Comedy is a lot harder to pull off successfully than it's often given credit for. It makes sense that some of the best filmmakers in history began their careers as comics, or at least comedic actors, given how a great comedian's mind works. They see the world in completely different ways, and that way of looking at things often means great movies, like some of the best rom-coms of all time, but they aren't always comedies. Here is our list of great comics who became great filmmakers.

Mel Brooks

You really couldn't have this list without Mel Brooks. His movies, which he's been making for an astonishing seven decades, never fail to disappoint. His career stretches back to the 1940s! He reinvented comedy on film with his early movies like The Producers, Blazing Saddles, and Young Frankenstein, and while he doesn't do as much directing these days, he's still killing it when he does.

Jordan Peele

Of all the comedians-turned-directors on this list, the biggest departure from his acting career to his directing career has to be Jordan Peele. He first entered our collective consciousness with his legendary sketch comedy show Key and Peele, but starting with Get Out in 2017, he's become one of the premier horror directors in modern Hollywood.

Amy Poehler

Like so many comedians over the last 50 years or so, Amy Poehler got her big break on Saturday Night Live. She left the long-running comedy show in 2008 to work on her next hit show, Parks & Recreation. In 2019, she directed her first movie, Wine Country, and followed that up with 2021's Moxie.

Christopher Guest

Some of the most quotable movies of all time have come from the collective minds of the ensemble casts that Christopher Guest has assembled for his movies, like Waiting for Guffman, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind. He serves as the director, but he gives great leeway to his fellow cast members in all of the movies.

Paul Feig

Though he's best known as a writer and a director these days, Paul Feig started as a stand-up comedian when he first arrived in Hollywood in the 1980s. He struggled as an actor before scoring a role in Heavyweights in 1995. While working on that movie, he met writer Judd Apatow and the two co-created Freaks and Geeks. The rest is history.

Ben Stiller

Ben Stiller's biggest early break came in the Ben Stiller Show on MTV, which blended sketch comedy with music videos. From there, Stiller basically took over Hollywood to the point that it seemed like he was making a dozen movies a year! Okay, maybe not that many, but he was in a lot of movies, including many that he directed, like Reality Bites, The Cable Guy, Zoolander, and Tropic Thunder.

Mike Nichols

EGOT winner Mike Nichols directed some of the most iconic movies in Hollywood history. Movies like The Graduate, Working Girl, and The Birdcage. Nichols started his career as part of the comedy duo Nichols & May alongside Elaine May, who also became a filmmaker of some renown.

Charlie Chaplin

There are few people in Hollywood history who are as important to the growth of the industry as Charlie Chaplin. Chaplin wrote, starred, and directed almost all his major hits from the silent era up until A Countess from Hong Kong in 1967. He even scored many of his movies. He started in show business in the very early 20th Century in comedic roles on stage before movies were even invented.

Rob Reiner

As the son of the great Carl Reiner, Rob Reiner has comedy in his blood. His biggest fame early came as Mike "Meathead" Stivic in All in the Family, but for most of the last half-century, he's been known for his writing and directing, creating such movies as This Is Spinal Tap, The Princess Bride, and When Harry Met Sally..., among many others.

Chris Rock

Like many SNL alums, Chris Rock has had an incredible career in Hollywood. He started acting as a teenager in New Jack City, but he quickly became known for his stand-up act and his work on SNL. He's long been a writer and producer, and he started directing in 2003 with his directorial debut, Head of State. He's been busy directing ever since, in addition to everything else he does.

Judd Apatow

One of the most successful comedy directors in the last few decades is Judd Apatow. He's a one-man show, in many ways, writing, producing, and directing hits like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, Knocked Up, The King of Staten Island, and This Is 40. He's also produced a whole slew of successful comedies, like Bridesmaids, Anchorman, Step Brothers, and Pineapple Express. That doesn't even get into the TV shows he's produced or co-created, like Freaks and Geeks, Girls, and Crashing.

Harold Ramis

Without question, Harold Ramis belongs on the Mount Rushmore of comedy writers and directors. The list of movies he's directed and written (or co-written) is amazing. Caddyshack, National Lampoon's Vacation, and Groundhog Day are just the tip of the iceberg. Like so many in his generation of comedians, he started in sketch comedy at Second City in Chicago.

Ricky Gervais

Ricky Gervais gained worldwide fame when he co-created, co-wrote, and starred in the original version of The Office in the U.K. He's created a slew of shows since, and could even be credited with helping create podcasts with his early podcast, The Ricky Gervais Show. The stand-up comedian started directing films in 2009 with The Invention of Lying.

Penny Marshall

We lost a lot when Penny Marshall died in 2018 at age 75. She began her career in comedic roles, most notably as Laverne DeFazio, first on Happy Days, then in her own spin-off, Laverne & Shirley. Before long, though, she transitioned to directing. Her first movie, Jumpin' Jack Flash, introduced the world to Whoopi Goldberg as a comedic actor (her lone previous credit was in the drama The Color Purple) and went on to direct beloved hits like A League of Their Own and Big.

Seth MacFarlane

Seth MacFarlane started mostly as a comedy writer, which is hardly a surprise. He then created the animated shows Family Guy and American Dad for Fox. He made his directorial debut with Ted in 2012.

Albert Brooks

The legendary Albert Brooks started his career in sketch comedy in collectives like The Credibility Gap and appeared on variety shows in the late '60s and early '70s as a stand-up. His first directing gig was as part of the first season of SNL, before directing his first feature, Real Life, co-written with his buddy Harry Shearer. His later movies include classics like Defending Your Life, Mother, and The Muse.

Keenen Ivory Wayans

The Wayans brothers have certainly left a huge mark on Hollywood over the years, and the oldest sibling, Keenen Ivory Wayans, is the one who got them all started. He created and directed In Living Color, which made him a household name, but he had already directed I'm Gonna Git You Sucka before that. His biggest success, of course, is the Scary Movie franchise.

Carl Reiner

Carl Reiner got his start as a writer and actor in comedy sketches on two shows starring Sid Caesar, Your Show of Shows and Caesar's Hour. He then teamed up with fellow writer from the shows, Mel Brooks, and together they released comedy albums in the early 1960s. By the end of the decade, he was directing movies, with his two most notable hits, The Jerk and Oh! God, coming in the late '70s.

Cheech Marin

One of the biggest comedy duos of the '70s is, of course, Cheech & Chong. Before long, Cheech Marin was directing movies without his partner, including his directorial debut, Born in East L.A., in 1987.

Woody Allen

WE couldn't have this list without Woody Allen. Setting aside any personal feelings people may have towards the actor for his questionable personal life, Allen is, hands down, one of the most successful comedy film directors in Hollywood history. The list of movies he's written, directed, and starred in is far too long to list here. He developed his famous persona while working as a stand-up comedian in New York in the 1960s.

Michael Keaton

Michael Keaton was one of the most successful comedic actors of the 1980s with movies like Mr. Mom, Beetlejuice, and Johnny Dangerously. He started taking on more dramatic roles as the decade came to a close, and of course, he starred as the Caped Crusader in Tim Burton's Batman. He made his directorial debut in 2008 with the drama The Merry Gentleman and, more recently, directed the underrated Knox Goes Away in 2023.

Bob Odenkirk

Along with David Cross, Bob Odenkirk first broke big on Mr. Show with Bob and David, but that was after years in sketch comedy on shows like SNL and The Ben Stiller Show. He has gained his biggest fame more recently as the character Saul Goodman in Breaking Bad and the spinoff Better Call Saul (which somehow never won an Emmy).

Jerry Lewis

His comedy might not have been for everyone, but you can't argue with Jerry Lewis' incredible success over decades in Hollywood. Of course, he started as part of a duo with Dean Martin, but he soon took off on his own with movies like The Nutty Professor and The Bellboy. He directed both those movies as well, and would continue to direct his own movies throughout the '60s.

Donald Glover

While still in college, Donald Glover started doing sketch comedy in New York City. After graduating, he became a writer on 30 Rock first came to the public's attention in Community on NBC. His biggest critical success came with the show he created and produced the show Atlant,a in 2013. His first feature film directing gig came with Bando Stone & the New World, which is a companion piece to his album of the same name.

Jeff Garlin

For most people, Curb Your Enthusiasm is where they first saw Jeff Garlin, but his career goes back further than that. He also starred in The Goldbergs before abuse accusations led him to leave the show. Over the years, he's directed a number of movies, like the indie rom-com I Want Someone to Eat Cheese With and 2017's Handsome, which you can watch with a Netflix subscription.

Buster Keaton

Like Charlie Chaplin, Buster Keaton was a huge figure in the silent era of Hollywood. Also like Chaplin, the comedian started in theater at the dawn of the 20th century and then began writing, directing, and starring in his own films in the teens. He was one of the biggest stars of the early film industry, making more than a dozen hits in the 1920s.

Bob Saget

Not only is one of the dirtiest comedians of all time (and his version of The Aristocrats joke proves it), Bob Saget was also so beloved TV dad and wholesome host of America's Funniest Home Videos. Saget's first directorial credit came in the hilarious and underrated Dirty Work, working with Norm McDonald and Artie Lang on what must have been just a wild film shoot.

Aziz Ansari

Aziz Ansari had his breakout role as a member of the cast of Parks and Recreation, but he was already an experienced stand-up when that show took off. He directed his first film, Good Fortune, which he also wrote and stars in.

Jerrod Carmichael

Jerrod Carmichael is one of the most popular stand-up comedians in recent years and got his first major exposure with The Carmichael Show on NBC in 2015. He made his directorial debut in 2021 with On the Count of Three, which he also stars in alongside Christopher Abbott and an ensemble cast that includes Tiffany Haddish, J.B. Smoove, and Henry Winkler.

Bo Burnham

Bo Burnham made his name as literally a one-man show with his musical comedy YouTube channel that he started in 2006 (the very early days of YouTube). His first job as a director came in 2018 with Eighth Grade, which he wrote and stars in, as well.

Robert Townsend

Robert Townsend was groundbreaking as a Black comedian-turned-filmmaker in the 1980s when he wrote, directed, and starred in movies like Hollywood Shuffle, The Five Heartbeats, and Meteor Man, which is a comic book movie that deserves a reboot.

Bobcat Goldthwait

Without a doubt, one of the strangest movies mentioned in this list is Shakes the Clown, which was the first film directed by legendary stand-up comedian Bobcat Goldthwait. He's directed seven independent films since Shakes and they are always unique and funny.

Some actors excel in dramas, others in action flicks; but there are also others whose best work happens to be in some of the best romantic comedies of all time. Nothing against Hugh Grant, Meg Ryan, or Colin Firth’s more dramatic or action-oriented work, but let’s be real for a second and admit that Four Weddings and a Funeral, When Harry Met Sally, and Bridget Jones’s Diary, as well as their other work in the genre, is why they’re so beloved.

That said, here are 32 actors whose best roles are rom-coms…

Hugh Grant

With movies like Four Weddings and a Funeral, Notting Hill, Love Actually, and Bridget Jones’s Diary to his name (and many, many more), it’s no wonder Hugh Grant’s name comes up rather frequently when discussing the best rom-coms ever made. Sure, his work in Paddington 2 and Remains of the Day is great, but the man knows how to anchor a romantic comedy with that signature charm and wit.

Renée Zellweger

Sure, Renée Zellweger won her two Oscars in dramas – Cold Mountain and Judy – but that doesn’t mean those were her best roles. Again, they were both great, but don’t hold a candle to her work as the titular character in Bridget Jones’s Diary or her star-making performance in Jerry Maguire. More than 20 years after first playing those iconic characters, Zellweger’s work is still received with heaps of praise.

Julia Roberts

One of the queens of the ‘90s rom-com, Julia Roberts bookended the final decade of the 20th century with legendary performances in Pretty Woman and Notting Hill. Those roles, which should be revisited annually if we’re being honest, helped pave the way for Roberts’ stellar career.

Meg Ryan

It’s impossible to put together a list of Meg Ryan’s best movies and not include the likes of When Harry Met Sally, Sleepless in Seattle, and You’ve Got Mail, to name a few. The rom-com mainstay, who shared the screen with Tom Hanks, Billy Crystal, and Kevin Kline over the years, has given us unforgettable moments and more beloved characters than just about anyone.

Cameron Diaz

My Best Friend’s Wedding, There’s Something About Mary, The Holiday, The Sweetest Thing, and countless other romantic comedies made Cameron Diaz one of the biggest stars of the past 30 years. The actress has shown off her more dramatic roles in everything from Any Given Sunday and Being John Malkovich, but her performances in those rom-coms can’t be touched.

Drew Barrymore

Long before Drew Barrymore became one of the premier names in the world of daytime talk shows, she held it down in the rom-com circuit. Fever Pitch, Never Been Kissed, 50 First Dates, and The Wedding Singer are just some of Barrymore’s best romantic comedies. And while she does have a killer scene in the opening minutes of Scream, these are her most memorable performances.

Colin Firth

As much as we love watching Colin Firth play Mr. Darcy in Pride & Prejudice, his more modern take on the character in Bridget Jones’s Diary is the stuff of legend. Firth, a tremendous dramatic actor in his own right, has been a staple of the romantic comedy over the years thanks in part to those Bridget Jones movies, Mamma Mia!, and Love Actually. However, don’t let this take away from the greatness of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy or The King’s Speech.

Billy Crystal

When Harry Met Sally is one of the first movies to come to mind whenever the topic of hilarious Billy Crystal movies comes up. Filled with some of the funniest lines (and others filled with heartbreak and emotion), Crystal’s work in the rom-com genre is absolutely fantastic, be it movies like America’s Sweethearts or Forget Paris. And The Princess Bride sort of counts, right?

Cary Grant

Few Hollywood leading men have a resume as great as Cary Grant, an actor who appeared in dozens of romantic comedies over the years. Charade, The Philadelphia Story, Holiday, and so many others have long cemented Grant’s place in the annuls of rom-com history, and those hilarious and heartfelt performances are still cherished many years after his death.

Charlie Chaplin

Charlie Chaplin was the king of the silent film and an actor who could do anything from drama to slapstick to romantic comedy better than just about every single one of his contemporaries. Chaplin’s 1931 rom-com, City Lights, helped define the genre and has been a benchmark for nearly 100 years.

Nia Long

Nia Long has so many great movies to her name, including Friday, Boyz n the Hood, Big Momma’s House, and Soul Food. This also includes some all-time great romantic comedies from the ‘90s like Love Jones, The Best Man, and Hav Plenty. Though her name doesn’t come up as much as it should, Long is still in a league of her own.

Diane Keaton

Diane Keaton won an Oscar for her titular in Woody Allen’s Annie Hall, but the talented actress has several other iconic rom-coms to her name. Something’s Gotta Give, Manhattan, The Family Stone, and Baby Boom all show off the incredible skill and nuance of this once-in-a-generation actress. And this is coming from someone who thinks The Godfather is one of the top five movies of all time.

Audrey Hepburn

Breakfast at Tiffany’s, Charade, Sabrina, Roman Holiday, and My Fair Lady are all some of the funniest movies of the 20th century, and all happen to feature the unmatched talent of Audrey Hepburn in iconic roles. The late actress had a great number of dramatic roles over the years, but her charm and charisma seen in these rom-coms made her one of the all-time greats.

Constance Wu

Constance Wu has all kinds of great film and TV roles on her resume, but for some, she’ll always be remembered for her portrayal of Rachel Chu in Crazy Rich Asians. The massively popular romantic comedy about a Chinese-American NYU professor learning her boyfriend is a member of the richest and most powerful family in Singapore still hits more than a half-decade after its release.

Richard Gere

Though Richard Gere has killed it in dramas like An Officer and a Gentleman and musicals like Chicago, those performances don’t hold a candle to, at least culturally, to his role as Edward Lewis in Pretty Woman. Gere and co-star Julia Roberts would rekindle that spark less than a decade later with another great rom-com, Runaway Bride.

Reese Witherspoon

The Importance of Being Earnest, Sweeet Home Alabama, and Legally Blonde all allowed Reese Witherspoon to show off comedic skills in romantic comedies, and those roles remain some of her best. Sure, she won an Oscar for Walk the Line, but there’s no touching Elle Woods.

Henry Golding

Henry Golding had already had some success by the time he was cast as the uber-wealthy Nick Young in Crazy Rich Asians, but his performance in the 2018 romantic comedy sent him to the next level. He’s found success in movies like The Gentlemen and The Ministry of Ungentlemanly Warfare since then, but his rom-com performance is still his best.

Eva Mendes

Eva Mendes has long killed it in comedies, romance movies, and romantic comedies. Take Hitch for example. The 2005 rom-com starring Will Smith as a professional “date doctor” who meets his match in Mendes’ character was so much fun and allowed the actress to show off all of her skills in a fun and meaningful way.

Sandra Bullock

While You Were Sleeping, Hope Floats, The Proposal, and Two Weeks Notice are just a few of Sandra Bullock’s all-time great romantic comedies. The Academy Award-winning actress has long been one of the best to attempt the genre, and she’ll have a long-lasting legacy because of those strong, vulnerable, and incredibly relatable characters.

Michael Ealy

Over the years, Michael Ealy has put together a crazy good filmography, one that is filled with medical dramas and thrillers, action flicks and comedies, etc. But let’s not forget all the great work he’s done in the world of romantic comedies. Kissing Jessica Stein, Think Like a Man, and About Last Night have all shown what the talented actor is working with.

Adam Sandler

Though not the prototypical romantic lead, there are so many great Adam Sandler rom-coms out there. From The Wedding Singer to Punch-Drunk Love and 50 First Dates to Spanglish there’s so much variety and fun to be had with his stellar filmography.

