17 articles
‘23 Jump Street-Men in Black’ Crossover Moving Forward With Director James Bobin (Exclusive)
14 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
The surprise may have been ruined by the Sony hack fiasco, but Sony Pictures plans to move forward with its “23 Jump Street-Men in Black” crossover movie.
Sources tell Variety that James Bobin is in early talks to direct the film for Sony. Studio sources say that while no official greenlight has been given, the studio is already eyeing a June production start date. Sony had no comment.
Bobin will be stepping in for Phil Lord and Chris Miller, who directed the first two pics but are unable to direct the crossover due to their commitment to the “Han Solo” pic they’re helming at Disney. Lord and Miller are still on as producers along with Neil Moritz.
Jonah Hill and Channing Tatum will return to reprise their roles as Jenko and Schmidt, respectively. The two are also producing. As for Agent Jay and Agent Kay, execs have already made »
- Justin Kroll
Tony Dyson, Creator of ‘Star Wars’ Droid R2-D2, Dies at 68
20 hours ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
Tony Dyson, the man who helped the create the R2-D2 robot for the “Star Wars” films, has died. He was 68. According to multiple media reports overseas, police found his body at his home in Gozo, an island in Malta, after being called by concerned neighbors. Police suspect no foul play. R2-D2, who first appeared in 1977’s “Star Wars: A New Hope,” was designed by Ralph McQuarrie and John Stears. Dyson, however, was the one who created the two physical models for the film, one of which included the one that could be worn by actor Kenny Baker. Also Read: 'Star Wars:. »
- Beatrice Verhoeven
Spider-Man Spinoff ‘Venom’ Gets New Life at Sony With ‘Edge of Tomorrow’ Writer
14 hours ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
The long-gestating Spider-Man spinoff “Venom” has gotten new life at Sony, which has hired Dante Harper to write the script, an individual familiar with the project has told TheWrap. Avi Arad and Matt Tolmach are producing the movie, which is expected to launch a franchise that exists separately from the upcoming Spider-Man movies starring Tom Holland. In the Spidey comics, Venom is a villainous alien symbiote who needs a human host to survive, and imbues that person with super powers. Topher Grace played the comic book character in “Spider-Man 3.” Harper worked on Tom Cruise‘s acclaimed action movie “Edge of Tomorrow” and. »
- Jeff Sneider
‘Lady Gaga’ Says She’s Returning To ‘American Horror Story’ — But No Details
18 hours ago | Deadline TV | See recent Deadline TV news »
It’s looking like Lady Gaga will be returning to American Horror Story. Gaga, who won a Golden Globe for her role as The Countess in American Horror Story: Hotel, answered “Yes” when asked if she’d be back on FX’s horror anthology series in a radio interview this morning with Z100. She didn’t offer any details, though, as to character or timing. FX has ordered an untitled sixth season of the franchise co-created by Ryan Murphy and Brad Falchuk for premiere sometime this… »
We have exclusive details on that mysterious Rogen/Hader/Galifianakis comedy
17 hours ago | Hitfix | See recent Hitfix news »
Rodney Rothman is a spectacularly funny guy, and yet I'd wager that many of the audiences who have laughed their faces off at a joke he wrote have never heard his name. That will most likely change after the opening of what Universal is calling Untitled Zach Galifianakis/Bill Hader/Seth Rogen R-Rated Comedy, which Rothman is directing from his own original script. I've known Rothman for a while now. We first met on Forgetting Sarah Marshall, and right after that, I tracked down his book, Early Bird: A Memoir Of Premature Retirement. He was a writer for Late Night With David Letterman when he was 21 years old, and at 24, he was promoted to head writer. That's the job he left before writing Early Bird, but he didn't stay unemployed for long. He wrote some episodes of Undeclared and Committed. He tried to get an Early Bird TV show off the ground. »
- Drew McWeeny
Carla Gugino and More Are Returning For ‘Wayward Pines’ Season Two
16 hours ago | Slash Film | See recent Slash Film news »
Wayward Pines is returning to Fox. Produced by M. Night Shyamalan and created by Chad Hodge, the show was originally planned as a 10-episode series. After it performed well with viewers, Fox decided to bring the show back, but only a few cast members are returning. If you haven’t seen all of Wayward Pines season one, then spoilers are ahead. I only got halfway through […]
The post Carla Gugino and More Are Returning For ‘Wayward Pines’ Season Two appeared first on /Film. »
- Jack Giroux
Disney Developing ‘Nutcracker’ Pic; Lasse Hallstrom to Direct
15 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Disney is developing “The Nutcracker and the Four Realms” with Lasse Holstrom set to direct, continuing its model of developing classic fairy tales.
