By Gary Goldstein

The journey of J.D. Salinger from young wiseacre to world-celebrated author and notorious recluse is absorbingly traced in Danny Strong’s “Rebel in the Rye.”

The movie opens in 1939, when budding scribe Jerome “Jerry” Salinger (Nicholas Hoult) takes an inspiring Columbia University writing class from Story magazine editor Whit Burnett (Kevin Spacey).

The action continues through Salinger’s deeply traumatic stint in World War II, during which he began his novel “The Catcher in the Rye.” His postwar depression, writer’s block, self-sabotage and soul searching eventually give way to completing “Catcher,” which was published in 1951 to unprecedented acclaim and, much to Salinger’s chagrin, serious influence.

As Hoult’s Salinger says here, he was “shackled” by his creation, a state whose social and psychological roots — and subsequent effects — are credibly, dimensionally etched via director Strong’s smart script, based on the book “J.D. Salinger: A Life” by Kenneth Slawenski, and by Hoult’s agile depiction of the gifted, prickly, tortured author.

Impressive production and costume design plus solid supporting turns by Spacey; Hope Davis and Victor Garber as Salinger’s parents; Zoey Deutch as debutante Oona O’Neill; and Sarah Paulson as Salinger’s agent, round out this evocative biopic.

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‘Rebel in the Rye’

Rating: PG-13, for some language including sexual references, brief violence, and smoking

Running time: 1 hour, 49 minutes

Playing: The Landmark, West Los Angeles

Source: LA TIMES

Before he became famous around the world as the author of The Catcher in the Rye, J.D. Salinger was a young man in search of inspiration. As portrayed by Nicholas Hoult in Rebel in the Rye, he has no lack of confidence; he knows he wants to be a professional writer, but he doesn’t yet know how to achieve his dream.

That is, until World War II breaks out and everything changes for him. Zoey Deutch costars as Oona O’Neill, a potential romantic interest; Kevin Spacey plays an influential professor who has a defining effect on the budding scribe. Lucy Boynton, Sarah Paulson and Victor Garber also star; Danny Strong wrote the screenplay and directed. Watch our exclusive trailer below and then make plans to see the movie when it opens in theaters on September 15.

Source: FANDANGO

Here’s your first look at the movie inspired by GQ’s feature story on the Granite Mountain Hotshots and their battle against one of the deadliest wildfires in U.S. history.

Source: GQ

The Black Label Media feature project is a true account of a U.S. cavalry charge that took place in Afghanistan against the Taliban being produced by Jerry Bruckheimer Films.

Trevante Rhodes has found his first role since breaking out with his starring turn in indie sensation Moonlight.

The actor is in negotiations to join Chris Hemsworth, Michael Pena and Michael Shannon in Horse Soldiers, Jerry Bruckheimer Films/Black Label Media’s true account of a U.S. cavalry charge that took place in Afghanistan against the Taliban.

Based on the book by Doug Stanton, the events took place weeks after 9/11, when a team of United States Special Forces went to Afghanistan and were to take over the city of Mazar E Sharif. But their modern equipment proved to be worthless in the rugged, harsh Afghan terrain, so with local help, the soldiers retrained to fight using only horses and their personal gear and weapons.

Peter Craig and Ted Tally wrote the script and Nicolai Fuglsig is directing.

Jerry Bruckheimer and his Jerry Bruckheimer Films banner will produce along with Black Label Media’s Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill. Bruckheimer’s Chad Oman will executive produce. Black Label Media, the company behind the much-buzzed about Ryan Gosling-Emma Stone musical La La Land, will also finance.

In A24’s Moonlight, Rhodes plays a young gay man who is coming of age in drug-addled Miami. The actor, who plays the oldest version of the main character, received critical acclaim for his work in the Barry Jenkins-helmed movie, which is doing strong business at the box office.

He also stars in the Tyler Perry show If Loving You Is Wrong, which plays on OWN. Rhodes, who appeared in HBO’s Westworld and will be seen Terrence Malick’s upcoming film Weightless, is repped by CAA, GSA Entertainment and Jackoway Tyerman.

Source: HOLLYWOODREPORTER

12:35PM PDT 11/01/16 by Diana Lodderhose

EXCLUSIVE: Michael Pena has joined Chris Hemsworth and Michael Shannon in the cast of Nicolai Fuglsig’s Horse Soldiers, the tense true story of a U.S. Special Forces team and their untested captain sent to a rugged region of Afghanistan in the weeks after 9/11. Lionsgate is expected to be launching the title to buyers at the American Film Market this week.

Pena will play Diller, a member of Mitch’s (Hemsworth) team that was assigned to join forces with a Northern Alliance warlord to fight against overwhelming odds to drive out the Taliban.

Diller is described as a West Virginia hick who would have been a history teacher if his temper didn’t get the best of him. His character shows great bravery when he volunteers to lead a group around the mountains into life-threatening terrain to attempt to cut of the Taliban’s supply line.

Horse Soldiers is being co-financed by Black Label Media, whose Molly Smith, Trent Luckinbill and Thad Luckinbill are producing with Jerry Bruckheimer and his Jerry Bruckheimer Films banner. Chad Oman will exec produce. The film was adapted from Doug Stanton’s book by Peter Craig and Ted Tally.

Pena can be seen in the upcoming Warner Bros title Collateral Beauty and John Michael McDonough’s film War in Everyone. He’s also starring as Ponch in Dax Shepard’s CHiPs.

He is repped by CAA, Management 360 and attorney Rick Geno.

Source: DEADLINE

8:30AM PDT 10/27/16 by Mike Fleming Jr.

DEADLINE EXCLUSIVE: Catherine Keener has joined the cast of Soldado, the Lionsgate- and Black Label Media-financed second installment of the drug war thriller that began with 2015’s Sicario. Gomorra helmer Stefano Sollima is directing the film, which was scripted by Sicario scribe Taylor Sheridan.

The sequel focuses on Alejandro Gillick, the shadowy, Man on Fire-like protagonist played by Benicio Del Toro, and Josh Brolin’s CIA agent Matt Graver, who in the first film established themselves as hellbent on hunting down cartel kingpins, no matter what. Keener will play Brolin’s boss, trying to navigate the gray area that Gillick and Graver live in as the tale turns to what else is being smuggled across the border between Mexico and the U.S. in the tunnels used to move drugs and illegal immigrants. Those tunnels also can be used to bring terrorists into the U.S.

The sequel is being produced by Thunder Road’s Basil Iwanyk, Black Label’s Molly Smith and Thad and Trent Luckinbill, and Edward McDonnell.

Keener, who recently starred in the HBO mini Show Me a Hero, next stars with Chloe Grace Moretz and Ansel Elgort in the Sacha Gervasi-directed November Criminals from Sony Pictures and the Jordan Peele-directed Blumhouse/Universal pic Get Out, coming February 24. She’s repped by Gersh.

Source: DEADLINE