Matthew Good: Last News

In the history of cinema, one of the most prescient and brilliantly searing indictments of Hollywood, and of the inherent unimaginativeness pervasive in studio execs, comes via Robert Altman’s 1992 Tinseltown satire “The Player.” Specifically, the scene where Buck Henry tries to sell shallow studio exec Tim Robbins the banal idea for “The Graduate II.” Hilarious, biting, and sharp (the exec loves it, naturally), the moment speaks volumes about Hollywood’s predisposition for playing it safe, superficial sequels, and keeping that gravy train running.

We’ve discussed it before, but let’s quickly reiterate: Intellectual Property (IP) is where it’s at for Hollywood, but when you can’t really make a sequel about a classic drama that has a lot of vintage IP—like “The Godfather” which just turned 50 recently—another avenue is making a movie or series about the making of a classic film. Take Paramount+’s “The Offer,” their mini-series about making “The Godfather.” READ MORE: The American Dream Of ‘The Godfather’ At 50 And yes, director Francis Ford Coppola is a big part of that story, but the tale Paramount is really telling is the entire behind-the-scenes picture which in many ways centers more on the producers that helped bring it to the screen.