LRF TRIVIA TIDBITS (Season 35 Round 5)

 

Welcome back for more LRF Trivia Tidbits! Round 5 underscores how radically a film can be shaped by casting decisions and creative pivots—whether through exhaustive star searches, full-scale reinventions, or head-to-head actor showdowns before a single frame was shot. Each release carries a clear reminder that the version audiences see is often just one of many paths not taken.

Blood and Glory

Casting Alexander the Great proved to be a major undertaking, with an extensive audition and screen-testing process narrowing a crowded field of contenders. Cosmo Jarvis ultimately secured the role, beating out Tom Bateman, Milo Gibson, KJ Apa, Hero Fiennes Tiffin, Patrick Schwarzenegger, and Tom Rhys Harries for the lead in Tarsem Singh’s violent, stylized historical epic.

Running from the Spotlight

Few Season 35 projects underwent a more dramatic transformation. Early versions had Sofia Coppola attached to direct a cast of rising stars including Rachel Zegler, Halle Bailey, Sophia Lillis, and Xolo Maridueña. By the time cameras rolled, Coppola had been replaced by Michael Fimognari and the entire young cast had been swapped out for lesser-known actors - fundamentally altering both the film’s tone and the studio’s expectations.

Unreasonable Doubt

For this R-rated crime rom-com, the male lead came down to a true face-off between Channing Tatum and Wyatt Russell. Two distinct versions of the script were written to match each actor’s strengths, but a chemistry test between Cristin Milioti and Tatum ultimately tipped the scales, convincing the filmmakers to move forward with Tatum’s interpretation of the role.

Release: Unreasonable Doubt

 

Unreasonable Doubt

Genre: Romantic Comedy/Crime

Director: Andrew Fleming

Writer: Walter McKnight

Cast: Cristin Milioti, Channing Tatum, Raymond Lee, Kurtwood Smith, Heidi Gardner, Aya Cash, Paul Scheer, Stephen Root, Kim Matula, JB Smoove, Iris Apatow, Reid Scott, Meredith Hagner

Budget: $30,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $52,913,001

Foreign Box Office: $20,904,195

Total Profit: $18,099,545

Reaction: LRF doesn't have an extensive history of Romantic Comedy films, but it is worth noting that this is the first one to turn a profit since Season 17 - McKnight's debut film, Kylie Dates New York City.

"What might have been a tonal trainwreck instead blossoms into something sneakily clever: Unreasonable Doubt marries the compulsive pull of true-crime with the fizzy beats of a rom-com, and it works better than it has any right to. Cristin Milioti and Channing Tatum are the unlikely alchemy — she’s prickly, neurotic, and bitingly funny, while he brings wounded charisma with just enough menace to keep the romance sharp-edged. Andrew Fleming directs with a light but assured touch, never letting the comedy undercut the danger or vice versa. For women who toggle between binging Dateline and rewatching You’ve Got Mail, this film feels like it was tailor-made, and Milioti cements herself as one of the most interesting comedic leads of her generation." - Eric Marsh, Denver Post

"Messy? Absolutely. But Unreasonable Doubt leans into that chaos in a way that’s kind of fun. Cristin Milioti sells Lucy’s bad decisions with just the right mix of charm and cringe, and Channing Tatum’s 'is-he-or-isn’t-he-a-killer' vibe makes for an offbeat rom-com foil. The courtroom satire hits more often than not—Stephen Root barking about order is comedy gold—and the mid-credits pivot into true-crime podcasting feels right for 2025. Still, the film doesn’t always juggle tone smoothly. It’s the cinematic equivalent of a messy Tinder date: sometimes awkward, occasionally regrettable, but never boring." - Jeremy Raren, RottenTomatoes.com

"What do you get when you cross romantic comedies with a court procedure? You get a film that has good intentions but gets a little muddied by trying to balance two different genres at once. Miloti and Tatum do have nice chemistry and it's clear that the cast knows how to play along with the unique setup. Yet sometimes, the film veers way too hard towards one side and ignores the other, especially near the end with a surprisingly graphic brawl with our main leads and Eli." - Mitchell Parker, New York Times

Rated R for language, sexual content/nudity, and some violence. 

