The CW has set a premiere date for Season 2 of 61st Street, the Courtney B. Vance and Aunjanue Ellis-led drama from Peter Moffat, J. David Shanks and Outlier Society. New episodes will arrive beginning on Monday, July 22 at 9 pm.
61st Street tells the story of Moses Johnson (Tosin Cole), a promising Black high school athlete who is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system. Taken by the police as a supposed gang member, he finds himself in the eye of the storm as cops and prosecutors seek revenge for the death of an officer during a drug bust gone wrong.
Mark O’Brien, Holt McCallany, Tosin Cole, Andrene Ward-Hammond and Bentley Green also star.
From AMC Studios, 61st Street is executive produced by Moffat, Shanks, Michael B. Jordan and Outlier Society, Alana Mayo, Jeff Freilich and Hilary Salmon.
The title initially aired on AMC Networks but was...
61st Street tells the story of Moses Johnson (Tosin Cole), a promising Black high school athlete who is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system. Taken by the police as a supposed gang member, he finds himself in the eye of the storm as cops and prosecutors seek revenge for the death of an officer during a drug bust gone wrong.
Mark O’Brien, Holt McCallany, Tosin Cole, Andrene Ward-Hammond and Bentley Green also star.
From AMC Studios, 61st Street is executive produced by Moffat, Shanks, Michael B. Jordan and Outlier Society, Alana Mayo, Jeff Freilich and Hilary Salmon.
The title initially aired on AMC Networks but was...
- 5/1/2024
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
Primetime Emmy nominee Tessa Thompson’s Viva Maude has closed a multiyear first-look film deal with Amazon MGM Studios.
The actress, who has starred in the studio’s movies Creed III and Sylvie’s Love, launched her production company Viva Maude in 2020. The label’s mission is “to influence culture through projects that defy categorization and are manifestly entertaining,” per the press release.
Viva Maude is already in business with Amazon MGM Studios, under its Orion Pictures banner, on Hedda, a reimagination of Henrik Ibsen’s famed 1891 stage play Hedda Gabler, written and directed by Nia DaCosta and starring Thompson. Cameras are currently rolling on the pic.
In 2021, Kishori Rajan, known for her work on Random Acts of Flyness, teamed with Thompson to further expand Viva Maude’s portfolio in production and development, serving as SVP Development & Production. Viva Maude counts a slate of more than 20 movies and TV projects across several genres including narrative,...
The actress, who has starred in the studio’s movies Creed III and Sylvie’s Love, launched her production company Viva Maude in 2020. The label’s mission is “to influence culture through projects that defy categorization and are manifestly entertaining,” per the press release.
Viva Maude is already in business with Amazon MGM Studios, under its Orion Pictures banner, on Hedda, a reimagination of Henrik Ibsen’s famed 1891 stage play Hedda Gabler, written and directed by Nia DaCosta and starring Thompson. Cameras are currently rolling on the pic.
In 2021, Kishori Rajan, known for her work on Random Acts of Flyness, teamed with Thompson to further expand Viva Maude’s portfolio in production and development, serving as SVP Development & Production. Viva Maude counts a slate of more than 20 movies and TV projects across several genres including narrative,...
- 1/24/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Searchlight Pictures’ Poor Things had a monster of an expansion, sewing up $1.3 million at just 82 theaters for a no. 10 spot at the weekend box office. American Fiction and The Zone of Interest, from, respectively, Amazon MGM Studios and A24, opened nicely as specialty films with original stories of all kinds are seeing traction with ticket buyers.
“Generally, I think you are seeing audiences coming back for these kind of films. And it’s a chicken and the egg – it’s the first time post-Covid where we have a had really good [flow] of adult movies in the marketplace,” said Kevin Wilson, head of theatrical distribution for Amazon MGM. It’s also great to see people “looking for an original film.”
Amazon MGM is coming off a specialty hit with Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn and a great run at its Alana Mayo-run Orion Pictures, behind American Fiction as well as raunchy teen comedy Bottoms,...
“Generally, I think you are seeing audiences coming back for these kind of films. And it’s a chicken and the egg – it’s the first time post-Covid where we have a had really good [flow] of adult movies in the marketplace,” said Kevin Wilson, head of theatrical distribution for Amazon MGM. It’s also great to see people “looking for an original film.”
Amazon MGM is coming off a specialty hit with Emerald Fennell’s Saltburn and a great run at its Alana Mayo-run Orion Pictures, behind American Fiction as well as raunchy teen comedy Bottoms,...
- 12/17/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Bottoms writer-director Emma Seligman and star Rachel Sennott came up with the idea for the raunchy teen comedy on a white board, putting down “everything we wanted to see in a movie on the board” from “punching” to “vagina” to “knitting,” said Sennott.
The duo, who worked together on Seligman’s debut feature Shiva Baby, were still in school and, “We just went all out, not thinking of any limits,” she said Saturday during a panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles.
The film was taken up by producer Alison Small and landed at Orion after numerous rejections. Amazon MGM Studios released the R-rated comedy that became a sleeper hit with one of the biggest limited openings of the year, going on to pass $12 million at the box office. Small called it one of the funniest, weirdest and smartest scripts she’d ever read. Everyone passed until Orion Pictures president Alana Mayo said yes,...
The duo, who worked together on Seligman’s debut feature Shiva Baby, were still in school and, “We just went all out, not thinking of any limits,” she said Saturday during a panel at Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles.
The film was taken up by producer Alison Small and landed at Orion after numerous rejections. Amazon MGM Studios released the R-rated comedy that became a sleeper hit with one of the biggest limited openings of the year, going on to pass $12 million at the box office. Small called it one of the funniest, weirdest and smartest scripts she’d ever read. Everyone passed until Orion Pictures president Alana Mayo said yes,...
- 11/18/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Emma Seligman’s Bottoms is looking at an estimated weekend gross of $516k on ten screens with a possible leading $51,625 per-theater average for the raunchy, teenage high school girl take on Fight Club.
That’s a win for MGM, its Orion Pictures label and Brownstone Productions, producers on the modestly budgeted ($11.3 million) film written by Seligman and Rachel Sennott. The film skews young and was backed by edgy marketing — ingredients, although never surefire, behind the biggest post-Covid indie film breakouts.
Sunday’s final tally will determine if Bottoms nabs the highest per-screen average post-pandemic on ten or more screens. A24’s Everything Everywhere All At Opened to $50,131 at 10 locations in March of 2022. National Cinema Day, unspooling today, is a wildcard with attendance up but box office dollars limited by $4 tickets and seats available.
Bottoms is playing New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin at Alamo Drafthouse cinemas, arthouses including...
That’s a win for MGM, its Orion Pictures label and Brownstone Productions, producers on the modestly budgeted ($11.3 million) film written by Seligman and Rachel Sennott. The film skews young and was backed by edgy marketing — ingredients, although never surefire, behind the biggest post-Covid indie film breakouts.
Sunday’s final tally will determine if Bottoms nabs the highest per-screen average post-pandemic on ten or more screens. A24’s Everything Everywhere All At Opened to $50,131 at 10 locations in March of 2022. National Cinema Day, unspooling today, is a wildcard with attendance up but box office dollars limited by $4 tickets and seats available.
Bottoms is playing New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Austin at Alamo Drafthouse cinemas, arthouses including...
- 8/27/2023
- by Jill Goldsmith
- Deadline Film + TV
Within the first few minutes of “Bottoms,” the raucous teen comedy from “Shiva Baby” team Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott, it’s clear this ain’t your average high school movie. The movies follows a pair of queer high school BFFs (played by Sennott and “The Bear” breakout Ayo Edebiri) who start a fight club at school in order to pick up chicks. It’s a straightforward premise, executed flawlessly, for a delightfully over-the-top queer teen comedy. With a late August release date in hand (just in time for back to school!), “Bottoms” could be the big hit of the late summer.
Sennott and Seligman wrote the script together, with Seligman directing and Sennott starring. Although they were a hot creative team riding on the success of runaway indie hit “Shiva Baby,” the duo said during a recent panel that they faced plenty of pushback for the violence, action, and hilariously mean characters in “Bottoms.
Sennott and Seligman wrote the script together, with Seligman directing and Sennott starring. Although they were a hot creative team riding on the success of runaway indie hit “Shiva Baby,” the duo said during a recent panel that they faced plenty of pushback for the violence, action, and hilariously mean characters in “Bottoms.
