A short film fund aimed at championing female and non-binary filmmakers led by “Doctor Who” star Jodie Whittaker has unveiled its first project winner at the Cannes Film Festival.
At Cannes 2023, women’s and non-binary visibility platform Primetime and Bournemouth Film School’s Funding Futures unveiled an initiative to spotlight women and non-binary filmmakers. After some 100 global submissions, a longlist emerged, chosen by a jury of industry heavyweights, including BAFTA nominees Ella Glendining and Ameenah Ayub Allen, Curtis Brown agent Cynthia Okoye, Funding Futures executive producer William Shutt, actor and Primetime founder Victoria Emslie, and “Doctor Who” actors Mandip Gill and Whittaker.
The winning project is “Truckload,” a comedy-drama inspired by real events. Writer-musician Evie Jones, who endured a life-altering accident, channels her experience into the story of Lizzie, a woman navigating life post-accident. Jones said: “Since becoming disabled it became quickly and startlingly clear that I no longer saw my experiences depicted on screen,...
At Cannes 2023, women’s and non-binary visibility platform Primetime and Bournemouth Film School’s Funding Futures unveiled an initiative to spotlight women and non-binary filmmakers. After some 100 global submissions, a longlist emerged, chosen by a jury of industry heavyweights, including BAFTA nominees Ella Glendining and Ameenah Ayub Allen, Curtis Brown agent Cynthia Okoye, Funding Futures executive producer William Shutt, actor and Primetime founder Victoria Emslie, and “Doctor Who” actors Mandip Gill and Whittaker.
The winning project is “Truckload,” a comedy-drama inspired by real events. Writer-musician Evie Jones, who endured a life-altering accident, channels her experience into the story of Lizzie, a woman navigating life post-accident. Jones said: “Since becoming disabled it became quickly and startlingly clear that I no longer saw my experiences depicted on screen,...
- 5/17/2024
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Radhika Apte (Sister Midnight), Naveen Andrews (The Dropout) and Ken Leung (Avatar: The Last Airbender) have signed on to star opposite the previously announced Sky Yang in Last Days, the next film from the Fast & Furious franchise’s Justin Lin.
Based on the Outside Magazine article The Last Days of John Allen Chau by journalist Alex Perry, this is the story of John Allen Chau, who believes he has been chosen to save the souls of the uncontacted tribe of North Sentinel Island. Designated as a protected site by the Indian government, John sets on a harrowing journey to proselytize the Sentinelese in his desperate search for identity, purpose, and belonging.
Written by Ben Ripley (Source Code), and marking Lin’s return to his indie roots, the film has just kicked off production in Thailand. In addition to directing, Lin is producing through his Perfect Storm Entertainment, overseen...
Based on the Outside Magazine article The Last Days of John Allen Chau by journalist Alex Perry, this is the story of John Allen Chau, who believes he has been chosen to save the souls of the uncontacted tribe of North Sentinel Island. Designated as a protected site by the Indian government, John sets on a harrowing journey to proselytize the Sentinelese in his desperate search for identity, purpose, and belonging.
Written by Ben Ripley (Source Code), and marking Lin’s return to his indie roots, the film has just kicked off production in Thailand. In addition to directing, Lin is producing through his Perfect Storm Entertainment, overseen...
- 5/15/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Jodie Whittaker Short Film Fund Raises Value To $50,000
Exclusive: The Empower Fund, an initiative that champions female and non-binary filmmakers, has seen its value rise to £40,000 after post-production house Picture Shop came onboard to support the Empower Fund with in-kind post services up to a value of £15k. Film equipment company Hawk London had already provided access to a camera kit shooting package worth £15,000 on top of a minimum £10,000 for the winning team, who will see former Doctor Who lead Jodie Whittaker attached to their project. Founded by actress Victoria Emslie’s Primetime, a global platform for women and non-binary people working behind the camera, in partnership with Funding Futures, the fun launched at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 and has received almost 100 submissions from around the world. A jury of consisting of Whittaker, another former Doctor Who star, Mandip Gill; Emslie; director Ella Glendining; producer Ameenah Ayub Allen; Curtis Brown...
Exclusive: The Empower Fund, an initiative that champions female and non-binary filmmakers, has seen its value rise to £40,000 after post-production house Picture Shop came onboard to support the Empower Fund with in-kind post services up to a value of £15k. Film equipment company Hawk London had already provided access to a camera kit shooting package worth £15,000 on top of a minimum £10,000 for the winning team, who will see former Doctor Who lead Jodie Whittaker attached to their project. Founded by actress Victoria Emslie’s Primetime, a global platform for women and non-binary people working behind the camera, in partnership with Funding Futures, the fun launched at the Cannes Film Festival in 2023 and has received almost 100 submissions from around the world. A jury of consisting of Whittaker, another former Doctor Who star, Mandip Gill; Emslie; director Ella Glendining; producer Ameenah Ayub Allen; Curtis Brown...
- 5/15/2024
- by Max Goldbart and Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The starry packages keep on coming at the Cannes market.
The latest is comedy The Temptation Of Gracie, starring Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Andie MacDowell (Maid), Rupert Everett (My Policeman), Franco Nero (John Wick Chapter 2), Viola Prettejohn (The Crown), and Isabella Rossellini (La Chimera). More cast are set to join the ensemble.
Imrie will play Gracie Burton, an ordinary widow who lives quietly in Devon, but who splashes out on a week’s cookery course at a beautiful castello in Italy. Unbeknownst to everyone, she is hiding an extraordinary secret. With her estranged workaholic daughter Carina (Fisher) and teenage granddaughter Anastasia (tbc) reluctantly in tow, the three women rediscover each other and the sensual delights of Italy. And Gracie starts to peel back the secret past she has not faced in over 40 years.
WestEnd Films has acquired international rights and is launching...
The latest is comedy The Temptation Of Gracie, starring Celia Imrie (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel), Isla Fisher (Wedding Crashers), Andie MacDowell (Maid), Rupert Everett (My Policeman), Franco Nero (John Wick Chapter 2), Viola Prettejohn (The Crown), and Isabella Rossellini (La Chimera). More cast are set to join the ensemble.
Imrie will play Gracie Burton, an ordinary widow who lives quietly in Devon, but who splashes out on a week’s cookery course at a beautiful castello in Italy. Unbeknownst to everyone, she is hiding an extraordinary secret. With her estranged workaholic daughter Carina (Fisher) and teenage granddaughter Anastasia (tbc) reluctantly in tow, the three women rediscover each other and the sensual delights of Italy. And Gracie starts to peel back the secret past she has not faced in over 40 years.
WestEnd Films has acquired international rights and is launching...
- 5/15/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Kaya Scodelario (The Gentlemen) and Billie Lourd (Booksmart) have signed on to star alongside Josh Gad, Anthony Carrigan and Alex Winter in Winter’s darkly comic modern noir Adulthood.
Details as to their roles are under wraps.
Currently shooting in Ottawa, Canada, Adulthood is about a sister and brother, Megan and Noah, who are barely hanging on in present-day America, like all of us. When they discover a dead body, long buried in their parents’ basement, the siblings are pulled back to the hometown they ran away from and into a rabbit hole of crime and murder.
Novelist Michael M.B. Galvin wrote the script. In addition to Winter, producers on the project include Scott Kroopf (Limitless), Lisa Wolofsky (Tow) and Russell Hollander (Flight Risk), as well as Olive Hill Media’s Michael Cho and Tim Lee, and Fresh Fish Films’ Danny Roberts, H.S. Naji and Jackie Langelier. Connie Tavel is exec producing alongside Mimi Rode for Olive Hill Media and Thorsten Schumacher for Rocket Science. Olive Hill Media and Fresh Fish Films are financing, with Rocket Science arranging finance for international sales.
Currently starring as Susie Glass in Guy Ritchie’s acclaimed Netflix crime drama The Gentlemen, based on his same-name film, Scodelario is otherwise best known for roles in films like Crawl, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, The Maze Runner franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Moon and more. Up next, she’ll be seen in Netflix’s limited series Senna on the Formula 1 champion of the same name.
Most recently seen in numerous seasons of American Horror Story, Lourd’s other notable credits include the rom-com Ticket to Paradise, Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart, three Star Wars films and Fox’s Scream Queens. Among her other upcoming projects is Gia Coppola’s film The Last Showgirl with Pamela Anderson.
Scodelario is repped by CAA, Curtis Brown, Group, Anonymous Content and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole; Lourd by CAA.
Details as to their roles are under wraps.
Currently shooting in Ottawa, Canada, Adulthood is about a sister and brother, Megan and Noah, who are barely hanging on in present-day America, like all of us. When they discover a dead body, long buried in their parents’ basement, the siblings are pulled back to the hometown they ran away from and into a rabbit hole of crime and murder.
Novelist Michael M.B. Galvin wrote the script. In addition to Winter, producers on the project include Scott Kroopf (Limitless), Lisa Wolofsky (Tow) and Russell Hollander (Flight Risk), as well as Olive Hill Media’s Michael Cho and Tim Lee, and Fresh Fish Films’ Danny Roberts, H.S. Naji and Jackie Langelier. Connie Tavel is exec producing alongside Mimi Rode for Olive Hill Media and Thorsten Schumacher for Rocket Science. Olive Hill Media and Fresh Fish Films are financing, with Rocket Science arranging finance for international sales.
Currently starring as Susie Glass in Guy Ritchie’s acclaimed Netflix crime drama The Gentlemen, based on his same-name film, Scodelario is otherwise best known for roles in films like Crawl, Extremely Wicked, Shockingly Evil and Vile, The Maze Runner franchise, Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales, Moon and more. Up next, she’ll be seen in Netflix’s limited series Senna on the Formula 1 champion of the same name.
Most recently seen in numerous seasons of American Horror Story, Lourd’s other notable credits include the rom-com Ticket to Paradise, Olivia Wilde’s Booksmart, three Star Wars films and Fox’s Scream Queens. Among her other upcoming projects is Gia Coppola’s film The Last Showgirl with Pamela Anderson.
