Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
#1
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Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
Surprised there isn't an existing thread about this project. Been waiting a long time for Norton to finally get this off the ground.
EXCLUSIVE: It may have taken him 15 years to get there, but Edward Norton will star in and direct Motherless Brooklyn, his scripted adaptation inspired by the Jonathan Lethem novel. Brett Ratner and James Packer’s RatPac Entertainment have stepped up to fully finance the film for a late 2014 production start in New York. Ratner will join Norton and his Class 5 Films’ cohort William Migliore as producers, and Packer will be executive producer with Class 5’s Stuart Blumberg.
While Lethem’s novel is contemporary, Norton has set the story in New York in 1954, a time of great change in the city. He plays Lionel Essrog, a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette’s Syndrome, who tries to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend. Armed only with few clues and an obsessive mind, Lionel slowly unravels closely-guarded secrets that have major ramifications. It leads him through Harlem jazz clubs, Brooklyn slums and sets him against thugs and Gotham power brokers to honor his friend and save a woman who might his own salvation.
This will be Norton’s second time behind the camera after he made his debut on Keeping The Faith. He set this up at New Line as the book was published, right after Norton got an Oscar nomination there for his mesmerizing performance in American History X. Norton currently stars in the Wes Anderson-directed The Grand Budapest Hotel, and most recently wrapped the Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu-directed comedy Birdman, both for Fox Searchlight. He’s repped by UTA and attorney Robert offer.
“We all know Edward Norton is one of the most compelling actors of our generation, but I also know he’s an exceptional writer and filmmaker,” said Ratner, who directed Norton in the 2002 adaptation of the Thomas Harris novel Red Dragon. “As soon as I read his script for Motherless Brooklyn I knew this was a project I wanted to get involved with and am thrilled to partner up with Edward and Class 5. Edward’s script has melded elements of Jonathan Lethem’s terrific novel with an original story that at once feels classic and entirely fresh. And with Edward playing Lionel Essrog, the brilliant private detective with Tourette’s Syndrome, this will be a tour de force performance.”
While Lethem’s novel is contemporary, Norton has set the story in New York in 1954, a time of great change in the city. He plays Lionel Essrog, a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette’s Syndrome, who tries to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend. Armed only with few clues and an obsessive mind, Lionel slowly unravels closely-guarded secrets that have major ramifications. It leads him through Harlem jazz clubs, Brooklyn slums and sets him against thugs and Gotham power brokers to honor his friend and save a woman who might his own salvation.
This will be Norton’s second time behind the camera after he made his debut on Keeping The Faith. He set this up at New Line as the book was published, right after Norton got an Oscar nomination there for his mesmerizing performance in American History X. Norton currently stars in the Wes Anderson-directed The Grand Budapest Hotel, and most recently wrapped the Alejandro Gonzalez Inarritu-directed comedy Birdman, both for Fox Searchlight. He’s repped by UTA and attorney Robert offer.
“We all know Edward Norton is one of the most compelling actors of our generation, but I also know he’s an exceptional writer and filmmaker,” said Ratner, who directed Norton in the 2002 adaptation of the Thomas Harris novel Red Dragon. “As soon as I read his script for Motherless Brooklyn I knew this was a project I wanted to get involved with and am thrilled to partner up with Edward and Class 5. Edward’s script has melded elements of Jonathan Lethem’s terrific novel with an original story that at once feels classic and entirely fresh. And with Edward playing Lionel Essrog, the brilliant private detective with Tourette’s Syndrome, this will be a tour de force performance.”
#5
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re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
oh good grief - when actor's become director's it becomes such a vanity / ego powertrip
#6
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re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
I'd argue with that. Who gives a shit if it makes them feel like they got a big dick out of it? I just want a good movie.
#7
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re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
#8
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re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
This isn't the first things he's directed. He directed Keeping the Faith: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0171433/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1
#9
DVD Talk Hero
re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
I've never seen it. Keeping the Faith looked awful but a friend who had seen it said it was an homage or in the style of some famous director that I can't recall.
#10
DVD Talk Legend
re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
Enjoyed the book.
Is Norton cast to play the lead character? I haven't read the book since it's release, but I remember the lead character being a big bulking (and fat?) guy. Norton doesn't fit that description.
