News

Exclusive: Vida is over, but series creator Tanya Saracho now has a newly created production company and a former executive from Warner Bros content studio Stage 13 to help her run it.

Christine Dávila has been hired as Head of Development and Production for Saracho’s Ojalá Productions. The hire comes just over three months after Saracho inked a wide-ranging development deal with UCP that also includes the creation of a lab and incubator program for Latinx voices by the activist former playwright and showrunner.

“It is a dream come true to be able to bring such a talented, energetic and accomplished Latina to help me kick off Ojalá,” Saracho told Deadline on Tuesday from the UK. “With Christine’s impeccable taste, undeniable intellect and boundless spirit, the possibilities are endless for us.”

“I’m grateful and truly invigorated to work with such an undeniable voice as Tanya’s,” Dávila said of the producer-writer.

In Stardust, which hit VOD over the weekend, Emma’s Johnny Flynn plays a struggling David Bowie, let loose on the road in America with no work visa, no shows, and just a cantankerous publicist played by Marc Maron to keep him company. Touted and derided for being a Bowie movie with no Bowie songs, Stardust aims to…...

Henry Cavill is best known for his portrayal of the Dceu’s incarnation of Superman from Man of Steel, Batman V Superman: Dawn of Justice and Justice League, which was also where most people took notice of him. However, in the years prior to this, there were two roles he was up for that might have introduced him to general audiences a lot sooner, and by quirk of coincidence, he lost out on both of them to Robert Pattinson.

The first was for Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, where Pattinson played the small yet significant part of Cedric Diggory, one of Harry’s opponents in the Triwizard Tournament. The character’s main purpose was at the film’s climax to be summarily killed prior to Voldemort’s resurrection to establish the overlord’s callous attitude towards human life, in case the Nazi allegory of the Death Eaters was too subtle for you.

British distributor Vertigo Releasing has acquired David Bowie origin film “Stardust,” starring Johnny Flynn, who recently won the best actor award at London’s Raindance Film Festival for his performance as Bowie.

Vertigo will release the film before the end of the year, on the back of the U.S. release by IFC Films on Nov. 25. Ed Caffrey, head of acquisitions and business development at Vertigo, lauded the “compelling performance from the very talented Johnny Flynn.”

As well as the strength of Flynn’s performance, the distributor will build on Bowie’s enduring popularity in the U.K., and positive local reviews, such as a four-star write-up in The Times newspaper, which called “Stardust” “a remarkably confident, smart and resilient film with the sense of soul that its fascinating subject deserves.”

The film is a “cusp-of-fame-of-a-rock-star biopic,” in the words of Variety‘s reviewer, which dramatizes Bowie’s road trip...

Neil Gaiman has slowly become one of the most renowned fantasy authors on the planet. Many of his most popular books have been adapted into TV shows and movies, including American Gods, Coraline, Good Omens and Stardust, and he’s written critically acclaimed episodes of Doctor Who. But for many, his best work is still the epic DC/Vertigo comic series The Sandman.

This spanned 75 issues, was released between 1989 and 1996 and told the story of the Endless, an immortal family that personifies basic elements of reality. The protagonist is Morpheus, the Lord of Dreams, whose domestic troubles take him across history through weird dimensions and into hell itself. There’ve been many attempts to adapt The Sandman over the years, but Netflix has succeeded where others have failed.

Up until now, exact details on the project have been fairly thin on the ground, but the shoot recently got underway and...

In today’s Global Bulletin, Raindance announces its winners, Göteborg goes hybrid, Movistar Plus announces a new climate change docuseries, and Dopamine hires Maria Garcia-Castrillon to lead the company’s international business.

Festivals

Raindance Film Festival’s virtual awards ceremony unspooled on Thursday, live streamed from the Leicester Square Theater, where Giorgos Georgopoulos’ dark comedy “Not to Be Unpleasant But We Need to Have a Serious Talk” was declared Film of the Festival and Finnish feature “Force of Habit,” seven stories from seven directors about the normality of sexual harassment and abuse in private and society at large, won best international feature and best screenplay.

Keith Fulton and Louis Pepe’s “He Dreams of Giants” and “The State of Texas vs. Melissa” from director Sabrina Van Tassel won best U.K. feature and best documentary feature respectively. In the former, Fulton and Pepe track Terry Gilliam’s long-fought battle to film his most recent feature,...

