NOVEMBER 18, 2023 | SPECIAL ISSUE
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It's Me, Margaret.
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BACK IN THE RING WHILE HOLLYWOOD LICKS ITS WOUNDS, CONTENDERS COMES OUT SWINGING … BY DA MON W I SE
During the summer of 2023, with both the writers’ and actors’ strikes in full swing, the future of Contenders was by no means a sure thing. Indeed, SAG-AFTRA’s call to arms immediately preceded the extraordinary double whammy of Barbie and Oppenheimer, right at the moment when it seemed mainstream audiences were ready to go back to the cinema. We were ready to go with the flow, but after that fateful night in July, the future suddenly looked very different indeed: we’d become used to our now-stellar Contenders format, but what would those panels look like without the stars?
We needn’t have worried. Contenders: London in October was the proof we needed that the films themselves are the real stars, something those writers and actors have known all along. Producers, directors, cinematographers, casting directors, sound designers, costume designers, editors and animators all stepped forward to take the spotlight, telling candid stories of the incredible craft that goes on behind the scenes. We were in the course of bringing that lesson with us to Contenders: Los Angeles when the actors’ strike ended— with the result that our panels
were still adding talent as we went to print, so keep an eye out for some surprises not noted in this program. This has all led to our most wide-ranging lineup yet, filling in the fascinating backstories behind so many of the films that have reignited the box office this year, from the action-packed John Wick: Chapter 4, to the franchise-reviving Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem, right up to Martin Scorsese’s critically acclaimed period thriller Killers of the Flower Moon, his first to put Leonardo DiCaprio in the frame with Robert De Niro and an attempt
to right the wrongs of a historic crime that shocked America. For sure, there will some big names from the directing world, like Michael Mann, who will be Zooming in to present his Italy-set motor racing saga Ferrari, starring Adam Driver and Penélope Cruz. Alexander Payne will be joining us to discuss his New England Christmas fable The Holdovers. Todd Haynes will be taking the stage for the first time since Cannes with the cast of his provocative drama May December. And, circumstances permitting, there may even be a surprise or two from the team behind Maestro,
Bradley Cooper’s biopic of mercurial composer Leonard Bernstein, in which he stars with Carey Mulligan as Bernstein’s long-suffering wife Felicia. But Contenders is a broad church, and the panels will reflect that. While offering sneak previews of such films as The Color Purple, a musical reimagining of Alice Walker’s classic story by Blitz Bazawule, and The Boys in the Boat, a timely World War II period piece from director George Clooney, there will also be a chance to catch up with lighter, but no less topical films. Like Flora and Son, about a struggling Irish
single mom who gets the music bug, or Dumb Money, in which the wolves of Wall Street get a taste of their own medicine, or Cassandro, the outrageous story of a gay Mexican luchador. Barbie and Oppenheimer, the unlikely kissing cousins that dominated the summer multiplex, will, of course, be handsomely represented. But it’s fitting that we’ll also be hearing from the makers of Creed III, the ninth installment of the Rocky franchise and a film that’s just as fresh to today’s audiences as the first was back in 1976. As boxer Adonis Creed knows, sometimes you just have to roll with the punches. ★
MEET THE MODERATORS The Deadline staffers who’ll be guiding you through this year’s Contenders YOU R E MCE E
news wherever it happens, including on
was a contributing editor. In addition
JOE UTICHI
the ground at festivals like Sundance,
to writing, Pete is also host of both the
EXECUTIVE AWARDS EDITOR
Cannes and Toronto. He also is an
KCET Cinema Series and the weekly
Joe oversees Deadline’s awards coverage,
author: Doubleday published his
KCET television series, Must See Movies.
including its dedicated print magazine
book about The Three Stooges, From
He previously held producing positions
for the Oscar and Emmy seasons,
Amalgamated Morons to American
at Entertainment Tonight, Extra, Access
AwardsLine. He also edits Deadline’s
Icons, which ABC turned into a telepic
Hollywood, The Arsenio Hall Show, The
special “Disruptors” edition for the Cannes
executive produced by Mel Gibson.
Martin Short Show and AMC Networks
Film Festival and serves as the emcee
One of Mike’s early jobs in journalism
and is the recipient of five Emmy
for its Contenders events. He has been
was editor of the well-known Media
nominations for writing. Pete is only
aboard since 2012. Prior to joining, his work
Industry Newsletter (MIN). He then
the second journalist to have received
regularly appeared in his native UK—for
joined New York Newsday as a
the Publicists Guild of America’s Press
outlets including The Sunday Times and
columnist, reviewer and entertainment
Award twice, in 1996 and 2013.
