Dreamworks animation

Scott Pilgrim will be back, and in computer-generated living color: Netflix has picked up an anime series about the beloved slacker-musician from the classic graphic novels, which was made into a 2010 film that starred Michael Cera . In fact, Cera will lend his voice to the new series as Scott, a member of a garage band who falls for a gal named Ramona but must first defeat her seven previous lovers. Mary Elizabeth Winstead will reprise the role as Ramona. Other actors from the movie who will be lending their voice for the Netflix series are Satya Bhabha as Matthew Patel, Kieran Culkin as Wallace Wells, Chris Evans as Lucas Lee, Anna Kendrick as Stacey Pilgrim, Brie Larson as Envy Adams, Alison Pill as Kim Pine, Aubrey Plaza as Julie Powers, Brandon Routh as Todd Ingram, Jason Schwartzman as Gideon Graves, Johnny Simmons as Young Neil, Mark Webber Stephen Still, Mae Whitman as Roxie and Ellen Wong as Knives Chau. Bryan Lee O’Malley and BenDavid Grabinski, the … [Read more...] about Netflix Orders New Anime Series Based On ‘Scott Pilgrim’; Original Cast From 2010 Movie To Voice

The French movie sector saw investment and activity return to pre-pandemic levels in 2022, while streamer contributions rose, according to the annual production report of France ’s National Cinema Centre . Overall, there was $1.28 billion (1.18 billion euros) worth of investment in feature film production in 2022, against €1.44 billion (1.33 billion euros) in 2021 and $1.21 billion (1.11 billion euros) in 2019. The number of films also stabilized at 287, down from the 2021 spike of 340 but in line with the 10-year average of 288. The annual study, released on Wednesday, draws on budget information provided for feature film productions approved by the CNC as eligible for its different support schemes and is seen as giving an accurate reflection of what is going on in the sector from one year to the next. “After a 2021 marked by a record number of approved films due to the strong catch-up effect of 2020, when production was hit by the crisis, 2022 returns to a level … [Read more...] about French Movie Sector Drew $1.28B Investment In 2022 As Activity Returned To Pre-Pandemic Levels

One-third of features films approved for support by France ’s National Cinema Centre (CNC) in 2022 had a women at the helm for the first time in history, according to figures released by the body this week. The figures were collated by the CNC’s Gender Equality Observatory created in 2014 to monitor the presence of women across the film industry. The data is drawn from information provided for French-initiated films (FIF) approved by the CNC as being eligible for its different support schemes. According to the report, 69 of the 208 FIF films approved last year were directed or co-directed by women, representing 33.2% of all the approved films. This not does not represent an historic high in terms of the number of female-directed films, because in 2021 there were 265 FIF films, amid a spike in production following the Covid-19 hiatus, among which 81 films were directed or co-directed by women. It was the first time, however, that films directed or co-directed by … [Read more...] about Female-Directed Films Hit Historic 33% Share In France But Women Struggle To Access High Budgets – CNC Study

EXCLUSIVE: Apple TV+ is continuing its natural history push. The streamer is launching new wildlife series Big Beasts , narrated by Tom Hiddleston . The series, which has been in the works for two years, takes viewers around the globe, from freezing poles to tropical rainforests, to meet nature’s most captivating giants. It features massive species filmed across 17 countries, including the gray whale, the elephant seal, the giant otter, the gorilla, the hippopotamus, the brown bear, the ostrich, the orangutan, the tiger and the polar bear. Viewers will see that it’s not easy being big—the larger the animal, the greater the challenges they face. Big Beasts comes from the creative team of Apple’s Tiny World, which launched in 2020 and was narrated by Paul Rudd. It is produced by ITV-owned Plimsoll Productions with Tom Hugh-Jones ( Planet Earth II ), Grant Mansfield ( Hostile Planet) and Martha Holmes ( Life ) exec producing. Alongside Tiny World , … [Read more...] about Tom Hiddleston To Narrate Apple Wildlife Series ‘Big Beasts’

