option to adapt and direct the hard-boiled thriller, officially described as follows: Set in a small-town North Carolina amusement park in 1973, Joyland tells the story of the summer in which college student Devin Jones comes to work as a carny and confronts the legacy of a vicious murder, the fate of a dying child, and the ways both will change his life forever. Prior to The Help , Taylor made his directorial debut with 2008's Pretty Ugly People . He's also said to be working on a James Brown biopic. Taylor will also produce alongside John Norris and his Wyolah Films.
- 5/2/2013
- Comingsoon.net
Director Tate Taylor is in talks to helm an upcoming biopic based on the life of "The Godfather of Soul," James Brown. Deadline brings word that the project, which is currently without a title, will be produced by Brian Grazer and Mick Jagger. Jez and John-Henry Butterworth are providing the screenplay for the film which begins with Brown's impoverished childhood in South Carolina and follows through his rise to international stardom. Taylor made his feature film debut with 2008's Pretty Ugly People and received critical acclaim for his sophomore feature, 2011's The Help . A search is now underway for an actor to play the iconic musician. (Photo Credit: Danny Clifford / Hottwire.net / WENN.com)...
- 10/23/2012
- Comingsoon.net
AP From left: Tate Taylor, Octavia Spencer and Brunson Green of ‘The Help’ at the Academy Awards.
Oscar week started off with a bang on Wednesday. Since I’m a little green in the fashion department, I enlisted my stylist friend of “Fashion Police” fame, George Kotsiopoulos, to help me with the daunting task of picking a tux. We ended up settling on a sharp Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers three-button number.
With that out of the way, I headed...
Oscar week started off with a bang on Wednesday. Since I’m a little green in the fashion department, I enlisted my stylist friend of “Fashion Police” fame, George Kotsiopoulos, to help me with the daunting task of picking a tux. We ended up settling on a sharp Black Fleece by Brooks Brothers three-button number.
With that out of the way, I headed...
- 2/28/2012
- by Brunson Green
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
Melissa McCarthy and guest Melissa McCarthy, a Best Supporting Actress nominee for Paul Feig's sleeper hit comedy Bridesmaids, arrives at the 18th Annual Screen Actors Guild Awards broadcast on TNT/TBS from the Shrine Auditorium on January 29, 2012, in Los Angeles, California. Mcarthy's competitors were The Help's Jessica Chastain and Octavia Spencer, The Artist's Bérénice Bejo, and Albert Nobbs' Janet McTeer. Spencer was the winner. (Photo by Kevin Mazur/WireImage.) Melissa McCarthy was also one of the Bridesmaids cast members nominated for best ensemble. The others were Jill Clayburgh, Rose Byrne, Wendi McLendon-Covey, Matt Lucas, Chris O'Dowd, Maya Rudolph, Kristen Wiig, and Ellie Kemper. The mostly female Bridesmaids cast lost to the mostly female cast of Tate Taylor's The Help, which, in addition to Octavia Spencer and Jessica Chastain, SAG Award Best Actress winner Viola Davis, Emma Stone, Mary Steenburgen, Sissy Spacek, Bryce Dallas Howard, Mike Vogel,...
- 2/1/2012
- by D. Zhea
- Alt Film Guide
Photo credit: Getty Images
Screenwriter-director Tate Taylor has been named recipient of the Writers Guild of America, West.s 2012 Paul Selvin Award for his adapted screenplay for the civil rights-era drama The Help.
The Guild.s Selvin Award recognizes written work which embodies the spirit of constitutional rights and civil liberties. Filmmaker Taylor will be honored at the 2012 Writers Guild Awards West Coast ceremony on Sunday, February 19, at the Hollywood Palladium.
.Tate Taylor.s adapted screenplay for The Help artfully distills the empowering essence and core emotional truths of Kathryn Stockwell.s novel, translating it into a film that forcefully illustrates how ordinary people can impact positive social change. Evoking a specific time and place, the film.s message is ultimately universal and remains relevant today. Tate.s honor is well-deserved . and his script does Paul Selvin.s legacy proud by conveying the continuing power of the written word,. said Wgaw President Christopher Keyser.
Screenwriter-director Tate Taylor has been named recipient of the Writers Guild of America, West.s 2012 Paul Selvin Award for his adapted screenplay for the civil rights-era drama The Help.
The Guild.s Selvin Award recognizes written work which embodies the spirit of constitutional rights and civil liberties. Filmmaker Taylor will be honored at the 2012 Writers Guild Awards West Coast ceremony on Sunday, February 19, at the Hollywood Palladium.
