The legend of Dracula is explored from a new angle with The Last Voyage of the Demeter, based on “The Captain’s Log,” the seventh chapter in Bram Stoker’s influential novel.
The film’s home video release includes an audio commentary with director André Øvredal and producer Bradley J. Fischer, among other special features.
Here are eight things I learned from the Last Voyage of the Demeter commentary:
1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter spent 21 years in development.
Phoenix Pictures acquired the rights to the film, originally titled Demeter, over two decades before the movie made its way to the screen.
“It’s been a solid 21 years since my producing partners, Mike Medavoy, Arnie Messer, and I, optioned the screenplay that we adapted into this film,” Fischer explains at the beginning of the commentary.
“And I’ve been part of it for something like three years, I think,” adds Øvredal.
The film’s home video release includes an audio commentary with director André Øvredal and producer Bradley J. Fischer, among other special features.
Here are eight things I learned from the Last Voyage of the Demeter commentary:
1. The Last Voyage of the Demeter spent 21 years in development.
Phoenix Pictures acquired the rights to the film, originally titled Demeter, over two decades before the movie made its way to the screen.
“It’s been a solid 21 years since my producing partners, Mike Medavoy, Arnie Messer, and I, optioned the screenplay that we adapted into this film,” Fischer explains at the beginning of the commentary.
“And I’ve been part of it for something like three years, I think,” adds Øvredal.
- 10/30/2023
- by Alex DiVincenzo
- bloody-disgusting.com
Steve Carrell portrayed iconic character Michael Scott for five seasons in The Office. But before he was cast as the character, he turned to Ricky Gervais’ Office performance for help. Only to realize that might’ve been a bad idea.
Why Steve Carrell refused to watch the rest of Ricky Gervais’ ‘Office’ performance as David Brent Ricky Gervais, Stuart Brothman, Bill Hilary, and Matt Roush | Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
Office initially started off as Gervais’ brainchild. The UK mockumentary series was originally created by the frequent Golden Globe host and his partner Stephen Merchant in 2001. Although it was short-lived, only lasting for a couple of seasons, it left an incredible impact on the television industry. So much so that the series lived on through the American version of The Office, which was considerably more successful than its predecessor.
Gervais played David Brent, who was the manager to the fictional Wernham Hogg paper company.
Why Steve Carrell refused to watch the rest of Ricky Gervais’ ‘Office’ performance as David Brent Ricky Gervais, Stuart Brothman, Bill Hilary, and Matt Roush | Bryan Bedder/Getty Images
Office initially started off as Gervais’ brainchild. The UK mockumentary series was originally created by the frequent Golden Globe host and his partner Stephen Merchant in 2001. Although it was short-lived, only lasting for a couple of seasons, it left an incredible impact on the television industry. So much so that the series lived on through the American version of The Office, which was considerably more successful than its predecessor.
Gervais played David Brent, who was the manager to the fictional Wernham Hogg paper company.
- 10/28/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Oscar winner Olivia Colman is set to star as a fisherwoman and Dev Patel as her inanimate made-to-order husband in the twisted romance pic Wicker.
Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson will direct the indie from a script they adapted based on a short story, The Wicker Husband, by Ursula Wills-Jones. Topic Studios and Tango will finance and produce Wicker, with the cameras set to start rolling next year.
Colman will play a smelly and ridiculed fisherwoman in a seaside village where, fed up with small-minded neighbors, she commissions herself a husband to be made from wicker, who is played by Patel. In an otherwise conservative town, their unconventional romance sparks outrage, jealousy and chaos, the producers say in their film synopsis.
Black Bear will open international sales for Wicker in the American Film Market, while CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group will handle sales on the U.
Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson will direct the indie from a script they adapted based on a short story, The Wicker Husband, by Ursula Wills-Jones. Topic Studios and Tango will finance and produce Wicker, with the cameras set to start rolling next year.
Colman will play a smelly and ridiculed fisherwoman in a seaside village where, fed up with small-minded neighbors, she commissions herself a husband to be made from wicker, who is played by Patel. In an otherwise conservative town, their unconventional romance sparks outrage, jealousy and chaos, the producers say in their film synopsis.
Black Bear will open international sales for Wicker in the American Film Market, while CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group will handle sales on the U.
- 10/24/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Black Bear has launched international sales on “Wicker,” a twisted romance starring Oscar winner Olivia Colman and Oscar nominee Dev Patel. Alex Huston Fischer and Eleanor Wilson will direct from a script they adapted from Ursula Wills-Jones’ short story “The Wicker Husband.”
