News

Exclusive: Kat Cunning (Rap Sh!t), McCabe Slye (Fear Street), Connor Paolo (The Last Stop in Yuma County) and Eddie Martinez (Night Swim) are set to topline Star People, an independently financed sci-fi drama marking the first narrative feature from writer-director Adam Finberg (The Business of Recovery), which has wrapped production in and around the Phoenix area.

Also in the cast are Martinez’s daughter Adriana Aluna Martinez (Max’s Duster), who here makes her feature debut, and Bradley Fisher (Beau Is Afraid).

Inspired by The Phoenix Lights of 1997, the largest mass UFO sighting in U.S. history, which saw assorted unidentified flying objects observed in the skies over the southwestern U.S., Star People tells the story of a photographer who receives a tip that could finally shed light on her childhood UFO sighting, though a deadly heatwave and unexpected guests threaten to derail her obsessive search for answers.

When Holidate and About Fate writer Tiffany Paulsen first started making the film that would become her feature directorial debut, Winter Spring Summer or Fall stars Jenna Ortega and Percy Hynes White hadn’t even appeared in the Netflix hit Wednesday.

Ortega, Paulsen says, was their “first choice … dream … unicorn” for Remi Aguilar, the ambitious genius with a bright future who falls for Barnes Hawthorne, Hynes White’s music-loving rebel, in the film that plays out with one day per season over the course of a year.

Luckily the actress “loved” the script, Paulsen recalls, adding that she and her lead actress first met as Ortega was getting ready to start filming Wednesday.

“Then we had the long process of working on the script, getting it to studios, trying to find financing — that road takes a while. And by the time we’d gotten around to actually being able to shoot this movie,...

Winter Spring Summer or Fall showcases Jenna Ortega in a new light, telling a love story over four seasons. Director Tiffany Paulsen meticulously crafted visuals and music to differentiate each season in the film. The movie is ultimately about love and first love, exploring the complexities of relationships and compatibility.

Tribeca Film Festival showed the world a new side of Wednesday star Jenna Ortega with Winter Spring Summer or Fall. Starring Ortega and Percy Hynes White (Wednesday), the movie tells the story of a relationship through the recounting of only four daysone in each season. Ortega plays Remi Aguilar, a brilliant, Harvard-bound young woman, who meets Whites Barnes Hawthorne on accident. Over the course of a year, the two must navigate some of the highest highs and lowest lows of first love.

Winter Spring Summer or Fall was directed by Tiffany Paulsen in her feature-length debut. Though its Paulsens first...

Exclusive: Marisol Nichols (Riverdale) will star alongside Jenna Ortega, Percy Hynes White and Adam Rodriguez in the romantic drama Winter Spring Summer or Fall, marking the feature directorial debut of Holidate and About Fate scribe Tiffany Paulsen.

The film billed as Before Sunrise meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower is written by Dan Schoffer, with revisions by Paulsen, and tells the story of teens (Ortega and White) on the cusp of adulthood who meet and fall in love over four significant days of the year.

Nichols will play Ortega’s overbearing attorney mother, who is focused on getting her only daughter into Harvard. Rodriguez is playing Ortega’s father, as previously announced. Mpca’s Brad Krevoy, Wall Fly’s Josh Shader and David Wulf are producing the pic, with Ortega serving as exec producer. Paramount Global Content Distribution is the film’s distributor.

Best known for her role as...

Wednesday Addams and Xavier Thorpe will reunite in a new romantic comedy, as Jenna Ortega and Percy Hynes White will star opposite each other in Winter Spring Summer Or Fall. The two appear in the record-breaking Netflix series Wednesday, a spinoff that sees the titular Addams Family character at a boarding school called Nevermore Academy. Here, she and Xavier (Hynes White) form a platonic relationship after the latter falls head over heels for Wednesday. The series hasn't been officially renewed for season 2, but the return of the two actors would be expected.

As reported by Deadline, Ortega and Hynes White will be reuniting and starring opposite each other in Mpca's upcoming rom-com Winter Spring Summer Or Fall. Ortega will also serve as an executive producer. The film will be directed by Tiffany Paulsen and mark her directorial debut. Its script was written by Dan Schoffer with revisions by Paulsen. Paulsen...

Scream queen and horror's current "It-girl," Jenna Ortega, has signed on to star and produce in a coming-of-age romantic drama that's being described as Richard Linklater's "Before Sunrise" meets "The Perks of Being a Wallflower." The film, "Winter Spring Summer Or Fall," is the feature directorial debut of Tiffany Paulsen, who folks may know for writing the films "Holidate" and "About Fate." The script comes from Dan Schoffer, who wrote the script that was used in the Starz filmmaking competition show, "The Chair," which became Shane Dawson's "Not Cool" and A.M. Lukas' "Hollidaysburg."

