George Clooney Is Pitching a TV Dramedy About the 1990s Movie Business

Creature of habit.

This could really be fun. What if they base it on real people and events from the time, but disguise them enough not to get sued? They could have a field day and everyone would be trying to guess who's who and which real film they were talking about. I bet the whole industry would watch.

Way2Old4Dis wrote:Creature of habit.

Are you saying that he sticks with what he knows?  Tend to agree. Or did you have a different point?

Yep, that's what I mean. And it's not a slam or complaint. He does what he does very well. But I think he won't get that directing Oscar he wants so much until he breaks out of his mold a bit. JMHO.

Honestly, he has a much better chance of winning
 the Best Actor Oscar than  Best Director.
There're a lot of big name directors out there and George's records as a director seem fine yet far from 
flawless. He'sdirected two negatively reviewed films now
and he's only got a nomination before.
However if he keeps working with the best directors in
 a leading role, plus his previous three nominations, I even assume he could win the Best Actor effortlessly if he gets nominated again 
very soon. He is already an overdue for Best Actor.
Once he manages to win that third Oscar as an actor,
he'll probably never get to win the director in his life. 
Because they just wont let the same guy win everything.

Way2Old4Dis wrote:Yep, that's what I mean. And it's not a slam or complaint. He does what he does very well. But I think he won't get that directing Oscar he wants so much until he breaks out of his mold a bit. JMHO.

I agree.  I think as a director he is "too backward looking" if that makes sense.  He loves movie history and filmmaking, but he needs to stop harking back to movies of eras past like he did in Leatherheads and Monuments Men and to some extent Ides of March.  You can pay homage to those eras, but I think you need to do it in a fresh and original way, not try and recapture exactly what it was. Just doesn't play the same 70 years later. He is not as original (yet, hopefully) as the directors he works with or the others out there. Sad to say, but I think Ben did a much better job with Argo than George might have done at this point in his directing career.

To Sevens: You just gave several reasons why George probably wants it so much.

Best Director would seal his legacy as a Hollywood titan. To start out as an actor and win an Oscar mid-career is great. Going out on his own to become a respected producer, and then winning for Best Picture is fantastic. But to break into the league of legendary directors, when he's essentially self-trained, would be absolutely remarkable. It would put him in the stratosphere of stars.

Movies, for better or worse, are seen as the directors' projects. That's why you don't see "A Film By..." or ".. an (X Director) Film" in the rolling credits for writers, actors, or producers -- only directors. And that's even with the best-known writers or the biggest acting talent on board. George wants to be the best at whatever he does, and to be one of the best in the making of movies, he has to be counted among the best directors. It's an acknowledgment of leadership and skill that even the Best Picture Oscar for a producer doesn't bring, because the director helms the artistic and creative ship, and that's what colleagues respect most.

Makes sense Way2 but didn't Costner win Best Director?  What has he done of true note since then?  He's had a couple of films that were huge budgets but considered flops.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it may give him prestige with his peers but it doesn't necessarily mean he'll have successful films in the future.

Love reading the conversation here. Great points made about George's acting, directing and producing credentials. Maybe if he plays his cards right Hack Attack may give him at least a directing nomination. I feel he probably wants to approach the film maybe in a "All the Presidents Men" way. It is one of his favorite movies and says that the 70s decade was the best in the way movies were being made. But you guys are right. He needs to give this movie a different vision, far more contemporary in style. But I would love to see him really accomplish something with Hack Attack. It's a very challenging piece of storytelling.

I know I shouldn't be talking about Hack Attack in this thread. Sorry.

LornaDoone wrote:Makes sense Way2 but didn't Costner win Best Director?  What has he done of true note since then?  He's had a couple of films that were huge budgets but considered flops.

I guess the point I'm trying to make is that it may give him prestige with hie peers but it doesn't necessarily mean he'll necessarily have successful films in the future.

You might be right. But I'll point out that Costner directed 3 movies in about 12 years or so, and none for the last 10-12 years, and Dances with Wolves was the only critically notable one. (Plus, a lot of people had problems with his win for Dances..., but that's another discussion.) Anyway, I think he proved that he's not really a director, since he doesn't really know how to choose material, or to reign in the material he has. He's an actor who won a directing Oscar. I think George wants to be known as a noted director.