- 6/21/2023
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Bottoms is bloody good fun. In the high school sex comedy, which premiered at SXSW, two lesbian students — played by Rachel Sennott (The Idol) and Ayo Edebiri (The Bear) — are so eager to lose their virginity that they start an after-school fight club, all in the hopes of seducing cheerleaders. Due out Aug. 25 from Orion Pictures and MGM, the raucous movie is director Emma Seligman’s follow-up to her Independent Spirit Award-winning debut, Shiva Baby, in which Sennott (who co-wrote Bottoms) played a bisexual Jewish woman who attends a shiva where both her ex-girlfriend and current sugar daddy are present. Seligman, who uses she and they pronouns, spoke with THR about making the film, her own identity and her thoughts on authentic casting for LGBTQ roles.
How did Bottoms come together?
We were really lucky. Rachel and I had been writing this since 2017. After Shiva Baby got into SXSW, Alison Small...
How did Bottoms come together?
We were really lucky. Rachel and I had been writing this since 2017. After Shiva Baby got into SXSW, Alison Small...
- 6/18/2023
- by Degen Pener
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
The CW has released trailers for its new series for the 2023-24 season: the AMC Studios-produced drama 61st Street; Canadian series Children Ruin Everything, Run the Burbs, Son of a Critch, The Spencer Sisters and Sullivan’s Crossing; UK series Everyone Else Burns; documentary film series I Am; reality series Fboy Island; and German eco-thriller drama series The Swarm. You can read about each and watch below.
61St Street
Produced by AMC Studios. From Peter Moffat, J. David Shanks and Outlier Society and executive producers Moffat, Shanks, Michael B. Jordan, Alana Mayo, Jeff Freilich, Hilary Salmon. The propulsive thriller courses through the dark heart of the infamous Chicago criminal justice system as police and prosecutors investigate a deadly drug bust that threatens to unravel the police department’s code of silence. Cast includes Courtney B. Vance, Aunjanue Ellis, Mark O’Brien, Holt McCallany, Tosin Cole, Andrene Ward-Hammond and Bentley Green.
Children Ruin Everything...
61St Street
Produced by AMC Studios. From Peter Moffat, J. David Shanks and Outlier Society and executive producers Moffat, Shanks, Michael B. Jordan, Alana Mayo, Jeff Freilich, Hilary Salmon. The propulsive thriller courses through the dark heart of the infamous Chicago criminal justice system as police and prosecutors investigate a deadly drug bust that threatens to unravel the police department’s code of silence. Cast includes Courtney B. Vance, Aunjanue Ellis, Mark O’Brien, Holt McCallany, Tosin Cole, Andrene Ward-Hammond and Bentley Green.
Children Ruin Everything...
- 5/18/2023
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Tosin Cole, Courtney B. Vance, and Emily Althaus in ’61st Street’ season 1 (Photo Credit: George Burns/AMC)
The CW continues to make big moves, canceling much of its original lineup (most recently Kung Fu and The Winchesters) as it figures out the direction to take under new owner Nexstar. Today they made another major move, picking up 61st Street after AMC canceled the drama.
The eight-episode first season starring Courtney B. Vance premiered on AMC on April 10, 2022. A second season was filmed, however, the series was canceled before it aired.
“61st Street is a gripping, star-studded premium drama led by a powerhouse performance from Courtney B. Vance and featuring an incredibly talented ensemble cast and creatively brilliant team of producers,” stated Brad Schwartz, President of Entertainment, The CW Network. “We are proud The CW is now the broadcast home of 61st Street and cannot wait to introduce this series to a whole new audience.
The CW continues to make big moves, canceling much of its original lineup (most recently Kung Fu and The Winchesters) as it figures out the direction to take under new owner Nexstar. Today they made another major move, picking up 61st Street after AMC canceled the drama.
The eight-episode first season starring Courtney B. Vance premiered on AMC on April 10, 2022. A second season was filmed, however, the series was canceled before it aired.
“61st Street is a gripping, star-studded premium drama led by a powerhouse performance from Courtney B. Vance and featuring an incredibly talented ensemble cast and creatively brilliant team of producers,” stated Brad Schwartz, President of Entertainment, The CW Network. “We are proud The CW is now the broadcast home of 61st Street and cannot wait to introduce this series to a whole new audience.
- 5/12/2023
- by Rebecca Murray
- Showbiz Junkies
Courtney B. Vance’s thriller, “61st Street” has landed at The CW. Brad Schwartz, The CW’s president of entertainment, shared the announcement on Friday.
The drama follows the story of promising high school athlete who gets swept up in a corrupt Chicago criminal justice system. The first season of “61st Street” will air on The CW in Fall 2023, with the second season making its television debut in 2024. Aunjanue Ellis Mark O’Brien, Holt McCallany, Tosin Cole, Andrene Ward-Hammond and Bentley Green join Vance among the cast.
“’61st Street’ is a gripping, star-studded premium drama led by a powerhouse performance from Courtney B. Vance and featuring an incredibly talented ensemble cast and creatively brilliant team of producers,” said Schwartz in a statement. “We are proud The CW is now the broadcast home of 61st Street and cannot wait to introduce this series to a whole new audience.”
“There was a lot...
The drama follows the story of promising high school athlete who gets swept up in a corrupt Chicago criminal justice system. The first season of “61st Street” will air on The CW in Fall 2023, with the second season making its television debut in 2024. Aunjanue Ellis Mark O’Brien, Holt McCallany, Tosin Cole, Andrene Ward-Hammond and Bentley Green join Vance among the cast.
“’61st Street’ is a gripping, star-studded premium drama led by a powerhouse performance from Courtney B. Vance and featuring an incredibly talented ensemble cast and creatively brilliant team of producers,” said Schwartz in a statement. “We are proud The CW is now the broadcast home of 61st Street and cannot wait to introduce this series to a whole new audience.”
“There was a lot...
- 5/12/2023
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
The CW’s latest acquisition comes from an unlikely place: AMC.
The broadcast network has picked up both seasons of the drama series 61st Street from AMC. The legal thriller stars Courtney B. Vance as an attorney defending a high school athlete (Tosin Cole) who get swept up in Chicago’s corrupt criminal justice system.
AMC picked up the series with a two-season order and aired the first installment in the spring of 2022. Despite season two already being finished, however, AMC scrapped the conclusion — part of a wave of cost-cutting un-renewals at several outlets in late 2022 and early 2023. The first season is set to air in the fall on The CW, with the unseen season two set for 2024.
“There was a lot of love and hard work that went into making 61st Street,” Vance said in a statement. “I’m thrilled that The CW has enthusiastically given all 16 episodes of 61st Street a network home.
The broadcast network has picked up both seasons of the drama series 61st Street from AMC. The legal thriller stars Courtney B. Vance as an attorney defending a high school athlete (Tosin Cole) who get swept up in Chicago’s corrupt criminal justice system.
AMC picked up the series with a two-season order and aired the first installment in the spring of 2022. Despite season two already being finished, however, AMC scrapped the conclusion — part of a wave of cost-cutting un-renewals at several outlets in late 2022 and early 2023. The first season is set to air in the fall on The CW, with the unseen season two set for 2024.
“There was a lot of love and hard work that went into making 61st Street,” Vance said in a statement. “I’m thrilled that The CW has enthusiastically given all 16 episodes of 61st Street a network home.
- 5/12/2023
- by Rick Porter
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Exclusive: The CW has picked up both seasons of 61st Street, the dramatic thriller starring Courtney B. Vance and Aunjanue Ellis in partnership with AMC Networks, which canceled the series amid the company’s cost-cutting drive in January.
Season 1 will air at its new home this fall followed by its sophomore season in 2024.
Both seasons were shot simultaneously but only its freshman season aired in its entirety last spring. It was originally ordered as part of a two-season pickup.
“There was a lot of love and hard work that went into making 61st Street,” said Vance. “I’m thrilled that The CW has enthusiastically given all 16 episodes of 61st Street a network home. With The CW, I’m confident that we will engage a universe of viewers who will celebrate the series with us. My cast, crew and I can’t wait!”
This marks the first pickup of a U.
Season 1 will air at its new home this fall followed by its sophomore season in 2024.
Both seasons were shot simultaneously but only its freshman season aired in its entirety last spring. It was originally ordered as part of a two-season pickup.
“There was a lot of love and hard work that went into making 61st Street,” said Vance. “I’m thrilled that The CW has enthusiastically given all 16 episodes of 61st Street a network home. With The CW, I’m confident that we will engage a universe of viewers who will celebrate the series with us. My cast, crew and I can’t wait!”
This marks the first pickup of a U.
- 5/12/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
The Hollywood Sign is as much a marker of location as it is a marker of industry. First erected 100 years ago as “Hollywoodland,” the bold, mountain-bound letters are a bona fide fixture of Los Angeles’ landscape, and have impacted the way the city has expanded — and the visual language of the films made in its shadow — forevermore. In a new PBS series, Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein, the Hollywood sign is the focus of one of the show’s eight episodes, which explore American history through significant national symbols.
