Interview

Costume Designer

“Air” Costume Designer Charlese Antoinette Jones on Designing the Near-Jordan World of 1980s Nike

Except for a glimpse of his back, we never once see Michael Jordan in person in Amazon Prime’s Air. This Ben Affleck-directed film, in which Affleck also stars as Nike founder Phil Knight, tracks the course of Nike’s surprise successful bid for an endorsement from the greatest basketball player of all time, leading to the 1980s creation of Air Jordan sneakers, which, four decades on, are a multi-billionaire dollar icon of fashion history.

By Susannah Edelbaum  |  September 25, 2023

Interview

Director Screenwriter

“A Million Miles Away” Co-Writer/Director Alejandra Márquez Abella on Capturing a Dream Come True

Filmmaker Alejandra Márquez Abella learned of José Hernández 15 years ago when his inspirational story made headlines: Hernández, who toiled in the fields as a child alongside his family, is the first migrant farmworker to become a NASA astronaut and go into space — a lifelong dream he realized after nearly a decade of perseverance and pluck and with the unwavering support of his family and friends. When producers Mark Ciardi and Campbell McInnes approached Abella about bringing Hernández’s story to the screen,

By Julie Jacobs  |  September 20, 2023
“Game of Thrones” Director Taking on Amazon’s “Blade Runner” TV Series

Amazon’s Blade Runner 2099 has landed a director who knows a thing or two about pulling off an extremely ambitious series. Four-time Emmy nominee Jeremy Podeswa—you can read our interview with him about directing Game of Thrones here—will direct the pilot and serve as the series’ producing director and executive producer. Podeswa will also be a vital cog for the creative team in creating the first-ever television series adaptation of one of the most iconic sci-fi film franchises of them all.

By The Credits  |  March 15, 2023
Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Chase Michael Jordan for Nike in First “Air” Trailer

 The first trailer for Air has arrived, the latest team-up between Ben Affleck and Matt Damon (they last sparred together in Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel, which they also wrote with Nicole Holofcener), only this time, the two are on the same side as they tell one of the greatest sports marketing and business stories of all time.

Affleck and Damon are teaming up to tell the true-life story of Nike co-founder Phil Knight (Affleck) and former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro (Damon),

By The Credits  |  February 9, 2023
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Early Reactions Call it a Beautiful, Joyous Return to Middle-earth

The early reactions to The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power are in, and it sounds as if the return quest to Middle-earth has been worth the wait. The much discussed, hugely ambitious, massively expensive new series from Prime Video will be airing its first two episodes on the big screen in select theaters for some fans, but for most of us, the 8-episode epic will be playing out on our screens.

By The Credits  |  August 25, 2022
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Official Trailer Announces TV’s Most Epic Production

The official trailer for Amazon’s massively ambitious The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is here at last. And what timing, coming on the heels of that other fantasy epic, the Game of Thrones prequel House of the Dragon, which just became HBO’s biggest premiere ever.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power comes from showrunners J.D.

By The Credits  |  August 23, 2022
“Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Will Screen First Two Episodes in Theaters

Amazon’s epic Middle-earth saga will appear on the big screen before it heads home.

It feels appropriate that the first work set in Middle-earth since Peter Jackson’s The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit trilogies will appear on the big screen before it heads to television. Amazon’s hugely ambitious The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power will play in theaters in special fan events across the world on August 31,

By The Credits  |  August 22, 2022
A Sweeping Look Behind-the-Scenes of “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”

A new behind-the-scenes look at Amazon Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power gives us a sense of why this is the most ambitious series the studio has ever produced and, arguably, one of the most ambitious series of all time.

“The second age is the great unfilmed story in Tolkien’s entire legendarium, with the forging of the rings and the last alliance, and we felt that that was the story that deserved to be told,”

By The Credits  |  August 3, 2022
Roam the Elven Realms in “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Second Trailer

We’re getting closer to our return trip to Middle-earth.

Amazon Studios has revealed the second teaser trailer for The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, their hugely ambitious upcoming series that will tell the story of the Second Age of Middle-earth. Fans of both J.R.R. Tolkien’s iconic novels “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings,” as well as Peter Jackson’s trilogies, are no doubt thrilled about the sprawling,

By The Credits  |  July 14, 2022
Watch a Sneak Peek of “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power”

A mysterious ball of light arcs across the sky at the start of a new teaser for Amazon’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. While the light itself isn’t explained in this bite-sized glimpse at the streamer’s upcoming fantasy epic, it does light the path towards the real sneak peek now available for Amazon Prime subscribers. There’s every reason to believe that the concern on the faces of the Middle-earth residents as they watch the light burn across the sky is warranted.

By The Credits  |  July 6, 2022
Ben Affleck & Matt Damon Teaming for Film About Nike Landing Michael Jordan

One of the greatest stories in sports business history will be told by an A-list cast and crew. The Hollywood Reporter scoops that Ben Affleck and Matt Damon are reuniting (they just re-teamed on the script for Ridley Scott’s The Last Duel with co-writer Nicole Holofcener, in which they also starred in), this time to tackle one of the greatest sports marketing and business stories of all time. Affleck and Damon are teaming up to tell the true-life story of former Nike executive Sonny Vaccaro for Amazon Studios and Skydance Sports,

By The Credits  |  April 20, 2022
Amazon in Talks to Assemble “Voltron” Movie With “Red Notice” Director Rawson Marshall Thurber

Looks like Amazon is about to assemble Voltron. If you were a child in the 1980s and loved your cartoons, then you likely remember the beloved anime series Voltron: Defender of the Universe, which featured the five young pilots of the Robot Lion battalion whose vehicles were capable of assembling into a massive robot called Voltron. Now, a live-action adaptation of the series is in the works.

