Umbrelic Entertainment has unveiled the cast of its upcoming horror film, “The Possession at Gladstone Manor,” which includes Caylee Cowan (“Hypnotic”), Jesse Metcalfe (“John Tucker Must Die”), Charlotte Kirk (“The Reckoning”), Darren Weiss (“Inside Man”), Barbara Crampton (“You’re Next”), William Mapother (“Blackhat”) and Lin Shaye (“Insidious” franchise).
Production is currently underway in Kansas City, and Amp’s Anthony Buckner is handling international sales at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
According to an official logline, “The Possession at Gladstone Manor” picks up “when Jamie Black discovers her mother has gone missing [and] resolves to investigate by applying for the same job her mother held at Gladstone Manor. Jamie soon finds evidence that her mother isn’t the only missing person, and that she may be dealing with sinister forces beyond this world.”
“As die-hard fans of the horror genre, this project feels like a dream come true,” said producer Thomas Zambeck.
Production is currently underway in Kansas City, and Amp’s Anthony Buckner is handling international sales at this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
According to an official logline, “The Possession at Gladstone Manor” picks up “when Jamie Black discovers her mother has gone missing [and] resolves to investigate by applying for the same job her mother held at Gladstone Manor. Jamie soon finds evidence that her mother isn’t the only missing person, and that she may be dealing with sinister forces beyond this world.”
“As die-hard fans of the horror genre, this project feels like a dream come true,” said producer Thomas Zambeck.
- 5/17/2024
- by Jack Dunn
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: The former UK chief of one of Europe’s biggest production giants has been drafted in by Channel 4 to advise on the formation of its in-house productions unit.
Lucinda Hicks, who left her Banijay UK CEO post two years ago, will be consulting with Channel 4 two days per week over the coming months to help with the network’s strategy to seek “diversified revenue streams,” which includes in-house productions and comprises part of its Fast Forward blueprint. CEO Alex Mahon is understood to be keen to have a fleshed-out plan in place by the end of this year depending on the success of the media bill currently making its way through parliament.
Reporting into Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan, Hicks is working closely with Mahon and content boss Ian Katz on the plans.
A Channel 4 spokeswoman said Hicks is examining how the broadcaster can “explore the potential of...
Lucinda Hicks, who left her Banijay UK CEO post two years ago, will be consulting with Channel 4 two days per week over the coming months to help with the network’s strategy to seek “diversified revenue streams,” which includes in-house productions and comprises part of its Fast Forward blueprint. CEO Alex Mahon is understood to be keen to have a fleshed-out plan in place by the end of this year depending on the success of the media bill currently making its way through parliament.
Reporting into Chief Operating Officer Jonathan Allan, Hicks is working closely with Mahon and content boss Ian Katz on the plans.
A Channel 4 spokeswoman said Hicks is examining how the broadcaster can “explore the potential of...
- 4/3/2024
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
The constant cancelations and resurrections of "Futurama" have taught its makers to be nimble. The initial run of "Futurama" lasted four seasons from March 1999 until August 2003. At the time, it seemed like that was the end of things, but it would prove to be a mere five-year hiatus.
"Futurama" returned in 2008 in the form of four straight-to-dvd feature-length movies. The first one, "Bender's Big Score" was about a mysterious time-travel code tattooed on Fry's butt. The second, "The Beast with a Billion Backs," was about a lovelorn Lovecraftian space deity that romances everyone on Earth. "Bender's Game" saw the Planet Express crew transported into a Gygaxian fantasy universe (likely serving as the inspiration for Matt Groening's "Disenchantment"). "Into the Wild Green Yonder" concerns psychic waves pulsing through the universe, tinfoil hats, and a feminist uprising. The movies were eventually broadcast on TV, each one split up into four episodes.
"Futurama" returned in 2008 in the form of four straight-to-dvd feature-length movies. The first one, "Bender's Big Score" was about a mysterious time-travel code tattooed on Fry's butt. The second, "The Beast with a Billion Backs," was about a lovelorn Lovecraftian space deity that romances everyone on Earth. "Bender's Game" saw the Planet Express crew transported into a Gygaxian fantasy universe (likely serving as the inspiration for Matt Groening's "Disenchantment"). "Into the Wild Green Yonder" concerns psychic waves pulsing through the universe, tinfoil hats, and a feminist uprising. The movies were eventually broadcast on TV, each one split up into four episodes.