“This is designed to use the medium of television, which is a very effective medium in getting things through, by taking eight iconic symbols geographically dispersed around the country, and saying: ‘Here’s what you don’t know about these symbols. Here’s what you should know. And why don’t you try to read a little...
“This is designed to use the medium of television, which is a very effective medium in getting things through, by taking eight iconic symbols geographically dispersed around the country, and saying: ‘Here’s what you don’t know about these symbols. Here’s what you should know. And why don’t you try to read a little...
- 5/5/2023
- by Evan Nicole Brown
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Studio executive Sherry Lansing, TriStar’s Dr. Jennifer Turner, Hallmark Media’s Wonya Lucas, Apple’s Rita Cooper Lee, and the documentary A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting will be among this year’s honorees of The African American Film Critics Association at the association’s 6th Annual Aafca Special Achievement Awards Luncheon on Saturday, April 8 at the California Yacht Club in Marina Del Rey.
The invitation-only event will honor:
Producer and studio executive Sherry Lansing with the Legacy Award for her prolific contributions to the industry as well as for her philanthropic endeavors; Executive Vice President of TriStar Television Dr. Jennifer Turner will receive the Salute to Excellence Award for her leadership and commitment to quality programming with an eye on inclusive casts and storylines; President and CEO of Hallmark Media Wonya Lucas will receive the TV Vanguard Award for her vision and leadership in guiding the...
The invitation-only event will honor:
Producer and studio executive Sherry Lansing with the Legacy Award for her prolific contributions to the industry as well as for her philanthropic endeavors; Executive Vice President of TriStar Television Dr. Jennifer Turner will receive the Salute to Excellence Award for her leadership and commitment to quality programming with an eye on inclusive casts and storylines; President and CEO of Hallmark Media Wonya Lucas will receive the TV Vanguard Award for her vision and leadership in guiding the...
- 3/20/2023
- by Greg Evans
- Deadline Film + TV
Following the sudden cancelation of AMC Network’s 61st Street on Thursday, executive producers confirm the series is looking for a new home.
Seasons 1 and 2 were shot simultaneously but only its freshman season aired in its entirety last spring. It was originally ordered as part of a two-season pickup.
Related Story AMC Networks Scraps More Shows: ‘61st Street' Season 2 & ‘Invitation To A Bonfire’ Axed Following Cost-Cutting Drive Related Story Sci-Fi Comedy Series 'Demascus' Axed At AMC Related Story 'Invitation To A Bonfire' Showrunner Rachel Caris Love Is Hopeful Drama Dropped By AMC Will Find A New Home
The company scrapped 61st Street as well as Invitation to a Bonfire after revealing that it would take around 400M of content write-downs. They form part of the company’s one-time write-off last year.
Related: TV Cancellations Photo Gallery: Series Ending In 2023 & Beyond
“Working on 61st Street was a labor of love for...
Seasons 1 and 2 were shot simultaneously but only its freshman season aired in its entirety last spring. It was originally ordered as part of a two-season pickup.
Related Story AMC Networks Scraps More Shows: ‘61st Street' Season 2 & ‘Invitation To A Bonfire’ Axed Following Cost-Cutting Drive Related Story Sci-Fi Comedy Series 'Demascus' Axed At AMC Related Story 'Invitation To A Bonfire' Showrunner Rachel Caris Love Is Hopeful Drama Dropped By AMC Will Find A New Home
The company scrapped 61st Street as well as Invitation to a Bonfire after revealing that it would take around 400M of content write-downs. They form part of the company’s one-time write-off last year.
Related: TV Cancellations Photo Gallery: Series Ending In 2023 & Beyond
“Working on 61st Street was a labor of love for...
- 1/6/2023
- by Rosy Cordero
- Deadline Film + TV
When Chinonye Chukwu was approached to direct Till, she saw it as an opportunity to approach shift the narrative, and give viewers a varied point of view. One that centered the characters, and the aftermath. “I saw an opportunity to subvert expectations and approach the narrative through another lens – from the maternal point of view of Mamie Till-Mobley,” said Chukwu.
Directed by Chukwu with a screenplay by Michael Reilly, Keith Beauchamp and Chukwu, Till tells the true story of the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till — for whistling at a white woman in Money, Mississippi in 1955 — through the eyes of his mother Mamie Till-Mobley. The director adds, “Had it not been for Mamie, her son’s memory would have evaporated into thin air. She was the catalyst for a modern day civil rights movement that has laid a formidable framework for future activists and Freedom Fighters.”
Jet Magazine was given exclusive...
Directed by Chukwu with a screenplay by Michael Reilly, Keith Beauchamp and Chukwu, Till tells the true story of the murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till — for whistling at a white woman in Money, Mississippi in 1955 — through the eyes of his mother Mamie Till-Mobley. The director adds, “Had it not been for Mamie, her son’s memory would have evaporated into thin air. She was the catalyst for a modern day civil rights movement that has laid a formidable framework for future activists and Freedom Fighters.”
Jet Magazine was given exclusive...
- 1/4/2023
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
In a competitive situation, MGM’s Orion Pictures has won the feature film rights and will partner with producer Freddy Wexler on a feature length film based on the life of Keith Adams, coach of the championship winning all-deaf High School football team, the Riverside Cubs.
The film, which will also focus on the lives of Adams’ two sons who played on the team, is expected to begin production in 2023.
Henry Joost and Rel Schulman, the duo behind “Project Power” and “Catfish,” are set to direct the feature from a script by Josh Feldman, best known for Marvel’s “Grasshopper,” and a story by Wexler. Feldman previously co-wrote “This Close,” the first major U.S. series created by deaf writers.
The underdog story of Coach Adams and the Cubs captivated the heart of America. The California School for the Deaf, Riverside, is the only deaf high school in its division...
The film, which will also focus on the lives of Adams’ two sons who played on the team, is expected to begin production in 2023.
Henry Joost and Rel Schulman, the duo behind “Project Power” and “Catfish,” are set to direct the feature from a script by Josh Feldman, best known for Marvel’s “Grasshopper,” and a story by Wexler. Feldman previously co-wrote “This Close,” the first major U.S. series created by deaf writers.
The underdog story of Coach Adams and the Cubs captivated the heart of America. The California School for the Deaf, Riverside, is the only deaf high school in its division...
- 12/7/2022
- by Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Click here to read the full article.
Orion Pictures — the MGM label headed by Alana Mayo — has acquired the feature directorial debut of Watchmen writer Cord Jefferson. Jeffery Wright stars in the project from Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street and MRC.
Based on the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett, the movie centers on Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a writer and English professor whose writing career has stalled because his work isn’t deemed “Black enough.” The description for the project continues that Monk “writes a satirical novel under a pseudonym, aiming to lay bare the hypocrisies of the publishing world. The book’s immediate success forces Monk to get deeper enmeshed in his assumed identity and challenges his closely-held worldviews.”
Jefferson adapted the novel for the screen.
The project, which recently wrapped filming in Boston, will also star Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Sterling K. Brown, Myra Lucretia Taylor,...
Orion Pictures — the MGM label headed by Alana Mayo — has acquired the feature directorial debut of Watchmen writer Cord Jefferson. Jeffery Wright stars in the project from Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street and MRC.
Based on the 2001 novel Erasure by Percival Everett, the movie centers on Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, a writer and English professor whose writing career has stalled because his work isn’t deemed “Black enough.” The description for the project continues that Monk “writes a satirical novel under a pseudonym, aiming to lay bare the hypocrisies of the publishing world. The book’s immediate success forces Monk to get deeper enmeshed in his assumed identity and challenges his closely-held worldviews.”
Jefferson adapted the novel for the screen.
The project, which recently wrapped filming in Boston, will also star Tracee Ellis Ross, Erika Alexander, Leslie Uggams, Sterling K. Brown, Myra Lucretia Taylor,...
- 12/2/2022
- by Mia Galuppo
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
MGM’s Orion Pictures has acquired an upcoming film based on Percival Everett’s novel “Erasure.” The currently untitled movie, which is the first announcement to come under Jen Salke’s newly added MGM oversight, will star “Westworld” Emmy-winner Jeffrey Wright and mark the directorial debut of Cord Jefferson.
Wright stars in the film as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, an English professor and author who writes a satirical novel under a pseudonym, aiming to lay bare the hypocrisies of the publishing world. The book’s immediate success forces Monk to get deeper enmeshed in his assumed identity and challenges his closely held worldviews. In addition to Wright, the film will star “Black-ish” actress Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, “This Is Us” alum Sterling K. Brown, Adam Brody, Erika Alexander, Myra Lucretia Taylor, and John Ortiz.
Jefferson, who is is represented by CAA, 3Arts Entertainment, and Ziffren Brittenham, wrote the screenplay for...