Scodelario is repped by CAA, Curtis Brown, Group, Anonymous Content and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole; Lourd by CAA.
- 5/10/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
The UK’s National Film and Television School (Nfts) has selected 20 executives for the 2024 edition of Inside Pictures, the film and television business training and development programme.
Participants include Swedish producer Erik Hemmendorff, who has made all of Ruben Ostlund’s feature films including Palme d’Or winners The Square and Triangle Of Sadness, through the duo’s Plattform Produktion.
Scroll down for the full list of participants
Also selected are Alex Gardener-Smith, head of commercial planning at Lionsgate UK; Charlotte Lopez, VP international sales at Studiocanal; and David Swetman, SVP content and commercial strategy at All3Media International.
Inside Pictures...
Participants include Swedish producer Erik Hemmendorff, who has made all of Ruben Ostlund’s feature films including Palme d’Or winners The Square and Triangle Of Sadness, through the duo’s Plattform Produktion.
Scroll down for the full list of participants
Also selected are Alex Gardener-Smith, head of commercial planning at Lionsgate UK; Charlotte Lopez, VP international sales at Studiocanal; and David Swetman, SVP content and commercial strategy at All3Media International.
Inside Pictures...
- 5/9/2024
- ScreenDaily
Alexander Skarsgård has signed on to co-star alongside Harry Melling (The Pale Blue Eye) in Pillion, a new feature from Poor Things producers Element Pictures being pitched as a “fun and filthy romance with heart.”
Harry Lighton, who directed the BAFTA-nominated short Wren Boys, will direct Pillion from his own script, which is inspired by Adam Mars-Jones’ 2019 novel Box Hill. Cornerstone is handling worldwide sales on the films and will pitch the project to buyers at the Cannes film market next week.
Melling plays Colin, a weedy wallflower who is letting life pass him by until he meets Ray (Skarsgård), an impossibly handsome leader of a motorbike club, who him on as his submissive. Ray uproots Colin from his dreary suburban life and introduces him to a community of kinky, queer bikers, but as Colin dives deeper into Ray’s world, he begins to question whether the life of a 24/7 submissive is really for him.
Harry Lighton, who directed the BAFTA-nominated short Wren Boys, will direct Pillion from his own script, which is inspired by Adam Mars-Jones’ 2019 novel Box Hill. Cornerstone is handling worldwide sales on the films and will pitch the project to buyers at the Cannes film market next week.
Melling plays Colin, a weedy wallflower who is letting life pass him by until he meets Ray (Skarsgård), an impossibly handsome leader of a motorbike club, who him on as his submissive. Ray uproots Colin from his dreary suburban life and introduces him to a community of kinky, queer bikers, but as Colin dives deeper into Ray’s world, he begins to question whether the life of a 24/7 submissive is really for him.
- 5/8/2024
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Alexander Skarsgard and Harry Melling are set to lead the cast of “Pillion,” described as a “fun and filthy romance with heart” and being produced by multi-Oscar-winning powerhouse Element Pictures.
The film — to be launched in Cannes by Cornerstone, which is handling worldwide sales — marks the feature debut of Harry Lighton, whose short “Wren Boys” was nominated for best British short at the 2018 BAFTAs, was nominated for a BIFA and had its U.S. premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
“Pillion” follows Colin (Melling), a weedy wallflower letting life pass him by. That is until Ray (Skarsgård), the impossibly handsome leader of a motorbike club, takes him on as his submissive. Ray uproots Colin from his dreary suburban life, introducing him to a community of kinky, queer bikers and taking all sorts of virginities along the way. But as Colin steps deeper into Ray’s world of rules and mysteries,...
The film — to be launched in Cannes by Cornerstone, which is handling worldwide sales — marks the feature debut of Harry Lighton, whose short “Wren Boys” was nominated for best British short at the 2018 BAFTAs, was nominated for a BIFA and had its U.S. premiere at the Sundance Film Festival.
“Pillion” follows Colin (Melling), a weedy wallflower letting life pass him by. That is until Ray (Skarsgård), the impossibly handsome leader of a motorbike club, takes him on as his submissive. Ray uproots Colin from his dreary suburban life, introducing him to a community of kinky, queer bikers and taking all sorts of virginities along the way. But as Colin steps deeper into Ray’s world of rules and mysteries,...
- 5/8/2024
- by Alex Ritman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: James McAvoy’s directorial debut, which we revealed last fall, has set lead cast and is heading to the Cannes market with Bankside and UTA Independent Film Group.
BAFTA winner McAvoy will take on a supporting role in the movie, which will be led by BAFTA-nominated How To Have Sex breakout Samuel Bottomley and newcomer Séamus McLean Ross, who is currently filming on Outlander: Blood of My Blood.
Currently titled California Schemin’ (working title), the film will chart the true story of two Scottish lads from Dundee who conned the international music industry by adopting American accents and pretending to be established Californian rap duo, Silibil N’ Brains.
In the late 90’s, Gavin Bain (McLean Ross) and Billy Boyd (Bottomley) had their musical ambitions consistently ridiculed for having the ‘wrong’ accents so they went for broke and reinvented themselves as Californian rappers. McAvoy’s movie will show how the...
BAFTA winner McAvoy will take on a supporting role in the movie, which will be led by BAFTA-nominated How To Have Sex breakout Samuel Bottomley and newcomer Séamus McLean Ross, who is currently filming on Outlander: Blood of My Blood.
Currently titled California Schemin’ (working title), the film will chart the true story of two Scottish lads from Dundee who conned the international music industry by adopting American accents and pretending to be established Californian rap duo, Silibil N’ Brains.
In the late 90’s, Gavin Bain (McLean Ross) and Billy Boyd (Bottomley) had their musical ambitions consistently ridiculed for having the ‘wrong’ accents so they went for broke and reinvented themselves as Californian rappers. McAvoy’s movie will show how the...
- 5/6/2024
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix has announced the ensemble cast for the next installment of the “Fear Street” franchise, “Prom Queen.”
The “Fear Street: Prom Queen” cast includes India Fowler (“The Nevers”, “Insomnia”), Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza (“Paper Girls,” “Above the Shadows”), David Iacono, Ella Rubin (“The Idea of You”), Chris Klein with Lili Taylor (“Outer Range,” “Manhunt”) and Katherine Waterston.
The upcoming teenage horror film is based on R.L. Stine’s 1992 “Fear Street” novel “The Prom Queen.” Per the official logline, “Prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”
Yvonne Bernard, Joan Waricha, Jane Stine will serve as executive producers alongside Caroline Pitofsky,...
The “Fear Street: Prom Queen” cast includes India Fowler (“The Nevers”, “Insomnia”), Suzanna Son, Fina Strazza (“Paper Girls,” “Above the Shadows”), David Iacono, Ella Rubin (“The Idea of You”), Chris Klein with Lili Taylor (“Outer Range,” “Manhunt”) and Katherine Waterston.
The upcoming teenage horror film is based on R.L. Stine’s 1992 “Fear Street” novel “The Prom Queen.” Per the official logline, “Prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”
Yvonne Bernard, Joan Waricha, Jane Stine will serve as executive producers alongside Caroline Pitofsky,...
- 3/26/2024
- by Michaela Zee
- Variety Film + TV
Universal International Studios has jumped back into the UK books market for another TV development.
In another “highly competitive situation,” the Universal Studio Group subsidiary has acquired rights to develop British author Christie Watson’s novel Moral Injuries as a television series.
Parent Usg was instrumental in securing the rights, just as it was when Uis swooped to buy adaptation rights to Lucy Foley’s upcoming book The Midnight Feast, as we reported on Friday.
Set in the UK, the series will be produced by Uis, with execs from ITV Studios-owned Monumental Television attached as executive producer. Alison Owen, Debra Hayward and Katie Kelly will serve as executive producers for Monumental, working in partnership with the Global Scripted Series team at Uis.
Psychological thriller Moral Injuries was released in the UK on March 14. Logline for the books bills it as a “glossy thriller that follows three best friends since...
In another “highly competitive situation,” the Universal Studio Group subsidiary has acquired rights to develop British author Christie Watson’s novel Moral Injuries as a television series.
Parent Usg was instrumental in securing the rights, just as it was when Uis swooped to buy adaptation rights to Lucy Foley’s upcoming book The Midnight Feast, as we reported on Friday.
Set in the UK, the series will be produced by Uis, with execs from ITV Studios-owned Monumental Television attached as executive producer. Alison Owen, Debra Hayward and Katie Kelly will serve as executive producers for Monumental, working in partnership with the Global Scripted Series team at Uis.
Psychological thriller Moral Injuries was released in the UK on March 14. Logline for the books bills it as a “glossy thriller that follows three best friends since...
- 3/26/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
The hunt for book IP continues to drive business.
Following what’s been described as a “highly competitive situation,” Universal International Studios (Uis) has bought the rights to author Lucy Foley’s latest novel, The Midnight Feast.
The Universal Studio Group (Usg)-owned Uis will develop a TV series adaptation of book, which publishes on June 6 and was among the highest profile titles on offer at the recent London Book Fair.
Foley will be an executive producer alongside former HBO Entertainment boss Sue Naegle and Ali Krug, who took over Annapurna’s TV development slate when Naegle exited her Chief Content Officer role at Meg Ellison’s studio back in 2022.
Usg’s Creative Acquisitions and IP Management played a significant role in the Midnight Feast acquisition, we hear. Several sources in the literary IP world have noted the increased U.S. presence at the London Book Fair last week, with Foley’s UK and U.
Following what’s been described as a “highly competitive situation,” Universal International Studios (Uis) has bought the rights to author Lucy Foley’s latest novel, The Midnight Feast.
The Universal Studio Group (Usg)-owned Uis will develop a TV series adaptation of book, which publishes on June 6 and was among the highest profile titles on offer at the recent London Book Fair.