“Wicker” will start production in 2024. Per the logline, “On the outskirts of a village by the sea, lives a Fisherwoman (Colman); smelly, single and perpetually ridiculed. One day, fed up with her stuffy, small-minded neighbors, she commissions herself a husband to be made from wicker (Patel). In an otherwise conservative town, this unconventional romance sparks outrage, jealousy and chaos.”
Topic Studios and Tango will finance and produce the film with Colman, Ed Sinclair and Tom Carver from South of The River, David Michôd and Brad Zimmerman for Yoki, Inc. and Justin Lothrop and Brent Stiefel for Votiv, who originated and financed development.
Colman received an Oscar for starring in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite.
“Wicker” will start production in 2024. Per the logline, “On the outskirts of a village by the sea, lives a Fisherwoman (Colman); smelly, single and perpetually ridiculed. One day, fed up with her stuffy, small-minded neighbors, she commissions herself a husband to be made from wicker (Patel). In an otherwise conservative town, this unconventional romance sparks outrage, jealousy and chaos.”
Topic Studios and Tango will finance and produce the film with Colman, Ed Sinclair and Tom Carver from South of The River, David Michôd and Brad Zimmerman for Yoki, Inc. and Justin Lothrop and Brent Stiefel for Votiv, who originated and financed development.
Colman received an Oscar for starring in Yorgos Lanthimos’ “The Favourite.
- 10/24/2023
- by Caroline Brew
- Variety Film + TV
After over two years, the lawsuit by a dognapper’s accomplice against singer Lady Gaga is officially closed. Judge Holly J. Fujie ruled that Jennifer McBride, who returned the singer’s kidnapped dogs to the singer, is not entitled to the $500,000 reward.
The incident occurred in February 2021 when Ryan Fischer, the singer’s dog walker, was shot and nearly killed while taking the bulldogs out on a walk. They were taken from him while he was left “bleeding out on a sidewalk,” gasping for life.
Fischer was shot in the chest in an attempt to save the dogs but was unsuccessful. He had to be hospitalized for weeks and stayed at Gaga’s house for months afterward.
Although McBride was the one to return the dogs to Gaga, she was also a suspect. At first, she denied having any connection to the kidnappers and said she just happened to come across the dogs.
The incident occurred in February 2021 when Ryan Fischer, the singer’s dog walker, was shot and nearly killed while taking the bulldogs out on a walk. They were taken from him while he was left “bleeding out on a sidewalk,” gasping for life.
Fischer was shot in the chest in an attempt to save the dogs but was unsuccessful. He had to be hospitalized for weeks and stayed at Gaga’s house for months afterward.
Although McBride was the one to return the dogs to Gaga, she was also a suspect. At first, she denied having any connection to the kidnappers and said she just happened to come across the dogs.
- 10/6/2023
- by Casey Rivera
- Uinterview
Lady Gaga emerged victorious Monday in the multimillion-dollar lawsuit filed by the woman who returned the pop star’s stolen French bulldogs in 2021 and later sued for the $500,000 reward — plus $1.5 million in further damages — even though she was convicted of knowingly receiving the stolen pets after dognappers nearly killed the singer’s dog walker.
A Los Angeles judge ruled that Jennifer McBride, 53, failed to remedy her lawsuit with an updated complaint filed two weeks after the court dismissed her original complaint in July on the grounds that McBride appeared to...
A Los Angeles judge ruled that Jennifer McBride, 53, failed to remedy her lawsuit with an updated complaint filed two weeks after the court dismissed her original complaint in July on the grounds that McBride appeared to...
- 10/2/2023
- by Nancy Dillon
- Rollingstone.com
Lady Gaga does not have to pay her dognapper the half-a-million-dollar reward she offered after the kidnapping of her two French bulldogs, Koji and Gustav, a judge ruled.
Earlier this year, dog thief Jennifer McBride sued Gaga for a “breach of contract” of the “no questions asked” $500,000 reward. The lawsuit asked for compensation demanding three times the amount Gaga offered and claimed that the Grammy winner had a hidden “intent to defraud and induce members of the public, such as Plaintiff, to rely upon it and act upon said promise by locating and delivering [her] bulldogs to Defendants.”
The Los Angeles County Superior Court issued a court order this week stating that McBride was “not entitled to thereafter benefit from their wrongdoing by seeking to enforce the contract.”
