THE FRONT RUNNER

[jo]

Btw, I forgot to mention that Anne Thompson follows a logical criterion for choosing FRONTRUNNERS ...as against CONTENDERS and LONG SHOTS.

She would only classify movies as FRONT RUNNERS if they have been been released ( and presumably seen by the critics and the general public) and are award-worthy.

If there is strong buzz for a forthcoming movie, she would classify them as CONTENDERS and for those with milder awards buzz, as LONGSHOTS.

She would reclassify or declassify ( remove from list) them as the movies are released and the awards buzz is validated.

Jo

[hughmanity]

I thought Black Panther was very well made, albeit with a somewhat bland superhero in Chadwick Boseman (Michael B. Jordan was much more exciting).  While I  very much applaud its societal and  thematic elements, I still didn't set it that far apart from other superhero movies.  Which is why it does rankle me a bit that it will most certainly get so much more awards recognition than Logan.  The academy, in order to rectify past omissions, WILL  ride the cultural tide and give Black Panther its due.  What will mollify me somewhat is if Logan continues to get recognition as the true cinematic groundbreaker.

Apr 21, 2018 12:16:59 GMT -5 mamaleh said:

Apr 20, 2018 2:47:17 GMT -5 jo said:

Anne Thompson ( who writes for Indiewire) makes an early forecast of potential Oscar contenders --

www.indiewire.com/2018/04/2019-oscars-best-picture-predictions-1201954918/


Excerpts --




I enjoyed BLACK PANTHER as an exciting superhero movie with fine acting and some imaginative special effects. Its commendable uplifting social and empowerment messages aside, I don't think it was a better-quality film than LOGAN, which did not even make the list of nominees for Best Picture, let alone emerge as the "frontrunner." LOGAN, excellent in every respect, should have made the cut last year. If BLACK PANTHER does this year, more power to it. But I hope (naively?) that would be solely for perceived excellence in filmmaking.

Ellen

[jo]

Anne Thompson's early predictions put Hugh Jackman as a LongShot contender for THE FRONT RUNNER!


www.indiewire.com/2018/04/2019-oscars-best-actor-predictions-1201954612/


Excerpts --

Remember, no film will be deemed a frontrunner until I have seen it.


Frontrunners

Chadwick Boseman (“Black Panther”)
Joaquin Phoenix (“You Were Never Really Here”)


Contenders

Christian Bale (“Backseat”)
Steve Carell (“Beautiful Boy”)
Willem Dafoe (“At Eternity’s Gate”
Robert De Niro (“The Irishman”)
Ryan Gosling (“First Man”)
Lucas Hedges (“Boy Erased”)
Rami Malek (“Bohemian Rhapsody”)
Robert Redford (“The Old Man and the Gun”)


Long Shots:

Casey Affleck (“Light of My Life”)
Steve Carell (“The Women of Marwen”)
Andrew Garfield (“Under the Silver Lake”)
Hugh Jackman (“The Front Runner”)
Stephan James (“If Beale Street Could Talk”)
Joaquin Phoenix (“Don’t Worry, You Won’t Get Far on Foot”)
Brad Pitt (“Ad Astra”)
John C. Reilly (“The Sisters Brothers,” “Stan and Ollie”)
John David Washington (“The BlacKkKlansman”)

This Article is related to: Awards and tagged Academy Awards, Best Actor, Oscars

[jo]

Anne Thompson also considers JASON REITMAN as a long-shot Oscar possibility. Reitman has been nominated twice for an Oscar ( Juno/ Up In the Air)

www.indiewire.com/2018/04/2019-oscars-best-director-predictions-1201954606/

[jo]

On the other hand, Anne Thompson rates the chances of Vera Farmiga ( as the wife of Gary Hart) with having strong CONTENDER possibility...not as only having LONGSHOT chances. Jackman and Reitman were assessed early on as having LONGSHOT chances at this point. No Best Supporting Actor chances were given to any cast of The Front Runner ( even if it includes former winner JKSimmons).

www.indiewire.com/2018/04/2019-oscars-best-supporting-actress-predictions-1201954615/

*Is the strength of the competition?
*Does the role of the wronged and stoic wife sound like it is a dramatic challenge?
*Is it the dramatic reputation of Vera Farmiga?

