The Kissing Booth’s Joey King is in negotiations to star opposite Brad Pitt in the action-thriller Bullet Train for Sony Pictures.
Hobbs & Shaw director David Leitch will direct and also supervise the script, which will be written by Zak Olkewicz. The film has been moving at light speed since Leitch attached himself last month with Pitt coming on shortly after, marking his first film commitment since winning his first Oscar for acting in Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood. The film is looking at a fall start in Los Angeles.
The film is based on the Japanese novel “Maria Beetle” by best-selling author Kotaro Isaka. Ryosuke Saegusa and Yuma Terada of CTB Inc., who represent Isaka and the IP, are executive producers on the project.
‘The Kissing Booth’ Star Joey King Turns Assassin Opposite Brad Pitt in Sony’s ‘Bullet Train’
‘Paper Girls’ Series Based on Sci-Fi Comics Gets Amazon Greenlight
The paper girls’ next time travel destination is a future television show.
Amazon has given the greenlight to a series based on “Paper Girls,” the sci-fi graphic novels written by Brian K. Vaughan and illustrated by Cliff Chiang. The series hails from Amazon Studios and Legendary Television, in association with Brad Pitt’s Plan B shingle.
“Paper Girls” follows four young girls who, while out delivering papers on the morning after Halloween in 1988, become unwittingly caught in a conflict between warring factions of time-travelers, sending them on an adventure through time that will save the world. As they travel between our present, the past, and the future — they encounter future versions of themselves and now must choose to embrace or reject their fate. The comics were first published in 2015, and there have been 30 issues to date.
John Lewis Tribute Hosted by Brad Pitt, Tyler Perry, Gayle King and Oprah Winfrey to Air on CBS
CBS is set to honor the legacy of civil rights pioneer and longtime congressman John Lewis with a primetime special hosted by a an array of A-list names.
The one-hour special, which is titled “John Lewis: Celebrating a Hero,” will be co-hosted by Oprah Winfrey, Tyler Perry, Gayle King and Brad Pitt, and will air Aug. 4 on CBS and across several other ViacomCBS brands (namely OWN, BET, MTV and Smithsonian).
“John Lewis: Celebrating a Hero” will consist of musical performances, interviews, and inspirational conversations about Lewis’ life and legacy. It is being produced by Jesse Collins Entertainment in partnership with CBS Entertainment and CBS News. News of the special comes exactly two weeks after his death at the age of 80.
Brad Pitt, Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers contribute to community food giveaway in Watts
LOS ANGELES – Celebrities Brad Pitt and Flea from Red Hot Chili Peppers used their platform for good and contributed to a community food giveaway Friday to help feed Watts residents in need during the coronavirus pandemic.
“The community gives back to me…I like being a part of it, I like building bridges, I like making friends. When corona hit and I was sitting around and going to the beach and stuff, I did a lot of thinking about people who really might be struggling because they’re not getting enough to eat and not making money during COVID times,” Flea said.
Every Friday morning, the Nickerson Gardens Clubhouse located on Compton Avenue hosts a community food giveaway.
Tonya Dorsey started Watts Community Core as a free boxing program to show at-risk youth a different path. However, the program was put on hold due to the coronavirus crisis as Gov. Gavin Newsom issued an order that temporarily prevents many businesses from operating indoors, including fitness studios and gyms.
Instead, the program shifted its efforts and is now using the space as a place to feed the community, serving about 700 people on a weekly basis.
“There’s more than one story. We’re having stress because of COVID, we’re scared, we don’t know what’s going to happen next and then for a blessing like this to go on it lets us know that there is a God and someone who cares and that’s the core,” Dorsey said.
Flea was introduced to the program through a mutual friend.
“I just love being a part of it, but honestly, I don’t even think about it as giving as much as I get given to. I get welcomed here…we’re all working together doing something beautiful” he added.
Also on Friday morning, A-lister Brad Pitt drove a delivery truck and donated food baskets to the cause.
Pitt declined an interview but did wave to cameras as he unloaded the truck.
Residents said the giveaway is making a big difference during this difficult time.
