Tom Hardy

Yes, we love our moms and dads, but lets face it, over the years, cinema has amassed a pretty unforgettable batch of wicked and awful parents. And so, it’s become somewhat of a Playlist tradition of late to examine and look at some of the more memorably monstrous ones (you can see our Mother’s Day feature here for example). Today we celebrate the patriarchs who hopefully have raised us well and guided us in the right direction. What are your plans with Dad this Sunday? A game of catch? Some brats on the barbeque and brewskies in-hand? Maybe a real heart-to-heart talk (or man-to-man if you’re Andy and Judge Hardy)? Between all of that and some real quality time with Pops in front of the TV (we recommend tuning into TCM), you may want a break from the celebration of all that is great about fatherhood. If so, this is the list for you. If not, skip this and check out our list of 22 Great Father & Son Movies. Whether you had Royal Tenenbaum or Atticus Finch for a father, today...

EXCLUSIVE: FilmDistrict is nearing a deal to acquire U.S. rights to Rocketman, the Michael Gracey-directed biographical musical film about Sir Elton John. The script is by Billy Elliot‘s Lee Hall, and Tom Hardy is circling to play the lead role. This film was the talk of Cannes, where it was shopped by UTA, which structured the financing. It was there that UK-based Icon’s production arm AI Film agreed to come aboard to co-finance the film during the Cannes Film Festival. I’m told that FilmDistrict is betting big here, with Peter Schlessel’s distribution company paying around a $10 million minimum guarantee for a guaranteed wide theatrical release and size-able P&A. There is also a generous gross corridor after the film recoups. The film follows John’s journey from 5-year old musical prodigy who by age 11 won a scholarship to the Royal Academy of Music, to a young man who rebelled against his strict upbringing, wore outrageous costumes and became a global icon who teamed with songwriter Bernie Taupin to sell more records than just about any musical artist of his era. John’s musical catalog is part of the mix, so this is going to be a major film. Steve Hamilton Shaw and David Furnish are producing the project along with Lawrence Bender. Sir Elton John is executive ... Read More »