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Updated: Disney and 20th Century Animation announced Friday at D23 Brazil that Ice Age 6 is happening. The sixthquel will get a theatrical release. The original franchise was created by Blue Sky Studios, which Disney acquired through the 20th Century Fox merger, later shuttering the Oscar-winning animation division.

Original castmembers Ray Romano, John Leguizamo, Queen Latifah, Denis Leary and Simon Pegg are returning. The pic is currently being made.

Through five movies, the Ice Age pics have grossed $3.2 billion worldwide, but like all franchises, the weight of gravity weighs down at the box office with each sequel. The most recent movie, 2016’s Ice Age: Collision Course, grossed $408.5 million globally.

There were various short pics and series starring a woolly mammoth, sloth, saber-toothed tiger and other pre-historic animals. There was also the 2022 spinoff The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild.

This Ice Age is the first pic in the franchise since Disney bought Blue Sky.

Ready to enter a new “Ice Age?”

Disney has announced that a sixth “Ice Age” film, the first proper installment in the franchise since 2016’s “Ice Age: Collision Course,” will arrive in theaters in 2026. And what’s more, original cast members Ray Romano, John Leguizamo and Queen Latifah are set to return. (It’s unclear if Denis Leary will be back; let us pray.)

The news comes out of D23 Brazil, the first South American version of the Disney fan convention that had previously been held at the Anaheim Convention Center across the street from Disneyland.

One of the most successful animated franchises in history, the series has amassed more than $6 billion over those original five movies.

One of the bigger question marks surrounding a sixth “Ice Age” is who will be animating the feature. Famously, the earlier films were done by Blue Sky Studios, an animation studio in Greenwich,...

As per multiple reports, the Tom Holland (Spider-Man: No Way Home; Avengers: Endgame) has landed the lead role in Christopher Nolan's next epic movie, which is scheduled to begin shooting in early 2025, with an eye on a prime Summer 2026 release date. 

The fan-favorite actor was reportedly at the top of Nolan's wish list for this project and will now co-star with Academy Award-winner Matt Damon (Jason Bourne; Ford v Ferrari), who is set to reunite with Nolan for the third time in his career, after the sci-fi thriller Interstellar and last year's Best Picture winner Oppenheimer. 

Plot details on Nolan's latest film are being kept under wraps, but the film is rumored to be an action film and The Hollywood Reporter claims the setting is not present day. However, whether the film is set in the past or in the future remains a mystery. 

According to the trades, Nolan...

When Disney acquired 20th Century Fox in 2019 in one of the biggest media takeovers of all time, the House of Mouse absorbed its film slate — and promptly had to slog through an endless series of commercial duds.

Movies like “X-Men” spinoffs “Dark Phoenix” and “New Mutants,” Brad Pitt’s astronaut drama “Ad Astra,” buddy comedy “Stuber,” Harrison Ford-led canine adventure “The Call of the Wild” and animated pigeon comedy “Spies in Disguise” were rejected by audiences and sputtered at the box office. Worse, they didn’t exactly instill confidence in the film assets that resulted from the $71.3 billion mega-merger.

“Those Fox titles that were part of the deal but weren’t made by Disney seemed like they were orphaned,” says senior Comscore analyst Paul Dergarabedian. “With any merger, there are going to be growing pains. And this is a slow-moving business.”

So it’s an encouraging development that former...

(Welcome to Tales from the Box Office, our column that examines box office miracles, disasters, and everything in between, as well as what we can learn from them.)

"2020 at the box office will be known as the 'year of the asterisk,' with virtually every known measure and metric for box office performance being completely rethought and recalibrated." These were the words of Comscore senior media analyst Paul Dergarabedian speaking to CNN in October 2020. At that time, the industry was contending with a months-long, global shutdown, with movie theaters on life support as the pandemic raged on. Yes, every title released in 2020 will always come with an asterisk but even with that, one movie had to come out on top during Hollywood's lost year. That movie was "Bad Boys for Life."

Action director extraordinaire Michael Bay helmed 1995's "Bad Boys" and 2003's "Bad Boys II," with the first film ranking...

Tom Holland gained widespread recognition for his portrayal of Spider-Man in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, making his debut in Captain America: Civil War in 2016. His interpretation of both Spider-Man and Peter Parker struck a chord with fans, effectively capturing the essence of the iconic character from the comics.

While Holland’s career may be facing some challenges at the moment, there are rumors circulating that he needs to be part of a major Paramount film. If these rumors hold true, it could potentially provide a significant boost to his career, which is somewhat floundering right now.

Spider-Man in action

Since Tom Holland’s initial involvement in the Marvel Cinematic Universe, the franchise has undergone changes, and some MCU fans believe that it has lost its initial charm. Criticism often revolves around the view that Marvel relies on the same tired tropes and formulae that just do not stick the landing...

Production continues on the new “Superman” live-action feature, starring David Corenswet as the ‘Man of Steel”, targeting a July 2025, 3D IMAX theatrical release:

Confirmed roles include ‘Superman’/David Corenswet, ‘Lois Lane’/Rachel Brosnahan, ‘Lex Luthor’/Nicholas Hoult, ‘Jimmy Olsen’/Skyler Gisondo’, ‘The Engineer’/María Gabriela de Faría, ‘Eve Teschmacher’/Sara Sampaio, ‘Mister Terrific’/Edi Gathegi, ‘Hawkgirl’/Isabela Merced, ‘Guy Gardner’/Nathan Fillion and ‘Metamorpho’/Anthony Carrigan.

