Fifth Season has upped Christopher Slager to Head of Film as the studio expands its in-house production and development of feature films.
Slager will oversee the studio’s anticipated productions including Netflix/Artists Equity’s Animals, starring Matt Damon and directed by Ben Affleck, as well as the Samuel L. Jackson and Joel Kinnaman movie The Beast directed by Emmy winner James Madigan.
Alexis Garcia, who previously managed features, will launch a new venture with backing from Fifth Season, details to be announced down the road. Garcia will remain a consultant to the studio during his transition.
Among those titles on the horizon for Fifth Season under Slager’s watch are Stephen Chbosky’s Nonnas, starring Vince Vaughn, Susan Sarandon, and Linda Cardellini; Jan Komasa’s Anniversary, starring Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Dylan O’Brien, Zoey Deutch, Phoebe Dynevor, Madeline Brewer, Mckenna Grace, and Daryl McCormack; Nick Rowland’s She Rides Shotgun,...
Slager will oversee the studio’s anticipated productions including Netflix/Artists Equity’s Animals, starring Matt Damon and directed by Ben Affleck, as well as the Samuel L. Jackson and Joel Kinnaman movie The Beast directed by Emmy winner James Madigan.
Alexis Garcia, who previously managed features, will launch a new venture with backing from Fifth Season, details to be announced down the road. Garcia will remain a consultant to the studio during his transition.
Among those titles on the horizon for Fifth Season under Slager’s watch are Stephen Chbosky’s Nonnas, starring Vince Vaughn, Susan Sarandon, and Linda Cardellini; Jan Komasa’s Anniversary, starring Diane Lane, Kyle Chandler, Dylan O’Brien, Zoey Deutch, Phoebe Dynevor, Madeline Brewer, Mckenna Grace, and Daryl McCormack; Nick Rowland’s She Rides Shotgun,...
- 3/27/2024
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Ron Harper, who starred in iconic science-fiction series like Planet of the Apes and Land of the Lost, has died at 91. His daughter, Nicole Longeuay, says her father died of natural causes at his home in West Hills on Thursday.
Ron Harper, with his golden hair, piercing eyes, and suave demeanor, was an understudy for Paul Newman on Broadway before playing notable roles like Alan Virdon in the Planet of the Apes series, Uncle Jack in Land of the Lost, and Peter Whitmore in the TV series Generations. Before striking it rich with roles that would increase his star power, Harper appeared in four series that never got a second season, including 87th Precinct, Wendy and Me, The Jean Arthur Show, and Garrison’s Gorillas.
Thankfully, Planet of the Apes helped put Harper on executive’s watch lists. While Planet of the Apes didn’t last long on the air, Harper...
Ron Harper, with his golden hair, piercing eyes, and suave demeanor, was an understudy for Paul Newman on Broadway before playing notable roles like Alan Virdon in the Planet of the Apes series, Uncle Jack in Land of the Lost, and Peter Whitmore in the TV series Generations. Before striking it rich with roles that would increase his star power, Harper appeared in four series that never got a second season, including 87th Precinct, Wendy and Me, The Jean Arthur Show, and Garrison’s Gorillas.
Thankfully, Planet of the Apes helped put Harper on executive’s watch lists. While Planet of the Apes didn’t last long on the air, Harper...
- 3/25/2024
- by Steve Seigh
- JoBlo.com
We originally posted the below piece a couple of weeks ago to tout the in-person return of the annual Film Independent Forum to the DGA in Los Angeles, happening this weekend, September 29-30. Since then, two new events have been added to the Forum schedule: Pedro Almodóvar’s Strange Way of Life and buzzy Sundance hit Fair Play. Action-packed!
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For the first time since 2019 (hello fidget spinners!) Film Independent’s autumnal industry gathering—the Film Independent Forum—will be taking entirely live in person at its traditional home, the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. Alternate venues, hybrid virtual sessions and a friggin’ global pandemic may have made things difficult to pin down in recent years, but this year all your #FiForum23 filmmaker panels, keynotes, industry networking events and more will be exactly where you expect. And they’ll be there for two days only, September 29-30. Get your passes today.
***
For the first time since 2019 (hello fidget spinners!) Film Independent’s autumnal industry gathering—the Film Independent Forum—will be taking entirely live in person at its traditional home, the Directors Guild of America in Los Angeles. Alternate venues, hybrid virtual sessions and a friggin’ global pandemic may have made things difficult to pin down in recent years, but this year all your #FiForum23 filmmaker panels, keynotes, industry networking events and more will be exactly where you expect. And they’ll be there for two days only, September 29-30. Get your passes today.
- 9/27/2023
- by Matt Warren
- Film Independent News & More
Plot: In a world where the elements, fire, earth, air, and water live together, a young fire element, Ember (Leah Lewis), crosses paths with a clumsy water element, Wade (Mamoudou Athie) and the two, to their surprise, find that sometimes opposite elements attract.
Review: Pixar’s recent run of movies has been largely met with a shrug from fans. The road back to the big screen after the pandemic has been rocky for the studio’s films. Turning Red was pretty good, but it only got a little attention due to becoming a Disney Plus exclusive, and their previous film, Luca, might be the most obscure film the studio’s ever produced. Lightyear was supposed to be the company’s triumphant return to the big screen, but it felt like just another sci-fi/adventure movie.
Elemental aims to be different. In classic Pixar tradition, it focuses on emotion and characterization...
Review: Pixar’s recent run of movies has been largely met with a shrug from fans. The road back to the big screen after the pandemic has been rocky for the studio’s films. Turning Red was pretty good, but it only got a little attention due to becoming a Disney Plus exclusive, and their previous film, Luca, might be the most obscure film the studio’s ever produced. Lightyear was supposed to be the company’s triumphant return to the big screen, but it felt like just another sci-fi/adventure movie.
Elemental aims to be different. In classic Pixar tradition, it focuses on emotion and characterization...
- 6/15/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
Recently, I had the chance to travel to San Francisco, where I was able to visit Pixar Animation Studios as they prepped for the theatrical release of their latest film, Elemental. Coming from The Good Dinosaur‘s Peter Sohn (who you may have heard as the voice of Sox the cat in Lightyear), the film takes place in Element City, a place where the four elements, water, earth, air, and fire, live in harmony – or close. The concept for this is pretty interesting, as the city is shown to be populated by residents who fall into each of the four elemental categories. It’s challenging to explain exactly what they are as they’re not “fire or water people” but rather individuals that are actually made of the element they represent. They interact with each other as such.
The city itself is a hopeful place where the elements live together,...
The city itself is a hopeful place where the elements live together,...
- 3/28/2023
- by Chris Bumbray
- JoBlo.com
When Matt Reeves graduated from the USC School of Cinematic Arts, Tim Burton was about to film Batman’s big return to the big screen. Now The Batman writer-director and Class of 1988 alum will give the 2022 commencement address on May 13 at the campus-adjacent Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles.
Sca also said today that Insecure writer-director-ep Prentice Penny, a 1995 Sca grad, will receive its Mary Pickford Alumni Award. He was previously was announced as the speaker for the 2022 USC Black Graduation Ceremony on May 11 at Cromwell Field on campus.
Reeves’ The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, is the top-grossing film of 2022, with 367.9 million in North America since its March 4 release and nearly 760 million worldwide. After directing episode of TV series including Felicity and Homicide: Life on the Street, his breakout film was 2008’s Cloverfield, which set a domestic record for January release and went on to gross more than 175 million globally. His...
Sca also said today that Insecure writer-director-ep Prentice Penny, a 1995 Sca grad, will receive its Mary Pickford Alumni Award. He was previously was announced as the speaker for the 2022 USC Black Graduation Ceremony on May 11 at Cromwell Field on campus.
Reeves’ The Batman, starring Robert Pattinson, is the top-grossing film of 2022, with 367.9 million in North America since its March 4 release and nearly 760 million worldwide. After directing episode of TV series including Felicity and Homicide: Life on the Street, his breakout film was 2008’s Cloverfield, which set a domestic record for January release and went on to gross more than 175 million globally. His...
- 4/28/2022
- by Erik Pedersen
- Deadline Film + TV
Raise a non-alcoholic glass for Single Drunk Female, which is coming back for another season.
Freeform’s half-hour comedy starring Sofia Black D’Elia and Ally Sheedy has been renewed for Season 2, TVLine has learned.
More from TVLineCruel Summer Season 2 to Feature Different Mystery and New Cast, Including Private Practice ReunionGood Trouble Video: Everyone Dresses Up as '90s Icons for Dennis' Birthdaygrown-ish Season 4 Finale Recap: Graduation Goodbyes -- Grade It!
“I am thrilled to bring Single Drunk Female back for a second season,” Freeform president Tara Duncan said in a statement. “Jenni Konner, Simone Finch and Daisy Gardner created...
