News

Exclusive: London and La-based production and management firm 42 is on a roll. Latest movie Ironbark, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, was yesterday snapped up by Lionsgate at Sundance in a mid-seven figure deal, while feel-good comedy pic Military Wives was one of the sparkier U.S. acquisitions at Toronto.

Today, we can reveal that Netflix has re-upped its first-look movie deal with the company for another two years. After features including In Darkness and In The Shadow Of The Moon, 42 is now making Anthony Mackie sci-fi Outside The Wire and Adam Randall’s Night Teeth for the streamer. Company co-founder Ben Pugh is currently in pre-production in New Orleans on the latter.

It’s a busy time for 42, which is expanding on both sides of the pond. Head-count has grown to 50. New La hires include former Imperative Entertainment and Paramount Pictures staffer Kari Hatfield who has joined as Director Of Development, Film...

MGM’s TV division has inked a first-look deal with production and management outfit 42. The two parties will jointly develop drama projects aimed at the U.S. market.

London- and La-based 42 will work with MGM on original ideas as well as mining the historic studio’s library for IP that can be reworked for TV and on-demand platforms.

42’s TV projects include an adaptation of “Watership Down” for the BBC and Netflix, and the drama “Traitors” for Channel 4 and Netflix. It is currently in production on Julian Fellowes’ drama on the history of soccer, “The English Game.” MGM’s current slate includes the lauded TV adaptation of “The Handmaid’s Tale” for Hulu, and MGM movie-inspired series “Fargo” for FX and “Get Shorty” for Epix.

“Our partnership with the dynamic team of managers and producers who form 42 will allow us to collaborate with global top-tier talent who can continue our long legacy of creating distinctive,...

MGM Television has struck a first-look deal with British management and production company 42, the business behind the latest adaptation of Watership Down and Channel 4 and Netflix drama Traitors.

The two companies have inked the multi-year production deal to identify and co-develop scripted series for the U.S. market. They will partner to create original scripted projects and also draw from MGM’s library.

42 has offices in London and La and was set up in 2013. Run by five partners, Rory Aitken, Ben Pugh, Kate Buckley, Cathy King and Josh Varney, the company produced Watership Down, starring James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, John Boyega, Sir Ben Kingsley, Daniel Kaluuya, Gemma Arterton and Olivia Colman, for the BBC and Netflix, C4/Netflix’s Traitors starring Michael Stuhlbarg, Emma Appleton, Keeley Hawes and Luke Treadaway and Rob Lowe-fronted ITV drama Wild Bill. It is currently in production on Netflix’s The English Game from Julian Fellowes.

Parties to create original scripted programming, draw on MGM library.

MGM Television and UK/Us management and production company 42 have agreed an exclusive first-look production deal to co-develop scripted television series for the Us market.

The deal will see the companies creating original scripted programming and drawing on MGM’s library of properties to broaden their slate.

London- and Los Angeles-based 42 is known for TV projects including last year’s animated Watership Down mini-series for the BBC and Netflix, and this year’s thriller series Traitors, for Channel 4 and Netflix. Currently in production for next year is The English Game,...

‘Star Wars’ regular John Boyega is set to star in Jeremy Saulnier’s Netflix thriller ‘Rebel Ridge’.

The movie is said to be a high-velocity thriller that explores systemic American injustices through bone-breaking action sequences, suspense and dark humour.

‘Green Room’ director Saulnier takes the helm on the film which he wrote. It will be produced by Filmscience and Bonneville Pictures. Saulnier will also produce alongside Anish Savjani, Neil Kopp, Vincent Savino.

Also in news – ‘Cleanin’ Up The Town: Remembering Ghostbusters’ to receive its premiere at the BFI IMAX

No plot details, other casting or when the project will go into production has been made available.

Boyega will next be seen reprising his role of Finn in the final chapter of the current ‘Star Wars’ run in ‘The Rise of Skywalker’. He previously played the role in ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’ and ‘Star Wars: The Last Jedi’. Outside of the LucasFilm universe,...

Former ‘Doctor Who’ star, Peter Capaldi has reportedly joined James Gunn’s ‘The Suicide Squad. Also in report’s is that Saturday Night Live’s Pete Davidson is also in talks for a role.

No further details of what part either will play have emerged.

Capaldi would join the likes of Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag) as well as new castmembers Idris Elba, David Dastmalchian (Polka-Dot Man), Daniela Melchior (Ratcatcher), Flula Borg, Steve Agee (King Shark) and Nathan Fillion.

Also in news – Richard Linklater to adapt Stephen Sondheim musical ‘Merrily We Roll Along’

Gunn is set to write and direct the follow-up. who better to convey the story Gunn developed than Gunn himself. The sequel, which has the working title of ‘The Suicide Squad’ is said to have Gunn’s tonal voice to the script. The project is also...

