Film and tv production companies

EXCLUSIVE : Renate Reinsve ( The Worst Person in the World ), Peter Sarsgaard ( Dopesick ), and O-T Fagbenle ( The Handmaid’s Tale ) have joined the main cast of Presumed Innocent , Apple TV+ ’s upcoming limited series from David E. Kelley, J.J. Abrams’ Bad Robot and Warner Bros. TV, where the company is based. They join previously cast Jake Gyllenhaal, who also executive produces, Ruth Negga, Bill Camp and Elizabeth Marvel. Inspired by Scott Turow’s courtroom thriller, Presumed Innocent is the story of a horrific murder that upends the Chicago Prosecuting Attorneys’ office when one of its own is suspected of the crime. The book was published in 1987 and was turned into a 1990 feature starring Harrison Ford in the role Gyllenhaal is taking on. As reimagined by Kelley, who is an attorney by trade, Presumed Innocent the TV series will be exploring obsession, sex, politics, and the power and limits of love, as the accused fights to hold his family and … [Read more...] about ‘Presumed Innocent’: Renate Reinsve, Peter Sarsgaard & O-T Fagbenle Join Apple TV+ Limited Series

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

Eugene Lee , the Emmy-winning production designer for Saturday Night Live since 1975 and a multiple Tony Award-winner for such Broadway hits as Wicked, Sweeney Todd and Candide, died yesterday in Providence, Rhode Island. He was 83. Additional information was not immediately available. As this production designer of SNL since the year of its debut, Lee was the longest-serving members of the NBC show’s production staff. He also served as production designer for T he Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon from 2014-2018 and numerous SNL specials. Among the numerous Broadway production for which Lee were Sweeney Todd in 1979, Gilda Radner – Live From New York (1979), Merrily We Roll Along (1981), Seussical (2001), Wicked (2003), A Streetcar Named Desire (2012), Glengarry Glen Ross (2012), and, most recently, Amazing Grac e (2015). Lee was also instrumental in founding Trinity Rep in Providence, and remained its resident set designer until his … [Read more...] about Eugene Lee Dies: Longtime ‘SNL’ Production Designer, Tony-Winning Broadway Scenic Designer Was 83

Hugh Laurie is headed to Tehran as the espionage drama has been renewed for a third season by Apple TV+ . The Night Manager and House, M.D. star has joined the cast of the Israeli spy thriller. He’ll play a South African nuclear inspector and will join an ensemble cast that includes newcomers Sasson Gabai, Bahar Pars and Phoenix Raei. Returning stars include Niv Sultan , who plays Mossad agent Tamar Rabinyan, along with Sahun Toub and Shila Ommi. The show follows Sultan as a hacker agent who infiltrates Iran’s capital Tehran under a false identity. Apple TV+ has greenlit production on Season 3, which has now begun and will follow Tamar as she tries to find a way to reinvent herself and win back Mossad’s support. Moshe Zonder, Dana Eden and Maor Kohn are co-creators and Daniel Syrkin the director. Exec producers are Eden and Shula Spiegel for Donna and Shula Productions, Alon Aranya for Paper Plane Productions, Julien Leroux for Paper Entertainment, Peter … [Read more...] about ‘Tehran’ Renewed For Season 3 At Apple TV+ As Hugh Laurie Joins Espionage Drama

EXCLUSIVE : Steve Coogan is set to star in The Penguin Lessons , with The Full Monty ’s Peter Cattaneo to direct the Jeff Pope -scripted adaptation of the Tom Michell nonfiction bestseller. The management/production company 42 partners Rory Aitken and Ben Pugh will produce alongside Robert Walak. Rocket Science is handling international sales and will introduce the film at the European Film Market , with CAA Media Finance repping U.S. distribution rights. The Penguin Lessons is the true story of a disillusioned Englishman who went to work in a school in Argentina in 1976. Expecting an easy ride, he discovered instead a complicated and divided nation – and a class of practically unteachable young boys. When he finds a small penguin washed up on an oil-slicked beach, his life is turned upside down – and the penguin becomes not only a valued friend, but also a teacher of life’s most important lessons, for Tom, the boys and many others. “We were captivated by … [Read more...] about EFM Hot Package: Steve Coogan Stars In Peter Cattaneo-Helmed ‘The Penguin Lessons’

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

EXCLUSIVE : Netflix has added four to its action-comedy Back in Action , with Jamie Foxx and Cameron Diaz. The newest actors to sign on are BAFTA winners Andrew Scott (C atherine Called Birdy ) and Jamie Demetriou ( Cruella ), McKenna Roberts ( Euphoria ) and Rylan Jackson ( Dungeons & Dragons: Honor Among Thieves ). Details as to the storyline and characters of Diaz’s first feature since 2014’s Annie are under wraps. But Kyle Chandler and Glenn Close are also aboard for roles, as previously announced. Seth Gordon ( Horrible Bosses ) is directing from his script written with Neighbors ‘ Brendan O’Brien. Producers are Jenno Topping, Peter Chernin and Sharla Sumpter Bridgett ( Ford v Ferrari , Hidden Figures ) for Chernin Entertainment, Beau Bauman ( Central Intelligence ) for Good One Productions, and Gordon for Exhibit A. Foxx, Datari Turner, O’Brien and Tim Lewis are serving as exec producers. Scott won his BAFTA for his work as the … [Read more...] about Andrew Scott & Others Join Netflix’s ‘Back In Action’ With Jamie Foxx, Cameron Diaz

Netflix has given a series order to The Madness , a conspiracy thriller starring Emmy winner Colman Domingo . The eight-episode limited series hails from Chernin Entertainment via its first-look deal with Netflix, creator and co-showrunner Stephen Belber ( O.G., The Laramie Project) and co-showrunner VJ Boyd ( Justified, S.W.A.T. ) In The Madness, media pundit Muncie Daniels (Domingo) must fight for his innocence and his life after he stumbles upon a murder deep in the Poconos woods. As the walls close in, Muncie strives to reconnect with his estranged family – and his lost ideals – in order to survive. Belber and Boyd executive produce with Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping and Kaitlin Dahill for Chernin Entertainment (The North Road Company). Clément Virgo ( Greenleaf ) will direct and executive produce the first two and final two episodes. Quyen Tran ( Maid ) and Jessica Lowrey ( Perry Mason ) will each direct two middle episodes. RELATED: 2023 … [Read more...] about Colman Domingo To Star In ‘The Madness’ Limited Series At Netflix From Chernin Entertainment

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’

EXCLUSIVE : Shudder has acquired multiple territories for the indie thriller Influencer from Kurtis David Harder — the filmmaker with whom it’s previously been in business on titles like Spiral . The award-winning feature, which launched its festival run at last year’s Brooklyn Horror Film Festival, will bow on the streamer this spring in the U.S., Canada, Australia, New Zealand, the UK, Ireland, Spain, Portugal and Latin America. Influencer tells the story of Madison (Emily Tennant), a popular social media influencer who is having a lonely and uneventful trip in Thailand despite what she tells her followers on Instagram. While reflecting on her boyfriend canceling the trip, she meets CW (Cassandra Naud), a fearless and enigmatic traveler who offers to take her to some of the most Instagram-worthy locations. Together they share authentic meals and drinks with locals, discussing the differences between Madison’s online presence and CW’s lack of one. After showing Madison … [Read more...] about Shudder Acquires YA Horror-Thriller ‘Influencer’ From Filmmaker Kurtis David Harder Ahead Of EFM