On Wednesday, Skydance announced that it hired Pixar veteran John Lasseter to head its animation division. The decision is bound to come under scrutiny, given the fact that Lasseter was ousted from Pixar in the midst of a sexual harassment scandal. In a memo to staff, CEO David Ellison attempted to explain the decision, and
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Former Pixar chief John Lasseter has been named head of Skydance Animation. The hire comes after Lasseter has been trying, and largely failing, to drum up interest from studios in recent months, having met with Warner Bros. and other players. Many major studios and technology companies were wary of partnering with Lasseter because he was
Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel, who wrote “Splash,” “Parenthood,” and “City Slickers,” have been named the recipients of the Writers Guild of America West’s 2019 Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement. The duo will be honored at the WGA West’s Writers Guild Awards L.A. show on Feb. 17 at the Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, Calif.
The holidays may be over, but “The Grinch” is still riding high on Yuletide spirit. Illumination and Universal’s animated adventure, based on the classic Dr. Seuss tale, surpassed $500 million at the worldwide box office. With Tuesday’s ticket sales, “The Grinch” joins the company of “Despicable Me 2,” Despicable Me 3,” “Minions,” “The Secret Life
Anne Hathaway and Tim Robbins are set to co-star opposite Mark Ruffalo in Participant’s untitled legal drama focused on the scandal revolving around the DuPont chemical company. Bill Camp, Victor Garber, Mare Winningham, William Jackson Harper, and Bill Pullman round out the cast. “Carol” helmer Todd Haynes is directing the movie from a script by
A tribute to the late Stan Lee has been set for Jan. 30 at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood with Kevin Smith hosting. Proceeds from the event, dubbed Excelsior! A Stan Lee Celebration, will benefit one of Lee’s favorite charities: the Hero Initiative, which supports comic book creators, artists, and writers in need. Lee
January 9, 2019 9:25AM PT Sheroum Kim, a vice president of production at STX Films, has been named director of independent films at Netflix. The latest in a string of pedigreed hires in the content group at the streamer, Kim will report to content acquisitions head Matt Brodlie as soon as next week. Brodlie is also the co-head
Kevin Hart seems to have fully closed the door on any possibility that he will host the Oscars. During a Wednesday appearance on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” the “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” star gave an emphatic “no” when asked if he would take on the emcee role. “I’m not hosting the Oscars this year,”
On the set of “Wonder Woman 1984,” during its final days of production in London, director Patty Jenkins is completing a series of elaborate shots in quick succession. “These days, there are difficult things to shoot,” she says. “This is not that difficult; it’s just the directions and the multitasking. And it is so interesting
Joni Mitchell’s birthday party is making its way to the big screen. Fans who lamented they weren’t able to attend a sold-out pair of all-star Mitchell tribute concerts in L.A. two months ago will get their chance when Trafalgar Releasing puts a filmed version of the shows into theaters nationwide for a one-night screening February
“The Favourite” lived up to its name with the British Academy of Film and Television Arts, which graced the homegrown period drama with a commanding 12 film award nominations Wednesday. But Bradley Cooper and Alfonso Cuaron made history, Glenn Close gained some momentum and Spike Lee got some love. Here are 10 takeaways from this year’s
In “Finnish Blood, Swedish Heart,” Finland’s Mika Ronkainen, best known for his documentaries – 2003’s “Screaming Men,” 2009’s “Freetime Machos” – portrays the dislocation of 1970s Finnish emigrants in Sweden via a father-and-son musical road movie. For “All the Sins,” a Nordisk Film & TV Fond Prize entry written with Merja Aakko, Ronkainen takes very
January 9, 2019 12:07AM PT Hollywood actor George Eads, a veteran of “CSI: Crime Scene Investigation” and “MacGuyver” has confirmed to star in Korean-produced war movie “Jangsari 9.15”. The movie is directed by renowned Korean filmmaker Kwak Kyung-taek (“Friend”). Production is by Taewon Entertainment, a leading production firm headed by Chung Taewon. The company previously
The campaign to create new studio space in the U.K. continues apace, with a new plan to build a major studio in Scotland in the works. PSL Land, the team behind the thwarted Pentland Studios project, has now shifted its attention to a different site near Edinburgh, the Scottish capital, as the home of an
“The Favourite” has scored 12 nominations at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts’ movie awards, far outpacing the rest of the pack. Behind it came “Bohemian Rhapsody,” “First Man,” “Roma” and “A Star Is Born” with seven BAFTA nominations apiece. “Vice” garnered six noms, “BlacKkKlansman” five, and “Cold War” and “Green Book” four each.
