News

Saturday Night Live feels more important than ever heading into season 50. The show is coming off a pretty weak season, and it will be forced to juggle the Presidential election along with the anniversary of the show's premiere in 1975.

SNL biographer James Andrew Miller claimed that season 50 will be the show's "toughest" yet, so it makes sense that Lorne Michaels and company would want to bring in fresh talent. Vulture confirmed that three writers have been brought on to make their debuts in the upcoming season.

SNL's new writers have years of TV experience Saturday Night Live -- Pictured: "Saturday Night Live" Key Art -- (Photo by: NBCUniversal)

The pedigree of these writers is undeniably impressive. There's Moss Pericone, who previously wrote for Velma and Patriot Act with Hasan Minhaj, as well as Carl Tart, who co-hosts the Flagrant podcast opposite Andrew Schulz. He also wrote episodes for the short-lived sitcom Kenan,...

Photo: Lea Thompson, Schuyler Fisk, Genevieve Angelson, Wendie Malick Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

The next episode of the Hallmark+ series The Chicken Sisters sees things heating up inside and out of the kitchen. Titled, “This is War, Y’all” the episode airs on Thursday, September 19 on the company’s reimagined streaming service, Hallmark+.

The Chicken Sisters on Hallmark+ Newly painted sign at Mimi’s Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

As noted by the press release, the drama heats up in and out of the kitchen in the next episode of The Chicken Sisters, dubbed “This is War, Y’all.” Airing on Thursday, September 19, the episode will see Amanda (Schuyler Fisk) getting madder than a wet hen after Mae (Genevieve Angelson) paints over her artwork on the sign for Mimi’s.

With Frank Jr. (James Kot) egging Amanda on, the two hatch a plan to get back at...

In a world full of TV reboots and rehashes of the same idea, FX has started its fall with “English Teacher,” a new comedy from Brian Jordan Alvarez. The series already secured a 97% on Rotten Tomatoes and has inspired posts from viewers on Twitter in TikTok.

Set in Austin, Texas, “English Teacher” follows an openly gay teacher by the name of Evan Marquez who wants to encourage his students and community to be more accepting. More often than not, that desire leads to Evan having to confront his own assumptions and being forced to chill out. Wonder who’s who in the new show filled with new faces? Here’s your guide to the cast of this comedy.

Brian Jordan Alvarez as Evan Marquez in “English Teacher” (Photo Credit: Steve Swisher/FX) Brian Jordan Alvarez as Evan Marquez

Before creating and starring in “English Teacher,” Alvarez starred in the reboot...

Photo: Wendie Malick, Genevieve Angelson, James Kot, Lea Thompson, Cassandra Sawtell, Schuyler Fisk Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Bettina Strauss

Adapted from New York Times Bestseller and Reese’s Book Club Selection, The Chicken Sisters by Kj Dell’Antonia, the new series of the same name is coming soon to Hallmark+.

Meanwhile, Emmy award winner Margo Martindale lends her voice talent as the narrator in the series. Read on to learn more about the new, upcoming series, set to premiere on September 10 on Hallmark+.

The Chicken Sisters is coming to Hallmark+ Photo: Genevieve Angelson, Brad Harder Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

According to the official synopsis, a generations-old feud that has divided a small town may finally be settled once and for all when Schuyler Fisk, Genevieve Angelson, Lea Thompson and Wendie Malick star in Hallmark’s all-new original series The Chicken Sisters.

Photo: Cassandra Sawtell, Kelcey Mawema Credit: ©2024 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Kailey Schwerman

Meanwhile,...

Netflix has dropped the official trailer for its new 10-part romantic comedy series “Nobody Wants This” that premieres September 26 on the streamer. It comes from executive producer Erin Foster and stars Kristen Bell, Adam Brody, Justine Lupe and Timothy Simons, with the cast also featuring Stephanie Faracy, Tovah Feldshuh, Paul Ben-Victor, Michael Hitchcock, Jackie Tohn, Sherry Cola and Shiloh Bearman. Watch the nearly three-minute trailer above.

The “Nobody Wants This” synopsis is as follows: An agnostic podcast host and an unconventional rabbi on the rebound walk into a party. When they walk out – together – the unlikely pair, Joanne (Bell) and Noah (Brody), can tell there is something between them. But also potentially between them, with their differing outlooks on life and all of the modern obstacles to love, are their sometimes well-meaning, sometimes sabotaging families – including her sister Morgan (Lupe) and his brother Sasha (Simons).

Creator Foster says in a Tudum.

Hallmark+ will jump into the streaming battles Sept. 10 by launching the original series The Chicken Sisters and the new unscripted series Celebrations with Lacey Chabert.

Additional premieres will drop through the month, with three new installments of The Jane Mysteries starring Jodie Sweetin (Fuller House) and Stephen Huszar (Navigating Christmas), and a Love on the Danube movie trilogy featuring Nazneen Contractor (Charmed), Wes Brown (Haul Out the Holly: Lit Up), Jessica Sipos (Betty’s Bad Luck in Love), Dan Jeannotte (Sense and Sensibility), Sarah Power (Good Witch), Brendan Penny (Chesapeake Shores) and Catherine Disher (Good Witch).

Hallmark Media announced the launch of the service in July. The new platform will cost $80 a year and offer the “very best of Hallmark with new exclusive content and membership benefits program,” said President and CEO Mike Perry at the time. That price includes e-cards and “surprising gifts.”

