Many stories have been told about Westward expansion, but few have focused on the impact and consequences. John Williams’ 1960 novel “Butcher’s Crossing” follows William Andrews, a Harvard student who leaves his life behind to join a buffalo-hunting expedition, facing many harsh realities on his journey.
Producer Molly Conners sat down with Variety for the film’s release (now available to buy and rent on Blu-Ray and DVD) to discuss director Gabe Polsky’s journey adapting the story, financing the film, casting its star Nicolas Cage and working with the Blackfeet Nation to tell the story about the destruction of the buffalo population in 19th century America.
There’s a surge of interest in the Western genre thanks to shows like “Yellowstone” and “1883,” was it always going to be a feature film?
Gabe was developing this as a feature for many years before I became involved. But I felt like...
Producer Molly Conners sat down with Variety for the film’s release (now available to buy and rent on Blu-Ray and DVD) to discuss director Gabe Polsky’s journey adapting the story, financing the film, casting its star Nicolas Cage and working with the Blackfeet Nation to tell the story about the destruction of the buffalo population in 19th century America.
There’s a surge of interest in the Western genre thanks to shows like “Yellowstone” and “1883,” was it always going to be a feature film?
Gabe was developing this as a feature for many years before I became involved. But I felt like...
- 12/20/2023
- by Jazz Tangcay
- Variety Film + TV
Stars: Nicolas Cage, Fred Hechinger, Jeremy Bobb, Paul Raci, Xander Berkeley, Rachel Keller, Amber Rose Mason | Written by Gabe Polsky, Liam Satre-Meloy | Directed by Gabe Polsky
Kansas, 1874. In a letter to his father, Will Andrews (Fred Hechinger) details his decision to leave Harvard and travel west, searching for a purpose while exploring the country. His idealistic desire to experience a hunt leads Andrews to join experienced buffalo hunter Miller (Nicolas Cage), who promises a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Little do they realise that the unfolding journey will risk their lives and their sanity.
Amidst announcements about this adaptation of John Edward Williams’ 1960 novel, the most attention regarding this film occurred during an actor roundtable, where Cage mentioned a horse named Rain Man that he believed wanted to kill him. Such a fun story feels different from co-writer/director Gabe Polsky’s feature about man’s all-consuming nature and the destructive aftermath left behind.
Kansas, 1874. In a letter to his father, Will Andrews (Fred Hechinger) details his decision to leave Harvard and travel west, searching for a purpose while exploring the country. His idealistic desire to experience a hunt leads Andrews to join experienced buffalo hunter Miller (Nicolas Cage), who promises a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Little do they realise that the unfolding journey will risk their lives and their sanity.
Amidst announcements about this adaptation of John Edward Williams’ 1960 novel, the most attention regarding this film occurred during an actor roundtable, where Cage mentioned a horse named Rain Man that he believed wanted to kill him. Such a fun story feels different from co-writer/director Gabe Polsky’s feature about man’s all-consuming nature and the destructive aftermath left behind.
- 11/14/2023
- by James Rodrigues
- Nerdly
Cage leads a strong cast into the wilderness in an adaptation of John Williams’ punishing novel that cannot quite convey the full horror of its events
John Williams’s punishing 1960 western novel Butcher’s Crossing was described by Bret Easton Ellis as “a precursor to what Cormac McCarthy would do with the genre”. It follows Will Andrews, a dreamy 23-year-old Harvard dropout, as he tags along with Miller, a buffalo hunter targeting hidden valleys in the Colorado territory in the late 19th century. Will hopes to learn “more about this country”; what he gets, as the four-man crew shoots and hacks its way through dwindling herds in ever more treacherous conditions, is a lesson in remorseless brutality. Any screen version would need to find a cinematic equivalent for the prose’s tensile strength, and for what critic Leo Robson calls the “regime of methodical close description” from which Williams offers no respite.
John Williams’s punishing 1960 western novel Butcher’s Crossing was described by Bret Easton Ellis as “a precursor to what Cormac McCarthy would do with the genre”. It follows Will Andrews, a dreamy 23-year-old Harvard dropout, as he tags along with Miller, a buffalo hunter targeting hidden valleys in the Colorado territory in the late 19th century. Will hopes to learn “more about this country”; what he gets, as the four-man crew shoots and hacks its way through dwindling herds in ever more treacherous conditions, is a lesson in remorseless brutality. Any screen version would need to find a cinematic equivalent for the prose’s tensile strength, and for what critic Leo Robson calls the “regime of methodical close description” from which Williams offers no respite.
- 11/1/2023
- by Ryan Gilbey
- The Guardian - Film News
It’s been a bit more than a year since “Butcher’s Crossing” premiered at the Toronto Film Festival, but the timing of its theatrical release could hardly be more propitious. Director Gabe Polsky’s grimly fatalistic Western has finally arrived at the megaplexes just days after the PBS airing of “The American Buffalo,” Ken Burns’ fascinating (and often infuriating) documentary about how bison were very nearly hunted into extinction in this country before an unlikely group of preservations saved the shaggy beasts. As Burns emphasizes in his two-part film, and Polsky’s drama duly notes during its end credits, an estimated 60 million bison roamed the American West as late as 1860. Two decades later, however, the bison population plunged to less than 300.
Working from a script he and Liam Satre Meloy adapted from the novel by John Edward Williams, Polsky suggests that this staggering decrease was caused largely by men like Miller,...
Working from a script he and Liam Satre Meloy adapted from the novel by John Edward Williams, Polsky suggests that this staggering decrease was caused largely by men like Miller,...
- 10/22/2023
- by Joe Leydon
- Variety Film + TV
Butcher’s Crossing was reviewed at TIFF 2022.
Plot: A young man (Fred Hechinger) forsakes his wealth and privilege to explore the American west. He’s talked into bankrolling a Buffalo hunting expedition by Miller (Nicolas Cage), who’s become obsessed with his all-consuming trade. Soon, the two are on an endless expedition threatening their lives and sanity.
Review: As a lifelong Nicolas Cage fan, it’s tremendously rewarding to see him again respected as perhaps the most iconoclastic actor of our era. While I’d argue there are bigger stars out there, there are few on-screen personalities to match Cage, and while he was stuck in an endless loop of Dtv movies for too long, he’s since re-emerged and regained his reputation as a master of his craft. It helps that even in his worst movies, Cage never phoned it in, which is perhaps why he’s been able to...
Plot: A young man (Fred Hechinger) forsakes his wealth and privilege to explore the American west. He’s talked into bankrolling a Buffalo hunting expedition by Miller (Nicolas Cage), who’s become obsessed with his all-consuming trade. Soon, the two are on an endless expedition threatening their lives and sanity.
Review: As a lifelong Nicolas Cage fan, it’s tremendously rewarding to see him again respected as perhaps the most iconoclastic actor of our era. While I’d argue there are bigger stars out there, there are few on-screen personalities to match Cage, and while he was stuck in an endless loop of Dtv movies for too long, he’s since re-emerged and regained his reputation as a master of his craft. It helps that even in his worst movies, Cage never phoned it in, which is perhaps why he’s been able to...
- 10/14/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
The R-rated movie ‘Butcher’s Crossing’ just released its first trailer, courtesy of Sony Pictures. Get ready to experience the thrill of this upcoming film!
Nicolas Cage stars in a gritty story about buffalo hunters in the Old West. Will Andrews (Fred Hechinger) has left Harvard to find adventure. He teams up with Miller (Cage), a mysterious frontiersman offering an unprecedented number of buffalo pelts in a secluded valley. Their crew must survive an arduous journey where the harsh elements will test everyone’s resolve, leaving their sanity on a knife’s edge.
Directed by Gabe Polsky, the movie also stars Xander Berkeley, and Rachel Keller, with Jeremy Bobb and Paul Raci.
Also in trailers – Final trailer drops for sci-fi thriller ‘The Creator’
The movie hits U.S. cinemas on October 20th.
The post Nicolas Cage stars in trailer for ‘Butcher’s Crossing’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.
Nicolas Cage stars in a gritty story about buffalo hunters in the Old West. Will Andrews (Fred Hechinger) has left Harvard to find adventure. He teams up with Miller (Cage), a mysterious frontiersman offering an unprecedented number of buffalo pelts in a secluded valley. Their crew must survive an arduous journey where the harsh elements will test everyone’s resolve, leaving their sanity on a knife’s edge.
