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Every year, Jesse Shade of the Awfully Good Movies series provides us with his list of the ten worst movies of the year – and 2024 is no different! Now that the Oscars are out of the way and it has been revealed that the members of the Academy felt Anora was the best picture of 2024, Jesse Shade is here with his list of The 10 Worst Movies of 2024. You can find out what his picks are by checking out the video embedded above. Fittingly, this is also the video that has been chosen to launch the new JoBlo Awfully Good Movies YouTube channel!

If you want to know what Jesse Shade’s picks for the 10 Worst Movies of 2024 were before you start watching the video, here’s the list:

10. Joker: Folie à Deux

Directed by Todd Phillips, who also wrote the script with Scott Silver. Starring Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga,...

Zachary Levi found worldwide success with the first installment of his superhero film, Shazam!, and less with its sequel. In 2024, he starred in Harold and the Purple Crayon, whose reception was worse than anyone expected, and among his lowest-rated projects.

Although Harold and the Purple Crayon had a less than favorable run at the box office, it found success on Netflix, reaching no. 8 in the U.S. for the week between Oct. 28 and Nov. 3. The fantasy comedy starring Levi adapted Crockett Johnson's 1995 children's book of the same name, and it combined live-action and animation. Even the deal with Netflix was problematic, but the children's film drew enough interest to make it into the top 10.

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Harold and the Purple Crayon was one of the three additions...

Netflix has become somewhat infamous for picking up, to put it gently, lesser movies from other studios and throwing them into the ever-growing pile that is their streaming library. Well, it turns out that not even Netflix wanted to buy this particular critical and box office failure, as the streaming giant reportedly declined to purchase the fantastical comedy Harold and the Purple Crayon starring Zachary Levi.

News of Netflixs rejection comes courtesy of a report by Bloomberg, who state that, in the months before Sony planned to release the movie, studio executives called their peers at Netflix to see if the streaming service wanted to buy the movie. While the report does say that Sony executives liked the film just fine, which is not exactly a ringing endorsement, they worried it would fail to break through competing against two other blockbuster animated films, Inside Out 2 and Despicable Me 4,...

Zachary Levi's Harold and the Purple Crayon has arrived at home, now available to buy and rent on digital. The digital release follows the film previously opening in theaters on Aug. 2.

Coinciding with the digital release, Cbr has an exclusive clip of an extended scene from the digital release of Harold and the Purple Crayon. The scene reveals Porcupine (Tanya Reynolds) helping herself to some wine and cake while making herself at home, but the problem is that it's not her home, leading to the animal-turned-human getting rushed out of the house. The scene can be watched below.

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"It was actually one of the things that attracted me to the project, to begin with, because when you boil it down,...

Get ready for an adventurous family adventure film starring the guy from Shazam and Chuck, Zachary Levi. Based on a 1955 children’s picture book of the same name by Crockett Johnson, Harold, and the Purple Crayon is directed by Carlos Saldanha from a screenplay co-written by David Guion and Michael Handelman and it follows the story of a grown-up Harold, who can make anything come true by drawing it with his crayon in his book. When he draws himself into real life he goes on numerous comedic adventures but his power soon falls into the wrong hands. If you loved the comedic hijinks, fantastical adventures, and imagination in Harold and the Purple Crayon here are some similar movies you could watch next.

Christopher Robin (Disney+ & Rent on Prime Video) Credit – Walt Disney Studios

Christopher Robin is a live-action and animated hybrid fantasy comedy-drama film directed by Marc Forster from a...

Critics and moviegoers cant seem to agree on Harold and the Purple Crayon, and, as a result, the new release is posting very different and divisive scores on Rotten Tomatoes. Shazam himself, Zachary Levv, and Zooey Deschanel join forces to bring author and artist Crockett Johnsons 1955 picture book to life on the big screen. But if cinephiles go strictly by the critiques, Harold and the Purple Crayon is quite the colorful disaster.

At the time of this writing, director Carlos Saldanha's family-friendly film registers only 29% on the Tomatometer against 35 reviews. Katie Walshs write-up for the Los Angeles Times reads as follows: Theres something deeply strange about [Levi's] performance here, grinning and mugging with childlike wonder in a way that can only be read as disingenuous. Kyle Smith of the Wall Street Journal adds:

The films effects-first, story-last strategy is a dismal failure. The charming, gentle simplicity of the book, with its childlike art,...

Critics are not impressed with Harold and the Purple Crayon, the feature film adaptation of the popular children's book. However, audiences don't agree, as most filmgoers appear to be having a good time with the film.

