or


[05/07/15 - 01:22 PM]
Robert Rodriguez Sits Down with Visionary Filmmaker Robert Zemeckis in the Next Installment of "El Rey Network Presents: The Director's Chair"
Said edition airs Sunday, May 31 at 8:00/7:00c on the cable channel.

[via press release from El Rey Network]

"The scene when Tom is talking to Jenny's grave. It was one of those days where we were in Vietnam in the morning and my AD came up to me and said 'Hey you know what, the company's parked here, the oak tree's right there. Let's shoot this after lunch. Hey Tom, how bout we do Jenny's grave after lunch?' and 4 takes. The second take is the one that's in the movie. I remember he started doing the scene and I started getting really emotional...and I said cut and I looked behind me and the entire crew was dissolved in these tears." - On the moment Zemeckis realized Forrest Gump was something special

ROBERT RODRIGUEZ SITS DOWN WITH VISIONARY FILMMAKER ROBERT ZEMECKIS, DIRECTOR OF BACK TO THE FUTURE, WHO FRAMED ROGER RABBIT AND FORREST GUMP, IN THE NEXT INSTALLMENT OF "EL REY NETWORK PRESENTS: THE DIRECTOR'S CHAIR"

TUNE IN: SUNDAY, MAY 31st AT 8PM/ET

"I think an artist should be a gambler, a risk taker, and incredibly vulnerable" - Robert Zemeckis to Robert Rodriguez

May 7, 2015 (Austin, TX) -- El Rey Network Founder and Chairman Robert Rodriguez sits down for an unforgettable evening of conversation with the visionary and relentlessly inventive filmmaker Robert Zemeckis in the next installment of "El Rey Network Presents: The Director's Chair," premiering on Sunday, May 31st at 8pm/et.

In this entertaining and insightful hour-long interview special, Rodriguez travels back in time with the Academy Award(R)-winning director, producer and screenwriter to chart a fascinating career that began with an award-winning USC student film that caught the attention of Steven Spielberg, continued with the well-reviewed but under-seen films I Wanna Hold Your Hand (1978) and Used Cars (1980), and then took off into the stratosphere with some of the biggest blockbuster hits of all time, including Back to the Future (1985), Who Framed Roger Rabbit (1988) and Best Picture Oscar(R) winner Forrest Gump (1994).

Throughout his career, the tech-savvy auteur has also been a pioneer in special effects-driven filmmaking, pushing the medium forward with each film by utilizing the latest in groundbreaking special effects technologies, including early, breakthrough CGI in hits like Death Becomes Her (1992) and Contact (1997), and performance motion capture animation in The Polar Express (2004), Beowulf (2007) and A Christmas Carol (2009). Rodriguez and Zemeckis discuss all this and more in this can't miss interview.

Sound bites from the interview below:

"Films have always been the marriage between art and science. It is a technical art form; all the technology that we use to make a modern movie to me it's all equal. I don't give any more weight to a visual effect or a close up, which is a visual effect; it's to serve the story. " - Zemeckis

"Being a director and having Steven Spielberg as your producer is a dream...because you don't have any insane conversations. Because he knows what a director does, so everything is on a level of mutual understanding."- Zemeckis on working with Steven Spielberg

"An artist should be an anarchist, maybe a benevolent anarchist" - Zemeckis

"The scene when Tom is talking to Jenny's grave. It was one of those days where we were in Vietnam in the morning and my AD came up to me and said 'Hey you know what, the company's parked here, the oak tree's right there. Let's shoot this after lunch. Hey Tom, how bout we do Jenny's grave after lunch?' and 4 takes. The second take is the one that's in the movie. I remember he started doing the scene and I started getting really emotional...and I said cut and I looked behind me and the entire crew was dissolved in these tears." - On the moment Zemeckis realized Forrest Gump was something special

"That was the movie I wanted to make next before 'Romancing the Stone,' but no one would even give it the time of day...except one guy - Steven (Spielberg). Who read it and went, 'this is great'." - Zemeckis on Back to the Future

"What about we shoot the first half then we shut down for a year and you lose 60 lbs..{tom] said 'Can we do that?' and I said 'well let's find out'." - Zemeckis on filming Cast Away

"Everybody on that movie, every department, ever member of that cast...everyone was inspired. It was one of those movies where I would go...yeah, that costume is perfect, that prop is exactly what it should be. For some reason, we had that magical thing happen where everybody was there." - Zemeckis on Forrest Gump

"Spectacle is why you go to the movies" - Zemeckis on the film industry

"El Rey Network Presents: The Director's Chair" is a series of hour-long specials featuring the industry's most cutting edge directors as they engage in a revealing and unexpected exchange about the world of filmmaking. The series provides access to one-on-one interviews between Rodriguez and some of cinema's most iconic filmmakers. Past guests have included John Carpenter, Francis Ford Coppola, Guillermo del Toro, and Quentin Tarantino.

"El Rey Network Presents: The Director's Chair" is produced by Troublemaker Studios and Skip Film in association with FactoryMade Ventures. Executive producers are Robert Rodriguez, Skip Chaisson, John Fogelman and Cristina Patwa.