Interview: Walter McKnight

 

For this edition of Interview, Last Resort Films president Phil Dolan sits down with writer Walter McKnight (The Hunchback of Notre Dame, The Monster Squad) to discuss his latest romantic comedy, Unreasonable Doubt, and what else he has in the works....

PD: Unreasonable Doubt is a project you first mentioned over three years ago. Can you describe the process of finally shepherding it to the big screen?

WM: If I recall, I originally mentioned it trying to find ideas for the female lead role. Originally I was pretty set on Wyatt Russell as the male lead, and wanted to find someone who would be compatible. Then I saw the film Palm Springs and simply fell head over heels in love with Cristin Milioti and knew she had to be the female lead in this project. Once she was set, I revised my concept to fit her talents, which led to going after Channing Tatum eventually as the male lead. Cristin was the key to the entire project.

PD: The R-Rated Romantic Comedy - especially a female-led one - is a rare thing. What made you decide to go with such an adult tone?

WM: Outside of the Judd Apatow and Farrelly Brothers films, you're right, there are not a ton of well known and successful R-rated romantic comedies. The aforementioned Palm Springs managed to work with its R-rating and another good recent one was Anyone But You. I felt like it could still be successful and that an R-rating would play better to the comedic strengths of both Cristin and Channing.

PD: Another type of film you're known for as a writer are the live-action adaptations of animated films. Do you have any in the works?

WM: I recently submitted a sequel to Pocahontas to the studio. I also have a few ideas of others to do - mostly looking at 80s and 90s animated films that I think have live-action potential. Nothing concrete beyond Pocahontas 2 though.

PD: What is next for you?

WM: I finally got around to writing a second Buffy the Vampire Slayer film. If it's successful, I'd love to close things out as a trilogy. Beyond that I have the animation adaptation ideas as well as a couple romantic comedy ideas that I may decide to flesh out further.

Now Showing: Unreasonable Doubt

 

Unreasonable Doubt

Genre: Romantic Comedy/Crime

Director: Andrew Fleming

Writer: Walter McKnight

Cast: Cristin Milioti, Channing Tatum, Raymond Lee, Kurtwood Smith, Heidi Gardner, Aya Cash, Paul Scheer, Stephen Root, Kim Matula, JB Smoove, Iris Apatow, Reid Scott, Meredith Hagner

Plot: Lucy Becker (Cristin Milioti) arrives late to her office job yet again, slipping into her cubicle with a mumbled excuse about an imaginary bus breakdown. At lunch, she eats leftover fries while watching a low-budget docuseries called Married to Murder on her cracked tablet. Back at her apartment, her roommate Darla (Heidi Gardner) lights a bundle of sage and says she’s cleansing ancestral trauma. Lucy finds a jury summons in her mail and immediately tosses it onto the floor with a dramatic groan.

The next morning, on the courthouse steps, Lucy runs into her ex-fiancé Colin (Reid Scott) and his new girlfriend Taryn (Meredith Hagner), who’s dressed like a walking Pinterest board. Colin stammers through a nervous hello, while Taryn cheerfully describes their new apartment and a pottery class, then hugs Lucy a second too long. Lucy walks away without saying anything and drops her full latte in the trash on her way inside.

Lucy is selected for a murder trial. The defendant, Noah Glint (Channing Tatum), sits alone at the defense table wearing a suit that looks like it came from a strip mall funeral home. His face is tired, stubbled, and wary. The prosecutor, ADA Vanessa Clyburn (Aya Cash), lays out the state’s case: Noah’s ex-girlfriend was stabbed 17 times in her kitchen. The footage from her building’s security camera is grainy. The murder weapon was never found. Noah had a record for a couple fights and was last seen arguing with her. Judge Tewksbury (Kurtwood Smith), grumpily explains the rules to everyone in the room.

