Devotion

Elvis director Baz Luhrmann , who has grown close with the Presley family while making and promoting his hit Warner Bros biopic starring Austin Butler, took to social media Friday to tribute Lisa Marie Presley, who died Thursday in Los Angeles after suffering cardiac arrest. She was 54. Luhrmann, Butler and the Elvis team and Presleys were together as recently as this past week, first at a Warner Bros event celebrating what would have been Elvis’ 88th birthday (watch a video from that below), then again Tuesday at the Golden Globes where Butler won the Best Actor – Drama prize for portraying the King of Rock and Roll. “Over the last year, the entire Elvis movie family and I have felt the privilege of Lisa Marie’s kind embrace,” Luhrmann wrote today on Instagram. “Her sudden, shocking loss has devastated people all around the world. I know her fans everywhere join me in sharing prayers of love and support with her mother, Priscilla, and her wonderful daughters Riley, … [Read more...] about ‘Elvis’ Director Baz Luhrmann Mourns Lisa Marie Presley: “We Will Miss Your Warmth, Your Smile, Your Love”

1:40 PM PST -- Round's attorney William London tells TMZ that his client is only seeking full custody in the best interest of their daughter, it has nothing to do with money. Rosie O'Donnell is fighting back against her estranged wife, and sources connected with Rosie say the wife is going for full custody of their daughter for one reason ... money. Michelle Rounds is filing legal docs Tuesday, asking for full custody of their 2-year-old daughter Dakota. Michelle's lawyer told the New York Post full custody is necessary to protect the child's "general welfare." But our Rosie sources are scoffing, saying that the couple has a prenup and this is nothing more than a money play, adding Rosie is a "devoted mother" and her parenting skills and dedication are well-documented. The sources say Michelle is trying to hit Rosie where it hurts the most so she'll open her wallet. One source says, "Michelle can't even raise a dog ... she's given … [Read more...] about Rosie O’Donnell — Wife Doesn’t Really Want Custody … She Wants Money

Italian actress Gina Lollobrigida , who was one of the world’s most famous actresses enjoying success in Europe and Hollywood in her 1950s and 60s heyday, has died in Rome at the age of 95. Tributes poured in for the actress from across Italy and the world. “In the immediate period after the war and throughout the 1950s there was one face that represented Italian beauty in the eyes of the world and it was that of Gina Lollobrigida,” wrote the Italian newspaper Il Corriere della Sera in a tribute article. “More than (Sophia) Loren, but also more than (Lucia) Bosè, (Gianna Maria) Canale, (Silvana) Mangano or (Silvana) Pampanini,” continued the article, citing a list of other female Italian cinema icons. Born in the hilltop town of Subiaco outside Rome in 1927, Lollobrigida started out as a model and was first scouted when she took part in the Miss Italy competition in 1947. Although she would go on to be dubbed “The Most Beautiful Woman in The World”, Lollobrigida … [Read more...] about Gina Lollobrigida Dies: Italian Cinema Diva Was 95

EXCLUSIVE : Good Girls creator/executive producer Jenna Bans has signed a new overall deal with Universal Television , the studio behind the NBC series. The studio extended Bans’ pact in conjunction with the Season 4 renewal of Good Girls. While a modest linear TV performer, from the get-go Good Girls has been a major digital draw. The caper, starring Christina Hendricks, Retta and Mae Whitman, has a devoted following and a lucrative deal with Netflix, which helped it score renewals at NBC early in its run. It is now a solid multi-platform ratings performer for NBC and a valuable asset with global appeal for sibling Universal TV. “All studios need to be in business not just with the most talented but with the most collaborative people that they can call partners. Jenna Bans checks both boxes,” said Universal Television President Pearlena Igbokwe. “The international hit Good Girls is evidence of her tremendous skill as a writer and  producer, and we count … [Read more...] about ‘Good Girls’ Creator Jenna Bans Re-Ups Overall Deal With Universal Television

EXCLUSIVE: Hulu is developing The Midcoast , a drama series based on Adam White ’s bestselling novel, from Escape at Dannemora co-creator Brett Johnson , Warren Littlefield ’s The Littlefield Company and 20th Television. Written by Johnson, based on White’s novel, The Midcoast is an hourlong drama set on the scenic coast of Maine exploring the rise and fall of Ed Thatch, a lobster fisherman turned blue collar criminal with an unstable devotion to his wife. The Midcoast was published in June 2022 by Hogarth Press. Johnson executive produces along with Littlefield, Ann Johnson, Graham Littlefield and Lisa Harrison for The Littlefield Company. White also serves as executive producer. 20th Television, where The Littlefield Company is under a deal, is the studio. Johnson co-created, executive produced and served as showrunner on Showtime limited series Escape At Dannemora, nominated for 12 Primetime Emmy Awards. He most recently served as co-executive producer … [Read more...] about ‘The Midcoast’ Drama Series Adaptation In Works At Hulu From Brett Johnson & Warren Littlefield