.Tate Taylor.s adapted screenplay for The Help artfully distills the empowering essence and core emotional truths of Kathryn Stockwell.s novel, translating it into a film that forcefully illustrates how ordinary people can impact positive social change. Evoking a specific time and place, the film.s message is ultimately universal and remains relevant today. Tate.s honor is well-deserved . and his script does Paul Selvin.s legacy proud by conveying the continuing power of the written word,. said Wgaw President Christopher Keyser.
- 1/30/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Hugo versus The Artist! Meryl versus Viola! George versus Brad! The 84th Academy Awards are shaping up to be a night of epic showdowns, and this year’s nominations tightened the race in exciting fashion. In this week’s EW, we take you inside all exciting categories, explore the shocking snubs, and introduce you to all the nominees you may not know about (Demián who?).
Two of the happiest nominees this year? Good pals Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer, who were both nominated for Best Supporting Actress (for Bridesmaids and The Help, respectively). The pair costarred in a little-seen 2008 indie called Pretty Ugly People,...
Two of the happiest nominees this year? Good pals Melissa McCarthy and Octavia Spencer, who were both nominated for Best Supporting Actress (for Bridesmaids and The Help, respectively). The pair costarred in a little-seen 2008 indie called Pretty Ugly People,...
- 1/25/2012
- by EW staff
- EW.com - PopWatch
Music Videos - Free Music Videos
Octavia Spencer has been taking the 2012 awards season by storm. After winning at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and the Golden Globes, she was a sure bet for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination today. But that’s not why her Help co-star Allison Janney was singing her praises yesterday at Sundance. Allison and Octavia go way back, along with fellow Supporting Actress nominee Melissa McCarthy and The Artist co-star Missi Pyle, who all starred in Help director Tate Taylor’s Pretty Ugly People in 2008.
“This has been amazing to see Octavia blossom and see everyone discover her and see how wonderful she is, ’cause we’ve all known for years,” Janney told VH1 News. “We’ve all been friends with her and worked with her. I’ve done all of Tate’s movies with her before and just think the world of her.
Octavia Spencer has been taking the 2012 awards season by storm. After winning at the Critics’ Choice Movie Awards and the Golden Globes, she was a sure bet for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar nomination today. But that’s not why her Help co-star Allison Janney was singing her praises yesterday at Sundance. Allison and Octavia go way back, along with fellow Supporting Actress nominee Melissa McCarthy and The Artist co-star Missi Pyle, who all starred in Help director Tate Taylor’s Pretty Ugly People in 2008.
“This has been amazing to see Octavia blossom and see everyone discover her and see how wonderful she is, ’cause we’ve all known for years,” Janney told VH1 News. “We’ve all been friends with her and worked with her. I’ve done all of Tate’s movies with her before and just think the world of her.
- 1/24/2012
- by Sabrina Rojas Weiss
- TheFabLife - Movies
Mark Ricker Octavia Spencer at Brunson Green at the Palm Springs International Film Festival.
Brunson Green, the producer of “The Help,” is Speakeasy’s roving reporter on the red carpets this week as he attends multiple awards ceremonies and events on behalf of the film. Follow his blog entries here as he photographs and writes about each night.
Four punctures to the face by a friend’s dog was not a great start to the New Year, and definitely not...
Brunson Green, the producer of “The Help,” is Speakeasy’s roving reporter on the red carpets this week as he attends multiple awards ceremonies and events on behalf of the film. Follow his blog entries here as he photographs and writes about each night.
Four punctures to the face by a friend’s dog was not a great start to the New Year, and definitely not...
- 1/9/2012
- by Brunson Green
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
[1] Even as Julie Delpy gears up for a possible third Before Sunrise pic [2] with Ethan Hawke and Richard Linklater, the busy writer-director-actress has attached herself to helm a biopic of iconic rock musician Joe Strummer called The Right Profile. Strummer is best remembered as the frontman of British punk group The Clash, though his musical resume also includes solo work, stints with The Mescaleros and The Pogues, and the soundtracks for Walker and Sid and Nancy. (The film is named after this Clash song [3], from London Calling. The tune even points back to the movies, with lyrics about '40s film star Montgomery Clift.) Few details about the project have been revealed at this time, though we do know the film will follow Strummer's disappearance from the public spotlight in 1982. Variety [4] notes that Delpy could appear in the picture -- seeing as she's acted in nearly all of her directorial efforts,...
