The Sony exec turned Rough Night producer on Hollywood’s dilemma: ‘Audiences want what feels familiar, but they don’t want it to be familiar’
As a Beloit College under-grad, Matt Tolmach received an alarmed call from his grandfather, legendary Hollywood producer and agent Sam Jaffe, who once represented the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall and also produced Born Free. “He said, ‘Matthew, what’s this crap I hear about you being a writer? Come on out to the coast, and I’ll get you a job at the Morris office,’ ” recalls Tolmach, 52. And so Tolmach did, embarking on a Hollywood career in 1986 from the William Morris mailroom. He eventually rose to be co-president of Sony’s Columbia Pictures and during his 13 years at the studio helped solidify its standing as a go-to destination for bawdy comedies, shepherding Superbad, Pineapple Express and Talladega Nights. Though it has been seven years since he left the top post, he never strayed from Culver City, setting up a Sony-based production company and tackling the last two SpiderMan movies. But 2017 marks his busiest year yet, with two movies for the hit-starved studio: the Scarlett Johansson starrer Rough Night, opening June 16, and the Dwayne Johnson-Kevin Hart pairing Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle on Dec. 20. In addition, he’s an executive producer on the Hulu series Future Man (with longtime collaborators Seth Rogen and Evan Goldberg), and his Spider-Man spinoff Venom just landed Tom Hardy as the lead and Ruben Fleischer to direct. The married father of a 10-year-old son sat down with THR at his offices on the Sony lot to discuss his banner year.
Rough Night is a hard R. Was there any pushback from the studio?
This story is from the May 31, 2017 edition of The Hollywood Reporter.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the May 31, 2017 edition of The Hollywood Reporter.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
Michael Ovitz, Me And The Truce That Never Was
As a new book puts the focus back on CAA’s origins, Kim Masters recalls how the agent’s fit at The Palm and her follow-up kicked off one of Hollywood’s prickliest pas de deux.
Songs Of Innocence And Experience
How 5 writers found the music to convey their films’ tragedy, injustice, patriotism and loveA Wonderful Example of ‘What the World Loves About America’
Execs Can Boycott The Press Tour — But Not The Pressing Questions
With top programmers passing on January’s TV Critics Association panels, THR poses (and answers) the five toughest quandaries of the unfolding season
Making Of Kubo And The Two Strings
Old-fashioned stop-motion meets new-fashioned 3D printing in this directorial debut by the head of Portland, Ore.-based Laika studios — and THR was on the set.
A World Of Pioneering Talents
Along with best picture contender Elle these 13 films may have the momentum to make the Oscar shortlist (still to be announced as this issue went to press)
Iain Canning & Emile Sherman
The Brit-Aussie team behind Lion talk winning an Oscar for The King’s Speech, working with Harvey Weinstein and the upcoming biblical epic Mary Magdalene
Producer Of The Year Charles Roven
He reveals what really happened between George Clooney and David O. Russell, witnessed Richard Pryor behave (very) badly in church and fired an actor for repeatedly shouting ‘cut’ on a set. All in a day’s work for a Hollywood slugger with $2B in 2016 box office.
No Happy Endings Required
The death of satire, when to kill a scene and how to write a Trump movie (‘Let’s hope it’s not a tragedy’).
Don't Stop, Won't Stop Believing
Hulu’s The Path centers on a fringe religious movement, Meyerism, with Emmy winner Aaron Paul as a disruptive doubter — but during a visit from THR, cast, crew and showrunners all seem in perfect harmony.
Ryan Murphy: American Success Story
The prolific producer opens up about the future of American Horror Story, his plans for more Broadway and the real reason an American Crime Story season centered on Hurricane Katrina won’t be quite as depressing as it sounds.
