Léa Seydoux will star in Audrey Diwan’s English-language adaptation of the French erotic romance film Emmanuelle; Portrait of a Lady on Fire star Adèle Haenel explains why she’s done making movies; the trailer is out for Hulu’s Good Luck to You, Leo Grande. All in today’s Movie News Rundown.
Pleasure: Our own Caleb Hammond spoke to Pleasure writer-director Ninja Thyberg about how she moved past her preconceived notions of the porn industry in order to make the feature-length version of her 2013 short film. Read the full story to find out how she learned to see things “from their perspective.”
Watch Hollywood Classics: At the UCLA Film & Television Archive Festival of Preservation this Friday, May 20 through Sunday, May 22. Featuring newly restored Hollywood classics and forgotten gems from the archive, the festival includes golden-age comedies, film noir, animation, social justice documentaries, and rare television shows featuring Betty White, Rod Serling, and many more beloved icons. You can get tickets here.
Elemental: Pixar has revealed the concept art and release date for its 27th film, called Elemental. It’s set to hit theaters on June 16, 2023, according to Deadline. Directed by The Good Dinosaur‘s Peter Sohn, the film follows characters Ember and Wade in their home city, where the residents embody the different elements — fire, water, land, and air — and they all live together. Despite their differences, Ember and Wade begin to realize just how much they have in common.
Casting: Ariana DeBose and Jennifer Jason Leigh have joined the cast of Chris Pine’s directorial debut, Poolman, according to Variety. The film, which is described as a moving tribute to Los Angeles, will also star Annette Bening and Danny DeVito, in addition to Pine himself. Honestly, what a dream cast.
Good Luck To You, Leo Grande: The trailer has just dropped for Hulu’s upcoming dramedy starring Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack, and it is absolutely charming. It comes out June 17, and if this is the first you’re learning of this movie, the premise may surprise you: A retired teacher who knows nothing about sex (Thompson) hires sex worker Leo Grande (McCormack) to teach her a thing or two. In the process, they discover a surprising human connection. Watch the trailer below.
Speaking of Sex Scenes: Conversations With Friends star Allison Oliver shared in an interview with The Times UK how Taylor Swift felt about Oliver shooting some pretty X-rated scenes with Swift’s longtime boyfriend, Joe Alwyn. Oliver said the Lover singer was “totally cool” with the process, which makes perfect sense considering she is well aware that her boyfriend is an actor and that actors sometimes act in scenarios that would not occur in real life. Apparently, Swift even spent time on set.
In Yet More Sex-Related News: Léa Seydoux will star as French softcore porn icon Emmanuelle in an upcoming English-language adaptation of the 1967 French novel by Emmanuelle Arsan, to be directed by Happening‘s Audrey Diwan, according to The Hollywood Reporter. Emmanuelle was famously first adapted for the screen in 1974 starring Sylvia Kristel as a woman who travels to Bangkok to explore her sexual desires. Seems to be a popular theme lately!
Adèle Haenel: Will not be making any more films. The French Portrait of a Lady on Fire actress told German magazine FAQ (via The Film Stage) exactly why she left the film industry: “I don’t make films anymore,” Haenel said. “Because of political reasons. Because the film industry is absolutely reactionary, racist, and patriarchal. We are mistaken if we say that the powerful are of goodwill, that the world is indeed moving in the right direction under their good and sometimes unskillful management. Not at all. The only thing that moves society structurally is social struggle. And it seems to me that in my case, to leave is to fight. By leaving this industry for good, I want to take part in another world, in another cinema.”
Honestly: Mic drop.
Main Image: Emma Thompson and Daryl McCormack in Good Luck to You, Leo Grande courtesy of Hulu