Notizie

Lizzois set to make her big-screen starring debut. She's signed on to star in Rosetta, a new biopic of Sister Rosetta Tharp, the groundbreaking musician known as the Queen of Rock and Roll. Deadline reports that Lizzo will produce the film for Amazon MGM Studios, as well.

Lizzo, the Grammy-winning musician born Melissa Viviane Jefferson, will star in the film as Tharp, who was born in 1915 and became a sensation in the 1930s and 40s as a gospel singer. She was one of the first musicians to popularize the electric guitar, and was a key figure in the creation of what would become rock and roll. Rock legends like Little Richard, Johnny Cash, and Tina Turner cited her as an influence on their musicianship, and she was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2018. However, she remains a somewhat obscure figure among the public: Rosetta will be...

Lizzo has been cast in a new biopic from Amazon MGM Studios exploring the life of legendary rock pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The film, currently titled Rosetta, is in development with Lizzo co-producing alongside Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, and Kevin Beisler, the last of whom led 2022’s Lizzo: Live In Concert.

Tharpe is known as the first great icon of gospel music, and her work on electric guitar notably laid the foundation for what would become rock n’ roll. Her influence was noted by artists like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Chuck Berry. According to Deadline, the film zeroes in on a specific period in Tharpe’s life and will explore the ways she defied expectations and forged her own path, both in her music and in her personal life.

The movie is moving forward under Significant Productions, a company known for championing emerging talent and yielding films like...

Lizzo has been cast in a new biopic from Amazon MGM Studios exploring the life of legendary rock pioneer Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The film, currently titled Rosetta, is in development with Lizzo co-producing alongside Nina Yang Bongiovi, Forest Whitaker, and Kevin Beisler, the last of whom led 2022’s Lizzo: Live In Concert.

Tharpe is known as the first great icon of gospel music, and her work on electric guitar notably laid the foundation for what would become rock n’ roll. Her influence was noted by artists like Johnny Cash, Elvis Presley, and Chuck Berry. According to Deadline, the film zeroes in on a specific period in Tharpe’s life and will explore the ways she defied expectations and forged her own path, both in her music and in her personal life.

The movie is moving forward under Significant Productions, a company known for championing emerging talent and yielding films like...

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Following several weeks of absence from her popular talk show, Kelly Clarkson has become the subject of widespread speculation

Fans who tune in to Clarkson’s show on Thursday and Friday will find model Molly Sims in the role of substitute host.

Sims is one of several celebs who has stepped in for Kelly in recent weeks, with Simu Liu, Roy Wood Jr., Wanda Sykes, Josh Groban, Brooke Shields, and Willie Geist all helping out by taking the reins.

Kelly Clarkson attends the Warner Music Group Pre-Grammy Party in association with V Magazine on January 25, 2018 in New York City. (Photo by Jared Siskin/Getty Images for Warner Music Group)

Needless to say, that’s a lot of absences.

And concerns about Kelly’s whereabouts are compounded by the fact that she hasn’t posted on social media since February 17.

It’s enough to leave the singer’s fans searching for answers.

Kelly Clarkson had a cameo appearance on the hit ABC series The Rookie in 2023. Looking back, she's feeling sorry for the way that she acted on the set.

Clarkson discussed her guest appearance on the Season 5 episode, "Death Notice," during a Q&a session for The Kelly Clarkson Show. She shared how she was ecstatic when the offer came in to appear on The Rookie, as she was already a very big fan of the series. Unfortunately, she was perhaps too much of a fan, as she says the shoot was the most nervous she's ever felt on a set. This led to her acting like an "idiot," and she is now offering an apology to the cast and crew.

Related The Rookie Has a Secret Arrowverse Connection (& It's Not Lisseth Chavez)

The Rookie hosts a number of Arrowverse actors in its ranks, but Harold Perrineau is the most obscure...

Kelly Clarkson has seemingly gotten ex-husband Brandon Blackstock a present for Christmas:

Some major shade.

In promotion of her album “When Christmas Comes Around… Again” on Wednesday, the first-ever American Idol winner posted an “official album visualizer” via YouTube.

This video featured four stockings hanging over a fireplace.

Brandon Blackstock and Kelly Clarkson attend the 25th Annual Critics’ Choice Awards at Barker Hangar on January 12, 2020 in Santa Monica, California. (Photo by Frazer Harrison/Getty Images)

Two of the stockings depict the names of the artist and Blackstock’s kids — daughter River, 10, and son Remington, 8 — while another read, “Mom.”

So far, so good and normal, right?

The fourth, as you can see below, is printed with the word “Nope.”

Not very subtle, is it?

(Kelly Clarkson/YouTube)

For those in need of a refresher, Clarkson and Blackstock were married for seven years before parting ways in 2020.

When their divorce was finalized...