Foley will be an executive producer alongside former HBO Entertainment boss Sue Naegle and Ali Krug, who took over Annapurna’s TV development slate when Naegle exited her Chief Content Officer role at Meg Ellison’s studio back in 2022.
Usg’s Creative Acquisitions and IP Management played a significant role in the Midnight Feast acquisition, we hear. Several sources in the literary IP world have noted the increased U.S. presence at the London Book Fair last week, with Foley’s UK and U.
- 3/22/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Isaach De Bankolé (Godfather of Harlem), Phoebe Fox (The Great), Silvia Dionicio (Wu-Tang: An American Saga), and Coral Peña (For All Mankind) are the newest recurring cast members set for HBO’s Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project (working title).
De Bankolé will play Father Daniel Georges, the oldest and best friend of lead Mark Ruffalo’s FBI Agent Tom, who went to seminary with him. Fox portrays Tom’s biological daughter, Sara, who is deep in grief, with Dionicio as his adopted daughter, grappling with a family tragedy. Peña portrays Meg Coyle, the guidance counselor who works at Emily’s high school.
Others previously cast in the crime drama from the creator of Mare of Easttown include Tom Pelphrey as Robbie; Emilia Jones as Maeve; Thuso Mbedu as Aleah; Raúl Castillo as Cliff; Jamie McShane as Perry; Sam Keeley as Jayson; Fabien Frankel as Anthony; Alison Oliver as...
De Bankolé will play Father Daniel Georges, the oldest and best friend of lead Mark Ruffalo’s FBI Agent Tom, who went to seminary with him. Fox portrays Tom’s biological daughter, Sara, who is deep in grief, with Dionicio as his adopted daughter, grappling with a family tragedy. Peña portrays Meg Coyle, the guidance counselor who works at Emily’s high school.
Others previously cast in the crime drama from the creator of Mare of Easttown include Tom Pelphrey as Robbie; Emilia Jones as Maeve; Thuso Mbedu as Aleah; Raúl Castillo as Cliff; Jamie McShane as Perry; Sam Keeley as Jayson; Fabien Frankel as Anthony; Alison Oliver as...
- 3/19/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: “Quite a can of worms,” observed a British casting director of a scandal that, until February, was unknown to his profession. The 30-year industry veteran was talking about the practice of agents sending clients fake invitations to record self-tape auditions.
Deadline first exposed the issue in an investigation on Bodhi Talent, a boutique agency based in Manchester. Founder Archie Purnell was accused of copying legitimate self-tape invites and pasting them in emails to clients who had not been called to audition. One actor rumbled the ruse when an audition landed in her inbox 30 minutes after the deadline for submissions had passed.
Twisting open the Bodhi-shaped Russian doll revealed similar concerns about a larger agency: International Artists Management (Iam). The London-based company claims to have 400 clients on its books and is run by Luc Chaudhary, a reported millionaire once engaged to Silent Witness star Emilia Fox.
Iam went further...
Deadline first exposed the issue in an investigation on Bodhi Talent, a boutique agency based in Manchester. Founder Archie Purnell was accused of copying legitimate self-tape invites and pasting them in emails to clients who had not been called to audition. One actor rumbled the ruse when an audition landed in her inbox 30 minutes after the deadline for submissions had passed.
Twisting open the Bodhi-shaped Russian doll revealed similar concerns about a larger agency: International Artists Management (Iam). The London-based company claims to have 400 clients on its books and is run by Luc Chaudhary, a reported millionaire once engaged to Silent Witness star Emilia Fox.
Iam went further...
- 3/15/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Doctor Who director Jamie Magnus Stone is helming a sci-fi series adaptation of Brian W. Aldiss’ debut Non-Stop for Aircraft Pictures.
Set in a distant future, Non-Stop tells the tale of Roy Complain, a man born into a primitive society only to discover his tribe is one of many aboard a colossal spaceship. This knowledge sets Complain and his band of intrepid explorers on a perilous journey through uncharted territories to find the ship’s bridge, as they unravel the mysteries of their new world and confront the looming threat of their own annihilation.
Casting is yet to be announced and Aircraft will begin shopping the project at Series Mania next week.
“We’re excited to bring this science-fiction classic to the screen as part of Aircraft’s continued expansion into scripted drama,” said Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen, co-founders of Aircraft. “We’re fortunate to be working with...
Set in a distant future, Non-Stop tells the tale of Roy Complain, a man born into a primitive society only to discover his tribe is one of many aboard a colossal spaceship. This knowledge sets Complain and his band of intrepid explorers on a perilous journey through uncharted territories to find the ship’s bridge, as they unravel the mysteries of their new world and confront the looming threat of their own annihilation.
Casting is yet to be announced and Aircraft will begin shopping the project at Series Mania next week.
“We’re excited to bring this science-fiction classic to the screen as part of Aircraft’s continued expansion into scripted drama,” said Anthony Leo and Andrew Rosen, co-founders of Aircraft. “We’re fortunate to be working with...
- 3/14/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The Curtis Brown Group is pushing into the UK unscripted space.
The UTA-owned agency, best known for its literary department, has created Curtis Brown Group Unscripted and Entertainment (Cbg U&e). Former Ymu agent Marta Atack has been hired to run the unit, which launches with several signings.
Cbg U&e will house clients from the entertainment, comedy, factual and digital spaces. At launch, they include Bradley Walsh, Richard E Grant, Sue Perkins, Zoe Ball, Carol Vorderman, Cat Deeley, London Hughes, Lenny Rush, Grayson Perry, Stacey Dooley, Asim Chaudhry, Layton Williams and Mae Martin.
New signings include actor and comedian Emily Atack, sister of Martha, plus Mercury-nominated musician Kojey Radical and radio broadcasters Yasmin Evans and Greg James.
Atack built a strong reputation in the unscripted space while at Ymu before exiting last year. Her new company already has numerous entertainment, presenting, comedy and cultural thought leader clients in the...
The UTA-owned agency, best known for its literary department, has created Curtis Brown Group Unscripted and Entertainment (Cbg U&e). Former Ymu agent Marta Atack has been hired to run the unit, which launches with several signings.
Cbg U&e will house clients from the entertainment, comedy, factual and digital spaces. At launch, they include Bradley Walsh, Richard E Grant, Sue Perkins, Zoe Ball, Carol Vorderman, Cat Deeley, London Hughes, Lenny Rush, Grayson Perry, Stacey Dooley, Asim Chaudhry, Layton Williams and Mae Martin.
New signings include actor and comedian Emily Atack, sister of Martha, plus Mercury-nominated musician Kojey Radical and radio broadcasters Yasmin Evans and Greg James.
Atack built a strong reputation in the unscripted space while at Ymu before exiting last year. Her new company already has numerous entertainment, presenting, comedy and cultural thought leader clients in the...
- 3/14/2024
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
This year’s Oscars were as much a celebration of books as they were cinema. Five of the 10 best picture nominees were based on books, and three of those – “Oppenheimer,” “Poor Things” and “The Zone of Interest” – took home the most statues overall. Even the winner for best animated picture, Hayao Miyazaki’s “The Boy and the Heron,” was loosely inspired by a 1937 novel Miyazaki had read as a child.
Which is why many of those partying in L.A. on Sunday night boarded planes across the Atlantic days later bound for the London Book Fair, which kicked off yesterday and runs through the end of the week, in search of their next Oscar-contending project. “It feels like there’s an influx of film and television executives, studio executives, producers etc., all coming into town,” Jason Richman, co-head of media rights at UTA, tells Variety.
With TV also wild about...
Which is why many of those partying in L.A. on Sunday night boarded planes across the Atlantic days later bound for the London Book Fair, which kicked off yesterday and runs through the end of the week, in search of their next Oscar-contending project. “It feels like there’s an influx of film and television executives, studio executives, producers etc., all coming into town,” Jason Richman, co-head of media rights at UTA, tells Variety.
With TV also wild about...
- 3/13/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Continuing to expand its cast, HBO’s Untitled Brad Ingelsby Task Force Project (working title) has added five as recurring: Raphael Sbarge (Once Upon a Time), Mickey Sumner (Snowpiercer), Brian Goodman (Fatal Attraction), Elvis Nolasco (Godfather of Harlem), and Colin Bates (American Rust).
Sbarge plays Police Chief Dorsey, who oversees a multi-unit operation to assist FBI Agent Tom (Ruffalo) and the team in their search. Sumner portrays Shelley Driscoll, who is desperate to escape her husband Ray, with Goodman as Vincent Hawkes, one of the 13 National Leaders of a dangerous biker gang. Nolasco plays Freddy Frias, the savvy and ruthless captain of Philadelphia’s largest drug trafficking organization, while Bates portrays Shane McReynolds, the Sergeant-At-Arms of a dangerous biker gang and a member of Jayson’s inner circle.
Others previously cast include Tom Pelphrey as Robbie; Emilia Jones as Maeve; Thuso Mbedu as Aleah; Raúl Castillo as Cliff...
Sbarge plays Police Chief Dorsey, who oversees a multi-unit operation to assist FBI Agent Tom (Ruffalo) and the team in their search. Sumner portrays Shelley Driscoll, who is desperate to escape her husband Ray, with Goodman as Vincent Hawkes, one of the 13 National Leaders of a dangerous biker gang. Nolasco plays Freddy Frias, the savvy and ruthless captain of Philadelphia’s largest drug trafficking organization, while Bates portrays Shane McReynolds, the Sergeant-At-Arms of a dangerous biker gang and a member of Jayson’s inner circle.
Others previously cast include Tom Pelphrey as Robbie; Emilia Jones as Maeve; Thuso Mbedu as Aleah; Raúl Castillo as Cliff...
- 3/12/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Actor, comedian and activist Emily Atack has signed with Curtis Brown for representation, Variety has learned exclusively. She will be repped by the agency in all areas.