- 9/16/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Ronny Yu's 2003 horror/action flick "Freddy vs. Jason" gave audiences pretty much everything they might want in a sensationalized cross-over between "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and "Friday the 13th." In addition to the requisite cast of pretty young people getting chopped into pieces by one of the film's two title villains, it featured every iteration of fight between Freddy and Jason. There was a fight in the dream world (where Freddy had the upper hand) and a fight at a real-world campground (where Jason did). There was a lot of growling, cutting, slashing, etc. Whichever villain was your favorite, you saw what you wanted to see.
At the end, the actual victor was left a little ambiguous. It seemed for a moment that Jason (Ken Kirzinger) was the winner, as he emerged from Crystal Lake, post-conflagration, holding the severed head of Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). Freddy, however, still possessed of his supernatural powers,...
At the end, the actual victor was left a little ambiguous. It seemed for a moment that Jason (Ken Kirzinger) was the winner, as he emerged from Crystal Lake, post-conflagration, holding the severed head of Freddy Krueger (Robert Englund). Freddy, however, still possessed of his supernatural powers,...
- 9/15/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Stars: James Duval, Shawn C. Phillips, Lauren Francesca, Lisa Wilcox, Tom Sizemore, Kelly Lynn Reiter, Robert Lasardo, Lorelei Linklater, Sadie Katz, Eva Hamilton | Written by Shawn C. Phillips | Directed by Lauren Francesca, Shawn C. Phillips
Woods Witch begins with the standard found footage title card telling us that what we are about to see is real and compiled from footage “found in the Allensville Woods along with online footage and police bodycam footage”. It also, in the style of classic exploitation films, promises that it contains “some of the most bizarre, disgusting and disturbing images ever put on screen.”
That footage begins with video of Garrett Gaspar who briefly attempts a bizarre French accent before a ghostly something or other attacks him. Cut to video from Jonah whose name is misspelled Johna in the channel’s name, and Jocelyn two aspiring influencers.
They desperately need to attract viewers and after...
Woods Witch begins with the standard found footage title card telling us that what we are about to see is real and compiled from footage “found in the Allensville Woods along with online footage and police bodycam footage”. It also, in the style of classic exploitation films, promises that it contains “some of the most bizarre, disgusting and disturbing images ever put on screen.”
That footage begins with video of Garrett Gaspar who briefly attempts a bizarre French accent before a ghostly something or other attacks him. Cut to video from Jonah whose name is misspelled Johna in the channel’s name, and Jocelyn two aspiring influencers.
They desperately need to attract viewers and after...
- 9/13/2023
- by Jim Morazzini
- Nerdly
Jenna Davis, the voice behind the killer doll in M3GAN, The Thundermans star Jack Griffo, and Wolf Pack actor Rio Mangini are toplining Stay at Home, an indie horror movie from writer-director K. Asher Levin.
Lilah Pate, from hit YA shows The Summer I Turned Pretty and Outer Banks, along with Armen Nahapetian (Beau is Afraid), Analesa Fisher (Metal Lords), Ashlyn Jade Lopez (Christmas Again), Micah Tarver and Alice Killoran round out the YA cast for the production, which will get underway in Los Angeles Sept. 13. Genre stalwarts Patrick Muldoon and Madeleine Wade are also in the feature.
Written by Zack Imbrogno from a story by Levin and Imbrogno, the thriller centers on two sisters during a nation-wide lockdown. Both are left alone for the week, but are required to use the new app, Stay at Home, that monitors their every move. When their friends mysteriously begin getting murdered in sadistic ways,...
Lilah Pate, from hit YA shows The Summer I Turned Pretty and Outer Banks, along with Armen Nahapetian (Beau is Afraid), Analesa Fisher (Metal Lords), Ashlyn Jade Lopez (Christmas Again), Micah Tarver and Alice Killoran round out the YA cast for the production, which will get underway in Los Angeles Sept. 13. Genre stalwarts Patrick Muldoon and Madeleine Wade are also in the feature.