It's Charli Xcx's world, and we're all just living in it. Not only was she just nominated for a whopping seven Grammy nominations for her critically acclaimed album Brat, including album of the year, but the pop star is now garnering major Hollywood attention. Deadline reports that Charli will join the cast of The Gallerist, which stars Natalie Portman and Jenna Ortega and will begin filming sometime at the end of this year.

The plot will follow a desperate gallerist who cooks up a scheme to sell a dead body at a famous art gallery. No word on who will play the lead, but we do know the rest of the cast, which is satisfactorily stacked. The film is also set to star Da’Vine Joy Randolph, winner of last year's best supporting actress Oscar for The Holdovers, Sterling K. Brown, Zach Galifianakis, Daniel Brühl, and Catherine Zeta-Jones.

The new...

Charli Xcx is slated to appear alongside an all-star cast that includes Jenna Ortega and Natalie Portman in Cathy Yan’s upcoming film titled The Gallerist, according to a report from Deadline.

The movie’s cast is particularly stacked as Catherine Zeta-Jones, Zach Galifianakis, Sterling K. Browne, Daniel Brühl, and Da’Vine Joy Randolph have all signed on as well. Per Deadline, the film is about a gallerist trying to sell a dead body at the famed Art Basel in Miami. Written by Yan and James Pedersen, the project is set...

Prime Video’s November programming will dip its toe into Christmas and other holiday offerings such as The Holiday (2006) starring Jude Law, Kate Winslet, Cameron Diaz and Jack Black. The streamer will also add some films with sequels arriving in theaters this month, like Sonic the Hedgehog (2020) and Ridley Scott’s 1992 film Gladiator.

For the full list of Prime Video programming in November 2024, see below.

Related: New On Netflix For November 2024: Movies, TV Shows and More

Nov. 1

Movies:

12 Days of Christmas Eve (2004) 3 Ninjas Knuckle Up (1995) 50 To 1 (2014) A Knight’s Tale (2001) Absolute Deception (2013) Across The Universe (2007) Agent Cody Banks (2003) Agent Cody Banks 2: Destination London (2004) Airplane II: The Sequel (1982) Airplane! (1980) All Saints (2017) Almost Christmas (2016) Anacondas: The Hunt For The Blood Orchid (2004) Anger Management (2003) Apache (1954) Bad Company (2002) Battlefield Earth (2000) Battleship (2012) Big Night (1996) Blizzard (2003) Blown Away (1993) Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius (2004) Boomerang (1992) Bucky Larson Born To Be A Star (2011) Carrie...

It's time to say goodbye to one free streaming platform. The good news is that its original shows will live on.

Per Bloomberg, it has been revealed that Amazon is shutting down Freevee, the ad-supported free streaming platform. There had been some speculation that Freevee's days were numbered, and it would seem that the rumors were true. Now, the plan is to phase out Freevee over the next few weeks and consolidate its content on the Prime Video platform. Amazon will continue to offer free content for non-Prime members, while Freevee Originals will be migrating over to streaming on Prime Video as well.

Related A $473 Million Stephen King Sequel Is Losing Its Streaming Home This Month

Time is running out to watch the blockbuster Stephen King sequel before it leaves its streaming home.

We have built Prime Video into a first-stop entertainment destination where customers can personalize their viewing experience...

Tubi, Fox’s free streaming service, has announced its list of November titles. The Tubi November 2024 slate features new Tubi Originals, some series, and numerous action, art house, Black cinema, comedy, documentary, drama, horror, kids and family, romance, sci-fi and fantasy, thriller, and Western titles.

As a leading ad-supported video-on-demand service, the company engages diverse audiences through a personalized experience and the world’s largest content library of over 250,000 movies and TV episodes, a growing collection of exclusive Originals, and nearly 250 live channels.

You can watch the Tubi November 2024 lineup for free on Android and iOS mobile devices, Amazon Echo Show, Google Nest Hub Max, Comcast Xfinity X1, and Cox Contour.

You can also watch the service on connected television devices such as Amazon Fire TV, Vizio TVs, Sony TVs, Samsung TVs, Roku, Apple TV, Chromecast, Android TV, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and on the Tubi site.

Tubi Originals...

Days after Charli Xcx revealed in an interview that she wants to branch out into acting, she’s been cast in one of her first major film projects: Gregg Araki’s new film I Want Your Sex, which will also star Olivia Wilde and Licorice Pizza’s Cooper Hoffman.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, I Want Your Sex is scheduled to begin production in October. The film’s official logline reads: “When fresh-faced Elliot (Hoffman) lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey more profound than he ever could have imagined, into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal and murder.”

Get Charli Xcx Tickets Here

The project serves as Charli Xcx’s second live-action feature film...

Days after Charli Xcx revealed in an interview that she wants to branch out into acting, she’s been cast in one of her first major film projects: Gregg Araki’s new film I Want Your Sex, which will also star Olivia Wilde and Licorice Pizza’s Cooper Hoffman.

