“What Just Happened?” Poster
The upcoming Barry Levinson (”Good Morning, Vietnam,” “Rainman” and “Bugsy“) -directed comedy, entitled “What Just Happened?” has been screened at the Cannes Film Festival and today we have newly released poster.
Art Linson, the veteran Hollywood producer, wrote a screenplay that was inspired by his memoir. In the fictional film, Robert De Niro plays a desperate movie producer trying to preserve some dignity as his soul is slowly destroyed by the machinations of Hollywood and the breakup of his second marriage.
“Happened?” also stars Stanley Tucci, John Turturro, Catherine Keener as a tough-as-nails studio chief and features a number of stars, including Sean Penn and Bruce Willis, playing themselves in self-parodying roles.
“What Just Happened?” is set to hit theaters this fall – on October 3.
‘What Just Happened?’ to close Cannes
“What Just Happened?” Barry Levinson’s tale of an embattled Hollywood producer, has been chosen to close this year’s Festival de Cannes.
The movie, written by Art Linson and based on his memoir about his experiences as a producer, stars Robert De Niro as Ben, whose professional and personal life comes undone during one turbulent week.
In a life-imitating-art turn, the film’s climactic scene takes place at the Festival de Cannes, with the fictional movie-within-a-movie that Ben has produced opening the festival.
The official announcement is expected sometime next week.
“Happened” also stars Catherine Keener as a tough-as-nails studio chief and features a number of stars, including Sean Penn and Bruce Willis, playing themselves in self-parodying roles.
The 2929 Prods. film generated strong buzz coming in to January’s Sundance Film Festival, with co-reps CAA and Cinetic expected to fetch at least a significant seven-figure price for it. But the movie received a mixed critical response and failed to catch fire with distributors, and its rights remain available.
The Cannes slot will represent a do-over of sorts on the acquisitions front, though it was unclear at press time who would rep it on the Croisette. 2929 was behind last year’s big Cannes sale, James Gray’s crime drama “We Own the Night,” which went to Sony in a reported eight-figure deal.
Robert Redford ‘to star in Bryson movie’
Actor Robert Redford could produce and star in a film based on a book by travel writer Bill Bryson, according to the Hollywood Reporter.
A Walk in the Woods was written by Bryson in 1998, about a journey along the Appalachian Trail.
The movie has been under consideration for some time. At one stage there were rumours of a reunion with Paul Newman.
The Hollywood Reporter says Barry Levinson is discussing the possibility of directing the film.
Bryson’s book is an account of his hike along the trail – much of it wilderness – which stretches from Georgia to Maine in the eastern US.
The movie would be dependent on Redford giving it script approval. But the writers’ strike has delayed the production of a draft.
Redford is also reported to be considering moving ahead with another film about baseball manager Branch Rickey who helped break down the racial divide in the sport.