Freeform’s half-hour comedy starring Sofia Black D’Elia and Ally Sheedy has been renewed for Season 2, TVLine has learned.
More from TVLineCruel Summer Season 2 to Feature Different Mystery and New Cast, Including Private Practice ReunionGood Trouble Video: Everyone Dresses Up as '90s Icons for Dennis' Birthdaygrown-ish Season 4 Finale Recap: Graduation Goodbyes -- Grade It!
“I am thrilled to bring Single Drunk Female back for a second season,” Freeform president Tara Duncan said in a statement. “Jenni Konner, Simone Finch and Daisy Gardner created...
- 4/26/2022
- by Keisha Hatchett
- TVLine.com
“Archive 81” will not receive a second season on Netflix, TheWrap has learned.
The series, from creator Rebecca Sonnenshine, starred Mamoudou Athie as video archivist Dan Turner, who was restoring tapes in the present, originally shot by Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi) in 1994 at the mysterious Visser apartment building.
In different timelines, both Dan and Melody uncover disturbing secrets about a destructive, demon-worshipping cult.
The series, which costarred Martin Donovan, Evan Jonigkeit, Julia Chan, Ariana Neal and Matt McGorry, was loosely inspired by the podcast of the same name.
Sonnenshine created the series and served as showrunner and executive producer. James Wan and Michael Clear of Atomic Monster also executive produced with Rebecca Thomas, Antoine Douaihy and Paul Harris Boardman.
The series, which debuted in January, ended on a cliffhanger that left Dan’s fate up in the air.
This was Athie’s third Netflix project after “Uncorked” and “TheGetdown.” Shihabi...
The series, from creator Rebecca Sonnenshine, starred Mamoudou Athie as video archivist Dan Turner, who was restoring tapes in the present, originally shot by Melody Pendras (Dina Shihabi) in 1994 at the mysterious Visser apartment building.
In different timelines, both Dan and Melody uncover disturbing secrets about a destructive, demon-worshipping cult.
The series, which costarred Martin Donovan, Evan Jonigkeit, Julia Chan, Ariana Neal and Matt McGorry, was loosely inspired by the podcast of the same name.
Sonnenshine created the series and served as showrunner and executive producer. James Wan and Michael Clear of Atomic Monster also executive produced with Rebecca Thomas, Antoine Douaihy and Paul Harris Boardman.
The series, which debuted in January, ended on a cliffhanger that left Dan’s fate up in the air.
This was Athie’s third Netflix project after “Uncorked” and “TheGetdown.” Shihabi...
- 3/24/2022
- by Sharon Knolle
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Netflix has opted not to move forward with a second season of Archive 81, Deadline has learned. The news comes two months after the the Jan. 14 debut of the horror drama starring Mamoudou Athie and Dina Shihabi.
TV Cancellations Photo Gallery: Shows Ending In 2022 & Beyond
The cancellation is somewhat surprising because Archive 81 did break into Nielsen and Netflix’s weekly Top 10 ratings for originals, and it also briefly shot to No. 1 on Netflix in the U.S. before being dethroned by the return of Ozark. With the streamer laser-focused on analyzing viewing versus cost in its renewal decisions, the number of eyeballs Archive 81 drew possibly did not meet the threshold Netflix had set for the series based on its budget.
Archive 81, based on the supernatural horror podcast and produced by James Wan’s Atomic Monster, was written and executive produced by Rebecca Sonnenshine, who made her...
TV Cancellations Photo Gallery: Shows Ending In 2022 & Beyond
The cancellation is somewhat surprising because Archive 81 did break into Nielsen and Netflix’s weekly Top 10 ratings for originals, and it also briefly shot to No. 1 on Netflix in the U.S. before being dethroned by the return of Ozark. With the streamer laser-focused on analyzing viewing versus cost in its renewal decisions, the number of eyeballs Archive 81 drew possibly did not meet the threshold Netflix had set for the series based on its budget.
Archive 81, based on the supernatural horror podcast and produced by James Wan’s Atomic Monster, was written and executive produced by Rebecca Sonnenshine, who made her...
- 3/24/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Lawrence Gilliard Jr., Sam Trammell, Erica Tazel, Matthew Glave and Al Sapienza are the latest additions to the cast of George Tillman Jr.’s untitled George Foreman biopic for Sony Pictures and Affirm Films.
They join an ensemble led by Khris Davis that also includes Sullivan Jones, Forest Whitaker, Jasmine Mathews, Sonja Sohn, John Magaro and Shein Mompremier, as previously announced.
Tillman Jr.’s latest will follow the remarkable life and times of Foreman (Davis), from Olympic Gold medalist to World Heavyweight champion, the Rumble in the Jungle fight with Muhammad Ali in Zaire, to finding his faith, retiring, and becoming a preacher. When financial hardship hits his family and church, he steps back in the ring and regains the championship...
They join an ensemble led by Khris Davis that also includes Sullivan Jones, Forest Whitaker, Jasmine Mathews, Sonja Sohn, John Magaro and Shein Mompremier, as previously announced.
Tillman Jr.’s latest will follow the remarkable life and times of Foreman (Davis), from Olympic Gold medalist to World Heavyweight champion, the Rumble in the Jungle fight with Muhammad Ali in Zaire, to finding his faith, retiring, and becoming a preacher. When financial hardship hits his family and church, he steps back in the ring and regains the championship...
- 2/28/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: ABC is looking to recruit another Rookie. The network is exploring a spinoff of its popular police procedural starring Nathan Fillon with another bonafide TV star, Niecy Nash, and a new setting, the FBI. The potential new series for next season will be introduced in a two-episode arc of the current fourth season of The Rookie. It will serve as a backdoor pilot for the yet-untitled project, which comes from The Rookie creator/executive producer Alexi Hawley, executive producers Terence Paul Winter and Mark Gordon and studios eOne and ABC Signature.
The planted spinoff, co-created and written by Hawley and Winter, follows the premise of The Rookie, which stars Fillion as John Nolan, the oldest rookie in the LAPD. Nash will guest star as Simone Clark, a force of nature, the living embodiment of a dream deferred – and the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy. Simone has never shied...
The planted spinoff, co-created and written by Hawley and Winter, follows the premise of The Rookie, which stars Fillion as John Nolan, the oldest rookie in the LAPD. Nash will guest star as Simone Clark, a force of nature, the living embodiment of a dream deferred – and the oldest rookie in the FBI Academy. Simone has never shied...
- 2/8/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Hosea Chanchez (The Game), Devere Rogers (My Spy), Griffin Matthews (The Flight Attendant) and Brandon Gill (The Sorcerer’s Apprentice) have signed on to star alongside Bernard David Jones in his pilot Remember, which has launched production after receiving a WarnerMedia OneFifty grant supporting the early stages of its development.
The series created, written and exec produced by Jones will be a dramedy following the forgetful millennial Jahi and his four best friends as they navigate queer love, rocky careers, and the ups and downs of friendship, while realizing that Jahi’s forgetfulness is more serious than imagined. Tosin Morohunfola (North of the 10), John Clarence Stewart (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), Marcel Spears (The Neighborhood), Marcc Rose (Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.), Elise Eberle (Shameless), Christy St. John (The Sex Lives of College Girls), Joy Brunson (This Is Us) and...
The series created, written and exec produced by Jones will be a dramedy following the forgetful millennial Jahi and his four best friends as they navigate queer love, rocky careers, and the ups and downs of friendship, while realizing that Jahi’s forgetfulness is more serious than imagined. Tosin Morohunfola (North of the 10), John Clarence Stewart (Zoey’s Extraordinary Playlist), Marcel Spears (The Neighborhood), Marcc Rose (Unsolved: The Murders of Tupac and the Notorious B.I.G.), Elise Eberle (Shameless), Christy St. John (The Sex Lives of College Girls), Joy Brunson (This Is Us) and...
- 2/7/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Prentice Penny (Insecure, Uncorked) has signed on to direct an adaptation of the New York Times bestselling graphic novel New Kid for Universal Pictures, tapping Eli Wilson Pelton to adapt the script. His production company A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment has also come aboard to develop and produce the film alongside The SpringHill Company.
New Kid tells the story of Jordan Banks, who experiences culture shock as one of the few kids of color when his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school, struggling both to start over and to fit in. The graphic novel from award-winning author-illustrator Jerry Craft was published by HarperCollins in 2019 and subsequently became the first to win the coveted Newbery Medal, as well as the Coretta Scott King Award.
Universal Pictures acquired the rights to New Kid in 2020 as part of its four-year, first-look deal with The SpringHill Company, which optioned...
New Kid tells the story of Jordan Banks, who experiences culture shock as one of the few kids of color when his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school, struggling both to start over and to fit in. The graphic novel from award-winning author-illustrator Jerry Craft was published by HarperCollins in 2019 and subsequently became the first to win the coveted Newbery Medal, as well as the Coretta Scott King Award.
