Studio & Project Development Briefs for Feb 7-8, 2015

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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

  • Rosie O’Donnell is leaving The View a second time.  “I can confirm that Rosie and her wife Michelle split in November. Rosie has teens and an infant at home that need her attention,” O’Donnell’s rep, Cindi Berger, said in a statement. “This has been a very stressful situation. She is putting her personal health and family first. ABC has been wonderfully understanding and supportive of her personal decision to leave ‘The View.’ Next week will be her last.”

 “Rosie is an immensely talented star who comes in each and every morning brimming with ideas, excitement and passion for the show,” ABC said in a statement. “When she told us she wanted to exit ‘The View,’ we respected and understood her desire to put her well-being and her family first. We’re delighted she’s still part of the ABC family with upcoming guest appearances on ‘The Fosters,’ and we know she’ll return to ‘The View’ often with her unique point of view and updates on her work and her family.”

  • Awardsline:  JJ Abrams at VES Awards:  Star Wars Sojourn “A Dream Come True”
  • ABC has picked up a 6-episode order re-boot of the killer robot show that was originated on Comedy Central 12 years ago, BattleBots from Whalerock Industries and the creators Ed Roski and Greg Munson.   Lloyd Braun is executive producing the project, which has a six-episode order to run this summer.  Executive producers are Braun, Chris Cowan, Roski and Munson.   MGM Television will be distributing the program internationally.  The show will, like the original, feature homemade robots battling against each other in a single elimination tournament style format until there is one champion.   Battlebots will also focus more on the design and building of each of the robots, the backstories of bot builders and then the actual intense pursuit of the championship win.   There will be separate weight classes so robots of various sizes can battle each other.  See clip of the Top 10 Battlebot moments from Comedy Central:

 

AMC NETWORKS/AMC ENTERTAINMENT/A&E

  • Deadline:  Better Call Saul Review:  Dominic Patten Speed Dials Breaking Bad Prequel
  • Following CBS’s cancellation of Unforgettable, A&E is finalizing a deal for a 13-episode fourth season of the Sony-TV produced crime series. Creators John Bellucci and Ed Redlich will return as executive producers with Sarah Timberman and Carl Beverly.   Cast members Poppy Montgomery and Dylan Walsh are expected to return and reprise their roles as Carrie Wells (Montgomery) who has a rare condition that leaves her with the ability to recall events by date and her ex-boyfriend and partner, NYPD’s Al Burns (Walsh).

CBS/CW/CBSFILMS/SHOWTIME

  • CBS has cast Colin Hanks as lead in a single camera comedy pilot, Life in Pieces, spec script written by Justin Adler and the project hails from 20th TV and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment.   Life in Pieces is about a family where the POV is from different family members told through separate stories.   Hanks plans the youngest of the three siblings, Greg, who is overwhelmed and unprepared for the birth of his first child.

 

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

 

 

DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)

 

DREAMWORKS ANIMATION

 

 

FOX ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/FOX SEARCHLIGHT

  • FX‘s miniseries American Crime Story:  The People v. OJ Simpson from Ryan Murphy will star Courtney B. Vance as the defense attorney Johnnie Cochran.   Vance is familiar with playing legal roles as an alum of Law & Order: Criminal Intent series.   Vance will be joining John Travolta who will be playing Robert Shapiro, Simpson’s co-counsel, David Schwimmer who plays another Simpson attorney and confident Robert Kardashian, Sara Paulson who plays prosecutor Marcia Clark, and Cuba Gooding, Jr. who plays Simpson.  The miniseries is written by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.   Murphy  is Executive Producing with Brad Falchuk, Nina Jacobsen, Brad Simpson, Scott Alexander, Larry Karaszewski and Dante Di Loreto.   The series looks at the trial from the perspective of the lawyers that explore the chaotic behind-the-scenes dealings and maneuvering on both sides of the court, leading to the jury decision of “reasonable doubt”.
  • Fox and Chernin Entertainment are moving forward with Miss Peregrine’s Home For Peculiar Children.  Tim Burton is to direct  and negotiations are underway for Sam Jackson to play a key role, Barron, with no word as to whether his character is good or evil.   Jane Goldman is adapting the Ransom Riggs novel and Eva Green will play the title character (Miss Peregrine) with Asa Butterfield playing the other lead role.   Fox is planning a March 4,2 016 release.

