Television best deal

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 : 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: Anthony Hemingway has a sweet tooth about a very serious subject. The Emmy-winning director and his Anthony Hemingway Productions shingle has joined the documentary Sugar Daddy as a producer. Directed by long time cinematographer Michael Cooke and executive producer Anthony J Davis, Sugar Daddy focuses on the devastating health consequences of sugar overconsumption targeted at Black Americans. Currently raising preliminary funds through an online campaign and working with healthcare veterans, the  film is scheduled to start production this summer. To put the stakes in perspective, sugar overconsumption is the #1 cause of diabetes, which Black Americans are diagnosed with 60% more than adult White Americans. “I founded Anthony Hemingway Productions to tell stories that have the power to galvanize a community, educate people, and change lives,” Hemingway told Deadline today. “That’s what we plan to do as we investigate and highlight the … [Read more...] about Anthony Hemingway Boards ‘Sugar Daddy’ Docu With Director Michael Cooke & EP Anthony J. Davis

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

Recent Grammy winner Bad Bunny , Christina Aguilera and Jeremy Pope will be honored at the 34th annual GLAAD Media Awards next month for advancing and supporting the LGBTQ community. Bad Bunny — Spotify’s most-streamed artist in the world last year — will receive the Vanguard Award for having made “a significant difference in promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.” Five-time Grammy winner Aguilera will receive the Advocate for Change Award for having “changed the game for LGBTQ people around the world.” And Pose alum and two-time Tony nominee Pope will receive the Stephen F. Kolzak Award for having made “a significant difference in raising visibility and promoting acceptance of LGBTQ people and issues.” Read bios for all three below. The awards show will be handed during the March 30 ceremony at the Beverly Hilton. RELATED: 2023 Awards Season Calendar – Dates For The Oscars, Guilds & More Bad Bunny’s advocacy and outspoken allyship for the … [Read more...] about GLAAD Media Awards: Bad Bunny, Christina Aguilera & Jeremy Pope Set For Honors

Warner Bros Discovery has ditched plans for a 100% merger of streaming services HBO Max and Discovery+ and will continue offering the latter as a stand-alone product. Insiders confirmed the strategic shift with Deadline after it was initially reported by The Wall Street Journal . The WSJ cited unidentified people familiar with the decision, saying they felt Discovery+ subscribers could balk at paying a higher price for a combined service. HBO Max costs $16 a month, or $10 with ads, compared with $7 and $5 for the respective equivalents of Discovery+. Over the past several months, WBD execs have talked of combining the two into a single offering. HBO Max has already been featuring Discovery titles more prominently of late, even though the ultimate fit between prestige HBO fare and Discovery mainstays like 90-Day Fiancé has been questioned both inside and outside of the company. The plan now is to continue to have Discovery+ in the market even as a newly … [Read more...] about Warner Bros Discovery Abandons Plan To Shut Down Discovery+ As Stand-Alone Service As It Moves Ahead With HBO Max Merger

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

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

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