I think George has the potential to be a great director. Everyone who works with him says he's focused and has a clear vision of what he wants his movies to say and he does get good performances from his actors. I think his weakness is in the writing/editing end of his movies. Maybe he'd do better with someone else's script or a different writing partner or editor. (No insult intended to Grant or Steven Marioni, but maybe he needs to work with someone new.)

LizzyNY wrote:I think George has the potential to be a great director. Everyone who works with him says he's focused and has a clear vision of what he wants his movies to say and he does get good performances from his actors. I think his weakness is in the writing/editing end of his movies. Maybe he'd do better with someone else's script or a different writing partner or editor. (No insult intended to Grant or Steven Marioni, but maybe he needs to work with someone new.)

I vote for Way2 :-)

Ha!! Like that could ever happen.

That's sweet of you to say, though. Thanks.

Way2Old - You never know! Send him your screenplay or something else you think he might find interesting. You've got the talent, all you need is the connection.Don't you know someone who could get your work to him?

LizzyNY wrote:I think George has the potential to be a great director. Everyone who works with him says he's focused and has a clear vision of what he wants his movies to say and he does get good performances from his actors. I think his weakness is in the writing/editing end of his movies. Maybe he'd do better with someone else's script or a different writing partner or editor. (No insult intended to Grant or Steven Marioni, but maybe he needs to work with someone new.)

Yeah Argo is good pretty much because it has a great script and I'm glad he's hired the writer 
from The Theory of Everything to adapt Hack Attack.

If he has a clear vision, presumably he has gotten what he intended?  Also, hasn't George been one of the writers too?  Maybe he needs to realize it may not be his strength.  As the director I would think you are responsible for everything, including accepting the choices of writers and editors.

LizzyNY wrote:Way2Old - You never know! Send him your screenplay or something else you think he might find interesting. You've got the talent, all you need is the connection.Don't you know someone who could get your work to him?

Even in a world where I could make this happen, the part (in the screenplay I assume you're referring to ) would have been perfect for him years ago, but now both it and the concept are too much of the same material for him.

I do have a comedy I think he'd be good in. But it's a small, indie type thing, and I doubt Bryan L would even let him look at it, much less consider it.

Anyway, back to topic...

How "George' is it that he comes out of the clusterfuck at Sony looking even more endearing and gallant?

Way2Old4Dis wrote:

LizzyNY wrote:Way2Old - You never know! Send him your screenplay or something else you think he might find interesting. You've got the talent, all you need is the connection.Don't you know someone who could get your work to him?

Even in a world where I could make this happen, the part (in the screenplay I assume you're referring to ) would have been perfect for him years ago, but now both it and the concept are too much of the same material for him.

I do have a comedy I think he'd be good in. But it's a small, indie type thing, and I doubt Bryan L would even let him look at it, much less consider it.

Anyway, back to topic...

How "George' is it that he comes out of the clusterfuck at Sony looking even more endearing and gallant?

Because he is smart to be cautious about social media, email, etc. etc. and realize that nothing may be private? I am sure he is sometimes politically incorrect, but not in writing!  I think folks need to realize that almost nothing is private and behave accordingly.  Even without hacking, in a lawsuit all of your emails, etc. may be subpoenaed/discoverable.

fava wrote:If he has a clear vision, presumably he has gotten what he intended?  Also, hasn't George been one of the writers too?  Maybe he needs to realize it may not be his strength.  As the director I would think you are responsible for everything, including accepting the choices of writers and editors.

Having a clear vision of what you want doesn't guarantee that you will get what you intended onto the screen. There are a lot of things that can affect production, from personal reasons (being exhausted from acting in one film while directing another) to studio interference, problems with actors, locations, weather, financing - and on and on. As the director you are responsible for the final product - no matter how it turns out - and George has taken responsibility.

I don't think George is a bad writer. Individual scenes in his movies are quite good  although, too often, the completed film falls short of expectations. Maybe he and Grant need to bring in someone new to give them a different perspective on how to make the whole as good as the parts.

