News

Exclusive: Lego Masters producer Tuesday’s Child has hired a development boss.

Experienced UK development exec Eddie Evelyn-Hall has joined the Stv Studios-backed indie and will lead the development teams for both Tuesday’s Child and Tuesday’s Child Scotland.

In the newly-created role, he will work across developing hits for both the UK and international buyers. He has held similar top development posts with Wbd-backed Ricochet TV, BBC Studios and Monkey Kingdom, working on the likes of I Like The Way You Move, The Bi Life and Don’t Hate The Playaz.

Tuesday’s Child is the producer behind Lego Masters, which started on Channel 4 where it didn’t quite cut through but has been a huge hit around the world, most prominently on Fox where it is hosted by Will Arnett and has run for five seasons. Its other shows include The Hit List and ITV’s The Fortune Hotel.

On Saturday 14 September 2024, BBC One broadcasts The Hit List!

Season 7 Episode 5 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “The Hit List” promises to be an exciting event for music lovers. Hosted by Marvin and Rochelle Humes, this play-along music quiz challenges contestants to name hit songs and artists under pressure. The thrill of the game is sure to keep everyone on the edge of their seats.

In this episode, three teams will compete for the £10,000 prize pot. Elin and Alex from Cardiff will bring their music knowledge to the table, while mum and daughter duo Phoebe and Sharon from Leeds aim to showcase their skills. Best friends Zain and Rich from London are also in the mix, ready to battle it out for the top spot. Each team will face intense challenges as they try to recall as many songs and artists as possible.

Viewers can expect plenty of fun and...

On Saturday 24 August 2024, BBC One broadcasts The Hit List!

Season 7 Episode 2 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “The Hit List” on BBC One promises to be an exciting showdown among three pairs of contestants. Viewers will meet colleagues Holli and Rachael from Perth and Arbroath, who are ready to put their teamwork to the test. They will face off against couple Wes and Anisa from Kent, who are eager to show their knowledge and connection as a duo. Also competing are dad and daughter Wayne and Leanne from Hexham, bringing a family dynamic to the game.

Each pair will strive for a chance to win a grand prize of £10,000. The competition will be fierce as they answer music-related questions and try to hit the right notes. The format allows for plenty of fun moments and surprises, making it an entertaining watch for everyone.

As the episode unfolds, it will be...

On Saturday 17 August 2024, BBC One broadcasts The Hit List!

Season 7 Episode 1 Episode Summary

The upcoming episode of “The Hit List” promises to be an exciting hour of music and fun. Hosted by Marvin and Rochelle Humes, this quiz show tests contestants on their knowledge of hit songs and artists from various decades and genres. The atmosphere is always high-energy, making it a great watch for music lovers.

In this episode, three teams will compete for the chance to win £10,000. The first team is a dad and daughter duo, Ella and Adam, hailing from Ipswich. They will be up against friends Sam and Comfort from London, as well as another pair of friends, Philip and Gearoid, who come from Belfast. Each team will need to think fast and recall their favorite tunes to succeed.

As the teams race against the clock, viewers can expect plenty of laughs, some friendly rivalry, and...

The Hit List, hosted by Marvin and Rochelle Humes, returns for its seventh season, treating audiences to another round of the high-energy, upbeat music quiz. In this season’s premiere episode, three pairs of contestants will test their music knowledge, vying for the chance to win £10,000. The teams consist of dad and daughter Ella and […]

The Hit List Season 7 Premiere...

This Saturday, August 17, 2024, at 6:20 Pm, “The Hit List” returns to BBC One for its seventh season, kicking off with an exciting premiere episode. Hosted by the dynamic duo Marvin and Rochelle Humes, this high-energy music quiz promises plenty of fun and friendly competition. Contestants will need to think fast as they try to name hit songs and artists from every decade and every genre, with the goal of winning a grand prize of £10,000.

In this season opener, three teams are ready to test their musical knowledge. Dad and daughter duo Ella and Adam from Ipswich bring their family bond to the game, while friends Sam and Comfort from London hope their shared love of music will give them an edge. Rounding out the competition are Philip and Gearoid, friends from Belfast, who are eager to prove they have what it takes to claim the top prize.

As always, “The Hit List...

XYZ Films has come aboard for worldwide sales on the sci-fi action thriller Osiris, Bloody Disgusting has learned this afternoon. Above you’ll find the first image from the upcoming film.

Osiris is written by William Kaufman and Paul Reichelt and directed by William Kaufman (The Channel). Max Martini (Pacific Rim), Brianna Hildebrand (Deadpool Franchise), Lamonica Garrett (Special Ops: Lioness) and Linda Hamilton (The Terminator) star.