Variety reports that Red Notice director Rawson Marshall Thurber is attached to direct a live-action feature adaptation of the classic 1980s anime for Amazon after the package generated plenty of interest from streamers and studios.

By The Credits  |  April 20, 2022
“The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” Trailer Reveals a True Epic

“There are wonders in this world beyond our wandering” we hear early on the first trailer for Amazon’s long-simmering, surprisingly mysterious The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. These words are spoken by a young Galadriel (Morfydd Clark), and she’s not lying. Wonders do appear as you tuck into this first, extended look at one of TV’s most highly-anticipated new series. One of the most astonishing things about the trailer is the sheer scope and scale of Amazon’s new series,

By The Credits  |  February 14, 2022

Interview

Cinematographer

Sundance 2022: “Master” Cinematographer Charlotte Hornsby on the Fest’s Breakout Horror Film

Writer and director Mariama Diallo brings atmospheric horror to the world of academia in her directorial debut Master, which just premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. The film stars Regina Hall as professor Gail Bishop, who has recently been made the first Black woman to hold the position of residence hall ‘Master’ at a prestigious fictional university called Ancaster. Both she and a fresh, optimistic Black student Jasmine (Zoe Moore) begin to feel a menacing supernatural presence.

By Leslie Combemale  |  February 1, 2022
Amazon’s Mysterious “The Lord of the Rings” Series Reveals Title & Release Date in New Video

Amazon has just released the one true title reveal. Their eagerly-anticipated and almost comically mysterious Middle-earth-set fantasy series is officially titled The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power. The title speaks to how the series will be centered on the creation of the original rings of power, which ultimately led the darkest of the dark wizards Sauron to blight Middle-earth with his particular brand of malevolent control. So yes, the big bad Sauron will loom over the new series as he did in J.R.R.

By The Credits  |  January 19, 2022
“Being the Ricardos” Cinematographer Jeff Cronenweth on Lighting Lucy and Desi

Aaron Sorkin’s Being the Ricardos follows Lucy (Nicole Kidman) and Desi Ricardo (Javier Bardem) during a hellacious week on set: in a blind item on his radio broadcast, Walter Winchell accuses Lucy of being a member of the Communist Party. While the show goes on and the beloved couple work to placate nervous executives, the film toggles between 1953 and flashbacks to Lucy’s rise in the late 1940s, from a brunette limited to the radio to her rightful place as America’s favorite flame-haired television comedian.

By Susannah Edelbaum  |  January 10, 2022
“The Boys” Season 3 Teaser Reveals Release Date, With New Insane Superheroes Joining the Series

At long last, we know when The Boys will be back in town. Amazon Prime Video has revealed a new teaser for season 3, which gives us the first footage and that release date. Mark your calendars for June 3.

The Boys will be coming to you on a weekly basis, which is in keeping with how showrunner Erik Kripke and his team handled last season. (Season one was delivered at all once.) Season 3 consists of six episodes,

By The Credits  |  January 7, 2022

Interview

Cinematographer

“The Tender Bar” Cinematographer Martin Ruhe on George Clooney’s Heartfelt Adaptation

Arriving during times that don’t feel particularly tender, The Tender Bar is George Clooney’s adaptation of J.R. Moehringer’s book about growing up in the 60’s and 70’s-era Long Island, without a father. Instead, he seeks out surrogate role models in the house of extended relatives where his mother retreats, and in the local bar where his uncle tends. And, Clooney, of course, stays behind the camera here, leaving the acting chores to Ben Affleck as Uncle Charlie,

By Mark London Williams  |  January 6, 2022

Interview

Director Showrunner

Best of 2021: Director Barry Jenkins Mixes Beauty and Brutality in “The Underground Railroad”

This interview is part of our highly subjective, decidedly non-comprehensive “Best of 2021” year-end list. It was originally published on May 12. 

The Underground Railroad has been a long time coming in Barry Jenkins‘ imagination. As a kid growing up in Miami’s rough Liberty City neighborhood, the writer-director pictured literal railroad tracks running beneath the earth. Fast forward to 2014, when Jenkins thrilled to Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel and secured adaptation rights even before he’d finished promoting his Oscar-winning Moonlight movie.

By Hugh Hart  |  December 30, 2021

Interview

Director Screenwriter

Best of 2021: Aaron Sorkin on Having a Ball Making “Being the Ricardos”

This interview is part of our highly subjective, decidedly non-comprehensive “Best of 2021” year-end list. It was originally published on December 10.

You might think the opportunity to write a film about the legendary Lucille Ball would have been irresistible for Aaron Sorkin, but he wasn’t immediately convinced. “It took me about 18 months to say yes, to commit to it,” Sorkin says of the project that would eventually become Being the Ricardos

By Bryan Abrams  |  December 28, 2021