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Stars: Eva Green, George Iskandar, Maria Bakalova, Ruby Rose, Emily Bruni, Jojo T. Gibbs, Rona-Lee Shimon | Written by Martin Campbell, Alissa Sullivan Haggis, Jonas McCord | Directed by Martin Campbell

Martin Campbell’s Dirty Angels opens in Afghanistan in 2021. Jake and her team are in a very bad spot. They’ve been captured and Isis leader Amir has offered them a choice. He’s going to have her men join in when he has her stoned her to death. If they don’t, he’ll shoot civilians until they do. Considering the civilians were there for the stoning, I’d have let him shoot them.

In any case, the stoning is interrupted by the arrival of a rescue team. They manage to get Jake, but then come under fire and are forced to leave the rest of the team behind. As they fly off, she watches as Amir personally executes them.

“It’s so nice to talk to The Hollywood Reporter,” Olivia Williams says, as we start our interview, “because I really had that Hollywood experience. I went from living in a damp basement flat in Camden Town to, in a matter of days, flying in a private jet to go on set of a huge Hollywood movie.”

Over the course of a single year, from 1997 to 1998, Williams (before then a jobbing British theater actress, doing commercials for Dove shower cream — “they asked me to audition in a bikini…I felt like giving up”) starred in three studio films: Kevin Costner’s The Postman, Wes Anderson’s Rushmore and M. Night Shyamalan’s The Sixth Sense. The Postman was a legendary flop. Rushmore an indie breakout. The Sixth Sense a gargantuan, global hit. Williams, it appeared, had arrived.

“I went from galloping horses with Kevin Costner — doing my own stunts, thank...

Two days after announcing he’s reuniting with Daisy Ridley for the tactical action-thriller Dedication, Martin Campbell, Lionsgate is proud to present a poster and trailer for Dirty Angels, an intense action thriller starring Eva Green as the leader of an elite team of soldiers tasked with rescuing a group of women from the clutches of Isis. Campbell directs from a script by Alissa Sullivan and Jonas McCord, with Moshe Diamant, Yariv Lerner, and Robert Van Norton producing.

“From Martin Campbell, director of Casino Royale, comes this tense action-thriller,” reads Lionsgate’s official synopsis for Dirty Angels. “When a group of schoolgirls is taken hostage in Afghanistan, an American soldier named Jake (Eva Green) joins a unit of all-women commandos to liberate them. The plan: Gain the trust of the terrorists by posing as members of a relief organization. But double-crosses, tragedies, and the ghosts of Jake’s past complicate...

Lionsgate has revealed the official trailer and poster for the action thriller Dirty Angels, which reunites Casino Royale director Martin Campbell and star Eva Green.

The film, which has been rated R for strong/bloody violence and language, will be available in select theaters, on Digital, and on-demand on December 13, 2024.

In Dirty Angels, when a group of schoolgirls is taken hostage in Afghanistan, an American soldier named Jake (Eva Green) joins a unit of all-women commandos to liberate them. The plan: Gain the trust of the terrorists by posing as members of a relief organization.

But double-crosses, tragedies, and the ghosts of Jake’s past complicate the rescue in this do-or-die mission.

In addition to Eva Green, the cast also includes Maria Bakalova, Ruby Rose, Rona-Lee Shimon, Jojo T. Gibbs, Emily Bruni, and Christopher Backus. Alissa Sullivan Haggis and Jonas McCord wrote the screenplay from a story by McCord and Campbell.

The Dennis Quaid-led Ronald Reagan biopic “Reagan” landed in theaters Aug. 30 and has drawn mixed reviews. The historical drama follows Reagan’s life from his childhood to his time as an actor in Hollywood and his second marriage to Nancy Reagan, all the way to his years in the White House. It concludes with his announcement of his Alzheimer’s Disease diagnosis at age 83.

The movie is directed by Sean McNamara and written by Howard Klausner and Jonas McCord. It’s largely told through conversations between two former Kgb agents.

Here is how to watch “Reagan” in theaters and on streaming platforms.

When did “Reagan” come out?

“Reagan” was released in theaters on Friday, Aug. 30, 2024.

Is “Reagan” in theaters or streaming?

“Reagan” was released exclusively in theaters, so right now that is the only way to see the movie.

It’s currently unclear if “Reagan” will be available on any streaming platform.

