Neal Moritz Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

We’ll be seeing more of Powell in the final season of S.W.A.T. Anna Enger Ritch, who has heavily recurred as the character since Season 5, has been promoted to series regular for the 7th and final season, Deadline has confirmed.

Ethan Shanfeld “Prison Break” is getting another sentence, as a new series set in the world of the beloved Fox drama is being developed by Hulu, Variety has confirmed. “Mayans M.C.” co-creator and showrunner Elgin James is writing the show, which is in early stages of development, via his Sierra Drive banner. The new installment, via 20th Television, is not expected to feature the characters at the center of the original jailhouse drama, Michael Scofield (played by Wentworth Miller) and Lincoln Burrows (Dominic Purcell).

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer The Minions are about the get the white glove treatment, as Variety has learned that CAA has signed Illumination CEO and prolific animation producer Chris Meledandri as a client. Meledandri, who founded the company and is responsible for two of the four highest-grossing animated franchises of all time (“Despicable Me,” “Ice Age”), will be represented by a team including the agency’s co-chairman Bryan Lourd. Illumination has an exclusive financing and distribution partnership with Universal Pictures, most recently delivering this year’s $1.3 billion baby “Super Mario Bros.” starring Chris Pratt and Anya-Taylor Joy.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Dwayne Johnson is returning to the “Fast and Furious” universe with a new standalone film, reprising his franchise role as Luke Hobbs. Universal Pictures announced the project on Thursday. Longtime “Fast and Furious” collaborator Chris Morgan wrote the untitled film’s script. Plot details were not available, though individuals familiar with the deal said the new movie will bridge between the events of the just-released “Fast X” and the upcoming “Fast X: Part II,” which is expected in 2025. Johnson just appeared as Hobbs, a diplomatic security service agent, in a credits scene for “Fast X.” Johnson will produce the film with Dany Garcia and Hiram Garcia for their Seven Bucks Productions, along with Vin Diesel and Samantha Vincent via their One Race Films. Additional producers include Chris Morgan for his Chris Morgan Productions, Jeff Kirschenbaum for Roth/Kirschenbaum Films and Neal Moritz for Original Film.

After stepping in for Justin Lin as the director for Universal‘s forthcoming Fast X, the penultimate installment in the long-running Fast & Furious action franchise which has grossed over $6B worldwide, Louis Leterrier will return to helm its final installment, Deadline can confirm.

J. Kim Murphy With “Fast X” only a little over three months away, Universal put the pedal to the metal for the film’s unveiling last week. The first “Fast X” trailer nabbed roughly 295 million views globally in its first 72 hours of availability, a source close to Universal confirmed to Variety. Universal drummed up anticipation for “Fast X” footage with quite the promotional runway in the days ahead. On Feb. 9, the studio hosted a trailer launch event in downtown Los Angeles, featuring appearances from franchise stars Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Chris “Ludacris” Bridges and Sung Kang, as well as director Louis Leterrier. Other fan events were also held in Mexico, France and Japan.

EXCLUSIVE: A 39-page haunted house short story by first time writer Victor Sweetser has created a frenzy, with five bids in for movie rights and more coming, including some of the big names in the genre game.

EXCLUSIVE: Sonic the Hedgehog franchise producer Original Film is developing a feature take of the Alexis Hall novel, Rosaline Palmer Takes The Cake.

EXCLUSIVE: Paul Downs Colaizzo is in talks to direct and rewrite Paramount Pictures’ Harbinger, stepping in for Wes Ball. Ball was forced to step down to focus on the next Planet of the Apes pic, which he is deep in pre-production on. Neal Moritz and Toby Jaffe are producing for Original Film. Dan Mintz is producing for Valiant Entertainment. The project is in development at the studio.

EXCLUSIVE: In a preemptive situation, Neal Moritz’s Original Film has landed an untitled horror pitch from Jason Pagan and Andrew Deutschman.

EGOT winner Rita Moreno (West Side Story) has joined the cast of Fast X, as the grandmother of Vin Diesel’s Dominic Toretto, Deadline can confirm. She joins an ensemble that also includes Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson, Jason Momoa, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, Alan Ritchson, Nathalie Emmanuel, Michael Rooker, Daniela Melchior, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Ludacris, Cardi B and Scott Eastwood, as previously announced.

