A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER * USA TODAY BESTSELLER “ This funny, insightful, and deliciously dishy memoir” ( Town & Country ) from the director of Blood Diamond , The Last Samurai , Legends of the Fall , and Glory , creator of thirtysomething , and executive producer of My So-Called Life, “ takes its place alongside Adventures in the Screen Trade and Easy Riders, Raging Bulls as one of the indispensable behind-the-scenes books for fans of movies and television” (Aaron Sorkin). “I’ll be dropping a few names,” Ed Zwick confesses in the introduction to his book. “Over the years I have worked with self-proclaimed masters-of-the-universe, unheralded geniuses, hacks, sociopaths, savants, and saints.” He has encountered these Hollywood types during four decades of directing, producing, and writing projects that have collectively received eighteen Academy Award nominations (seven wins) and sixty-seven Emmy nominations (twenty-two wins). Though there are many factors behind such success, including luck and the contributions of his creative partner Marshall Herskovitz, he’s known to have a special talent for bringing out the best in the people he’s worked with, notably the actors. In those intense collaborations, he seeks to discover the small pieces of connective tissue, vulnerability, and fellowship that can help an actor realize their character in full. Talents whom he spotted early include Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Denzel Washington, Claire Danes, and Jared Leto. Established stars he worked closely with include Leonardo DiCaprio, Anthony Hopkins, Tom Cruise, Julia Roberts, Anne Hathaway, Daniel Craig, Jake Gyllenhaal, Bruce Willis, Demi Moore, and Jennifer Connelly. He also sued Harvey Weinstein over the production of Shakespeare in Love —and won. He shares personal stories about all these people, and more. Written mostly with love, sometimes with rue, this memoir “is not just a wonderfully intimate memoir. It's also an indispensable guide to the shark-infested waters of artistic integrity” (Cameron Crowe). Destined to become a new Hollywood classic, Hits, Flops, and Other Illusions is “a must-read for any film fan, and a sacred text for any aspiring filmmakers out there” ( Forbes ). “Ed Zwick is responsible for some of the best entertainment of the last forty years. Hits, Flops and Other Illusions takes its place alongside Adventures in the Screen Trade and Easy Riders, Raging Bulls as one of the indispensable behind-the-scenes books for fans of movies and television.” — Aaron Sorkin “Ed Zwick is a great storyteller, and Hits, Flops and Other Illusions is a terrific trifecta. It’s a true memoir, filled with people we all want to know more about. It’s personal and funny, charting a career of clear and definitive twists and turns. AND, as a bonus, it's full of do's and don'ts for filmmakers. I inhaled it. It made me think, like a book about a creative life should. It’s the best kind of book. EVEN THOUGH THE MOTHERFUCKER NEVER HIRED ME!” — Jamie Lee Curtis “With characteristic warmth and wit, Ed Zwick has delivered an instant classic. Hits is not just a wonderfully intimate memoir. It's also an indispensable guide to the shark-infested waters of artistic integrity. Zwick is a masterful storyteller, well known for creating characters brimming with humanity. It’s no surprise to learn that his best character just might be himself." — Cameron Crowe “In this delightfully candid and moving memoir, Ed Zwick allows us to follow him on his remarkable journey as a filmmaker. He guides us onto the movie sets, behind the cameras, and into the rooms with studio execs and stars. In the process, we are given a front-row seat to witness a world of Hollywood most of us never see." — David Grann , #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Wager and Killers of the Flower Moon “The legendary Ed Zwick's rollicking, rib-wrecking recollection of cinematic silliness and salvation is an ‘in-one-sitting’ thrill ride. Get it!" — Patton Oswalt “If you’re interested at all in movies, directing, navigating Hollywood, it is sweet . . . Great book . . . This is up there for me with the Sidney Lumet book [Making Movies ].” — Rob Lowe on Literally! With Rob Lowe “Irresistible . . . A fantastically entertaining memoir that shows the movie business in high definition. It is part how-to guide, peppered with frank lists that crunch hard-won advice into easily digestible bites, and will be useful for young film-makers – but the layperson will inhale it for the gossip and what it reveals about the frankly bewildering systems of power that prop up the entertainment business.” — The Guardian “A combination instruction manual, reminiscence and festival of name-dropping, Zwick’s memoir captures the interminable delays between inception and production (on those occasions when production even happens); the egos stroked and dreams da