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PEOPLE & ARTS Wednesday 16 august 2017

Unretired, Soderbergh wants to pull a fast one on Hollywood

By JAKE COYLE NASCAR track. A tongue-
AP Film Writer in-cheek line at the end of
NEW YORK (AP) — “Populist the credits reads: “No one
Pictures” reads the buzzer was robbed during the
to Steven Soderbergh’s making of this film except
Tribeca office. You might you.”
easily mistake it as ironic. “We don’t know whether
It’s a grand title for a little it’s going to work or not.
nameplate on an other- We certainly hope like hell
wise nondescript Manhat- it does. We’ll know after a
tan building. couple weeks.
But he means it. One way or another, we’ll
Four years after dramati- get to prove our point,”
cally quitting moviemak- said executive producer
ing, Soderbergh is back Dan Fellman, Warner Bros.’
with “Logan Lucky.” His former distribution chief.
hiatus — in the end so ab- He anticipates the film will
breviated as to be nonex- be in 2,800 theaters, with
istent — hasn’t been spent many in the industry keenly
toying with a Major Artistic following the results.
Statement to be showered “There’s a lot of people
in Oscar buzz. (He long watching, I can tell you
ago lost his taste for self- that,” says Fellman.
serious prestige films.) Nor Ahead of the big theft —
has he drastically remade er, release date — Soder-
himself as a filmmaker. “Lo- This image released by Bleecker Street shows director Steven Soderbergh on the set of his film bergh has less the fidgety
gan Lucky” is a heist movie “Logan Lucky.” energy of someone about
so similar to his “Ocean’s to rob a bank than the
Eleven” films that the more ago (and went off, in a can put out “Logan Lucky” work through this system calmness of a mastermind.
down-and-out West Virgin- filmmaking marathon, to with a more modest mar- and have other like-mind- “Everything’s gone right so
ia characters of his caper direct every episode of the keting approach centered ed filmmakers put their far,” he says.
even refer to their plot as acclaimed Showtime series on the 10 days before re- work through this system.” He has other innovations
“Ocean’s 7-11.” “The Knick”), he exited fed lease and the social-media “We don’t need another planned, too. “Mosaic,” his
“I thought the first line of up with a risk-adverse Hol- followings of its stars — no- boutique distributor,” he interactive movie for HBO,
every review would be, ‘He lywood unwilling to inno- tably Channing Tatum. adds. “This is designed for is coming in November.
came out of retirement for vate, to problem solve, to It’s a way to prove that the wide-release movies. This And with a number of oth-
this?’” said Soderbergh in shake up anything. broad-appeal movie can isn’t an art-house proposi- er projects he’s producing,
a recent interview at his “Logan Lucky” isn’t just be made by a filmmaker tion.” Soderbergh sometimes
modest office. “Of course a comeback movie, it’s with a plan, without com- Movie financing arrange- seems like he’s become his
my answer to that would a grand experiment. So- mittee or corporation ments are infamously byz- own studio head.
have been: The only thing derbergh independently “I’ve been very vocal antine, but Soderbergh Soderbergh says he’s con-
I would have come out of financed the film, selling about my issues and it’s an has set up an account that sidered it. Three or four
retirement for is to make distribution rights to foreign opportunity to learn some anyone who has put mon- years ago, he spent a
something like this. I wasn’t territories to pay for the stuff. And I’m prepared for ey into the movie can log year researching how to
going to come out of re- budget and then making any scenario. But at least on to and check to see the put a subscription-based
tirement and not make ancillary deals (like Ama- we got to do it the way movie’s expenses, grosses platform together. “I really
something fun. Why would zon) to pay for prints and we wanted to do it,” says and their cut. got pretty granular with it,”
I do that?” ads. While ballooning mar- Soderbergh. “And that’s a The whole scheme is more he says, but he ultimately
Instead, Soderbergh wants keting costs have made win. We’re going to learn than a little like the plot of said it would only work if
to prove a point. When little beside franchise films something. We may learn “Logan Lucky,” in which an he had a back catalog to
he said goodbye to the appealing to major studios, a lot. I’m hoping it works so out-of-work miner (Tatum) give subscribers enough
movie business four years Soderbergh believes he I can continue to put my rallies a team to rip off a content.q
Crosby: Talent, not politics, behind Nugent’s Rock Hall snub

By The Associated Press describe Nugent. that he’d be dead or in jail
David Crosby says fel- Nugent told Albany, New if Obama was re-elected.
low rocker Ted Nugent York, radio station WQBK- Crosby has been inducted
has been kept out of the FM last week he hasn’t into the Hall twice for his
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame been inducted into the membership in The Byrds
because he’s not good Cleveland-based Rock and Crosby, Stills, Nash &
enough, not because of his and Roll Hall of Fame be- Young.q
politics. cause of his support for gun
Crosby responded to rights and his membership In this Feb. 2, 2017, file photo,
a fan’s question about on the National Rifle As- David Crosby attends the
whether political correct- sociation’s board of direc- Maltin Modern Master Award
ness kept Nugent out of tors. The outspoken Nugent ceremony at the 32nd Santa
Barbara International Film
the Hall by saying Monday was a fierce critic of former Festival in Santa Barbara,
on Twitter that Nugent “just President Barack Obama’s Calif.
isn’t good enough.” He gun control efforts and said Associated Press
also used an expletive to at a 2012 NRA gathering