Written by Zack Imbrogno from a story by Levin and Imbrogno, the thriller centers on two sisters during a nation-wide lockdown. Both are left alone for the week, but are required to use the new app, Stay at Home, that monitors their every move. When their friends mysteriously begin getting murdered in sadistic ways,...
- 9/8/2023
- by Borys Kit
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
When Matt Groening's and David X. Cohen's "Futurama" debuted in 1999, it aired on Fox and fit neatly into the traditional network TV 30-minute time slot. Most half-hour TV shows were typically only about 22 minutes of actual programming, allowing for two extended commercial breaks roughly at the 10-minute mark and the 20-minute mark. Because they were beholden to that stringent schedule, most network TV shows worked their writing down to a science, writing stories that could only be told in a very specific way. To some readers, the structure may sound creatively limiting, but one might also recall that old saying about creation vis-à-vis necessity. For generations, TV writing expertly crafted stories that could fit into 30- or 60-minute time slots with ease, carefully writing in climactic moments or comedic punchlines right at the commercial breaks.
This structure certainly aided "Futurama," which was forced to be jaunty and light...
This structure certainly aided "Futurama," which was forced to be jaunty and light...
- 9/6/2023
- by Witney Seibold
- Slash Film
Futurama came back to San Diego Comic-Con today to celebrate the revival of the Matt Groening-David X. Cohen series, which hits Hulu on Monday, July 24. Attendees in a packed Ballroom 20 were entreated to the season’s first episode “The Impossible Stream”
It’s been ten years since we last saw this motley crew on Comedy Central.
Director Peter Avanzino fielded a kid’s question who wondered if robot Bender’s doppelganger, Flexo was coming back. Avanzino gave that a definite maybe. Flexo, who looks similar to the series main robot protag, is known for speaking contrary to how he actually feels, before correcting himself; often seen when he slanders or insults an individual only to follow with, “nah, I’m just messin’ with ya; you’re all right.”
Avanzino mused that he’d love to see the return of Enema bot “who had one or two lines in...
It’s been ten years since we last saw this motley crew on Comedy Central.
Director Peter Avanzino fielded a kid’s question who wondered if robot Bender’s doppelganger, Flexo was coming back. Avanzino gave that a definite maybe. Flexo, who looks similar to the series main robot protag, is known for speaking contrary to how he actually feels, before correcting himself; often seen when he slanders or insults an individual only to follow with, “nah, I’m just messin’ with ya; you’re all right.”
Avanzino mused that he’d love to see the return of Enema bot “who had one or two lines in...
- 7/22/2023
- by Katie Campione and Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Alyson Hannigan was brilliant in the role of Willow Rosenberg on the Buffy the Vampire Slayer TV series, which ran for a total of seven seasons and 144 episodes, beginning in 1997 and wrapping up in 2003… But she didn’t join the show until the pilot was reshot, replacing the previously cast Riff Regan as Willow. And during an interview with Shut Up Evan, Melanie Lynskey confirmed that she was also a potential Willow.
Interviewer Evan Ross Katz had been told by Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar that the show’s creator Joss Whedon had envisioned Lynskey (only known from Heavenly Creatures at the time) as Willow when he was writing the pilot script, but Lynskey, who is from New Zealand, couldn’t audition because there was an issue with her visa. Katz asked Lynskey about that and she replied, “It is basically true. It was kind of a visa issue, but...
Interviewer Evan Ross Katz had been told by Buffy star Sarah Michelle Gellar that the show’s creator Joss Whedon had envisioned Lynskey (only known from Heavenly Creatures at the time) as Willow when he was writing the pilot script, but Lynskey, who is from New Zealand, couldn’t audition because there was an issue with her visa. Katz asked Lynskey about that and she replied, “It is basically true. It was kind of a visa issue, but...
