By Amanda Gilmore

On Swift Horses is set in Eisenhower America in the 50s. Just after the war and when California was a promise of the best place to live. It follows married couple Muriel (Daisy Edgar-Jones) and Lee (Will Poulter) who plan to move to California. Yet, when Lee’s brother Julius (Jacob Elordi) arrives back from the Korean War, Muriel and Julius notice something inside both of them that creates a bond no matter the distance they are.

Adapting beloved novels is a tough thing to accomplish. On Swift Horses is adapted from the novel of the same name by Shannon Pufahl. This book was a prize winner for lesbian fiction, however, this adaptation has placed more focus on a romantic drama mixed with gambling. It’s clear Muriel and Julius ignite something within the other. They see the need for freedom brimming within. This makes the first half of On Swift Horses focused.

However, we’re soon brought into the world of gambling and stay there for a while. Muriel bets on horses in California while Julius is in Vegas counting cards. During this time, Julius falls for a fellow gambler Henry (Diego Calva). The heart of Pufahl’s novel begins coming through as we see Julius and Henry’s relationship grow. In his supporting role, it’s Calva’s strong performance that stays with the audience. It’s also at this time that Muriel begins having an affair with her neighbour Sandra (Sasha Calle). However, there isn’t enough time spent with the two to truly show the care they have for each other. 

Overall, On Swift Horses is a queer romance film that at times loses that focus at the expense of a gambling story and adds the question of a possible love triangle. Yet, it is beautifully shot by Canadian Cinemaographer Luc Montpellier who makes 50s America feel like a neo-noir film.

On Swift Horses screens at TIFF ’24:

Sat, Sept 7 at 6:15 PM at VISA Screening Room at the Princess of Wales Theatre

Sun, Sept 8 at 9 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Sat, Sept 14 at 9:45 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

Sun, Sept 15 at 12:30 PM at Scotiabank Theatre Toronto

This was by far the most the most hectic.of the Festival and we are thrilled at the names we spotted out and about today! Totally exhausting, but so rewarding!

Some of the names we saw:

•Jennifer Lopez and Jharrel Jerome for UNSTOPPABLE

•Margaret Qualley for THE SUBSTANCE

•Ron Howard, Daniel Brühl, Vanessa Kirby, Sydney Sweeney and Ana de Armas for EDEN

•Brett Goldstein for ALL OF YOU

•Mena Suvari and Brandom Routh for ICK

•Rebecca Hall for THE LISTENERS

•Barry Keoghan for BRING THEM DOWN and BIRD

Jessica Matten, Amber Midthunder and Kauchani Bratt for REZ BALL

•Manuel Garcia Rulfo and Tenoch Huerta for PEDRO PARAMO

•Jacob Elordi, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Diego Will Poulter for ON SWIFT HORSES

•Mikey Madison for ANORA

•Jason Reitman for SATURDAY NIGHT

Some highlights from today:

(Photo/video credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Hot off the announcement that Andrew Garfield has dropped-out of Guillermo del Toro‘s FRANKENSTEIN due to delays as a result of the SAG-AFTRA strike, we get the exciting news that red-hot Jacob Elordi will be taking over the coveted role of Frankestein‘s Monster. The upcoming Netflix film, a take on Mary Shelley‘s timeless story, is set to begin production shortly in del Toro‘s favourite city of choice.

Others starring in the Film include Oscar Isaac as Victor Frankenstein, Mia Goth, Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, Christian Convery and two-time Oscar winner Christoph Waltz.

Elordi is riding a high off the massive popularity of HBO‘s Euphoria, the acclaimed Sofia Coppola film PRISCILLA (also filmed here in Toronto) and also the viral buzz of Emerald Fennell‘s SALTBURN. He is set to host SNL with Musical Guest Renée Rapp this weekend, January 20, 2024. Does it get any bigger?

This is our second time meeting the charming and kind Elordi, who was gracious with fans, with his dog Layla who has Service Dog certification, in tow even. We were so fortunate to get him to sign our PRISCILLA shirt from A24/Elevation Pictures, and even got a selfie together with beanie!

del Toro does no wrong. We are so excited to see his spin on FRANKENSTEIN!