In the film, a team of Special Forces commandos are in the middle of an operation when they’re abducted by a mysterious spacecraft. When they wake up aboard the ship, they quickly discover they are being hunted by a merciless alien race.

Kaufman started his career directing the cult hit Sinners & Saints, and has also directed The Channel, Shrapnel, Daylight’s End, and The Hit List.

“XYZ Films is the perfect partner who shares our sentiment for iconic alien thrillers much like we all grew up with,...

Greenbird Flies To New Owner

Scotland’s Stv Studios has acquired the 15 companies operated by “Lego Masters” company Greenbird Media for £21.4 million ($27.3 million). Israel’s Keshet International acquired 60% of Greenbird five years ago. Stv Studios has now acquired 100% of Greenbird, including Keshet’s stake.

Greenbird founders, Jamie Munro and Stuart Mullin, will join the Stv Studios board in the roles of chief commercial officer and finance and integration director respectively, working alongside COO, Paul Sheehan, and under the leadership of MD, David Mortimer.

The deal boosts the number of labels within Stv Studios from nine to 24. As a result of the acquisition, Stv Studios now has expanded bases in Glasgow and London, as well as offices in Cardiff, Belfast, Brighton and Manchester.

Hit shows made by the producers in Greenbird’s cluster include: “Lego Masters” (Tuesday’s Child for Channel 4/Fox) and “The Hit List” (Tuesday’s Child for BBC One...

Stv has confirmed the acquisition of Lego Masters firm Greenbird Media, following Deadline’s exclusive report yesterday in the UK.

The Scottish network’s production arm, Stv Studios, has paid an initial £21.4M ($27.2M) for the company, whose assets include majority stakes in Lego Masters maker Tuesday’s Child Television and Crackit Productions. Israel’s Keshet International was previously the majority owner, with a 60% stake.

Yesterday, we told you Stv was nearing a deal for Greenbird, whose sale has been in the works since last year.

The deal boosts the number of labels within Stv Studios from nine to 24, as it aims to become the UK’s top producer from outside of London — a sector known within the country’s TV sector as the nations and regions. Stv will get new bases in Glasgow and London, and offices in Cardiff, Belfast, Brighton and Manchester.

Greenbird founders Jamie Munro and Stuart...

Scott Adkins is now recognized as one of the world's biggest martial arts stars, and there are several upcoming Scott Adkins movies on the way. Adkins first began to draw attention with his breakout role as Yuri Boyka in Undisputed 2: Last Man Standing, with the movie turning him into a rising action star, and Adkins reprising the role in Undisputed 3: Redemption and Boyka: Undisputed. Adkins would subsequently become one of the titans of the increasingly mainstream straight-to-video action movie scene, while also showing his incredible talents in theatrical blockbusters like Doctor Strange and overseas action films like Wu Jing's Wolf Warrior.

Adkins kept busy in 2020 and 2021, launching his YouTube interview series The Art of Action. Adkins also completed action films like the Dolph Lundgren-directed Castle Falls and the single-take movie One Shot, both of which debuted in 2021. While Adkins' filmography as a leading man has mostly been in the straight-to-video arena,...

Auckland, Feb 2 (Ians) New Zealand fast bowler Kyle Jamieson is set for an international return after recovering from his back injury as he was named in the 14-member Test squad to face England in a two-Test series at home, starting later this month.

Jamieson last played for New Zealand against England in the Nottingham Test last year, when he was forced off the field with a back injury. Missing in action for more than seven months, he recently played T20 and List A cricket for Auckland.

The tall fast bowler is one among five quick-bowling options in the squad with skipper Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Matt Henry and Blair Tickner the others.

“Kyle is a very determined character with a strong desire to play international cricket for New Zealand. Since he was forced from the field in Nottingham he’s been very clear that he wants to get his body right to return,...

Exclusive: Saban Films has set a multi-picture deal with Premiere Entertainment for domestic distribution and select foreign rights for the action thrillers Black Warrant, Shrapnel, and Blowback starring Twilight and The Oc actorCam Gigandet.

Gigandet, Tom Berenger (Platoon), and Jeff Fahey (Lost) star in Black Warrant, the thriller written by D. Glase Lomond, about a semi-retired special ops assassin and a DEA agent who cross paths while trying to stop a cyber-terrorist organization threatening to launch a catastrophic attack. Saban Films will distribute in North America, UK, Ireland, Spain, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Blowback, the revenge thriller starring Gigandet, former UFC champion Randy Couture and Texas Battle (Hard Kill) charts the story of the perfect heist gone wrong and the subsequent vendetta for revenge of a team leader. Screenplay comes from Kevin Yarris, Robert Edward Thomas, Matthew Eason, and Robert Giardina. The film will be distributed by Saban...

Exclusive: Jason Patric (Speed 2) and Cam Gigandet (Twilight) have been set to star in action-thriller movie Shrapnel.