The incident transpired in February 2021 when Gaga was in Rome, and her dogwalker, Ryan Fischer, was walking her three French bulldogs. Fischer was...
Earlier this year, dog thief Jennifer McBride sued Gaga for a “breach of contract” of the “no questions asked” $500,000 reward. The lawsuit asked for compensation demanding three times the amount Gaga offered and claimed that the Grammy winner had a hidden “intent to defraud and induce members of the public, such as Plaintiff, to rely upon it and act upon said promise by locating and delivering [her] bulldogs to Defendants.”
The Los Angeles County Superior Court issued a court order this week stating that McBride was “not entitled to thereafter benefit from their wrongdoing by seeking to enforce the contract.”
The incident transpired in February 2021 when Gaga was in Rome, and her dogwalker, Ryan Fischer, was walking her three French bulldogs. Fischer was...
- 7/14/2023
- by Rose Anne Cox-Peralta
- Uinterview
Lady Gaga Doesn’t Have To Pay $500,000 Reward To Woman Who Helped Steal Her Beloved Dogs, Judge Says
Lady Gaga doesn’t have to pay a penny to the woman who was an accomplice in the stealing of her French bulldogs back in 2021.
Gaga’s beloved pups, Koji and Gustav, were stolen from her dog walker at gunpoint, and she offered a $500,000 reward at the time to help get them back.
The musician was previously hit with a lawsuit after not handing Jennifer McBride the cash. However, TMZ has now obtained legal documents stating a judge has tossed the lawsuit.
Read More: Suspect In Lady Gaga Dog Walker Shooting Released From Custody By Mistake
The judge said McBride had been convicted in connection with the crime, stating that allowing McBride to go ahead with the lawsuit “would allow her to benefit from her admitted wrongdoing.”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga)
The judge added that McBride would have 20 days to amend the complaint.
Gaga’s beloved pups, Koji and Gustav, were stolen from her dog walker at gunpoint, and she offered a $500,000 reward at the time to help get them back.
The musician was previously hit with a lawsuit after not handing Jennifer McBride the cash. However, TMZ has now obtained legal documents stating a judge has tossed the lawsuit.
Read More: Suspect In Lady Gaga Dog Walker Shooting Released From Custody By Mistake
The judge said McBride had been convicted in connection with the crime, stating that allowing McBride to go ahead with the lawsuit “would allow her to benefit from her admitted wrongdoing.”
View this post on Instagram
A post shared by Lady Gaga (@ladygaga)
The judge added that McBride would have 20 days to amend the complaint.
- 7/11/2023
- by Becca Longmire
- ET Canada
The Blackening will go on. A California judge today denied a request for a temporary restraining order to delay the horror comedy’s release after saying the plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Lionsgate failed to make their case.
In her ruling (read it here), United States District Court for the Central District of California, Judge Dale S. Fischer of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California said Zahara Ariel and Jaryah Bobo “have not demonstrated any substantial likelihood of success on the merits.” They were trying to block today’s release of the pic, claiming that it infringes on their copyrights a screenplay, Southern Education, and a card game called Black Card Revoked.
“Plaintiffs present little to no detail regarding either the game or the screenplay, and there is no reason to believe that the expression of ideas in either has been copied in the making of the film,...
In her ruling (read it here), United States District Court for the Central District of California, Judge Dale S. Fischer of the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California said Zahara Ariel and Jaryah Bobo “have not demonstrated any substantial likelihood of success on the merits.” They were trying to block today’s release of the pic, claiming that it infringes on their copyrights a screenplay, Southern Education, and a card game called Black Card Revoked.
“Plaintiffs present little to no detail regarding either the game or the screenplay, and there is no reason to believe that the expression of ideas in either has been copied in the making of the film,...
- 6/16/2023
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Jenna Fischer had an unexpected influence on getting her Office co-star one of his most prominent movie roles. And it was all thanks to Fischer’s close connection with current Dcu head James Gunn.
Jenna Fischer got her ‘Office’ co-star hired in this superhero film Jenna Fischer | Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Fischer and Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn enjoyed a long six-year marriage together before their divorce in 2007.
Although their marriage didn’t last, Fischer and Gunn remained on pleasant terms afterwards. Fischer would continue her acting success on the popular comedy series The Office. Meanwhile, Gunn would reach greater heights as a filmmaker.
Fischer’s connection with Gunn came in handy for one Office co-star when the director was looking for a lead in the superhero flick Super. Super was Gunn’s 2010 movie about a superhero without any powers operating in a very realistic world. But Gunn...