Universal Pictures acquired the rights to New Kid in 2020 as part of its four-year, first-look deal with The SpringHill Company, which optioned...
- 2/1/2022
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Prentice Penny, who served as showrunner on HBO’s popular series “Insecure,” is stepping behind the camera to direct a feature film for Universal Pictures.
Penny has been hired to adapt “New Kid,” a movie version of Jerry Craft’s bestselling graphic novel. The children’s story follows a Black pre-teen named Jordan Banks, who experiences culture shock when his parents enroll him at an elite private school.
LeBron James will produce “New Kid” through his production house The SpringHill Company, along with SpringHill executive Maverick Carter. Jamal Henderson, Spencer Beighley and “New Kid” author Craft will be executive producers. In addition to directing, Penny will also executive produce through his shingle A Penny for Your Thoughts Entertainment with president and partner Chris Pollack.
Eli Wilson Pelton, whose credits include “Insecure” and “Brigerton,” will write the screenplay. After they collaborated on “Insecure,” where Wilson Pelton worked as writer and executive story editor for two seasons,...
Penny has been hired to adapt “New Kid,” a movie version of Jerry Craft’s bestselling graphic novel. The children’s story follows a Black pre-teen named Jordan Banks, who experiences culture shock when his parents enroll him at an elite private school.
LeBron James will produce “New Kid” through his production house The SpringHill Company, along with SpringHill executive Maverick Carter. Jamal Henderson, Spencer Beighley and “New Kid” author Craft will be executive producers. In addition to directing, Penny will also executive produce through his shingle A Penny for Your Thoughts Entertainment with president and partner Chris Pollack.
Eli Wilson Pelton, whose credits include “Insecure” and “Brigerton,” will write the screenplay. After they collaborated on “Insecure,” where Wilson Pelton worked as writer and executive story editor for two seasons,...
- 2/1/2022
- by Rebecca Rubin
- Variety Film + TV
Prentice Penny will direct Universal Pictures’ “New Kid,” based on the graphic novel of the same name. Penny joins the project with his production banner A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment, which will develop and produce alongside The SpringHill Company.
Eli Wilson Pelton will adapt the graphic novel and write the script.
Based on the New York Times bestseller, “New Kid” tells the story of Jordan Banks, who experiences culture shock as one of the few kids of color when his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school.
From author-illustrator Jerry Craft and published by HarperCollins, “New Kid” is a timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real. “New Kid” became the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal, as well as the Coretta Scott King Award.
Universal Pictures acquired the rights to...
Eli Wilson Pelton will adapt the graphic novel and write the script.
Based on the New York Times bestseller, “New Kid” tells the story of Jordan Banks, who experiences culture shock as one of the few kids of color when his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school.
From author-illustrator Jerry Craft and published by HarperCollins, “New Kid” is a timely, honest graphic novel about starting over at a new school where diversity is low and the struggle to fit in is real. “New Kid” became the first graphic novel to win the Newbery Medal, as well as the Coretta Scott King Award.
Universal Pictures acquired the rights to...
- 2/1/2022
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Black Box actor Mamoudou Athie is reteaming with Amazon Studios for their feature The Burial, based on the New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr.
Athie will star alongside Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jurnee Smollett, with Maggie Betts directing from a script written by Doug Wright.
Based on a true story, The Burial follows a bankrupt funeral home owner, who decides to sue a rival businessman over a handshake deal gone wrong. The owner hires a flamboyant attorney to handle the case.
Producers include Bobby Shriver via his Bobby Shriver Inc. label, Double Nickel Entertainment’s Adam Richman and Jenette Kahn, Foxx and producing partner Datari Turner, and Maven Pictures’ Trudie Styler and Celine Rattray.
Athie was nominated for an Emmy last year in the Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category for Fxx’s Oh Jerome, No, which he also executive produced. He...
Athie will star alongside Jamie Foxx, Tommy Lee Jones, and Jurnee Smollett, with Maggie Betts directing from a script written by Doug Wright.
Based on a true story, The Burial follows a bankrupt funeral home owner, who decides to sue a rival businessman over a handshake deal gone wrong. The owner hires a flamboyant attorney to handle the case.
Producers include Bobby Shriver via his Bobby Shriver Inc. label, Double Nickel Entertainment’s Adam Richman and Jenette Kahn, Foxx and producing partner Datari Turner, and Maven Pictures’ Trudie Styler and Celine Rattray.
Athie was nominated for an Emmy last year in the Outstanding Actor in a Short Form Comedy or Drama Series category for Fxx’s Oh Jerome, No, which he also executive produced. He...
- 2/1/2022
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Jeff Friday Media (Jfm) has landed writer/director Khaled Ridgeway’s second film project Lucid Summer. Jfm, which has a motion picture development deal with Sony Pictures, has signed on to produce the film that follows Ridgeway’s award-winning comedy-drama Death of a Telemarketer recently acquired by Sony Pictures.
With a script by Ridgeway and Noah Cooper, Lucid Summer is a dramatic psychological thriller about how a family navigates a hidden world of secrets while managing to keep secrets from one another. The film will be directed by American Black Film Festival (ABFF) alum Ridgeway. ABFF founder and Jfm CEO Jeff Friday will serve as executive producer along with Nicole Friday, ABFF Ventures president and Gm. The film marked Jfm’s first production with Sony Pictures as a result of the company’s distinct motion picture partnership. Production will begin in Summer 2022.
“Great relationships play an integral part in any artist’s success,...
With a script by Ridgeway and Noah Cooper, Lucid Summer is a dramatic psychological thriller about how a family navigates a hidden world of secrets while managing to keep secrets from one another. The film will be directed by American Black Film Festival (ABFF) alum Ridgeway. ABFF founder and Jfm CEO Jeff Friday will serve as executive producer along with Nicole Friday, ABFF Ventures president and Gm. The film marked Jfm’s first production with Sony Pictures as a result of the company’s distinct motion picture partnership. Production will begin in Summer 2022.
“Great relationships play an integral part in any artist’s success,...
- 12/19/2021
- by Valerie Complex
- Deadline Film + TV
Before Insecure launched in 2016, showrunner Prentice Penny likes to say that he was in the “outgoing call business.” Five years and as many seasons later, the longtime comedy writer with credits on Scrubs, Happy Endings and Brooklyn Nine-Nine finally finds himself firmly in the “incoming call” one.
Now, with the Emmy-winning HBO comedy created by and starring Issa Rae set to end, the 48-year-old producer is focused on what he wants to say when that phone rings. Already, the South L.A. native who got his start on 2000’s Girlfriends has written and directed his first feature (Netflix’s Uncorked), explored ...
Now, with the Emmy-winning HBO comedy created by and starring Issa Rae set to end, the 48-year-old producer is focused on what he wants to say when that phone rings. Already, the South L.A. native who got his start on 2000’s Girlfriends has written and directed his first feature (Netflix’s Uncorked), explored ...
- 11/12/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Before Insecure launched in 2016, showrunner Prentice Penny likes to say that he was in the “outgoing call business.” Five years and as many seasons later, the longtime comedy writer with credits on Scrubs, Happy Endings and Brooklyn Nine-Nine finally finds himself firmly in the “incoming call” one.
Now, with the Emmy-winning HBO comedy created by and starring Issa Rae set to end, the 48-year-old producer is focused on what he wants to say when that phone rings. Already, the South L.A. native who got his start on 2000’s Girlfriends has written and directed his first feature (Netflix’s Uncorked), explored ...
Now, with the Emmy-winning HBO comedy created by and starring Issa Rae set to end, the 48-year-old producer is focused on what he wants to say when that phone rings. Already, the South L.A. native who got his start on 2000’s Girlfriends has written and directed his first feature (Netflix’s Uncorked), explored ...
- 11/12/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Exclusive: Bernard David Jones’ pilot Remember has headed into pre-production, after receiving a WarnerMedia OneFifty grant supporting the early stages of its development.
Remember is a dramedy that follows a forgetful millennial and his four best friends as they navigate queer love, rocky careers, and the ups and downs of friendship, while realizing that his forgetfulness is more serious than imagined.
Jones wrote the series, in which he’s also set to star, and is producing it with Gem Little, with Tari Wariebi serving as its director. Casting for most roles is still being finalized.
Jones previously found a series regular role in ABC’s The Mayor and will next appear on the TV side in Scroll Wheel of Time opposite Laci Mosely and Jerry Minor. The actor’s TV credits also include BET’s Twenties, TBS’ Meet the Browns and House of Payne, VH1 Television’s Single Ladies, the...
Remember is a dramedy that follows a forgetful millennial and his four best friends as they navigate queer love, rocky careers, and the ups and downs of friendship, while realizing that his forgetfulness is more serious than imagined.
Jones wrote the series, in which he’s also set to star, and is producing it with Gem Little, with Tari Wariebi serving as its director. Casting for most roles is still being finalized.