Dennis Quaid embodies Ronald Reagan expertly with support from a talented cast in Reagan. Penelope Ann Miller draws inspiration from Nancy Reagan's autobiography for authenticity. The film focuses on the personal aspects of Reagan's life, emphasizing love and relationships.

Reagan tells the story of Ronald Reagan's life from his childhood into his time as President of the United States. It also delves into the impact he had on history and the love story between himself and Nancy. However, perhaps most intriguingly, this isn't the traditional biopic. Instead, Reagan's life story is being told by Viktor Ivanov, a former Kgb agent.

Dennis Quaid expertly embodies Ronald Reagan, bringing the former President to life on screen with the help of Tommy Ragen, who plays a young Ronald Reagan, and David Henrie who plays the teenage Ronald Reagan. Penelope Ann Miller is an expert scene partner with the chemistry between the two...

ShowBiz Direct has released the first trailer for Reagan, the biopic starring Dennis Quaid as Ronald Reagan, the 40th president of the United States. If it feels like we’ve been hearing about this one for a while, it’s because we have; Reagan actually wrapped production almost four years ago.

The film follows Ronald Reagan from “his humble beginnings to the glitz and glamour of Hollywood, and finally on to his biggest role as Commander in Chief set on the world stage… Told through the voice of Viktor Petrovich, a former Kgb agent whose life becomes inextricably linked with Ronald Reagan’s when Reagan first catches the Soviets’ attention as an actor in Hollywood, this film offers a perspective as unique as it is captivating.“

In addition to Dennis Quaid, Reagan stars Penelope Anne Miller as Nancy Reagan, Jon Voight as Viktor Petrovich, Mena Suvari as Jane Wyman, Kevin Dillon as Jack L. Warner,...

Dan Lauria will play former Speaker of the House Thomas “Tip” O’Neill in the upcoming biopic Reagan.

He’ll play opposite Dennis Quaid, who plays the 40th president.

Dan Lauria as Tip O’Neill

In a statement, director Sean McNamara said, “He and Dennis have the chemistry needed to portray Reagan and O’Neill as two politicians who were respectful adversaries.”

In Washington, the 1980s friendship between Reagan and O’Neill has long been viewed as a contrast to recent decades, as partisan rifts have gotten more personal.

Others in the case include Penelope Ann Miller as Nancy Reagan, Mena Suvari as Jane Wyman, Kevin Dillon as Jack Warner and Jon Voight as a fictional Kgb agent who tracks Reagan over the course of 40 years. Howard Klausner and Jonas McCord wrote the script.

Reagan is scheduled for a 2023 release, with shooting already completed.

Lauria received critical acclaim for playing Vince Lombardi...

Penelope Ann Miller is taking on the role of First Lady Nancy Reagan in a biopic of former President Ronald Reagan, Variety has confirmed.

Miller will star opposite Dennis Quaid, who is playing Ronald Reagan. The film is being helmed by “The Miracle Season” and “Soul Surfer” director Sean McNamara and is currently in production in Oklahoma.

Miller will portray Nancy Reagan from her late 20s to early 70s. The film follows Ronald Reagan’s life through the eyes of a fictional Kgb agent, who keeps tabs on Reagan throughout his career. Robert Davi has been cast as Soviet Union leader Leonid Brezhnev, and Jon Voight will play the role of the Kgb agent.

The film is an independent drama from Rawhide Pictures and producer Mark Joseph, who has previously worked on the first amendment documentary “No Safe Spaces” and “The Vessel,” a drama staring Martin Sheen. Howard Klausner and...

Penelope Ann Miller will play Nancy Reagan in Reagan, a biopic of former President Ronald Reagan that stars Dennis Quaid in the title role.

The movie is currently, and quietly, in production in Oklahoma, with Jon Voight and Robert Davi also in the cast.

Sean McNamara, who directed the faith-based hit Soul Surfer, is directing the indie drama that hails from Rawhide Pictures and producer Mark Joseph. Joseph previously produced the First Amendment documentary, No Safe Spaces, and co-executive produced the Martin Sheen-starring faith-based drama, The Vessel. Ralph Winter, a producer on the X-Men franchise, is also producing.

Howard Klausner and Jonas McCord ...