EXCLUSIVE: Legendary astronomer and astrophysicist Carl Sagan , who expanded scientific understanding of the universe and helped millions appreciate the wonders of the cosmos, will be the subject of an upcoming documentary feature from National Geographic Documentary Films . The Untitled Carl Sagan Film will be produced by Fuzzy Door ’s Seth MacFarlane and Erica Huggins, Emmy and Peabody winner Ann Druyan – Sagan’s life partner – and Academy Award nominee Nanette Burstein , with Burstein directing. Also producing is production company Hungry Man . Sagan’s contributions to planetary science were equaled only by his capacity to spread an infectious joy of the marvel and immensity of space. His 1980 book Cosmos became the best-selling science book ever published in English, and he appeared frequently on The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson (amusing the host and the viewing public with his emphasis on “billions and billions” of stars in reference to the quantity … [Read more...] about Documentary On Carl Sagan, Brilliant Astronomer And ‘Cosmos’ Author, In The Works From National Geographic & Seth MacFarlane

Paramount+ has given a green light to a new chapter in the Star Trek universe. The streamer has handed a series order to Star Trek: Starfleet Academy , a project that we exclusively reported had been in development since last year, from Alex Kurtzman ’s Secret Hideout, Roddenberry Entertainment and CBS Studios. The series will follow the adventures of a new class of Starfleet cadets as they come of age in one of the most legendary places in the galaxy. Produced by CBS Studios, the series will begin production in 2024. Star Trek: Starfleet Academy will introduce us to a young group of cadets who come together to pursue a common dream of hope and optimism. Under the watchful and demanding eyes of their instructors, they will discover what it takes to become Starfleet officers as they navigate blossoming friendships, explosive rivalries, first loves and a new enemy that threatens both the Academy and the Federation itself. RELATED: 2023 Paramount+ Pilots & … [Read more...] about ‘Star Trek: Starfleet Academy’ Gets Series Greenlight At Paramount+

EXCLUSIVE: I hear that Bad Robot , through its new deal at Warner Media, is exclusively developing both film and TV ideas based on DC’s Justice League Dark universe at Warner Bros . This deal is all very nascent and at this point in time there aren’t any specific projects or characters that are being specifically developed out of the franchise. I understand that Bad Robot’s Head of Motion Pictures Hannah Minghella and Head of Television Ben Stephenson will soon be taking meetings with talent reps and their writing clients on which characters will get their own projects. Justice League Dark (or JLD team) first appeared in the September 2011 issue of Justice League Dark #1 featuring such superheros, mostly occult and offbeat, as John Constantine, mystic and fortune teller Madame Xanadu, Deadman, Shade, the Changing Man, and Zatanna. The roster is much larger, and members joined later on, with Swamp Thing being added in issue 19. Other members of JLD include … [Read more...] about Justice League Dark: Bad Robot Developing Film & TV Projects Based On Warner Bros. DC Comics

Amazon Studios has signed an exclusive first-look deal with former Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada . Under the deal, Quesada will be developing series and films for Prime Video, focusing on adapting existing and new comic book IP. “I can’t begin to express just how thrilled I am to be joining the Amazon Studios family. From the moment Nick Pepper, Matt King, and the team approached me, it was clear we spoke the same language and shared the same creative goals. What was also clear is that they’re creating a collaborative environment and unique methodology that I’m surprised no one has yet thought to implement, but I’m certain will be quickly imitated,” said Quesada in a statement. Quesada worked at Marvel Comics for 24 years. During his tenure as EIC, he helped produce many of the company’s most popular storylines before they were adapted for the big screen—including Civil War , Age of Ultron , and Guardians of the Galaxy . Quesada, the bilingual son of … [Read more...] about Amazon Studios Signs Marvel’s Former EIC Joe Quesada To Exclusive First-Look Deal

When a character promises a life story so inspirational it’ll make a believer of an atheist, the tale better come through on some big-time convincing. Life of Pi , Lolita Chakrabarti’s stage adaption of Yann Martel’s heart-tugging 2001 novel opening tonight at Broadway ’s Gerald Schoenfeld Theatre, won’t likely be churning out any religious converts, but renewed faith in the art of puppetry is all but guaranteed. Starring the winning young actor Hiran Abeysekera, reprising his Olivier Award-winning London turn as the title character, Life of Pi , directed by Max Webster, sticks closer to the novel than to Ang Lee’s 2012 film adaptation, building the plot around a maritime investigation rather than the writing of a book – and, of course, replacing CGI beasties with enough fully articulated life-size puppets to populate a zoo, or at least a lifeboat. All aboard, at one time or another, are a hyena, an orangutan, a zebra, the odd sea turtle, a hyena-bait water rat and, most … [Read more...] about ‘Life Of Pi’ Broadway Review: A Boy And His Tiger Show Their Stripes