Created for television and executive produced by Annie Mebane, The Chicken Sisters is an eight-episode family drama starring Schuyler Fisk (Sam & Kate), Genevieve Angelson (The Handmaid’s Tale), Lea Thompson (Back to the Future) and Wendie Malick (Just Shoot Me!) as the women at the heart of the restaurant rivalry. James Kot (Virgin River), Margo Martindale (Justified) narrates. It’s based on the NY Times Bestseller and Reese’s Book Club selection The Chicken Sisters.

Following the first episode, new episodes premiere every Thursday starting on September 12.

As previously reported, Celebrations with Lacey Chabert is a new aspirational series executive produced and hosted by Chabert. Known for her multitude of starring roles in Hallmark movies over the years, Chabert will bring her passion for celebrating everyday heroes to this 10-episode series. The show follows Chabert as she surprises deserving individuals who are making a positive impact in their communities with the celebration of a lifetime. Following the first episode, new episodes premiere every Thursday.

Other series planned for the service include holiday limited series Holidazed and Mistletoe Murders; the reality competition series Finding Mr. Christmas; a docu-style dating series hosted by Ashley Williams; a home renovation show hosted by Luke Macfarlane; and new movie trilogy called Groomsmen that’s inspired by the success of The Wedding Veil.

Huey Lewis is set to star in and executive produce a new mockumentary series, which is currently in the works at Fox.

The half-hour series, titled “Whatever Happened to Huey Lewis,” will follow the rock ‘n’ roll legend as he navigates his life after losing his hearing. “With the help of his codependent family and eccentric celebrity friends, Huey will tackle this hilarious next phase with his signature Heart and Soul,” per the official logline.

Fox gave a script commitment to the single-cam comedy, which hails from Fox Entertainment Studios. Lewis will executive produce the project alongside writer Kirker Butler, as well as EPs Aaron Kapla, who EPs for Kapital Entertainment, and Jimmy Kimmel and Scott Lonker, who serve as EPs for Kimmelot.

The 74-year-old was the frontman and harmonica player for Huey Lewis and the News, which is best known for being featured in 1985 film “Back to the Future...

We were overjoyed when we heard that Wendie Malick was joining the cast of NBC’s Night Court as a series regular next season… and we were also a little confused when we heard that her character Julianne would be the court’s new prosecutor.

Malick has guest-starred in two episodes of Night Court as Dan Fielding’s erratic ex Julianne Walters, but we remember her as a volatile criminal Dan once helped put away, with no mention of any previous legal experience. So how, exactly, is she qualified to be a prosecutor?

More from TVLineAGT Video: Sofia Vergara 'Shocks...

A word of warning to Night Court’s Dan Fielding: You’re going to spending a lot more time with Julianne in Season 3.

Sitcom veteran Wendie Malick, who has guest-starred in the previous two seasons of NBC’s courtroom comedy, is joining the cast as a series regular in Season 3, TVLine has learned. She’ll reprise her role as Dan’s terrifying ex Julianne Walters, who will now be the court’s new prosecutor, replacing India de Beaufort’s Olivia. (de Beaufort announced her exit from the series in May.)

More from TVLineModern Little Women Christmas Movie Set at Gaf - Jen Lilley,...

We have sad news to report today. It has been announced that Martin Mull, the hugely talented comedian and actor known for playing Colonel Mustard in Clue, Leon Carp in Roseanne, Gene Parmesan in Arrested Development, and more, has died at the age of 80.

The news was revealed by Martin’s daughter Maggie on Instagram. “I am heartbroken to share that my father passed away at home on June 27th, after a valiant fight against a long illness,” Maggie wrote. “He was known for excelling at every creative discipline imaginable and also for doing Red Roof Inn commercials. He would find that joke funny. He was never not funny. My dad will be deeply missed by his wife and daughter, by his friends and coworkers, by fellow artists and comedians and musicians, and—the sign of a truly exceptional person—by many, many dogs. I loved him tremendously.“

Related Cutting...

A new report in Variety lays out a detailed argument from British screenwriter Simon Stephenson alleging that the Oscar-nominated screenplay for Focus Features’ widely praised “The Holdovers” is extremely similar to his own 2013 Black List spec script, “Frisco” — and that, according to Stephenson, “Holdovers” director Alexander Payne likely read that script.

“The Holdovers” has only one credited screenwriter: David Hemingson, who was an entertainment lawyer before becoming a TV writer and producer in the late ’90s, working on shows such as “Just Shoot Me!,” “Kitchen Confidential,” “How I Met Your Mother,” and “Don’t Trust the B— in Apartment 23.” “The Holdovers” is his first produced feature.

IndieWire has reached out to Focus, WGA West, and to reps for Payne, Hemingson, and Stephenson, but has not yet received a response.

Stephenson is credited as a co-writer on Pixar’s “Luca” and received an “additional material” writing credit for “Paddington 2.” Working Title is developing his novel,...

Exclusive: Supinder Wraich (Sort Of) and Enrico Colantoni (Station Eleven) have been cast to lead an upcoming CBC police procedural.

Allegiance is now in Vancouver and British Columbia’s lower mainland, with Stephen Lobo (Continuum), Adolyn H. Dar (Superman & Lois), Brian Markinson (A Million Little Things) and David Cubitt (Virgin River) also starring.