Is Norton cast to play the lead character? I haven't read the book since it's release, but I remember the lead character being a big bulking (and fat?) guy. Norton doesn't fit that description.
#13
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re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
Willem Dafoe has joined Edward Norton's passion project, Motherless Brooklyn, an adaptation of Jonathan Lethem's detective novel that Norton will star in, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.
The pic, about a detective with Tourette syndrome, played by Norton, is produced by Warner Bros. and Norton's production shingle, Class 5 Films. The producer credits are shared by Bill Migliore and Stuart Blumberg, while Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane and Sue Kroll executive produce.
The pic, about a detective with Tourette syndrome, played by Norton, is produced by Warner Bros. and Norton's production shingle, Class 5 Films. The producer credits are shared by Bill Migliore and Stuart Blumberg, while Gigi Pritzker, Rachel Shane and Sue Kroll executive produce.
#14
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re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
Bruce Willis, Alec Baldwin, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, and Cherry Jones have joined Edward Norton’s thriller “Motherless Brooklyn.”
Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe came on to the project last week. Ethan Suplee, Leslie Mann, Josh Pais, Fisher Stevens, Michael K. Williams, and Robert Wisdom are also in the cast.
Norton will direct from his own screenplay, and will produce with his Class 5 Films partner Bill Migliore (“Manchester By the Sea”). MWM Studios’ Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane, whose collective credits include “Hell or High Water” and “Genius,” will also produce. Executive producers are Michael Bederman, Adrian Alperovich, Sue Kroll, Robert F. Smith, Brian Sheth, and Daniel Nadler.
The film, which has begun shooting in New York City, will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Set against the backdrop of 1950s New York, “Motherless Brooklyn” follows Norton’s Lionel Essrog, a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette’s Syndrome, as he ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend, Frank Minna (played by Willis). Armed only with a few clues and the powerful engine of his obsessive mind, Lionel unravels closely-guarded secrets that hold the fate of the whole city in the balance.
Norton’s screenplay is inspired by Jonathan Lethem’s novel “Motherless Brooklyn,” which won the 1999 National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction.
Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe came on to the project last week. Ethan Suplee, Leslie Mann, Josh Pais, Fisher Stevens, Michael K. Williams, and Robert Wisdom are also in the cast.
Norton will direct from his own screenplay, and will produce with his Class 5 Films partner Bill Migliore (“Manchester By the Sea”). MWM Studios’ Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane, whose collective credits include “Hell or High Water” and “Genius,” will also produce. Executive producers are Michael Bederman, Adrian Alperovich, Sue Kroll, Robert F. Smith, Brian Sheth, and Daniel Nadler.
The film, which has begun shooting in New York City, will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Set against the backdrop of 1950s New York, “Motherless Brooklyn” follows Norton’s Lionel Essrog, a lonely private detective afflicted with Tourette’s Syndrome, as he ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend, Frank Minna (played by Willis). Armed only with a few clues and the powerful engine of his obsessive mind, Lionel unravels closely-guarded secrets that hold the fate of the whole city in the balance.
Norton’s screenplay is inspired by Jonathan Lethem’s novel “Motherless Brooklyn,” which won the 1999 National Book Critics Circle Award for fiction.
#15
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Re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
It only took 20 years...
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Lionel Essrog (Edward Norton), a lonely private detective living with Tourette Syndrome, ventures to solve the murder of his mentor and only friend, Frank Minna (Bruce Willis). Armed only with a few clues and the engine of his obsessive mind, Lionel unravels closely guarded secrets that hold the fate of New York in the balance. In a mystery that carries him from gin-soaked jazz clubs in Harlem to the hard-edged slums of Brooklyn and, finally, into the gilded halls of New York's power brokers, Lionel contends with thugs, corruption and the most dangerous man in the city to honor his friend and save the woman who might be his own salvation.
Edward Norton directed, wrote, produced and stars in “Motherless Brooklyn.” The film’s journey to the screen began in 1999 when Norton saw the cinematic potential in Jonathan Lethem’s novel Motherless Brooklyn and its unforgettable central character. But from the beginning, Norton aimed to transpose Lethem’s contemporary characters into a different period and plot and give it a distinctive atmosphere by re-setting the drama in the 1950s—a time of great change in New York City.