Exclusive: We hear that Doctor Who actor and 1995 Oscar winner Peter Capaldi is boarding James Gunn’s The Suicide Squad at Warner Bros. We also hear that Saturday Night Live‘s Pete Davidson has been in talks for a small cameo in the pic, and there’s a chance he’ll do it between breaks on Saturday Night Live. That deal is still coming together.

Word is that there’s a table reading for the DC sequel on Sept. 11 with production starting Sept. 23 at Pinewood Studios in Atlanta, Ga for an Aug. 6, 2021 release.

No details were given in regards to which roles Capaldi or Davidson will play.

Cast to date for The Suicide Squad includes Margot Robbie (Harley Quinn), Viola Davis (Amanda Waller), Jai Courtney (Captain Boomerang), Joel Kinnaman (Rick Flag) as well as new castmembers Idris Elba, David Dastmalchian (Polka-Dot Man), Daniela Melchior (Ratcatcher), Flula Borg, Steve Agee, Nathan Fillion and Taika Waititi. Gunn wrote the script to The Suicide Squad. Chuck Roven and Peter Safran are producing. Ep is Nik Korda.

The Oscar and BAFTA-winning Scottish born Capaldi, who is repped by Paradigm and Troika, won both trophies for directing and writing the live action short Franz Kafka’s It’s a Wonderful Life which starred Richard E. Grant. Capaldi also directed nine episodes of BBC’s Getting On which was ultimately adapted into a U.S. edition for HBO. His credits include Bill Forsyth’s Local Hero, BBC’s TV series The Thick of It (for which he won a BAFTA for comedy series lead actor), World War Z, Paddington 2, Christopher Robin and ITV/Netflix’s Watership Down animated series.

Davidson joined Saturday Night Live in Sept. 2014. He recently starred and co-wrote his star vehicle for Universal, which Judd Apatow directed and produced. The pic opens on June 19, 2020. Davidson also starred in Netflix’s Motley Crue biopic The Dirt and Big Time Adolescence which made its world premiere at Sundance. He’s also the voice of Jerry in Sony’s Angry Birds 2, and stars in Jon Turturro’s upcoming Big Lebowski spinoff The Jesus Rolls. Davidson is repped by ICM, Brillstein Entertainment and Gray Krauss Sandler Des Rochers.

While animation is a vast medium that allows filmmakers to explore a wide range of stories and genres, horror is one particular genre that traditionally hasn’t done well in the medium. Sure, there are a few outliers like the work of Satoshi Kon and Watership Down, but most animated movies and series fail to scare […]

The post ‘To Your Last Death’ Review: Gory and Darkly Funny Animated Horror [FrightFest 2019] appeared first on /Film.

In something of a surprise bit of news, Gemma Chan may be joining the cast of Marvel's The Eternals. This is a project we've been hearing a lot about over the course of the last year or so, but it wasn't officially confirmed by Marvel Studios until their recent San Diego Comic-Con presentation. The core cast was confirmed at that time as well, as was director Chloe Zhao (The Rider). However, now we have word that Chan may be boarding the ensemble, which is particularly interesting since she already starred in Captain Marvel earlier this year.

According to a new report, Gemma Chan is in talks to join The Eternals in an unspecified role. Chan starred as Minn-Erva in Captain Marvel, alongside Brie Larson's Carol Danvers. Peculiarly and amazingly, Chan is not definitely reprising her role as Minn-Erva. While details remain scarce, it's reported that she may be playing another role altogether.

Netflix has asserted that it has a “long-term commitment” to producing shows out of the UK and is growing “deep roots” with the British creative community.

Anne Mensah, Vice President of Original Series, Netflix told the House of Lords’ Communications Committee, “I was brought in to essentially work with British talent and to help and support that talent to reach a global stage. I believe my appointment and the appointment of my team in London is an indication of Netflix’s commitment and its long-term commitment to production in the UK.”

The former Sky drama chief said that Netflix wanted to have a mixed model in the UK with original commissions, co-productions with linear broadcasters including the BBC and Channel 4 and co-licensing deals. “It’s about collaboration, not competition,” she said.

She also revealed that Netflix, which now has around 130 employees in the UK, a marked increase over the last twelve months,...

The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences (NATAS) today announced the winners of the 46th Annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards. The gala was held at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium in Pasadena, Southern California.

“Tonight’s awards ceremony is an example of the extraordinary depth and breadth of Daytime television,” said Terry O’Reilly, Chairman, NATAS. “It is with great pleasure that we honor these talented nominees and a special honor to be recognizing Jacques Pepin’s culinary career with our Lifetime Achievement Award.”

Check out the Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards winners list below.

