Is Bryan Cranston Playing The Tim Robbins Character From 'The Player' in 'The Studio'?

If you're a massive film and TV nerd like me, then you rushed to watch the first few episodes of The Studio on Apple. Man, they were so funny, so prescient, and so much fun. They reminded me of one of my favorite movies of all time, Robert Altman's The Player. In Altman's movie, we follow Griffin Mill, a studio executive who, convinced that an aspiring screenwriter is sending him death threats, takes matters into his own hands by murdering him. The character is played by Tim Robbins to perfection and has a pretty happy ending. So you can imagine my surprise when I turned on The Studio and met a character named Griffin Mill, who is now the CEO of the company that owns the studio, with Seth Rogen playing the newly promoted exec who now runs the studio. Shoutout to my buddy Joe, in my group thread, who was the first to put two and two together. Now, Rogen has gone on record saying Cranston's character is an amalgamation of people he's met over the years, but the names being the same in a show that's all about Hollywood is a really fun and endearing Easter Egg that sort of matches the inside baseball nature of the show and makes me love it even more. There is a twisted universe where they are the same guy who has risen that high in the ranks, and it's one I want to live in and one I want to believe exists. Even if it's just an homage, it's a great one and speaks to the intricacies that go into making a show like this. I love how much fun everyone is having in the show, and I cannot wait for more episodes. Let me know what you think in the comments.

Mar 27, 2025 - 02:08

Is Bryan Cranston Playing The Tim Robbins Character From 'The Player' in 'The Studio'?

If you're a massive film and TV nerd like me, then you rushed to watch the first few episodes of The Studio on Apple. Man, they were so funny, so prescient, and so much fun. They reminded me of one of my favorite movies of all time, Robert Altman's The Player.

In Altman's movie, we follow Griffin Mill, a studio executive who, convinced that an aspiring screenwriter is sending him death threats, takes matters into his own hands by murdering him. The character is played by Tim Robbins to perfection and has a pretty happy ending.

So you can imagine my surprise when I turned on The Studio and met a character named Griffin Mill, who is now the CEO of the company that owns the studio, with Seth Rogen playing the newly promoted exec who now runs the studio.

Shoutout to my buddy Joe, in my group thread, who was the first to put two and two together.

Now, Rogen has gone on record saying Cranston's character is an amalgamation of people he's met over the years, but the names being the same in a show that's all about Hollywood is a really fun and endearing Easter Egg that sort of matches the inside baseball nature of the show and makes me love it even more.

There is a twisted universe where they are the same guy who has risen that high in the ranks, and it's one I want to live in and one I want to believe exists.

Even if it's just an homage, it's a great one and speaks to the intricacies that go into making a show like this.

I love how much fun everyone is having in the show, and I cannot wait for more episodes.

Let me know what you think in the comments.