The “Mean Girls” musical has cast “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm as Coach Carr. The Emmy-winning actor and star of “Confess, Fletch” and “Beirut” will play the school’s gym teacher and sex-ed instructor.
07.03.2023 - 00:55 / deadline.com
Imax is adding two heavy hitters to its board, naming longtime entertainment executive Gail Berman and Reddit chief operating officer Jen Wong as directors.
Berman, an award-winning and prolific content creator with a diverse career across film, TV, digital media, and Broadway, is a producer of much-decorated and Oscar-nominated Best Picture Elvis and head of production studio Jackal Group.
Wong has led digital sales and strategy at a number of global media firms.
“As we continue to diversify and grow the IMAX business across platforms and around the world, we continue to bring new expertise onto our Board and both Gail and Jen have deep, proven experience across the media and entertainment landscape,” said Imax CEO Rich Gelfond. Berman’s expertise will be invaluable as the company looks to strengthen partnerships with studios and filmmakers, he said. Wong can help expand Imax technology across platforms and screens.
Berman currently oversees Jackal Group’s slate across scripted and unscripted television, feature films and commercial theater. Along with Baz Luhrmann’s Elvis, projects include MGM’s The Addams Family 2, and the forthcoming Terry McMillan adaptation I Almost Forgot About You with NBC/Universal. She’s an executive producer of Netflix’ hit series Wednesday.
She was previously co-founder/co-owner of BermanBraun, a multiplatform media production company; president of Paramount Pictures; and president of entertainment for Fox Broadcasting. Berman served as president of the Producers Guild of America from 2018 – 2022. She has been named to Fortune’s 50 Most Powerful Women in America, and Forbes’ 100 Most Powerful Women in the World.
Wong has focused on building consumer digital businesses for global media
The “Mean Girls” musical has cast “Mad Men” star Jon Hamm as Coach Carr. The Emmy-winning actor and star of “Confess, Fletch” and “Beirut” will play the school’s gym teacher and sex-ed instructor.
16th Annual WIF (Women in Film) Oscar PartyNeueHouse Hollywood, HollywoodHollywood’s women joined hands in solidarity by kicking off Oscar weekend at the 16th Annual WIF (Women in Film) Oscar party, celebrating the 65 women nominated for Academy Awards for their work in 2002.Solidarity is still needed, as the dismal recent studies that show women received only 27% of the possible non-acting nominations, despite being nearly 50% of the worldwide population. That fact was part of the night’s conversation, including last year’s Oscar-winning screenwriter Sian Heder (“Coda”), who told the collected crowd that, “There’s a kind of camaraderie with women filmmakers right now.
The American Cinematheque is bringing on Jason Blum, Nicole Brown, Charles D. King, and Scott Stuber as the newest members of its board of directors.“Each brings a unique perspective and appreciation of film culture and exhibition as the AC continues to expand its programming and community engagement,” stated American Cinematheque Chairman Rick Nicita.Blum founded Blumhouse, a multimedia film and TV company regarded as the driving force in horror that recently entered the video game business.
joined Imax Entertainment in 2019 from Paramount, where she was the head of global marketing and distribution. A graduate of Harvard, Colligan’s past work also includes a start at Miramax and a vice president position at Searchlight Pictures.At Imax, Colligan oversaw the launch of the company’s “Filmed for Imax” program to bring in new filmmakers to shoot on cameras designed for the premium format.
IMAX Entertainment President, Megan Colligan is stepping down per a note just dropped to staff from Imax CEO Rich Gelfond.
Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Veteran Hollywood executive Megan Colligan is resigning her post as president of Imax Entertainment. The announcement was made Thursday in an internal memo circulated by Imax CEO Rich Gelfond. Gelfond said Colligan “decided to move on from IMAX. Megan will stay with the company through the end of April — helping see us through a busy period that includes our annual CEO Forum, CinemaCon, and our first quarter earnings report — while we complete a search for her replacement,” per the memo obtained by Variety. Colligan joined Imax in 2019. She previously served as global head of marketing and distribution at Paramount Pictures.
EXCLUSIVE: The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel’s Reid Scott and François Arnaud (Midnight, Texas) are set as the male leads opposite Sarah Shahi in Judgement, ABC’s drama pilot from former Charmed showrunner Joey Falco and 20th Television.
Cinemark Theatres, announced in January. An Imax representative could not be immediately reached for more details.Imax reported last month that it was once again profitable during the fourth quarter, thanks in large part to mega-hits “Avatar: the Way of Water” and Disney’s “Black Panther: Wakanda Forever.” Its success drawing key audiences had helped cement its role in the success of blockbusters.
meeting up with a 16-year-old on the Growlr dating app.According to a memo from the Broward County State Attorney’s Office explaining its decision, the teen’s parents wanted to pursue charges against Parson but did not want to subject their son to be questioned on the stand and were reticent to allow prosecutors to speak with him to help determine the facts of the case.Assistant State Attorney Danielle Lennox, of the office’s sexual battery and child abuse unit, wrote in the memo that a victim advocate from the office had begun reaching out to the family after the charges against Parson were filed.In a May 2022 phone conference with the victim’s parents, Lennox explained what the process of pursuing prosecution would entail, but they were reticent to have their son speak with her.Lennox agreed to give them time to think and scheduled a follow-up meeting with the parents to arrange an in-person interview with the teen, but was unable to reach the family.