Jones previously found a series regular role in ABC’s The Mayor and will next appear on the TV side in Scroll Wheel of Time opposite Laci Mosely and Jerry Minor. The actor’s TV credits also include BET’s Twenties, TBS’ Meet the Browns and House of Payne, VH1 Television’s Single Ladies, the...
- 10/21/2021
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Prentice Penny has exited his overall deal at HBO and signed a new multiyear pact with Disney General Entertainment’s Onyx Collective, the studio said Monday.
Per Onyx Collective, “Under the terms of the agreement, Penny will produce, write and direct new projects through his production company, A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment, across all Disney platforms, including Hulu, which serves as the primary home for Onyx Collective titles.”
Penny and A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment will have the ability to develop projects that he would produce, write and/or direct himself, as well as develop and supervise projects from other writers, according to the “Insecure” showrunner’s new home studio. A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment President and Partner, Chris Pollack, will continue in his role, leading the company alongside Penny under the new deal. The company’s development team, led by Alex Soler, will also make the move,...
Per Onyx Collective, “Under the terms of the agreement, Penny will produce, write and direct new projects through his production company, A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment, across all Disney platforms, including Hulu, which serves as the primary home for Onyx Collective titles.”
Penny and A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment will have the ability to develop projects that he would produce, write and/or direct himself, as well as develop and supervise projects from other writers, according to the “Insecure” showrunner’s new home studio. A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment President and Partner, Chris Pollack, will continue in his role, leading the company alongside Penny under the new deal. The company’s development team, led by Alex Soler, will also make the move,...
- 8/2/2021
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Insecure showrunner Prentice Penny has struck a high-end, multi-year overall deal with Disney General Entertainment’s Onyx Collective.
It will see Penny and his A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment company develop and produce projects for all Disney platforms, including Hulu, which serves as the primary home to Onyx projects. Terms have not been disclosed but according to sources, it is for four years and well into the eight figures.
Penny will develop projects that he will produce, write and/or direct himself as well as develop and supervise other writers. The agreement will see A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment to continue to create and champion premium comedy, drama and late-night series, while also expanding their work into new areas of content.
He is the latest top-tier talent to sign with the fledgling brand; Ryan Coogler’s Proximity will produce all non-Marvel titles through Onyx and Penny’s Insecure...
It will see Penny and his A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment company develop and produce projects for all Disney platforms, including Hulu, which serves as the primary home to Onyx projects. Terms have not been disclosed but according to sources, it is for four years and well into the eight figures.
Penny will develop projects that he will produce, write and/or direct himself as well as develop and supervise other writers. The agreement will see A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment to continue to create and champion premium comedy, drama and late-night series, while also expanding their work into new areas of content.
He is the latest top-tier talent to sign with the fledgling brand; Ryan Coogler’s Proximity will produce all non-Marvel titles through Onyx and Penny’s Insecure...
- 8/2/2021
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Peabody and Golden Globe winner Prentice Penny has signed a new eight-figure, multi-year overall deal with Disney General Entertainment’s Onyx Collective.
Under the new deal, Penny will produce, write and direct new projects through his A Penny for Your Thoughts Entertainment banner across Disney platforms, including Hulu, which is the primary home for Onyx Collective titles.
“I could not be more excited to partner with Onyx Collective for the next phase of my career,” Penny said in statement announcing the new deal. “The second I sat down with Dana [Walden, chairman of entertainment at Walt Disney Television] and Tara [Duncan, president of Freeform and Onyx Collective] I knew I wanted to work with them and make this my new home. To be at the ground floor of what Tara and the entire Onyx Collective team wants to be is an honor.”
In addition to the projects Penny helms himself, A Penny for Your Thoughts Entertainment will also...
Under the new deal, Penny will produce, write and direct new projects through his A Penny for Your Thoughts Entertainment banner across Disney platforms, including Hulu, which is the primary home for Onyx Collective titles.
“I could not be more excited to partner with Onyx Collective for the next phase of my career,” Penny said in statement announcing the new deal. “The second I sat down with Dana [Walden, chairman of entertainment at Walt Disney Television] and Tara [Duncan, president of Freeform and Onyx Collective] I knew I wanted to work with them and make this my new home. To be at the ground floor of what Tara and the entire Onyx Collective team wants to be is an honor.”
In addition to the projects Penny helms himself, A Penny for Your Thoughts Entertainment will also...
- 8/2/2021
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
It can be a difficult task for any discerning viewer to sift through the sheer volume of movies streaming on Netflix. It’s an even greater challenge if searching specifically for Black films. As an extension of IndieWire’s monthly list of the best new films on Netflix, this list will be updated monthly as new titles become available, and old titles will be replaced.
From “Insecure” showrunner Prentice Penny’s acclaimed directorial debut, “Uncorked,” to Theodore Witcher’s only feature film, the cult-classic romantic drama “Love Jones” — which signaled the end of the “hood movie” era of the 1990s and foreshadowed the so-called “buppie movie” phase of the early 2000s — and more, there’s a little something for everyone this month. It also happens to mark the 156th year since the commemoration of Juneteenth.
From “Insecure” showrunner Prentice Penny’s acclaimed directorial debut, “Uncorked,” to Theodore Witcher’s only feature film, the cult-classic romantic drama “Love Jones” — which signaled the end of the “hood movie” era of the 1990s and foreshadowed the so-called “buppie movie” phase of the early 2000s — and more, there’s a little something for everyone this month. It also happens to mark the 156th year since the commemoration of Juneteenth.
- 6/11/2021
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Exclusive: Chris Pollack is segueing out of management and joining long-time client Prentice Penny’s A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment as President and Partner.
With Pollack transitioning into his new role, Penny has re-teamed with his former agent-turned-manager Theresa Kang-Lowe, bringing the well-respected rep and her company Blue Marble Management on board to manage Penny and A Penny For Your Thoughts.
In the newly created President role, Pollack will work alongside Penny overseeing all aspects of the A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment’s creative endeavors in film, television and alternative entertainment. The move marks an evolution in Penny and Pollack’s longstanding business relationship, which began with Pollack serving as Penny’s manager and later expanded into a decade-long producing partnership.
Pollack’s hire comes amid an expansion of A Penny For Your Thoughts’ film and television slate over the past several years. The company’s executive ranks also include Alex Soler,...
With Pollack transitioning into his new role, Penny has re-teamed with his former agent-turned-manager Theresa Kang-Lowe, bringing the well-respected rep and her company Blue Marble Management on board to manage Penny and A Penny For Your Thoughts.
In the newly created President role, Pollack will work alongside Penny overseeing all aspects of the A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment’s creative endeavors in film, television and alternative entertainment. The move marks an evolution in Penny and Pollack’s longstanding business relationship, which began with Pollack serving as Penny’s manager and later expanded into a decade-long producing partnership.
Pollack’s hire comes amid an expansion of A Penny For Your Thoughts’ film and television slate over the past several years. The company’s executive ranks also include Alex Soler,...
- 6/4/2021
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Netflix has locked down the cast to its upcoming feature adaptation of Broadway’s 13: The Musical.
The musical, which ran from October 2008 to January 2009 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre follows Evan Goldman (12) who following a move from NYC to small-town Indiana, grapples with his parents’ divorce, prepares for his impending Bar Mitzvah, and navigates the complicated social circles of a new school.
The Broadway version featured the first and only all-teenage cast and band and served as professional debuts of Ariana Grande and Elizabeth Gillies. The musical has since been a popular production of high school theater groups.
Of the 14 starring in 13: The Musical include Eli Golden (The Wizard of Lies), Gabriella Uhl, Jd McCrary, Frankie McNellis, Lindsey Blackwell (The Change-Up), Jonathan Lengel, Ramon Reed (Disney Channel’s Just Roll With It...
The musical, which ran from October 2008 to January 2009 at the Bernard B. Jacobs Theatre follows Evan Goldman (12) who following a move from NYC to small-town Indiana, grapples with his parents’ divorce, prepares for his impending Bar Mitzvah, and navigates the complicated social circles of a new school.
The Broadway version featured the first and only all-teenage cast and band and served as professional debuts of Ariana Grande and Elizabeth Gillies. The musical has since been a popular production of high school theater groups.
Of the 14 starring in 13: The Musical include Eli Golden (The Wizard of Lies), Gabriella Uhl, Jd McCrary, Frankie McNellis, Lindsey Blackwell (The Change-Up), Jonathan Lengel, Ramon Reed (Disney Channel’s Just Roll With It...
- 4/29/2021
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
When Sierra Teller Ornelas was in pre-production on her new Peacock comedy “Rutherford Falls,” she found inspiration in a quote she read from showrunner Prentice Penny describing his movie “Uncorked” as “This is Black people on a Tuesday.”