Directed by Gabe Polsky, the movie also stars Xander Berkeley, and Rachel Keller, with Jeremy Bobb and Paul Raci.
Also in trailers – Final trailer drops for sci-fi thriller ‘The Creator’
The movie hits U.S. cinemas on October 20th.
The post Nicolas Cage stars in trailer for ‘Butcher’s Crossing’ appeared first on HeyUGuys.
- 9/19/2023
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
While TIFF 2023 is in the books, a selection from TIFF’s 2022 edition is finally coming out over a year after its debut. Butcher’s Crossing, starring Nicolas Cage as a buffalo hunter in the old west, played to good reviews (including my own), with many noting that it was much artier fare for Cage, being an adaptation of the classic novel by John Edward Williams. In the movie, a young man (Fred Hechinger) bankrolls a buffalo hunting expedition with two older guides, including the mysterious Miller (Cage), which soon becomes a journey into madness.
Directed by Gabe Polsky and co-starring Sound of Metal’s Paul Raci, Tokyo Vice’s Rachel Keller and Xander Berkley, Butcher’s Crossing takes a dark, sombre look at the buffalo trade, which brought the animal to near extinction levels, starving the indigenous population, who relied on buffalo for food.
Butcher’s Crossing is a more austere, slower-paced...
Directed by Gabe Polsky and co-starring Sound of Metal’s Paul Raci, Tokyo Vice’s Rachel Keller and Xander Berkley, Butcher’s Crossing takes a dark, sombre look at the buffalo trade, which brought the animal to near extinction levels, starving the indigenous population, who relied on buffalo for food.
Butcher’s Crossing is a more austere, slower-paced...
- 9/18/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
The Hollywood Reporter’s resident awards guru Scott Feinberg had a big night on June 14 by taping a milestone 500th episode of his Awards Chatter podcast with special guest John Mulaney, promoting his Netflix comedy special Baby J.
The installment — recorded live in front of 40 guests during a private celebration inside the Beverly Hills home of filmmaker Gabe Polsky — led to some reflection for the indefatigable Feinberg, who serves as executive editor of awards. “I ran the numbers before the taping and we’ve averaged one episode every 5.6 days since it launched in September 2015,” says Feinberg, known to be as adept with data as he is with awards. “It’s both the most demanding part of what I do at THR, in terms of the amount of prep and effort that goes into it, and also the most rewarding.”
He says it’s gratifying to hear anecdotes from listeners after...
The installment — recorded live in front of 40 guests during a private celebration inside the Beverly Hills home of filmmaker Gabe Polsky — led to some reflection for the indefatigable Feinberg, who serves as executive editor of awards. “I ran the numbers before the taping and we’ve averaged one episode every 5.6 days since it launched in September 2015,” says Feinberg, known to be as adept with data as he is with awards. “It’s both the most demanding part of what I do at THR, in terms of the amount of prep and effort that goes into it, and also the most rewarding.”
He says it’s gratifying to hear anecdotes from listeners after...
- 6/21/2023
- by Chris Gardner
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
We’ve seen Nicolas Cage do nearly anything and everything throughout his career in movies, but we’ve never really seen the actor take on a traditional Western. That’s about to change. For one, Cage appears in one of his first at TIFF this year, in filmmaker Gabe Polsky’s “Butcher’s Crossing” (read our review). And while we wait for distribution on that film, another Western that Cage shot, “The Old Way,” has taken the pole position to earn the bragging rights of “Nicolas Cage’s first-ever Western.”
Read More: ‘Butcher’s Crossing’ Review: Nicolas Cage Shows The High Cost Of Frontier Capitalism [TIFF]
Directed by Brett Donowho and written by Carl W.
Continue reading ‘The Old Way’ Trailer: Nicolas Cage Has To Choose Revenge Or Family In His First-Ever Western at The Playlist.
Read More: ‘Butcher’s Crossing’ Review: Nicolas Cage Shows The High Cost Of Frontier Capitalism [TIFF]
Directed by Brett Donowho and written by Carl W.
Continue reading ‘The Old Way’ Trailer: Nicolas Cage Has To Choose Revenge Or Family In His First-Ever Western at The Playlist.
- 11/17/2022
- by Edward Davis
- The Playlist
‘Power Of The Dog’ Producer Tanya Seghatchian To Lead London Film Festival Jury
Film producer Tanya Seghatchian has been announced as the jury president for the Official Competition of the 66th BFI London Film Festival, running from October 5 – 16. Seghatchian will be joined by British actor Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), filmmaker and playwright Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami), filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane (The Disciple), and journalist Charles Gant. The jury will award the festival’s Best Film Award.
Luc Besson, James Gray, Gabe Polsky Booked For Rome’s Talks Program
Luc Besson, Gabe Polsky, James Gray, Stephen Frears and Mario Martone will be among the filmmakers setting down at the Rome Film Festival (Oct 13-23) for its two new talk sections Paso Doble and Absolute Beginners.
French filmmaker Besson will kick off the new Absolute Beginners devoted to directors speaking about their experiences on their first features.
Film producer Tanya Seghatchian has been announced as the jury president for the Official Competition of the 66th BFI London Film Festival, running from October 5 – 16. Seghatchian will be joined by British actor Gwendoline Christie (Game of Thrones), filmmaker and playwright Kemp Powers (One Night in Miami), filmmaker Chaitanya Tamhane (The Disciple), and journalist Charles Gant. The jury will award the festival’s Best Film Award.
Luc Besson, James Gray, Gabe Polsky Booked For Rome’s Talks Program
Luc Besson, Gabe Polsky, James Gray, Stephen Frears and Mario Martone will be among the filmmakers setting down at the Rome Film Festival (Oct 13-23) for its two new talk sections Paso Doble and Absolute Beginners.
French filmmaker Besson will kick off the new Absolute Beginners devoted to directors speaking about their experiences on their first features.
- 10/4/2022
- by Zac Ntim, Melanie Goodfellow, Jesse Whittock and Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The 17th annual Rome Film Festival will fete James Ivory with a career honor, a mini retrospective and the Italian launch of the Oscar-winning filmmaker’s personal new documentary “A Cooler Climate.”
Ivory is expected in Rome to receive the award and present the doc about his life as a traveler that takes its cue from boxes of film the director shot during a life-changing trip to Afghanistan in 1960. The film premieres beforehand at the New York Film Festival.
Rome’s Ivory mini-retrospective will comprise his films “Maurice”; “Mr. and Mrs. Bridge,” starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward; “The Remains of the Day”; and “A Room With a View.”
The Rome fest – which has undergone a management change and is now headed by former Rai Cinema executive Paola Malanga as artistic director and Gian Luca Farinelli as president – on Thursday unveiled a mixed bag lineup comprising a competitive section largely made up of first works,...
Ivory is expected in Rome to receive the award and present the doc about his life as a traveler that takes its cue from boxes of film the director shot during a life-changing trip to Afghanistan in 1960. The film premieres beforehand at the New York Film Festival.
Rome’s Ivory mini-retrospective will comprise his films “Maurice”; “Mr. and Mrs. Bridge,” starring Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward; “The Remains of the Day”; and “A Room With a View.”
The Rome fest – which has undergone a management change and is now headed by former Rai Cinema executive Paola Malanga as artistic director and Gian Luca Farinelli as president – on Thursday unveiled a mixed bag lineup comprising a competitive section largely made up of first works,...
- 9/22/2022
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
A tale of disillusionment, bitterness and endurance set during the near-extinction of the American buffalo, Gabe Polsky’s Butcher’s Crossing might have made for a harrowing Werner Herzog film a few decades back. John Williams’ novel follows a privileged young man who quits Harvard in search of raw experience in the West, and gets exactly what he’s paying for. Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus) stars as the eager young man, submitting himself to the wisdom of a seasoned hunter (Nicolas Cage) but slowly coming to suspect that the man and his entire enterprise (and maybe the whole story of white men raping the American West?) is fundamentally unsound.
Though solidly made, it’s a Western without enough fire or novelty to attract a great deal of interest, though its two leads should keep it from getting lost in the crowd completely.
Hechinger...