Voir dire drags. Lucy tries to act neutral but can’t help cracking a line about bingeing Law & Order: SVU for research. It bombs. She’s picked anyway. The other jurors include Eli (Raymond Lee), who helps Lucy untangle her badge lanyard; Cheryl (Kim Matula), an uptight suburban soccer mom; Darnell (JB Smoove), who sneaks Cheez-Its in his sock; and Aubrey (Iris Apatow), a Gen Z juror livestreaming her courthouse outfits from the bathroom. Gene (Stephen Root), the foreman, is a humorless ex-engineer who demands order. 

The case is rough. The prosecution plays the 911 call and a parade of witnesses describe a volatile relationship. A neighbor says they heard screaming. A co-worker says she’d been planning to break things off for good. Noah’s defense attorney, Lenny Krellman (Paul Scheer), misplaces his files, mops his forehead constantly, and forgets his own client's name mid-question. When Noah takes the stand, he admits to the argument but insists he walked out before anything happened. His voice is steady, but his eyes keep flicking toward the jury. Lucy catches him looking and doesn’t look away.

During a break, Lucy waits near the vending machine. As Noah is escorted back to holding, she drops a gum wrapper. He bends down, picks it up, and quietly hands it to her. Their fingers brush. He gives her a crooked smile before the guard pulls him away. That night, Lucy rewatches his testimony on a courthouse YouTube feed. Darla walks in to see Lucy deep into the playback. Lucy slams the laptop shut.

Deliberations begin. Cheryl and Gene push for guilty immediately. Lucy brings up inconsistencies — no blood on Noah’s clothes, no murder weapon, no real motive beyond an argument. Eli supports looking over transcripts again. Darnell says he’s cool with whatever, as long as it wraps by Friday. Lucy keeps drilling into details and raising doubts. Gene accuses her of being emotionally compromised and unreasonable. The vote is stuck.

The next day, Lucy is caught mid-deliberation passing a folded note to Noah during a courtroom recess. The note has a crudely drawn smiley face with a little halo and the words “I believe you.” Judge Tewksbury sees the exchange. He halts proceedings and calls an immediate sidebar. Ten minutes later, he bangs his gavel and declares a mistrial — citing “gross juror misconduct.” As the courtroom buzzes, the other jurors glare at Lucy. Noah meets her eyes with a subtle grin before being led away.

Days later, Lucy spots Noah at a neighborhood dive bar. He buys her a drink. They sit close. He thanks her. She tells him not to make it weird. The conversation builds until they’re touching — and then it explodes. They stumble out of the bar, laughing, pawing at each other, bumping into a recycling bin. At Lucy’s apartment, they don’t make it past the hallway. She slams him against the door and climbs him like a jungle gym. He tears her shirt open. She pulls off his belt with her teeth. They leave a trail of clothing across the floor. In the kitchen, she’s half bent over the counter when Darla walks in, drops her keys, and slowly backs out while muttering “Oh HELL no.” Lucy flips her hair and shrugs mid-thrust.

Lucy and Noah start a relationship. Lucy starts feeling Noah is a bit intense. He starts calling multiple times during the day. One night, while digging through his bag for ChapStick, Lucy finds a small velvet box. Inside is a charm bracelet — silver with a dangling shoe. She recognizes it from a slideshow of the victim. Lucy shows Darla, who stares at it, then grabs her phone. They meet Eli at Lucy’s apartment and lay out the evidence. Lucy proposes a plan. Eli’s hesitant a bit hesitant, but Lucy sweet talks into helping. They rig the apartment with a recording device beneath the coffee table. Lucy texts Noah to come over. 