- 7/20/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
After foiling a Nazi plot to unleash the power of the Ark of the Covenant on the world, the intrepid archaeologist, Indiana Jones, is heading beneath the Pankot Palace in India to recover the mystical Sankara Stones from the evil Thuggee cult, led by the deranged priest Mola Ram. This mission is all in a day’s work for Dr. Henry Walton “Indiana” Jones Jr., whose heroism is becoming a legend worldwide after his thrilling adventure in Raiders of the Lost Ark. Grab your trusty braided kangaroo leather whip, bury your entomophobia deep, and bring your appetite for chilled monkey brains because we’re looking back on the second chapter of Lucasfilm’s Indiana Jones franchise, Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom!
When executive producer and story writer George Lucas teamed up with Steven Spielberg for the Indiana Jones project, the creator of the Star Wars Universe said he...
When executive producer and story writer George Lucas teamed up with Steven Spielberg for the Indiana Jones project, the creator of the Star Wars Universe said he...
- 7/18/2023
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
Channel 4 executive pay soared to record highs last year amid industry fury over salaries for senior leaders at the UK commercial broadcaster.
Bumper pay packets were expected for 2022, but Channel 4’s annual report lays bare how much its top team earned as they fought off privatization and delivered a stable commercial performance.
Channel 4’s fortunes have soured in recent months as an ad market downturn has forced it to cancel and delay shows, and significantly slow down new commissions.
As Channel 4 commissions all of its content from independent producers, suppliers have been asked to suck up some of this pain, which has fuelled anger over executive salaries.
Alex Mahon’s total pay packet rose 25% to £1.5M ($2M) last year and was the most a Channel 4 Chief Executive has been paid in the company’s 40-year history.
Channel 4’s executive team received record variable pay of £1.1M last year after...
Bumper pay packets were expected for 2022, but Channel 4’s annual report lays bare how much its top team earned as they fought off privatization and delivered a stable commercial performance.
Channel 4’s fortunes have soured in recent months as an ad market downturn has forced it to cancel and delay shows, and significantly slow down new commissions.
As Channel 4 commissions all of its content from independent producers, suppliers have been asked to suck up some of this pain, which has fuelled anger over executive salaries.
Alex Mahon’s total pay packet rose 25% to £1.5M ($2M) last year and was the most a Channel 4 Chief Executive has been paid in the company’s 40-year history.
Channel 4’s executive team received record variable pay of £1.1M last year after...
- 7/12/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has posted robust revenues of £1.14 billion ($1.47 billion) for 2022. The figure was only a 2% drop from last year’s record £1.2 billion ($1.5 billion).
“2022 was operationally and financially a very successful year,” the network’s CEO Alex Mahon told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday morning local time as the results were announced.
One third of revenues came from streams other than traditional linear advertising, Mahon said, and the network also expanded non-advertising revenue to 11% of total revenue.
The network also posted strong results in video-on-demand, clocking up 1.4 billion streaming views in 2022, almost the same figure as in 2021, which was boosted by lockdowns. April 2022 was Channel 4’s best month for VOD with 5 billion minutes streamed.
Mahon also noted that now the threat of privatization had been lifted, Channel 4 was able to focus on its strategy. Earlier this year the U.K. government confirmed it had canceled plans to privatize the broadcaster.
“2022 was operationally and financially a very successful year,” the network’s CEO Alex Mahon told reporters at a press briefing on Wednesday morning local time as the results were announced.
One third of revenues came from streams other than traditional linear advertising, Mahon said, and the network also expanded non-advertising revenue to 11% of total revenue.
The network also posted strong results in video-on-demand, clocking up 1.4 billion streaming views in 2022, almost the same figure as in 2021, which was boosted by lockdowns. April 2022 was Channel 4’s best month for VOD with 5 billion minutes streamed.
Mahon also noted that now the threat of privatization had been lifted, Channel 4 was able to focus on its strategy. Earlier this year the U.K. government confirmed it had canceled plans to privatize the broadcaster.
- 7/12/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
The WGA strike has had an impact on U.K./U.S. co-productions, Channel 4’s head of content Ian Katz said today.