Featuring Shazam! star Zachary Levi, Harold and the Purple Crayon follows the actor as the titular character, who's now a grown-up version of the young child featured in the original book. As was the case in the classic story, the Harold and the Purple Crayon film sees Harold bringing to life whatever he wants simply by drawing it with his trusty purple crayon. Critics have trashed the film upon release, giving Levi's newest movie a 28% score at Rotten Tomatoes. This marks one of the lowest scores for Levi's career, though it remains above Big Momma's House 2 (5%) and Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel (21%).

Related Zachary Levi Names Ideal Actor for Live-Action Flynn in...

Harold And The Purple Crayon, from a conceptual level, is about as cynical as Hollywood filmmaking gets. The film is a meta-sequel to a picture book with a target audience of kindergarteners, latched onto a scrap of intellectual property in the desperate hope that the brand recognition will draw in...

Comedy animation Harold And The Purple Crayon heads the new releases at this weekend’s UK-Ireland box office, opening in 595 cinemas through Sony.

The live-action/animation fantasy comedy is adapted from Crockett Johnson’s 1955 children’s book of the same name, with the film serving as a sequel to the book.

Harold And The Purple Crayon follows a character in a book who can make anything come to life by drawing it; and who draws himself off the book’s pages and into the physical world.

Zachary Levi leads the cast, which also includes Lil Rel Howery, Zooey Deschanel, Jemaine Clement,...

“Harold and the Purple Crayon” is a picture book — now a movie — about the importance of imagination. So let’s try to imagine something together, shall we? Let’s all imagine a film starring Zooey Deschanel as an employee of a great big store who meets a childlike fantasy character who left home and now enters the real world in search of his father, who messes up the store she works at but ultimately teaches her a valuable lesson about believing in magic.

Have you got that film in your head? Does it look exactly like the movie “Elf,” that Christmas classic that came out over 20 years ago? Well, now imagine that it’s very purple, not very funny, and it stars Zachary Levi instead of Will Ferrell. “Harold and the Purple Crayon” claims to be about the power of the creative spirit but it’s cobbled together from so many similar films —“Enchanted,...

It’s very easy to understand why kids might love a picture book about a curious four-year-old whose purple crayon gives him the power to create anything he can think to draw. On the other hand, it’s virtually impossible to understand why kids might enjoy a meta, live-action movie continuation of Crockett Johnson’s classic story, in which the wee hero — now a swole 43-year-old manboy played by Zachary Levi — escapes into the real world as part of a “Barbie”-like quest to meet his creator, and in the process fights to protect a worn-down widow (Zooey Deschanel) from the romantic overtures of a creatively frustrated librarian (Jemaine Clement). Nothing delights young children like an existential journey through the suburbs of Providence!

I’m all for a little postmodern self-reflexivity in a blockbuster cinema that’s otherwise bereft of big ideas, but it’s depressing that even something like...

The first few minutes of Harold and the Purple Crayon feature charming hand-drawn animation very much in the style of the 1955 classic children’s picture book by Crockett Johnson, making it easy to see why it’s still popular nearly 70 years later. In the original story, Harold was just a young boy, creating a wonderful world for himself thanks to his magic crayon. Unfortunately, in the new big screen, live-action/animated adaptation directed by Carlos Saldanha (Ferdinand, Rio, Ice Age), he’s all grown up. And despite the appeal of star Zachary Levi, it’s unlikely the film will have the same staying power.

There have been numerous attempts at a film version of the book dating back years and involving such major talents as Maurice Sendak, David O. Russell, Will Smith, Steven Spielberg and Spike Jonze (what a movie he would have likely made!). Even this version has been delayed more than once,...

Growing up, I loved the children’s novel “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.” So when the Hollywood film version came along, you’d better believe I was primed. Like the book, the movie was about a family with a father who builds a magical flying car. But any similarity ended there. The book’s tone was cool and dry and deadpan irreverent — the author, after all, was Ian Fleming of James Bond fame — but the movie was a wacked piece of ersatz-Disney musical kitsch. Fleming’s debonair absurdist saga of gangsters and hair’s-breadth escapes was replaced by a broad fairy tale featuring a kidnapper called the Child Catcher. Watching the movie, I kept wondering when the real story — the one I’d loved — would start; somehow, it never did. What happened to it? By the time the movie was over, I had suffered the 9-year-old’s once-upon-a-time equivalent of Ptsd.

