The Laundromat - Steven Soderbergh to Direct

[Darth Marcus]

Source: ComingSoon

Steven Soderbergh Plans Panama Papers Movie
By Silas Lesnick on July 6, 2016

Steven Soderbergh will produce with an eye to direct an upcoming Panama Papers feature film

Steven Soderbergh may be making another return to feature film directing as it was announced today that the Academy Award winner is producing with an eye to direct a big screen adaptation of Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jake Bernstein‘s upcoming nonfiction book, Secrecy World.

An investigation into the “Panama Papers,” the largest data leak in corporate and government history, Secrecy World was announced by publisher Henry Holt and Company with the following official description:

“Secrecy World” will contain new details that expand on the recent revelations about the financial machinations of rulers and royalty, the illegal activities connected to dozens of banks, and the extent to which U.S. companies and citizens are involved. He will show how this massive data leak toppled public officials, launched investigations and forced governments to respond. We have only begun to understand what’s in the Panama Papers, the consequences from the leak and what it took to bring these revelations to light; Bernstein will deliver the definitive, revelatory, and surprising story.

Bernstein was part of the international team of journalists who are members of the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists that broke the story of the Panama Papers in April. More than 11 million records were leaked as a part of the papers sourced from Panamanian law firm Mossack Fonseca.

The film adaptation will be scripted by Scott Z. Burns, who previously worked alongside Soderbergh on films like The Informant!, Contagion and Side Effects.

Although it was previously hinted that Soderbergh had retired from feature film directing, he’s currently shooting another upcoming project, Logan Lucky.

Lawrence Grey’s Grey Matter Productions acquired the feature film rights to Secrecy World and is teaming with Anonymous Content to develop, finance and produce the film. Grey will himself produce alongside Anonymous Content’s Michael Sugar, Burns and Soderbergh. Bernstein will serve as executive produce alongside Grey Matter COO, Ben Everard.

[Hoke Moseley]

What’s actually coming up next is Soderbergh’s adaptation of the Panama Papers story, based on the book “Secrecy World” written by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jake Bernstein. Scott Z. Burns, who also wrote “Side Effects” and “The Informant!,” has also penned the script. Now titled “The Laundromat,” the Panama Papers story is about the biggest leak of data in corporate and government history revealing a global system of undisclosed offshore accounts, money laundering, and other criminal activity. The title is a reference to Mossack Fonseca, the Panamanian law firm that laundered money for more than more than 200,000 offshore entities. The data leak in 2016 made global headlines. The movie’s been compared to the Academy Award-winner “Spotlight” as a journalistic exposé of illicit money, political corruption, and fraud on a global scale.

“The Laundromat” is gearing up for a fall shoot and there’s a powerhouse cast waiting in the wings, but that lineup is being held under wraps for now. There’s been some talk out there that Soderbergh could shoot on the iPhone again like he did on “Unsane,” but because of the epic scale of the movie, which will shoot in six countries, he’ll be back using the latest RED Cameras.

source

Great news! Wonder who will be a part of the "powerhouse cast."

[AaronJ]

For 95% of this day I have been outrageously bored.

Now I am actually excited. This had better see the light of day, or someone's going to regret it!

[Hoke Moseley]

It's happening... filming in the fall with a secret cast already attached.

And many on here will be happy to see that he's ditching the iPhone (for now).

Definitely sounds like it could be one of Soderbergh's best.

[AaronJ]

Originally Posted by Hoke Moseley

It's happening... filming in the fall with a secret cast already attached.

And many on here will be happy to see that he's ditching the iPhone (for now).

Definitely sounds like it could be one of Soderbergh's best.

I've just given up on believing in something until I actually see it happen to one degree or another, in all facets of life. I know that it seems like it's a sure thing, but so is crossing the street, and we see how that turned out for Regina George.

[Hoke Moseley]

Originally Posted by AaronJ

I've just given up on believing in something until I actually see it happen to one degree or another, in all facets of life. I know that it seems like it's a sure thing, but so is crossing the street, and we see how that turned out for Regina George.

I'm about 99% sure this will definitely be filming in the fall.

Cast already attached, large scale film shooting in multiple countries... this is the kind of stuff that needs to be sorted out months in advance, which is what it sounds like they're doing now.

It's happening, dammit!

[AaronJ]

Makes sense.

(Still have fingers crossed, though)

[Cremildo]

[Hoke Moseley]

Streep, Oldman, and Banderas.

Fantastic.

Cast will only get better from there...

[Darth Marcus]

Source: Netflix

Netflix Commits To Panama Papers Drama ‘The Laundromat:’ David Schwimmer Joins Soderbergh, Oldman, Streep, Banderas
by Mike Fleming Jr - October 9, 2018 1:53am

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix has committed to finance and release The Laundromat, the Steven Soderbergh-directed drama about the Panama Papers scandal. David Schwimmer has just joined a killer cast that is led by Oscar-winning Darkest Hour star Gary Oldman, The Post‘s Meryl Streep and Life Itself‘s Antonio Banderas. Other cast circling include Will Forte and Earthquake Bird‘s Riley Keough. The film has a script by Scott Z. Burns, based on the Jake Bernstein book Secrecy World: Inside the Panama Papers Investigation of Illicit Money Networks and the Global Elite. Burns, Lawrence Grey, Soderbergh, Michael Sugar, Gregory Jacobs and Topic Studios are producing.