Digital Drama

Best Digital Actress

Vanessa Baden Kelly, “Giants”

Best Digital Actor

Kevin Spirtas, “After Forever”

Best Digital Supporting Actress

Erin Cherry, “After Forever”

Best Digital Supporting Actor

Terrence Terrell, “Giants”

Best Digital Guest Performer

Sean Patrick Flannery, “The Bay”

Best Digital Writing

“After Forever”

Best Digital Directing

“After Forever”

Talk Show

Best Talk/Entertainment...

“The Young and the Restless” was named Outstanding Drama Series at the 46th Daytime Emmy Awards, which were handed out Sunday evening at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

It was a big night for the actors on ABC’s “General Hospital,” who won five of the seven awards for their performances, including Maurice Benard, who won for Lead Actor, Vernee Watson for Supporting Actress, Max Gail for Supporting Actor, Hayley Erin for Younger Actress and Patricia Bethune for Guest Performer.

Jacqueline MacInnes Wood from “The Bold and the Beautiful” took home the trophy for Lead Actress, her fourth nomination and first win.

dytime

Also Read: 'The Young and the Restless' Leads Daytime Creative Arts Emmys

Valerie Berinelli let out a “holy s—” when her Food Network show “Valerie’s Home Cooking” won for Outstanding Culinary Program, and she was in tears when her name was later called for Outstanding Culinary Host.

The 46th annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards on Friday recognized the top achievements in daytime television.

CBS took home 12 awards, the most of any network, with Amazon Prime Video, Netflix, and PBS right behind at 10 awards each. With five nods, the Eye’s “The Young and the Restless” soap was the program with the most awards, while “After Forever” and “Crow: The Legend” followed with four apiece. “Sesame Street,” “The Ellen Degeneres Show,” and “The Talk” all won three awards.

Variety also nabbed an outstanding special class series Emmy for its “Actors on Actors” series. Additionally, chef Jacques Pepin was recognized with the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Below is a selection of Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Award winners:

Outstanding Preschool Children’s Series

“Sesame Street,” HBO

Outstanding Children’s or Family Viewing Series

“Odd Squad,” PBS

Outstanding Short Format Children’s Program

“Nick Jr Color Song: Red,” Nickelodeon

Outstanding Preschool...

The CBS soap opera “The Young and the Restless” led all shows in wins at the 46th Annual Daytime Creative Arts Emmy Awards, which were handed out on Friday night at the Pasadena Civic Auditorium.

The series won five awards, to four for Amazon Prime Video’s “After Forever” and Baobab Studios’ “Crown: The Legend.” Three awards each went to “Days of Our Lives,” “Sesame Street,” “The Ellen DeGeneres Show” and “The Talk.”

CBS was the leading network, with 12 wins, to 10 for Amazon Prime Video, Netflix and PBS.

Also Read: Daytime Emmy Nominations: 'Days of Our Lives,' 'General Hospital' Lead Nominees

The show is a precursor to the Daytime Emmy Awards, which will take place on Sunday, May 5.

Here is the list of winning shows. The full list of individual winners in each category can be found at the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences website.

Starz has acquired feature drama-documentary Under The Wire based on Paul Conroy’s book of the same name, which chronicles Sunday Times war correspondent Marie Colvin and photographer Conroy’s journey from inside Syria in 2012.

The documentary hails from London-based indie Arrow Media, History Films in association with A&E IndieFilms, BBC Storyville and the British Film Institute in association with Vice Films, and Arrow’s joint creative director Tom Brisley. Under the Wire will premiere Monday, April 22nd at 9 Pm Et/Pt on Starz.

Helmed by BAFTA-nominated director Chris Martin (The War On Democracy) and based on Conroy’s book, Under The Wire tells the incredible story of his and Marie Colvin’s fateful mission – and Conroy’s epic battle to escape the city.

On February 13, 2012, Sunday Times war correspondent Colvin and photographer Conroy entered war-ravaged Syria to cover the plight of Syrian civilians trapped in Homs, a city...

Eugenie Furniss is joining London- and Los Angeles-based management and production company 42 as literary manager, it was announced Wednesday. The company’s slate include movie “Ironbark,” a Cold War thriller starring Benedict Cumberbatch, and TV series “Traitors,” a spy thriller coming to Netflix in the U.S. at the end of the month.

Furniss joins 42 in the London office to expand the company’s offerings in representation and create a book division that represents international authors, both across fiction and non-fiction. She brings with her a wealth of best-selling writers, with a particular interest in stories that translate to other media. Her clients’ work has been adapted for TV, including the hit BBC series “Call the Midwife,” which is filming season nine, the BBC’s “Hotel Babylon,” which aired for four seasons and starred Dexter Fletcher, and ITV’s “Mr. Selfridge,” starring Jeremy Piven.

Most recently Furniss set up and...

