Author potter harry

Editor’s note : Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series debuts and celebrates the scripts of films factoring in this year’s movie awards races. For her debut feature, filmmaker Georgia Oakley returns to 1980s Britain as Margaret Thatcher’s Conservative government has introduced Section 28, a clause of the Local Government Act that seeks to prohibit “the promotion of homosexuality” by local authorities across the United Kingdom. At the time, protests were rife, but many gay women and men felt compelled to keep their sexuality a secret. Blue Jean , written and directed by Oakley, follows Jean, a school gym teacher who keeps her sexuality a secret from her colleagues. The threat is immediate and real: if exposed, her love life could cost her her job. However, Jean finds little sympathy from her girlfriend, Viv. Out and proud, Viv is part of a cooperative of similarly assertive lesbian women. Viv regards secrecy as a capitulation to an increasingly oppressive system. As … [Read more...] about ‘Blue Jean’: Read The Screenplay For Georgia Oakley’s BAFTA Nominated Debut

Microsoft ’s proposed $69B acquisition of Activision could bring harm to the UK’s 45M-strong gaming community, the nation’s competition body has ruled. In a provisional finding delivered in the past hour, the UK’s Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) said that Microsoft “buying one of the world’s most important game publishers would reinforce [its] strong position and substantially reduce the competition that Microsoft would otherwise face in the cloud gaming market in the UK.” Both companies can respond to the ruling, which will conclude in April. Microsoft already accounts for an estimated 60% to 70% of global cloud gaming services, said the ruling, and corners the market in other ways via its ownership of Xbox, Windows and Azure. A small number of Activision’s flagship games such as Call of Duty play an important role in driving competition between consoles, added the CMA, which said Xbox and Playstation’s competition would “weaken competition” and “in turn … [Read more...] about Microsoft Activision Deal Could Bring Harm To UK Gaming Community, Rules Regulator

EXCLUSIVE : Paul Giamatti is set to explore topics such as aliens, conspiracies, hoaxes and altered states of consciousness in Chinwag , a new weekly podcast series. The Billions star and author and philosopher Stephen Asma are hosting the series, which comes from Treefort Media and Giamatti’s own Touchy Feely Films. The series, which launches on April 5, will feature an eclectic lineup of guests and will see the pair delve into questions such as ‘Are we living in a simulation?’ ‘What’s the most perfect sentence in literature?’ and ‘Is Bigfoot interdimensional?’ as well as topics such as science, the occult, philosophy, and magic mushrooms. It will be available on all major podcast platforms and YouTube. Treefort Media, which was founded by CEO Kelly Garner, is behind podcasts such as Fatal Voyage: The Mysterious Death of Natalie Wood , scripted Sherlock Holmes audio drama Moriarty, Killing Hollywood: The Cotton Club Murder and Killer Psyche. Touchy … [Read more...] about Paul Giamatti To Dive Deep Into Aliens, Conspiracies & Hoaxes In Weekly Podcast Series ‘Chinwag’

EXCLUSIVE : Patricia Cornwell ’s Kay Scarpetta books have completed their long journey to the screen with a blockbuster TV series starring Oscar winner Nicole Kidman in the title role and Oscar nominee Jamie Lee Curtis as the famous forensic pathologist’s sister Dorothy, I have learned. Kidman is executive producing through Blossom Films and Curtis through Comet Pictures the drama, from writer-showrunner Liz Sarnoff ( Barry ) and Blumhouse Television, which I hear is nearing a two-season straight-to-series order at Prime Video. A rep for the streamer declined comment as deals for the project, to be produced by Amazon Studios and Blumhouse, are still being finalized. It is expected to receive an order for two eight-episode seasons, sources said. Kidman’s Kay Scarpetta is a brilliant forensic pathologist, inspired by former Virginia Chief Medical Examiner Marcella Farinelli Fierro, who uses forensic technology to solve crimes. Curtis will play Kay’s flighty sister, … [Read more...] about Nicole Kidman & Jamie Lee Curtis To Star In & EP Patricia Cornwell’s ‘Kay Scarpetta’ TV Series At Amazon From Liz Sarnoff & Blumhouse

EXCLUSIVE: The Gotham Group , which most recently produced Disney+’s Stargirl based on the bestselling novel, has made its latest book deal. It has optioned Christina Hammonds Reed’s upcoming debut YA novel The Black Kids , setting Rafiki helmer Wanuri Kahiu to direct and Allison Davis to adapt it. The novel, to be published September 1 via Simon & Schuster, is a coming-of-age story of a wealthy African-American teenager whose family gets caught in the vortex of the 1992 Los Angeles riots. Kahiu’s previous film Rafiki was banned in her native Kenya for a time ahead of its world premiere at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, where it made history as the first Kenyan film selected. It explored LGBTQ issues in a country that criminalizes homosexual acts between consenting adults. The film’s success helped Kahiu land gigs in the U.S. Now managed by Gotham Group, she is also set to direct Millie Bobby Brown in The Thing About Jellyfish for Made Up Stories, … [Read more...] about ‘Rafiki’ Helmer Wanuri Kahiu To Direct Gotham Group’s YA Adaptation ‘The Black Kids’

