Toronto 2019: “It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. If Eddie loves it, we get to make a movie,” screenwriter Scott Alexander says
In the minds of screenwriters Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski, there was only one person who could possibly play blaxploitation legend Rudy Ray Moore for their film “Dolemite Is My Name,” and that man was Eddie Murphy.
The two had first met Murphy 16 years ago, and they shared their mutual obsession with Moore, the ’70s film star and comedian who became famous for his cult character Dolemite. When the time came to finally write the script, they even went against one of their best instincts.
“When we were writing this script, we broke the cardinal rule, which is never write for a star. We said, ‘This script is only for Eddie,’” Alexander told TheWrap’s Beatrice Verhoeven at the Toronto International Film Festival. “We want Eddie to love it. It doesn’t matter what anyone else thinks. If Eddie loves it, we get to make a movie. If Eddie doesn’t love it, then there is no movie.”
Alexander and Karaszewski, screenwriters famous for their work on “Ed Wood,” “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” “Man on the Moon” and others, first came to know Moore through a tape of obscure trailers for his movies playing Dolemite. They quickly became obsessed, and Alexander even drove to the film company’s headquarters to track down and purchase a tape for Alexander for his birthday, back in the days when finding obscure films was extremely difficult.
Years later they had a surprise meeting with Murphy, who quoted lines from “Ed Wood” before giving them a hell of a pitch:
“He looked at us and goes, ‘Do you guys know who Rudy Ray Moore is?’” Karaszewki recalled. “Instantly, he barely had to pitch anymore.”
Murphy even arranged a meeting between the two of them with Moore, who regaled them with stories of the good ‘ol days and said Murphy would be perfect to play him in a movie. But the project never came together, and it wasn’t until the duo’s success with 2016’s “The People vs. O.J. Simpson” that they had the caché to make their passion project about Moore. So they got in touch with Murphy.
“It was like trying to get the band back together,” Alexander said.
“He just responded ‘Hell yes, I’m so into it,’” Karaszewski added. “Within a week or so, we were at Netflix, they loved the idea, they got it, and for a movie that couldn’t get made, it became a very easy movie to get made.”
“Dolemite Is My Name” plays in theaters in limited release beginning Oct. 4, and then debuts on Netflix on Oct. 25.
Watch TheWrap’s interview with Alexander and Karaszewski above.
Paging Oscar Voters: 19 Fact-Based Fall Movies and Biopics, From 'Judy' to 'Bombshell' (Photos)
There aren’t a lot of things Hollywood loves more in a film than the retelling of true-to-life events or the onscreen portrayal of real people. For proof, look no further than what the Oscars each year: In the last 10 years, seven Best Actor winners played real people, including Rami Malek for “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
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“Hustlers” (Sept. 13)
STX Entertainment’s glitzy film about the Robin Hood of strippers is inspired by a viral 2016 New York Magazine article. “Hustlers” follows a crew of savvy strip club employees who band together to turn the tables on their wealthy and abusive Wall Street clientele by maxing out their credit cards after they’ve passed out. The film stars Jennifer Lopez, Constance Wu, Cardi B, Lizzo, Keke Palmer, Lili Reinhart and Julia Stiles.
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“Judy” (Sept. 27)
Renée Zellweger plays Judy Garland circa 1968, when “The Wizard of Oz” star arrived in London to perform in sell-out concerts. The film follows Garland as she prepares for the show, battles with management, charms musicians and reminisces with friends and adoring fans. Finn Wittrock, Jessie Buckley and Michael Gambon also star.
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“The Laundromat” (Sept. 27)
Steven Soderbergh’s screwball comedy follows Meryl Streep as a citizen journalist who uncovers a massive conspiracy involving money laundering, bribery, extortion. The film, based on Jake Bernstein’s book, “Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite,” also stars Gary Oldman and Antonio Banderas.
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“The Current War” (Oct. 25)
The historical drama — which languished in limbo for nearly two years following The Weinstein Co.’s bankruptcy — tells the story of the cutthroat competition between Thomas Edison (Benedict Cumberbatch) and George Westinghouse (Michael Shannon) over whose electrical system would power the new century. Nicholas Hoult also stars as Nikola Tesla.
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“Lucy in the Sky” (Oct. 4)
“Fargo” and “Legion” creator Noah Hawley directed Natalie Portman in “Lucy in the Sky,” loosely based on the story of astronaut Lisa Nowak and her struggle to adjust after returning from space. Nowak, who was romantically involved with fellow astronaut William Oefelein, flew aboard Space Shuttle Discovery in July 2006. The following year she was charged with the attempted kidnapping of U.S. Air Force Cpt. Colleen Shipman, who also had a relationship with Oefelein. Nowak ultimately pleaded guilty to lesser charges and was sentenced to a year probation. “Lucy in the Sky” also stars Jon Hamm, Zazie Beetz and Dan Stevens.
