News

Good news, everyone: a movie written by Michael Scott is being developed! Bad news for fans of The Office: It’s not “Threat Level Midnight.” Rather, Michael Scott the Irish author will script an adaptation of The Alchemyst, the first novel in his acclaimed young adult series The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel, for Australia’s Ampco Films. In the book, twins Josh and Sophie Newman discover that Josh’s bookstore-owning bosses are actually a famed 14thC alchemist and his wife, who have been cheating death for centuries with a magic elixir. When the codex they need to make the potion is stolen by the villainous John Dee, the foursome team up to get it back and foil Dee’s apocalyptic plans. The series is comprised of six titles in total, with the final entry, The Enchantress, having hit shelves in May. Production on the film is slated to...

The Alchemyst, based on Michael Scott's popular fantasy novel, is set to be filmed in Australia and New Zealand in early-2013.

Adelaide-based Ampco Films has acquired the rights to the book, which was originally published in 2007 and is the first in The Secrets of the Immortal Nicholas Flamel six-part series. The film was previously set up with New Line before it was absorbed by Warner Bros, prompting the rights to revert back to Scott. Producer Lorenzo di Bonaventura then picked up the rights in 2009 before the latest deal.

The Alchemyst centers on the legendary 14th-century French alchemist, Nicholas Flamel, who is said to have discovered the secret of eternal life and is still alive today. The secret of eternal life is hidden within the book of Abraham the Mage which, Dr. John Dee plans to steal to use against the world. If the prophecy is right, teenage twins Sophie and...

Winners in the Creative Arts categories for this year's Emmy Awards were announced last night, with Boardwalk Empire leading the way.

Remember to visit TV Fanatic on the night of September 18 for a live blog of the Jane Lynch-hosted ceremony and check out the full results are below.

Outstanding guest actress in a drama series: Loretta Devine, "Grey's Anatomy"

Outstanding guest actress in a comedy series: Gwyneth Paltrow, "Glee"

Outstanding guest actor in a comedy series: Paul McCrane, "Harry's Law"

Outstanding guest actor in a comedy series: Justin Timberlake, "Saturday Night Live"

Outstanding reality series: "Deadliest Catch"

Outstanding reality host: Jeff Probst, "Survivor"

Governors Award: John Walsh, "America's Most Wanted"

Outstanding casting for a drama series: "Boardwalk Empire"

Outstanding casting for a movie or miniseries: "Mildred Pierce"

Outstanding casting for a comedy series: "Glee"

Outstanding prosthetic makeup: "The Walking Dead"

Outstanding makeup for a movie or miniseries (non-prosthetic):...

The television academy honored the behind-the-scenes artists and technicians -- along with a few on-camera stars -- at the Creative Arts Emmys on Saturday (Sept. 10). Here are the winners of the Creative Arts awards:

Outstanding guest actress in a drama series: Loretta Devine, "Grey's Anatomy"

Outstanding guest actress in a comedy series: Gwyneth Paltrow, "Glee"

Outstanding guest actor in a comedy series: Paul McCrane, "Harry's Law"

Outstanding guest actor in a comedy series: Justin Timberlake, "Saturday Night Live"

Outstanding reality series: "Deadliest Catch"

Outstanding reality host: Jeff Probst, "Survivor"

Governors Award: John Walsh, "America's Most Wanted"

Outstanding casting for a drama series: "Boardwalk Empire"

Outstanding casting for a movie or miniseries: "Mildred Pierce"

Outstanding casting for a comedy series: "Glee"

Outstanding prosthetic makeup: "The Walking Dead"

Outstanding makeup for a movie or miniseries (non-prosthetic): "The Kennedys"

Outstanding makeup for a single-camera series (non-prosthetic): "Boardwalk Empire"

Outstanding makeup for...

The Australia-China Screen Alliance (Acsa) - an industry initiative to assist both Australian and Chinese film and television producers navigate co-productions between the countries - was officially established at the Australian International Movie Convention this week.   The initiative is being headed by director/producer Mario Andreacchio (whose credits include the family film Napoleon, the Kiefer Sutherland biopic Paradise Found, and most recently the Australian-Chinese co-production starring Sam Neill, The Dragon Pearl, about a young boy who travels to China and discovers a real-life dragon), who has considerable experience in the Chinese arena.   The partnership has also been backed by the Screen Producers Association of Australia (Spaa), and The China Film Producers Association.

Welcome to an oversized edition of "The Good, The Bad and the Wtf," to make up for last week's absence. This time, we take a look at X-Men updates, a Turtles buyout, David Spade's shamelessness, a Michael Jackson controversy and how Denzel Washington is allegedly the worst person on Earth.

The Good

• Talking to Empire mag, X-Men producer Lauren Shuler Donner updates fans on the status of future X-Men projects. Good news for those of you who were pissed off by Wolverine's treatment of Deadpool, because this is what Donner said about the proposed Deadpool movie:

I want to ignore the version of Deadpool that we saw in Wolverine and just start over again. Reboot it. Because this guy talks, obviously, and to muzzle him would be insane.

Cue collective sighs of relief.

• Here's the first official photo of the new A-Team. I'm not holding my breath for this one,...

MELBOURNE, Australia -- A group of Adelaide's leading film companies have joined forces to create an industry association known as the United Film Group in order to enhance the performance of the South Australian film industry in the Australian and international marketplace. The members of the group, whose ranks include Scott Hicks, producer Mark Patterson, and director Craig Lahiff (Black and White, Heaven's Burning), aim to forge a focal point for the industry in South Australia that can identify and respond to issues of interest and concern. "Adelaide (the state capital and largest city) has established itself as a filmmaking city and the UFG represents a bold initiative to take the multimillion-dollar industry to another more successful level," said UFG spokesperson, director Mario Andreacchio, whose credits include Napoleon and Paradise Found.