In an interesting bit of casting news, Ortega will be starring opposite her "Wednesday" co-star, Percy Hynes White, who played Xavier Thorpe on the Netflix series. The duo will play a pair of teens who "meet and fall in love over four significant days of the year," according to a report from Deadline.

Brad Krevoy of Mpca is producing,...

Exclusive: Adam Rodriguez is set to join Jenna Ortegain Winter Spring Summer or Fall for Mpca. Percy Hynes White is also on board. Ortega is also serving as an executive producer.

The romantic drama is being helmed by Holidate and About Fate writer Tiffany Paulsen, marking her feature debut. The script was written by Dan Schoffer with revisions by Paulsen. The pic is being described as Before Sunrise meets The Perks of Being a Wallflower, the story follows two teens (Ortega and Hynes White) on the cusp of adulthood who meet and fall in love over four significant days of the year. Rodriguez will play Ortega’s father in the films.

Mpca’s Brad Krevoy is producing, along with Josh Shader of Wall Fly and David Wulf. Distribution will be handled by Paramount Global Content Distribution.

Rodriguez currently stars in Criminal Minds: Evolution for Paramount+ reprising the brainy and charismatic brawny fan favorite Luke Alvez.

Exclusive: Jenna Ortega is teaming with her Wednesday co-star, Percy Hynes White in Winter Spring Summer Or Fall for Mpca. Ortega is also serving as an executive producer.

The romantic drama is being helmed by Tiffany Paulsen, marking her feature debut. The script was written by Dan Schoffer with revisions by Paulsen. The pic is being described as Before Sunrise meets The Perks Of Being A Wallflower, the story follows two teens on the cusp of adulthood who meet and fall in love over four significant days of the year.

Mpca’s Brad Krevoy is producing, along with Josh Shader of Wall Fly, and David Wulf.

In addition to Tim Burton’s Wednesday, Ortega most recently starred in the A24 Ti West horror X, Paramount’s Scream 5 and HBO’s The Fallout. Next up for her is Scream 6 out in March as well as Paramount’s Finest Kind...

Exclusive: Quibi has greenlit Sex Next Door which will be directed by Anthony B. Sacco. The new docuseries will explore the lives of four sex workers in Seattle.

The series will give an intimate, introspective look at the personal and professional lives of young people working in the sex industry. It will unpack and address the stigma and pressures that sex workers face by examining their relationships with family, clients, partners, and themselves.

Sex Next Door adds to the growing library of docuseries on Jeffrey Katzenberg and Meg Whitman’s short-form streaming platform set to launch April 6. Their diverse slate of docuseries includes the Reese Witherspoon-narrated nature series Fierce Queens; the drag docuseries Nightgowns from RuPaul’s Drag Race winner Sasha Velour; Lena Waithe’s sneaker culture show You Ain’t Got These as well as Oscar winners Dan Lindsay and Tj Martin’s How We Met, which lets...

In today’s TV news roundup, ABC announced the premiere date for “The Bachelor” Season 24, while Showtime set a date for Eddie Griffin’s new comedy special.

Casting

Freeform announced that it has cast the pilot for “Last Summer.“ Chiara Aurelia will star as Jeanette and Mika Abdalla will star as Kate in this “unconventional thriller” about abduction and popularity. When Abdalla’s Kate gets abducted in small town ’90s Texas, an outcast (Aurelia) becomes the most popular girl in town, only to later become the most despised person in America. The cast also includes Michael Landes as Jeanette’s father Greg; Froy Gutierrez as Jeanette’s secret crush Jamie; Harley Quinn Smith as the quirky outsider Mallory; Allius Barnes (“Unbelievable”) as Jeanette and Mallory’s best friend, Vince; Blake Lee as the kind teacher Martin; Nathaniel Ashton as Jamie’s best friend Ben; and Brooklyn Sudano as a bartender named Angela.

Epix has handed a Season 2 renewal to Sex Life, its documentary series from MGM Unscripted & Alternative Television and Evolution Media.

The series premiered in the summer, and each of its eight episodes followed three different subjects on their sexual and intimate journeys. They ranged from exploring erotic dinner parties and visiting a millennial sex club to experimenting with Japanese bondage and learning the art of pole dancing to rediscovering sexual desire after suffering through a long illness.

Each of the eight hourlong episodes in Season 2 will follows sex-positive individuals, couples and groups as they embark on new physically gratifying and emotionally fulfilling sexual adventures. Production on the new season will begin immediately, Epix said.

