Aaron Sorkin

First Official Poster and Two New Trailers for Aaron Sorkin’s HBO Drama THE NEWSROOM

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 21st, 2012 at 6:40 pm

The first official poster has been released for Aaron Sorkin’s new HBO drama, The Newsroom. The series stars Jeff Daniels as the primary anchor of a failing 24-hour news network who is ready to break the monotony of cable news and go back to the roots of informing his audience. We already saw his character have a fantastic (and much publicized) outburst in the first trailer.  Then, The Newsroom followed up with a series of additional trailers that developed a bit more of the storyline and also introduced us to the rest of the cast:  such as Daniels’ character’s new executive producer (Emily Mortimer), his newsroom staff (John Gallagher, Jr., Alison Pill, Thomas Sadoski, Dev Patel, Olivia Munn) and their boss (Sam Waterston).  Now, we have the first look at the official poster (in addition to some shorter trailers, in case you’ve missed the previous ones).  Hit the jump to check out the slick official poster for HBO’s The Newsroom, which debuts Sunday, June 24th at 10PM.

Aaron Sorkin Says Steve Jobs Film Won’t Be a Standard Biopic; Apple Co-Founder Steve Wozniak Hired as a Consultant

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 18th, 2012 at 10:18 am

Score one more for Sony’s Steve Jobs biopic.  The studio announced earlier this week that Oscar-winning screenwriter Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network) will be penning an adaptation of Walter Isaacson’s biography Steve Jobs—giving the project a major leg-up in contrast to the Ashton Kutcher-fronted indie biopic Jobs—and now the production has the involvement of a key Apple player.  Moreover, Sorkin revealed that the film won’t be the standard biopic that some are expecting:

“I know so little about what I am going to write. I know what I am not going to write. It can’t be a straight ahead biography because it’s very difficult to shake the cradle-to-grave structure of a biography.”

Hit the jump for more, including the nature of Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak’s involvement on the project.

Aaron Sorkin to Adapt STEVE JOBS for Sony

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: May 15th, 2012 at 6:11 pm

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Earlier reports have been confirmed that Oscar-winning screenwriter, Aaron Sorkin (The Social Network), will adapt the Steve Jobs biography for Sony Pictures.  The Walter Isaacson-penned biography, titled simply, “Steve Jobs,” came out a few weeks after the business mogul’s death last October; reports quickly started circulating that Sony was courting Sorkin to adapt it.  While the rumors that Noah Wyle and George Clooney are in the running to portray Jobs have not been confirmed, Sorkin is officially attached.  Also, please keep in mind that this is not the Ashton Kutcher indie biopic, Jobs, which was scripted by Matt Whiteley. Hit the jump for more on Sorkin and the Steve Jobs biopic.

New Trailer for Aaron Sorkin’s HBO Series THE NEWSROOM

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: May 13th, 2012 at 7:57 pm

A new trailer for Oscar-winning screenwriter and The West Wing creator Aaron Sorkin’s latest series, The Newsroom, has gone online.  This builds on the basic set-up introduced in the previous two trailers gets a bit more into what the plot may look like in the first few episodes beyond the pilot.  Jeff Daniels stars as the primary anchor of a floundering 24-hour news network who’s ready to break the monotony of lazy and gutless cable news.  I’m a self-professed Sorkin nut so I may be a bit biased, but I really like what we’ve seen from the series thus far.  My only concern is that the show could become too much of a soapbox for Sorkin’s worldviews a la Studio 60, but hopefully his knack for snappy dialogue and romantic characters reigns the preach-factor in a bit.  Moreover, this new trailer has 100% more David Krumholtz which is almost never a bad thing.

Hit the jump to watch the trailer (complete with Dave Krumholtz cameo!), and count down the days until The Newsroom premieres on June 24th on HBO.  The show also stars Emily Mortimer, Sam Waterston, Jane Fonda, Alison Pill, Olivia Munn and Dev Patel.

New Trailer for Aaron Sorkin’s THE NEWSROOM

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: April 29th, 2012 at 7:53 pm

A new trailer for Aaron Sorkin‘s upcoming HBO series The Newsroom has gone online.  The first trailer played to the dramatic aspects of the series, but the new one hits on Sorkin’s whip-smart dialogue almost to the point of self-parody (when Alison Pill‘s character talks about mixing up Georgia the state with Georgia the country, I could easily hear the dialogue coming out of Donna Moss’ mouth).  The new trailer also does a better job of laying out the plot and establishing the different characters and their relationships.

Hit the jump to check out the trailer.  The show stars Jeff Daniels, Emily Mortimer, John Gallagher Jr., Thomas Sadoski, Dev Patel, Olivia Munn, and Sam Waterston.  The Newsroom premieres June 24th at 10/9c.

