Israeli ex-cons, a new cast for ‘The Crown,’ and ‘Breaking Bad’ is back
In an interview with Variety, Bergman said he came up with the idea because he often wondered what it would be like to go to prison for a crime he had not committed.
By HANNAH BROWNHILMA AF KLINT In her study, Stockholm 1895(photo credit: COURTESY OF THE HILMA AF KLINT FUND)
Everyone is wondering which Israeli TV series will be the next international hit, and it may be Just for Today, which premieres on September 5 on YES Edge at 10 p.m., as well as on StingTV and YES VOD.Created by Nir Bergman, a writer/director who has had success on both the small screen (In Treatment) and with movies (Yona, Broken Wings), the show won the Jury Prize at Series Mania, the international television festival in France. The festival has become a showcase for Israeli shows. On the Spectrum won the grand prize in 2018, and in 2017 the winner was Your Honor. Both are also from YES and both are being remade in the US.Just for Today is about a halfway house for just-released prisoners, as well as about the staff who help guide them back into mainstream society.In an interview with Variety, Bergman said he came up with the idea because he often wondered what it would be like to go to prison for a crime he had not committed. He was then was drawn to make a series about a halfway house for all kinds of prisoners, not only those who were falsely convicted.One of the stars of the series is Henry David, an actor born into an Armenian family of actors in Russia. He has starred in such films as Restoration and Rabies and series that include A Touch Away (which should be revived) and Blue Natalie.If you’ve been eagerly awaiting the third season of The Crown, you’ll be glad to hear that you don’t have much longer to wait; Netflix just announced that the new season will premiere on November 17.There will be an all-new cast and the series will cover the years 1964-1976. Yes, that means that Princess Di will not appear yet, but you can be sure the creators of the series will manage to make a family that many of us thought was unspeakably dull quite likable and interesting once again.Olivia Colman, whom you may remember from such series as Broadchurch and The Night Manager – as well as her Oscar-winning turn in The Favourite – is taking over the role of Elizabeth II, while Tobias Menzies, who appeared in Outlander and Game of Thrones, will play Prince Philip.But I’m most looking forward to seeing Helena Bonham Carter, who has always excelled at playing eccentrics, as Princess Margaret.Another upcoming Netflix release, this one a stand-alone movie, will be a Breaking Bad sequel featuring Aaron Paul as Jesse Pinkman. Titled El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie, it was written and directed by the creator of the original series, Vince Gilligan, and will be released on October 11.While Netflix isn’t revealing much, it did say, “In the wake of his dramatic escape from captivity, Jesse must come to terms with his past in order to forge some kind of future.”It’s hard to imagine how this movie will work without the central character, Walter White, who was played so memorably by Bryan Cranston. Cranston has moved on to many other projects, including the upcoming American remake of the Israeli series Your Honor.But I didn’t think the world needed a spinoff about Walter’s crooked lawyer, and how wrong I turned out to be. Better Call Saul, a prequel series about conman Jimmy McGill (Bob Odenkirk) who passes himself off as a Jewish lawyer, premiered in 2015 and has won 23 Emmys.If you’re looking for a good end-of-the-summer movie, try Lady Bird on HOT Cinema 3 on August 31 at 8:30 p.m. It is the directorial debut of actress Greta Gerwig and it’s a funny and sweet coming-of-age drama about a California teen in the ‘90s, played by Saoirse Ronan. At the heart of the film is a complex mother-daughter relationship that will resonate with many. Ronan, and Laurie Metcalf who plays her mother, both got Oscar nominations for this. You may recognize Metcalf, or at least her voice, from another recent movie. She plays Andy’s mom in the Toy Story series.
