The Story of EP
Hello everyone! Welcome to another film look through. Today, we'll be taking a deep dive into my newest film, a movie I've been most excited about. That movie is the Sofia Copolla drama, E.P. This movie, I'd argue, has been a year in the making. Now on the surface, that sounds like hyperbole. However, in this case, it's true. Allow me to explain why.
Background:
Our story begins in the year 2020 with the tragic death of Alex Trebek. The producers of Jeopardy, then led by Mike Richards were tasked with leading a search to find a new host. During this time, there were a lot of big names being brought in, people such as Anderson Cooper, Bill Whitaker, George Stephanopoulos, and David Faber were brought in for their credentials, Ken Jennings and Buzzy Cohen also stopped by (Jennings is now currently one of the co-hosts of Jeopardy alongside Mayim Bilak and Cohen hosted last year's tournament of champions), we even had Aaron Rodgers, Joe Buck, LeVar Burton and, yes, Mehmet Oz hosting certain weeks. Another name also hosted the show during this time, Mike Richards. Yes, the executive producer of the show at that time also got a chance to host Jeopardy.
On the surface, nothing seems out of the ordinary. Lots of big, respected names in journalism and Jeopardy lore drop by for a week to host the world's most popular quiz show, eventually one will be named the new host, its standard fare. That's where I must tell you more about Mike Richards. Richards was a big name in the game-show industry during this time for his work on not just Jeopardy, but also Wheel of Fortune, Let's Make a Deal and The Price is Right. He also had prior game show hosting experience from his stints on the 2012 Pyramid and Divided. He was also, to put it bluntly, a flaming asshole.
Allow me to list the grievances people had with Mike Richards:
* He was exclusionary and dismissive of long-time employees of The Price is Right.
* He neglected his duties as executive producer of Let's Make a Deal.
* He was the subject of two wrongful termination lawsuits, one in 2010 for making disparaging comments about a Price is Right model's pregnancy and another the next year for said firing and berating her in front of others.
* On his podcast, The Randumb Show, Mike made several disparaging comments about women's bodies as well as offensive remarks towards Jews, Asians, and the disabled.
There's probably more we don't know about Mike Richards, but who knows when or if that information will be released. Even then, Mike Richards seemed set to be the new host of Jeopardy. He had even entered advanced negotiations (though the preferred choice by many interested in the show was Ken Jennings). When Mike was finally signed to be host, however, Claire McNear of The Ringer blew the whistle and revealed several of Mike's transgressions. I'll post a link to the article as I believe it's a good read and gives you good insight into Mike Richards, the person, and the producer.
With the backlash surrounding him, Mike Richards resigned on August 20th, 2021, a mere nine days after being made the official host. A week and a half later, he was fired from Jeopardy entirely. At that time, he had come the closest to any person to shatter the integrity of the show. Even now, Jeopardy is still trying to pick up the pieces. The whole ordeal was an absolute embarrassment, not just for Mike Richards, but for Sony Pictures Television, and it came at the price of the reputation of one of America's most trusted game shows.
...And yet, the story still intrigues me. The fact that a person who holds this much power running a television show could not only do all that but bring a usually reliable show with endless amounts of controversy and scandal is wild and it got me thinking. This could make for a really good movie.
The Similarities of the Jeopardy Scandal & EP:
Obviously, EP is different from the Jeopardy scandal in several ways (The Barry Lewis Show is a talk show, Matt Cassidy has no podcast, but an assistant, one who helped blow the whistle on him), but there are also some noticeable parallels I made a note to include.
1. Matt Cassidy and Mike Richards both had prior success leading up to their roles as host (Cassidy as EP of a famous TV show and Richards with his other work in game shows).
2. Both are avaricious, cutthroat, manipulative, and sexist.
3. Most crucially, Matt and Mike were eventually brought to justice. I don't know what the feeling on Jeopardy was when it was revealed that Richards had been revealed on his duties, but I imagine there was a lot of relief to go around.
Also, there are some parallels regarding the characters and some of the people involved (directly or otherwise) with the Jeopardy scandal of 2021. Outside of the obvious, we have:
Trey Cash: Most like Ken Jennings, both considered one of (if not) the show's greatest guests and the frontrunner to host the show.
Ben Hubbard: It's hard to say, but James Holzhauer is probably my best pick. While Holzhauer never got to host the show, he was popular with fans thanks to his unconventional style of gameplay, just like how Hubbard became beloved for his comedic stylings. He also would occasionally post snide, trollish comments criticizing Mike Richards, just like how Hubbard was at odds with Cassidy.
Kathy Tomarken: Claire McNeil, though with a more personal background.