- 11/22/2011
- by Angie Han
- Slash Film
Tate Taylor and Melissa McCarthy are enjoying incredibly productive years . he for his work directing The Help and she for her scene-stealing turn in Bridesmaids, as well as her Emmy-winning work on the television sitcom Mike & Molly. The idea of the two of them reuniting on a road-trip comedy for New Line -- Taylor directed McCarthy in the 2008 comedy Pretty Ugly People -- had several people in the industry excited. But alas, it.s not to be. Variety confirms that Taylor has decided not to direct Tammy, a comedy based on a concept McCarthy hatched as a potential starring vehicle. The comedian will play a woman who, after losing her job at a fast food restaurant, learns her husband is cheating. Caught in a spiral of anger and depression, she embarks on a road trip with her foul-mouthed grandmother. Get me Betty White and Cloris Leachman on the phone, stat!
- 11/21/2011
- cinemablend.com
Melissa McCarthy, Ben Falcone Bridesmaids actress Melissa McCarthy and actor Ben Falcone attend the 2011 Governors Awards in the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland in Hollywood, on Saturday, November 12. [Photo: Matt Petit / ©A.M.P.A.S.] James Earl Jones was a long-distance Honorary Oscar honoree, but makeup artist Dick Smith (The Alligator People, All the Way Home) was present at the ceremony to receive his Honorary Oscar. The Color Purple's Oprah Winfrey was the recipient of the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award. Among Melissa McCarthy's movie credits are Pretty Ugly People, The Back-Up Plan, Life As We Know It, Just Add Water, and the critical and commercial hit Bridesmaids. Ben Falcone had one of the male roles in female-oriented Bridesmaids — a possible Academy Award contender and a surefire Golden Globe nominee in the Best Comedy or Musical category.
- 11/18/2011
- by D. Zhea
- Alt Film Guide
Release Date: Dec. 6, 2012
Price: DVD $29.99, Blu-ray/DVD $39.99, Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy $44.99, Standard-Definition Digital Download $29.99, High-Definition Digital Download $39.99
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
One of the most loved movies of 2011, The Help is based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Kathryn Stockett.
Set in Mississippi during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, the film stars Emma Stone (Easy A) as Skeeter, an aspiring author who decides to write a tell-all book from the point of view of the African American maids who work for wealthy white families in the South, the titular “help.” When Skeeter finally gets her best friend’s housekeeper Aibileen (Viola Davis, It’s Kind of a Funny Story) to open up, it’s in secret. Other maids join in despite the danger, and as Skeeter hears their stories, her life-long friendships — as well as her opinions of society — are challenged.
Rated PG-...
Price: DVD $29.99, Blu-ray/DVD $39.99, Blu-ray/DVD/Digital Copy $44.99, Standard-Definition Digital Download $29.99, High-Definition Digital Download $39.99
Studio: Walt Disney Studios Home Entertainment
One of the most loved movies of 2011, The Help is based on the New York Times best-selling novel by Kathryn Stockett.
Set in Mississippi during the civil rights movement in the 1960s, the film stars Emma Stone (Easy A) as Skeeter, an aspiring author who decides to write a tell-all book from the point of view of the African American maids who work for wealthy white families in the South, the titular “help.” When Skeeter finally gets her best friend’s housekeeper Aibileen (Viola Davis, It’s Kind of a Funny Story) to open up, it’s in secret. Other maids join in despite the danger, and as Skeeter hears their stories, her life-long friendships — as well as her opinions of society — are challenged.
Rated PG-...
- 10/24/2011
- by Sam
- Disc Dish
HollywoodNews.com: Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Chris Lowell, Ahna O’Reilly, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen, Cicely Tyson and Mike Vogel to be honored at the Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony.
The 15th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards, presented by Starz Entertainment, are pleased to announce that the cast of DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media’s “The Help” – Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Chris Lowell, Ahna O’Reilly, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen, Cicely Tyson and Mike Vogel – will be recognized at the Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony with the “Hollywood Ensemble Acting Award.”
The announcement was made today by Carlos de Abreu, Founder of the 15th Annual Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony, which will take place on the evening of Monday, October 24, 2011, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The Hollywood Film Awards Gala launches the awards season.