Even though New York State is slowly easing restrictions on theaters in a bid to right a ship that’s been sinking for months, it happening when Covid-19 cases are at an all-time high throughout the country makes it seem as though another nationwide shutdown might render the effort moot—depending on the election, of course. As you’ll see below, however, most distributors are still maintaining the status quo where it concerns pandemic protocol via theatrical windows lasting a couple weeks if not day-and-date.

Big studio films remain missing, though. Their loss is Netflix, Prime, and the others’ gain. It’s also ours since another shutdown will most likely be smoother than before thanks to the evolution of what had benn an all-or-nothing release plan. Rather than living out March and most of April with nothing, this holiday season should keep us “at the movies” without actually needing to be at the movies.

Exclusive: For all intents and purposes, the Tribeca Film Festival wrapped last week with the announcement of winners in various categories. Of course there was no live Tribeca this year due to the coronavirus pandemic, but the festival went ahead as virtually as it could by creating an Extranet where some of the accepted films could be screened online for press and buyers, among others. That option is still open through next week for those movies that want to participate, but the fact is the higher-profile titles did not want to put in jeopardy a true distribution deal by giving away their film, sans traditional festival premiere, and risking a much bigger deal than just getting seen in this unprecedented way, similar to the experiment SXSW forged with Amazon for their interested filmmakers mourning the loss of a key fest berth.

As I wrote on what would have been the...

Film Constellation, the London-based production, finance and sales company, ventured into new grounds amid the coronavirus crisis, and hosted the first online industry premiere for Gabriel Range’s young David Bowie origin film “Stardust” last week.

The movie, which was supposed to debut at Tribeca, gathered more than 300 buyers and select press for its online premiere on an invite-only platform on April 15.

The screening was introduced by an interactive live video presentation on Zoom with writer/director Gabriel Range and stars Johnny Flynn, Marc Maron and Jena Malone who candidly shared thoughts and anecdotes about the movie from their homes.

“It was a first in many ways, and arguably one of the most attended market screenings I have experienced. With over 300 buyers tuning in simultaneously, watching the cast introduce the film Live, seeing who else was in the room, pretty much like in a real market situation,” said Fabien Westerhoff,...

From its opening moments, Gabriel Range’s “Stardust” vows to do things a little bit differently, kicking off with both a warning and a promise: “What follows is (mostly) fiction.” The shape of it is true-ish enough: set in 1971 after the release of his “The Man Who Sold the World,” a still-struggling David Bowie (an explosive Johnny Flynn) has yet to break into the cultural consciousness. Surrounded by people who love him — and are thus convinced of his place in the pantheon of musical geniuses, even if his entree will have to wait for some future date when everyone else gets hip — Bowie is forced to swallow a bitter pill: He’s just not a star. But, of course, he is, and just needs to show the world his special brand of magic.

With the apparent freedom afforded to him by that winking announcement, it’s understandable that audiences might...

In “Stardust,” a movie that dramatizes David Bowie’s road trip across America in 1971, David (Johnny Flynn), several years into his career but still, in terms of image, a bit of a leftover hippie rocker, finds himself performing at a convention of vacuum-cleaner salesmen. It seems that his manager back in England had failed to secure him a U.S. work visa. So even though he’s supposed to be touring the States, he can’t give concerts, can’t perform on television or radio. But his publicist from Mercury Records, Ron Oberman (Marc Maron), has lined up press interviews and figured out how to sneak in some third-rate gigs.

“Stardust” opens with a title that says “What follows is (mostly) fiction,” and if you want to know how that rather inauspicious promise translates, it’s there in the moment when Bowie gets up in front of the vacuum salesmen and says,...

“I’m not going to lie I cried, I sobbed. And I sort of hate to admit it, because it’s not about me. But we worked so hard for, you know, a couple of years on this movie. And it felt like there were times when we weren’t sure if it was even ever going to get made or anything. And then to have it lined up, this is how it works: you take it to your festival and then the buyers get excited about it, and you sell it, and it goes out into the world, and that’s how things normally work. To have that all just sort of ripped out from under you is very disappointing, for sure.”

Those are the words of Mary Wharton, director of Jimmy Carter: Rock And Roll President, the documentary chosen to open the 2020 edition of the Tribeca Film Festival.

Films about rock legends are a hot commodity in recent years. Thanks to the success of “Bohemian Rhapsody” and “Rocketman,” studios love the idea of presenting stories of some of the biggest icons in music featuring some of the biggest songs in their catalog. But things are a bit different with the upcoming film, “Stardust.”

