Studio Briefs & Project Development Briefs – Feb 25, 2015

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25 Feb 2015

Studiobriefs03

We will be providing briefs of what comes out of the studios or independent project development on a daily basis and summarizing them in daily posts.   These will be a quick way to attempt to keep everyone updated on movement of projects.   This post is updated throughout the day.  So check back for the latest updates.

 

NON-SPECIFIC (NOT SPECIFIC TO A GIVEN ENTITY)

 

ABC/DISNEY/AMC FAMILY/LIFETIME

  • Disney has given a straight-to-series order on a spinoff of it’s comedy series Jessie, which wraps its run following four seasons and 101 episodes.   Jesse creator Pamela Eells O’Connell will executive produce with production to begin in the Spring.   The Untitled series will star Peyton List(Emma), Karan Brar (Ravi)and Skai Jackson (Zuri Ross).
  • Disney has released a preview of their newest short Frozen Fever starring Anna (Kristen Bell), Elsa (Idina Menzel), Olaf (Josh Gad), Kristoff (Jonathan Groff) and Sven.  Check out the preview:

 

 

AMC NETWORKS/AMC ENTERTAINMENT/A&E

 

 

CBS/CW/CBSFILMS/SHOWTIME

  • American’s Next Top Model cycle 21 contestant Mirjana Puhar was one of three people killed in a home in Charlotte, North Carolina late Tuesday night.  She was 19 years old and competed in cycle 21 which aired the finale on December 5, 2014.  Nineteen-year-old suspect Emmanuel Jesus Rangel is charged with three counts of first-degree murder.   Rangel has also been charged with another slaying in the town of Microtel motel in Matthews.   Preliminary information indicates that the victims knew each other and the killings were drug related according to the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department.Puhar was born in Serbia and after the Kosova War, the family fled to the use with nothing but $540 to their name.  They moved to North Carolina about ten years ago where Puhar attended East Mecklenburg then Queens Grant High in Mint hill before she dropped out and earned her GED at 16 years of age.  She attended Central Piedmont Community College.Officers responded to the home around 5 PM on Tuesday, from an anonymous clip where the caller claimed that shots were heard inside the residence.  Upon arrival the police found three people dead inside the home.  The other victims were identified and listed in The Charlotte-Observer.

 

 

DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION (AOL, AMAZON, HULU, NETFLIX, YAHOO)

 

 

DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)

  • All3Media have named Jane Turton the new CEO of their UK-Headquartered production firm.  Turton had been the managing director before being promoted to CEO “to lead the global production company into its next phase of growth and creative excellence.” Her role as CEO begins immediately.  Turton has been with All3Media since October 2008 and had been leading their business on an interim basis after the previous CEO left.   All3Media had been acquired  by Discovery Communications and Liberty Global last year.  Discovery’s Executive VP of Corporate Development, James Rosenstock had this statement: Jane Turton has done an outstanding job of leading All3Media with a winning combination of creative acumen and operational excellence.” Liberty Global also commented via their President Niall Curran:”After a global search for a new CEO, Jane was the resounding and clear choice to lead All3Media’s business in 2015 and beyond.”  Twenty production and distribution companies make up All3Media, which continues to operate with an independent management team, led by Turton and with creative autonomy.  Turton gave a statement after being named to her new post, vowing to continue the firm’s global growth: “I am delighted to become CEO of All3Media, it’s a hugely exciting time to be leading an international production company. With its wealth of incredible talent and breadth of award winning content All3Media is in prime position to take full advantage of the opportunities opening up in the ever changing content market.”

 

 

DREAMWORKS /DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

 

FOX ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/FOX SEARCHLIGHT

  • In reaction to the continued banter between Fox’s The Factor‘s Bill O’Reilly and Mother Jones over O’Reilly’s work in the Falkland War in 1982,  Jon Stewart, last night on The Daily Show, defended Bill O’Reilly (or did he?).  “Really? We’re going after O’Reilly for exaggerating being in a war zone?” Steward teased. “I don’t know if you watch his program. Misrepresenting ‘The Zone’ he is in is kind of his hook,” Stewart insisted. “‘You’re in the No Spin Zone’ are the words he utters before throwing to some jackass that disproves global warming by walking around Boston pointing at snow. On a network who’s slogan is a textbook case of trolling. No one’s watching him for the actual truth,” Stewart insisted.
  • THR Exclusive:  Rumors Swirl as Jennifer Salke Re-Ups Deal
  • American Horror Story: Hotel Season 5 of the show will see Lady Gaga.  The woman herself tweeted the following:

    Clues have been sprinkled across Season 4 as to what the theme for season 5, and how all of the previous four seasons are connected will be according to Ryan Murphy, co-creator of the series.   Season 5 will premiere This Fall in October.