The film, which follows a young man on his quest to become a master sommelier, did not take place at a major life event such as a wedding, nor did it result in tragedy; it told a slice of life story. And that was what Teller Ornelas wanted to do with “Rutherford Falls,” a show that centers on the relationships between members of a Native American reservation and the residents of the neighboring titular town.
“We were very fortunate to show Native people as complex people who have multiple points of view,” she tells Variety. “For us to be mundane, to not be trauma porn people, to just be human beings that...
The film, which follows a young man on his quest to become a master sommelier, did not take place at a major life event such as a wedding, nor did it result in tragedy; it told a slice of life story. And that was what Teller Ornelas wanted to do with “Rutherford Falls,” a show that centers on the relationships between members of a Native American reservation and the residents of the neighboring titular town.
“We were very fortunate to show Native people as complex people who have multiple points of view,” she tells Variety. “For us to be mundane, to not be trauma porn people, to just be human beings that...
- 4/21/2021
- by Danielle Turchiano
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Niecy Nash has signed on to star alongside Gabrielle Union and Keith Powers, in the Numa Perrier-directed romantic comedy, The Perfect Find. The Netflix film is based on the 2016 book by Tia Williams.
Written by Leigh Davenport, the plot follows Jenna Jones Union, who is hopeful that her new job in beauty journalism will be a fresh start in her life. She soon learns that her new boss, Darcy, is her frenemy. Jenna starts a relationship with the company’s videographer, Eric, and things get complicated when she learns he’s Darcy’s son.
Union is producing the pic via her I’ll Have Another banner with Jeff Morrone, Tommy Oliver, and Codie Elaine Oliver of Confluential Films, and AGC Studios. Stuart Ford and Glendon Palmer will serve as exec producers on behalf of AGC with I’ll Have Another’s Holly Shakoor Fleischer.
Nash is returning to...
Written by Leigh Davenport, the plot follows Jenna Jones Union, who is hopeful that her new job in beauty journalism will be a fresh start in her life. She soon learns that her new boss, Darcy, is her frenemy. Jenna starts a relationship with the company’s videographer, Eric, and things get complicated when she learns he’s Darcy’s son.
Union is producing the pic via her I’ll Have Another banner with Jeff Morrone, Tommy Oliver, and Codie Elaine Oliver of Confluential Films, and AGC Studios. Stuart Ford and Glendon Palmer will serve as exec producers on behalf of AGC with I’ll Have Another’s Holly Shakoor Fleischer.
Nash is returning to...
- 3/2/2021
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
This year, the killings of George Floyd, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor sparked a racial reckoning not seen in America in decades. Of course — likely not wanting to find themselves on the wrong side of history — each major studio immediately issued statements of support for the movement for Black lives. Despite this unanimous display, it wasn’t quite clear just how sincere these gestures were, and to which degree each Hollywood heavy-hitter would be willing to put their words into action with dollars in order to create a more inclusive and diverse environment.
It certainly would be to their benefit to do so. A new study published in October from the UCLA-based Center for Scholars and Storytellers included key information on the single factor that could result in a $130 million loss per film for movie studios: a lack of diversity. The study is titled “Beyond Checking A Box: A Lack...
It certainly would be to their benefit to do so. A new study published in October from the UCLA-based Center for Scholars and Storytellers included key information on the single factor that could result in a $130 million loss per film for movie studios: a lack of diversity. The study is titled “Beyond Checking A Box: A Lack...
- 12/29/2020
- by Tambay Obenson
- Indiewire
Prentice Penny wants to see life imitate art — imitating life — in joining the effort to inspire people to buy from Black-owned businesses this holiday shopping season.
The showrunner and executive producer of “Insecure,” the HBO comedy created by and starring Issa Rae, is among the guests on Friday’s finale of Facebook’s “#BuyBlack Friday,” a series aimed at turning the annual post-Thanksgiving shopping event into a call for consumers to support Black-owned businesses throughout the entire holiday season.
Penny noted that at the end of “Insecure” Season 4, Rae’s character started her own small business as a “cultural curator,” supporting local entrepreneurs, and the next season will build on the exploration of her new undertaking.
“She’s like an event planner, promoting the businesses, not too dissimilar from what this is,” Penny told Variety. About Facebook’s “#BuyBlack Friday” show, he said, “It just felt like a natural connection for me,...
The showrunner and executive producer of “Insecure,” the HBO comedy created by and starring Issa Rae, is among the guests on Friday’s finale of Facebook’s “#BuyBlack Friday,” a series aimed at turning the annual post-Thanksgiving shopping event into a call for consumers to support Black-owned businesses throughout the entire holiday season.
Penny noted that at the end of “Insecure” Season 4, Rae’s character started her own small business as a “cultural curator,” supporting local entrepreneurs, and the next season will build on the exploration of her new undertaking.
“She’s like an event planner, promoting the businesses, not too dissimilar from what this is,” Penny told Variety. About Facebook’s “#BuyBlack Friday” show, he said, “It just felt like a natural connection for me,...
- 11/25/2020
- by Todd Spangler
- Variety Film + TV
Anthony Mackie will produce and star in Netflix’s upcoming action-adventure “The Ogun” from producer Jason Michael Berman.
“The Ogun” centers on Mackie’s character Xavier Rhodes, who takes his teenage daughter to Nigeria to find a cure for the rare genetic condition that he passed on to her. When his daughter is kidnapped, Rhodes goes on a rampage through the criminal underworld to find her before it’s too late.
No director is yet attached to “The Ogun,” written by stuntman-turned-screenwriter Madison Turner. Turner previously set up his Blacklist script “The Liberators” at Warner Bros. with Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society and Safehouse Pictures attached. He is currently rewriting an adaptation of Ed Brubaker’s “Kill or Be Killed” for Thunder Road.
Berman is producing “The Ogun” for Mandalay Pictures. He and Mackie collaborated on the sci-fi drama “Io,” which starred Margaret Qualley, Mackie and Danny Huston, and...
“The Ogun” centers on Mackie’s character Xavier Rhodes, who takes his teenage daughter to Nigeria to find a cure for the rare genetic condition that he passed on to her. When his daughter is kidnapped, Rhodes goes on a rampage through the criminal underworld to find her before it’s too late.
No director is yet attached to “The Ogun,” written by stuntman-turned-screenwriter Madison Turner. Turner previously set up his Blacklist script “The Liberators” at Warner Bros. with Michael B. Jordan’s Outlier Society and Safehouse Pictures attached. He is currently rewriting an adaptation of Ed Brubaker’s “Kill or Be Killed” for Thunder Road.
Berman is producing “The Ogun” for Mandalay Pictures. He and Mackie collaborated on the sci-fi drama “Io,” which starred Margaret Qualley, Mackie and Danny Huston, and...
- 11/23/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Netflix has greenlit a horror series based on the found-footage podcast Archive 81.
The eight-episode series, loosely inspired by the podcast, will star Mamoudou Athie (The Get Down, Uncorked) and Dina Shihabi (Altered Carbon, Freeform’s Ya Bint). Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys, The Vampire Diaries) will serve as showunner, and James Wan (The Conjuring franchise) is an executive producer.
Athie will play Dan Turner, an archivist who takes a job restoring a collection of damaged videotapes from the early ’90s. He finds himself reconstructing the work of documentary filmmaker Melody Pendras (Shihabi), who was investigating a dangerous cult. As he’s drawn into ...
The eight-episode series, loosely inspired by the podcast, will star Mamoudou Athie (The Get Down, Uncorked) and Dina Shihabi (Altered Carbon, Freeform’s Ya Bint). Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys, The Vampire Diaries) will serve as showunner, and James Wan (The Conjuring franchise) is an executive producer.
Athie will play Dan Turner, an archivist who takes a job restoring a collection of damaged videotapes from the early ’90s. He finds himself reconstructing the work of documentary filmmaker Melody Pendras (Shihabi), who was investigating a dangerous cult. As he’s drawn into ...
- 10/26/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Netflix has greenlit a horror series based on the found-footage podcast Archive 81.
The eight-episode series, loosely inspired by the podcast, will star Mamoudou Athie (The Get Down, Uncorked) and Dina Shihabi (Altered Carbon, Freeform’s Ya Bint). Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys, The Vampire Diaries) will serve as showunner, and James Wan (The Conjuring franchise) is an executive producer.
Athie will play Dan Turner, an archivist who takes a job restoring a collection of damaged videotapes from the early ’90s. He finds himself reconstructing the work of documentary filmmaker Melody Pendras (Shihabi), who was investigating a dangerous cult. As he’s drawn into ...
The eight-episode series, loosely inspired by the podcast, will star Mamoudou Athie (The Get Down, Uncorked) and Dina Shihabi (Altered Carbon, Freeform’s Ya Bint). Rebecca Sonnenshine (The Boys, The Vampire Diaries) will serve as showunner, and James Wan (The Conjuring franchise) is an executive producer.