"...’Superman’ tells the story of the alien ‘Kal-El’/‘Superman' and his journey to reconcile his 'Kryptonian' heritage...

"...with his human upbringing as 'Clark Kent' of 'Smallville', Kansas.

"He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness..."

Rachel Brosnahan is noted for playing an aspiring stand-up comedian in the Amazon Prime Video comedy series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023), winning a 'Primetime Emmy Award' in 2018 and two consecutive 'Golden Globe Awards' in 2018 and 2019.

She also appeared in the...

After Wonka and Dune Part Two, it seems like Timothée Chalamet is shaping up to become Hollywood’s next leading man, rivaling the likes of Leonardo Di Caprio and Tom Cruise during thier younger days. The actor has left his mark on the box office, causing studios to look at the young actor as a bankable talent who is worth signing for bigger-budget films.

Timothée Chalamet as Paul Atreides in Dune: Part One.

On the other hand, Tom Holland, despite bringing in a considerable amount of money playing Spider-Man, has been unable to stick the landing with films and franchises outside of the MCU, such as the Uncharted series. It seems that despite being a part of bigger box office premieres than Chalamet, Holland will be easily eclipsed by him when it comes to a paycheck.

SUGGESTEDDune 3: Denis Villeneuve’s Trilogy Will Make Him Hollywood’s Most Hated Director...

February 29 ‘leap year-leap day’, marks the fictional birthday of DC Comics 'Superman', as well as the start of principal photography on the new live-action feature “Superman”, targeting a July 2025, 3D IMAX theatrical release:

Confirmed roles include ‘Superman’/David Corenswet, ‘Lois Lane’/Rachel Brosnahan, ‘Lex Luthor’/Nicholas Hoult, ‘Jimmy Olsen’/Skyler Gisondo’, ‘The Engineer’/María Gabriela de Faría, ‘Eve Teschmacher’/Sara Sampaio, ‘Mister Terrific’/Edi Gathegi, ‘Hawkgirl’/Isabela Merced, ‘Guy Gardner’/Nathan Fillion and ‘Metamorpho’/Anthony Carrigan.

"...’Superman’ tells the story of the alien ‘Kal-El’/‘Superman' and his journey to reconcile his 'Kryptonian' heritage...

"...with his human upbringing as 'Clark Kent' of 'Smallville', Kansas.

"He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness..."

Rachel Brosnahan is noted for playing an aspiring stand-up comedian in the Amazon Prime Video comedy series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023), winning a 'Primetime Emmy Award' in 2018 and two consecutive 'Golden Globe...

In January of 2021, Megan Ellison got a call from Erik Lomis, the former head of distribution at her company, Annapurna Pictures, asking if she’d like to take a look at a movie whose filmmakers needed a lifeline. Disney was days away from announcing that it planned to shutter Blue Sky Studios, the 500-person, Greenwich, Connecticut-based animation studio it had inherited in the 2019 Fox acquisition, and with that closure, the Burbank media giant would be dropping Blue Sky’s most promising movie, Nimona.

“I wasn’t really engaging in new film projects at the time, but being curious, I said yes,” Ellison said, in an email.

Ellison watched the hand-drawn storyboard reels, which directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane had adapted from Nd Stevenson’s 2015 graphic novel, and instantly connected with the title character, a shape-shifter voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz who appears most often as a young woman, but...

Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series spotlighting the year’s most talked-about scripts continues with Nimona, Netflix’s animated feature based on Nd Stevenson’s 2015 National Book Award-nominated graphic novel about finding friendship in the most surprising situations and accepting yourself and others for who they are.

Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (co-directors of Spies In Disguise) directed the film, which was adapted by Big Hero 6 scribe Robert L. Baird and Spies co-writer Lloyd Taylor and features the voices of Riz Ahmed and Chloë Grace Moretz in the lead roles. Frances Conroy, Lorraine Toussaint, RuPaul Charles, Eugene Lee Yang, Indya Moore, Sarah Sherman and Beck Bennett also have voice roles.

A family-focused film with authentic queer themes set in a vibrant techno-medieval world (credit to teams at Blue Sky Studios and Dneg Animation), the plot centers on Ballister Boldheart (Ahmed), a knight in a futuristic medieval world, who is...

The next live-action take of DC Comics ‘Superman’ is the upcoming feature “Superman: Legacy”, targeting a 3D IMAX theatrical release in 2025, with some major actor roles already confirmed:

Confirmed roles include ‘Superman’/David Corenswet, ‘Lois Lane’/Rachel Brosnahan, ‘Lex Luthor’/Nicholas Hoult, Jimmy Olsen/‘Skyler Gisondo’, ‘The Engineer’/María Gabriela de Faría, ‘Eve Teschmacher’/Sara Sampaio, ‘Mister Terrific’/Edi Gathegi, ‘Hawkgirl’/Isabela Merced, ‘Guy Gardner’/Nathan Fillion and ‘Metamorpho’/Anthony

"...Superman: Legacy' tells the story of the alien ‘Kal-El’/‘Superman' and his journey to reconcile his 'Kryptonian' heritage...

