Fellow on phone gets prize winning novelist

EXCLUSIVE : Kino Lorber has acquired all North American distribution rights to Four Quartets , the film version of the Ralph Fiennes -starring stage adaptation of T.S. Eliot’s seminal poem. Directed by Sophie Fiennes, the film will get its U.S. premiere at the Santa Barbara International Film Festival later this week followed by a theatrical release this spring. One of the giants of modern literature, the poet, playwright, critic, and editor T.S. Eliot is best known as one of the central figures of the Modernist movement in poetry. Consisting of four poems published over a six-year period – Burnt Norton, East Coker, The Dry Salvages , and Little Gidding , each titled after the landscape that inspired their writing – Four Quartets is widely considered Eliot’s masterpiece and the culminating achievement of his career as a poet, offering four interwoven meditations on the nature of time and the quest for spiritual enlightenment. Following the completion of Four Quartets … [Read more...] about Ralph Fiennes’ ‘Four Quartets’ Gets North American Distribution Deal Ahead Of Stateside Bow At Santa Barbara

NBC has given a pilot order to St. Denis Medical , a half-hour mockumentary-style workplace comedy from the Superstore and American Auto duo of Justin Spitzer and Eric Ledgin . The pilot is produced by Universal Television , a division of Universal Studio Group, where both Spitzer and Ledgin have overall deals. Written by Spitzer and Ledgin, St. Denis Medical is a mockumentary about an underfunded, understaffed Oregon hospital where the dedicated doctors and nurses try their best to treat patients while maintaining their own sanity. Ledgin will also executive produce, as will Spitzer under his Universal TV-based production banner Spitzer Holding Company. Simon Heuer, Head of TV Development at Spitzer Holding Company, will also executive produce. RELATED: 2023 NBC Pilots & Series Orders St. Denis Medical previously received a pilot production commitment from NBC last year. It marks the latest NBC project for Spitzer, whose very first writing credit … [Read more...] about ‘St. Denis Medical’ Comedy From Justin Spitzer & Eric Ledgin Gets Pilot Order At NBC

EXCLUSIVE: Filmmaker, writer and actress Leslie Zemeckis has inked with Buchwald for representation in the directing arena. Zemeckis will film a new role in Here , the Robert Zemeckis adaptation of the Richard McGuire graphic novel starring Tom Hanks and Robin Wright for Miramax. Production on Here is underway on location in London. Zemeckis, an award-winning documentarian and novelist recently received critical acclaim for Grandes Horizontales , an in-depth look at the culture of the courtesan. Among other accolades, Grandes Horizontales won Best Documentary at the London Independent Film Festival and Best Editing and Best Documentary at the Independent Shorts Festival. Her previous directing efforts were Behind the Burly Q, Bound by Flesh , and Mabel, Mabel, Tiger Trainer . In addition, Zemeckis realized success in the book arena with such best-sellers as Behind the Burly Q, Goddess of Love Incarnate and Feuding Fan Dancers . She starred in such … [Read more...] about Filmmaker Leslie Zemeckis Signs With Buchwald

EXCLUSIVE : Renowned documentarian Lisa Cortés has entered into a first-look development agreement with the Museum of the City of New York , the goal being to hone documentary IP based on the museum’s exhibitions. News of the deal — initiated by producer Jon Sechrist — follows the Sundance world premiere of Cortés’ latest critically acclaimed feature doc, Little Richard: I Am Everything , which was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize in U.S. Documentary Competition and sold to Magnolia Pictures. Cortés will now look to build a creative pipeline from MCNY’s 100 years of exhibitions to the screen, with plans for projects on food, social justice, music, and more. The first being made under the deal is a docuseries based on Gingerbread NYC: The Great Borough Bake-Off , an exhibition inviting bakers from every borough to design New York City-inspired gingerbread creations. Cortés will develop and produce all projects through her New York-based production company Cortés … [Read more...] about ‘Little Richard: I Am Everything’s Lisa Cortés Strikes First-Look Development Deal With Museum Of The City Of New York

