EXCLUSIVE: American-European media fund APX Group has appointed film industry veteran Anthony Buckner as Director of Film and Television Distribution and Acquisition, to head up a new department created as it continues its international expansion drive. This new department will operate from APX Group’s head office in Twickenham Film Studios in London, with Buckner working alongside CEO Shelley Hammond, who also heads up its UK production subsidiary Herd International Productions. Buckner was previously Head of Sales at Mel Gibson and Bruce Davey’s Icon Entertainment International and then Kaleidoscope Film Distribution and has also worked with companies such as Magnolia Pictures and GFM Films. In 2021, he launched his own company Buckstop Films. The first project to be handled by Buckner and his team is Wish Dragon 2 , the sequel to Sony Pictures Animation and Tencent Picture’s Shanghai-set 2021 film Wish Dragon which debuted internationally on Netflix in 2021. … [Read more...] about APX Group Hires Anthony Buckner To Head Up New Distribution & Acquisition Arm
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Directors Guild Members Ratify New Pact
The TV -Theatrical deal between the DGA and the studios and networks was ratified by what the guild only said was an “overwhelming” margin of its membership without providing details: Los Angeles – Directors Guild of America President Taylor Hackford today announced that the DGA membership has overwhelmingly voted to ratify the new collective bargaining agreements between the DGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP): “The extraordinarily positive response by DGA members demonstrates their support for the new contract,” said Hackford. “We achieved significant gains including a sizeable increase in contributions on regular compensation, first-time ever contributions on Completion of Assignment Pay and Vacation Pay, and the establishment of a new tier in Basic Cable, among other important gains. I’m proud of what this Guild has achieved and pleased to see the strength and unity of our membership as illustrated by this vote.” Negotiations … [Read more...] about Directors Guild Members Ratify New Pact
‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’ Adds Ciarán Hinds, Rory Kinnear & Tanya Moodie To Season 2 Cast
Ciarán Hinds , Rory Kinnear and Tanya Moodie have joined the Season 2 cast of Prime Video’s The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power in recurring roles. Developed by J.D. Payne and Patrick McKay, The Lord of the Rings series, which is currently in production in the UK, is set in the Second Age of Middle-earth — thousands of years before the events of the Lord of the Rings films and the novels by JRR Tolkien. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. No character descriptions have been revealed. Hinds, Kinnear and Moodie join previously announced Season 2 recurring cast additions Sam Hazeldine, who takes on the role of Orc leader Adar, replacing Joseph Mawle, who portrayed the character in Season 1; as well as Gabriel Akuwudike, Yasen ‘Zates’ Atour, Ben Daniels, newcomer Amelia Kenworthy, Nia Towle, Nicholas … [Read more...] about ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power’ Adds Ciarán Hinds, Rory Kinnear & Tanya Moodie To Season 2 Cast
‘Those About To Die’: Iwan Rheon Among Nine Cast In Peacock & Roland Emmerich’s Gladiator Drama As Shooting Begins
Game of Thrones star Iwan Rheon is one of nine joining the cast of Peacock’s epic gladiator drama Th o se About to Die , as principal photography on the Roland Emmerich show kicked off at Rome’s historic Cinecittà Studios. Rheon, best known as Ramsay Bolton in Game of Thrones , has has been cast as ambitious crime boss Tenax and will replace Lorenzo Richelmy , who dropped out over scheduling conflicts. Rheon is appearing in The Magic Flute and has appeared in the BAFTA-winner Misfits and Netflix’s The Dirt . RELATED: 2023 Peacock Series & Pilot Orders Also joining the cast are Liraz Charhi, Johannes Haukur Johannesson, Rupert Penry-Jones , Eneko Sagardoy, Pepe Barroso, Gonçalo Almeida, Kyshan Wilson and Alicia Edogamhe. Inspired by Daniel Mannix’s nonfiction book, Those About to Die is billed as an epic drama set in the complex and corrupt world of ancient Rome’s spectacle-driven gladiatorial competition. AGC Television is the studio, with … [Read more...] about ‘Those About To Die’: Iwan Rheon Among Nine Cast In Peacock & Roland Emmerich’s Gladiator Drama As Shooting Begins
Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Levels’ Begins Filming In Canada With Cara Gee & Peter Mooney Leading Cast
EXCLUSIVE : Production is underway in Canada on sci fi-thriller Levels , starring Cara Gee ( The Expanse ), Peter Mooney ( Burden of Truth ), Aaron Abrams ( Hannibal ), and David Hewlett ( Nightmare Alley ). Set in the near future, the film follows Ash — the love of Joe’s life — who is shockingly murdered before his eyes. As his world unravels, he comes to learn that nothing is as it seems. Levels will mark Adam Stern’s first feature after making two shorts and working in VFX for more than two decades (presiding over Artifex Studios) with credits including series Continuum and Almost Human . Producers are Stern of Orbital Mechanics, Tony Wosk of Middle Child Films and Kyle Bornais of Farpoint Films. AMP International has come aboard for sales and has pre-sold the film in multiple territories including Germany (Capelight) and Middle East (Front Row). Levels is the first foray for Orbital Mechanics, the new production company from Stern who directs … [Read more...] about Sci-Fi Thriller ‘Levels’ Begins Filming In Canada With Cara Gee & Peter Mooney Leading Cast
