Politics and TV writing is discussed by Commander In Chief and Monsters Of God showrunner Rod Lurie in an interview all about the dealing with critics and the network. He discusses working and playing with James Gandolfini, getting axed from Commander In Chief, his latest project, and the freedom afforded to writers of print and screen. Lurie is quite the raconteur, watch out…

Rod Lurie wrote and directed the widely-praised Academy Award and Golden Globe

Award nominated political thriller “The Contender,” starring Joan Allen, Jeff Bridges,

Gary Oldman and Christian Slater. Lurie’s other most recent projects include “Straw Dogs,” a remake of the 1971 classic, starring James Marsden, Kate Bosworth, and Alexander Skarsgard, “Nothing But the Truth.” He created the ABC drama“Commander in Chief,” a show centered on the first female President of the United States, which starred Geena Davis and Donald Sutherland, and directed the military prison thriller “The Last Castle,“ which starred Robert Redford, James Gandolfini, and Mark Ruffalo. He also executive-produced “Line of Fire,” a one-hour FBI drama for ABC.

After moving to Los Angeles, Lurie worked as a film critic, investigative reporter and

contributing editor to Los Angeles Magazine from 1990-1995. As an investigative

reporter in the entertainment industry, Lurie’s discovery of unethical and illegal practices

of tabloid newspapers gained him national exposure on programs such as “60 Minutes,”

“Entertainment Tonight,” “The Larry King Show,” “Nightline,” “Geraldo” and “The Jane

Whitney Show.”

He spent the next four years as the film critic for 790 AM KABC Radio in Los Angeles,

where his top-rated movie review show entertained Southern California moviegoers

every Saturday from 1995 to 1999. His on-air guests included: Tom Hanks, James

Woods, Billy Bob Thornton, Dustin Hoffman, John Travolta, Francis Ford Coppola,

Martin Landau, James Cameron and Mel Gibson. In addition, Lurie authored the book

Once Upon A Time in Hollywood in 1995.