Jennifer Garner

13 Going on 30, anyone? Jennifer Garner became one of the queens of the rom-com with the release of her 2004 comedy about a young girl who is transformed into a 30-year-old magazine editor and undergoes a massive transformation (both physically and emotionally). She’s also appeared in other great comedies of the era like Ghosts of Girlfriends Past and Love, Simon, to name a few.

Woody Allen

Woody Allen’s monologue in the opening minutes of Manhattan is honestly one of the best cinematic moments of the ‘70s and features some of Allen’s best writing. That’s saying something considering the writer-director-actor has been a part of so many great rom-coms over the years. Annie Hall, Midnight in Paris, Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and Hannah and her Sisters have made us laugh, cry, and feel everything in between over the past 50-plus years.

Anne Hathaway

Anne Hathaway’s name doesn’t come up in the rom-com discussion as much as it should, which is a shame considering the Oscar-winning actress has killed it in movies like The Princess Diaries, Ella Enchanted, Love & Other Drugs, and so many others. Yeah, she was great in Interstellar and Les Misérables, but there’s no denying her performances in these romantic comedies.

Morris Chestnut

Okay, Morris Chestnut was AMAZING in Boyz n the Hood with his portrayal of Ricky Baker, but the man has become a legend in the rom-com game over the past few decades. Two Can Play That Game, The Best Man, The Brothers, The Perfect Holiday, Breakin’ All the Rules are all classics, thanks in no small part to Chestnut’s performances.

Rachel McAdams

Rachel McAdams’ career has been full of swirling tales of romance like The Notebook, The Vow, and Disobedience, but some of her best work has been in romantic comedies. Wedding Crashers and Midnight in Paris quickly come to mind, but her best performance can be found in About Time, an incredibly emotional and hilarious story of love, loss, and second chances.

John Cusack

Look at the best John Cusack movies and you’ll see iconic rom-coms like High Fidelity, Say Anything, Serendipity, Better Off Dead, and America’s Sweethearts. The vulnerability and likeability of the Hollywood star have made those movies, and the beloved characters he plays in each of them, such gems over the years.

Kate Hudson

Kate Hudson is amazing when it comes to roles in romantic comedies, and few could come close to her batting average in the early-to-mid 2000s. How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, My Best Friend’s Girl, Something Borrowed, and A Little Bit of Heaven all come to mind in this regard.

Taye Diggs

Taye Diggs has done it all, but he’s excelled tremendously in the rom-com world. Movies like The Wood, The Best Man, Brown Sugar, and How Stella Got Her Groove Back have shown just how charming and funny the classically trained actor can be.

Ben Stiller

Though an unlikely leading man in the realm of romantic comedies, Ben Still has long excelled in the genre. Over the years, we’ve had sensational comedies like There’s Something About Mary, Along Came Polly, Keeping the Faith, and even Reality Bites that have allowed the comedian-actor-writer-director to show off what he’s working with, and it’s been great all along.

Jennifer Aniston

Jennifer Aniston will always be remembered for her portrayal of Rachel Green on Friends, but let’s not forget that she has also been a longtime staple of the romantic comedy genre. The Break-up, Wanderlust, Just Go With It, The Switch, Rumor Has It, and several others have been perfect movies for Aniston to show off her skills.

Patrick Dempsey

From Can’t Buy Me Love to Made of Honor and everything in between, Patrick Dempsey has been a tour de force in the world of romantic comedies. He’s done great work on TV and in big-screen dramas over the years, but he particularly excels in the rom-com genre.

For quite some time, there have been actors who not only bring movies to life by acting on the big screen but also play a major role in crafting the stories. Over the years, multiple Best Picture winners have been written by talented thespians, who also happen to be accomplished wordsmiths. From stars who've pieced together films that would earn them their first Academy Award nominations to those penning passion projects, here are 32 successful actors who are also hit screenwriters.

Ben Affleck

In early 1998, Ben Affleck became one of the biggest stars in Hollywood after he and Matt Damon won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting. The movie made the longtime friends -- who didn't always work together -- into overnight sensations. Since then, he’s written four additional films: Gone Baby Gone, Live by Night, The Town and The Last Duel, which he co-wrote with Damon.

Matt Damon

As mentioned, Matt Damon took home the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for Good Will Hunting in 1998. The movie, of course, also featured his Academy Award-worthy performance as a troubled young genius. Since then, he’s co-written two additional Gus Van Sant-directed scripts – Gerry in 2002, Promised Land in 2012 – as well as the Ridley Scott historical epic, The Last Duel, which he penned with Ben Affleck.

Jordan Peele

After finding success with Key & Peele, Jordan Peele turned to more behind-the-scenes work, serving as both a director and screenwriter. From his 2016 comedy, Keanu to 2022’s Nope and Wendell & Wild, Peele has cemented his legacy as one of the strongest voices in Hollywood. He won an Oscar for his Get Out screenplay in 2018 and produced two of the best horror movies in recent memory: Us and Candyman.

Tina Fey

Tina Fey will forever be remembered as one of the best Saturday Night Live cast members, and that experience allowed her to fine-tune her writing and acting skills. In addition to starring in movies like Baby Mama, Date Night and Muppets Most Wanted, Fey famously wrote the screenplay for Mean Girls, which is one of the best movies of the 2000s.

Sylvester Stallone

A handful of the best action movies of all time were written by none other than Sylvester Stallone, who has flexed his muscles in front of the camera and behind the scenes. All of the Rocky films (as well as Creed II) were written by Stallone, as were the Rambo flicks and pretty much most of his best big-screen ventures.

George Clooney

George Clooney has plenty of notable movies like Ocean’s Eleven, Syriana, Michael Clayton and even the over-the-top Batman & Robin. But the Academy Award-winning actor has also penned quite a few screenplays over the years, including the ones for Good Night, and Good Luck, The Ides of March, Leatherheads, The Monuments Men and Suburbicon.

Kristen Wiig

Two of the funniest movies of the past decade-and-a-half – Bridesmaids and Barb and Star Go to Vista Del Mar – not only featured the Saturday Night Live legend Kristen Wiig's on-screen talents, they were also co-written by the actress. And penning those screenplays alongside her was co-star Annie Mumolo.

Tyler Perry

In addition to being a committed philanthropist and all-around great guy, Tyler Perry is also an incredibly successful actor, movie producer, and screenwriter. Throughout his career, Perry has written multiple entries in the Madea film franchise as well as other films like A Jazzman’s Blues, Acrimony, and Why Did I Get Married?, to name a few.

Greta Gerwig

Greta Gerwig has become famous for her Barbie screenplay (which was co-written by Noah Baumbach), but that's only one of the great scripts written by the talented actress. In addition to starring in several dozen movies over the years, Gerwig also penned modern gems like Frances Ha, Lady Bird, Mistress America and Little Women.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge

In addition to being a talented actress with multiple scene-stealing performances in movies like Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny and Solo: A Star Wars Story, Phoebe Waller-Bridge is a talented writer. She created and penned the shows Fleabag and Killing Eve and received a partial writing credit for her contributions on No Time to Die.

Justin Theroux

Throughout his career, Justin Theroux has starred in movies like Mulholland Drive, Miami Vice and American Psycho. However, he also has some impressive screenwriting credits to his name. With work on Iron Man 2, Tropic Thunder, Rock of Ages and Zoolander 2, he has quite the body of work.

Emma Thompson

Emma Thompson is an actress with a great filmography, through which she's worked both in front of and behind the camera. In fact, Thompson has Academy Awards for  Best Actress (for Howards End) and Best Adapted Screenplay (for Sense and Sensibility). She’s also penned movies like Bridget Jones’s Baby, Last Christmas and the Nanny McPhee films.

Billy Bob Thornton 

Billy Bob Thornton is another actor who has won an Academy Award for writing, having scored a Best Adapted Screenplay Oscar for his work on Sling Blade, which he also starred in and directed. Over the years, some of Thornton's best movies -- like One False Move, A Family Thing, The Gift and Daddy and Them were also written by the actor himself.

Emerald Fennell 

After finding success with acting roles in movies like Albert Nobbs, Anna Karenina and The Danish Girl, as well as shows like Call the Midwife and The Crown, Emerald Fennell turned her attention to writing and directing. Her feature film debut, Promising Young Woman, earned her a Best Original Screenplay Oscar. She also crafted the script for the drama film Saltburn.

Tom Hanks 

Tom Hanks is another Oscar winner with a number of screenwriting credits to his name. In addition to leading some of the best movies of all time, Hanks has also penned the screenplays for That Thing You Do, Larry Crowne and the 2020 World War II thriller Greyhound.

Kumail Nanjiani 

Kumail Nanjiani has starred in all kinds of movies over the years, with Eternals, Stuber and The Lovebirds being just a few of them. But Nanjiani also wrote the screenplay for The Big Sick, the 2018 romantic comedy inspired by the battles he and wife Emily V. Gordon faced early in their relationship.

Paul Rudd 

Paul Rudd not only starred in one of the best Marvel movies such as Ant-Man, he was also one the writers given credit for its screenplay (alongside Edgar Wright, Joe Cornish, and Adam McKay). But that wasn’t his first or last script, as Rudd contributed to Role Models and Ant-Man and the Wasp.

Ethan Hawke 

Throughout his career, Ethan Hawke has starred in movies like Reality Bites, Boyhood, First Reformed and The Black Phone, among many others. However, the actor has also written his fair share of screenplays as well, with everything from the second and third installments in the Before film franchise to the gripping biopic Blaze featuring his handiwork. 

 Angelina Jolie 

Over the years, Angelina Jolie has become an instantly recognizable face and name thanks to a number of wonderful performances. The actress has also a few screenwriting credits, including In the Land of Blood and Honey, First They Killed My Father and By the Sea.

Kenneth Branagh 

To some Kenneth Branagh is arguably better known as a screenwriter than actor. That's because he won Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for the semi autobiographical coming-of-age drama Belfast and received a nomination for his adaptation of Hamlet back in 1995. The Christopher Nolan collaborator has also written other films like Much Ado About Nothing, In the Bleak Midwinter, Listening and The Magic Flute.

Steve Coogan 

Steve Coogan is famous for his performances in the Night at the Museum movies, Tropic Thunder, 24 Hour Party People, and The Trip, but he’s also a talented writer. Over the years, Coogan has written movies like Philomena, The Lost King, The Parole Officer and Alan Partridge: Alpha Papa.

Sarah Polley 

After making a name for herself as an actress with roles in movies like Go, The Weight of Water and the underrated Dawn of the Dead remake, Sarah Polley turned her jumped into the writer/director seat. One of her most well-known scripts is probably 2022's Women Talking, which earned her an Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay.

Seth Rogen 

Seth Rogen has written some of the comedies that defined the 2000s, such as Pineapple Express and Superbad, as well as more recent hits like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem. This is on top of appearing in all three of those movies, as well as other classics like The 40-Year-Old Virgin, which totally deserved its R rating.

Taylor Sheridan 

Taylor Sheridan is mostly known for crafting Sicario, Wind River, Hell or High Water and other riveting dramas. But the Yellowstone co-creator also had a decent acting career before making the big shift over the past decade. He appeared on shows like Sons of Anarchy and Veronica Mars.

Lake Bell 

In addition to appearing in movies like No Escape, No Strings Attached, It’s Complicated and Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Lake Bell has also written and directed a few projects throughout her career. There are the shorts Worst Enemy and El Tonto, which she followed up with feature-length films, In a World… and I Do… Until I Don’t.

Owen Wilson 

When talking about Wes Anderson's collaborators, few names come to mind as quickly as Owen Wilson, who has appeared in a number of the director’s films throughout his career. But on top of appearing in seven of Anderson’s movies, Wilson also helped write three of them: Bottlerocket, Rushmore and The Royal Tenenbaums.

Jason Segel 

When it comes to the movie sphere, Jason Segel is probably best known for his portrayal of Peter Bretter in the 2008 comedy Forgetting Sarah Marshall, but some might not know he also wrote it. After that, Segel penned three additional feature films: The Muppets, The Five-Year Engagement and Sex Tape.

Ricky Gervais

On top of creating and starring on TV shows like the original version of The Office, Episodes and Extras, Ricky Gervais has also written some popular movies throughout his career. The British actor and comedian has crafted The Invention of Lying, Special Correspondents, Cemetery Junction and David Brent: Life on the Road.

Woody Allen 

Throughout his career, which goes back the mid 1950s, Woody Allen has written, directed, and starred in dozens of movies, many of which are incredibly well-received. Over the years, Allen has won four Academy Awards, three of which were for Best Original Screenplay – Annie Hall, Hannah and Her Sisters, and Midnight in Paris – on top of all kinds of other accolades. However, Allen has only appeared in four of his own movies the past 20 years.

John Cusack 

Not only did he star in some of the most iconic comedies of the 1980s, some all-time great ‘90s movies, and experience a great deal of success, John Cusack has written a handful of films throughout his career. This short list also happens to include some of his Cusack's best movies like High Fidelity and Grosse Pointe Blank. His other writing credits include War, Inc. and We Are Not Animals.

Rashida Jones 

Rashida Jones is perhaps best known for her roles on NBC comedy hits The Office and Parks and Recreation, but the actress has also written a few screenplays throughout her career. This includes Celeste and Jesse Forever, the 2018 documentary, Quincy, which is about her dad -- music legend Quicy Jones. She also has a story credit for Toy Story 4 and wrote “Nosedive,” one of the best Black Mirror episodes.

Tom McCarthy 

Tom McCarthy is best known for writing and directing Spotlight, the riveting journalism movie that won Best Picture and Best Original Screenplay at the 88th Academy Awards. But while he was in the process of becoming an award-winning filmmaker, McCarthy put together a decent acting resume that included a memorable turn on The Wire (during the final season), Meet the Parents, Good Night, and Good Luck, Syriana and Michael Clayton.

Each of these nearly three-dozen actors has quite the resume, both in terms of on-screen performances and written work, making them more than deserving of any and all praise.

Over the years, Woody Allen has written and directed some of the best romantic comedies of all time, dramas that blur the line between reality and fantasy, and intricate crime thrillers that leave you guessing until the very end. In the near future, the acclaimed and controversial filmmaker will release his next film (his 50th, in fact): Coup de Chance, or Stroke of Luck in French.

If this is the first you’re hearing about the new romance/drama/thriller, don’t worry; we have a decent amount of information to share with you. From its cast to trailer to why this could very well be the final addition to Allen’s prolific filmography, here’s everything we know about Coup de Chance.

What Is The Coup De Chance Release Date?

No United States release date has been announced for Coup de Chance, but Woody Allen’s new movie will have a theatrical rollout in France starting on September 27, 2023. The release of the new movie is being handled by Metropolitan FilmExport, a French distribution company that has also brought some of the best A24 movies to the country in recent years. The movie had its world premiere at the 2023 Venice Film Festival where it received a five-minute standing ovation, according to Deadline.

Though no domestic company has stepped in to handle distribution for Coup de Chance in the United States, be on the lookout for more information in the coming weeks and months about different ways to check it out for yourself.

The Coup De Chance Cast Includes Lou De Laâge, Niels Schneider, And Melvil Poupaud

Throughout his career, Woody Allen has worked with a large assortment of actors ranging from Diane Keaton and MIchael Caine to Scarlett Johansson and Timothée Chalamet, with dozens upon dozens of up-and-comers and established stars in some of the best movies of all time. Though the Coup de Chance cast doesn’t feature any big-time Hollywood A-listers, the director will be working with another talented group.

According to Metropolitan FilmExport, Lou De Laâge will take on the role of Fanny, a young woman happily married to Jean, played by Melvil Poupaud. Niels Schneider steps in as Alain, an old friend of Fanny’s whose arrival throws some complications into their lives. Also in the cast are Valerie Lemercier, Elsa Zylberstein, Bárbara Goenaga, Grégory Gadebois, Anne Loiret, Sara Martins, Guillaume de Tonquédec and Arnaud Viard, per Deadline.

The Coup De Chance Trailer Is Full Of Romance, Infidelity, And Hints Of Murder

In August 2023, the official Woody Allen YouTube page posted the first (and perhaps only) Coup de Chance trailer – 90-second teaser of things to come in the romantic crime thriller. Despite being rather short when compared to other new trailers, the preview packs in a lot of details and intrigue that both gets you excited for the upcoming film and leaves you guessing as to what’s going to happen next.

Romance, infidelity, and hints of murder are all present in the video, with shots of supposedly happy couples, steamy love affairs, and mystery men snooping around in the shadows. It’s not hard to think about Allen’s other thrillers like Match Point, Scoop, and Cassandra’s Dream after watching this teaser. If Coup de Chance is half as riveting and complex as those three movies, fans of the director will be in good shape once it finally lands stateside at some point in the near future.

The Movie Centers On A Parisian Couple Whose Lives Are Disrupted By The Arrival Of An Old Friend

If the official synopsis provided by the Venice Film Festival (where the movie premiered out of competition in September 2023) is any indication, Coup de Chance sounds very much in line with a great number of Woody Allen’s previous works in that it focuses on a seemingly normal and apparently happily married couple whose lives are thrown into disarray. In the movie, Fanny (Lou De Laâge) and Jean (Melvil Poupaud) have it all: a healthy relationship, established jobs, and a beautiful apartment in the center of Paris. But Alain (Niels Schneider), Fanny’s high school classmate, complicates things when he shows up and sweeps her off her feet.

The Movie Is Entirely In French

One thing you may notice from the Coup de Chance trailer is that it is entirely in French, and that’s the case for the movie as a whole. During a press conference following the movie’s premiere at the Venice Film Festival (via The Upcoming), Woody Allen was asked why he decided on making the movie in French, a language he doesn’t even speak:

The “genuine European filmmaker” line was referencing a story earlier in the conference in which Allen talked about being inspired by French, Italian, and Swedish filmmakers when he was younger, and how he always wanted to be part of such a group. Now he has his wish.