The film’s stellar ensemble cast also includes Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Bobby Cannavale, Cherry Jones, Michael Kenneth Williams, Leslie Mann, Ethan Suplee, Dallas Roberts, Josh Pais, Robert Ray Wisdom, Fisher Stevens, with Alec Baldwin and Willem Dafoe. Norton also produced the film with his Class 5 Films producing partner Bill Migliore; Michael Bederman; and MWM Studios’ Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane. Adrian Alperovich, Sue Kroll, Daniel Nadler, Robert F. Smith, and Brian Niranjan Sheth served as executive producers.
Behind the scenes, Norton collaborated with two-time Oscar-nominated director of photography Dick Pope (“Mr. Turner,” “The Illusionist”), production designer Beth Mickle (“Drive,” “Collateral Beauty”), Oscar-nominated editor Joe Klotz (“Precious,” “The Butler”) and costume designer Amy Roth (TV’s “The Looming Tower,” “Indignation”).
Music plays an important role in setting the tone and establishing the period of “Motherless Brooklyn.” The score is composed by Daniel Pemberton (“Steve Jobs,” “All The Money In The World,” “Oceans 8,” “Spider Man: Into The Spiderverse”) and features Wynton Marsalis on the trumpet. The film also features an original song written and performed by Thom Yorke.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Class 5 Films / MWM Studios Production, “Motherless Brooklyn.” Slated for release on November 1, 2019, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
Edward Norton directed, wrote, produced and stars in “Motherless Brooklyn.” The film’s journey to the screen began in 1999 when Norton saw the cinematic potential in Jonathan Lethem’s novel Motherless Brooklyn and its unforgettable central character. But from the beginning, Norton aimed to transpose Lethem’s contemporary characters into a different period and plot and give it a distinctive atmosphere by re-setting the drama in the 1950s—a time of great change in New York City.
The film’s stellar ensemble cast also includes Bruce Willis, Gugu Mbatha-Raw, Bobby Cannavale, Cherry Jones, Michael Kenneth Williams, Leslie Mann, Ethan Suplee, Dallas Roberts, Josh Pais, Robert Ray Wisdom, Fisher Stevens, with Alec Baldwin and Willem Dafoe. Norton also produced the film with his Class 5 Films producing partner Bill Migliore; Michael Bederman; and MWM Studios’ Gigi Pritzker and Rachel Shane. Adrian Alperovich, Sue Kroll, Daniel Nadler, Robert F. Smith, and Brian Niranjan Sheth served as executive producers.
Behind the scenes, Norton collaborated with two-time Oscar-nominated director of photography Dick Pope (“Mr. Turner,” “The Illusionist”), production designer Beth Mickle (“Drive,” “Collateral Beauty”), Oscar-nominated editor Joe Klotz (“Precious,” “The Butler”) and costume designer Amy Roth (TV’s “The Looming Tower,” “Indignation”).
Music plays an important role in setting the tone and establishing the period of “Motherless Brooklyn.” The score is composed by Daniel Pemberton (“Steve Jobs,” “All The Money In The World,” “Oceans 8,” “Spider Man: Into The Spiderverse”) and features Wynton Marsalis on the trumpet. The film also features an original song written and performed by Thom Yorke.
Warner Bros. Pictures presents a Class 5 Films / MWM Studios Production, “Motherless Brooklyn.” Slated for release on November 1, 2019, the film will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures.
#16
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Re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
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#17
DVD Talk Legend
Re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
Holy, finally. Norton's been hanging onto this one for a long time.
Hopefully it's as good as the book.
Hopefully it's as good as the book.
#20
DVD Talk Gold Edition
Re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
A movie with the main character being afflicted with Tourette’s Syndrome?
I think I'd rather eat glass.
I think I'd rather eat glass.
#22
DVD Talk Hero
Re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
Thom Yorke trying to be the next big composer. I’ve seen him around film more and more.
#23
DVD Talk Gold Edition
#25
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Re: Motherless Brooklyn (2019, D: Edward Norton) S: Norton, Baldwin, Willis, Dafoe, Mbatha-Raw
Reviews are mixed: https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/motherless_brooklyn