Read More: David Bowie Turned Down Cameron Crowe’s Offer Of Doing A Memoir-Style Documentary Together

As seen in the first clip from “Stardust,” the film is not the same as the aforementioned films.

Continue reading ‘Stardust’ Clip: Here’s The First Look At The Controversial Film About David Bowie’s Early Days at The Playlist.

Variety has been given exclusive access to the first clip from David Bowie origin story “Stardust,” which receives its online premiere for distribution executives and select press on Wednesday.

The film, written and directed by Gabriel Range, was slated to premiere at the Tribeca Festival Festival this week, but due to its postponement the filmmakers decided to move forward with launching the film through a private online portal.

On Wednesday, Film Constellation, which is handling international sales, will launch a micro-site for the film. At 4 P.M. Et the company will host a live virtual introduction via Zoom with Range, and cast members Johnny Flynn, Marc Maron and Jena Malone. After the introduction, the invitees will be able to screen the film. The company successfully launched a similar initiative in late March for “Relic,” the Emily Mortimer-starring horror movie that was impacted by the cancellation of the SXSW Film Festival.

Fabien Westerhoff in talks with distributors and programers over potential public audience festival premieres.

David Bowie drama Stardust is to get a digital release after plans for a world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival this month were scuppered when the coronavirus pandemic forced the New York event to postpone.

London-based production, finance and sales company Film Constellation has announced the film will launch on its bespoke platform dedicated to distributors and select press, which has already hosted a screening for industry of Sundance horror film Relic.

Film Constellation CEO Fabien Westerhoff is in talks with distributors and programers over potential...

Exclusive: David Bowie biopic Stardust, which was due to debut at Tribeca next week, is instead to get a live ‘online red carpet’ and screening for buyers and press.

London-based sales firm Film Constellation is making up for Tribeca’s postponement due to coronavirus with a digital launch through a bespoke online platform (stardustscreening.biz). The invite-only screening next Wednesday will include a live video introduction with writer-director Gabriel Range and stars Johnny Flynn, Marc Maron and Jena Malone.

More from DeadlineCoronavirus: List Of Canceled Or Postponed Hollywood & Media EventsEndemol Shine Group To Furlough Or Cut The Pay Of Its 370 UK StaffBritish Film Institute Outlines $5.7M Covid-19 Support Measures

Flynn (Emma) stars as a 24-year-old Bowie as he embarks on his first trip to America, only to be met with a world not yet ready for him. The film reveals the inspirations and life events that gave birth to Bowie’s iconic alter ego,...

The Trip To Greece The Tribeca Film Festival has announced its feature film line-up for its 19th edition, which will run from April 15 to 26 in New York City.

This year's programme features 114 films from 124 countries, including 95 world premieres. Forty-four films in the line-up are directed by women.

UK names in the line-up includes the feature version of Michael Winterbottom latest outing to feature Rob Brydon and Steve Coogan on their travels - The Trip To Greece. Johnny Flynn, who has most recently been seen on our screens in Jane Austen adaptation Emma, will star as David Bowie in Stardust, which dramatises a road trip the pop icon took in 1971. In the Spotlight Documentary section, the UK is represented by The Art of Political Murder by We Are Together director Paul Taylor. Executive produced by George Clooney, it considers the murder of human rights activist Bishop Juan Gerardi in...

The 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, presented by AT&T, has today unveiled its feature film lineup, including a number of world premieres and a selection of proven hits from other festivals, including Tiff, Sundance, and SXSW. The features program will include 115 films from 124 filmmakers from across 33 different countries. This newly announced lineup includes 95 world premieres, 2 international premieres, 4 North American premieres, 4 U.S. premieres, and 9 New York premieres, plus one sneak preview. The 2020 Tribeca Film Festival will run April 15 to 26 across New York City and even, for the first time ever, New Jersey.

“This year’s festival embraces the unique power of film to bring people together — whether that’s literally the communal experience of watching a film in a packed theater, or the more intangible way a great film can make you empathize with a stranger’s struggle,” said festival director Cara Cusumano in an official statement. “In an election year where...

It doesn’t take a sixth sense to realize that Amazon is looking to send “Goliath” off with a bang.