The movie has not been seen and not much publicity has been accorded to the project except it is based on a book re the election season and the emerging role of media at that time.

Btw, this is Anne Thompson's biodata --

Anne Thompson

@akstanwyck
Born and raised in New York, IndieWire Editor-at-Large Anne Thompson has been a contributor to the New York Times, Washington Post, The Observer, and Wired. She has served as film columnist at Variety, and deputy editor of Variety.com, where her daily blog, Thompson on Hollywood, launched in March 2007. Anne was the Deputy Film Editor at The Hollywood Reporter, the West Coast Editor of Premiere, a Senior Writer at Entertainment Weekly, and West Coast Editor for Film Comment. She wrote the film industry column “Risky Business” for L.A. Weekly and the Los Angeles Times syndicate. A graduate of the Department of Cinema Studies at New York University, she has taught film criticism at USC and hosts the fall semester of “Sneak Previews” for UCLA Extension.

Jo

[jo]

Editorial summary from Amazon of the book on which the movie is based --

An NPR Best Book of the Year

In May 1987, Colorado Senator Gary Hart—a dashing, reform-minded Democrat—seemed a lock for the party’s presidential nomination and led George H. W. Bush by double digits in the polls. Then, in one tumultuous week, rumors of marital infidelity and a newspaper’s stakeout of Hart’s home resulted in a media frenzy the likes of which had never been seen before.

Through the spellbindingly reported story of the Senator’s fall from grace, Matt Bai, Yahoo News columnist and former chief political correspondent for The New York Times Magazine, shows the Hart affair to be far more than one man’s tragedy: rather, it marked a crucial turning point in the ethos of political media, and the new norms of life in the public eye. All the Truth Is Out is a tour de force portrait of the American way of politics at the highest level, one that changes our understanding of how we elect our presidents and how the bedrock of American values has shifted under our feet.

It's almost tempting to say that with current political events and how they are shaped ( especially with the increasing role of social media) that the same issues are still very much up for debate. How does a country elect its national leaders? It is not just relevant to America but to all other countries operating under a democracy. Sometimes it is the current issues which take precedence from the people's perspective and perceptions... and sometimes a leader is chosen because he/she is identified with the potential solution of those issues.

Politics is eternal, if I may say so

It is also the greatest show, if I may also say so


Jo

[jo]

I've read some good reviews of TULLY especially on the character development of the role and actual portrayal by Charlize Theron. It looks like Jason Reitman has excellent helming skills ( he also writes) in this area. The same was true for JUNO ( which earned Ellen Paige an Oscar nod). Hope it will be true as well in the character development of the cinematic portrayal of Gary Hart by Hugh Jackman ( The Front Runner), as directed by Reitman!

[jo]

http://instagram.com/p/BiWvhkKjBPd

[hughmanity]

Hugh with Jason Reitman at the Tully premiere

http://instagram.com/p/BiW8u81Aoh-

[jo]

One of the cast members in THE FRONT RUNNER talks about what it was like working with Jason Reitman and some insights on the movie itself --

collider.com/in-dying-up-here-season-2-interview-ari-graynor/#the-front-runner

You’ve also done a movie with Jason Reitman, called The Front Runner?

GRAYNOR: Yeah.



How did you find the experience of working with him, as a director?

GRAYNOR: It was incredible. It was an absolute dream. It reminded me and it validated why you wanna fight to work with great people. When you work with someone like him, who is such a cinephile and a filmmaker who is so deeply embedded in who he is and what he loves and what he cares about, his passion and excitement is infectious. He is the best kind of leader, who both knows exactly what he wants and has a vision and who makes you feel completely safe in their arms, like you’re doing a trust fall. At the same time, because he’s so confident in what he knows he wants and who he’s assembled around him, he also allows such freedom, as an actor, to play around. There would be moments where I would look to him for a note and he would be like, “You’ve got it. You know the thing.” And I’d be like, “Yeah!” And he would also get in there when I really needed it.