First Trailer for Aaron Sorkin’s New HBO Drama THE NEWSROOM, Starring Jeff Daniels and Sam Waterston

by Dave Trumbore    Posted: April 1st, 2012 at 7:35 pm

Right about now, HBO subscribers are probably in a high over the debut of the second season of Game of Thrones or the impending summer return of season five of True Blood. But there is a new series on the premium network you should keep an eye on. It seems that Aaron Sorkin (The West Wing) has a lot of venting to do and he gets everything off his chest in this brilliant first trailer for the new HBO drama, The Newsroom. Starring Jeff Daniels, Sam Waterston and Emily Mortimer, The Newsroom keeps a familiar politico-centric feel to Sorkin’s The West Wing but now features a newsroom setting replacing the White House. In this first trailer, nationally recognized news anchor Will McAvoy (Daniels) loses his objectivity (and possibly his audience) when responding to a question from the crowd at a college panel. Daniels immediately won me over by saying everything a rational and informed human being should say in spite of the political backlash it was bound to incur. Hit the jump to check it out.

2012 Oscar Nominations Announced; HUGO and THE ARTIST Lead the Pack

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 24th, 2012 at 6:05 am

The nominations for the 84th Annual Academy Awards have finally been unveiled. Many of the categories have fallen in line just as most have predicted (I fared alright with my predictions, but not great), with Hugo scoring 11 nods, followed closely by The Artist with 10. The biggest surprises are War Horse and Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close getting in for Best Picture, the exclusion of The Adventures of Tintin from Best Animated Feature, and The Tree of Life nabbing Best Picture and Best Director nods (hooray!). On the snub side of things, despite landing the most precursor critics awards of any other actor in the race thus far, Albert Brooks was denied a Best Supporting Actor nod for his stellar work in Drive (boo). Additionally, Tilda Swinton was overlooked for giving the best performance of the year in We Need to Talk About Kevin, and AMPAS has no love for Michael Fassbender‘s haunting work in Shame.

There’s still plenty to be happy about, as Gary Oldman has his first ever Oscar Nomination (yes, that’s right) and Melissa McCarthy is a Best Supporting Actress nominee. Hit the jump to check out the full list of nominees. The 84th Academy Awards will be presented by Billy Crystal on February 26th.

Oscars 2012: Adam Predicts the Nominees

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 21st, 2012 at 2:38 pm

As I’ve been covering awards season pretty extensively here on the site over the past few months, I figured it would be appropriate to (foolishly) try to predict the upcoming Oscar nominations. It’s been a fairly tame year, as a few frontrunners were singled out early in the race and have held their ground throughout the grueling awards season. We haven’t been without a few surprises, as Steven Spielberg’s War Horse took a massive tumble following snubs from most of the major guilds, and David Fincher has surged back into the race bringing his adaptation of The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo with him.

Though there are plenty of safe bets when it comes to the 2012 Oscar nominations, there are still a few wildcards and tricky categories. I’ve put on my prognosticating cap (those interested can purchase one of these nifty hats at your local Target) and compiled a list of who and what I think will make the cut. Hit the jump to see how I think the nods will stack up when they’re announced on January 24th.

THE ARTIST Wins Top Prize at Critics Choice Awards; George Clooney Named Best Actor

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: January 12th, 2012 at 7:52 pm

With each passing awards ceremony, it’s looking more and more likely that we’re in for a fairly boring/predictable Oscars this year. The Artist continues to dominate the precursor ceremonies as it took home the Best Picture and Best Director prize at the Critics Choice Awards. On the acting side of things, George Clooney was named Best Actor for his work in The Descendants, and Viola Davis won Best Actress for The Help. The Artist is our clear frontrunner headed towards Oscar night, and I don’t really think anything else will be able to take it down. I can’t really complain about any of the acting wins, though for what it’s worth I think Brad Pitt gave the best performance of the year in Moneyball.

Elsewhere, Drive won Best Action Movie (though it’s really a drama) Bridesmaids won Best Comedy, and Rango was named Best Animated Feature. Hit the jump to see the full list of winners.

Hugh Jackman to Return to Broadway in 2013/2014 for Original Musical HOUDINI Written by Aaron Sorkin

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: January 4th, 2012 at 9:05 am

We usually don’t cover Broadway news, but when you have Tony-winner Hugh Jackman and Oscar-and-Emmy-winner Aaron Sorkin teaming up for an original musical, it’s worth attention.  Back in November 2010, we reported that Jackman was attached to the musical biopic Houdini and Sorkin was writing the book (the plot and dialogue of a musical).  The production has now sent out a press release announcing that the show will premiere in 2013/2014.  Jackman recently finished his two month run on Hugh Jackman, Back on Broadway, which played to sold-out audiences.  He’s also about to begin filming on the movie musical adaptation of Les Miserables.

Hit the jump for more on the production and Sorkin’s approach to Harry Houdini‘s story.

