Wananchi group chief finance officer

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

Friday afternoon : We’re hearing that New Line’s Shazam! Fury of the Gods is currently on its way to an $11M Friday, inclusive of last night’s $3.4M , for what’s looking like a $30M opening at 4,071 theaters. The pic cost $125M before P&A, $25M more than the first Shazam! While that’s nothing to scream “Shazam!” about in regards to that projected 3-day, note that we have to see how family matinees impact the pic’s ticket sales, given how younger skewing it is. Meaning, Batman fans aren’t making their way to this movie. According to Comscore, this Friday in March boasts the most for the month when it comes to K-12 schools (34% out) and colleges (42%) on break. Social media analytics firm RelishMix measured a social media universe across Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok of 385.5M, +4% over Shazam!, but 27% off superhero genre norms. However, the campaign made ground on TikTok with over 80M views for studio-owned materials. Says … [Read more...] about ‘Shazam! Fury Of The Gods’ Seeing $30M Opening – Friday Box Office

An Oklahoma City police captain put on a show after he was busted for allegedly driving drunk ... and it was all caught on body cam video -- which he desperately tried to suppress. Check out the footage, released Thursday by Oklahoma City PD, showing Capt. James French getting pulled over at his home by a police officer last weekend after cops said he was swerving as he drove down the road. Right from the get-go, French tried to weasel his way out of trouble by identifying himself as a police captain and whispering to the officer to turn off his body cam. But, the cop refused and asked French if he had been drinking because he was slurring his words. French changed the subject and made a second attempt to get the camera switched off. But, the officer was in a no-nonsense mood. He sternly said, "I'm not turning my camera off. You got to be kidding me." Things only got worse for French, who explained that he had consumed 3 to 4 beers at a poker game … [Read more...] about Oklahoma Police Captain Asked Officer to Turn Off Body Cam After DUI Bust

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

Bob Bakish , chief executive of Paramount Global , saw total compensation in 2022 of $32 million, up from $20 million the year before. According to the company’s proxy filing today, Bakish’ 2022 compensation included a base salary of $3.1 million (unchanged from the year before ); stock awards of $15.9 million (versus none in 2021); and non-equity incentive plan compensation (like a cash bonus) of $12.9 million versus $16.82 million the prior year. Proxies lay out the compensation of a company’s five highest paid executives. They are Chief Financial Officer Naveen Chopra (total pay of $6.5 million in 2022 from $4.1 million the year before); Christa D’Alimonte, EVP and General Counsel ($5.7 million from $3.2 million); Doretha Lea, EVP Global Public Policy and Government Relations ($2.7 million from $2.1 million); and Nancy Phillips, EVP, Chief People Officer, $3 million from $1.8 million). Discussing Bakish’ compensation, the board noted his strategic leadership and … [Read more...] about Paramount Global CEO Bob Bakish Saw Total Pay Of $32 Million In 2022, Up From $20 Million Year Before

Kenan Thompson and Kel Mitchell will soon be back to work at Good Burger . Nickelodeon Studios and Paramount+ have officially confirmed the greenlight of Good Burger 2 , an original movie sequel to the iconic feature film, based on the recurring sketch from comedy series All That . Thompson and Mitchell are set to reprise their classic roles as Dexter and Ed, respectively. The movie will follow Dexter Reed (Thompson) and original cashier, Ed (Mitchell), as they reunite in the present day at fast-food restaurant Good Burger with a hilarious new group of employees. Production will begin in May, with a premiere slated for later this year exclusively on Paramount+. The news was revealed tonight on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. In Good Burger 2, Dexter Reed is down on his luck after another one of his inventions fails. Ed welcomes Dex back to Good Burger with open arms and gives him his old job back. With a new crew working at Good Burger, Dex … [Read more...] about Kenan Thompson & Kel Mitchell To Reprise ‘Good Burger’ Roles As Sequel Movie Gets Greenlight

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

Alison Hammond has been confirmed as the new host of The Great British Bake Off . Hammond, who co-hosted the BAFTA Film Awards last month, will replace Matt Lucas on Channel 4 ’s baking competition. The show has a loyal following on Netflix in the U.S. The Daily Mirror first reported the news on Thursday and Hammond confirmed it on TikTok this morning. Hammond first graced British television screens as a contestant on Big Brother in 2002. She has gone on to become a much-loved presenter, hosting ITV’s This Morning , where she has become known for viral celebrity interviews. This included an encounter with Harrison Ford and Ryan Gosling in 2017, in which she admitted to having never watched Blade Runner. Hammond has appeared on the celebrity version of The Great British Bake Off , in which she captured the show’s essence by telling viewers: “Good baking comes from the heart and I have got a lot of heart.” Hammond will co-host with Noel Fielding, … [Read more...] about ‘The Great British Bake Off’ Confirms Alison Hammond As New Presenter

Tulima Tuanaki has been promoted to chief operating officer of Contract Services , the entertainment industry trust fund that carries out provisions of the collective bargaining agreements between the film and television industry’s West Coast studio locals and management’s Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. In her new role, Tuanaki will oversee a newly created Operations Department, which arose from a restructuring of the organization spearheaded by new CEO David Gross, who assumed the helm in September 2019. Tuanaki, who had formerly served as the organization’s senior director of administration, will oversee industry-wide safety and harassment prevention training, transportation compliance, board relations, and maintenance of the industry roster. She will continue to serve as a representative for Contract Services during industry negotiations. She began her industry career as executive assistant for Leo T. Reed, the former head of Hollywood’s … [Read more...] about Tulima Tuanaki Promoted To COO At Contract Services

EXCLUSIVE: The Sands: International Film Festival of St Andrews , held in northern Scotland, has set the lineup for its second edition, running April 14 – 16. Over the course of three days, the festival will host a series of official screenings and industry talks from filmmakers and artists such as director Joe Russo ( Avengers: Endgame, The Gray Man ), who returns to St Andrews after supporting the inaugural edition in 2022. Russo will be bringing with him what the festival has described as an “early sneak peek of a hotly anticipated project” that he has executive produced under his AGBO production outfit. The title of the pic will not be unveiled until the screening begins. The festival has also set Russo as the host of a public discussion on gaming and contemporary storytelling with Epic Games Chief Creative Officer Donald Mustard, who has worked as a creator and director on titles such as Fortnite . Russo’s AGBO is among the backers of Sands, alongside … [Read more...] about Scotland’s Sands International Film Festival Of St Andrews Sets Second Edition Including Joe Russo Talk & Mystery AGBO Debut