That night, Lucy flirts with Noah over dinner like nothing’s wrong. She pours him wine and asks about closure. He says the past is complicated. She sets the bracelet on the table between them and asks what really happened. He says the victim started yelling. He snapped. Then he notices the red blinking light. His eyes shift. He lunges. Lucy backs up fast, knocking over the wine. Eli bursts in. Noah grabs a knife from the sink. Eli tackles him. They crash into the counter. Lucy grabs a skillet and clocks Noah. He staggers, grabs Eli, and slams him into the wall. He raises the knife. Lucy stabs him in the shoulder with a paring knife. He drops. Blood splatters across the linoleum. Outside, Darla is screaming for the cops from the balcony.

Noah is arrested. The DA files new charges. At the courthouse, Judge Tewksbury walks past Lucy - this time there as a witness - in the lobby and dryly says she might want to stick to cat videos next time. She forces a smile but flips him off the second he turns his back. Weeks later, Lucy finds Eli alone in a coffee shop. They share a pastry and make awkward small talk about trauma bonding. He jokes that he is thinking of detective work a try rather than returning to his HR job. Lucy dryly replies that she’s banned from serving justice by any official means. As she gets home, she finds a new jury summons in her mailbox. She crumples it up and throws it in the trash.

Mid-Credits:

In her closet, now converted into a makeshift podcast studio, Lucy presses record. She welcomes listeners to the first episode of Unreasonable Doubt, a true crime podcast about “the worst first date of all time.” She’s got a cheap mic, a glass of wine, and a messy stack of notes. Her voice is steady as she begins, “This is a story about justice... and absolutely terrible taste in men.”

Resume: Cristin Milioti

 

Welcome back for another Resume segment! This time we are looking at the filmography of one of LRF's newer leading ladies.... Cristin Milioti!

SEASON 5

Nocturne

Director: Reed Morano

Writer: Clive Steinbeck

Budget: $56,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $73,695,037

Foreign Box Office: $65,801,678

Total Profit: $11,138,439

Milioti started her LRF career with two films in Season 5. The first was Nocturne, a successful supernatural thriller. She played the wife of Jeremy Renner's lead character in the project, which score "just okay" reviews, but made a decent chunk of change at the box office.

The Life of the Party

Director: Steven Spielberg

Writer: Lon Charles

Budget: $48,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $44,412,008

Foreign Box Office: $59,651,181

Total Profit: $13,591,585

Next up for Milioti was a supporting role in Steven Spielberg's buzzy Fatty Arbuckle biopic. Milioti played Arbuckle's wife, silent film actress Minta Durfee. The film scored strong reviews - especially for Stonestreet as Arbuckle - but only managed one GRA nomination for Best Production Design.



SEASON 11

Newbury Street

Director: Todd Field

Writer: Lon Charles

Budget: $30,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $55,399,541

Foreign Box Office: $30,701,222

Total Profit: $17,484,327

After a handful of seasons away, Milioti returned in Season 11 with another supporting role opposite Matt Damon in the acclaimed crime drama Newbury Street. She played the wife/victim of Damon's character. The film was nominated for six GRA awards - winning one for Best Actor (Damon).

SEASON 16

The Kiss Quotient

Director: Lulu Wang

Writer: Rosie JoLove

Budget: $23,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $10,971,409

Foreign Box Office: $9,718,003

Total Profit: -$22,559,097

After a handful of supporting roles, Milioti finally was given her first leading role in an LRF production. Unfortunately it didn't go as well as her supporting films did - The Love Quotient was slammed by critics and lost over $22 million.



SEASON 24

The Flash #2

Director:   Jonathan Levine

Writer:   Chad Taylor

Budget: $173,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $245,075,893

Foreign Box Office: $297,488,041

Total Profit: $209,480,888

Milioti hit the big time with a supporting villain turn in The Flash #2, the second film to feature the Scarlet Speedster on LRF screens. Critics were positive toward the film and it made a nice DC-sized chunk of change. 