The strike, which has been running since May 2, has spooked U.K. writers who are too loyal or nervous to engage in conversations with U.S. co-production partners, Katz said at a press briefing on Wednesday morning, where Channel 4 unveiled its 2022 revenue results.
“A lot of U.K. writers, either out of a feeling of solidarity with colleagues in the States or concerns about not being able to work in the States, don’t want to be involved in any conversations with U.S. platforms,” Katz said in response to Variety’s question about whether the U.S. strike had had any impact across the pond.
The result is a further blow to the U.K. production sector, which is already suffering from a downturn thanks to...
The strike, which has been running since May 2, has spooked U.K. writers who are too loyal or nervous to engage in conversations with U.S. co-production partners, Katz said at a press briefing on Wednesday morning, where Channel 4 unveiled its 2022 revenue results.
“A lot of U.K. writers, either out of a feeling of solidarity with colleagues in the States or concerns about not being able to work in the States, don’t want to be involved in any conversations with U.S. platforms,” Katz said in response to Variety’s question about whether the U.S. strike had had any impact across the pond.
The result is a further blow to the U.K. production sector, which is already suffering from a downturn thanks to...
- 7/12/2023
- by K.J. Yossman
- Variety Film + TV
Forty years ago, Charles Bronson starred in a serial killer thriller called 10 to Midnight. Now Bronson look-alike Robert Bronzi has taken the lead in a thriller called 12 to Midnight… but Bronzi is going to have to face off with a supernatural threat in this one. The villain in 12 to Midnight is a werewolf!
Currently filming in California and the coal regions of northeast Pennsylvania, 12 to Midnight is being directed by Mark Savage (Purgatory Road) from a screenplay he crafted with Joe Knetter, producer Jeff Miller, and cast member Tom Parnell. Based on a story by Miller, the film concerns a detective, kicked off the force and despondent after the murder of his wife drives him to drink, who is asked back to the force when a new string of murders seem connected to his wife’s, and the killer appears to be taunting him. Only the killer may be superhuman,...
Currently filming in California and the coal regions of northeast Pennsylvania, 12 to Midnight is being directed by Mark Savage (Purgatory Road) from a screenplay he crafted with Joe Knetter, producer Jeff Miller, and cast member Tom Parnell. Based on a story by Miller, the film concerns a detective, kicked off the force and despondent after the murder of his wife drives him to drink, who is asked back to the force when a new string of murders seem connected to his wife’s, and the killer appears to be taunting him. Only the killer may be superhuman,...
- 6/22/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Exclusive: Paradigm on Friday announced its signing of Umbrelic Entertainment, the L.A. and Detroit-based film finance and production company founded and operated by Thomas Zambeck and Brian Katz. Umbrelic will be repped within Paradigm’s Content Group department by Nick LoPiccolo and Babacar Diene.
Since its 2018 founding, Umbrelic Entertainment has built a pipeline of non-coastal, non-traditional financial capital by demystifying the film industry for new investors and pairing them with commercial projects, producing or financing over a dozen films. Recent releases include the Chris Sivertson-directed horror thriller Monstrous, starring Christina Ricci, and the crime thriller American Murderer, starring Tom Pelphrey and Ryan Phillippe.
Forthcoming releases from Umbrelic include the sci-fi thriller Share with Bradley Whitford and Alice Braga, the action thriller Hellfire toplined by Stephen Lang and Harvey Keitel, and director Adam Sigal’s dark comedy Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose, starring Simon Pegg, Minnie Driver and Christopher Lloyd.
Since its 2018 founding, Umbrelic Entertainment has built a pipeline of non-coastal, non-traditional financial capital by demystifying the film industry for new investors and pairing them with commercial projects, producing or financing over a dozen films. Recent releases include the Chris Sivertson-directed horror thriller Monstrous, starring Christina Ricci, and the crime thriller American Murderer, starring Tom Pelphrey and Ryan Phillippe.
Forthcoming releases from Umbrelic include the sci-fi thriller Share with Bradley Whitford and Alice Braga, the action thriller Hellfire toplined by Stephen Lang and Harvey Keitel, and director Adam Sigal’s dark comedy Nandor Fodor and the Talking Mongoose, starring Simon Pegg, Minnie Driver and Christopher Lloyd.
