Framestore Pictures has added director Tom Routson to its roster. He joins a talent pool curated by Framestore Pictures’ EPs Jennifer Siegel and John Duffin.
Routson first established himself on the agency creative side of the business at such shops as Goodby Silverstein & Partners and Fallon. He then successfully diversified into a directorial career at Tool of North America. Known for his comedic flair, Routson has among his directing credits Adobe’s “BS Detector” for Goodby, Diehard’s “Getaway” for Y&R, and the interactive iPad film Touching Stories. The director has repeat business with such brands as Bud Light, DHL, Pennzoil, Allstate and the California Milk Processors’ “got milk?” fare.
Routson’s work over the years has garnered numerous Cannes Lions, AICP Show honors and Clios. His move to Framestore Pictures reunites him with EP Siegel; the two had worked together earlier at Tool.
Framestore Pictures has upcoming productions spanning live action and virtual reality. Routson said of his new roost, “There’s massive potential within the directorial space for VR and signing with Framestore Pictures opens up those possibilities. With Framestore Pictures I’ll be able to pioneer humor into new mediums as well as accessing the traditional set.”
Rom-Com Mainstay Hugh Grant Shifts To The Dark Side and He’s Never Been Happier
After some difficulties connecting to a Zoom, Hugh Grant eventually opts to just phone instead.
"Sorry about that," he apologizes. "Tech hell." Grant is no lover of technology. Smart phones, for example, he calls the "devil's tinderbox."
"I think they're killing us. I hate them," he says. "I go on long holidays from them, three or four days at at time. Marvelous."
Hell, and our proximity to it, is a not unrelated topic to Grant's new film, "Heretic." In it, two young Mormon missionaries (Chloe East, Sophie Thatcher) come knocking on a door they'll soon regret visiting. They're welcomed in by Mr. Reed (Grant), an initially charming man who tests their faith in theological debate, and then, in much worse things.
After decades in romantic comedies, Grant has spent the last few years playing narcissists, weirdos and murders, often to the greatest acclaim of his career. But in "Heretic," a horror thriller from A24, Grant's turn to the dark side reaches a new extreme. The actor who once charmingly stammered in "Four Weddings and a Funeral" and who danced to the Pointer Sisters in "Love Actually" is now doing heinous things to young people in a basement.
"It was a challenge," Grant says. "I think human beings need challenges. It makes your beer taste better in the evening if you've climbed a mountain. He was just so wonderfully (expletive)-up."
"Heretic," which opens in theaters Friday, is directed by Scott Beck and Bryan Woods, co-writers of "A Quiet Place." In Grant's hands, Mr. Reed is a divinely good baddie — a scholarly creep whose wry monologues pull from a wide range of references, including, fittingly, Radiohead's "Creep."
In an interview, Grant spoke about these and other facets of his character, his journey... Read More