David Farnor | On 11, Sep 2017

Amazon has cancelled The Last Tycoon, only a few weeks after its first season premiered.

The nine-episode series, which starred Kelsey Grammer, Matt Bomer and Lily Collins, was based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s last, unfinished novel. It followed Hollywood’s Golden Boy, Monroe Stahr (Bomer), as he battled father figure and boss, Pat Brady (Grammer), for the soul of their studio. In a world darkened by the Great Depression and the growing international influence of Hitler’s Germany, The Last Tycoon aimed to illuminate the passions, violence, and towering ambition of 1930s Hollywood.

“In both The Last Tycoon and the Pat Hobby stories, Fitzgerald created a rich and convincing portrait of Hollywood as it really was,” we wrote in our review. “He knew it intimately and both loved it and despised it in equal measure. This adaptation squanders that unique verisimilitude and replaces it with something entertaining, unremarkable and safe; Amazon really are taking over from Hollywood.”

Amazon, however, isn’t looking to play it safe and remarkable, with CEO Jeff Bezos pushing for a change in direction, with a focus on finding the next big global hit, as opposed to several smaller successes. Despite The Last Tycoon’s starry cast and Mad Men-like style, Variety confirmed that the show has been given the chop. It marks the second cancellation in a week at Amazon Studios, with Zelda Fitzgerald biopic Z: The Beginning of Everything, also axed. It also joins a growing line of Amazon projects scrapped after one season, including Mad Dogs and Good Girls Revolt, the latter of which was also a produced by The Last Tycoon’s TriStar TV.

 

Trailer: Amazon’s The Last Tycoon to premiere in July

3rd June 2017

Amazon’s latest original series, The Last Tycoon, will premiere this July.

The nine-episode series, which stars Kelsey Grammer, Matt Bomer and Lily Collins, is based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s last work, which celebrated its 75th anniversary last year. Inspired by the life of legendary film mogul Irving Thalberg, it follows Hollywood’s Golden Boy, Monroe Stahr (Bomer), as he battles father figure and boss, Pat Brady (Grammer), for the soul of their studio. In a world darkened by the Great Depression and the growing international influence of Hitler’s Germany, The Last Tycoon illuminates the passions, violence, and towering ambition of 1930s Hollywood.

A co-production with TriStar Television, The Last Tycoon also stars Rosemarie DeWitt (La La Land) as Rose Brady and Dominique McElligott (House of Cards) as Kathleen Moore, and guest stars Jennifer Beals (Taken) as Margo Taft. Billy Ray (Captain Phillips) writes and directs multiple episodes and the series is executive produced by Ray, Christopher Keyser (Tyrant, Party of Five), who serve as showrunners, Joshua D. Maurer (Rubicon), Alixandre Witlin (Georgia O’Keeffe), David A. Stern (Rosemary’s Baby) and Scott Hornbacher (Mad Men).

“It’s thrilling to watch F. Scott Fitzgerald’s extraordinary work brought to life through the eyes of Billy and Chris, and this incredible cast,” says Joe Lewis, Head of Comedy, Drama and VR, Amazon Studios. “This great team has created a stunning portrayal of 1930s Hollywood. We’re excited to share the series with Prime members this summer.”

The show debuted as part of Amazon’s pilot season last summer, with the first episode still available to watch for free on Amazon Prime Video by subscribers and non-subscribers alike.

“Matt Bomer in a suit. That’s enough reason for some people to tune into anything – and they won’t be disappointed by the pilot for The Last Tycoon,” we wrote in our review of the pilot.

“While Billy Ray’s script is desperately on-the-nose in its attempts to be Mad Men, the political premise promises more weight to the behind-the-scenes goings-on than the self-indulgent LA shenanigans might suggest – and a final reveal of Monroe’s darker side teases more substance than we initially glimpse on the surface.

“But oh, what surface. The period production values pop with colour and style, from the glamorous costumes to the art deco offices.”

All episodes of The Last Tycoon will premiere on Amazon Prime Video on Friday 28th July. Here’s a trailer:

 

Eion Bailey joins Amazon’s The Last Tycoon

17th February 2017

Once Upon A Time‘s Eion Bailey has signed on for a recurring role in Amazon’s new original drama, The Last Tycoon.

An adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s last (unfinished) work, The Last Tycoon follows Hollywood golden boy Monroe Stahr (Matt Bomer), as he battles father figure and boss Pat Brady (Kelsey Grammar) for the soul of their studio. In a world darkened by the Great Depression and the growing international influence of Hitler’s Germany, The Last Tycoon shines a light on the passions, violence, and towering ambition of 1930’s Hollywood.

Written and directed by Academy Award nominee Billy Ray (Captain Phillips), and executive produced by Ray and Christopher Keyser (Tyrant), who serve as showrunners, the show offers Matt Bomer in a suit, along with a swathe of swish period costumes.

Bailey, known for his role as August Booth in Once Upon a Time, will play Clint Frost, a handsome, confident actor, who has an early preview of his new movie, The Bells of Boston, for the studio brass to watch. The bad news? It’s not very good.

Bailey joins a cast that includes Lily Collins, Rosemarie DeWitt and Jennifer Beals.

 

Jennifer Beals joins Amazon’s The Last Tycoon

13th January 2017
Jennifer Beals has joined the cast of Amazon’s The Last Tyccon.

An adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s last (unfinished) work, The Last Tycoon follows Hollywood golden boy Monroe Stahr (Matt Bomer), as he battles father figure and boss Pat Brady (Kelsey Grammar) for the soul of their studio. In a world darkened by the Great Depression and the growing international influence of Hitler’s Germany, The Last Tycoon shines a light on the passions, violence, and towering ambition of 1930’s Hollywood.

Written and directed by Academy Award nominee Billy Ray (Captain Phillips), and executive produced by Ray and Christopher Keyser (Tyrant), who serve as showrunners, the show offers Matt Bomer in a suit, along with a swathe of swish period costumes.

While Lily Collins already stars as the show’s female lead, Cecelia (daughter of Pat) Brady and Rosemarie DeWitt co-stars, the project is now starting to fill out its ensemble with the casting of Jennifer Beals. She will play Margo Taft, who Deadline describes as “a regal, dignified and scheming Hollywood royalty star who came up through the school of hard knocks and gets her way on every picture, playing mind games to establish her absolute supremacy on the set”.

She’s previously appeared in The L Word, Lie to Me, The Night Shift and the TV series Taken, based on the Liam Neeson film franchise.

 

Amazon orders full series for The Last Tycoon

31st July 2016

Amazon has reportedly commissioned a full series of The Last Tycoon, following its pilot this summer.

Amazon is seriously stepping up its original production game, with more and more of its pilots picked up with every season of TV pilots it releases to the public to get their feedback.

An adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s last (unfinished) work, The Last Tycoon follows Hollywood golden boy Monroe Stahr (Matt Bomer), as he battles father figure and boss Pat Brady (Kelsey Grammar) for the soul of their studio. In a world darkened by the Great Depression and the growing international influence of Hitler’s Germany, The Last Tycoon shines a light on the passions, violence, and towering ambition of 1930’s Hollywood. Lily Collins (The Blind Side) also stars as Cecelia Brady.

A co-production with TriStar Television, The Last Tycoon is written and directed by Academy Award nominee Billy Ray (Captain Phillips), and executive produced by Ray and Christopher Keyser (Tyrant), who serve as showrunners, Joshua D. Maurer (Rosemary’s Baby), Alixandre Witlin (Rosemary’s Baby), and David A. Stern (Rosemary’s Baby).

“Matt Bomer in a suit. That’s enough reason for some people to tune into anything – and they won’t be disappointed by the pilot for The Last Tycoon,” we wrote in our review of the pilot.

“While Billy Ray’s script is desperately on-the-nose in its attempts to be Mad Men, the political premise promises more weight to the behind-the-scenes goings-on than the self-indulgent LA shenanigans might suggest – and a final reveal of Monroe’s darker side teases more substance than we initially glimpse on the surface.

“But oh, what surface. The period production values pop with colour and style, from the glamorous costumes to the art deco offices.”

According to Deadline, Amazon has ordered a full series from the pilot, but “Amazon’s other drama pilot from the batch, The Interestings, is not going forward”.

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