Warner bros hysteria

Anne Hathaway ( Eileen ) has signed on to star in a mysterious new film that David Robert Mitchell ( It Follows , Under the Silver Lake ) will direct for Warner Bros. Pictures , Bad Robot and Jackson Pictures. While the pic is billed as a “thrill-ride” to be shot in IMAX, which will head into production this fall, other details are scarce at present. Mitchell penned the original script and will produce alongside J.J. Abrams and Hannah Minghella for Bad Robot , and Jackson Pictures’ Matt Jackson. Jake Weiner and Chris Bender of Good Fear Content will serve as exec producers. Other projects currently in development at Warner Bros Discovery under the studio’s deal with Bad Robot include a Ta-Nehisi Coates-scripted Superman film; an animated adaptation of Dr. Seuss’s iconic children’s book Oh, the Places You’ll Go! to be directed by Jon M. Chu; the Jason Bateman-directed supernatural Western, The Pinkerton ; and a live-action Hot Wheels pic to be made in … [Read more...] about David Robert Mitchell, Anne Hathaway, Bad Robot Team For Mystery Warner Bros. Pic

Turner Classic Movies is devoting the entire month of April to celebrating the 100th anniversary of its landlord, Warner Bros ., with hundreds of films from every decade of the studio, plus a variety of interstitials, documentaries, shorts and Looney Tunes cartoons, as well as interviews with stars and directors focusing on the cinematic achievements of the storied movie factory. Viewers got a taste of the anniversary doings with a tribute reel of highlights of the first 100 years of WB on this year’s Oscar show . But that reel was nearly as much about the studio’s own homegrown output as it was about some classics it acquired ownership to through various transactions with the likes of MGM, New Line Cinema and others. Thus Oscar viewers saw such MGM movies as The Wizard of Oz, Singin’ in the Rain, Ben-Hur and 2001: A Space Odyssey, along with NL behemoths like the Lord of the Rings and Austin Powers franchises stirred in the same pot as actual Warners “product” as … [Read more...] about Warner Bros. 100th Anniversary Kicks Into High Gear With All April TCM Movie Programming Devoted To The Studio

EXCLUSIVE : Smokehouse Pictures partner George Clooney and Grant Heslov have signed an overall film deal with the Warner Bros. Pictures Group and its Co-Chairs and CEOs Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy . It amounts to a homecoming for the filmmakers, who named their company for the Smoke House steak joint right off the Warner Bros lot, where they used to eat all the time. Clooney’s history with the studio goes back to his breakthrough starring role in the Warner Bros Television drama ER. They made their first deal at Warner Bros when they formed Smokehouse in 2006. The duo told those who attended with them during a Q&A session at last Friday night’s screening of All The President’s Men that is part of a monthly screening series of WB classics set up by De Luca & Abdy. Clooney and Heslov will return to offices on the lot — one of the few pictures Clooney had on the wall that I observed was him in the Batman mask, as he didn’t like the fit and wanted to remind himself to … [Read more...] about George Clooney & Grant Heslov’s Smokehouse Pictures Coming Home To Warner Bros In Film Deal With Co-Heads Mike De Luca & Pam Abdy

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros Pictures Group has inked a multi-year first-look directing and producing agreement with two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan , whose movies have grossed $3.3 billion at the box office. In a career spanning four decades, Shyamalan has the rare distinction of having film open at No. 1 in each of those decades. Most recently, he saw his seventh No. 1 opening at the box office with Universal’s Knock at the Cabin, which currently counts $40 million worldwide off a $20M production cost. The pact with Shyamalan comes amid a string of talent deals made recently by Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy; previous first looks include with Akiva Goldsman’s Weed Road as well as two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker Baz Luhrmann , both first reported by Deadline. Under the new agreement, Shyamalan and his Philadelphia-based production company Blinding Edge Pictures, run by president of production … [Read more...] about M. Night Shyamalan Signs Multi-Year First-Look Deal at Warner Bros, Sets ‘Trap’ At Studio

EXCLUSIVE : Howard Swartz , who has overseen hundreds of hours of Shark Week programming, is exiting Warner Bros Discovery to take up a new role at Banijay Americas -owned Stephen David Entertainment . Swartz, who was SVP of Documentaries and Specials for WBD’s Factual Networks and Streaming, becomes EVP Development at the company known for series including Men Who Built America and American Playboy. He will oversee development of SDE’s documentary, nonfiction series and specials and report to founder and CEO Stephen David. In addition to Shark Week, Swartz also worked on WBD’s natural history slate including Serengeti as well as the Donald Trump documentary Unprecedented, Viagra: The Little Blue Pill That Changed the World , and anthology strand Undiscovered . Prior to his latest stint at Discovery, Swartz was EVP Production and Development at British production company Arrow Media. Before that he was VP Production and Development at Discovery … [Read more...] about Shark Week Chief Howard Swartz Leaves Warner Bros Discovery To Join Stephen David Entertainment

