Morgan Neville: Last News

Jack Dunn Growing up in Los Angeles, Oscar-winning documentarian Morgan Neville was a “huge fan” of Steve Martin. At 12 years old, he begged his father to drive six hours to Las Vegas so they could see one of Martin’s last stand-up performances at the Riviera Hotel. Forty-five years later, Neville shared the NeueHouse Hollywood stage with his comedy hero to promote their new Apple TV+ documentary “Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in Two Pieces.” “My main goal going in was just to listen,” Neville said.

Pharrell Williams and director Morgan Neville have spoken to NME about the former’s upcoming LEGO animation biopic, Piece By Piece. Check out our interview below along with the trailer.This October, a new movie based on Williams’ career will be released in cinemas.

Angelique Jackson The trailer for Focus Features’ upcoming movie “Piece by Piece” begins with a Lego-fied Pharrell Williams sitting down for an interview about his life. “You know what what would be cool is if we told my story with Lego pieces,” Lego Pharrell tells the similarly-bricked director Morgan Neville (the Oscar-winning documentarian behind “20 Feet From Stardom”), who chuckles politely and asks, “Seriously?” Pharrell replies: “Just be open.” The colorfully and creatively reimagined scene is pretty close to how the conversation played out nearly five years ago, Neville says, as he and Williams sign on to a Zoom chat to discuss how this innovative project came together. “That’s how the conversation went down in my head,” he tells Variety.

EXCLUSIVE: Focus Features has acquired U.S. rights and select international territories on upcoming thriller Last Breath, starring Woody Harrelson, Finn Cole and Simu Liu. Focus will distribute the Alex Parkinson-directed title in the U.S. with Universal Pictures International handling select territories including France, Scandinavia, Australia and New Zealand, China, Indonesia, Malaysia, South Korea and Vietnam. 

Deadline on Monday launched its streaming site for Contenders Television: Documentary + Unscripted, showing off the full panels of all 20 shows that participated in Saturday’s all-day showcase of the year’s best in nonfiction, unscripted and late-night programming as Emmy season ramps up.

The success of the Hulu series Only Murders in the Building has exposed a new generation of viewers to the comedic brilliance and appeal of Steve Martin. But the actor-writer has been appearing onscreen since the late 1960s – and performing even before that, to smaller audiences, as a kid magician at the newly opened Disneyland.

Selena Gomez has only praise for her “Only Murders in the Building” co-star Steve Martin.Gomez, 31, posted a photo of herself on Instagram watching the new Apple TV+ documentary about Martin called “Steve! (Martin) A Documentary in 2 Pieces,” which premiered March 29 and tracks Martin’s life as a comedian and actor.“It pains me to know how many people may not know truly about Steve’s life,” she wrote on her Instagram story. “He’s truly an icon and tried and never gave up … my dear friend you are extraordinary.”“Steve!” is directed and produced by Oscar-winner Morgan Neville and includes never-before-seen footage, along with new interviews with Martin and insight into his stand-up and film careers.Gomez, who’s starred with Martin, 78, and Martin Short, 74, in “Only Murders in the Building” since 2021, has not been shy about her praise of both men.On March 26, she posted a tribute on Instagram under a photo of the trio laughing together.“I want to thank @stevemartinreally and Marty (who hates social media) for truly being the most kind, gentle, warm and powerful influences in my life,” Gomez wrote.“You have shown me a level of class, intellect and humor that doesn’t seem to be easy to find anymore.“You guys are truly best friends to me forever.

Selena Gomez and Steve Martin snap photos together at the premiere of his new film STEVE! (martin) a documentary in 2 pieces held at Crosby Street Hotel on Friday night (March 29) in New York City.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Unlike many celebrity-driven documentaries, Morgan Neville‘s “Steve! (Martin): A Documentary in Two Pieces” about the writer and comedian wasn’t deliberately made as a marketing device tied to a new TV series or movie. The two-part docu is also not your traditional career-encompassing overview of Martin’s life. Instead Neville, who garnered an Oscar in 2014 for “20 Feet From Stardom,” created feature-length installments called “Then” and “Now” that are told from two points of views using two different formats.

Steve Martin may be riding high on his success with comedy-crime series Only Murders in the Building but, in a new documentary, he reflects on some troughs in his long career as well as the many high points.

Pharrell has announced his forthcoming biopic Piece By Piece, which will be made out of Lego.The musician took to social media to share the news, revealing that the film will land in theatres on October 11, 2024. “Who would’ve thought that playing with Legos as a kid would evolve into a movie about my life,” he wrote.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Writers and actors aren’t the only people in Hollywood grappling with the impact generative artificial intelligence will have on the entertainment industry. Documentarians are also concerned about AI and what it means for the ethical standards and practices of nonfiction filmmaking.

Addie Morfoot Contributor In Netflix’s “The Saint of Second Chances,” Academy Award winner Morgan Neville (“20 Feet From Stardom”) and Jeff Malmberg (“Marwencol”) tell the story of Mike Veeck, the hard-not-to-love son of late Major League Baseball owner Bill Veeck, who gained infamy for his role cooking up the disastrous Disco Demolition Night promotion at Chicago’s Comiskey Park in the late 1970s. The elder Veeck was known for introducing fun to ballparks via giveaways, theme nights, and fireworks.

EXCLUSIVE: Arlene Nelson, the director known for her work on such unscripted series as Angel City and Secrets of Playboy, has signed with UTA for representation in all areas.