Athie will play Dan Turner, an archivist who takes a job restoring a collection of damaged videotapes from the early ’90s. He finds himself reconstructing the work of documentary filmmaker Melody Pendras (Shihabi), who was investigating a dangerous cult. As he’s drawn into ...
- 10/26/2020
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Jamie Foxx and his producing partner, Datari Turner, have signed an overall deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to develop and produce feature films.
The first project in development that Foxx and Turner are producing for the studio under their new deal is an untitled action thriller written by Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier, which Foxx is also set to star in.
“Not only is Jamie Foxx one of the most talented and decorated actors in the world, he is also an idea machine,” said Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group. “As a company we have been lucky to work with Jamie in ‘Baby Driver’ and ‘Amazing Spider-Man,’ but his creativity as a producer is his most exciting role yet. Jamie is wildly creative, funny and brilliant, he walks the walk, he talks the talk and we are so proud to be in this partnership with Jamie and Datari.
The first project in development that Foxx and Turner are producing for the studio under their new deal is an untitled action thriller written by Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier, which Foxx is also set to star in.
“Not only is Jamie Foxx one of the most talented and decorated actors in the world, he is also an idea machine,” said Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group. “As a company we have been lucky to work with Jamie in ‘Baby Driver’ and ‘Amazing Spider-Man,’ but his creativity as a producer is his most exciting role yet. Jamie is wildly creative, funny and brilliant, he walks the walk, he talks the talk and we are so proud to be in this partnership with Jamie and Datari.
- 9/9/2020
- by Dave McNary
- Variety Film + TV
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx and his producing partner, Datari Turner, have signed an overall deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to develop and produce feature films, the studio announced on Wednesday.
The first project in development that the duo are producing under their new deal is an untitled action thriller written by Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier, which Foxx is also set to star in.
“Not only is Jamie Foxx one of the most talented and decorated actors in the world he is also an idea machine,” says Sanford Panitch, President, Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group in a statement to TheWrap. “As a company we have been lucky to work with Jamie in ‘Baby Driver’ and ‘Amazing Spider-man,’ but his creativity as a producer is his most exciting role yet. Jamie is wildly creative, funny and brilliant, he walks the walk, he talks the talk and we are so proud to...
The first project in development that the duo are producing under their new deal is an untitled action thriller written by Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier, which Foxx is also set to star in.
“Not only is Jamie Foxx one of the most talented and decorated actors in the world he is also an idea machine,” says Sanford Panitch, President, Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group in a statement to TheWrap. “As a company we have been lucky to work with Jamie in ‘Baby Driver’ and ‘Amazing Spider-man,’ but his creativity as a producer is his most exciting role yet. Jamie is wildly creative, funny and brilliant, he walks the walk, he talks the talk and we are so proud to...
- 9/9/2020
- by Umberto Gonzalez
- The Wrap
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx and his producing partner, Datari Turner, have signed an overall deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment where they’ll develop and produce feature films.
The first project in development that Foxx and Turner are producing for the studio under their new deal is an untitled action thriller written by Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier, which Foxx will also star in.
“Not only is Jamie Foxx one of the most talented and decorated actors in the world he is also an idea machine. As a company we have been lucky to work with Jamie in Baby Driver and Amazing Spiderman, but his creativity as a producer is his most exciting role yet. Jamie is wildly creative, funny and brilliant, he walks the walk, he talks the talk and we are so proud to be in this partnership with Jamie and Datari. We already have a few projects secretly...
The first project in development that Foxx and Turner are producing for the studio under their new deal is an untitled action thriller written by Juel Taylor and Tony Rettenmaier, which Foxx will also star in.
“Not only is Jamie Foxx one of the most talented and decorated actors in the world he is also an idea machine. As a company we have been lucky to work with Jamie in Baby Driver and Amazing Spiderman, but his creativity as a producer is his most exciting role yet. Jamie is wildly creative, funny and brilliant, he walks the walk, he talks the talk and we are so proud to be in this partnership with Jamie and Datari. We already have a few projects secretly...
- 9/9/2020
- by Anthony D'Alessandro
- Deadline Film + TV
Prentice Penny, the executive producer of “Insecure,” will direct his sophomore feature film, an untitled holiday movie at Netflix along with Chernin Entertainment, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.
Penny will direct the film based on his own original concept that he crafted with his wife Tasha Penny and “Insecure” co-executive producer Phil Augusta Jackson. Penny and Augusta Jackson will co-write the screenplay.
In a statement, Penny described the untitled project as an opportunity for Black characters to go to the same magical depths to celebrate Christmas the way movies like “The Santa Clause” or “Elf” have done.
Also Read: Watch 'Insecure' Exec Producers Issa Rae and Prentice Penny Discuss Race, Trauma and History | Video
“I’m very excited and honored to bring this movie to life with Netflix and Chernin Entertainment. When my wife Tasha and I came up with the idea, we felt...
Penny will direct the film based on his own original concept that he crafted with his wife Tasha Penny and “Insecure” co-executive producer Phil Augusta Jackson. Penny and Augusta Jackson will co-write the screenplay.
In a statement, Penny described the untitled project as an opportunity for Black characters to go to the same magical depths to celebrate Christmas the way movies like “The Santa Clause” or “Elf” have done.
Also Read: Watch 'Insecure' Exec Producers Issa Rae and Prentice Penny Discuss Race, Trauma and History | Video
“I’m very excited and honored to bring this movie to life with Netflix and Chernin Entertainment. When my wife Tasha and I came up with the idea, we felt...
- 7/16/2020
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Insecure EP Prentice Penny has reteamed with Netflix for his next directorial feature following the success of his debut film, Uncorked. Penny has partnered with Chernin Entertainment on an untitled holiday film, which is based on an original concept from himself, his wife Tasha Penny, and Insecure co-executive producer Phil Augusta Jackson.
While keeping plot details under wraps, Peabody and Golden Globe winner Prentice said, “I’m very excited and honored to bring this movie to life with Netflix and Chernin Entertainment. When my wife Tasha and I came up with the idea, we felt that African-American movies centered around Christmas never got to play in the same ‘magical’ sandbox that traditionally white movies do, like The Santa Clause or Elf. We wanted to see images of ourselves portrayed in this genre and create a movie that black families could enjoy having themselves represented in for generations.”
Chernin will produce alongside Prentice,...
While keeping plot details under wraps, Peabody and Golden Globe winner Prentice said, “I’m very excited and honored to bring this movie to life with Netflix and Chernin Entertainment. When my wife Tasha and I came up with the idea, we felt that African-American movies centered around Christmas never got to play in the same ‘magical’ sandbox that traditionally white movies do, like The Santa Clause or Elf. We wanted to see images of ourselves portrayed in this genre and create a movie that black families could enjoy having themselves represented in for generations.”
Chernin will produce alongside Prentice,...
- 7/16/2020
- by Amanda N'Duka
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Jeremy Rush, whose feature directing debut was Netflix thriller Wheelman starring Frank Grillo, has been set to direct contained space thriller Retrograde.
The project comes from producers Mandalay Pictures and Juniper Productions. The two companies previously teamed on supernatural drama Nine Days, which debuted at Sundance this year and was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics.
Mark Mazur has penned the Retrograde screenplay, which was on the 2019 Hit List. The story, set after a nuclear war has erupted between the U.S. and Russia, follows six astronauts aboard the International Space Station who are ordered to seize control of the facility from their foreign colleagues by any means necessary.
Jason Michael Berman, Will Raynor and Patrick Raymond of Mandalay are on producing duties with Matthew Lindner of Juniper.
Mandalay also produced Prentice Penny’s Netflix pic Uncorked and its upcoming work includes WWII pic The Last Ridge and the...
The project comes from producers Mandalay Pictures and Juniper Productions. The two companies previously teamed on supernatural drama Nine Days, which debuted at Sundance this year and was picked up by Sony Pictures Classics.
Mark Mazur has penned the Retrograde screenplay, which was on the 2019 Hit List. The story, set after a nuclear war has erupted between the U.S. and Russia, follows six astronauts aboard the International Space Station who are ordered to seize control of the facility from their foreign colleagues by any means necessary.
Jason Michael Berman, Will Raynor and Patrick Raymond of Mandalay are on producing duties with Matthew Lindner of Juniper.
Mandalay also produced Prentice Penny’s Netflix pic Uncorked and its upcoming work includes WWII pic The Last Ridge and the...
- 7/7/2020
- by Tom Grater and Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO Max is accelerating the release of the remaining episodes of Anna Kendrick’s Love Life romantic comedy anthology series, from Lionsgate TV and Paul Feig’s Feigco Entertainment.
Episodes 4, 5 and 6 will be available next Thursday, June 4 on the WarnerMedia streaming service. The final episodes will be added on Thursday, June 11. The streamer had planned to release one new episode a week following its May 27 premiere with the first three episodes. The decision to speed up the release follows strong audience response to the streamer’s first scripted original series, according to HBO Max.
