Hollywoodland | |
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Theatrical release poster
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Directed by | Allen Coulter |
Produced by | Glenn Williamson |
Written by | Paul Bernbaum |
Starring | |
Music by | Marcelo Zarvos |
Cinematography | Jonathan Freeman |
Edited by | Michael Berenbaum |
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Distributed by |
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Release date
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Running time
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127 minutes |
Country | United States |
Language | English |
Budget | $28 million |
Box office | $16.8 million |
Hollywoodland is a 2006 American period mystery film directed by Allen Coulter and written by Paul Bernbaum. The story presents a fictionalized account of the circumstances surrounding the death of actor George Reeves (played by Ben Affleck), the star of the 1950s television series Adventures of Superman. Adrien Brody stars as a fictional character, Louis Simo, a private detective investigating Toni Mannix (Diane Lane), who was involved in a long romantic relationship with Reeves and was the common-law wife of MGM studio executive Eddie Mannix (Bob Hoskins). Reeves had ended the affair and had become engaged to a younger woman, aspiring actress Leonore Lemmon (Robin Tunney).
Development for Hollywoodland began in 2001 when Focus Features purchased Bernbaum's script titled Truth, Justice, and the American Way. Michael and Mark Polish were set to direct with Benicio del Toro in the lead role, but Focus Features placed the film in turnaround to Miramax Films the following year. Ultimately Truth, Justice, and the American Way became a joint production between the two studios and filming commenced in May 2005 with veteran television director Coulter making his feature directorial debut. Due to copyright issues with DC Comics, the film was retitled Hollywoodland, released to generally positive reviews.
In June 1959, Louis Simo (Adrien Brody), a Los Angeles private investigator more interested in generating an income than in devotion to his clients, is spying on the wife of a man named Chester Sinclair to find if she is cheating. On a visit to his own ex-wife Laurie, Simo learns that his son is upset over the recent death of actor George Reeves, who played Superman on television. Reeves was found dead inside his Beverly Hills home with a gunshot wound to the head, which police ruled a suicide.