EXCLUSIVE: Academy Award-winner Alexander Dinelaris ( Birdman , The Revenant ) is teaming up with multihyphenate René Pérez Joglar, known professionally as Residente , to co-write the new film Porto Rico . Porto Rico is a historical drama based on the life of Puerto Rican revolutionary, José Maldonado Román, known as Águila Blanca (White Eagle), set on the island in the late 19th century. Maldonado Román fought against colonialism by leading a gang of ex-convicts to vindicate Puerto Rico as it sought its identity as a country. “It has been amazing to work with Alex,” said Residente in a statement about the screenwriter he was introduced to by Alejandro Gonzalez-Iñarritu. “It took me a while to find a great writer because I was looking for someone who not only is talented but also connects with the subject matter. I found both in Alex, an amazing writer who is highly skilled at dialogues as was evident in Birdman ,” he added. Residente and Dinelaris … [Read more...] about ‘Birdman’s Alexander Dinelaris & Residente Scripting New Film ‘Porto Rico’

Oscar-winning screenwriter Charlie Kaufman will be this year’s recipient of the WGA West ’s Laurel Award for Screenwriting Achievement. The lifetime achievement award, which goes to members who have “advanced the literature of motion pictures and made outstanding contributions to the profession of the screenwriter,” will be presented March 5 during the 75th annual Writers Guild Awards at the Fairmont Century Plaza in Los Angeles. “A true visionary, Kaufman’s legacy is undeniable,” the guild said. He won an Oscar and a WGA Award for Best Original Screenplay for 2004’s Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind and received Oscar and WGA nominations for Being John Malkovich and Adaptation and another Oscar nom for the animated feature Anomalisa . Kaufman’s writing career began in the early 1990s on the TV sitcom Get a Life , and he spent much the decade working in comedy and sketch television before transitioning to film. His 2001 screenplay, Human Nature , … [Read more...] about Charlie Kaufman To Receive WGA West’s Laurel Award

Animated sequels to Toy Story , Frozen and Zootopia are in the works, Disney CEO Bob Iger announced on today’s Q1 earnings call. “Today I’m so pleased to announce that we have sequels in the works from our animation studios to some of our most popular franchises, Toy Story, Frozen and Zootopia ,” Iger said. “We’ll have more to share about these productions soon, but this is a great example of how we’re leaning into our unrivaled brands and franchises.” The news came in the wake of some sour news, read a $5.5 billion cost savings by the conglomerate across all divisions and 7,000 jobs getting cut at Disney. RELATED: Disney Earnings Report & Reorganization – Full Coverage The most recent installments of those animated franchises were huge global grossing hits on the big screen: Frozen 2 ($1.45 billion in 2019), Pixar’s Toy Story 4 ($1.07 billion in 2019) and Zootopia ($1.02 billion in 2016). Franchise sequels work, duh. … [Read more...] about ‘Frozen‘, ’Toy Story’ & ‘Zootopia’ Sequels In The Works, Disney CEO Bob Iger Says

SPOILER ALERT! This post contains details from the Season 9 premiere of The Flash on The CW . The Flash is nearly done fighting crime in Central City — but not before one final villain comes to town. The CW series’ ninth and final season kicked off Wednesday night with the introduction of some new hurdles for Barry Allen and Team Flash to overcome. The episode begins with Barry and Iris (Candice Patton) getting stuck in a time loop, which exacerbates some of their fears about the passing of time and the lack of control they have over what may or may not happen to them. In order to get out of it, the couple must decide to take on life head on, together — rather than avoiding the problem and each other. But just when things seem to be settling down again, Barry is faced with yet another bump in the road. Viewers will remember that, at the end of Season 8, Caitlin is on a mission to bring back Frost after she sacrificed herself by turning into Hellfrost to … [Read more...] about ‘The Flash’ Boss Eric Wallace Teases Season 9’s Big Bad & Explains What’s In Store For Final Episodes