Studio Briefs & Project Development Briefs – Mar 13, 2015

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13 Mar 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

  • Having passed the censorship board in China, the much anticipated Avengers:  Age of Ultron, which releases in the U.S. on May 1 will release in China on May 12. Currently in translation, state-owned China Film Group will import the film directed by Joss Whedon and stars Robert Downey, Jr.,Chris Hemsworth, Mark Ruffalo, Chris Evans, Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, Don Cheadle, Aaron Taylor-Johnson,Elizabeth Olsen, Paul Bettany, Cobie Smulders, Stellan Skarsgard, James Spader and Samuel L. Jackson.  Avengers: Age of Ultron opens in the United Kingdom and India on April 24.
  • Deadline:  Obama Denies Knowledge of Aliens on Jimmy Kimmel Live!
  • THR Box Office:  Cinderella Dazzles Friday for Possible $70-75M Debut
  • THR Exclusive:  Josh gad Joining Disney’s Live-Action Beauty and the Beast – Emma Watson, Dan Stevens and Luke Evans are already on board for the update of the 1991 animated classic.
  • Although Russell Brand’s Brand: A Second Coming documentary about his life kicks off the SXSW Austin Festival Friday night, he won’t be there.   In a statement he released he gave the following explanation: “I’m told the film is good, but for me watching it was very uncomfortable. Posthumously, this is a great honor but while you’re alive, oddly intrusive and melancholy.”  He had been asked to deliver a keynote speech, but backed out, “I apologize sincerely to the organizers of SXSW for my non-attendance, especially Janet Pierson, Brian Solis and Rynda Laurel from the interactive festival, who were responsible for the keynote talk that I was due to do.”Ondi Timoner directed Brand: A Second Coming which was funded by 21 different investors.  Brand did not offer any funding to the documentary.   The project had been in the works for over seven years before making it to the big screen.   Brand further added about the film,“I let go of my mad ambition to direct and star in what had become a shambles and handed the reins over to Ondi, who wanted creative control and to make a documentary about me and my transition from a relatively conventional celebrity to whatever the hell it is I am now.”
  • Deadline Ratings:  Obama Visit Boosts Jimmy Kimmel Live! to Fourth Largest Audience Ever
  • Variety Artisans Video:  Sandy Powell and the Costumes of ‘Cinderella’
  • Variety SXSW Film Review:  Brand: A Second Coming

 

AMC NETWORKS/AMC ENTERTAINMENT/A&E

  •  With the suspension of Jeremy Clarkson still en force, BBC American announced on Friday that it will premiere the two-part special Top Gear: The Perfect Road Trip Italy this Monday (March 16),  with the second part of the episode airing March 23,  instead of airing previously scheduled episodes of Season 22.    Top Gear: The Perfect Road Trip Italy will be making its U.S. debut on March 16.Clarkson, suspended over a fracas with a show producer is a fan favorite, yet seems to constantly find himself called on the carpet by his producers for the past year or more, forcing the producers to threaten to fire Clarkson if he made “one more offensive remark, anywhere, at any time.”   Of course, Clarkson has been hired to make outrageous remarks at inopportune times.  Plus Clarkson is a huge fan favorite.  Over 1 million fans have signed a petition to reinstate Clarkson.In the meantime, Top Gear has not suspended any others than Clarkson so a lot lies in the fate of Clarkson as to what happens next.   Stay tuned…

 

CBS/CW/CBSFILMS/SHOWTIME/Pop

  • CBS’ ‘Mom’ Upped Emmy-Award Winning Jaime Pressley from Recurring to Series Regular
  • Deadline Exclusive:  Marcia Gay Harden Takes Over The Lead in Code Black, Bonnie Somerville Cast
  • CBS’s drama adaptation of the Rush Hour film franchise has cast the role of Carter (previously played by Chris Tucker in the film version) with actor Justin Hires, playing the cocky, maverick LAPD detective who is assigned to work on a case with a stoic detective for Hong Kong (Jon Foo).  Foo plays Lee, the role that had been played by Jackie Chan in three Rush Hour features.  Directed by Jon Turtletaub who will executive produce and penned by comedic scribes Bill Lawrence and Blake McCormick, Lawrence and McCormick who also will executive produce along with Brett Ratner and Arthur Sarkissian, and Jeff Ingold of Lawrence’s Doozier Prods.