A tale of disillusionment, bitterness and endurance set during the near-extinction of the American buffalo, Gabe Polsky’s Butcher’s Crossing might have made for a harrowing Werner Herzog film a few decades back. John Williams’ novel follows a privileged young man who quits Harvard in search of raw experience in the West, and gets exactly what he’s paying for. Fred Hechinger (The White Lotus) stars as the eager young man, submitting himself to the wisdom of a seasoned hunter (Nicolas Cage) but slowly coming to suspect that the man and his entire enterprise (and maybe the whole story of white men raping the American West?) is fundamentally unsound.
Though solidly made, it’s a Western without enough fire or novelty to attract a great deal of interest, though its two leads should keep it from getting lost in the crowd completely.
Hechinger...
- 9/15/2022
- by John DeFore
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Click here to read the full article.
Fifteen years after I first came to the Toronto International Film Festival and saw Juno, Michael Clayton, Eastern Promises, Into the Wild and The Savages, among other excellent films, I’m happy, as always, to be back at the best fest north of the border, and hopeful, as always, to match the high bar set by my first visit to it. Rather than rush to file separate write-ups of every noteworthy thing that I see and hear while on the ground here, at the cost of missing other noteworthy things, I’ve decided to file a dispatch every few days addressing a bunch of stuff. This initial piece covers the fest’s first three days.
* * *
After flying in on Wednesday morning (my seatmate on the flight from L.A. was none other than the NBA legend Dwayne Wade, who was accompanying his wife,...
Fifteen years after I first came to the Toronto International Film Festival and saw Juno, Michael Clayton, Eastern Promises, Into the Wild and The Savages, among other excellent films, I’m happy, as always, to be back at the best fest north of the border, and hopeful, as always, to match the high bar set by my first visit to it. Rather than rush to file separate write-ups of every noteworthy thing that I see and hear while on the ground here, at the cost of missing other noteworthy things, I’ve decided to file a dispatch every few days addressing a bunch of stuff. This initial piece covers the fest’s first three days.
* * *
After flying in on Wednesday morning (my seatmate on the flight from L.A. was none other than the NBA legend Dwayne Wade, who was accompanying his wife,...
- 9/11/2022
- by Scott Feinberg
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Gabe Polsky’s new acid Western “Butcher’s Crossing,” premiering at the Toronto Film Festival, takes place on the vast fertile plains of hubris, where if you stare far enough into the horizon, you can probably see your own uppance come.
Based on a novel by John Williams takes place in Kansas in 1874, where a young wide-eyed student named Will Andrews has abandoned his Ivy League education in favor of seeing the country and palling around with buffalo hunters. It’s a decision that old man McDonald, a fur trader and distant friend of the family, thinks is intensely ill-advised, so he warns him — in a tone so condescending it was practically guaranteed to have the opposite of its intended effect — that following this path will lead Will to soul-obliterating ruin.
Undeterred, Will proceeds to ally himself with the first semi-friendly person he meets, a hunter named Miller (Nicolas Cage), who...
Based on a novel by John Williams takes place in Kansas in 1874, where a young wide-eyed student named Will Andrews has abandoned his Ivy League education in favor of seeing the country and palling around with buffalo hunters. It’s a decision that old man McDonald, a fur trader and distant friend of the family, thinks is intensely ill-advised, so he warns him — in a tone so condescending it was practically guaranteed to have the opposite of its intended effect — that following this path will lead Will to soul-obliterating ruin.
Undeterred, Will proceeds to ally himself with the first semi-friendly person he meets, a hunter named Miller (Nicolas Cage), who...
- 9/10/2022
- by William Bibbiani
- The Wrap
Massachusetts is the best state to live in for reasons its residents have always known: we’re smarter, healthier, happier, and all around better off than everybody else. We have the decency and common sense to shove most of our pro-fascist wingnuts toward the boondocks. We also know what to do in inclement weather: hunker down with our stockpiled milk and bread until the snow stops falling.
The last is a lesson the characters in Gabe Polsky’s “Butcher’s Crossing” would do well to learn.
Continue reading ‘Butcher’s Crossing’ Review: Nicolas Cage Shows The High Cost Of Frontier Capitalism [TIFF] at The Playlist.
The last is a lesson the characters in Gabe Polsky’s “Butcher’s Crossing” would do well to learn.
Continue reading ‘Butcher’s Crossing’ Review: Nicolas Cage Shows The High Cost Of Frontier Capitalism [TIFF] at The Playlist.
- 9/10/2022
- by Andrew Crump
- The Playlist
"We don't belong out here," says Fred (Jeremy Bobb), a professional buffalo skinner. He's right. The "out here" is the vast, sprawling, harsh foothills of the Rocky Mountains, where a group of men have come to make a killing, both literally and monetarily, hunting buffalo. It's 1874, and the overwhelming theme of men being where they don't belong prevails through "Butcher's Crossing," Gabe Polsky's ultra-bleak abstract Western based on the novel by John Edward Williams. Shot on the cheap in 18 days, "Butcher's Crossing" makes a lot of little, stretching its small budget to the extreme to create a nightmarish saga of violent men who seem convinced of their own superiority over everything, especially the land.
Young Harvard dropout Will has left behind a life of privilege to see the West. Specifically, he wants to go along on a buffalo hunt. Once, there were so many buffalo on the land that...
Young Harvard dropout Will has left behind a life of privilege to see the West. Specifically, he wants to go along on a buffalo hunt. Once, there were so many buffalo on the land that...
- 9/10/2022
- by Chris Evangelista
- Slash Film
Will Andrews (Fred Hechinger) goes from Harvard dropout to cowboy in Gabe Polsky’s new film Butcher’s Crossing, with the script written by Polsky and Liam Satre-Meloy, based on a book by John Williams.
Andrews is looking for adventure on the open frontier. School wasn’t cutting it, and now he’s looking for people to travel with. He meets Miller (Nicolas Cage), a man in the Buffalo-killing business. Andrews asks to join Miller on his next journey, which is to hunt a mysterious herd of buffalo, and the young man can join them for a flat fee of 500. He promises this will be the biggest haul of his life. Will seems to lack social and life skills as he enters a cowboy ho-down and doesn’t know how to dance or talk to women. At least he’s aware and not trying to be someone he isn’t. That...
Andrews is looking for adventure on the open frontier. School wasn’t cutting it, and now he’s looking for people to travel with. He meets Miller (Nicolas Cage), a man in the Buffalo-killing business. Andrews asks to join Miller on his next journey, which is to hunt a mysterious herd of buffalo, and the young man can join them for a flat fee of 500. He promises this will be the biggest haul of his life. Will seems to lack social and life skills as he enters a cowboy ho-down and doesn’t know how to dance or talk to women. At least he’s aware and not trying to be someone he isn’t. That...
- 9/10/2022
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Nicolas Cage’s direct-to-video days may be over — we’ve come a long way from the “Kill Chain,” “Primal,” “Grand Isle” triple-header of 2019 — but the guy is simply too eager and too curious to just sit by the phone and wait for someone to call him with a script as strong and/or well-tailored to him as “Mandy,” “Pig,” or “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent.”
While Cage’s latest creative renaissance is hopefully still just getting started, his current upswing was always going to be pockmarked by its fair share of forgettably solid genre films. We’re talking respectable programmers with compromised scripts, cool supporting casts, and just enough credibility to stride onto Redbox with their heads held high. The kind of movie whose director tried to get it made for more than a decade before deciding that driving a roadworthy Nicolas Cage vehicle would be preferable to leaving...
While Cage’s latest creative renaissance is hopefully still just getting started, his current upswing was always going to be pockmarked by its fair share of forgettably solid genre films. We’re talking respectable programmers with compromised scripts, cool supporting casts, and just enough credibility to stride onto Redbox with their heads held high. The kind of movie whose director tried to get it made for more than a decade before deciding that driving a roadworthy Nicolas Cage vehicle would be preferable to leaving...
- 9/10/2022
- by David Ehrlich
- Indiewire
Next year, Nicolas Cage will be portraying the world’s most famous vampire Dracula in “Renfield,” a horror comedy about the count’s lovestruck familiar. And while the role has been portrayed in film by hundreds of actors over the years — from Bela Lugosi to Gary Oldman — the idiosyncratic actor is set to leave his own unique mark on the horror legend.
During an interview to promote his western drama “Butcher’s Crossing,” Cage spoke in the Variety TIFF Studio, presented by King’s Hawaiian, about developing his own take on the iconic Transylvanian accent of the vampiric count. Specifically, he revealed he took inspiration from Christopher Lee’s famous portrayals of the character while adding other elements to the part — including his own father, academic August Coppola.