The project will see a former Marine and his old war buddy face off against the Mexican cartel behind the disappearance of his daughter.

Currently in production in the U.S., director is William Kaufman (The Hit List) and script comes from Chad Law and Johnny Walters.

Producers are Elias Axume of Premiere Entertainment and Al Bravo of Al Bravo Films. BondIt Media Capital and Buffalo 8 are also part of the production team. Premiere will handle international sales.

The project marks the fifth collaboration between Premiere and Al Bravo after The Commando with Mickey Rourke and Michael Jai White; Mojave Diamonds with UFC stars Cowboy Cerrone, Chael Sonnen and Rampage Jackson; Blowback with Randy Couture and Cam Gigandet; and Apartment 213 with Cowboy Cerrone.

Sleepers, Speed 2 and The Lost Boys star Patric recently starred...

Actor Jaime King has joined the cast of action movie “Lights Out,” a Firebrand production, staring Frank Grillo, Mekhi Phifer and Scott Adkins. The Exchange, the world sales agent, is introducing the movie to buyers at the virtual European Film Market.

King, the star of Netflix’s “Black Summer” season one (2019) and season two (2021), has notably appeared in Michael Bay’s “Pearl Harbor,” Keenan Ivory Wayans’ “White Chicks,” Robert Rodriguez’s “Sin City,” Frank Millers’ “The Spirit,” and Frank Miller and Robert Rodriguez’s “Sin City: A Dame to Kill For.”

“Lights Out,” which is in production, is a gritty modern-day “Road House” meets “Kickboxer,” set against the seedy underworld of Los Angeles.

An original screenplay by Garry Charles and Chad Law, “Lights Out” is directed by Christian Sesma and produced by Brandon Burrows of Firebrand.

The Exchange’s EFM lineup includes John Cena and Brian Cox’ “The Independent,” Kaley Cuoco...

Exclusive: Reem Kherici is directing and starring in Chien et Chat (Cat and Dog), a live-action animated hybrid film currently in production in Montreal, which she also wrote.

Cat and Dog follows the owner of an Internet-famous cat and an international jewel thief whose dog has swallowed a ruby as the animals escape their cages in the airport. Together, the unlikely duo must work together to recover their prized pets.

Gaumont’s Sidonie Dumas is producing with Eric Altmayer for Mandarin Productions. Netflix has taken Latin American rights to the film, with Gaumont looking to release it in French theaters in December of 2023.

Kherici is best known for the 2017 romantic drama Jour J (Wedding Unplanned), which also had her writing, directing and starring. She first established herself as a multi-hyphenate with the 2013 debut feature Paris à tout prix, which was distributed in over 50 countries.

Kherici is represented by Zero Gravity Management and A3 Artists Agency.

Exclusive: LA-based production company Firebrand has set Frank Grillo (Captain America), Mekhi Phifer (Truth Be Told), Scott Adkins (John Wick: Chapter 4 ) and Dermot Mulroney (Hanna) to star in action movie Lights Out, which is in pre-production.

The movie will follow a drifting ex-soldier (Grillo) who turns underground fighter with the help of a just released ex-con, pitting him against corrupt cops and hired killers now gunning for him and all those he cares about.

An original screenplay by Garry Charles (Welcome To Acapulco) and Chad Law (The Hit List), pic will be directed by Christian Sesma (Paydirt) and produced by Section Eight and Pups Alone producer Brandon Burrows of Firebrand.

Purge star Grillo recently wrapped on the biopic Lamborghini based on the life story of sports car icon Ferruccio Lamborghini.

8 Mile and ER actor Phifer stars in Apple TV series Truth Be Told opposite Octavia Spencer and Ron Cephas Jones...

Clayne Crawford (The Killing of Two Lovers), Max Martini (Pacific Rim) and Hakeem Kai-Kazim (Black Sails) have joined the cast of the crime feature The Channel.

After their bank heist goes wrong, a desperate criminal (Crawford), his out-of-control brother (Martini) and their motley crew of ex-marines must escape New Orleans and the determined FBI agent (Kai-Kazim) who pursues them.

William Kaufman (The Hit List) will direct the film from a script he wrote, from a story by Paul Reichelt. Andrew Lewis and Isaac Lewis are producing under their Denton Film banner, with Reichelt serving as executive producer through Appalachian Films. Neely Eisenstein is casting.

Production will last for several months in New Orleans.

Crawford, who previously starred on Fox’s Lethal Weapon series eboot before he was dismissed from the show after two seasons, is repped by Gersh and Principal Entertainment LA, Martini is...

