Plum Productions, Santa Monica, has signed Annie Bossingham and Brad Grubaugh of Boss Talent, Venice, Calif., for West Coast representation….French directors Thierry and Didier Poiraud, otherwise known as Poiraud, have wrapped principal photography on their first feature film, The Return of James Bataille (Le Retour de James Bataille), a sci-fi comedy out of their Paris-based company, Entropie Films. The Poiraud brothers plan to start directing commercials again in the U.S. starting in September, via Paranoid Projects@Tool, a division of bicoastal Tool of North America. The division sprung from a cross-representational deal finalized last year between Tool of North America and Entropie Films….This Is TV, New York, has signed Mike McGlynn of Runt, Chicago, for Midwest representation….DP Jeff Cutter has signed with United Talent Agency (UTA), Beverly Hills, Calif., for representation in commercials, music videos and features….DP Michael Mieke has signed with New York Office for spot and music video representation in the U.S. and Europe….DP Maz Makhani is now available exclusively through the Lyons•Sheldon•Prosnit Agency, Los Angeles….DP Jonathan Sela is now available through Innovative Artists, Santa Monica, for commercials and music videos, after completing principal photography on MGM’s Soul Plane for director Jesse Terrero….Cinematographer Vince Toto is again taking on spot and music video assignments via Montana Artists, Santa Monica, after wrapping Batman: Dead End, a film by Sandy Collora, which premiered at the San Diego Comic Convention….
Steve McQueen Shows Wartime London Through A Child’s Eyes In “Blitz”
It was a single photograph that started Oscar-winning filmmaker Steve McQueen on the journey to make "Blitz." As a Londoner, the German bombing raids on the city during World War II are never all that far from his mind. Reminders of it are everywhere. But the spark of inspiration came from an image of a small boy on a train platform with a large suitcase. Stories inspired by the evacuation are not rare, but this child was Black. Who was he, McQueen wondered, and what was his story? The film, in theaters Friday and streaming on Apple TV+ on Nov. 22, tells the tale of George, a 9-year-old biracial child in East London whose life with his mother, Rita ( Saoirse Ronan ), and grandfather is upended by the war. Like many children at the time, he's put on a train to the countryside for his safety. But he hops off and starts a long, dangerous journey back to his mom, encountering all sorts of people and situations that paint a revelatory and emotional picture of that moment. SEARCHING FOR GEORGE AND FINDING A STAR When McQueen finished the screenplay, he thought to himself: "Not bad." Then he started to worry: Does George exist? Is there a person out there who can play this role? Through an open casting call they found Elliott Heffernan, a 9-year-old living just outside of London whose only experience was a school play. He was the genie in "Aladdin." "There was a stillness about him, a real silent movie star quality," McQueen said. "You wanted to know what he was thinking, and you leant in. That's a movie star quality: A presence in his absence." Elliott is now 11. When he was cast, he'd not yet heard about the evacuation and imagined that a film set would be made up of "about 100 people." But he soon found his footing, cycling in and out of... Read More