“[It’s] kind of an amalgamation of a sort mid-Atlantic August Coppola accent combined with some Christopher Lee, with some Anne Bancroft thrown in for...
During an interview to promote his western drama “Butcher’s Crossing,” Cage spoke in the Variety TIFF Studio, presented by King’s Hawaiian, about developing his own take on the iconic Transylvanian accent of the vampiric count. Specifically, he revealed he took inspiration from Christopher Lee’s famous portrayals of the character while adding other elements to the part — including his own father, academic August Coppola.
“[It’s] kind of an amalgamation of a sort mid-Atlantic August Coppola accent combined with some Christopher Lee, with some Anne Bancroft thrown in for...
- 9/9/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Variety Film + TV
Nicolas Cage western premieres at TIFF on Friday, September 9.
Director Gabe Polsky and the producers of western Butcher’s Crossing talk to Chris Evans about shooting in the wilderness of Colorado in the company of Nicolas Cage ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival tonight (September 9).
Polsky first read the novel Butcher’s Crossing by John Edward Williams back in 2008 and it “hit me in the gut and the heart”, he recalls.
It tells the story of Harvard drop-out Will Andrews, played in the film by Fred Hechinger, who heads into the American West to join...
Director Gabe Polsky and the producers of western Butcher’s Crossing talk to Chris Evans about shooting in the wilderness of Colorado in the company of Nicolas Cage ahead of the film’s world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival tonight (September 9).
Polsky first read the novel Butcher’s Crossing by John Edward Williams back in 2008 and it “hit me in the gut and the heart”, he recalls.
It tells the story of Harvard drop-out Will Andrews, played in the film by Fred Hechinger, who heads into the American West to join...
- 9/9/2022
- by Chris Evans
- ScreenDaily
Click here to read the full article.
It’s been a memorable few years for Nicolas Cage, or at least it looks that way to his sizable fan base.
A noted period of extremely prolific yet mostly uncelebrated work in the low-budget world of filmmaking was punctured by a ferocious performance in Panos Cosmatos’ wild action horror Mandy in 2018, while his uncharacteristically quiet — but equally intense — turn in last year’s Pig would bring him the sort of critical acclaim not seen since he won an Oscar for 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas.
Earlier this year came the ultimate tribute, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in which he played a fictionalized version of himself. Now, the much-loved cult icon comes to Toronto with another landmark achievement. Incredibly (and Cage thinks so, too), Butcher’s Crossing from director Gabe Polsky marks the star’s first ever Western. Based on the book by John Williams,...
It’s been a memorable few years for Nicolas Cage, or at least it looks that way to his sizable fan base.
A noted period of extremely prolific yet mostly uncelebrated work in the low-budget world of filmmaking was punctured by a ferocious performance in Panos Cosmatos’ wild action horror Mandy in 2018, while his uncharacteristically quiet — but equally intense — turn in last year’s Pig would bring him the sort of critical acclaim not seen since he won an Oscar for 1995’s Leaving Las Vegas.
Earlier this year came the ultimate tribute, The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent, in which he played a fictionalized version of himself. Now, the much-loved cult icon comes to Toronto with another landmark achievement. Incredibly (and Cage thinks so, too), Butcher’s Crossing from director Gabe Polsky marks the star’s first ever Western. Based on the book by John Williams,...
- 9/9/2022
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The last time Fred Hechinger was in Toronto, he came to see a film that left his acting on the cutting room floor. Six years later, in one of several full-circle moments, the breakout star of HBO’s “The White Lotus” and Sony/Marvel’s upcoming Spider-Man Universe entry “Kraven the Hunter” returns with the Sept. 9 Gala premiere of “Butcher’s Crossing,” his first lead role in a feature.
“It was my first time going to a festival to see something that I was a part of,” the actor recalls. “I was working behind the scenes on [the romantic drama] ‘Tramps,’ they put me in one scene and I got cut, but it was technically the first thing I’ve ever acted in.” Yet that trip ignited a bizarre series of events that helped launch his career. “To connect a lot of crazy dots, the next morning I saw the first [TIFF] screening of ‘Moonlight...
“It was my first time going to a festival to see something that I was a part of,” the actor recalls. “I was working behind the scenes on [the romantic drama] ‘Tramps,’ they put me in one scene and I got cut, but it was technically the first thing I’ve ever acted in.” Yet that trip ignited a bizarre series of events that helped launch his career. “To connect a lot of crazy dots, the next morning I saw the first [TIFF] screening of ‘Moonlight...
- 9/8/2022
- by Gregg Goldstein
- Variety Film + TV
Back in person for the first time since before the pandemic, the Toronto International Film Festival will make its grand return with a slate that builds on its expansion from previous years. The 2022 lineup boasts the world premieres of several high-profile films, including Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light,” Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery” and the Billy Eichner comedy “Bros.” However, there are a number of hot titles due to screen at the festival that have yet to be acquired. Documentaries by the likes of “Blackfish” director Gabriela Cowperthwaite and narrative features led by stars such as Margaret Qualley, Brian Cox and Tessa Thompson just may incite a bidding war. Here are 15 buzzy sales titles to watch.
“Sanctuary”
After leading Claire Denis’ Cannes prizewinner “The Stars at Noon,” Margaret Qualley continues to shine bright with “Sanctuary.” In this Special Presentations showing, she...
“Sanctuary”
After leading Claire Denis’ Cannes prizewinner “The Stars at Noon,” Margaret Qualley continues to shine bright with “Sanctuary.” In this Special Presentations showing, she...
- 9/7/2022
- by Harper Lambert and Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Click here to read the full article.
Thanks for checking out the first installment of The Hollywood Reporter’s Weekend Awards Brief! This Friday week-in-review newsletter will be prepared by THR’s awards team and will feature a rundown of (a) key pieces we’ve written; (b) memorable things we’ve attended; (c) interesting rumblings we’ve heard; (d) things we encourage you to check out; and (e) things we’d like to know.
The authors of each item are identified by the following initials: awards editor Tyler Coates [Tc], executive editor of awards Scott Feinberg [Sf], film writer Mia Galuppo [Mg], senior staff writer Chris Gardner [CGa], tech editor Carolyn Giardina [CGi], senior editor of film Rebecca Keegan [Rk] and deputy awards editor Beatrice Verhoeven [Bv].
* * *
What we’re producing…
A rundown of key pieces we’ve written
TV Academy encouraging nominees to pre-submit thank-you names to appear on-screen —Sf Hollywood Critics Association in turmoil as numerous members resign,...
Thanks for checking out the first installment of The Hollywood Reporter’s Weekend Awards Brief! This Friday week-in-review newsletter will be prepared by THR’s awards team and will feature a rundown of (a) key pieces we’ve written; (b) memorable things we’ve attended; (c) interesting rumblings we’ve heard; (d) things we encourage you to check out; and (e) things we’d like to know.
The authors of each item are identified by the following initials: awards editor Tyler Coates [Tc], executive editor of awards Scott Feinberg [Sf], film writer Mia Galuppo [Mg], senior staff writer Chris Gardner [CGa], tech editor Carolyn Giardina [CGi], senior editor of film Rebecca Keegan [Rk] and deputy awards editor Beatrice Verhoeven [Bv].
* * *
What we’re producing…
A rundown of key pieces we’ve written
TV Academy encouraging nominees to pre-submit thank-you names to appear on-screen —Sf Hollywood Critics Association in turmoil as numerous members resign,...
- 9/3/2022
- by THR Awards Team
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
From ‘Blonde’ to ‘Bones and All,’ Get to Know These Must-Listen Audiobooks Before the Films Come Out
It’s fall film festival season and there’s a whole new crop of literary-minded films coming to screens through the rest of the year. Since the films that premiere at festivals like Telluride, Venice, Toronto and New York are the ones that fill awards nominations lists a few months later, the festivals provide an early peek at the movies that will be front and center at the Oscars, film critics awards and all the other end-of-year kudosfests.
But there’s a way to get to know many of these works even before they premiere at festivals and come to streaming or movie screens: get familiar with the books they’re based on. These titles won’t be winning the original screenplay prize, but there are at least eight adaptations of notable literary works coming this year that are worth diving into. If reading time is short, why not try listening on audiobook while commuting,...