Wright stars in the film as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, an English professor and author who writes a satirical novel under a pseudonym, aiming to lay bare the hypocrisies of the publishing world. The book’s immediate success forces Monk to get deeper enmeshed in his assumed identity and challenges his closely held worldviews. In addition to Wright, the film will star “Black-ish” actress Tracee Ellis Ross, Issa Rae, “This Is Us” alum Sterling K. Brown, Adam Brody, Erika Alexander, Myra Lucretia Taylor, and John Ortiz.
Jefferson, who is is represented by CAA, 3Arts Entertainment, and Ziffren Brittenham, wrote the screenplay for...
- 12/2/2022
- by Wilson Chapman
- Indiewire
MGM’s Orion Pictures has acquired worldwide rights to Emmy-winning “Watchmen” and “Master of None” writer Cord Jefferson’s feature directorial debut, while additional cast — including Tracee Ellis Ross and Sterling K. Brown — has been announced opposite star Jeffrey Wright. The untitled film hails from MRC and Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street and is based on the novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett.
Joining the previously announced Wright is an ensemble cast including Tracee Ellis Ross in the role of Lisa; Erika Alexander, who will play Coraline; Leslie Uggams as Agnes; Sterling K. Brown as Cliff; Myra Lucretia Taylor (“The Big Sick”) as Lorraine; John Ortiz as Arthur; Issa Rae (“Insecure”) as Sintara; and Adam Brody as Wiley.
The film, which recently wrapped production in Boston, is produced by T-Street’s Ben LeClair and Nikos Karamigios, Jermaine Johnson of 3Arts and Cord Jefferson.
Also Read:
IFC Films Acquires North American Rights to ‘Biosphere,...
Joining the previously announced Wright is an ensemble cast including Tracee Ellis Ross in the role of Lisa; Erika Alexander, who will play Coraline; Leslie Uggams as Agnes; Sterling K. Brown as Cliff; Myra Lucretia Taylor (“The Big Sick”) as Lorraine; John Ortiz as Arthur; Issa Rae (“Insecure”) as Sintara; and Adam Brody as Wiley.
The film, which recently wrapped production in Boston, is produced by T-Street’s Ben LeClair and Nikos Karamigios, Jermaine Johnson of 3Arts and Cord Jefferson.
Also Read:
IFC Films Acquires North American Rights to ‘Biosphere,...
- 12/2/2022
- by Adam Chitwood
- The Wrap
MGM’s Orion Pictures has acquired worldwide distribution rights to Emmy-winning writer Cord Jefferson’s untitled feature directorial debut, starring Emmy winner Jeffrey Wright.
Produced by MRC and Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street Productions, the film is based on the novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett. Jefferson also adapted the screenplay.
“As longtime fans of Cord, we are thrilled to be a part of his feature film debut and for the opportunity to share his vision with global audiences,” said Alana Mayo, president of Orion Pictures, in a statement announcing the acquisition. “His adaptation of Everett’s biting novel and Jeffrey’s brilliant take on the character, along with this incredibly talented cast, create a wonderful alchemy to tell this story.”
Wright stars in the film as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, an English professor and author who writes a satirical novel under a pseudonym, aiming to lay bare the hypocrisies of the publishing world.
Produced by MRC and Rian Johnson and Ram Bergman’s T-Street Productions, the film is based on the novel “Erasure” by Percival Everett. Jefferson also adapted the screenplay.
“As longtime fans of Cord, we are thrilled to be a part of his feature film debut and for the opportunity to share his vision with global audiences,” said Alana Mayo, president of Orion Pictures, in a statement announcing the acquisition. “His adaptation of Everett’s biting novel and Jeffrey’s brilliant take on the character, along with this incredibly talented cast, create a wonderful alchemy to tell this story.”
Wright stars in the film as Thelonious “Monk” Ellison, an English professor and author who writes a satirical novel under a pseudonym, aiming to lay bare the hypocrisies of the publishing world.
- 12/2/2022
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Colson Whitehead’s 2020 Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Nickel Boys” is getting a big-screen adaptation from MGM’s Orion Pictures, starring Oscar and Emmy-nominee Aunjanue Ellis.
Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker RaMell Ross, Ellis will star alongside Ethan Herisse (“When They See Us”) and Brandon Wilson (“The Way Back”), who will lead the young cast, as well as Hamish Linklater (“The Big Short”) and Fred Hechinger.
“It is an honor to be working with such talented people and trusted with such an incredibly written story, with historical roots,” Ross said in a statement announcing the feature adaptation. “I’m constantly impressed by the passion and creativity of the collection of people moving this project forward.”
Ross adapted the screenplay alongside two-time Academy Award-nominee Joslyn Barnes of Louverture Films, which is producing the movie with Plan B Entertainment and Anonymous Content. Whitehead serves as executive producer.
Added Alana Mayo, president of Orion Pictures:...
Directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker RaMell Ross, Ellis will star alongside Ethan Herisse (“When They See Us”) and Brandon Wilson (“The Way Back”), who will lead the young cast, as well as Hamish Linklater (“The Big Short”) and Fred Hechinger.
“It is an honor to be working with such talented people and trusted with such an incredibly written story, with historical roots,” Ross said in a statement announcing the feature adaptation. “I’m constantly impressed by the passion and creativity of the collection of people moving this project forward.”
Ross adapted the screenplay alongside two-time Academy Award-nominee Joslyn Barnes of Louverture Films, which is producing the movie with Plan B Entertainment and Anonymous Content. Whitehead serves as executive producer.
Added Alana Mayo, president of Orion Pictures:...
- 10/27/2022
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
“King Richard” star Aunjanue Ellis is set to star in an adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel “The Nickel Boys” being set up at MGM’s Orion Pictures.
The studio has tapped RaMell Ross, an Oscar nominee for the documentary “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” to direct the film, and Ross also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Josyln Barnes.
Ellis will lead the cast alongside up-and-coming actors Ethan Herisse (“When They See Us”) and Brandon Wilson (“The Way Back”), who will anchor and lead the film’s young cast. Hamish Linklater (“The Big Short”) and Fred Hechinger will also co-star.
“The Nickel Boys” is Whitehead’s follow-up to his other Pulitzer winner, “The Underground Railroad.” Though the book is fiction, it’s based on the real story of a Florida reform school that, over 111 years, hid decades of abuse against its residents and even had bodies secretly buried on its campus.
The studio has tapped RaMell Ross, an Oscar nominee for the documentary “Hale County This Morning, This Evening,” to direct the film, and Ross also co-wrote the screenplay alongside Josyln Barnes.
Ellis will lead the cast alongside up-and-coming actors Ethan Herisse (“When They See Us”) and Brandon Wilson (“The Way Back”), who will anchor and lead the film’s young cast. Hamish Linklater (“The Big Short”) and Fred Hechinger will also co-star.
“The Nickel Boys” is Whitehead’s follow-up to his other Pulitzer winner, “The Underground Railroad.” Though the book is fiction, it’s based on the real story of a Florida reform school that, over 111 years, hid decades of abuse against its residents and even had bodies secretly buried on its campus.
- 10/27/2022
- by Brian Welk
- Indiewire
Oscar-nominated filmmaker RaMell Ross has been tapped to direct a feature adaptation of Colson Whitehead’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel The Nickel Boys for MGM’s Orion Pictures, with Oscar nom Aunjanue Ellis (King Richard), Ethan Herisse (When They See Us), Brandon Wilson (The Way Back), Hamish Linklater (The Big Short) and Fred Hechinger (News of the World) set to star.
The 2020 novel by Whitehead, who’d previously scored a Pulitzer for 2016’s The Underground Railroad, came in as a bestseller upon its publication by Doubleday and was named one of Time‘s best books of the decade. Based on the true story of a Florida reform school that damaged the lives of thousands of children over more than a century, its protagonist is Elwood Curtis, a Black boy growing up in 1960s Tallahassee who is unfairly sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy,...
The 2020 novel by Whitehead, who’d previously scored a Pulitzer for 2016’s The Underground Railroad, came in as a bestseller upon its publication by Doubleday and was named one of Time‘s best books of the decade. Based on the true story of a Florida reform school that damaged the lives of thousands of children over more than a century, its protagonist is Elwood Curtis, a Black boy growing up in 1960s Tallahassee who is unfairly sentenced to a juvenile reformatory called the Nickel Academy,...
- 10/27/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Barbara Broccoli, one of the teams of producers behind the powerhouse film Till — about the extraordinary efforts of Mamie Till Mobley to find justice after the lynching of her 14-year-old son Emmett Louis Till, for whistling at Carolyn Bryant, a white woman, by white supremacists in Mississippi in 1955 — told Deadline, that audiences must seek out the movie: ”This is not a time for us to look away.”