The script is a very timely piece of work that is incredibly nuanced and does not come down on any moralistic side. It does not tell you what to think or feel. It just presents you with a lot of different sides, a lot of different feelings, and a lot of different perspectives and events, and you are left to come to your own conclusions. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but there’s how it felt in the script. I think that’s also very important right now, as we’re living in a culture that is getting extremely black and white in what the right and wrong way to think is. This film opens up the conversation and looks at all sides and all perspectives.


Who are you playing in that?

GRAYNOR: I play Ann Devroy, who was the political editor of The Washington Post, which was a huge honor and was also something, as an actor, that I’d never done before. To get to say some of the things that were written for her, about why this is important, was a real honor and responsibility to get to give voice to. The dream, as an actor, is to have work line up in such a way that you get your own selfish expression and get to participate in something that feels worthwhile, being in the world, and is a conversation you wanna have. When you get to do that, as an actor, I don’t think there’s anything better.



Did playing a character like that give you a new understanding, appreciation and sympathy for covering politics today?

GRAYNOR: Yeah, I can’t even imagine. It’s something that we take for granted now, with everything being covered, all the time. This was the moment where that changed. This was the moment where politicians’ personal lives became part of the dialogue, and it’s where journalism was taking a very different turn. I can’t wait to see it. Jason Reitman is certainly a director that I hope, very much, to work with again. I loved every second of it.

[jo]

The script is a very timely piece of work that is incredibly nuanced and does not come down on any moralistic side. It does not tell you what to think or feel. It just presents you with a lot of different sides, a lot of different feelings, and a lot of different perspectives and events, and you are left to come to your own conclusions. I haven’t seen the movie yet, but there’s how it felt in the script. I think that’s also very important right now, as we’re living in a culture that is getting extremely black and white in what the right and wrong way to think is. This film opens up the conversation and looks at all sides and all perspectives.

That sounds much more interesting than simply a historical retelling ... and given how some people say that it can be boring with the moralizing tone in some of the Hollywood conversations these days, this looks like the film that may encourage a lot of debate and discussion.

Jo

[jo]

TULLY looks like a critical hit for Jason Reitman - at the moment, it has scored 89% for both ALL CRITICS and TOP CRITICS on Rotten Tomatoes --

www.rottentomatoes.com/m/tully_2018/

The Wall Street Journal review cites how the movie has restored Jason Reitman's delicate touch in directing movies, which had gone on a slump for a few years.

Hope there is similar success for THE FRONT RUNNER.

[jo]

Thanks to Jackman'sLanding for the link -- an interview with Jason Reitman, son of another filmmaker ( Ivan Reitman).

www.windycitymediagroup.com/lgbt/NUNN-ON-ONE-MOVIES-Talking-about-Tully-with-director-Jason-Reitman/62807.html


Excerpts --

WCT: You have a new movie called The Front Runner coming up, with Hugh Jackman.�

JR: Yes. I am really excited to be back in the political arena. Hugh is an angel of a human being and I brilliant actor. I think this is one of the best roles he has ever done.�


WCT: You have been surrounded by talented singers. Would you ever do a musical?

JR: [Laughs] I don't get musicals, but I love putting music into my films. People play music in my films and soundtracks are important to me. There is a lot of music in Tully. I don't think I will ever direct a musical.�
Hugh and I had this conversation, because he can't believe that I don't get it!

[jo]

Yayyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!




The Front Runner has been bought by SONY ( formerly COLUMBIA) for worldwide distribution rights!

