Jade Bahr

Pretty sure I saw @akatosh posting the esquire interview + photos now I can't find them. However pretty sure this cover wasn't among them. https://www.esquire.com/entertainment/movies/a65619469/leonardo-dicaprio-paul-thomas-anderson-interview-2025/

So excited

That's a lot hot Frankensteins, first Jacob Elordi, now him 😚 @Lilja K

Love this series 👍🏼

Thx for the recommendation.

EMMA STONE GETTING READY FOR THE LOUIS VUITTON CRUISE 2026 SHOW

Leonardo DiCaprio in Talks for Michael Mann’s ‘Heat 2’ as Budget Circles $170M, Warner Bros-Apple Co-Finance? I’ve been tracking this one for over a year now, and it’s about time someone caught up. Michael Mann’s long-gestating “Heat 2,” a prequel to his legendary 1995 crime saga, is still very much having money issues. Last year, I reported that Warner Bros. were getting cold feet to fund the $150M+ Mann was asking for. As recently as last month, I noted that casting had finally begun, and that WB was back in talks. Now we’re getting a more details of what’s going on behind the scenes. According to Puck‘s Matt Belloni, Mann’s original budget landed north of $200M, a number that gave Warners serious pause. Since then, he’s reportedly shaved it down to around $170M, which, frankly, is still too steep for the studio to greenlight solo. Keep in mind, the original Heat made $187M worldwide back in ’95—that’s nearly $400M adjusted for inflation—but Mann’s more recent films (“Blackhat,” “Ferrari”) haven’t exactly lit up the box office. Still, WB execs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy are said to want to make the film happen. The current thinking is: bring in a co-financing partner. Enter Apple, which has received the script and is reportedly considering coming aboard. However, here’s the kicker—and it’s a big one: Leonardo DiCaprio has been in talks with Mann about starring. Nothing signed, just yet. But if he commits, this becomes a different conversation entirely. A DiCaprio-led “Heat 2” suddenly looks a lot more like a global event film, and that might be enough to make this film happen. Mann, now 81, has spent the last few years carefully building the foundation for “Heat 2,” a dual prequel-sequel hybrid based on his 2022 novel co-written with Meg Gardiner. The book charted the early days of Neil McCauley (played by Robert De Niro in the original) and Vincent Hanna (Al Pacino), while also following Hanna’s hunt for a new threat in the aftermath of the original film’s climactic shootout. The timeline for this thing? Still fluid. Mann wants to shoot in 2025, likely for a late 2026 release. I’ll have more on “Heat 2” as it develops.

With that facecard she can do no wrong 🤩

Venice Boss on Paul Thomas Anderson’s Absence: “I Never Got a Clear Response from Warner Bros” Of all the films arriving this fall, “One Battle After Another” is the one I’m most looking forward to. Why? Because it’s directed by Paul Thomas Anderson — arguably the greatest American filmmaker of the past 25 years. A few weeks back, I reported how “One Battle After Another” opted to bypass all the major fall festivals, including Venice, Telluride, and Toronto. Still, the move no doubt raised some eyebrows. With a reported $150M+ price tag and Anderson’s name above the title, “One Battle After Another” had all the makings of a Lido splash. Skipping the fall circuit has inevitably left a vacuum, and invited speculation. A recent interview with Venice Film Festival chief Alberto Barbera seems to have further muddied the waters; He’s telling ScreenDaily that Anderson and Warner Bros. were not very forthcoming in their replies after he requested to screen the film. Meanwhile, speaking with Deadline, Barbera admits that Warner Bros ghosting him might have to do with a hybrid of reasons, but he’s still puzzled by their lack of engagement: Is the film unfinished? Possibly. Is WB still smarting from last year’s “Joker: Folie à Deux” fiasco in Venice? Probably. Or maybe Anderson himself simply doesn’t care for the festival grind anymore, and a quiet release, on his own terms, is maybe what he prefers. Neither Warner Bros. nor Anderson’s camp are commenting. But, make no mistake, skipping the fall fests means deliberately avoiding the oxygen of early buzz, critical discourse, and awards momentum. That’s a risky move when you’re launching such a pricey film, one filled with talent, including Leonardo DiCaprio, and helmed by one of the truly great filmmakers around. It remains to be seen if this strategy will likely pay off for Warner Bros. “One Battle After Another” opens wide on September 26.