- Social:
filmmaker
Writer and director who has a partnership with Will Ferrell, with whom he co-wrote several films.
PROFILE
Adam McKay
Guest
FROM Adam McKay
The Business
Adam McKay: The Big Short Writer-director Adam McKay was known for making Will Ferrell comedies like Anchorman and Talladega Nights before he took on the The Big Short , the complicated story behind the 2008 financial meltdown, based on a book of the same title by Michael Lewis. McKay’s decision to go in a pretty different direction has paid off in the form of five Oscar nominations, including Best Picture and Best Director. He tells us how he intentionally broke movie-making rules to create a film that defies genre, or possibly creates a new one: “traumedy.” McKay also explains how the star-studded cast of the The Big Short came together quickly and how the film ended up coming in under budget and with an earlier release date than originally planned. He says it was actually his idea to release it at the end of 2015, rather than 2016, which ended up putting the movie in awards contention.
The Treatment
Adam McKay: The Big Short "What if pop culture told us what we needed to know?" Director Adam McKay discusses the state of pop culture and economic oversights highlighted in The Big Short.
Which Way, L.A.?
How Filmmakers View Sony's Decision to Pull "The Interview" The government now says it's "99% certain" that the vast and sophisticated cyber attack against Sony Pictures was the work of North Korea. A subsequent threat to movie theaters led Sony to cancel tonight's premiere and the Christmas Day general release of The Interview . That's the dark comedy about the assassination of North Korea's leader, Kim Jong Un. Now Paramount has cancelled scheduled screenings of Team America: World Police, which lampoons a North Korean dictator -- even though it's been playing since 2004. The question we pose to filmmaker Adam McKay is, "what's next?"
Recommended
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Gov. Jerry Brown: California and China will fight climate change together President Donald Trump reportedly wants the U.S. to withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, and he’s expected to announce a decision soon. California Governor Jerry Brown heads to China to strengthen climate and clean energy ties.
The Business
In 'Speechless,' Scott Silveri combines comedy, family & disability Scott Silveri has written and produced sitcoms for more than 20 years. In all that time, he never encountered a TV family that looked anything like the one he grew up in -- with a mom, a dad...and a brother with cerebral palsy. He changed that with his show Speechless on ABC. Silveri tells us about looking to his own past for stories, and why he was determined to make a family comedy and not just a "disability show."
The Treatment
Lucia Micarelli: An Evening with Lucia Micarelli Violinist and actress Lucia Micarelli visits The Treatment to discuss her emotive performances as she prepares for PBS' An Evening with Lucia Micarelli.
Press Play with Madeleine Brand
Trump says goodbye Paris Accord: What does it mean for U.S. and the planet? President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the U.S. will withdraw from the Paris Climate Accord, the landmark international agreement to limit greenhouse gas emissions. Trump was to renegotiate a new deal, but will that happen?