But there’s a way to get to know many of these works even before they premiere at festivals and come to streaming or movie screens: get familiar with the books they’re based on. These titles won’t be winning the original screenplay prize, but there are at least eight adaptations of notable literary works coming this year that are worth diving into. If reading time is short, why not try listening on audiobook while commuting,...
- 8/31/2022
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
The WhaleWAVELENGTHS - FEATURESConcrete Valley (Antoine Bourges)De Humani Corporis Fabrica (Véréna Paravel, Lucien Castaing-Taylor)Dry Ground BurningHorse Opera (Moyra Davey)Pacifiction (Albert Serra)Queens of the Qing Dynasty (Ashley McKenzie)Unrest (Cyril Schäublin)Will-o’-the-Wisp (João Pedro Rodrigues)Wavelenghths - SHORTSAfter Work (Céline Condorelli, Ben Rivers)Bigger on the Inside (Angelo Madsen Minax)Eventide (Sharon Lockhart)F1ghting Looks Different 2 Me Now (Fox Maxy)Fata Morgana (Tacita Dean)Hors-titre (Wiame Haddad)I Thought the World of You (Kurt Walker)Moonrise (Vincent Grenier)The Newest Olds (Pablo Mazzolo)Puerta a Puerta (Jessica Sarah Rinland, Luis Arnías )The Time That Separates Us (Parastoo Anoushahpour)What Rules the Invisible (Tiffany Sia)Gala PRESENTATIONSAlice, Darling (Mary Nighy)Black Ice (Hubert Davis)The Greatest Beer Run Ever (Peter Farrelly)Butcher’s Crossing (Gabe Polsky)The Hummingbird (Francesca Archibugi)Hunt (Jung-jae Lee)A Jazzman’s Blues (Tyler Perry)Kacchey Limbu (Shubham Yogi)Moving On (Paul Weitz)Paris Memories...
- 8/4/2022
- MUBI
After teasing a number of titles in one-off announcements, including Steven Spielberg’s The Fabelmans, TIFF has now unveiled their full Gala and Special Presentations lineup. Selections include Hong Sangsoo’s second new feature of 2022, Walk Up, plus Martin McDonagh’s The Banshees Of Inisherin, Sarah Polley’s Women Talking, Sam Mendes’ Empire of Light, the Vicky Krieps-led Corsage, Park Chan-wook’s Decision to Leave, the Jennifer Lawrence-led Causeway, Joanna Hogg’s The Eternal Daugther, Mark Mylod’s The Menu, Henry Selick’s Wendell & Wild, Darren Aronofsky’s The Whale, and more.
See the lineup below.
Gala Presentations 2022
*Previously announced
Alice, Darling Mary Nighy | Canada, USA
World Premiere
Black Ice Hubert Davis | Canada
World Premiere
Butcher’s Crossing Gabe Polsky | USA
World Premiere
The Greatest Beer Run Ever Peter Farrelly | USA
World Premiere
The Hummingbird Francesca Archibugi | Italy, France
World Premiere
Hunt Lee Jung-jae | South Korea
North American...
See the lineup below.
Gala Presentations 2022
*Previously announced
Alice, Darling Mary Nighy | Canada, USA
World Premiere
Black Ice Hubert Davis | Canada
World Premiere
Butcher’s Crossing Gabe Polsky | USA
World Premiere
The Greatest Beer Run Ever Peter Farrelly | USA
World Premiere
The Hummingbird Francesca Archibugi | Italy, France
World Premiere
Hunt Lee Jung-jae | South Korea
North American...
- 7/28/2022
- by Leonard Pearce
- The Film Stage
TIFF has today announced the full selection for the Gala and Special Presentations programs for the 47th Toronto International Film Festival, taking place September 8–18. The news follows several early world premiere announcements this summer, including Sally El Hosaini’s opening night film “The Swimmers.”
Major titles announced today include Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” and Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light.” They all screen in the high-profile Special Presentations section that also includes the previously announced world premieres of Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” and Nicholas Stoller’s “Bros,” in addition to several highlights from earlier in the festival calendar.
TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey marks his first year as the sole leader of the festival with a refurbished programming team, some new venues, and robust efforts to maximize industry attendance. “It’s going to feel like the festival you know,...
Major titles announced today include Sarah Polley’s “Women Talking,” Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” and Sam Mendes’ “Empire of Light.” They all screen in the high-profile Special Presentations section that also includes the previously announced world premieres of Steven Spielberg’s “The Fabelmans,” Rian Johnson’s “Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery,” and Nicholas Stoller’s “Bros,” in addition to several highlights from earlier in the festival calendar.
TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey marks his first year as the sole leader of the festival with a refurbished programming team, some new venues, and robust efforts to maximize industry attendance. “It’s going to feel like the festival you know,...
- 7/28/2022
- by Kate Erbland and Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
Toronto Film Festival: Tyler Perry, Peter Farrelly, Catherine Hardwicke Films Set for Gala Treatment
Click here to read the full article.
The 2022 Toronto Film Festival has added world premieres for Tyler Perry’s new Netflix film, A Jazzman’s Blues; Peter Farrelly’s Vietnam War movie The Greatest Beer Run Ever, which stars Russell Crowe and Zac Efron; and the Catherine Hardwicke dramatic thriller Prisoner’s Daughter, starring Kate Beckinsale and Brian Cox.
As TIFF unveiled 18 Gala program titles to screen in Roy Thomson Hall, the festival booked red carpet launches for Hubert Davis’s Black Ice, a documentary about Black hockey players executive produced by Drake; Alice, Darling, director Mary Nighy’s psychological thriller led by Anna Kendrick; Gabe Polsky’s frontier epic Butcher’s Crossing, which stars Nicolas Cage; and Francesca Archibugi’s The Hummingbird, toplined by Nanni Moretti, Berenice Bejo and Pierfrancesco Favino.
Toronto is returning for a 47th edition to run Sept. 8 to 18 that will be in-person, with Hollywood stars on red carpets...
The 2022 Toronto Film Festival has added world premieres for Tyler Perry’s new Netflix film, A Jazzman’s Blues; Peter Farrelly’s Vietnam War movie The Greatest Beer Run Ever, which stars Russell Crowe and Zac Efron; and the Catherine Hardwicke dramatic thriller Prisoner’s Daughter, starring Kate Beckinsale and Brian Cox.
As TIFF unveiled 18 Gala program titles to screen in Roy Thomson Hall, the festival booked red carpet launches for Hubert Davis’s Black Ice, a documentary about Black hockey players executive produced by Drake; Alice, Darling, director Mary Nighy’s psychological thriller led by Anna Kendrick; Gabe Polsky’s frontier epic Butcher’s Crossing, which stars Nicolas Cage; and Francesca Archibugi’s The Hummingbird, toplined by Nanni Moretti, Berenice Bejo and Pierfrancesco Favino.
Toronto is returning for a 47th edition to run Sept. 8 to 18 that will be in-person, with Hollywood stars on red carpets...
- 7/28/2022
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Eighteen galas, 45 special presentations unveiled for 47th edition of Toronto festival.
Stephen Frears’ drama The Lost King starring Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan, Shekhar Kapur’s comedy What’s Love Got to Do With It? with Lily James and Emma Thompson and Apple’s Jennifer Lawrence drama Causeway from Lila Neugebauer are among this year’s gala and special presentations for the Toronto International Film Festival.
Further previously unannounced world premiere selections include Richard Eyre’s hospital drama Allelujah (pictured) from Pathé with Jennifer Saunders and Judi Dench, Oscar-winner Jessica Chastain in Tobias Lindholm’s Netflix true-life crime drama The Good Nurse,...
Stephen Frears’ drama The Lost King starring Sally Hawkins and Steve Coogan, Shekhar Kapur’s comedy What’s Love Got to Do With It? with Lily James and Emma Thompson and Apple’s Jennifer Lawrence drama Causeway from Lila Neugebauer are among this year’s gala and special presentations for the Toronto International Film Festival.
Further previously unannounced world premiere selections include Richard Eyre’s hospital drama Allelujah (pictured) from Pathé with Jennifer Saunders and Judi Dench, Oscar-winner Jessica Chastain in Tobias Lindholm’s Netflix true-life crime drama The Good Nurse,...
- 7/28/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
The 2022 TIFF lineup features new films from Tyler Perry, Peter Farrelly, Sam Mendes, Catherine Hardwicke, Martin McDonagh, Sarah Polley, Henry Selick, Stephen Frears and many more.