EXCLUSIVE: Netflix ’s The Lincoln Lawyer has added Matt Angel ( Dave ) to its Season 2 cast in a recurring role. Angel joins previously announced Season 2 cast, Yaya DaCosta and Lana Parrilla . He will portray Henry Dahl, a cosmopolitan erudite with a hipster haircut and clothes. He is the host of a successful true crime podcast that acts the role of a good Samaritan. Distrustful of Henry’s motives, Mickey ( Manuel Garcia-Rulfo ) warns him not to interfere with an ongoing case. Based on the series of bestselling novels by Michael Connelly , The Lincoln Lawyer follows the redemption of Mickey Haller, a Los Angeles attorney who regains much of what he lost due to addiction with hard work and hustle. His success is also thanks to his devoted supporters: his ex-wives Maggie (Neve Campbell) and Lorna (Becki Newton), his driver and unofficial sponsor Izzy (Jazz Raycole), and the best investigator in town—and Lorna’s newly minted fiancé—Cisco (Angus Sampson). … [Read more...] about ‘The Lincoln Lawyer’: Matt Angel To Recur In Season 2

EXCLUSIVE : Italy’s National Cinema Museum in the northern Italian city of Turin is one of the country’s most popular museums welcoming more than 600,000 visitors in 2022. The institution made international headlines this week when it honored Oscar-winning actor Kevin Spacey with a lifetime achievement award and a masterclass . The event marked Spacey’s first big public appearance since his career was put on ice in 2017 following a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him. Monday’s celebration of the actor raised eyebrows in the U.S. and the U.K., where the Oscar-winner will go on trial in June on 12 sexual assault charges, to which he has pleaded not guilty, but was largely viewed as a success in Italy. Enthusiastic fans flocked to the awards ceremony and masterclass, an accompanying special screening of American Beauty was sold-out, and there was barely a whiff of controversy around the politics of his visit in Italian media. Earlier this week, … [Read more...] about Italy’s National Cinema Museum On Why They Gave Kevin Spacey His First Public Platform In Five Years

EXCLUSIVE : Multi-hyphenate filmmaker, producer and financier Tommy Oliver has signed with CAA for representation of Confluential Films , his award-winning, Black-owned and -founded film, television, and docu production company and financier. CAA will also represent Oliver personally, as a writer-director, outside of Confluential. Oliver is the Founder & CEO, and he and his wife, Codie Elaine Oliver, are co-chairs of the creator-driven company devoted to championing inclusive, authentic and culturally specific projects, which only finances works from creators of color. News of the CAA signing comes just ahead of the 2023 Sundance Film Festival , where Oliver will be unveiling four projects. Features produced by Oliver and Confluential that are heading to the Utah festival include Erica Tremblay’s Fancy Dance , starring Lily Gladstone, Isabel Deroy-Olson and Shea Whigham; the Thembi Banks-directed drama Young. Wild. Free. , starring Algee Smith, Sanaa Lathan and … [Read more...] about Tommy Oliver & His Confluential Films Banner Sign With CAA Ahead Of Busy Sundance

As they say here north of the border: Time to drop the puck on the 2022 Toronto Film Festival. The weather is beautiful, and they’ve cordoned off King Street from the Lightbox to Roy Thomson Hall. People are getting their bearings, most not wearing masks in the open air. This is a sight better than last year, when the streetcars were not rerouted from King Street because so few came for the festivities. Not surprisingly, not a single major deal happened on the ground as the festivals and specialty theatrical business were still feeling the fallout from Covid. Toronto Film Festival: Deadline’s Complete Coverage Will this year be any better? Some believe it certainly can’t get worse. Buyers and sellers expect the pace to be on the slow side, with some possible exceptions. I hear that the hot title is one that isn’t officially on the for-sale lists, but I expect it to be a big deal. That is The Holdovers , a Christmas-themed film that reteams Alexander Payne with … [Read more...] about Toronto Hot Titles: There’s Optimism, But Only Certainty Is You Won’t Get Hit By A Streetcar On King Street

EXCLUSIVE: Some were expecting Netflix to curb their acquisitions here in Park City, but, as we told you earlier this morning, never count them out of the Sundance marketplace . Before its premiere in the midnight section tonight, the Reed Hastings-Ted Sarandos-run streamer has scooped up a majority of global rights on the Australian horror movie, Run Rabbit Run , starring 2x Emmy nominated Succession actress Sarah Snook. XYZ Films , which co-funded the film, brokered the deal with Netflix on behalf of the filmmakers. A release for the Carver Films production is planned for this year. Directed by Daina Reid off a script by Hannah Kent ( The Good People, Devotion ), Run Rabbit Run follows fertility doctor Sarah (Snook). She firmly believes in life and death. However, after noticing the strange behavior of her young daughter, she must challenge her own values and confront a ghost from her past. Run Rabbit Run also stars Lily LaTorre, Damon Herriman ( … [Read more...] about Netflix Hops On ‘Run Rabbit Run’, Acquires XYZ Films Sundance Midnight Title Starring Sarah Snook