The 15th Annual Hollywood Film Festival and Hollywood Film Awards, presented by Starz Entertainment, are pleased to announce that the cast of DreamWorks Pictures and Participant Media’s “The Help” – Viola Davis, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, Chris Lowell, Ahna O’Reilly, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Sissy Spacek, Mary Steenburgen, Cicely Tyson and Mike Vogel – will be recognized at the Hollywood Awards Gala Ceremony with the “Hollywood Ensemble Acting Award.”
The announcement was made today by Carlos de Abreu, Founder of the 15th Annual Hollywood Film Awards Gala Ceremony, which will take place on the evening of Monday, October 24, 2011, at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.
The Hollywood Film Awards Gala launches the awards season.
- 10/6/2011
- by Josh Abraham
- Hollywoodnews.com
The Help, which opens today, is a blunt, poignant, yet charming look at the uneasy relationship between black maids and their white employers in the pre-Freedom Riders Deep South. Through a sensitive, well-crafted script by Tate Taylor and outstanding performances from a nearly all-female cast: Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, Emma Stone, Bryce Dallas Howard, Allison Janney, The Help manages to convey both the heart and heartlessness of a relationship that many Americans rarely thought about until recently.
The movie is told from the point of view Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (Stone), who is well on her way to Southern spinsterhood, being an unmarried, recent college graduate. Returning home from Ol' Miss to figure out how to make a living as a writer, Skeeter reunites with her childhood friends, led by the uptight racist, Hilly Holbrook (Ron Howard's daughter, Bryce).
Although from the same social class, Skeeter is clearly not one of these women: young,...
The movie is told from the point of view Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan (Stone), who is well on her way to Southern spinsterhood, being an unmarried, recent college graduate. Returning home from Ol' Miss to figure out how to make a living as a writer, Skeeter reunites with her childhood friends, led by the uptight racist, Hilly Holbrook (Ron Howard's daughter, Bryce).
Although from the same social class, Skeeter is clearly not one of these women: young,...
- 8/10/2011
- by Dara Nai
- AfterEllen.com
Chicago – The search for the right actress to portray the pivotal role of Minny in the new film “The Help” ended with Octavia Spencer. The veteran performer was key in expressing the particulars of the character, which was enhanced by director Tate Taylor.
Both Spencer and Tate were in town recently to promote The Help, each expressing their path to the film. Octavia Spencer has been working since the 1990s, best known for playing Constance Grady on the TV series “Ugly Betty.” Tate Taylor is also an actor, and had previously directed only one other feature (”Pretty Ugly People”) before landing the job of adapting Kathryn Stockett’s bestselling novel into a screenplay, and then directing the stellar cast.
Jessica Chastain as Celia and Octavia Spencer as Minny in ‘The Help’
Photo credit: ‘Uncle Dale’ Robinette for DreamWorks Pictures
HollywoodChicago talked to Octavia Spencer and Tate Taylor together, and each...
Both Spencer and Tate were in town recently to promote The Help, each expressing their path to the film. Octavia Spencer has been working since the 1990s, best known for playing Constance Grady on the TV series “Ugly Betty.” Tate Taylor is also an actor, and had previously directed only one other feature (”Pretty Ugly People”) before landing the job of adapting Kathryn Stockett’s bestselling novel into a screenplay, and then directing the stellar cast.
Jessica Chastain as Celia and Octavia Spencer as Minny in ‘The Help’
Photo credit: ‘Uncle Dale’ Robinette for DreamWorks Pictures
HollywoodChicago talked to Octavia Spencer and Tate Taylor together, and each...
- 8/9/2011
- by [email protected] (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Photo: Dreamworks Pictures Let me start by saying this article isn't about naming the best film of 2011. That's another discussion for another time. This article isn't even about whether or not I enjoyed The Help, though I did indeed love the film. Instead, this article is to let everyone know I believe The Help is the first Best Picture lock so far this year, and why I even believe it is an early frontrunner to win it all. Bold, I know, but here are my five reasons for such an opinion.
1. Oscar loves period Which period you ask? Shakespearian times, Elizabethan times, the Civil War period, World War 2, the '60s, the '70s. Any time other time than the present.
That's not to say films representing the present day can never win the Best Picture Oscar. Films like The Best Years of Our Lives, Midnight Cowboy, Ordinary People and...
1. Oscar loves period Which period you ask? Shakespearian times, Elizabethan times, the Civil War period, World War 2, the '60s, the '70s. Any time other time than the present.
That's not to say films representing the present day can never win the Best Picture Oscar. Films like The Best Years of Our Lives, Midnight Cowboy, Ordinary People and...
