By Jake Coyle, Film Writer
NEW YORK (AP) --Elizabeth Gabler, whose Fox 2000 produced acclaimed literary adaptations like "Life of Pi" and "Hidden Figures" before being axed in the aftermath of the Walt Disney Co. acquisition, has found a new home at Sony Pictures.
Sony on Monday announced a new production deal with the former Fox 2000 president and her entire Fox 2000 team. In the new multiyear venture, Gabler will develop and make movies for the studio beginning later this summer. The partnership also includes HarperCollins, whose catalog Gabler will mine for projects.
Fox 2000 had been expected to be retained by Disney after its acquisition of 20th Century Fox. But earlier this year, the Fox label became one of the most high-profile casualties of the deal. With an enviable record of successes including "The Devil Wears Prada," ''The Fault in Our Stars" and "The Hate U Give," Gabler quickly became a sought-after Hollywood free agent.
The deal marks a reunion. Sony chief Tom Rothman led Fox during part of Gabler's tenure at Fox 2000. She was its president from 1999 until its shuttering in March. In a statement, Gabler called Rothman "my mentor, friend and inspiration."
Said Rothman: "Let's face it, no one makes more hits than Elizabeth. Trust me, I know."
Disney still has several upcoming Fox 2000 projects, including "The Art of Racing in the Rain," with Kevin Costner, and "The Woman in the Window," with Amy Adams.
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