By itself, the opening 10-minute salvo of Harold and the Purple Crayon — Carlos Saldanha’s live-action feature debut — is a thing of rare beauty, a near-perfect stand-alone preface that effortlessly summarizes Crockett Johnson’s 1955 picture book. Neatly capturing the quirky simplicity of the original illustrations but adding a kinetic energy worthy of the postwar boogie-doodles of animator Norman McLaren, it’s a thoughtful overture to a refreshingly straightforward family film, one that runs with the concept of Johnson’s story but doesn’t try to fluff it up with excess sentiment or any similarly distracting romantic subplots.

When we meet him, Harold is a cartoon boy with a purple crayon who can draw anything he wants, including his two best friends: Moose (a moose) and Porcupine (a porcupine). Together, they live in a 2D world that grows bigger as Harold becomes an adult. Finally, Harold becomes fascinated by the concept of his creation,...

Zooey Deschanel says she remembers the late actor and comedian Bob Newhart as “kind and generous” from her time working with him on “Elf.” Newhart died July 18, and the pair worked on the 2003 Christmas movie alongside Will Ferrell and James Caan.

“I always say the best actors are very generous people,” Deschanel told Variety on the purple carpet at Sunday’s premiere of “Harold and the Purple Crayon” at The Culver Theater in Culver City. “He was really such a kind and generous man and so funny, but not wrapped up in himself or anything. He was just kind, and sweet and wonderful to work with.”

Although Ferrell recently said Caan didn’t enjoy his performance as Buddy the Elf on set until he saw the final cut of the film and called him “not funny,” Deschanel said she “probably wasn’t there for that part,” as they usually weren...

Sony Pictures has revealed the official trailer for Harold and the Purple Crayon, which is scheduled to open in theaters on August 2, 2024.

This film is rated PG by the Motion Picture Association for mild action and thematic elements.

Inside his book, adventurous Harold (Zachary Levi) can make anything come to life simply by drawing it.

After he grows up and draws himself off the book’s pages and into the physical world, Harold finds he has a lot to learn about real life—and that his trusty purple crayon may set off more hilarious hijinks than he thought possible.

When the power of unlimited imagination falls into the wrong hands, it will take all of Harold and his friends’ creativity to save both the real world and his own.

Harold and the Purple Crayon is the first film adaptation of the beloved children’s classic that has captivated young readers for decades.

Harold and the Purple Crayon, the live-action adaptation of the popular children's book of the same name, has just debuted its first trailer starring Zachary Levi.

In the official two-minute trailer, Zachary Levi's Harold is an adventurous character from a book who can make anything come to life. The character soon learns how to draw himself off the book's pages, slipping into the real world. There he learns he can bring any drawings to life in the real world, too. However, the power of unlimited creation has its downsides, too, and Harold and his friends not only have to save his original world, but the real world, too.

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Harold and the Purple Crayon is...

The upcoming adaptation of Crockett Johnson’s children’s picture book Harold and the Purple Crayon is getting ready for its summer premiere as the producers have released the first two posters for the movie. You can check them out here:

And:

Attempts to adapt Johnson’s children’s classic started back in 1992, but it wasn’t until 2021 that the idea finally became a proper project. The movie is going to be directed by Carlos Saldanha from a script written by David Guion and Michael Handelman, with Sony releasing the movie.

Zachary Levi is set to star as the titular Harold, and he was the first actor to sign on for the project. Unlike the original book, the titular protagonist is going to be portrayed as an adult man, portrayed by Zachary Levi; in the book, Harold is a child. Lil Rel Howery was announced as part of the cast...

The first posters have been revealed for the upcoming movie Harold and the Purple Crayon, a live-action adaptation of the popular children's book.

Starring Zachary Levi (Shazam!), Harold and the Purple Crayon is set to be released in theaters by Sony Pictures on Aug. 2. Months ahead of the release, Sony has shared two posters for the movie, with one of them highlighting the magical purple crayon that brings to life everything Harold draws. Another poster reveals Levi in character as Harold along with some of his co-stars and the various creations he will be making with the titular crayon. Both posters can be viewed below.

Related Shazam! Star Zachary Levi to Become Action Movie Hero With Newest Role Shazam! film franchise star Zachary Levi will star in the upcoming action thriller, Hotel Tehran, following his run in the DC Extended Universe.

Along with Zachary Levi, Harold and the Purple Crayon...

Jason Momoa gallivanting through one's dreams sounds like a – wait for it – dream come true. Fortunately for kids everywhere, the actor's latest film, Slumberland, is a family-friendly fantasy adventure featuring Momoa as a sharp-toothed wily, horned creature. His character is the perfect sidekick for any kid who dares to venture into the dream world. While director Francis Lawrence’s Slumberland takes inspiration from the comic, it fails to capture the whimsy and delight of its origins.