- 8/8/2011
- by Bill Cody
- Rope of Silicon
DreamWorks Pictures Emma Stone and Viola Davis in “The Help”
Before agreeing to produce “The Help,” the movie adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel about black domestic workers in 1960s Mississippi, DreamWorks Studios head Steven Spielberg needed some assurance. Over breakfast in London, he told producer Chris Columbus—director of the first two “Harry Potter” films, as well as “Home Alone,” among others—that the only way he was going to back the production was if Mr. Columbus agreed...
Before agreeing to produce “The Help,” the movie adaptation of Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel about black domestic workers in 1960s Mississippi, DreamWorks Studios head Steven Spielberg needed some assurance. Over breakfast in London, he told producer Chris Columbus—director of the first two “Harry Potter” films, as well as “Home Alone,” among others—that the only way he was going to back the production was if Mr. Columbus agreed...
- 8/5/2011
- by Rachel Dodes
- Speakeasy/Wall Street Journal
When The Help, the highly anticipated adaptation of the 2009 best-seller about African-American maids and their employers in 1960’s Jackson, Miss., hits screens on August 10, it will represent a huge victory for the power of friendship — namely that between author Katherine Stockett and her childhood best friend, director Tate Taylor. “We were just these oddballs in Jackson,” Taylor says in EW’s cover story. “Latchkey kids, neither accepted in the Junior League set for various scandalous reasons. We knew the sun didn’t rise and fall over Mississippi.” Years later, after finishing the book, Stockett handed over the movie rights to her pal,...
- 8/4/2011
- by EW staff
- EW.com - PopWatch
Here is some zombie news: Emma Stone has been offered a part of Elizabeth Bennet in Craig Gillespie‘s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies after Oscar-winning star Natalie Portman dropped out.
The feature is adaptation of the novel of the same name by Seth Grahame-Smith and takes the traditional Jane Austen story and adds the un-dead into the romance and drama mix which sets in opposition Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy against the brain-eating monsters.
David O. Russell and Mike White have both abandoned directing the film, although Natalie is still attached to produce. The project has attracted actresses such as Mia Wasikowskaand Anne Hathaway but nothing has closed so far.
Grahame-Smith and Marti Noxon are still revising the script. The film will be released by Lionsgate.
The Easy A thesp, who recently completed shooting on forthcoming Marvel comic prequel The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield, first moved from TV into films in 2007′s Superbad,...
The feature is adaptation of the novel of the same name by Seth Grahame-Smith and takes the traditional Jane Austen story and adds the un-dead into the romance and drama mix which sets in opposition Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy against the brain-eating monsters.
David O. Russell and Mike White have both abandoned directing the film, although Natalie is still attached to produce. The project has attracted actresses such as Mia Wasikowskaand Anne Hathaway but nothing has closed so far.
Grahame-Smith and Marti Noxon are still revising the script. The film will be released by Lionsgate.
The Easy A thesp, who recently completed shooting on forthcoming Marvel comic prequel The Amazing Spider-Man with Andrew Garfield, first moved from TV into films in 2007′s Superbad,...
- 6/23/2011
- by Nick Martin
- Filmofilia
DreamWorks Pictures and Geffen Records announced that multiple Grammy Award-winning singer Mary J. Blige wrote and recorded an original song for the soundtrack of the upcoming film “The Help.” The song “The Living Proof” was written after she saw the screening of the film. “The beautiful thing about these women is that they were very smart,” said Blige. “They chose to walk in love and forgiveness.” She added the film celebrates the courage to inspire change. “To speak to so many women with this song means a lot to me,” said Blige. “I wanted to be involved with this film, because I think we need to encourage each other more, we are here to tell a story.” Here is the official synopsis of the film: Based on one of the most talked about books in years and a #1 New York Times best-selling phenomenon, “The Help” stars Emma Stone (“Easy A”) as Skeeter,...
- 6/2/2011
- LRMonline.com
The Hangover: Part Two
Opens: May 26th 2011
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifinakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong
Director: Todd Phillips
Summary: Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don’t always go as planned.
Analysis: It really wasn't until about three months before its release that Warner Brothers realised "The Hangover" was going to be a hit. Test screening response was through the roof, while the trailer had great reaction after premiering at ShoWest and online. About that time they commissioned director Todd Phillips, along with his "Old School" and "Road Trip" scribe Scot Armstrong, to pen a sequel. Yet they still waited to see how the first one went before fully committing to the follow-up.
The wait didn't last long.