Mark Ellis and Stephanie Morgenstern are the showrunners and Canadian firm Lark Productions is producing in association with Universal Studios Group subsidiary Universal International Studios, with NBCUniversal Global Distribution handling global sales. Anar Ali is the series creator.

The series is described as focusing on “identity and belonging, policing and politics and finding truth within the heart of the flawed justice system.”

‘Allegiance’ cast: Supinder Wraich, Enrico Colantoni, Stephen Lobo, David Cubitt, Brian Markinson, Adolyn H. Dar

Wraich will star as a Sabrina Sohal (Wraich), a star rookie officer serving in...

After 25 years of writing in Hollywood, David Hemingson is having a moment. A writer and producer on television shows such as “Just Shoot Me!,” “American Dad,” the cult favorite “Don’t Trust the B—- in Apt. 23,” and, “Whiskey Cavalier,” Hemingson is looking at an Oscar nomination in the Original Screenplay category for “The Holdovers,” his first produced feature script. But it only happened because he wrote a television pilot his agent didn’t think it would sell.

Continue reading ‘The Holdovers’: David Hemingson On Writing For Paul Giamatti, Channelling His Boarding School Experiences & More at The Playlist.

Following the unexpected streaming reign of USA’s legal drama “Suits,” which ended in 2019, series creator Aaron Korsh is developing a new series for the franchise, TheWrap has learned.

It would be the third “Suits” series after the one-season spin-off “Pearson,” which starred Gina Torres. The original series, whose cast included Gabriel Macht, Patrick J. Adams, Meghan Markle and Rick Hoffman, was set in New York City, while “Pearson” was set in Chicago.

Like the “NCIS” and “CSI” franchises, the new series would be set in a new city, possibly Los Angeles and feature an all-new cast with no recurring characters from the original series.

“Suits” is now Netflix’s twice-over most-streamed acquired program, having spent more time as No. 1 on Nielsen’s top 10 streaming programs list than any other title.

During the week of Sept. 4 to 10, “Suits” ranked No. 1 yet again on the market measurement firm’s top 10 list.

If you were around in the 1990s and of the age to watch comedy films, you've probably come across the films "Tommy Boy" and "Black Sheep" starring comedians David Space and the late Chris Farley. The two were a dynamic duo on "Saturday Night Live," with Spade often playing the straight man to Farley's wild and goofy antics. Farley died of a combination of a drug overdose and heart disease in December 1997, but while they were together, they were fabulously funny.

/Film's own Joe Garza did a list of Farley's top sketches from SNL, including Lunch Lady Land, the Chippendale's sketch with Patrick Swayze, and of course, Matt Foley, motivational speaker. That final one is one of the most ridiculously weird things I've seen on TV, and watching Spade try not to break as Farley's Foley talks about living in a van down by the river and throwing himself onto a table is pure joy.

Exclusive: UTA has signed veteran comedian Dana Carvey for representation in all areas.

Carvey is best known for his memorable six-season run on Saturday Night Live. He went up to star in the 1996 sketch series The Dana Carvey Show for ABC and the subsequent Hulu documentary Too Funny To Fail: The Life & Death of The Dana Carvey Show in 2017. Other TV credits include The Larry Sanders Show, Just Shoot Me!, Fairly Odd Parents and Rick and Morty.

In film, Carvey starred in in Wayne’s World and Wayne’s World 2. He also voiced the role of Dana in Hotel Transylvania 2 and the role of Pops in The Secret Life of Pets 2.

Carvey currently co-hosts the popular podcast Fly on The Wall alongside UTA client David Spade. He previously impersonated Mickey Rooney in the podcast series You Must Remember This.

Carvey will continue to be represented by Brillstein Entertainment Partners.

Exclusive: Patricia Heaton‘s potential return to television is taking shape. The multi-camera comedy from Kapital Entertainment starring and executive produced by the Emmy winner, which was set up at Fox in 2021 with a script-to-series commitment, has found its writers. Comedy veterans Carol Leifer and Andy Gordon have been tapped to pen the untitled half-hour, which also has homed in on a premise.

Heaton is set to star as the host of an upscale lifestyle show, sent to prison for embezzlement and tax evasion. She gets out after two years, forgotten and broke, and moves to Tennessee to live with her estranged sister.

Related Story 2023 Premiere Dates For New & Returning Series On Broadcast, Cable & Streaming Related Story 'Ancient Empires': Julius Caesar, Alexander The Great & Cleopatra Brought To Life By Latest History Channel Mega-Doc From Ample Related Story 'The Cleaning Lady' Renewed For Season 3 At Fox; Jeannine Renshaw Joins...

What does it mean to be "real" in entertainment anymore? Reality television has been massively popular for some time now, but it follows a script or is heavily edited to tell a specific story. Many are quick to point out that professional wrestling is "fake," but you wouldn't go to the theater and call a production of a Shakespeare play or "Phantom of the Opera" on Broadway "fake." Even movies that are presented as "true crime" or "biopics" end up only being inspired by true events.

Or does "real" refer to the emotions that the audience feels as a result of watching a story unfold? Is there realness in various forms of art because those that consume it take something away from the experience that makes them feel seen or that they can then apply to their own lives?

These are pretty deep questions and concepts to explore in an...

(Welcome to The Daily Stream, an ongoing series in which the /Film team shares what they've been watching, why it's worth checking out, and where you can stream it.)