Coup De Chance Could Be Woody Allen’s Final Movie

Woody Allen has come out and said Coup de Chance will be his swan song, but when discussing his 50th movie in a Variety interview in September 2023, the director of the Academy Award-winning Annie Hall, Blue Jasmine, and Midnight in Paris (which received a great review from CinemaBlend) explained that the whole “raising money” aspect of getting a film made was one thing he didn’t know if he could do any longer. He explained,

This comes a little less than a year after Allen told Spanish newspaper La Vanguardia (via Deadline) that he would be retiring after making a film called Wasp 22, which was eventually retitled to Coup de Chance. Instead of making more movies, Allen said at the time, he would like to focus on writing.

Only time will tell if Coup de Chance is in fact Woody Allen’s final film – a movie that will hopefully find its way to the United States sooner or later. In the meantime, check out the 2023 movie calendar to see what other big screen (and streaming) releases are coming out the final few months of the year.

HBO's new docuseries, Allen v. Farrow, only premiered on Sunday, but with such a public and controversial case at the center of its story, you can believe that many people are paying very close attention to it and debating the information it lays forth. While it probably wasn't completely unexpected that the docuseries would bring up more issues surrounding Mia Farrow and her daughter, Dylan, accusing Woody Allen of sexually abusing her when she was a child, now there's already a possible lawsuit in the works because of Allen v. Farrow.

According to Deadline, the four-part docuseries, which details those allegations of sexual abuse, could now be at the center of a lawsuit. Skyhorse Publishing is considering taking legal action against HBO, as well as filmmakers Amy Ziering and Kirby Dick, on the grounds of copyright infringement, because the company believes that audio from the audiobook version of Woody Allen's 2020 memoir, Apropos of Nothing, was used without proper authorization.

Representatives for the publishing house say that no one at Skyhorse was ever contacted by the filmmakers or HBO about gaining the rights to use those audiobook excerpts, and that, at the end of last week, the company received "second hand" information which alerted them to the fact that each episode of Allen v. Farrow, supposedly, "makes extensive use" of audio from Allen's book. Furthermore, Skyhorse also noted that when they got the warning, they sent a letter last Friday to the in-house counsel at the premium cabler to let it be known they were considering taking legal action, but still have yet to get a response from HBO.

In a statement, those at Skyhorse also said:

So, what is the potential that Skyhorse has a real case against HBO and the directors behind Allen v. Farrow? Apparently, Allen-narrated audiobook excerpts are used in each of the four-part series, with over three minutes of the recordings used in just the first episode. While the Fair Use Doctrine does allow for works which hold a copyright to be used without explicit permission in some instances (such as research, teaching, criticism, news reporting, and in other ways), it usually only permits less than 10 seconds of such material to be used without a license. And, just by the usage seen in the first episode of Allen v. Farrow, it's quite possible that Skyhorse has a very sturdy legal leg to stand on.

One of the reasons that the filmmakers appear to have resorted to using bits of Allen's audiobook, was simply to represent his side of the story in their investigation of the sexual abuse case. Allen v. Farrow gained full access to Mia and Dylan Farrow, as well as several family friends and others who have first hand experience with the allegations and the lawsuit which followed, but Woody Allen and his wife Soon-Yi Previn were contacted but declined to participate. About the docuseries, a spokesperson for Allen said:

A representative for the filmmakers, Ziering and Dick, who directed the docuseries, said in a statement Monday that they "legally used limited audio excerpts from Woody Allen’s memoir in the series under the Fair Use doctrine," but it appears that Skyhorse will not see it that way once those at the company have had a chance to watch the rest of the episodes.

Allen v. Farrow airs Sundays at 9 p.m. EST on HBO.

We're in an unprecedented time, as this spring will mark a full year of society living largely in isolation. Unfortunately there are a variety of issues that can come with this privacy, especially when wellness checks are eventually needed. And unfortunately this was proven in Chelsea, New York, as an actor and his mother were both recently found dead. What's more, it seemed he was using Febreze to mask the smell of his mother before passing away himself.

This wild and tragic story comes to us from the New York Post. The story revolves around New York based actor William “Bill” Wedell. He was 64 at the time of his death, and had film credits that include Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors. Unfortunately, he and his mother Agnes were discovered dead inside their shared home on 23rd street this past Saturday.

The story is still evolving, but law enforcement reportedly believed that Agnes died days before her son, with William seemingly using Febreze canisters to help mask the odors. What's more, authorities estimate that he lived for around five days with his dead mother's body inside their home before eventually passing away himself.

It's a harrowing tale, especially when one puts themselves in William Wedell's shoes in the final days in his life. When a wellness check was eventually made both bodies were discovered, as well as the various cans of Febreze that were around their home. It's currently unclear exactly what the cause of death was for either individual, although Agnes was reportedly sick for a while prior to her death. Of course, the isolation that the family's likely been living in has made the timeline a bit more confusing.

As for William Wedell's fate specifically, there are a number of factors going into the late actor's unexpected death. According to reports from the scene, law enforcement aren't currently suspecting foul play in the 64 year-old's death. Although it was noted that police had gotten a number of calls about Wedell's drinking in the past.

The entire story is an upsetting one, and we'll just have to wait and see if there are more updates regarding the death of both William Wedell and his mother Agnes. The story itself and use of Febreze are sure to make their deaths viral, as it highlights the dangers of the isolation we've all been dealing with over the past few months.

Aside from his work on Woody Allen's Crimes and Misdemeanors, William Wedell was also reportedly seen in the 1994 Nicolas Cage flick It Could Happen to You. That movie's title is certainly foreboding, especially when considering the sad way the actor would ultimately pass away. We here at CinemaBlend are giving out thoughts to the family during this difficult time.

Be sure to check out our 2021 release list to plan your next movie experience.

It’s been a tumultuous few years for Woody Allen, yet he’s back on the scene now with a tell-all book describing his version of events as he says they’ve played out over the years. The new book, called Apropos of Nothing, includes a chapter in which Allen discusses Timothee Chalamet cutting ties with him after they filmed Rainy Day together. According to Allen, it was all a ploy for an Oscar bid.

The year old accusations against Woody Allen in regards to his daughter Dylan Farrow resurfaced was the same year that Timothee Chalamet starred in Call Me By My Name opposite Armie Hammer. It’s also the year Chalamet promised his salary from his work with Woody Allen on A Rainy Day In New York would go to Times Up and other organizations. Per Allen, this was just a Hollywood power play. He wrote:

The quote, which comes from an Apropos of Nothing excerpt (via EW) also mentions Woody Allen saying he “didn’t regret working with” Chalamet. The actor has not commented on Allen's take.

A Rainy Day in New York also starred Rebecca Hall, Selena Gomez, Jude Law, Diego Luna, Elle Fanning and Liev Schreiber. The movie was supposed to be released on Amazon in 2019, but the company ultimately opted to shelve the movie and not give it a release. It marked the first time in decades a Woody Allen film did not get released in a given year. It did release elsewhere in the world, including in Europe and South America.

Meanwhile, Timothee Chalamet was not the only one to give away his earnings from his movie. Rebecca Hall also donated hers to Times Up. Selena Gomez in addition has given money to Times Up’s Legal Defense Fund. For his own part, Woody Allen has aggressively declared his innocence regarding allegations made by his ex-wife, daughter and other family members numerous times.

Timothee Chalamet did earn an Oscar nod in 2018, but the nomination came after he made the announcement about his working relationship with Woody Allen. He did not win the Oscar for Best Actor, losing to Gary Oldman (and his epic embodiment of Winston Churchill) in Darkest Hour.

Apropos of Nothing had a little trouble getting published after Hachette Book Group dropped it, but ultimately hit shelves on March 23, 2020 after being released by Arcade Publishing. The contents of the book span Woody Allen’s early life through the high points of his career and his various relationships.

Amazon is firing back with its first big move as it stares down a massive $68 million lawsuit by Woody Allen for a breach of contract. The company claims that it was justified in terminating the remainder of its multi-film contract with the director, and is using the events and controversial comments made by Allen to fuel the claim.

Specifically, Amazon has taking aim at Woody Allen's controversial comments made at the time news broke on the Harvey Weinstein controversy, in which Allen publicly warned the news could create a "witch hunt atmosphere" in Hollywood. THR reported Amazon added that Allen's dismissal of Dylan Farrow's memories of sexual abuse as an excuse to use the #MeToo movement for attention added to the controversy and made further work with him impossible.

Amazon's argument is that Woody Allen made the comments with a failure to recognize the gravity of the situation, or the implication that it would have on his career despite the increasing number of top talents who announced they wouldn't work with him. This is what the company is saying justifies the termination of the contract, and why the case should be dismissed.

Amazon's argument will have some issues, as some believe the evidence presented can be argued as a legitimate risk the company knew it was taking on when it initially signed the deal with Woody Allen. For example, while the claims of Allen's abuse against Dylan Farrow were re-ignited by the #MeToo movement, the claim against him has been public knowledge for decades. Amazon continued on with the deal knowing that news was out there, albeit before the Weinstein comments.

As for Woody Allen's side of the argument, Amazon cannot drop its contract with him on the grounds of a longstanding allegation that is "baseless," in the words of a statement from his legal complaint. This means that, whether Amazon wants to show Allen's future work or not, he's still owed the money from the deal. That is likely where the $68 million amount comes from.

The court case is being looked on by interested parties throughout Hollywood, who wish to see whether or not courts will uphold grounds of dismissing high-profile contracts due to the events of the #MeToo movement. If the courts end up ruling in favor of Amazon, it may encourage other companies that were on the line with actors caught in controversy to try and sever any expensive contracts they had.

CinemaBlend will keep an eye on the ongoing legal proceedings between Woody Allen and Amazon, as well as keep readers up to date on the latest and greatest entertainment news. As an example, hop on over to our latest news on Pet Sematary to see what critics have to say about the latest Stephen King adaptation.

Woody Allen has spent the last few years making movies and doing TV projects with Amazon; however, previous allegations against the director by his family were brought into the limelight again as part of the Times Up movement and now it looks as if Woody Allen won't have a movie out in 2019. The hiatus from directing might be a forced one. If Woody Allen can't find the funding for a new project, it will be the first time he's skipped out on making a movie in a calendar year in decades. The last time Allen had a gap was between 1980's Stardust Memories and 1982's A Midsummer Night's Sex Comedy.

Back in January, reports indicated that Amazon seemed to be distancing itself from the director, despite having a deal in place that should see Woody Allen do three more movies with the streaming giant. Now it looks as those three movies might not happen at all. Right now, there's a tentative plan listed on IMDB's Woody Allen page for a movie in 2020, but it's unclear what that project is or if it could come together. According to Page Six, there are two issues: the allegations by Ronan Farrow on behalf of Dylan Farrow and also the problem that Woody Allen movies don't always make money and the director reportedly has had trouble financing films for years. A spokesperson for Woody Allen also told the outlet these claims are not true, however.

The deal began when Amazon helped to release Cafe Society in 2016. Amazon later signed on to actually produce and create more films with Allen, including 2017's Wonder Wheel, which came out to underwhelming reviews. Allen also created a TV show Crisis in Six Scenes for the streaming service, but the transition into TV programming was not smooth for the director. Another film, A Rainy Day in New York, has already been filmed with Timothee Chalamet, Selena Gomez, Elle Fanning, Rebecca Hall, Jude Law, Diego Luna Live Schreiber, Annaleigh Ashford, Cherry Jones and more.

That movie is supposed to be released before 2019 hits, but Amazon has not made it clear when that could happen, either. In fact, some of the people involved with the cast of A Rainy Day in New York have spoken out against working with the director after completing work on the movie. Timothee Chalamet and more donated their wages from A Rainy Day In New York following the allegations coming to light again. Earlier reports indicated the film may not come out at all.

Woody Allen has had a few gaps in making movies during his career, including the aforementioned post- Stardust Memories gap and a gap between Love and Death and Annie Hall in the late seventies. However, at this point he's 82 years of age. It looks almost certain that he'll at least take a break from the movies in 2019, leaving the question of whether or not he will even want to or attempt to return to the business in the year following. We'll keep you posted if there's any definitive word on what Amazon will do with A Rainy Day in New York or what Woody Allen does next. For now, you can take a look at what will definitely be released before 2018 with our full movies schedule.

Both Amazon and Netflix have been making spectacular in-roads when it comes to the production of their own motion pictures. Though in the case of Amazon Studios, the company gas stuck with theatrical distribution, with the help of partners. But starting with Woody Allen's Wonder Wheel, the retailer/film company is going to do something it has never done before: distribute its own motion picture.

Per a brand new announcement, Amazon Studios has not only produced Allen's latest film, but the company will also put the money into releasing the film to the public. It's not clear how wide of a run Wonder Wheel will have in terms of its theatrical debut, but whatever it may be it's the retail magnate turned content provider that's going to be rolling the film out. On the surface, this is pretty big news. But when you really think about the implications of Amazon becoming a full-fledged movie distrubutor, there's another financial consideration the company will more than likely have to foot the bill for when it comes to making a project of this prestige, on beyond simple marketing.

Seeing as Amazon Studios will now make its own calls when it comes to both production and theatrical distribution of Wonder Wheel, that more than likely means that the company will be pouring its own money into the film's seemingly-inevitable awards season campaign. With Kate Winslet in the lead, and Woody Allen writing/directing the film, there's already some firepower packed for the upcoming race. It wouldn't be a surprise if Justin Timberlake sweetens the pot a little more when it comes to the film's awards chances, either.

Written and directed by Woody Allen, Wonder Wheel is set in 1950s Coney Island, and is set around the lives of a carousel operator (Jim Belushi) and his wife (Kate Winslet), who are visited by their daughter (Juno Temple) following a long estrangement. Justin Timberlake is apparently both the narrator and a character in the story, observing the family's activities as a local lifeguard.

Variety's report on this new strategy suggests a bold new phase in Amazon's movie-making future. Should Wonder Wheel pan out to be the success that the studio hopes it will be, there's a chance that the company will decide to move more of its films into theaters holding the same kind of sway. In time, Amazon might just find themselves operating as a distribution house that is consistently producing content for both the silver screen and for streaming.

We'll ultimately see the might of Wonder Wheel when the film rolls into theaters on December 1st.

Woody Allen made headlines when he signed on to do his first major TV project with a series exclusively for Amazon. He agreed to the project without any set ideas in place and without even really knowing how Amazon worked, and he's been candid about how hard a time he's had with production. Now, the first trailer for the Miley Cyrus-starring Crisis in Six Scenes has hit the web to give us our first look at Woody Allen's 60s-era comedy, and it's definitely worth checking out. Take a look!

Both Woody Allen and Amazon have kept pretty quiet on what exactly to expect out of the plot of Crisis in Six Scenes. We've known for a while that it will take place in the 1960s during a time of political upheaval; the trailer proves that we'll be seeing the '60s from the points-of-view of unsuspecting suburbanites. The status quo will be rocked when an unexpected and somewhat radical guest drops by to stay with an otherwise moderate family. As would be expected of any Woody Allen production, stammering shenanigans will ensue.

Woody Allen has already revealed that Crisis in Six Scenes has been designed as a project that will come to a definitive conclusion after the six half-hour episodes, so we shouldn't count on the show becoming an ongoing series that will run for years and years. The cast won't spend too much time in their roles, but they look like they'll be making the most of their time on Crisis.

The casting of Miley Cyrus in Woody Allen's first big TV project was one of the biggest surprises to come out of the production. He chose the actress after being impressed by her work as a teenybopper pop star on the Disney Channel series Hannah Montana. Judging by what we can see of Cyrus in the trailer for Crisis in Six Scenes, there won't be a whole lot of Hannah in her new character.

A young woman with radical ideas, a stash of marijuana, and a blatant disregard for the rules regard household oranges certainly sounds like a catalyst for change in quiet suburbia. Who knows? Maybe by the time all six episodes are complete, Woody Allen's character will have been changed in a big way by Miley Cyrus' character. He won't have a bra to burn like the excitable housewives in the preview, but anything can happen.

Elaine May looks like she'll be a perfect fit for one of the suburban housewives ready for some changes to her daily routine. Her character certainly appears more open to shifts to the norm than Woody Allen's. At the very least, she seems less panicked at the prospect of diversity in the front hall of their home.

On the whole, Crisis in Six Scenes looks like it has all the makings of the typical Woody Allen project, just set in the 1960s. Given Allen's success in bringing laughs to audiences everywhere for more than six decades now, however, a typical Woody Allen project is probably going to be a pretty fantastic production. His brand of quirkiness has always been amusing, and it should be interesting to see how it translates to television.

All six episodes of Crisis in Six Scenes will be available on Amazon Video on September 30, 2016. Take a look at our fall TV premiere schedule to see what else you'll be able to watch on the small screen in the near future.

Woody Allen has always had a knack for great casting and collaboration, so news that he would be working on a series for Amazon Prime surely meant that he’d find stellar actors to bring his characters to life. It was therefore a big surprise to some of us when Allen signed none other than former teenybopper Miley Cyrus to play the lead role. Cyrus just hasn’t had the type of career to this point that generally culminates in a prominent role in a Woody Allen project, but according to the man himself, Cyrus made an impression on him before they even met.

Woody Allen’s reveal to THR that Miley Cyrus first impressed him with her work on Hannah Montana is definitely unexpected. Honestly, the fact that Woody Allen has even heard of Hannah Montana, let alone watched enough of it to be impressed with the young star, is something of a shocker. Cyrus recently gave a rather morbid statement that Hannah has a special place in her heart despite being chopped up and buried in her backyard, but now that Hannah has gotten her cast in a Woody Allen project, I have to hope that the character has a slightly more special place in her heart now. Something tells me that twerking videos might not have given the famed director the same opinion of her potential as an actress.