Opens: May 26th 2011
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Ed Helms, Zach Galifinakis, Justin Bartha, Ken Jeong
Director: Todd Phillips
Summary: Phil, Stu, Alan and Doug travel to exotic Thailand for Stu’s wedding. After the unforgettable bachelor party in Las Vegas, Stu is taking no chances and has opted for a safe, subdued pre-wedding brunch. However, things don’t always go as planned.
Analysis: It really wasn't until about three months before its release that Warner Brothers realised "The Hangover" was going to be a hit. Test screening response was through the roof, while the trailer had great reaction after premiering at ShoWest and online. About that time they commissioned director Todd Phillips, along with his "Old School" and "Road Trip" scribe Scot Armstrong, to pen a sequel. Yet they still waited to see how the first one went before fully committing to the follow-up.
The wait didn't last long.
- 1/4/2011
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Once upon a time, we mostly knew David Oyelowo as “that guy from Spooks, or Mi-5, as the Americans keep insisting we call it”, but these days he’s been carving out a healthy film career, with roles in The Last King of Scotland, A Sound of Thunder, As You Like It and the upcoming Rise of the Apes. And now he’s signed on to another high profile project, DreamWorks’ drama The Help.Tate Taylor wrote the script and is directing the film based on Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling book. Taylor actually optioned the tome before it became a sensation (he’s a friend of Stockett’s) and despite only having directed one other film (2008’s Pretty Ugly People), he stayed with it when DreamWorks agreed to produce the movie.The Help follows several female characters in 1960s Jackson, Mississippi, an era before the Civil Rights movement when black...
- 9/28/2010
- EmpireOnline
Art imitates art imitates an actress? It would seem so. When researching her bestseller, The Help, Kathryn Stockett used long time friend and actress Octavia Spencer as the inspiration for one of her book.s characters (and used her voice on the audio book). Isn.t it apropos Spencer would get to play that role when the book became a movie? According to Entertainment Weekly, Spencer has landed the role of Minny in the film adaptation of The Help. Tate Taylor (Pretty Ugly People) will direct the story of budding writer, Skeeter Phelan.s (Emma Stone), return to Jackson, Mississippi where she begins collecting stories of the local black women who raise the children of the rich, white elite. Minny Jackson is one of the women she befriends along the way. Spencer has a number of television credits on her resume including playing Constance Grady on Ugly Betty and has...
- 5/18/2010
- cinemablend.com
Academy Award-nominated actress Viola Davis (Eat Pray Love, the best seven minutes of Doubt) is in talks to slide into the Dr. Scholl shoes of Aibileen, the weary and tough Mississippi maid at the heart of Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel The Help. According to Variety, Davis would star in DreamWorks Studios' adaptation of the story about the long-ignored community of African American maids in pre-Civil Rights era Jackson, Miss. and the young white writer who pushes the women to tell their story. Emma Stone, so interesting and funny in the House Bunny, is in talks to play earnest local journalist Miss Skeeter.
- 4/15/2010
- by Karen Valby
- EW.com - PopWatch
DreamWorks Pictures has scored the film rights to Kathryn Stockett's novel "The Help" for 1492 Pictures and Harbinger Pictures says The Hollywood Reporter
Sounding like a female-targeted "Upstairs, Downstairs," the story explores the complicated relationships between the upper class matriarchs and their servants in the American South of the early 1960's.
Tate Taylor ("Pretty Ugly People," "Road Signs") will both direct and adapt the script. He will also produce along with Brunson Green, Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus and Mark Radcliffe.
Sounding like a female-targeted "Upstairs, Downstairs," the story explores the complicated relationships between the upper class matriarchs and their servants in the American South of the early 1960's.
Tate Taylor ("Pretty Ugly People," "Road Signs") will both direct and adapt the script. He will also produce along with Brunson Green, Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus and Mark Radcliffe.
- 3/5/2010
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
The Hollywood Reporter reports that DreamWorks Studios has acquired film rights to Kathryn Stockett’s best-selling novel The Help.
Tate Taylor (who wrote and directed Pretty Ugly People in 2009), adapted the novel into a screenplay, and also will direct the film.
The Help explores the complicated relationships between the matrons of the South in 1962, and the maids and housekeepers who take care of their kids and homes.
I once wanted to work on a documentary that addressed this subject in 21st century USA (specifically New York City), but had difficulty getting people to talk to me willingly; so I chucked it aside to maybe revisit later.
I haven’t read the novel, but I found this write-up of the book via Amazon that gives us an even clearer idea of what to expect, for those unfamiliar:
Southern whites’ guilt for not expressing gratitude to the black maids who raised them...
