For Warner Bros. chief Kevin Tsujihara, job one in the restructuring of WarnerMedia assets unveiled Monday is make the studio a major player in the business of kids, family, and young adult entertainment. The decision to move Cartoon Network, Adult Swim, and Boomerang under the studio’s management is an effort to better marry the linear
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Writers Guild of America West president David A. Goodman has announced that the guild is at an impasse with Hollywood agents in negotiations over tough new rules. Goodman made the assertion in a message to members on Monday. The guild and the Association of Talent Agents have held two acrimonious sessions on Feb. 5 and
Berkeley-based animation studio Tonko House, founded by the creators of the 2015 Oscar-nominated short “The Dam Keeper,” has big plans for 2019, starting with a slate of four projects in development, including a feature-length version “The Dam Keeper.” Until recently, “The Dam Keeper” feature had been in development at 20th Century Fox, but following Fox’s
Ari Greenburg, president of WME, has asked the agency’s writer clients to push the Writers Guild of America to commit to good-faith negotiations. Greeenburg issued the memo Monday following four town-hall meetings at the agency’s Beverly Hills headquarters that were attended by hundreds of writers. WME has encouraged clients to push guild leaders to back
March 4, 2019 11:32AM PT Dev Patel is in negotiations to star in David Lowery and A24’s “Green Knight,” a retelling of the medieval tale of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.” Lowery, who previously worked with A24 on 2017’s “A Ghost Story,” will direct the fantasy epic. Lowery, Toby Halbrooks, and James M. Johnston
MADRID — Mediapro, one of Europe’s biggest independent film-TV groups, has tapped Spanish writer-showrunner Diego San José, co-scribe of the smash-hit “Spanish Affair” movie franchise, to develop exclusive new TV fiction contents. San José has previously been involved in two Mediapro projects, as co-writer and co-creator of political comedy “Vota Juan,” a co-production with Turner
Eight years in, the Sun Valley Film Festival, running March 13-17, has established itself as a laid-back, picturesque event, where you’re as likely to be struck by the beauty of the setting — in the shadow of Idaho’s Bald Mountain — as by the films on screen. Per executive director Teddy Grennan, this Idaho resort
Tyler Perry has spent over 15 years in heavy make-up and padding, doling out tough love as the title character of the “Madea” movies. With “A Madea Family Funeral,” the gun-toting grandmother is going out with a bang. The 11th and final installment in the long-running franchise beat box office expectations when it opened last
Director Jordan Vogt-Roberts says “the ball’s in Oscar’s court” in regards to Oscar Isaac portraying Solid Snake in the upcoming “Metal Gear Solid” film, according to a tweet Sunday. Isaac, best known for portraying Poe Dameron in “Star Wars,” expressed his interest in playing Solid Snake in the upcoming “Metal Gear Solid” movie during an
AT&T has implemented a massive overhaul of WarnerMedia’s senior management team, bringing major structural changes to HBO, Turner and Warner Bros. as it looks to streamline operations and ramp up original content for the streaming era. Former NBC Entertainment and Showtime chief Bob Greenblatt has signed on as chairman of WarnerMedia Entertainment and direct to
Netflix is hitting back at Steven Spielberg’s efforts to stop the streaming service from being nominated for Oscars. Without mentioning the “Jaws” and “Jurassic Park” director by name, the company released a statement on Twitter arguing that it loved cinema and was providing more people with access to films. “We love cinema. Here are some
BARCELONA – Spanish production company Good Mood has initiated a co-operation agreement with Madrid’s ECAM Film School aimed at creating professional internships for university alumni. Madrid-based Good Mood was founded by Daniel Écija, a veteran producer and showrunner behind more than 30 TV series including, when Ecija was a senior executive at Globomedia, recent titles
“How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” flew off with the weekend box office win in China, clipping the wings of “Alita: Battle Angel,” which had reigned for just one week. Oscar-winner “Green Book” also opened impressively, placing third. “Dragon” earned $33 million, according to data from exhibition and distribution consultancy Artisan Gateway, having
March 3, 2019 7:04PM PT The Michael Jackson estate has taken one last swipe at the documentary “Leaving Neverland,” which alleges that the late singer sexually abused boys, by releasing a concert film on YouTube the exact length of the first part of the documentary, which airs on HBO Sunday night. The Jackson estate’s Twitter
March 3, 2019 2:27PM PT “Green Book” can thank the Academy for its notable bump in ticket sales. After taking home the Oscar for best picture Sunday night, the road-trip drama about a friendship between a bigoted bouncer and a famed black musician generated $4.7 million at the North American box office. Universal’s “Green Book,”