Penelope Ann Miller will play Nancy Reagan in Reagan, a biopic of former President Ronald Reagan that stars Dennis Quaid in the title role.

The movie is currently, and quietly, in production in Oklahoma, with Jon Voight and Robert Davi also in the cast.

Sean McNamara, who directed the faith-based hit Soul Surfer, is directing the indie drama that hails from Rawhide Pictures and producer Mark Joseph. Joseph previously produced the First Amendment documentary, No Safe Spaces, and co-executive produced the Martin Sheen-starring faith-based drama, The Vessel. Ralph Winter, a producer on the X-Men franchise, is also producing.

Howard Klausner and Jonas McCord ...

“I Am God”

By Raymond Benson

It’s a line uttered by Dr. Jed Hill (chillingly played by a young Alec Baldwin), during a deposition in which he defends his surgical skill and knowledge as the things people in chapels really pray to when a loved one is under the knife in the operating room. “I am God,” he says with the kind of arrogance that only an actor like Baldwin can deliver.

Malice, the 1993 thriller directed by Harold Becker (whose previous film was the terrific Sea of Love), was adapted from a story by Aaron Sorkin and Jonas McCord, with a screenplay by Sorkin and Scott Frank. That’s powerhouse writing authorship, and the twisty-turny tale that unfolds on the screen is solid evidence the fact. Despite the rather improbable premise behind the con job that is at the heart of Malice, the picture indeed holds your interest and keeps you guessing.

Exclusive: Christian Rivers has signed on to direct Into Thin Air, a feature drama that explores the unsolved mystery behind the disappearance of Malaysia Airlines Flight 370. The film is a co-production of Illusion Media Entertainment, K. Jam Media, and Altit Media Group and it is being financed by Avi Nakash. He’s the owner of Arkia Airline, the second largest in Israel.

Rivers is the Oscar-winning visual effects wiz behind such Peter Jackson-directed films as King Kong, The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit, who made his feature directorial debut last year on Mortal Engines. The film is scripted by Jonas McCord, an Oscar-winning documentarian and investigative journalist with credits that include Malice and Ask The Dust, and produced by Oscar winner Barrie Osborne, McCord, Kia Jam, and Dean Altit. Exec producers are Avi Nakash, Dan Gordon and Jonathan Sanger.

The film weaves a narrative around the tragedy,...

Jon Voight is negotiating to play a pivotal role in the $35 million indie biopic "Reagan."

The story unfolds as a young Russian leader visits a retired Kgb agent named Viktor (Voight) so that he may learn of the demise of the Soviet Union. Viktor's job was to track Ronald Reagan during his presidency.

The film is based on two books by Paul Kengor and is being penned by Jonas McCord and Howie Klausner. Ralph Winter and Mark Joseph will produce.

Source: THR...

Jon Voight is negotiating to play a pivotal role in the $35 million indie biopic "Reagan."

The story unfolds as a young Russian leader visits a retired Kgb agent named Viktor (Voight) so that he may learn of the demise of the Soviet Union. Viktor's job was to track Ronald Reagan during his presidency.

The film is based on two books by Paul Kengor and is being penned by Jonas McCord and Howie Klausner. Ralph Winter and Mark Joseph will produce.

Source: THR...

Another interesting life, and another interesting biopic. So, why not a good movie then?

With some great team it’s definitely possible, so no wonder producers Mark Joseph (Ray), Ralph Winter (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), and Jonas McCord (Ask the Dust) have begun work on a biopic of Ronald Reagan!

The film will be called Reagan and it will center on the former actor and 40th president of the United States of America.

The material used will mostly come from two best-selling biographies by Paul Kengor: The Crusader and God and Ronald Reagan.

The film will track the entire life of Reagan rom childhood through the presidency.

At this moment we also know that the movie has a 30 million budget and will begin with the 1981 assassination attempt and tells Reagan’s story through flashbacks and flash-forwards.

And yes, that means the project will not be a hit piece either like the...

Michael Fassbender in HungerDirector Steve McQueen and actor Michael Fassbender, the tandem behind 2008's critically acclaimed Hunger, will be re-teaming for the sexual drama Shame. Fassbender will play a 30-something man living in New York who is unable to manage his sex life.