Per The Hollywood Reporter, I Want Your Sex is scheduled to begin production in October. The film’s official logline reads: “When fresh-faced Elliot (Hoffman) lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his depth as Erika takes him on a journey more profound than he ever could have imagined, into a world of sex, obsession, power, betrayal and murder.”

Get Charli Xcx Tickets Here

The project serves as Charli Xcx’s second live-action feature film...

Charli xcx has joined the cast of Gregg Araki’s upcoming thriller “I Want Your Sex.”

The film, which “blithely explores desire, domination, and fantasy” (according to the official release), will be her second live-action role after the upcoming “Faces of Death” movie from Legendary Entertainment and filmmaker Daniel Goldhaber. She previously provided voice work for “UglyDolls” and “The Angry Birds Movie.”

The singer joins Olivia Wilde and Cooper Hoffman for Araki’s film, which features a script written by Araki and Karley Sciortino. Production begins in October in Los Angeles.

The official synopsis for “I Want Your Sex” (named after the iconic George Michael song) follows: “How far is too far? When fresh-faced Elliot (Hoffman) lands an exciting job for renowned artist, icon and provocateur Erika Tracy (Wilde), his fantasies come true as Erika taps him to become her sexual muse. But Elliot soon finds himself out of his...

The Emoji Movie has become the 10th most-watched movie on Netflix in the U.S. the week of August 5. This has become the case in spite of the movie's 6% score on Rotten Tomatoes. The movie may have found a wide audience because it is new on the platform.

The Emoji Movie has become a Netflix hit in the United States. The 2017 animated feature stars T.J. Miller as a Meh emoji whose ability to show multiple expressions makes him an outcast in a strictly regimented emoji society that exists inside the smartphone of teenage boy Alex. The movie was critically reviled, earning a 6% score on Rotten Tomatoes and going on to win the Worst Picture Razzie Award along with three others including Worst Director and Worst Screenplay.

Netflix has now calculated their official Top 10 chart of the most-watched movies in the United States for the week of August 5 through August 11. The...

Space Cadet, starring Emma Roberts, has a 24% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes. This marks Roberts' third consecutive low-rated film, following Madame Web and Maybe I Do. Despite the low score, Space Cadet could still find an audience on Prime Video and potentially improve its rating.

Rotten Tomatoes gives a score to Emma Roberts new Prime Video movie Space Cadet, and it continues a bleak trend for the actor. Released on July 4, Madame Web star Roberts latest film concerns a Florida party girl with bigger aspirations, who scams her way into astronaut training school, with comedic results. As directed by Liz W. Garcia, the Space Cadet cast also includes Tom Hopper, Gabrielle Union, Poppy Liu and Dave Foley.

Even with Roberts in the lead role, and a solid supporting cast behind her, critics are not over the moon about Space Cadet, as reflected in its just-revealed 24% fresh rating on Rotten Tomatoes.

Mattel and Universal are partnering on a Monster High movie. The Monster High toy line features characters who are teenagers inspired by classic monsters. The already robust Monster High franchise could potentially support a live-action blockbuster.

Monster High will be following Barbie to the big screen. The latter title, which was a Greta Gerwig-directed live-action comedy starring Margot Robbie as the titular doll, was a worldwide phenomenon when it was released in 2023. The Barbie box office ballooned to $1.45 billion by the end of its theatrical run, breaking records and becoming the highest-grossing movie of the year. In the wake of the movie's success, other movies based on Mattel toys have either gone into pre-production or progressed further in development including Polly Pocket and Rock 'Em Sock 'Em Robots.

Per TheWrap, the latest Mattel toy to join these movie properties is Monster High. The characters in the toy line, which was launched in 2010, are supernatural,...

Adam Fogelson is replacing Joe Drake as chair of Lionsgate’s motion picture group.

Drake reportedly initiated the transition and will be working with Fogelson over the coming months on succession plans. Drake, who was named co-chair of Lionsgate in 2017, will be leaving the company. He’s departing after leading the studio to its first billion-dollar year since 2019, thanks to commercial winners like “John Wick: Chapter 4” and “Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”

“Despite unprecedented disruption over the last few years, we built a team that thrived throughout and achieved everything I could have imagined at Lionsgate,’ Drake said in a statement. “Having worked side by side with Adam for the past 18 months, he is the perfect choice to lead the motion picture group forward to even greater heights.”

Drake served as Lionsgate’s co-chief operating officer and motion picture group president for five years before leaving...

It’s been more than 12 years since “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows – Part 2” wrapped the fantasy series on the big screen, but that doesn’t keep fans from approaching its star Daniel Radcliffe with shouts of “It’s Harry!”

Unfortunately, as he explained to host Kelly Clarkson and his “Merrily We Roll Along” Broadway costars Lindsay Mendez and Jonathan Groff, he’s aged a bit in the interim.