Aaron Sorkin’s HBO Cable News Drama Officially Called NEWSROOM; Check Out a Small Bit of the Script

by Ethan Anderton    Posted: December 5th, 2011 at 6:23 pm

For awhile now we’ve been updating on the progress of a new HBO drama series from writer Aaron Sorkin with the likes of Jeff Daniels, Sam Waterston, Olivia Munn, Emily Mortimer and more playing various characters working at a fictional cable news channel called UBS. More specifically, the series follows one of the programs on the channel that’s not unlike Countdown with Kieth Olberman. Now HBO Watch is reporting the series formerly known as More as This Story Develops will now simply be called Newsroom. Obviously it draws parallels to Sorkin’s Sports Night series from years back, but this will much different tonally and stylistically. Daniels play the show host Will McCallister while Waterston plays network president Charlie Skinner and if you want to get a taste of the dynamic between these two characters and the work Sorkin has put on the page, you can check out a bit of the expected snappy dialogue from the show after the jump.

New York Film Critics Name THE ARTIST Best Picture; Brad Pitt and Meryl Streep Win Top Acting Prizes

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 29th, 2011 at 10:26 am

Awards season is officially in full-swing, with this morning’s announcements of the Gotham Awards winners and the full list of nominees for the upcoming Independent Spirit Awards. Now it’s the critics’ turn, as the New York Critics Circle have unveiled their list for the best in film of 2011. The Artist took home the top two prizes (Best Picture and Director), solidifying its status as an Oscar frontrunner. Brad Pitt was named Best Actor for his work in Moneyball and The Tree of Life, with the former also taking the Best Screenplay prize for Aaron Sorkin and Steven Zaillian. As for Best Actress, the undeniably talented Meryl Streep took the honor for her portrayal of Margaret Thatcher in The Iron Lady.

In the supporting categories, Albert Brooks was recognized for his dastardly role in Drive, while the prolific Jessica Chastain was named Best Supporting Actress for her work in The Tree of Life, The Help, and Take Shelter. While The Artist was already running into the Oscars with a good deal of steam, Moneyball‘s two wins give the film a much needed boost heading into the thick of awards season. Hit the jump to see the full list of winners.

2012 Oscar Preview: Best Animated Feature, Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, and Technical Category Quick Picks

by Adam Chitwood    Posted: November 26th, 2011 at 10:19 am

Continuing on with our look at the 2012 Oscar race, today we delve into Best Animated Feature and the technical categories. As Pixar’s Cars 2 was the studio’s worst-received feature to date (it currently sits at 38% on Rotten Tomatoes), we’ve got ourselves an actual competition in the Animated Feature category. Not only that, but if all 18 films that were submitted to the Academy are deemed eligible, we’ll have a total of five nominated films. This leaves us to debate the merits of Rango and The Adventures of Tintin against the likes of Puss in Boots and Arthur Christmas.

Additionally, we’ve taken a stab at Best Original Screenplay, Best Adapted Screenplay, and the technical categories. As these are incredibly tricky to predict this far out (and my picks would be doomed to haunt me come February), I’ve simply listed a couple of frontrunners in each category instead of going in depth. Though it’s still early, we’ve got an overall picture of how things look like they’ll stack up; so hit the jump to check out the state of the race so far. If you missed our previous preview articles, be sure to take a look at our picks for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress, and Best Actor and Best Actress.

Emily Mortimer Talks HUGO and Aaron Sorkin’s New HBO Series MORE AS THIS STORY DEVELOPS

by Steve 'Frosty' Weintraub    Posted: November 24th, 2011 at 7:03 am

Opening this week is Martin Scorsese‘s first 3D film, Hugo.  Based on Brian Selznick’s The Invention of Hugo Cabret, the film stars Asa Butterfield as a young boy secretly living in a train station in 1931 Paris.  As he attempts to piece together a puzzle that he’d been working on with his father, the results transform not only Hugo, but everyone he comes in contact with.  The impressive cast also includes Chloe Moretz, Sacha Baron Cohen, Sir Ben Kingsley, Jude Law, Ray Winstone, Christopher Lee, Helen McCrory, Richard Griffiths, Frances de la Tour, Emily Mortimer, and Michael Stuhlbarg. You can watch a trailer here.

During my interview with Mortimer, she talked about how she got involved with the project and getting to work for Scorsese for the second time, working in the 3D format, and what it was like to work with Sacha Baron Cohen (most of her scenes are with the gifted comedian).  In addition, with Mortimer working on Aaron Sorkin‘s new HBO show More As This Story Develops, we talked about who she plays and if she’s ready for the many tracking shots and “walk-and-talks” that Sorkin is known for.  Hit the jump to watch.

Aaron Sorkin “Strongly Considering” Penning a Steve Jobs Biopic

by Matt Goldberg    Posted: November 23rd, 2011 at 8:05 am

Here’s a hard truth about Steve Jobs: he was just a business man.  His products were popular (although controversial among tech geeks), and he ran a successful company, but his death was treated like the passing of one of history’s great leaders.  The non-stop deification has become quite annoying and it doesn’t seem like it will end any time soon.  Last month we reported that Aaron Sorkin was being courted by Sony to write a biopic about Jobs.  The Oscar-winning screenwriter now tells E! (via THR) that “it’s something I’m strongly considering,” but added, “Right now I’m just in the thinking-about-it stages.  It’s a really big movie and it’s going to be a great movie no matter who writes it.”

Hit the jump for more on the story along with my criticism of making a Steve Jobs movie.

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