Sky has ordered a third season of its original UK drama-thriller series Tin Star, starring Tim Roth, Genevieve O’Reilly and Abigail Lawrie. Plot details are unknown at this stage but Sky says the “final chapter of the trilogy”, created by British writer Rowan Joffe, will pick up where season two recently left off with Jack (Roth) and Angela’s (O’Reilly) revelation of a devastating truth to daughter Anna (Lawrie) and the family’s dark history catching up with them as their ultimate threat arrives on their doorstep. Producers are Kudos and Gaumont UK. The third instalment (6 x 60mins) will go into production later this year and will be set in and around Liverpool, culminating with the Worth family returning to the UK to confront their menacing past. The series is internationally distributed by Endemol Shine International and Sky Vision. Upcoming Sky dramas for 2019 include Catherine The Great, Chernobyl,...

It’s hard to describe the upcoming Epix series “Perpetual Grace, Ltd.” in any sort of brevity. Sure, you could say that the series follows the attempt of two men to rob an older couple that runs a church. But then again, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.

Read More: Netflix/BBC’s ‘Watership Down’ Is A Modern Take On A Classic Tale Hobbled By Terrible Animation [Review]

As seen in the trailer for the series, there’s so much more to this new drama than just the robbery that gets the plot moving.

Continue reading ‘Perpetual Grace, Ltd.’ Trailer: Ben Kingsley Stars As A Holy Man With A Penchant For Violence In New Drama Series at The Playlist.

The original Watership Down movie is most known as the one that scarred many childhoods due to its major violence. So, of course, many heads turned when Netflix decided to make their own series of this rabbit refugee adventure. As you can imagine, Netflix's Watership Down was very different from the 1978 British movie that gave kids nightmares.

Related: Watership Down Voice Cast & Character Guide

We will certainly discuss the shock value. But it’s also worth noting that these films were inspired from the Watership Down book by Richard Adams. The book was rich in rabbit lore, language, and at its core, it was the story of refugees trying to find a home. So we will also talk about the book in these comparisons as well.

British actor Daniel Kaluuya is in talks to reunite with ‘Black Panther’ helmer Ryan Coogler on his next project ‘Jesus Was My Homeboy’ a story focusing on the story of grassroots activist and Black Panther member, Fred Hampton.

Also circling the project is ‘Sorry to Bother You’ and BAFTA rising star nominee Lakeith Stanfield. Kaluuya is up for the role of Hampton while Stanfield would play William O’Neal, the man who betrayed Hampton to the FBI.

The film will focus on the rise and untimely demise of Hampton as seen through O’Neal’s eyes. Hampton was a respected and talented grass-roots civil rights activist who rose to become chairman of the Illinois chapter of the Panthers organization and deputy chairman of the national Bpp. But his charisma, oratorical skills and swift ascent marked him out as a threat in the eyes of the FBI and in 1969 he and...

Director Pete Dodd will pitch “King of the Swamp” at Bordeaux’s Cartoon Movie, kicking off March 5.

A 3D CGI comedy-adventurer, “King of the Swamp” follows Clive, a bad-tempered but endearing old Swamp Monster, in a place where Fairy Tale creatures live under human rules, expected to ignore the abilities that make them different. Along with Sam, a misguided fairy boy and Daisy, a human girl, the reluctant Swamp Monster hero becomes embroiled in a plan to replace humans as the dominant species.

“King of the Swamp” is produced by Dodd’s U.K.-based Mummysboy Ltd., and budgeted at $9 million. It will be Dodd’s second animated feature after 2011’s “Freddy Frogface.”

“This is an original story inspired by watching how children play, fantastically unprejudiced, naturally mixing all sorts of characters that ‘don’t fit’ with one other. There’s a kind of magic in not‘knowing any better...

As he did last year, illustrator Ben Matsuya has reimagined five of 2018’s best films as comic strip panels. After highlighting “Get Out,” “The Shape of Water,” “Okja,” “Good Time,” and “The Florida Project” in 2017, the artist has done the honors for “Black Panther,” “The Favourite,” “First Reformed,” “Eighth Grade,” and “You Were Never Really Here” this time, matching key scenes with the films’ overall themes. Avail yourself of them below.

“Eighth Grade,” for instance, is depicted as its young heroine’s YouTube channel, with videos like “How to Be Yourself” and “Hanging Out With Dad” offering glimpses of crucial moments from Bo Burnham’s coming-of-age drama — and garnering 12 views at most.

“The Favourite,” meanwhile, brings Queen Anne’s rabbits to life in a disturbing way that wouldn’t be out of place in “Watership Down,” and “First Reformed” looks like a stained-glass window.

The most traditional of the bunch is “Black Panther,...