  • Fox News Channel not only defends The Factor‘s Bill O’Reilly over the issue of his  TV journalism coverage in El Salvador and Dallas, now being called into question, but have stated that the following: “Bill O’Reilly has already addressed several claims leveled against him, the network said in a statement. “This is nothing more than an orchestrated campaign by far left advocates Mother Jones and Media Matters. Responding to the unproven accusation du jour has become an exercise in futility. Fox News maintains its staunch support of O’Reilly, who is no stranger to calculated onslaughts.”  Read more
  • THR Exclusive:  Steven Tyler Lawyer Loses First Amendment Battle Over American Idol Negotiations – An appeals court concludes that while the public is enamored with the reality singing competition, there’s no evidence of public interest in back-stage talent negotiations for the show

 

 

MGM, ORION, UNITED ARTISTS

 

NBC/UNIVERSAL STUDIOS/USA NETWORK/COMCAST

 

 

LIONSGATE

  • Starz CEO Chris Albrecht posted Q4 earnings of $77.4Mil compared to previous year’s earnings of $72.5 Mil and $80 Mil in earnings  attributable to stockholders, compared with $73.3 Mil a year ago, exceeding Wall Street expectations.  Operating profits rose from $103.4 Mil to $136.1 Mil (increasing 31%), but Starz also said that operating income before depreciation and amoritzation rose 27% to $148.3 Mil. Revenues went up 3% to $425.6 Mil from previous year of $414.7 Mil.   Subscriptions were also up in Q4 to 23.3 Mil from previous high of 22.5 Mil. Total company subscriptions at the end of 2014 up to 57.3 Mil compared to 57.1 in 2013. Vasily Karasyov, analyst at Sterne Agee, said: “We expect Starz shares to be strong today following fourth-quarter results well above consensus due to lower programming costs and higher-than-expected margin at the networks. Subscriber trends were also healthy.”
  • Deadline Exclusive:  John Malone Might End Up With A Bigger Stake in Lionsgate

 

 

SONY/TRISTAR/COLUMBIA

  • THR Exclusive:  Tom Roth man on His Sony Era:  “I Prize Stablity”
  • Sony Pictures Entertainment & Josh Bratman’s Immersive Pictures have just entered into a first-look two-year deal.   Josh Bratman is producing with Matt Tolmach The Themis Files, based on the Slyvain Neuvel novel with David Keopp penning the adaptation. Sony Production Presidents Michael DeLuca and Hannah Minghella called Bratman “an incredibly skilled producer, capable of the best work on many different kinds of films. We’re thrilled that we’ll be keeping him in-house as he continues to work on some of our most important development projects.”  Additional project underway with Bratman are The Harlem Hellfighters which he is producing with Overbrook Entertainment; The Sculptor, an adaptation based on Scott McCloud’s graphic novel which Bratman is producing with Scott Rudin; another adaptation of the graphic novel Decender by Jeff Lemire/Dustin Nguyen; and Tom Reiss’ bestselling biography of General Alex Dumas, the father of Alexandre Dumas, The Black Count, which Bratman will produce with John Legend’s Get Lifted Productions and adaption being penned by Cary Fukunaga who will direct as well.  Bratman is also entertaining an adaptation of World War Z.
  • Sony’ Pictures Entertainment’s CEO Michael Lynton  held a town hall meeting today where he told staff that “challenges make us stronger” following changes announced in leadership yesterday.   Giving basically a state of the film company address, Lynton emphasized that hte studio has turned a page from frightening and devastating months and was ready for the next chapter.   He said that Tom Rothman, who was named Chairman of Sony’s Motion Picture Group (replacing Amy Pascal after the recent cyber attacks, pushed out of position), that he “will bring incredible leadership.”  Rothman did not speak at the town hall, who was sitting in the crowd when the spotlight was placed on him.   During the time of the cyber attack, Sony shut down its computer systems and took to using white boards and stay “low tech”.   Lynton stated that “a day didn’t go by where we missed any deadline” thanking his “amazing team” for their efforts in keeping the studio running and helping it recover from the data leak.   During the town hall, other management recognized were newly appointed Sony Pictures Animation President Kristine Belson and the studio’s new Worldwide Marketing & Distribution Chief, Josh Greenstein.   Lynton assured his audience that he was “here to stay” and mentioned that he had just extended his own contract this week.

 

TIME WARNER/WARNER BROS./HBO/ TURNER/TNT/TBS/NEWLINE

VIACOM/COMEDY CENTRAL/PARAMOUNT

  • Rumor is Paramount Pictures Film Group President Adam Goodman will be exiting his job even though he has a year left on his contract.   The Creative organization is currently under review, and a shake-up is anticipated.  Goodman, was a high level Production exeuctive at DreamWorks  who remained behind when the studio left Paramount, and has been in his position at Paramount for four years.  Criticism with Goodman is that Paramount has not generated enough product; Paramount Chairman & CEO Brad Grey and Vice-Chairman Rob Moore apparently are not satisfied with controls on production costs and projects that keep going over budget.  They don’t have a problem with film popularity.  They have had franchise  hits such as Transformers, Mission: Impossible and Star Trek, launched G.I. Joe and reworked (at an expense) Brad Pitt’s World War Z, which did well in earnings.   So production controls are the issue not hits.   Goodman is charged with managing the process.   Rumor is that the company plans to move forward without Goodman.  In the meantime, Goodman is preparing to exit his role.

 

INDIE

  • Annapura Pictures has just snagged Richard Linklater (Boyhood) to helm Where’d You Go Bernadette, based on Maria Semple’s 2012 best selling book of same title.   Adapted by Scott Neustadter and Michael H. Weber, Where’d You Go Bernadette is about an agroaphobic architect and mother named Bernadette Branch who disappears prior to a family trip to Antarctica.   The book is narrated by her 15-year-old daughter Bee Branch.  Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson are producing with Annapura’s Megan Ellison.
  • Variety Exclusive:  Ang Lee Picks Newcomer Joe Alwyn for TriStar’s Billy Lymn’s Long Halftime Walk
Posted in: ABC, AMC, CBS, Film, FOX, NBC, Televsion ⋅ Tagged: abctag, , , , foxtag, nbctag,

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