Atack shot to public attention as the break-out star of award-winning sitcom “The Inbetweeners” and has since appeared in projects including “Dad’s Army” with Catherine Zeta Jones and Bill Nighy, “Lies We Tell” alongside Gabriel Byrne and Harvey Keitel and “Alright Now” starring Cobie Smulders.
She wrote and starred in her own sketch/comedy series “The Emily Atack Show” for ITV, which has run for three seasons, and has also appeared on other comedy and panel shows including “The Keith Lemon Sketch Show,” “Tracey Ullman’s Show” and “Celebrity Juice.”
Atack will next be seen in Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s best-selling novel “Rivals,” which drops this fall. She plays ambitious politician’s wife Sarah Stratton opposite “W1A’s” Rufus Jones as deputy Prime Minister Paul Stratton.
Atack shot to public attention as the break-out star of award-winning sitcom “The Inbetweeners” and has since appeared in projects including “Dad’s Army” with Catherine Zeta Jones and Bill Nighy, “Lies We Tell” alongside Gabriel Byrne and Harvey Keitel and “Alright Now” starring Cobie Smulders.
She wrote and starred in her own sketch/comedy series “The Emily Atack Show” for ITV, which has run for three seasons, and has also appeared on other comedy and panel shows including “The Keith Lemon Sketch Show,” “Tracey Ullman’s Show” and “Celebrity Juice.”
Atack will next be seen in Disney+ adaptation of Jilly Cooper’s best-selling novel “Rivals,” which drops this fall. She plays ambitious politician’s wife Sarah Stratton opposite “W1A’s” Rufus Jones as deputy Prime Minister Paul Stratton.
- 3/12/2024
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: United Talent Agency (UTA) has revealed it paid more than £43M ($55M) to acquire UK agent Curtis Brown in 2022, with its revenue surging on the back of the deal.
UTA acquired Curtis Brown’s parent company Original Talent Limited in June 2022, but did not disclose financial terms. Sources told Deadline at the time that the deal was worth $45M-$55M.
A financial filing from United Talent Agency UK Limited on Companies House has revealed that it paid £43.3M for 100% of the agency that reps stars including Ncuti Gatwa and Robert Pattinson.
UTA’s UK earnings unsurprisingly rocketed. The company’s sales stood at £46.3M for the 14 months to the end of February 2023, a 12-fold increase on £3.7M in 2021.
UTA’s loss before tax widened to £14.4M last year, compared with £5.7M in 2021, though this is understood to be a result of debt structuring.
Original Talent was profitable over the...
UTA acquired Curtis Brown’s parent company Original Talent Limited in June 2022, but did not disclose financial terms. Sources told Deadline at the time that the deal was worth $45M-$55M.
A financial filing from United Talent Agency UK Limited on Companies House has revealed that it paid £43.3M for 100% of the agency that reps stars including Ncuti Gatwa and Robert Pattinson.
UTA’s UK earnings unsurprisingly rocketed. The company’s sales stood at £46.3M for the 14 months to the end of February 2023, a 12-fold increase on £3.7M in 2021.
UTA’s loss before tax widened to £14.4M last year, compared with £5.7M in 2021, though this is understood to be a result of debt structuring.
Original Talent was profitable over the...
- 3/5/2024
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
A biography on the rise and fall of Steve Wynn, the longtime Las Vegas casino owner and billionaire, is being developed for a small or big screen treatment.
Scott Jay Kaplan and Emmet McDermott’s CoverStory producer banner optioned Christina Binkley’s Winner Takes All book about Wynn’s meteoric rise from scrappy bingo parlor operator to casino billionaire for a film or TV adaptation. Wynn resigned from his corporate empire in 2018 amid sexual misconduct allegations.
CoverStory’s McDermott produced White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch, Alison Klayman’s documentary for Netflix about the popularity and ruin of the once coveted “all-American” retail brand.
Binkley will co-produce the Winner Takes All adaptation, which will be set mainly in the 1990s as Wynn’s drive for power set up his ultimate corporate demise. That created a vacuum of power filled by his ex-wife Elaine, on whom Wynn blamed his downfall.
Scott Jay Kaplan and Emmet McDermott’s CoverStory producer banner optioned Christina Binkley’s Winner Takes All book about Wynn’s meteoric rise from scrappy bingo parlor operator to casino billionaire for a film or TV adaptation. Wynn resigned from his corporate empire in 2018 amid sexual misconduct allegations.
CoverStory’s McDermott produced White Hot: The Rise & Fall of Abercrombie & Fitch, Alison Klayman’s documentary for Netflix about the popularity and ruin of the once coveted “all-American” retail brand.
Binkley will co-produce the Winner Takes All adaptation, which will be set mainly in the 1990s as Wynn’s drive for power set up his ultimate corporate demise. That created a vacuum of power filled by his ex-wife Elaine, on whom Wynn blamed his downfall.
- 3/4/2024
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Having successfully adapted The Summer I Turned Pretty books into the popular Prime Video YA series, Wiip is aiming to do the same with another YA title. The independent studio has acquired Jennifer Lynn Barnes’ novel Little White Lies, to develop for television.
Like the breakout first season of Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, Little White Lies takes place over a debutante season.
It is a mystery series about a teenager from the wrong side of the tracks who agrees to move in with her estranged maternal grandmother and do a debutante year, but only because she’s determined to figure out which scion of Southern high society is her biological father.
Wiip’s Paul Lee, Mark Roybal, and Nate Winslow will executive produce alongside Barnes and A Star Is Born executive producer Heather Parry, who brought the project to the studio.
“Heather and I grew...
Like the breakout first season of Prime Video’s The Summer I Turned Pretty, Little White Lies takes place over a debutante season.
It is a mystery series about a teenager from the wrong side of the tracks who agrees to move in with her estranged maternal grandmother and do a debutante year, but only because she’s determined to figure out which scion of Southern high society is her biological father.
Wiip’s Paul Lee, Mark Roybal, and Nate Winslow will executive produce alongside Barnes and A Star Is Born executive producer Heather Parry, who brought the project to the studio.
“Heather and I grew...
- 2/26/2024
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Even as it continues to develop the final chapter in its main Star Trek series, Paramount is looking to further explore the IP. The studio has tapped Toby Haynes to direct a new film that expands on the Star Trek universe, with Seth Grahame-Smith penning the script. J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot is producing.
Sources tell Deadline that while plot details are being kept under wraps, the project is an origin story that takes place decades before the 2009 Star Trek film that rebooted the franchise. Insiders add that the final chapter in that main series, Star Trek 4, remains in active development.
Although there hasn’t been a film since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, the brand remains as strong as its ever been behind popular Paramount+ shows like Picard and Strange New Worlds earning strong reviews and solid ratings. The Brian Robbins led-Paramount saw an opportunity to build on...
Sources tell Deadline that while plot details are being kept under wraps, the project is an origin story that takes place decades before the 2009 Star Trek film that rebooted the franchise. Insiders add that the final chapter in that main series, Star Trek 4, remains in active development.
Although there hasn’t been a film since 2016’s Star Trek Beyond, the brand remains as strong as its ever been behind popular Paramount+ shows like Picard and Strange New Worlds earning strong reviews and solid ratings. The Brian Robbins led-Paramount saw an opportunity to build on...
- 1/10/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: We are hearing that DC Studios is planning to test actresses soon to star in Supergirl, and that Milly Alcock, Emilia Jones and Meg Donnelly are in the mix.
There is a chance the studio could make a straight offer to a star, but all things are pointing toward screen tests for actresses, which will go down within the next month or so, we hear.
Deadline understands that natch, DC Studios co-boss James Gunn is definitely part of the process, as this is a character who likely will make its debut via a cameo in a DC project that isn’t Supergirl. The search is ongoing for a director.
Alcock is best known for her lead role on HBO’s Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon, playing Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. She is repped by CAA, Shanahan Management, Entertainment 360 and Curtis Brown.
Jones, repped by CAA and Brillstein,...
There is a chance the studio could make a straight offer to a star, but all things are pointing toward screen tests for actresses, which will go down within the next month or so, we hear.
Deadline understands that natch, DC Studios co-boss James Gunn is definitely part of the process, as this is a character who likely will make its debut via a cameo in a DC project that isn’t Supergirl. The search is ongoing for a director.
Alcock is best known for her lead role on HBO’s Game of Thrones spinoff House of the Dragon, playing Princess Rhaenyra Targaryen. She is repped by CAA, Shanahan Management, Entertainment 360 and Curtis Brown.
Jones, repped by CAA and Brillstein,...
- 1/10/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Amazon MGM Studios’ Orion Pictures has entered production on Hedda, its reimagining of Henrik Ibsen’s famed 1891 stage play Hedda Gabler, announcing the addition of six to its cast. Newcomers include Imogen Poots (Baltimore), Tom Bateman (Thirteen Lives), Finbar Lynch (Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan), Mirren Mack (The Witcher: Blood Origins), Jamael Westman (Hamilton), and Saffron Hocking (Top Boy).
The actors join an ensemble that also includes Tessa Thompson, Nina Hoss, and Nicholas Pinnock, as previously announced.
Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler revolves around Hedda Tesman, a newlywed stifled by societal norms. Frustrated and trapped, she resorts to manipulation and destructive actions. As secrets unravel, the play explores themes of power, gender roles, and the tragic consequences of societal expectations in the late 19th century.
Directing from her own script is Nia DaCosta, the filmmaker behind Uni’s newest Candyman horror pic and the acclaimed crime drama Little Woods. Producers include Plan B,...
The actors join an ensemble that also includes Tessa Thompson, Nina Hoss, and Nicholas Pinnock, as previously announced.
Ibsen’s Hedda Gabler revolves around Hedda Tesman, a newlywed stifled by societal norms. Frustrated and trapped, she resorts to manipulation and destructive actions. As secrets unravel, the play explores themes of power, gender roles, and the tragic consequences of societal expectations in the late 19th century.
