Exclusive: Skydance has taken on the challenge of turning the bestselling YA fantasy novel series Ranger’s Apprentice into a live action film, with the hope it can become a franchise. Skydance has gotten control of the John Flanagan book series, and has closed a big deal with Hidden Figures helmer Ted Melfi to adapt, direct, and produce the film. Kim Quinn will also be producer.
Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger will produce alongside Melfi and Quinn. Flanagan will be executive producer, and Matt Grimm will oversee for Skydance.
I’ve heard that Melfi has made a deal worth high 7-figures if the movie gets made. His task will be to take the first two volumes – The Ruins of Gorlan & The Burning Bridge – and get a franchise off the ground that focuses on an orphan named Will who becomes an apprentice to a group of mysterious protectors known as the Rangers.
Skydance’s David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Don Granger will produce alongside Melfi and Quinn. Flanagan will be executive producer, and Matt Grimm will oversee for Skydance.
I’ve heard that Melfi has made a deal worth high 7-figures if the movie gets made. His task will be to take the first two volumes – The Ruins of Gorlan & The Burning Bridge – and get a franchise off the ground that focuses on an orphan named Will who becomes an apprentice to a group of mysterious protectors known as the Rangers.
- 1/5/2024
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
A few years back, Trent Correy and Dan Abraham looked to explore what happened to Olaf between the events of "Frozen" and "Frozen II" with their short film, "Once Upon a Snowman." Now, they're looking to show off what happens around the Walt Disney Animation Studios in Burbank, California after all of the animators have gone home for the night with "Once Upon a Studio." The short was developed as part of the centennial celebration of Walt Disney Animation, looking to honor 100 years of beloved characters, stories, and evolving animation techniques. It's practically impossible to succinctly encapsulate the impact, importance, and magic of Disney animation's first 100 years, but if there's anything that comes close, it's "Once Upon a Studio."
Featuring over 40 memorable voiceover artists, and characters from more than 85 Disney feature-length and short films, "Once Upon a Studio" is like a moving yearbook of Disney's past and present. Academy Award-winning...
Featuring over 40 memorable voiceover artists, and characters from more than 85 Disney feature-length and short films, "Once Upon a Studio" is like a moving yearbook of Disney's past and present. Academy Award-winning...
- 10/15/2023
- by BJ Colangelo
- Slash Film
Director Horace Ové, who directed “Pressure” — the first full-length Black British movie — has died at the age of 86. His death was confirmed by his son, Zak, who wrote on Facebook Saturday, “Our loving father Horace, took his last breath at 4.30 this morning, while sleeping peacefully.”
He continued, “I hope his spirit is free now after many years of suffering with Alzheimer’s. You are forever missed, and forever loved. Rest in Peace Pops, and thank you for everything.”
Ové was born in Trinidad and moved to London in 1960. He also spent time living in Rome, where he worked as an extra before returning to the United Kingdom in 1965. As a photographer, he captured portraits of some of the foremost leaders of the British Black Power movement, including Michael X, Darcus Howe and Stokely Carmichael.
His transition into filmmaking happened at the same time, first with the short “The Art of...
He continued, “I hope his spirit is free now after many years of suffering with Alzheimer’s. You are forever missed, and forever loved. Rest in Peace Pops, and thank you for everything.”
Ové was born in Trinidad and moved to London in 1960. He also spent time living in Rome, where he worked as an extra before returning to the United Kingdom in 1965. As a photographer, he captured portraits of some of the foremost leaders of the British Black Power movement, including Michael X, Darcus Howe and Stokely Carmichael.
His transition into filmmaking happened at the same time, first with the short “The Art of...
- 9/17/2023
- by Stephanie Kaloi
- The Wrap
Pioneering British Black filmmaker Horace Ové has died, his family has announced. He was 86.
His son Zak posted on social media: “Our loving father Horace, took his last breath at 4.30 this morning, while sleeping peacefully. I hope his spirit is free now after many years of suffering with Alzheimer’s. You are forever missed, and forever loved. Rest in Peace Pops, and thank you for everything.”
Ové directed Pressure (1976), the first full-length Black British film, an exploration of the concerns of the emerging second-generation West Indians in Britain.
Born in Trinidad in 1936, Ové moved to London in 1960 where he studied interior design. He worked as an extra on the big-budget Cleopatra (1963) and studied at the London Film School.
He directed short film The Art of the Needle (1966), followed by documentary short Baldwin’s N***** (1968), following a visit to the UK by author and activist James Baldwin. His film Reggae (1971) explored...
His son Zak posted on social media: “Our loving father Horace, took his last breath at 4.30 this morning, while sleeping peacefully. I hope his spirit is free now after many years of suffering with Alzheimer’s. You are forever missed, and forever loved. Rest in Peace Pops, and thank you for everything.”
Ové directed Pressure (1976), the first full-length Black British film, an exploration of the concerns of the emerging second-generation West Indians in Britain.
Born in Trinidad in 1936, Ové moved to London in 1960 where he studied interior design. He worked as an extra on the big-budget Cleopatra (1963) and studied at the London Film School.
He directed short film The Art of the Needle (1966), followed by documentary short Baldwin’s N***** (1968), following a visit to the UK by author and activist James Baldwin. His film Reggae (1971) explored...
- 9/17/2023
- by Caroline Frost
- Deadline Film + TV
Yellow Submarine was the third movie featuring The Beatles during the 1960s. The Beatles didn’t have much input in the film, even though it featured their likeness and music. However, John Lennon said they did impact the film more than people might believe, as one character came from a concept he pitched.