While that doesn't explain much, I'd be keeping an eye out for this one regardless based on the quality of their previous collaboration. The film will be introduced to buyers at the Toronto Film Festival. [Variety]

Sylvester Stallone has been tweeting up a storm since joining the social network in a seemingly endless attempt to keep the hype machine for The Expendables running. One tweet of particular interest confirms that the director's cut of The Expendables will be out in about six months and the documentary Inferno: The Making of The Expendables will be out soon as well. Sly describes the documentary as being "hardcore - everybody's on it,...

The life story of former U.S. President Ronald Reagan is getting a big screen treatment and it's getting a healthy $30 million budget to boot!

According to The Hollywood Reporter, the film will be called "Reagan" and will be released late next year. This one will be based on two best-selling Reagan biographies by Paul Kengor namely "The Crusader" and "God and Ronald Reagan."

Jonas McCord ("Malice," "The Body") wrote the script and Mark Joseph ("Ray," "Holes," "Because of Winn-Dixie," "The Passion of the Christ") is co-producing with Ralph Winter ("X-Men" and "Fantastic Four" films).

Joseph and company are adamant that this film version will be sharply different from the failed Reagan 2003 miniseries starring James Brolin as the 40th U.S. President. If that one was critical of Reagan's accomplishments, the film version will be more about his life -- from boyhood to Hollywood to leader of the free world.

The saga of Ronald Reagan is certainly a fascinating one. The A-list actor went on to have a pretty okay career in politics. You know, just the 40th president of the United States. No big deal.

The biopic, which carries a $30 million budget and is targeted for a late 2011 release, will be helmed by "Malice" director Jonas McCord, The Hollywood Reporter reveals. He also wrote the script, working from a pair of optioned biographies by bestselling author Paul Kengor: "The Crusader" and "God and Ronald Reagan." McCord admits to not being a fan of the former president, but being intrigued by the project as he learned more about Reagan's early life. The story will open on the 1981 assassination attempt, telling the Gipper's life story through "flashbacks and flash-forwards."

It's all going to hinge on who plays Reagan, of course. And as you might expect, we have a few suggestions...

Josh Brolin...

Only two years removed from our last film about a recent Republican president, Oliver Stone's W., another one is in the works. THR reports that a Ronald Reagan biopic has entered development with producers Ralph Winter (X-Men, Fantastic Four) and Mark Joseph (Passion of the Christ, Ray) and Jonas McCord backing the project. The film will track the entire life of the actor-turned-politician, from childhood through the presidency. The bulk of the material will come from two biographies written by Paul Kengor: "The Crusader" and "God and Ronald Reagan." Screenwriter McCord will also pen the script. I can already predict what is to come of this project: either a) it will be too left-leaning and the Sarah Palins of the world will come out in a rage against it or b) the film will put a nice right-wing spin on the negative aspects of Reagan's life (Read: The Iran-Contra...

Former U.S. President Ronald Reagan is set to get a $30 million biopic which will be rather reverential in tone according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Jonas McCord ("Malice," "The Body") is penning the script for "Reagan" which begins with his 1981 assassination attempt and follows his story through both flashbacks and flash-forwards that will show how the Hollywood actor became the leader of the free world. Paul Kengor's two best-selling biographies of the man will be used as the basis for the script.

Ralph Winter and Mark Joseph will produce. No actors or director have been signed a yet, though final financing is being locked down now and a late 2011 release is being planned.

CBS was slated to air the mini-series "The Reagans" in 2003, but controversy over its apparent left-wing bias pushed it to premiere on cable outlet Showtime. James Brolin starred as Reagan in that mini-series.

This year has seen the rise of a bright star on the political scene: Ronald Reagan, a deceased late-20th century American president whose name has become something of a benediction—or, perhaps, malediction—among today’s Republican heavyweights. (Also, Michael Reagan, the former president’s son from his first wife, launched a courageous dot-com—make that dot-Reagan—start-up.) It makes sense then that the life of Ronald Reagan will now be the subject of a new feature film. Reagan, to which no star or director is yet attached, is slated for a 2011 release. The screenwriter is one Jonas McCord, veteran director of one episode from the 1994 season of Tales from the Crypt. According to the Hollywood Reporter, the movie will commence with “the 1981 assassination attempt and tells Reagan's story through flashbacks and flash-forwards.” Although, as we said, no decisions about the cast have been made, we have produced the...