Dolph Lundgren, Scott Adkins and Ryan Kwanten are set to go head-to-head in upcoming action movie Section Eight, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Based on an original screenplay by Chad Law (The Hit List, Drive Hard) and Josh Ridgway (The Sector, Howlers), and set to be directed by Christian Sesma (Pay Dirt, The Night Crew), the film comes from Firebrand, reunited with Lundgren for a third time following 2017’s Altitude and upcoming Christmas action-comedy Pups Alone. Firebrand founder Brandon Burrows will produce.

Section Eight will tell the story of a former soldier who, after avenging the murder of his family, is sprung from prison and recruited by a shadowy ...

Dolph Lundgren, Scott Adkins and Ryan Kwanten are set to go head-to-head in upcoming action movie Section Eight, The Hollywood Reporter has learned.

Based on an original screenplay by Chad Law (The Hit List, Drive Hard) and Josh Ridgway (The Sector, Howlers), and set to be directed by Christian Sesma (Pay Dirt, The Night Crew), the film comes from Firebrand, reunited with Lundgren for a third time following 2017’s Altitude and upcoming Christmas action comedy Pups Alone. Firebrand founder Brandon Burrows will produce.

Section Eight will tell the story of a former soldier who, after avenging the murder of his family, is sprung from prison and recruited by a shadowy ...

Exclusive: Dutch/Belgian unscripted producer Vincent TV has launched a UK hub and partnered with Sony Pictures Television (Spt) and Stellify Media on a primetime pilot for a major broadcaster.

Former Seven Studios head of global development Simon Shalgosky and former ITV Studios development producer Daniel Brookes will act as creative director and development executive of the Brighton hub, which is charged with building a slate of unscripted originals to pitch to broadcasters and streamers both in the UK and internationally.

Vincent TV UK has secured its debut pilot for an untitled Saturday night gameshow for a major UK broadcaster, which is co-produced with Spt and Spt-backed Snoop Dogs indie Stellify Media.

Vincent TV was founded in Holland and Belgium in 2014 by Vincent ter Voert, Vera Driessen and Ruud van Breugel and has since been behind a set of locally adapted UK and US entertainment formats such as Who Wants to be a Millionaire?...

Currently filming in Seville, the project is being produced by La Claqueta and Pecado Films and stars María León, Salva Reina, Rubén Fulgencio and Pedro Casablanc. El universo de Óliver, the first fiction film from Alexis Morante, is currently filming on location in Seville, before heading to Campo de Gibraltar in May to wrap up the shoot. The main cast features María León (The The Sleeping Voice), Salva Reina and Pedro Casablanc (nominated for a Best Actor Goya for his performance in B) along with breakout star Rubén Fulgencio in the titular role, who — like all of the film’s child actors — was selected after a round of auditions with over a thousand hopefuls. In Morante’s own words, “It’s a story that reminds us of the magic and adventure of growing up, an emotional coming-of-age tale...

Standout Spanish cinema actors Irene Escolar and Bárbara Lennie have teamed on a new anthology series commissioned by HBO España and produced by Calle Cruzada.

Created and executive produced by the pair (pictured), who will also perform in the show, “Escenario 0” features six episodes from prominent writers and filmmakers. A unique project that will mix different disciplines to create an exceptional fusion between the performing and audiovisual arts.

“Escanario 0” is the latest example of HBO Europe looking to tap Spanish talent for its HBO Spain original programming. Previous series include Isabel Coixet’s “Foodie Love” and Álex de la Iglesia’s “30 Coins,” as well as the much-anticipated series adaptation of best-selling novel “Patria,” and recently announced comedy series “Por H o por B.”

Commission

Keshet has closed a deal for a Dutch remake of the popular musical quiz program “The Hit List,” commissioned by public broadcaster Npo to be produced locally by Vincent TV.

Catherine S. McMullen with ‘The Other Lamb’ producer Stephanie Wilcox and director Małgorzata Szumowska (Photo credit: Stephanie Wilcox).

Screenwriter Catherine S. McMullen addresses the challenges of making a living in the genre space in Australia and for females to be recognised in the profession.

A former production freelancer, she wrote an episode of the second season of Playmaker Media/Stan’s Bloom, two episodes of Fremantle’s Wentworth Vr and Princess Pictures’ digital series Parked before her international breakthrough, scripting The Other Lamb.

The English-language debut of Polish director Małgorzata Szumowska, the horror movie follows a group of girls and women who live in a mysterious secluded compound with a man they call “Shepherd,” hailed by critics as combining elements of The Witch, The Handmaid’s Tale, Rosemary’s Baby and Carrie.

Q: In the recent Australians in Film webinar with Zak Hilditch, Ben Young and Natalie Erika James, you said it...

Exclusive: Samuel Franco and Evan Kilgore, whose scripts Keeper of the Diary, and Mayday 109 lit up the town when they went to market, have signed with Management 360’s Geoff Shaevitz and Evan Silverberg.