John Lennon pitched a character for ‘Yellow Submarine’ that was used
1968’s Yellow Submarine is an animated jukebox musical featuring the music of The Beatles. It’s the third theatrical film featuring their music following A Hard Day’s Night and Help!. However, The Beatles were less involved in the film, as they only recorded and performed the music. Other actors provided their voices.
The plot revolves around Pepperland, a music-loving town that’s been invaded by the music-hating blue meanies, who have drained the color and joy from the land. The Beatles are sent a message...
John Lennon pitched a character for ‘Yellow Submarine’ that was used
1968’s Yellow Submarine is an animated jukebox musical featuring the music of The Beatles. It’s the third theatrical film featuring their music following A Hard Day’s Night and Help!. However, The Beatles were less involved in the film, as they only recorded and performed the music. Other actors provided their voices.
The plot revolves around Pepperland, a music-loving town that’s been invaded by the music-hating blue meanies, who have drained the color and joy from the land. The Beatles are sent a message...
- 7/27/2023
- by Ross Tanenbaum
- Showbiz Cheat Sheet
It might sound like a backhanded compliment, but Downtown Owl feels more like a pilot than a feature film and may yet yield a series. In today’s market, that could work out just fine for directors Hamish Linklater and Lily Rabe, who, after a choppy start, finesse Chuck Klosterman’s digressive 2007 novel into a thoughtful, broad-canvas ensemble piece. T Bone Burnett helps nail things down with an eclectic alt-country score and soundtrack, infused with the music and spirit of Elvis Costello, but it’s Rabe that holds it all together onscreen with a controlled yet still wildly uninhibited performance.
After a flashforward to a white-out blizzard in January 1984, the action winds back nine months to the summer of 1983, which is when English teacher Julia Rabia (Rabe) swaps urban Milwaukee for the backwater of Owl, North Dakota, to take up a post in a remote school on the recommendation of her father.
After a flashforward to a white-out blizzard in January 1984, the action winds back nine months to the summer of 1983, which is when English teacher Julia Rabia (Rabe) swaps urban Milwaukee for the backwater of Owl, North Dakota, to take up a post in a remote school on the recommendation of her father.
- 6/9/2023
- by Damon Wise
- Deadline Film + TV
Some movies — many movies — are less than the sum of their parts. Downtown Owl, the story of a newbie teacher’s flailing and drinking and heartfelt, awkward encounters in a fictional North Dakota town, has the distinction of being precisely the sum of its parts. That’s not a knock; those ingredients are never less than engaging, driven by a playful and dynamic cinematic sensibility and a strong cast, Lily Rabe holding the center with vibrant luminosity and comic chops to spare. Rabe also steers the movie’s helm, alongside her life partner and fellow actor Hamish Linklater, and the tyro directors manage to thread a tricky needle with their first feature, navigating the chasm and the overlap between agitated and quiet, between cartoon brightness and angst.
The source material, the 2008 novel of the same name by essayist Chuck Klosterman, is not so much a riveting narrative as a vivid...
The source material, the 2008 novel of the same name by essayist Chuck Klosterman, is not so much a riveting narrative as a vivid...
- 6/9/2023
- by Sheri Linden
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
For all involved, prolific author and cultural critic Chuck Klosterman’s 2008 book “Downtown Owl” sets the stage for a number of firsts. For starters, it’s Klosterman’s earliest fiction novel and is the source at the heart of Lily Rabe (“The Tender Bar”) and Hamish Linklater’s (“Midnight Mass”) joint directorial debut which just premiered at the Tribeca Festival.
If only the freshness associated with all these firsts was felt in the film by Rabe and Linklater, who are both creative collaborators and real-life partners. Instead, something feels stale, strange and out-of-focus right at the start of “Downtown Owl,” a cold and aimless 91-minute feature that makes its compact runtime feel anything but, while broadly navigating its small town rural tale with little insight and even less purpose.
The set-up of the script is promising enough, introducing us to the fictional town of Owl, North Dakota (Klosterman’s home...
If only the freshness associated with all these firsts was felt in the film by Rabe and Linklater, who are both creative collaborators and real-life partners. Instead, something feels stale, strange and out-of-focus right at the start of “Downtown Owl,” a cold and aimless 91-minute feature that makes its compact runtime feel anything but, while broadly navigating its small town rural tale with little insight and even less purpose.
The set-up of the script is promising enough, introducing us to the fictional town of Owl, North Dakota (Klosterman’s home...
- 6/9/2023
- by Tomris Laffly
- The Wrap
S1M0NE.Recently my MacBook showed signs of malfunction that I feared were fatal. I rushed to the Apple Store, where I was promptly introduced to Isaac, Apple's in-store virtual assistant—that is, a handheld device—to sign off on what was apparently a very standard procedure. Fifteen minutes and three Geniuses later, I was informed that numerous attempts had been made to restore my MacBook to its factory settings, all of which had inexplicably failed. “It just didn’t want to die,” said one of the Geniuses, directing me toward the newer models available for purchase. “It must have loved being yours.” I walked home in a state of devastation—and surprise at my devastation, too. At my desk I unboxed the machine, which I knew was in many ways identical to my former MacBook but for now felt uncanny. Powering up the screen, I was reminded...
- 6/6/2023
- MUBI
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