The Billy Bob Thornton-led legal drama has added a trio of players for its upcoming fourth and final season, Variety has learned exclusively. The three in question are Haley Joel Osment in a recurring role, and “Hunger Games” star Jena Malone and recent “Billions” alumna Clara Chen as series regulars.

News of their casting comes roughly four months after “Goliath” was picked up for a season 4 swan song by Amazon. The final season will see Billy McBride (Thornton) taking on a case that tackles a timely global crisis impacting an entire generation.

Osment, who recently guest starred on Netflix’s “The Kominsky Method” and will next appear in the final season of Hulu’s “Future Man,” joins the cast Dylan Zax. Dylan is described as the weakest link in...

That emphatic punctuation after the title — it’s technically called Emma., with a period — suggests that this gorgeously filmed, deliciously wicked, and sometimes wounding film version of Jane Austen’s literary classic may be the final word on the manipulative, matchmaking Miss Emma Woodhouse. Don’t count on it. Film versions of the writer’s fourth novel were practically a cottage industry in the mid-1990s: Gwyneth Paltrow played her on screen, Kate Beckinsale did the honors on TV and Alicia Silverstone immortally spun her into a Beverly Hills High School alpha in Clueless.

David Crow Jan 22, 2020

Production continues on Andrew Scott and Steve Zaillian's TV adaptation of The Talented Mr. Ripley, with Johnny Flynn joining.

Murder on premium cable is about to become quite fashionable, old sport. At least it would appear so with Showtime partnering with screenwriter Steve Zaillian to bring Patricia Highmore’s legendarily amoral protagonist to the small screen. Here’s what you need to know about Ripley.

Ripley Cast

Johnny Flynn has just been cast as Dickie Greenleaf, across from Andrew Scott, in Ripley. It also might be a get for Showtime as Flynn is clearly on the upswing. Set to appear in this spring’s Emma adaptation from Focus Features, he is coming off shooting Stardust, in which he plays a young David Bowie.

The series is of course led by Andrew Scott, who will play the resilient and clever Tom Ripley. The lead of the series, Tom...

Johnny Flynn has been cast opposite Andrew Scott in the upcoming Showtime series based on Patricia Highsmith’s Tom Ripley novels.

Flynn will appear in a series regular role in the eight-episode first season. In “Ripley,” Tom Ripley (Scott), a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, is hired by a wealthy man to try to convince his vagabond son, Dickie Greenleaf (Flynn), who is living a comfortable, trust-funded ex-pat life in Italy, to return home. Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder.

Flynn is a British actor and musician. He has recently been shooting the film “Stardust,” in which he will star as a young David Bowie during his first visit to the U.S. in 1971. He also recently worked on the Netflix UK film “The Dig” opposite Lily James, Ben Chaplin, and Ralph Fiennes. Flynn...

Johnny Flynn (Beast) is set to star opposite Andrew Scott in Steven Zaillian’s drama series Ripley, based on Patricia Highsmith’s bestselling quintet of Tom Ripley novels at Showtime. Oscar and Golden Globe winner and Emmy nominee Zaillian will write and direct the entire first season.

In the series, Tom Ripley (Scott), a grifter scraping by in early 1960s New York, is hired by a wealthy man to try to convince his vagabond son, Dickie Greenleaf (Flynn), who is living a comfortable, trust-funded ex-pat life in Italy, to return home. Tom’s acceptance of the job is the first step into a complex life of deceit, fraud and murder.

Ripley is co-produced by Showtime and Endemol Shine North America in association with Entertainment 360 and Filmrights. Executive producers are Zaillian, Garrett Basch, Guymon Casady, Ben Forkner, Sharon Levy and Philipp Keel of Diogenes. Scott...

Philip Ettinger, Cosmo Jarvis, Stacy Martin, Lili Taylor star.

UK-based sales agent Film Constellation has boarded Braden King’s Us drama The Evening Hour, ahead of the film’s world premiere at Sundance on January 27.

The company is handling international sales on the title, with Cinetic representing North American rights.

The film is based on Carter Sickels’ 2012 novel of the same name, with a script written by Elizabeth Palmore.

It follows Cole, a nursing home worker whose double life as a small-time drug dealer who cares for his customers is threatened by the arrival of his childhood friend Terry Rose.

David Bowie is presented as a very human superhero alien in a cinematic graphic novel.