Neither of them are writers, in the sense that writing is their profession or calling. They are guys who started out as actors, who are very smart and savvy, and who have learned what goes into composing a story for a movie. And they are more than passable at it. You don't write Good Night, and Good Luck on a fluke. But I think there's an imbalance between their sense of story, which is very, very good, and their ability/abilities to execute to a level that does the story due service, and that becomes more obvious the further away from the spark of passion that distinguishes great storytelling they get. I don't think they will ever do as well with source material (the writing part of it) as they would with original concepts about their particular passions.

Said the writer with no screen credits...

Way2Old - I agree completely, which is why I think they might benefit from another writing partner who could steer them in the right direction.

George Clooney-Peter Tolan Showbiz Drama Lands at Showtime

Showtime has won the bidding war for George Clooney's showbiz drama The Studio.

The premium cable network has handed out a script commitment with hefty penalty attached, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
From Sony Pictures Television, The Studio tells the story of a movie studio in the early 1990s, when the studios were being bought up by conglomerates and corporate culture crashed head-on into Hollywood's excesses. The two men running the show's central studio are described as best friends who struggle to maintain their humanity while they stockpile power, fight off irrelevance, and mercilessly f— over anyone who gets in their way — including each other.

Rescue Me's Peter Tolan will pen the script and exec produce via his SPT-based Fedora Entertainment banner. Bennett Miller, Clooney and Grant Heslov will also exec produce. The drama marks Clooney and Heslov's first sale via their overall deal with SPT and a return to the small screen following TNT's 2010 cop drama Memphis Beat. Miller (Moneyball, Capote) will direct the pilot, which is also being exec produced by Fedora's Michael Wimer.
Should The Studio move forward, it would mark Showtime's latest look at the entertainment industry and join Matt LeBlanc's comedic look at the biz, Episodes.
Tolan, meanwhile, also is a co-writer/showrunner on TV Land's Jim Gaffigan comedy series. He most recently exec produced Fox's short-lived Rake adaptation.

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I'm just thinking...I hope I posted the article in the right thread. it is the same thing right? Or not....

You beat me to it. I was just reading this and about to post. The involvement of Tolan and Miller is a great sign. I generally don't like shows about show business, but this one might be worth a time investment.

Yep, think so:

Deadline:

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Plenty to talk about on the red carpet. Great timing




Showbiz Drama From Peter Tolan, George Clooney & Bennett Miller Lands At Showtime

We have the first major TV sale of 2015. In a competitive situation with multiple cable and digital outlets pursuing, Showtime has landed The Studio, a 1990s movie

business drama project from Peter Tolan, George Clooney and Foxcatcher director Bennett Miller. Sony Pictures TV, where Tolan’s Fedora Entertainment and Clooney and Grant Heslov’s Smokehouse Pictures have overall deals, is the studio.

Showtime is putting The Studio, which was taken out before the holidays, in development with a premium deal that has a penalty attached. Written by Tolan and to be directed by Miller, the project tells the story of a movie studio in the early ’90s, when the studios were being bought up by conglomerates and corporate culture crashed head-on into Hollywood’s excesses. The two men running our studio are best friends who struggle to maintain their humanity while they stockpile power, fight off irrelevance, and mercilessly f**k over anyone who gets in their way — including each other.
Clooney and Heslov executive produce through Smokehouse alongside Miller as well as Fedora’s Tolan and Michael Wimer.

At Showtime, The Studio would compliment another inside showbiz series, comedy Episodes, which skewers the world of American network television.
Tolan has explored (and exposed) the inner workings of Hollywood before — he created the short-lived 2002 ABC comedy series My Adventures In Television aka Wednesday 9:30 (8:30 Central), about executives at a TV network, and he served as head writer on Garry Shandling’s HBO comedy The Larry Sanders Show, set behind the scenes of a late-night TV talk show. He most recently co-created and executive produces with Jim Gaffigan the upcoming TV Land comedy series The Gaffigan Show. On the hourlong side, Tolan co-created with Denis Leary FX’s post-9/11 firefighter drama Rescue Me.
This marks a return to TV for Smokehouse, which most recently produced the 2010 offbeat TNT cop drama Memphis Beat. Miller’s directorial credits also include Moneyball and Capote. The Studio was packaged by CAA, which reps all parties involved. Smokehouse also is repped by Lichter, Grossman;  Fedora by attorney Ira Schreck and Miller by attorney Warren Dern.

