Tom Ford Teams With George Clooney for Thriller 'Nocturnal Animals' (Exclusive)

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Tom Ford Teams With George Clooney for Thriller 'Nocturnal Animals' (Exclusive)

Fashion designer Tom Ford may be sitting down behind the camera for the first time since 2009’s A Single Man, and this time he is teaming up with George Clooney.
Ford is attached to direct Nocturnal Animals, the adaptation of an Austin Wright book titled Tony and Susan. Ford wrote the script for the postmodern noir thriller and will direct while Clooney will produce with his Smokehouse Pictures partner Grant Heslov.
Wright’s book was initially published in 1993 and tells of a woman named Susan who receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband, a man whom she left 20 years earlier, asking for her opinion.
The book then tracks two stories: the story in the novel, titled Nocturnal Animals, which tells of a man whose family vacation turns violent and deadly; and the story of Susan, who finds herself recalling her first marriage and confronting some dark truths about herself.
The project is in the early stages but it’s already attracting plenty of attention in the acting community. And why not?
Ford was the designer who turned around the fortunes of Gucci and Yves Saint Laurent before opening his own eponymous luxury label. His love for cinema pushed him into film, and he co-wrote, directed and was a producer on A Single Man. Ford received Indie Spirit nominations for best screenplay and best first feature, and the film won movie of the year at the AFI Awards. Star Colin Firth also went on to garner an Academy Award nomination for best actor.
The project is not set up at a studio, but Smokehouse does have a first-look deal with Sony.
Ford is repped by CAA and Ziffren Brittenham.
Smokehouse had no comment.

The project is not set up at a studio, but Smokehouse does have a first-look deal with Sony.

What does that mean? Does it mean nothing is signed yet and this is only a rumor that George will be  a producer for this project?

Very interesting.  Sounds like an intriguing story.  I saw A Single Man a few years ago.  Well done, stylish and really enjoyed Colin Firth's performance.  

Thanks PAN for the heads up!

Nicky80 wrote:The project is not set up at a studio, but Smokehouse does have a first-look deal with Sony.

What does that mean? Does it mean nothing is signed yet and this is only a rumor that George will be  a producer for this project?

If Smokehouse really is on board as producers, then they have to take it to Sony first to see if they want to get behind it. If Sony passes, then Smokehouse is free to take it to another studio.

Thanks Way2.....I wondered what that meant too.
I love your knowledge. 

This is exciting....I hope George ends up starring in it too. I would love to see him in a Tom Ford film.

Way2Old4Dis wrote:

Nicky80 wrote:The project is not set up at a studio, but Smokehouse does have a first-look deal with Sony.

What does that mean? Does it mean nothing is signed yet and this is only a rumor that George will be  a producer for this project?

If Smokehouse really is on board as producers, then they have to take it to Sony first to see if they want to get behind it. If Sony passes, then Smokehouse is free to take it to another studio.

Thank you for explaining it

kat19 wrote:This is exciting....I hope George ends up starring in it too. I would love to see him in a Tom Ford film.

Me too. I really liked A Single Man. It was the first film where I took Colin Firth seriously as an actor.

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Sorry, the article won't copy for me for some reason.




Tom Ford's Next Movie Is 'Nocturnal Animals,' George Clooney Producing, Plot Details Emerge


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Tom Ford has been doing his best to keep the details of his upcoming movie under wraps, but with plans to shoot this fall, he could only keep it completely under lock and key for so long. Today we have a title, plot details, and more about his followup to "A Single Man."
Titled "Nocturnal Animals," the film is an adaptation of the book "Tony and Susan" by Austin Wright. The novel boasts an interesting narrative twist, which finds the main character reading the manuscript for a thriller that becomes part of the main plot thread. Here's the synopsis: 
Fifteen years ago, Susan Morrow left her first husband Edward Sheffield, an unpublished writer. Now, she's enduring middle class suburbia as a doctor's wife, when out of the blue she receives a package containing the manuscript of her ex-husband's first novel. He writes asking her to read the book; she was always his best critic, he says.
As Susan reads, she is drawn into the fictional life of Tony Hastings, a math professor driving his family to their summer house in Maine. And as we read with her, we too become lost in Sheffield's thriller. As the Hastings' ordinary, civilized lives are disastrously, violently sent off course, Susan is plunged back into the past, forced to confront the darkness that inhabits her, and driven to name the fear that gnaws at her future and will change her life.
Previously, Ford teased that he'll actually make two movies based on the book — one that is faithful to the source material, and one that isn't. We wonder if that's just his way of dancing around the meta-structure of the novel itself. Either way, we're excited, and while things are still in the early stages, we hope it comes together fast. [THR]

Thanks Way2.  Did see this article on Google last night.  Again, I think this is an intriguing story.  Hopefully if it's well executed and well directed it will translate to the screen successfully.  I don't know this story so don't know if there would be an appropriate part for George.  But maybe he's more than happy to just be producing.

Looks like George won't be acting in this afterall  . 

There are now reports that Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams have been cast in the leads. And Joaquin Phoenix is being considered for another role.

My computer's being a little slow right now so hopefully someone else can post the article confirming this.

I think George will be busy directing "Hack Attack" later in the year so this project wont be available for him to act afterall.

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Jake Gyllenhaal, Amy Adams Eyeing Tom Ford's 'Nocturnal Animals'; Joaquin Phoenix and Aaron Taylor-Johnson May Also Star


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Oscar travesties comes and go, but the overlooking of Tom Ford’s “A Single Man” in 2009 was kind of a big shame. Sure, many were worried that a fashion designer dipping his toe into the world of filmmaking would scream dilettante, and maybe it did from the outset, but “A Single Man” was a gorgeously shot and carefully rendered drama; one of the best directorial debuts in recent memory and filled with top-notch acting too (admittedly, Colin Firth was nominated for his excellent turn, but the movie deserved more accolades). Thankfully, it appears that Hollywood has not forgotten that picture and some serious heavyweight talent is circling Ford’s latest.