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)

Today, Prime Video, Curio Pictures, and Screen Australia announced the start of production, on the new Australian Original series The Narrow Road to the Deep North, which is based on Richard Flanagan’s Booker Prize-winning novel of the same name. A story of an unforgettable love set against the darkness of war, Jacob Elordi (Euphoria, Saltburn, Priscilla) leads an incredible Australian and international all-star cast, alongside Ciarán Hinds (Belfast), with Odessa Young (Mothering Sunday, Shirley), Olivia DeJonge (Elvis), Heather Mitchell (Love Me, Upright), Thomas Weatherall (Heartbreak High), Show Kasamatsu, and Simon Baker (Limbo, Breath).

The new five-part drama series, adapted by writer Shaun Grant and directed by Justin Kurzel, will launch on Prime Video in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada. The series will be distributed internationally by Sony Pictures Television. Principal production funding is provided by Screen Australia, with assistance from the NSW Government through Screen NSW’s Made in NSW and PDV Funds. Jacob Elordi will return home to Australia to play the lead role of the younger Dorrigo Evans (1940s). Other cast members include Odessa Young (Amy Mulvaney), Olivia DeJonge (younger Ella), and Simon Baker (Keith). Fast-forward to the 1980s, the series will feature Ciarán Hinds who will play the older Dorrigo, with Heather Mitchell (older Ella). Thomas Weatherall (Frank Gardiner), Show Kasamatsu (Major Nakamura), and Charles An (The Goanna) will also join the cast.

Set against the shadows of World War II, the series tells the epic story of Lieutenant Dorrigo Evans, and how his all-too-brief love affair with Amy Mulvaney shaped his life. The story is told over multiple time periods, as we journey from Evans’ childhood to his experience as a prisoner-of-war on the Thailand-Burma Railway as a young man, and later in life, as a respected surgeon and Australian war hero. The Narrow Road to the Deep North is a love story to sustain audiences through the darkest of times, an intimate character study illustrating the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity, and an investigation into a marriage and an unforgettable love affair.

“With talents like Jacob Elordi, Ciarán Hinds and Odessa Young at the helm, The Narrow Road to the Deep North promises to be a cinematic, visceral, and undeniable contemporary love story, which explores the power of mateship and the strength of the human spirit in the face of adversity,” said Sarah Christie, senior development executive at Amazon MGM Studios. “We just know that this series is going to resonate with customers in Australia, New Zealand, and Canada, and are proud to be partnering with Curio Pictures’ Jo Porter and Rachel Gardner, who will bring this incredible story to life alongside the award-winning director and executive producer Justin Kurzel, and award-winning writer and executive producer Shaun Grant.”

“Curio is incredibly proud to be producing The Narrow Road to the Deep North. The power of the storytelling, which began with Richard Flanagan’s seminal novel; the brilliance of the creative team, led by Shaun Grant and Justin Kurzel; and our breathtakingly accomplished cast will make this a landmark production for Australian television and a sweeping story to be embraced by audiences around the world,” said Curio Pictures’ Jo Porter and Rachel Gardner.

The Narrow Road to the Deep North is produced by Curio Pictures in Australia. Working with Curio Pictures’ executive producers Jo Porter and Rachel Gardner, the series is adapted by writer Shaun Grant and directed by Justin Kurzel, who both serve as executive producers, with Alexandra Taussig producing.

Screen Australia Head of Content Grainne Brunsdon, “Shaun Grant and Justin Kurzel have created an epic war drama from Richard Flanagan’s novel, steeped in love and transformational power. Full of grandeur and richness, this series brings to life the horror and realities of war and imprisonment – and is destined to engage audiences worldwide as a result.”

Head of Screen NSW, Kyas Hepworth said, “Screen NSW is excited to support Curio Pictures in their adaptation of the Booker-Prize winning novel, The Narrow Road to the Deep North, and secure this production for the state through our Made in NSW and PDV funds. The Narrow Road to the Deep North is led by a strong cast and crew, and I look forward to seeing the series hit our screens on Prime Video in the near future.”

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada x Mr. Will want to give Readers in Toronto and Montreal a chance to win passes to an Advance Screening of SALTBURN.

Screenings take place on Wednesday, November 15, 2023 at 7:30 PM.

SYNOPSIS

Welcome to Saltburn. Written & directed by Academy Award Winner Emerald Fennell and in theatres November 22, 2023.