Franco and Kilgore’s script, Keeper of the Diary sold to Fox Searchlight in a fierce bidding war for high-six figures as Deadline exclusively reported in January 2017. Script follows the untold true story of Holocaust survivor Otto Frank’s struggle to publish the diary of his daughter, Anne Frank, with the unlikely assistance of Barbara Zimmerman, a young, inexperienced, female junior editor at Doubleday & Co. The script made the 2017 Black List, as well as The Hit List. Film is being produced by New Mandate’s Matti Leshem and Lynn Harris, alongside Sir Kenneth Branagh and Judy Hofflund. Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Reed Morano is attached to direct, with Branagh set to star as Otto.

Franco and Kilgore’s script Mayday 109,...

There’s character research and then there’s character research, if you know what I mean.

Judging by the clips we’ve seen of Michael Myers in action in Halloween (due out this Friday), he’s an efficient, driven and utterly terrifying killer. So how did actor James Jude Courtney, who plays Myers for the majority of the movie prepare for the role? Well, he went and chatted with an actual real-life hitman in order to make sure his killing was terrifyingly accurate.

Years ago, I met a real hit man through a mutual acquaintance—he wanted his life story written, so he was living with me. He had just left a safe house and served in a penitentiary up in the Northwest. I absorbed his life just by hanging out with him every day. I took him to see a film I was in called The Hit List. We walked out of the screening,...

You may not know James Jude Courtney’s name, but you certainly know his latest character: Michael Myers, the masked killer from “Halloween.” Ol’ Jimmy isn’t himself a crazed murderer, but he once lived with an actual hit man who wanted his life story written. The actor recalls this experience in a Vanity Fair interview, explaining that he took said contract killer to see “The Hit List,” a movie he was in, and received the following reaction: “Jimmy, it’s a really nice movie, but that’s not how you kill people.”

“Really?” Courtney asked, to which his new acquaintance responded, “I’m gonna show you how.” Well, all right then.

“There’s a stealth efficiency to the way an actual trained killer works,” Courtney explains. “Movies tend to dilute that quality with dramatic pauses and dialogue, which a true predator would never waste time doing. That efficiency is...

Exclusive: Amblin Partners has preemptively bought the original short story Carecrow: Her Better Self from screenwriter/novelist/blogger Oritte Bendory with Circle Of Confusion producing.

Sarah Jane “Sj” Inwards will write the screenplay, and though the story line is being kept under wraps, the female-driven, sci-fi thriller is an examination of women’s issues in the age of evolving AI.

Bendory has contributed to The Huffington Post, Simon and Schuster, and sold her screenplay, The Holiday Club to 20th Century Fox with Peter Chernin producing. Inwards recently won a 2017 Nicholl Fellowship for Jellyfish Summer and was featured both on The Hit List and The Black List last year. 6th & Idaho and State Street are currently producing Jellyfish Summer.

Circle of Confusion’s Susan Solomon-Shapiro and Matt Smith are producing and Brad Mendelsohn will serve as Ep.

Peter Sample at Jackoway, Tyerman made Bendory’s deal. Inwards is repped by Verve Talent & Literary Agency,...

There's going to be a certain level of authenticity brought to the new Halloween movie this year. Not only because it looks very much like a true-to-form entry in the franchise, based on the newly released teaser trailer, but because the new actor portraying Michael Myers actually learned how to kill from a Mafia hitman. As bizarre as that may sound, it's true.

James Jude Courtney will be portraying Michael Myers in much of the new Halloween. Nick Castle, the original actor who portrayed the masked killer and was credited as The Shape in 1978, is also returning, but in a somewhat limited capacity. Courtney will handle the bulk of the killing duties and in a newly released interview that was conducted during a set visit, he reveals how he became strangely good at it. Here's what he had to say.

"I learned how to kill from a Mafia hitman who...

If I thought I was been excited for the next entry into the Halloween film franchise before, well, then let me tell you that my enthusiasm has exponentially increased following this morning’s debut of the first trailer. For my money, it very much appears as though director David Gordon Green has found the right formula and assembled something truly special.

Of course, what’s added to the intrigue is how the story will unfold knowing this followup acknowledges nothing but the events depicted in the 1978 original. In fact, the convention of Michael Myers and Laurie Strode being siblings has now been wiped from canon, thereby allowing the filmmakers to chart bold new territory.

To some, that may seem like blasphemy, but it again affords Michael much mystique. And knowing how the Shape has the ability to pounce with the reflexes of a puma, it seems only natural that whichever...