Titled “Nocturnal Animals” and produced by George Clooney’s Smokehouse Pictures with partner Grant Heslov, the drama is an adaptation of an Austin Wright book titled “Tony and Susan” and centers on a woman named Susan who receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband, a man whom she left 20 years earlier, asking for her opinion. The book then tracks two stories within the same novel and Ford previously said he would try and make two movies from each.

While a two-parter remains to be seen, what is clear is the talent likely involved. THR says Amy Adams and Jake Gyllenhaal are eyeing the two lead parts while there also might be roles for Joaquin Phoenix and “Godzilla” star Aaron Taylor-Johnson. That’s got awards-bait written all over it. Smokehouse Pictures has a first-look deal at Sony Pictures, so if the Tom Rothman era of Sony wants it, it should easily be theirs. Either way, this is a terrific ensemble and we hope it all holds together to the finish line.

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George Clooney quits Tom Ford’s new movie

George Clooney was set to produce Tom Ford’s much-anticipated new movie “Nocturnal Animals,” starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams. But Clooney and Ford had a disagreement, and Clooney is now out of the project, according to Hollywood sources.
Top designer and director Ford is currently at the Cannes Film Festival meeting with international distributors to secure funding for the dark, postmodern thriller.
One source told us, “Ford is in Cannes because George Clooney was to produce the movie through his Smokehouse Pictures, with Grant Heslov. But they had a huge falling out over creative issues a few weeks ago, and Clooney is no longer involved.”
However, Clooney denied a disagreement with Ford.
He told us, “No falling out at all. It was just scheduling. Grant and I love the project and think Tom is fantastic. We just couldn’t do it when he needed to go.”
Clooney has in recent weeks been in New York filming “Money Monster” with Julia Roberts and director Jodie Foster.
“Nocturnal Animals” is an adaptation of the 1993 novel “Tony and Susan” by Austin Wright. The story follows a woman named Susan, to be played by Adams, who receives a book manuscript from her ex-husband, whom she left decades earlier, asking for her opinion.
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Tom FordPhoto: Getty Images
The novel describes a man who takes his family on a vacation that turns violent. But it also makes Susan realize some hidden dark truths about herself, her former marriage and the way she treated her husband.
This is Ford’s return to directing following 2009’s “A Single Man.”
A source in Cannes said of the new film, “Tom has been taking a lot of meetings to present the movie, and it is garnering a lot of excitement. The roles for Gyllenhaal and Adams are very strong.”
Smokehouse has a first-look production deal at Sony Pictures, but the project is reportedly not yet set up at a studio, and the film has not yet begun production. Ford adapted the screenplay himself.
His reps declined to comment Thursday night.

Merged threads

Don't you talk about it before you officially confirm you produce the movie?

“No falling out at all. It was just scheduling. Grant and I love the project and think Tom is fantastic. We just couldn’t do it when he needed to go.”

Well we don't know the details.  Maybe Ford wanted to get started sooner than later.  Maybe initially Grant and George thought they could accommodate Ford's schedule but after looking more closely at other projects lined up it just wasn't feasible.  Or maybe Ford changed his mind on when he wanted to start working on the film and the timing didn't mesh with Smokehouse.

Interesting.  So team Ford say that they had a huge falling out a couple of weeks ago but team Clooney say no, no, no, it's just a question of scheduling.  Hmmmm.

So who is maximizing and who is minimizing?

There's no way of knowing.  I'm kind of swaying towards Tom Ford, simply because they wouldn't be bad mouthing George at Cannes if he hadn't pissed them off big time somehow, but that's just a feeling.

The "Clooney" statement came from George. The Tom Ford version came from "sources". Right now I lean towards believing George until Tom Ford speaks for himself.

I agree Lizzy.  Tom Ford has not been quoted saying anything about this.  George has a really good reputation in the industry.  So at this point I would definitely support George's statement against any unidentified source quoted by page six.

I don't think that Tom's going to outright admit if there was a huge disagreement.  Not if he wants to be a bonafied director.  He has to be a good director for awhile before he can throw hissy fits.

This parting of the ways could very well have been mutual without any drama.  Except for the media trying to make up a story where there isn't one.

It's too bad though the project didn't work out for them. I was intrigued by the story, and George and Tom working together could have been interesting.

From The Hollywood Reporter

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With a quick bow of his head, director Tom Ford launched into a dramatic presentation of his drama Nocturnal Animals to potential buyers on Thursday.

The Jake Gyllenhaal-Amy Adams starrer, which is being shopped internationally by FilmNation and domestically by CAA, is generating plenty of buzz, but not all of it the kind that make buyers spark. The New York Post reported that George Clooney has dropped out due to a falling out with Ford.

But a source with knowledge of the project says there was no discord between the two men and that Ford will produce the film by himself through his Fade to Black production company, just as he did for A Single Man, and has no plans to bring on another producer.
Furthermore, Clooney’s deal to produce had never closed, and the two — both repped by CAA’s Bryan Lourd — had only engaged in conversations for the past two months about finding a way to team together on the project. But ultimately, they couldn’t make their respective schedules mesh.

Buyers at the Nocturnal Animals presentation said Ford put on a real show, spraying something in the air before delivering his detailed vision of the film, while Lourd looked on.
He then met with buyers individually for in-depth conversations. The presentation was “enormously charming,” said one foreign buyer on hand. The film is expected to sell in Germany, the most significant foreign territory, over the weekend, with Telepool and Concorde in the mix.