Studio Briefs & Project Development Briefs – April 8, 2015

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8 Apr 2015

Studiobriefsnetstation

We apologize for not providing briefs recently.  We will be taking a new approach and truly trying to keep these more brief in nature, providing links to articles that will provide longer and more detailed information.

The Briefs we will be providing briefs come 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 (OR MULTIPLE ENTITES)

 

ABC/DISNEY/AMC FAMILY/LIFETIME

  • THR:  Liz Gateley Moves to Lifetime as New Head of Programming
  • Grace of Monaco, the troubled Grace Kelly biopic starring Nicole Kidman will not see a theatrical release and will go direct to air on Lifetime May 25th.  Receiving many negative reviews at Cannes Film Festival, Weinstein Company bought the US Rights, making a $5 Mil deal.  Grace of Monaco is executive produced by Claudia Bluemhuber, Uday Chopra, Uta Fredbeil and Bill Johnson with Chopra serving as producer and Olivier Dahan directed the screenplay penned by Arash Amel.   Besides Kidman, Frank Langella, Parker Posey, Paz Vega, and Tim Roth star with Roth playing Prince Rainier III.   The film takes place in 1962, six years after the royal wedding, with Kelly yearning to return to her acting career.  Grace of Monaco will air at 8 PM ET/PT May 25 on Lifetime.
  • THR Exclusive: Olivia Wilde Reteams with Garret Hedlund for Tron 3 – Joseph Kosinski is back as director.

 

AMC NETWORKS/AMC ENTERTAINMENT/A&E/IFC

 

CBS/CW/CBSFILMS/SHOWTIME/Pop

 

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

  • THR Review:  Daredevil:  TV Review
  • THR Interview:  Daredevil Boss on Netflix’s “PG-15” Series, Connecting to Marvel’s ABC Universe and Beyond (Q&A)
  • Deadline Exclusive:  Magic Mike‘s Joe Manganiello Joins Pee-wee’s Big Holiday
  • Netflix’ Arrested Development, confirmed by  executive producer Brian Grazer via the “B.S. Report” podcast taped last month at SXSW,  will be getting an additional 17 episodes.  Netflix declined to comment on any further episodes, while original series studio 20th Century Fox TV gave the following statement, “Although everyone has expressed interest in doing more episodes, we have nothing firm to announce at this time.”
  • Hulu’s 11/22/63 JJ Abrams and Stephen King series that stars James Franco has added co-stars  Chris Cooper (Lonesome Dove, American Beauty), Cherry Jones (Awake 24), Daniel Webber (Home and Away, Sleeping Beauty), Geroge MacKay (Defiance), Lucy Fry (Vampire Academy), Leon Rippy (Stargate), who also join Sarah Gadon (Dracula Untold).  11/22/63  hailing from Warner Bros. Television, will be directed by Academy-award winner Kevin Macdonald, who will also executive produce the first two hours of the nine-hour series. Bridget carpenter will pen the script and will executive produce along with Macdonald, King, Bad Robot’s JJ Abrams and Bryan Burk.   Bad Robot’s Kathy Lingg will co-executive prdocue and Athena Wickham will produce.   11/22/63 is based on Stephen King’s titular best seller, a thriller in which high school English teacher Jake Epping (James Franco) travels back in time to prevent the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. But his mission is threatened by Lee Harvey Oswald, his falling in love and the past itself…which doesn’t want to be changed.  Cooper will play Al Templeton, owner of Al’s diner and a mentor and friend to Jake.  Jones will play Marguerite Oswald, mother of Lee Harvey Oswald.   She is described as needy and is as difficult as her infamous son.   Webber will play Lee Harvey Oswald, an enigma even to himself.  MacKay will portray Bill Turcotte, an ally of Jake’s.  Fry plays Marina Oswald, the Russian wife of Oswald.   Rippy will portray Harry Dunning who is described as a kind, soft-spoken and damaged janitor at the school where Jake works, whose early 1960’s life, traumatic in nature, has a surprising impact on Jake.
  • Deadline Review:  Marvel’s Daredevil Review:  Netflix Series A Sight To Behold

DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)/TLC

 

 