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Bowie: Stardust, Rayguns, & Moonage Daydreams begins with a forward by Neil Gaiman called "If We Can Sparkle He May Land Tonight." It recounts the author's first contact with the third kind. David Bowie's songs were stories, he remembers, like the Gilbert and Sullivan ditties Gaiman preferred over rock and roll in his youth. He bonded with the rock star over the science fiction undercurrent in the music and image, and glorified him in his mind. Among his favorite memories is trekking to Victoria Station where the Thin White Duke arrived by special train before the 1975 Isolar Tour. Gaiman remembers the faux Bowies at the station, and the Station to Station albums scattered about to distract Bowie fans. The rest of the world was distracted by a blurred photograph which made it look...

The upcoming David Bowie feature "Stardust", will be directed by Gabriel Range from a script by Christopher Bell, starring actor Johnny Flynn ("Genius") as a young Bowie during his first trip to America in 1971, inspiring the invention of his iconic alter ego 'Ziggy Stardust', leader of the 'Spiders From Mars':

"...when David Bowie began writing songs for his album 'Hunky Dory' (1970), he had little to show for the six years he spent trying to make it as a singer. His first three albums had tanked, and he didn't have a record deal.

"Then, in January 1971, Bowie arrived in the United States for a three-week 'Hunky Dory' promotional tour, in a journey that broadened his universe, inspiring his landmark 'glam punk' LP 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'..."

Click the images to enlarge...

“Stardust,” the drama about David Bowie’s early days, has scored a raft of key pre-sales for London-based Film Constellation.

The movie, written by Christopher Bell, charts the moments that inspired Bowie to create his alter-ego Ziggy Stardust. It follows the singer, played by British actor-musician Johnny Flynn, as he embarks on his first road trip to America in 1971. Marc Maron (“Joker”) co-stars as publicist Ron Oberman, who worked for Bowie’s label, Mercury Records, on the tour. Jena Malone also stars.

“Stardust” is directed by Gabriel Range and produced by Salon Pictures and Wildling Pictures.

Since unveiling the movie at the European Film Market in Berlin earlier this year, Film Constellation has sold it to Elevation Pictures (Canada), Nfp, Icon (Australia/New Zealand), Culture Entertainment Co. (Japan), Falcon (Middle East), Russian World Vision (Cis/Baltics), Outsider (Portugal), Noori Pictures (Hong Kong/Taiwan), PVR (India) and Captive Entertainment (Airlines). Film Constellation...

We are now getting our first look at British actor Johnny Flynn, who will be taking on the role of iconic performer David Bowie for the upcoming biopic titled “Stardust” and many are debating just how they feel about Flynn being a good look for the part. Known, for his role in the series “Lovesick”, Flynn will be playing David pre-Bowie in a story focusing on the famous singer’s first road trip to the United States in 1971. The movie will attempt to unravel the creative process behind Bowie’s most famous alter ego: the eccentric Ziggy Stardust. While we have seen a ton of biopic’s recently, it appears that “Stardust” does not have the backing from Bowie’s family who still maintain the rights to all of his work. It looks like we will not be seeing any of Bowie’s music featured in the film. His son,...

We’d like for you to come and meet Johnny Flynn as David Bowie, because we think he’ll blow your mind. Salon Pictures has unveiled the first look at “Stardust,” a film which stars the rising actor Flynn as the Starman himself, late rockstar Bowie.

The image of Flynn bares a striking resemblance to Bowie in 1971 when the film is set, specifically focusing on a turning point in his life during his first trip to the U.S. when he was inspired to develop the Ziggy Stardust alter ego that would inspire one of his best albums. It’s also the first film about Bowie’s life since his passing in 2016.

However, don’t expect to hear any of those seminal songs from the era. “Stardust” is an unauthorized biopic on the life of Bowie. Bowie’s son, filmmaker Duncan Jones, said back in January that the film did...

Rockstar biopics are a hot commodity in Hollywood right now. Thanks to “Bohemian Rhapsody” earning over $900 million worldwide last year and “Rocketman” continuing the trend of profitable movies based on musical icons, studios are clamoring for every rockstar story they can find. Now, it’s time for David Bowie to get the spotlight with the new film “Stardust.” And thanks to Total Film, we have our first look at the actor playing the rock icon.

Continue reading Here’s Your First Look At Johnny Flynn As David Bowie In Controversial Rock Biopic ‘Stardust’ at The Playlist.

Here’s a first look at Johnny Flynn (Beast) as the late music icon David Bowie in biopic Stardust.

