13 Feb 2015 10:27 AM PT
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)
THR: Bob Simon’s Legacy: “No One Was Better at Setting Words to Images” (Guest Column)
THR Box Office: Fifty Shades Earns a Rousing $8.6M Thursday Night
THR: TV Pilot Season’s Big Get: Diversity
Deadline Ratings: Blacklist & Allegiance Drop in Week 2, Slap Opens Soft, Backstrom Rebounds
THR Box Office: Fifty Shades Breaks Studio Record in France on Opening Day
Awardsline: A Case for All Eight: How the Oscar Best Picture Race is Anyone’s To Win
Variety: New York Times‘ David Carr Holds Page One a Final Time (Appreciation)
THR: Stan Chambers, Legendary TV Newsman in L.A., Dies at 91
THR Box Office; Fifty Shades Shatters More Records Offshore with $23.3M Thursday
THR: Cinderella: Berlin Review
Variety: Berlin Film Review: Cinderella
THR Box Office Dominatrix: ‘Fifty Shades’ Surges Friday for Possible $85M U.S. Debut
Variety: Gary Owens, Announcer of Laugh-In Fame Dies at 80
Deadline: Kingsman: The Secret Service Review: Pete Hammond Says Brit Spy Tale is Outrageous Fun
Variety: From Kubrick to Marilyn Monroe, Oscar Has a Stellar List of Shut-Outs
THR: Oscars: Adam Levine can’t Wiat to Sing “Perfect” Song “Lost Stars” on Telecast
ABC/DISNEY/AMC FAMILY/LIFETIME
AMC NETWORKS/AMC ENTERTAINMENT/A&E
CBS/CW/CBSFILMS/SHOWTIME
- CW‘s Beauty and the Beast Season 3 will premiere on May 21st and it has just been given a Season 4 renewal (even before an episode of Season 3 has aired.) While it’s ratings have been somewhat soft, yet the show is big in international markets and online and is a sentimental favorite. Beauty and the Beast is executive produced by Brad Kern, Bill Haber, Paul J. Witt, Tony Thomas, Ron Koslow, Frank Siracusa and John Weber. Sherri Cooper & Jennifer Levin serve as consultants. The series stars Kristin Kreuk as Catherine Chandler and Jay Ryan as Vincent Keller. The story: Detective Catherine Chandler (Kristin Kreuk), shaken to the core over the fact that everything she thought she knew about her life has been a lie, is determined to get answers to the secrets that have been revealed about her family. Cat must also try to navigate her evolving relationship with handsome doctor Vincent Keller (Jay Ryan), who struggles with becoming a terrifying beast when he is enraged, unable to control his super-strength and heightened senses. Cat and Vincent continue to grapple with the desire to be a normal couple while trying to keep a low profile in order to stay one step ahead of the mysterious organization known as Muirfield, now on the hunt for both of them.
DIGITAL DISTRIBUTION (AOL, AMAZON, HULU, NETFLIX, YAHOO)
DISCOVERY COMMUNICATIONS (DISCOVERY CHANNEL)
DREAMWORKS
DREAMWORKS ANIMATION
FOX ENTERTAINMENT GROUP/FOX SEARCHLIGHT
- World’s Funniest Fails just got another eight episodes. Fox just ordered an additional eight episodes of the unscripted series which is hosted by Terry Crews, and produced by dick clark productions and Junkin Media which owns and operates FailArmy YouTube channel. The series was inspired by YouTube channel, FailArmy, showing the best “epic fail” viral videos before a panel of comedians who choose their favorite “fail” videos. The panel must then try to convince Crews to pick theirs as “Fail of the Week.”
- Gina Carano has just signed on to Fox‘s Deadpool to play opposite lead Ryan Reynolds. Directed by Tim Miller, Lauren Schuler Donner is producing Deadpool which is due to begin filming in March in Vancouver. Carano will play Angel Dust, which in the comics was part of an underground mutant group called the Morlocks. TJ Miller plans to bring comedic relief to the movie in an undisclosed role. Deadpool is based on Marvel’s mercenary character and Reynolds introduced the character in X-Men Origins: Wolverine. The character Deadpool (Reynolds) is an assassin dying of cancer. He goes through a medical procedure to supposedly cure him but ends up unable to feel pain, leaving him twisted and scarred yet full of super-powers.
- Deadline Exclusive – Fox Television Studios and New regency Television Take on Enormous Comic Book Adaptation – 20th Century Fox Television and New Regency Television are teaming up with Prime Universe Films to develop an event-series based on the action/horror comic book Enormous from publisher 215 Ink. Andrew Poltkin of New Regency Television and Prime Universe’s Adrian Askarieh will serve as executive producers for the series. The search is on for a show-runner.