The Guardian—and around the world. He
writer. During his career, he has written
has also worked extensively in film and
for numerous magazines including
BAZ BAMIGBOYE
television, producing EPK and production
Playboy, Details, TV Guide and Esquire.
COLUMNIST/INTERNATIONAL
notes and working as a unit publicist. He
EDITOR AT LARGE
is a member of BAFTA and has sat on
PETE HAMMOND
Baz joined Deadline in 2022 after three
multiple juries for the BAFTA Film Awards.
AWARDS COLUMNIST/CHIEF FILM CRITIC
decades as entertainment columnist for
Pete, widely considered to be one of
the U.K. Daily Mail, where he covered
YOU R MO DE RATO RS
the pre-eminent awards analysts for
film, theater and television in London,
MIKE FLEMING
both film and television, has for the
New York and Hollywood. Prior to that
CO-EDITOR-IN-CHIEF, FILM
past 11 years been Deadline's Awards
he was based in New York for three
Mike joined Deadline in 2010 after
Columnist covering what is seemingly
years for The Sun. He covered crime &
working at Variety for 20 years as
now the year-round Oscar and Emmy
entertainment for the London Evening
a reporter, writer and columnist. He
seasons. He is also Deadline's Chief
Standard; before that he worked for
was not only nationally recognized
Film Critic, having previously reviewed
local newspapers, and got his start
as Variety's premiere film reporter
films for MovieLine, Boxoffice
at a London news agency covering
but also for his “Dish” and “The Buzz”
magazine, Backstage, Hollywood.
general news, criminal courts and
columns. Mike is known for his industry
com and Maxim, as well as Leonard
entertainment. He has won a U.K. Press
relationships and his ability to break
Maltin’s Movie Guide for which he
Award for show business reporter of
the year and received a special British
he worked in film distribution. In the
DESTINY JACKSON
Independent Film Award for services
summer of 1999, he was hired by Variety
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT, AWARDSLINE
to indie film. He supports Arsenal
and moved to Los Angeles, and remained
Destiny joined Deadline in September
FC. On occasion he is known to sing.
in the newsroom covering numerous
2022 from Netflix’s pop-culture
Please don’t allow him to do this.
parts of the industry, including box office,
news site Tudum and a freelance
for about a decade. Prior to arriving at
writing career that includes bylines
ANTONIA BLYTH
Deadline in the fall of 2011, where he
at Oscars.org, Marvel, IGN, TV
SENIOR AWARDS EDITOR, AWARDSLINE
co-edited the site's sister publication
Guide, Script Magazine, Backstage,
Antonia has contributed to Deadline
AwardsLine, Anthony covered the box
Filmmaker Magazine and MovieMaker
and AwardsLine’s print magazines
office beat for Indiewire's Thompson
Magazine to name a few. When not
since 2014. A native Brit based in
on Hollywood. He also co-produced
stuck behind her laptop, she can be
LA, prior to joining she covered
Matt Walsh's film A Better You.
found haunting her local cinema, listening to Coldplay (unironically)
West Coast entertainment for ELLE.com, and her work has been
RYAN FLEMING
or looking for pictures of Spider-
featured in The Guardian, UK Marie
CRAFTS EDITOR, AWARDSLINE
Man. She is based in Los Angeles.
Claire and InStyle. She has written a
Ryan joined Deadline in March 2021
New York Times bestselling non-
as Assistant Editor for AwardsLine.
JUSTIN KROLL
fiction book and regularly appears
He received his MFA in Studio Art
SENIOR FILM REPORTER
on French television network TF1
at The City College of New York in
Justin joined Deadline in July 2020 and
as an entertainment expert.
2019. He contributes to the awards
covers all aspects of the film industry.
coverage of animation and the
Before Deadline, he had been with
VALERIE COMPLEX
craft side of film and television. In
Variety since early 2008, starting
ASSOCIATE EDITOR/FILM WRITER
his role as Crafts Editor, Ryan also
as an intern before being upped
Valerie joined Deadline in September
contributes to the editing of Deadline's
to editorial assistant in 2009, and
2021 from Gizmodo's genre news site
AwardsLine magazines and interviews
joining the film team in 2010. Before
io9 and a freelance writing career
contenders above and below the line.
