This morning’s Tony Award nominations favored the familiar, with Mean Girls and SpongeBob SquarePants leading the field with 12 nods apiece. The American debut of Harry Potter and the Cursed Child paced new plays with 10 nominations, and the revival of Angels in America had a strong showing with 11 nominations, most in Tony history for a play. (See the full list below.) Other shows posting impressive tallies included The Band’s Visit , with 11 nominations going to the original musical based on a 2007 Israeli film. An acclaimed revival of Rodgers & Hammerstein’s Carousel also scored 11 nominations, including one for Renée Fleming, who is better known for her career as one of the opera world’s most venerable stars. Lincoln Center’s posh reboot of My Fair Lady garnered 10 nominations, and the Denzel Washington-starring revival of Eugene O’Neill’s The Iceman Cometh received eight. Frozen , the latest Disney adaptation to head to Broadway , joining The … [Read more...] about Tony Award Nominations: ‘Mean Girls,’ ‘SpongeBob’ And ‘Harry Potter’ Lead New Crop; ‘Angels,’ ‘Carousel’ Top Revivals
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‘Smash’ Musical Heading To Broadway With Steven Spielberg, Neil Meron & Robert Greenblatt Producing
Smash is finally heading to Broadway . In an announcement long awaited by fans of the 2012 NBC series, a stage musical adaptation is planned to arrive on Broadway during the 2024-25 season, with a lead producing team of Robert Greenblatt, Neil Meron and Steven Spielberg . A top flight creative team is attached, including director Susan Stroman, composers Marc Shaiman and Scott Wittman , book writers Rick Elice and Bob Martin, and the TV series’ choreographer Joshua Bergasse. Spielberg, whose original idea led to the NBC series, said in a statement, “ Smash is near and dear to my heart, and it was always my hope that a musical inspired by the show would eventually come to the stage. We now have an incredible creative team, and I’m looking forward to completing the Smash journey which began with my producing partners over ten years ago.” In addition to new music, the stage version will include many of the Shaiman-Wittman songs from the TV series, including the … [Read more...] about ‘Smash’ Musical Heading To Broadway With Steven Spielberg, Neil Meron & Robert Greenblatt Producing
Erik Lomis Dies: Veteran MGM Distribution Chief Was 64
Extremely devastating news: MGM and United Artists Releasing distribution boss Erik Lomis died suddenly Wednesday at his home in Santa Monica, we have learned from sources. No details were provided in regards to his death. He was 64. Lomis was a towering figure behind many filmmakers’ hits including those from Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam McKay, Sylvester Stallone, Ryan Coogler, David O. Russell, Lee Daniels and Tom Hooper to name a few, and most recently Michael B. Jordan with Creed III . In the wake of Amazon’s purchase of MGM, Lomis, who made the jump, becoming an entrusted consigliere to Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke as the streamer looks to capitalize on more big-screen hits. Lomis gave Amazon a big taste of the box office with its first theatrical hit Creed III, which opened to more than $100 million worldwide and is currently grossing to $225M-plus at the global box office. It was Lomis’ bold decision to move Creed III out of … [Read more...] about Erik Lomis Dies: Veteran MGM Distribution Chief Was 64
‘A Good Person’ Review: Florence Pugh In Zach Braff’s Blunt And Honest Drama
