Legendary director Rob Reiner and his wife, Michele Singer Reiner, were found dead in their Hollywood home last night, with it being reported that their son is being questioned by police.
Whilst Nick Reiner, 32, has not yet been arrested or charged in connection with his parents' sudden deaths - which is believed to be an 'apparent homicide' - this horrific news has sent shockwaves throughout the film world.
Reiner was responsible for directing iconic films such as When Harry Met Sally, A Few Good Men, The Princess Bride, and found fame with a whole new generation later in his career as an actor in projects such as New Girl, The Bear, and The Wolf of Wall Street.
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One film he worked on, however, has come to the forefront following his death - a movie Rob directed and was written by his son Nick about their family’s troubles.
Called Being Charlie, the movie is an autobiographical story about Nick’s struggles with drug addiction and homelessness.
Nick co-wrote the script with a friend from rehab, Matt Elisofon, and the Reiner family reportedly approved of the film.
The film follows a fictionalised Nick, Rob, and Michele, with Rob in the film being a celebrity actor who is now running for governor.
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At the end of the movie, Rob’s stand-in character apologises to Nick’s, something which the real-life director stated had happened and was owed.
Speaking to the LA Times at TIFF, where the film premiered, he said: “When Nick would tell us that it wasn’t working for him, we wouldn’t listen. We were desperate and because the people had diplomas on their wall, we listened to them when we should have been listening to our son.”
In the same interview, Michele said: “We were so influenced by these people. They would tell us he’s a liar, that he was trying to manipulate us. And we believed them.”
Nick himself said: “I got sick of it. I got sick of doing that. … I come from a nice family. I’m not supposed to be out there on the streets and in homeless shelters doing all these … things.”
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The movie has gone viral on X following the deaths of Rob and Michele.
One tweet posted the trailer along with the news that Nick was being questioned by police, saying: “This is the trailer for Rob Reiner’s Being Charlie. A deeply personal film co-written by his son Nick, drawn from Nick’s years battling addiction. Reiner later said, 'What I didn’t understand was the depth of what my son was going through'. A father trying to truly see his child.”
Rob and Michele’s deaths were confirmed by a spokesperson for the family, saying: “It is with profound sorrow that we announce the tragic passing of Michele and Rob Reiner.
"We are heartbroken by this sudden loss, and we ask for privacy during this unbelievably difficult time.”
Topics: Crime, TV and Film, Film, Celebrity, US News
Michael Slavin