Lady Bird 2: Sacramento Rising
Greta Gerwig's silence on the Kings winning season remains deafening
It was the shot heard around the Baftas, a moment that soured what had been an otherwise dull night.
Gary Oldman, one of the loudest personalities in the British Academy of Film, decided to air out some grievances at the British Vogue Fashion & Film after party following the BAFTAs, a ceremony to which he was neither nominated nor invited. Riding high on the critical acclaim for the Apple TV spy thriller Slow Horses, Oldman indulged his pettiest instincts by going after the state of the Bafta nominations, rubbing salt in the wounds of many actors who had already suffered the humiliation of being declared a loser on national television mere hours ago.
“You get these guys that think they know what it takes to win an award, that it’s about subtlety and dedicating yourself to the character and trying to enhance the writing,” he told anyone who would listen. “And because all these weak guys spend their time doing their little introspective rambling interviews and photoshoots, they’ve never done it, they don’t understand it.”
Oldman then proceeded to take aim at one actor in particular.
“Even the one that has done it doesn’t act like he’s done it, because he’s a prissy little bitch who doesn’t know how to act right, or act at all. Went to Eton and wants to pretend he’s some wide eyed waif, give me a fucking break.” And, in case any were left wondering: “I’m talking about Eddie Redmayne, by the way.”
Redmayne, who received a best supporting actor nomination in addition to critical praise for his role as serial killer Charles Cullen in The Good Nurse, has delighted in needling Oldman - one of the more outspoken members of the Academy - in a beef that has been brewing for months. Last September, Redmayne used his Vanity Fair profile to take a jab at Oldman’s performance as Sirius Black in the Harry Potter film franchise, saying “I don’t want to get to that point, wearing a wig, cashing a cheque, wishing I was back in my safe little John Le Carre bubble. I want to push myself, I want to feel out of my element.” Oldman would fire back on his Instagram account with a photo of Eddie Redmayne in character as the titular Danish Girl captioned with the shrug emoji, which was a brief but welcome reprieve from Oldman promoting his raw beef diet.
This rift is part of an ongoing war between two groups of Academy members: the veteran white British actors who came up through theatre vs the slightly younger white British actors who came up through theatre but also went to public school. And within the past few months, it seems to be escalating. Mark Rylance called Henry Cavill a “pussy” unprompted. Timothy Spall and Benedict Cumberbatch - who have a history of friction since they both received nominations for Best Actor at the 2014 British Independent Film Awards - were separated from each other during a heated confrontation at Pinewood studios, with Cumberbatch reportedly screaming “I’m Smaug, motherf***er! I’m Smaug!”. Tom Hiddleston spat on Christopher Eccleston at the premiere of Don’t Worry Darling. There’s a storm coming, Mister Caine.
How did we get to this point? Many will point to social media, with the younger generation facing more online criticism due to their propensity for starring in major film franchises with passionate fanbases, but, like most things in Britain, the damage was originally caused by Harry Potter. Said Daniel Day-Lewis: “The younger generation feel slighted, darling. There’s a perception that the adult cast of the Potter films were the crème de la crème of British actors, and I suppose there’s a jealousy, a wistfulness for what seemed like a close knit experience for those selected.” He himself remains neutral, having good working relationships with many actors on both sides, but having been educated at a public school. Although he finds the antagonism delightful, he does not encourage escalation; “The body grows weary of having to ally oneself with feeble worm types”, a quote he attributes to Abraham Lincoln.
Where do we go from here? The best advice came from Jim Broadbent: “Who cares? I’ve got shit to do!”
James Gunn, who recently took over as one of the heads of DC studios, will write, direct, and star in the next Superman movie, Warner Bros. announced on Wednesday. Gunn - no stranger to comic book franchises, having directed Marvel’s Guardians of the Galaxy film series and DC’s The Suicide Squad - is expected to helm the first chapter in a fresh, more interconnected reboot of the DC Universe: Superman Legacy.
“Superman Legacy tells the story of Superman’s journey to reconcile his Kryptonian heritage with his human upbringing as Clark Kent of Smallville, Kansas”, Warner Bros. Said in a statement. “He is the embodiment of truth, justice, and the American way, guided by human kindness in a world that sees kindness as old-fashioned. It would be impossible for us to find someone who embodies these qualities more than James. The mistakes end now.”
- Curious casting! Best of luck to them!
Almost 16 years ago Denzel Washington, Idris Elba, and Ridley Scott wowed audiences with their hit crime drama American Gangster, and now it looks like the the three A-listers are ready to get back together in a big way. Sources tell Deadline that Washington is in final negotiations to co-star in Scott’s sequel to his Best Picture Oscar winner Gladiator, although there is no word on the role he will be playing.
Sources have also confirmed Idris Elba is also in talks appear in the Gladiator sequel, and is expected to reprise his American Gangster character, Tango. As for the question of how the Harlem drug dealer - best remembered for his famous last words “What are you going to do, Denzel? Shoot me in the head?” - will tie into the first century epic, Scott and writer David Scarpa are keeping all answers under wraps.
Paul Mescal is on board to star opposite Washington, with Scott returning to the director’s chair.
- As always, Djimon or Djogon!
The playoffs, of course. Thank you for reading ESPN.
— Okay!
That’s it for this week! Thank you for reading! My kingdom for Embiid to not win MVP!