The Series: "Reboot" (2022)

Where You Can Stream It: Hulu

The Pitch: Hannah Korman (Rachel Bloom), a writer who's hot off penning her breakout indie movie and will explain the film's hilariously Nsfw title to anyone who will listen, approaches Hulu with her pitch for reviving the hit 2000s sitcom "Step Right Up." Hannah's goal is to make the multi-camera comedy show edgier and more mature while bringing back the original cast, all of whom have gone their separate ways over the past 15 years. Their ranks include Reed Sterling (Keegan-Michael Key), who moved to New York to pursue a mostly-failed career in theater and film; Bree Marie Jensen (Judy Greer), who used to date Reed before leaving her acting career to marry...

Steven Levitan is a veteran of the American sitcom, starting his career on long-running multi-cam “Wings,” creating NBC’s “Just Shoot Me!,” and co-parenting “Modern Family,” which won the Emmy for outstanding comedy series five years in a row.

On his latest project, however, Levitan looks at the sitcom through a different lens. “Reboot,” on Hulu, follows the cast of fictional early-aughts sitcom “Step Right Up” reuniting when, yes, Hulu decides to reboot it. There’s Reed (Keegan-Michael Key), pretentious capital A actor who never got his big break; Bree (Judy Greer), who returns from a small Nordic country after a royal divorce; Clay (Johnny Knoxville), a filthy stand-up comedian who can’t stay out of trouble; and Zack (Calum Worthy), a child actor who never really grew up. Meanwhile, the veteran comedy writers of the original show clash with the young, politically correct writers also on board, and the...

Sitcom king Steven Levitan (from “Just Shoot Me!” to “Modern Family”) has done it again. The creator’s latest series, “Reboot,” is a hilarious vehicle for skewering generational clashes, writer’s room workplace dysfunction, cancel culture, actors’ bottomless neuroses and the sitcom industry that Levitan’s called home for three decades. Treated with affection and scalpel-like wit, “Reboot” doesn’t need a laugh track because over eight half-hour episodes on Hulu it’s consistently laugh-out-loud funny.

Here’s the premise, which on its face seems as recycled as the title, “Reboot.” An appealingly mensch-y Rachel Bloom (co-creator and star of the musical-dramedy “Crazy Ex-Girlfriend”) plays the deeply relatable, anxiety-stricken first-time showrunner Hannah. Hulu has given Hannah the greenlight to reboot an early 2000s sofa-anchored family sitcom, “Step Right Up.” Made it, Ma! Or maybe not.

Hannah, backed by the diverse younger comedy writers she’s hired, wants to reinvent the show with a new,...

Brian Reich, a veteran comedy writer known for his work on Late Night with Conan O’Brien, where he created such memorable characters as Masturbating Bear and Pimpbot 5000, died September 12 in Los Angeles. He was 53.

Reich, born April 5, 1969, was a Harvard Lampoon alum. His first job out of college was as a writer on NBC’s Late Night with David Letterman at the end of its run. He then segued to Late Night with Conan O’Brien when the former Saturday Night Live writer took over the late-night talk show. During his five-year tenure, Reich helped establish the show as one of its key writers and creator of several signature characters.

Hollywood & Media Deaths 2022: A Photo Gallery

“I am so saddened by the news that we’ve lost the hilarious Brian Reich,” O’Brien wrote on Twitter. “He was such an inventively funny and daring comedy writer and he gave...

As if “Gordy’s Home” wasn’t a big enough reason to say “Nope” to a sitcom reboot, Hulu takes the meta-concept in a whole new direction.

The latest series from iconic Emmy-winning sitcom creator Steven Levitan, the co-creator behind “Modern Family,” is Hulu’s “Reboot.” It stars Keegan-Michael Key, Judy Greer, and Johnny Knoxville as part of a dysfunctional cast made famous by the fictional early 2000s family sitcom “Step Right Up.” Now, almost 20 years later, the cast is coming back together again to revive the original hit series, plus squash their unresolved issues and navigate social media cancel culture.

Paul Reiser, Rachel Bloom, Calum Worthy, Fred Melamed, and Krista Marie Yu also star in the series, streaming September 20 with its first three episodes followed by weekly installments. And yes, the show-within-the-show “Step Right Up” is being rebooted for Hulu, in case there needed to be another meta layer in the mix.

High school basketball star Mookie Cook will play the young Lebron James in "Shooting Stars," the upcoming Peacock film adaptation of the 2009 memoir by James and "Friday Night Lights" author Buzz Bissinger. Caleb McLaughlin of "Stranger Things" fame will co-star.

"Shooting Stars" recently commenced production in Akron, Ohio, where current Los Angeles Laker James grew up before he went on to play first for the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA. The book details his high school years and relationships with friends and teammates as they competed in national championships. According to The Hollywood Reporter, McLaughlin — who also co-starred in Netflix's "Concrete Cowboy" with Idris Elba and...

The post Universal Casts Mookie Cook As Young LeBron James in Shooting Stars appeared first on /Film.

Peacock will be the first streaming service to offer access to Bravo shows the day after they air, in a new bit of corporate-sibling synergy at NBCUniversal.

For the first time on any streaming-only platform, new episodes of all Bravo shows will be available day-after-air to Peacock’s premium subscribers. The streamer also announced a multiyear movie output deal with Lionsgate, with titles to hit Peacock starting in 2024. The news came as part of Peacock’s 2022 NewFronts presentation Monday in New York for marketers.

