Production is now officially underway on the ENTOURAGE movie, just under three years after the conclusion of the HBO series. Fans followed the adventures of Vincent Chase and his, well, entourage for eight seasons on the cable network, viewership of which declined over the years. For the movie version, though, director Doug Ellin will stick to the format that made the show popular and feature famous faces as Chase and company explore the world of Hollywood.
With the announcement from Warner Bros that principal photography on the film is underway also comes the news that Billy Bob Thornton and Haley Joel Osment have joined the cast as a father and son duo named Larsen and Travis McCredle. How the characters relate to the main stars is unknown, but expect some interesting turns as both actors are well versed in comedy roles. Osment just recently appeared on the IFC series THE SPOILS OF BABYLON and stole the show from Tobey Maguire and Kristen Wiig.
Movie star Vincent Chase (Adrian Grenier), together with his boys, Eric (Kevin Connolly), Turtle (Jerry Ferrara) and Johnny (Kevin Dillon), are back…and back in business with super agent-turned-studio head Ari Gold (Jeremy Piven). Some of their ambitions have changed, but the bond between them remains strong as they navigate the capricious and often cutthroat world of Hollywood.
I enjoyed the first few seasons of ENTOURAGE, but then it just became tedious. The show kept exploring the same stories over and over with the lone bright spot being Jeremy Piven‘s portrayal of Ari Gold. I would have been fine getting a satire about the film industry centered just on Piven rather than an ENTOURAGE movie. At best, this is going to feel like an overlong episode without really doing anything to build on the series, similar to the SEX AND THE CITY “films”.
ENTOURAGE currently has no release date.