Not too much is actually known about the Amazon project at this point aside from the fact that it's a domestic comedy taking place in the late 1960s. The original announcement from Amazon revealed that a full season of six half-hour episodes was ordered right off the bat, with Woody Allen set to both write and direct. Allen later came out and admitted that the series has been very hard for him as a big departure from his usual big screen ventures, but his enthusiasm for Miley Cyrus as the lead is encouraging after his more negative comments about the production process.

In addition to casting Miley Cyrus, Woody Allen also signed Elaine May on for a major role on the series. It’s an unlikely trio of talent, and only time will tell if Allen was correct all those years ago when he decided that the young Hannah Montana actress has the talent to headline his sort of project.

We likely won’t be seeing Woody Allen’s series on Amazon anytime too soon, so be sure to check out our summer TV premiere schedule to see what you’ll be able to watch in the meantime. And when you're done with that, consider the fact that Woody Allen hasn't seen Mad Men or Breaking Bad, but made a huge job decision based upon his time with a Disney comedy.

Remember back in 2000, when Miley Cyrus was just a chip off her country star father’s old block as the tween icon of Disney’s Hannah Montana? Maturity is a weird thing, and Cyrus has basically done everything possible to distance herself from those more innocent days. Her return to television, oddly enough, will be a departure from both teen comedies and on-stage twerking, as she is set to take on a leading role in Woody Allen’s in-development Amazon series, along with actress and filmmaker Elaine May. Feel free to let that wrecking ball of an announcement bounce around in your head for a sec.

This project was announced quite a while back, but Allen has kept ostensibly mum as far as narrative details are concerned – although he has complained about the process – and this big step forward in casting was the first real sign of proof that the 1960s-set series is actually a thing that will exist. As such, we have no clue what kind of characters Cyrus and May will be playing, but we’re betting that one or both has a complication-heavy relationship.

Even though Cyrus stopped playing Hannah Montana back in 2011, that doesn’t mean she’s been entirely absent from TV as of late. She made an exposed return to the Saturday Night Live stage as a host and musical guest last year, and paired that with a hosting gig at the MTV Video Music Awards. She also showed up on talk shows both in the morning and in late night, and sang with Bill Murray in the Netflix special A Very Murray Christmas. But nothing in her career thus far is comparable to “leading Woody Allen’s first TV series.”

The addition of Elaine May is equally as strange as Miley Cyrus signing on. Her last on-screen role was for Allen’s Small Time Crooks in 2000, which itself came after years away from acting. She also wrote and directed the legendary Hollywood bomb Ishtar, as well as the much better 1971 romantic comedy A New Leaf (pictured above). She also wrote The Birdcage, which is always worth a rewatch. Here’s hoping Allen’s scripts were so good that she couldn’t resist hopping back in front of the camera.

Amazon, still in its award-winning afterglow, has a lot of quality programming on the way, including Season 2 of Man in the High Castle, Season 3 of Transparent and a Galaxy Quest series. The service also just released all 10 Season 1 episodes of Mad Dogs, the latest tension-filled series from The Shield creator Shawn Ryan, which is getting more positive reviews than not. There’s a good chance Woody Allen’s presence could bring even more acclaim and subscribers to Amazon, and Miley Cyrus could attract a viewership that Allen hasn’t had before.

According to Deadline, Woody Allen’s next project is set to begin filming in March, at which point it will hopefully have a proper title and several other WTF names attached to it. My fingers are crossed for Method Man, Robert Durst and the ghost of Andy Kaufman. What do you guys think of Miley Cyrus making her way back to the small screen?

So, Bruce Willis left the latest Woody Allen movie, and though initial reports say it was due to a scheduling conflict, the latest reports are that the Die Hard star got canned. But don’t worry if you’re super psyched for the neurotic auteur’s next film and worried it might be delayed, because they already replaced Willis, and they landed a an A-lister to boot.

According to a report from Deadline, the as-yet-untitled film has cast The Office and The 40-Year-Old Virgin star Steve Carell to take over for Bruce Willis. There’s definitely a different style moving from one of these actors to the other. This will be Carell’s second time teaming up with Allen, as he was also part of the director’s 2004 romantic comedy-drama Melinda and Melinda.

Though there is little in the way of details on this latest Woody Allen joint—he’s known for keeping the specifics under wraps—Carell once again appears to be part of a rather sizeable ensemble. He joins an impressive cast that includes Blake Lively, Jesse Eisenberg, Parker Posey, Kristen Stewart, Corey Stoll, Ken Stott, Anna Camp, Jeannie Berline, Sari Lennick, Paul Schneider, and Stephen Kunken.

Aside from who’s in the film, and that it’s another Woody Allen picture—he works at an impressive pace, averaging at least a film a year for more than forty years—we don’t know much about the project. However, even with this late-in-the-game actor swap, production is expected to proceed as planned, and it shoots this month in both Los Angeles and New York.

Originally, it was reported that Bruce Willis was leaving the production due to a prior scheduling conflict. He is slated to appear in a Broadway adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery later this fall. That, as we’ve since learned, does not appear to be the case, and reports indicate that Willis was having trouble on set and was unable to remember his lines, even with cue cards to help, and was butting heads with the cast and crew.

This wouldn’t be the first time that Willis has run into friction with co-workers. Stories of trouble playing nice with others go all the way back to Cybill Shepherd on Moonlighting, and continue all the way up to the likes of The Expendables movies—he reportedly clashed with Sylvester Stallone over money. Perhaps now we need to add Woody Allen to the list of directors that includes Michael Bay and Kevin Smith who Bruce Willis has had problems with in the past.

Bruce Willis has indeed left the cast of Woody Allen’s upcoming film, but not for the reasons that we initially thought. While early reports indicated that Willis departed from the project as a result of scheduling conflicts with his participation in an adaptation of Stephen King’s Misery on Broadway, it has now come to light that director Woody Allen may have in fact fired the Die Hard star. 

According to Hitfix, this news comes based off a Twitter excange between The Wrap’s Jeff Sneider and Tom O'Leary, which indicates Willis experienced immense difficulty delivering his lines. This trouble impeded production and caused excess stress on cast and crew members.

A representative for Woody Allen spoke out, stating that Willis’ character has in fact been recast – according to Deadline, comic actor Steve Carell has taken over the role – and production will not slow down as a result of this development.

This wouldn’t be the first time that filmmakers have had trouble working with Bruce Willis – the actor has an antagonistic history with several former collaborators. Dating all the way back to his early career work on Moonlighting, Willis has had tumultuous relationships with numerous colleagues in Hollywood. These range from actress Cybill Shepherd to directors Michael Bay and Kevin Smith. In his memoir, Smith went so far as to state that Willis’ behavior ruined all perceptions Smith had of the iconic actor from his youth.

Most recently, a dispute between Willis and Sylvester Stallone grabbed headlines when Stallone replaced Willis with Harrison Ford on the action ensemble The Expendables 3. When questioned on the matter, Stallone cited Willis’ greed as a driving force behind the parting of ways.

That being said, Willis does have his share of allies in Hollywood. He notably championed M. Night Shyamalan when the director’s career was still in it’s adolescence, and the two could potentially reunite at some point in the near future for a new collaboration.

Most of the details surrounding the now Willis-free Woody Allen project remain closely guarded, but we know it stars Blake Lively, Parker Posey, Jesse Eisenberg, Kristen Stewart, and now Steve Carell. After this, most certainly with a free schedule, Willis will debut in Misery on October 22 of this year.

Just as Woody Allen's latest film was off to a running start, fate tries to handicap it from the start. Don't let the headline fool you into thinking that Bruce Willis is making a Cop Out sequel, however do let it suggest that he's indeed out of the untitled project that he'd recently signed onto. The reason being that as Willis was set to debut in his first Woody Allen film, another debut took precedent, that being his schedule as one of the stars of the Broadway adaptation of Stephen King's Misery.

Deadline broke the skinny, detailing that the demands of the stage production set to start its preview run on October 22nd were great enough that the Die Hard actor had to bow out of his commitment to the Woody Allen picture. While it may seem like almost two months would be enough to fulfill a contractual obligation, this is the theater we're talking about here. Bruce Willis is going to need every chance he gets to memorize a script full of Stephen King's masterful writing adapted by legendary scripter William Goldman. With two greats distilled into one project, there isn't any room for a third, and it's sad to say it but Misery came first, Woody.

What makes Bruce Willis' departure all the more saddening is the fact that the first photos of his limited time on the film's L.A. set showed him interacting with Jesse Eisenberg's character. Even more tantalizing is the fact that the film is now officially confirmed as a period piece that could range from the 30's to the 50's, judging by the car and the wardrobe of the cast in the photos. So while seeing Willis acting against the perfectly cast Laurie Metcalf as the unhinged nursemaid Annie Wilkes, we can't help but feel some sadness that we won't get to see the man who first made his bones with wisecracking, fast-talking comedy return to his roots in such a prestigious way.

Though this doesn't mean you Woody Allen fans should fret, as the role Willis held is currently being put on the fast track toward recasting. Judging by the look of things in this new, yet-to-be-titled film; as well as Allen's track record with the stories he likes to tell, we're going to bet that this film is going to be about the Hollywood studio system in the golden age of Hollywood. Considering Willis' stature and intimidation, it's a likely bet that he'll be playing a studio head that's making huge demands of Jesse Eisenberg's would be writer character. With those criteria in mind, may we suggest perhaps Stanley Tucci or John Goodman to fill the void? Both are commanding enough to be intimidating, but still funny enough to land the patented Woody Allen comedy buttons.

Woody Allen's untitled film has as much of a release date as a plot synopsis – in other words, no date has been set just yet. However, you can see his latest, Irrational Man, in an art house theater near you. Also, if you're in the New York area starting on October 22nd, you can see Bruce Willis making his screaming Broadway in Misery.

When it comes to his work, Woody Allen is a man of secrets. He has a history of revealing the plots, and even the titles of his upcoming projects at a later point than any other film would. We have to assume the reasons are that not only does he want to surprise the world with the next project he's crafted by hand, but also because he's Woody Allen and the studios know to let the man work. The one thing he doesn't shy away from with his up-and-coming projects, though, is his cast, and his latest untitled project definitely has one worth bragging about.

In an official press release issued today, the follow up to Allen's current release, Irrational Man, has laid down its casting cards with the shoot set to start this month in New York and Los Angeles. While we're not sure the bi-coastal approach is to accommodate the story Woody Allen's getting ready to tell, we have a feeling it might be a measure to accommodate the following platter of movers and shakers:

The daughter of Hollywood legend Elaine May, Jeannie Berlin is probably best known for originating the role of Lila, the "wife from hell" in her mother's original version of The Heartbreak Kid. She was most recently see in Paul Thomas Anderson's 70's set drug trip / noir mystery Inherent Vice.

Also joining the cast of Woody Allen's latest film is previous collaborator Jesse Eisenberg. Eisenberg was previously seen in Allen's 2012 picture To Rome With Love. If there was a young male lead that seemed fit to take over the neurotic shoes that Woody Allen himself would have filled in his acting prime, Eisenberg is the actor who tops the list. While his previous film with Allen was more of a vignette filled caper, we can't help but hope that the ever-talented Eisenberg will be front and center this time around.

While Parker Posey is also a returning member of the Allen Repertory Cast, she's only a charter member for the time being. This film marks her second project with the director, as she started working with him on this year's Irrational Man. Something in Posey's dry wit must have caught Woody's ear, as she's back in business with the auteur so soon.

We can't help but think her role in The Age Of Adeline helped secure Blake Lively a spot in this untitled project. Though the film was certainly no success story, it did manage to give Lively a chance to act with the air of a woman much older than her current phase in life. Her impressive performance in that respect must have proved that she was ready to handle some of the material the older skewing Allen has provided in this new film.

Another new member to the team is Kristen Stewart. Considering her career choices as of late, Stewart's indie goodwill tour was bound to make a stop in Allen's camp. With raves for her performance in Clouds Of Sils Maria winning her the first ever Cesar awarded to an American actress, a performance in a Woody Allen film seems like a good move if the young actress is pondering the notion of jumping back into mainstream cinema.

Ernest Hemmingway is back, ladies and gentlemen... or at least, the man who played him in Allen's Midnight In Paris is anyway. While obviously on a break from hunting vampires on The Strain, Corey Stoll has found time to pick up another piece of the Woody Allen Ensemble. If his performance is as excellent as his previous portrayal of a macho literary legend, then we're in for a treat indeed.

You may not recognize Ken Stott at face value, but put some white hair his face and hand him a weapon, you'd be in a better place to recognize him. With The Hobbit trilogy behind him, Stott has taken on more roles in the UK, mostly on TV. Something must have caught his fancy though, to make him travel to either coast for filming. 

Last, but certainly not least, is someone that we'd never have pegged to be working with Allen in a million years... Bruce "MCCLANE!" Willis. While he's certainly no stranger to mixing up his career with a more quiet film here or there, it's a surprise to think that this is Willis' first time working with Woody Allen. Hopefully his collaboration with Willis will inspire something akin to the experience of making Looper, as opposed to the well documented hell that was Cop Out.

So there you have it: a veritable buffet of actors that are ready and willing to work with the legendary Woody Allen! All we need now is a release date and a title, and we'll be even more excited! For now, stay tuned for further details as we'll be breaking them when they drop. 

Despite the negativity that surrounds Woody Allen’s personal life, there’s no doubt that he’s become one of the most prolific writer/directors of our time. The 79-year-old has more screenwriting Oscar nominations than any other, and continues to put out a movie a year, like clockwork. But the man who is still putting out cinematic treasures in our more modern world isn’t even invested in the digital age. He doesn’t own a computer, and has never seen anything online. So when Allen agreed to working with Amazon to write and direct a full season of half-hour episodes, the writer/director immediately regretted it.

The project was announced about four months ago in response to Transparent’s big win at the Golden Globes. The award got Amazon to thinking, and soon after, they were snagging Woody Allen for a project. While promoting the release of his latest film, Irrational Man starring Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix, Allen told Deadline that he completely regrets signing on for this project, and doesn’t even know what a streaming service is:

Allen admitted that he never even knew what Amazon was (does he live under a rock?!) and that when gets home at night he watches baseball or basketball or Charlie Rose. He’d never even seen The Sopranos. So when Amazon approached him, he reiterated to them that he never watched television, had no ideas for it, and really didn’t know how to make a successful show. But as they continued to coerce him with better and better deals, and told him he could have complete creative freedom, Allen went for it.

Allen has always been vocal about his insecurities and anxieties though, and admitted that much of it has fueled his career, so could this just be the right anxiety to create a masterpiece? The writer/director is hesitant, he knows movies, and even knows stage, but TV is an entirely different world. His only TV experience comes in form of TV movies and a hosting gig for a Saturday morning children’s documentary series, Hot Dog, hardly the highbrow material that Amazon is probably hoping for.

Still no official timeline on the untitled series quite yet, like Allen said, he has until the end of 2016 to finish. Whether or not his completed product will surpass his own predicted failure, is another story. But for now we can just hope that this insecurity can fuel the fire.

In a span of less than 10 years, Emma Stone has become a household name and undoubtable talent in the film industry. She’s continuing to score bigger and better roles and was even nominated for an Academy Award this year for her stellar performance as a young recovering addict in ‎Alejandro González Iñárritu‘s Birdman. There’s no doubt that this is only the beginning of successful career ahead, but aside from the actress’ talents in her field, she always comes off as a humbled, down-to-earth chick that could get along with anyone.

It’s her likable qualities, along with her candid comments (and hysterical facial expressions) that bring us back time and time again to see her films. Stone’s gone from playing quirky minor roles in films such as Superbad to an upcoming co-starring role aside the critically-acclaimed Joaquin Phoenix in Woody Allen’s Irrational Man. Her road to success has been a thoroughly enjoyable ride, and the more you learn about the 26-year-old actress, the more lovable she becomes. So here are 15 reasons to love her even more (if that’s even possible).

She Had An Asthma Attack In A Fake Sex Scene

Unaware that she even had Asthma at the time, Emma Stone suffered from an asthma attack during a hysterical fake sex scene in Easy A. The scene takes place at a high school party where Stone’s character Olive makes a deal with a guy friend to pretend to have sex with him so that the school will stop making fun of him for being gay. Shooting the scene took hours of jumping up and down on a bed while screaming and yelling, and it caused Stone to have a small asthma attack. She joked with MTV about the embarrassing moment on set saying, “Oh for the love, I can’t even simulate sex without dying”.

She Was Almost Claire Bennet In Heroes

Emma Stone claims her rock bottom was when she lost out on the role of Claire Bennet in Heroes to Hayden Panettiere. She told Vanity Fair that it was an audition that she considers her most difficult Hollywood moment.

The girl who left the room was Panettiere who went on to play the role. But, Stone says that this “rock bottom” is what motivated her to let loose in her next audition which landed her a part in Drive. Drive led to Superbad and the rest is history.

She Was On A VH1 Reality Series

Emma Stone’s big television debut may not be what you expect. The Birdman has come a long way since her first big gig on a VH1 reality series called In Search of the Partridge Family. The premise of the show was to find people to star in a spinoff TV series called The New Partridge Family. When Stone’s mother saw a commercial for the show on TV, she told her daughter that she looked a bit like Susan Dey, suggesting she gave it a shot. Stone told Newsweek that even though the concept seemed silly, she didn’t regret her time on the show one bit. And it gave us the opportunity to see Stone show off her music chops in an angsty rendition of Meredith Brooks’ “Bitch” which you can watch here.