Adapted from the comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland from Winsor McCay, Slumberland follows Nemo (Marlow Barkely), a young girl who travels through the dreamworld with a satyr-like outlaw (Momoa). After her father’s death, she is sent to live with her boring uncle, and soon after, she is awakened to a world beyond slumber. In the comic strip, a boy dreams himself into extraordinary situations; often, the dreams start simple, then become stranger as the comic continues.

A new advenute awaits! Slumberland is a fantasy film based on the original 1920s comic strip Little Nemo by Windsor McKay. The live-action movie is directed by Francis Lawrence (Hunger Games: Mockingjay Part 1 & 2) and co-written by David Guion and Michael Handelman. The film premieres on Netflix on November 18, 2022, with a limited theatrical release already having been launched on November 11 and we at Collider are hosting a free early screening of the film on November 17.

The actor: Actors have types, and Chris O’Dowd is no exception. And given his Irish sense of humor and the self-awareness required of regular A.V. Club interviewees, he has no issue poking fun at his own roles, from “big, slow guy” to “sitcom dad.” But like the most exciting actors working today,...

(from left)) Jason Momoa as Flip and Marlow Barkley as Nemo in Slumberland. Photo: Netflix Director Francis Lawrence embraces his inner Barry Sonnenfeld with the highly stylized spectacle of Slumberland. Yet there’s a surprising reluctance to latch onto the expanse of emotion lying beneath his picture’s sense of wonder.

“Slumberland,” the latest big-budget adventure film from Netflix, is something like an “Inception” for kids, featuring a precocious young girl, a cute stuffed pig, and a towering, stinky sidekick. Written by David Guion and Michael Handelman, “Slumberland” has some snazzy fun with the concept of how dreams take us to similar experiences—about forgetting to wear pants, driving a runaway truck, or endless staircases.

Continue reading ‘Slumberland’ Review: Jason Momoa’s Latest Has Dazzling Effects But An All Too Familiar Story at The Playlist.

Click here to read the full article.

Here’s a look at this week’s biggest premieres, parties and openings in Los Angeles and New York, including red carpets for Spirited, Fleishman Is in Trouble, The English and The Handmaid’s Tale finale.

Spirited premiere

Apple celebrated the global premiere of Spirited in New York on Monday, with stars Will Ferrell, Ryan Reynolds, Octavia Spencer, Tracy Morgan, Sunita Mani, Patrick Page, Loren Woods, Marlow Barkley, Aimee Carrero, Andrea Anders and Jen Tullock. Filmmakers in attendance included director, writer and producer Sean Anders; producers George Dewey, John Morris, Jessica Elbaum and David Koplan executive producer Diana Pokorny; and composers and EPs Justin Paul and Benj Pasek.

Aimee Carrero, Ryan Reynolds, Will Ferrell, Octavia Spencer, Patrick Page and Sean Anders Ryan Reynolds and Will Ferrell

Fleishman Is in Trouble premiere

Stars Jesse Eisenberg, Claire Danes, Lizzy Caplan, Adam Brody, Meara Mahoney Gross and...

Somewhere between “Alice in Wonderland” and “The Little Prince” in style and sensibility, Winsor McCay’s weekly funny-pages serial “Little Nemo in Slumberland” more than deserves a proper big-screen adaptation. Not that people haven’t attempted it over the years. And not that “Constantine” director Francis Lawrence’s ugly and all-around off-putting kiddie movie counts — or even has much of anything to do with McCay’s ultra-imaginative turn-of-the-20th-century comic strip.

Yes, the main character is named Nemo, and yes, most of the film takes place in the fantastical subconscious realm of Slumberland, where gravity and time play by altogether unpredictable rules. But that’s about as far as the similarities go — which might explain why Netflix hasn’t bothered to underline the connection in its marketing campaign. “Slumberland” feels less like an adaptation of “Little Nemo” than another big, unwieldy modern visual effects movie loosely “inspired by” an earlier piece of name-brand IP.

Sony’s Columbia Pictures has pushed back the release date for its live-action Harold and the Purple Crayon film by five months, from January 27 to June 30, 2023.

