movies

Chess Documentary ‘Grandmasters’ Acquired By Good Deed Entertainment

Published

1 hour ago

August 27, 2026

EXCLUSIVE: Good Deed Entertainment has acquired Grandmasters, a documentary from award-winning filmmaker Liza Mandelup that uncovers drama roiling the world of top-tier chess.

Grandmasters premiered as a documentary series at Tribeca Festival in June but will launch in theaters as a nonfiction feature told in three chapters. Good Deed plans to release the film nationwide on October 11 at AMC locations.

“In Grandmasters, the once esoteric and uninspired world of top-level competitive chess is thrown into turmoil when an eccentric German entrepreneur enlists Grandmaster Magnus Carlsen to launch a new league that aims to revolutionize the game, challenge the sport’s governing body, and ‘make chess cool,’” notes a synopsis. “Expertly helmed by Mandelup (Jawline, Caterpillar), with access and support provided by Chess.com, the documentary chronicles the rivalries, reinventions, and personal battles shaping the modern pursuit of greatness in the game of kings.”

In a statement, Mandelup said, “I’m constantly drawn to people who have built their lives around a single pursuit, so getting to spend time with some of the best chess players in the world was immediately exciting to me. What I didn’t expect was how much drama sat just beneath the surface. I wanted to get beyond the idea of a chess genius and make something funny, intimate, and deeply human about the people behind the game.”

Director Liza Mandelup attends the 'Grandmasters' premiere at Tribeca Festival on June 7, 2026 in New York City. — Director Liza Mandelup attends the ‘Grandmasters’ premiere at Tribeca Festival on June 7, 2026 in New York City.

Manny Carabel/Getty Images for Tribeca Festival

Good Deed released Mandelup’s documentary Caterpillar in theaters last November.

“Liza has a gift for bringing audiences inside a story, and the beautifully executed Grandmasters opens up the world of chess in a way audiences haven’t seen before,” commented Erik Donley, head of acquisitions and distribution at Good Deed Entertainment. “We are thrilled to be partnering with Liza once again on another culturally captivating story.”

Chess has proved fertile ground for fictional exploration on screen, to whit the hit Netflix series The Queen’s Gambit (2020); Pawn Sacrifice, starring Tobey Maguire and Liev Schreiber (2014); The Luzhin Defence (2000), and Searching for Bobby Fischer, starring Ben Kingsley, Laurence Fishburne, Joan Allen and more (1993). Mandelup’s film explores the real thing.

“We have been living in the drama of top-level chess for decades, and knew that the outside world had only seen a very small portion of it,” observed Danny Rensch, co-founder and Chief Chess Officer of Chess.com. “The story of these players is so much bigger than the board, and Good Deed understood that immediately. Now we get to share it as widely as it deserves.”

Grandmasters is a Boardwalk Pictures production, starring Magnus Carlsen, Wesley So, Jan Henric Buettner, Hans Niemann, Danny Rensch, Levy Rozman, and Lotis Key. In addition to directing the film, Mandelup executive produced the project alongside Jordan Wynn, Andrew Fried, Lana Barkin, Patrick Altema, and Alex Leibow. The film is produced by Max McGillivray and Christian Vazquez.

Good Deed Entertainment

Good Deed Entertainment is an independent film studio “built around distinctive voices and underserved audiences.” Recent releases include Looking Through Water (Michael Douglas) and Drive Back Home (Alan Cumming), alongside a catalog of acclaimed films such as Lucky Grandma, To Dust, and the Academy Award nominee Loving Vincent.

movies

Jamie Dornan Joins Megan Park Apple Movie (EXCLUSIVE)

Published

5 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

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EXCLUSIVE: Jamie Dornan, star of Apple‘s upcoming crime thriller series 12 12 12, is set to star opposite Zoë Kravitz and Adèle Exarchopoulos in their mystery movie from My Old Ass helmer Megan Park.

Character details are being kept under wraps, as is the logline for the as-yet-untitled film. Park is directing from her own script and exec producing, with Apple Studios and LuckyChap to produce in association with FilmNation. Tom Ackerley, Bronte Payne and Kelly McRedmond are overseeing the project for LuckyChap.

Dornan is best known for his work in Kenneth Branagh’s Belfast, which brought him Golden Globe and Critics Choice Award nominations, along with his BAFTA-nominated turn in the BBC drama The Fall. He’s also an exec producer on the aforementioned 12 12 12, a series he headlines opposite Anthony Mackie, which premieres November 13.

Dornan plays identical twins in the upcoming Netflix series The Undertow and is currently in production on The Lord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollum, where he takes on the role of Aragorn. He is repped by UTA and Sloane Offer Weber & Dern.

movies

Debuts Official Trailer For Cannes Palme d’Or Winner ‘Fjord’

Published

11 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

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Neon has debuted the official trailer for Cristian Mungiu’s Cannes Palme d’Or winner Fjord ahead of its U.S. theatrical release on October 9.

Reinsve stars as a Norwegian woman who relocates with her devout Romanian husband (Stan) and their five children to a remote, close-knit, coastal town.

Their teenage children form a fast bond with a neighboring family as unease begins to simmer around their rigid beliefs. When allegations of abuse emerge, they are forced to confront a system of judgement that blurs the lines between concern and prejudice.

Neon acquired U.S., Canada, UK, Australia and New Zealand rights to the film on the eve of its world premiere in Cannes and then scored its seventh straight Palme d’Or win after it scooped the top prize.

Deadline’s Chief Film Critic Pete Hammond praised Mungiu for fearlessly tackling contemporary controversial societal issues without taking sides.

“Fjord is an intelligent and gripping movie that finds its power in providing no easy answers, only questions about what is right and what is wrong,” he wrote.

With strong performances from awards regulars Stan (The Apprentice) and Reinsve (Sentimental Value), Fjord is likely to be part of the upcoming awards season conversation over the coming weeks and months.

movies

Writers Guild Foundation Taps 2026 Veterans Fellowship Cohort

Published

18 minutes ago

August 27, 2026

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EXCLUSIVE: The Writers Guild Foundation has revealed the latest cohort military veterans to participate in its Veterans Fellowship program.

The 2026 program will include Jon-Alexander Genson, Kat Castañeda, Manda K. Skelton, Shain Brenden, and Shannon Corbeil.

They will be paired with five mentors: Dennis Lehane (Smoke, Black Bird), David Schulner (New Amsterdam, Memory of a Killer), Aron Eli Coleite (The Spiderwick Chronicles, Locke & Key), Dayo Adesokan (Superstore, Party Down), and Brian Studler (The Blacklist, Motherland: Fort Salem).

The goal of the intensive mentorship program is to provide educational resources, professional guidance, and career-building opportunities specifically to military veterans who are seeking a breakthrough into the television industry.

This is the program’s third year, and once again it will be led by instructor Eli Edelson, a development executive and writer. The fellowship builds on the success of the WGF Veterans Writing Project, which is a yearlong mentorship program that has helped military vets develop their screenwriting craft for more than a decade. Fellowship alumni have had scripts optioned, secured representation and landed positions on shows including Paradise, Watson, Memory of a Killer, and American Blue.

“While the industry landscape continues to be challenging, I believe there will always be a place in Hollywood for writers with incredible stories, and these five talented military service veterans have more than a few stories to tell. With the help of their high-level mentors and the community of the Writers Guild Foundation, I have no doubt they will find their place in the writers’ room before long,” Edelson said in a statement shared with Deadline.