Winners of the 46th annual Annie Awards were revealed on Feb. 2, 2019 at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. “Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse” won all seven of its races including Best Studio Animated Feature. Its main Oscar rival for that award, ‘Incredibles 2,” took just 2 of its leading 11 bids. The Annies, which hand out awards in 32 categories, are presented by the Hollywood chapter of the International Animated Film Assn. Scroll down for the full list of winners (and complete roster of nominees).

In addition to the competitive awards, honorary Windsor McKay awards were presented honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation by director, animator and art director Ralph Eggleston, voice director and voice actress Andrea Romano and, posthumously, to Frank Braxton, the first African-American animator, animation director and guild president. The Ub Iwerks Award was presented to Ton Roosendaal for developing Blender Open Source Animation Software while the...

Claude Barras’ “Savages!,” Alain Gagnol and Jean-Loup Felicioli’s “Tales of the Hedgehog” and Peter Dodd’s “King of the Swamp” are among the sixty-six projects –a 10% increase from last year– to be pitched at the 21st Cartoon Movie, Europe’s leading animated movie co-production event, which will take place in the French port city of Bordeaux, kicking off March 5.

Projects will be offered to buyers and potential partners in different stages: 28 in concept, 24 in development, seven in production and seven sneak previews.

“Savages!” is the much-awaited sophomore project from Switzerland’s Barras, following his multi-awarded and foreign-language Oscar nominated “My Life as a Zucchini.” A stop-motion feature, “Savages!” is produced by France’s Prélude in co-production with Switzerland’s Helium Films. It tells the story of the friendship between 11-year-old Kéria and a Bornean orangutan baby. They will be forced to flee from Kéria’s father who wants to...

Stars: Kristofer Dayne, Steve Aaron-Sipple, Dan Abrams, Lydie Misiek, John R. Walker, Caroline Munro, Honey Holmes, Gary Martin, Dani Thompson | Written by Garry Charles, Andy Davie, Tony Jopia, Kristofer Dayne | Directed by Tony Jopia

If Monty Pythons and the Holy Grail (1975) and Watership Down (1978) taught me anything growing up, if it doesn’t look like it isn’t dressed up to attend the Playboy Mansion, rampant rabbits are dangerous. Tony Jopia takes that premise one step further with his B-Movie creature feature Cute Little Buggers.

When hostile aliens land on earth with the intension of taking over the planet to save their own race, they choose to mutate the local rabbit population. Blending the rabbits with alien DNA, they knowingly unleashed the cute but vicious blood thirsty creatures on the unsuspecting locals. As the butchered bodies starts piling and the rampant rabbits begin to rampage, the locals are forced to...

Sam Smith teams with Fifth Harmony’s Normani for the sultry new single “Dancing With a Stranger,” which the duo released digitally Friday.

“Dancing With a Stranger” is the result of a chance meeting between Smith and Normani: Smith was writing new music at a Los Angeles studio while Normani recorded in the studio next door. The two singers professed to be fans of each other’s work before Smith recruited Normani for the single.

“I don’t want to be alone tonight/It’s pretty clear that I...

As an early morning Christmas gift, Universal Pictures dropped the first trailer for director Jordan Peele's new nightmare Us. A follow-up to Get Out, this has been described as a new kind of monster movie by the filmmaker. In a new interview released in conjunction with the trailer, Peele breaks down what we see in the first look footage, explaining the terror at the heart of this pulse-pounding thriller.

After sending shockwaves across contemporary culture and setting a new standard for provocative, socially-conscious horror films with his directorial debut, Get Out, Academy Award-winning visionary Jordan Peele returns with his Us trailer, teasing another original nightmare that he has written, directed and produced. Set in present day along the iconic Northern California coastline, Us, from Monkeypaw Productions, stars Oscar winner Lupita Nyong'o as Adelaide Wilson, a woman returning to her beachside childhood home with her husband, Gabe (Black Panther's Winston Duke...

Those of us who were kids in the 1970s probably remember being traumatized by the British animated film Watership Down. Though based on the children’s novel by Richard Adams, the film delivered graphic depictions of violence, unglamorous examinations of death, and the scariest bunny rabbits ever drawn. Now the cartoon that spawned a million nightmares […] The post Traumatizing Watership Down is Now a Netflix Series appeared first on Dread Central.

Catherine Pearson Dec 23, 2018

The BBC and Netflix version of Watership Down is a puzzling revival of the classic.

This article comes from Den of Geek UK.

This review contains spoilers.

You’d have to be made of stone to not get a little something in your eye at the close of director Noam Murro’s two-part series. It’s an emotional finale to a unique story of companionship, survival and human destruction that had readers of Richard Adams’ 1972 novel and viewers of Martin Rosen’s 1978 film wiping away tears.

For all the peril the rabbits experience after fleeing their doomed warren to find the beautiful Watership Down, we don’t expect the emotional gut-punch of Hazel’s visit from the black rabbit as he finally rests, aged and weary, in the safety of his well-earned home. We’re prepared for his death in a vicious fight to the death with Captain Woundwort,...

