Dektor Film, Hollywood, has secured Chicago-based independent rep Marguerite Juliusson to handle the Midwest….Nikki Weiss & Co., Chicago, has added a couple of companies to its roster for Midwest representation: New York-based music house JSM, and Santa Monica-headquartered production company Untitled, which features directors Graeme Joyce and Enzo Cesario, as well as the helming team of Jeff and Tim Cronenweth….Carl Forsberg and Richard Donovan of independent rep firm forsberghowell, New York, have been named to handle the East Coast for Chicago-headquartered Z group films….Susan Kirchmeier of Susanreps, New York, will handle East Coast representation for Black Market Music, Katonah, N.Y….Cinematographer Jeffrey Kimball has wrapped principal photography on F. Gary Gray’s Be Cool and is again available for spots through The Skouras Agency, Santa Monica….Also available for spots is cinematographer Patrick Cady after wrapping a four-month stint on the CBS series Cold Case. Cady is repped by New York Office….Maxine Cherlin has joined editing house Post Millennium, New York, as director of business development….
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