Broccoli said Emmett, who was visiting his cousins, was lynched and murdered for whistling at Bryant, keeping shop at Bryant’s Grocery & Meat Market in Money, Mississippi. A few days later a group of men dragged the boy from his uncle’s home. Days later his mutilated body was discovered in the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi.
Citing fellow producers Keith Beauchamp, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Levine, Michael Reilly and Fred Zollo, Broccoli added, ”This is an important film to me, to all of us.
Broccoli said Emmett, who was visiting his cousins, was lynched and murdered for whistling at Bryant, keeping shop at Bryant’s Grocery & Meat Market in Money, Mississippi. A few days later a group of men dragged the boy from his uncle’s home. Days later his mutilated body was discovered in the Tallahatchie River in Mississippi.
Citing fellow producers Keith Beauchamp, Whoopi Goldberg, Thomas Levine, Michael Reilly and Fred Zollo, Broccoli added, ”This is an important film to me, to all of us.
- 10/1/2022
- by Baz Bamigboye
- Deadline Film + TV
Former Lionsgate film chief Patrick Wachsberger, Carol producer Christine Vachon, Neon CEO Tom Quinn and SPC bosses Michael Barker and Tom Bernard will be among industry executives taking part in the Zurich Summit on Saturday in Switzerland.
The Zurich Film Festival’s flagship industry event, an all-day confab about the state of the independent film business, will gather around 100 top film professionals. Scroll down for the lineup and schedule in full.
For a full rundown of the day’s schedule click here.
As the Zurich Summit’s official media partner, Deadline will be on the ground covering and moderating panels, as well as providing exclusive interviews with key executives via the Deadline Studio. We’ll also have video from key panels.
The conference kicks off with the discussion “How to Finance Independent Films in the Age of Streamers” and a panel comprising UTA agent Alex Brunner, Memento International/Paradise City CEO Emilie Georges,...
The Zurich Film Festival’s flagship industry event, an all-day confab about the state of the independent film business, will gather around 100 top film professionals. Scroll down for the lineup and schedule in full.
For a full rundown of the day’s schedule click here.
As the Zurich Summit’s official media partner, Deadline will be on the ground covering and moderating panels, as well as providing exclusive interviews with key executives via the Deadline Studio. We’ll also have video from key panels.
The conference kicks off with the discussion “How to Finance Independent Films in the Age of Streamers” and a panel comprising UTA agent Alex Brunner, Memento International/Paradise City CEO Emilie Georges,...
- 9/23/2022
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
Chinonye Chukwu’s “Till” will world premiere at the 60th New York Film Festival.
The announcement comes on what would have been the late Emmett Till’s 81st birthday, as the country is remembering the impact that Till’s 1955 abduction, torture and lynching had in drawing attention to the brutality and persecution of African Americans in the United States. “Till” stars Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie Till Mobley and Jalyn Hall as Emmett Till. It tells the story of Mamie Till Mobley’s relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, after he is lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi. Till Mobley’s decision to hold an open-coffin funeral for her son forced the country to grapple with the oppression experienced by Black Americans and increased support for the Civil Rights movement.
“In Mamie’s poignant journey of grief turned to action, we witness the universal power of a mother’s courage,...
The announcement comes on what would have been the late Emmett Till’s 81st birthday, as the country is remembering the impact that Till’s 1955 abduction, torture and lynching had in drawing attention to the brutality and persecution of African Americans in the United States. “Till” stars Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie Till Mobley and Jalyn Hall as Emmett Till. It tells the story of Mamie Till Mobley’s relentless pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Till, after he is lynched while visiting his cousins in Mississippi. Till Mobley’s decision to hold an open-coffin funeral for her son forced the country to grapple with the oppression experienced by Black Americans and increased support for the Civil Rights movement.
“In Mamie’s poignant journey of grief turned to action, we witness the universal power of a mother’s courage,...
- 7/25/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
“We worked so well together. To me, that’s the model of how projects should work,” says “61st Street” actor and executive producer Courtney B. Vance. “If we’re not trying to work together and we don’t have each other’s back, I’m out and it’s not worth it. It’s too hard.” It was easy to see that sense of unity during our lively special “Making of” roundtable discussion with Vance, actor Andrene Ward-Hammond, executive producer Alana Mayo and executive producer and writer J. David Shanks. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
The AMC drama series “61st Street” tells the tense story of Moses (Tosin Cole), a young Chicago man bound for college who finds himself caught up in a drug bust and then accused of murdering a police officer. Vance plays Franklin, a beleaguered public defender who decides to defend Moses despite also having to fight newly diagnosed cancer.
The AMC drama series “61st Street” tells the tense story of Moses (Tosin Cole), a young Chicago man bound for college who finds himself caught up in a drug bust and then accused of murdering a police officer. Vance plays Franklin, a beleaguered public defender who decides to defend Moses despite also having to fight newly diagnosed cancer.
- 6/16/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“
hased and measured approach to integration with Prime Video and Amazon Studios” continues.
MGM motion picture group chairman Mike De Luca and president Pam Abdy will depart this summer in the wake of the 8.5bn merger with Amazon Studios.
The pair were instrumental in overseeing a stable of titles that includes last season’s awards contenders Licorice Pizza from Paul Thomas Anderson, House Of Gucci from Ridley Scott, and Dog starring Channing Tatum. Luca pushed for prestige titles and acquired several tempting packages including Project Hail Mary from The Martian writer Andy Weir to star Ryan Gosling.
It remains unclear...
hased and measured approach to integration with Prime Video and Amazon Studios” continues.
MGM motion picture group chairman Mike De Luca and president Pam Abdy will depart this summer in the wake of the 8.5bn merger with Amazon Studios.
The pair were instrumental in overseeing a stable of titles that includes last season’s awards contenders Licorice Pizza from Paul Thomas Anderson, House Of Gucci from Ridley Scott, and Dog starring Channing Tatum. Luca pushed for prestige titles and acquired several tempting packages including Project Hail Mary from The Martian writer Andy Weir to star Ryan Gosling.
It remains unclear...
- 4/27/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Two top MGM executives are out at the studio following Amazon’s recent 8.5-billion acquisition of the movie empire.
Michael De Luca, motion picture group chairman of MGM, and Pam Abdy, president of motion pictures at MGM, announced their resignation on Wednesday, MGM representatives confirmed to IndieWire.
“We will depart our roles this summer,” the duo wrote in a memo to staff, shared by THR. “We are confident that the exciting vision Prime Video and Amazon Studios has for MGM and the organization Mike Hopkins is building along with Jennifer Salke and team, will guarantee MGM’s continued success.”
The move arrives just a month after Amazon closed its deal, which began in May 2021 and was finalized on March 17 of this year.
Mike Hopkins, SVP Prime Video & Amazon Studios, said in a separate memo obtained by THR, “Nurturing MGM’s legacy of quality storytelling is a top priority. MGM has...
Michael De Luca, motion picture group chairman of MGM, and Pam Abdy, president of motion pictures at MGM, announced their resignation on Wednesday, MGM representatives confirmed to IndieWire.
“We will depart our roles this summer,” the duo wrote in a memo to staff, shared by THR. “We are confident that the exciting vision Prime Video and Amazon Studios has for MGM and the organization Mike Hopkins is building along with Jennifer Salke and team, will guarantee MGM’s continued success.”
The move arrives just a month after Amazon closed its deal, which began in May 2021 and was finalized on March 17 of this year.
Mike Hopkins, SVP Prime Video & Amazon Studios, said in a separate memo obtained by THR, “Nurturing MGM’s legacy of quality storytelling is a top priority. MGM has...
- 4/27/2022
- by Ryan Lattanzio
- Indiewire
Amazon has parted ways with two top MGM film executives roughly a month after it closed its 8.5 billion deal to buy the studio.
Michael De Luca, the motion picture group chairman, and Pamela Abdy, the motion picture group president, have resigned.
De Luca had recently made overtures to David Zaslav about coming to Warner Bros. Discovery, according to multiple insiders, going so far as writing an impassioned hand-written letter about how he’d shape film programming at the newly-merged company. The rumor mill has been swirling in recent weeks about the executive’s long-term future, with many predicting that he would be headed for the exit soon.
De Luca was initially announced as an interim leader of MGM’s film arm in March, but many wondered how he would be able to maintain a position once the studio was more fully integrated into Amazon’s operations.
While MGM notably released...
Michael De Luca, the motion picture group chairman, and Pamela Abdy, the motion picture group president, have resigned.
De Luca had recently made overtures to David Zaslav about coming to Warner Bros. Discovery, according to multiple insiders, going so far as writing an impassioned hand-written letter about how he’d shape film programming at the newly-merged company. The rumor mill has been swirling in recent weeks about the executive’s long-term future, with many predicting that he would be headed for the exit soon.