The film from Oscar-nominated director Carlos Saldanha (Ferdinand) was previously set to open against Universal’s genre-bender Distant with Anthony Ramos, IFC Films’ Bob Odenkirk comedy Worlds Apart and Lionsgate’s action-thriller Plane starring Gerard Butler. It will contend on its new date with James Mangold’s Indiana Jones 5, in which Harrison Ford is joined by Fleabag‘s Phoebe Waller-Bridge, Mads Mikkelsen, Boyd Holbrook and more.

Based on the 1955 children’s book of the same name by Crockett Johnson, Harold and the Purple Crayon follows Harold — a curious four-year-old who, with his purple crayon, has the power to create a world of his own. The film’s ensemble includes Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel, Lil Rel Howery, Ravi Patel, Camille Guaty, Tanya Reynolds and Pete Gardner.

Slumberland Trailer 2 — Netflix has released the second movie trailer for Slumberland (2022). View here the first Slumberland film trailer. Crew Francis Lawrence‘s Slumberland stars Marlow Barkley, Jason Momoa, Kyle Chandler, Chris O’Dowd, India de Beaufort, Humberly Gonzalez, Luxton Handspiker, and Ava Cheung. David Guion and Michael Handelman wrote the screenplay [...]

Continue reading: Slumberland (2022) Movie Trailer 2: Marlow Barkley finds Eccentric Outlaw Jason Momoa in a Fantasy World...

Take a journey into your wildest imagination in this new trailer for Slumberland. The new Netflix family film has just released the latest trailer. Francis Lawrence, the director of The Hunger Games movies and Constantine, brings us his latest fantasy epic in the vein of The Neverending Story or Labyrinth. Slumberland is adapted from a comic strip from Winsor McCay titled Little Nemo in Slumberland.

Slumberland sports a cast including Jason Momoa, Marlow Barkley, Chris O’Dowd, Kyle Chandler, Weruche Opia, India de Beaufort, Humberly González.

The film is written by David Guion and Michael Handelman (Night at the Museum; Secret of the Tomb) and produced by Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, David Ready, and Francis Lawrence.

The official Netflix synopsis:

Slumberland takes audiences to a magical new place, a dreamworld where precocious Nemo (Marlow Barkley) and her eccentric companion Flip (Jason Momoa) embark on the adventure of a lifetime. After her...

Get ready to enter the World of Dreams. During Netflix's Tudum fan event, which is a smorgasbord of updates for all the things the streamer has on its docket, Jason Momoa introduced a sneak peak clip of the upcoming film "Slumberland." Based on the the acclaimed comic strip "Little Nemo In Slumberland" by Winsor McCay, Momoa portrays the eccentric outlaw Flip. Horns, height, and all!

The sneak peak clip focuses on Marlow Barkley's Nemo and Momoa's Flip as they are about to transition from the Waking World to the Dream World. Serving as an introduction for both Nemo and the audience, Flip breaks down the rules of travel between the realms. In the process, we also see how the world transforms around them. Glittery and gold, the realm (and Flip) go from drab to fab. Try not to be distracted, though. Pay attention to those rules. 

Rule number one,...

(Welcome to ...And More, our no-frills, zero B.S. guide to when and where you can watch upcoming movies and shows, and everything else you could possibly stand to know.)

It seems like Jason Momoa has grown weary of spending all his free time under the sea as Aquaman, because he's decided to embody a new mythological creature with a look that I promise you could never anticipate. Momoa is set to become a nine-foot-tall half-man, half-beast creature with shaggy fur and long tusks. What kind of horrifying tale could require such a monster, you ask? Just the story of Little Nemo — not the fish, but an adorable little girl who embarks on a fantastical journey through dreams to find her father. All of this takes place in Netflix's upcoming film "Slumberland," and if it sounds familiar, then you might be recalling the Winsor McCay comic strip that inspired the movie's story.

A horned, goose-riding magical mystery tour-ish Jason Momoa (Aquaman) welcomes a young girl to the world of dreams in Netflix’s Slumberland teaser trailer. The film’s based on Winsor McCay’s classic comic strip Little Nemo in Slumberland and introduces a fantastical dream world far different from Netflix’s The Sandman.

In addition to Jason Momoa, Slumberland stars Kyle Chandler, Marlow Barkley, Chris O’Dowd, Weruche Opia, India de Beaufort, and Humberly González. Francis Lawrence, director of The Hunger Games: Catching Fire and Mockingjay, directs from a screenplay by David Guion and Michael Handelman.

Producers include Lawrence, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, and David Ready.

The teaser trailer was accompanied by new photos from the family-friendly film that’s set to premiere on November 18, 2022.