"...with his human upbringing as 'Clark Kent' of 'Smallville', Kansas.

"He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness..."

Rachel Brosnahan is noted for playing an aspiring stand-up comedian in the Amazon Prime Video comedy series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023), winning a 'Primetime Emmy Award' in 2018 and two consecutive 'Golden Globe Awards' in 2018 and 2019.

She...

Actress Rachel Brosnahan ("The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel") has been cast as DC Comics character 'Lois Lane' for the upcoming live-action feature "Superman: Legacy", currently prepping for a July 11, 2025 release:

"...'Superman: Legacy' tells the story of 'Superman'...

"...and his journey to reconcile his 'Kryptonian' heritage...

"...with his human upbringing as 'Clark Kent' of 'Smallville', Kansas.

"He is the embodiment of truth, justice and the American way, guided by human kindness..."

Brosnahan is noted for playing an aspiring stand-up comedian in the Amazon Prime Video comedy series "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel (2017–2023), winning a 'Primetime Emmy Award' in 2018 and two consecutive 'Golden Globe Awards' in 2018 and 2019.

She also appeared in the political thriller TV series "House of Cards" (2013–2015) and the drama series "Manhattan" (2014–2015).

Brosnahan made her feature film debut in "The Unborn" (2009), followed by "Beautiful Creatures" (2013)...

..."Louder Than Bombs" (2015), "The Finest Hours" (2016), "Patriots Day" (2016)...

..."Spies in Disguise...

“A Haunting in Venice” began its domestic box office jaunt with $1.2 million in Thursday preview earnings. That’s slightly above the $1.1 million procured by “Death on the Nile” in February of 2022.

It’s understandably below the $1.6 million earned by “Murder on the Orient Express” in November of 2017. With strong reviews (77% and 6.6/10 on Rotten Tomatoes), including plenty of critics arguing that it’s the best of Kenneth Branagh’s three films as Hercule Poirot, the hope is an opening weekend closer to $20 million than $15 million.

The franchise started with a bang with “Murder on the Orient Express.” That offering starred a slew of big names like Johnny Depp (still an added value element), Daisy Ridley, Michelle Pfeiffer, Penelope Cruz and senior citizen-magnet Judi Dench. That it was based on one of Agatha Christie’s most famous books didn’t hurt. A $28 million debut led to a $103 million domestic and $353 million global cume on a $55 million budget.

Following the release of its first animated feature, Nimona, Annapurna Animation has brought on director Nick Bruno and producer Julie Zackary to join their creative leadership team while expanding its upcoming feature slate to include an adaptation of video game Stray, along with Foo, an original title from Ice Age helmer and Blue Sky co-founder Chris Wedge.

Based on Nd Stevenson’s graphic novel of the same name, Nimona began its life at Blue Sky, and moved to Annapurna after Disney shut down the production and studio following its acquisition of Fox, which owned the animation umbrella. Netflix released the well-received Nimona in June.

Bruno — a Blue Sky alum, who made his directorial debut with Spies in Disguise — is already developing and directing an untitled original feature for the studio, while developing additional originals. Zackary is joining the studio as head of animation production, having previously served as vp of...

Annapurna Animation is kicking into overdrive, with director Nick Bruno (Netflix’s “Nimona” and 20th Century Studio’s “Spies in Disguise”) and producer Julie Zackary joining up.

They are also planning to expand their feature development slate, with the first flick being an adaptation of the acclaimed “play as a cat” video game “Stray.” Also on tap is a new film from Chris Wedge (“Ice Age”), an original called “Foo.” Along with directing an untitled original in development, Bruno is actively developing original ideas for Annapurna Animation.

“Stray,” an open-world adventure where you play as an ordinary cat, earned strong reviews and 2.5 million copies sold in the first month prior to even launching on Steam. The game came from Annapurna Interactive, so the synergy speaks for itself, and Annapurna plans to adapt more titles from its game library.

Wedge is an Academy Award-winning director and producer as well as a...

Features the voices of: Chloe Grace Moretz, Riz Ahmed, Eugene Lee Yang, Frances Conroy, Lorraine Toussaint, Beck Bennett, Indya Moore, RuPaul Charles, Julio Torres, Sarah Sherman | Written by Robert L. Baird, Lloyd Taylor | Directed by Nick Bruno, Troy Quane

Adapting the 2015 graphic novel from Nd Stevenson, Nimona was originally a production of Blue Sky Studios before Disney’s acquisition of Fox resulted in Blue Sky’s closure and the cancellation of this film. The project was thankfully revived by Annapurna Pictures, with Netflix providing worldwide distribution, allowing for the release of one of 2023’s best films.

Within a medieval-futuristic kingdom, Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed) is about to make history as the first commoner to become a knight. He is a beacon of hope for those not of noble blood, establishing that “anyone can be a hero”, which makes his crowning glory even more horrifying when he is framed for killing the queen.

