News

Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman’s Brownstone Productions have entered into a new first-look deal with Universal Television, where the company will develop and produce TV series for broadcast, streaming and cable.

Under the partnership, Brownstone is developing “Pitch Perfect: K-Pop Idols” for Peacock, a comedy series written by Joel Kim Booster (“Fire Island”) that follows a struggling singer-songwriter whose life completely turns upside down when she finds herself auditioning to be a part of the first all-American K-pop group.

Booster, Banks and Handelman serve as executive producers alongside Gold Circle Films’ Paul Brooks and Scott Niemeyer and director Jason Moore (“Pitch Perfect”).

In addition, Brownstone is developing “Crush” for Peacock, a series co-produced by UCP and Universal Television inspired by the 1995 episode of “The Jenny Jones Show” titled “Revealing Same-Sex Secret Crushes.”

The devastating and darkly funny series, which is written by Addison McQuigg (“Bloodline”), is set within the...

Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman’s Brownstone Productions has inked a first-look deal with Universal Television (Utv), Variety has learned exclusively.

The company was previously set up under an overall deal at Warner Bros. Television. Under the deal, Brownstone will develop and produce TV series with Utv across all platforms. Furthermore, Brownstone has promoted Anna Hughes to vice president and Kristen Spence to creative executive. They will report to Krissy Wall, who is Brownstone’s head of television. Alison Small serves as head of film.

“Brownstone Productions first emerged from the primordial swamps of Universal Pictures, so it’s only natural that our next evolutionary leap happens with Universal Television. We’re thrilled to continue growing with such a stellar team and deeply grateful to Donna, Pearlena and Erin for their support. We’ll do our best to make them proud—and hopefully cause just the right amount of chaotic joy along the way.

Ash Christian, an Emmy Award-winning producer, actor and filmmaker, died in his sleep on Thursday, August 13 while vacationing in Puerto Vallarta, Mexico. He was 35 years old. Ash was a prolific filmmaker, with numerous projects in various stages of production, including many set to start filming this year. Under his own company, Cranium Entertainment, Christian developed and produced thought-provoking feature films for both specialized and mainstream audiences. He went on to produce dozens of award-winning films and productions, including Hurricane Bianca, 1985, Hello Again, Social Animals, and Coyote Lake. His current projects included As Sick As They Made Us, Mayim Bialik’s directorial debut starring Dustin Hoffman, Candice Bergen and Simon Helberg; Nightfall with Matt Bomer and Sam Worthington, directed by Addison McQuigg (Bloodline); and The Sixth Reel, directed by and starring Charles Busch and co-directed by Carl Andress; Chick Fight with Malin Akerman, Fortune Feimster, and Alec Baldwin; and Paper Spiders,...

The Writers Guild of America has just announced the nominations for their annual awards for Best Screenplays (by writers who are guild signatories). That’s right, before you get nervous thinking that your favorite may have been left off the list, you must remember that the WGA is the group that is not all-inclusive and leaves out several of the top contenders each year due to them not being part of the guild or not following their very specific rules. For this reason, you won’t see Inside Out, The Hateful Eight, and Ex Machina in the Original Screenplay category or Room, Brooklyn, or Anomalisa in the Adapted screenplay category.

Taking a look at what’s left over for the nominations, we find many that were expected to make a showing, including Spotlight and Bridge of Spies for Original Screenplay, though they apparently had to sink to really low depths...

The Writers Guild of America announced some of its nominees for its 2015 awards on Thursday, including television, new media, and radio, and among the TV nominees are series both new and old, and all beloved.

In the comedy series category, freshman Netflix show "Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt" scored a nomination for best series, as well as an overall best new series nod. "The Last Man on Earth" also landed in that latter category, and was singled out for its pilot episode writing, too.

On the drama side of the equation, lauded "Breaking Bad" spinoff "Better Call Saul" also got best series and best new series nominations, in addition to a an episode writing nod. Newly-minted Emmy winner "Game of Thrones" also scored a best drama citation, as well as an episodic writing nomination.

The full list of nominees released this week are below. Nominations in the theatrical and documentary categories will...

Brendan Bragg, Jordana Mollick and Dan Ventresca have joined the literary department at La-based Haven Entertainment. Bragg and Mollick come to Haven from Black Sheep Management & Productions which they founded in 2009 and Ventresca moves from Gersh. Bragg and Mollick are currently in production on Life Partners starring Leighton Meester, Gillian Jacobs and Adam Brody. They’re also producing Beth Schacter’s feature A Virgin Mary starring Abigail Breslin, Addison McQuigg’s Sonata and Steven Feder’s Hooking Up. Ventresca joins Haven as a literary manager. His clients at Gersh included Olympus Has Fallen scribes Creighton Rothenberger and Katrin Benedikt. Haven Entertainment most recently produced A Band Called Death which won the 24 beats per second Audience Award at SXSW and sold to Drafthouse and the documentary Milius which also screened at SXSW.