- 6/16/2023
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Another one bites the dust at Channel 4. The UK broadcaster has canceled The Big Narstie Show.
Channel 4 informed producers earlier this year that the BAFTA-winning entertainment show will not return for Season 6, though the news has only just percolated amid an ongoing content cull. Channel 4 said it was a creative rather than a cost-cutting decision.
Hosted by rapper Big Narstie and comedian Mo Gilligan, The Big Narstie Show launched in 2018 and established itself as an anarchic vehicle for chat, musical performances, and topical comedy.
It was produced by Expectation, the outfit behind Clarkson’s Farm and David Schwimmer comedy Intelligence, and Dice Productions Entertainment, which is co-owned by Big Narstie.
Channel 4 said: “The decision not to recommission a sixth series of The Big Narstie Show is not part of our response to challenges in the advertising market.
“We are immensely proud of the five series we have made...
Channel 4 informed producers earlier this year that the BAFTA-winning entertainment show will not return for Season 6, though the news has only just percolated amid an ongoing content cull. Channel 4 said it was a creative rather than a cost-cutting decision.
Hosted by rapper Big Narstie and comedian Mo Gilligan, The Big Narstie Show launched in 2018 and established itself as an anarchic vehicle for chat, musical performances, and topical comedy.
It was produced by Expectation, the outfit behind Clarkson’s Farm and David Schwimmer comedy Intelligence, and Dice Productions Entertainment, which is co-owned by Big Narstie.
Channel 4 said: “The decision not to recommission a sixth series of The Big Narstie Show is not part of our response to challenges in the advertising market.
“We are immensely proud of the five series we have made...
- 6/16/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Channel 4’s television audience sunk to a record low in May amid a painful period for the British broadcaster, which is cutting costs as it navigates a cratering ad market.
Channel 4’s main network audience share stood at 4.48% last month, which is said to be the worst four-week period in the commercial broadcaster’s 40-year history.
One source said the ratings had sparked scenes of “panic” at Channel 4, though other insiders were more philosophical and pointed to bumper online viewing.
Audiences streamed a record 5Bn minutes of Channel 4 content in April, with shows including Married At First Sight Australia performing well. May’s digital performance was also up 20% year on year.
Despite the shift to streaming, television viewing remains foundational to Channel 4’s commercial health, with linear advertising accounting for less than 70% of its £1Bn ($1.3Bn) revenue.
Channel 4’s record low audience share was echoed in other ratings data.
Channel 4’s main network audience share stood at 4.48% last month, which is said to be the worst four-week period in the commercial broadcaster’s 40-year history.
One source said the ratings had sparked scenes of “panic” at Channel 4, though other insiders were more philosophical and pointed to bumper online viewing.
Audiences streamed a record 5Bn minutes of Channel 4 content in April, with shows including Married At First Sight Australia performing well. May’s digital performance was also up 20% year on year.
Despite the shift to streaming, television viewing remains foundational to Channel 4’s commercial health, with linear advertising accounting for less than 70% of its £1Bn ($1.3Bn) revenue.
Channel 4’s record low audience share was echoed in other ratings data.
- 6/15/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Channel 4’s content chief Ian Katz has acknowledged that the UK broadcaster and producers are going through a difficult spell amid widespread discontent over show cancelations and cash flow issues.
In an email to producers on Wednesday, Katz said he appreciated the support of indies, which supply all of Channel 4’s programming, but warned of more pain to come.
Deadline first revealed that shows including Four Weddings had been axed at the eleventh hour, while other content is being delayed until next year. In a story last week, we reported on Channel 4 requesting that indies cash flow shows at late notice, which is seen as unprecedented by some producers.
Katz’s message is an attempt to calm a revolt of sorts, with Channel 4 downturn dominating conversations between UK producers. The issue has been exacerbated by Channel 4’s top executives being rewarded with six-figure retention bonuses, which they have decided to defer.