The seven-year production of the latest Netflix animation feature, Nimona, was a rocky one. The film, based on Nd Stevenson’s webcomic about a sadistic little shapeshifter sidekick with a heart of gold, survived biblical hurdles in its leap from Nd’s panels to TV and big screens, including a studio acquisition, a whole pandemic, and a studio closure. Nimona’s epic journey is unlike anything else in feature animation history. But when a film boasts a subversive protagonist full of fiery, offbeat, punk-rock LGBTQ+ energy in a family film with a unique pro-trans message,...

Four excellent new movies are waiting to whet your Fourth of July weekend appetite. At least two are family-friendly affairs, but all of them have a joyful spirit that’s apt for holiday viewing.

The contender to watch this week: “Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret“

Kelly Fremon Craig‘s charming adaptation of Judy Blume‘s YA classic did modest business in theaters, so it deserves a second life on VOD. Craig, who established her teen movie bona fides with 2016’s “The Edge of Seventeen,” perfectly captures the book’s shrewd spirit. She cast “Ant-Man” actress Abby Ryder Fortson as Margaret Simon, an 11-year-old forced to move to a new town where she and her friends endure the anxieties of puberty. Craig’s acclaimed script could make her a Best Adapted Screenplay contender, and the supporting cast — particularly Rachel McAdams and Benny Safdie as Margaret’s lovingly scattered parents — are equally worthy Oscar candidates.

[Editor’s note: The following interview contains spoilers for “Nimona.”]

Netflix’s “Nimona” (now streaming) represents the latest post “Spider-Verse” animated breakthrough in handmade-looking 2D stylization. The twist here was creating a futuristic medieval fantasy that mixes “Sleeping Beauty” with “Blade Runner.” Fortunately, Dneg Animation (“Entergalactic”) answered the Sos after the trouble-plagued adaptation of Nd Stevenson’s queer graphic novel about the titular teen shapeshifter (Chloë Grace Moretz) came back from the dead. That’s because Annapurna Animation and the streamer rescued the Blue Sky feature after Disney shuttered the Fox-owned animation studio in 2021.

“We obviously followed it really closely, what happened to Blue Sky,” Dneg VFX supervisor Archie Donato told IndieWire. “We knew that they were shutting down. It was all over media and everything, so it was incredibly heartbreaking because we had many, many friends working there. We actually hired a lot of their animators and people in lighting and compositing and other departments. So we managed...

Ctam and Common Sense Media have partnered on StreamSafely Summer Camp,, an online destination at StreamSafely.com where parents and kids can find safe, family-friendly programming without the risks that come with pirated content. The site includes a collection of 46 movies curated by the nonprofit Common Sense Media available through June, July and August, along with a checklist for parents on safe streaming.

A Ctam study from October 2022 found that 38% of households with kids report accessing pirated content a few times a year, well above the mean for the US adult population overall (26%). Piracy sites appear free, but they make money by stealing personal information, often by installing destructive malware or ransomware on users’ home computers. Digital video piracy accounts for more than $50 billion in revenue losses for the global tv and movie industry, according to the study.

“Many families stream pirated content...

Chloë Grace Moretz and Riz Ahmed star in buoyant, good-humoured LGBTQ+ parable from the directors of Spies in Disguise

The web comic and graphic novel Nimona by Nd Stevenson was an adventure in queer science-fantasy; now it has been mainstreamed into an animation directed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane, who made their feature debut in 2019 with Spies in Disguise.

What has emerged is a buoyant and good-humoured LGBTQ+ parable, set in a kind of retro-futurist kingdom, super-modern and hi-tech in every way but with a medieval-style queen and a court of knights who have competed hard for the honour of the title “sir”. One of these is Ballister Boldheart (voiced by Riz Ahmed), a lowborn person of colour in love with fellow knight Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang), and Ballister is about to be officially dubbed in a gigantic stadium ceremony halfway between the Hunger Games and the Super Bowl.

The new animated film premiering on Netflix starts exactly the way you’d think a fairy tale should. The first words we hear, after all, are, “A long, long time ago, a kingdom lived in peace.”

But don’t be fooled. Nimona, based on Nd Stevenson’s acclaimed graphic novel, is about as far from an ordinary fairy tale as animated films get. Cheekily irreverent and hilariously subversive, it’s a consistent delight.

After that lulling introduction, the action shifts forward one thousand years, with the story set in a futuristic medieval kingdom that boasts skyscrapers along with its ancient fortresses. The story begins with a cheesy news broadcast hosted by two over-enthusiastic anchors (Indya Moore, RuPaul) covering the kingdom’s “Night to Knight Knights,” a reality show-style competition. Among the competitors is the insecure, one-armed Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), who’s encouraged in his efforts by his boyfriend and fellow knight-in-training,...

Netflix’s “Nimona” marks an LGBTQ breakthrough for a mainstream animated film. Based on Nd Stevenson’s best-selling queer graphic novel about the titular teen shapeshifter (Chloë Grace Moretz) in a futuristic medieval world, “Nimona” explores timely issues of identity and xenophobia. It additionally pushes 2D stylization into 3D with a uniquely illustrated look.

