Jim Taylor: Last News

EXCLUSIVE: Alexander Payne has lambasted a report from earlier this year that the script for his five-time Oscar-nominated film The Holdovers, which he directed from a script by David Hemingson, was plagiarized. 

Christopher Vourlias Two-time Academy Award winner Alexander Payne (“The Holdovers”) teased the upcoming sequel to his beloved black comedy “Election” Sunday in Sarajevo while dishing on his desire to dabble in genre, sharing more details of an upcoming Western while also expressing his hopes “to do a good car chase film.” Payne, who’s appearing at the Sarajevo Film Festival to receive a lifetime achievement award, gave an update on the anticipated sequel to his 1999 adaptation of the novel by Tom Perrotta, starring Reese Witherspoon as the ruthless go-getter Tracy Flick. Paramount is reported to be developing a sequel for streaming service Paramount+, “Tracy Flick Can’t Win,” based on Perrotta’s follow-up novel, published in 2022, with Witherspoon reprising her iconic role and Payne tapped to direct.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Alexander Payne, whose most recent film “The Holdovers” picked up five Oscar nominations and one win, will receive the Honorary Heart of Sarajevo Award at the 30th Sarajevo Film Festival, in recognition of his “outstanding contribution to the art of film.” Payne’s longtime collaborator Jim Taylor, with whom he shared the 2005 adapted screenplay Oscar for “Sideways,” will join him at the festival, which runs Aug. 16 to 23.

EXCLUSIVE: Veteran literary agent David Lubliner is switching to management and has joined Untitled Entertainment. Lubliner, who starts in his new role as manager effective immediately and will be based out of Untitled’s Angeles office, was most recently a literary agent at UTA.

In case you were wondering, there was no beef between Paul Giamatti and Alexander Payne. The actor and filmmaker collaborated on 2004’s “Sideways,” an art-house breakout that earned over $100 million worldwide and five Oscar nominations including Best Picture (Payne and Jim Taylor won for Adapted Screenplay).

The Writers Guild of America East is petitioning employers to ensure that protections are in place for journalists as AI technology develops.

Paramount Pictures has announced that Tracy Flick Can’t Win — a sequel to Alexander Payne’s cult classic 1999 comedy Election — is being made for Paramount+. Payne is returning as director, with the original film’s lead Reese Witherspoon to produce and reprise her starring role.

Pusha T has now dropped a second song aimed at the fast food chain.Back in March, the rapper shared ‘Spicy Fish Diss Track‘ in collaboration with Arby’s – where Pusha took aim at the chain’s Filet-o-Fish burger.The new track, titled ‘Rib Roast’, sees Pusha T reconnect with American sandwich chain Arby’s to diss their rivals McDonald’s, by questioning the quality of their food and McRibs.“McDonald’s what you selling? Mystery meat?/ Pop up and go away, what does history teach?” Pusha raps on the new track. “Mickey D’s McRib, you ain’t it in the streets.”The track has been accompanied by an official music video, as well as limited-edition merchandise to honour Arby’s’ menu’s country roots including a custom Pusha T t-shirt and jacket, a sandwich bolo tie, a trucker hat and a bandana.“We are on a mission to call out weak sandwiches of questionable quality, and there is no other product that can compare to our REAL Country-Style Rib Sandwich or is worthy of Pusha T’s praise,” Jim Taylor, President of Arby’s, said in a statement.

EXCLUSIVE: The biggest deal ever made at Toronto will be on a film that is not in the Toronto Film Festival roster. I’m hearing that Focus Features is tying up a $30 million worldwide rights deal with Miramax’s Bill Block and CAA Media Finance for The Holdovers, after a discreet screening here for buyers held Sunday. Focus will give the film a theatrical release, and Middle East is the only turf not covered in the deal. The film marks the reteam between director Alexander Payne and Paul Giamatti, who teamed memorably in the 2004 wine-tasting road trip comedy Sideways, a film that won Payne and Jim Taylor Oscars for Best Adapted Screenplay. David Hemingson wrote The Holdovers script.