Universal and DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” is soaring atop the international box office, thanks in part to its $33.4 million debut in China. The third and final installment in the animated series has now crossed $275 million overseas, bringing its global haul to $375 million. “How to Train Your Dragon
Reports that Steven Spielberg will be proposing a rule change at the next Academy meeting that will make it more difficult for Netflix films to compete at the Oscars has sparked debate online among the film community, with several arguing in favor of Netflix or pointing out that the situation is more complicated than theatrical
After a close race for the top spot in North America, Universal and DreamWorks’ “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” pulled ahead to secure the domestic box office crown. The final installment in the “Dragon” trilogy stayed strong, adding another $30 million in its second weekend of release. The animated adventure is just
A different version of “The Sower,” Marine Francen’s poised and petite freshman feature, might have included the extended, rather remarkable story behind its literary source. Aged 84, former village schoolteacher Violette Ailhaud wrote her autobiographical short story “L’homme semence” in 1919, passing it to an attorney with clear instructions that it be given to her
The Chinese government has exhorted filmmakers to turn the country into a “strong film power” like the U.S. by 2035 and called for the production of 100 movies a year that each earn more than RMB100 million ($15 million) as part of a push to increase China’s soft power. The targets were set by Wang
March 2, 2019 1:01PM PT Steven Spielberg, who has been a familiar voice in the outcry against Netflix films receiving equal treatment at the Oscars as theatrical releases, will speak about the issue at the next Academy meeting. Spielberg, as the Academy Governor of the directors branch, will be supporting changes to the awards rules
March 2, 2019 11:10AM PT Johnny Depp has reportedly filed a lawsuit for defamation against his ex-wife Amber Heard over the op-ed she wrote in the Washington Post back in December, which detailed her alleged experiences with domestic violence without naming Depp. The suit, which is for $50 million, says Heard “is not a victim
Releasing alternate or expanded versions of big-hit movies into theaters isn’t a new idea. The first one I remember seeing was “Close Encounters of the Third Kind: The Special Edition,” which opened in the late summer of 1980, three years after the original. The new version was a pet project of Steven Spielberg, who had
In today’s film news roundup, Hugh Jackman’s thriller gets distribution, Teyonah Parris is heading to the “Candyman” reboot, and SAG-AFTRA pickets in Brentwood. ACQUISITION Warner Bros. has acquired worldwide distribution rights to the thriller “Reminiscence,” starring Hugh Jackman and Rebecca Ferguson. Lisa Joy, executive producer of “Westworld,” will make her feature directorial debut on the
March 1, 2019 4:56PM PT Guillermo del Toro is attached to write and direct the action movie “Zanbato” for Paramount and J.J. Abrams‘ Bad Robot. The logline is under wraps. “Zanbato” centers on a young girl with lethal fighting skills. Del Toro posted Friday on his Twitter account that the project has been in development
Michael J. Fox opened up about a new spinal cord problem he’s been facing, in addition to his ongoing battle with Parkinson’s disease, in a new interview with New York Times Magazine. “I was told it was benign but if it stayed static I would have diminished feeling in my legs and difficulty moving,” he
March 1, 2019 4:13PM PT Will Forte is set to voice the iconic character Shaggy in Warner Bros.’ animated Scooby-Doo film, titled “Scooby.” Gina Rodriguez is also joining the voice cast as Velma. Chris Columbus is on board as a creative producer with Tony Cervone directing the new project. Plot details are unknown other than
Tyler Perry’s “A Madea Family Funeral” is challenging “How to Train Your Dragon: The Hidden World” for the top spot at the domestic box office, early estimates showed on Friday. The 11th installment of Lionsgate’s Madea franchise is performing at the top end of expectations, with an opening of about $23 million at 2,442 sites
March 1, 2019 12:50PM PT Finn Wolfhard and Carrie Coon are in talks to star in Sony’s latest installment in the “Ghostbusters” franchise, sources tell Variety. Jason Reitman is directing the pic and has also co-written a screenplay with Gil Kenan. He plans to shoot the film this summer, with Sony planning to release the
March 1, 2019 12:26PM PT Frank Grillo is joining Ryan Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson in “The Hitman’s Wife’s Bodyguard,” the sequel to “The Hitman’s Bodyguard.” Salma Hayek will be returning as well. The original movie, released in the summer of 2017, grossed $75.5 million in the U.S. and more than $176 million globally. Patrick