Aleisha Faulk: Mayim Bilak, the upstart host and television actress with clear upside, though not always a perfect fit.
Barry Lewis: Not Alex Trebek, actually. No, Barry Lewis I based more on David Letterman and Johnny Carson, the warm, happy-go-lucky guy who was always there for his people.
So, what can we take from this? It's not based on the actual scandal, but it's clear a lot of inspiration was taken from it. In that case, the lesson here is that sometimes, inspiration from a real-life event can be your best friend. Speaking of the cast...
Cast and Characters:
...This is a good segway to talk about the people involved in this project!
We'll start with Sofia Copolla, our director. She did excellent work for us last time in Floyd Monroe, and given her reputation for telling stories about the rise and fall of prominent people, it made sense to bring her back for such a movie. I've grown a small admiration for her work and its clear the apple has not fallen far from the tree (especially given her father was legendary director Francis Ford Copolla).
Secondly, we have our lead, Leonardo DiCaprio took the role of avaricious Matt Cassidy. When I thought about the character, my first thought was that it had to be a very attractive-looking man who knows when to say the right things at the right time. Needless to say, DiCaprio fit the role to a tee. DiCaprio has a near-godly legacy here in Last Resort Films and is clearly one of the best actors of his generation, able to switch from sweet, to sassy to sadistic in a given movie. This is also a chance at a bit of redemption as the last time we worked together, Golden Girl, although successful, led to DiCaprio tasting defeat in the Golden Reel Awards for the first time.
For our main protagonists Trey Cash and Ben Hubbard, I went with Jamie Foxx and Seth Rogen. For these roles, I played to both of their strengths. Jamie Foxx is a generally good-hearted man from what I've seen and he has had success with music in the past. Seth Rogen also has a strong reputation with adult comedies and makes a good foil for straight men, so bringing him in was another asset gain.
Dustin Hoffman brings over fifty years' worth of experience to the big screen as Barry Lewis and he's still as warm, charismatic, and smooth as ever. He's charming, yet sincere, soft-spoken yet capable of the grandiose. Teyonah Parris also makes her Last Resort Films debut as Aleisha Faulk. Admittedly, this was more of a gamble from me needing a fresh young face to serve as a possible contender. With that said, Parris has a noticeable amount of success in Hollywood, most notably with Dear White People, Chi-Raq, and The Candyman. She has proven to be excellent with complex and likable characters and I'm confident she'll do it again here.
The rest I believe all have a role to play and will do it well. Elizabeth Rodriguez as Matt's beleaguered assistant Alejandra, Amanda Seyfield as the journalist who Barry Lewis inspired, Patrick Wilson as the money-loving yet well-meaning television executive, and George Wyner as the original executive producer. What we have here is another star-studded cast with a character that best plays to everyone's strengths, and I believe it will show again with this movie.
Cutting The Fat:
Now on the surface, it seems all is well for EP. It's the third time I've really hyped up a film as a potential awards contender (after The Youngest Hart and Gathering of the Wolves) and I'm hopeful it can live up to that billing. However, it hasn't all been easy with EP. The film has had an immense amount of cuts and trims made to it. How much? A lot, to be frank.
When I wrote EP's first draft, the film was, from my recollection, over 6000 words long. Way beyond the word limit for this studio and far too long for any sort of film to be. Even after further recuts, I had only gotten it down to a little over 5000 words long. In short, I had to cut out a lot of content, more so than any other movie I've worked on. It sucks, because there was a lot of good in those scenes, but because the movie was already gigantic as is, they had to be put on the chopping block.
Eventually, I finally the movie just under 4000 words, but even then, I wasn't fully satisfied. I even went to Jimmy Ellis to see if further cuts could be made. Ultimately, the film stands at around 3800 words. Just under the limit. This is where I have to make a confession, that's not even the shortest version of the movie. There's actually one even shorter than that, hovering around 3600 words. Unfortunately, I completely forgot to send Dolan that version. I've made this mistake before, with Bringing about Discord, but we were able to fix that in time. No such luck with EP, unfortunately.
This is where I need to be transparent: I was worried when I found out about the shorter version of EP, cause I thought that this mistake would be the difference between success and being too long for its own good. But after doing some thinking, I've come to realize that a few hundred words may not do much for the movie regardless. It might not even matter, unfortunately. My fear is that EP may be too long regardless and that will reflect critically. Hopefully, it won't. But I'd understand if it did. At this point, there's nothing I can do about it. It's all in the hands of the reviewers, and hopefully, they will enjoy it.