Her Real Name Isn’t Emma

Emma Stone’s real name is actually Emily Jean Stone. When the 26-year-old actress went to register her name with the Screen Actors Guild, Emily Stone was already taken. She told Interview magazine that she was only 16 at the time and hadn’t done anything yet so she decided she could be whatever she wanted. After going through a list of names she chose Riley, but soon after, she had a bit of an identity crisis:

She Taught Woody Allen How To Text

The incredibly talented Emma Stone has recently earned the title of Woody Allen’s latest muse, starring alongside Colin Firth in last year’s Magic in the Moonlight and the upcoming Irrational Man alongside Joaquin Phoenix. As it turns out, Stone helped Woody Allen get with the times. In an interview with The Observer, the critically-acclaimed director admitted that while he only recently started carrying around an iPhone (mostly to listen to his jazz tunes), Stone taught him how to text on the set of Magic in the Moonlight, which was a pretty big deal for the man who still uses a typewriter.

She Got Into Acting So She Could Host Saturday Night Live

The reason Emma Stone even got into acting in the first place was that she wanted to host Saturday Night Live. She told Vanity Fair that when she started her career she had no foresight, and the only goal she ever had was to host SNL. The Easy A star achieved her goal two times over, scoring hosting gigs in 2010 and 2011 on the sketch comedy show and Stone says that she’d never been so happy in her life.

Judd Apatow Made Her Dye Her Hair Red

The Emma Stone we’ve come to know and love seems to have always had her signature red-haired doo. But, it turns out that the The Amazing Spider-Man actress is actually a natural blonde. The red hair came about when Judd Apatow told her to dye it for her role in Superbad and it just stuck afterwards. She explained to Interview Magazine: Well, I came in with brown hair and Judd [Apatow] asked me to dye it red at the camera test, so I was already cast in the movie—it was just a thing that happened. Now I'm back to my roots. But I get a lot of questions about hair color. People are very into talking about hair.

She Has A Low Voice Because She Was A Colicky Baby

Emma Stone’s signature, sexy voice didn’t just magically happen. She joked with Now Toronto about being one of those smoking babies in YouTube videos, but really she was an extremely colickly baby.

She’s Afraid of Being Lifted Too High

Emma Stone has joked multiple times in interviews about her fear of spiders and needles, but the one fear she didn’t realize was so extreme until filming Crazy, Stupid, Love was her fear of being lifted too high. She told Collider that when Ryan Gosling lifted her over his head, a terrifying childhood memory sank in, and she she couldn’t take it.

She’s A Wedding Officiant

Emma Stone has surprised us time and time again with captivating performances, but it turns out the young actress’ talents go far beyond the big screen. Need someone to do the honor of officiating a wedding? Well turns out, Emma Stone is your girl. According to NY Daily NewsM, a few years ago Stone officiated the wedding between her publicist, Holly Shakoor and director Ruben Fleischer. Stone introduced the two when she was working on Gangster Squad, and the two fell in love. Fleischer had also worked with Stone on Zombieland, so it was only natural for the actress to officiate the wedding of her two friends.

She Was The Voice Of Ivana Tipton and Mazie

Emma Stone’s comedic acting has been used for a couple silly roles including the voices of two movie/tv star dogs. Stone was the voice of London Tipton (Brenda Song)’s dog, Ivana Tipton in the Disney channel series, The Suite Life of Zack and Cody back in 2006. Her skills voicing a mutt paid off too, because four years later the young star went on to voice an energetic Australian Shepherd named Mazie in the comic strip adaptation, Marmaduke.

She Convinced Her Parents To Let Her Become An Actor Using Powerpoint

When you ask Emma Stone what she wanted to be when she grew up, the answer is she always knew she wanted to be an actress. Since she was 7 years old, Stone knew she wanted to be an actress, but it took a bit of convincing for her parents. Stone had already convinced her parents to allow her to be home-schooled when she was 12 with a clipboard presentation, so when she had to confess her desire to move to L.A. and become an actress at age 14, she did so with PowerPoint. She told The New York Times that she made presentations because when she feels too strongly about something she gets incredibly emotional, and she learned early to be more logical during these important matters.

She Dropped Out Of High School At 15

After presenting the idea of moving to Hollywood, Emma Stone’s parents insisted she found an agent. Finally, when she did, Stone dropped out of high school at age 15 and enrolled in online courses. Though she never got a high school experience, The Help actress told Vanity Fair that she doesn’t regret not going to school one bit. Superbad was shot in what would’ve been her senior year of high school, and had she been in school at the time she would’ve missed that opportunity and probably would not be where she is today.

She Was A Huge Computer Nerd

When Emma Stone was a kid, she was a total computer nerd. She loved building websites and taught herself HTML. She told The Daily Beast that she would totally geek out with computer stuff as a kid, and even secretly wanted to become a journalist with her own column:

She Worked At A Dog Bakery When She Moved To Hollywood

When Emma Stone first moved to Hollywood she had a hard time finding roles. She told Vanity Fair that those first few months she would audition for pilots and wouldn’t get any call backs. When her agency stopped giving her auditions, Stone took a job across the street a dog bakery called Three Dog Bakery where she made dog cookies. Her customers were not particularly fond of her baking though. Stone claims that she’s “not a super-talented dog baker” since three people called her specific cookies out for being “inedible to their dogs.”

Woody Allen has had a weird career. Followed around by bizarre and sometimes troubling headlines and considered simultaneously a critic’s darling and a near habitual box office disappointment, he’s managed to consistently churn out headlines for fifty years. For the most part, he’s ignored them. Whether good or bad, he’s kept his head down and moved forward, but now and again, some of them have been too loud to ignore---like the charge that he doesn’t cast African-Americans. Let the record show Woody Allen himself doesn’t buy it.

Speaking to The New York Observer, Woody Allen told the outlet that he has no specific plans on hiring more people of color. It’s not because he has anything against it. It’s just that he churns out a script and then tries to find people who match the characters he writes, and because of the world he’s setting these movies in, most of those characters read as neurotic, upper class white people.

It would be easy to get on a high horse and shred that quote, but there’s actually a lot more validity to it than you would initially think. Authenticity. That’s what everyone always preaches when it comes to books and movies. The characters and the larger world have to be authentic for it to work. Well, Woody Allen is a weirdo neurotic New Yorker who has spent his entire life with certain kinds of people. As he says in the article, he doesn’t really socialize with anyone. So, why would we want him to suddenly start writing African-Americans? That seems like a loss for everyone.

Instead of complaining about what types of movies Woody Allen writes, we should all be rooting for more opportunities for filmmakers who want to write diverse movies with eclectic casts. Fortunately, thanks to the wild, runaway success of films like The Best Man Holiday, studios should start getting more and more comfortable with working outside the box and letting different voices get heard. It’s in everyone’s best financial interest to be open and inclusive--- just not to shoehorn in that diversity into places where it doesn’t make sense.

As for Woody Allen himself, he’s 78-years-old and probably not changing. Personally, I’m fine with that too because the alternative scares the living hell out of me.

In his storytelling, as well as his choice of settings, Woody Allen has developed somewhat of a duality. He's made comedies and dramas, both foreign and domestic, between the past and the present; and he's fallen into somewhat of a rhythm as of late. Starting with To Rome With Love, the director has shifted alternatively between foreign settings and shooting in his own backyard, with this year's Magic In The Moonlight being his latest period piece set in the south of France. Which means his next film, an as of now untitled affair, is setting its sights on coming home to the United States for production.

The Boston Globe announced that Woody Allen's next project is casting in Boston, for a planned July start date in Rhode Island. The only details about the plot are that it's takes place in the here and now, with both intellectuals and non-intellectuals. In other words, Woody Allen is making a Woody Allen movie. This is the same untitled Woody Allen project that has Emma Stone and Joaquin Phoenix starring in it, so if you're interested in auditioning, you'd better make an appointment with C.P. Casting, as they are taking actors by appointment only.

Much like Martin Scorsese did with The Departed, Woody Allen's next film might be interesting enough when you consider that it's taking place in Boston instead of New York. This also means we might get to hear Joaquin Phoenix and Emma Stone adopting regional accents, but it's not a given considering the wide swath of characters at play. I'm honestly more excited to see Mr. Allen and Mr. Phoenix's collaboration, as Ms. Stone has proven she can pretty much work with anyone and come out shining. The same can be said for Mr. Phoenix, but much like his work with recent collaborator Paul Thomas Anderson, the combined personalities between director and star could make for some interesting results. Not to mention, Joaquin Phoenix was half way to doing a Woody Allen impression in Her anyway, so it'll be amusing to see how that varies from an officially sanctioned gimmickry.

This untitled Woody Allen project is set for release next year, while Magic In The Moonlight is slated for release on July 25th, 2014. Have you seen that trailer yet?

Funny enough, former Woody Allen muse/co-star Scarlett Johannson's Lucy opens on that same day. Now I can't help but think what the latter film would have looked like if Mr. Allen replaced Morgan Freeman. Can someone get to work on making a fake trailer for that movie?

A week ago, Dylan Farrow accused Woody Allen of sexual assault in a haunting open letter. Today, the Oscar winner fired back against the allegations and pointed the finger directly at his ex-girlfriend and Dylan’s mother Mia Farrow.

In his own blistering, highly aggressive open letter, Allen uses the pages of The New York Times to unequivocally deny he ever molested Dylan and to offer up some fairly logical reasons for why he never molested his adopted daughter. Here are some of the reasons he lists...

First, he hasn't been accused of any sexual misconduct with children before or after Dylan. Second, he took a lie detector test and passed. Third, Dylan originally told a doctor she wasn’t molested after the supposed incident. Fourth, an independent review of experts ruled he never molested Dylan. Fifth, no charges were ever filed. Sixth, the alleged incident occurred inside an attic he was known to be terrified of inside Mia’s house after the break-up during a three hour window in which a ton of people were around.

You can check out an excerpt of Allen’s letter below…

Of course, the allegations did anything but disappear. They were later investigated by a team of experts, the local police department, a judge and millions of Americans who picked up newspapers and/ or tabloids. Charges were never filed, and the controversy hid and reemerged in the year since, at least until Allen was honored with a lifetime achievement award, Farrow fired off her open letter and numerous other family members decided to go public and choose sides.

Here’s the closing of Allen’s letter…

Allen has vowed that this will be his final word on the matter. Given how long he maintained his silence, it seems highly unlikely he’ll change his mind. As such, there will probably never be any firm resolution as to what actually did or did not happen. Hopefully, however, those who deserve it can find some honest peace.

The Woody Allen/ Mia Farrow/ Dylan Farrow/ Soon-Yi Previn situation is getting uglier by the minute. The normally reserved Moses Farrow, a family therapist, decided to speak publically this week about the allegations once again engulfing his family, and unlike his brother Ronan, he does not believe their father molested Dylan. In fact, he thinks the real villain here is their mother Mia Farrow for hitting the children and poisoning the entire family against Allen as payback for his affair with Soon-Yi.

Speaking to People Magazine, Moses fired out with his version of the truth, one that doesn’t include molestation and instead involves a manipulative mother who turned an entire family against a man for her own selfish reasons.

That’s not the worst of it when it comes to allegations against Mia either. Moses claims all of the children feared their mother because she was so unpredictable and violent. She allegedly hit the children when they misbehaved and conned the general public into thinking she was raising this perfect large family when really she was doing the exact opposite.

Not surprisingly, both Dylan and Mia have already come out and denied everything Moses said. Taking it one step further, Dylan told People Moses was now “dead” to her, even lumping her in with the adopted half-sister Soon-Yi who she’s despised for more than twenty years.

The alleged sexual assault occurred during a supervised visit at the Farrow household. Allen had recently left the family for Mia’s adopted nineteen-year-old daughter from a previous marriage, Soon-Yi. After Allen left, Dylan allegedly told her mother Allen had touched her. The two later made a tape in which Dylan outlined what happened. It stops and starts several times, however, and one of the housekeepers later told authorities it was made over the course of several days. Maybe. Maybe not. Either way, a team of experts investigated and could not find any evidence of sexual assault. Prosecutors declined to press charges, though a judge later ruled it was possible Dylan was molested.

The case stayed buried for the most part until very recently when Allen accepted a lifetime achievement award, Dylan wrote an open letter, which Allen called tragic and Moses made these comments. A full response from Allen will reportedly run in The New York Times later this week.

Woody Allen typically doesn’t respond to negative stories. An overwhelming majority of the time, he’s content to act above the fray, but when it comes to an allegation as serious as molesting a child, silence really isn’t an option. He addressed his adopted daughter Dylan Farrow’s initial allegations twenty-some years ago, and following her surprise op-ed earlier this week, he did the same yesterday via his representative.

You can take a look at a portion of the statement below, courtesy of CNN…

Back in the early 1990s, Allen separated from his longtime girlfriend Mia Farrow after he began an affair with her adopted daughter Soon-Yi Previn, who was of age. A vicious custody battle followed, during which Farrow and Allen’s seven-year-old adopted daughter accused him of sexually assaulting her while she played with a train set in the attic. The allegations almost immediately became national news and launched a thorough and very expensive investigation by local authorities. Ultimately, Allen was never charged with a crime. A team of experts concluded Dylan was not sexually assaulted and may have been unintentionally or intentionally coached by her mother, but the local judge said he found the evidence inconclusive and refused to rule out the possibility that she was molested.

The fiasco was whispered about in dark corners in a semi-regular basis after prosecutors officially stepped away from the case, but until recently, it mostly stayed off of the front pages. That changed when Allen was given his lifetime achievement award, and it quickly turned into a media firestorm thanks to an open letter in which Dylan accused the adopted father she hasn’t seen in decades of vile and disgusting acts.

Allen is reportedly planning to speak on the record more moving forward, but to this point, it hasn’t happened. When it does, we will let you know what he has to say. Until then, if you want to read more about the case, read Dylan’s full letter here and/ or a pretty in-depth analysis of why Allen might not be guilty here.

Something happened between Woody Allen and his then-seven-year-old adopted daughter Dylan Farrow during the early 1990s. He may have molested her. She may have responded to all the stress over Allen leaving the family for her much older sister in a very unfortunate and unfair manner. The resulting fallout of her accusation played out in courts, in hospitals and in the media for years. Allen was never charged and apart from periodic articles revisiting the case, the controversy has remained on the backburner for years. That’s all about to change, however, because for the first time publically, Farrow has decided to share her side of the story.

In a multi-paragraph open letter written to The New York Times, which can be read in full here, Farrow describes in detail the things she claims Allen did to her. She also calls out numerous celebrities by name who have worked with Allen, most specifically his longtime friend Diane Keaton.

You can read an excerpt from the haunting text below…

According to Dylan, Allen was always weird around her. He allegedly spent an inordinate amount of time with her and did strange things like stick his thumb in her mouth and ask her to climb in bed with him while he only had underwear on. Most of it could have been interpreted as eccentric but not necessarily way over the line dad behavior, but that all changed one night in the attic when he allegedly sexually assaulted her while she played with a train set.

Allen has vociferously denied ever doing anything inappropriate with Farrow. More often than not, he’s chosen to stay quiet on the issue and retreat back to his quiet life with longtime wife Soon-Yi Previn. Given the length of time since the alleged incident happened and the lack of criminal charges, it seems highly unlikely we’ll ever know for sure what actually happened. What we can say for certain, however, is that an entire family was destroyed and everyone involved has never been the same, nor will they ever be the same moving forward.

Last night, the Hollywood Foreign Press honored Woody Allen with the Cecil B. Demille lifetime achievement award. The writer/director/ actor’s longtime collaborator and friend Diane Keaton handled the mini-ceremony with her usual charm and an extended montage worked its way through all of the Oscar winner’s most beloved works. It should have been a touching opportunity for a Hollywood legend to receive a prolonged standing ovation, but Allen didn’t bother showing up to listen to his peers and admirers clap.

Instead, he went to the Broadway premiere of Beautiful. In fact, he sat right by Katie Couric and by all accounts had a damn good time. In the day or so since, most people have been far more concerned with talking about some very negative tweets Allen’s estranged family members fired off, but that bitter feud has been simmering for decades and will never go away. No, I’m far more interested in Allen’s no-show and why it’s indirectly one of the greatest compliments Allen has ever been given.

A celebrity skipping an award show is far from a strange occurrence. Christian Bale didn’t show up to the Globes last night despite receiving a nomination, and with little effort, I could rattle off a list of ten people who have done the same thing during the Grammys, Emmys or Oscars. The thing that makes this Allen snub unique, however, is that his no-show wasn’t a product of circumstance or in anyway unexpected. Beyond that, it was also for a lifetime achievement award. Ordinarily, the only thing that prevents older celebrities from showing up for a lifetime’s worth of applause is death, but Allen isn’t like any other celebrities and apparently, the Hollywood Foreign Press doesn’t care, which is remarkable.

Over the years, the Globes have been criticized for nominating some dreadful movies. Why? Well, the most common conspiracy theory involves a want of star power. After all, it’s easier to ask the average person to tune in and watch Johnny Depp on the Red Carpet than ask her to tune in for a random independent movie actor she’s never even heard of. That same logic has applied the past few decades to Cecil B Demille award winners, as well. You have to go all the way back to 1977 (Walter Mirisch) to find someone who doesn’t possess a name the average person is extremely familiar with. Clearly, the Hollywood Foreign Press is an organization that cares about prestige and glitz, and yet, in Allen’s case it apparently didn’t matter.

Let’s put this another way. The Hollywood Foreign Press could have cherry picked any single person from Hollywood to invite on stage and let speak for a few minutes. Out of all of these possible candidates, they picked a man who was overwhelmingly likely to throw up the middle finger and say thanks but no thanks to even showing up. And that says more about the career long brilliance of Woody Allen than any single piece of praise or award ever could.

Woody Allen may have already wrapped his latest film Magic in The Moonlight, but that doesn't mean the persnickety director will give up the goods when it comes to what the movie is all about. Nonetheless, with word that Sony Pictures Classics will be distributing the film, Allen has decided to drop a few details.