De Luca was initially announced as an interim leader of MGM’s film arm in March, but many wondered how he would be able to maintain a position once the studio was more fully integrated into Amazon’s operations.
While MGM notably released...
- 4/27/2022
- by Brent Lang and Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
With AMC’s upcoming courtroom drama 61st Street, executive producer and writer J. David Shanks hopes to “spark conversation” that would continue to push the U.S. toward “meaningful, sustained change” with regard to systemic injustice, racially motivated police brutality and other issues.
“We want to have a healthy discussion in a safe environment,” Shanks said during the show’s TCA panel on Tuesday. “Nothing changes if we don’t continue to talk about it.”
The series from BAFTA winner Peter Moffat follows Moses Johnson (Tosin Cole), a promising Black high school athlete who is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system, and Franklin Roberts (Courtney B. Vance), the public defender who takes up his case. While Roberts has promised his wife he’ll retire, he takes on this case because he recognizes its potential to upend the entire Chicago judicial system, challenging the institutional racism and endemic corruption at its heart.
“We want to have a healthy discussion in a safe environment,” Shanks said during the show’s TCA panel on Tuesday. “Nothing changes if we don’t continue to talk about it.”
The series from BAFTA winner Peter Moffat follows Moses Johnson (Tosin Cole), a promising Black high school athlete who is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system, and Franklin Roberts (Courtney B. Vance), the public defender who takes up his case. While Roberts has promised his wife he’ll retire, he takes on this case because he recognizes its potential to upend the entire Chicago judicial system, challenging the institutional racism and endemic corruption at its heart.
- 8/17/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Chinonye Chukwu’s Orion feature film Till has set Danielle Deadwyler as Mamie Till-Mobley and Oscar-winner Whoopi Goldberg as Emmett’s grandmother Alma Carthan.
Till follows Mamie Till-Mobley, whose pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son Emmett Louis Till became a galvanizing moment that helped lead to the creation of the civil rights movement. Mamie’s decision to have an open casket at Emmett’s funeral, and to have Jet magazine publish David Jackson’s funeral photos, was driven by her motivation to ensure people everywhere knew what had happened to her son.
Chukwu, whose Clemency won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival 2019, wrote the screenplay based on a previous draft by Keith Beauchamp and Michael J P Reilly. Beauchamp accumulated a bulk of research for his award winning 2005 documentary The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till. Producers are Beauchamp, Barbara Broccoli, Goldberg, Thomas K Levine, Reilly and Frederick Zollo.
Till follows Mamie Till-Mobley, whose pursuit of justice for her 14-year-old son Emmett Louis Till became a galvanizing moment that helped lead to the creation of the civil rights movement. Mamie’s decision to have an open casket at Emmett’s funeral, and to have Jet magazine publish David Jackson’s funeral photos, was driven by her motivation to ensure people everywhere knew what had happened to her son.
Chukwu, whose Clemency won the Grand Jury Prize at Sundance Film Festival 2019, wrote the screenplay based on a previous draft by Keith Beauchamp and Michael J P Reilly. Beauchamp accumulated a bulk of research for his award winning 2005 documentary The Untold Story of Emmett Louis Till. Producers are Beauchamp, Barbara Broccoli, Goldberg, Thomas K Levine, Reilly and Frederick Zollo.
- 7/23/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Whoopi Goldberg and Danielle Deadwyler will star in Chinonye Chukwu’s upcoming film “Till,” about Mamie Till-Mobley’s fight for justice for her 14-year-old son, Emmett Louis Till.
Deadwyler will portray Mamie Till-Mobley, while Goldberg is set to play Till’s grandmother, Alma Carthan. Goldberg will also serve as a producer on the project, for MGM’s Orion Pictures, alongside Keith Beauchamp, Barbara Broccoli, Thomas K. Levine, Michael Jp Reilly and Frederick Zollo.
“We have waited a very long time to bring this historically necessary important film to people,” Goldberg said. “And as we watch the repression of American History when it comes to people of color it makes it even that more important. I couldn’t be with better people: Fred, Barbara, Chinonye, Keith, Michael and Danielle.”
Deadwyler, who is best known for her role in HBO’s “Watchmen,” said of being cast in the film, “It is a...
Deadwyler will portray Mamie Till-Mobley, while Goldberg is set to play Till’s grandmother, Alma Carthan. Goldberg will also serve as a producer on the project, for MGM’s Orion Pictures, alongside Keith Beauchamp, Barbara Broccoli, Thomas K. Levine, Michael Jp Reilly and Frederick Zollo.
“We have waited a very long time to bring this historically necessary important film to people,” Goldberg said. “And as we watch the repression of American History when it comes to people of color it makes it even that more important. I couldn’t be with better people: Fred, Barbara, Chinonye, Keith, Michael and Danielle.”
Deadwyler, who is best known for her role in HBO’s “Watchmen,” said of being cast in the film, “It is a...
- 7/23/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
"Watchmen" star Danielle Deadwyler and Whoopi Goldberg are set to star in "Till," a drama about the aftermath of the murder of Emmett Till from the director of "Clemency," Chinonye Chukwu.
"Till" is set up at MGM's Orion Pictures, and the studio will kick off production on the film this September in Atlanta.
"Till" is about Mamie Till-Mobley, who led a pursuit for justice for her 14-year-old son Emmett Louis Till, choosing to have an open casket at her son's funeral following his gruesome murder in 1955 after he was accused of offending a white woman in a grocery store. Mamie chose to have Jet magazine publish the horrific photos at the funeral, which became a galvanizing moment that helped lead to the creation of the civil rights movement.
Deadwyler in the film will play Mamie, while Goldbergh will portray Emmett's grandmother Alma Carthan.
Chukwu also wrote the screenplay based...
"Till" is set up at MGM's Orion Pictures, and the studio will kick off production on the film this September in Atlanta.
"Till" is about Mamie Till-Mobley, who led a pursuit for justice for her 14-year-old son Emmett Louis Till, choosing to have an open casket at her son's funeral following his gruesome murder in 1955 after he was accused of offending a white woman in a grocery store. Mamie chose to have Jet magazine publish the horrific photos at the funeral, which became a galvanizing moment that helped lead to the creation of the civil rights movement.
Deadwyler in the film will play Mamie, while Goldbergh will portray Emmett's grandmother Alma Carthan.
Chukwu also wrote the screenplay based...
- 7/23/2021
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Frieze and Deutsche Bank announced the winner for their second annual Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award, a $10,000 prize awarded to an emerging L.A.-based filmmaker.
The award, presented in association with Endeavor Content and Ghetto Film School, went to John Rizkallah, while Jane Chow earned the initiative’s first-ever audience award, which was voted for by the public. The news was announced during a virtual ceremony, during which all 10 of the initiative’s fellows — Tayo Amos, Alyse Arteaga, Giselle Bonilla, Jeremy Burkett, Chow, Ashley Chrisman, David Liu, Rizkallah, Andres Vazquez and Ciara Zoe[/link] — had their films presented.
“John Rizkallah and Jane Chow’s unique, deeply personal films that highlight their respective communities, made under challenging Covid-19 conditions, showcase the caliber of the next generation of innovative storytellers,” said Dan Guando, Endeavor Content’s senior vice president of film development and production, while announcing the winners. “We salute...
The award, presented in association with Endeavor Content and Ghetto Film School, went to John Rizkallah, while Jane Chow earned the initiative’s first-ever audience award, which was voted for by the public. The news was announced during a virtual ceremony, during which all 10 of the initiative’s fellows — Tayo Amos, Alyse Arteaga, Giselle Bonilla, Jeremy Burkett, Chow, Ashley Chrisman, David Liu, Rizkallah, Andres Vazquez and Ciara Zoe[/link] — had their films presented.
“John Rizkallah and Jane Chow’s unique, deeply personal films that highlight their respective communities, made under challenging Covid-19 conditions, showcase the caliber of the next generation of innovative storytellers,” said Dan Guando, Endeavor Content’s senior vice president of film development and production, while announcing the winners. “We salute...
- 6/24/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Following a global casting search, rising star Yasmin Finney, the 17-year-old Black trans woman from Manchester, England, has landed a lead role in Orion Pictures’ What If?, the first project announced under the leadership of Orion President Alana Mayo.
Emmy-winning Pose star Billy Porter is stepping behind the camera for the first time, directing the drama from a script by Alvaro García Lecuona.
Finney will star as Kelsa, a trans high school senior, in this modern coming-of-age story.
What If? follows teenagers Kelsa and Khal as they navigate a high school senior year relationship that neither could have expected. After Khal posts online about his school crush, the internet encourages him to go for it.