In an email to producers on Wednesday, Katz said he appreciated the support of indies, which supply all of Channel 4’s programming, but warned of more pain to come.
Deadline first revealed that shows including Four Weddings had been axed at the eleventh hour, while other content is being delayed until next year. In a story last week, we reported on Channel 4 requesting that indies cash flow shows at late notice, which is seen as unprecedented by some producers.
Katz’s message is an attempt to calm a revolt of sorts, with Channel 4 downturn dominating conversations between UK producers. The issue has been exacerbated by Channel 4’s top executives being rewarded with six-figure retention bonuses, which they have decided to defer.
- 6/14/2023
- by Jake Kanter
- Deadline Film + TV
Out of all the winners (and also-rans) in the 26 competitive categories at the 2023 Tony Awards, 34 results stand out as particularly noteworthy when considered in the context of history. So what were this year’s most interesting facts, records, and milestones? Check out the complete list of winners here.
1. The productions that received multiple Tony nominations, but went home empty-handed were “& Juliet,” “Ain’t No Mo’,” “Between Riverside and Crazy” “Camelot,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Cost of Living,” “Death of a Salesman,” “A Doll’s House,” “Fat Ham,” “Into the Woods,” “Kpop,” and “The Piano Lesson.”
2. This year marked the first time a Broadway production of “Into the Woods” didn’t win a single Tony. The original won three awards in 1987 for Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason), Best Book of a Musical (James Lapine), and Best Original Score (Stephen Sondheim). The 2002 remounting won two for Best Revival of a Musical...
1. The productions that received multiple Tony nominations, but went home empty-handed were “& Juliet,” “Ain’t No Mo’,” “Between Riverside and Crazy” “Camelot,” “A Christmas Carol,” “Cost of Living,” “Death of a Salesman,” “A Doll’s House,” “Fat Ham,” “Into the Woods,” “Kpop,” and “The Piano Lesson.”
2. This year marked the first time a Broadway production of “Into the Woods” didn’t win a single Tony. The original won three awards in 1987 for Best Lead Actress in a Musical (Joanna Gleason), Best Book of a Musical (James Lapine), and Best Original Score (Stephen Sondheim). The 2002 remounting won two for Best Revival of a Musical...
- 6/12/2023
- by Jeffrey Kare
- Gold Derby
David Katz, the executive editor at The Hollywood Reporter who has shepherded some of its key longform narratives, investigative work and cover stories, has been named the outlet’s chief content officer.
In his new role, Katz, who reports to editorial director Nekesa Mumbi Moody, will work with THR’s top editors to elevate its storytelling across platforms, marshal resources towards key stories and, with Moody and deputy editorial director Jeanie Pyun, help develop new initiatives that further the brand.
“Dave has been an integral part of helping to shape some of THR’s most compelling stories over these past few years,” said Moody. “He has a deep knowledge of the industry and knows the keys to creating must-read features. I look forward to working more closely with him as we continue to build on our already excellent journalism.”
“At this crucial moment for Hollywood and the media that covers it,...
In his new role, Katz, who reports to editorial director Nekesa Mumbi Moody, will work with THR’s top editors to elevate its storytelling across platforms, marshal resources towards key stories and, with Moody and deputy editorial director Jeanie Pyun, help develop new initiatives that further the brand.
“Dave has been an integral part of helping to shape some of THR’s most compelling stories over these past few years,” said Moody. “He has a deep knowledge of the industry and knows the keys to creating must-read features. I look forward to working more closely with him as we continue to build on our already excellent journalism.”
“At this crucial moment for Hollywood and the media that covers it,...
- 6/12/2023
- by THR Staff
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
A few months ago, we heard that filming was underway on a thriller called Sleeping Dogs, starring Russell Crowe (The Pope’s Exorcist). Filming has since wrapped, and now we’ve gotten our hands on the first image from the film! The image features Crowe and co-star Tommy Flanagan (Alien vs. Predator), and you can check it out at the bottom of this article.
