Paramount Pictures has renewed a first-look deal with Todd Garner. The head of Broken Road Productions first signed a production pact with the studio in 2018.
30.03.2023 - 19:37 / variety.com
Joe Otterson TV Reporter Joe Quesada, the former editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, has signed a first-look film and TV deal with Amazon Studios. Under the deal, Quesada will develop film and TV projects with a particular focus on adapting comic book IP, including both new and existing titles. “I can’t begin to express just how thrilled I am to be joining the Amazon Studios family,” Quesada said. “From the moment Nick Pepper, Matt King, and the team approached me, it was clear we spoke the same language and shared the same creative goals. What was also clear is that they’re creating a collaborative environment and unique methodology that I’m surprised no one has yet thought to implement, but I’m certain will be quickly imitated.”
During his time at Marvel, which spanned over two decades, Quesada was known for helping to produce some of the best-known storylines in company history. Those include “Civil War,” “Age of Ultron,” as well as characters like Miles Morales and Ms. Marvel. “Joe has been a singular and influential creative force guiding some of the most iconic storytelling that exists today,” said Nick Pepper, Head of US SVOD Wholly Owned Development for Amazon Studios. “The opportunity to bring his expertise and vision to Amazon Studios presents a world of possibilities and we can’t wait to see what he brings to life next.” This will not be the first time Quesada has been involved in the world of film and television. He was also formerly the chief creative officer of the now defunct Marvel Entertainment division. In that role, he was part of the creative committee for a number of early Marvel Studios releases. He also served as an executive producer on the Marvel-Netflix shows, including “Daredevil,” “Jessica
Paramount Pictures has renewed a first-look deal with Todd Garner. The head of Broken Road Productions first signed a production pact with the studio in 2018.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter The upcoming Peacock drama series “Hysteria!” is rounding out its main cast. Anna Camp (“Pitch Perfect” franchise, “True Blood) Emjay Anthony (“Physical,” “Chef”), Chiara Aurelia (“Cruel Summer,” “Luckiest Girl Alive”), Kezii Curtis (“Charm City Kings,” “Secret Headquarters”) and Nikki Hahn (“Magnum P.I.,” “American Housewife”) have all been cast in the series. They join previously announced cast member Julie Bowen. The show was originally ordered at Peacock in August 2022. Per the official series description, “When a beloved varsity quarterback disappears during the ‘Satanic Panic’ of the late 1980s, a struggling high school heavy metal band of outcasts realize they can capitalize on the town’s sudden interest in the occult by building a reputation as a Satanic metal band, until a bizarre series of murders, kidnappings, and reported ‘supernatural activity’ triggers a leather-studded witch hunt that leads directly back to them.”
Michael Schneider Variety Editor at Large Former Epix exec Benjamin Tappan has joined Walden Media as president of production, overseeing the shingle’s TV and film development, as well as production. Tappan’s hire comes as Walden Media also looks to broaden its programming mix. Tappan will report to Walden Media president and CEO Frank Smith, who announced the hire on Tuesday. “Ben’s vast experience as both a production executive and talent representative along with his great track record of making popular and critically praised content make him uniquely suited for leading our creative team,” Smith said in a statement. “We greatly look forward to his leadership and contributions as we build the Walden Media of the future.”
Joe Otterson TV Reporter Mischa Barton will appear in the new season of “Neighbours” coming to Amazon Freevee. Barton will guest star in the upcoming season of the long-running Australian soap opera, which was picked up by Freevee back in November. According to her official character description, Barton will play Reece, “an American new to Erinsborough who’s not quite who she appears to be.” “With ‘Neighbours’ launching on Amazon Freevee in North America, we are beyond excited to have an actor of Mischa’s calibre join us for the beginning of this exciting new chapter,” said executive producer Jason Herbison. “Mischa’s character is dynamic and unpredictable, and will have an instant presence on Ramsay Street. Our loyal viewers are going to love her, locally and abroad.”
LL Cool J’s Rock The Bells said Paramount Global, along with Raine Ventures and Irving Azoff of Iconic Artists Group, led a $15 million funding round for the hip-hop platform, which has also signed a first look deal with Par.
Sylvester Stallone’s Balboa Productions has signed a first-look deal with Amazon Studios. Under the agreement, the legendary filmmaker will write, produce and star in projects intended for Prime Video.
Brillstein Entertainment Partners is looking to “fuel the momentum” of its production company after striking a first-look deal with Paramount Television Studios.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter Paramount Television Studios (PTVS) and Brillstein Entertainment Partners have entered into a multi-year first-look deal. Under the deal, the studio will co-develop and co-produce scripted series with Brillstein Creative Partners (BCP), Brillstein’s production arm, for Paramount platforms like Paramount+, Showtime, and CBS, as well as outside platforms. “We are incredibly excited about this new venture with Brillstein,” said Nicole Clemens, president of Paramount Television Studios and Paramount+ Original Scripted Series. “We’ve enjoyed a great relationship with their managers and stellar roster of clients over the years and look forward to deepening and strengthening those partnerships as we collaborate with Allie Goss and her team to produce a slate of compelling new series for the global market.”