Set in 1971, the UK film follows a 24 year old Bowie as he embarks on his first road trip to America with struggling publicist Ron Oberman (Marc Maron). During the journey Bowie discovers his alter ego Ziggy Stardust.

Gabriel Range (I Am Slave) directs from a script written by Christopher Bell (Netflix’s The Last Czars). Co-starring are Jena Malone (Nocturnal Animals) as Bowie’s wife Angie and Maron (Joker).

Produced by Paul Van Carter and Nick Taussig of Salon Pictures, the film is being sold globally by Film Constellation. Christopher Figg of Piccadilly Pictures is co-financing.

Salon Pictures has unveiled a first look image of Johnny Flynn as David Bowie in its upcoming feature “Stardust.”

Rising star Flynn, who recently starred in Michael Pearce’s BAFTA-winning debut feature “Beast” and co-starred in the ITV and Amazon Studio’s adaptation of William Makepeace Thackeray’s “Vanity Fair,” stars as the music icon as he embarks on his first road trip to America in 1971 and creates his, now legendary, Ziggy Stardust persona. Jena Malone co-stars as Bowie’s wife Angie alongside Marc Maron as publicist Rob Oberman.

The project has been described as a “origins story” and “moment in time film” rather than a biopic by its producers, who likened it to British features “Control” and “Nowhere Boy,” about Joy Division and John Lennon, respectively. As such it is not reliant on using Bowie’s music but will instead use period music songs that the musician covered, not his original tracks.

One of the greatest icons in music history is returning.

In this first-look image from upcoming feature Stardust, Johnny Flynn — best know internationally as the lead in Netflix comedy Lovesick — stars as a 24-year-old David Bowie in 1971 as he embarks on his first road trip to America, only to be met with a world not yet ready for him.

Stardust — which was first announced ahead of this year's Berlin Film Festival — offers a glimpse behind the curtain of the moments that inspired the creation of Bowie's first and most memorable alter ego Ziggy Stardust, capturing ...

From TorontoFilm.Net here is the Toronto Film Production Update for July 2019 including "Dare Me", "Titans", "Stardust" and a whole lot more:

A Grand Romantic GESTUREFeature – Theatrical

Paragraph Pictures

Prod.: David Gordian, Alan Latham

Dir.: Joan Carr-Wiggin

Jun 24 - Jul 19/19

AMÉLIE Et Compagnie! Saison 4

Episodic Series - TV

Carte Blanche Films Inc.

Prod.: Tracy Legault

Dir.: Dominque Cardona,

Jul 3 - Sep 20/19

Anne With An E Season 3

Episodic Series - TV

Northwood Anne Trois Inc.

Dir.: Various

Mar 11 – Aug 22/19

Awake

Feature Films - Streaming

eOne / Netflix

Prod.: Mark Gordon, Paul Schiff

Dir.: Mark Raso

Aug 6 – Sep 27/19

Backyard Beats

Episodic Series – TV

Bristow Global Media Inc.

Prod.: Daniel Bourre, Corinna Lehr

Dir.: tbd

Aug 19 - Sep 2/19

Beacon Street

Feature Films - Streaming

Twinkle Toes Movie Prod. Ltd.

Prod.: Susan Cartsonis, Brent Emery, Suzanne Farwell

Dir.: Elissa Down

Jul 25 - Sep 20/19

Carter...

Production continues on the new David Bowie 'bio-pic' "Stardust", June 17 to July 11, 2019, directed by Gabriel Range from a script by Christopher Bell, starring actor Johnny Flynn ("Genius") as a young Bowie during his first trip to America in 1971, inspiring the invention of his iconic alter ego 'Ziggy Stardust', leader of the 'Spiders From Mars':

"...when David Bowie began writing songs for his album 'Hunky Dory' (1970), he had little to show for the six years he spent trying to make it as a singer. His first three albums had tanked, and he didn't have a record deal.

"Then, in January 1971, Bowie arrived in the United States for a three-week 'Hunky Dory' promotional tour, in a journey that broadened his universe, inspiring his landmark 'glam punk' LP 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'..."

Click the images to enlarge...

Given the success of Rocketman and Bohemian Rhapsody, we may now see a lot more music biopics. One intriguing idea is a take on the life of David Bowie, with Rocketman producer Matthew Vaughn apparently interested in building off the praise for the Elton John movie.