The project is based on “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” by E.T.A. Hoffmann, with Ashleigh Powell onboard to write the script.
The story, which has been adapted into a wildly popular ballet, follows young girl Clara, who receives a nutcracker doll from her godfather on Christmas Eve. When the girl goes to check on it later that night, the clock strikes 12 and she finds herself thrust into a fantastical world where she is in the middle of a war between gingerbread soldiers and an army of mice.
Mark Gordon is producing with Lindy Goldstein is executive producing. Sam Dickerman and Allison Erlikhman are overseeing the project for Disney with Sara Smith overseeing for the Mark Gordon Company.
Powell is currently developing The New York Times best-selling »
- Justin Kroll
Film Review: ‘Time Was Endless’
4 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
A terrific idea is unevenly realized in Sergio Andrade and Fabio Baldo’s disappointing “Time Was Endless,” an attempt to explore the limbo of a young Amazonian native caught between tribal life and the modernity of Manaus. Striving for, but unable to approach, the lyricism of Andrade’s 2012 feature debut, “Jonathas’ Forest” (which was edited by Baldo), the pic needs a tighter script to tie together the awkwardly assembled elements of metafiction, drama and magical realism. Notwithstanding strong scenes, especially at the start, “Time” won’t be stopping long on the fest merry-go-round, though a gay component assures some rotation on the Lgbt circuit.
There’s much promise in the opening sequences, in which tribesmen sedate fire ants and then insert the insects into a specially woven mitt used in an initiation ritual on 11-year-old Anderson (Thiago Almeida). Shot like a documentary, yet without the usual exoticizing elements that so »
- Jay Weissberg
Pat Conroy, Author of ‘The Prince of Tides,’ ‘The Great Santini,’ Dies at 70
6 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Pat Conroy, the South Carolina author of bestsellers including “The Prince of Tides,” “The Great Santini” and “The Lords of Discipline,” died Friday in Beaufort, S.C. He was 70 and had been battling pancreatic cancer.
Conroy was known for his family novels and memoirs that were often based on his life and featured a lush, florid writing style.
Conroy’s wife, novelist Cassandra Conroy, said in a statement, “The water is wide and he has now passed over.”
“The Prince of Tides” was adapted as a 1986 film starring Nick Nolte and Barbra Streisand. “The Great Santini,” which was made into a film starring Robert Duvall, was drawn from Conroy’s experiences as the oldest of seven children of an abusive Marine Corps colonel.
The 1980 adaptation of “The Lords of Discipline” was also inspired by his life, as a cadet at the Citadel military academy.
His other books included “My Losing Season, »
- Pat Saperstein
Pat Conroy, Author of ‘The Prince of Tides,’ Dies at 70
7 hours ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
Pat Conroy, the South Carolina-based novelist whose works included best-sellers “The Prince of Tides” and “The Great Santini,” died Friday at his home in Beaufort, S.C., according to the Beaufort Gazette. He was 70 and had been battling pancreatic cancer. Conroy shared an Oscar nomination with Becky Johnston for the screenplay for director Barbra Streisand‘s 1991 screen adaptation of his 1986 best-seller “The Prince of Tides.” The film, starring Nick Nolte as a troubled man who falls for his suicidal sister’s psychiatrist (Streisand), received seven total Academy Award nominations, including for Best Picture. Conroy’s rich and often autobiographical novels were frequently adapted for. »
- Thom Geier
Samsung Is Not Buying Tidal, Company Says
10 hours ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
Samsung is not planning to buy Jay Z’s streaming music service Tidal, despite speculation that a deal was in the works. “The rumor of Samsung acquiring Tidal is not true,” a Samsung spokesperson told TheWrap on Friday afternoon. Electronics giant Samsung had reportedly restarted talks to acquire the digital music subscription service owned by Beyonce’s husband and backed by a bevy of high-profile music megastars, according to a report in the New York Post late last week. Also Read: Tidal Cuts Two More Execs, as Revolving Door Keeps Spinning However, Samsung confirmed that there will be no purchase »
- Debbie Emery
Joseph Gordon-Levitt’s ‘Sandman’ Advances With ‘Conjuring 2’ Writer
10 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Eric Heisserer has been hired to write the script for New Line’s “The Sandman,” with Joseph Gordon-Levitt directing and starring.