“I’m like, ‘I’m sorry.’ They’re like, ‘You’re old now, what happened?’” Radcliffe said of these interactions, joking that he disappoints “kids on, like, a regular basis.”

The conversation picked up on Monday’s episode of “The Kelly Clarkson Show” as the three musical theater stars of the Stephen Sondheim revival reflected on their lives as parents.

Radcliffe just welcomed his first son to the world in April and Mendez has a young daughter at home...

Physical media could soon become a thing of the past. But Redbox doesn’t think users are ready to make the transition to purely digital video just yet, and is bulking up its stock of niche titles at its disc rental kiosks, its parent company Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment (Csse) announced this week.

Sign Up $0 / month redbox.com

The company said it will bring on a range of new and older films, such as the rare “Ugly Dolls,” catalog titles such as “Jerry Maguire,” and much more. The move is intended to help serve customers who had been signed up to rent discs via mail from Netflix; the streamer announced this spring it was ending its DVD rental service as of Friday, Sept. 29.

The addition of these titles does not mean that Redbox is abandoning traditional blockbusters. Films like “Barbie” and “Oppenheimer” with large mainstream audiences will still...

Since 1989, Adam Sandler has been one of the busiest men in Hollywood. Not only is he a prolific funnyman on screen, but he's also got his own production company, Happy Madison, that has cranked out over 25 feature films. Sandler inked a lucrative exclusivity deal with Netflix a few years back and has been churning out films for them to varying degrees of success.

Sure, Sandler has made some sophomoric films, and many include questionable casting choices/characterizations that don't hold up in our contemporary culture (like every role Rob Schneider has ever played), but he's also been unfairly used as a punching bag by snobbish cinephiles despite the overwhelming evidence that he's a comedic genius. When he won Best Male Lead at the Independent Spirit Awards following his egregious Oscars snub for "Uncut Gems," his acceptance speech included the now-viral line, "I'd also like to give a shout-out to my fellow nominees,...

Love is in the air on Netflix, as two of the steamer’s most popular romance franchises dominated the English-language television charts for the week of May 15 to May 21.

Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story once again took the top spot with another 82.39M hours viewed in its third week on Netflix. The Bridgerton prequel series has now tallied nearly 390M viewing hours since it debuted on May 4, which means that it still stands a chance at becoming one of Netflix’s most popular series of all time. The series would need to surpass Inventing Anna‘s 511M viewing hours in the remaining 10 days of its 28-day measurement window in order to meet that milestone.

If it does, it will join both seasons of Bridgerton among Netflix’s most-watched series of all time. Each season drew more than 600M hours viewed in their first 28 days on the service.

Second among the...

This weekend, Netflix is adding a documentary about a model and actress, a documentary series about a controversial martial artist, and a rom-com TV series from a popular movie series. Last weekend, the streaming giant welcomed the animated series Justice League and Justice League Unlimited, season 4 of the comedy parody series Documentary Now!, the comedy-drama movie St. Vincent, the documentary Call Me Kate, and the animated movie Uglydolls, along with the documentary drama series Queen Cleopatra, the action drama The Mother, and season 7 of the reality TV series Queer Eye.

This weekend, Netflix will add a variety of licensed content to its extensive catalog, such as the comedies Fifty Shades of Black and Ted, season 3 of La Reina del Sur, the first five seasons of S.W.A.T., the Indonesian horror movies Spirited and Bayi Ajaib, the thriller movie Missing, the drama movie The Son, and the Indian horror movie Virupuaksha. As for original content,...

This weekend, Netflix is adding a documentary drama series that has already been the subject of controversy, an action drama movie, and a new season of one of Netflix’s most popular reality shows. Last weekend, the streaming giant welcomed a long list of licensed content to kick off a new month, with the most notable titles being the Austin Powers movie trilogy, David Fincher’s The Curious Base of Benjamin Button, the horror movies Dawn of the Dead and Paranormal Activity, the psychological drama Girl, Interrupted, the epic Western drama Legends of the Fall, the comedies Pitch Perfect and This is the End, the drama Steel Magnolias, and the comedy-drama A Man Called Otto.

When it comes to original content, last weekend saw the arrival of the Turkish drama TV series The Tailor, the drama limited series Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story, and the Japanese drama TV series Sanctuary.

Arnold Schwarzenegger’s first scripted TV series, the Jennifer Lopez-starring action film The Mother and documentaries featuring Anna Nicole Smith and Barack Obama are among the high-profile projects hitting Netflix this month.

At the end of May, the streamer is dropping the Schwarzenegger-starring spy comedy Fubar, in which the former California governor and Top Gun: Maverick’s Monica Barbaro play a father and daughter who discover they’ve each been secretly working as CIA operatives as they’re forced to team up and get to know each other’s true selves.

And earlier this month, in time for Mother’s Day, Lopez plays an assassin who emerges from hiding to protect a daughter she gave up for adoption years earlier in The Mother, streaming this Friday. The Niki Caro-directed action movie also stars Joseph Fiennes, Lucy Paez, Omari Hardwick, Paul Raci and Gael Garcia Bernal and was written by Andrea Berloff,...