NBC/UNIVERSAL STUDIOS/USA NETWORK
- Universal‘s Winter Dragon debuted on Monday at 1:30 AM on FXX. Winter Dragon is based on the popular fantasy book series Wheel of Time, authored by the late Robert Jordan. Harriet McDougal, Jordan’s widow, contends that she knew of the deal with Sony/Universal, despite her comments that have been posted on the internet indicating quite the opposite, claiming she was “dumbfounded” when she learned of the pilot that aired this week. A lawsuit was opened by McDougal, which was filed Thursday (11 Feb 2015) in California Federal Court. See More about the Complaint Specifics
- NBC Nightly News took a double digit hit without Brian Williams in the anchor chair. With William’s name officially stripped form the broadcast on Wednesday, according to Nielsen, ABC World News Tonight beat out NBC’s Nightly News by 347,000 viewers. This is in contrast to the previous Wednesday night where ABC’s World News Tonight lost to NBC’s Nightly News by 400,000 viewers and going out two weeks ABC trailed Williams by more than 600,000. These are all fast affiliate time period stats from Nielsen. See More Stats
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Universal just released a trailer of Crimson Peak, made by Guillermo del Toro who sought to make an old-fashioned scare-the-hell-out-of-you film and appears to have succeeded. The R-rated Crimson Peak will release October 16 from Universal (just in time for Halloween), starring Tom Hiddleston, Mia Wasikowska, Jessica Chastain and Charlie Hunnam. See the trailer below:
- THR Exclusive: Dumb and Dumber To Piracy Leds to Copyright Lawsuits -In reaction to word that the Jim Carrey sequel is one of the ten most pirated films, producers have filed a series of lawsuits in Oregon.
- NBC‘s Chicago-Fire Spin-off will be adding S. Epatha Merkson to the cast list to play opposite Yaya DaCosta in the ensemble medical drama, Chicago Med. The cast will be introduced in Episode 19 of Chicago Fire to air this spring. On Chicago Med, Merkerson will play a character named Sharon Goodwin who is head of the hospital where the show is set. We will see her able to avoid politics that come with the territory of running a hospital as much as possible, not buckling under pressure or fools, and able to keep her doors open. Chicago Med is written and executive prdouced by Derek Haas and Michael Brandt. Other executive producers are Matt Olmstead and Dick Wolf (Wolf Films).
- NBC has ordered to pilot, Warrior and has cast Natalie Martinez to star in the magical martial arts drama that is written by and executive produced by David DiGilio and directed by Phillip Noyce. Walter Parks and Laurie MacDonald are also executive producing. Martinez will play Kai Forrester, a damaged heroine who works undercover with physical and spiritual guidance from a mysterious martial arts master to bring down an international crime lord. Warrior is described as a contemporary multicultural and sometimes magical genre film.
LIONSGATE
SONY/TRISTAR/COLUMBIA
TIME WARNER/WARNER BROS./HBO/ TURNER/TNT/TBS
- With Tom Hardy vacating his role as Rick Flagg in Warner Bros.’ Suicide Squad, Warner has been in early talks with Joel Kinnaman to replace him. Other cast include Will Smith, Margot Robbie, Jared Leto, Jai Courtney and Cara Delevigne. David Ayer is directing the film. Should talks go south, other names being considered for hte role are Joel Edgerton and Jon Bernthal. Rick Flagg (the role Hardy was to play) is the leader of a group consisting of DC Entertainment (comic) Batman villains Deadshot (Smith), Joker (Leto) , Harley Quinn (Robbie), Boomerang (Courtney) and Enchantress (Delevigne).
- Warner Bros. is in talks with Ana de Armas (Knock, Knock) to play the female lead in the black comedy Arms and the Dudes being directed by Todd Phillips. Jonah Hill and Miles Teller are already signed on to star in the film. Jesse Ehrman and Jon Gonda are overseeing for the studio. See more at link above under Time Warner header as reported yesterday. The role de Armas is considering is to play David Packouz’s (Teller) girlfriend in the film.
VIACOM/COMEDY CENTRAL/PARAMOUNT
- Update from the reported arrest of Emile Hirsch after the alleged assault on a Paramount Executive – Variety: Emile Hirsch Checks into Rehab Following Felony Assault Charge
INDIE
- Almost Human‘s Director Joe Begos, is working on his second feature, The Mind’s Eye, which is described as a violent telekinetic revenge thriller set in snowy 1990 New England. Filmmaker Begos wrote The Mind’s Eye and is directing the film which is financed by Channel 83 Films and Site B Productions. The Mind’s Eye stars Graham Skipper (also from Almost Human), Lauren Ashley Carter, John Speredakos, Noah Segan, Matt Mercer, Larry Fressenden, and Jeremy Gardner. Begos, Josh Ethier, Graham Skipper and Zak Zeman are producing the film. The Mind’s Eye is about a drifter with telekinetic abilities who targets a doctor who is creating a synthetic telekinetic power serum. The Mind’s Eye started production this week.
- New Regency and Ubisoft have signed on Marion Cotillard to star with Michael Fassbender in their adaptation of the live action video game by Ubisoft, Assassin’s Creed, directed by Justin Kurzel. Assassin’s Creed is being co-financed by RatPac and Alpha Pictures. Frank Marshall, Arnon Milchan, Jean-Julien Baronnet, Conor McCaughan, Fassbender and Pat Crowley are producing. Bill Collage, Adam Cooper and Michael Lesslie have penned the script. Fox will release and is slating a December 21, 2016 debut. Production is to begin early Fall. Both Cotillard and Fassbender have been opted roles to span multiple films if this one does well and becomes a franchise. What roles they are playing are being kept under wraps.