Variety, Kroll worked as a freelancer for Reuters in Los Angeles. He’s a
that includes bylines at Variety, The
graduate of Michigan State University
Hollywood Reporter, Collider, Conde
MATT GROBAR
Nast, Harper’s Bazaar and many
FILM REPORTER
others. A writer of graphic novels and
Matt joined the editors’ desk in March
DOMINIC PATTEN
screenplays and a lover of all things
2021 after five years as AwardsLine's
SENIOR EDITOR, LEGAL & TV CRITIC
film, she is part of Deadline's reviews
Assistant Editor. In that role, he
Dominic covers litigious Hollywood’s
team and is co-host of Deadline's
contributed to the coverage and editing
major lawsuits and weighs in on the
New Hollywood podcast, where
of the magazines throughout the year,
current Golden Age of television
she will continue to amplify voices
focusing on artist interviews revolving
with his video reviews and more.
from marginalized communities.
around awards season and its big nights
Before joining Deadline in 2012,
She is based in New York.
including the Oscars and Emmys. Matt
he wrote for the New York Times,
also manages the Production Value
Los Angeles Times, Washington
ANTHONY D’ALESSANDRO
video series, which spotlights the
Times, and the Toronto Globe and
EDITORIAL DIRECTOR/BOX OFFICE EDITOR
premier craft talent working in film and
Mail. A frequent guest on NPR,
Anthony covers box office, breaking
TV. He also is part of Deadline's festival
Fox News Channel, CNN, MSNBC
film news, awards-season features
studio team at the likes of Sundance,
and CBS, he also has been a
and festival news. His first job in the
Tribeca and Toronto. Before Deadline
documentary director, TV producer,
film industry was at Savoy Pictures'
he worked at UTA, 8thDay Pictures and
national news correspondent
headquarters in New York where
Infinity Management International.
and a newspaper editor.
THE FILMS Amazon MGM Studios Air Directed by Ben Affleck, Air is a biographical sports drama set in the 1980s that follows the risk-taking deal between fledgling shoe company Nike and rising basketball star Michael Jordan. Matt Damon stars as Sonny Vaccaro, the Nike salesman who signed Jordan to a shoe contract that launched the multibillion-dollar sports sneaker industry. The film also stars Affleck, Viola Davis, Jason Bateman and Chris Messina. The Boys in the Boat Based on Daniel James Brown’s No. 1 New York Times non-fiction bestseller about the 1936 University of
Washington rowing team, the film centers around the all-boys team as they compete for gold during the height of the Great Depression at the Summer Olympics in Berlin. The Boys in the Boat is directed by George Clooney and stars Joel Edgerton, Callum Turner, Peter Guinness, Alec Newman and Chris Diamantopoulos. The Burial Written and directed by Maggie Betts, The Burial stars Jamie Foxx as flashy lawyer Willie E. Gary, who is hired to help funeral home owner Jeremiah O’Keefe (Tommy Lee Jones) save his family business. Inspired by true events, their battle against a corporate giant
soon uncovers a corporate history of racism and injustice. Jurnee Smollett, Mamoudou Athie and Bill Camp also star. Cassandro This wrestling biopic centers around the life and career of gay Mexican American luchador Saúl Armendáriz (Gael García Bernal), also known by his stage name Cassandro. The renowned wrestler blazed trails in the 1990s while he worked as an exótico, a fighter who performs in drag, and gained further notoriety as the first openly gay wrestler in the hypermasculine sport of Mexico’s Lucha Libre. The film also stars rapper Bad Bunny, Roberta Colindrez and Joaquin Cosío.
