Holmes Defender of the Faith has signed director Matthew Carnahan for exclusive representation in commercials and branded short films.
Carnahan is the creator of Showtime’s hit series House of Lies. He wrote and produced all 56 episodes of the dark comedy that chronicles the misadventures of superstar business management consultant Marty Kaan (portrayed by Don Cheadle) and his associates (Kristen Bell, Ben Schwartz, Josh Lawson). During his five years as showrunner, Carnahan directed six episodes going back to season one and extending through to the recently debuted (6/12) season finale.
That series finale marked the first scripted American TV show to film in Cuba in more than 55 years. Of filming in Cuba, Carnahan said, “It was an incredible experience and a visual feast.”
While this is the first time Carnahan has been represented as a director for advertising assignments he has experience with big brands, having worked closely with clients to successfully integrate products from GMC, Sony, Virgin Air, Cisco, Mercedes, Samsung, and Audi into the House of Lies story.
“I’m thrilled to be able to work in the commercial world, where there are so many opportunities for bold narrative and cutting-edge visual storytelling” said Carnahan.
Carnahan also created the series Dirt and Trinity. Dirt, a dark comedy about schizophrenic paparazzo (Ian Hart) and tabloid magazine editor (Courtney Cox), aired for 20 episodes on FX. Carnahan directed the pilot and season finale.
Carnahan has also directed two feature films, Black Circle Boys, which premiered at Sundance, and Rudyland, a feature length documentary chronicling Rudy Giuliani’s tumultuous terms as Mayor of New York City, which debuted at The IDFA in Amsterdam.
Carnahan got his start as a playwright, writing and directing off-Broadway.
Holmes Defender of the Faith is a Santa Monica-based production company that in addition to Carnahan represents feature film directors Shane Black, Thomas Campbell, David S. Goyer and McG for TV commercials and branded films. Ben Dossett is EP for Holmes Defender of the Faith.
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