Disney is moving back closer to how things used to be run on the content side with the creation of a new Disney Entertainment unit that will encompass TV and film. This new corporate division, which will sit separate to ESPN and the Parks, Experiences & Products unit, will be led by Dana Walden and Alan Bergman . The Walt Disney Company CEO Bob Iger just revealed the new structure on the company’s latest earnings call, as part of a “ significant transformation ” at the company that he said would “maximize the potential of our world-class creative teams”. It officially dismantles Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, created by former CEO Bob Chapek and run by Kareem Daniel, who left last year. This unit separated the the way content and distribution decisions were made and took decision making power away from the creative teams. “Our new structure is aimed at returning greater authority to our creative leaders, and making them accountable for how … [Read more...] about Dana Walden & Alan Bergman To Oversee New Disney Entertainment Unit

Disney is reorganizing its sprawling businesses under three core segments — Entertainment, ESPN and Parks , Experiences & Products — as CEO Bob Iger moves to restructure the company. The move follows his dismantling of DMED , or Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution, set up by previous CEO Bob Chapek , that wrested control over content decisions by the company’s creative executives. Now we know what the new structure will look like. It’s aimed at returning creative authority to Disney’s “world-class creative team” and its “unparalleled brands and franchises,” he said during a conference call following the company’s first-quarter earnings report. The reorganization is a key element of a transformation that he said also will help rationalize the streaming business for sustained growth and profitability and reducing expenses in a world of increased competition and global economic challenges. The DTC business, except for ESPN+ , will be under … [Read more...] about Disney Reorganizes Into Three Segments, Entertainment, ESPN & Parks

First Lady Jill Biden may have played her husband's hand when it comes to the 2024 ticket ... and it all comes down to a kiss. Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff was in the VIP section of the House, up in the gallery when the First Lady arrived. She planted a friendly kiss, smack on Doug's lips, which has now become a thing on social media. Getty The smooch is an old-fashioned, polite gesture for sure, but there could be political implications as well. There have been rumblings within the Democratic Party about the Veep's fate as JB circles a 2nd bid for POTUS, which he's expected to announce in a couple weeks. Some Dems think Harris would be a drag on the ticket and want him to dump her and go with a new running mate. Now it's certainly possible we and others may be reading too much into the kiss, but Jill and Joe know what time it is ... they've certainly been around long enough to know image matters. The fact that Jill gave Doug a … [Read more...] about First Lady Jill Biden Kisses Second Gentleman Doug Emhoff on Lips

The first full blown House Oversight Committee hearing of the new GOP majority was focused on Hunter Biden , and the role that Twitter played in suppressing a bombshell New York Post story about the contents of a laptop purportedly owned by the president’s son. Weeks before the presidential election, Twitter restricted the Post account in an effort to curb the spread of the article, declaring it potentially “harmful material” and in violation of a hacked materials policy. After an outcry, particularly on the right, the accounts were restored, and Twitter executives later admitted that the company’s actions were wrong . The premise of Wednesday’s hearing was that Twitter colluded with the FBI to suppress the story and tip the scales for Joe Biden in the presidential election. The hearing included testimony from four former Twitter executives, who said that they were not engaged in a conspiracy to sideline the story. “I am aware of no unlawful collusion with or … [Read more...] about Former Twitter Executives Push Back On GOP Claims Of Collusion With FBI In Handling Of Hunter Biden Laptop Story

A reporter for NewsNation was arrested on Wednesday as he was covering a press conference being given by Ohio Governor Mike DeWine about the train derailment in East Palestine. Evan Lambert , who is based in Washington, had traveled to Ohio to cover the story and was doing a live report during the press conference when he was told by local law enforcement to be quiet as DeWine was speaking. He was then taken into custody on charges of disorderly conduct and criminal trespassing, according to the network. At the press conference, DeWine said that he had not authorized the arrest , which NewsNation captured on video. Preston Swigart, the photographer who was with Lambert, said that police had told him to stop talking as he did his live shot. “From their standpoint, he didn’t obey orders when he was told to stop talking,” Swigart said, according to NewsNation. “Gymnasiums are echoey and loud and sound kind of carries, so I’m guessing that they just didn’t like … [Read more...] about NewsNation Reporter Arrested At Ohio Governor’s Press Conference