Christine Vachon is producing the pic on behalf of Killer Films with David Hinojosa, Andrew Lauren, and D.J. Gugenheim for Andrew Lauren Productions.
One of the most influential actresses within the transgender community, Finney...
Emmy-winning Pose star Billy Porter is stepping behind the camera for the first time, directing the drama from a script by Alvaro García Lecuona.
Finney will star as Kelsa, a trans high school senior, in this modern coming-of-age story.
What If? follows teenagers Kelsa and Khal as they navigate a high school senior year relationship that neither could have expected. After Khal posts online about his school crush, the internet encourages him to go for it.
Christine Vachon is producing the pic on behalf of Killer Films with David Hinojosa, Andrew Lauren, and D.J. Gugenheim for Andrew Lauren Productions.
One of the most influential actresses within the transgender community, Finney...
- 4/12/2021
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Stefano Sollima, the Italian director of “Without Remorse,” starring Michael B. Jordan as Navy Seal John Kelly, says he likes to “tell stories that are about real humans; not superheroes.” Sollima’s latest film, an adaptation of the Tom Clancy novel, finds the “Black Panther” star pursuing justice and unleashing hell in a high-octane spectacle that launches globally on Amazon Prime on April 30.
Realism has been Sollima’s signature since breaking out internationally with naturalistic Neapolitan mob TV series “Gomorrah,” followed by hyper-violent but humanistic “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” his first major studio feature, and cocaine-smuggling skein “ZeroZeroZero,” which tracks a shipment of drugs from multiple perspectives across three continents.
When Jordan’s then-producer Alana Mayo contacted Sollima about directing “Without Remorse,” he asked her to find out if “Michael B” was “ready to shoot a film in which all the action is actually done by him,” says the director.
Realism has been Sollima’s signature since breaking out internationally with naturalistic Neapolitan mob TV series “Gomorrah,” followed by hyper-violent but humanistic “Sicario: Day of the Soldado,” his first major studio feature, and cocaine-smuggling skein “ZeroZeroZero,” which tracks a shipment of drugs from multiple perspectives across three continents.
When Jordan’s then-producer Alana Mayo contacted Sollima about directing “Without Remorse,” he asked her to find out if “Michael B” was “ready to shoot a film in which all the action is actually done by him,” says the director.
- 4/7/2021
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott, the creative team behind the well-reviewed indie Shiva Baby, have set their next feature.
Seligman and Sennott will co-write high school sex comedy Bottoms for MGM’s Orion Pictures, with Seligman directing and Sennott starring. Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman’s Brownstone Productions is set to produce.
Bottoms follows two unpopular queer girls who start a fight club to have sex before their high school graduation.
Banks, Handelman and Alison Small will produce for Brownstone.
Headed by Alana Mayo, Orion was relaunched by MGM with the intent to focus on features from underrepresented voices and authentic storytelling in film that amplifies ...
Seligman and Sennott will co-write high school sex comedy Bottoms for MGM’s Orion Pictures, with Seligman directing and Sennott starring. Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman’s Brownstone Productions is set to produce.
Bottoms follows two unpopular queer girls who start a fight club to have sex before their high school graduation.
Banks, Handelman and Alison Small will produce for Brownstone.
Headed by Alana Mayo, Orion was relaunched by MGM with the intent to focus on features from underrepresented voices and authentic storytelling in film that amplifies ...
Emma Seligman and Rachel Sennott, the creative team behind the well-reviewed indie Shiva Baby, have set their next feature.
Seligman and Sennott will co-write high school sex comedy Bottoms for MGM’s Orion Pictures, with Seligman directing and Sennott starring. Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman’s Brownstone Productions is set to produce.
Bottoms follows two unpopular queer girls who start a fight club to have sex before their high school graduation.
Banks, Handelman and Alison Small will produce for Brownstone.
Headed by Alana Mayo, Orion was relaunched by MGM with the intent to focus on features from underrepresented voices and authentic storytelling in film that amplifies ...
Seligman and Sennott will co-write high school sex comedy Bottoms for MGM’s Orion Pictures, with Seligman directing and Sennott starring. Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman’s Brownstone Productions is set to produce.
Bottoms follows two unpopular queer girls who start a fight club to have sex before their high school graduation.
Banks, Handelman and Alison Small will produce for Brownstone.
Headed by Alana Mayo, Orion was relaunched by MGM with the intent to focus on features from underrepresented voices and authentic storytelling in film that amplifies ...
March 31 marks the final day of Women’s History Month and it is also Transgender Day of Visibility. To mark this occasion and further strengthen the voices of the trans community, GLAAD released an open letter signed by over 190 feminist leaders in advocacy, business, entertainment, media, politics, and social justice standing in solidarity with transgender women and girls.
The letter, organized by GLAAD and Raquel Willis, comes in response to the ongoing hateful and discriminatory rhetoric and attacks facing trans people, especially trans women, and is clearly a loud statement of solidarity between cisgender women, trans women, and feminist allies for everyone to hear.
“We all must fight against the unnecessary and unethical barriers placed on trans women and girls by lawmakers and those who co-opt the feminist label in the name of division and hatred,” reads the letter. “Our feminism must be unapologetically expansive so that we can leave...
The letter, organized by GLAAD and Raquel Willis, comes in response to the ongoing hateful and discriminatory rhetoric and attacks facing trans people, especially trans women, and is clearly a loud statement of solidarity between cisgender women, trans women, and feminist allies for everyone to hear.
“We all must fight against the unnecessary and unethical barriers placed on trans women and girls by lawmakers and those who co-opt the feminist label in the name of division and hatred,” reads the letter. “Our feminism must be unapologetically expansive so that we can leave...
- 3/31/2021
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Village alum Jerod Haynes is set for a key recurring role opposite Courtney B. Vance in AMC’s courtroom drama series 61st Street, from BAFTA-winner Peter Moffat, Michael B. Jordan and AMC Studios.
61st Street follows Moses Johnson (Tosin Cole), a promising black high school athlete who is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system. Taken by the police as a supposed gang member, he finds himself in the eye of the storm as cops and prosecutors seek revenge for the death of an officer during a drug bust gone wrong.
Haynes will play Big Phil, a kind, hardworking and loving man who walks into Norma’s life just when she needs him most. She has to wonder whether maybe he’s too good to be true – and maybe she’s right.
Cast also includes series regulars Holt McCallany, Aunjanue Ellis, Killian Scott, Andrene Ward-Hammond.
61st Street follows Moses Johnson (Tosin Cole), a promising black high school athlete who is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system. Taken by the police as a supposed gang member, he finds himself in the eye of the storm as cops and prosecutors seek revenge for the death of an officer during a drug bust gone wrong.
Haynes will play Big Phil, a kind, hardworking and loving man who walks into Norma’s life just when she needs him most. She has to wonder whether maybe he’s too good to be true – and maybe she’s right.
Cast also includes series regulars Holt McCallany, Aunjanue Ellis, Killian Scott, Andrene Ward-Hammond.
- 3/23/2021
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Deutsche Bank Frieze Los Angeles Film Award, in collaboration with Endeavor Content and the acclaimed non-profit academy Ghetto Film School (Gfs), has announced its 2021 shortlisted fellows and jury.
Now in its second year, the prize provides a platform and development program for emerging Los Angeles-based filmmakers aged 18 – 34. The initiative offers ten aspiring filmmakers the opportunity to embark on a rigorous four-month program at Gfs, culminating at Frieze Los Angeles this year.
Selected from an open call, the shortlisted fellows for the 2021 fellowship are as follows: Tayo Amos, Alyse Arteaga, Giselle Bonilla, Jeremy Burkett, Jane Chow, Ashley Chrisman, David Liu, Ciara Zoe, John Rizkallah and Andrés Vázquez. Tasked with responding to a brief to explore the ocean as a framework for
thinking about the complex environment of Los Angeles, the fellows produced individual short films that will be screened on the occasion of Frieze Los Angeles 2021.
The winner will...
Now in its second year, the prize provides a platform and development program for emerging Los Angeles-based filmmakers aged 18 – 34. The initiative offers ten aspiring filmmakers the opportunity to embark on a rigorous four-month program at Gfs, culminating at Frieze Los Angeles this year.
Selected from an open call, the shortlisted fellows for the 2021 fellowship are as follows: Tayo Amos, Alyse Arteaga, Giselle Bonilla, Jeremy Burkett, Jane Chow, Ashley Chrisman, David Liu, Ciara Zoe, John Rizkallah and Andrés Vázquez. Tasked with responding to a brief to explore the ocean as a framework for
thinking about the complex environment of Los Angeles, the fellows produced individual short films that will be screened on the occasion of Frieze Los Angeles 2021.
The winner will...