In an interview with ScreenRant, Vaughn was enthusiastic about the prospect of bringing Bowie’s life to the big screen, saying:

“If I was allowed to direct a movie about David Bowie, that would be my dream come true. It’s Bowie. His music is second to none. No, equal to Elton.”

Bowie certainly has a fascinating life story, and a catalogue of songs that would translate well to on-screen interpretation. A take on his life titled Stardust is reportedly already being made though, focusing on the early years of the performer’s life. Vaughn doesn’t seem keen on this idea, however, remarking:...

Company boards Annie Silverstein’s debut feature.

London-based Film Constellation has picked up international sales rights, excluding North America, to Us filmmaker Annie Silverstein’s debut feature Bull ahead of its world premiere in Un Certain Regard at Cannes.

The film stars Rob Morgan and newcomer Amber Havard and is a drama about a troubled 14-year-old who destroys her neighbour’s rundown house in an act of youthful defiance and now faces state prison. She forms a bond with a man working on the rodeo circuit.

North American rights are being handled by Us outfit 30West which helped to source financing for the project.

Film Constellation boards Annie Silverstein’s debut feature.

London-based Film Constellation has picked up international sales rights, excluding North America, to Us filmmaker Annie Silverstein’s debut feature Bull ahead of its world premiere in Un Certain Regard at Cannes.

The film stars Rob Morgan and newcomer Amber Havard and is a drama about a troubled 14-year-old who destroys her neighbour’s rundown house in an act of youthful defiance and now faces state prison. She forms a bond with a man working on the rodeo circuit.

North American rights are being handled by Us outfit 30West which helped to source financing for the project.

Film Constellation boards Annie Silverstein’s debut feature.

London-based Film Constellation has picked up international sales rights, excluding North America, to Us filmmaker Annie Silverstein’s debut feature Bull ahead of its world premiere in Un Certain Regard at Cannes.

The film stars Rob Morgan and newcomer Amber Havard and is a drama about a troubled 14-year-old who destroys her neighbour’s rundown house in an act of youthful defiance and now faces state prison. She forms a bond with a man working on the rodeo circuit.

North American rights are being handled by Us outfit 30West which helped to source financing for the project.

London-based sales house Film Constellation has boarded Oscar-winning director Werner Herzog’s Japanese-language narrative film “Family Romance,” which will have its world premiere in the special screenings section at the Cannes Film Festival.

Written and directed by Herzog, the movie was shot last spring and summer in Tokyo and Aomori, Japan, with non-professional actors. It follows a man who is hired to impersonate the missing father of a 12-year-old girl. Herzog is keeping the plot details under wraps.

As with Herzog’s other works, “Family Romance” explores the recurring theme of individuals chasing impossible dreams, said Fabien Westerhoff, the CEO of Film Constellation.

“This is a project Werner Herzog has kept secret for the last year, and when Werner Herzog asks if you want to work with him, you say ‘Yes, where do I sign,'” Westerhoff said. “Not only because he is one of the greatest living filmmakers, but...

The new David Bowie 'bio-pic' feature "Stardust", will be directed by Gabriel Range from a script by Christopher Bell, starring actor Johnny Flynn ("Genius") as a young Bowie during his first trip to America in 1971, inspiring the invention of his iconic alter ego 'Ziggy Stardust', leader of the 'Spiders From Mars':

"...when David Bowie began writing songs for his album 'Hunky Dory' (1970), he had little to show for the six years he spent trying to make it as a singer. His first three albums had tanked, and he didn't have a record deal.

"Then, in January 1971, Bowie arrived in the United States for a three-week 'Hunky Dory' promotional tour, in a journey that broadened his universe, inspiring his landmark 'glam punk' LP 'The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders from Mars'..."

Click the images to enlarge...

It was a tale of two markets at the Efm this year.

It was a tale of two markets at the Efm this year with sellers of blue-chip foreign-language fare and big Us packages in an upbeat mood, while outfits handling smaller arthouse pictures toughed it out amid ongoing European theatrical woes.

mk2 Films head of sales Fionnuala Jamison was busy with Portrait Of A Lady On Fire, Arab Blues, and The Whistlers. She suggested the profile of foreign-language titles at the Us box office driven by Roma, Shoplifters, Cold War and Burning, combined with increased competition for Us indie titles from the global platforms,...

Can you do a musical biopic without using any of the musician’s actual songs? After the massive worldwide success of “Bohemian Rhapsody,” which relied heavily (some might say too much) on the songs of Queen, that’s a question worth asking. Well, for the producers of the upcoming David Bowie-based film “Stardust,” they believe that the music is second to the character.