Tate Taylor (who wrote and directed Pretty Ugly People in 2009), adapted the novel into a screenplay, and also will direct the film.
The Help explores the complicated relationships between the matrons of the South in 1962, and the maids and housekeepers who take care of their kids and homes.
I once wanted to work on a documentary that addressed this subject in 21st century USA (specifically New York City), but had difficulty getting people to talk to me willingly; so I chucked it aside to maybe revisit later.
I haven’t read the novel, but I found this write-up of the book via Amazon that gives us an even clearer idea of what to expect, for those unfamiliar:
Southern whites’ guilt for not expressing gratitude to the black maids who raised them...
- 3/5/2010
- by Tambay
- ShadowAndAct
DreamWorks Studios has acquired film rights to Kathryn Stockett's best-selling novel "The Help."
Tate Taylor, who is a childhood friend of Stockett's, adapted the novel into a screenplay after acquiring the rights. He also will direct the film.
Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus and Mark Radcliffe of 1492 Pictures will produce, along with Taylor and his producing partner, Brunson Green, of Harbinger Pictures.
A book-club favorite published by Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam last year, "The Help" explores the complicated relationships between the matrons of the South in 1962 and the maids and housekeepers who take care of their kids and homes.
"'The Help' is much more than a book; it has become a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of people everywhere," DreamWorks co-president of production Holly Bario said. "Stockett's novel and, subsequently, Tate Taylor's script, perfectly depicts the distinctive relationships these women shared with one another. It's...
Tate Taylor, who is a childhood friend of Stockett's, adapted the novel into a screenplay after acquiring the rights. He also will direct the film.
Michael Barnathan, Chris Columbus and Mark Radcliffe of 1492 Pictures will produce, along with Taylor and his producing partner, Brunson Green, of Harbinger Pictures.
A book-club favorite published by Amy Einhorn Books/Putnam last year, "The Help" explores the complicated relationships between the matrons of the South in 1962 and the maids and housekeepers who take care of their kids and homes.
"'The Help' is much more than a book; it has become a cultural phenomenon that has captured the imagination of people everywhere," DreamWorks co-president of production Holly Bario said. "Stockett's novel and, subsequently, Tate Taylor's script, perfectly depicts the distinctive relationships these women shared with one another. It's...
- 3/4/2010
- by By Jay A. Fernandez
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
“The Help,” a novel by Kathryn Stockett that centers on African-American servants for wealthy white families before the dawn of civil rights, has been fast-tracked by Chris Columbus’ 1492 Productions for a film adaptation.
The Help has been adapted for the screen by Tate Taylor (Pretty Ugly People), while the novel has been on the New York Times bestseller list for 35 weeks, although I’ve never heard of it. According to Variety, it’s Stockett’s big break after a lot of hardship in the industry.
Production will begin next Spring in the south; The Help is set in Mississippi.
If anyone has read the novel, let us know in the comments what you think — judging a book by its cover, Stockett seems to have delivered the subject material in a lighter shade than oh, say, The Color Purple. I might be totally wrong, though.
Related posts:Jennifer Aniston lands ‘Holler...
The Help has been adapted for the screen by Tate Taylor (Pretty Ugly People), while the novel has been on the New York Times bestseller list for 35 weeks, although I’ve never heard of it. According to Variety, it’s Stockett’s big break after a lot of hardship in the industry.
Production will begin next Spring in the south; The Help is set in Mississippi.
If anyone has read the novel, let us know in the comments what you think — judging a book by its cover, Stockett seems to have delivered the subject material in a lighter shade than oh, say, The Color Purple. I might be totally wrong, though.
Related posts:Jennifer Aniston lands ‘Holler...
- 12/16/2009
- by John Cooper
- ReelLoop.com
Chris Columbus' 1492 Productions has fast-tracked a screen adaptation of "The Help," the best-selling Kathryn Stockett novel about African-American domestic servants and their wealthy white employers in Mississippi before the civil rights era. Variety says that Tate Taylor ( Pretty Ugly People ) has written the script and will direct, while 1492 partners Columbus, Michael Barnathan and Michael Radcliffe will produce with Brunson Green of Harbinger Pictures. The novel has been on the New York Times best-seller list for 35 weeks since its publication in February by Putnam imprint Amy Einhorn Books. The plan is to put the film into production next spring in the South.