The Hollywood Reporter says that the story of Ronald Reagan, the 40th President of the United States, is in development. The $30 million movie, titled Reagan , is set for release late next year and will be based on two best-selling biographies by Paul Kengor: "The Crusader" and "God and Ronald Reagan." Mark Joseph, who optioned the books four years ago, is co-producing with Ralph Winter ("X-Men" films, Planet of the Apes ) and Jonas McCord ( Ray , Holes , The Passion of The Christ ) wrote the script. Reagan begins with the 1981 assassination attempt and tells Reagan's story through flashbacks and flash-forwards. A "Reagans" movie, starring James Brolin as the president, premiered on Showtime in November of 2003.

Film based on Paul Kengor biographies to be titled Reagan and expected to offer sympathetic portrayal of Us president

He was the Us president who oversaw the end of the cold war and the rise of the Aids epidemic, a ferocious anti-communist during the McCarthy era who nevertheless referred to his darling wife, Nancy as "Mommie". Now the story of Ronald Reagan is set to be told on the big screen for the first time, in what looks likely to be a sympathetic biopic.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, the film Reagan will be based on two bestselling biographies of the 40th Us president by Paul Kengor: God and Ronald Reagan and The Crusader. No casting decisions have yet been made, and there is no director on board. The project does, however, have a $30m (£19m) budget in place.

Producers have been keen to distinguish their project from the most...

Though a 2003 miniseries about the life of Ronald Reagan, starring notorious democrat James Brolin, was dumped by CBS before it could air, Hollywood producers are once again trying to get the story of our 40th president off the ground. The film, Reagan, was written by Jonas McCord (Malice) and already has a independently financed budget of $30 million. While Ralph Winter (X-men) is producing, it's unclear if the film will tell of Reagan's time as a Captain America-style superhero (briefly...

A movie about the 40th Us president Ronald Reagan is in the works, says The Hollywood Reporter. X-Men and Fantastic Four producer Ralph Winter has teamed up with Mark Joseph and screenwriter Jonas McCord on the $$30 million-budgeted Reagan. The film, based on Paul Kengor's biographies The Crusader and God And Ronald Reagan, will begin with the 1981 assassination attempt and flash backwards and forwards to tell the life story of the actor-turned-politician. Joseph said of the project: "This is a great story. I'm just glad no-one else in Hollywood thinks so, or they'd have made this film by now." (more)...

Mark Joseph optioned best-selling biographies "The Crusader" and "God and Ronald Reagan" four years ago, and is now making plans for a feature film based on the life of 40th Us President Ronald Reagan. The new $30 million movie is written by Jonas McCord (Malice, The Body) and will examine Reagan's life from boyhood to Hollywood actor to leader of the free world. No actors or directors have been signed, but the film is set to be released next year. There was already a 2003 mini-series "The Reagans," which starred James Brolin as the President and was supposed to air on CBS until a controversy erupted over alleged left-wing bias and was moved to Showtime instead. "Only in Hollywood could you make an insulting, condescending movie about a much-loved historical figure, hire an actor who loathes the man, watch it flop and then somehow conclude that Americans don't want to see a movie about him,...

Ronald Reagan?! The actor?! Following in the cinematic footsteps of previous U.S. presidents like Richard Nixon and George W. Bush, THR reports actor turned politician Ronald Reagan will be the subject of an upcoming biopic with an eye for a release late in 2011. Though no director or actors are currently attached, the film already has a script from writer Jonas McCord taking cues from both The Crusader and God and Ronald Reagan, two biographies from author Paul Kengor. Though it won't exactly be a glorification of the life of the Republican president, it also won't be as full of disdain as the 2003 mini-series "The Reagans." Rather than following a linear life story, the movie will begin with the 1981 assassination attempt and tells Reagan's story through flashbacks and flash-forwards. Hopefully viewers won't be disappointed when its discovered that the Reagan presidency was actually a sort of purgatory where all ...

United States President Ronald Reagan is going to get his own movie. This is a guy that went from a Hollywood actor to the leader of the free world, it seems like it was only a matter of time before the guy got his own movie.

The biopic will be called Reagan, and it will based on two best-selling biographies of the U.S. president by Paul Kengor: The Crusader and God and Ronald Reagan. Producer Mark Joseph optioned the books four years ago, and he brought in Ralph Winter and Jonas McCord to write the script with him.