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“Dolemite Is my Name” (Oct. 25)
Eddie Murphy returns to the screen after a three-year hiatus to play a blaxploitation legend whose given name is Rudy Ray Moore. After struggling to break into showbiz, Moore creates the alter-ego Dolemite seeking to star in blaxploitation films. Moore would go on to star in three films as Dolemite, including “Dolemite” from 1975, followed by “The Human Tornado” and “The Return of Dolemite.”
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“The Irishman” (Nov. 1)
Martin Scorsese reunites Robert De Niro and Al Pacino in what is one of the fall’s most-anticipated films: a decade-spanning saga of organized crime in post-WWII America that covers Jimmy Hoffa’s (Pacino) rise as the leader of the Teamsters, and Frank Sheeran’s (De Niro) participation in hits for the Bufalino crime family as well as the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Harvey Keitel, Ray Romano and Bobby Cannavale also star in the Netflix film.
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“Harriet” (Nov. 1)
Cynthia Erivo, who had a breakout 2018 with films “Widows” and “Bad Times at the El Royale,” gets a star turn as American abolitionist and activist Harriet Tubman. The film follows the freedom fighter from her escape from slavery through her subsequent missions to free dozens of slaves in the South during a time of extreme adversity ahead of the Civil War.
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“The King” (Nov. 1)
Timothée Chalamet follows in the footsteps of Laurence Olivier and Kenneth Branagh, to portray one of Shakespeare’s great heroes: Henry V, the 15th-century monarch who navigates the palace politics, chaos and war after his father’s premature death. Chalamet is backed by a great cast that includes Joel Edgerton, Sean Harris, Lily-Rose Depp, Robert Pattinson and Ben Mendelsohn.
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“Honey Boy” (Nov. 8)
“Honey Boy,” written by Shia LaBeouf, is a raw semiautobiographical retelling of the actor’s childhood growing up with an abusive and alcoholic father, played by LaBeouf. The actor wrote the screenplay while in rehab and reconciling with his father and confronting his own mental health issues. Noah Jupe plays a proxy for young Shia, here named Otis, while Lucas Hedges plays him as an adult.
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“Midway” (Nov. 8)
Roland Emmerich’s new action epic retells the clash between the American fleet and the Japanese imperial navy at the Battle of Midway in World War II. The cast includes Ed Skrein, Mandy Moore, Nick Jonas and Patrick Wilson.
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“Ford v Ferrari” (Nov. 15)
In a film that might as well be called “We Want an Oscar,” Matt Damon stars as visionary car designer Carroll Shelby opposite Christian Bale as the fearless British-born driver Kevin Miles. Back in 1966, the two men were hired by Ford to build a revolutionary race car to take on Enzo Ferrari at the 24 Hours of Le Mans race in France.
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“A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood” (Nov. 22)
Tom Hanks plays the indelible Fred Rogers. Nothing else need be said.
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“The Two Popes” (Nov. 27)
Fernando Meirelles (“City of God”) this movie inspired the true story of Pope Benedict (Anthony Hopkins) and his encounter with the future Pope Francis (Jonathan Pryce), one of his harshest critics as a cardinal from Argentina.
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“The Aeronauts” (Dec. 6)
“The Theory of Everything” co-stars Eddie Redmayne and Felicity Jones re-team for another true story, about pioneering hot-air balloon pilot Amelia Wren (Jones) and meteorologist James Glaisher (Redmayne) who set out on an epic balloon journey in the 1860s.
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“Bombshell” (Dec. 20)
Jay Roach’s film tells the story of the sexual harassment scandal from the point of view of the women who challenged the toxic male culture and unseated Fox News founder Roger Ailes. Charlize Theron stars, in a striking resemblance to Megyn Kelly, alongside Nicole Kidman as Gretchen Carlson and Margot Robbie.
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“Just Mercy” (Dec. 25)
Michael B. Jordan stars as real-life author, activist and civil rights defense lawyer Bryan Stevenson as he seeks to free a wrongly convicted death-row inmate, Walter McMillian (Jamie Foxx). The film, which also stars Brie Larson, is directed by “Short Term 12” filmmaker Destin Cretton.
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“1917” (Dec. 25)
Oscar-winning director Sam Mendes based his WWI drama in part on an account from his paternal grandfather about two British soldiers ordered to sneak behind enemy lines to warn a battalion about an ambush during the third Battle of Ypres.
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“Clemency” (Dec. 27)
Chinonye Chukwu’s drama, which premiered in Sundance, is based on the true story of a death-row prison warden (Alfre Woodard) whose job takes its toll as she prepares for the execution of an inmate (Aldis Hodge).
Some of the glitziest, most-anticipated movies of the fall star Hollywood’s biggest stars portraying real people
There aren’t a lot of things Hollywood loves more in a film than the retelling of true-to-life events or the onscreen portrayal of real people. For proof, look no further than what the Oscars each year: In the last 10 years, seven Best Actor winners played real people, including Rami Malek for “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
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