Adam Cooper is making his feature directorial debut with this project, working from a screenplay he wrote with his writing partner Bill Collage. Cooper and Collage’s previous collaborations include New York Minute, Accepted, Tower Heist, The Transporter Refueled, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Allegiant, and Assassin’s Creed. The script Cooper and Collage wrote for Sleeping Dogs is based on the novel The Book of Mirrors by E. O. Chirovici. The film has the following synopsis: In the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, former homicide detective...
Adam Cooper is making his feature directorial debut with this project, working from a screenplay he wrote with his writing partner Bill Collage. Cooper and Collage’s previous collaborations include New York Minute, Accepted, Tower Heist, The Transporter Refueled, Exodus: Gods and Kings, Allegiant, and Assassin’s Creed. The script Cooper and Collage wrote for Sleeping Dogs is based on the novel The Book of Mirrors by E. O. Chirovici. The film has the following synopsis: In the wake of a cutting-edge Alzheimer’s treatment, former homicide detective...
- 5/22/2023
- by Cody Hamman
- JoBlo.com
Channel 4’s Ian Katz has become the first broadcasting boss to acknowledge the UK commissioning slowdown, which led Bectu to yesterday declare an “emergency” in the freelance TV community.
Katz told the Wales Screen Summit Channel 4 is “watching to see how the market plays out,” while he is speaking to indies about the “freelancer situation.”
The cost-of-living crisis has been causing a well-publicized slowdown in the advertising market and Katz noted this could decline by 10% to 20% over the coming months, with ITV last week issuing a trading update showing a 10% dip in Q1.
Channel 4 is helped by the fact that “we came out of Covid and commissioned quite fast, quite intentionally because the cupboards were very empty,” according to Katz, who said “we are well stocked [with shows] into this year and the first half of next year.”
Compounding the current freelancer situation, last year saw a post-Covid commissioning boom, with...
Katz told the Wales Screen Summit Channel 4 is “watching to see how the market plays out,” while he is speaking to indies about the “freelancer situation.”
The cost-of-living crisis has been causing a well-publicized slowdown in the advertising market and Katz noted this could decline by 10% to 20% over the coming months, with ITV last week issuing a trading update showing a 10% dip in Q1.
Channel 4 is helped by the fact that “we came out of Covid and commissioned quite fast, quite intentionally because the cupboards were very empty,” according to Katz, who said “we are well stocked [with shows] into this year and the first half of next year.”
Compounding the current freelancer situation, last year saw a post-Covid commissioning boom, with...
- 5/17/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Music and politics were always entwined for Steve Katz. As a teenager in the Sixties, he’d travel from his apolitical family’s home on Long Island to Greenwich Village, where he’d watch radical folkies like Tom Paxton, Ramblin’ Jack Elliott, and Dave Van Ronk play. He grew especially close with Van Ronk, who taught Katz guitar — and took him to socialist party meetings.
So it was frustrating and difficult when, in 1970, the U.S. State Department announced that Blood, Sweat & Tears – the band Katz had co-founded in 1967 — would...
So it was frustrating and difficult when, in 1970, the U.S. State Department announced that Blood, Sweat & Tears – the band Katz had co-founded in 1967 — would...
- 3/21/2023
- by Jon Blistein
- Rollingstone.com
Mike Prall, Emily Katz to work closely with founder and CEO Jenifer Westphal, president Joe Plummer.
New York-based studio Wavelength, whose credits include Cusp, Athlete A, and The Cave Of Adullam, has hired Mike Prall as head of studios, Emily Katz as head of development.
The executives will be based in New York and arrive at a busy time as the company prepares to open its first international office in London following partnerships with international producers on seven of its 2022 films including Aisha, Radical Dreamer, and The Last Year Of Darkness.
Prall and Katz will work closely with Wavelength founder,...
New York-based studio Wavelength, whose credits include Cusp, Athlete A, and The Cave Of Adullam, has hired Mike Prall as head of studios, Emily Katz as head of development.
The executives will be based in New York and arrive at a busy time as the company prepares to open its first international office in London following partnerships with international producers on seven of its 2022 films including Aisha, Radical Dreamer, and The Last Year Of Darkness.
Prall and Katz will work closely with Wavelength founder,...
- 1/30/2023
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
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