 

HBO

  • Molly Shannon and Thomas Haden Church have just signed on to star opposite Sarah Jessica Parker in the new HBO comedy, Divorce writte and executive prdouced by Sharon Horgan (through Merman Films) and Paul Simms and directed by Jesse Peretz.   Hogan’s long-time collaborator, Kapital Entertainment’s Aaron Kaplan, will also executive produce. Parker and Alison Benson will executive produce through Parker’s, Pretty Matches Prods.   Parker plays Frances, who begins to reassess her life and marriage  and finds that making a fresh start is much harder than she expected.  Frances’ husband (to be played by Church), is surprised to learn his wife’s view on their marriage…far different than his perspective.   Shannon will play Diane a high-strung friend of Frances’ who, although childless, has a successful husband and beautiful home.   In the pilot, Talia Balsam will play Frances’ close friend who has been widowed and divorced.  The story is about a very long divorce.

 

NBC/UNIVERSAL STUDIOS/USA NETWORK

  • Adding to the story that is causing fingers to be pointing all over the place and where the truth is seemingly getting harder and harder to get at, CNN has now retracted their previous story about Brian Williams.  See more from Deadline Hollywood.
  • Universal Pictures announced today that they are slating a sequel to last year’s surprise R-rated hit, Neighbors.   Neighbors 2 will bring back stars Seth Rogen, Zac Efron and Rose Byrne.  Nicholas Stoller will direct  and Rogen and Evan Goldberg will produce with James Weaver under their Point Grey Pictures.   Andrew Jay Cohen and Brendan O’Brien will pen the script and will executive produce with Good Universe’s Nathan Kahane and Joe Drake.   Rogen, Stoller and Goldberg will pitch in on the writing as well.  Neighbors 2 is slated to be released May 13, 2016.
  • Deadline is reporting that they have heard that NBC is looking to bring back its long-running drama series Law & Order.  Read More
  • NBC News has launched a new internal investigation.  Deborah Turness, NBC News chief sent out the following message to staff (see below).  Despite the memo, Williams expected to still continue to anchor the nightly news and report to duty on Friday evening.  In the meantime, speculations have already begunas to who could fill his chair should Williams leave NBC News.   Variety poses the question.
    All,This has been a difficult few days for all of us at NBC News.Yesterday, Brian and I spoke to the Nightly News team. And this morning at the Editorial Exchange, we both addressed the wider group. Brian apologized once again, and specifically expressed how sorry he is for the impact this has had on all of you and on this proud organization.As you would expect, we have a team dedicated to gathering the facts to help us make sense of all that has transpired.  We’re working on what the best next steps are – and when we have something to communicate we will of course share it with you.Since joining NBC News, I’ve seen great strength and resilience. We are a close-knit family, and your response this week has made that even clearer.As a relentless news agenda marches on, thank you again for continuing to do what we do best – bring the most important stories of the day to our audience.Deborah

 

 

 

 

LIONSGATE

  • The Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 2 will be released in 3D Imax format when the film opens on November 20, offering viewers any format they want to see the film.   The Hunger Games have been big business with the three films released so far grossing more than $2.2 Bil globally.   Mockingjay Part 1 grossed $335 Mil domestically and $379 in foreign markets, while Catching Fire brought in $25 Mil domestically and $440 mil in international markets.   Mockingjay Part 1 opens this weekend in China.  Catching Fire included a 50-minute arena sequence that was formatted for Imax.   Mockingjay Part 1 was not released in Imax format.   Lionsgate’s CEO Jon Feltheimer confirmed that the move to put Mockingjay2 to Imax format will ensure that Mockingjay2 “will conclude with a blockbuster finale in the box office.”

 

PARAMOUNT STUDIOS/VIACOM

  • Director Michael Bay just inked a deal with James Badge Dale to play the lead in his new Paramount film 13 Hours, the adaptation of the Mitchell Zuckoff book written by Chuck Hogan.   The story is about the deadly assault on the US State Department Special Mission Compound in Benghazi, given from the point of view of the six member security team that fought to protect the other people stationed at the compound.   Dale joins John Krasinski where Dale will play the leader o the security team that tries to protect US lives in the assault.
  • Robert Zemeckis has just cast Brad Pitt to play the lead in a Steve Knight Untitled script that is a romantic thriller for Paramount.  Developed by Graham King, King will produce alongside Zemeckis and Steve Starkey under King’s GK Films banner with New Regency.   Executive producers include Jack Rapke, Knight, Patrick McCormick and Denis O’Sullivan.  No further information about the plot or logline of the project has been released.

 

SONY/TRISTAR

 

TURNER BROADCASTING & ENTERTAINMENT/ TNT/ TBS

 

 

WARNER BROS.