“We are thrilled Peacock is becoming the streaming home of Bravo, which is such a beloved brand,” said Kelly Campbell, president of Peacock and Direct-to-Consumer at NBCUniversal. “Full fan experiences like this are part of the extraordinary value we offer Peacock customers.”

New episodes of all Bravo shows will be available to stream the day after airing. Previously, the only way to get next-day access to...

Peacock has announced its first three original films that will debut on the streamer in 2023 in collaboration with Universal Pictures, and they include new movies from LeBron James, John Woo and Will Packer.

Woo will reimagine and direct his own classic “The Killer,” which was released in 1989 and is hailed as one of the most influential action films of all time.

Peacock will also be home to the first film from NBCUniversal’s production deal with LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Company. The film, “Shooting Stars,” will follow James’ origin story as a high school basketball player and is currently in production in his hometown of Akron. Rachel Winter and Terence Winter are producing along with The SpringHill Company.

And finally “Praise This,” a new film from producer Will Packer starring Chloe Bailey, will also be released directly on Peacock in 2023. The story follows the newest member of...

John Woo will return to direct “The Killer” after all.

Following over a decade of discussions around the English-language adaptation of his 1989 classic film, Woo confirmed that he will helm a reimagining for Peacock in collaboration with Universal Pictures. “The Killer” is about a seasoned assassin who takes on one last job, during which he accidentally blinds a nightclub singer. In order to pay for an operation to fix her sight, the killer for hire agrees to assassinate a high-ranking triad boss, just as the police are tracking him down. Chow Yun-fat, Sally Yeh, and Danny Lee star in the original.

In 2018, Oscar winner Lupita Nyong’o was set to lead a gender-swapped remake as the assassin; there has been no word yet on official casting for the Peacock Original. The new version will arrive on the streamer next year.

Per Peacock, “celebrated action auteur John Woo returns to reimagine and...

Exclusive: The Goldbergs star Wendi McLendon-Covey has signed a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television, the studio behind the hit ABC comedy series. Under the pact, McLendon-Covey will develop for the studio across all platforms.

The pact was made in conjunction with McLendon-Covey recently signing a new contract to continue to portray matriarch Beverly Goldberg on The Goldbergs, which paved the way for the show to receive a Season 10 renewal. McLendon-Covey, who also serves as an executive producer on The Goldbergs, has been nominated for two Critics Choice Awards for her role.

“There is no one funnier, more unique and talented than Wendi,” said Dawn Steinberg, EVP Worldwide Talent & Casting and Glenn Adilman, EVP Comedy Development for Sony Pictures Television. “She is the longstanding pride of our Sony family and we are thrilled to be deepening our relationship both behind and in front of the camera.”

A standout from the...

Funnyman David Spade is bringing his comedic talents to streaming for his first Netflix stand-up comedy special. Nothing Personal premieres on Tuesday, April 26, and Netflix promises that in the special, “from sharing his disdain for crabs to his unique approach to turning down drugs, David proves that no topic is off limits.” The new special marks another project of Spade’s with the streamer; he previously starred in the Netflix original movies The Wrong Missy and The Do-Over. Having risen to fame on Saturday Night Live, Spade has established himself as one of comedy’s best-known names through his roles in movies and shows such as Tommy Boy, Just Shoot Me!, The Emperor’s New Groove, 8 Simple Rules, Rules of Engagement, the Hotel Transylvania and Grown Ups franchises, and more. Most recently, Spade appeared as a guest host on Bachelor in Paradise Season 7 alongside Lance Bass, Tituss Burgess, Lil John,...

Skydance Animation has set a multi-year licensing deal with Spin Master, the children’s entertainment company known for creating popular properties like Paw Patrol.

Under the agreement, Spin Master will be the studio’s master toy licensee. The first title covered will be Apple Original Film Spellbound. Directed by Vicky Jenson, the film will debut on Apple TV+. Characters from the show will be featured as products like fashion dolls, mini-dolls and vehicles.

“We are thrilled to be partnering with a company like Spin Master that is as committed to quality and attention to detail as we are,” said Luis Fernández, Skydance’s head of consumer products. “As we ramp up production on our slate of animated features, we could not imagine a better partner to bring our visually stunning and epic animated worlds to life.”

Chris Beardall, Spin Master’s president of toys and chief commercial officer, said the...

Rich Moore, the Oscar-winning filmmaker behind such titles as Zootopia and Wreck-It Ralph, has entered into an exclusive, multi-year overall deal with Skydance Animation, which will see him create, develop and produce original animated features for the studio.

The writer-director won the Oscar for Best Animated Feature in 2017 for his work on Zootopia and was also nominated for both Wreck-It Ralph and its sequel, Ralph Breaks the Internet. He spent 10 years at Walt Disney Animation where, in addition to his mounting features, he served as part of the Disney Story Trust and creative leadership on titles such as Tangled, Frozen and Moana.

Prior to his time at Disney, he was one of the original three directors of Fox’s long-running animated series The Simpsons, earning his first Primetime Emmy Award for directing the episode “Homer vs. Lisa and the 8th Commandment.”

Skydance Animation is a subsidiary of Skydance Media that...

The end of the Glasgow Film Festival is here and with it is Antoneta Kusijanovic’s debut feature, Murina.

Not only is it the closing film of this year’s festival, it also marks the UK premiere.

