Linklater's Latest, Reality TV Taps Locals, and More Austin Film News
By Richard Whittaker, Fri., July 26, 2019
Richard Linklater's latest film is finally (almost) here. Where'd You Go, Bernadette, his adaptation of Maria Semple's novel about a teenager's hunt for her mother – agoraphobic misanthropic ex-architect Bernadette – hits cinemas on Aug. 16. Linklater shot the film in Pittsburgh (filling in for Seattle) in 2017, and it had originally been set for a 2018 release, but now arrives in the warm-up for awards season. The cast may be filled with A-listers (Billy Crudup, Laurence Fishburne, Kristen Wiig, and Cate Blanchett as the eponymous Bernadette) but there are more than a few familiar Austin names still involved, including Linklater's longtime editor Sandra Adair, and composer Graham Reynolds.
Speaking of local directors taking a trip, Aaron B. Koontz has wrapped shooting on his Western horror, The Pale Door, on location in Oklahoma. The director of Camera Obscura and co-founder of new one-stop-shop Renegade Studios (see "Going Renegade," Nov. 30, 2018) has described the script by Keith Lansdale as "3:10 to Yuma meets The Descent." The film stars Devin Druid (13 Reasons Why), Melora Walters (Magnolia), and Noah Segan (Looper), plus former Alamo Drafthouse booker turned go-to trailer editor Greg MacLennan will cut the movie – his first feature gig. Koontz also recently shared an image from his other upcoming project, Austin-made anthology horror Scare Package, as it enters the final stages of post-production with ADR sessions (when actors re-record their lines in the studio). The creepfest will include segments from Emily Hagins (Grow Up, Tony Phillips), Chris McInroy ("Bad Guy #2"), and UT RTF alums Courtney and Hillary Andujar.
Austin isn't just where reality shows come to shoot (if you're not watching Fox's First Responders Live, you're missing out on Austin-Travis County EMS staff in action), it's also where they find their future stars, with two drag stars and two aspiring cooks making their TV debuts this fall. First Miss Kitty Litter was announced as joining season 2 of YouTube's Camp Wannakiki; then three-time "Best of Austin"-winner Louisianna Purchase was added to season 3 of The Boulet Brothers' Dragula, debuting on Canada's OutTV in August, with a U.S. platform to be announced. Heading away from the runway and into the kitchen, Mansfield resident Sharon Grant has the honor of being part of the next season of Worst Cooks in America, which returns to the Food Network on Aug. 4. And last, but far from least, 11-year-old Austinite Dharma Sabapathy joins the young culinary experts of another Food Network delight, Kids Baking Championship, which debuts on Aug. 5.
Austin-made online animation is making the leap to TV. gen:LOCK, the giant fighting robot show from local studio Rooster Teeth, was previously only available through their subscription service. However, on Aug. 3 the show – which boasts A-list voice talents including Michael B. Jordan (Black Panther), Maisie Williams (Game of Thrones), and David Tennant (Doctor Who) – will be broadcast as part of Adult Swim's Toonami block. More Rooster Teeth shows will also be part of WarnerMedia's upcoming Netflix rival HBO Max, although the exact titles from their huge library have yet to be confirmed.
Rooster Teeth isn't the only local animation studio with a new show on TV. Head over to austinchronicle.com/screens and see the first footage from Seis Manos, the new Mexican-set martial arts/monster hybrid Netflix Original from Powerhouse Animation. The full show will debut on the streaming platform later this year.
Want to get your film into SXSW? Like the saying goes, you have to be in it to win it, and the submission window for the 2019 film festival (running March 13-21) is now open. The early deadline for feature films, shorts, episodics, music videos, VR/AR/MR, Texas High School shorts, and title sequences runs through Aug. 22; after that point, fees rise through the official deadline of Sept. 19 and the late deadline of Oct. 17 (entrants for high school shorts and title sequences can still submit through Dec. 12). Find full submission guidelines, dates, and fees at www.sxsw.com.