Marlow Barkley as Nemo and Jason Momoa as Flip in ‘Slumberland’ (Photo Credit: Netflix © 2022)

The Plot: Slumberland takes audiences to a magical new place, a dreamworld where...

Welcome to the land of dreams.

On Wednesday, Netflix debuted the first teaser for the new family-adventure film “Slumberland”, starring Jason Momoa.

Read More: Jason Momoa Has Kristen Bell Flustered On ‘The Late Late Show’

Photo: Netflix Photo: Netflix

In the film, Momoa plays the eccentric outlaw Flip, who comes from the secret dreamworld of Slumberland.

“After her father Peter (Kyle Chandler) is unexpectedly lost at sea, young Nemo (Marlow Barkley)’s idyllic Pacific Northwest existence is completely upended when she is sent to live in the city with her well-meaning but deeply awkward Uncle Phillip (Chris O’Dowd),” the official description reads.

Photo: Alan Markfield/Netflix © 2022 Photo: Netflix

“Her new school and new routine are challenging by day but at night, a secret map to the fantastical world of Slumberland connects Nemo to Flip, a rough-around-the-edges but lovable outlaw who quickly becomes her partner and guide. She and Flip soon...

Exclusive: Pete Gardner (Crazy Ex-Girlfriend) will star alongside Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel, Lil Rel Howery, Ravi Patel, Camille Guaty and Tanya Reynolds in Sony Pictures’ live-action adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon, which has wrapped production.

The film from Oscar-nominated director Carlos Saldanha (Ferdinand) is based on the 1955 children’s book by Crockett Johnson, which follows Harold—a curious four-year-old who, with his purple crayon, has the power to create a world of his own. David Guion and Michael Handelman (Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb) adapted the screenplay, with John Davis (Dolemite Is My Name) producing through Davis Entertainment. The film is currently in post-production and is slated for release in theaters on January 27, 2023.

Gardner is perhaps best known for his turn as Darryl Whitefeather—the overly-friendly boss of Rachel Bloom’s Rebecca—on The CW’s Emmy-winning musical comedy series, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. The actor has...

Exclusive: Tanya Reynolds (Sex Education) has signed on for a role in Sony Pictures’ live-action adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon. She’s set to star alongside previously announced cast members including Zachary Levi, Zooey Deschanel, Lil Rel Howery, Ravi Patel and Camille Guaty.

The upcoming film from Oscar-nominated director Carlos Saldanha is based on the 1955 children’s book by Crockett Johnson, which follows Harold—a curious four-year-old who, with his purple crayon, has the power to create a world of his own. David Guion and Michael Handelman handled the screenplay adaptation, with John Davis (Dolemite Is My Name) producing through Davis Entertainment. The film is currently in post-production, and is slated for release in theaters on January 27, 2023.

Reynolds is known for her role as Lily on Netflix’s Sex Education. The actress most recently completed...

Exclusive: Louise Lombard (After franchise) has signed on to a role in Christopher Nolan’s Universal Pictures thriller Oppenheimer.

She joins a stacked ensemble led by Cillian Murphy that also includes Emily Blunt, Florence Pugh, Robert Downey Jr., Matt Damon, Rami Malek, Benny Safdie, Josh Hartnett, Dane DeHaan, Jack Quaid, Matthew Modine, Dylan Arnold, David Krumholtz, Alden Ehrenreich, Michael Angarano, David Dastmalchian and Jason Clarke, as previously announced.

In Nolan’s latest, which is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning book American Prometheus: The Triumph and Tragedy of J. Robert Oppenheimer by Kai Bird and the late Martin J. Sherwin, Murphy plays the theoretical physicist of the same name, whose work on the Manhattan Project led to the invention of the atomic bomb. The epic thrusts audiences into the pulse-pounding paradox of the enigmatic man who must risk destroying the world in order to save it.

Nolan is directing from his own script,...

Exclusive: Ravi Patel is set to join Sony Pictures’ live-action adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon, starring Zachary Levi. Academy Award nominee Carlos Saldanha is on board to direct with Lil Rel Howery and Zooey Deschanel also starring in the film.

David Guion & Michael Handelman wrote the screenplay, based on Crockett Johnson’s best-selling children’s book. John Davis is producing through Davis Entertainment. Published in 1955, the book told the story of a 4-year-old who, with the power of his crayon, created worlds around him. The book was a smash and was followed by six more.

Patel will next be seen in Lionsgate’s The Valet, which will be released later this year. He will recur in the Showtime highly anticipated drama Three Women opposite Betty Gilpin, Shailene Woodley, and DeWanda Wise. Patel recently starred in the docuseries Ravi Patel’s Pursuit of Happiness for HBO Max and Bhaag Beanie Bhaag for Netflix,...

