Goodfellas producer, Irwin Winkler, is suing Warner Brothers for cheating him of profits on the film. Specifically, Winkler claims the studio declared the 1990 film a financial loss, discounting over $100mn in returns from the home video market. In a statement, he called it "'studio accounting' on steroids." Winkler is asking for $18mn for breach of contract in the lawsuit filed in September.
The 1990 film from director Martin Scorsese cost $30mn to make and took-in $275mn at the box office. Goodfellas earned six Oscar nominations, including Joe Pesci's win for Best Supporting Actor. Many of the cast reunited for the 25th Anniversary viewing of the film at the Tribeca Film Festival in New York just last year.
Winkler also served as producer on several other hit films, including Raging Bull, Rocky, and The Right Stuff, among others.
© The Weirding, 2016
This year, Steve Buscemi popped-up at the end of a Flight of the Conchords episode and Marty Scorsese himself cameoed in Entourage's season finale (which, by the by, HBO is showing tonight - the entire last season is being rerun in one massive marathon - while HBO2 is reprising True Blood's entire season) and I wondered about that. I had no real thoughts on it, I just figured these two, incredibly gifted men would be too busy to make cameos in any TV shows - even those on HBO. As it turns out, they are both incredibly busy... working on a new series for HBO!
Martin Scorsese is developing a drama for the network entitled Boardwalk Empire, about the origins of Atlantic City as told in Nelson Johnson's book. Scorsese will produce and direct (at least the pilot). Steve Buscemi is the lead, the rum-running boss of a liquor distribution ring. Michael Pitt (no relation to Brangelina) is in negotiations to star opposite.
© C Harris Lynn, 2008
You might not know the name Val Lewton - I didn't: He was a low-budget horror movie producer from the WWII era who made such classics as Cat People and I Walked with a Zombie, among others. This Monday at 7:00PM (CST), Martin Scorsese discusses Lewton's works on TCM, followed by a series of the producer's films.
Scorsese discusses how he watched Lewton's films continuously while filming The Departed, and credits several sequences in his Academy Award-winning film to Lewton's works. Lewton was a producer, not a director, but Scorsese and his co-documentarian, Kent Jones, agree that he was the real force at work behind these gems.
While Lewton died at the young age of 46, his seemingly disposable canon of films have managed to survive and delight audiences to the present day, which is very impressive. Check it out Monday night.
Goodfellas producer, Irwin Winkler, is suing Warner Brothers for cheating him of profits on the film. Specifically, Winkler claims the studio declared the 1990 film a financial loss, discounting over $100mn in returns from the home video market. In a statement, he called it "'studio accounting' on steroids." Winkler is asking for $18mn for breach of contract in the lawsuit filed in September.