Must-watch comedy series, eye-opening documentaries and an expansion of the “Bridgerton” universe are among the noteworthy additions to Netflix this month. May 12 sees the premiere of Jennifer Lopez’s new Netflix original film “The Mother,” in which she plays an assassin lured back in for one last job. And on May 23, the documentary “Victim/Suspect” examines how sexual assault victims too often get turned into suspects when they report their assaults.

“Queen Charlotte,” the “Bridgerton” prequel series, arrives on May 4 while a new season of Tim Robinson’s sketch series “I Think You Should Leave” drops on May 30. And if you missed the most recent season of the niche (but delightful) comedy series “Documentary Now!,” you can stream that on Netflix starting May 9.

Check out the full list of what’s new on Netflix in May 2023 below.

Also Read:

The 50 Best Movies on Netflix Right Now Arriving May 1

Above Suspicion

Airport...

Netflix recently announced it would be investing $2.5 billion into South Korean programming. Before Squid Game season 2 comes down the pike, however, the first seeds of that investment will bear fruit for Netflix in May 2023.

Netflix’s list of new releases for May 2023 is highlighted by the May 12 release of Korean series Black Knight. Set “in a dystopian 2071 devastated by air pollution,” this show will follow world-saving deliverymen known as “Black Knights.” Other international offerings this month include Japanese sumo drama Sanctuary on May 4 and Spanish crime thriller Muted on May 19.

Netflix’s domestic TV options this month include Queen Charlotte: A Bridgerton Story on May 4. That will be followed by post-apocalyptic animated comedy Mulligan on May 12 and Arnold Schwarzenegger’s TV debut Fubar on May 25. And for those hoping for “triples,” I Think You Should Leave with Tim Robinson premieres on May 30.

On the movie side of things, Netflix has an unusually busy month.

The Faces of Death remake has now added a major pop star to its cast. The film, which is being co-written and co-directed by Isa Mazzei and Daniel Goldhaber, is a remake of the notorious 1978 film of the same name, which purported to present a collection of real-life snuff films, though quite a few of them were later revealed to be staged. The film's cast already includes Stranger Things star Dacre Montgomery and Euphoria's Barbie Ferreira.

Per TheWrap, the Faces of Death remake has just brought on pop star Charli Xcx to play an unspecified role. Although she has been a fixture of the film industry, especially with her single "Boom Clap," which was part of the The Fault in Our Stars soundtrack, this will be her first live-action feature. She previously provided voices for the animated films The Angry Birds Movie and UglyDolls.

Horror Has Long Been a...

Every time news breaks regarding Legendary Entertainment’s remake of the infamous 1978 box office hit Faces of Death (get it Here), it’s something completely unexpected. Who would have ever thought that film would inspire a remake that stars young actors from the likes of Euphoria, Stranger Things, and Saved by the Bell? That’s exactly what’s happening, as the project (which starts filming this month) does indeed star Barbie Ferreira of the HBO series Euphoria, Dacre Montgomery of Netflix’s Stranger Things, and Josie Totah of the recent Saved by the Bell revival. Now The Wrap delivers some more unexpected news: singer Charli Xcx has chosen to make her film acting debut in the Faces of Death remake.

Charli Xcx has done some voice acting before (The Angry Birds Movie and UglyDolls) and has appeared on TV shows (Saturday Night Live and Gossip Girl), but this will be...

Disney+ has made huge efforts to invite celebrities to do guest appearances in “The Mandalorian,” with actors like Tim Meadows and Jason Sudeikis dropping by to do one-off roles in the series. However, the latest episode in the series broke all records for celebrity guest appearances this week with three surprising cameos from people we didn’t expect to see in the “Star Wars” franchise. From actor/singer Jack Black to rapper Lizzo, this week’s “The Mandalorian” was a cameo fest on the set. Here’s a detailed breakdown of the actors who made special appearances in this week’s “The Mandalorian.”

Spoilers Ahead

Jack Black

Of all the people you could imagine would turn up in a Star Wars spin-off show, Jack Black would probably be at the bottom of the list. The rock teacher from “School of Rock” has quite a few accolades under his belt, from...

Click here to read the full article.

Emma Roberts has jumped on board Madame Web, the Sony spinoff centered on the Spider-Man character, The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed.

S.J. Clarkson is set to direct the feature, which is part of Sony’s growing stable of films based on Marvel characters. Roberts, a regular on FX’s American Horror Story anthology, also appeared in The Hunt and Netflix’s feature Holidate. Her credits also include Fox’s Scream Queens and UglyDolls.

Introduced in the 1980 comic The Amazing Spider-Man #210, Madame Web is a clairvoyant mutant who specializes in predicting the future of Spider-themed superheroes, having mentored not only Peter Parker’s alter ego, but also multiple generations of heroes calling themselves Spider-Woman.