“Working with cinematic storytellers to bring viewers the intimate and provocative activities from behind closed doors has broadened the range of exclusive programming MGM Television offers to audiences around the world,” said Barry Poznick,...

The line-up for the 13th Annual New York Television Festival has been officially revealed for a choice week of screenings, educational panels, fan events, and red carpets premieres. This year, truTV will present a screening of “At Home With Amy Sedaris,” while Amy Sedaris herself makes an appearance to celebrate and discuss the launch of her new comedy series.

In addition, “The Deuce” executive producer and director Michelle MacLaren, executive producer Nina Kostoff-Noble, and VP of programming Kathleen McCaffrey will discuss the HBO’s series depiction of the rise of the porn industry in 1970s New York. Executive producer and talent Dana Gould, producer and talent John C. McGinley, and talent Janet Varney will also offer fans a behind-the-scenes look into thse second season of IFC’s comedy-horror series “Stan Against Evil.”

Other standout screenings include the Season 2 premiere of TBS’s “Search Party,” where festival-goers can catch a panel...

Starz has greenlighted Nude, a documentary film about treats! magazine founder Steve Shaw and photographer David Bellemere’s Nu Muses project, from The Chair director-producer Anthony B. Sacco and producer Josh Shader. The feature-length docu explores modern perceptions of modeling, nude photography and body image connected to the evolving social media landscape documenting a group of women working as professional models today. Nude chronicles the casting and creation of…...

David speaks with producers Chris Moore (American Pie, Good Will Hunting) and Josh Shader about what it was like to make the Starz original series The Chair. They discuss advice for first-time filmmakers, what it’s like to feel Zachary Quinto’s wrath, the difficulty of getting indie films seen, and how they might approach The Chair: Season 2 differently. You […]

The post The /Filmcast: Bonus Ep. – Making a Reality Show About Filmmaking (Guests: Chris Moore and Josh Shader from The Chair) appeared first on /Film.

Starz's terrific reality series "The Chair" — in which two first-time filmmakers are picked to direct their own take on the same script — just concluded, with an hour looking at the premieres of both films and with the winner of the $250,000 prize being announced. I spoke with Chris Moore — the "Project Greenlight" alum who dreamed up the series and served as a backer and producer of both the show and the films — about the results of the contest, the transparency of the project, Zachary Quinto (whose production company helped fund both films) hating one movie so much that he took his name off it, and more, coming up just as soon as I identify all the TCA members shown on camera... So, as pretty much everyone — with the possible exception of Chris Moore himself — figured going in, Shane Dawson's gross-out comedy "Not Cool" ended up beating Anna Martemucci's "Hollidaysburg" for the grand prize.

Not only is the idea behind Starz new effort, The Chair, one that makes for a rough road as a show, it’s one that has only a theoretical draw insofar as gaining an audience, and who the target demographic might be. The show will follow two hopeful directors as they each make their own version of a film based on the same script.

Zachary Quinto, and several others, will serve as mentors during the process, which will provide some draw, but as these directors take us through the process of creating a coming-of-age film, does anyone actually want to be a part of that? Sure, the idea sounds good, but it’s hard to tell what the show really looks like, and whether or not watching the behind-the-scenes effort of… who knows what, is really going to draw a crowd.

I guess we’ll find out.

One Screenplay. Two Films.

Starz has announced its first unscripted series, and independent filmmakers may want to tune in. "The Chair" will follow two independent filmmakers as they try bring their directorial debuts to the screen, with the audience voting which will be awarded $250,000 for their project. The two filmmakers are Shane Dawson and Anna Martemucci. Dawson is best known for his YouTube comedy channels, which boast more than 10 million subscribers and almost 1 billion views. Martemucci, meanwhile, wrote and starred in the independent film "Breakup at a Wedding." Both directors will adapt "How Soon is Now," a coming-of-age feature chronicling the first homecoming on a Thanksgiving weekend by a handful of college freshmen, written by Dan Schoffer and produced by Josh Shader. The filmmakers will have their say in rewrites, casting, hiring of crew, and the title of their respective films. The series is created by "Good Will Hunting" and "Project Greenlight" executive producer Chris Moore.

Fourteen years after he greenlighted Project Greenlight at HBO, Chris Albrecht has picked up a followup as Starz‘s first original unscripted series. The pay cable network will air the 10-episode The Chair, created by Project Greenlight executive producer Chris Moore. The competition documentary series follows two directors through the process of bringing their first feature to the screen. The up-and-coming directors, Shane Dawson and Anna Martemucci, are provided with an identical screenplay How Soon Is Now, which they must craft as their own film using the same budget and filming in the same city. The series documents the creation, marketing and theatrical release of both adaptations, which will also air on Starz. Both directors are given the same budget, and both versions use locations in the same city. Through multiplatform voting, the audience will determine which director will be awarded $250,000. The series just wrapped principal photography in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania...