Winner of the Caméra d’Or at Cannes this year, it is the story of a Julija (Gracija Filipović) who lives on an idyllic Croatian island with her family in a toxic environment with a controlling father.

We sit down with Gracija at the festival to discuss shooting the film, winning the Shooting Stars award at the Berlin International Film Festival, working with Antoneta again and more.

Murina is released in cinemas on April 8th & will be available on virtual cinema from May 9th

The post Gracija Filipović on Murina, mental preparations for the role & challenges of filming diving scenes appeared first on HeyUGuys.

Exclusive: Skydance Animation has scored a major coup by acquiring rights to make Ray Gunn. That will be the next animated film by writer-director Brad Bird, the Oscar-winning Pixar fixture who made The Incredibles films, Ratatouille and The Iron Giant, as well as the live-action Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol. He will direct and produce the film from an original story by him. Bird wrote the script with Matthew Robbins.

John Lasseter, David Ellison and Dana Goldberg will produce for Skydance Animation. Ray Gunn will be Bird’s first animated film since 2018’s Incredibles 2, Pixar’s highest-grossing film of all time. Bird reunites with former Pixar head Lasseter and joins a growing roster of animation talent at Skydance.

“From his work on The Iron Giant to The Incredibles films and the work we did together on Mission: Impossible – Ghost Protocol, Brad is one of the greatest filmmakers working in the industry today,...

Orville Peck will saddle up with a new full-length album in 2022. Bronco, the masked singer’s follow-up to 2019’s Pony and the 2020 EP Show Pony, will be released in chapter installments before arriving in full on April 8.

Chapter One of the 15-track Bronco hit digital services on Friday and includes four new songs: “Daytona Sand,” “C’mon Baby, Cry,” “Outta Time,” and “Any Turn.” Compared to the murky atmosphere of Pony, the new songs are considerably brighter in tone.

“C’mon Baby, Cry” taps into the sound of Phil Spector...

Exclusive: Vertical Entertainment has acquired North American rights to the psychological thriller Measure of Revenge, starring Oscar winner Melissa Leo, Bella Thorne and Jake Weary, slating it for a day-and-date release on March 18.

In the debut feature of Malaysian helmer Peyfa, Broadway actress Lillian Cooper (Leo) is making her final on-stage appearance when her famous son, Curtis (Weary), is found dead. When his death is ruled as an accidental overdose, a suspicious Lillian decides to take matters into her own hands. On a quest for answers, she strikes up an unlikely alliance with her son’s drug dealer, Taz (Thorne), setting in motion a bloody warpath to uncover the truth, inspired by the characters she portrayed on stage.

Measure of Revenge also stars Roma Maffia (Disclosure), Adrian Martinez and Benedict Samuel (The Walk). Jen Gatien produced with Peter Wong and Timur Bekbosunov for Ace Pictures Entertainment. Johnny Chang, Bronwyn Cornelius and Emma Lee exec produced, with Jay Cannold co-producing.

“Melissa steps into this role of a grieving and relentless mother seeking justice for her son with such ease that it draws the viewer deeply into her journey and keeps you captivated and rooting for her every step of the way,” said Vertical Entertainment Partner Peter Jarowey.

“We are excited to partner up with Vertical Entertainment on Measure of Revenge to release a film that is an emotional and thrilling experience filled with mystery and surprise,” added Gatien, Wong and Bekbosunov in a joint statement. “Melissa Leo delivers a powerful and energetic performance in the role of a mother hellbent on revenge, forming great screen chemistry with the immensely talented Bella Thorne. We can’t wait for audiences to discover the film.”

Ace Pictures Entertainment is a film production and investment company, with a focus on genre fare. Chang leads its team as CEO, with Wong as President, Lee as VP of Business Affairs and Bekbosunov as VP of Creative Affairs. Since its 2017 launch, the company has provided full financing and production services for the Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner Clemency, starring Alfre Woodard, which was released by Neon and Focus Features; the dark Sundance comedy Blush, starring Wendi McLendon-Covey; the documentary M for Magic about the world-renowned Magic Castle; the supernatural thriller Daniel Isn’t Real, starring Patrick Schwarzenegger and Miles Robbins, released by Samuel Goldwyn and sold internationally by Voltage; and the horror cult hit Color Out of Space, directed by Richard Stanley and starring Nicolas Cage, which was released by Rlj Entertainment and sold internationally by XYZ. Ace Pictures also provided partial financing for the fantastical drama Come Away, directed by Brenda Chapman and starring Angelina Jolie, which was released by Relativity Media, and James Wan’s horror film Malignant.

Vertical Entertainment is a global independent distributor, which was founded in 2012. Other upcoming releases from the company include the SXSW & Venice prize winner Topside; the Sundance thriller Emily the Criminal, starring Aubrey Plaza, which it co-acquired with Roadside Attractions; Lyle Mitchell Corbine, Jr.’s Independent Spirit Award-nominated Wild Indian, starring Michael Greyeyes and Chaske Spencer; Krystin Ver Linden’s Alice, starring Keke Palmer, Common, Gaius Charles and Jonny Lee Miller, which premiered at Sundance 2022; and romantic comedy The Hating Game, starring Lucy Hale and Austin Stowell.

Tony Piantedosi negotiated the deal for Measure of Revenge on behalf of Vertical Entertainment, with Bekbosunov and CAA on behalf of Ace Pictures. Leo is represented by APA and The Initiative Group; Thorne by CAA, Thirty Three Management and Strategic Public Relations; and Weary by Gersh, Management 360 and Shafran PR.