Hey,"Big Brother" fans. More updates on the casting for the upcoming Celebrity Big Brother USA edition are now starting to trickle in a little more often these days. We've got a new one that just came in from thesun.co.uk site. They're telling us that former MTV's "The Hills" star Stephanie Pratt is currently in talks with the CBS Big Brother producers to participate in the first ever USA Celebrity Big Brother edition. They say that their sources confirmed it by saying, "While Steph's been in La, she has been seen by the producers of the new Us version of Celebrity Big Brother. The producers see her as a heritage reality star. One of the original global reality stars who has continued in reality TV both in the Us and UK. It's expected to be a huge show in the UK when it's shown over here." For...

Even if they don’t hold the same clout as, say, Stallone and Schwarzenegger, Van Damme and Lundgren are two names that are often revered in Hollywood’s action scene, and over the years fans have lapped up their on-screen battles in the likes of Universal Soldier and its widely derided sequel, Universal Soldier: Regeneration.

But it appears Jean-Claude Van Damme and Dolph Lundgren are ready to let bygones by bygones, for The Hollywood Reporter brings word that the duo has been cast in Black Water, a new action-thriller in which they’ll play on-screen allies for the very first time. No director is attached just yet, but THR reveals that the script by Chad Law revolves around a “deep cover operative (Van Damme) who awakens to find himself imprisoned in a CIA black site on a submarine.” Little is known about Lundgren’s involvement, but we assume his character...

The Tracking Board is reporting that Jeremy Saulnier, director of TwitchFilm faves Blue Ruin and Green Room, will be directing Defection for 20th Century Fox, from a screenplay by Ken Nolan. This marks the director's first foray into big studio film work.  Defection tells the story of Leo Diamond, a broken down CIA case officer who uses his calculated Cold War training to go after a mid-level CIA intelligence contractor who has defected to North Korea and has taken a mysterious suitcase with him. Nolan had adaptated the 1973 novel The Defection of A.J. Lewinter by Robert Litnell. The script was then featured on The Hit List and The Black List before being picked up by Fox. ...

[Read the whole post on twitchfilm.com...]...

Though this year’s Noah turned a lot of heads and made more than a handful of viewers frustrated, be it for declining to use the word “God” or just including Rock Titan Angel things into a Biblical story, Darren Aronofsky still remains a highly valued director and ever rising auteur in Hollywood.

Aronofsky is currently working on MaddAddam for HBO, an adaptation of Margaret Atwood’s trilogy of dystopian sci-fi books. But The Playlist has done a little digging and determined that his next film could be based on the book The Good Nurse, written by Charles Graeber.

The Good Nurse is a non-fiction story of Charlie Cullen, a medical professional arrested in 2003 after it was discovered that he was responsible for the deaths of as many as 300 patients over the course of his long career, and quite possibly the most prolific serial killer in American history. The media...

Update 12/12: Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa Pictures is attached to produce "The Good Nurse," however while the filmmaker will be the first to consider directing, he is not attached to do so at this time. Perhaps we haven't seen the last of Darren Aronofsky's "Noah." With the film picking up a Golden Globe nomination this morning for Best Song for Patti Smith's "Mercy Is," we wouldn't be surprised if there is a little push in that category as Oscar ballots head out to voters. But what will the director be working on next? Well, over at HBO he's developing Margaret Atwood's "MaddAddam," and he was one of the directors circling a hot sci-fi script from earlier this year, "Moonfall." But another project has surfaced which could mark an interesting new direction for the filmmaker. Revealed in the midst of The Tracking Board's 2014 The Hit List, Aronosfky's is...

Australian director John V. Soto (Needle) has completed his crime thriller The Reckoning. This suspenseful look at crime and punishment completed earlier this year. Recently, the film had its World Premiere at the British Independent Film Festival. And here, Soto won Best Director for this feature. The Reckoning stars Jonathan Lapaglia (The Hit List), Viva Bianca (Scorned), Luke Hemsworth and Hanna Mangan Lawrence. An exciting first trailer for The Reckoning is available here. The story for The Reckoning is complex. However, a detective has been murdered and his partner, Green (Lapaglia), must track down two runaway teens, whose camera holds the identity of the killer. More clues to the killer's identity and motivations are housed within the film's trailer. The Reckoning is a Reckoning Productions and Filmscope Entertainment production. This film, which was partially shot in Perth, Australia, continues to make its rounds on the film festival circuit and a North American release date.

Analeigh Tipton is in negotiations to star in the horror-thriller Viral, formerly known as Pest, which has Henry Joost and Ariel Schulman (Catfish) attached to direct. We first reported on the project back in July, when Dimension Films picked up the distribution rights. At the time, Mark Tonderai was set to direct, but he is no longer involved in the project.