Best Picture “All Quiet on the Western Front” — Malte Grunert, producer “Avatar: The Way of Water” — James Cameron and Jon Landau, producers
A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit.
Jenelle Riley Deputy Awards and Features Editor Cate Blanchett wore gold sequins and “Elvis” filmmaker Baz Luhrmann directed a group photo shoot at the Australian Oscars Nominees Reception held Thursday night in Hollywood at the Chateau Marmont penthouse. The guest list also included Oscar nominees from “Elvis,” including Luhrmann, DP Mandy Walker, costume designer Catherine Martin and producers Gail Berman, Schuyler Weiss and Patrick McCormick. Also joining in the festivities was filmmaker Lachlan Pendragon, director of “An Ostrich Told Me the World Is Fake and I Think I Believe It,” which is nominated for best animated short film. The event was hosted by Australian Consul-General Los Angeles Ambassador Jane Duke, Ausfilm, Screen Australia and Australians in Film (AiF)
EXCLUSIVE: Dermot Mulroney (Scream VI) and Rachel Griffiths (The Wilds) are the newest additions to the cast of the untitled romantic comedy from director Will Gluck (Easy A) that Sydney Sweeney and Glen Powell are leading for Sony.
Imax announced Monday that it is naming Gail Berman and Jen Wong to its board of directors. Wong is currently the Chief Operating Officer of Reddit, having led digital sales and strategy across firms like PopSugar, AOL and Time Inc., where she served as the COO and President of Digital.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Longtime entertainment and media executives Gail Berman and Jen Wong have joined Imax’s board of directors. “As we continue to diversify and grow the Imax business across platforms and around the world, we continue to bring new expertise onto our board and both Gail and Jen have deep, proven experience across the media and entertainment landscape,” said Rich Gelfond, CEO of Imax. Berman currently serves as chair and chief executive officer of production company the Jackal Group. Wong is Reddit’s chief operating officer and has previously led digital sales and strategy at PopSugar, AOL and Time Inc.
Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Life in the the-a-ter is coming to a close for the company of “Funny Girl.” The Broadway revival has extended its run, but the show will play its final performance on Sunday, Sept. 3, 2023. Its closing date is almost exactly one year after Michele joined the cast, though the revival of “Funny Girl” first opened in April 2022 led by Beanie Feldstein as Fanny Brice. But she and Jane Lynch, who was replaced by Tovah Feldshuh as Fanny’s mother, departed the production in August after the production was plagued with poor reviews and lackluster turnout. “Funny Girl” might have closed sooner without the casting changes. But box office fortunes have been on the upswing since last September and seats at the August Wilson Theater have remained well-stocked, even setting multiple house records. By the time the cast, including Ramin Karimloo as Nicky Arnstein and Jared Grimes as Eddie Ryan, takes its final bow, the Broadway revival will have played 599 performances and 30 previews.
she won the AACTA (Australian Academy of Cinema and Television Arts) for the film, the first time a woman had ever won for cinematography in film at the “Australian Oscars.” In her speech, Walker emphasized that she hoped her win served to open the door for many more women in the camera department. During a lively conversation for TheWrap Screening Series of “Elvis,” Walker was joined by producer-costume designer-production designer Catherine Martin and producer Gail Berman to discuss the hard work, craft, grit (and “girl power”) that went into making the dynamic, colorful biopic. In speaking about the gender disparity in her field, Walker pointed out Luhrmann deserves credit for hiring her to lens a feature film in the first place, 15 years ago.
When one thinks of women and Elvis Presley, it’s either his widow Priscilla, his late daughter Lisa Marie, or the legion of ladies left weak in the knee when the badass kid from Tupelo, Mississippi began shaking that moneymaker. In the case of the eight-time Oscar-nominated film Elvis, the front men are writer/director Baz Luhrmann, Austin Butler and Tom Hanks. Behind the camera, the film was entirely made possible by a chorus of women, many of whom are nominated. They include Luhrmann’s partner Catherine Martin, who’s up for the Production Design Oscar with cohorts Beverley Dunne and Karen Murphy; Mandy Walker, for Cinematography; Gail Berman for Best Picture with Martin, Luhrmann, Patrick McCormick and Schuyler Weiss; and Martin again for Costume Design.
Brian Tyree Henry celebrated his first Oscar nomination by hugging a stranger. “This poor guy, this poor white man,” Henry recalls with a laugh. The actor, who is currently shooting the Apple TV+ series “Sinking Spring” in Philadelphia, had spent the morning in his building’s gym with his phone on “do not disturb.” As he stepped into the elevator following his workout, he turned his phone on. “It started pinging and banging with notifications. There was 130-something text messages. I opened the first one and just saw: ‘Congratulations.’ And I screamed.” At this point, they were trapped. “The doors of the elevator were closing. He can’t go anywhere now,” Henry says, then reveals the following exchange:
Charna Flam John Leguizamo will receive the Miami Film Festival‘s Impact Award on March 11. Leguizamo’s new MSNBC series, “Leguizamo Does America,” will screen ahead of the award presentation.