 

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

 

 

DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)/TLC

 

DREAMWORKS /DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

 

FOX ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/FOX SEARCHLIGHT/NEW REGENCY

  • Looking to join Rosamund Pike and Christian Bale, Peter Dinklage is in early talks to co-star in The Deep Blue Good-by, directed by James Mangold. The Deep Blue Good-by is the first of 21 Travis McGee series books by John R. McDonald.  The adaptation was written by Dennis LeHane with Scott Frank writing the most recent draft.   Chernin  Entertainment is producing the film with Leonardo DiCaprio and Jennifer Davisson Killoran thourgh Appian Way along with Amy Robinson.  The Deep Blue Good-by centers on  Travis McGee (Bale) is a self-described “salvage-consultant” who recovers other people’s property for a fee.  Along the way, he gets into trouble fighting bad guys and wooing women.
  • Nashville‘s Oliver Hudson (Jeff) will take over the role that Joe Manganiello had to exit due to scheduling conflicts,  in Ryan Murphy’s Scream Queens, Fox’s high-profile, straight-to-series comedy-horror.  Created by Ryan Murphy, Brad Falchuck and Ian Brennan, Scream Queens also has cast Jamie Lee Curtis, Emma Roberts, Ariana Grande and Lea Michele.  Hudson will be juggling Scream Queens with his Nashville role on ABC until  the series wraps production.  Scream Queens, due to release in Fall 2015, revolves around a college campus that is rocked by a series of murders.   Hudson’s role is undisclosed at this time.
  • Helmer Dexter Fletcher has cast Taron Egerton to star in Fox-acquired, Eddie the Eagle.   Egerton (Kingsman: The Secret Service) will play Michael Edwards, Britain’s loveable, yet inept first Olympic ski jumper who was the very last place finisher in two events in the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary.  Hugh Jackman will play his coach.   Eddie the Eagle is produced by Matthew Vaughn, Adam Bohling, David Reid, Rupert Maconick and Valerie Van Galder and the script was penned by Sean Macaulay with production underway in the Alps.   Fox has set an April 29 release for the film about Edwards who soared to unbelievably bad results in the 70M and 90M ski jumping events.  Going into the games he had been Britain’s record holder in the soprt, but left the event as the posterboy for never-say-die underdogs.

LIONSGATE

 

MGM, ORION, UNITED ARTISTS

 

NBC/UNIVERSAL STUDIOS/USA NETWORK/COMCAST/E!/SyFy

  •  TheWrap Fans Fuel $100 Million Forecast for Furious 7 at Box Office
  • THR:  TV Review:  One Big Happy
  • Deadline:  IATSE Rips into “Lying” Sharknado 3 Producers – Update
  • Gene Patton from NBC’s 1980’s The Gong Show has died at 82.  Often labeled “Gene, Gene the Dancing Machine” suffered diabetes.  Patton appeared as himself in George Clooney and Charlie Kaufman’s surrel 2002 adaptation of Confessions of a Dangerous Mind that starred Sam Rockwell as The Gong Show producer Chuck Barris.  At that time Patton had lost both of his legs to diabetes.  Patton was the first African-American member of the International Alliance of Theatrical and Stage Employees, Local 33, joining in 1969.  Patton is survived by his children Bonnie, Carol, Sidney and Courty, his sister Henrietta, nine grandcihildren and six great-grandchildren.

SONY/TRISTAR/COLUMBIA

 

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

 

VIACOM/COMEDY CENTRAL/PARAMOUNT/MTV

INDIE

Posted in: ABC, AMC, CBS, Film, FOX, NBC, Televsion ⋅ Tagged: abctag, , , , foxtag, nbctag,

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