Money Monster

Plot

Financial TV personality Lee Gates, who offers up stock advice on his hit show "Money Monster," is held hostage by a viewer, Kyle Budwell, who lost all of his money after following a bad tip from Lee during his show.

Cast

Production

The project Money Monster was first announced by Deadline on February 7, 2012, when Daniel Dubiecki launched his own film production company The Allegiance Theater. It would be the companys first produced film. IM Global would finance while Dubiecki would produce along with Stuart Ford. The film is about a TV personality, Lee Gates, who is held hostage by a viewer, Kyle, who lost all of his money on a bad tip from Lee during his show. Alan Di Fiore and Jim Kouf wrote the script of the film. On October 11, 2012, Jodie Foster was set to direct the Money Monster. Lara Alameddine would also produce the film, announced in May 2014. On July 25, 2014, TriStar Pictures won the rights to finance and release the $30 million budgeted film, whose latest draft was written by Jamie Linden. Clooney and Grant Heslov were also set to produce for their Smoke House Pictures.

Casting

On May 8, 2014, it was announced that George Clooney was director Fosters choice to star in the film as a TV personality, Lee Gates, but the deal to star was not confirmed yet. Clooneys involvement was confirmed in July 2014. Jack OConnell and Julia Roberts were added to the cast November 14, 2014 to star along with Clooney in the film, where OConnell would play Kyle Budwell, a blue-collar worker who feels he has no choice but to take Lee hostage on the air in order to increase a stocks value after losing all of his money on a bad tip from Lee, and Roberts would play Nancy Fenn, the director and executive producer of the program "Money Monster" and also as Clooneys love interest. Caitriona Balfe joined the cast of the film on January 29, 2015 to play the head of PR for the company whose stock bottomed. Dominic West signed-on on February 25, 2015 to star in the film as the CEO of the company. Christopher Denham also joined the cast on March 4, 2015 to play a producer of the show.

Filming

In October 2012, filming was scheduled to begin early 2013. In July 2014, it was announced that the production would begin on the film right after Clooney complete the Coen brothers Hail, Caesar!. Principal photography on the film began in New York City on February 27, 2015. Clooney was spotted on March 1 arriving at the Kaufman Astoria Studios in Astoria, NYC to film the scenes of Money Monster. On April 8, filming began on Wall Street in Financial District, Manhattan, where it would last for 15 days. A scene would also be shot in front of Federal Hall.