In all, 18 Galas and 45 Special Presentations were unveiled as part of the 47th Annual Toronto International Film Festival lineup, with 38 of the total films announced on Thursday slated to world premiere at the festival.
Among the Gala presentations are Farrelly’s “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” his follow-up film after winning the audience prize at TIFF for “Green Book.” There’s also Tyler Perry’s “A Jazzman’s Blues,” Paul Weitz’s “Moving On” with Jane Fonda, and “Sidney” from Reginald Hudlin.
Those join previously announced titles such as “The Woman King” starring Viola Davis and the opening night film “The Swimmers” from Sally El Hosaini. Lee Jung-jae’s “Hunt,” which first premiered at Cannes, will also receive a Gala presentation, as will “The Son” from Florian Zeller,...
In all, 18 Galas and 45 Special Presentations were unveiled as part of the 47th Annual Toronto International Film Festival lineup, with 38 of the total films announced on Thursday slated to world premiere at the festival.
Among the Gala presentations are Farrelly’s “The Greatest Beer Run Ever,” his follow-up film after winning the audience prize at TIFF for “Green Book.” There’s also Tyler Perry’s “A Jazzman’s Blues,” Paul Weitz’s “Moving On” with Jane Fonda, and “Sidney” from Reginald Hudlin.
Those join previously announced titles such as “The Woman King” starring Viola Davis and the opening night film “The Swimmers” from Sally El Hosaini. Lee Jung-jae’s “Hunt,” which first premiered at Cannes, will also receive a Gala presentation, as will “The Son” from Florian Zeller,...
- 7/28/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Sony keeps expanding its universe of Marvel characters. The upcoming film “Kraven the Hunter,” starring Aaron Taylor Johnson as the classic Spider-Man villain, has added Fred Hechinger to its cast, Variety has confirmed.
It’s currently unknown who Hechinger will play, but Deadline reports that he will portray Chameleon, an evil master of disguise who also happens to be Kraven’s half-brother.
J.C. Chandor is directing “Kraven the Hunter,” which is the next “Spider-Man” villain spinoff after “Morbius.” Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are producing, and the screenplay is written by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway and Richard Wenk.
Hechinger had a starring role in HBO’s critically acclaimed series “The White Lotus” as Quinn Mossbacher, the screen-addicted and socially awkward son of Connie Britton’s lead character. He also plays real-life internet pornographer Steve Warshavsky in Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy.” The actor is currently filming Scott Cooper’s “The Pale Blue Eye,...
It’s currently unknown who Hechinger will play, but Deadline reports that he will portray Chameleon, an evil master of disguise who also happens to be Kraven’s half-brother.
J.C. Chandor is directing “Kraven the Hunter,” which is the next “Spider-Man” villain spinoff after “Morbius.” Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are producing, and the screenplay is written by Art Marcum, Matt Holloway and Richard Wenk.
Hechinger had a starring role in HBO’s critically acclaimed series “The White Lotus” as Quinn Mossbacher, the screen-addicted and socially awkward son of Connie Britton’s lead character. He also plays real-life internet pornographer Steve Warshavsky in Hulu’s “Pam & Tommy.” The actor is currently filming Scott Cooper’s “The Pale Blue Eye,...
- 2/22/2022
- by Jordan Moreau
- Variety Film + TV
Fred Hechinger, a breakout star of “The White Lotus” and “Fear Street: Part One,” has joined the cast of “Kraven the Hunter,” Sony’s movie about the Marvel supervillain that stars Aaron Taylor-Johnson, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
J.C. Chandor is directing the film about one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes, which will be the latest in Sony’s universe of Marvel characters.
No character details were revealed for Hechinger, but Deadline, which first reported the news, said he’s meant to be portraying Kraven’s half-brother, who goes by the alter ego Chameleon.
Sony has already dated “Kraven the Hunter” for January 13, 2023.
Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are producing the film, and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway and Richard Wenk wrote the screenplay.
Born into Russian aristocracy, Sergei Kravinoff a.k.a. Kraven the Hunter is an obsessive big-game hunter who was introduced as a Spider-Man...
J.C. Chandor is directing the film about one of Spider-Man’s greatest foes, which will be the latest in Sony’s universe of Marvel characters.
No character details were revealed for Hechinger, but Deadline, which first reported the news, said he’s meant to be portraying Kraven’s half-brother, who goes by the alter ego Chameleon.
Sony has already dated “Kraven the Hunter” for January 13, 2023.
Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are producing the film, and Art Marcum & Matt Holloway and Richard Wenk wrote the screenplay.
Born into Russian aristocracy, Sergei Kravinoff a.k.a. Kraven the Hunter is an obsessive big-game hunter who was introduced as a Spider-Man...
- 2/22/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Fred Hechinger has joined Sony Pictures’ Kraven the Hunter, starring Aaron Taylor Johnson in the titular role. Although it’s unconfirmed, sources say Hechinger would play Chameleon, the brother of Kraven, in the movie.
J.C. Chandor is directing the pic with Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach producing. Art Marcum & Matt Holloway and Richard Wenk penned the screenplay.
One of Sony Pictures’ universe of Marvel characters, Kraven is among Marvel’s most iconic and notorious antiheroes, who has encountered Venom and Black Panther among many others as well as being one of Spider-Man’s best-known and most-formidable enemies. The film will be released theatrically on January 13, 2023.
As for Chameleon, the character is the half-brother of Kraven and usually is depicted as a master of disguises, known for his ability to impersonate virtually anybody
Sony is coming off a hot streak with Venom: Let There Be Carnage making more than $500 million worldwide,...
J.C. Chandor is directing the pic with Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach producing. Art Marcum & Matt Holloway and Richard Wenk penned the screenplay.
One of Sony Pictures’ universe of Marvel characters, Kraven is among Marvel’s most iconic and notorious antiheroes, who has encountered Venom and Black Panther among many others as well as being one of Spider-Man’s best-known and most-formidable enemies. The film will be released theatrically on January 13, 2023.
As for Chameleon, the character is the half-brother of Kraven and usually is depicted as a master of disguises, known for his ability to impersonate virtually anybody
Sony is coming off a hot streak with Venom: Let There Be Carnage making more than $500 million worldwide,...
- 2/22/2022
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Saban Films has acquired North American and other overseas territory rights to The Old Way, the Western from director Brett Donowho that stars Nicolas Cage. The distributor is targeting a theatrical and VOD release for the pic sometime during the fourth quarter of 2022.
The deal marks the the second recent pickup of a Cage-toplined pic for Saban Films, which also snagged rights to the frontier epic Butcher’s Crossing written and directed by Gabe Polsky and starring Cage as an 1870s buffalo hunter.
Written by Carl W. Lucas, The Old Way centers on Colton Briggs (Cage), a former gunslinger who truly believed he had left his past behind. But when a gang of outlaws murder his wife, Briggs finds his world shattered and must once again take up arms in violence. But this time, he won’t be going alone. Briggs is now a father and must bring his young...
The deal marks the the second recent pickup of a Cage-toplined pic for Saban Films, which also snagged rights to the frontier epic Butcher’s Crossing written and directed by Gabe Polsky and starring Cage as an 1870s buffalo hunter.
Written by Carl W. Lucas, The Old Way centers on Colton Briggs (Cage), a former gunslinger who truly believed he had left his past behind. But when a gang of outlaws murder his wife, Briggs finds his world shattered and must once again take up arms in violence. But this time, he won’t be going alone. Briggs is now a father and must bring his young...
- 1/27/2022
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
The Hollywood Reporter’s annual Actors Roundtable is, this year, full of fascinating bits. Especially with Nicolas Cage at the table, joined by the likes of Andrew Garfield, Simon Rex, Jonathan Majors, and Peter Dinklage.
One such anecdote came from Cage himself, who talked about working with an especially moody horse named Rain Man on the set of his upcoming Western, “Butcher’s Crossing.”
The story came up as Majors (“The Harder They Fall”) and Nicolas Cage (“Pig”) swapped stories about their experiences with animals working on movie sets.
“At least you had a nice horse,” Cage told Majors, who worked with horses on the Netflix Western. “My horse on ‘Butcher’s Crossing,’ named Rain Man, wanted to kill me.”
“Rain Man? Where’d you shoot that?” Majors asked.
“Montana,” Cage said. “I was in Blackfoot Country. Rain Man kept trying to knock me off and would try to run my head into roofs,...