Peter Debruge Chief Film Critic From the importance of diversity in storytelling to the impact of Netflix and other streamers on the distribution marketplace, a panel of top content industry creatives and executives weighed pressing issues for the future of filmmaking. The panel, held March 31 as part of the World Film Industry Conference and hosted by the nonprofit org NewFilmmakers LA, featured a master filmmakers’ dialogue moderated by Variety chief film critic Peter Debruge. The panelists were drawn from different disciplines: Oscar-winning documentary director Morgan Neville, filmmaker/showrunner Aline Brosh McKenna, producer Paul Perez (Perez Pictures), Walt Disney Animation Studios vfx supervisor Marlon West and previsualization expert Chris Edwards (The Third Floor).

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Tribeca Festival has announced the lineup of its 2023 festival, which includes new films from actors Chelsea Peretti and David Duchovny and documentaries about Rock Hudson and news anchor Dan Rather. This year’s event, which takes place from June 7-18, will feature 109 feature films from 127 filmmakers across 36 countries. There will be 93 world premieres, one international premiere, eight North American premieres, one U.S. premiere and six New York premieres. Among the lineup, there are offerings from 43 first-time directors and 29 directors returning to Tribeca with their latest projects. For the first time, more than half of feature films in competition (68%) are directed by women, while 41% (45) of all feature films are directed by women. Additionally, 36% (39) of feature films are directed by BIPOC filmmakers, including two indigenous filmmakers.

The 22nd edition of the Tribeca Festival unveiled a 2023 lineup with a record number of female helmers and heavy on films directed by actors like Chelsea Peretti’s First Time Female Director, John Slattery thriller Maggie Moore(s) with Tina Fey and Jon Hamm, David Duchovny’s Bucky F*cking Dent and Steve Buscemi’s The Listener.

The Beatles by Paul McCartney, taken at the height of ‘Beatlemania’, have been unveiled at London’s National Portrait Gallery.From June 28-October 1 this year, the reopening of the gallery will see 250 photographs taken by the musical legend of his bandmates and surroundings on tour from 1963-64.Paul McCartney Photographs 1963-64: Eyes Of The Storm will show what ‘Beatlemania’ looked like from the bassist and singer’s Pentax camera.An accompanying photobook, titled 1964: Eyes Of The Storm, will be released on June 13 via Penguin Press.Speaking in the book’s foreword, McCartney said of the period: “It felt like millions of eyes were suddenly upon us, creating a picture I will never forget for the rest of my life.”Of his love of photography, he added: “The truth is that I’ve always been interested in photography, from the time I was very young, when our family owned a little box camera in the 1950s.“I used to love the whole process of loading a roll of Kodak film into our Brownie camera.”See a selection of images from the book and exhibition below.Elsewhere, a new Paul McCartney documentary exploring the musician’s life following the breakup of The Beatles has been announced.Man On The Run is set to be directed by filmmaker Morgan Neville and will draw on “unprecedented access to a never-before-seen archive of Paul and Linda’s home videos and photos, as well as new interviews,” to chronicle the time between The Beatles’ breakup snd the rise of Wings in the ‘70s.According to a press release, Man On The Run will serve as “the definitive document of Paul’s emergence from the dissolution of the world’s biggest band and his triumphant creation of a second decade of musical milestones — a brilliant and prolific stretch.”“As a

Patti Smith was among the artists to perform at a Paul McCartney tribute gig at New York’s Carnegie Hall this week – watch her version of The Beatles‘ ‘She’s Coming Home’ below.‘The Music of Paul McCartney’ was held at the legendary venue on Wednesday night (March 15) as part of Michael Dorf’s charity series ‘Music Of’, which brings musicians together to celebrate the life and music of some of the world’s biggest stars.Also in attendance at Carnegie Hall this week were Graham Nash, Lyle Lovett, Bettye Lavette, Nancy Wilson, Bruce Hornsby, Macca’s former Wings bandmate Denny Laine and more.Patti Smith then appeared unannounced to cover ‘She’s Coming Home’, a highlight from ‘Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band’.Watch the rendition below.A post shared by Ron Ozer (@ronozer)A post shared by Craig Radel (@craigradel)Elsewhere, a new Paul McCartney documentary exploring the musician’s life following the breakup of The Beatles has been announced.Man On The Run is set to be directed by filmmaker Morgan Neville and will draw on “unprecedented access to a never-before-seen archive of Paul and Linda’s home videos and photos, as well as new interviews,” to chronicle the time between The Beatles’ breakup snd the rise of Wings in the ‘70s.According to a press release, Man On The Run will serve as “the definitive document of Paul’s emergence from the dissolution of the world’s biggest band and his triumphant creation of a second decade of musical milestones — a brilliant and prolific stretch.”“As a lifelong obsessive of all things McCartney, I’ve always felt that the 1970s were the great under-examined part of his story,” said Neville in a statement.

Chris Willman Senior Music Writer and Chief Music Critic U2’s Bono and the Edge and David Letterman joined forces again at the Wednesday night premiere of the Disney+ special “A Sort of Homecoming,” with the band members explaining that they needed the former late-night host to add some irreverence to the Morgan Neville-directed documentary, set to begin streaming March 17. Said Bono to the audience at downtown L.A.’s Orpheum Theatre, “The thing that Dave brought — I don’t know if you agree, Edge — is that he brought the comedy to the tragedy. And you know, there’s a reason why Willie Shakespeare wrote that form. And our music is just better with him around, I thought. Musically, it was better just by him being in the room, kind of taking the piss out of it.”

The jokes were zipping as David Letterman got together on stage in Los Angeles Wednesday night with two of his favorite musicians – U2’s Bono and The Edge – for the world premiere of the Disney+ documentary Bono and The Edge: A Sort of Homecoming with Dave Letterman. But it was The Edge who landed the first barb.