Tiger Woods biopic in the works with Barack, Michelle Obama in talks to produce
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A biopic about Tiger Woods is in the works.
Amazon MGM is developing the film, with Barack and Michelle Obama‘s company Higher Ground in talks to produce it. Deadline first reported the news.
The film will be based on Kevin Cook‘s book The Tiger Slam: The Inside Story of the Greatest Golf Ever Played. It will cover the rise of Woods as a child prodigy who later turned into a golf superstar. Reinaldo Marcus Green, who directed the film KingRichard, will helm the movie.
It is expected that the film will focus on Woods’ four major consecutive major championship wins, a feat known as the Tiger Slam. He has won 15 major championships and has 82 PGA Tour victories.
Woods’ personal life, though filled with drama, will reportedly not be depicted in the film. In 2009, several extramarital affairs he took part in came to light, which caused many companies to end their sponsorship deals with him. He was then arrested in 2017 for driving under the influence. In 2021, he survived a car accident, though he sustained leg injuries from the incident.
Along with the Obamas, Irwin Winkler, who produced Goodfellas, Rocky and Creed, is also attached to the project.
There’s double the Robert De Niro in the new trailer for The Alto Knights.
The Oscar winner plays two roles — Vito Genovese and Frank Costello — in the upcoming Warner Bros. Pictures film. It arrives in theaters on March 21.
Helmed by Oscar-winning director Barry Levinson, the film follows two of New York City’s most notorious organized crime bosses “as they vie for control of the city’s streets. Once the best of friends, petty jealousies and a series of betrayals place them on a deadly collision course that will reshape the Mafia (and America) forever,” according to the film’s official logline.
“Where do I start?” De Niro’s Frank Costello asks in the trailer. “You’re going down a very dangerous road.”
“And we ain’t been down dangerous roads before? That’s the risk you take. Me, I take that risk,” the Vito Genovese De Niro responds.
The film was inspired by the true story of the mob boss who brought about the downfall of the American mafia, according to the trailer. It was written by Goodfellas screenwriter and Oscar nominee Nicholas Pileggi, and produced by Oscar winner IrwinWinkler, who also produced Rocky and Goodfellas.
Debra Messing, Cosmo Jarvis, Katherine Narducci, Michael Rispoli, Michael Adler, Ed Amatrudo, Joe Bacino, Anthony J.Gallo, Wallace Langham, Louis Mustillo, Frank Piccirillo, Matt Serviet and Robert Uricola also star.
Interested in reading the Andor season 1 scripts? You’re out of luck.
Tony Gilroy, the creator of the Star Wars Disney+ series, told Collider in a recent interview that he is no longer making any of the show’s scripts public out of fear they will be used to train artificial intelligence.
Gilroy had been planning to release a book filled with the first season’s scripts, but the rise of AI has put an end to that goal.
“I wanted to do it,” Gilroy said. “We put it together. It’s really cool. I’ve seen it, I loved it. AI is the reason we’re not. In the end, it would be 1,500 pages that came directly off this desk. I mean, terribly sadly, it’s just too much of an X-ray and too easily absorbed. Why help the f****** robots anymore than you can? So, it was an ego thing. It was vanity that makes you want to do it, and the downside is real. So, vanity loses.”
Andor follows a year in the life of Cassian Andor, played by Diego Luna. It showcases how he was radicalized into the rebel who helped steal the plans for the Death Star, which directly sets up the plot to the first Star Wars film, A New Hope.
Gilroy says the show has a “pretty fancy bunch of writers.”
“Everybody’s very experienced,” Gilroy said. “We only get together for five or six days in the beginning to talk about the story, and then we kind of go, and they do their thing, and then they go away. But I always have them as a reference to call upon.”
The second and final season of Andor premieres on April 22.
Disney is the parent company of Lucasfilm and ABC News.
When Kendrick Lamar takes the stage for the Super Bowl halftime show on Sunday, he’ll become the first solo hip-hop artist to headline the show, proving that the event has come a long way since its humble beginnings.
The idea of having current big-name pop, rock or country stars perform during halftime only dates back to 1991, when New Kids on the Block did it. Before that, it was marching bands, older stars like Chubby Checker or the G-rated vocal troupe Up with People.
But what seemingly solidified the halftime show as a showcase for superstars was Michael Jackson‘s 1993 performance, featuring a huge inflatable globe and a choir of over 3,000 local children. Thanks to Michael, for the first time ever ratings increased between halves during the game. From then on, stars and spectacle were the rule.
Over the years, the show has been plagued by controversy, starting with 2004’s infamous “Nipplegate” incident with Justin Timberlake and Janet Jackson. That led the NFL to hire “safer” classic rock artists such as Bruce Springsteen as halftime performers. Pop stars returned in 2011 with the Black Eyed Peas‘ performance.
Controversies persist, though. During Madonna‘s 2012 performance, one of her guests, rapper M.I.A., flipped off the crowd. And in 2016, Beyoncé was criticized for having backup dancers dressed in outfits reminiscent of the Black Panther political party.
In 2019, many fans felt that Maroon 5, Big Boi and Travis Scott should have declined to perform, due to the NFL’s alleged treatment of Colin Kaepernick. In fact, Rihanna declined to do the show that year for that very reason, but returned as the halftime headliner in 2023.
Here’s a look back at who’s done the halftime show since 1991:
1991 — New Kids on the Block 1992 — Gloria Estefan 1993 — Michael Jackson, performing with 3,500 children 1994 — Country stars Clint Black, Tanya Tucker, Travis Tritt, Wynonna Judd and Naomi Judd 1995 — Patti LaBelle, Miami Sound Machine and Tony Bennett 1996 — Diana Ross 1997 — ZZ Top, James Brown, the Blues Brothers featuring Dan Aykroyd, John Goodman and James Belushi 1998 — Boyz II Men, Smokey Robinson, Martha Reeves, The Temptations, Queen Latifah 1999 — Stevie Wonder, Gloria Estefan, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy 2000 — Phil Collins, Christina Aguilera, Enrique Iglesias, Toni Braxton 2001 — Aerosmith, *NSYNC, Britney Spears, Nelly, Mary J. Blige 2002 — U2 2003 — Shania Twain, No Doubt, Sting 2004 — Janet Jackson, Justin Timberlake, Nelly, Kid Rock, P. Diddy 2005 — Paul McCartney 2006 — The Rolling Stones 2007 — Prince 2008 — Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers 2009 — Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band 2010 — The Who 2011 — Black Eyed Peas 2012 — Madonna 2013 — Beyoncé (and Destiny’s Child, briefly) 2014 — Bruno Mars feat. Red Hot Chili Peppers 2015 — Katy Perry, Lenny Kravitz and Missy Elliott 2016 — Coldplay, Beyoncé and Bruno Mars 2017 — Lady Gaga 2018 — Justin Timberlake 2019 — Maroon 5, Travis Scott, Big Boi 2020 — Jennifer Lopez and Shakira 2021 — The Weeknd 2022 — Dr. Dre, Eminem, Kendrick Lamar, Mary J. Blige and Snoop Dogg with 50 Cent and Anderson .Paak 2023 — Rihanna 2024 — Usher 2025 — Kendrick Lamar
