#FIRSTLOOK: JEFFREY WRIGHT ADDED TO CAST OF “THE AGENCY”

Paramount+ today announced that Academy Award® nominee and EMMY® and Golden Globe winning actor Jeffrey Wright (American Fiction) will join the cast of the espionage political thriller THE AGENCY (formerly The Department) for Paramount+ as a series regular. THE AGENCY, currently in production in London, is commissioned by Showtime Studios and produced in association with 101 Studios. George Clooney and Grant Heslov will executive produce through Smokehouse Pictures.

The all-new political thriller follows Martian (two-time Academy Award nominee Michael Fassbender), a covert CIA agent, ordered to abandon his undercover life and return to London Station. When the love he left behind reappears, romance reignites. His career, his real identity and his mission are pitted against his heart; hurling them both into a deadly game of international intrigue and espionage. Wright will play Henry, the Director of Operations and mentor to Martian.

“Jeffrey Wright doesn’t just portray characters – he inhabits them completely, infusing each role with raw, emotional power and profound, psychological insight,” said Chris McCarthy, Paramount Global Co-CEO and President/CEO, Showtime & MTV Entertainment Studios. “We are thrilled to have him join Michael Fassbender and our creative dream team of Joe Wright, Jez and John-Henry Butterworth, Grant Heslov and George Clooney.”

Jeffrey Wright is a Tony, Emmy, AFI, and Golden Globe Award-winning actor who has enjoyed an illustrious career spanning the worlds of theatre, film, and television. Wright can currently be seen giving one of the best performances of his career in Orion Pictures/Amazon MGM Studios’ American Fiction, written and directed by Cord Jefferson. Wright received nominations from the Academy Awards, Gotham Awards, Golden Globe Awards, Critics Choice Awards, SAG Awards and NAACP Image Awards and won the Independent Spirit Award, for his wonderful performance as protagonist, “Thelonious ‘Monk’ Ellison.” Coming up, Wright will star opposite Denzel Washington in the Spike Lee directed, Apple Original Films and A24 thriller, High and Low and he will join season two of the award-winning HBO drama “The Last Of Us.”

THE AGENCY is a fresh take on the critically acclaimed hit French drama Le Bureau des Légendes (The Bureau internationally) and will debut on demand and on streaming for Paramount+ subscribers with the Paramount+ with SHOWTIME plan, before making its on-air debut. The series will also stream internationally on Paramount+ in the UK, Canada, Australia, Italy, Germany, Latin America, Brazil and Japan. The series is co-distributed internationally by Paramount Global Content Distribution and Federation Studios.

Le Bureau centers on the daily life and missions of agents within France’s principal external security service. It focuses on the “Bureau of Legends,” responsible for training and handling deep-cover agents on long-term missions in areas with French interests. Living under false identities for years, these agents’ missions are to identify and recruit good intelligence sources. The Bureau – Le Bureau des Légendes was created by Eric Rochant and is a CANAL+ Creation Originale series produced by TOP – The Originals Productions and Federation Studios.

Golden Globe® nominee and multi-BAFTA® winner Joe Wright (Pride and Prejudice, The Darkest Hour and The Atonement) will direct and executive produce the new drama series and Tony®Award-winning writer Jez Butterworth and John-Henry Butterworth (Ford v Ferrari, Edge of Tomorrow) will executive produce and write all ten episodes.

Commissioned by Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios and produced in association with 101 Studios, THE AGENCY is executive produced by Keith Cox and Nina L. Diaz of Showtime/MTV Entertainment Studios; David C. Glasser, Ron Burkle, David Hutkin and Bob Yari of 101 Studios (Yellowstone); George Clooney and Grant Heslov for Smokehouse Pictures; Alex Berger for TOP-The Originals Productions; Ashley Stern and Pascal Breton for Federation Studios/Federation Entertainment of America; and Michael Fassbender. Jez and John-Henry Butterworth are writers and executive producers; Joe Wright is executive producer and director of the first two episodes.

#INTERVIEW: CORD JEFFERSON ON “AMERICAN FICTION”

By Mr. Will Wong

After making a huge splash at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival, Cord Jefferson‘s AMERICAN FICTION is riding a high since winning the coveted People’s Choice Award, a very good indicator that it is Oscars-bound.

The Satire, based on Percival Everett‘s novel ERASURE is set to hit theatres over the Holidays and today we got a first look as its Trailer launched officially. It centers on Thelonious “Monk” Ellison (Jeffrey Wright), who is a respected figure in the literary world. Tired of black stereotypes, he writes a novel under a pseudonym that features every Black cliché possible, which goes on to garner him tons of interest (more than anything he’s ever written) and hence, a huge dilemma to deal with.

We were so fortunate to sit-in on a Press Junket with Jefferson, whose feature directorial debut is an epic one.

He’s asked by Rotten Tomatoes about landing on the perfect Trailer.