Guess who runs SONY these days?? Tom Rothman! I am sure that the movie being a potential attention-getter because of the subject's relevance and Hugh's lead portrayal were the factors that sold the film...but at least his relationship with Tom Rothman probably opened doors! I was hoping that a prominent indie company ( such as Fox's Fox Searchlight or Universal's Focus Features) would pick it up... I never expected a major studio which did not produce it to pick it up! Sony's most recent successes were JUMANJI, SPIDERMAN HOMECOMING. PETER RABBIT. It also handled the drama ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD ( which picked up Oscar/Golden Globe/BAFTA nominations).


variety.com/2018/film/news/sony-hugh-jackman-gary-hart-biopic-the-front-runner-1202806638/

Sony Buys Hugh Jackman’s Gary Hart Biopic ‘The Front Runner’
By Dave McNary @variety_DMcNary

Dave McNary
Film Reporter
@variety_DMcNary


CREDIT: Courtesy of Sony

Sony Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to Jason Reitman’s “The Front Runner,” starring Hugh Jackman as presidential candidate Gary Hart, along with Vera Farmiga and J.K. Simmons.

The studio, which made the announcement Thursday, said it plans a fall release timed to coincide with award season and election coverage.


“The Front Runner” chronicles the rise and fall of Hart, a charismatic U.S. Senator from Colorado, who was considered the frontrunner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination when his campaign was sidelined by the story of an extramarital relationship with Donna Rice. In what may have been the first merger of tabloid journalism and political journalism, Hart was forced to drop out of the race.

Reitman said, “Having grown up wandering around the Columbia lot as a kid, it is a particular thrill to bring The ‘Front Runner’ back home to the first studio I can remember. I cannot wait for movie goers to see Hugh’s humanist transformation into one of the more complicated political figures of our time.”


Reitman’s first film, “Thank You for Smoking,” was set in the world of Washington, D.C., lobbyists. He was nominated for Academy Awards for directing “Juno” and “Up in the Air.” His comedy-drama “Tully,” which stars Charlize Theron and is written by Diablo Cody, opened last week.


Reitman and Helen Estabrook produced the film through their Right of Way Films banner in partnership with Bron Studios’ Aaron Gilbert, backed by Creative Wealth Media.

Gilbert, the president and CEO of Bron, said, “This often overlooked moment points to the intersection where political journalism and gossip journalism drove into the same lane, and it couldn’t be more timely. We are so proud of this film and the work we’ve been able to do with our partners Jason and Helen.”

The film also stars Mamoudou Athie, Josh Brener, Kaitlyn Dever, Tommy Dewey, Molly Ephraim, Spencer Garrett, Ari Graynor, Toby Huss, Mike Judge, Alex Karpovsky, Mark O’Brien, Sara Paxton, Kevin Pollak, and Steve Zissis. The screenplay was written by veteran political journalist Matt Bai, former Hillary Clinton press secretary Jay Carson, and Reitman, based on Bai’s 2014 book “All the Truth Is Out.”

Endeavor Content and Bloom handled the worldwide sale.

This means the movie will get a big studio promo treatment...and if it looks awards-worthy, may even get an awards-season campaign for honors! Amazing what SONY did for the Oscar/GoldenGlobe/BAFTA nods for Christopher Plummer for his work in ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD ( where he replaced the film portrayal by Kevin Spacey after the scandal broke out about Spacey).




Jo

[jo]

The deal, which was sealed at the CANNES FILM MARKET, was also written up by DEADLINE.com --

deadline.com/2018/05/the-front-runner-gary-hart-movie-hugh-jackman-release-date-sony-1202387957/

Excerpts --

Sony Pictures has secured the worldwide distribution rights to Jason Reitman’s political drama The Front Runner and is planning a fall release to coincide with film awards season as well as the fall election cycle. The worldwide rights deal was brokered by Endeavor Content and Bloom at the Cannes Film Festival.

Btw, Endeavor is a company under the wing of WME-IMG, where Hugh's longtime agent Patrick Whitesell is Co-Chairman and Co-CEO with Ari Emmanuel.