Prentice Penny (Insecure, Uncorked) has signed on to direct an adaptation of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel New Kid for Universal Pictures, tapping Eli Wilson Pelton to adapt the script. His production company A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment has also come aboard to develop and produce the film alongside The SpringHill Company.

New Kid tells the story of Jordan Banks, who experiences culture shock as one of the few kids of color when his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school, struggling both to start over and to fit in. The graphic novel from award-winning author-illustrator Jerry Craft was published by HarperCollins in 2019 and subsequently became the first to win the coveted Newbery Medal, as well as the Coretta Scott King Award.

Universal Pictures acquired the rights to New Kid in 2020 as part of its four-year, first-look deal with The SpringHill Company, which optioned...

Turns out luck is a lady… one who certainly needs a four-leaf clover right about now.

In upcoming star-studded adventure film “Luck,” Broadway star Eva Noblezada voices Sam Greenfield, the unluckiest person in the world who discovers the magical Land of Luck after aging out of foster care — and becomes determined to harness its power to fix her life. The only catch? She must unite the magical creatures in the Land of Luck, who have wily minds of their own. Apple Original Films and Skydance Animation unveiled the details behind the

Among those magical creatures is a lucky black cat named Bob (Simon Pegg), who teams up with Sam in a quest to find a lucky penny to preserve his own perfect life. Along the way they encounter the Head of Security for the Land of Luck (Egot winner Whoopi Goldberg); facilities engineer Jeff the Unicorn (Flula Borg), who maintains...

After setting its recent films Without Remorse, The Tomorrow War and The Old Guard at streamers, David Ellison’s Skydance Media has made a multi-year agreement with Apple to develop and produce an annual slate of live-action global-minded movies that will be released through Apple Original Films.

This further expands a fast-growing relationship between the producer-financier and the streamer. Apple already has a multi-year partnership for animated films and series that includes the Peggy Holmes-directed Luck and the Vicky Jenson-directed Spellbound with score from Alan Menken, the animated series The Search for Wondla and the short film Blush., AppleTV+ has the Skydance-produced David S. Goyer drama Foundation — the Isaac Asimov novel adaptation has been renewed for a second season — and The Big Door Prize from Schitt’s Creek Emmy winner David West Read.

On the film front, Skydance and Apple have the The Greatest Beer Run Ever, director...

Exclusive: Carlo Mendez will take over Alvaro Orlando’s role in the indie The Legend of Jack and Diane, following Orlando’s departure due to a scheduling conflict.

He joins a cast led by Tom Sizemore, which also includes Robert Lasardo, David Timlinson and newcomer Lydia Zelmac, with production currently underway in and around the Los Angeles area.

The film directed by Bruce Bellochi is a revenge thriller, which takes its name from John Mellencamp’s classic song “Jack & Diane.” It centers, of course, on Jack (Tomlinson) and Diane (Zelmac), who decide to leave Indiana for a new life in Los Angeles. When the pair discover secrets about the death of Diane’s mother, their worst fears are confirmed, and they are forced to run. On the way to Los Angeles to confront evil, they create a hit list to exact revenge on everyone involved.

Mendez will play Detective Stanley Montana,...

Nominees for the 53rd NAACP Image Awards are officially in, with Netflix taking the lead with 52 noms overall for titles across film and TV including The Harder They Fall, Passing, Bruised, The Upshaws and Maid.

The Harder They Fall’s nominations include for Outstanding Motion Picture, where it joins fellow nominees Judas and the Black Messiah and King Richard from Warner Bros, MGM/Uar’s Respect and Hulu’s The United States vs. Billie Holiday.

The show announcing marquee winners is set to place February 26 at 8 p.m. Et/Pt live on BET. The NAACP will recognize winners in non-televised categories February 21-25, with those ceremonies to stream on NAACPImageAwards.net.

The Image Awards celebrates the outstanding achievements and performances of people of color across more than 80 competitive categories spanning film, television, streaming, music, literature and podcasts. That category count is up from the 70-plus categories recognized earlier this year.

Nicholas Britell has a leading three nominations from the Society of Composers & Lyricists Awards, with Tuesday’s announcement of this year’s nominees for music in visual media finding Britell in contention for both song and score for his work on Adam McKay’s satire “Don’t Look Up,” as well as a nom for TV score for “Succession.”

The Scl’s third annual awards program is slated for Feb. 1 at the Skirball Cultural Center in Los Angeles.

Women composers and songwriters had a surprisingly strong showing this year. Fifteen of the 35 individuals nominated, or nearly 43% of the total, are female. They are nominees in all six competitive categories, and took all three slots for the newly established David Raksin Award for emerging talent.

Four contenders received two nominations each: Jonny Greenwood, Kid Cudi (songs in “Don’t Look Up” and “The Harder They Fall”), Germaine Franco (scores for “Encanto” and the...

Nicholas Britell led all composers with three nominations for the third annual Society of Composers and Lyricists’ Scl Awards, the organization announced on Tuesday.

Britell was nominated for his scores to the film “Don’t Look Up” and the television series “Succession,” as well as for co-writing the song “Just Look Up” from “Don’t Look Up.”