SEASON 28

Task Force X: Jungleland

Director:  Guy Ritchie

Writer:  Jimmy Ellis

Budget: $180,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $291,485,040

Foreign Box Office: $318,583,995

Total Profit: $200,105,777

Milioti was back a few seasons later reprising her Golden Glider role from The Flash #2 in the villain team-up film Task Force X: Jungleland. It was another hit at the box office for the DC Comics Universe and Cristin Milioti.



SEASON 32

Patient Zero

Director:    S. Craig Zahler

Writer:    Matt Parker

Budget: $33,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $23,095,599

Foreign Box Office: $55,190,239

Total Profit: $13,567,402

In Season 32, Cristin Milioti was back in a leading role in the zombie thriller Patient Zero. While critics were fairly lukewarm (leaning slightly positive) to the film, it was pretty successful at the box office - almost cancelling out the losses of The Kiss Quotient.



SEASON 34

Starlight

Director: Todd Haynes

Writer: Chad Taylor

Budget: $56,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $90,243,797

Foreign Box Office: $30,104,495

Total Profit: $10,449,060

Cristin Milioti was back in another supporting capacity and once again it was a critically acclaimed production. Starlight managed to win the GRA trophy for Best Starring Couple (Jennifer Lawrence & Sydney Sweeney) with 6 additional nominations, including Best Picture.

Up Next:

Milioti has yet to line up her next role following Unreasonable Doubt - soon to be in theaters.

Review:

• Highest Grossing Film: Task Force X: Jungleland ($610,069,035)
• Most Profitable Film: The Flash #2 ($209,480,888)
• Most Awarded Film: Starlight (1 win + 6 nominations)
• Best Reviewed Film: Starlight (Metascore: 84)

PRESS X: THE LAST OF US

 

I'm Alex Kirby and welcome to another outing of Press X. This time around we are moving on to the zombie (sort of) adventure of The Last of Us. Here, we don’t just ask if the latest video game adaptation is faithful — we ask if it levels up, glitches out, or just needs a hard reset.

Developed by Naughty Dog Studios (Crash Bandicoot, Uncharted), The Last of Us quickly became one of PlayStation’s biggest modern favorites among gamers. The engaging storytelling hit players with emotional sucker punches they weren’t ready for. Its timing was perfect, arriving after countless FPS games that leaned on online play and offered little in the way of compelling single-player campaigns. While those games didn’t disappear, The Last of Us made players truly care about its characters and the impossible choices they faced. It also didn’t hurt that it came at a time when zombie-themed, post-apocalyptic stories were red hot in pop culture thanks to The Walking Dead. With all this buzz, a film adaptation seemed inevitable. And we got one in LRF back in Season 1, long before HBO got their grubby hands on it.

The Last of Us is a narrative-driven action-adventure game set in a post-apocalyptic United States, overrun by a fungal infection that has transformed much of the population into aggressive, zombie-like creatures known as Clickers. Players follow Joel, a hardened survivor haunted by his past, who is tasked with escorting Ellie, a teenage girl who may hold the key to a cure, across a dangerous and crumbling country. Along the way, they encounter Clickers, hostile humans, desperate survivors, and moments of unexpected humanity, forging a bond that drives the emotional heart of the story. Combining tense stealth, resource management, and combat, the game blends cinematic storytelling with immersive gameplay, creating a gripping journey about survival, sacrifice, and the complexity of human relationships.

The story was compelling enough to inspire a cinematic adaptation on LRF, which hewed closely to the game’s storyline. In the film, the outbreak of a mutant Cordyceps fungus devastates the U.S., turning much of the population into cannibalistic infected, including the infamous Clickers. Joel (Anson Mount), a hardened survivor haunted by loss, is tasked with escorting Ellie (Mackenzie Foy), a teenage girl whose immunity may hold the key to a cure, across the dangerous, post-apocalyptic landscape. Along the way, they face hostile humans, ruthless bandits, and relentless infected, forging a deep bond that drives the narrative.

