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EXCLUSIVE: First among Hollywood unions this year, the WGA is going face-to-face with the studios starting Monday in what’s expected to be contentious negotiations for a new overall contract. However, the atypical pole position for the hard-hitting scribes this labor round is a consequence of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers’ rebuke of the DGA efforts to strike a pact a few months ago. In November 2022, the Directors’ Guild sought to spark an early dialogue with the AMPTP by sending over “pre-conditions,” as one studio source called them, for early negotiations. Over the past decade and more, the DGA has gone ahead of the WGA and SAG-AFTRA in contract talks with the Carol Lombardini-led group. In that context, talks before official talks are nothing new in Hollywood labor circles. However, unlike the past three contract sit-downs, the DGA had some more weighty than usual caveats it wanted dealt with before it would agree to settling on a date … [Read more...] about As WGA & AMPTP Talks Kick Off, Details Emerge Of DGA’s Attempt To Reach Under-The-Radar Deal With Studios

EXCLUSIVE : Olga Kurylenko ( Black Widow ), Jenny Seagrove ( The Guardian ), Anna Friel ( Marcella ) and Ben Miles ( The Crown ) have wrapped production on the under-the-radar psychological thriller My Sister’s Bones , whose first-look images we can reveal today. Bill Kenwright’s BKStudios is behind the project, adapted from Nuala Ellwood’s novel of the same name. Supporting cast includes Harry Potter and Game of Thrones actor David Bradley, who recently voiced Guillermo del Toro’s Oscar winner Pinocchio , and Maggie Steed ( Ten Percent ). Shooting took place on location in Whitstable, Herne Bay, London and Morocco. The project marks the second film from director Heidi Greensmith, whose debut feature Winter garnered three awards at the New York Film Festival, including Best Director, as well as a BIFA nomination in the Discovery Award category. The film was adapted for the screen by Naomi Gibney ( Devils ). The film opens in a bleak police … [Read more...] about Olga Kurylenko, Jenny Seagrove, Anna Friel, Ben Miles & David Bradley Lead Bill Kenwright Thriller ‘My Sister’s Bones’; First-Look Images

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

EXCLUSIVE: Los Angeles-based Russian-Kazakh director and producer Timur Bekmambetov has secured Turkish backing for his animated feature about iconic Middle Eastern, Balkan and Asian folk hero Hodja Nasreddin. Bekmambetov’s company Bazelevs has signed an agreement with Yeni Dusler Animation, a production company and content provider for the national public broadcaster of Turkey , the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation. The previously announced English-language production marks Bekmambetov’s first foray into animation and is underway for a planned 2024 release. The voice actors will be attached later this year. Nasreddin is a wandering philosopher and prankster who gets into absurd situations, but ultimately always emerges victorious thanks to his wit, wisdom, and humor. He appears in thousands of folk tales across the Middle East and Asia, dating back to the 13th century. “For people from the Middle East and Asia, he has superhero status. In this part of … [Read more...] about Timur Bekmambetov’s Passion Project About Muslim World Folk Hero Nasreddin Hodja Secures Turkish Backing

Ita O’Brien , the pioneering Intimacy Coordinator who has worked on the likes of Normal People , I May Destroy You and Sex Education , has founded what is being called the “world’s first degree in intimacy practice.” O’Brien’s Intimacy on Set outfit has joined with the Mountview Academy of Theatre Arts on the two-year course, which will teach best practice in the fast-growing world of intimacy co-ordination and help build and support professionals in the increasingly crucial role. The formal nature of the training recognizes recent developments in the industry, for a role that was barely heard of a decade ago. O’Brien, who has led the charge to improve intimacy co-ordination on TV and film sets, said: “Intimacy practice is a young profession, and whilst awareness of its existence has grown considerably in the last few years, deep understanding of good practice is missing. “To ensure we develop a profession which can proudly grow with excellence we need to be … [Read more...] about ‘Normal People’ & ‘I May Destroy You’ Intimacy Coordinator Launches World’s First Intimacy Practice Degree

EXCLUSIVE: The BBC is delving into the history of Soho’s criminal underworld for its next big-budget drama series. Dope Girls will be a six-part series from His Dark Materials producer Bad Wolf for BBC One. Our sources say the BBC sees Dope Girls as a spiritual successor to Peaky Blinders , and Bad Wolf is understood to be in early stage discussions with U.S. co-production partners and global streaming services. Polly Stenham ( The Face , The Neon Demon ) and Alex Warren ( Eleanor ) are writing Dope Girls , which is inspired by Marek Kohn’s non-fiction book Dope Girls: The Birth of the British Drug Underground . Full plot details haven’t been revealed but we understand it follows the birth of the nightclub scene in London’s Soho. The series will mix elements of the fact-based research of Kohn’s book with fictional characters and storylines, exploring all aspects of the criminal world of Soho in the early 20th Century. We hear it’s partly based … [Read more...] about ‘Dope Girls’: BBC Lines Up Bad Wolf Drama About Female Crime Boss In Soho’s Criminal Underworld

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

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

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

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