Academy Award winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) brings us a wicked tale of privilege and desire. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.

To enter for a chance to win, click “like” on this Post at MR. WILL ON FACEBOOK. Re-Tweet this from our “X” account for an extra chance.

Rules and regulations here.

Warner Bros. Pictures Canada release SALTBURN November 22, 2023.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)

Emerald Fennell who gave us her genius in PROMISING YOUNG WOMAN, is back with SALTBURN. Today we get a new Trailer.

Synopsis:

Written & directed by Academy Award Winner Emerald Fennell

Academy Award winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) brings us a wicked tale of privilege and desire. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)

From Academy Award winning writer/director Sofia Coppola and starring Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny. PRISCILLA – In Theaters Everywhere November 3, 1023 via Elevation Pictures and A24.

Synopsis:

When teenage Priscilla Beaulieu meets Elvis Presley at a party, the man who is already a meteoric rock-and-roll superstar becomes someone entirely unexpected in private moments: a thrilling crush, an ally in loneliness, a vulnerable best friend. Through Priscilla’s eyes, Sofia Coppola tells the unseen side of a great American myth in Elvis and Priscilla’s long courtship and turbulent marriage, from a German army base to his dream-world estate at Graceland, in this deeply felt and ravishingly detailed portrait of love, fantasy, and fame.

(Photo/video credit: Elevation Pictures)

Barry Keoghan stars in SALTBURN coming to theatres this December. Today we get a new Trailer!

Details:

Written and Directed by Emerald Fennell
Produced by Emerald Fennell, p.g.a; Margot Robbie, p.g.a; Josey McNamara, p.g.a
Starring Barry Keoghan, Jacob Elordi, Rosamund Pike, Richard E. Grant, Alison Oliver, Archie Madekwe, and Carey Mulligan

Academy Award winning filmmaker Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman) brings us a beautifully wicked tale of privilege and desire. Struggling to find his place at Oxford University, student Oliver Quick (Barry Keoghan) finds himself drawn into the world of the charming and aristocratic Felix Catton (Jacob Elordi), who invites him to Saltburn, his eccentric family’s sprawling estate, for a summer never to be forgotten.

Amazon MGM Studios and MRC present SALTBURN

Distributed in theatres in Canada by Warner Bros. Pictures on December 1, 2023.

(Photo/video credit: Warner Bros. Pictures Canada)

From Writer/Director Sofia Coppola and starring Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny, PRISCILLA is coming soon and here is your first Teaser for this A24 production, filmed right here in Toronto.

(Photo/video credit: A24)

Just having wrapped production in Toronto, Sofia Coppola‘s upcoming PRISCILLA centers on Priscilla Presley and her marriage to Elvis and time living at Graceland. Coppola writes, directs and products. To be distributed by A24, the Film is based on the Memoir Elvis and Me, and stars Cailee Spainey (Mare of Eastown) and also Jacob Elordi (Euphoria). PRISCILLA began filming in Toronto late October, wrapping this past week before continuing prodution in Los Angeles. Just based on A24 being such a force at the Toronto International Film Festival this year, we’re wondering if they might have their sights on the Festival Circuit too with this one!

You already know how much we love HBO‘s Mare of Eastown and Euphoria so it should come as no surprise how excited we were to meet both Spainey and Elordi. We’re so lucky to have hosted this production in our City with filming spanning all parts of the City including Mississauga to downtown! We loved Baz Luhrmann‘s ELVIS and cannot wait to see Coppola explore Priscilla Presley‘s (who happens to be producing this also) perspective and experience next.

Elordi was just so amazing, and we spotted him with his Golden Retriever named Layla, who was on her best behaviour. How cool is it that he was sporting a PRISCILLA sweatshirt with a print of the Script cover? And Spainey was just absolutely sweet and surprised even to be recognized, donning a Supreme Beanie. The emerging star actually has been here before, having filmed 2020’s The Craft: Legacy here in Toronto. Her plate is rather full and coming-up for her, is Alex Garland‘s upcoming Civil War, alo starring Kirsten Dunst and Wagner Moura filmed partly in the U.S. and U.K.

Just earlier this week another Euphoria star was in Toronto. More here.

See some Snaps:

(Photo credit: Mr. Will Wong)