WGA Ratifies New Film & TV Contract
Ratification of the new three-year WGA film and TV contract has been overwhelmingly — almost unanimously — approved by members of the WGA East and West, bringing to a close Hollywood’s most contentious contract struggle in a decade. Of the 3,647 valid votes cast there were 3,617 “yes” votes (99.2%) and 30 “no” votes (.8%). There were 9,441 eligible voters. The term of the agreement is from May 2, 2017 through May 1, 2020 . “Our success in these negotiations was due to a highly engaged and dedicated membership, working in tandem with a tireless and informed Negotiating Committee and an extraordinary Guild staff. We achieved new and significant gains that will help today’s writers even as they benefit the next generation,” said WGAW President Howard A. Rodman and WGAE President Michael Winship. “Our thanks go out to all of those who contributed to the process and to the thousands of our fellow writers who participated in the strike authorization and ratification votes.” … [Read more...] about WGA Ratifies New Film & TV Contract
DGA Members Approve New Deal With Producers
Yesterday my colleague Pete Hammond said there were “no surprises” in the DGA Awards Film nominees. Well, today the Directors Guild of America delivered even less of a shock as its members ratified the new three-year deal its negotiating committee reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers in late November (after you finish that yawn, read their release below). Same as three years ago , no specific numbers were given just that the approval was by an “overwhelming margin,” according to the DGA . ( UPDATE, 11 AM: As you would expect, AMPTP praised the ratification today, though with slightly ominous tones.“We are pleased that the DGA membership has ratified the new contracts. These new agreements will contribute to the stability of the industry by ensuring that feature film and television production – and the jobs dependent on it – can continue without interruption,” said the producers’ group in a statement Wednesday.) The Guild sent … [Read more...] about DGA Members Approve New Deal With Producers
DGA, Producers Reach Tentative Deal On Terms of New Contract
After just 18 days of negotiations, the Directors Guild of America and the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers announced tonight that they have reached a tentative agreement on a new three-year TV/theatrical contract. The deal will be reviewed Saturday at a special meeting of the DGA ’s National Board; if the board approves it, the deal will be sent to the full membership for ratification soon afterward. Related: NBCU Hires Labor Relations Topper Ahead Of Negotiations Neither side is commenting tonight. As they have through the negotiations, which began November 4 at AMPTP headquarters in Sherman Oaks, the DGA and the producers have imposed a blackout on details of the tentative agreement until it is approved by the DGA board. Meanwhile, neither the WGA nor the merged SAG-AFTRA has begun their negotiations with the AMPTP. Although the WGA announced its negotiating committee last week, it has yet to set a start date for talks. SAG-AFTRA is not … [Read more...] about DGA, Producers Reach Tentative Deal On Terms of New Contract
DGA Sets January 7 Deadline For New Contract Vote
Members of the DGA have three weeks to vote on a new three-year deal its negotiating committee reached with the Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers late last month. Ratification packages were sent out this week to the 15,000 DGA members with a January 7, 2014 due date for returning ballots. “This ballot represents your highest responsibility as a Guild member and the core of why the Guild has existed and remained strong for over 77 years – to protect your economic and creative rights and freedoms. The Negotiations Committee and the Guild’s National Board unanimously – and enthusiastically – recommend that you vote YES for ratification of the Agreements,” said guild president Paris Barclay in an accompanying letter. In his first contract agreement as DGA boss, Barclay didn’t go soft on selling the deal to his members, playing up the wage increase provisions. “We successfully achieved critical gains for DGA members in a number of significant areas – the most … [Read more...] about DGA Sets January 7 Deadline For New Contract Vote
WGA & AMPTP “Very Close” To New Labor Deal
EXCLUSIVE : Four days after returning to the negotiating table, the WGA and the Alliance of Motion Picture and TV Producers are near an agreement on a new three-year contract, I’ve learned. “We’re not there yet and there are still a few more I’s to dot and T’s to cross, but we’re very close,” one insider told me today. With many of the bulky points already coming together in the first two weeks of talks, the two sides spent some of their two-week temporary recess fine-tuning the agreement, sources on both sides say, before sitting down again at AMPTP ’s Sherman Oaks HQ. An official announcement could come as early as the beginning of next week. If you take out the downtime, this year’s talks pretty much follow the timeline of the placid 2011 negotiations, which started on March 3 that year and were all done by March 20. Related : WGA Contract Talks Brittle In Opening Days Over “Ridiculous” AMPTP Proposals As widely expected, under pattern bargaining, … [Read more...] about WGA & AMPTP “Very Close” To New Labor Deal