Sean Mandell: Los Angeles entertainment reporter on the upcoming documentary about Dame Jacinda Ardern

A Hollywood documentary starring Dame Jacinda Ardern is reportedly in the works.

The feature-length film, produced by Madison Wells studios, is set to follow Ardern from the moment she receives the Labour Party nomination to the birth of her child to her resignation in 2023.

Los Angeles entertainment reporter Sean Mandell says there had been talks of other plans for the movie before it was finalised.

"It will also have Dame Jacinda's participation - she has said one of the reasons why she is participating is because there aren't any dollars from New Zealand's Film Commission."

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Just Cinda A Durn now just Cinda Adurn seems to
like the Hollywood movie being made about her, because this
time it's not funded by public public money like the
one that's being made here in New Zealand. The movie
is going to follow her political recreer from the moment
that she gets the Labor Party nomination all the way
through to her quitting last year. It'll be produced by
Madison Wells Studio. Shaw Mandel is an entertainment reporter for
Los Angeles and with us. Now, Hey, Sean, hi there,

(00:22):
how are you? I'm very well, thank you. What do
we know about Madison Wells Studio? Are they any good?

Speaker 2 (00:28):
They're very good. They've produced quite a few notable films,
not just films that have garnered interest from the public,
but interest, for example, from the Academy of Motion Picture
Art and Sciences. They produced the film The Eyes of
Tammy Fay, which won Jisica Testain her Oscar for Best Actress.

(00:48):
Also Hell or High Water, the Tyler Sheridan scripted movie
which really launched the Tyler Sheridan cinematic universe that gave
us Yellowstone nineteen twenty two and the lot of all
his work and also drive the Ryan Gosling process that
was very popular. Yeah, so headed by billionaire Gigi Pritzker.

(01:09):
So definitely a production company that means business.

Speaker 1 (01:13):
Do we know anything about who's being cast, who is directing, screenwriting,
anything like that.

Speaker 2 (01:19):
So for this it seems that this is going to
be a documentary feature. Now, there has been talk in
the past about a scripted feature, a scripted biopic portrayal
of Dame Desinda taking place, with Rose Byrne, for example,
being an actor that whose name was tossed about and
believed to have been cast in the role in a

(01:41):
previous production, but that production fell apart. There was controversy
regarding the script her casting as well. So now it
seems to be the focus away from doing something scripted
and now in the space of a documentary purposely, I
would argue in an attempt to be able to produce

(02:03):
something about Dame Disinda without involving the controversy that the
scripted version seems to have done. So this will be
a documentary and it will also have Dame Disinda's participation,
and she has said that one of the reasons why
she is participating as well is because there aren't any

(02:25):
dollars from New Zealand's Film Commission going towards the project.

Speaker 1 (02:29):
Good stuff, Hey Sean, thank you has always appreciate it. Shanmandell,
entertainment reporter based in LA. For more from Hither Duplessy
Allen Drive, listen live to news talks. It'd be from
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