“Nimona” is also a minor miracle. It was rescued from the dead by Annapurna Animation and Netflix after Disney halted production in 2021 when they shuttered Fox-owned Blue Sky Studios, where the project originated. As it was, the film’s LGBTQ themes were watered down and a same-sex kiss between bestie knights (voiced by Riz Ahmed and Eugene Lee Yang) was a cause of concern at Disney.

But former Blue Sky co-presidents Andrew Millstein and Robert Baird refused to let “Nimona” die in 2021. Together with producer Julie Zackary and directors Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (“Spies in Disguise...

Once upon a time, animated movies made it easy to tell the heroes apart from the villains. Now, the trend is for princesses to remain happily unmarried (“Frozen”), for kids to know better than their elders (“Encanto”) and for monsters to be revealed as misunderstood allies (“Luca”). For a while, those twists on the Disney fairy-tale formula felt surprising to audiences, aligning nicely with where the cultural conversation was headed. Through repetition, however, such enlightenment has become its own cliché.

Enter Nimona, who brings a fresh dose of attitude to such inclusive messaging. She’s a monster, but doesn’t like to be called that. (And who can blame her?) Apparently the only one of her kind in a fictional kingdom where medieval customs and flying cars aren’t mutually exclusive, Nimona is capable of shape-shifting into practically any species — be it a shark, a rhinoceros or a ginormous dragon...

Things are about to get metal in the first trailer for Netflix and Annapurna Pictures’ animated feature, “Nimona.”

The official synopsis is as follows: When Ballister Boldheart (Riz Ahmed), a knight in a futuristic medieval world, is framed for a crime he didn’t commit, the only one who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona (Chloë Grace Moretz), a mischievous teen with a taste for mayhem — who also happens to be a shapeshifting creature Ballister has been trained to destroy.

But with the entire kingdom out to get him, Nimona’s the best (or technically the only) sidekick Ballister can hope for. And as the lines between heroes, villains, and monsters start to blur, the two of them set out to wreak serious havoc — for Ballister to clear his name once and for all, and for Nimona to…just wreak serious havoc.

The film’s distinct animation style...

"This is the part where you run." Netflix has unveiled the first look teaser for animated movie Nimona, an action adventure thriller from filmmakers Nick Bruno & Troy Quane (of Spies in Disguise). Originally a production of Blue Sky Studios, a former subsidiary of 20th Century Fox, best known for creating the Ice Age and Rio franchises, it was originally set to be directed by Patrick Osborne, with an initial release date of 2020. Following Disney's acquisition of 21st Century Fox, the production received pushback from Disney's new leadership due to the film's LGBTQ themes, then was canceled due to Blue Sky's closure in April 2021. Annapurna Pictures later revived the project, with Bruno & Quane taking over directing duties, Dneg on the animation, and Netflix releasing it. Nimona, a teenager with the power to shapeshift, is targeted by a knight for assassination. The knight's mission to kill Nimona becomes complicated when he is accused of a crime,...

Not even the House of Mouse is powerful enough to prevent Nd Stevenson's spirited shape-shifting hero Nimona from making her way to the screen. 

For those not in the know, "Nimona" is an animated sci-fi fantasy adventure feature based on Stevenson's award-winning comics series that began its life at Fox's Blue Sky Studios all the way back in 2015. However, after acquiring Fox's movie and television divisions, Disney closed down Blue Sky in 2021, at which point "Nimona" was reportedly a mere 10 months away from being completed. Thankfully, much like a knight in shining armor with a mechanical prosthetic arm (more on that to come), Annapurna Pictures and Netflix eventually swooped in to save the film and bring it across the finish line.

We're now a month away from "Nimona" making its way into the public's eye, starting with its premiere at the Annecy International Animation Film Festival on June 14, 2023. The film...

Fans of the Tumblr comic series “Nimona” can finally take a peek at Netflix’s upcoming animated feature film adaptation.

“Nimona,” set in a techno-medieval landscape where magic and technology combine, follows shape-shifting teenager Nimona (Moretz) as she tries to prove the innocence of wrongly convicted Knight Ballister Boldheart (Ahmed).

Joining Moretz and Ahmed in the film are Frances Conroy, Lorraine Toussaint, Beck Bennett, RuPaul Charles, Indya Moore, Julio Torres, Sarah Sherman and Eugene Lee Yang.

In 2015, the internet comic was published by HarperCollins, becoming a New York Times bestselling graphic novel. Twentieth Century Fox Animation initially acquired the rights to the film, based on cartoonist Nd Stevenson’s webcomics, and planned to release the film in 2020 with “Big Hero 6” animator Patrick Osborne to direct. But when Disney acquired Fox in 2019, the company shuttered animation house Blue Sky Studios and canceled the project. In April 2022, Netflix announced it had acquired the film,...

“Nimona” is nearly here. And before it hits the streaming service next month, Netflix has just unleashed a new trailer for the animated feature that gives viewers a taste of its world and introduces the titular shapeshifting teen (voiced by Chloë Grace Moretz). You can watch the new teaser below.

The trailer is pretty inventive, with a paper cutout introduction to the world of “Nimona” – it takes place in The Kingdom, a kind of futuristic medieval society that has been trained to fear a race of mythical creatures. (They have erected a massive wall – sound familiar?) A disgraced, one-armed knight who was framed for murder (Riz Ahmed), winds up befriending Nimona, who turns out to be one of these creatures – she can shapeshift into virtually anything or anyone. Together, they both are searching for acceptance – and to clear their respective names.