[jo]

From reporter at HuffPost who covers culture and politics --

And this twitter comment from the president of BRON Studios --

[hughmanity]

HOORAY!!!!  I was getting so impatient to hear good news about this project!

May 10, 2018 18:54:35 GMT -5 jo said:

Yayyyyyyyyyyy!!!!!!!!!!!!!




The Front Runner has been bought by SONY ( formerly COLUMBIA) for worldwide distribution rights!

Guess who runs SONY these days?? Tom Rothman! I am sure that the movie being a potential attention-getter because of the subject's relevance and Hugh's lead portrayal were the factors that sold the film...but at least his relationship with Tom Rothman probably opened doors! I was hoping that a prominent indie company ( such as Fox's Fox Searchlight or Universal's Focus Features) would pick it up... I never expected a major studio which did not produce it to pick it up! Sony's most recent successes were JUMANJI, SPIDERMAN HOMECOMING. PETER RABBIT. It also handled the drama ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD ( which picked up Oscar/Golden Globe/BAFTA nominations).


variety.com/2018/film/news/sony-hugh-jackman-gary-hart-biopic-the-front-runner-1202806638/

Sony Buys Hugh Jackman’s Gary Hart Biopic ‘The Front Runner’
By Dave McNary @variety_DMcNary

Dave McNary
Film Reporter
@variety_DMcNary


CREDIT: Courtesy of Sony

Sony Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to Jason Reitman’s “The Front Runner,” starring Hugh Jackman as presidential candidate Gary Hart, along with Vera Farmiga and J.K. Simmons.

The studio, which made the announcement Thursday, said it plans a fall release timed to coincide with award season and election coverage.


“The Front Runner” chronicles the rise and fall of Hart, a charismatic U.S. Senator from Colorado, who was considered the frontrunner for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination when his campaign was sidelined by the story of an extramarital relationship with Donna Rice. In what may have been the first merger of tabloid journalism and political journalism, Hart was forced to drop out of the race.

Reitman said, “Having grown up wandering around the Columbia lot as a kid, it is a particular thrill to bring The ‘Front Runner’ back home to the first studio I can remember. I cannot wait for movie goers to see Hugh’s humanist transformation into one of the more complicated political figures of our time.”


Reitman’s first film, “Thank You for Smoking,” was set in the world of Washington, D.C., lobbyists. He was nominated for Academy Awards for directing “Juno” and “Up in the Air.” His comedy-drama “Tully,” which stars Charlize Theron and is written by Diablo Cody, opened last week.


Reitman and Helen Estabrook produced the film through their Right of Way Films banner in partnership with Bron Studios’ Aaron Gilbert, backed by Creative Wealth Media.

Gilbert, the president and CEO of Bron, said, “This often overlooked moment points to the intersection where political journalism and gossip journalism drove into the same lane, and it couldn’t be more timely. We are so proud of this film and the work we’ve been able to do with our partners Jason and Helen.”

The film also stars Mamoudou Athie, Josh Brener, Kaitlyn Dever, Tommy Dewey, Molly Ephraim, Spencer Garrett, Ari Graynor, Toby Huss, Mike Judge, Alex Karpovsky, Mark O’Brien, Sara Paxton, Kevin Pollak, and Steve Zissis. The screenplay was written by veteran political journalist Matt Bai, former Hillary Clinton press secretary Jay Carson, and Reitman, based on Bai’s 2014 book “All the Truth Is Out.”

Endeavor Content and Bloom handled the worldwide sale.

This means the movie will get a big studio promo treatment...and if it looks awards-worthy, may even get an awards-season campaign for honors! Amazing what SONY did for the Oscar/GoldenGlobe/BAFTA nods for Christopher Plummer for his work in ALL THE MONEY IN THE WORLD ( where he replaced the film portrayal by Kevin Spacey after the scandal broke out about Spacey).




Jo

[jo]

Indiewire reports on the Cannes deal --

www.indiewire.com/2018/05/the-front-runner-jason-reitman-hugh-jackman-sony-1201962871/

The Front Runner’: Jason Reitman and Hugh Jackman’s Political Dark Comedy Lands at Sony
The fall release follows the downward spiral of former presidential candidate Gary Hart.