Jefferson: “I’ll let the Trailer speak for itself. It has gone through a rigorous process, and we’ve been working on it for months now. I’m thrilled to share it with everybody. I really love it. It has gone through different iterations and finally we’ve landed on one we’re all thrilled about.”.

Jefferson is asked about his connection with the Film’s source material and why he chose to adapt it for the big screen.

Jefferson: “I first heard about the Novel when I was reading a review in December 2020 for INTERIOR CHINATOWN (by Charles Yu), a Satire similar to Percival Everett‘s ERASURE. Within 50 pages of reading it, I’m already reading Monk in Jeffrey’s voice. I knew I wanted to direct it. There were just so many overlaps with my personal life and things that I’ve been thinking about for decades. It felt like someone had written me a gift. When I stepped away from it, I couldn’t stop thinking about it and when I was done reading, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. I was electrified. A piece of Art has never resonated so deeply with me.”.

He tells us about the process of getting star Jeffrey Wright to sign-on in the leading role.

Jefferson: “Once the Script was done, I told everyone that I wanted Jeffrey, and everyone agreed. I sent it right away to him. Thankfully, he met with me and talked a few hours. We met a couple weeks later and talked for a few more hours and he signed on. There’s a reason I’ll forever be indebted, but the main one is that this is the guy who was in Basquiat and Angels in America. When I first saw him, I was blown away. I’ve followed his career throughout. Batman, 007, this guy in Wes Anderson’s go-to. These are the biggest movies in world. For me to come to him, having never written or directed anything, I was terrified he was gonna say no. I think it’s a real testament to him as Artist and Human Being, willing to put faith in me. A lot of Actors of his caliber don’t want to risk it on first-time Director. He lept aboard and things got more easy. We got more funding and more Actors wanted to come aboard to work with him.”.

We then learn about their alignment in vision for the film adaptation.

Jefferson: “The first thing he said is that ‘I don’t want to feel this Movie is scolding or condemning anybody’. That’s the exact thing I said, and I didn’t want it to feel like a lecture about the right way or wrong way to be black. We were both on the same page. No ‘pull up your pants’ or finger-wagging. All we wanted to do is make a movie that addressed these issues with levity and ton of humour, yet with an emotional center. And for people to be smiling and laughing with their friends and family. As soon as he said that, I knew this was the guy.”.

Jefferson tells us about casting the perfect love interest and Supporting Cast for Monk.

Jefferson: “I’ve been following Maxine Shaw (Erika Alexander) since LIVING SINGLE. I recognize good work. When it came time to talk about Jeffrey’s love interest, we got a lot of pitches from agencies for people in their 20s and 30s, and I understand that’s what they do in Hollywood. I wanted someone to be closer to Jeffrey in age. I felt this woman is formidable and Monk in this role is a pugnacious, strongheaded, stubbon person, so you need a good foil for that energy. Erika comes in and brings a joy and strength to the character. As soon as I saw her, I knew this was the exact right choice. She shines every time she’s on screen. Jeffrey plays Monk who is a standoffish guy who’s isolated himself. He’s a crotchety College Professor, so surrounding him with an Ensemble that brings levity and natural charm to the part was great. You see this way they balance Monk. They bring the smile and illicit laughter which others in his life don’t.”.

We learn about how Jefferson finds the right balance between Drama and Comedy in this Satire.

Jefferson: “Even in the lowest of times, you have to find joy and pleasure. I didn’t ever make anything with an audience in mind as that’s when you second guess yourself. I focussed on a strategic balance. I wanted the Movie to be Satire. ERASURE is a wonderful satirical novel and I knew I wanted that to be large part of the story. I wanted to ensure the Movie didn’t become farcicial. I had to ensure it didn’t collapse under that weight and become Slapstick. The family – the relationships Monk has with his mother and siblings help balance each other out so it’s never too sweet or bitter. It balances in a way the story doesn’t collapse under the weight of Drama or Comedy. Striking a balance was important. I wanted it to feel authentic to life.”.

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release AMERICAN FICTION in select theatres December 15, 2023 and expands December 22, 2023.

#FIRSTLOOK: NEW TRAILER FOR “MONSTER”

Kelvin Harrison, Jr. stars in the gripping Drama MONSTER, coming soon to Netflix. Wait till you see the incredible Supporting Cast.

Synopsis:

Monster tells the story of Steve Harmon (Kelvin Harrison, Jr.) a seventeen-year-old honor student whose world comes crashing down around him when he is charged with felony murder. The film follows his dramatic journey from a smart, likeable film student from Harlem attending an elite high school through a complex legal battle that could leave him spending the rest of his life in prison.

Cast: Kelvin Harrison Jr., Jennifer Hudson, Jeffrey Wright, Jharrel Jerome, Jennifer Ehle, Rakim Mayers, Nasir ‘Nas’ Jones, Tim Blake Nelson and John David Washington

MONSTER arrives on Netflix May 7, 2021.

(Photo/video credit: Netflix)