Directing from her own script is Nia DaCosta, the filmmaker behind Uni’s newest Candyman horror pic and the acclaimed crime drama Little Woods. Producers include Plan B,...
- 1/8/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
“Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” star Morfydd Clark is set to headline a biopic “Making Noise,” about Evelyn Glennie, a deaf woman who became the world’s premier solo percussionist.
Multi-Grammy winner Glennie, who hails from Scotland, experienced profound hearing loss as a child. But instead of giving up on her dream of making music, she instead went on to become a global star, performing with artists including Bjork, Underworld and Mark Knopfler. She has also released more than 40 albums and performed over 2,500 concerts worldwide.
Embankment is launching global pre-sales on the project at the Toronto Film Festival. Directed by “The Levelling” helmer Hope Dickson Leach, “Making Noise” is described as a “vibrant, exhilarating story of how the world fell in love with a woman who broke all the rules.”
Clark, who has also appeared in “Saint Maud” (earning her a BAFTA Rising Star nom) and will...
Multi-Grammy winner Glennie, who hails from Scotland, experienced profound hearing loss as a child. But instead of giving up on her dream of making music, she instead went on to become a global star, performing with artists including Bjork, Underworld and Mark Knopfler. She has also released more than 40 albums and performed over 2,500 concerts worldwide.
Embankment is launching global pre-sales on the project at the Toronto Film Festival. Directed by “The Levelling” helmer Hope Dickson Leach, “Making Noise” is described as a “vibrant, exhilarating story of how the world fell in love with a woman who broke all the rules.”
Clark, who has also appeared in “Saint Maud” (earning her a BAFTA Rising Star nom) and will...
- 9/7/2023
- by Elsa Keslassy and K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The Veterans is launching international sales on upcoming UK period comedy Fackham Hall at Toronto and has unveiled first members of the ensemble cast.
In the first significant deal announced during TIFF, Bleecker Street has acquired U.S. rights for the film.
First signings include Hero Fiennes Tiffin (The Woman King), Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night in Soho), Emma Laird (A Haunting In Venice) and Katherine Waterston, who appears in this year’s TIFF title The End We Start From alongside Jodie Comer and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Written by comedian Jimmy Carr in his screenwriting feature debut with Patrick Carr and the Dawson Brothers (The Bubble), Fackham Hall pokes fun at traditional period dramas like Downton Abbey and Gosford Park. The production is described as being “in the tradition of classic joke-a-minute spoof comedies like The Naked Gun series and Airplane!”.
Fiennes Tiffin will play a new porter who embarks on...
In the first significant deal announced during TIFF, Bleecker Street has acquired U.S. rights for the film.
First signings include Hero Fiennes Tiffin (The Woman King), Thomasin McKenzie (Last Night in Soho), Emma Laird (A Haunting In Venice) and Katherine Waterston, who appears in this year’s TIFF title The End We Start From alongside Jodie Comer and Benedict Cumberbatch.
Written by comedian Jimmy Carr in his screenwriting feature debut with Patrick Carr and the Dawson Brothers (The Bubble), Fackham Hall pokes fun at traditional period dramas like Downton Abbey and Gosford Park. The production is described as being “in the tradition of classic joke-a-minute spoof comedies like The Naked Gun series and Airplane!”.
Fiennes Tiffin will play a new porter who embarks on...
- 9/7/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Option
Genesius Pictures has optioned Emmett de Monterey’s acclaimed memoir “Go the Way Your Blood Beats” – about growing up gay and disabled in 1980s London – for TV adaptation.
Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House, earlier this month, the memoir details how when de Monterey is 18 months old, a doctor diagnoses him with cerebral palsy. Growing up in southeast London in the 1980s, de Monterey is spat at on the street and prayed over at church. At his mainstream school, teachers refuse to schedule his classes on the ground floor, and at his college for disabled students, he’s told he will be expelled if the rumors are true, if he’s gay.
He is then chosen for a first-of-its-kind surgery in America which he hopes will ‘cure’ him and enable him to walk unaided. But the miracle doesn’t occur, and he must reckon with a...
Genesius Pictures has optioned Emmett de Monterey’s acclaimed memoir “Go the Way Your Blood Beats” – about growing up gay and disabled in 1980s London – for TV adaptation.
Published by Viking, an imprint of Penguin Random House, earlier this month, the memoir details how when de Monterey is 18 months old, a doctor diagnoses him with cerebral palsy. Growing up in southeast London in the 1980s, de Monterey is spat at on the street and prayed over at church. At his mainstream school, teachers refuse to schedule his classes on the ground floor, and at his college for disabled students, he’s told he will be expelled if the rumors are true, if he’s gay.
He is then chosen for a first-of-its-kind surgery in America which he hopes will ‘cure’ him and enable him to walk unaided. But the miracle doesn’t occur, and he must reckon with a...
- 7/21/2023
- by Naman Ramachandran
- Variety Film + TV
“Silk” screenwriter Peter Moffat is adapting Jonathan Freedland’s non-fiction book “The Escape Artist,” which tells the true story of two Jews who escaped from Auschwitz.
Margery Bone’s Bonafide Films has secured the rights to Freedland’s book, which is set to be made into a high-end limited series. Bonafide, who have a development and distribution deal with BBC Studios, recently produced Nicôle Lecky’s BAFTA-winning “Mood.”
“The Escape Artist” centers around nineteen-year-old Rudolf Vrba, a Slovakian Jew who manages to escape Auschwitz alongside fellow internee Fred Wetzler, and warn the world about what was happening. Their actions saved the lives of at least 200,000 Jews who were facing immediate deportation from Budapest to the world’s most notorious death camp.
“This is a story of how human beings can be pushed to the outer limits, and yet still somehow endure,” said Freeland. “How the actions of one individual, even a teenage boy,...
Margery Bone’s Bonafide Films has secured the rights to Freedland’s book, which is set to be made into a high-end limited series. Bonafide, who have a development and distribution deal with BBC Studios, recently produced Nicôle Lecky’s BAFTA-winning “Mood.”
“The Escape Artist” centers around nineteen-year-old Rudolf Vrba, a Slovakian Jew who manages to escape Auschwitz alongside fellow internee Fred Wetzler, and warn the world about what was happening. Their actions saved the lives of at least 200,000 Jews who were facing immediate deportation from Budapest to the world’s most notorious death camp.
“This is a story of how human beings can be pushed to the outer limits, and yet still somehow endure,” said Freeland. “How the actions of one individual, even a teenage boy,...
- 7/13/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Peter Moffat is forging a TV adaptation of UK journalist Jonathan Freedland’s The Escape Artist with Mood production outfit Bonafide Films.
The Your Honor and Criminal Justice BAFTA winner is onboard to write the show telling the astonishing, true-life story of how Rudolf Vrba, a 19-year-old Slovakian Jew, along with fellow inmate Fred Wetzler, escaped from Auschwitz to warn the world about the Holocaust. The pair’s report led to the saving of 200,000 Budapest Jews from immediate deportation to Auschwitz. The project is not yet attached to a network and Bonafide has secured rights for TV.
Freedland is a highly-regarded British journalist who mainly writes on politics and international affairs for The Guardian but has also penned numerous works of fiction, some of which are under the pseudonym Sam Bourne.
Margery Bone’s London-based Bonafide has previously worked with Moffat on BBC drama The Last Post, which starred Jessie Buckley...
The Your Honor and Criminal Justice BAFTA winner is onboard to write the show telling the astonishing, true-life story of how Rudolf Vrba, a 19-year-old Slovakian Jew, along with fellow inmate Fred Wetzler, escaped from Auschwitz to warn the world about the Holocaust. The pair’s report led to the saving of 200,000 Budapest Jews from immediate deportation to Auschwitz. The project is not yet attached to a network and Bonafide has secured rights for TV.
Freedland is a highly-regarded British journalist who mainly writes on politics and international affairs for The Guardian but has also penned numerous works of fiction, some of which are under the pseudonym Sam Bourne.
Margery Bone’s London-based Bonafide has previously worked with Moffat on BBC drama The Last Post, which starred Jessie Buckley...
- 7/13/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The first trailer is here for the Game of Thrones creators’ long-awaited follow-up series.
Netflix released the teaser trailer for 3 Body Problem from showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss along with Alexander Woo. The sci-fi epic is adapted from Liu Cixin’s Hugo Award-winning trilogy.
3 Body Problem is an ambitious tale about what happens when humanity discovers that we are not alone in the universe. The trailer was revealed at Netflix’s Tudum live fan event in Brazil on Saturday.
The sprawling cast also includes Jovan Adepo (Watchmen), Rosalind Chao (Better Things), Eiza González (Baby Driver), Jess Hong (Inked), Marlo Kelly (Dare Me), Jonathan Pryce (The Crown), Eve Ridley (Peppa Pig), Ben Schnetzer (Y: The Last Man), Alex Sharp (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), Sea Shimooka (Pink Skies Ahead), Zine Tseng (series debut), Saamer Usmani (Succession) and Benedict Wong (Dr. Strange in the Multiverse...
Netflix released the teaser trailer for 3 Body Problem from showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss along with Alexander Woo. The sci-fi epic is adapted from Liu Cixin’s Hugo Award-winning trilogy.
3 Body Problem is an ambitious tale about what happens when humanity discovers that we are not alone in the universe. The trailer was revealed at Netflix’s Tudum live fan event in Brazil on Saturday.
The sprawling cast also includes Jovan Adepo (Watchmen), Rosalind Chao (Better Things), Eiza González (Baby Driver), Jess Hong (Inked), Marlo Kelly (Dare Me), Jonathan Pryce (The Crown), Eve Ridley (Peppa Pig), Ben Schnetzer (Y: The Last Man), Alex Sharp (The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time), Sea Shimooka (Pink Skies Ahead), Zine Tseng (series debut), Saamer Usmani (Succession) and Benedict Wong (Dr. Strange in the Multiverse...