Jenna Fischer got her ‘Office’ co-star hired in this superhero film Jenna Fischer | Theo Wargo/Getty Images
Fischer and Guardians of the Galaxy director James Gunn enjoyed a long six-year marriage together before their divorce in 2007.
Although their marriage didn’t last, Fischer and Gunn remained on pleasant terms afterwards. Fischer would continue her acting success on the popular comedy series The Office. Meanwhile, Gunn would reach greater heights as a filmmaker.
Fischer’s connection with Gunn came in handy for one Office co-star when the director was looking for a lead in the superhero flick Super. Super was Gunn’s 2010 movie about a superhero without any powers operating in a very realistic world. But Gunn...
- 6/16/2023
- by Antonio Stallings
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Cord-cutting has hit new heights. Cable giant Charter Communications has performed better than peers in this regard, but even its CFO Jessica Fischer acknowledged the challenges of the traditional pay TV bundle business on Wednesday.
“The biggest issue in video has been and continues to be a cost issue,” she told the J.P. Morgan 51st Annual Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference in a session that was webcast. “It relates to programmers wanting to pass through price increases, and the linear business shrinks, and they try to pass through additional price increases, and it’s sort of a vicious cycle.”
She noted that Charter and other pay TV firms have traditionally always sold a broader package of products, including broadband, now the core service for many cable companies, and, more recently, wireless products. “But I think that the greater factor is the vicious cycle of video,” Fischer said. “And absent...
“The biggest issue in video has been and continues to be a cost issue,” she told the J.P. Morgan 51st Annual Global Technology, Media and Communications Conference in a session that was webcast. “It relates to programmers wanting to pass through price increases, and the linear business shrinks, and they try to pass through additional price increases, and it’s sort of a vicious cycle.”
She noted that Charter and other pay TV firms have traditionally always sold a broader package of products, including broadband, now the core service for many cable companies, and, more recently, wireless products. “But I think that the greater factor is the vicious cycle of video,” Fischer said. “And absent...
- 5/24/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
You know what you are in for when you see a film that has Frank Grillo yet doesn’t show much of him. Black Lotus is another of those action thrillers where you have to convince yourself that you are watching an action thriller rather than it convincing you. We have a very common plot with a very common protagonist. A solitary reaper who has served in the army and has nowhere to go, an underworld ganglord who abducts and exports women, and a kidnapped little girl. I’m sure that you didn’t expect much from the film, but you must have missed more of the antagonist, especially when you know what Grillo is capable of. And at least a good old-fashioned final fight between the protagonist and the antagonist would have made for a good ending. When such a fight doesn’t happen, the catharsis isn’t effective at all.
- 5/23/2023
- by Shubhabrata Dutta
- Film Fugitives
Jenna Fischer is the ultimate Hollywood sweetheart. She is best known for playing the charming receptionist Pam Beesly on NBC’s hit show The Office. Thanks to this iconic role and the adorable TV couple she was a part of (Pam and Jim), Fischer has become a household name worldwide. From the moment she impressed viewers all across the world as the endearing Pam, she’s been working hard on making a name for herself in Hollywood. She’s done TV, film, and as of recently, podcasting. But there’s so much more to her than the legendary role of Pam. So here are...
- 5/15/2023
- by Andrijana Ikonic
- TVovermind.com
For seven seasons, Steve Carell epitomized the role of Michael Scott on the NBC hit comedy television series The Office. As the beloved regional manager of the fictional Scranton paper company, Dunder Mifflin, The 40-Year-Old Virgin alum led a cast of talented actors who launched their careers on the popular show. While the Golden Globe winner was the breakout star on The Office, he almost didn’t get the role. Producers actually had comedian Bob Odenkirk in mind for the lead role in The Office, but it didn’t end up happening. Here’s why:
Bob Odenkirk worked with comedy legends early in his career Bob Odenkirk visits the IMDb Portrait Studio at SXSW 2023. I Corey Nickols/Getty Images for IMDb
Bob Odenkirk is best known for his role as Jimmy McGill (aka Saul Goodman) in the long-running AMC television series Better Call Saul. But before he originated the character in Season 2 of Breaking Bad,...
Bob Odenkirk worked with comedy legends early in his career Bob Odenkirk visits the IMDb Portrait Studio at SXSW 2023. I Corey Nickols/Getty Images for IMDb
Bob Odenkirk is best known for his role as Jimmy McGill (aka Saul Goodman) in the long-running AMC television series Better Call Saul. But before he originated the character in Season 2 of Breaking Bad,...