One such anecdote came from Cage himself, who talked about working with an especially moody horse named Rain Man on the set of his upcoming Western, “Butcher’s Crossing.”
The story came up as Majors (“The Harder They Fall”) and Nicolas Cage (“Pig”) swapped stories about their experiences with animals working on movie sets.
“At least you had a nice horse,” Cage told Majors, who worked with horses on the Netflix Western. “My horse on ‘Butcher’s Crossing,’ named Rain Man, wanted to kill me.”
“Rain Man? Where’d you shoot that?” Majors asked.
“Montana,” Cage said. “I was in Blackfoot Country. Rain Man kept trying to knock me off and would try to run my head into roofs,...
- 1/6/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Saban Films has landed rights to “Here Before,” a psychological thriller starring Andrea Riseborough.
When the deal closes, Saban Films will distribute the movie in North America, South Africa and its global partner Defiant Screen Entertainment will handle Australia and New Zealand.
First-time feature filmmaker Stacey Gregg wrote and directed “Here Before,” which had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. Along with Riseborough, the cast includes Jonjo O’Neill (“The Fall”), Martin McCann (“Calibre”), Eileen O’Higgins (“Brooklyn”) and newcomer Niamh Dornan.
In “Here Before,” Riseborough plays Laura, a grieving mother who becomes emotionally affected by the presence of her new neighbors’ young daughter. The logline reads: “When a new family moves in next door, their young daughter, Megan, quickly captivates Laura, stirring up painful memories of her own daughter who died several years previously. Before long, Laura’s memories turn to obsession as Megan’s unsettling behavior begins to convince her of something supernatural.
When the deal closes, Saban Films will distribute the movie in North America, South Africa and its global partner Defiant Screen Entertainment will handle Australia and New Zealand.
First-time feature filmmaker Stacey Gregg wrote and directed “Here Before,” which had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival. Along with Riseborough, the cast includes Jonjo O’Neill (“The Fall”), Martin McCann (“Calibre”), Eileen O’Higgins (“Brooklyn”) and newcomer Niamh Dornan.
In “Here Before,” Riseborough plays Laura, a grieving mother who becomes emotionally affected by the presence of her new neighbors’ young daughter. The logline reads: “When a new family moves in next door, their young daughter, Megan, quickly captivates Laura, stirring up painful memories of her own daughter who died several years previously. Before long, Laura’s memories turn to obsession as Megan’s unsettling behavior begins to convince her of something supernatural.
- 11/18/2021
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Jeremy Bobb, Xander Berkeley Paul Raci join cast.
Altitude Film Sales has released a first-look image of Butcher’s Crossing starring Nicolas Cage, which has wrapped principal photography in Montana.
Cage stars in the western alongside Fred Hechinger and newly announced cast Jeremy Bobb, Xander Berkeley and Paul Raci, who earned an Oscar supporting actor Oscar nod earlier this year for Sound Of Metal.
Gabe Polsky wrote and directs the frontier adventure about a Harvard drop-out that heads out Wet in search of his destiny and joins a
team of buffalo hunters led by Miller (Cage). Together they embark on a...
Altitude Film Sales has released a first-look image of Butcher’s Crossing starring Nicolas Cage, which has wrapped principal photography in Montana.
Cage stars in the western alongside Fred Hechinger and newly announced cast Jeremy Bobb, Xander Berkeley and Paul Raci, who earned an Oscar supporting actor Oscar nod earlier this year for Sound Of Metal.
Gabe Polsky wrote and directs the frontier adventure about a Harvard drop-out that heads out Wet in search of his destiny and joins a
team of buffalo hunters led by Miller (Cage). Together they embark on a...
- 11/9/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Jeremy Bobb, Xander Berkeley, Rachel Keller and Oscar nominee Paul Raci (Sound of Metal) will join Nicolas Cage and Fred Hechinger in Butcher’s Crossing, the Western directed by Gabe Polsky, which has just wrapped production.
The film scripted by Polsky and Liam Satre-Meloy adapts John Williams’ 1960 novel of the same name. It centers on Will Andrews (Hechingeer), a naive Harvard student who heads west in 1874 to fulfill his dream of seeing the country and living off the land. Will agrees to fund a dangerous but potentially lucrative expedition to Colorado, led by Miller (Cage), an experienced hunter obsessed with a near-mythological buffalo herd he once glimpsed in the Rockies. But as the weeks and then months pass, Miller’s single-minded resolve to slaughter every buffalo in the enormous herd puts Will and the rest of the hunting...
The film scripted by Polsky and Liam Satre-Meloy adapts John Williams’ 1960 novel of the same name. It centers on Will Andrews (Hechingeer), a naive Harvard student who heads west in 1874 to fulfill his dream of seeing the country and living off the land. Will agrees to fund a dangerous but potentially lucrative expedition to Colorado, led by Miller (Cage), an experienced hunter obsessed with a near-mythological buffalo herd he once glimpsed in the Rockies. But as the weeks and then months pass, Miller’s single-minded resolve to slaughter every buffalo in the enormous herd puts Will and the rest of the hunting...
- 11/9/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Fred Hechinger has landed a lead role opposite Nicolas Cage in Gabe Polsky’s Western Butcher’s Crossing, adapted from John Williams’ 1960 novel.
In the film scripted by Polsky and Liam Satre-Meloy, Hechinger will play Will Andrews, a naive Harvard student who heads west in 1874 to fulfill his dream of seeing the country and living off the land. Will agrees to fund a dangerous but potentially lucrative expedition to Colorado, led by Miller (Cage), an experienced hunter obsessed with a near-mythological buffalo herd he once glimpsed in the Rockies. As the weeks and then months pass, Miller’s single-minded resolve to slaughter every buffalo in the enormous herd puts Will and the rest of the hunting party at risk of losing their sanity and their lives.
Polsky and Phiphen Pictures’ Molly Conners are producing the adventure pic alongside Will Clarke and Andy Mayson for Altitude Film Entertainment...
In the film scripted by Polsky and Liam Satre-Meloy, Hechinger will play Will Andrews, a naive Harvard student who heads west in 1874 to fulfill his dream of seeing the country and living off the land. Will agrees to fund a dangerous but potentially lucrative expedition to Colorado, led by Miller (Cage), an experienced hunter obsessed with a near-mythological buffalo herd he once glimpsed in the Rockies. As the weeks and then months pass, Miller’s single-minded resolve to slaughter every buffalo in the enormous herd puts Will and the rest of the hunting party at risk of losing their sanity and their lives.
Polsky and Phiphen Pictures’ Molly Conners are producing the adventure pic alongside Will Clarke and Andy Mayson for Altitude Film Entertainment...
- 11/1/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: With filming underway in Montana on the Western Butcher’s Crossing, Nicolas Cage looks to be giving audiences another fun character to add to his long list of iconic roles.
Cage plays a buffalo hunter, Miller, in the film, which is being directed by Gabe Polsky. A first image of Cage as Miller has been released.
The story is about a young Harvard dropout who seeks his destiny out West by tying his fate to a team of buffalo hunters led by Miller. Together, they embark on a harrowing journey risking life and sanity. The title refers to the small Kansas town where the two intersect in the novel’s story, which is set in the 1870s.
If the image is anything close to how the film turns out, audiences can expect another wild ride on this next Cage project.
Cage plays a buffalo hunter, Miller, in the film, which is being directed by Gabe Polsky. A first image of Cage as Miller has been released.
The story is about a young Harvard dropout who seeks his destiny out West by tying his fate to a team of buffalo hunters led by Miller. Together, they embark on a harrowing journey risking life and sanity. The title refers to the small Kansas town where the two intersect in the novel’s story, which is set in the 1870s.
If the image is anything close to how the film turns out, audiences can expect another wild ride on this next Cage project.
- 10/18/2021
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
The rights of actor Nicolas Cage’s film ‘Butcher’s Crossing’, a frontier epic, has been acquired by Saban Films. The deal covers rights in North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia, reports variety.com. Gabe Polsky, who directed the documentary ‘Red Penguins’,is behind the camera. He wrote the script, as well. […]...
- 9/22/2021
- by Glamsham Bureau
- GlamSham
Saban Films is getting in the Nicolas Cage business.
The studio has acquired “Butcher’s Crossing,” a frontier epic that stars the off-beat, Oscar winner as a buffalo hunter. The deal covers rights in North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia.