  • Warner Bros. Wins Conjuring Arbitration, New Lawsuit Reveals – Read More

 

VIACOM

 

INDIE

  • Fábrica de Cine and Tadmor Entertainment‘s  Oppenheimer Strategies writer/director Joseph Cedar just added to the cast Michael Sheen, Steve Buscemi, Josh Charles, Charlotte Gainsbourg, Dan Stevens, Issach De Blankolé and Israeli actor Lior Ashkenazi to join Richard Gere in the film.   Gideon Tadmor, Miranda Bailey, Lawrence Inglee, David Mandil, Eyal Rimmon and Oren Moverman are producing;Michal Graidy, Caroline Kaplan, Amanda Marshall, Jim Kaufman and Doug Mankoff are exec producers; Lisa Wilson and Myles Nestel of The Solution are co-exec producers.  Oppenheimer Strategies is due to begin production February 8 in New York and Israel.   Gere will play Norman Oppenheimer.  The Solution Group is selling international rights at the European Film Market in Berlin and ICM Parnters will broker the domestic sale.
  • Hannibal Classics‘ World War II, USS Indianapolis:  Men of Courage, directed by Mario Van Peebles and scripted by Cam Cannon will star Nicolas Cage.   Hannibal’s Richard Rionda Del Castro will produced the film which is scheduled to release over Memorial Day weekend in 2016.  Hanibal’s Patricial Eberle will Executive Produce with Cannon, Dylan McGinty and Timothy Patrick Cavanaugh.   VanPeebles worked with Cannon and Rionda Del Castro on the script.   Producers plan to construct a 500,000 gallon water tank where Edge Innovations will provide animatronic sharks; Silo Inc. will handle digital effects and Hydroflex will oversee underwater photography.  Nicolas Cage will play Captain Charles Butler McVay, whose ship was torpedoed in the South Pacific in July 1945 after delivering parts for the first atomic bombs.   Only 317 sailors survived and McVay was court-martialed the exonerated more than half a century later.   Of the 1,196 crewman aboard, 300- went down with the ship and the rest faced exposure, dehydration, saltwater poisoning and shark attacked as they waited for rescue. “This film is about the crewmen of the USS Indianapolis, their unsurpassed bravery, dedication to each other and distinguished service to our country,” Peebles said. “It’s an honor to tell their story.”
  • The thriller, Sky will star Lena Dunham, Diane Kruger, Norman Reedus and Gilles Lellouche  from director and producer Fabienne Berthaud for Germany Pandora.   Kruger will star in the lead character Romy, who travels with her husband (played by Lellouche) on a trip to California where they break out in a violent fight and she accidentally kills him.   Fleeing the scene, she embarks on a life-changing solo trip across California and Nevada.   The Bureau Sales will begin shopping the project at the European Film Market in Berlin.  “As with Fabienne Berthaud’s previous films, ‘Sky’ is character-driven and has multiple layers: It’s not just a thriller, it’s also a film about this woman emancipating herself,” said Emmanuel Le Courtois, who recently joined The Bureau Sales and is spearheading (with Rym Hachimi) a new unit within the organization.  Haut et Court will release Sky in France.
  • IFC Films just closed a deal for North American rights to Sleeping with Other People starring Jason Sudeikis and Alison Brie which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival two weeks ago.   The deal was for above seven figures witha  P&A commitment in the seven-figure range.
  • Awardsline:  Walter Isaacson On The Value of The Imitation Game – Guest Column
  • BBC’s Ben Stephenson, responsible for the commissioning of all drama programs on BBC Television and online is rumored to be in talks to leave BBC.  No official comment has come from BBC or Stephenson, where rumors have been spreading for days about his possible departure.   Stay tuned….
  • Weinstein releases featurette with Family of Alan Turing Commenting on ‘The Imitation Game’ and Benedict Cumberbatch’s Portrayal
  • Awardsline: Wes Anderson on Oscar Contender The Grand Budapest Hotel‘s Classic Movie Influences (video)
  • The Weintstein Company announced today that it would be moving its animated film about soccer, Underdogs, from a previously planned April 10 release to August 14.  Underdogs is directed by Juan Jose Campanella.  Stars lending voice to the film include Matthew Morrison, Nicolas Hoult, Ariana Grande, John Leguizamo, Bobby Moynihan and Bella Thorne.  Underdogs is about a shy kid (Morrison) who is a foosball wizard.  He beats the town bully (Hoult) in a foosball game.  A winner-take-all soccer battle is prompted when the bully becomes the world’s best soccer player and returns to crush the village for a new  sports stadium.  The foosball player sees the table come to life and his new team takes on the bully in his most challenging battle.
  • Variety:  Berlin Film Review:  Queen of the Desert

 

 

 

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