Four Indian film directors, Mahesh Manjrekar, Pradeep Sarkar, Priyadarshan and Aniruddha Roy Chowdhury, who have each won the National Award, have joined forces to shoot “Invisible Masks.” The adaptation of four short stories, the film tackles homosexuality, mental illness, people leading double lives, and other hot button social issues in India. The film is a
A little rebrand never hurt anyone, especially when it nets $3.5 million for people in need. Actor and philanthropist Sean Penn threw an annual pre-Golden Globes fundraiser for his charity — formerly called J/S HRO, his new organization exists now as CORE. Community Organized Relief Efforts was conceived to aide in natural disaster relief and
In today’s film news roundup, Tom Hanks will present Alan Alda with a life achievement award, a new literary management company launches, and documentaries “Sharkwater Extinction” and “Pavarotti” are acquired. HONORS Tom Hanks will present the SAG life achievement award to Alan Alda during the 25th annual Screen Actors Guild Awards on Jan. 27. Hanks
Universal Pictures is moving Jordan Peele’s horror-thriller “Us” back a week to March 22 to build more buzz following its selection as the opening title of the South by Southwest Film Festival. “Us,” which follows a family confronted by a group of doppelgängers, stars Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, and Elisabeth Moss. Nyong’o and Duke play
Jordan Peele’s horror-thriller “Us” will launch the 26th edition of the South by Southwest Film Festival on March 8. “Us,” which follows a family confronted by a group of doppelgängers, stars Lupita Nyong’o, Winston Duke, and Elisabeth Moss. Nyong’o and Duke play a couple who are taking their children to their beach house. The movie
The Directors Guild of America is largely considered the top Oscar season barometer. Only twice has a film won the Academy Award for best picture without a nomination from this group: Laurence Olivier’s “Hamlet” in 1948 and Bruce Beresford’s “Driving Miss Daisy” in 1989. So with those statistics in tow, and with this year’s DGA
The Directors Guild of America has nominated Alfonso Cuaron for “Roma,” Bradley Cooper for “A Star Is Born,” Spike Lee for “BlacKkKlansman,” Adam McKay for “Vice,” and Peter Farrelly for “Green Book” for its top feature film award. Cooper also received a DGA nomination for its first-time director award on Tuesday, along with Bo Burnham
The British Academy of Film and Television Arts will announce the nominations for its 72nd Awards on Wednesday from its London headquarters near Piccadilly Circus. Early birds in the U.K. and Continental Europe and night owls in North America can watch this year’s announcement via live stream on BAFTA’s official Facebook page beginning Wednesday at 7:30 a.m.
The American Society of Cinematographers, in celebration of the organization’s 100th anniversary, has revealed its list of 100 milestone films in the art and craft of cinematography from the 20th century. The list culminates with a top 10, topped by Freddie Young’s lensing of David Lean’s Oscar-winning 1962 epic “Lawrence of Arabia.” Jordan Cronenweth’s work
Starting later this month, fans of upcoming manga-turned-film “Alita: Battle Angle” will be able to visit the iconic Kansas Bar and walk the streets of Iron City as part of an immersive experience opening in Austin, Los Angeles, and New York. “Passport to Iron City” is described as an immersive experience based in the world
January 8, 2019 6:01AM PT Yonfan, prince of sensuous Hong Kong cinema, will make a return to the big screen this year with his first new feature in a decade. The picture will be his first animation. “No. 7 Cherry Lane,” is the story of a love triangle involving a university student, a single mother
Warner Bros. and Mattel have set a partnership to bring the world-renowned Barbie franchise to theaters in its first ever live-action feature film, starring Academy Award-nominated actress Margot Robbie as the title character. “This project is a great start to our partnership with Ynon and Mattel Films,” said Toby Emmerich, chairman of Warner Bros. Pictures
Growing up, Lindsay Lohan was thrilled when she saw herself in a trashy magazine. “The first time I was in a tabloid,” she says, “I was like, ‘Oh, my God, I feel like Britney Spears!’ because she was in a tabloid and I felt cool. Little did I know what would happen from there.” Lohan
The 42nd edition of the Goteborg Film Festival will open on a light note with Miia Tervo’s romantic comedy “Aurora,” which marks the Finnish director’s feature debut. Also set to compete in the Nordic and Audentia sections, “Aurora” marks Tervo’s follow up to her critically acclaimed documentary short, “Lumikko,” which was nominated at the European
Entertainment One is to see all its theatrical film distribution operations in Australia and New Zealand handled in future by Universal Pictures International. The new arrangement comes into effect from April. UPI is already handling eOne collaborations with Amblin Partners and Participant Media, including Golden Globe winner “Green Book,” and “On The Basis of Sex.”