Other composers or songwriters with multiple nominations in the seven categories were Germaine Franco, nominated for her scores to “Encanto” and “Kung Fu Panda: Land of Awesomeness”; Jonny Greenwood, nominated for “The Power of the Dog” and “Spencer”; Scott “Kid Cudi” Mescudi, nominated for songs from “Don’t Look Up” and “The Harder They Fall”; and Diane Warren, nominated for songs from “Four Good Days” and “The Mustangs.”

Nominees in the Studio Film category were Britell, Franco, Greenwood, Alexandre Desplat for “The French Dispatch” and Hans Zimmer for “Dune.” In the Independent Film category, Greenwood was...

Four of the top animated films of the year sought to take us to very different worlds. One showed an astronaut trying to survive after his spaceship crash lands on a strange small planet while another shows a robot uprising on Earth instigated by a vengeful AI system. Another shows us a school that looks to make parents obsolete and the other displays a world of singing animals trying to make it in show business. In a recent discussion we got to hear the filmmakers behind these projects talk about their influences in animation and what lessons they’ve learned over the course of their careers. Gold Derby recently got to ask these questions with Joe Mateo (“Blush”), Tom McGrath (“The Boss Baby: Family Business”), Kurt Albrecht (“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”) and Garth Jennings (“Sing 2”) during our recent Meet the Experts panel.

You can watch the film animation...

For his animated short film, “Blush,” director Joe Mateo drew from a devastating experience as the basis for the story. “I lost my wife, Mary Ann, to breast cancer four-and-a-half years ago,” he tells Gold Derby in our Meet the Experts: Film Animation panel (watch the exclusive video interview above). He even started having panic attacks after it happened, but as time went on and he started work on this short, the process actually helped him cope with the loss. “I was inspired to share this message as a way to overcome great loss. It was actually very therapeutic.”

“Blush” is a short animated film that is currently streaming on Apple TV+. It centers on a horticulturalist/astronaut whose spaceship crash lands on a strange planet. His fortunes change when an alien spaceship also crashes on the planet and the two fall in love and help to bring plants to life on the small planet.

Four top animation filmmakers join us for in-depth discussions of the greatest challenges they face on the job and what inspires them as creative people. Watch our individual interviews with Joe Mateo (‘Blush’), Tom McGrath (‘The Boss Baby: Family Business’), Kurt Albrecht (‘The Mitchells vs. the Machines’) and Garth Jennings (‘Sing 2’). Afterward, see all four guests gather for a lively discussion moderated by Gold Derby contributing editor Charles Bright.

Four top animation filmmakers will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022 Oscar and guild contenders. Each person from these films will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Tuesday, November 23, at 5:00 p.m. Pt; 8:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our contributing editor Charles Bright and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.

RSVP today to this specific event by clicking here to book your reservation. Or click here to RSVP for our entire ongoing panel series of 17 panels in November and December. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.

This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 awards contenders:

“Blush”: Joe Mateo

Synopsis: A stranded horticulturist-astronaut meets an ethereal visitor on a desolate dwarf planet.

“The Boss Baby: Family Business...

James Michael Tyler, best known for his recurring role as Central Perk manager Gunther on Friends, died Sunday morning following a years-long battle with Stage 4 prostate cancer, the actor’s rep confirmed to TVLine. He was 59 years old.

“The world knew him as Gunther (the seventh “Friend”), but Michael’s loved ones knew him as an actor, musician, cancer-awareness advocate and loving husband,” his family and long-time manager wrote in a statement. “Michael loved live music, cheering on his Clemson Tigers, and would often find himself in fun and unplanned adventures. If you met him once you made a friend for life.

James Michael Tyler, the actor who portrayed Gunther in Friends, died peacefully at his home in Los Angeles on Sunday after battling Stage 4 prostate cancer, Deadline has confirmed. He was 59.

Tyler, who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2018, opened up about his struggles to Today in June. He confirmed the “late-stage cancer” had spread to his bones and spine, leading to paralysis of his lower body.

“So eventually, you know, it’s gonna probably get me,” he said.

“All I had to do was take a pill in the morning and the night, and boom — life was pretty much normal,” he told Craig Melvin. He said the cancer mutated “right at the time of the pandemic.”

Tyler was born in Greenwood, Mississippi on May 28, 1962, the youngest of five children. By the age of 12, he had suffered the loss of both of his parents. He moved to live with a sister in South Carolina.

During lockdown, director Edgar Wright dug deep into the history of British cinema – guided by a letter from a living legend

Read Mark Kermode’s interview with Edgar Wright

When the film-maker Edgar Wright told his hero Martin Scorsese he’d “always been curious as to what some of your favourite British films were growing up”, the great director responded with this list of mid-20th century gems.

Shooting Stars

Anthony Asquith (1927)...

“Blush,” the debut short from Skydance Animation and Apple Original Films, is a semi-autobiographical work about love, loss, and healing from former Disney story artist Joe Mateo (who was behind the Emmy-winning “Prep & Landing”). A horticulturist-astronaut crash lands on a desolate dwarf planet and struggles to survive, only to be saved with the arrival of a bright, outgoing creature, who makes the planet bloom with succulent plants. All goes beautifully until tragedy strikes.

“I lost my wife, Mary Ann, four and a half years ago from breast cancer, and I struggled to go back to work,” Mateo said. “But that same night when I lost her, I couldn’t breathe. I had to call a doctor friend of ours about this panic attack, which I’d never experienced before. And I’m fortunate that I had my kids around me.”

That panic attack and his inability to breathe got Mateo...