Lionsgate Television Group Ups 3 Execs In Business Affairs

Lionsgate has landed domestic U.S. rights to Badarawuhi Di Desa Penari (Dancing Village: The Curse Begins), the prequel to Indonesia‘s highest-grossing film, KKN Curse of the Dancing Village.

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate casting executive Marcello Bellisario has signed a new multi-year deal as EVP, Television Casting for Lionsgate Television and Starz.

Former Fox Television Studios and Shine Americas boss Emiliano Calemzuk is to take charge of Israeli network Reshet 13.

Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer recently picked up shares of the company on the open market and vice chair Michael Burns said today he thinks the purchase was spurred by a visit the set of the upcoming Michael Jackson biopic.

Peabody Award-winning producer, showrunner and writer Gary Lennon has signed a new deal with Lionsgate extending their partnership.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Gary Lennon has extended his deal with Lionsgate Television. Lennon is currently the showrunner on the hit Starz/Lionsgate TV spinoff series “Power Book IV: Force,” which was renewed for a third season back in December. Under his deal, he will work with Lionsgate Television and Starz to develop expansions of the “Power” franchise.

Many documentary filmmakers want their work on the big screen and not small. So, what gives? Why isn’t that happening?

Universal Television’s top comedy development executives said business is thriving with EVP Jim Donnelly calling the moment “oddly busy.”  

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor ProSiebenSat.1 Group, which owns one of Germany’s leading broadcasters and one of its top streaming platforms, continues to feel the effects of a “challenging” economic environment, but, nevertheless, has pledged to ramp up investment in local shows. On Thursday, the group reported revenues of Euros 3.85 billion ($4.2 billion) in the 2023 financial year, down 7% on the previous year. Adjusted EBITDA decreased to Euros 578 million ($629 million) from the previous year’s Euros 678 million ($739 million).

Ellise Shafer This year’s nominees for the Royal Television Society Programme Awards have been revealed, with Gary Oldman, Hannah Waddingham and Bella Ramsey making the cut. The BBC leads the list with 51 nods across 30 categories, while Disney+ has earned its first nominations for “Extraordinary.” Channel 4 received 17 nominations, including for comedy series “Big Boys.” The leading actor — male category recognized Oldman (“Slow Horses”), Kane Robinson (“Top Boy”) and Timothy Spall (“The Sixth Commandment”), while Jodie Whittaker (“Time”), Tamara Lawrence (“Time”) and Sarah Lancashire (“Happy Valley”) are competing in leading actor — female.

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate‘s female-driven John Wick spinoff Ballerina has added David Castañeda (The Umbrella Academy) and Sharon Duncan-Brewster (Sex Education) to its cast amid reshoots abroad, Deadline can reveal.

Expanding their canvas with their John Wick filmmaker even further, Lionsgate has signed a second production deal with Chad Stahelski that will see the filmmaker and his 87Eleven Entertainment label producing original action fare for the studio. It’s a multi-year first look.

Michaela Zee Lionsgate is expanding the “Twilight” franchise with a new animated series, Variety has confirmed. Michael Burns, vice chairman of Lionsgate, shared the news during a Q&A at the Morgan Stanley media conference on Tuesday, revealing, “We’re going to go out with the ‘Twilight’ series, an animated series, I think there’ll be a lot of interest in that.” Last April, Variety reported that a “Twilight” TV series adaptation was in very early development at Lionsgate Television.

Lionsgate Vice Chair Michael Burns said the company is set to split in two by year end with a first step in early April as the studio merges with a SPAC and starts to trade separately from Starz on the Nasdaq under the stock symbol LION.

Lionsgate is expanding two of its biggest movie franchises, John Wick and Twilight, with new TV series offshoots. The company’s Vice Chairman Michael Burns shared information about the two projects during a Q&A at the Morgan Stanley media conference.

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate Television has optioned Liza Mundy‘s nonfiction book The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA to develop as a a scripted series, with Tony winner Scott Delman attached to executive produce.

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate has elevated two executives in its global products and experiences division: Gene Rogers is now SVP of Production and Operations, Global Products and Experiences while Jerry Sabatini has been upped to SVP of Brand Creative, Global Products and Experiences.

EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate Television is reducing the number of its development deals by more than half, sources tell Deadline. The move comes on the heels of Lionsgate’s acquisition of indie TV studio eOne from Harbro, which was completed at the end of December. It follows a two-month review of the combined talent roster of Lionsgate Television and eOne, which I hear included nearly 60 overall and first-look deals. More than 50% of them — across both eOne and Lionsgate TV — have now been cut. A rep for Lionsgate declined comment.

Sometimes, a filmmaker makes a comment in the home stretch of promotion for their film that either blows up the marketing plan or irritates the rank and file of cineastes. And just as “Dune: Part Two” is about to hit theaters (read our review), director Denis Villeneuve seems to have made provocative comments in a recent interview that have kind of blown up the internet.

Katcy Stephan Lionsgate has closed a deal with “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” director Destin Daniel Cretton to write and direct a live-action film adaptation of the manga classic “Naruto.” The announcement was made today by Adam Fogelson, chair, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. The movie will be based on the manga created by Masashi Kishimoto.