This weekly feature is in addition to TVLine’s daily What to Watch listings.

With nearly 500 scripted shows now airing across broadcast, cable, streaming and whatever “Viki” is, it’s easy to forget that a favorite comedy is returning, or that the new “prestige drama” you anticipated is about to debut. So consider this our reminder to set your DVR, order a Season Pass, pop a fresh Memorex into the Vcr… however it is you roll.

On this relatively quiet week, you’ll still find four season finales (including Van Helsing and Sally4Ever), two series finales (R.I.P.

Watership Down is one of the greatest stories of the last 50 years, if not all time. Originally written by Richard Adams back in 1972, the award-winning novel was adapted into a fantastic animated feature in 1978 and a more recent animated series at the turn of the millennium. Adams' story about anthropomorphic rabbits attempting to survive the harsh realities of the natural world and the humans who are encroaching on their territory has also been adapted into other media over the years. The latest attempt is a computer-generated miniseries from BBC and Netflix, available to stream in …...

On Friday morning Sam Smith released “Fire On Fire,” a song he co-wrote with producer/songwriter Steve Mac for the forthcoming adaptation of the classic Richard Adams’ novel, “Watership Down.”

The song, which will serve as the theme to the animated mini-series, is a characteristically sweeping Smith ballad, recorded with the BBC Concert Orchestra at London’s Abbey Road Studios in September 2018.

“I am so excited and honored to be a part of this new adaptation of ‘Watership Down,’” Smith said. “This story is so powerful and timeless, and it has been thrilling to work with director Noam Murro and his team and the incredible Steve Mac on this song for it. I hope everyone loves it as much as I do.”

James McAvoy, Olivia Colman, Ben Kingsley, John Boyega, Nicholas Hoult, Gemma Arterton and Daniel Kaluuya lend their voices to “Watership Down.” The series will premiere on BBC One in the UK,...

Sam Smith shared a stirring new ballad, “Fire on Fire,” his contribution to BBC 1 and Netflix’s Watership Down adaptation. “When we fight, we fight like lions / But then we love and feel the truth / We lose our minds in a city of roses / We won’t abide by any rules,” Smith sings. “Fire on fire / Would normally kill us / But this much desire / Together we’re winners / They say that we’re out of control And some say we’re sinners.”

“Fire on Fire” is paired with a...

John Boyega, of the latest Star Wars trilogy fame, is in negotiations for the lead role in a legal drama entitled A Naked Singularity. The movie will be based on the debut novel by Sergio De La Pava, about “a successful New York public defender whose life begins to unravel after he loses his first case.”

De La Pava is an attorney himself, and his book won the Pen/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction award after he published it himself in 2012. Chase Palmer (co-writer of It) is on board to direct, with a script from David Matthews. Ridley Scott's Scott Free Productions and Tony Ganz are set to produce.

It sounds like it could be a great move for Boyega. He is a great actor, and it’s fun seeing him take on some meaty roles outside of the Star Wars universe. We will see Boyega in...

In the midst of war, the faintest ray of light can be salvation. Richard Adams’ 1972 children’s novel is positively awash with sunshine compared to Martin Rosen’s 1978 children’s horror movie. The short-lived 1999 TV series skewed back toward the author’s original tone, yet each entry carried real weight, be it the biblical and mythological interpretations or the story’s gruesome jolts — and permanently etched in the minds of its young viewers.

Now, Netflix and the BBC revive the fantasy tale as a potent, stunning, and a tad too ugly vision of a rabbits’ world not that different from our own. Sent fleeing from their den by human development — can anyone say “gentrification”? — the new four-part story tracks Hazel (James McAvoy), Fiver (Nicholas Hoult), and a slew of other plainly drawn bunnies as they try to survive. Still, this is an optimistic spin on an old story originally crafted for kids.

“Star Wars” actor John Boyega is in talks to star in the legal drama “A Naked Singularity” with Ridley Scott’s Scott Free Productions on board to produce.

The movie is based on Sergio De La Pava’s debut novel, which centers on a successful New York public defender whose life begins to unravel after he loses his first case. Attorney De La Pava self-published the book in 2008 and won the Pen/Robert W. Bingham Prize for Debut Fiction after it was re-published in 2012.

Chase Palmer, one of the co-writers of the “It” screenplay, is on board to direct from a script by David Matthews. Scott Free and Tony Ganz are producing, while 3311 Productions is financing.

Boyega starred as the rebel Finn in “Star Wars: The Force Awakens” and “Star Wars: The Last Jedi,” and will be seen in the upcoming “Star Wars: Episode IX.” The British actor’s credits include “Detroit,...

British broadcaster Channel 4 and Netflix have unveiled the first look at period drama Traitors.