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‘Elemental’: How Director Peter Sohn’s...

This week's big streaming releases include the return of "Sweet Tooth," a rare post-apocalyptic tale that's all about optimism (and cute critters), and the premiere of "Citadel," the second-most-expensive TV show ever made and the hopeful start of a global franchise. Elsewhere, if you want more apocalyptic fun with big smiles and dark undertones, there's "Ranking of Kings" and "Kipo and the Age of Wonderbeasts." Or perhaps you want something before the apocalypse but with dark forces starting to gather, like the criminally underseen "The Dark Crystal: Age of Resistance." For something completely different, "Person of Interest" is a spy thriller with some rather prescient thoughts about AI, "Source Code" is a fun sci-fi time loop thriller, "Spies in Disguise," is a hilarious take on the "James Bond" formula, and "Everything Everywhere All at Once" stares at the end of the world and chooses kindness.

Sweet Tooth Is Back For...

Was Disney right to pay 71 billion for Fox’s entertainment empire? The sprawling properties it brought in-house helped fuel Disney+ and have given returning CEO Bob Iger a much-needed box office hit with “Avatar: The Way of Water” as he settles back into his old chair.

But investors are scrutinizing spending much more closely than they used to. Disney still carries a hefty debt load from the Fox deal and Iger’s rebound tenure has a time limit as he searches once again for a successor.

As adult-skewing movies struggle in theaters and Wall Street changes the rules in the streaming war, Disney’s purchase of Fox’s studio properties may prove to be Iger’s biggest blunder, dealing lasting damage to the company’s reputation among shareholders for media-merger magic. The idea that Disney could take any given property, get audiences to associate it with its megabrand and make...

Screenwriter Pamela Ribon has entered into a first look-agreement with Disney Television Animation.

The first project under the deal from Ribon — who wrote Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” and “Moana” and Sony Animation Studio’s “Smurfs: The Lost Village” — with Disney Branded Television and multiple Emmy Award-winning Baobab Studios is the animated sitcom “Intercats.”

Told through the big reflective eyes of cats, “Intercats” is a four-quadrant animated workplace comedy about the felines who produce viral videos on the Internet. It follows a ragtag team of cats aspiring for independence, who must navigate internal relationships and build upon their success as the premiere studio for viral cat videos.

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‘Wall-e’ Director Andrew Stanton Explains How Pixar’s Sci-Fi Darling Joined the Criterion Collection

“We’re fortunate to be partnering with Baobab for a second time and to be working with Pam whose smart, sly, sophisticated and inspiring humor ensures...

September is quite the month over at Disney+. The Disney streaming giant is the perfect place to spend the early months of back-to-school season, with something for the entire family. If you’re a Marvel fan, no doubt you’ll continue to watch the adventures of Jennifer Walters (Tatiana Maslany) in “She-Hulk: Attorney at Law.” For fans of “Rogue One,” ready to venture to a galaxy far, far away, there’s new spin-off series “Andor.” Then Halloween comes early with the premiere of the long-awaited sequel, “Hocus Pocus 2,” starring Bette Midler, Kathy Najimy, and Sarah Jessica Parker.

With plenty more on the docket, we here at IndieWire are laying out everything coming to Disney+ this month. But among the many titles (and after plenty of hit-and-miss Disney+ franchise extensions), “Star Wars” still looms large. Originally announced at the D23 fan convention back in 2019, audiences will finally get to see...

After Disney shut down Blue Sky Studios in 2021, it seemed all hope was lost for the highly anticipated animated feature “Nimona,” based on indie darling comic series from creator Nd Stevenson’s comics of the same name. But fear not, as Netflix announced that it will release the previously scrapped film in 2023, with Chloë Grace Moretz (“Kick-Ass”), Riz Ahmed (“Sound of Metal”) and Eugene Lee Yang (“Spring Bloom”) in the leading roles.

“Nimona’s always been a spunky little story that just wouldn’t stop,” Stevenson wrote in a tweet Monday. “She’s a fighter … but she’s also got some really awesome people fighting for her. I am excited out of my mind to announce that The Nimona Movie Is Alive.”

From Annapurna Pictures and Netflix, the animated feature will follow the story of shape-shifting teenager Nimona (Moretz), the only person who can prove the innocence of wrongly convicted...

Netflix announced on Monday morning that it would be picking up “Nimona,” the LGBTQ animated project based on Nd Stevenson’s graphic novel that was one of the projects scrapped following the Disney/Fox merger in 2019. The film is already in production and will be released in 2023.

“Nimona” will star Chloë Grace Moretz as the antihero Nimona, a shapeshifter bent on destroying a powerful organization known as the Institution of Law Enforcement and Heroics by any means necessary — even if it means killing people. To this end, she teams up with with Lord Ballister Blackheart (Riz Ahmed), who also seeks to bring down the Institution but will not break his own code of ethics to do so.

Standing in their way is the Institution’s champion, Sir Ambrosius Goldenloin (Eugene Lee Yang), the knight who defeated Ballister in a duel and cast him out from the Institution. Goldenloin has been tasked to destroy Nimona,...