Winter's producing credits include four X-Men flicks, two bad Fantastic Four movies and the remake of Planet of the Apes. Joseph, a marketing and development executive, worked on Ray, Holes, Because of Winn-Dixie and The Passion of the Christ.

In an interview McCord describes Reagan's childhood as...

...a surreal Norman Rockwell...

The newly minted Rawhide Pictures will be mounting a biopic of President Ronald Reagan, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

With a $30 million budget, Mark Joseph, Ralph Winter and Jonas McCord will produce the film based on the best-selling biographies by Paul Kengor: The Crusader and God and Ronald Reagan.

Joseph has no feature film experience, while Winter and McCord, who wrote the script, have worked as a producer on four X-Men movies, and as a development executive on The Passion of the Christ respectively.

The producers have detailed their execution of the narrative, saying the film will begin in 1981, the night John Hinckley, Jr. attempted to assassinate the president, and then tell Reagan’s story through a series of flashbacks, detailing his troubled childhood, rise to movie stardom, and move to the White House.

McCord has shown a special interest in revealing Reagan’s upbringing, calling it “a surreal Norman Rockwell...

Given that he was one of the most iconic American presidents, a man who began his career in showbiz and ended up in the White House, it’s no surprise that someone thinks the story of Ronald Reagan’s life is worth shoving on the big screen. Producers Mark Joseph and Ralph Winter are ready to make it work, with Jonas McCord writing a script.The film, currently titled just Reagan, is being based on two biographies of the man written by Paul Kengor, and plans to follow his life from a young age to his presidential career. It’ll flick back and forth in time, anchored around the 1981 assassination attempt that saw John Hinckley Jr shoot at the president in the hopes it would attract the attention of Jodie Foster.According to The Hollywood Reporter, McCord, who has worked on films like The Body and Malice, didn’t exactly...

Update: James Brolin responds: I'm a Reagan fan

Poll: Who should play Ronald Reagan?

The story of Ronald Reagan's life -- from boyhood to Hollywood actor to leader of the free world -- is about to spill out on the big screen in a way quite different from the miniseries that caused such a stir seven years ago.

The feature film, titled "Reagan" and sporting a $30 million production budget, is set for release late next year and will be based on two best-selling biographies of the 40th U.S. president by Paul Kengor: "The Crusader" and "God and Ronald Reagan."

Mark Joseph, who optioned the books four years ago, is co-producing with Ralph Winter and Jonas McCord wrote the script.

Winter's producing credits include four "X-Men" movies, two "Fantastic Four" movies and the 2001 remake of "Planet of the Apes." Joseph, a marketing and development executive, worked on "Ray," "Holes,...

New film about the life and death of Jesus Christ will be as much about the key players at his crucifixion as the man himself

A new film about the life and death of Jesus Christ is to go into production this July for release around Easter 2011, reports Variety.

Producer Bill McKay told the trade paper that The Resurrection of the Christ, budgeted at $20m (£12m), was "as much about the key players as it is about Jesus". He added: "We want to bring in the 'Gladiator' dimension of the first century against the political milieu of the time."

Dan Gordon, who wrote the Denzel Washington-starring boxing biopic The Hurricane, is penning the screenplay, which focuses on the motivations of those involved in Christ's crucifixion, specifically Pontius Pilate, Herod Antipas, Caiaphas and Judas.

Jonas McCord, the man behind the religious themed 2001 Antonio Banderas thriller The Body, is in talks to direct.

While Screen Rant doesn’t usually cover religious films, we thought that our readers would be interested in the forthcoming film The Resurrection of the Christ.

Now, before you start shouting that “Oh No – Mel Gibson is at it again!” - you should be aware that this is not a sequel to Gibson’s 2004 film, The Passion of the Christ and he is in no way involved in the production.

The film will be a standalone Biblical epic that will “focus on the power, greed and ambition of those involved in the crucifixion.”

The producer of the film Bill McKay said:

“It’s as much about the key players as it is about Jesus. We want to bring in the Gladiator dimension of the first century against the political milieu of the time.”

This means that some of the main characters in the film will be Pontius Pilate, Herod, Caiaphas...

While "The Resurrection of the Christ" is not a sequel/spin-off to "The Passion of the Christ", it will apparently go further in terms of exploring the same subject matter reports Variety.

