Justin Wilkes Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Sam Pollard, the Peabody winning director of “Mr. Soul!” and “Sammy Davis, Jr.: I Gotta Be Me,” has set another documentary feature called “The Sound of Philadelphia” about music icons Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell and the musical genre they helped proliferate, Philly Soul.

EXCLUSIVE: The story of Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell, who created the sound of Philly Soul, is to be chronicled in a new feature documentary.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorImagine Entertainment has expanded the purview of Imagine Documentaries chief Justin Wilkes to overseeing new business development as chief strategy officer for the independent content powerhouse.The move for Wilkes comes as Imagine Entertainment is actively seeking an influx of capital to fund its ambitious growth plans. The company headed by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer since 1986 is looking to bring in a new financial investor that will allow Imagine to continue operating status quo with its current management team.At present, Imagine is in talks with U.K.-based Centricus Asset Management about a sale that would value the company at around $700 million.

Imagine Entertainment is launching a podcast division and has struck a deal with iHeartMedia.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterImagine Entertainment is launching a new audio division tied to an exclusive deal with iHeartMedia.The film and TV company’s chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard announced Tuesday that Imagine will co-produce a slate of unscripted podcasts for the digital giant.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterThe acclaimed filmmakers behind HBO Max’s recent nonfiction hit “Tina” have inked an exclusive first-look deal with Imagine Documentaries.Dan Lindsay and TJ Martin have entered into a one-year agreement with the division of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine, it was announced today by leaders Justin Wilkes and Sara Bernstein.Under the deal, Lindsay and Martin will develop and produce projects with the full resources of the label, which currently has its own

Imax and Imagine Documentaries have formed a five-year production and distribution agreement, a slate which will include movies on the subjects of space, exploration, natural sciences, music, civilization, society and more. The first title to be released under the agreement is Eliza McNitt’s Mars 2080 in 2022, produced by Apollo 13‘s Brian Grazer and Ron Howard, as well as Imagine’s Justin Wilkes. Mars 2080 will immerse viewers inside a colony on Mars set 60 years in the future.

Also Read: From Billie Eilish to the Bee Gees: Why Music Documentaries Are BoomingThe documentary is being developed with the full support of the Louis Armstrong Educational Foundation, which has provided the filmmakers hundreds of hours of unheard archival materials including audio recordings, film footage, photographs, personal diaries and other ephemera.Jenkins, Julie Anderson, Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes are producing.

Apple Original Films has green lit its Louis Armstrong documentary feature, Black & Blues: The Colorful Ballad of Louis Armstrong with Imagine Documentaries producing the documentary. The documentary, which is produced under Apple’s first-look agreement with Imagine Documentaries, will be directed by Emmy-nominated Sacha Jenkins , and produced by Jenkins, Julie Anderson, Sara Bernstein and Justin Wilkes.

Also Read: Ron Howard to Direct Biopic on Master Chinese Pianist Lang Lang“Ron and Brian have built one of the most admired, truly creatively-led companies in the business and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed our partnership in documentaries over the years,” Wilkes said in a statement.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterBrian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment has promoted Justin Wilkes to chief creative officer.Currently the head of the prolific Imagine Documentaries division, Wilkes’ expanded role was announced internally on Monday by Howard and Grazer. He will now work closely with film, TV, docs, branded entertainment, kids and family, and international programming.

Peter White Television EditorApple TV+ is sashaying up the catwalk for its latest documentary series.

Also Read: Netflix Picks Up Documentary on 737 Boeing Max Plane Crashes From Director Rory KennedyThe documentary also looks at Hollywood’s great love story between Lucy and Desi, and how Ball’s relationship with Arnaz helped to transform the TV industry and has cemented Ball’s legacy long after her death in 1989.Imagine and White Horse are partnering with Ball and Arnaz’s estate.

Mike Fleming Jr Co-Editor-in-Chief, FilmEXCLUSIVE: Imagine Entertainment Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard have made a substantial investment and take an ownership stake in Oscar-winning documentary director Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions.

By Matt Donnelly

By Dave McNary

By Andreas Wiseman