Chris Moore, the executive producer of Oscar-winner Good Will Hunting and HBO’s Project Greenlight, is back with a new filmmaking competition series with a twist. The Chair, which Starz has ordered as its first original unscripted series for 10 episodes to air in fall 2014, follows two directors as they take their first feature film to the big screen. The catch: Each director is provided with the exact same screenplay to transform into his or her own distinct movie.

Both finished films will air on Starz and in theaters, with the winner of the $250,000 prize being determined by viewers’ digital voting and ticket sales.

Two clips and one featurette from Howard Deutch's "My Best Friend's Girl" are coming out in support of the promotional effort for the romantic comedy. One of the clips entitled "Novelty Dildos" displays leading character Kate having a girl talk with her roommate, while the other one called "Dirty Houdini" focuses on Tank telling a bunch of boys about 'dirty houdini'.

Meanwhile, the featurette brings viewers deeper into the story. It plays out never before seen footage from the film as well as explains each character and the plotline from the point of view of the film's stars as well as its producer Josh Shader. It also shows behind-the-scene footage revealing the on-the-set filming of the romantic comedy.

"Best Friend's Girl" tells the story of Tank, Alexis and Dustin. Tank is a master in offending women hired to make women realize that their former boyfriends are the best they can get.

Kate Hudson is set to star opposite Dane Cook in Lionsgate Films' Bachelor No. 2, helmed by Howard Deutch.

Production is slated to begin in August in Boston. A third-quarter 2008 release is planned.

Jordan Cahan's screenplay centers on Tank, a man hired to take girls out on terrible dates to prompt them to return to boyfriends they left. Conflict ensues when he offers his services to his best friend and falls for the girl. Hudson will play the love interest, Alexis.

Cook's production company Superfinger Entertainment is producing with Management 360 and Terra Firma. Producers include Management 360's Guymon Casady and Doug Johnson; Terra Firma's Adam Herz, Greg Lessans and Josh Shader; and New Wave's Barry Katz and Brian Volk-Weiss. President of production Michael Paseornek will oversee the project for Lionsgate.

Hudson was nominated for an Academy Award for best supporting actress for her role as Penny Lane in Almost Famous. Her credits also include You, Me and Dupree. She is set to star opposite Matthew McConaughey in Warner Bros. Pictures' Fool's Gold, slated for a February 2009 release.

Dane Cook is in negotiations to star in Bachelor No. 2, a comedy that Howard Deutch is in final negotiations to direct for Lionsgate.

Cook's production company Superfinger Entertainment is producing the film along with Management 360's Guymon Casady and Doug Johnson as well as Terra Firma's Adam Herz, Greg Lessans and Josh Shader. Barry Katz and Brian Volk-Weiss of New Wave Entertainment also are producing.

Written by Jordan B. Cahan, the script focuses on a man named Tank, known for being hired to take girls out on absolutely terrible dates so they will crawl back to the boyfriends they dumped. When his best friend needs his help with the girl who dumped him, Tank struggles with his raging libido and the meaning of friendship.

An August shoot is being eyed.

Cahan is repped by CAA and Management 360.

Deutch, repped by ICM, is attached to executive produce and direct the comic book adaptation Preacher for HBO.

Cook, a successful stand-up comedian, takes a dramatic turn with Mr. Brooks, the Kevin Costner thriller opening Friday.

Helmer Frank Coraci is set to follow up his Click success with 20th Century Fox's Part-Time Pirates. Terra Firma Films is producing the high-concept adventure-comedy.

The project, written by newcomer Jordan Cahan based on his original idea, has long been under wraps at the studio, which acquired the scribe's pitch in 2004.

The story revolves around working-class guys who break free from their mundane lives and take to the high seas, raiding the yachts of their greedy former bosses. In the process, they find their manhood by becoming modern-day pirates.

"Pirates are the original punk rockers," Coraci said. "Politically and socially with everything going on in the world there's never been a better time than now to revive that spirit. Arrrrrrgh!"

Terra Firma's Adam Herz, Greg Lessans and Josh Shader are producing. The project was hatched by Cahan and the Universal-based shingle and developed from scratch internally. Fox's Debbie Liebling is overseeing the project for the studio.

In addition to Click, Coraci also directed The Waterboy and The Wedding Singer. He is repped by Endeavor, Management 360 and attorney Jason Sloane.