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    Director Sam Mendes begins production on Searchlight Pictures’ “Empire of Light”

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments1468 Views
    Olivia Colman (l) and Micheal Ward
    LOS ANGELES --

    Searchlight Pictures has announced the start of principal photography on Sam Mendes’ (1917, Skyfall, American Beauty) feature film Empire of Light, starring Academy Award winner Olivia Colman, Micheal Ward, Academy Award winner Colin Firth, Toby Jones, Crystal Clarke and Tanya Moodie. Tom Brooke and Hannah Onslow join the previously announced cast.  Produced by Academy Award nominee Pippa Harris (1917, Call The Midwife, Penny Dreadful) and Mendes under their Neal Street Productions, the film will be released theatrically by Searchlight Pictures.

    Empire of Light is set in and around a beautiful old cinema on the south coast of England in the 1980’s. The film will shoot in Margate, England and along the Kent coastline through May.

    Brooke recently starred in The Crown for Netflix, BBC/Netflix’s The Bodyguard, Preacher for AMC Networks, A24’s How to Talk to Girls at Parties, and The Death of Stalin for IFC Films.  Onslow is currently starring in BBC/AMC Networks’ This Is Going to Hurt and was previously in PBS Masterpiece’s Ridley Road.  Brooke is represented by B-Side Management and Management 360, and Onslow by Gordon and French.

    The filmmaking team on Empire of Light includes longstanding Mendes’ collaborators including producer Harris, Academy Award winning DP Roger Deakins (1917, Blade Runner 2049, Skyfall, The Shawshank Redemption), who reunites for his fifth collaboration, Academy Award nominated hair and make up designer Naomi Donne (The Batman, 1917, Skyfall), Academy Award-winning editor Lee Smith (1917, Dunkirk, Inception, The Dark Knight), Academy Award-winning sound mixer Stuart Wilson (1917, Star Wars VII – The Force Awakens, Skyfall) casting director Nina Gold (The Power of the Dog, 1917), executive producer Michael Lerman (1917, Spectre, Skyfall), executive producer Julie Pastor (1917, Informer), and co-producer Lola Oliyide (1917, Britannia). 

    Joining the team are production designer Mark Tildesley (No Time To Die, Phantom Thread, In the Heart of the Sea, 28 Days Later), Academy Award-winning costume designer Alexandra Byrne (Emma, Dr Strange, Guardians of The Galaxy, Mary Queen of Scots, Elizabeth The Golden Age), and co-producer Celia Duval (Belfast, A Boy Called Christmas).  Empire of Light is being overseen by Searchlight Pictures’ head of film production and development, Katie Goodson-Thomas, director of development and production, Pete Spencer, and creative executive, Cornelia Burleigh.

    Tags:Empire Of LightSam MendesSearchlight Pictures



    Differences bubble up between PepsiCo and Coca-Cola on diversity programs

    Saturday, February 22, 2025
    Pepsi soft drinks in plastic bottles are on sale at a grocery store in New York on Weds., Nov. 15, 2023. (AP Photo/Ted Shaffrey, File)

    PepsiCo confirmed Friday that it's ending some of its diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives, even as rival Coca-Cola voiced support for its own inclusion efforts.

    In a memo sent to employees, PepsiCo CEO Ramon Laguarta said the company will no longer set goals for minority representation in its managerial roles or supplier base. The company will also align its sponsorships to events and groups that promote business growth, he said.

    Laguarta wrote that inclusion remains important to PepsiCo, whose brands include Gatorade, Lay's potato chips, Doritos, Mountain Dew as well as Pepsi. The Purchase, New York-based company's chief diversity officer will transition to a broader role focused on employee engagement, leadership development and ensuring an inclusive culture, he said.

    Since President Donald Trump returned to the White House last month, U.S. government agencies, companies and schools have rushed to reevaluate policies and programs they adopted with the goal of reducing discrimination against members of minority groups, women and LGBTQ+ people.

    Trump ended DEI programs within the federal government and has warned schools to end DEI programs or risk losing federal money.

    PepsiCo's rollback came as Coca-Cola reaffirmed support for its DEI efforts.

    In its annual report, Atlanta-based Coke warned that its business could be negatively affected if it is unable to attract employees that reflect its broad range of customers.

    "Failure to maintain a corporate culture that fosters innovation, collaboration and inclusion โ€ฆ could disrupt our operations and adversely affect our business and our future success," the company said.

    Coca-Cola has set a goal of having women in 50% of its senior leadership roles by... Read More

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