Based on the footage released, so far, James L. Brooks’ “Ella McCay” looks tonally messy, but I can’t help wanting to see it. There’s a pull of nostalgia I can’t ignore—I’ve been a lifelong admirer of Brooks’. A part of me still longs to revisit the emotional space of his best films.
Yes, Brooks’ recent output hasn’t exactly lit the world on fire (“How Do You Know”), there’s still a genuine sense of curiosity around his return to the director’s chair.
And rightly so. This is the man behind “Terms of Endearment,” “Broadcast News,” and “As Good As It Gets,” three great films. After a 15-year absence, Brooks is back with “Ella McCay,” which has just released a new trailer. It looks very milquetoast. It feels like this film is DOA, even before having been screened anywhere. I hope I’m wrong, because I really do want a Brooks comeback.
So why did 20th Century give the go-ahead to James L. Brooks’ “Ella McCay”? Brooks hasn’t been a box-office draw in years — his last film, 2010’s “How Do You Know,” was a flop — and while Emma Mackey leads this new project, she isn’t exactly a household name. Turns out, industry chatter suggests 20th Century may have had another motive: in exchange for moving forward on “Ella McCay,” the studio wanted Brooks to commit to developing a sequel to 2007’s “The Simpsons Movie.” In other words, a classic case of “we’ll scratch your back if you scratch ours.”
Mackey stars as the titular Ella, a young, idealistic politician juggling personal responsibilities with a rapidly accelerating career as she prepares to succeed her mentor, an aging, long-serving governor. The cast is filled with talent: Emma Mackey, Rebecca Hall, Jamie Lee Curtis, Woody Harrelson, Ayo Edebiri, Albert Brooks, Kumail Nanjiani, Jack Lowden, and Spike Fearn. However, let’s keep our expectations in check. Brooks hasn’t really made a worthy film in almost thirty years.
Behind the camera is Robert Elswit, the Oscar-winning cinematographer known for his gorgeous black-and-white work on Netflix’s “Ripley.” Elswit was once Paul Thomas Anderson’s go-to DP (“There Will Be Blood,” “Punch-Drunk Love”), until a well-documented falling out during the making of “Inherent Vice” ended their longtime collaboration.
It’s also being reported that Hans Zimmer will be scoring the film. Zimmer has worked with Brooks on films including “As Good As It Gets,” “I’ll Do Anything,” “Spanglish,” and “How Do You Know?,” and also composed the scores for the Brooks-produced “The Simpsons Movie” and “Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret.”
Brooks, now 85, has directed only six films in his forty-year career, but when he’s on, he’s one of the best in the genre. Whether “Ella McCay” finds itself on the same level as his classics remains to be seen, but regardless, this one has my attention.
The film has set its sights on a December 12 theatrical release.
Netflix and Skydance Animation have also called it quits. The two sides announced Monday that they're ending the animated film deal struck back in 2023, framing it as a mutual decision.