Zooey Deschanel Days of Summer) will star alongside Zachary Levi and Lil Rel Howery in Sony Pictures’ live-action adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon, from Oscar-nominated director Carlos Saldanha, Deadline has confirmed.

The film is based on the 1955 children’s book by Crockett Johnson which follows Harold, a curious four-year-old boy who, with his purple crayon, has the the power to create a world of his own.

David Guion and Michael Handelman handled the screenplay adaptation. John Davis (Dolemite Is My Name) is producing through Davis Entertainment.

Deschanel is a Critics’ Choice Award winner who has also been recognized throughout her career with Emmy, Golden Globe and Grammy noms, among other accolades. She’s best known for her turn as Jess in the Fox sitcom New Girl, and for roles in films including (500) Days of Summer,...

Exclusive: Lil Rel Howery is set to join Zachary Levi in Sony Pictures’ live-action adaptation of Harold and the Purple Crayon, which Carlos Saldanha is directing.

David Guion & Michael Handelman wrote the screenplay, which is based on Crockett Johnson’s bestselling children’s book. John Davis is producing through Davis Entertainment.

Published in 1955, the book told the story of a 4-year-old who, with the power of his crayon, created worlds around him. The book was a smash and was followed by six more.

Howery most recently starred opposite Ryan Reynolds in Free Guy as well as the comedy it Vacation Friends. His other credits include Bird Box, starring Sandra Bullock; Jordan Peele’s Get Out, Judas and The Black Messiah and Bad Trip. He is repped by Fourth Wall Management, UTA, The Aziza Work Group, and Cohen Gardner Llp.

Sony Pictures announced Thursday it has blocked out an awards-friendly spot on Dec. 23, 2022 for the Whitney Houston biopic “I Wanna Dance With Somebody,” starring Naomi Ackie.

Coming up first on Oct. 29 is the novel adaptation “A Mouthful of Air,” starring Amanda Seyfried, Finn Wittrock, Amy Irving and Paul Giamatti. Amy Koppelman wrote and directed “A Mouthful of Air,” about a children’s book author haunted by a dark secret. It’s produced by Mike Harrop, Koppelman, Amanda Seyfried, Celine Rattray and Trudie Styler.

Other dates announced include a Sept. 16, 2022 spot for the untitled George Foreman biopic directed by George Tillman, Jr. and stars Khris Davis and Sullivan Jones. Following the life and times of the heavyweight champion, it has a screenplay by Frank Baldwin and George Tillman Jr., and original screenplay by Dan Gordon.

Meanwhile, children’s book adaptation “Lyle, Lyle Crocodile” will open Nov. 18, 2022 instead of the previous date...

Weruche Opia and India de Beaufort have joined Jason Momoa in Slumberland, Francis Lawrence’s take on the influential early 20th century comic strip by Winsor McCay.

Momoa is toplining the Netflix feature project that also has Kyle Chandler, Chris O’Dowd and relative newcomer Marlow Barkley in the cast.

Slumberland is inspired by McCay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland, considered an artistic masterpiece that defined the comic form when it ran in newspapers from 1905 to 1927. It centered on a boy named Nemo who had fantastical dreams that ended by the last panel.

The script by David Guion and Michael Handelman centers on a ...

Weruche Opia and India de Beaufort have joined Jason Momoa in Slumberland, Francis Lawrence’s take on the influential early 20th century comic strip by Winsor McCay.

Momoa is toplining the Netflix feature project that also has Kyle Chandler, Chris O’Dowd and relative newcomer Marlow Barkley in the cast.

Slumberland is inspired by McCay’s Little Nemo in Slumberland, considered an artistic masterpiece that defined the comic form when it ran in newspapers from 1905 to 1927. It centered on a boy named Nemo who had fantastical dreams that ended by the last panel.

The script by David Guion and Michael Handelman centers on a ...

A live-action movie based on the classic children's book Harold and the Purple Crayon is moving forward with Shazam! star Zachary Levi in a lead role. From Sony Pictures, the adaptation is written by David Guion and Michael Handelman. John Davis is producing through David Entertainment. A director hasn't yet been named.

Harold and the Purple Crayon was first published in 1955. Written by Crockett Johnson, the book tells the story of a four-year-old boy who creates an entire world by drawing it with a special purple crayon, culminating with him drawing his own house and bed so he can go to sleep. It's such a simple premise, but the story was a big hit, bringing about six sequels in the following years and concluding with Harold's ABC in 1963.