Traditionally depicted as a blind, paralyzed old woman, she is surrounded by a web-like machine necessary to keep her alive, meaning that she stays away from direct conflict, and rather sends others on missions.

A consortium of investors led by Najafi Companies has closed its deal to purchase STX Entertainment, the beleaguered film and television company behind “Bad Moms” and “My Spy.” The sale ends STX’s unhappy union with Eros, the Indian media company that it merged with in 2020. The goal was to go public, which STXEros did, but to little investor fanfare. STX had previously tried and abandoned an effort to go public on the Hong Kong stock exchange in 2018, citing unfavorable market conditions.

The cash-strapped independent studio had attracted some 11th-hour interest from Lionsgate, but a potential deal collapsed, leaving Najafi Companies, a Phoenix-based private-equity firm run by Jahm Najafi, as the victor. Najafi is the vice chairman of the Phoenix Suns. Investment firms As Birch Grove LP and 777 Partners helped finance the deal for STX. In December the group bid 173 million for the company.

STX said its executive team will remain in place,...

Exclusive: Maya and the Three creator Jorge Gutiérrez has set I, Chihuahua as his first animated feature for Netflix, with actor and comedian Gabriel “Fluffy” Iglesias coming aboard to produce and star. (Check out never-before-seen concept art created for the feature below.)

Written by Gutiérrez, Doug Landale and Candie Kelty Langdale, I, Chihuahua is billed as the ultimate underdog tale of Chacho—a scrappy masked Luchador Chihuahua, who embarks on a hilarious and action-packed journey around the world to fight for his family. After learning his beloved home is in danger, Chacho dons a Lucha Libre mask to become Luchacho. Our masked underdog then enters an international fight tournament, competing against a hilarious and eclectic mix of animal fighters from all over the world, in the lead-up to a final, epic fight against the nefarious beast known as Chamuco, The Widow Maker. Iglesias will produce alongside Tim Yoon.

“I cannot...

Lionsgate is exploring acquiring some or all of STX Entertainment after the “Hustlers” studio already was in the midst of a planned sale to Najafi Companies for $173 million, individuals with knowledge of the talks told TheWrap.

Reps for both Lionsgate and STX declined to comment.

The purchase agreement from Najafi included a 45-day “go-shop period” which allowed current STX owner Eros to solicit other proposals for 45 days, and the $173 million also included absorbing $148 million in debt. STX would pay a $4.5 million termination fee if the deal with Najafi doesn’t go through. Prior to the Najafi sale, the studio had attempted to sell off rights to its library of films to pay down its debt, and is nearing a February deadline to repay its creditors.

In a SEC filing on Friday, ErosSTX confirmed that the company had received another offer under the go-shop process that was previously outlined in the initial terms of the sale,...

(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.)

The train of original animated films for Netflix doesn't seem to be stopping anytime soon, with "Back to the Outback" coming our way at the end of 2021. The feature will be animated by Reel FX Creative Studios, the same animation team behind films like "Free Birds" and "Book of Life," who also lent a hand for the animation on "UglyDolls" and "Scoob!" The new film marks the sixth original animated feature for Netflix after "Klaus,"...

The post Back to the Outback: Release Date, Cast, and More appeared first on /Film.

The parent company of indie film and TV studio STX is shopping its film library rights in order to pay off debt of roughly $150 million and infuse the company with cash, a Wednesday regulatory filing said.

ErosSTX, which owns the producer of films like “Hustlers” and “Greenland,” revealed it had “entered into an exclusive negotiation period with a third party to monetize the revenue from 46 films in its library.” While the third party is unknown, the company is exclusively shopping the library revenue stream and will retain derivative and ancillary rights, allowing STX to develop remakes and sequels based on its existing IP.

Run by CEO Robert Simonds, STX’s library sale would resolve $150.1 million owed to a revolving credit facility from Jp Morgan and $22 million in mezzanine credit. The potential transaction would exceed the debt and add cash to STX’s balance sheet, sources said.

In a media landscape rife with consolidation,...

Robert Simonds’ cash-strapped STX film studio, whose rare box office hits include “Hustlers” and the “Bad Moms” franchise, is trying to generate badly needed funds by selling off much of its 46-film library.

According to a regulatory filing on Wednesday, STX’s Mumbai-based parent company Eros STX Global Corp. said it “has entered into an exclusive negotiation period with a third party to monetize the revenue from 46 films in its library.” The company did not identify the prospective partner, and said the studio “will continue to administer and distribute the 46-film catalog for a fee, and will retain derivative rights to the 46 films, including sequels, remakes and prequels.”

The company said the money raised would be used to pay down its debt load — including a $150.1 million credit facility with JPMorgan that matures Oct. 7, as well as an additional $22.7 million in debt due in 2022.

“The company is currently working with these lenders on several options,...

Singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha will make her feature film debut in “Queenpins,” a crime comedy starring Kristen Bell.

The movie, from STXfilms, is inspired by a true story of the largest coupon counterfeit scam in history. It centers on a suburban housewife (Bell) fed up with being overlooked by her husband and society. So she tries to take back control of her life by starting an illegal coupon club and ends up scamming millions from food companies with her fellow coupon clippers. Rexha will play a computer hacker named Tempe Tina. The cast also includes Vince Vaughn, Paul Walter Hauser and Kirby Howell-Baptiste.

Rexha, who previously voiced a role in STX’s animated family film “UglyDolls,” is a Grammy nominated artist best known for songs including “Meant to Be,” “I’m a Mess” and “Me, Myself & I.”

“This is a perfect film for Bebe to be making her live-action film debut.

Pop star Bebe Rexha will make her feature film acting debut in “Queenpins,” a crime comedy starring Kirsten Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste at STXfilms.

Though Rexha lent her voice to the STX animated film “UglyDolls,” “Queenpins” will be the singer’s first on-screen role.

“Queenpins” is based on a true story of the largest coupon counterfeit scam in U.S. history and follows a disgruntled suburban housewife who works to take back her life by starting an illegal coupon club that scams millions from big food companies and delivers millions of dollars of deals to fellow coupon clippers. Rexha in the film will play Tempe Tina, an eccentric computer hacker who helps the film’s heroines with the coupon scam.

The female-fronted comedy also stars Vince Vaughn and Paul Walter Hauser, and STX will handle distribution in the U.S., U.K. and Ireland. The studio will also handle international...

Grammy nominated singer-songwriter Bebe Rexha is boarding Eros STX’s comedy Queenpins, which will rep her feature film acting debut.

She joins Bad Moms star Kristen Bell and Kirby Howell-Baptiste, as well as Vince Vaughn and Paul Walter Hauser, in a comedy about the largest coupon counterfeit scam in US history. The pic is in the spirit of such female driven STX comedies as the Bad Moms franchise, Hustlers and I Feel Pretty.

Said STXfilms Chairman Adam Fogelson said, “This is a perfect film for Bebe to be making her live-action film debut. She’s an incredible talent and international superstar and we love her for this role as Tempe Tina, an eccentric computer hacker who helps our heroines with their coupon scam. We know she will add so much fun, talent and personality to this cast.”

STX previously collaborated with Rexha on their animated movie UglyDolls.

Queenpins is written...

Amazon Studios has inked a first-look deal with the multi-faceted musician Lizzo.

The streamer will work with Lizzo, whose real name is Melissa Jefferson to develop and produce TV series, Deadline reports. The news was unveiled by Amazon Studios television co-heads Albert Cheng and Vernon Sanders during the company’s virtual Television Critics Association (TCA) press tour, during which Cheng called the singer a “force of positivity.”

In addition to her music career, Lizzo has previously appeared in Hustlers and lent her vocal acting talents to the animated musical UglyDolls. Her most recent album, Cuz I Love You, won three Grammys and spawned the hit singles Good As Hell and Truth Hurts.

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Amazon has struck a first-look deal with Good As Hell singer Lizzo.

Lizzo, real name Melissa Viviane Jefferson, is to work with the streamer to develop and produce TV series.

Albert Cheng and Vernon Sanders, Co-Heads of Television at Amazon Studios, revealed the news as part of the company’s virtual TCA press tour. Lizzo popped by the virtual call to say that she was “excited” by the deal.

Cheng called her a “force of positivity”.

Lizzo starred in feature film Hustlers and voiced a character in UglyDolls, but this marks her first major move in television.

She broke through with the release of her third studio album, which includes single such as Juice and Tempo. Her success meant that Good As Hell, her 2016 single, climbed back up the charts.

“I’m so excited to partner with the amazing team at Amazon,” said Lizzo. “Thank you to Jen Salke and...

Kelly Asbury, an animator who directed Oscar-nominated films such as “Shrek 2” and “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” has died. He was 60.

Asbury died Friday morning in Los Angeles following a long battle with abdominal cancer, a representative for Asbury, Nancy Newhouse Porter, told Variety.

Asbury, who started his career at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1983, directed five animated feature films during his career: “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” which was released in 2002; “Shrek 2″ in 2004, which he co-directed with Conrad Vernon; 2011’s “Gnomeo & Juliet”; 2017’s “Smurfs: The Lost Village”; and his final directorial effort was 2019’s “Ugly Dolls,” which starred Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton and Pitbull.

His other work includes credits on “The Little Mermaid,” Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “The Prince of Egypt,” “Chicken Run,” “Shrek,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Frozen” and “Sherlock Gnomes.”

In addition, the Texas native...

Kelly Asbury, an animation writer-director and voice actor whose credits include Shrek 2, Smurfs: The Lost Village and Beauty and the Beast, died today after battling cancer for several years. He was 60. His rep Nancy Newhouse Porter of Newhouse Porter Hubbard confirmed the news to Deadline.