The spy drama, which was formerly known as Jerusalem, stars Shape of Water and Call Me By Your Name star Michael Stuhlbarg, Friday Night Light’s Matt Lauria and Bodyguard’s Keeley Hawes. Also in the cast are The End of the F***ing World star Emma Appleton and A Streetcat Named Bob actor Luke Treadaway in the six-part series, which was created and written by Masters of Sex and Boardwalk Empire writer Bash Doran. It is directed by Dearbhla Walsh and Alex Winckler.

It’s set in the aftermath of WWII, when Britain was struggling to define itself in a new world order. Appleton plays Feef Symonds, a bold and ambitious 20-something woman who joins the Civil Service in 1945, just as Attlee’s Labour party sweeps to victory, while Lauria stars as her American...

The classic children’s tale The Velveteen Rabbit is getting a new TV adaptation that will feature a mix of live-action and animation.

The series is being developed by Tom Bidwell, who recently worked on the series adaptation of Watership Down for BBC and Netflix. He’s also teamed up with Magic Light Pictures, who has worked on animated specials that include adaptations of Roald Dahl’s Revolting Rhymes and several of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s books, including The Gruffalo, Stick Man, and Zog.

The Velveteen Rabbit was written by Margery Williams , and the classic 1922 story centers on a boy and his beloved toy rabbit.

At first a brand-new toy, now a threadbare and discarded nursery relic, the velveteen rabbit is saved from peril by a magic fairy who whisks him away to the idyllic world of Rabbitland. There, he becomes "Real," a cherished childhood companion who will be loved for eternity.

The writer of upcoming BBC and Netflix series “Watership Down” and the producers behind hit animated specials including “The Gruffalo” are adapting the classic children’s tale “The Velveteen Rabbit” for TV. Magic Light Pictures and Tom Bidwell are in development on the project and already talking to broadcasters.

For U.K.-based Magic Light, it will mark a move into a hybrid style of live-action and animation. Its previous animated specials include popular adaptations of Roald Dahl’s “Revolting Rhymes” and several of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s books, including “The Gruffalo,” “Stick Man,” and “Zog,” which will be a highlight of the BBC’s 2018 Christmas schedule in the U.K.

Bidwell is the creator of the BAFTA- and International Emmy-nominated “My Mad Fat Diary” and the Oscar-nominated short “Wish 143.” He comes to “The Velveteen Rabbit” project off the back of a BAFTA win for his work on Cbbc series “Katy.

Would you have believed an epic tale of tyranny, betrayal, and talking rabbits would become such a beloved story nearly 50 years after its original publication? Author Richard Adams likely did not, but after nearly five decades, “Watership Down” has been continually adapted for generations of audiences. Teaming Netflix with BBC One, the latest retelling attempts to deliver the story to a new audience, utilizing modern technology and a stellar voice cast to help set it apart from the rest.

Continue reading Netflix/BBC’s ‘Watership Down’ Is A Modern Take On A Classic Tale Hobbled By Terrible Animation [Review] at The Playlist.

Look, despite what you may have heard, Watership Down is definitely not a fun adventure story about cute bunnies and their cute bunny friends, but Netflix and the BBC seem to be a little less sure about that—at least if the new trailer for their animated adaptation is anything to go by. There’s some ominous imagery at…...

Marvel may have the Avengers but Netflix and BBC One are staging their own epic team up. The media giants have assembled every British actor ever for an adaptation of Richard Adams' critically-acclaimed fantasy novel Watership Down and we have our first look at what's in store for the animated

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Watership Down is considered to be one of the most traumatizing children’s stories for a lot of people. I remember being completely shocked when I first saw the original 1978 animated adaptation. It’s a fantastic story, but it really is quite brutal.

BBC and Netflix teamed up for a new animated adaptation of the story and today the first trailer for the four-part series has been released. The film tells the story of survival, pain, and hope as a group of rabbits faces numerous trials while searching for a new home.

Judging by the trailer, it doesn’t look like there will be as much blood as the original film, but it still looks like it will be brutal.

The series boasts an impressive cast that includes James McAvoy as Hazel, Nicolas Hoult as his little brother Fiver, Olivia Colman as Strawberry, and Gemma Arterton as Clover. In addition there’s John Boyega,...

This might be the first time you're hearing about a new Watership Down project, one that attempts to adapt Richard Adams' 1972 story about a warren of warring rabbits. The award-winning novel, Adams' first, was adapted into an incredible animated movie in 1978, followed by a more cartoonish TV series in 1999 that stripped away much of the story's violence and mature themes. Now, in this new Netflix/BBC adaptation, the rabbits and their environment have gone full CG ... and it's a nightmare. I'm all for a reinterpretation of Watership Down and was even cautiously …...

The upcoming BBC adaption of the children’s classic “Watership Down” ain’t no fluffy tale.