A wily old pro teams up with one of the most exciting young actresses of the day in the emotionally loaded drama A Good Person . Zach Braff ’s third feature excels at taking the measure of how people cope with personal tragedy and does so in a vital and engaging way that’s far more invigorating than depressing. Braff essentially makes one feature film every 10 years ( Garden State and Wish I Was Here came before), and while he otherwise busies himself with music, television and other pursuits, his talent is such that you’d like to see him wade more frequently and deeper into film work than he so far has. This may be melodrama, but it’s melodrama of a pretty high order, one that benefits from a first-rate cast led by Florence Pugh and Morgan Freeman , and shifts tones and moods that startle with their bluntness and honesty; that raucous laughs emerge from such an upsetting story is a testament to the filmmaker’s daring and dexterity. The film wrestles bravely … [Read more...] about ‘A Good Person’ Review: Florence Pugh In Zach Braff’s Blunt And Honest Drama
Stephanie Sperber Named President & CCO Of Lion Forge As Animation Company Expands Into Live-Action
EXCLUSIVE : Lion Forge Animation, the company behind the Oscar-winning Hair Love , has been rebranded as Lion Forge Entertainment as it is expanding its slate to include live-action in addition to animation. It has named veteran family entertainment executive Stephanie Sperber its President and chief Content Officer. Sperber is joining Lion Forge after recently leaving Imagine , where she was president of Imagine Kids+Family, a division she helped launch. She will report to CEO David Steward II, who founded Lion Forge Animation in 2019, and COO Edward Hamati. “Stephanie’s unparalleled experience, creative instincts, industry relationships, business acumen and work ethos will be a driving force for Lion Forge and pave the way for us to enter exciting new frontiers,” Steward said. “The Lion Forge brand has stood for diversity and representation in animation for the past four years, and I’m thrilled to take that brand and that mission into the live action series and feature … [Read more...] about Stephanie Sperber Named President & CCO Of Lion Forge As Animation Company Expands Into Live-Action
‘Mean Girls’ Movie Musical From Paramount Finds Its Kevin G. In Mahi Alam; Connor Ratliff Also Set
EXCLUSIVE : Paramount Pictures ‘ new Mean Girls film, based on the Tony-nominated Broadway show and the classic film comedy that inspired it, has found its Kevin G. in up-and-comer Mahi Alam ( American Born Chinese ), with veteran comedic actor Connor Ratliff ( Search Party ) also coming on for a role. Alam’s character Kevin, portrayed in the original movie by Rajiv Surendra, is the Mathlete friend of protagonist Cady, who harbors a crush on her new friend Janis at North Shore High. Ratliff will play teacher Mr. Rapp. The pair join an ensemble that also includes Angourie Rice, Reneé Rapp, Auli’i Cravalho, Jaquel Spivey, Tina Fey, Tim Meadows, Jenna Fischer, Busy Philipps, Avantika, Christopher Briney, Ashley Park and Bebe Wood, as previously announced. The 2004 Mean Girls film, adapted by Fey from the Rosalind Wiseman book Queen Bees and Wannabes , follows high school new girl Cady (Lindsay Lohan) in her attempt to fit in with A-list girl clique, The … [Read more...] about ‘Mean Girls’ Movie Musical From Paramount Finds Its Kevin G. In Mahi Alam; Connor Ratliff Also Set
‘Wind River: The Next Chapter’ Adds Gil Birmingham, Alan Ruck, Kali Reis & Tatanka Means
EXCLUSIVE : Wind River alum Gil Birmingham has closed a deal to return for Castle Rock Entertainment ’s sequel , with Alan Ruck ( Succession ), Kali Reis ( Catch the Fair One ) and Tatanka Means ( Killers of the Flower Moon ) also joining the cast. The film, which is in production in Calgary with Kari Skogland ( The Falcon and the Winter Soldier ) at the helm, also will see the return of Wind River original Martin Sensmeier, with Jason Clarke, Scott Eastwood and Chaske Spencer rounding out the ensemble. Written and directed by Oscar-nominated Yellowstone Universe architect Taylor Sheridan, the acclaimed 2017 crime drama Wind River watched as the veteran hunter Corey Lambert ( Jeremy Renner ) helped rookie FBI agent Jane Banner (Elizabeth Olsen) to investigate the murder of a young woman on the Wyoming Native American reservation of Wind River. In Wind River: The Next Chapter , terror has escalated on the reservation as a series of … [Read more...] about ‘Wind River: The Next Chapter’ Adds Gil Birmingham, Alan Ruck, Kali Reis & Tatanka Means