Joe Otterson TV Reporter “The Penguin” series at HBO Max has cast Carmen Ejogo, François Chau, and David H. Holmes in recurring roles, Variety has learned exclusively. The trio join a cast that includes series lead Colin Farrell, who will reprise the role of Oswald “The Penguin” Cobblepot from “The Batman, as well as Cristin Milioti, Rhenzy Feliz, Michael Kelly, Shohreh Aghdashloo, Deirdre O’Connell, and Clancy Brown. Character details for Ejogo, Chau, and Holmes are being kept under wraps. Ejogo’s recent TV credits include “Your Honor,” “I’m a Virgo,” and “True Detective” Season 3. In film, she has starred in features such as the “Fantastic Beasts” franchise, “Alien: Covenant,” and “Roman J. Israel, Esq.” She is repped by WME and Peikoff Mahan.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter “This Is Us” alums Sterling K. Brown and Dan Fogelman are reuniting for a drama that has been ordered to series at Hulu, Variety has learned. Hulu is not commenting on exact plot details of the untitled series, but sources describe the show as a thriller and say Brown would star as the head of security for a former president. In addition to writing, Fogelman will executive produce via Rhode Island Ave. Productions along with Jess Rosenthal. Brown will executive produce in addition to starring, with John Hoberg also executive producing. 20th Television is the studio, with Fogelman currently under an overall deal there.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter “Ted Lasso” breakout Phil Dunster’s role in the second season of “Surface” has been revealed. Dunster joining the second season of the Gugu Mbatha-Raw-led Apple series was reported in early March, but character details were being kept under wraps at the time. Variety can now exclusively report that Dunster will star as Quinn, the older brother of Eliza (Millie Brady). Quinn is described as “the privileged scion of a troubled, old-money family who’s attempting to blaze a new trail for the younger generation – all the while struggling against his own darker tendencies.”
Joe Otterson TV Reporter WWE’s WrestleMania 39 delivered the highest weekend usage ever on Peacock. The two-night event was up 29% in hours viewed and 32% in reach compared to last year’s WrestleMania, Peacock announced Tuesday. The NBCUniversal-owned streamer also claims that WrestleMania 39 generated the most hours-watched of any live event on Peacock with the exception of the Super Bowl. It should be noted that, like other streaming services, Peacock does not provide specific viewership information to back up these claims. On linear television, the episode of “Monday Night Raw” that aired on USA Network the day after the final night of WrestleMania saw a significant boost in the ratings. This week’s episode nabbed 997,000 viewers in the key adults 18-49 demographic, the highest demo audience for “Raw” since February 2020 and up 37% from last week. In total viewers, the episode averaged 2.26 million viewers, up 23% over last week.
Lizzo has extended her first-look deal with Prime Video as she searches for singers for the second season of Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.
Amazon Studios has closed an exclusive multiyear first-look film deal with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment, the company announced on Friday.Under the pact, Amazon Studios will have a first look on narrative features and documentaries Imagine Entertainment intends to produce.“Whether it’s a captivating drama like ‘Thirteen Lives’ or a poignant documentary like ‘Lucy and Desi,’ the team at Imagine Entertainment has an incredible gift for storytelling,” Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon and MGM Studios said in a statement. “As we look forward to more exciting projects on the horizon, we are honored to make our longstanding relationship official and to bring more powerful, engaging stories to audiences around the world.”“Brian, Ron, and I, along with our entire team at Imagine including Karen Lunder, President of Imagine Features, and Sara Bernstein, President of Imagine Documentaries, couldn’t be more excited to have a home at Amazon and continue our shared desire to make tentpole films that inspire, elevate, and entertain audiences,” Justin Wilkes, President of Imagine Entertainment added.
Amazon Studios has signed an exclusive first look deal with former Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada, the company announced on Thursday.Under the deal Quesada will be developing series and films for Prime Video, with a particular focus on adapting existing and new comic book IP. “Joe has been a singular and influential creative force guiding some of the most iconic storytelling that exists today,” Nick Pepper, Head of US SVOD Wholly Owned Development, Amazon Studios, said in a statement. “The opportunity to bring his expertise and vision to Amazon Studios presents a world of possibilities and we can’t wait to see what he brings to life next.”Quesada added: “I can’t begin to express just how thrilled I am to be joining the Amazon Studios family.
Amazon Studios has signed an exclusive first-look deal with former Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada. Under the deal, Quesada will be developing series and films for Prime Video, focusing on adapting existing and new comic book IP.
EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winning co-director/co-scribe/producer of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Rodney Rothman, and former MGM exec Adam Rosenberg, have inked a first look deal with Sony Pictures to develop, produce, write, and direct feature films through their company, Modern Magic.
EXCLUSIVE: Showrunner and producer Ingrid Escajeda has signed a first look deal with Universal TV to develop and produce projects for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter Jessica Chastain will star in the eight-episode limited series “The Savant” at Apple, Variety has learned. The series is inspired by a true story published in Cosmopolitan in August 2019. Exact plot details for the series are being kept under wraps, but the Cosmopolitan article tells the story of a real woman who has come to be known as “the Savant” as she infiltrates hate groups online to help stop large-scale public attacks. The series hails from Fifth Season and Anonymous Content. Melissa James Gibson (“Anatomy of a Scandal,” “The Americans”) will serve as writer, executive producer, and showrunner under her overall deal with Fifth Season. Matthew Heineman (“A Private War,” “Retrograde”) will direct and executive produce. Chastain will executive produce in addition to starring via Freckle Films. Kelly Carmichael of Freckle Films also executive produces along with Jessica Giles, editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan. Brian Madden, senior VP of development for Hearst Magazines, will produce. Andrea Stanley, writer of the original Cosmopolitan feature, will consult.
Joe Otterson TV Reporter The Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid series in the works at Amazon has found its showrunners. Variety has learned that Alex Metcalf has boarded the show, currently titled “Butch & Sundance,” as showrunner and executive producer. Series creators Kaz Firpo and Ryan Firpo will serve as co-showrunners and executive producers alongside Metcalf. The Firpos most recently wrote the screenplay for the Marvel film “Eternals.” Amazon has ordered the show straight-to-series. The show was first reported as being in development in September, with Regé-Jean Page attached to play Cassidy and Glen Powell playing Sundance. At that time, it was reported that deals for the show were not yet closed and discussions were ongoing.