The LA Times reports Allen has confessed, "It's a romantic comedy set in the South of France in the 1920s." Via press release Sony added that Magic in The Moonlight is "against a backdrop of wealthy mansions, the Côte d’Azur, jazz joints and fashionable spots for the wealthy of the Jazz Age."

It seems Midnight in Paris didn't tap out Allen's interest in love circa 1920s France.

Like many of Allen's works, Magic in The Moonlight boasts a star-stuffed ensemble. Colin Firth, Emma Stone, Eileen Atkins, Marcia Gay Harden, Hamish Linklater, Simon McBurney and Jacki Weaver are known to be in the Côte d’Azur-set romantic comedy, and three of them have been teased in previously released stills seen above and below:

Another possible clue about this mysterious rom-com has been revealed at IMDB, where a simple plot synopsis reads:

Might we assume from Firth's solo shot in the released production pics that he is the swindle-unmasking Englishman? It seems a safe guess. But we may not know for sure until Sony announces what its release plans are. Allen has suggested Magic in The Moonlight's release date may depend on whether or not it gets into the Cannes Film Festival this May. But while we wait, we can at least revisit Blue Jasmine.

Another Sony Pictures Classic release, Blue Jasmine has proved a hit on the art house circuit. Not only has it earned $75 million worldwide, but its strong chances in Oscar season--courtesy of Cate Blanchett's fantastic performance in the lead role--has scored the dark comedy a second release. Last night Blanchett won a Golden Globe for playing the titular traumatized heroine, putting her in a strong position for Oscar night. This means Magic in The Moonlight will likely have a tough act to follow!

Twenty years ago, the seemingly happy lives of Mia Farrow and Woody Allen were ripped apart by a series of scandals. First, she discovered naked pictures Allen had taken of her nineteen-year-old adopted daughter, and second, Dylan, the seven-year-old adopted daughter the couple shared, accused Allen of molesting her. Through multiple custody trials and more public allegations, the story played out on the front pages of newspapers for years, but eventually, everyone involved settled into a fairly quiet routine, at least until the new issue of Vanity Fair brought with it entirely new allegations.

Apparently, there’s a real possibility Farrow and Allen’s brilliant biological son Ronan might not be Allen’s at all. Instead, he may have been fathered by Frank Sinatra. The actress claims she and the legendary musician never totally separated and were sleeping together around the time she got pregnant. Ronan himself, however, isn’t quite as convinced. Here’s what he said on Twitter…

In addition to Farrow’s reveal, Dylan also spoke on the record for the first time about what she claims happened between her and the famous father she never speaks to. She apparently doesn’t remember everything that happened because she was only seven, but she remembers enough to know it was (allegedly) wrong.

The first time through, the police thoroughly investigated Dylan’s allegations, and there really wasn’t any evidence beyond her testimony. In order to spare her from having to get on the witness stand, the matter was completely dropped, though in retrospect, she wishes she would have followed through and testified. Since day one, Allen has always vehemently maintained his innocence. More than likely, the general public will never know exactly what happened.

What if Woody Allen directed The Wolverine? That’s the question comedian Ben Stadler answers with the hilarious clip above. He not only imagines Logan in Manhattan, plagued by neuroses and self-defeating insecurities; he imagines him as Woody Allen. In "Wolverine: A Film By Woody Allen," Logan is pursuing a beautiful young woman named Rogue (Carrie McCrossen). He’s attracted to her menswear style and streak of white hair, but he fears that a physical relationship with her would literally destroy him. At first he seeks guidance from his analyst, Professor Charles Xavier (Joe Galan). But when all else fails, he turns to his sunglasses-sporting pal Cyclops (Darren Miller), and declares, where he sums up his issues thusly, "You know I’m supposed to be this hero, but everyone hates me because I’m a mutant. Try being a mutant Jew! Nobody hates me more than myself."

While Stalder’s Allen voice could use some work, this vid deftly weaves the X-Men into Allen’s film world. The Official Comedy crew moves The Wolverine from the islands of Japan to the island of Manhattan, and switches the genre from Western to art house comedy. It’s actually a pretty fitting change-up considering both The Wolverine and many of Allen’s protagonists’ biggest battle is their own inner demons. Also, this clip nails the self-deprecating humor Allen’s known for, and threads in a cool but aloof love interest—in this case Rogue meets Annie Hall. Topped off with the kind of jaunty instrumental Allen favors for his films, this comedic short is nearly pitch perfect.

We shouldn’t really be too surprised. Official Comedy is earning a rep for their mashups, like their recent "It’s Always Sunny in Pacific Rim," which you can revisit below:

Actually, the vid up top is so delightful it almost makes us wish Hugh Jackman and Woody Allen would team up! Until we remembered they did, and it was terrible.

Yup, Allen had the Black Widow (Scarlett Johansson) and Wolverine (Jackman) in a movie together, and it was one of the most critically scorned of his career. While we’re unlikely to ever see Allen tackle a superhero movie, we’re at least lucky enough to have a truly entertaining Wolverine adventure out as the same time as one of Allen’s best comedies in ages, the critically revered Blue Jasmine. So, we’re content to leave Allen’s X-Men movie as the stuff of fever dreams and viral videos.

The importance of the director and writer’s vision should never be understated, and Fading Gigolo squarely exemplifies that. Had Woody Allen pimped John Turturro’s middle-aged male prostitute in a film by some other filmmaker, regardless of that person’s talent, it could have been a disaster. (I even worry about where Allen would have taken this material.) But because this story is all being filtered through writer-director Turturro’s witty (and apparently horny) brain, there’s an inherent maturity strewn throughout the film’s first trailer, as seen above.

I have to admit it’s a huge relief knowing that we probably won’t have to worry about seeing men in their 50s and 70s go on about loose bowels or other geriatric ailments. Though I fully expect to hear a few jokes about Viagra and the trouble with maintaining erection--this is a movie about sex after all.

The film, which will premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, centers on friends Fioravante (Turturro) and Murray (Allen), who decide to make some quick cash by offering up Fioravante’s sexual prowess to women willing to drop some major dough for his services. Two of those women include Selima (Sofia Vergara) and Murray’s dermatologist Dr. Parker (Sharon Stone), both of whom eventually become intrigued by the idea of having a threesome with the still vigorous Fioravante. Somewhere along the way, the Jewish community gets wind of what the duo are doing and make their disapproval known. Also, Turturro finds time to fall in love with Avigail (Vanessa Paradis). Liev Schreiber also stars, although I didn’t even notice him in the trailer.

This film has two big things going for it, depending on where your tastes lie. For one, it’s the first time Allen has starred in a film he didn’t write or direct since 2000’s Picking Up the Pieces. Second, it features Stone and Vergara in bed together; even though this image would have probably turned more heads ten to fifteen years ago, there’s still some appeal there-- especially if Vergara’s character brings out the strap-on that she talks about. Man it just got hot up in this article.

The lingering effects of Allen’s Whatever Works kept fooling me into thinking Larry David was also in this movie somewhere, switching places with Allen every other scene. This is especially true when Allen decides his pimp name will be Dan Bungle, and when he talks about waitresses pooling tips.

I had serious doubts about Fading Gigolo after first reading about it, which seems silly since both of these guys are supremely talented, and I’m glad to find real humor and subdued situational comedy on display here. And power to Turturro for being able to pull off a "gulp" gag with style.

There’s no release date set yet for Fading Gigolo, but it could do the sideways tango into theaters at some point this year. Check out the film’s first poster below.

While legendary director Woody Allen is already hard at work adding Oscar winners to his next untitled feature, audiences still don’t have a solid grasp on what his most recent drama, Blue Jasmine, is all about (outisde of Cate Blanchett playing a miserably uppity woman who thinks she’s better than everyone else). Thanks to Entertainment Weekly, however, we now have a much better grasp on the film’s plotline, which – believe it or not – is mostly about Blanchett’s miserably uppity character thinking she’s better than everyone. Nobody can’t call the film’s first trailer a case of false advertising.

Though the film is partly set in the New York, Allen's most familiar setting, the bulk of the narrative will take place in San Francisco, where quasi-socialite Jasmine (Blanchett) is forced to take shelter with her sister Ginger (Sally Hawkins) after her marriage with Alec Baldwin’s Wall Street financier implodes. Jasmine spends much of her time criticizing Ginger’s romances, both with her current boyfriend Chili, played by Bobby Canavale, and with her ex-husband and father of her two children, played by Andrew Dice Clay. I can’t wait to see these two actresses’ vastly different personalities clash, as Blanchett often seems capable of playing a cold-hearted bitch even when her characters aren’t motivated that way.

“Jasmine is in freefall and has to leave behind everything she knows and has expected,” Allen writes in the film’s production notes. “She’s entering the realm of absolute unknown, moving from one coast to the other, from one social set to the other, one class to another.” In doing so she's apparently taking everyone down with her, believing that no men are good enough for her sister, even when Jasmine apparently doesn’t seem to think Ginger is a worthy enough sister. Jasmine eventually finds another romance, with a politically motivated diplomat (Peter Sarsgaard) no less, who is drawn in by her superficiality and delusions of self-grandeur. That should make for an interesting pair up, should Jasmine ever come to her senses and figure out that she isn’t the center of the world. Take a look at the two lovers in the still below.

“I think Jasmine has so little faith in her own abilities that she has to make herself more than what she is constantly,” Blanchett says of the film. “It’s an instinctual response; she doesn’t think things through. And once those words come out of her mouth, she can’t put them back in — she just has to keep going. The truth is often very terrifying, particularly when you’ve spent your entire life in a fiction.”

While I tend to enjoy the wit behind Allen’s comedies more than the personal introspection of his dramas, I’m intrigued by this film, and I like that the director has filled his cast with solid comedic performers, like Baldwin, Louis C.K. and the Diceman himself. “I always thought Andrew could be a wonderful actor in the right circumstances,” says Allen. “He’s a great type and he’s got a wonderful quality. He’s a guy who not only does the written lines you give him but he builds the character himself. He adds things, never in a pushy way, but in a creative way.” And he looks natural enough standing next to Hawkins’ wild hair in the still below.

Blue Jasmine will judgmentally hit theaters on July 26. If you haven’t seen the full trailer yet, check it out below, followed by a behind-the-scenes shot of Allen talking with cast members Canavale and Max Casella.

As is common with films written and directed by Woody Allen, we have heard practically nothing about Blue Jasmine as it has gone through production and been prepared for theatrical release. All this time the only description we've gotten about the plot is that it follows "the final stages of an acute crisis and a life of a fashionable New York housewife" (played by Cate Blanchett). Today the first trailer for the movie has finally arrived online, and, truthfully, that previously released description looks to be pretty damn accurate.

Allen has a long career of bringing together terrific casts, but he has really outdone himself here. As you can see in the trailer above, which comes to us from Yahoo!, the stacked cast includes not just Blanchett, but also Alec Baldwin, Louis C.K., Sally Hawkins, Bobby Cannavale, and Andrew Dice Clay (Peter Sarsgaard and Michael Stuhlbarg are also in the movie, just not in the above preview). A great group of actors isn't always an indicator of quality (just look at Allen's last movie, To Rome With Love), but hopefully it's a good sign.

Both written and directed by Allen, the new film centers on Jasmine (Blanchett), a woman who has become used to the finer things in life thanks to her wealthy husband (Alec Baldwin). But when everything falls apart and Jasmine begins to have a nervous breakdown, she moves out to San Francisco where she can stay with her sister Ginger (Hawkins). Unfortunately, a sense of entitlement and mental problems aren't a great mix, as the titular character suddenly finds herself at odds with everybody in her life.

Blue Jasmine will be in theaters on July 26th.

Woody Allen has been in the headlines quite a bit lately, but it's all been about his project for next year. While very little is known about the film other than the fact that it will be shot and set in the South of France, in the last couple weeks we've learned that both Emma Stone and Colin Firth are attached to star. But let's not forget that we still haven't seen the multi-Oscar-winning filmmaker's latest title: Blue Jasmine. Today the conversation turns in its favor.

Moviefone has released the brand new poster that you see above, which doesn't really have much going on. Similar to the first one-sheet for Midnight In Paris, there's a mix of both photography and paint used in the image, only this one has far more negative space. It's also somewhat hard to gauge the expression on star Cate Blanchett's face, which could honestly be read as either slightly worried or pleasantly surprised.

Very little is known about the plot of Blue Jasmine at this time, though it's been said that the film chronicles the mental crisis of a New York housewife. Making up for the lack of plot details, however, is the fact that the film has a noteworthy, incredible ensemble that includes stars like Alec Baldwin, Louis C.K., Sally Hawkins, Peter Sarsgaard, Michael Stuhlbarg, Bobby Cannavale, and Andrew Dice Clay. Sony Pictures Classics will have the movie in theaters on July 26. Hopefully the release of this poster means that we are close to seeing the first trailer too.

Up until today we knew next to nothing about Woody Allen's next project, which will follow this summer's release of Blue Jasmine - probably in 2014. We don't know its title, its plot or even its setting. The only information we have had to go on about the movie (outside of the fact that Allen is writing and directing it) is its growing cast. Last week we learned that Emma Stone had entered talks to play the female lead in the mystery film, and now it appears that the Annie Hall director has found the star he wants to play opposite her.

According to Deadline, Allen has set his sights on Colin Firth as his next leading man, and the actor and the production have entered negotiations to make that happen. What's more, the site has also learned that the title will be one to add to the filmmaker's ever-growing list of European set stories, and will be filmed in the South of France.

This is actually the second Firth casting story we've seen today. Just a little while ago we learned that the Oscar-winning star has signed on to play the lead role in Matthew Vaughn's comic book adaptation The Secret Service, which is on track for a November 2014 release date. The film will have him starring as an elite spy who works to train his wayward nephew in his business.

Firth has been away from the big screen since the 2011 release of Tinker Tailor Solider Spy, but returned to limited theaters last weekend with the dramedy Arthur Newman.

It would seem that Emma Stone has reached a point in her career where she wants to work with the best directors that Hollywood has to offer. Not only is she now set to play leading roles in upcoming films from both Cameron Crowe and Guillermo del Toro, she has now reportedly close to signing a deal that will have her star in the next project from one of the greatest comedy filmmakers of all time.

Deadline has learned that Woody Allen is already starting to put a cast together for his next directorial effort and that the Easy A actress is now in talks to play the female lead. As we've come to expect from Allen's in-development projects, everything about it is being kept under wraps, including the genre, plot description, character descriptions and even the title. Those details likely won't be available until a few months before release.

The director's next effort, the drama Blue Jasmine, will be in theaters on July 26th and has an all-star cast that includes Cate Blanchett, Alec Baldwin, Louis C.K., Michael Stuhlbarg, Peter Sarsgaard, Bobby Cannavale, Sally Hawkins, Andrew Dice Clay, and Alden Ehrenreich.

Stone, meanwhile, has already appeared in three movies this year - Movie 43, The Croods, and Gangster Squad - and is hard at work preparing her 2014 slate, currently in production on both Marc Webb's The Amazing Spider-Man 2, in which she will reprise her role as Gwen Stacy; and Alejandro González Iñárritu's comedy Birdman, which has her starring alongside Michael Keaton, Edward Norton, Zach Galifianakis, and Naomi Watts.

In 2011, Woody Allen earned a revival in relevance and praise thanks to his nostalgic romance Midnight in Paris, which not only earned Allen a Best Director Oscar nod and a win for Best Original Screenplay, but also made a whopping $150 million worldwide. His follow-up, To Rome With Love, was not too warmly received by critics (okay, they hated it), but it still made an impressive $73 million worldwide. Now, Sony Classics, which distributed both of the above, is prepping the path for the domestic release of Allen's recently wrapped latest, revealing its title, cast and--at long last--its plotline.

The comedy, called Blue Jasmine, shot in various locations in New York and California, and it tells the story of "the final stages of an acute crisis and a life of a fashionable New York housewife." As per usual, Allen's scored a batch of curious cast members for his enticing ensemble, including Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Bobby Cannavale, Louis C.K., Andrew Dice Clay, Sally Hawkins, Peter Sarsgaard and Michael Stuhlbarg. Sadly, aside from guessing it might be Blanchett who played the aforementioned protagonist, we have no information in the way of what roles these performers play.

Even knowing little about the plot, I'm admittedly intrigued by Blue Jasmine. For one thing, it's good to see the filmmaker whose early work was oft inspired by New York return to his home turf. Beyond that, the mind reels at what kind of movie features Oscar-winning leading lady Cate Blanchett and has-been tough guy comedian Andrew Dice Clay. I don't know what to expect, and that's part of Blue Jasmine's allure.

Blue Jasmine is expected to hit theaters later this year.

Last year's surprise Woody Allen hit Midnight in Paris paid tribute to all kinds of great authors and artists from the 20th century, with many of them-- like Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald-- making hilarious appearances in the flesh. William Faulkner, another contemporary of those times, didn't appear in person but was quoted by Owen Wilson's lead character Gil Pender, who says at one point "The past is not dead. Actually, it's not the past. You know who said that? Faulkner. And he was right. And I met him, too. I ran into him at a dinner party."

Maybe they're just mad that Faulkner didn't actually appear onscreen, as the Faulkner estate is now filing suit against Sony Pictures Classics, which distributed Midnight in Paris. According to Deadline the estate filed suit for "copyright infringement, commercial appropriation and violation of the Lanham Act, claiming that the quote-- which is really just a paraphrase-- could "Deceive the infringing film's viewers as to a perceived affiliation, connection or association between William Faulkner and his works, on the one hand, and Sony, on the other hand." They are asking for an injunction against Sony Classics, damages, legal fees, and a portion of the film's profits, which totaled $148.4 million worldwide.