The animated film Nimona, scrapped following the shutdown of Blue Sky Studios amid Disney’s acquisition of Fox, has landed at Netflix, with Chloë Grace Moretz (Mother/Android), Riz Ahmed (Sound of Metal) and Eugene Lee Yang (Spring Bloom) set to star. The adaptation of Nd Stevenson’s New York Times bestselling graphic novel—originally to have been directed by Patrick Osborne, but now being helmed by Nick Bruno and Troy Quane (Spies in Disguise)—will debut on the streamer in 2023.

In the LGBTQ+-themed Nimona, Knight Ballister Boldheart (Ahmed) is framed for a crime he didn’t commit and the only person who can help him prove his innocence is Nimona (Moretz), a shape-shifting teen who might also be a monster he’s sworn to kill. Set in a techno-medieval world unlike anything animation has tackled before, this is an inclusive story about the labels we assign to people...

On Monday, Spider-Man: No Way Home crawled its way past Avatar’s $760.5 million to become the third highest domestic grosser of all time. With that milestone reached, the baton is ready to be passed to Sony’s Uncharted, the long-awaited video game adaptation that also gives Tom Holland his biggest role yet outside of the MCU. The adventure film, which co-stars Mark Wahlberg, should spark things up at the box office after what has been a soft start to the year.

Ruben Fleischer directs Uncharted after having successfully launched the Venom franchise for Sony (not to mention hitting the jackpot with the Zombieland films). The Indiana Jones-esque tale acts as a prequel to the games, telling the story of a young version of Nathan Drake (played by Holland) before he becomes the full-fledged, world-class treasure hunting hero. He is taken under the wing of Sully (Wahlberg) to find the...

Exclusive: Good Luck To You, Leo Grande and Blazing Samurai backer Align has joined animated movie 10 Lives, which is being sold at the upcoming virtual EFM by Gfm Animation.

The duo recently teamed on starry animated film Blazing Samurai, which features the voices of Ricky Gervais, Samuel L. Jackson, Michelle Yeoh and Mel Brooks, and which will be released stateside by Paramount this summer. Align was most recently financier and producer on Sundance comedy Good Luck To You, Leo Grande, which was picked up this week by Searchlight. According to Gfm, budget on 10 Lives comes in at $26M with delivery scheduled for Q1, 2024. Helmed by Chris Jenkins (Duck Duck Goose), working with House of Cool (Spies in Disguise) and L’Atelier Animation (Ballerina), the film charts the story of a pampered and selfish cat who takes for granted the lives he has been dealt, only to be miraculously granted a whole new set of lives,...

(Welcome to ...And More, our no-frills, zero B.S. guide to when and where you can watch upcoming movies and shows, and everything else you could possibly stand to know.)

Earlier this year, The Walt Disney Company shut down Blue Sky Studios, the creators 'of the "Ice Age" franchise as well as "Robots," "The Peanuts Movie," and the recent "Spies in Disguise." But that's not stopping Disney from releasing another "Ice Age" movie on Disney+. Originally slated to be an animated series, "The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild" will now be the sixth installment of the film franchise, and we've got all the details you need...

The post The Ice Age Adventures of Buck Wild: Release Date, Cast, and More appeared first on /Film.

Rashida Jones and David Oyelowo have joined the cast of Apple TV+’s upcoming adaptation of “Wool,” a world-building drama series based on Hugh Howey’s trilogy of dystopian novels, the streaming service said Wednesday.

Per Apple, “Wool” is set in a ruined and toxic future where a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them.

Jones and Oyelowo will play a married couple on the series, with the “#blackAF” star set as Allison, “Holston’s wife who works at It,” and the “Selma” star in the role of Holston, “the Silo’s sheriff.”

They join Rebecca Ferguson, who stars as Juliette, “an independent and hardworking engineer,” and Tim Robbins who will play Bernard, “the head of It for the Silo.”

Graham Yost, who is also currently writing for...

Exclusive: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel Emmy, SAG and Golden Globe award winner Rachel Brosnahan is joining Walter Hill’s upcoming western Dead for a Dollar which already stars Oscar winner Christoph Waltz and Oscar nominee Willem Dafoe.

In addition, Quiver Distribution, we understand, was instrumental in arranging the film’s financing and packaged the project alongside Canadian-based production company Chaos a Film Company. Quiver will release the movie in the U.S. and Myriad Pictures has acquired the international distribution rights which they began selling at the recent Cannes market. Deadline first told you about the project.

Dead for a Dollar follows a famed bounty hunter (Waltz) who runs into his sworn enemy, a professional gambler and outlaw that he had sent to prison years before (Dafoe), while on a mission to find and return the wife (Brosnahan) of a successful businessman who is being held hostage in Mexico. Hill also wrote the movie.

Happy quarter century today to your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man, Tom Holland. What do you suppose the next five years of his career holds? It seems like his management is trying to capitalize on the franchise money while also squeezing in indies and voice work to diversify a bit? But while trying to do both at once perhaps they aren't being picky enough about anything. All of his recent projects haven't exactly been bullseyes, either with audiences or critics, and all were fast-fades. Next up: another Spider-Man and the video game adaptation Uncharted. If you were on his management team what would you be suggesting for the next five years? ...