Producer Bill McKay is developing the $20 million project with Samuel Goldwyn Films which is scheduled for an Easter 2011 release. Jonas McCord ("The Body") will direct.

Dan Gordan ("The Hurricane," "Murder in the First") is writing the screenplay which follows the power, greed and ambition of those involved in the crucifixion -- Pontius Pilate, Herod, Caiaphas and Judas.

"It's as much about the key players as it is about Jesus. We want to bring in the 'Gladiator' dimension of the first century against the political milieu of the time" says McKay.

Filming will kick off in July and shoot over ten weeks across Israel, Morocco and Europe.

Variety reports that indie producer Bill McKay is developing The Resurrection of the Christ . Set for an Easter 2011 release through Samuel Goldwyn Films, the $20 million production will shoot for 10 weeks starting in July. Dan Gordan ( The Hurricane , Murder in the First ) is writing the screenplay with a focus on the power, greed and ambition of those involved in the crucifixion -- Pontius Pilate, Herod, Caiaphas and Judas. "It's as much about the key players as it is about Jesus," McKay said. "We want to bring in the 'Gladiator' dimension of the first century against the political milieu of the time." Jonas McCord ( The Body ) will direct the film, which is set to shoot in Israel, Morocco and Europe.

It.s sort of amazing that hasn.t happened before now. Someone has finally decided to follow up Mel Gibson.s wildly successful The Passion of the Christ, and while it.s not truly a sequel to that film. it might as well be. Variety says an indie producer named Bill McKay is working on a movie called Resurrection of the Christ. Lest you think this is some throwaway indie project which will never be heard from again, they say Samuel Goldwyn Film is backing it and the movie, set for an Easter 2011 release, will be a $20 million production. McKay.s movie will be written by a guy named Dan Gordon, directed by Jonas McCord, and they promise to spread the focus around in this one. It.ll be as much about other key players as it is about Jesus, expect to see the Apostles figure in prominently, but they...

He's baaaack! Given what the Bible teaches, we know he wasn't pissed, though. After years of jokes about a possible follow-up to Mel Gibson's box-office storming The Passion Of The Christ, an indie production team is hoping to strike it lucky with another tale from Jesus' life in The Resurrection Of The Christ. It's not an official sequel, but Bill McKay's planned film, with The Body's Jonas McCord directing and The Hurricane's Dan Gordon writing, will focus on the power, greed and ambition of those around the crucifixion, including Pontius Pilate, Caiaphas and Judas. "It's as much about the key players as it is about Jesus," McKay tells Variety. "We want to bring in the Gladiator dimension of the first century against the political milieu of the time." A Gladiator dimension? Jesus vs. tiger! Come on, you know it would be cool.But with Christ taking less...

As seems to happen quite often in this crazy business we report on, two projects based on the same idea are about to battle it out for cinematic supremacy. This time the theme is "paradise", or more accurately, John Milton's Paradise Lost.

Back in December, 2008, we heard some early details from Scott (The Exorcism of Emily Rose) Derrickson about his plans to adapt Paradise Lost with Guillermo del Toro for Legendary Pictures and Warner Brothers based on a script by Stu Hazeldine. (In fact, the article was the Story of the Week in my December 6-12, 2008, Weekly Wrap-Up).

Now the news has come down via THR that veteran producer Martin (The Lion in Winter, The Possession of Joel Delaney) Poll has joined with Granite Entertainment and Stv Networks to mount an indie version of Paradise Lost that has been gestating for nearly four decades and could enter production as early as the summer.

It's time to brush up on your John Milton because the 17th century English poet's "Paradise Lost" is suddenly on Hollywood's radar.

Veteran producer Martin Poll has joined with Granite Entertainment and Stv Networks to mount an indie version of "Paradise" that has been gestating for nearly four decades and could enter production as early as the summer. If so, it could find itself going up against a competing version of "Paradise" that Legendary Pictures and Vincent Newman Entertainment have been developing for several years.

Poll began pitching a film version of Milton's epic poem in the late '60s.

Although he couldn't interest a studio at the time to make a movie about Satan's fall from grace, his temptation of Adam and Eve and the first couple's subsequent banishment from the Garden of Eden, Poll began working with British author and screenwriter John Collier, who wrote a screenplay,...