AIR
THE BURIAL
THE BOYS IN THE BOAT
CASSANDRO
Creed III After dominating the boxing world, Adonis Creed (Michael B. Jordan) has been thriving in both his career and family life. When a childhood friend and former boxing prodigy, Damian (Jonathan Majors), resurfaces after serving a long sentence in prison, he is eager to prove that he deserves his shot in the ring. The face-off between former friends is more than just a fight. To settle the score, Adonis must put his future on the line to battle Damian—a fighter who has nothing to lose. Apple Original Films Flora and Son Single mom Flora (Eve Hewson) is at a loss about what to do with her rebellious teenage son, Max
CREED III
KILLERS OF THE FLOWER MOON
FLORA AND SON
SPIDER-MAN: ACROSS THE SPIDER-VERSE
(Orén Kinlan). Encouraged by the police to find Max a hobby, Flora tries to occupy him with a beat-up acoustic guitar. With the help of a washed-up LA musician (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), Flora and Max discover the transformative power of music. From the musical mind of John Carney, Flora and Son explores the bond between a mother and son on a journey toward a new harmony. Killers of the Flower Moon Directed by Martin Scorsese and adapted to screen by Eric Roth from David Grann’s true crime book, Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI, the film depicts the unjust serial murders of oil-wealthy Osage
Nation Native Americans during the 1920s in Oklahoma. This string of crimes, also known as The Reign of Terror, also led to the formation of the FBI. The film stars Robert De Niro, Leonardo DiCaprio, Lily Gladstone and Jesse Plemons. Columbia Pictures Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse Following the events of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Miles Morales (Shameik Moore) reunites with Gwen Stacy (Hailee Steinfeld) to deal with a new threat to the multiverse, the Spot (Jason Schwartzman). When Gwen takes Miles to the Spider Society, a team of “SpiderPeople” from across the multiverse, he soon finds
that not everyone is on the same page about what it means to be a hero. Columbia Pictures, Stage 6 Films, Black Bear Pictures Dumb Money Directed by Craig Gillespie, Dumb Money recounts the wild story surrounding the lucrative Reddit-fueled rise of GameStop stock that stopped Wall Street elites in their tracks. Paul Dano plays Keith Gill, also known by his online alias Roaring Kitty, a financial analyst who leads amateur online investors to overthrow hedge fund managers in an anti-capitalistic approach to get rich. Pete Davidson, Seth Rogan, Nick Offerman,
DUMB MONEY
THE HOLDOVERS
TROLLS BAND TOGETHER
MIGRATION
America Ferrera and Sebastian Stan also star. DreamWorks Animation Trolls Band Together Poppy (Anna Kendrick) and Branch (Justin Timberlake) are back for another musical adventure in Trolls Band Together. When Branch discovers his brother Floyd (Troye Sivan) has been kidnapped by wannabe pop-star siblings Velvet (Amy Schumer) and Veneer (Andrew Rannells), the pair goes on a quest to gather Branch’s other brothers and reunite their boyband BroZone to save the day. Focus Features The Holdovers Director Alexander Payne brings the story of cranky
history teacher Paul Hunham (Paul Giamatti) as he gets stuck watching troubled student Angus (Dominic Sessa) over the holidays, joined by head cook Mary (Da’Vine Joy Randolph). With nowhere to go over the holidays, the unlikely trio share a series of misadventures as they revisit their pasts and connect with each other over the break. Illumination Migration Mack (Kumail Nanjiani) is a mallard who is content with never leaving the safety of his pond until his wife Pam (Elizabeth Banks) convinces him that their children need to see the world. Setting their sights on Jamaica, Mack takes his family on
ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT'S ME, MARGARET.
JOHN WICK: CHAPTER 4
FERRARI
FAIR PLAY
a trip south that quickly goes wrong. As they overcome new challenges and meet new friends, the family discovers they are capable of much more than they thought. Lionsgate Are you There God? It’s Me, Margaret. This coming-of-age story, based on Judy Blume’s 1970s novel of the same name, follows sixth grader Margaret Simon (Abby Ryder Fortson), who begins to question everything about her adolescence, from puberty to self-confidence after being uprooted from her life in New York City for the suburbs of New Jersey. Rachel McAdams, Kathy Bates and Benny Safdie also star.
John Wick: Chapter 4 Director Chad Stahelski’s fourth installment of the John Wick series follows after John Wick (Keanu Reeves) was shot and left for dead. As he prepares to exact revenge on the High Table, a powerful new enemy, the Marquis (Bill Skarsgård), arrives on the scene and destroys the New York Continental hotel, leaving the manager Winston (Ian McShane) “excommunicado”. Wick uncovers a path to freedom from The High Table but needs to deal with the Marquis and his powerful allies first. Neon Ferrari Directed by Michael Mann, Ferrari follows the jetset life of ex-Formula
1 racer Enzo Ferrari (Adam Driver) during the summer of 1957. Pushed to the brink following a series of life crises stemming from the death of his son, a tumultuous marriage and the bankruptcy of his company, he wagers everything on a treacherous 1,000mile race across Italy, the iconic Mille Miglia. Netflix Fair Play Written and directed by Chloe Domont, Fair Play tells the classic lovers-toenemies story set in the world of finance. When a coveted promotion at a cutthroat financial firm arises, a doting couple, Emily (Phoebe Dynevor) and Luke (Alden
Ehrenreich) start to turn on each other, setting their sights on ambition instead. Eddie Marsan, Sebastian de Souza and Rich Sommer also star. Maestro The biographical drama Maestro shines a light on the life of esteemed composer Leonard Bernstein. Co-writer, director and star Bradley Cooper crafts a story showcasing the complex relationship between Bernstein and Felicia Cohn Montealegre (Carey Mulligan) for more than 25 years. Matt Comer, Maya Hawke, Sarah Silverman and Michael Urie also star. May December In May December, directed by Todd Haynes, Natalie
MAESTRO
NYAD
MAY DECEMBER
RUSTIN
Portman plays Elizabeth Berry, an actress tasked with researching a new role based on the life of a woman named Gracie Atherton-Yoo (Julianne Moore), whom she’ll be playing onscreen. As Elizabeth tries to get closer to her subject, the more scandalous secrets unfurl about Gracie’s questionable relationship with her much younger husband (Charles Melton). Nyad Based on Diana Nyad’s bestselling autobiography Find A Way, the film follows a specific period of time in the marathon swimmer’s life, as she, at the age of 60, dreams of becoming the first person to complete the “Mount Everest” of swims—
executing a 53-hour, 110mile swim from Cuba to Florida, through dangerous open ocean without a shark cage. The film is codirected by Elizabeth Chai Vasarhelyi and Jimmy Chin. Annette Bening, Jodie Foster and Rhys Ifans star. Rustin In this upcoming political biopic, Colman Domingo stars as Bayard Rustin, advisor to Martin Luther King Jr. and organizer of the March on Washington Movement. The film, directed by George C. Wolfe, shines a spotlight on Rustin’s life as he paves the road for racial equality and gay rights. The film also stars Chris Rock, Jeffrey Wright, Audra McDonald and Glynn Turman.