- 6/17/2023
- by James Hibberd
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
UTA President David Kramer on London Expansion, Brexit, Writers Strike and “Getting Smart Around AI”
UTA is inaugurating its new London office on Thursday evening with a gala opening.
The new space in the heart of the British capital is bringing together more than 100 people on two floors, ranging from UTA’s music practice, agents working on production, podcasting, endorsements, voiceovers, and entertainment marketing, as well as staff of advisory practice MediaLink, which UTA acquired in 2021. The new home is also near that of the talent and literary agency Curtis Brown Group, which became part of UTA last year.
Management is hoping for “increased collaboration” and a chance to offer “more collective expertise and resources” to clients and the broader London creative and business communities. And UTA aims to continue growing its investment in “bringing U.K. and European clients more opportunities.”
The Hollywood Reporter talked to UTA president David Kramer about how a growing presence in the British capital made the bigger office necessary,...
The new space in the heart of the British capital is bringing together more than 100 people on two floors, ranging from UTA’s music practice, agents working on production, podcasting, endorsements, voiceovers, and entertainment marketing, as well as staff of advisory practice MediaLink, which UTA acquired in 2021. The new home is also near that of the talent and literary agency Curtis Brown Group, which became part of UTA last year.
Management is hoping for “increased collaboration” and a chance to offer “more collective expertise and resources” to clients and the broader London creative and business communities. And UTA aims to continue growing its investment in “bringing U.K. and European clients more opportunities.”
The Hollywood Reporter talked to UTA president David Kramer about how a growing presence in the British capital made the bigger office necessary,...
- 6/15/2023
- by Georg Szalai
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Nia DaCosta’s Hedda Gabler movie adaptation Hedda is adding Callum Turner.
Turner is joining Tessa Thompson, who will star as the titular character in the take on the classic Henrik Ibsen play. (DaCosta and Thompson previously worked together on the director’s feature debut, Little Woods.) Eve Hewson will also star in the project.
DaCosta wrote and will direct the movie that hails from MGM’s Orion label and Plan B, which collaborated on Sarah Polley’s Oscar-winning drama Women Talking. DaCosta and Gabrielle Nadig will produce, along with Thompson, who produces via her Viva Maude label. Executive producers are Kishori Rajan for Viva Maude and Michael Constable.
Ibsen’s original work centers on a recently married woman, the daughter of a general, who is disillusioned with both her life and marriage.
Turner, repped by WME and the U.K.’s Curtis Brown, is set for Apple’s upcoming...
Turner is joining Tessa Thompson, who will star as the titular character in the take on the classic Henrik Ibsen play. (DaCosta and Thompson previously worked together on the director’s feature debut, Little Woods.) Eve Hewson will also star in the project.
DaCosta wrote and will direct the movie that hails from MGM’s Orion label and Plan B, which collaborated on Sarah Polley’s Oscar-winning drama Women Talking. DaCosta and Gabrielle Nadig will produce, along with Thompson, who produces via her Viva Maude label. Executive producers are Kishori Rajan for Viva Maude and Michael Constable.
Ibsen’s original work centers on a recently married woman, the daughter of a general, who is disillusioned with both her life and marriage.
Turner, repped by WME and the U.K.’s Curtis Brown, is set for Apple’s upcoming...
- 6/9/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: Ben Schnetzer has signed on to star as famed Romanian conductor Sergiu Celibidache in The Yellow Tie replacing Rupert Friend. Schnetzer will have a central role in the feature, playing the young Celibidache with John Malkovich set to play an older version of the conductor.
The film maps the extraordinary life of legendary classical music conductor Sergiu Celibidache, one of the most celebrated but also one of the most controversial artists of the twentieth century. From his childhood in Romania under the draconian authority of a disciplinarian father, to his painful flight from home to pursue his dream of a career in music, his struggle for survival in wartime Germany and his rise, fall and rise again, in a truly unimaginable career and life path, spanning seven decades and all four corners of the globe. This is the true story of a singular individual with a remarkable but tortuous destiny.
The film maps the extraordinary life of legendary classical music conductor Sergiu Celibidache, one of the most celebrated but also one of the most controversial artists of the twentieth century. From his childhood in Romania under the draconian authority of a disciplinarian father, to his painful flight from home to pursue his dream of a career in music, his struggle for survival in wartime Germany and his rise, fall and rise again, in a truly unimaginable career and life path, spanning seven decades and all four corners of the globe. This is the true story of a singular individual with a remarkable but tortuous destiny.
- 6/1/2023
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Universal’s live-action adaptation of DreamWorks Animation’s How to Train Your Dragon has found its human riders.
Mason Thames, who starred in Universal’s horror hit The Black Phone, and Nico Parker, the rising actress who was last seen in HBO’s The Last of Us, are set to star as Hiccup and Astrid in the feature being directed by Dean DeBlois.
Universal has dated the feature for a March 14, 2025, release and is planning on a film shoot this summer.
Using the books by Cressida Cowell as a jumping-off point, How to Train Your Dragon focused on the special friendship between a young and unheroic Viking boy named Hiccup and Toothless, an injured dragon he nurses back to health. The movies chronicled Hiccup and Toothless’ quest to combat humanity’s prejudice against dragons, the ache of overcoming the loss of a parent, and first love.
The character of Astrid...
Mason Thames, who starred in Universal’s horror hit The Black Phone, and Nico Parker, the rising actress who was last seen in HBO’s The Last of Us, are set to star as Hiccup and Astrid in the feature being directed by Dean DeBlois.
Universal has dated the feature for a March 14, 2025, release and is planning on a film shoot this summer.
Using the books by Cressida Cowell as a jumping-off point, How to Train Your Dragon focused on the special friendship between a young and unheroic Viking boy named Hiccup and Toothless, an injured dragon he nurses back to health. The movies chronicled Hiccup and Toothless’ quest to combat humanity’s prejudice against dragons, the ache of overcoming the loss of a parent, and first love.
The character of Astrid...
- 5/30/2023
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Mason Thames and Nico Parker are set to star as Hiccup and Astrid in Universal’s new live-action adaptation of DreamWorks Animation’s How To Train Your Dragon. Dean DeBlois is directing the pic with the film set to bow on March, 14, 2025.
The new live-action adaptation will draw audiences deep into DreamWorks Animation’s imaginative lore. Working from a single narrative tapestry, the astonishing adventures of Hiccup and Toothless have captivated fans across three blockbuster films, which have grossed more than $1.6 billion.
The original DreamWorks Animation’s animated epic was first introduced, fans have been captivated by the unlikely friendship of an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon and the astonishing adventures of Hiccup and Toothless. The franchise has been lauded with four Academy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award for the second filmed chapter. The franchise is based on the best-selling books series by Cressida Cowell...
The new live-action adaptation will draw audiences deep into DreamWorks Animation’s imaginative lore. Working from a single narrative tapestry, the astonishing adventures of Hiccup and Toothless have captivated fans across three blockbuster films, which have grossed more than $1.6 billion.
The original DreamWorks Animation’s animated epic was first introduced, fans have been captivated by the unlikely friendship of an adolescent Viking and a fearsome Night Fury dragon and the astonishing adventures of Hiccup and Toothless. The franchise has been lauded with four Academy Award nominations and a Golden Globe Award for the second filmed chapter. The franchise is based on the best-selling books series by Cressida Cowell...
- 5/30/2023
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Cage is hitting the beach!
Having recently saddled up for his first Western, Nicolas Cage looks set to ride some waves for the first time on screen, having been cast to lead elevated psychological thriller The Surfer from director Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium, Nocebo) and screenwriter Thomas Martin.
Mossbank, the partnership between Sculptor Media and Raven and headed by Michael Rothstein and Sam Hall, is handling international sales and introducing The Surfer to buyers at the Cannes Market. Domestic sales will be repped by WME Independent.
In The Surfer, when a man (Cage) returns to his beachside hometown in Australia, many years since building a life for himself in the U.S., he is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a local gang of surfers who claim strict ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, “The Surfer” decides to remain at the beach, declaring war against those in control of the bay.
Having recently saddled up for his first Western, Nicolas Cage looks set to ride some waves for the first time on screen, having been cast to lead elevated psychological thriller The Surfer from director Lorcan Finnegan (Vivarium, Nocebo) and screenwriter Thomas Martin.
Mossbank, the partnership between Sculptor Media and Raven and headed by Michael Rothstein and Sam Hall, is handling international sales and introducing The Surfer to buyers at the Cannes Market. Domestic sales will be repped by WME Independent.
In The Surfer, when a man (Cage) returns to his beachside hometown in Australia, many years since building a life for himself in the U.S., he is humiliated in front of his teenage son by a local gang of surfers who claim strict ownership over the secluded beach of his childhood. Wounded, “The Surfer” decides to remain at the beach, declaring war against those in control of the bay.
- 5/18/2023
- by Alex Ritman
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Eddie Marsan and Morfydd Clark have signed on to join Ṣọpẹ́ Dìrísù (His House) in Uncle, a revenge thriller directed by Joe Marcantonio (Kindred).
Co-written by Joe Marcantonio and Owynne Dawkins, synopsis reads: After the brutal murder of their family, barely teenage Millie and her Uncle John (Dìrísù) embark on a brutal mission of revenge and retribution. But as they get closer to the people responsible, Millie must decide if she is ready to follow the bloody path of vengeance… and its violent, premature journey into adulthood.
Principal photography is set to begin in Autumn in the UK. WestEnd is handling worldwide sales.
The pic is produced by Auroral Pictures’ Rebecca Knapp and Matthew Wakeham. Nicola Pearcey of Picnik Entertainment is executive producing.
Co-written by Joe Marcantonio and Owynne Dawkins, synopsis reads: After the brutal murder of their family, barely teenage Millie and her Uncle John (Dìrísù) embark on a brutal mission of revenge and retribution. But as they get closer to the people responsible, Millie must decide if she is ready to follow the bloody path of vengeance… and its violent, premature journey into adulthood.