Deadline first revealed the project back at Cannes and noted then that Netflix was hot and heavy in pursuit. This after Netflix previously set a movie on the scandal by German journalists Frederik Obermaier and Bastian Obermayer, who broke the story and wrote the book Panama Papers: Breaking the Story of How the World’s Rich and Powerful Hide Their Money.

Schwimmer will play Matthew Quirk, an attorney who speaks on behalf of one of the insurance companies after twenty elderly passengers die on a boating excursion. The boating company learned its insurance isn’t the large company it thought it was, but merely just a P.O. box in Nevis. Quirk would eventually kill himself after seeing no way out of the liability situation, but the incident triggers lawyers, government officials, and more to track down these shell companies. Those investigations lead to the laundering geniuses at the Panama-based law firm Mossack Fonseca, who created hundreds of thousands of ‘companies’ to help the wealthy avoid paying taxes. Schwimmer, who is currently appearing in an arc of Will & Grace episodes, is repped at Gersh. Reams of documents were leaked from Mossack Fonseca in April by an anonymous whistleblower that bared embarrassing details on investments and money trails from politicians the world over, meant to evade taxes.

The scandal drew in several world leaders, including former UK Prime Minister David Cameron and Iceland Prime Minister Sigmunder Gunnlaugsson, the latter of whom resigned on April 5, 2016, after it was revealed he and his wife set up an offshore shell company in 2007 in the British Virgin Islands; he then sold his half of the company to his wife for $1 on the last day of 2009 to shield them from a new law that would have required him to declare his ownership as a conflict of interest. Among the swarms of famous people named in the leaked documents was current President of the United States Donald Trump — already embattled over charges his empire was built by avoiding taxes — and director Pedro Almodovar, Jackie Chan and Emma Watson. Bernstein was part of a team of journalists who formed the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists to break the Panama Papers story. The leak of data — 11 million records revealed — was the largest in corporate and government history.

This becomes the latest buzzy movie property for Netflix, which has the Alfonso Cuaron-directed Roma in the Oscar race along with 22 July, the Paul Greengrass-directed drama on the worst terrorist attack in Norway’s history that left over 70 dead and the Coen Bros-directed The Ballad of Buster Scruggs. Netflix separately has wrapped The Irishman, the crime drama that re-teams Martin Scorsese with Robert De Niro and Joe Pesci, and the action film 6 Underground, which Michael Bay directs and which stars Ryan Reynolds.

[imsounoriginal]

Just heard about this, sounds so damn good. Can't wait, and great that Netflix got it.

[Hoke Moseley]

Will Forte and Riley Keough probably joining as well... nice.

Hope it starts filming soon.

[Steedeel]

Originally Posted by Hoke Moseley

It's happening... filming in the fall with a secret cast already attached.

And many on here will be happy to see that he's ditching the iPhone (for now).

Definitely sounds like it could be one of Soderbergh's best.

Delighted that he is ditching the Iphone, gutted this is on Netflix.

[Hoke Moseley]

Originally Posted by Steedeel

Delighted that he is ditching the Iphone, gutted this is on Netflix.

"Gutted" is definitely a stretch.

I'm just happy it's being made.

[AaronJ]

Oh thank goodness. Any new Soderbergh is always good news. And this sounds fascinating and loaded cast-wise. What an interesting story. One which, sad to say, I know very little about.

I will say this concerning the individuals involved -- again without much knowledge at all, except from a personal financial perspective -- some of these people might not have known that any of this was going on, that these investments were illegal. I mean, I met with my financial manager today, and we spoke for about 45 minutes (there are legal issues as well), and while he's very good I only ever leave his office having understood about 1/4-1/3 of what he said to me. This is all very new to me, and I have almost zero background. It always reminds me of threads here that get very technical about coloring or sound or whatever -- the posters aren't doing a bad job; it's just 90% of it is totally over my head.

I doubt someone like Emma Watson, for instance, actually handles her own finances in any significant way. Why would she? She's got better things to do, and believe me, it takes a lot of one's time. So if she just hired a corrupt accountant without realizing it, she would be a victim, not a perp. Not saying that's what happened, but it's very plausible. And it certainly happened to some of these people.

But yeah, cannot wait. As I said before, always looking forward to new Soderbergh.

[Monterey Jack]

Hey Steve, how's "retirement" doing for you...?

[aiman04]

What's with show business and retirement. They just can't help it. But I'm not complaining.

[Hoke Moseley]

We have learned that Matthias Schoenaerts (“The Danish Girl,” “Red Sparrow“), Jeffrey Wright (“Westworld,” “Hold the Dark“), Chris Parnell (“Saturday Night Live,” “Rick and Morty“), James Cromwell (“Babe,” “L.A. Confidential“), and Melissa Rauch (“The Bronze,” “Big Bang Theory“) have all joined the cast of the film. Also, of note, we can confirm that previously mentioned actor Will Forte is part of “The Laundromat.” Comedian Larry Wilmore will also have a role in the film, as well, but we are hearing that it could be more of a cameo situation.

It has already been reported that David Schwimmer will play an attorney in the film. And now we know that Cromwell will play Meryl Streep’s husband, with Rauch coming along as their daughter. In an ‘SNL’ reunion, of sorts, Forte and Parnell will share scenes together as an obnoxious American duo in Panama.

Lastly, we hear that there could be some major cameos in the film from A-listers that could have been linked to Soderbergh in the past. Who those actors might be remains unclear at this time, however.

source

[imsounoriginal]

Wild guess here but one of the cameos is probably Matt Damon.

[Hoke Moseley]

Originally Posted by imsounoriginal

Wild guess here but one of the cameos is probably Matt Damon.

Very bold prediction.