Jenna Marotta
12 mins ago


Hugh Jackman in “The Front Runner”
Courtesy of Sony Pictures


Just days after Jason Reitman released “Tully” to disappointing box-office results, his eighth film has found a distributor. Sony Pictures will rollout his big-screen telling of former Colorado Senator Gary Hart’s doomed political career. Aussie Hugh Jackman is set to star in the namesake role, a candidate for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination who was forced to suspend his campaign after his affair with campaign aide Donna Rice surfaced.

“Having grown up wandering around the Columbia lot as a kid, it is a particular thrill to bring ‘The Front Runner’ back home to the first studio I can remember,” said Reitman, whose father, Ivan Reitman, directed “Ghostbusters” and “Stripes” for Columbia before it was acquired by Sony in 1989. “I cannot wait for movie goers to see Hugh’s humanist transformation into one of the more complicated political figures of our time.”


Both of Jackman’s 2017 films yielded surprising, beyond-the-norm successes: Marvel tentpole “Logan” received a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar nomination, while “The Greatest Showman” — a musical from a first-time director that never topped the U.S. box office — nonetheless earned more than $430 million in theaters worldwide. Jackman received a Golden Globe nomination for the latter.

Despite the scandal, Hart never divorced his wife, Lee, portrayed here by Vera Farmiga. Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons (“Whiplash”) co-stars as campaign advisor Bill Dixon, while “Silicon Valley” co-creator Mike Judge steps into the role of a news editor who trailed Hart’s marital transgressions.


“It is great to be working with Jason again, and this material is right in his wheelhouse,” said Sony Pictures president of Worldwide Marketing and Distribution Josh Greenstein, who was at Paramount when that studio debuted Reitman’s previous Farmiga collaboration, “Up in the Air.” “Hugh Jackman is transformative in this role.”


The film is based on “All the Truth Is Out: The Week Politics Went Tabloid” by Matt Bai, once chief political correspondent for the New York Times Magazine. Bai adapted his own text with Reitman and veteran “House of Cards” producer Jay Carson. Financier BRON Studios produced with the director and his Right of Way Films partner Helen Estabrook, herself an Oscar nominee for “Whiplash.”

Sony brings “The Front Runner” to theaters this fall.

[carouselkathy]

Just saw this posted on Facebook. Good News! Didn't say anything about Cannes. Did I miss something?

[jo]

The Cannes deal was reported in the story from Deadline.com, posted earlier.

It was a deal that was brokered and completed at the Cannes Film Market. It was not shown at the Cannes Film Festival. During the festival, film rights and distribution rights are brokered at the busy marketplace ( not a literal place) --but if you are ever in Cannes during festival time, it is so interesting to see people huddled around tables in various eating places or posh hotels or other places where business people can get together talking about deals. For major projects, there are likely places where footages may be screened. On a more interesting note -- there could also be unknown but goodlooking actors and actresses loitering around in coffee shops or the beach, trying to get noticed -LOL.

My own wayward thought is that the Cannes announcement was more of a formality. I have no idea what the sale figure is -- but if it involves a big amount ( not just the deal price but also the potential financial commitment re distributing the movie such as the publicity campaign), that would have been studied more carefully and decision-making sent to the executive suite at SONY before the commitment was announced in Cannes. But Cannes is a wonderful and very publicity-prone place to announce such a deal -- creates instant publicity for the movie!

Jo

[jo]

Interesting that we had been speculating that THE FRONT RUNNER will likely premiere at one of the fall film festivals -- maybe Toronto -- and there was thinking that this film could just be a small release hopefully by a major indie distribution company ( Fox Searchlight or Focus Features) maybe during the awards season? We never thought it could be a major studio deal for distribution rights and announced at the most famous film festival, and in May!