Voiced by John Boyega, James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, Olivia Colman, Ben Kingsley, Gemma Arterton, Daniel Kaluuya, Rosamund Pike, Gemma Chan, Peter Capaldi and Taron Egerton, this daring band of bunnies must join together to battle dark forces in order to survive.

The four-part BBC series follows a group of rabbits who flee their warren to escape destruction. On their journey to find a new home, they face vicious predators predicted by terrifying visions from an all-seeing seer named Fiver (Hoult).

Also Read: Richard Adams, 'Watership Down' Author, Dies at 96

“All the world will be your enemy,” one rabbit warns in the first trailer released Tuesday. “And when they catch you, they will kill you — but first, they must catch you.”

“This isn’t about cute rabbits,” Boyega, who voices Bigwig, warned on Instagram last week.

With recent remakes “The Jungle Book” and “The Lion King” showing audiences how modern CGI can create photorealistic animals and tell a heartfelt story, it makes sense that Netflix and BBC would team up to adapt one of the best novels of the 20th century, “Watership Down.” The novel’s tale of a group of rabbits escaping their home and hoping to find a place to settle elsewhere is tailor-made for a great TV adaptation, utilizing modern technology.

Continue reading ‘Watership Down’ Trailer: James McAvoy, Nicholas Hoult, & More Lead This New Animated Adaptation at The Playlist.

When they catch you, they will kill you… but first they must catch you. Ominous words in the first trailer for the remake of classic animated drama Watership Down.

The trailer for the Netflix and BBC One co-pro gives off an almost Game of Thrones vibe as it follows the adventure, courage and survival of a band of rabbits on their flight from the intrusion of man and the certain destruction of their home.

The series, which airs around Christmas on both the British public broadcaster and Svod service, has an A-list cast including James McAvoy, Daniel Kaluuya, Nicholas Hoult, Ben Kingsley, John Boyega, Gemma Arterton, Rosamund Pike, Gemma Chan, Peter Capaldi, Taron Egerton, Miles Jupp, Freddie Fox, Mackenzie Crook, Olivia Colman, Anne-Marie Duff, Rory Kinnear, Tom Wilkinson, Jason Watkins, Craig Parkinson, Henry Goodman, Lee Ingleby, Charlotte Spencer and Daniel Rigby.

Set in the idyllic rural landscape of southern England,...

Nominations for the 46th annual Annie Awards were announced on Dec. 3, 2018 and winners will be revealed on Feb. 2, 2018 at UCLA’s Royce Hall in Los Angeles, California. Pixar’s “Incredibles 2,” which is the frontrunner at the Oscars, leads with 11 nominations while Disney’s “Ralph Breaks the Internet” is right behind with 10. The Annie Awards cover 32 categories and are presented by the Hollywood chapter of the International Animated Film Association. Scroll down to see the full list of nominations.

In addition to the competitive awards, honorary Windsor McKay awards will be presented honoring career achievement and exceptional contributions to animation by director, animator and art director Ralph Eggleston, voice director and voice actress Andrea Romano and, posthumously, to Frank Braxton, the first African-American animator, animation director and guild president. The Ub Iwerks Award will be presented to Ton Roosendaal for developing Blender Open Source Animation Software while the June Foray...

1. “Watership Down” Limited Series (available in December)

Why Should I Watch? We’ve waited a long time for this one. Co-produced by the BBC, this Netflix original series adapts Richard Abrams’ acclaimed 1972 novel in animated form. Considering the first film version left quite a mark on its young audiences — and the official synopsis of the new series includes the word “harrowing” — this isn’t going to be “Peter Rabbit 2: Still Hopping.” “Watership Down” follows a group of rabbits that seek to escape the destruction of their home by finding a new one, but face dangers and temptations throughout their search. Told in four parts, the limited series is bound to be an experience to remember.

Bonus Reason: Take a look at this cast! James McAvoy as Hazel, Nicholas Hoult as Fiver, John Boyega as Bigwig, future Oscar-winner Olivia Colman as Strawberry (who was a male rabbit in the book), and Big Kingsley as Woundwort.

Rabbits don’t come any more ingrained in British heritage than the subject of Beatrix Potter’s classic, The Tale of Peter Rabbit and now we have the first film adaptation coming to our screens. When Walt Disney expressed an interest in making a Peter Rabbit film back in 1936 – Beatrix Potter flatly refused them. So 80 years later someone has finally gathered up the courage to try again and now we have an ambitious, star-studded attempt at Peter’s first movie joining the likes of Paddington Bear and Winnie the Pooh in the list of classic literary animals making it to the big screen. And Peter is by no means the first rabbit to make the leap to cinema and the territory comes with a long history. So we thought this month we would look at some of the other iconic cinematic rabbits (you can’t say we don’t do niche stuff…...