To find El Rey Network in your area please check out the channel finder at bit.ly/WatchERN

El Rey Network social media: Facebook: facebook.com/ElReyNetwork Twitter: twitter.com/ElReyNetwork Instagram: instagram.com/ElReyNetwork YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/ElReyNetwork Google+: https://plus.google.com/+ElReyNetwork

About El Rey Network

El Rey Network is a new 24-hour English language network founded by maverick filmmaker Robert Rodriguez. Curated by Rodriguez and his artistic collective, the network unites the most culturally diverse generation in history through fearless, badass and original content that awakens the renegade in everyone. The network's action-packed content is anchored by original signature dramas, feature films, grindhouse genre, cult classic action, and horror/sci-fi. El Rey Network LLC (www.elreynetwork.com) is jointly owned by Robert Rodriguez and FactoryMade Ventures with a minority stake held by Univision Networks & Studios, Inc.





  [may 2015]  
S
M
T
W
T
F
S
     


· DIRECTOR'S CHAIR, THE (EL REY)





[05/21/26 - 12:00 PM]
What's New on HBO Max This June
Highlights include the return of "House of the Dragon" and the debut of "Life, Larry and the Pursuit of Unhappiness."

[05/21/26 - 11:00 AM]
A24's "How to Make a Killing" Begins Streaming Exclusively on HBO Max June 19
Disowned at birth by his obscenely wealthy family, blue-collar Becket Redfellow (Glen Powell) will stop at nothing to reclaim his inheritance, no matter how many relatives stand in his way.

[05/21/26 - 10:00 AM]
Video: Trailer & Key Art Debut - Hulu Original "Hannah Berner: None of My Business"
Hannah Berner delivers her most vulnerable material yet - questioning her future, exposing her unorthodox career path, dishing dating secrets and admitting she's "part-time hot" in this sensational sophomore special.

[05/21/26 - 10:00 AM]
HBO Original Documentary "Earth, Wind & Fire (To Be Celestial vs. That's the Weight of the World)" Debuts June 7
Acclaimed producer, director, and musician Ahmir "Questlove" Thompson tells the story of the legendary nine-time Grammy Award-winning band.

[05/21/26 - 10:00 AM]
The Tony Awards to Feature Showstopping Performances by All of the Best Musical and Best Revival of a Musical Nominees
Additional performances will be announced in the coming weeks.

[05/21/26 - 09:02 AM]
HBO Max Announces the Debut of HBO Original "House of the Dragon" with American Sign Language (ASL) to Mark Global Accessibility Awareness Day
Season one with ASL will debut on May 29, followed by season two on June 15.

[05/21/26 - 09:00 AM]
Video: Acorn TV Releases Trailer and Key Art for All-New Season of Fan-Favorite Mystery Thriller "Harry Wild" Premiering Monday, June 22 on Acorn TV
Season five marks a highly anticipated on-screen reunion between Jane Seymour, who stars and executive produces, and Joe Lando, her longtime co-star from the beloved Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning series "Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman."

[05/21/26 - 08:16 AM]
"Emily in Paris" Begins Production in Greece for the 6th and Final Season
Since its debut in 2020, Seasons 1-5 have spent 32 weeks on the Netflix Global Top 10 list, reached #1 in 90 countries, and accumulated over 250 million views.

[05/21/26 - 08:02 AM]
ID Explores the Dark Reality Behind Viral "Pearadise" Community in New Docuseries - "Big Girls Wanted: Escaping Pearadise" Premieres Wednesday, June 10 from 8-11PM ET/PT
In 2020, a social media-driven community known as "Pearadise" began gaining attention online, positioning itself as a space dedicated to sisterhood and body positivity for plus-size women.

[05/21/26 - 08:01 AM]
Video: "Untold UK: Vinnie Jones" - Official Trailer - Netflix
This is the story of Vinnie Jones' rise, fall and comeback against odds - and red cards - from one of football's most notorious hard men to FA cup winner.

[05/21/26 - 07:30 AM]
"Jackass" Returns to Paramount+
Seasons 1-3 return to Paramount+ today in restored original versions - bringing fans closer than ever to the episodes as they first aired, or were originally intended to air, by Johnny Knoxville and the original creative team.

[05/21/26 - 07:01 AM]
NBC Sports' 2026 SuperMotocross Coverage Delivers Viewership Gains and Milestones
The seven races featured on NBC and Peacock averaged a Total Audience Delivery (TAD) of 468,000 viewers on NBC and Peacock, up 8% vs. 2025.

[05/21/26 - 07:00 AM]
Presenters Announced for "The 52nd American Music Awards," Monday, May 25 on CBS
Alysa Liu, Anthony Ramos, EJAE, Gabriel "Fluffy" Iglesias, Hannah Berner, Hilary Duff, Jason Derulo, John Legend, Lisa Rinna, Ludacris, Mariah the Scientist, Matt Rife, Megan Stalter and Paul W. Downs, Melanie Martinez, Nikki Glaser, Paula Abdul, REI AMI, Russell Dickerson and more will present.

[05/21/26 - 06:30 AM]
Don't Answer the Phone. "Scream 7" Slashes Its Way to Paramount+ on May 28
When a new Ghostface killer emerges in the quiet town where Sidney Prescott (Neve Campbell) has built a new life, her darkest fears are realized as her daughter (Isabel May) becomes the next target.

[05/21/26 - 06:01 AM]
Video: "Avatar: The Last Airbender" Season 2 - Official Trailer - Netflix
To end the war, Aang must master earthbending - but in the Earth Kingdom, politics, secrets and hidden alliances are a battlefield of their own.