“He was one of the most admired and beloved people in the industry,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking for everyone.”

A three-time Annie Awards nominee for helming 2004’s Shrek 2 and writing and directing 2011’s Gnomeo & Juliet, Asbury also was nommed twice by the Cannes Film Festival: He was up for the Palme d’Or for Shrek 2 and the Camera d’Or for best debut feature for 2002’s Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.

His also directed last year’s UglyDolls, and his writing credits included co-penning the story for Disney’s 1991 animated classic Beauty and the Beast.

Born on January 15, 1960, in Beaumont,...

Kelly Asbury, an animation director known for directing “Shrek 2,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” and most recently “Uglydolls,” has died. He was 60.

Asbury died peacefully Friday in Encino, California, following a long battle with cancer, a representative for Asbury, Nancy Newhouse Porter, told TheWrap.

Asbury has a story credit on Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” and additionally wrote the screenplay and story for “Gnomeo & Juliet,” which he also directed in 2011. Asbury got his start at Disney between 1983 and 1995, contributing storyboards for Golden Age Disney films such as “The Little Mermaid,” “The Black Cauldron,” “The Rescuers Down Under” and more.

Also Read: Lewis John Carlino, 'The Great Santini' Writer and Director, Dies at 88

Upon shifting to DreamWorks in 1995, his directorial debut was for the 2002 animated film “Spirit,” which was nominated for an Oscar. He would even provide additional voices for “Shrek 2” and in “Shrek the Third.

Kelly Asbury, the respected animator who directed such films as Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Shrek 2 and Gnomeo & Juliet, has died. He was 60.

Asbury died Friday after a long battle with cancer, rep Nancy Newhouse Porter confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. "This was one of the most admired and beloved people in the industry," she said.

Most recently, Asbury helmed the STX animated film UglyDolls (2019), a musical starring Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton and Pitbull.

A CalArts alum and three-time Annie Awards nominee who started his career at Walt Disney Feature Animation ...

Kelly Asbury, the respected animator who directed such films as Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Shrek 2 and Gnomeo & Juliet, has died. He was 60.

Asbury died Friday at his home in Encino after a long battle with cancer, rep Nancy Newhouse Porter confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. "This was one of the most admired and beloved people in the industry," she said.

Most recently, Asbury helmed the STX animated film Uglydolls (2019), a musical starring Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton and Pitbull.

A CalArts alum and three-time Annie Awards nominee who started his career ...

DreamWorks Animation presents Trolls World Tour, a music- filled, exciting adventure that's sure to make the whole family sing, dance, and have fun again and again. Join Poppy, Branch, and the rest of the Trolls in the all-new Dance Party Edition exclusively on Digital June 23, 2020 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray, and DVD July 7, 2020 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The Dance Party Edition includes an interactive dance party mode where viewers are introduced to dance moves to learn while they watch the film, lyrics to sing along, and surprises featuring their favorite characters! This special Dance Party Edition includes bonus content, such as an exclusive original short film starring the unforgettable Tiny Diamond, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes exclusives with the power-house musical cast of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, George Clinton and many more. This fun and entertaining family film is the must-own movie of the summer.

DreamWorks Animation presents Trolls World Tour, a music- filled, exciting adventure that’s sure to make the whole family sing, dance, and have fun again and again. Join Poppy, Branch, and the rest of the Trolls in the all-new Dance Party Edition exclusively on Digital June 23, 2020 and on 4K Ultra HD, Blu-Ray, and DVD July 7, 2020 from Universal Pictures Home Entertainment. The Dance Party Edition includes an interactive dance party mode where viewers are introduced to dance moves to learn while they watch the film, lyrics to sing along, and surprises featuring their favorite characters! This special Dance Party Edition includes bonus content, such as an exclusive original short film starring the unforgettable Tiny Diamond, deleted scenes and behind-the-scenes exclusives with the power-house musical cast of Anna Kendrick, Justin Timberlake, Kelly Clarkson, Mary J. Blige, George Clinton and many more. This fun and entertaining family film is the must-own movie of the summer.

Last weekend saw Bad Boys for Life pull in a much better than expected $73 million over the four-day Mlk weekend. With this weekend's newcomers not expected to offer much in the way of direct competition, Will Smith and Martin Lawrence have a clear path to an easy second weekend win. Opening up this weekend will be Stx's The Gentlemen, Universal's The Turning and Rlje's Color Out of Space.

Bad Boys for Life is looking at a second weekend haul in the $30 million range. The long-awaited sequel has been a hit with both audiences and critics alike, currently boasting a 76 percent critical approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, to go with a stellar 97 percent audience rating. That should help generate solid word of mouth heading into its second frame. The movie has already crossed the $112 million mark globally, with Sony already working on Bad Boys 4. If things continue to go well,...