It's now official ... Charlie Sheen and Warner Bros. have settled their bitter " Two & a Half Men " dispute. A rep for WB released a statement claiming, "Warner Bros. Television, Chuck Lorre, and Charlie Sheen have resolved their dispute to the parties’ mutual satisfaction." As TMZ reported ... Charlie will get $25 million almost immediately, mostly for work he already performed and profits he has already earned. And, as sources told us, Charlie will get around $100 million in profits from syndication of the show over the next 7 years. Warner Bros. and Charlie have agreed to dismiss their mutual lawsuit against each other. We love happy endings. See also Denise Richards: It's Charlie's Money, Not Mine Charlie Sheen -- I Watched, I Loved "Two and a Half Men" Crushes "Dancing With the Stars More Today in TMZ History Lindsay Lohan Bails Out Tyson Bites at Plea Deal Portia di Rossi Officially Portia DeGeneres … [Read more...] about Charlie Sheen Settles Up with Warner Bros. Over ‘Two and a Half Men’

EXCLUSIVE: In one of the wildest book rights auctions the town has seen in some time, Warner Bros. production co-heads Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy tonight landed screen rights to the upcoming T.J. Newman novel Drowning: The Rescue Of Flight 1421 . Studio paid $1.5 million against $3 million, and there were five seven-figure bids on the table, sources said. It’s the second splashy thriller novel set in the world of aviation written by Newman, who worked as a flight attendant as she wrote her debut novel Falling , which sold in three 7-figure deals: a worldwide publishing deal with Avid Reader/Simon & Schuster; foreign rights in more than 30 countries; and a $1.5 million movie deal with Universal and Working Title. The debut novel became the fastest-selling fiction debut for Simon & Schuster since 2004. In her second novel Drowning , a plane crashes in the Pacific Ocean six minutes after takeoff and is flooded after an explosion during evacuation. A dozen … [Read more...] about Warner Bros. Wins Fevered Weekend Auction For T.J. Newman Novel ‘Drowning: The Rescue Of Flight 1421;’ Deal Reaches $1.5M Against $3M

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

When New Line / DC ’s Shazam: Fury of the Gods hit tracking four weeks ago with a low $35M projection, it was shocking and not shocking to rival distributors. Shocking, because in a spring full of franchise tentpoles, many of which are seeing record opening domestic highs, how can a DC property like Shazam! not keep up with the pack? Not shocking in that — well, it’s a goofy, old Shazam! Now while it’s possible for a movie to start low in its projections on tracking and swell as the studio spends the bulk of a pic’s P&A in the final lap before its opening, the outlook on Shazam! Fury of the Gods didn’t budge and now the David F. Sandberg directed sequel, produced by Warner Bros . newly installed DC co-head Peter Safran , is looking at a $30M start in U.S./Canada., off 44% from the first 2019 movie’s $53.5M opening. Shazam 2 ‘s Friday (and previews) at $11.7M is 42% off the first pic’s $20.3M Friday+previews. Even if Shazam 2 benefits from family matinees … [Read more...] about ‘Shazam! Fury Of The Gods’ Doesn’t Fly With Moviegoers At $30M Opening: Here’s Why – Saturday Box Office

Fathom Events and Warner Bros are teaming to re-release the extended edition of The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King , bringing the blockbuster back to theaters in commemoration of its 20th anniversary. Pic returns to U.S. screens on Thursday, April 13 and Wednesday, April 19 at 7:00 p.m. local time, hitting Canadian theaters at 7:00 p.m. local on Thursday, April 20. Screenings will kick off with a special introduction from franchise star Elijah Wood, who will discuss the lasting impact of the universe first conjured by J.R.R. Tolkien in his epic ’50s fantasy novel, highlighting the rich worlds and beloved characters that keep viewers coming back for more. LOTR diehards will also enjoy exclusive coverage of a new Lord of the Rings tabletop game, as a celebrity panel embarks on their own adventure into Middle-Earth to raise support for the Extra Life For Kids fundraising program, in conjunction with Children’s Miracle Network Hospitals. The final film … [Read more...] about ‘The Lord Of The Rings: The Return Of The King’ Extended Edition Back In Theaters To Mark 20th Anniversary