Welcome to this month’s round-up of some fact-based films and TV shows heading to cinemas or streaming platforms, as well as a selection of news and projects in the works…
In cinemas:
> Released in the UK this month, after its 2023 debut, Italy’s Kidnapped tells the real-life story of Edgardo Mortara, a Jewish child who, in 1858, was taken from his family by the Papal States (Vatican) and raised as a Catholic. In cinemas and available on Curzon Home Cinema. Take a look at the trailer:
> The Flannery O’Connor (1925-1964) biopic Wildcat has had a limited release in New York and Los Angeles. The film draws on the power of imagination to tell the story of the author’s short life in Georgia, the latter years of which were spent confined to her mother’s house. Director Ethan Hawke discusses the film here: https://deadline.com/2024/05/ethan-hawke-maya-hawke-wildcat-flannery-oconner-indie-film-1235904303/
Streaming:
> Directed by Jerry Seinfeld, who also stars, ‘made-up origin tale’ Unfrosted pops up on Netflix this month. Set in the 1960s, it tells of the rivalry between cereal-makers Post and Kellogg’s, which led to the latter developing the Pop Tart. Read our review.
> On a more sombre note, The Tattooist of Auschwitz comes to Peacock in the US and to Sky Atlantic / NOW TV in the UK. The multi-part WWII-set series tells of Jewish prisoner Lale Sokolov, who was forced to tattoo ID numbers on prisoners’ arms in the Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp.
> The Big Cigar arrives on Apple TV+. It tells of Black Panther Party founder Huey P. Newton’s friendship with Hollywood producer Bert Schneider. The 1970s-set mini-series includes Newton’s escape to Cuba to avoid murder charges, aided by a fake Argo-style movie production set up by Schneider.
Coming soon:
> Due in cinemas in September, following eight years in development, Lee tells of Lee Miller, a Vogue fashion model who became a World War II photojournalist. Tale a look at the trailer:
> Disney+ has released a trailer for its forthcoming series about fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld. Becoming Karl Lagerfeld premieres on 7 June. Find out more here: https://variety.com/2024/tv/global/becoming-karl-lagerfeld-trailer-daniel-bruhl-disney-plus-1235980466
In the works:
> At least one biopic of eccentric US fitness guru Richard Simmons is in the works, with Pauly Shore slated to star in one of the films. However, Simmons has indicated he does not approve of the project and is in discussions about developing his own version. Source: Variety
> Tom Hiddleston has signed up to play Sir Edmund Hillary in forthcoming film Tenzing about the first climbers to conquer Mount Everest. Willem Dafoe will play Col. John Hunt, with the lead role of Sherpa Tenzing Norgay still uncast. Source: Deadline
> Composer George Frideric Handel (1685-1759) is the subject of the forthcoming biopic, The King of Covent Garden. Starring Anthony Hopkins, the film will tell of the period in which Handel composed his Messiah. A release is expected in autumn 2025. Source: Variety
> Set in the mid-2000s, Trust Me, I’m a Doctor is based on the memoir of Dr. Sandeep Kapoor, who was implicated in the death of Anna Nicole Smith, leading to a drug conspiracy trial. Described by star Kal Penn as a “wild story”, the film is currently in production. Source: Deadline
> A film about the life and work of Leonardo da Vinci (1452-1519) is in development. It will be based on Walter Isaacson’s 2017 biography, which itself was based on original sources including da Vinci notebooks. Andrew Haigh is due to adapt and direct. Source: Variety
> It looks like there’s still mileage in the beloved Rocky story. Directed by Peter Farrelly, I Play Rocky will focus on the struggles a young Sylvester Stallone had writing, directing and starring in the film that would skyrocket his career. Source: Deadline
> Persuasian, a biography of Victorian self-made millionaire, celebrity and abortionist Madame Restell by Jennifer Wright, is being adapted into a film. Source: Variety
> An upcoming film will tell of the early life of Richard Jenkins and his relationship with Welsh schoolmaster Philip Burton, who inspired the lad to pursue his dreams of acting. Such was the influence that young Jenkins chose his mentor’s name when he took to the stage, as Richard Burton. The film is expected to be released in 2025, the year he would have turned 100. Source: Deadline
> The cast is taking shape for Monsanto, a David and Goliath-style legal drama about a young lawyer who took on the chemical company in a case involving the health impacts of its Roundup weedkiller. Source: Deadline
> Checkmate will focus on allegations of cheating in the big money world of chess, involving Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen and Hans Niemann. Source: The Hollywood Reporter
> A biopic is on the way about celebrity trailblazing female boxer Christy Martin, who faced challenges out of the ring, including a toxic and violent marriage. Source: Deadline
> A TV series is planned about a gambling scandal involving the LA Dodgers’ Shohei Ohtani, whose interpreter recently pled guilty to stealing $17m from the player. Source: Deadline
> Fugitive Samantha Lewthwaite, known as the White Widow, is the subject of an upcoming film, Girl Next Door. The radicalised homemaker married one of the bombers who carried out the July 2005 London terror attacks. Source: Deadline
Around the web:
> Aaron Sorkin is working on a kind of sequel to The Social Network (2010), which will focus on the role of Facebook and social media in the events of 6 January 2021, when the US Capitol was attacked by Donald Trump supporters attempting to stop Congress certifying Joe Biden’s election win. The project appears to be at a very early stage, with Sorkin tight-lipped about the details. Source: NBC
> The controversy around Baby Reindeer rumbles on, with the alleged stalker now planning to take legal action against Netflix and the show’s creator and writer Richard Gadd. Source: BBC News
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