It's hard to know what to say about this beyond "hey, the estates of literary icons can get in on the frivolous lawsuits too." Though Sony Classics is a specialty offshoot of the major studio, they're still perfectly well-equipped to lawyer up and take this lawsuit head-on. After all, they've got Ernest Hemingway in their camp, and he knows a thing or two about fights.

We'll have a full report on this weekend's box office later today, but it seems worth highlighting the limited release-- especially the fact that Woody Allen, so late in his career, has hit yet another one out of the park. Last year's Midnight in Paris was the highest-grossing film of Allen's career, making a stellar $151 million worldwide on its way to a Best Picture nomination, and his new film To Rome With Love is also on its way to being a hit.

According to Deadline, To Rome With Love made $379,000 from just five theaters this weekend, a per-screen average of $76,000, second only to Midnight in Paris for the best per-screen average of Allen's career. Sony Pictures Classics plans to expand the film wider starting July 6, which is much faster than Midnight in Paris opened, but they're clearly planning on a similarly long summer of success. I vividly remember the constant stream of press releases I got last summer, as Sony Pictures Classics crowed about some new milestone reached by Midnight in Paris. While To Rome With Love doesn't have quite the same amount of glowing reviews, it could easily have the same summer counter programming success.

Let us know if you've seen To Rome With Love, or if you plan to see it, and if you think the new film can have the same kind of success that Midnight in Paris did.

Woody Allen is, in a word, a legend. Since 1966 he has made more than 40 films, some of them considered among the greatest of all time, including Annie Hall and Hannah and Her Sisters. But how Allen look back on those great titles? With disappointment.

I recently attended a press conference in Los Angeles to promote Allen’s latest film, To Rome With Love where the famed director talked not only about his reflections on his own work, but also his approach to directing actors, the use of music in his movies, and whether or not he could ever see himself retiring.

It’s been a long time since we have seen you in front of the camera. Why did you decide you wanted to be in this particular film?

Only because there was a part for me. When I write a script, if there is a part for me, then I play it. If there is no part, [then I’m not in it]. As I’ve gotten older, the parts have diminished. I liked it when I was younger, I could always play the lead in the movie and I could do all the romantic scenes with the women, and it was fun and I liked to play that. Now, I’m older and I’m reduced to playing the backstage doorman or the uncle, or something, and I don’t really love that. Occasionally, when a part comes up, I’ll play it.

You once said that you had a drawer that you pulled out and looked at all the ideas and said, “This is a good one.” Was this one of the ideas that you had in your drawer?

Yes. I have a lot of notes. Ideas come to me, in the course of a year, and I write them down and throw them into a drawer in my house. And then, I go and look at them, and many of them seem very unfunny and foolish to me, and I can’t imagine what I was thinking when I originally did it. But sometimes, there will be a little note written on a matchbook or a piece of paper that says, for example, “A man who can only sing in the shower,” and it will occur to me, at the time, that it could make a funny story. That is what happened with this. There were some ideas in this movie that did come out of the notes that I had given myself, over the year.

You have made some beautiful films, both here and in Europe. What was the inspiration for To Rome with Love? What was it about Rome that appealed to you for the setting for this film?

Well, there are two things. I had been talking about making a film in Rome for years, with the people in Rome who distribute my films. They always said, “Come and make a film.” And finally, they said, “Come and do it. We have been talking about it for a long time. We’ll put up all the money necessary to make the film.” And I jumped at the chance because I wanted to work in Rome and it was an opportunity to get the money to work quickly and from a single source. So, it came together like that.

So much of this film is a meditation on fame and accomplishment. What might have sparked the idea to focus the movie around that?

The fact that some of the film deals with that theme is post facto. I didn’t think about that when I made the film. I thought, “It’s a funny idea that the guy sings in the shower. It’s a funny idea that a guy wakes up one day and suddenly he is famous and doesn’t really know why. And two young people come to Rome and they’re just married, and they get involved in the situation.” I’d never thought of any thematic connection, in any way. That’s all just an accident. It may have been something that was on my unconscious, at the time, and it came out in some strange way. I, myself, feel about fame the way the chauffeur talks about it in the movie. Life is tough, whether you’re famous or whether you’re not famous. In the end, it’s probably, of those two choices, better to be famous ‘cause the perks are better. You get better seats at the basketball game, and you get better tables and reservations at places. If I call a doctor on Saturday morning, I can get him. There’s a lot of indulgences that you don’t get, if you’re not famous. I’m not saying it’s fair. It’s kind of disgusting. But, I can’t say that I don’t enjoy it. There are drawbacks to being famous, too, but you can live with those. They’re not life-threatening. If the paparazzi are outside your restaurant or your house – and actors make such a big thing of it and scurry into cars and drape things over themselves – you think they’re going to be crucified or something. It’s not a big deal. You can get used to that. It’s not so terrible. The bad stuff is greatly outweighed by the dinner reservations.

In addition to being an accomplished filmmaker, you’re also quite an accomplished musician. Can you talk about the importance of music in your films?

I’m a big believer in music in movies. It covers a multitude of sins. Now, a really great director, like Ingmar Bergman, did not believe in music in films. He thought the use of music in films was barbaric. That was his word. His films are great enough, so that he doesn’t need any outside help. I need help. I noticed, right from the first movie I ever made in my life, Take the Money and Run, there were scenes in it that were just dying when I looked at it them in the cutting room. The editor said, “Put a piece of music behind it. Let me just put this record on.” He put a record on and, all of a sudden, when I was doing something that was so boring, originally, it came to life. Doing it to music just made the whole thing work. Ever since, I’ve been a big believer in supporting the action on film with the appropriate music. It’s gotten me out of a lot of jams, over the years. So, music for me is a very big thing in films and I use it unashamedly. I have used all the classics and all the great composers. It’s the most pleasurable part of a movie, too. When you have a movie and you look at it and it’s ice cold with no music, and then you start dropping in a little George Gershwin and a little Mozart, things suddenly become lively and magical in front of you. It’s a great feeling.

In the film, Alec Baldwin’s character takes a trip down memory lane. If you could go back, what would you tell your younger self?

Don’t do that! I would like to go back in time, but just for lunch. I would not like to live in the past because there are all those drawbacks, as I mentioned in my other movie, Midnight in Paris. You don’t get anesthetic when you go to the dentist. You don’t get antibiotics. You don’t get the things that you are used to now, like cell phones and televisions and things that are very convenient. It takes all year for the ambulance to come. You don’t want that. But, it would be fun if you could, just every now and then, meet a friend for lunch in Paris in 1900, or go back to 1870 for a couple of hours and take a walk in the park, and then come right back to Broadway.

You’ve always been known to let your actors play with their lines. Why is that?

I have great faith in the actors. When they improvise, it always sounds better than the stuff I write in my bedroom. I don’t know what’s going on, all alone and isolated in New York. When you get onto the set, it feels different to the actors. When they improvise, they make it sound alive.

The film includes so much slapstick humor and sight gags and, in that regard, it feels like a throwback to some of your earlier films. What inspired you to return to that approach to comedy, at this point in your career?

The stories in this picture require, in the telling of those stories, a certain amount of that broader, slapstick comedy. Not much of it, but a certain amount of it was required. You couldn’t tell the story properly without doing that, so I had to do it. I didn’t mind. It’s fun. I like broad comedy. If I had an idea tomorrow for a film that was all slapstick and broad comedy, and it was an idea that interested me, I wouldn’t hesitate to do it. I enjoy watching those kinds of film, too.

You’ve really mastered the art and study of relationships throughout all your films, over the years. What is the greatest lesson you’ve learned about love?

When it comes to the important things in life, you never learn anything. You can learn about technological things and you can learn about specific things, but the real problems that people deal with, in any subject, whether it’s existential subjects or romantic subjects, is that you never learn anything. You make a fool of yourself when you’re 20, and you make a fool of yourself at 40, at 60 and at 80. The ancient Greeks were dealing with these problems. They screwed up all the time, and people do now. All over the world, relationships between men and women are very, very tricky and very difficult. You don’t learn anything. It’s not an exact science, so you can’t learn anything. You’re always going by instinct and your instinct betrays you because you want what you want, when you want it. It’s very tough. Most relationships don’t work out, and don’t last long when they do work out. When you see one that’s really lovely, it’s a rarity. It’s great that two people, with all their complex exquisite needs, have found each other and all the wires go into the right places. I’ve learned nothing. I have years and years of failure. I have nothing to say. I have no wisdom.

In this film, your character equates retirement with death. Is that how you feel, or do you see a time when you will step away from the camera?

Retirement is a very subjective thing. There are guys I know who retire and are very happy. They travel all over the world, they go fishing, they play with their grandchildren, and they never miss work, at all. And then there are other people, and I am one of that kind, that like to work all the time. I just like it. I can’t see myself retiring and fondling a dog somewhere. I like to get up and work. I have too much energy, or too much nervous anxiety. So, I don’t see myself retiring. Maybe I will suddenly get a stroke or a heart attack and I will be forced to retire, but if my health holds out, I don’t expect to retire. But, the money could run out. Sooner or later, the guys that back the films could get wise and say, “This is not really worth all the suffering,” and then stop giving me the money. But, I still wouldn’t retire, I don’t think. I think I would just go write for the theater or write books.

With all the films that you’ve directed, produced, written and starred in, and all the nominations and awards you’ve received, is there one film that’s the most memorable for you?

When you make the film, it’s like a chef who works on the meal. After you’re working all day in the kitchen, dicing and cutting and putting the sauces on, you don’t want to eat it. That’s how I always feel about the films. I work on it for a year. I’ve written it, I’ve worked with the actors, I’ve edited it and put the music in, and I just never want to see it again. When I begin a film, I always think that I’m going to make The Bicycle Thief or Grand Illusion or Citizen Kane, and I’m convinced that it’s going to be the greatest thing to ever hit celluloid. And then, when I see what I’ve done afterward, I pray that it’s not an embarrassment to me. I’ve never been satisfied or even pleased with a film that I’ve done. I make them, but I’ve never looked at one after. I made my first film in 1968, and I’ve never seen it since. I just cringe when I see them. I don’t like them ‘cause there’s a big gap between what you conceive in your mind when you’re writing and having to meet the test of reality. You write and it’s funny and beautiful and romantic and dramatic, and then you have to show up on a cold morning, and the actors are there and you’re there, and you don’t have enough of this and this goes wrong and you make the wrong choice on something and you screw up here. When you see what you get the next day, you can’t go back. There’s such a difference between the idealized film in your mind and what you wind up with that you’re never happy and you’re never satisfied. For me, I’ve never liked any of my films. I’m always thankful that the audience has liked some of them, in spite of my disappointment.

You even feel that way about Annie Hall?

When Annie Hall started out, that film was not supposed to be what I wound up with. The film was supposed to be what happens in a guy’s mind, and you were supposed to see a stream of consciousness that was mine, and I did the film and it was completely incoherent. Nobody understood anything that went on. The relationship between myself and Diane Keaton was all anyone cared about. That was not what I cared about. That was one small part of another big canvas that I had. In the end, I had to reduce the film to just me and Diane Keaton, and that relationship, so I was quite disappointed in that movie, as I was with other films of mine that were very popular. Hannah and Her Sisters was a big disappointed because I had to compromise my original intention tremendously to survive with the film. So, you’re asking the wrong person. You see the film and you draw your conclusion from it. To me, it’s always less than the masterpiece I had been certain I was destined to make.

This film explores fantasy and things that you, in your wildest dreams, would never expect to happen to you. Was fantasy something you thought about when you were writing this film?

You’re able to do that in film. Real life is generally much duller and inevitably sadder, most of the time. In film, you control everything that’s going on, so you can indulge the most fantastic, romantic, escapist feelings and fantasies. You can do anything you want. That’s why it’s very seductive and pleasurable to earn your living making movies. You’re not living in the real world. You wake up in the morning and you go to work surrounded by [beautiful women] and scintillating guys that are handsome, witty and gifted, and you make up stories and everyone has costumes and the music is beautiful. You live your life not in the real world, and you create something that’s completely escapist. It’s great, but it’s not real. It is fun to do. The only place you can do it is in fiction.

Michael Emerson has had a pretty seamlessly successful career on television, going from an Emmy win for his guest role on The Practice to his unforgettable role as Ben Linus on Lost to a starring role now on Person of Interest, the drama recently picked up for a new season. His work in movies has never been quite as interesting as his small-screen roles-- unless you're a big fan of his appearance in the original Saw, that is-- but now it looks like none other than Woody Allen may be offering Emerson his first chance to dazzle movie audiences as well.

According to Deadline, Emerson will be spending his summer TV hiatus on Allen's next movie, which shoots in New York and, par for the course with Allen movies, doesn't yet have a title. New York theater veteran Emerson will be in goo company, joining a cast that includes Alec Baldwin, Cate Blanchett, Bobby Cannavale and Bradley Cooper-- Cooper is the only one on that list who hasn't done a significant amount of work on the New York stage. If this is one of those modern-era Woody Allen movies that stars a Woody stand-in, it seems likely Baldwin will be taking on those duties, but who knows, maybe it's Emerson? Ben Linus wasn't much of a mensch, but it would be very interesting to see him take on that challenge.

We know virtually nothing else about Allen's new film beyond the cast, and that it's apparently shooting in San Francisco in addition to New York. But this year's film, To Rome With Love, comes to theaters on June 22, so we can look forward to that in the meantime.

Even if you don't know Bobby Cannavale by name, you've undoubtedly seen him steal a scene. The character actor and Broadway veteran, with a loud voice and a brash attitude, has done stints on TV shows like Nurse Jackie, Will & Grace and Six Feet Under, and popped up in supporting roles in the likes of Win Win, The Other Guys and even Snakes on a Plane. He's the kind of New York theater actor who might get stopped on the street on Broadway, which in a way makes him perfect to join the cast of the new film from another even bigger New York legend, Woody Allen.

According to Deadline, Cannavale is joining the cast of Allen's next film, which already includes Cate Blanchett, Bradley Cooper and Alec Baldwin. And that's really pretty much all we know-- previous reports have said that Allen will shoot the new film in San Francisco and New York, but true to form he's not revealing much about it, and probably won't until the cast gets more rounded out. He's currently coming off the biggest financial success of his career, Midnight in Paris, and is preparing this summer to release To Rome With Love, which opens June 22. It's got another typical Allen star-studded cast-- Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Penelope Cruz, Alison Pill, Greta Gerwig, and even Allen himself are all part of the cast.

As for Cannavale, you can also expect to see him in the upcoming Linda Lovelace biopic Lovelace, starring Amanda Seyfried, as well as the upcoming season of Boardwalk Empire, which I personally can't wait to see.

Shortly after winning a Best Original Screenplay Oscar for his nostalgic rom-com Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen wrapped on his follow-up, To Rome With Love. The ensemble comedy, which unfolds interweaving tales of amore, is set to make its Stateside debut on June 22. Already this almost comically prolific filmmaker is casting his next jet-setting production, and he has his sights set on bubbly Brit Sally Hawkins.

Variety reveals Allen has approached the Happy-Go-Lucky star to take on one of the untitled feature's two female leads. Word has it Cate Blanchett is being considered for the other. Should she sign on, Hawkins will be playing a spirited but neurotic woman described as "rough around the edges," while Blanchett is being eyed for a more sophisticated lady, whose life is more enviable at the outset. Also said to be circling is Bradley Cooper, who seems poised to join the sure-to-be star-studded ensemble.

This would mark the first-time Blanchett or Cooper would work with the famously quirky auteur, but the second for Hawkins, who snagged a supporting role in Allen's 2007 crime-drama Cassandra's Dream. (Remember that one? Me neither.) At present little is known about Allen's untitled drama save that it will be set in San Francisco and New York, and is expected to lens this summer. Of course, he seems to be off to a solid start, lining up another incredible—and slightly unexpected—ensemble cast. However, I'm disheartened to hear this Allen effort will be a drama, as getting serious has never been his strong suit. Nonetheless, with summer fast approaching we're sure to hear more on this untitled tale soon.

Woody Allen's been spending a lot of time shooting his movies in Europe lately, and a lot of them have turned out to be the best of his career-- Match Point, Vicky Cristina Barcelona and Midnight in Paris all got substantial critical love and awards attention, and were a whole lot more popular than his last New York-set movie, Whatever Works. This summer's effort To Rome With Love will be set in the titular Italian city, but after that, Allen is apparently ready to come home again. Variety reports that Woody is planning to shoot his next movie primarily in San Francisco and "a tiny bit" in New York, which he revealed at the Rome premiere of his new film.

That's all he was willing to say about the new film, since the press conference was still focused on To Rome With Love, which screened exclusively for Italian press and still hasn't been reviewed Stateside. That movie opens June 22, and if he keeps up his usual one-a-year production schedule, Allen should be ready to shoot the San Francisco movie later this year. Hopefully that will lead to a lot of "New Yorker goes out West" culture conflict, similar to what we've been seeing in Allen's European films, but with lots more jokes about everyone out West eating lots of tofu and being too tan.

Previous rumors suggested that Allen's next movie might shoot in Copenhagen, so maybe the Danes are disappointed today, but I'm glad to see him coming back Stateside. I'd still rather he be making New York movies, but maybe we're just taking baby steps back in that direction.

Every weekday from now until the Oscar ceremony we'll be running a For Your Consideration piece on behalf of every Best Picture nominee, arguing why it deserves its nomination or even a win, arguing why it's important, or even pointing out why it doesn't belong at the Oscars at all. Here is Jesse with a personal argument on behalf of Midnight in Paris.