The Crystal Ball:
Regardless of EP's length issues, I still hold a personal place in my heart for EP. This was an absolute joy to write from start to finish and one, I believe, contains some of the better character work of my resume. Whether it's the executive producer desperately sabotaging his rivals, the kindhearted musician coming to terms with his own past and beyond that, EP, if nothing else, should be a marvel to watch based on the interactions of the characters and cast. It's not every day you get to write something inspired by a real-life controversy, so you have to take those moments with every chance to get.
So, with all this in mind, what do I think the future holds for this movie? I'm honestly not sure. With Khumba, the movie had a clear path thanks to its choice of genres and star-studded cast. As a result, it became a box office smash. As for EP, I think it will at least be a decent-sized hit at the box office, mainly because of one person. Leonardo DiCaprio. He has yet to miss at the box office and it's clear why. People love DiCaprio and they love watching his work. Every film he's made for Last Resort Films has been a marquee event and I expect this to be no different.
That takes us to the critics. What will they think? I'm hopeful that the reviewers will see through the length and find the gems within this movie, especially in terms of casting and character interaction. Though, it would not surprise me if the length is too much of a turn off. I'm sure it will at least have decent reviews, but I am prepared for the worst-case scenario, whatever that may be.
Coming Soon to Theaters:
With that, Season 24 has come to an end for me. I have to say, of all the seasons I've been a part of the studio, this has been one of my best. Yes, there's only been two movies this season, but they're two good movies, one has already proven itself at the box office. Whether or not EP will join Khumba is unknown, but I'm already focusing on the future. Season 25, the silver jubilee of Last Resort Films. I have two new films for next season, Another animated film and a long-awaited sequel.
The Young Heiress: I can now confirm that The Young Heiress is the first of the two movies I'll be showcasing next season. This movie will tell the story of a young French woman named Nadine as she tries to grapple with being the heiress of her family's fortune while being courted by a man named Edward and manipulated by a mysterious crystal ball. Marion Cotillard and Luke Edwards have been brought on to play the main leads, the latter of which we're hoping for better success after Mask of the Phantom.
The Young Heiress will also be another animated musical, this time directed by Glenn Keane. The theme for this movie? Long-forgotten or unreleased Sherman Brothers music. The Sherman Brothers are renowned for being some of the greatest composers and lyricists in film history, and this movie looks to highlight their lesser-known (if not outright forgotten) works. I can say this much. If you're a fan of 50s/60s Disney movies, you will feel right at home with this movie. This is also the third time I've gone to France, fourth if you count Mask of the Phantom.
I have got to stop going to France.
As for the second film? Well, you know how that one franchise needed to be course-corrected? I made those corrections.
Ladies and gentlemen, I can now confirm that Kazaria will be getting a sequel. Yes, Kevin Mogov is back to lead Kazaria through a new crisis and undergo another breathtaking experience, but Trent Ashere is out in the wilderness, waiting for vengeance, complete with a new ally. I've been wanting to work with Billy Magnussen again since the original Kazaria film as I felt there was some unfinished business to attend to. I'm going to keep the general plot a secret to keep anticipation flowing, but I will say this much. The political stuff that people weren't a fan of is gone. What you're getting instead of a swashbuckling adventure complete with flames, treachery, and some much-needed backstory.
Billy Magnussen is also not the only big name in this movie, Dwyane Johnson will also be a major factor in this movie. To what capacity, I can't say at this time. I will say that it's going to be a flaming good time. Also entering the world of Kazaria are Faithe Herman, John Cena, and John DeLancie. That's not all, Suki Waterhouse, Andre Holland, and Daniel Kaluuya are back to reprise their roles from Kazaria. We're all very excited for Burns of the Lavita and believe that not only does it improve on Kazaria, but it also exceeds it in every conceivable way.
Let's hope we don't get burned by all the hype.
Okay, I'll stop.
What's Next:
On a final note, I'd like to address what comes next now that EP is in theaters. Of course, there will be an addendum for EP after it's reviews and box office totals are released as there was Khumba. But as for the blog, I have ideas. I do hope to post at least once every round going forward, though that may be difficult at times. I do have a post discussing my LRF Now Original series Life with Barney (hoo boy) set for whenever the show premieres, so be on the lookout for that. But I'm also thinking about the past. It's been four years since I joined Last Resort Films and I am better for it, but it has also been two years since I posted a ranking of all my films.
A lot has changed since then and I want to document it.
Other than that, I'll probably post some essays and random inconveniences that either excite, confuse or irritate me, maybe do some lookbacks on some of my older movies and really go into detail with them. In the meantime, however, I hope you all have a safe and pleasant Halloween and I look forward to seeing all future releases this season on Last Resort Films, this is Jacob Jones, signing out!
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