Woody Harrelson ready to direct another live film again
Woody Harrelson is ready to direct another live film for streamers almost a decade after Lost in London. Speaking at the Variety Lounge in Sarajevo, he compared Jason Bateman’s Netflix film The Cackling of the Dodos to Martin McDonagh and the Coen Brothers. He also teased stand-up comedy and Apple TV’s Brothers.
Key Takeaways
- Harrelson wants a shorter live-streamed film for a streamer, marking about 10 years since Lost in London.
- He called directing that debut the most challenging thing he has ever experienced.
- Netflix’s The Cackling of the Dodos, directed by Jason Bateman, is the first film under Harrelson’s Children at Play banner.
- He said a rewrite gave the Bateman project a Martin McDonagh or Coen Brothers vibe.
- He will reunite with Matthew McConaughey on Apple TV’s Brothers and is dabbling in stand-up.
Almost 10 years after helming the world’s first live-streamed feature, Variety reports Woody Harrelson is finally ready to step back behind the camera. The actor shared the news at the Variety Lounge, presented by the Sarajevo Film Festival and BH Telecom.
His comments matter for anyone tracking streamer originals and live event cinema. A new live film pitch, plus Netflix and Apple TV projects, put him squarely in the Streaming & TV Alerts lane.
Why is Woody Harrelson ready to direct another live film?
Harrelson’s directorial debut, Lost in London, was an unusually tough first outing. Despite more than 100 film credits, major franchises such as The Hunger Games and Star Wars, TV hits including True Detective and Cheers, and a podcast, he said directing that live feature was “the most challenging thing I have ever experienced.”
To mark the 10th anniversary, he is considering a simpler rematch with the format. “I’ll go to one of the streamers and say: Hey, do you want to try doing a live film? Maybe like an hour, though, and certainly not like [‘Lost in London’], when there were 14 different locations and hundreds of extras.”
“It nearly killed me,” he recalled of directing and starring in the high-pressure shoot. With the benefit of experience, he believes a second try could be easier. He said he knows “190 things” he would do differently and hopes to “fix it, make it better.”
How does Jason Bateman’s The Cackling of the Dodos fit in?
Another project on Harrelson’s slate is Jason Bateman’s The Cackling of the Dodos for Netflix. It reunites him with Sam Rockwell, his Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri co-star, and is the first production under Harrelson’s new banner, Children at Play, launched with Champions producer Anna Schwartz.
Schwartz found the script, which Harrelson called “pretty good.” He agreed to do the film if Rockwell signed on, then asked for Bateman to direct. Both came through. Harrelson dubbed Bateman “the guy with the Midas touch.”
After a rewrite, he said the film “really became fantastic” and felt “much more like a Martin McDonagh or Coen Brothers type of vibe.” He added that he has “a good feeling” about the result.
What else is Woody Harrelson working on right now?
Harrelson is also experimenting with stand-up comedy, calling it “the most difficult, challenging form of entertainment” because it is just a performer, a microphone, and an audience. He has been making notes and expects to “absolutely crash the first time,” but plans to try. He ruled out a one-hour comedy special for now: “I haven’t even tried it!”
Viewers can expect comedy sooner on Apple TV’s Brothers, which reunites him with True Detective co-star Matthew McConaughey as fictionalized versions of themselves. Created by The Office producer Lee Eisenberg, the series tests their friendship after they uncover a decades-old secret that they might actually be brothers.
The story draws on real-life events after Harrelson went public that his father met McConaughey’s mother around the time McConaughey was conceived. Harrelson said the show “turned out real good” and that McConaughey “is very much like my brother.”