Kristen Stewart has begun casting for her directorial debut; the story of how Seanne Winslow’s The Falconer lost its star falcon; Pumping Iron documentarian George Butler has died. All in today’s Movie News Rundown.
But First: 1917 and Last Night in Soho co-writer Kristy Wilson-Cairns is the guest on the latest MovieMaker podcast, where the Scottish screenwriter recounts how she went from hanging around a Glasgow film set as a teenager to working with some of the best filmmakers in Hollywood — and how she ended up collaborating with Last Night in Soho director and co-writer Edgar Wright after 1917 director and co-writer Sam Mendes suggested they go out for drinks. Listen on Apple or Spotify or right here:
https://shows.acast.com/moviemaker-interviews/episodes/krysty-wilson-cairns-last-night-in-soho
Hello Again From Savannah: It’s my second day here covering the SCAD Savannah Film Festival, and it’s been a blast so far. Last night I screened C’mon C’mon starring Joaquin Phoenix and watched its director, Mike Mills, accept the festival’s Auteur Award with grace and charming self-deprecation. I’m looking forward to seeing what else this gorgeous festival has to offer.
The Falcon and The Falconer: Seanne Winslow directed a beautiful movie shot in Oman called The Falconer that tells the true story of two best friends who started stealing animals from the zoo for a very good cause. On Wednesday at SCAD, she told the hilarious story of how the falcon who was meant to star in the movie flew away “never to be seen again” just two days before filming began — and how one of the real-life men from the story was able to find her a new falcon and train it in real-time as the movie was being shot.
RIP George Butler: The documentarian behind the 1977 film Pumping Iron that shot Arnold Schwarzenegger to fame and whose other subjects included John F. Kennedy and the arctic explorer Ernest Shackleton died on Oct. 21 at the age of 78, according to the Washington Post.
Schwarzenegger himself shared some kind words about Butler in the Post‘s story: “When I think about all of the people who were responsible for the growth of bodybuilding and the sport’s crossover to the mainstream, two of the first people to come to mind are, without any doubt, George Butler and Charles Gaines,” he said. “Pumping Iron, the book and the movie, drew the general public in to our strange little niche sport and brought fitness — and this Austrian with an unpronounceable name and a funny accent — to the masses.”
Good For You, K-Stew: Spencer star Kristen Stewart has reached the casting stage for her directorial debut, an adaptation of the memoir The Chronology of Water, according to Variety, which reports that Stewart is currently looking for the actress who will play author Lidia Yuknavitch. And no, she’s not planning on casting herself, Stewart told the outlet.
Rust Updates: The Santa Fe County Sheriff said on Wednesday that investigators have found 500 rounds of ammunition on the set of Rust including blanks, dummy shots, and possibly live rounds, according to Variety. Investigators are now trying to determine how that happened.
“We’re going to determine how those got there, why they were there, because they shouldn’t have been there,” said Sheriff Adan Mendoza, Variety reports.
Career Advice: I also attended a panel of very talented and successful SCAD alums who gave great advice to women who are trying to break into the post-production field and find their first job in Hollywood — and post-grad students in general. One of their tips: always negotiate your salary!
Happy Birthday: To Frank Ocean, whose first album Channel Orange was the soundtrack of my high school experience, and whose Met Gala looks are always notable. Here he is on Jimmy Fallon in 2012 performing my favorite song of his, “Bad Religion.” He also has a song called “Forrest Gump,” which is interesting because yesterday I visited Chippewa Square here in Savannah where the park bench scenes in Forrest Gump were filmed.
Before You Go: I would be remiss not to slip in this clip of Dana Carvey and Kevin Nealon doing their classic SNL sketch “Pumpin’ Up with Hans & Franz.” Without George Butler, this sketch would never have existed, and for that — and so many other things — we thank him.
Main image: Kristen Stewart as Princess Diana in Spencer. Photo credit: NEON.
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