“HBO Max audiences have fallen in love with Love Life. It’s wonderfully gratifying to see that fans have immediately connected to the show and we are accelerating the release of episodes to meet their demand for more,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max. “We are thrilled to see Love Life emerge as...
Episodes 4, 5 and 6 will be available next Thursday, June 4 on the WarnerMedia streaming service. The final episodes will be added on Thursday, June 11. The streamer had planned to release one new episode a week following its May 27 premiere with the first three episodes. The decision to speed up the release follows strong audience response to the streamer’s first scripted original series, according to HBO Max.
“HBO Max audiences have fallen in love with Love Life. It’s wonderfully gratifying to see that fans have immediately connected to the show and we are accelerating the release of episodes to meet their demand for more,” said Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max. “We are thrilled to see Love Life emerge as...
- 5/29/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Prentice Penny and Martyna Majok are teaming up to develop a drama series based on Majok’s play “Queens” at HBO.
“Queens” examines the lives of two generations of immigrant women that collide in a basement apartment in Queens, as the choices they’ve made about their security, dignity, and desires come back to confront them.
Majok will adapt the play for the screen and serve as executive producer, with Penny executive producing under his A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment banner. Alex Soler of Penny for Your Thoughts will serve as co-executive producer. Soler is said to have been instrumental in bringing Penny and Majok together for this project.
Penny is currently under an overall deal at HBO, where he serves as the showrunner and executive producer on the critically-acclaimed comedy series “Insecure.” The show was recently renewed for a fifth season. His other TV credits include “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,...
“Queens” examines the lives of two generations of immigrant women that collide in a basement apartment in Queens, as the choices they’ve made about their security, dignity, and desires come back to confront them.
Majok will adapt the play for the screen and serve as executive producer, with Penny executive producing under his A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment banner. Alex Soler of Penny for Your Thoughts will serve as co-executive producer. Soler is said to have been instrumental in bringing Penny and Majok together for this project.
Penny is currently under an overall deal at HBO, where he serves as the showrunner and executive producer on the critically-acclaimed comedy series “Insecure.” The show was recently renewed for a fifth season. His other TV credits include “Brooklyn Nine-Nine,...
- 5/20/2020
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
HBO has put in development drama series Queens, based on the play by Pulitzer Prize winner Martyna Majok, with Insecure executive producer, writer and director Prentice Penny executive producing via his A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment production company. Majok will pen the adaptation and executive produce.
Queens revolves around the lives of two generations of immigrant women that collide in a basement apartment in Queens, as the choices they’ve made about their security, dignity, and desires come back to confront them. When trying to move your life forward, what cannot – and should not – be left behind?
Alex Soler co-executive produces via A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment.
Penny serves as showrunner, executive producer and frequent director for HBO’s popular comedy Insecure, which is currently airing its fourth season and has already been renewed for season 5. Penny recently made his feature directorial debut in the upcoming Netflix original film Uncorked,...
Queens revolves around the lives of two generations of immigrant women that collide in a basement apartment in Queens, as the choices they’ve made about their security, dignity, and desires come back to confront them. When trying to move your life forward, what cannot – and should not – be left behind?
Alex Soler co-executive produces via A Penny For Your Thoughts Entertainment.
Penny serves as showrunner, executive producer and frequent director for HBO’s popular comedy Insecure, which is currently airing its fourth season and has already been renewed for season 5. Penny recently made his feature directorial debut in the upcoming Netflix original film Uncorked,...
- 5/20/2020
- by Nellie Andreeva and Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix’s Uncorked attempts to be a touching father-son drama but falls short. The central story is nothing unique: a father, Louis, (Courtney B. Vance) wants his son (Mamadou Athie) to follow in his footsteps but his son has other dreams. Louis inherited the family barbecue restaurant from his father who established it years ago and […]
The post ‘Uncorked’ TV Review: Courtney B. Vance & Niecy Nash Shine In Uninspired Family Drama appeared first on uInterview.
The post ‘Uncorked’ TV Review: Courtney B. Vance & Niecy Nash Shine In Uninspired Family Drama appeared first on uInterview.
- 4/29/2020
- by Sonali Mathur
- Uinterview
Ava DuVernay’s Array is presenting its fourth filmmaker tweet-a-thon, Array Film Fellowship. The annual daylong social media event is set to kick off on April 30 at 9 am Pt and will run for a staggering 10 hours and feature the voices of over 50 directors.
From Academy Award winners to veterans to legends to new voices the Twitter takeover will feature Guillermo Del Toro, Patty Jenkins, Jon M. Chu, Julie Dash, Jill Soloway, Patricia Cardoso, Mira Nair, George Tillman, Victoria Mahoney, Diane Paragas, Nisha Ganatra, Prentice Penny, Numa Perrier and many more.
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The filmmakers will wax poetic on the social media platform and share details about their craft, latest projects, take questions from film lovers...
From Academy Award winners to veterans to legends to new voices the Twitter takeover will feature Guillermo Del Toro, Patty Jenkins, Jon M. Chu, Julie Dash, Jill Soloway, Patricia Cardoso, Mira Nair, George Tillman, Victoria Mahoney, Diane Paragas, Nisha Ganatra, Prentice Penny, Numa Perrier and many more.
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The filmmakers will wax poetic on the social media platform and share details about their craft, latest projects, take questions from film lovers...
- 4/27/2020
- by Dino-Ray Ramos
- Deadline Film + TV
HBO Max has finally revealed its launch date and along with that announcement on Tuesday came a slew of trailers for all of the WarnerMedia-owned streaming service’s original titles that will be available on day one, along with its large catalogue of library content.
Among those new programs you can look forward to diving into when the platform launches May 27 are scripted comedy “Love Life,” starring Anna Kendrick; Russell Simmons accuser documentary film “On the Record,” Sesame Workshop’s “The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo,” which is a late-show starring the little red monster himself; new “Looney Tunes” cartoons; underground ballroom competition “Legendary”; and kids’ crafting series “Craftopia.”
HBO Max will cost $14.99 a month, the same price as an HBO-only subscription. The price makes HBO Max among the most expensive services, when compared to Netflix, Hulu and fellow newer entrants like Peacock, Quibi, Apple TV+ and Disney+.
Also...
Among those new programs you can look forward to diving into when the platform launches May 27 are scripted comedy “Love Life,” starring Anna Kendrick; Russell Simmons accuser documentary film “On the Record,” Sesame Workshop’s “The Not-Too-Late Show With Elmo,” which is a late-show starring the little red monster himself; new “Looney Tunes” cartoons; underground ballroom competition “Legendary”; and kids’ crafting series “Craftopia.”
HBO Max will cost $14.99 a month, the same price as an HBO-only subscription. The price makes HBO Max among the most expensive services, when compared to Netflix, Hulu and fellow newer entrants like Peacock, Quibi, Apple TV+ and Disney+.
Also...
- 4/21/2020
- by Jennifer Maas
- The Wrap
Pursuing their own dreams and destiny isn’t always as easy and illustrious as many young adults initially believe it will be, as they embark on establishing their careers. That’s certainly the case for the protagonist, Elijah, in the new drama, ‘Uncorked.’ The movie tells an equally hilarious and touching story about the main character and […]
The post Interview: Prentice Penny Talks Uncorked (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Interview: Prentice Penny Talks Uncorked (Exclusive) appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 4/19/2020
- by Karen Benardello
- ShockYa
Exclusive: Hacksaw Ridge backer Argent Pictures, Nine Days producer Mandalay Pictures and Book Club writer-director Bill Holderman are teaming up on a feature adaptation of WWII tale The Last Ridge about the 10th Mountain Division, a troop of U.S. expats-turned-soldiers who helped turn the tide against the Nazis in Europe.
Holderman will adapt McKay Jenkins’ non-fiction book which charts a remarkable true story. When World War II broke out in Europe, the American army had no specialized division of mountain soldiers. That changed after an amateur skier named Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole convinced the U.S. Army to let him recruit an extraordinary assortment of expats, wealthy ski bums, mountaineers, and thrill-seekers and form them into a band of Alpine soldiers.
The group included the Sierra Club’s David Brower, Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, and Aspen Skiing Corporation founder Friedl Pfeifer.
The men endured nearly three years of gruelling training in the Colorado Rockies and forged 10th Mountain Division which finally faced combat in the winter of 1945 in Italy’s Apennine Mountains, against the seemingly unbreakable German fortifications north of the Gothic Line. There, they planned and executed one of the most daring nighttime mountain attacks in U.S. military history, smashing a linchpin of the German army’s lines.
Argent’s Jill Ahrens, Ryan Ahrens and Ben Renzo, and Mandalay’s Jason Michael Berman will produce the film with Holderman and Erin Simms of their banner Apartment Story. Executive producers are Argent partners Drew Brees, Tony Parker, Michael Finley, and Derrick Brooks with co-executive producers Eric Bromberg and Stephen Michael.