The story centers on a parasitic outbreak that causes its hosts to crave their fellow humans, with alien tentacles growing from their bodies. Analeigh Tipton is playing a teenager named Stacey, who lives in a peaceful suburb with her parents and younger sister Emma, when their lives are upended by this outbreak. They become trapped within their quarantined city as the infected grow more and more violent. More casting news is expected to come in the near future, as the filmmakers begin to lock in Analeigh Tipton's co-stars.

This week's Smash was supposed to be about "The Parents," but Ana was the highlight of both The Hit List and the show. Wow. Karen better start worrying about her position and role in the musical.

The Hit List had its first public showing at a fundraiser for the the theater. Karen had a blah performance that was followed up by Ana singing a gorgeous song with full production. I call a foul on the writing here because Karen was set up to look boring compared to Ana's performance. If Karen and Jimmy would have sang any of the show's duets, there wouldn't have been such a differential between the performances.

There was no competition, though. Karen sang a decent song, in a modest outfit, with no stage production. Ana had an elaborate costume, dancers with eye-catching choreography, and she was floating across the air on fabric. When Richard ends...

Blu-ray & DVD Release Date: June 4, 2013

Price: DVD $22.99

Studio: Sony

Cuba Gooding Jr. (The Hit List) continues his string of starring roles in straight-to-dvd action thriller films with his latest, 2013′s Absolute Deception.

When FBI Agent John Nelson’s (Gooding Jr.) key informant, Miles, is abducted and shot, all that’s left is a severed finger. In order to find a new lead, Nelson travels to New York City to learn what he can from Miles’ widow, Rebecca Scott (Emmanuelle Vaugier, Hysteria). Traveling to Australia’s Gold Coast, the two soon discover Miles may have been part of an elaborate “Ponzi scheme” to bilk investors—including a vengeful billionaire—out of millions of dollars. As more layers of Miles’ secret life are exposed, can the two stay ahead of the mysterious attackers who will stop at nothing to halt their investigation?

Originally entitled Deception, but craftily altered to the name Absolute Deception...

The worlds of the three musicals on Smash all righted themselves on "Musical Chairs," with Jerry the one left without a place to sit.

Bombshell returned to Eileen's control with Tom directing and Ivy as Marilyn. And The Hit List got a production deal from a non-profit theater with Jimmy and Karen as the leads with Derek directing. And Liaisons got put out of its misery, but not before an epic performance.

Liaisons bombs

Ivy cracked me up when she responded to Terry's concern over the "meh" reviews. The show had improved, but it was horrible to start. Their decision to have fun with it was probably not the professional one, but it was worth it to see Terry's act. That was hilarious. Horrible, but a performance that no one in the audience will ever forget.

With the production shutting down, it freed Ivy to rejoin Bombshell as Marilyn. I liked Karen in the role,...

The question posed in the series premiere of Smash — who will play the role of Marilyn Monroe in the fictional Broadway musical Bombshell? — was finally and definitively answered tonight in Episode 7 of Season 2, the aptly named “Musical Chairs.”

If the title wasn’t already a dead giveaway, Smash has been telegraphing changes to its troika of central musicals — Bombshell, The Hit List and Liaisons — for several weeks now, so it’s not as though anything felt particularly explosive. But along the way there were some laughs (intentional and otherwise), some drama, some suspension of disbelief and a couple of really stilted line readings.

Smash finally got where it needed to be on "The Fringe" ... almost.

With the introduction of The Hit List, it was inevitable that Derek and Karen would leave Bombshell behind to join the soon-to-be smash hit from Jimmy and Kyle. With Derek there and direction changes at Bombshell, it shouldn't be long before Karen joins him.

At this point, the new show has me more engaged. The music is better (loved "Heart-Shaped Wreckage), the people involved still have their innocence and passion for the project, and it is struggling in its infancy.

Bombshell has grown tired with bickering and rehashing material over and over again. Plus, Jerry is just despicable. As Derek pointed out, it was painful to watch Eileen agreeing with all of his decisions whether they were best or not. In "Fringe," this show moved forward too. With Derek out and Tom in, the show will have a new freshness about it.

Somewhere buried not far below the surface of Smash‘s second season lies an addictive TV musical.

It’s got a great cast, some fabulously catchy tunes, and a really compelling story. And yet, six episodes in to the proceedings, Anjelica Huston’s Eileen seems to have forgotten how to toss martini bombs into the faces of insolent troublemakers, Megan Hilty’s Ivy Lynn has gotten herself stranded in a most peculiar sitcom, and Katharine McPhee’s Karen has become hypnotized by one of the most unredeemable, thoroughly repugnant wankers in small-screen history. And no, the show’s writers don...

Karen and Jimmy agreed to keep things strictly professional on the latest episode of Smash, so how come they’re back and locking lips in this exclusive preview video from next Tuesday’s episode, “The Fringe” (10/9c on NBC)? And why the heck is Derek staring moodily at the Broadway babies while they go at it?