To be honest, I never thought I’d be arguing for a Woody Allen film to win Best Picture. Like most people, I thought his best work was behind him, his very best made well before I was born. And even with his latest resurgence, Woody was still a long way from being a best of the year consideration. But Midnight in Paris isn’t a good film, it’s a great one, and it’s time Woody won himself another Best Picture.

It’s impeccably acted, written and directed, containing all the laughs, insight and whimsy of Woody’s very best work. Forget the Screen Actors Guild, who picked The Help as their Best Ensemble-- Allen’s tale of magic at midnight in the most romantic city in the world has it beat. Aside from Owen Wilson’s effortlessly charming and neurotic performance as Gil (the best Woody surrogate since John Cusack), some of the more memorable turns come from Tom Hiddleston as F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kathy Bates as Gertrude Stein, Adrien Brody as Salvador Dali and finally Corey Stoll, who should have received a Best Supporting nod for his turn as Ernest Hemingway. I also love Michael Sheen as the pretentious know it all, irritating Gil in the present when he isn’t lost in the past.

The script is also one of Allen’s best in some time (surely his best comedy since, well, God knows when) and was just recognized as the year’s Best Original Screenplay by the Writers Guild of America-- it’s nice to see at least one of the Guilds get it right. Allen’s writing is every bit as charming and funny as the other light-hearted Best Picture contender, The Artist, but most importantly, MiP is a smart comedy that actually has something significant to say about our collective problem with viewing the past through rose colored glasses. And in a year when the Academy has once again chosen to play it safe and leave real stand-outs off the Best Picture docket, it’s high time that a smart, insightful comedy be crowned Best Picture, especially one that takes aim at, instead of embraces, our cultural obsession with nostalgia.

The Academy more often than not will reward a serviceable drama over a well-written, insightful comedy but as they finally come close to giving Best Picture to a movie with some humor, it’s to one that's essentially an over-long gimmick that uses our weakness for nostalgia to win audiences over with empty charm. The Artist is a nice but insignificant retread of Singin’ in the Rain, with a sentimental longing for classical Hollywood filmmaking that actually promotes an unhealthy view of the past. I can still hear people walking out of the theater, exclaiming ‘boy, the just don’t make films like that anymore.’ With its crisp black and white photography, lovable leads, easily digestible story and an adorable pup, The Artist cheaply taps into the audiences’ longing of a simpler time, the exact kind of insincere nostalgic pandering that Woody Allen’s sharp comedy rightly takes to task.

Eric already made the convincing case that Hugo, not The Artist is the year’s best film about cinema history, but both films are too busy painting their respective eras to look far greener than the present. Midnight in Paris, on the other hand, at first presents this nostalgic glow before slowly stripping away the shimmer to reveal what’s really important: the present. Owen Wilson’s Gil Pender is so enamored with the magical midnight trips that he even starts to believe that all his problems would somehow go away if he could only live in 1920s Paris. Yet, after he meets Adriana, a woman who shares a similar historical longing, he’s forced to finally confront this idealized vision and returns to live for the present.

Midnight in Paris uses history as an important part of its insight, not merely to appeal to audiences with an endearing but ultimately empty gimmick. And hey, I think The Artist is an enjoyable film experience but it ultimately lacks the depth of Woody’s exploration of these supposed golden ages. MiP’s sobering and even practical comments on nostalgia are not only important for the current artistic landscape but for how we should be living our lives, not dwelling in the past but living in the moment. We should never forget that the past is just another unsatisfying present and "that’s what the present is, it’s a little unsatisfying because life’s a little unsatisfying." And even more so if a middling comedy like The Artist walks away with Best Picture. Here’s hoping for some more magic for Midnight in Paris and a Woody Allen film winning the top prize. Like back in ‘77. Things were so much better then.

For more arguments for and against this year's Oscar nominees, go right HERE.

Of all the things associated with Woody Allen, Hip-Hop isn't usually one of them. While the auteur has tackled a myriad of subjects and themes, African-American culture hasn't really been explored through his his Jewish neurotic worldview. However, that doesn't mean his latest romp, and multiple Academy Award nominee, Midnight in Paris isn't well suited for an 'urban' appropriating. Sorry, using the term urban highlights my own Jewish neurotic worldview. Anyway, audience flocked to see Midnight in Paris, how about "Niggas In Paris at Midnight"?

The mash-up between the Best Picture nominee and the single off Jay-Z and Kanye West's "Watch the Throne" was first brought to the attention of Bad Ass Digest as it was created by one of their 'regular commenters' Tim Davids. Davids mash-up is pretty impressive, and not just in light of the obvious ease at which the two titles align but because he clearly put in a lot of effort to match hip-hop music video trappings (especially Kanye's videos) with the more classical Hollywood stylings of Allen's MiP.

Bad Ass Digest also cites an interesting quote from Rap Genius that highlights how there's perhaps a little more depth to the mash than first glance suggests since the French/Paris scene was such an important locale for the liberation and appreciation of Black artists. Oh, and it's just a hell of a lot of fun to watch the juxtaposition of the nostalgic Paris of the past and the ultra-modern graphics all with the beats of "Watch the Throne" pounding in the background. What did you think?

The Golden Globe nominations are out, and the wonderful Midnight In Paris is up for Best Comedy or Musical, Best Actor (Owen Wilson), Best Director (Woody Allen), and Best Screenplay (again, Woody Allen). Having grossed more than one hundred and thirty million dollars worldwide, the film is Woody Allen’s biggest commercial success ever. The question is why. Why, after a career spanning more than forty years and so many beloved movies, have audiences been so taken with the seventy-six year-old’s latest? Critics, observers and fans are offering different explanations. Some see Midnight In Paris as having the broadest appeal of Allen’s career. Others see its success as being the byproduct of so many fans of the director hoping for years that he’d make one last brilliant movie. Maybe there’s a grain of truth to those rationales, but I see a different explanation.

Woody Allen is the greatest tour guide in the world, a perfect mix of sophisticated knowledge and biting wit. He knows all the best places and all the strangest people. Like Anthony Bourdain, the filmmaker has this brilliant ability to simultaneously treasure and trash the same place. For years, he showed us around New York City. Through carriage rides in Central Park, houses sitting below the Thunderbolt on Coney Island and tirades about exorbitant rents for bug-infested apartments, he let his viewers feel like both tourists and residents, hitting the landmarks and the neighborhood holes in the wall. It wasn’t enough for his characters to have personalities shaped by their upbringings and outlooks, many of them had personalities directly shaped by New York.

Of course, it would be inaccurate to say Allen never strayed too far from Midtown. In Bananas, much of the action takes place in San Marcos, a country both fictional and in Latin America. Annie Hall too contains its share of plot-essential traveling, mostly notably in Los Angeles where Alvy somehow comes across as even more cantankerous, but despite these movements and others, it’s still fair to say for much of Allen’s career, he was rightly known as a New York director. That was where he was most comfortable, and that’s where many expected him to stay. So much for that assumption.

Since 2005, Allen has shot the majority of his movies in Europe. From London to Paris to Barcelona, he’s gallivanted around the world and somehow found a renewed focus and energy while doing it. Diving into his locations in an attempt to make them feel as authentic as possible, Allen has tried to bring the sharpness and focus he looked at New York with to some of the more beautiful and historic places across the ocean. In doing so, he’s given us two very good films,Match Point and Vicky Cristina Barcelona, and now, one absolutely brilliant movie.

To many, Paris is the most enchanting city in Europe. A strange mix of historical significance and modern high society, it’s a bridge between the past and present, a place where travelers can acculturate themselves with the old and the opulent while living amidst bustling relevance. In Midnight In Paris, Woody Allen walks that complex tightrope perfectly, giving viewers both the modern perspective through the eyes of visitors and the dreamy throwback through the eyes of the Lost Generation. It plays like a walking tour of the most visited city in the world, and as our eyes and ears, Allen is simply perfect. The same attention to detail and the same wonderment he gave to New York for so many years, he gives to Paris here, making it feel every bit as magical as we might expect without losing a sense of honesty.

I’ve always wanted to visit Paris. Woody Allen hasn’t changed that longing, except maybe to add in the wrinkle that I’d like to visit it with him. I’d like to see the city through his eyes just a little bit longer. I’d like him to show me a few more characters who live there. I’d like to know why they live there, what they do for livings and how Paris has shaped their lives. In fact, I’d like him to spend the next twenty years showing me Paris, at least if that wouldn’t inhibit him from showing me around the rest of the world.

From New York to London to Paris, Woody Allen has looked at a lot of the most wonderful cities on Earth. Now I want him to comment on my town. I want him to go to the places I go. I want his characters to eat at the same restaurants I do. I want to know how he’d see where I live my life, and when he’s done, I’d like to see him comment on your neck of the woods. For years, I loved how he showed me New York from so many different angles, but now Midnight In Paris has made me want to see the rest of the world.

That’s why I think people love Midnight In Paris, and that’s why, selfishly, I want Woody Allen to visit me next.

Woody Allen’s magical mystery tour of Europe’s finest destinations shows very little sign of slowing down. After a handful of features in London and its outskirts, the legendary New Yorker has made pitstops in Barcelona (Vicky Cristina Barcelona) and France (Midnight in Paris). He’s currently filming The Bop Decameron in Rome, Italy with Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Penelope Cruz, Greta Gerwig and Alec Baldwin. From there, Allen prepares to shift to Germany for an as-yet-untitled picture that would shoot next summer.

THR says Munich’s Bavaria Studios is negotiating with Allen to host the prolific septuagenarian. While the story was short on details – Allen usually keeps everything close to the chest until it’s time to open the movie – THR did note that Bavaria would come on board as a co-financier, and the film could have a budget near $25 million.

Allen is coming off the most successful film of his career in Midnight, which crossed the $50 million mark at the domestic box office this past weekend, making it the director’s highest-grossing movie to date. The European air has to agree with him. In addition to earning strong box office, Paris, Barcelona and Match Point all earned positive reviews. Yet when Allen comes home, he turns out less critically-acclaimed fare like Whatever Works (50% fresh on Rotten Tomatoes). I do wonder if Allen will try a drama or thriller after this recent string of ensemble comedies. We’ll know more when Woody feels like revealing it. In the meantime, let’s guess where he’ll go next. Sweden? Amsterdam? Mother Russia? China?!

Woody Allen is a storyteller. That's obvious to anyone who's followed his career, of course, watching him move to stand-up to writing books to writing and directing films that have become a firm, vital part of American pop culture. But it's even more obvious when you see him doing an interview, even a big press conference, where most directors and even actors find themselves shrinking away from the masses and giving only the easiest answers. Allen, on the other hand, is up for answering pretty much anything, from inquiries about whether or not he's a Communist to tangential discussions about the New York theater scene. At the press conference earlier this week he also talked about his new film Midnight in Paris, of course, but it was almost like he was anxious to throw off another bon mot about European water pressure instead.

Below are some of the highlights from that press conference, which ran for 45 minutes but easily could have gone on for hours. Allen talks about his method for working with actors and cameramen, what he'll miss about America while he's shooting in Rome this summer (you can read the details he gave us about that project here), his scrapped plans to make a movie of The Great Gatsby, how he thinks he's "only scratched the surface" of New York City in his films, and much much more. His new movie Midnight in Paris, which is delightful, opens in limited release this Friday.

In the movie Gil [Owen Wilson's writer character] keeps getting called a Communist by his future father-in-law. Why did you include that political standoff? Have you ever been called a Communist?

I've never been called a Communist. I could never even share a bathroom. I'm a Democrat, and just wanted to make the girl's parents in the movie antithetical to Gil. I wanted him to be a good-natured guy who tried to get along with everybody, and the mother was annoyed that she was marrying him, figuring her daughter could do better, and that the father didn't like him politically. They belong to that strain of Americans who are always critical of France and always have a problem, who wanted to change it to Freedom Fries. I just thought that would be funny, but I had no other motivation other than that. It expresses my own political feelings. I would never do anything that didn't, that ran antithetical. I wouldn't make my hero a Fascist for example. But I was really just trying to be amusing.

Is it different working with Owen given that he's also a writer?

I didn't know he was a writer at all. I didn't do anything different at all, with any actor. The screenplay is not written in stone. As soon as they're hired for the movie, I tell them that they're free. If there are any speeches that they don't want to do, anything they want to add or subtract or change, go right ahead and do it. I watch them closely and if there's some egregious mistake they make I tell them, but most of the time I don't. If there's a joke or a speech I wrote that embarrasses them to say, they don't want to say it and they don't say it, and I couldn't care less. They see the scene and they feel more comfortable doing it their way-- that's fine with me. As long as the thing gets done believably on the screen. As long as they make it real or exciting or amusing, I'm very very happy to take credit for it later.

How has it been for you shooting in Europe instead of New York, and leaving business concerns aside, would you come back to New York to make a film?

I can't leave business matters completely aside. I went originally to London because they offered to back Match Point. I had a very nice experience in London, found the London crews were just like the American crews. I found the same thing in Barcelona and Paris. They know what to do, the language barrier is minimal, most of them speak a little English or I can struggle through a minimal amount of French. In the United States I worked with a Chinese cameraman on three pictures for three years who never spoke a word of English, ever. One nice perk is that these foreign countries welcome you so generously. Everybody cooperates in such generous ways. They close off streets and you get police help, they're so enthused about it. It's not a tough thing. It's not like you leave home and you're stranded in the desert and nobody knows what to do with the lights. you go to a new city and it's great, you have new restaurants, new places to go to, it's very exciting.

You'll be back here on day though.

I'd love to. There's a million things to do here, a million stories to tell, a million great locations in the city. I've made many many movies here, and I don't think I've even scratched the surface of New York City. And there are advantages to being at home. For example, I'm going to Rome this summer. I'm not going to be able to see any baseball, and that's a big loss for me. I will have three months of a hotel shower. I have a great shower at home, it comes down hard and hot. It's nice to work at home, I like that-- my own bed, my own house, all my surrounding pharmaceuticals. But there are exciting things to being abroad as well.

Is there any truth to the rumor that you wanted to make a movie about Zelda Fitzgerald?

No, there's no truth to that. I would have liked to have made, years ago, The Great Gatsby. It's a great film for me to make. I think I could have done a good job with it, because I like that era, and it's a New York/Long Island film. I just feel I could have made that film work. I've always had a crush on women like Zelda Fitzgerald. Now, this is very self-destructive, and I've always selected, in my lifetime, women who had that streak of insanity that she had. It didn't do me any good, but I was fascinated by it always. I've used that kind of character in my movies many, many times. I think I would have been good to make that picture, but it was never in the cards. I was not eligible to make it when it first started, it's been made a few times, I think they're making it again. But it was a nice thought.

If you could time travel, would 1920s Paris be your first choice?

Time travel is a tricky thing, because you extrapolate only the best. Women were dying the childbirth, people were dying of tuberculosis, you'd go to the dentist and they'd drill and they'd kill you. But you think of Gigi and horse-drawn carriages and champagne and Maxime's. I'd like to time travel for the day. Go back to the Belle Epoque, have lunch, go home. I would go to the Belle Epoque Paris. Paris before all the stores on the Champs d'Elysses, the terrible T-shirt and postcard joints, the way it was conceived had to be astonishingly beautiful. You can't fathom how beautiful it must have been.

Back home from a trip to Cannes to open his new film Midnight in Paris, Woody Allen held court with a roomful of New York press at a hotel on the Upper East Side today. A press conference with Allen is like none other, especially when he's there on his own-- he's as comfortable in front of a microphone as any other 75-year-old on earth, and willing to tell stories about everything from the use of time travel in Midnight in Paris to his dream of adapting The Great Gatsby for the screen (more on both of those later).

He also answered a question about his next movie, which shoots in Rome this summer and already had a reported cast including Alec Baldwin, Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Penelope Cruz, Roberto Benigni and Allen himself, who will be acting again after a few years on hiatus. Today he not only revealed the untitled film's plot for the first time, but confirmed that his Husbands and Wives co-star Judy Davis would also be in the film-- and I think she'll be playing his wife. Here's what he told us about the plot, and we'll speculate after.

Given that he described a series of interconnected stories and not one central narrative, all the film's stars might not all be part of this central story-- and indeed, it's hard to see Baldwin and Eisenberg fitting into the meeting of an Italian and American family. But if Allen is playing the father it makes sense for Davis, though 20 years his junior, to play the mother, and for the same reason wouldn't Ellen Page make the most sense as the daughter? Roberto Benigni could easily be playing the patriarch of the other family, and presumably one of the other Italian actors currently being cast would play the husband-to-be-- does anyone know of any up-and-coming male Italian actors who could fit the bill?

All the casting business is pure speculation, though it all seems to fit together pretty well for me, and the plot details are straight from the horse's mouth. The film shoots this summer in Rome and, given Allen's usual work schedule, should be in theaters next summer. Check back later this week for more from Allen on, well, lots of stuff, and see Midnight in Paris in limited release this weekend.

Woody Allen’s next ensemble piece, which we recently told you would be set in Rome, is about to get a little more Italian.

As the prolific director prepares to open the Cannes Film Festival with his current picture, Midnight In Paris, Deadline reports that Allen “will land” Oscar-winning writer-director Roberto Benigni for his next cast, which already includes Jesse Eisenberg, Ellen Page, Penelope Cruz and Alec Baldwin. The site goes on to say that Allen could make an announcement regarding Benigni’s involvement in the picture when Paris opens Cannes later this month.

Though Allen and Benigni both lay claim to the prestigious title of Oscar winner, the former’s career has remained steady while the latter’s largely tanked. After nabbing a Best Actor Oscar for his performance in the 1997 concentration camp drama Life Is Beautiful, Benigni directed and starred in an ill-fated Pinocchio tale and then promptly disappeared.

Allen has a tendency to bring out the best in a performer, so we’ll see how Benigni clicks as a member of an Allen ensemble … if he joins the as-yet-untitled project at all.