- 4/16/2023
- by Mama Rita
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
Jim Halpert's proposal to Pam Beesly on "The Office" was one of the most anticipated moments of the entire series. So fans were completely caught off guard when the romantic moment seemed to come out of nowhere in an almost anti-climactic way. But it was always designed to be like that.
The proposal came in the fifth season premiere, "Weight Loss," after Andy stole Jim's intended grand gesture, by proposing to Angela during Toby's going away party in the fourth season finale, "Goodbye, Toby." At the time, Pam was living in New York, attending art school. According to author Andy Greene in the book "The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s," series creator Greg Daniels was the one that pushed for the proposal to unfold at the midway point between Scranton and New York City. But shooting "halfway between Scranton and NYC" proved to be quite the challenge,...
The proposal came in the fifth season premiere, "Weight Loss," after Andy stole Jim's intended grand gesture, by proposing to Angela during Toby's going away party in the fourth season finale, "Goodbye, Toby." At the time, Pam was living in New York, attending art school. According to author Andy Greene in the book "The Office: The Untold Story of the Greatest Sitcom of the 2000s," series creator Greg Daniels was the one that pushed for the proposal to unfold at the midway point between Scranton and New York City. But shooting "halfway between Scranton and NYC" proved to be quite the challenge,...
- 8/21/2022
- by Travis Yates
- Slash Film
The relationship between Michael Scott (Steve Carell) and Pam Beesly (Jenna Fischer) was one of the more endearing storylines during the nine-year run of "The Office." Even when her own life was falling apart, Pam always looked out for her bumbling but well-intentioned boss. But a pivotal episode in season three revealed a depth not yet seen in their friendship. And it all centered around a prop that wasn't quite what it seemed.
Pam was the one person in the office to really have Michael figured out. After all, she was the only employee to leave Dunder Mifflin for the Michael Scott Paper Company. For all of Michael Scott's many flaws, he always had Pam's best interest at heart. This is a boss who wrote Pam a goodbye poem when she left for art school. Pam and Michael's bond was so strong that many fans of "The Office" believe the...
Pam was the one person in the office to really have Michael figured out. After all, she was the only employee to leave Dunder Mifflin for the Michael Scott Paper Company. For all of Michael Scott's many flaws, he always had Pam's best interest at heart. This is a boss who wrote Pam a goodbye poem when she left for art school. Pam and Michael's bond was so strong that many fans of "The Office" believe the...
- 8/16/2022
- by Travis Yates
- Slash Film
The cult of "The Office" has only grown stronger since it debuted in 2005. It's hard to picture these days, but "The Office" was one of those shows that took a minute to find its audience, but when it did it found a very vocal, very dedicated fanbase. There are a dozen questions people still have about the show. You know, things like "What is Kevin's chili recipe?" and "Is that really what she said?" But at the top of the burning questions list is something very romantic and very secretive.
Jim and Pam spent an agonizingly long time figuring out they were soul mates and an early bold move by Jim happened in the season 2 episode "Christmas Party" when Jim wrote a note to Pam and hid it in a teapot that he was gifting her. Jim chickened out and removed the note before Pam could read it and the...
Jim and Pam spent an agonizingly long time figuring out they were soul mates and an early bold move by Jim happened in the season 2 episode "Christmas Party" when Jim wrote a note to Pam and hid it in a teapot that he was gifting her. Jim chickened out and removed the note before Pam could read it and the...
- 8/16/2022
- by Eric Vespe
- Slash Film
When Tom Gabriel Fischer looks back on his first band, the pioneering black-metal group Hellhammer, he still sounds rattled by the cold reception they got. “We were ridiculed,” he says in a low and sincere tone. “We weren’t taken seriously.”
When the trio formed in the early Eighties, underground metal could have been an Olympic sport. Bands like Iron Maiden and Metallica cranked up the genre’s speed and technicality with athletic drumming and intricate guitar riffs, and the bombastic showmanship of prog still lingered in its pyrotechnic solo breaks.
When the trio formed in the early Eighties, underground metal could have been an Olympic sport. Bands like Iron Maiden and Metallica cranked up the genre’s speed and technicality with athletic drumming and intricate guitar riffs, and the bombastic showmanship of prog still lingered in its pyrotechnic solo breaks.
- 8/15/2019
- by Kory Grow
- Rollingstone.com
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