Principal photography is set to begin in Autumn in the UK. WestEnd is handling worldwide sales.
The pic is produced by Auroral Pictures’ Rebecca Knapp and Matthew Wakeham. Nicola Pearcey of Picnik Entertainment is executive producing.
- 5/18/2023
- by Zac Ntim
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Sound Of Silence director Michael Tyburski’s dystopian romantic comedy Turn Me On, starring Bel Powley and Nick Robinson, has wrapped principal photography
London and Paris-based production, finance and sales company Film Constellation, which is handling international sales, has posted a first image ahead of unveiling a trailer in a pre-official Marché du Film kick-off screening on Monday.
In a world where the inconvenience of human emotion has been eradicated by a government-imposed daily vitamin, Powley and Robinson play a couple who skip their daily dose.
They discover love, joy and sex for the first time, but quickly come to realize they must also handle the emotional baggage that comes with it.
Justin H.Min, Emmy nominee D’Arcy Carden, Nesta Cooper and Griffin Newman (The Tick) round out the cast.
Turn Me On is the second collaboration between director Michael Tyburski and Film Constellation following his Sundance hit The Sound Of Silence, starring Peter Sarsgaard and Rashida Jones.
UTA and CAA Media Finance co-rep North America.
Turn Me On is produced by Zareh Nalbandian, Toby Nalbandian and Gregory Schmidt of Truant Pictures, a division of Animal Logic Entertainment (Peter Rabbit 1&2), and producer Sean Bradley (Paddleton). The script is written by Angela Bourassa who is also serving as executive producer.
Powley is represented by UTA, Curtis Brown and Jackoway Austen.
London and Paris-based production, finance and sales company Film Constellation, which is handling international sales, has posted a first image ahead of unveiling a trailer in a pre-official Marché du Film kick-off screening on Monday.
In a world where the inconvenience of human emotion has been eradicated by a government-imposed daily vitamin, Powley and Robinson play a couple who skip their daily dose.
They discover love, joy and sex for the first time, but quickly come to realize they must also handle the emotional baggage that comes with it.
Justin H.Min, Emmy nominee D’Arcy Carden, Nesta Cooper and Griffin Newman (The Tick) round out the cast.
Turn Me On is the second collaboration between director Michael Tyburski and Film Constellation following his Sundance hit The Sound Of Silence, starring Peter Sarsgaard and Rashida Jones.
UTA and CAA Media Finance co-rep North America.
Turn Me On is produced by Zareh Nalbandian, Toby Nalbandian and Gregory Schmidt of Truant Pictures, a division of Animal Logic Entertainment (Peter Rabbit 1&2), and producer Sean Bradley (Paddleton). The script is written by Angela Bourassa who is also serving as executive producer.
Powley is represented by UTA, Curtis Brown and Jackoway Austen.
- 5/15/2023
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: WME has signed emerging British actor, writer and stage performer Layton Williams for U.S. representation.
Layton is currently starring in Season 4 of BBC Three state school comedy series Bad Education, on which he is also a writer.
He has played the role of Stephen Carmichael in the show since its first season and appeared in the 2015 film adaptation. The series, from Jack Whitehall, ran between 2012 and 2014 for three seasons before being revived this year.
Williams’ TV and film credits also include Beautiful People, Benidorm, The Cleaner, Murder They Hope and I Hate Suzie.
He began his career aged 11 on stage in Billy Elliot: The Musical and became the first Black actor to play the famous title role. He has starred in other West End shows such as Thriller Live, The Car Man, Hairspray the Musical and Rent. He also played the title role in 2021’s Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
Layton is currently starring in Season 4 of BBC Three state school comedy series Bad Education, on which he is also a writer.
He has played the role of Stephen Carmichael in the show since its first season and appeared in the 2015 film adaptation. The series, from Jack Whitehall, ran between 2012 and 2014 for three seasons before being revived this year.
Williams’ TV and film credits also include Beautiful People, Benidorm, The Cleaner, Murder They Hope and I Hate Suzie.
He began his career aged 11 on stage in Billy Elliot: The Musical and became the first Black actor to play the famous title role. He has starred in other West End shows such as Thriller Live, The Car Man, Hairspray the Musical and Rent. He also played the title role in 2021’s Everybody’s Talking About Jamie.
- 5/9/2023
- by Jesse Whittock
- Deadline Film + TV
After a massive year in 2022 with back-to-back buzzworthy performances in “X” and “Pearl,” Mia Goth has added a role in the Marvel Cinematic Universe to her resume, joining Marvel’s “Blade.”
The Marvel Studios film stars Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as the title vampire slayer, directed by Yann Demange from a script by Emmy nominee Michael Starrbury, which is said to be “darker than most MCU movies.” Goth joins a star-studded cast that also includes Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo, but details of her role are being kept under wraps.
The “Blade” reboot was first announced at the 2019 Comic-Con, where Marvel Studio chief Kevin Feige surprised Hall H by announcing Ali would take up the mantle of the infamous daywalker after Wesley Snipes played the Marvel Comics character in three films between 1998 and 2006.
“Blade” is currently slated to hit theaters on Sept. 6, 2024 as the final film in Phase Five of the MCU.
The Marvel Studios film stars Oscar winner Mahershala Ali as the title vampire slayer, directed by Yann Demange from a script by Emmy nominee Michael Starrbury, which is said to be “darker than most MCU movies.” Goth joins a star-studded cast that also includes Aaron Pierre and Delroy Lindo, but details of her role are being kept under wraps.
The “Blade” reboot was first announced at the 2019 Comic-Con, where Marvel Studio chief Kevin Feige surprised Hall H by announcing Ali would take up the mantle of the infamous daywalker after Wesley Snipes played the Marvel Comics character in three films between 1998 and 2006.
“Blade” is currently slated to hit theaters on Sept. 6, 2024 as the final film in Phase Five of the MCU.
- 4/12/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Universal will develop an adaption of the New York Times best-seller Lore as a feature.
Amy Pascal (Spider-Man movies) is attached to produce the project, which has Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse set to pen the screenplay.
Alexandra Bracken’s Lore, described as Hunger Games meets Greek mythology, follows Lore Perseous whose family was murdered as a part of the Agon, a divine hunt that occurs every seven years as punishment for a past rebellion by nine Greek gods, who are forced to walk the earth as mortals and be hunted. After years in hiding, Lore has to decide if she re-enters the Agon to avenge her family’s death with the help of a childhood friend she thought was dead and Athena, one of the last of the original gods.
Bracken will executive produce. Lexi Barta and Jacqueline Garell will oversee the film on behalf of Universal.
Bracken’s...
Amy Pascal (Spider-Man movies) is attached to produce the project, which has Joe Shrapnel and Anna Waterhouse set to pen the screenplay.
Alexandra Bracken’s Lore, described as Hunger Games meets Greek mythology, follows Lore Perseous whose family was murdered as a part of the Agon, a divine hunt that occurs every seven years as punishment for a past rebellion by nine Greek gods, who are forced to walk the earth as mortals and be hunted. After years in hiding, Lore has to decide if she re-enters the Agon to avenge her family’s death with the help of a childhood friend she thought was dead and Athena, one of the last of the original gods.
Bracken will executive produce. Lexi Barta and Jacqueline Garell will oversee the film on behalf of Universal.
Bracken’s...
- 4/6/2023
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: In competition, Apple Studios is acquiring rights to Cesca Major’s latest novel Maybe Next Time. It will be developed as an Apple Original Film from Apple Studios, with Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine set to be producer. The author will be executive producer.
There is a Groundhog Day element to this one, as a woman relives the same day over, trying to keep her family and career from imploding as she attempts to save her husband’s life. Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter will produce for Hello Sunshine, and Ashley Strumwasser will be executive producer alongside Major.
William Morrow published Maybe Next Time in the U.S. on March 7, and the novel will be published in the UK by HarperCollins on March 30. Major is a novelist and screenwriter who has written several psychological thrillers under the name C.D. Major. Cesca’s titles include A Thin Place and Amazon hit The Other Girl,...
There is a Groundhog Day element to this one, as a woman relives the same day over, trying to keep her family and career from imploding as she attempts to save her husband’s life. Witherspoon and Lauren Neustadter will produce for Hello Sunshine, and Ashley Strumwasser will be executive producer alongside Major.
William Morrow published Maybe Next Time in the U.S. on March 7, and the novel will be published in the UK by HarperCollins on March 30. Major is a novelist and screenwriter who has written several psychological thrillers under the name C.D. Major. Cesca’s titles include A Thin Place and Amazon hit The Other Girl,...
- 3/20/2023
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Oppenheimer, A Quiet Place Part II and Peaky Blinders star Cillian Murphy is embarking on his next project with the feature adaptation of Claire Keegan’s acclaimed novel Small Things Like These. Murphy will star in and produce the film that’s been greenlighted by Ben Affleck and Matt Damon’s Artists Equity, which will finance the project. Principal photography is underway in Ireland.
Ciarán Hinds and Emily Watson are also starring in the drama whose source material has been likened to a Dickens tale. The story takes place over Christmas in 1985, when devoted father Bill Furlong (Murphy) discovers the startling secrets being kept by the convent in his town, and some shocking truths about his own life as well.
The project reunites director Tim Mielants and Murphy, who previously worked together on the BAFTA-winning Peaky Blinders. Enda Walsh, a longtime collaborator of Murphy’s, wrote the script. Murphy...
Ciarán Hinds and Emily Watson are also starring in the drama whose source material has been likened to a Dickens tale. The story takes place over Christmas in 1985, when devoted father Bill Furlong (Murphy) discovers the startling secrets being kept by the convent in his town, and some shocking truths about his own life as well.
The project reunites director Tim Mielants and Murphy, who previously worked together on the BAFTA-winning Peaky Blinders. Enda Walsh, a longtime collaborator of Murphy’s, wrote the script. Murphy...