Fate of the Furious alum Scott Eastwood will return to the Fast & Furious franchise, as part of the cast of Fast X, Deadline can confirm. He joins an ensemble that also includes Vin Diesel, Michelle Rodriguez, Tyrese Gibson Jason Momoa, Charlize Theron, Brie Larson, Alan Ritchson, Nathalie Emmanuel, Michael Rooker, Daniela Melchior, Jordana Brewster, Sung Kang, Ludacris and Cardi B, as previously announced.

EXCLUSIVE: Fast X, the tenth installment in the Fast and Furious franchise looks to have rounded out its all-star cast as it has set Alan Ritchson, the breakout star of the new Jack Reacher series from Amazon Prime Video, to join the cast. Ritchson joins as the next installment just set Louis Letterier to replace Justin Lin as director. The film is currently in production with Vin Diesel and the core Fast cast returning alongside franchise newcomers Jason Momoa and Brie Larson.

Just days after the news Justin Lin would be parting ways as director of the next Fast and Furious installment, sources tell Deadline Louis Leterrier is the front-runner to step in as director of Universal’s Fast X. Sources add he’s the studio’s top choice but scheduling still had to be worked out with some of Leterrier’s other projects so. a deal has not closed yet. When the shocking news broke that Lin would be leaving a week into production, studio sources were confident a replacement would be made and the pause in filming would brief and clearly that was the cast. Insiders go on to add that Studio Chief Donna Langley has had a great relationship over the years with Leterrier and he was quickly put at the top of the list of directors to approach following Lin’s departure.

Cruel Intentions fans, this one’s for you!

S.W.A.T is coming back for a sixth season.

EXCLUSIVE: We can tell you first that Maze Runner franchise filmmaker Wes Ball is attached to direct Paramount Pictures’ adaptation of Valiant Comic’s Harbinger, which remains in development at the studio.

Gal Gadot is attached to star in and produce a remake of the Alfred Hitchcock classic “To Catch a Thief” for Paramount Pictures, according to an individual with knowledge of the project.Eileen Jones has closed a deal to write the script. Plot details about the remake are being kept under wraps.Neal Moritz and Jaron Varsano are also attached to produce.The original 1955 film starred Cary Grant as a retired cat burglar who has to save his reformed reputation by catching an impostor preying on the wealthy tourists of the French Riviera.

EXCLUSIVE: Neal Moritz’s Original Film has acquired Relay, a spec screenplay by Macmillan Hedges in a competitive bidding situation. The details of the script are being kept under wraps but is described as a big Sci Fi tentpole. It was bought through Original’s Paramount deal discretionary fund.

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount Pictures has chosen You’re Next and Godzilla Vs. Kong director Adam Wingard to helm its re-imagining of Face/Off, the 1997 John Woo-directed action thriller that starred John Travolta and Nicolas Cage. Wingard will write the script with his scripting partner Simon Barrett and the studio will reboot the film, with new cast. Neal Moritz will produce and David Permut will be executive producer.

Paramount Pictures has extended its first-look film deal with “Sonic the Hedgehog” producer Neal Moritz and his Original Film production company, the studio announced on Wednesday.The deal is a two-year extension that will continue the studio’s relationship through the end of 2023.

Justin Kroll Senior Film ReporterParamount has reupped its first-look deal with producer Neal Moritz, giving the acclaimed producer a two-year extension on his current pact. It extends the studio’s relationship with Moritz through December 2023.“I am thrilled to extend this relationship with Neal and Original Film, which already has been so fruitful with the success of Sonic the Hedgehog,” Paramount Pictures chairman and CEO Jim Gianopulos said Wednesday.

Dave McNary Film ReporterParamount Pictures has announced a two-year extension of its first-look deal with producer Neal Moritz, who delivered “Sonic the Hedgehog” to the studio and is producing the sequel.The new deal, announced Wednesday, extends the studio’s relationship with Moritz through the end of 2023.After a strong opening weekend, “Sonic the Hedgehog” went on to become the highest-grossing movie based on a video game domestically, with $146 million in the U.S.

By Denise Petski

By Mike Fleming Jr