Continue reading Duncan Jones Criticizes Upcoming David Bowie Biopic ‘Stardust’ & Producers Respond at The Playlist.

The other day, we brought you news of a young David Bowie biopic in the works called Stardust. Now, Bowie’s son, filmmaker Duncan Jones, has weighed in, and he doesn’t seem very happy about it. As Jones tells it, the movie doesn’t have any rights to Bowie songs, which means it’ll be a David Bowie movie […]

The post David Bowie’s Son is Not Happy About That Biopic, Which Doesn’t Have the Music Rights appeared first on /Film.

Duncan Jones says family has not approved film, but instead proposes Neil Gaiman project

David Bowie’s son, Duncan Jones, has said that producers of a proposed biopic about the musician have not secured the rights to use his father’s music or the approval of his family.

Jones was responding to reports that Johnny Flynn, star of successful British independent movie Beast, had been cast to play Bowie in Stardust, a film about Bowie’s 1971 tour of the Us. It is to be directed by Death of a President’s Gabriel Range.

With Bohemian Rhapsody cleaning up at the box office (and earning Oscar nominations to boot), it was only a matter of time before a David Bowie movie reared its glittery head. Stardust is that movie, and it will star Johnny Flynn as the young Bowie making his first visit to America in 1971. Marc Maron will also appear […]

The post Young David Bowie Movie Will Tell the Origin Story of Ziggy Stardust, Johnny Flynn to Star appeared first on /Film.

Joseph Baxter Aug 20, 2019

Stardust, a film that will depict David Bowie’s 1971 first American visit, sets actor/singer Johnny Flynn to play the legend.

The life of the late rock legend, David Bowie, is to become the dramatic centerpiece of a biopic titled Stardust. Tackling the task of portraying Bowie is Johnny Flynn, a musician who’s already banked quite the resume as an actor.

Stardust will chronicle a critical waypoint in the career of Bowie (born David Robert Jones), set in 1971 during the then-24-year-old's first trip to America. After Bowie made evolutionary leaps from early-1960s teen idol to "Space Oddity" in 1969 to Dylan-esque/Britpop hybrid on album Hunky Dory and a dark transition on The Man Who Sold the World, his first stateside sojourn yielded inspiration for his next creative step. There, he conceived the plan to parlay his onstage androgyny into the persona that we know as Ziggy Stardust,...

Film Constellation has boarded world sales on Stardust about a young David Bowie during his first visit to America in 1971; a trip that inspired the invention of his iconic alter ego Ziggy Stardust. Actor-musician Johnny Flynn (Beast) will play the young Bowie.

Jena Malone (The Hunger Games) is attached to play Bowie’s first wife, Angie, and Marc Maron (Glow) will play his record company publicist. The project is due to feature a varied soundtrack from the era including a small number of Bowie performances.

Principal photography is slated for June 2019 with a script from Christopher Bell (The Last Czars) and Gabriel Range (I Am Slave) aboard to direct. McQueen producer Salon Pictures is producing; Christopher Figg of Piccadilly Pictures is co-financing.

Film Constellation will begin sales at Efm in Berlin next week. Additional casting is underway.

‘Beast’ star will play a young Bowie during his first trip to the Us.

Beast star Johnny Flynn will play a young Davie Bowie in the upcoming UK feature film Stardust, opposite Jena Malone as Bowie’s wife Angie. Marc Maron, whose credits include Netflix’s Glow, will play Bowie’s record company publicist.

The Emmy award-winning filmmaker Gabriel Range, whose feature credits include I Am Slave and Death Of A President, is directing from a script written by Christopher Bell. It is being produced by Paul Van Carter and Nick Taussig of London-based Salon Pictures and is set to shoot,...

Musician and actor Johnny Flynn will play David Bowie in the upcoming feature Stardust.

Jena Malone and Marc Maron will also star in the movie that tracks the rise of the superstar, starting with his first visit to America in 1971 — a trip that inspired the invention of his iconic alter ego, Ziggy Stardust.

Emmy winner Gabriel Range will direct from a script by Christopher Bell (The Last Czars). Salon Pictures (McQueen) is behind the feature.

Principal photography is set for June 2019, with Range, Paul Van Carter and Nick Taussig producing. Christopher Figg of Piccadilly Pictures is co-financing....