- 3/20/2023
- by Nancy Tartaglione
- Deadline Film + TV
‘Got,’ ‘Vikings’ and ‘Summertime’ Stars Join Roland Emmerich’s Gladiator Series ‘Those About to Die’
Roland Emmerich is filling out his Colosseum, with a new troop of actors to complete the cast of Those About to Die, a gladiator action series which the Independence Day director has begun shooting in Rome.
Game of Thrones star Iwan Rheon, Vikings actor Johannes Haukur Johannesson and Alicia Edogamhe, best-known for Netflix series Summertime, are among the new additions to the ensemble cast, as well as Tehran actress Liraz Charhi, Britain’s Rupert Penry-Jones (Mi-5), Elite actor Eneko Sagardoy, Gonçalo Almeida (Amor Amor), Kyshan Wilson (Viola) and Pepe Barroso (Neill Blomkamp’s upcoming Gran Turismo).
They join two-time Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins headlines the series as Roman emperor Vespasian. Previously-announced cast include Tom Hughes, Sara Martins, Jojo Macari, Gabriella Pession, Dimitri Leonidas, and Moe Hashim.
Rheon has been cast as ambitious crime boss, Tenax. He replaces the previously announced Lorenzo Richelmy, who was unable to participate in the series due to scheduling conflicts.
Game of Thrones star Iwan Rheon, Vikings actor Johannes Haukur Johannesson and Alicia Edogamhe, best-known for Netflix series Summertime, are among the new additions to the ensemble cast, as well as Tehran actress Liraz Charhi, Britain’s Rupert Penry-Jones (Mi-5), Elite actor Eneko Sagardoy, Gonçalo Almeida (Amor Amor), Kyshan Wilson (Viola) and Pepe Barroso (Neill Blomkamp’s upcoming Gran Turismo).
They join two-time Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins headlines the series as Roman emperor Vespasian. Previously-announced cast include Tom Hughes, Sara Martins, Jojo Macari, Gabriella Pession, Dimitri Leonidas, and Moe Hashim.
Rheon has been cast as ambitious crime boss, Tenax. He replaces the previously announced Lorenzo Richelmy, who was unable to participate in the series due to scheduling conflicts.
- 3/20/2023
- by Scott Roxborough
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
UTA has hired Fox and Verizon vet Claudia Russo as SVP of corporate communications.
Russo most recently spent three years as head of communications for Verizon Business Markets, the $13-billion division of the telecom giant. In addition to supervising a team of 20, she also supported the broader business portfolio of the chief revenue officer.
Before Verizon, Russo spent 15 years at Fox Television Stations, rising to lead corporate communications across 28 owned and operated stations and the group’s entertainment syndication division. Toward the end of her tenure, she also contributed to the efforts around Fox Corp.’s emergence as a TV-focused entity after Disney acquired most of its predecessor, 21st Century Fox, in a $71.3 billion deal in 2019.
“As our business continues to grow in size, influence and complexity, Claudia’s deep knowledge and experience with both media relations and investor relations will help us continue to elevate our game as we...
Russo most recently spent three years as head of communications for Verizon Business Markets, the $13-billion division of the telecom giant. In addition to supervising a team of 20, she also supported the broader business portfolio of the chief revenue officer.
Before Verizon, Russo spent 15 years at Fox Television Stations, rising to lead corporate communications across 28 owned and operated stations and the group’s entertainment syndication division. Toward the end of her tenure, she also contributed to the efforts around Fox Corp.’s emergence as a TV-focused entity after Disney acquired most of its predecessor, 21st Century Fox, in a $71.3 billion deal in 2019.
“As our business continues to grow in size, influence and complexity, Claudia’s deep knowledge and experience with both media relations and investor relations will help us continue to elevate our game as we...
- 3/6/2023
- by Dade Hayes
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Tubi has begun principal photography on dark western thriller The Thicket, based on Joe R. Lansdale’s novel of the same name, starring and produced by Game of Thrones alum Peter Dinklage. Production is underway in Calgary, Canada.
A longtime passion project for Dinklage, The Thicket also stars Juliette Lewis (Yellowjackets), Esmé Creed-Miles (Hanna), Levon Hawke (The Crowded Room), Leslie Grace (In The Heights), Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Old Man), Macon Blair (I Care A Lot), James Hetfield (Metallica), Ned Dennehy (Peaky Blinders), Andrew Schulz (Infamous), and Arliss Howard (Mank).
Set at the turn-of-the-century, The Thicket follows an innocent young man, Jack (Hawke), who goes on an epic quest to rescue his sister Lula (Creed-Miles) after she has been kidnapped by the violent killer Cut Throat Bill (Lewis) and her gang. To save her, Jack enlists the help of a crafty bounty hunter named Reginald Jones (Dinklage), a grave-digging alcoholic...
A longtime passion project for Dinklage, The Thicket also stars Juliette Lewis (Yellowjackets), Esmé Creed-Miles (Hanna), Levon Hawke (The Crowded Room), Leslie Grace (In The Heights), Gbenga Akinnagbe (The Old Man), Macon Blair (I Care A Lot), James Hetfield (Metallica), Ned Dennehy (Peaky Blinders), Andrew Schulz (Infamous), and Arliss Howard (Mank).
Set at the turn-of-the-century, The Thicket follows an innocent young man, Jack (Hawke), who goes on an epic quest to rescue his sister Lula (Creed-Miles) after she has been kidnapped by the violent killer Cut Throat Bill (Lewis) and her gang. To save her, Jack enlists the help of a crafty bounty hunter named Reginald Jones (Dinklage), a grave-digging alcoholic...
- 3/2/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
John Cena
Today it was announced that John Cena, Awkwafina, and Simu Liu are set to star in Prime Video’s action-comedy Grand Death Lotto, from director Paul Feig. Feig is directing the film from a script penned by Rob Yescombe (Outside the Wire). The film, which hails from Amazon Studios, will be produced by Roth/Kirschenbaum Films’ Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum, and Feigco Entertainment’s Laura Fischer and Paul Feig. John Cena, Zack Roth, and Rob Yescombe will executive produce.
In the very near future, the Grand Lottery has been established in economically challenged California. The only catch? Kill the winner before sundown and you can legally claim their prize. New LA transplant Katie (Awkwafina) accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel (John Cena) to make it to sundown in order to claim her multi-billion dollar prize, all while...
Today it was announced that John Cena, Awkwafina, and Simu Liu are set to star in Prime Video’s action-comedy Grand Death Lotto, from director Paul Feig. Feig is directing the film from a script penned by Rob Yescombe (Outside the Wire). The film, which hails from Amazon Studios, will be produced by Roth/Kirschenbaum Films’ Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum, and Feigco Entertainment’s Laura Fischer and Paul Feig. John Cena, Zack Roth, and Rob Yescombe will executive produce.
In the very near future, the Grand Lottery has been established in economically challenged California. The only catch? Kill the winner before sundown and you can legally claim their prize. New LA transplant Katie (Awkwafina) accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel (John Cena) to make it to sundown in order to claim her multi-billion dollar prize, all while...
- 3/2/2023
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
John Cena, Awkwafina, and Simu Liu are set to star in Prime Video’s action-comedy “Grand Death Lotto,” Amazon Studios announced on Thursday.
Paul Feig is directing the film from a script written by Rob Yescombe (“Outside the Wire”).
“Grand Theft Lotto” will be produced by Roth/Kirschenbaum Films’ Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum, and Feigco Entertainment’s Laura Fischer and Paul Feig. John Cena, Zack Roth, and Rob Yescombe will executive produce.
Also Read:
Courtenay Valenti Named Head of Film, Streaming and Theatrical for Amazon and MGM
The synopsis is as follows: “In the very near future, the Grand Lottery has been established in economically challenged California. The only catch? Kill the winner before sundown and you can legally claim their prize. New LA transplant Katie (Awkwafina) accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel (Cena) to make it to sundown...
Paul Feig is directing the film from a script written by Rob Yescombe (“Outside the Wire”).
“Grand Theft Lotto” will be produced by Roth/Kirschenbaum Films’ Joe Roth and Jeff Kirschenbaum, and Feigco Entertainment’s Laura Fischer and Paul Feig. John Cena, Zack Roth, and Rob Yescombe will executive produce.
Also Read:
Courtenay Valenti Named Head of Film, Streaming and Theatrical for Amazon and MGM
The synopsis is as follows: “In the very near future, the Grand Lottery has been established in economically challenged California. The only catch? Kill the winner before sundown and you can legally claim their prize. New LA transplant Katie (Awkwafina) accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel (Cena) to make it to sundown...
- 3/2/2023
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
John Cena, Awkwafina and Simu Liu are set to star in the action-comedy “Grand Death Lotto” for Prime Video. Paul Feig will produce and direct the film from a script by Rob Yescombe (“Outside the Wire”).
“Grand Death Lotto” is set in the very near future, where a competition known as “the Grand Lottery” has been established in “economically challenged California.” But, as the film’s official logline explains, there’s a catch: “Kill the winner before sundown and you can legally claim their prize.”
The logline continues: “New LA transplant Katie (Awkwafina) accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel (Cena) to make it to sundown in order to claim her multi-billion dollar prize, all while dealing with Noel’s protection rival Louis Lewis (Liu), who also wants to get her to sundown in order to claim his rich protection commission.
“Grand Death Lotto” is set in the very near future, where a competition known as “the Grand Lottery” has been established in “economically challenged California.” But, as the film’s official logline explains, there’s a catch: “Kill the winner before sundown and you can legally claim their prize.”
The logline continues: “New LA transplant Katie (Awkwafina) accidentally finds herself with the winning ticket and must join forces with amateur jackpot protector Noel (Cena) to make it to sundown in order to claim her multi-billion dollar prize, all while dealing with Noel’s protection rival Louis Lewis (Liu), who also wants to get her to sundown in order to claim his rich protection commission.
- 3/2/2023
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
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