The project was set up at Warner Bros. in 2013 with Gordon-Levitt coming aboard to produce with “The Dark Knight” screenwriter David Goyer for an adaptation of the DC Comics title. At the time, Gordon-Levitt had made his feature directorial debut on “Don Jon” and was eyeing the project as a possible directing and starring vehicle.
“The Sandman” was published by DC Comics for 75 issues between 1989 and 1996. It centers on the character Dream, also known as the Lord of Dreams, Morpheus, Oneiros, the Shaper, the Shaper of Form, Lord of the Dreaming, the Dream King, Dream-Sneak, Dream Cat, Murphy, Kai’ckul and Lord L’Zoril.
At the start of the series, the Morpheus character was captured and held prisoner for 70 years before escaping into the modern day and rebuilding his kingdom, »
- Dave McNary
Free Latin American VOD Platform Retina Latina Launches
10 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
In an unprecedented bid, six film institutes from Mexico and Central America have pooled their resources to jointly launch Retina Latina, a free-of-charge VOD streaming platform of feature films, shorts and docus from their respective countries. The new initiative addresses the paltry exchange and distribution of Latino pics within the region. The film institutes of Bolivia, Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Mexico and Uruguay have banded together for the initiative, with Colombia’s Proimagenes handling its administration and Banco Interamericano de Desarollo (Bid) providing support.
Retina Latina launches at the Cartagena Intl. Film Festival on March 4 and at its Mexican counterpart, Guadalajara, on March 8. The new streaming platform will include news and information on audiovisual projects across the region.
The Retina Latina slate offers a range of films, shorts and docus dating ranging from the late ’80s to as recent as three years ago, said Yenny Alexandra Chaverra from the film office »
- Anna Marie de la Fuente
'Cosby' son charges media with double standard: 'Roman Polanski is still celebrated'
11 hours ago | Hitfix | See recent Hitfix news »
Back in October, Malcolm-Jamal Warner -- who played Bill Cosby's son on eight seasons of The Cosby Show -- spoke out for the first time on allegations by over 50 women that the comedian had drugged and/or sexually assaulted them, saying in part: "My biggest concern is when it comes to images of people of color on television and film, no matter what ... negative stereotypes of people of color, we've always had 'The Cosby Show' to hold up against that. And the fact that we no longer have that, that's the thing that saddens me the most because in a few generations the Huxtables will have been just a fairy tale." Today, during an appearance on daytime talker The Real, Warner again held forth on the allegations, noting that while The Cosby Show has since been pulled from syndication, the films and TV shows of other prominent »
- Chris Eggertsen
Mandalay Bolsters Slate Following ‘Birth of a Nation’ Sale (Exclusive)
11 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
Mandalay Pictures has unveiled a trio of new projects shepherded by VP Jason Michael Berman following the Sundance sale of Nate Parker’s “The Birth of a Nation,” Variety has learned exclusively.
Mandalay recently bought David M. Crabtree’s script “Phasic,” which follows a young woman who is pursued by a group of supernatural hitmen after she gains the power to transform physical objects with her imagination. Crabtree, a Clio Award-winning commercial director, also wrote “For All Time” for Lionsgate.
Mandalay has also purchased “Apex” from Black List writers Dan Frey and Russell Sommer, centering on an up-and-coming female Mma fighter sidelined by a devastating injury. When a cutting-edge genetic research company offers her a unique chance to step back into the ring, she has to fight to keep her humanity alive.
Frey and Sommer developed “Apex” with visual effects expert Steven Ilous, who will direct. Ilous worked on “The »
- Dave McNary
Courteney Cox’s Assistant Cast in Fox Comedy Pilot ‘Charity Case’
11 hours ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
Diona Reasonover has been cast in “Charity Case,” Courteney Cox’s Fox pilot, Variety has learned exclusively. She will play Cox’s on-screen assistant in the comedy.