Orion Pictures/ Amazon MGM Studios American Fiction Jeffrey Wright, Issa Rae, Sterling K. Brown, Tracee Ellis Ross and Skyler Wright star in this scathing satire on the publishing industry and its treatment of serious works by Black writers. One of those writers is Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Wright). He travels back to his hometown of Boston to attend a book festival, but the turnout is low in favor of another book seminar with author Sinatra Golden’s (Rae) bestseller We Lives In Da Ghetto. Bottoms This high school sex comedy focuses on the tawdry shenanigans of two unpopular queer girls,
AMERICAN FICTION
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES: MUTANT MAYHEM
BOTTOMS
FREUD'S LAST SESSION
PJ (Rachel Sennott) and Josie (Ayo Edebiri), who, in their senior year, manage to create a fight club in the hopes to impress and hook up with cheerleaders. Marshawn Lynch, Ruby Cruz, Havana Rose Liu, Kaia Gerber and Dagmara Dominczyk also round out the cast. Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Films Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem Director Jeff Rowe explores the teenage aspect of the Ninja Turtles in this animated coming-of-age story. In an attempt to be accepted by the humans living above them, the Turtles, along with their human friend April (Ayo Edebiri), hunt for a
mysterious crime syndicate but soon learn they aren’t the only mutants living in New York City. Sony Pictures Classics Freud’s Last Session Based on the stage play of the same name, Freud’s Last Session takes place towards the end of Sigmund Freud’s (Anthony Hopkins) life and follows a meeting between Freud and author C.S. Lewis (Matthew Goode). What starts as a debate about the existence of God branches out into a discussion of their pasts, their traumas and their relationships to the people around them. The Peasants The Peasants tells the story of Jagna, a young
woman determined to forge her own path within the confines of a late 19th-century Polish village—a hotbed of gossip and ongoing feuds, held together, rich and poor, by pride in their land, adherence to colorful traditions and deep-rooted patriarchy. When she finds herself caught between the conflicting desires of the village’s richest farmer, his eldest son and other leading men of the community, her resistance puts her on a tragic collision course with the community around her. Universal Pictures Oppenheimer In Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, Cillian
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Murphy dons the role of J. Robert Oppenheimer, the American theoretical physicist well regarded as the “father of the atomic bomb”. Based on the novel American Prometheus by Kai Bird and Martin J. Sherwin, the film is set during the five years Oppenheimer worked on the Manhattan Project that led to the world’s first nuclear explosion. Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon and Josh Hartnett round out the cast. Warner Bros. Pictures Barbie Greta Gerwig’s fantasy comedy Barbie follows the slapstick adventures and journey of self-discovery of popular Mattel dolls Barbie (Margot Robbie)
and Ken (Ryan Gosling) after the pair experience an existential crisis upon entering the real world with humans. America Ferrera, Issa Rae, Simu Liu, Kate McKinnon and Will Ferrell also star. The Color Purple This upcoming Broadway adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prizewinning book The Color Purple centers on Celie (Fantasia Barrino), a Black Southern woman who struggles with finding her independence after suffering abuse from her father and others over 40 years. The film, directed by Blitz Bazawule, also stars Taraji P. Henson, Halle Bailey, Aunjanue Ellis, Danielle Brooks and Coleman Domingo.
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