‘Assassination’: Al Pacino, Shia LaBeouf, Viggo Mortensen & More To Star In David Mamet’s New Thriller

Guy Lodge Film Critic By the brazenly esoteric standards of Argentine director Lisandro Alonso, his last feature “Jauja” was virtually a concession to the mainstream. A lushly shot 19th-century historical drama led by Viggo Mortensen, it was — until a typically disorienting coda — close to linear in its colonialist-quest narrative, even as it moved in slow, ever-widening circles, and duly became Alonso’s most widely released film to date. Nine years later (the longest gap yet in a career taken at his own pace), Alonso’s follow-up “Eureka” playfully appears to mock whatever tentative gestures “Jauja” made toward accessibility: A glisteningly opaque meditation on Indigenous living that refracts viewers’ interpretations as it repeatedly switches gear, focus, locus and story, it’s a film built to frustrate those who don’t succumb to its oneiric spell, not that it especially imparts its secrets to those who do.

The Shia LaBeouf comeback tour continues as his movie with Abel Ferrara, “Padre Pio,” which had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival last year, hits theaters today. Ferrara’s film is LaBeouf’s first acting performance since his ex-girlfriend, FKA Twigs, sued the actor for sexual battery and emotional distress.

Jack Schlossberg can’t deny the family resemblance. The grandson of President John F. Kennedy shared some photos on his Instagram, prompting his followers to comment on his resemblance to his uncle, John F.

Shania Twain had a few famous faces in the audience as she performed at the Hollywood Bowl on Sunday night.

Variety during the Cannes film festival. The argument goes that, while there are plenty of veteran stars still busily creaking out commercially tempting film fodder, there are precious few equivalently bankable talents from the newer generation waiting in the wings.

Jennifer Maas TV Business Writer Colin Farrell, Mariska Hargitay, Danny Strong, Paula Pell, Rachel Dratch, Michael Kelly and Craig Zobel were among the stars who came out to the writers strike picket line outside Paramount Global’s New York City office in Times Square Thursday. Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, D.-N.Y., and local politicians spoke at the event in support of the Writers Guild of America’s (WGA) cause against the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) that has led to a four-week-and-counting work stoppage due to the organizations’ inability to ink a new contract May 1. “This is about what’s right. We’ve seen income inequality grow exponentially over the last decade; and in your business, it has never been more present,” Gillibrand said to the crowd, filled with not only WGA members, but also those from SAG-AFTRA, IATSE and Teamsters, among other unions. “We see writers working hard every day to produce content and we have an unfair playing field. Not only does AI want to displace our writers, they simply can’t. AI generates content based on what’s been written before the work you did last year, and the year before. It’s not original. It’s not imaginative. It doesn’t come from the human heart. It’s not about a human experience. It’s not about what people actually want to learn about or know about or see or experience. That is what writers bring to the equation every single time. So this strike is so important for the future of this country. It’s about the value of workers; workers and what they create is fundamentally valuable.”

A signed guitar once owned by Kurt Cobain has sold at auction for nearly $600,000, Billboard reports. The black Fender Stratocaster was initially listed at $60,000 but bidding on the memorabilia was fiercely contested, pushing the price up way beyond expectations.

Cannes Film Festival stars a 76-year old action star and is a reboot of a movie that first dazzled moviegoers in 1993. That’s a time, in case you forgot, before TikTok or smartphones, Facebook or Amazon, or any number of technological changes that have reshaped our world and the movie business along with them. And yet, “Cliffhanger,” with Sylvester Stallone bravely summiting the mountain again, is seen as one of the most commercial scripts out there for buyers hoping to make an adventure film that can traverse borders and bring crowds. With a nod to the younger audiences who will be needed to turn up if the movie is going to replicate the original’s blockbuster status, the producers teased that casting is currently underway for a (presumably younger?) actor to share the screen with Sly. But who will that be?

“Eureka” seems somewhat deceitfully simple: a man called Murphy (Viggo Mortensen) searches for his abducted daughter with the help of the mysterious El Coronel (Chiara Mastroianni), even if he has to shoot everyone who stands in his way.

EXCLUSIVE: Shia LaBeouf has joined action thriller Mace, directed by Jon Amiel from a script by David Chisholm. Trevor Jackson (Grown-ish, Superfly) will co-star. Myriad Pictures is shopping the project to buyers here in Cannes this week. 

Assassination,” will be directed by David Mamet, and takes on a novel angle to the well explored story of John F. Kennedy’s murder. John Travolta celebrates 69th birthday in Vegas—joined by daughter EllaJohn F.

The new JFK Thriller “Assassination” reveals its star-studded cast.

Manori Ravindran Executive Editor of International David Mamet’s JFK assassination thriller is taking shape, with Courtney Love, Viggo Mortensen, Shia LaBeouf, Al Pacino and John Travolta joining the cast. The newly titled “Assassination” (the pic was previously called “2 Days/1963”) will be presented to buyers at the film market in Cannes this week, with Arclight Films handling international sales. Here’s the official synopsis for the project: “1963. During a crucial justice hearing against organized crime, the head of the Chicago mob orders the assassination of President John F. Kennedy Jr., creating a deadly conspiracy while altering the fate of a nation.”

Oscar winner Al Pacino (The Godfather), Oscar nominee Viggo Mortensen (Green Book), Oscar nominee John Travolta (Pulp Fiction), BAFTA winner Shia LaBeouf (Honey Boy), NBR Award winner Rebecca Pidgeon (Heist) and Golden Globe nominated singer and actress Courtney Love (The People vs. Larry Flynt) are set to star in the thriller Assassination, we can reveal.

EXCLUSIVE: Palisades Park Pictures (PPP) will be representing global sales for action-thriller Duchess from director Neil Marshall (Hellboy).

Katherine Heigl and John Travolta are set to share the screen in a new rom-com.

John Travolta stars opposite Katherine Heigl in Nick Vallelonga’s new romantic comedy.

Sophia Scorziello editor John Travolta and Katherine Heigl will star in Nick Vallelonga’s upcoming rom-com “That’s Amore!” Palisades Park Pictures made the announcement Thursday ahead of the sales launch for the film at Cannes Film Festival. Additionally, Christopher Walken is in talks to join the cast. “Nick Venere (Travolta) is a modern-day “Marty” – he’s never been married and his best dating years are well behind him. He’s never heard the words “I love you” and figures he never will,” said the official film synopsis. “Patty Amore (Heigl) has her share of problems as well. Shy and introverted, she’s filled with various tics and nervous habits. A secret from her past, combined with her over-protective father, have caused her to withdraw from the dating game. When Nick and Patty meet, literally bumping into one another, they share an immediate connection. When these two emotionally damaged people attempt to date one another, their families get involved, and the results are hilarious.”

John Travolta (Grease) and Katherine Heigl (Firefly Lane) have boarded the rom-com That’s Amore!, written and to be directed by two-time Academy Award winner Nick Vallelonga (Green Book), with Christopher Walken (Severance) also in talks to star.

Courtside couture! While NBA games are all about the nail-biting plays and energetic cheers, they also bring seriously stylish ensembles from Hollywood’s A-listers.