“Charity Case” revolves around Hailey (Cox), who inherits her late billionaire husband’s charity but quickly finds that changing the world is far less glamorous than she had imagined.
Reasonover will play Kara, Hailey’s new assistant at the charity foundation’s headquarters. The character is described as upbeat, idealistic to a fault and thrilled to have landed the job, but she’s in for a rude shock after getting to see Hailey up close and personal.
“Charity Case” also stars Kyle Bornheimer, Isiah Whitlock, Jr. and Dan Gill. Cox will pull double duty as an exec producer, along with writer Robert Padnick, who penned the pilot and James Griffiths, who is set to direct. ABC Studios and 20th Century Fox are producing. »
- Elizabeth Wagmeister
TV News Roundup: Julia Louis-Dreyfus Producing HBO Miniseries, ‘Legends of the Hidden Temple’ Reboot Casts Young Star
11 hours ago | Variety - TV News | See recent Variety - TV News news »
In today’s news roundup, Julia Louis-Dreyfus is set to produce an HBO miniseries, plus Nickelodeon’s “Legends of the Hidden Temple” reboot has cast one of its stars.
Casting News:
Nickelodeon’s recently announced “Legends of the Hidden Temple” reboot has cast young actor Jet Jurgensmeyer, Variety has learned exclusively.
Jurgensmeyer will play Dudley, the youngest brother in the family who has the ability to talk to animals, sans snakes, and befriends a green monkey named Mikey who accompanies the kids through the temple.
His former credits include “Black-ish,” “Hot in Cleveland” and “American Sniper.” Up next, he will be seen in Disney’s “Adventures of Babysitting” revival movie. He is repped by Osbrink Talent Agency and Discover Management.
Development:
Julia Louis-Dreyfus is attached to exec produce “Soldier Girls,” a miniseries in development at HBO, Variety has confirmed.
Based on “Soldier Girls: The Battles of Three Women at »
- Jacob Bryant
Film Review: ‘The Prison in Twelve Landscapes’
11 hours ago | Variety - Film News | See recent Variety - Film News news »
More than 2.2 million people are incarcerated in the United States, up from 300,000 people 40 years ago, but not only are stats like those absent from Brett Story’s inspired documentary, “The Prison in Twelve Landscapes,” the actual prisons are missing as well. Rather than examine the prison-industrial complex from the inside, Story crisscrosses the country and attacks the issue from varied and surprising angles — some as direct as a Kentucky mining town kept afloat by a federal pen, others as roundabout as a Los Angeles playground designed to ward off registered sex offenders. While the doc eventually tilts into righteous anger, its ingenious conceit subtly and artfully registers how mass incarceration affects society in ways the public can’t always see. The conceptual hook may confine its appeal, but “The Prison in Twelve Landscapes” is poised to tunnel into more adventurous festivals and outlets after its True/False premiere.
Composed of 12 vignettes, »
- Scott Tobias
This fan made Ghostbusters trailer is everything a Ghostbusters trailer should b
11 hours ago | Hitfix | See recent Hitfix news »
They ain't afraid of that theme song. When the first Ghostbusters trailer was unveiled one of the first things I noticed was that it teased the theme song, but never really delivered. It left me with the desire to go seek it out, which may be the intent, or may have been a misstep. This fan made trailer doesn't pull back at all, and in some ways is everything we want in a Ghostbusters trailer. Take a look and let us know what you think. Do you prefer this one to the trailer Sony released? »
- Roth Cornet
Hillary Clinton Joins Fox News’ Democratic Town Hall
11 hours ago | The Wrap | See recent The Wrap news »
Hillary Clinton has joined Bernie Sanders in Fox News’ upcoming Democratic town hall, set to be held next week. The event, the first Democratic town hall held on the network this election cycle, is set to be held on Monday, March 7, one day before the primary in Michigan. Bret Baier will moderate the event, which will air during a special edition of his program, “Special Report.” It will be staged at the Gem Theatre in Detroit before an audience of Michigan voters. Also read: Hell Freezes Over: Fox News to Host Democratic Town Hall Clinton had previously not been expected to attend due. »
- Reid Nakamura
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