Argent’s Ryan Ahrens said, “Very few details about the U.S. Army’s elite 10th Mountain Division have been introduced to the generations that followed WWII. This story is long overdue, so we’re happy to be entrusted with the source material to tell a cinematic story depicting the courage, sacrifice and heroism of this group of men.”
Mandalay’s Jason Michael Berman added, “I have had a very strong desire and passion to help tell the story of the heroes that made up the 10th Mountain Division ever since I first learned about them and their bravery while a teenager who often visited Colorado with my family growing up. Bill Holderman and I have been talking about this incredible true story since the first day we met at the Sundance Intsitute Labs back in 2014. It is so exciting to collaborate with my close friends and partners at Argent, Jill, Ryan and Ben, to bring this project to life with Bill and Erin.”
Holderman, well known for hit 2018 comedy Book Club, which took more than $100M, and Bill Bryson story A Walk In The Woods, commented, “This is one of the great untold stories in American history and I’m thrilled to be partnering with Jason, Jill, Ryan, Ben and of course, my partner in crime, Erin, to bring this harrowing and triumphant tale to the masses.”
He quipped, “Following on the heels of Book Club, I feel like I’m pigeon-holing myself but those are worries for another day…”
American Made and Hacksaw Ridge backer Argent recently finished shooting Good Joe Bell with Mark Wahlberg and Connie Britton. Recent Mandalay films include Edson Oda’s Sundance hit Nine Days, which was picked up by Sony Classics, and upcoming Netflix original The Last Days Of American Crime with Edgar Ramirez.
The project marks the fourth collaboration between Argent and Mandalay Pictures in the last year following Netflix’s Uncorked, Fox Sports boxing story They Fight and upcoming horror-comedy Bride And Doom.
Holderman is represented by Wme and Paul Hastings.
Holderman will adapt McKay Jenkins’ non-fiction book which charts a remarkable true story. When World War II broke out in Europe, the American army had no specialized division of mountain soldiers. That changed after an amateur skier named Charles Minot “Minnie” Dole convinced the U.S. Army to let him recruit an extraordinary assortment of expats, wealthy ski bums, mountaineers, and thrill-seekers and form them into a band of Alpine soldiers.
The group included the Sierra Club’s David Brower, Nike co-founder Bill Bowerman, and Aspen Skiing Corporation founder Friedl Pfeifer.
The men endured nearly three years of gruelling training in the Colorado Rockies and forged 10th Mountain Division which finally faced combat in the winter of 1945 in Italy’s Apennine Mountains, against the seemingly unbreakable German fortifications north of the Gothic Line. There, they planned and executed one of the most daring nighttime mountain attacks in U.S. military history, smashing a linchpin of the German army’s lines.
Argent’s Jill Ahrens, Ryan Ahrens and Ben Renzo, and Mandalay’s Jason Michael Berman will produce the film with Holderman and Erin Simms of their banner Apartment Story. Executive producers are Argent partners Drew Brees, Tony Parker, Michael Finley, and Derrick Brooks with co-executive producers Eric Bromberg and Stephen Michael.
Argent’s Ryan Ahrens said, “Very few details about the U.S. Army’s elite 10th Mountain Division have been introduced to the generations that followed WWII. This story is long overdue, so we’re happy to be entrusted with the source material to tell a cinematic story depicting the courage, sacrifice and heroism of this group of men.”
Mandalay’s Jason Michael Berman added, “I have had a very strong desire and passion to help tell the story of the heroes that made up the 10th Mountain Division ever since I first learned about them and their bravery while a teenager who often visited Colorado with my family growing up. Bill Holderman and I have been talking about this incredible true story since the first day we met at the Sundance Intsitute Labs back in 2014. It is so exciting to collaborate with my close friends and partners at Argent, Jill, Ryan and Ben, to bring this project to life with Bill and Erin.”
Holderman, well known for hit 2018 comedy Book Club, which took more than $100M, and Bill Bryson story A Walk In The Woods, commented, “This is one of the great untold stories in American history and I’m thrilled to be partnering with Jason, Jill, Ryan, Ben and of course, my partner in crime, Erin, to bring this harrowing and triumphant tale to the masses.”
He quipped, “Following on the heels of Book Club, I feel like I’m pigeon-holing myself but those are worries for another day…”
American Made and Hacksaw Ridge backer Argent recently finished shooting Good Joe Bell with Mark Wahlberg and Connie Britton. Recent Mandalay films include Edson Oda’s Sundance hit Nine Days, which was picked up by Sony Classics, and upcoming Netflix original The Last Days Of American Crime with Edgar Ramirez.
The project marks the fourth collaboration between Argent and Mandalay Pictures in the last year following Netflix’s Uncorked, Fox Sports boxing story They Fight and upcoming horror-comedy Bride And Doom.
Holderman is represented by Wme and Paul Hastings.
- 4/14/2020
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Until recently, Taraji P. Henson was concentrating on finishing up her time as Cookie Lyon on Fox’s “Empire,” but on March 14, production was halted due to the coronavirus pandemic.
“We were almost finished,” Henson told Variety, via a video conference call to promote her Netflix film “Coffee & Kareem” on March 31. “We were at the finish line.”
“We had 20 episodes to shoot,” the star explained. “We were in the middle of episode 19 and then this happened. So, we just have about a week and a half to go, about 10 more days and we’ll be finished.”
After Henson’s interview with Variety, Fox announced that “Empire’s” final season would be cut short by two episodes and the series finale will air on April 21. Sources told Variety that footage from episode 19 will be edited into the finale episode. News of the sixth season being cut short was revealed during...
“We were almost finished,” Henson told Variety, via a video conference call to promote her Netflix film “Coffee & Kareem” on March 31. “We were at the finish line.”
“We had 20 episodes to shoot,” the star explained. “We were in the middle of episode 19 and then this happened. So, we just have about a week and a half to go, about 10 more days and we’ll be finished.”
After Henson’s interview with Variety, Fox announced that “Empire’s” final season would be cut short by two episodes and the series finale will air on April 21. Sources told Variety that footage from episode 19 will be edited into the finale episode. News of the sixth season being cut short was revealed during...
- 4/3/2020
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
There’s no box office to report. Instead, we’re watching theaters furlough workers as the $2 trillion federal relief package gives hope that someday they can be rehired. American studios exercised optimism as they moved theatrical release dates, while China stepped back from its own exuberance and closed theaters just five days after reopening.
President Trump has retreated from his claim that the country could return to something like normal by Easter, and extended social distancing recommendations through the end of April. With cases and deaths very much on the rise, it seems reasonable to believe that social distancing will continue until those numbers are in real decline. So while Warner Bros. switched the highly anticipated “Wonder Woman 1984” from June 5 to August 14, it remains to be seen if that will represent foresight or wishful thinking. (Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” still claims July 17).
More from IndieWireSony Aggressively Pushes Back Its...
President Trump has retreated from his claim that the country could return to something like normal by Easter, and extended social distancing recommendations through the end of April. With cases and deaths very much on the rise, it seems reasonable to believe that social distancing will continue until those numbers are in real decline. So while Warner Bros. switched the highly anticipated “Wonder Woman 1984” from June 5 to August 14, it remains to be seen if that will represent foresight or wishful thinking. (Christopher Nolan’s “Tenet” still claims July 17).
More from IndieWireSony Aggressively Pushes Back Its...
- 3/30/2020
- by Tom Brueggemann
- Indiewire
It’s easy to feel intimidated by wine. All those hard-to-pronounce names, so many vineyards to remember. That’s the world Elijah, played by Mamoudou Athie, wants to enter in the new Netflix movie “Uncorked,” about a young man who dreams of taking the brutally difficult master sommelier exam instead of taking over his family’s Memphis barbecue restaurant.
It’s also the way director Prentice Penny felt before he was invited to a wedding in Paris and somehow caught the wine bug. Penny’s journey to becoming a wine buff — taking an intro to wine class, reading books and watching documentaries — was part of the inspiration for “Uncorked.”
Early in the film, Elijah breaks it down for a wine store customer by relating wines to hip hop artists. Chardonnay is like the Jay-Z of wines, riesling is the Drake, while pinot grigio might be Kanye West, he explains, winning her admiration in the process.
It’s also the way director Prentice Penny felt before he was invited to a wedding in Paris and somehow caught the wine bug. Penny’s journey to becoming a wine buff — taking an intro to wine class, reading books and watching documentaries — was part of the inspiration for “Uncorked.”
Early in the film, Elijah breaks it down for a wine store customer by relating wines to hip hop artists. Chardonnay is like the Jay-Z of wines, riesling is the Drake, while pinot grigio might be Kanye West, he explains, winning her admiration in the process.
- 3/28/2020
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
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