Gabe Polsky, who directed the documentary “Red Penguins,” slides behind the camera on this one. He wrote the script, as well. It’s an adaptation of a novel by John Williams. The film is produced by Polsky and Molly Conners of Phiphen Pictures alongside Will Clarke and Andy Mayson for Altitude Film Entertainment and Cage’s Saturn Films. Ingenious Media is funding, with Peter Touche, Jamie Jessop and Christelle Conan executive producing. Principal photography will begin this fall.
“Butcher’s Crossing” is set in the 1870s, and finds Cage’s character taking on a young Harvard dropout, who is seeking his destiny in the Colorado wilderness.
The studio has acquired “Butcher’s Crossing,” a frontier epic that stars the off-beat, Oscar winner as a buffalo hunter. The deal covers rights in North America, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Scandinavia.
Gabe Polsky, who directed the documentary “Red Penguins,” slides behind the camera on this one. He wrote the script, as well. It’s an adaptation of a novel by John Williams. The film is produced by Polsky and Molly Conners of Phiphen Pictures alongside Will Clarke and Andy Mayson for Altitude Film Entertainment and Cage’s Saturn Films. Ingenious Media is funding, with Peter Touche, Jamie Jessop and Christelle Conan executive producing. Principal photography will begin this fall.
“Butcher’s Crossing” is set in the 1870s, and finds Cage’s character taking on a young Harvard dropout, who is seeking his destiny in the Colorado wilderness.
- 9/21/2021
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
In early June, UTA began shopping a redhot documentary project based on Chris Fenton’s 2020 book Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, & American Business, with Oscar winner Alex Gibney producing and Emmy nominee Gabe Polsky writing and directing. But instead of the film being greeted by a bidding war, sales agents faced closed doors. Sources say the major players in the doc space, including Netflix and HBO, declined even to see the project pitch, which touts “a character-driven essay film exploring how the United States and Western countries helped to build an ultra-powerful rival ...
- 6/23/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
In early June, UTA began shopping a redhot documentary project based on Chris Fenton’s 2020 book Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, & American Business, with Oscar winner Alex Gibney producing and Emmy nominee Gabe Polsky writing and directing. But instead of the film being greeted by a bidding war, sales agents faced closed doors. Sources say the major players in the doc space, including Netflix and HBO, declined even to see the project pitch, which touts “a character-driven essay film exploring how the United States and Western countries helped to build an ultra-powerful rival ...
- 6/23/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Production slated for October start in US.
The UK’s Altitude Film Entertainment is producing, financing and handling international sales on Gabe Polsky’s frontier adventure Butcher’s Crossing heading into this week’s Pre-Cannes Screenings.
Polsky and Liam Satre-Meloy adapted the screenplay from the novel by John Williams exploring man’s relationship with nature and focuses on a little-known chapter in US history.
When a young Harvard dropout seeks fortune in the West by teaming up with buffalo hunters led by Miller (Cage), they embark on a harrowing journey that places their lives and sanity at risk.
Production is...
The UK’s Altitude Film Entertainment is producing, financing and handling international sales on Gabe Polsky’s frontier adventure Butcher’s Crossing heading into this week’s Pre-Cannes Screenings.
Polsky and Liam Satre-Meloy adapted the screenplay from the novel by John Williams exploring man’s relationship with nature and focuses on a little-known chapter in US history.
When a young Harvard dropout seeks fortune in the West by teaming up with buffalo hunters led by Miller (Cage), they embark on a harrowing journey that places their lives and sanity at risk.
Production is...
- 6/22/2021
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Nicolas Cage has been set to star in Butcher’s Crossing, an adventure adapted from John Williams’ seminal 1960 novel about the rugged frontier of the American West. Gabe Polsky is set to direct. Altitude Film Group, which is producing and financing, has landed UK and Irish distribution rights and also will handle selling international at the Cannes Virtual Market that kicked off today. Shooting is set to begin in October in the U.S.
Polsky and Liam Satre-Meloy adapted the screenplay, about a young Harvard dropout seeks his destiny out West by tying his fate to a team of buffalo hunters led by Miller (Cage). Together, they embark on a harrowing journey risking life and sanity. The title refers to the small Kansas town where the two intersect in the novel’s story, which was set in the 1870s.
Polsky and Phiphen Pictures’ Molly Conners will...
Polsky and Liam Satre-Meloy adapted the screenplay, about a young Harvard dropout seeks his destiny out West by tying his fate to a team of buffalo hunters led by Miller (Cage). Together, they embark on a harrowing journey risking life and sanity. The title refers to the small Kansas town where the two intersect in the novel’s story, which was set in the 1870s.
Polsky and Phiphen Pictures’ Molly Conners will...
- 6/21/2021
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Nicolas Cage is lined up to play a buffalo hunter in an adaptation of John Williams’ novel “Butcher’s Crossing,” directed by “Red Army” helmer Gabe Polsky.
The film, which is being shopped to buyers at this week’s Cannes virtual market by sales agent and financier Altitude, is set in the 1870s and finds the “Mandy” star playing Kansas buffalo hunter Miller, who takes on a young Harvard dropout seeking his destiny out West. “Together, they embark on a harrowing journey risking life and sanity,” read promotional materials for the pic.
The film is based on the 1960 transcendentalist novel by Williams, which explores man’s relationship with the natural world and details a largely untold but significant chapter in American history. Polsky is adapting the novel alongside Liam Satre-Meloy. “1917” director Sam Mendes was believed to have been interested in adapting the book around 10 years ago.
Altitude has also secured the film for U.
The film, which is being shopped to buyers at this week’s Cannes virtual market by sales agent and financier Altitude, is set in the 1870s and finds the “Mandy” star playing Kansas buffalo hunter Miller, who takes on a young Harvard dropout seeking his destiny out West. “Together, they embark on a harrowing journey risking life and sanity,” read promotional materials for the pic.
The film is based on the 1960 transcendentalist novel by Williams, which explores man’s relationship with the natural world and details a largely untold but significant chapter in American history. Polsky is adapting the novel alongside Liam Satre-Meloy. “1917” director Sam Mendes was believed to have been interested in adapting the book around 10 years ago.
Altitude has also secured the film for U.
- 6/21/2021
- by Manori Ravindran
- Variety Film + TV
A new Nicolas Cage film project is hitting the international market.
Altitude is unveiling Butcher’s Crossing, described as “an epic frontier adventure” that will star Cage, who in recent years has proven to be one of the most eclectic and unpredictable of thespians.
Gabe Polsky, who directed documentaries Red Army and Red Penguins, is making his narrative feature debut with the project. It is also a reunion of sorts, as Polsky was a producer on Cage’s 2009 movie Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.
Altitude is handling international sales and will introduce the project to buyers at the Cannes Virtual Market, June 21-25. Altitude ...
Altitude is unveiling Butcher’s Crossing, described as “an epic frontier adventure” that will star Cage, who in recent years has proven to be one of the most eclectic and unpredictable of thespians.
Gabe Polsky, who directed documentaries Red Army and Red Penguins, is making his narrative feature debut with the project. It is also a reunion of sorts, as Polsky was a producer on Cage’s 2009 movie Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.
Altitude is handling international sales and will introduce the project to buyers at the Cannes Virtual Market, June 21-25. Altitude ...
- 6/21/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
A new Nicolas Cage film project is hitting the international market.
Altitude is unveiling Butcher’s Crossing, described as “an epic frontier adventure” that will star Cage, who in recent years has proven to be one of the most eclectic and unpredictable of thespians.
Gabe Polsky, who directed documentaries Red Army and Red Penguins, is making his narrative feature debut with the project. It is also a reunion of sorts, as Polsky was a producer on Cage’s 2009 movie Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.
Altitude is handling international sales and will introduce the project to buyers at the Cannes Virtual Market, 21-25 June. Altitude ...
Altitude is unveiling Butcher’s Crossing, described as “an epic frontier adventure” that will star Cage, who in recent years has proven to be one of the most eclectic and unpredictable of thespians.
Gabe Polsky, who directed documentaries Red Army and Red Penguins, is making his narrative feature debut with the project. It is also a reunion of sorts, as Polsky was a producer on Cage’s 2009 movie Bad Lieutenant: Port of Call New Orleans.
Altitude is handling international sales and will introduce the project to buyers at the Cannes Virtual Market, 21-25 June. Altitude ...
- 6/21/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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