- 3/12/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
In today’s TV news roundup, Whoopi Goldberg and Jasmine Guy have joined the cast of Tracy Oliver’s comedy series “Harlem,” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will air special documentary “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Corona Can’t Keep A Good Queen Down” on Feb. 26.
Casting
Whoopi Goldberg and Jasmine Guy have been cast in recurring roles in “Harlem,” series from Tracy Oliver and also executive produced by Amy Poehler, Dave Becky, Kim Lessing, Pharrell Williams and Mimi Valdés. “Harlem” is a single-cam comedy following the lives of four women from their college days at NYU and beyond as they navigate relationships, sex and career ambitions. Goldberg will portray Dr. Elise Pruitt, a brilliant, intense department head at Columbia University. Guy will play Patricia, Quinn’s wealthy mother who wants her daughter to let go of her dream to become a designer and settle down. The Amazon Studios series is jointly...
Casting
Whoopi Goldberg and Jasmine Guy have been cast in recurring roles in “Harlem,” series from Tracy Oliver and also executive produced by Amy Poehler, Dave Becky, Kim Lessing, Pharrell Williams and Mimi Valdés. “Harlem” is a single-cam comedy following the lives of four women from their college days at NYU and beyond as they navigate relationships, sex and career ambitions. Goldberg will portray Dr. Elise Pruitt, a brilliant, intense department head at Columbia University. Guy will play Patricia, Quinn’s wealthy mother who wants her daughter to let go of her dream to become a designer and settle down. The Amazon Studios series is jointly...
- 2/17/2021
- by Natalie Oganesyan
- Variety Film + TV
Aunjanue Ellis and Andrene Ward-Hammond have been cast in the upcoming AMC series “61st Street,” Variety has learned.
They join previously announced cast members Courtney B. Vance, Tosin Cole, and Bentley Green. “61st Street,” which has been ordered as a two-season television event series with eight episodes per season, is a courtroom drama that follows Moses Johnson (Cole), a promising, black high school athlete, who is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system. Taken by the police as a supposed gang member, he finds himself in the eye of the storm as police and prosecutors seek revenge for the death of an officer during a drug bust gone wrong.
Ellis will appear in the series regular role of Martha Roberts, a candidate for alderman on the South Side who is very skilled at telling the voting public that her drive and ambition will be placed at their service.
They join previously announced cast members Courtney B. Vance, Tosin Cole, and Bentley Green. “61st Street,” which has been ordered as a two-season television event series with eight episodes per season, is a courtroom drama that follows Moses Johnson (Cole), a promising, black high school athlete, who is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system. Taken by the police as a supposed gang member, he finds himself in the eye of the storm as police and prosecutors seek revenge for the death of an officer during a drug bust gone wrong.
Ellis will appear in the series regular role of Martha Roberts, a candidate for alderman on the South Side who is very skilled at telling the voting public that her drive and ambition will be placed at their service.
- 2/17/2021
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
Holt McCallany, Aunjanue Ellis and Killian Scott have been tapped as series regulars opposite Courtney B. Vance in AMC’s courtroom drama series 61st Street from BAFTA-winner Peter Moffat. Andrene Ward-Hammond will recur in the series, executive produced by Jordan and and produced by AMC Studios.
Ordered as a two-season television event with eight episodes per season, 61st Street is slated to begin production next month in Chicago for a 2022 premiere. It reunites Ellis and Vance who co-star together on HBO’s Lovecraft Country.
61st Street is a timely and relevant story that echoes projects such as Just Mercy, Clemency as well as When They See Us which earned Ellis an Emmy nomination. It follows Moses Johnson (Tosin Cole), a promising black high school athlete who is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system.
Ordered as a two-season television event with eight episodes per season, 61st Street is slated to begin production next month in Chicago for a 2022 premiere. It reunites Ellis and Vance who co-star together on HBO’s Lovecraft Country.
61st Street is a timely and relevant story that echoes projects such as Just Mercy, Clemency as well as When They See Us which earned Ellis an Emmy nomination. It follows Moses Johnson (Tosin Cole), a promising black high school athlete who is swept up into the infamously corrupt Chicago criminal justice system.
- 2/17/2021
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Amazon Studios and Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society are expanding on the production banner’s existing deal to now feature an exclusive overall relationship in television and a first-look film deal. Under the film pact, Outlier Society will produce and acquire elevated films showcasing diverse, bold filmmakers and talent for the studio’s ever-growing original movies slate.
This deal comes in the lead up to the release of Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, starring and produced by Michael B. Jordan, launching globally on April 30, 2021 on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories.
This 360-degree creative relationship with Jordan and Outlier Society will see cross-collaborations within Amazon’s vast businesses, from fashion, Audible to music and more – including the debut of Jordan in Amazon’s Alexa big game ad yesterday. The spot, which played into Jordan’s title as People’s Sexiest Man Alive, where he was the body of Alexa,...
This deal comes in the lead up to the release of Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse, starring and produced by Michael B. Jordan, launching globally on April 30, 2021 on Prime Video in over 240 countries and territories.
This 360-degree creative relationship with Jordan and Outlier Society will see cross-collaborations within Amazon’s vast businesses, from fashion, Audible to music and more – including the debut of Jordan in Amazon’s Alexa big game ad yesterday. The spot, which played into Jordan’s title as People’s Sexiest Man Alive, where he was the body of Alexa,...
- 2/8/2021
- by Michelle Hannett
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
Park City, Utah is home to some stunning $25 million mountain estates — but it’s a jaw-dropping price for an indie movie to come out of the ski town’s preeminent American film festival, Sundance.
But there was “Coda,” a touching drama that kicked off 2021’s virtual edition of the event, landing a record-smashing $25 million deal from Apple Studios, or the cost of one of those palatial getaways. The victory followed a bidding war that, according to nearly a dozen sources who spoke to Variety, revealed much about Hollywood’s priorities, cashflow and boundaries in this moment of streaming disruption and pandemic chaos. It also encapsulated the way that the old indie film business, one that relies on box office performance and television licensing, is being subsumed by the rise of streaming services that aren’t as dependent on those totems of success.
Heading into the festival, multiple sales agents earmarked...
But there was “Coda,” a touching drama that kicked off 2021’s virtual edition of the event, landing a record-smashing $25 million deal from Apple Studios, or the cost of one of those palatial getaways. The victory followed a bidding war that, according to nearly a dozen sources who spoke to Variety, revealed much about Hollywood’s priorities, cashflow and boundaries in this moment of streaming disruption and pandemic chaos. It also encapsulated the way that the old indie film business, one that relies on box office performance and television licensing, is being subsumed by the rise of streaming services that aren’t as dependent on those totems of success.
Heading into the festival, multiple sales agents earmarked...
- 2/3/2021
- by Matt Donnelly, Elsa Keslassy and Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Former Paramount president of production Elizabeth Raposo will head Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society production banner.
Raposo will take over a role previously held by Alana Mayo, who left the shingle to relaunch MGM studio label Orion Pictures with a focus on projects from underrepresented voices.
Raposo, who exited Paramount after Emma Watts took leadership of the motion picture group, will oversee production and development for the banner across film and television. Outlier’s past credits include Fahrenheit 451 and Just Mercy, and it is currently in production on the Denzel Washington-directed Journal for Jordan.
While at Paramount, Raposo worked on titles including installments in ...
Raposo will take over a role previously held by Alana Mayo, who left the shingle to relaunch MGM studio label Orion Pictures with a focus on projects from underrepresented voices.
Raposo, who exited Paramount after Emma Watts took leadership of the motion picture group, will oversee production and development for the banner across film and television. Outlier’s past credits include Fahrenheit 451 and Just Mercy, and it is currently in production on the Denzel Washington-directed Journal for Jordan.
While at Paramount, Raposo worked on titles including installments in ...
- 1/13/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Former Paramount president of production Elizabeth Raposo will head Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society production banner.
Raposo will take over a role previously held by Alana Mayo, who left the shingle to relaunch MGM studio label Orion Pictures with a focus on projects from underrepresented voices.
Raposo, who exited Paramount after Emma Watts took leadership of the motion picture group, will oversee production and development for the banner across film and television. Outlier’s past credits include Fahrenheit 451 and Just Mercy, and it is currently in production on the Denzel Washington-directed Journal for Jordan.
While at Paramount, Raposo worked on titles including installments in ...
Raposo will take over a role previously held by Alana Mayo, who left the shingle to relaunch MGM studio label Orion Pictures with a focus on projects from underrepresented voices.
Raposo, who exited Paramount after Emma Watts took leadership of the motion picture group, will oversee production and development for the banner across film and television. Outlier’s past credits include Fahrenheit 451 and Just Mercy, and it is currently in production on the Denzel Washington-directed Journal for Jordan.
While at Paramount, Raposo worked on titles including installments in ...
- 1/13/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
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