Producer Bron Studios and director Jason Reitman must be very glad that they had Hugh Jackman as the lead portrayal! He is coming from two major box office successes from different genres in the past season. He is also a very versatile talent and this role could be another revelation. Over the years, he has also established strong professional links ( and friendships) with the likes of FOX Studios and erstwhile CEOs at FOX ( Tom Rothman who is now president of SONY Films and Jim Gianopulos who is now head at Paramount). That opens doors...and if the creative product is very good - the chances of attracting big studio attention could be high.

Jo

[jo]

Interesting questions given the recent sale of distribution rights to SONY --


*Were there other bidders for the movie? Were Fox Searchlight and Focus Features among them?

*Is this movie still considered an " indie" film -- given its theme, storyline, and characterizations ( other creatives like VFX not likely)? INDIEWIRE did cover the story of the sale. But given that a major studio is now behind its worldwide distribution and the expected promotional activity that will likely attach to the film, will it still qualify for any indie awards?

*Will it show at the fall festivals? Or will SONY map its own release plans for the movie. In the reports, it said that it will be released during the election cycle and the awards season -- will that be towards late October to November? The fall festivals ( Toronto/Venice/Telluride) are in the early part of September.

*How will they promote this worldwide? Gary Hart is probably only known mostly in the USA. Although scandal-ridden governments ( not just because of corruption) can also be a world-wide theme. Given the recent ME-TOO and WOMEN-EMPOWERMENT movements, will the topic be considered relevant in these times?

*Will Hugh be promoting this movie not just in the USA but also in certain key cities outside the USA? Or will it be a limited distribution campaign? Mainly through promotional materials?


Jo

[jo]

Other key online movie press, THE WRAP and COMINGSOON.NET, report on the deal with SONY --


www.thewrap.com/hugh-jackman-political-thriller-front-runner-acquired-sony/


www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/945113-sony-acquires-jason-reitmans-the-front-runner-at-cannes?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=sony-acquires-jason-reitmans-the-front-runner-at-cannes

[jo]

It's also now being reported by Associated Press and will likely be distributed to all its news affiliates. Hopefully, it will also be picked up by local newspapers/media outlets -- and it will get introduced to the general public early on.

abcnews.go.com/Entertainment/wireStory/sony-release-gary-hart-drama-starring-hugh-jackman-55086038

Good and unexpected publicity start!


Already picked up in Seattle thru AP --

www.seattlepi.com/news/article/Sony-to-release-Gary-Hart-drama-starring-Hugh-12905747.php?cmpid=twittersocialflow#photo-15536699


It seems online radio is also part of the AP network --

www.b985.com/entertainment/sony-release-gary-hart-drama-starring-hugh-jackman/DUSukunj2R5oqp2DUoZuGJ/?ecmp=wsbfm_social_twitter_sfp

This doesn't usually happen with indies


Jo

[jo]

Hugh Jackman did not look anywhere near PTBarnum in The Greatest Showman but that bio-inspired story happened more than 2 centuries ago and people would only have old photographs for comparison.

Gary Hart was a leading presidential candidate not so long ago ( a few decades) but Americans probably still remember his physical image.

Does Hugh Jackman bear any similarity to him? Hmm...maybe in the near-artistocratic bearing and the kind expression on the face. Hugh, of course, is known for his chiselled and handsome features but the air of quiet masculinity could also be replicated by the actor. I wonder how much they try to give Hugh a look that is closer to Gary Hart's physical image? It is likely that it is the hairstyle that will be touched upon to afford a closer image to the senator? Maybe what is important is how Hugh portrays the different emotions that happen to a leading presidential hopeful suddenly beset by scandal and loss of family?

Jason Reitman seems impressed with the work of Hugh Jackman in the movie --

Can't wait to see that portrayal!


This is going to be such a roller-coaster ride for fans of Hugh Jackman -- from an embittered and aging mutant ( prior to that he was a peacock-preening pirate) to a singing-and-dancing impresario... and now to a political figure caught in the mire of scandal!