- 12/16/2009
- Comingsoon.net
Chris Columbus will produce a film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's novel "The Help" for his 1492 Productions says The Hollywood Reporter.
Kathryn Stockett's novel dealt with African-American domestic servants and their wealthy white employers in Mississippi before the civil rights era.
Tate Taylor ("Pretty Ugly People") has adapted the script and will direct. Columbus, Michael Barnathan, Brunson Green and Michael Radcliffe will produce.
Filming kicks off next spring in the South.
Kathryn Stockett's novel dealt with African-American domestic servants and their wealthy white employers in Mississippi before the civil rights era.
Tate Taylor ("Pretty Ugly People") has adapted the script and will direct. Columbus, Michael Barnathan, Brunson Green and Michael Radcliffe will produce.
Filming kicks off next spring in the South.
- 12/16/2009
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Chris Columbus will produce a film adaptation of Kathryn Stockett's novel "The Help" for his 1492 Productions says The Hollywood Reporter.
Kathryn Stockett's novel dealt with African-American domestic servants and their wealthy white employers in Mississippi before the civil rights era.
Tate Taylor ("Pretty Ugly People") has adapted the script and will direct. Columbus, Michael Barnathan, Brunson Green and Michael Radcliffe will produce.
Filming kicks off next spring in the South.
Kathryn Stockett's novel dealt with African-American domestic servants and their wealthy white employers in Mississippi before the civil rights era.
Tate Taylor ("Pretty Ugly People") has adapted the script and will direct. Columbus, Michael Barnathan, Brunson Green and Michael Radcliffe will produce.
Filming kicks off next spring in the South.
- 12/16/2009
- by Garth Franklin
- Dark Horizons
Actress Pyle's Best Man Is A Bear
Actress Missi Pyle has wed her sweetheart in Montana - with a Grizzly bear as the couple's best man.
Naturalist Casey Anderson insisted the beast he raised from a cub had a special place at last month's wedding - and the Josie & The Pussycats star agreed.
Brutus, an 800-pound beast, was rescued by Anderson when he was born into an over-populated zoo, and man and bear have become best friends.
Anderson, who runs the Montana Grizzly Sanctuary, is now set to turn his bear best man into a TV star - the pair will star in Expedition Grizzly, which debuts on the National Geographic Channel in America later this month.
Pyle met her bear man on the set of 2008 movie Pretty Ugly People when Anderson was hired as an animal wrangler.
Naturalist Casey Anderson insisted the beast he raised from a cub had a special place at last month's wedding - and the Josie & The Pussycats star agreed.
Brutus, an 800-pound beast, was rescued by Anderson when he was born into an over-populated zoo, and man and bear have become best friends.
Anderson, who runs the Montana Grizzly Sanctuary, is now set to turn his bear best man into a TV star - the pair will star in Expedition Grizzly, which debuts on the National Geographic Channel in America later this month.
Pyle met her bear man on the set of 2008 movie Pretty Ugly People when Anderson was hired as an animal wrangler.
- 5/2/2009
- WENN
Want to know the status of a particular movie, TV show, or band? Wondering what a certain actress is up to these days? Send your entertainment-related questions to [email protected] — with your first name, city and country — and we'll try to answer as many as we can.
Question: What's going on with Missy Peregrym? The girl is smokin' hot!
— Cassandra, Bay Area, CA
Missy Peregrym
Answer: I think you are probably speaking for a large portion of the lesbian masses when you profess your admiration for Ms. Peregrym.
In fact, I'm pretty sure that an entire generation of women got a glimpse of Peregrym's abs in the undeniably awesome film Stick It (2006) and immediately joined gyms in order to 1) sculpt their very own Peregrym-style six-pack or 2) pick up a girl with a Peregrym-style six-pack.
In 2007, Peregrym had a brief stint on Heroes as a shape-shifter, then took the role...
Question: What's going on with Missy Peregrym? The girl is smokin' hot!
— Cassandra, Bay Area, CA
Missy Peregrym
Answer: I think you are probably speaking for a large portion of the lesbian masses when you profess your admiration for Ms. Peregrym.
In fact, I'm pretty sure that an entire generation of women got a glimpse of Peregrym's abs in the undeniably awesome film Stick It (2006) and immediately joined gyms in order to 1) sculpt their very own Peregrym-style six-pack or 2) pick up a girl with a Peregrym-style six-pack.
In 2007, Peregrym had a brief stint on Heroes as a shape-shifter, then took the role...
- 2/10/2009
- by karman
- AfterEllen.com
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