“It’s a lot of help because I have four kids so it’s a lot of help right now,” Watts resident Jennifer Torres said.
The program is currently only able to feed about 700 people due to funding.
If you’d like to help, visit the Watts Community Core website.
Brad Pitt Follows Oscar Win with Surprise Emmy Nom for Playing Dr. Anthony Fauci on ‘SNL’
He’s got an Oscar under his belt in 2020. Could the Emmy be next?
Brad Pitt could follow up his Oscar win earlier this year with an Emmy Award this September. The actor landed a surprise Emmy nomination in the category for Outstanding Guest Actor in a Comedy Series thanks to his stint guest-hosting the April 25 installment of “Saturday Night Live.” Pitt’s Emmy nomination singles out his performance playing Dr. Anthony Fauci during the episode’s quarantine cold open.
The Oscar-winning actor kicked off the April 25 installment of “SNL” by impersonating Dr. Fauci in a sketch that found the medical professional reacting in shock and disbelief to many of Donald Trump’s outrageous and dangerous responses to the coronavirus pandemic. The sketch ended with Pitt taking off his Dr. Fauci wig and saying, “And to the real Dr. Fauci, thank you for your calm and your clarity in this unnerving time. And thank you to the medical workers, first responders, and their families for being on the front line.”
The Pitt-Fauci sketch went viral and has amassed over 13 million views on YouTube since its April debut. Pitt’s impersonation even earned acclaim from the real Dr. Anthony Fauci, who said during an appearance on Telemundo’s “Un Nuevo Dia” that Pitt did “a great job.”
“I’m a great fan of Brad Pitt, and that’s the reason why when people ask me who I would like to play me, I mention Brad Pitt,” Fauci said. “He’s one of my favorite actors. I think he did a great job and I think he showed that he is really a classy guy when at the end he took off his hair and thanked me and all of the health care workers. So not only is he a really great actor, but he is actually a classy person.”
Pitt won his first acting Oscar this year for his performance as Cliff Booth in Quentin Tarantino’s “Once Upon a Time in Hollywood.” The beloved performance also earned Pitt supporting actor prizes at the Golden Globes, Screen Actors Guild Awards, and Critics Choice Awards. Pitt is one of three “Saturday Night Live” guest hosts nominated this year in the Outstanding Guest Actor In A Comedy Series category, including Adam Driver and Eddie Murphy
Brad Pitt Commits To Board ‘Bullet Train’; David Leitch To Helm Sony Pictures Action Film
Brad Pitt is set to star in Bullet Train, the Sony Pictures action movie that just got as director David Leitch, the helmer of Deadpool 2 and Fast & Furious Presents: Hobbs & Shaw.
Zak Olkewicz wrote the script, based on the Japanese novel Maria Beetle by Kotaro Isaka. In the novel, five assassins find themselves on a fast-moving bullet train from Tokyo to Morioka with only a few stops in between. They discover their missions are not unrelated to one another. The question becomes, who will make it off the train alive and what awaits them at the terminal station?
Pitt is coming off an Oscar-winning performance in the Quentin Tarantino-directed Once Upon a Time in Hollywood. The actor is firming up his dance card, eyeing several projects but committing only to this one for now. A start date for later this year is eyed.
Antoine Fuqua developed the project originally with Fuqua Films’ Kat Samick, and they are producing along with Leitch and Kelly McCormick (Atomic Blonde) through their company 87North. Ryosuke Saegusa and Yuma Terada of CTB Inc are exec producers and rep Isaka and the IP. Leitch is overseeing a rewrite by Olkewicz to get the film ready to shoot.
Brittany Morrissey is the executive overseeing the project for Sony Pictures. Pitt is repped by CAA and Brillstein Entertainment Partners.
Harvill Secker will publish the novel Bullet Train in English next year.
BP Gallery Update
• x001 Showbiz
• x005 Tempus
• x003 June 07 – Hollywood, CA
• x005 June 23, Los Angeles, CA
PS. We also added the Tempus interview (July 2020). Thanks also Shann!