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As you might’ve guessed, the big smooch happens onstage — while the twosome performs the ballad “Heart-Shaped Wreckage” from Jimmy’s musical The Hit List during its Fringe Festival debut. And Derek — as he sometimes likes...

Paging Gloria Steinem: The women of Smash need your help!

Julia, an accomplished playwright with multiple Broadway successes, has devolved into a bumbling ball of insecurities, so uncertain in her work that she has absolutely no idea if her new male writing partner has helped her discover a genius inner voice or is actively sabotaging her (¡even after a full read-through of her latest draft!).

Karen, an ingenue on the brink of staggering overnight success, has begun to sour on the prospects of continuing in the lead role of a multi-million-dollar musical — her loyalties now beginning to align with the promiscuous,...

Previously, on Smash

We open in Eileen's office, where she's outraged that she is not allowed to attend the reading of the latest draft of Bombshell. Jerry's on the couch, looking like he's in the opening stage of a migraine, and reminds her that if she hadn't told the Feds the truth she wouldn't be frozen out. Eileen snaps back that some people still value integrity. In show business?

She suspects Jerry is enjoying her powerlessness a little too much. He quips that she could never be powerless; she's just not the producer. He exits and she's on her way out too, telling her assistant Liz that she'll be visiting mobbed up bartender Nick.

Tom and Derek scope out the Belasco Theatre as the new home for Bombshell and Tom hops up on stage. He wants to see if there's room to land an airplane for a possible new number...

It was judgment day for Julia and her new book. Bombshell's fate would be determined by "The Read-Through." A simple, yet crucial step to getting the show to Broadway.

After the journey that Julia and Peter went through to finish the new story, it was surprising to see that she wasn't nervous at all. At the same time, it was revealing that Peter gave her the confidence that she had been lacking for so long. The range of emotions that Julia went through - from excited about the new story... to resurfaced doubts about Peter's loyalty... to dreading the read-through - felt authentic.

It was as if I, the viewer, was experiencing the highs and lows with her. When the readers finished and the room was left silent, I waited with anticipation to hear the response. And, a glorious one Julia received.

Julia: Why isn't anyone saying anything? Is it that bad?...

Worried that Smash‘s Karen Cartwright has been too distracted by her new (possible) paramour Jimmy’s zygote of a musical The Hit List to properly focus on her role as Marilyn Monroe in the much further developed Bombshell? Well, it’s time to press pause on the “fret” button.

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In this exclusive preview from next Tuesday’s episode “The Read-Through” (10/9c on NBC), Katharine McPhee’s protagonist — looking more Marilyn-esque than she has at any point in the series — leads an elaborate new production number called “Public Relations.”

Not surprisingly,...

Opportunities were almost lost on "The Song."

Veronica hired Derek to direct a one night extravaganza to showcase her as more than just a Broadway star and she almost missed it; while Jimmy and Kyle were presented with an extraordinary chance to work with Derek and nearly threw it away over a bruised ego.

Derek as the savior is disconcerting, but as Ivy said, "He's a genius." All three of them chose to work with him because he could help them in their careers, but he's a beast. He claws and claws until he gets through and gets his way without any consideration for others.

It's a gift and flaw all wrapped together in one. In an uncharacteristic move, Derek gave into Ronnie's fear to grow as an artist and satisfied her mother's demand that Ronnie not change. His motivations for acquiescing were complicated because ultimately he was screwed either way.

Smash season 2 definitely has moved in a new direction. The focus has shifted away from the character's personal dramas to focus on the Broadway world and the business of making musicals.

In "Dramaturg," four separate musicals were involved in the story: Bombshell, Veronica's musical, Jimmy and Kyle's The Hit List and Ivy's new show. Each one is at a different stage of development and if you are intrigued by the behind-the-scenes making of a musical, you probably love this episode as I did.

That's not to say there weren't some problems with it, but overall, I dig this new focus. 

From the Smash pilot and forward, the parts of the story that held my attention were the songs, the workshops/tech/previews and the individual struggles to make it. I didn't care for the backstabbing Ellis, the cheating Julia or the continual over-the-top rivalry between Ivy and Karen. With this new format,...

Don’t get me wrong: I love Smash. I love that it’s made me a huge fan of Megan Hilty. I love that it’s employing not one but two American Idol divas. I love its music and its inside-Broadway politics and, yes, even its sometimes inconsistent storytelling.

That said, if ratings don’t improve on the not-so-hot returns from the show’s Season 2 premiere, maybe NBC could reconcieve it as a half-hour comedy entitled Tom & Julia. Picture it: He writes the music, she writes the stories, and together they create Broadway magic with the help of their wacky theatre buddies: Ivy,...