Deadline reports that one year after HBO's Entourage ended an eighth and final season (which ended with Ari Gold as a studio mogul), creator Doug Ellin is almost finished with a script for a movie. He says he's on pay 110 of the screenplay.
He said: "[I'm] gonna finish by Sunday (I pray)."
He added that no one wants to see the movie more than WME packaging agent Ari Emanuel (the basis for Gold) and executive producers Mark Wahlberg and Steven Levinson. Ellin says that Wahlberg keeps promising "to kill me if I don't write faster. Every time I see him, Mark says, ‘I've made 5 movies this year. Get going!"
Ellin said he needed time off after spending "10 years of my life" on the show, which premiered in 2004. Meanwhile, Ellin still has a deal at HBO and is developing shows for the network. He finished a comedy pilot with Ed Burns that wasn't picked up, Ellin and producing partner Jim Lefkowitz also developed the boxing drama Da Brick with Spike Lee, Mike Tyson and John Ridley. When he finally began writing the Entourage script, he said he had "renewed momentum".
The script starts six months after the show is over. He added: "There are interesting developments about Ari as a studio head, and that's still the first page for me. But foremost is the friendship between the guys who are still hanging out and going to fun parties, and it continues with the same characters."
He has remained in contact with all of the cast, including Jeremy Piven ("Ari"), Adrian Grenier ("Vince"), Kevin Dillon ("Drama"), Kevin Connolly ("E") and Jerry Ferrara (Turtle"). Connolly and Ferrara are two of Ellin's closest friends. The cast has been working elsewhere while HBO pays Ellin for the script.
HBO execs Richard Plepler and Michael Lombardo have said they only heard "a very general pitch" and need to read the completed script and make deals with the cast before moving forward. Ellin said: "I'm excited. I feel a lot of positive energy. Everywhere I go, people ask me, ‘Where's the movie?'"
The film will continue to make fun of Hollywood as the show did. Fans want an R-rated movie with women, nudity and cameos from Hollywood stars, as well as a decent story and character development. Ellin says all of that is in the movie.
411mania
Big fan of the TV series (although haven't gotten around to the last two seasons yet) so understandably excited for this. More Ari Gold is good for the soul.