Even when grief is overwhelming, funerals can be absurd gatherings full of awkward drama and unintentionally funny ritual by rote. In the case of Eulogy, writer-director Michael Clancy's feature debut, there's no troublesome sadness to get in the way of the quirk factor. Character eccentricities and off-kilter group dynamics play out with a comic vengeance.

Although this black comedy doesn't always achieve its intended laughs and sometimes pushes too hard for them, at its best it offers droll glimpses of the cosmic abyss that often serves as a family's connective tissue. The terrific ensemble cast finds the right deadpan tone to deliver the dysfunction. The presence of Debra Winger will up the draw for niche theatrical audiences, and Eulogy should enjoy a long afterlife on home video.

Unshowy tech contributions, led by DP Michael Chapman (Raging Bull) and editor Richard Halsey (Rocky), put the actors front and center in this concise comic portrait of a clan numbed by disappointment. Winger plays Alice, the oldest, loudest and angriest of the four Collins siblings, returning home to Rhode Island for the funeral of the father they barely knew (Rip Torn). His passing barely dents their self-centered orbits, and even his widow (Piper Laurie) responds with a vacant impassiveness, notwithstanding a couple of badly misfired suicide attempts.

The unlikely voice of sanity and compassion within the sorry lot is college student Kate (Zooey Deschanel, exuding practicality and emotional translucence). When she's not struggling to write the eulogy her clear-eyed grandmother requested, she's avoiding neighbor Ryan (Jesse Bradford), confused over the romantic turn their lifelong summer friendship has taken.

Kate's father, Dan (Hank Azaria), is an adult-film actor looking through a cannabis haze for his big break, having reached his show business zenith in a peanut butter commercial at age 8. Skip (Ray Romano) is a lawyer of sorts with a most unfortunate mustache, and adolescent twins (Curtis and Keith Garcia) who, when they're not being plain evil, toss around sex-talk swagger as though they've listened to Howard Stern one too many times.

The twins take a sudden interest in the gathering when their feisty aunt Lucy (Kelly Preston) shows up with her easygoing "life partner," Judy (Famke Janssen). This rather forced self-introduction is the first sign that Clancy is going to use the lesbian relationship a bit too insistently. While Alice's three children cower in silence and her husband (Mark Harelik) burbles incoherently, she all but puts Lucy and Judy on trial. By the time they announce their wedding plans, you can only wonder why the brides-to-be would want this variously mean-spirited and clueless bunch at the festivities.

But the utter irrationality of family is Clancy's point. It's no wonder Grandma sees no reason to explain her eagerness to check out. And while her suicide attempts aren't as, well, funny as they're meant to be, they do land her in the inexpert care of a dippy nurse (Glenne Headly, in sweet ditz mode) who turns out to be a crucial figure from Alice's past.

As good as it is to see Winger onscreen, her character is too strident a conception, the explanation for her malice a bit too easy. But to Clancy's credit he doesn't try to tie it all up with a feel-good ending. The dark undercurrents remain as the Collinses bid Dad farewell. The twins are still obnoxious. And Romano's Skip is still sporting that mustache.

EULOGY

Lions Gate Films

A Myriad Pictures presentation in association with Ovation Entertainment, Equity Pictures Medienfonds and S.R.O. Entertainment AF

Credits:

Director-writer: Michael Clancy

Producers: Steven Haft, Richard B. Lewis, Kirk D'Amico

Executive producers: Lucas Foster, Kendall Morgan, Bo Hyde, Rory Rosegarten, Jonas McCord, Shelly Glasser

Director of photography: Michael Chapman

Production designer: Dina Lipton

Music: George S. Clinton

Co-producers: Stefan Jonas, Jeanne Van Cott

Costume designer: Tracy Tynan

Editor: Richard Halsey

Cast:

Daniel Collins: Hank Azaria

Ryan Carmichael: Jesse Bradford

Kate Collins: Zooey Deschanel

Samantha: Glenne Headly

Judy Arnolds: Famke Janssen

Grandma Collins: Piper Laurie

Lucy Collins: Kelly Preston

Skip Collins: Ray Romano

Grandpa Collins: Rip Torn

Alice Collins: Debra Winger

Burt: Mark Harelik

Parson Banke: Rene Auberjonois

MPAA rating: R

Running time -- 85 minutes...

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