Now just to make sure I understand that right but this drame "the Studio" will that just be one movie for the cable Network for an evening or a Serie with different Seasons? They mentioned "Pilot" in the article I posted and isn't a Pilot a start for a Serie? Not sure if i understood that correctly.....

That's a series or a one off I think to see how well it does audience-wise.......I think

ah ok thanks.....interesting

At Showtime, The Studio would compliment another inside showbiz series, comedy Episodes, ...

This drives me crazy.

It's "complement," not "compliment." Two completely different words. What's The Studio going to do, say "Hey, Episodes, that's a nice twenty-two minutes of content you got there."?

Editors don't know how to edit anymore.

if the Editors can't spell english correctly how am I suppose to learn....IDIOTS No wonder I have to fix my spellings all the time.

I think they probably have a deal where the series concept is sold, the pilot already approved for production, but they won't get a full season (or even a certain number of episodes) order unless they reach viewership landmarks. It doesn't necessarily have to be a big series premiere number, but a certain audience share from premiere and a couple of subsequent episodes to maybe 7 days out (original air dates to re-airings and on-demand streaming).

Nicky80 wrote:

if the Editors can't spell english correctly how am I suppose to learn....IDIOTS No wonder I have to fix my spellings all the time.

Don't trust most American news outlets for speech and language. They're a mess. Most of their "reporters" grew up writing shorthand crap with their thumbs.

so it all depends how many People view that Pilot that night it gets aired?

If many People will watch it and they decide to do more episodes do you think they will produce them after the Pilot is released or before that?
And if they do it before the Pilot gets released and it is no success after the Pilot got released then they will not Show the other episodes after the pilot? So this would be spending Money in the toilet? I wonder how that works...

My guess is, because of the high-level talent involved, that the pilot and maybe half a season are pretty much guaranteed. I think they have a pilot ready to go, which will air no matter what. They are most likely writing the next few episodes now. Depending on the response to those episodes, we might see just those episodes, or Showtime will order a full season, or it might be a huge hit right off the bat, and they'll order a full season and a renewal. It depends on the "penalty" in the deal. But I don't think those particular people and their production companies would risk a pilot-only deal, with no guarantee of being picked up at all. On the other hand, Showtime won't risk ordering a full season upfront of what sounds like a very expensive production. So it's a tradeoff for everybody.

Thanks for explaining. Sounds complicated....guess that's the business how it is....

studio?

Way2Old - What do they mean by "penalty attached"?

Usually, it means that there is a script order (more likely than not, for the pilot only, but in rare instances, for a few more episodes) and the buyer (network) has to pay a financial penalty if the ordered script doesn't get produced. It sounds good for the producers, and seems like an incentive to get the show into development, but it turns out to be meaningless much of the time, because just about all the big deals include one, and the networks routinely don't pick up all the pilot orders that have penalties attached.

I might be wrong, of course. I'm still making the transition from wannabe to gonnabe.

Thanks, WayOld. Is the penalty supposed to help cover production costs of the pilot/initial episodes for the producers? I don't imagine they would have all their costs covered, or would they?

And you ARE a "gonnabe"!

Does it make a difference when you land a deal with a subscription network like Showtime as opposed to a basic cable network like TNT?

Does it make a difference when you land a deal with a subscription network like Showtime as opposed to a basic cable network like TNT?

Showtime probably has more money to spend, but the basic types of deals are the same. The creatives probably have a little more network oversight on basic cable than on premium; the streaming services (Netflix, Amazon Studios) are competing to be the biggest spenders and the most creative-friendly.

Thanks Way2, aka gonnabe! You're working overtime tonight.

You know your stuff.

you go george, you are a very ambitious and smart man and you know what you are doing and you do it well. I think you are a great director and maybe one day you just might win the Oscar for best director. You have done many pictures and many roles and whatever you do you put your best efforts forward and do a good job. good luck, bg

bgarabedian wrote:you go george, you are a very ambitious and smart man and you know what you are doing and you do it well. I think you are a great director and maybe one day you just might win the Oscar for best director. You have done many pictures and many roles and whatever you do you put your best efforts forward and do a good job. good luck, bg

Well said. I'll second that.

There seems to be a real revolution happening in TV land.... Trust his nibs to be on it.

Wonder who else was in the bidding war for it

Sounds promising...........