In 2002, Adelaide Productions developed a 13-episode animated series for HBO based on the original book. Narrated by Sharon Stone and featuring Connor Matheus...

“Shazam” headliner Zachary Levi is attached to star in the live-action “Harold and the Purple Crayon” at Sony Pictures, according to an individual with knowledge of the project.

Screenwriters David Guion and Michael Handelman are writing the screenplay, based on Crockett Johnson’s best-selling children’s book.

“Harold and the Purple Crayon” is Johnson’s most popular book and centers on Harold, a curious four-year-old boy who, with his purple crayon, has the power to create a world of his own simply by drawing it. Six other books soon followed, and inspired many adaptations.

John Davis is producing “Harold and the Purple Crayon” through his Davis Entertainment banner. Davis’ last comedy, “Dolemite Is My Name,” won Best Comedy this past year at the Critics’ Choice Awards and was Golden Globe nominated for Best Picture for a Musical or Comedy.

Levi will next be seen starring in the Richard Linklater’s...

Zachary Levi is attached to star in Sony Pictures’ live-action adaptation of children’s classic, Harold and the Purple Crayon.

David Guion and Michael Handelman, whose credits include Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Dinner for Schmuck, are writing the screenplay for the project, which is in development.

John Davis, the veteran producer who last worked on Dolemite Is My Name and has Disney’s Jungle Cruise next, is producing through Davis Entertainment.

Published in 1955, Harold was written by Crockett Johnson and told the story of a four-year-old who, with the power of his crayon, created worlds around him. The book was ...

Zachary Levi is attached to star in Sony Pictures’ live-action adaptation of children’s classic, Harold and the Purple Crayon.

David Guion and Michael Handelman, whose credits include Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and Dinner for Schmuck, are writing the screenplay for the project, which is in development.

John Davis, the veteran producer who last worked on Dolemite Is My Name and has Disney’s Jungle Cruise next, is producing through Davis Entertainment.

Published in 1955, Harold was written by Crockett Johnson and told the story of a four-year-old who, with the power of his crayon, created worlds around him. The book was ...

Warner Bros. has finally found the filmmaker to help them get to Sesame Street.

Sources tell Variety that “Portlandia” director and co-creator, Jonathan Krisel, is set to helm the live-action “Sesame Street” movie for Warner Bros. The film will be a musical, according to sources.

Shawn Levy is producing with Michael Aguilar. David Guion & Michael Handelman penned the script. Jesse Ehrman is shepherding it for Warner Bros. Sesame Workshop, which holds the rights to the show, will also be involved in the development of the project.

The educational series, which premiered in 1969, features a combination of live-action and puppetry, as well as animation. It is best known as the home of the Jim Henson creations Big Bird, Bert, Ernie, Grover, Oscar the Grouch, Cookie Monster, and Elmo.

After spending years on PBS, Sesame Workshop signed a five-season deal in 2015 with HBO — a Warner Bros. sister company — and WB quickly...

Sesame Street: David Guion and Michael Handelman will write a screenplay for a big-screen version of TV's venerable educational series Sesame Street. The duo previously teamed to work on Shawn Levy's Night at the Museum: Secret of the Tomb and the comedy Dinner for Schmucks. Levy is serving as one of the producers on the upcoming adaptation. [Deadline]   Hindenburg: A new movie version of the real-life Hindenburg disaster is on its way. In 1937, the German passenger airship Hindenburg caught fire while docking in New Jersey (above), resulting in 36 deaths and bringing the airship era to a tragic conclusion. Gary Spinelli is writing a new script revolving around an airship engineer who books passage on the Hindenburg for his Jewish girlfriend in an effort to save...

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Who doesn't remember growing up with Sesame Street? I know it helped me as a kid as I began learning to spell and count (ah, ah, ah). Now it seems a new feature film is on its way from Warner Bros. According to Deadline, they've even tapped scribes David Guion & Michael Handelman (Night At The Museum: Secret Of The Tomb and Dinner With Schmucks) to write the script. Shawn Levy, who... Read More...

The way to Sesame Street will soon run through your local theater. Warner Bros. is moving ahead with a Sesame Street movie, setting Night at the Musuem: Secret of the Tomb scribes David Guion and Michael Handelman to write the script. Shawn Levy, whose recent producing credits include Denis Villeneuve’s Arrival and Netflix’s Stranger Things, will produce. Deadline reports the latest on […]

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