The LRF adaptation earned praise for its performances. Mount’s intensity as Joel and Foy’s heartfelt portrayal of Ellie stood out, but critics noted that the film leaned too heavily on the game’s structure, making it feel rushed. George Ryan of the Philadelphia Inquirer suggested that the story might have worked better as a series, where the emotional beats could be drawn out, while Stephen Ridley of the Boston Globe praised the film’s rich depiction of a ruined America. Even so, Clark Davis of JoBlo.com called it “the best video game film yet,” showing that a faithful adaptation, flaws and all, could still resonate with audiences.

My own take? I don’t think it’s a bad thing when a film sticks closely to the source material. This one hit all the right emotional beats and stayed true to the spirit of the game. Sure, it could’ve used more breathing room expanded into a series, which of course HBO would later deliver, but as a film, it was a rock-solid effort. The game was already cinematic by nature, and the movie captured that same energy. I felt the same emotional punch watching it as I did playing it.

Directed by Rupert Wyatt, whose Rise of the Planet of the Apes influence is clear in the tense “humans vs. overwhelming horde” set pieces, the film had blockbuster weight behind it. Scenes of Joel and Ellie cornered by Clickers played with the same nerve-shredding dread as James Franco surrounded by revolting apes. Screenwriter Dwight Gallo was already staking his claim as one of LRF’s most prolific voices, and this script helped solidify that reputation. Backed by a massive $122 million budget, the film bet big on crossover appeal to gamers and non-gamers alike. That gamble paid off with a $259 million global haul and a $58 million profit. It didn’t reach the legacy-driven highs of Halo’s $528 million the same season, but The Last of Us proved you didn’t need decades of history to turn a game adaptation into a box office hit.

As of this writing, there’s been little discussion of adapting The Last of Us Part II for the big screen. But if this remains the only LRF installment, I’m more than satisfied with what we got. It delivered the story with heart, spectacle, and respect for its source, no easy feat in the world of video game movies.

Release: Running from the Spotlight

 

Running from the Spotlight

Genre: Drama/Teen

Director: Michael Fimognari

Writer: Jacob Jones

Cast: Kylie Cantrall, Malia Baker, Sadie Munroe, Michela Luci, Isaac Arellanes, Peter Krause, Priah Ferguson, Orli Gottesman

Budget: $10,000,000

Domestic Box Office: $4,013,555

Foreign Box Office: $3,671,594

Total Profit: -$8,777,100

Reaction: Based on the numbers here, Running from the Spotlight clearly struggled to find an audience. At least it wasn't very expensive to produce....

"This film attempts to manufacture operatic drama out of what are ultimately low-stakes high school theater squabbles. Rivalry over a school production is treated with the gravity of a courtroom thriller, creating a tonal mismatch that borders on unintentional comedy. The repeated confrontations and big revelations feel inflated rather than earned, and the moral messaging becomes heavy-handed. What could have been a contained coming-of-age story instead collapses under its own exaggerated sense of importance." - Chris Mears, Slashfilm

"A messy, dive into high school theater politics, RFTS follows Maria, a star actress suddenly dethroned by a newcomer. Jealousy, sabotage, and romantic drama collide in a tangled web of rumors, texts, and late-night panic calls. It’s exhausting, chaotic, and completely addictive—like watching someone spiral in slow motion. Ultimately, it feels very much "Seen this before" from writer Jacob Jones. This one carries that Free on Tubi energy." - Dexter Quinn, Cinematic Observer Newsletter

"Running from the Spotlight aims for psychological depth but never quite convinces, largely due to miscasting. The young Disney TV alumni struggle to carry the emotional weight of a theatrical drama. Kylie Cantrall works hard to give Maria dimension, but the unraveling never feels fully grounded. The one genuine bright spot is Malia Baker’s Thalia, who brings natural presence and restraint, offering moments of authenticity the rest of the film often lacks. Still, the overall tone lands closer to an overextended after-school special than a compelling teen character study." - Stephen Bonds, San Francisco Chronicle

Rated PG-13 for some language and thematic elements.