Rami Malek will produce and star as an undercover FBI agent in the Universal film “American Radical.”
Universal has optioned the rights to the memoir “American Radical” written by Kevin Maurer and Tamer Elnoury. He’s going to portray an operative who infiltrates a small, Al Qaeda-directed cell of terrorists.
Sam Esmail will direct. Esmail and Chad Hamilton will produce for Esmail Corp. and Anonymous Content, respectively. The three previously collaborated on USA’s “Mr. Robot.”
Executive vice president of production Mark Sourian and creative executive Lexi Barta will oversee the film for Universal.
The book’s full title is “American Radical: Inside the World of an Undercover Muslim FBI Agent.” Elnoury was a longtime undercover agent who joined the counter-terrorism unit after Sept. 11, 2001. In his book, he details his experience infiltrating and bringing down a terror cell that was based in United States. [Source]
News: Rami Malek to Play FBI Agent in ‘American Radical’
News: Mr. Robot Renewed for Season 4
Mr. Robot fans need not worry that tonight’s Season 3 finale will be a series finale: USA Network has renewed the drama for a fourth season.
Series creator Sam Esmail broke news of the series’ pickup on social media early Wednesday. “Calm down everyone,” he wrote on Instagram. “#MrRobot season_4.0 writers’ room is officially open for business.” [Source]
News: ‘Papillon’ to Premiere in Toronto Film Festival
World premieres of Aaron Sorkin’s directorial debut Molly’s Game starring Jessica Chastain, and Dominic Cooke’s Ian McEwan adaptation On Chesil Beach with Saoirse Ronan (pictured) are among 32 additional Special Presentations films to join the Toronto roster on Tuesday.
The Papillon remake with Charlie Hunnam and Rami Malek, Cannes hits The Florida Project by Sean Baker and In The Fade by Fatih Akin, as well as Feng Xiaogang’s Youth also take their place in the Special Presentations line-up.
Top brass at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) announced six additional Galas selections that include Bille August’s 55 Steps and Paolo Virzi’s The Leisure Seekers. Tuesday’s announcement brings the programme’s total to 48 world premieres, 10 international premieres, 19 North American premieres and 10 Canadian premieres. [Source]
News: Rami Malek & 773 New Members Invited to Join The Academy
The Academy announced on Wednesday that it’s inviting 774 new members — a record-breaking number.
It marks the second year in a row that the institution has broken its own record; last year, it set a new high-water mark by inviting 683 new members. Additionally, people of color make up 30% of the new class — a significant statistic following the #OscarsSoWhite protest that made waves in 2016. According to the Academy’s announcement, there has been a 331% increase of people of color invited to join the Academy from 2015-2017. The Academy has vowed to make its membership better reflect the world demographics, after many years of criticism that women, racial minorities and international artists were under-represented. As a result, the number of new-member invitations has risen steadily. [Source]
Actors
Carina Lau – “Infernal Affairs 2,” “Days of Being Wild”
Tony Leung – “The Grandmaster,” “Lust, Caution”
Rami Malek – “Short Term 12,” “The Master”
Leslie Mann – “Funny People,” “Knocked Up”
Kate McKinnon – “Ghostbusters,” “Office Christmas Party”
News: “Mr. Robot” Season 3 Pushed to October
USA Network announced on Friday that the acclaimed drama — which traditionally bows in the summer — won’t kick off Season 3 until October. But here’s some cool casting news to help cushion the blow: Emmy winner Bobby Cannavale is joining the cast in a major role, and current recurring player BD Wong (aka Whiterose) has been promoted to a series regular.
Cannavale, who most recently starred in HBO’s short-lived Vinyl, will play the series-regular role of Irving, a laconic, no-nonsense used car salesman.
Production on Mr. Robot‘s third season will begin in April, with executive producer Sam Esmail once again directing all 10 episodes. [Source]
News: Buster’s Mal Heart heading to 2017 Tribeca Film Festival
The 2017 Tribeca Film Festival has unveiled the initial line-up for its upcoming 16th annual showcase, with a diverse mix of entertaining features and documentaries.
Among the highlights of Thursday’s announced slate are films starring Al Pacino, Rami Malek, Jenny Slate, Amanda Seyfried, and Jon Hamm. On the documentary side, Alex Gibney debuts his latest project, in addition to the premiere of Showtime’s Whitney Houston film.
For the New York-based festival, which will take place April 19-30, films will compete in a wide variety of categories, including U.S. Narrative, International Narrative, World Documentary, Spotlight Documentary, Viewpoints, and Midnight.
Buster’s Mal Heart, directed and written by Sarah Adina Smith. (USA) – New York Premiere. A fugitive hotly pursued by rangers reviews the pathway to his present circumstances and finds conflicting stories. A spellbinding Rami Malek (Mr. Robot) brings impressive range to Sarah Adina Smith’s sophomore feature: a twisting, mind-bending thriller in which the typical rules don’t apply, least of all to a man who cannot be certain of anything he’s done. With DJ Qualls, Kate Lyn Sheil, Sukha Belle Potter, Lin Shaye. A Well Go USA release. [Source]