DREAMWORKS /DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

  • DreamWorks Animation Beats Securities Lawsuit Over Turbo – A judge fails to see enough facts supporting allegations that the studio knew of the fradulent nature of earings-call statements or acted iwth deliberate recklessness.
  • DreamWorks Animation, Disney and Sony Antitrust Class Action Suit was toss out of court, at least for now by United States District Judge Lucy H. Koh.  “As Plaintiffs have failed to allege an essential element of fraudulent concealment, and the Court has also concluded that Plaintiffs’ claims, as currently alleged, are time barred, the Court grants Defendants’ motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ CAC. This dismissal is without prejudice, as the Court concludes that amendment would not necessarily be futile, as Plaintiffs may be able to allege sufficient facts to support their continuing violations claim and their equitable tolling claim. See Leadsinger, 512 F.3d at 532. In light of this conclusion, the Court does not reach the remainder of Defendants’ arguments in support of their motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ CAC.  For the reasons stated above, the Court GRANTS Defendants’ motion to dismiss Plaintiffs’ CAC. Should Plaintiffs elect to file a Second Amended Complaint curing the deficiencies identified herein, Plaintiffs shall do so within 30 days of the date of this Order. Failure to meet the 30-day deadline to file a Second Amended Complaint or failure to cure the deficiencies identified in this Order will result in a dismissal with prejudice. Plaintiffs may not add new causes of action or parties without leave of the Court or stipulation of the parties pursuant to Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 15.”  More Details

 

FOX ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/FOX SEARCHLIGHT/NEW REGENCY

 

LIONSGATE

  • Deadline Exclusive:  Lionsgate and The Hunger Games‘ Architectects Take on Homer’s The Odyssey
  •  Lionsgate Chairman, Mark Rachesky’s investment firm MHR Fund Management will offer 10 Million shares, to help reduce his stake in the studio from 35% to 28%.  MHR Fund Management will give underwriter J.P. Morgan Securitys an opiton to buy an additional 1.5 Million shares as well.   Lionsgate has about 145.5 Million shares oustanding; MHR currently has 51.3 Million of the 145.5 Million.  The cash offering will not go to Lionsgate, but likely will be used by Rachesky to begin a new investment fund.

 

MGM, ORION, UNITED ARTISTS

 

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

 

SCRIPPS NETWORK

 

 

SONY/TRISTAR/COLUMBIA

  •  Studio 8, partnering with TriStar and Film4 are currently in talks with Vin Diesel and Chris Tucker to join Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk, directed by Ang Lee.  Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is based on the Ben Fountain novel, with the screenplay penned by Simon Beaufoy, produced by Marc Platt, Ink Fctory’s Stephen Cornwell, Rhodri Thomas and Simon Cornwell.  Lee is also producing.   Joe Alwyn will star as the title character and Steve Martin, Kristen Stewart and Garrett Hedlund are also under negotiation to join the cast.   Billy Lynn’s Long Halftime Walk is about a19-year-old private (Alwyn) who survives a battle in Iraq that is captured by news cameras. He and his company of soldiers are brought back to the U.S. for a promotional tour culminating in a halftime show at a Thanksgiving Day football game. Most of the movie takes place during the day of the game, with flashbacks to the wartime events.  The roles that are being negotiated are Diesel to play a professional soldier and Tucker to play a movie producer intent on making a movie about the soldiers.

 

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

 

TRIBUNE/WGN AMERICA

 

 

VIACOM/COMEDY CENTRAL/PARAMOUNT/MTV

 

 

INDIE

  • Pivot and Sky Atlantic have renewed Fortitude, starring Stanley Tucci for a second season.   Creator Simon Donald will return to write and executive produce the series for the second season, along with Jeff Skoll and Christ Loveall executive producing for Pivot, Patrick Spence and Frith Tiplady for Fifty Fathoms and Tiger Aspect, Anne Mensah and Lizzie Gray for Sky Atlantic all executive producing. Stanley Tucci as Eugene Mortan, a British police detective who travels to the arctic to investigate the brutal murder of a scientist. He becomes embroiled in Fortitude’s intrigue as he teams with reluctant partner Sheriff Dan Anderssen (Game of Thrones’ Richard Dormer) to find the killer. Michael Gambon, Christopher Eccleston and Sofie Grabol also star.
  • THR Exclusive:  Dane DeHaan, Mia Goth Joining Gore Verbinski’s A Cure for Wellness
  • THR:  Need for Speed Sequel in Development as US-China Co-Production
Posted in: ABC, AMC, CBS, Events, Film, FOX, NBC, Stage, Televsion ⋅ Tagged: abctag, , , , foxtag, nbctag,

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