Stallone v. Drago; Slash Q&A; ‘Breaking Bad’ Breakdown

Sylvester Stallone takes on Drago; our Slash Q&A about his new horror film The Breach and if we’ll ever get a Guns N’ Roses movie; a breakdown of the latest Better Call Saul episode, “Breaking Bad.” All in today’s Rundown.

But First: Margeaux Sippell talks with A Love Song writer-director Max Walker-Silverman about how he shot his acclaimed new drama in a trailer.

Slash: Here’s my talk with iconic Guns N’ Roses guitarist Slash about executive producing and scoring music for the new Rodrigo Gudiño horror film The Breach, which just screened at Fantasia. We also talk about working with Quentin Tarantino, the future of movies and rock ‘n’ roll, and why there will never, ever be a Guns N’ Roses movie. You can listen on Apple or Spotify or here:

Reminder: Hey screenwriters! Today is the last day to enter the Final Draft Big Break Screenwriting Contest, one of our 15 Submission-Worthy Screenwriting Competitions of 2022. Also be sure to CTRL+F every version of that one character’s name you keep changing. 

White Noise: Film at Lincoln Center announced moments ago that Noah Baumbach’s White Noise will be the Opening Night film of the 60th New York Film Festival, and will make its North American premiere at Alice Tully Hall on September 30. (It will open the Venice Film Festival on August 30.)

Baumbach’s Statement: “In 1985 my father and I drove from Brooklyn to see Kurosawa’s Ran open the 23rd NYFF, the same year that he brought home the hardback of Don DeLillo’s White Noise,” said Baumbach. “Opening the 60th NYFF with White Noise is truly special for me. This festival was part of my film education and has been a home for me and many of my movies over the years. I couldn’t be more excited and honored to return.”

What Is White Noise About? You have time to read the novel before the film comes out — it’s quick and I highly recommend it. The satirical film stars Adam Driver as Jack Gladney, a dad and professor of Hitler Studies (dark, I know) whose marriage to the secretive Babette (Greta Gerwig) is jostled by an “airborne toxic event.” White Noise will be released on Netflix later this year.

‘Breaking Bad’ Breakdown:  I haven’t seen the new Better Call Saul episode entitled “Breaking Bad,” but I have a pretty good idea what happens. So I haven’t clicked on this Hollywood Reporter interview dissecting the episode, but if you’ve seen it, you might want to.

WGA: The Writers Guild of America East and West have updated their health plan to cover travel and accommodation costs for participants who cross state lines for abortions. Here are details from THR.

Stallone v. Drago: Sylvester Stallone is lashing out at producer Irwin Winkler over plans for a Drago spinoff that Stallone opposes. (It was rather obviously set up in Creed 2, in which Stallone co-starred.) In a series of social media posts, Stallone has compared Winkler and his family to vampires, sucking the Rocky franchise dry, and sarcastically congratulated “Irwin Winkler and family beating another wonderful character into the ground!”

And Now, a Word From Drago: Dolph Lundren, who played Drago in Rocky IV and Creed 2, took to Instagram “just to set the record straight regarding a possible Drago spinoff.” He wrote: “There’s no approved script, no deals in place, no director and I was personally under the impression that my friend Sly Stallone was involved as a producer or even as an actor. There was a press leak last week which was unfortunate. In touch with Mr Balboa – just so all the fans can relax…There ya go.”

Who Is Irwin Winkler, Again?: The 91-year-old producer’s astonishing track record includes not only the Rocky and Creed films but also Goodfellas, The Wolf of Wall Street, and The Right Stuff. He earned his Best Picture Oscar for Rocky. His recent memoir A Life in Movies includes some great anecdotes, like this one about the Copacabana scene in Goodfellas.

I’ll Leave You With This: Yesterday we shared my very positive take on the sci-fi drama The Artifice Girl, by Franklin Ritch, which I saw at Fantasia. Today, the trailer:

Main image: Sylvester Stallone as Rocky Balboa and Dolph Lundren as Ivan Drago in Rocky IV.