When the pandemic took away Thurman White Academy of the Performing Arts Middle School’s ability to perform on stage, Nexus Studios used technology to give them the opportunity to shine again.

Thanks to facial capture technology, these drama students were able to voice and puppeteer their own characters from the safety of their homes for an animated short called “Drawn Closer.” Dedicated to the students who missed out on achieving precious milestones this past year, the film is about the struggle of putting a show together.

As schools struggle to return to normal, many “nonessential” activities have been sidelined, leaving kids without a vital outlet for creativity and peer connection. According to a survey conducted by the Educational Theatre Association, 85% of schools canceled performances in 2020 because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

“Something that was really clear in talking to all the kids at Thurman White middle school was that their friendships,...

Is there any career more unfairly represented in children’s movies than that of the animal control officer? In the rowdy new Disney Plus original, “Flora & Ulysses,” Flora (Matilda Lawler) is a 10-year-old comic-book savant; Ulysses is her unusually gifted CG squirrel; and overzealous officer Miller (Danny Pudi) is the only thing that stands between this beautiful friendship and a macabre fate for this cutie-patootie super-pet.

Technically, the title duo is only slightly less destructive than your average tornado. Nearly all the movie’s set pieces involve breaking, spilling or otherwise upsetting tidy spaces, which is no doubt fun to watch if you are Flora’s age or younger, and the type of child who likes to play Godzilla with your Lego sets. It’s also somewhat impressive, if you pause to contemplate the task demanded of director Lena Khan, who had to orchestrate such pandemonium (involving lots of...

Despite nearly six months of cinema closures due to Covid-19, China actually built nearly 6,000 more new screens in 2020, according to a new report from the country’s film authorities.

The data contradicts the disastrous predictions made over the summer about the extent to which the pandemic would devastate the Chinese exhibition sector.

China now boasts 75,581 screens nationwide at some 12,700 complexes, having built 5,794 more screens last year, said the National Office for Special Film Funds, a committee under the direct management of the powerful Central Propaganda Department made up of cadres from that body and the Ministry of Finance. Growth did slow, however: to compare, China built around 9,700 new screens in both 2019 and 2018. It began 2020 with around 69,800 screens at some 12,400 complexes.

Things were looking much bleaker in June, by which time Chinese movie theaters had been closed for five months. Conducted by local film industry associations, a mid-2020 survey of nearly...

Say it ain't so, Mickey! Disney announced today their plans to close Blue Sky Studios, the $5.9 billion global grossing former 20th Century Fox animation house that gave audiences 13 features including Spies in Disguise, The Peanuts Movie, and the Ice Age franchise. When looking to lay blame for the closure, one needs to look no further than the Covid-19 pandemic. Despite…...

The Walt Disney Company will close Blue Sky Studios, the animation company inherited in its 2019 acquisition of 20th Century Fox.

Founded in 1987, Blue Sky helped grow top-grossing family franchises including “Ice Age,” the Dr. Seuss adaptation “Horton Hears a Who,” and most recently the Will Smith and Tom Holland project “Spies in Disguise.”

About 450 employees staffing the company will face termination, thought some are said to be eyeing roles at other Disney portfolio holdings, which includes the eponymous Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar. Closure was a forgone conclusion for many in the industry upon the historic Disney-Fox transaction.

“Given the current economic realities, after much consideration and evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to close filmmaking operations at Blue Sky Studios,” a Disney spokesperson said.

The coronavirus pandemic has uniquely crippled Disney, given the entertainment giant’s reliance on theme park attendance and a massive global theatrical business,...

Disney is closing down animation house Blue Sky, which is responsible for the “Ice Age” franchise, according to a studio spokesperson.

The former Fox-based animation house produced 13 features that grossed $5.9 billion. Approximately 450 staffers will face termination. Disney inherited Blue Sky in the March 2019 acquisition of 20th Century Fox.

“Given the current economic realities, after much consideration and evaluation, we have made the difficult decision to close filmmaking operations at Blue Sky Studios,” according to a studio spokesperson.

Disney, already home to Walt Disney Animation Studios and Pixar, has been battered by the Covid-19 pandemic for nearly a year, causing a shutdown of its theme parks, keeping theaters closed and accelerating the shift away from the cable bundle.

Founded in 1987 and based in Greenwich, Connecticut, Blue Sky Studios last released “Spies in Disguise” on Christmas Day 2019. The film grossed $66 million at the domestic box office and $171 million worldwide. The “Ice Age...

Exclusive: Disney is shuttering Blue Sky Studios, the $5.9 billion global grossing former 20th Century Fox animation division which during its run churned out 13 features including the Ice Age franchise.

One can say that the writing was always on the wall for Blue Sky, especially after Disney acquired 20th Century Studios and its assets in March 2019. However, the past year has been challenging for Disney on many fronts, of course due to the pandemic, not just on the studio side but with theme park closures and cruise line dockings as well. Sustaining a third feature animation studio was no longer viable for Disney given the current economic realities caused by Covid. The last day for Blue Sky will be in April. The number of Blue Sky employees being impacted numbers 450. Disney will be working with the employees at the Greenwich, Ct based animation house to explore open positions at the other internal studios.