Amazon held a virtual town hall for employees Friday — its first since the tech giant’s $8.45 billion acquisition of the historic movie studio MGM closed Thursday. An individual with knowledge confirmed that during the meeting, Amazon revealed an interim leadership structure that would include MGM’s executives Mark Burnett, Michael De Luca and COO Christopher Brearton.
Mike Hopkins, Amazon Studios and Prime Video SVP, said in the town hall held in Amazon’s Culver City lot and viewed virtually, that Motion Picture Group chairman De Luca, Worldwide Television Group chairman Burnett and Brearton have all “joined my leadership team,” reporting to Hopkins. Amazon Studios chief Jen Salke will continue to report into Hopkins separately. It’s unclear the status of motion picture group president Pamela Abdy. It suggests that for the time being the three men will report directly to Hopkins.
Hopkins also said during the town hall that he...
Mike Hopkins, Amazon Studios and Prime Video SVP, said in the town hall held in Amazon’s Culver City lot and viewed virtually, that Motion Picture Group chairman De Luca, Worldwide Television Group chairman Burnett and Brearton have all “joined my leadership team,” reporting to Hopkins. Amazon Studios chief Jen Salke will continue to report into Hopkins separately. It’s unclear the status of motion picture group president Pamela Abdy. It suggests that for the time being the three men will report directly to Hopkins.
Hopkins also said during the town hall that he...
- 3/18/2022
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Editor’s note: Before he founded and became CEO of the Universal-based animation factory Illumination, Chris Meledandri was tasked with building an animation division at Fox. Early on, the president of Twentieth Century Fox Animation in 1998 acquired Blue Sky Studios for the studio. The Westchester, NY-based animation company might have started as an adjunct to Fox’s Hollywood animation operation, but that changed when Meledandri gave Blue Sky the room to grow, and the result was the multibillion-dollar Ice Age franchise. Meledandri, who would start Illumination and hatch another multibillion-dollar franchise in Despicable Me. Here, he laments the decision by Disney to shutter Blue Sky and celebrates its origins.
Hearing the sad news of the closing of Blue Sky Studios brings back the memories of our journey together. It was 1996 and I was running the animation division at Fox.
Hearing the sad news of the closing of Blue Sky Studios brings back the memories of our journey together. It was 1996 and I was running the animation division at Fox.
- 2/16/2021
- by Chris Meledandri
- Deadline Film + TV
The Ice Age flicks are the cinematic equivalent of drive-through nuggets of reconstituted chicken slurry served by a bored teenager in a cardboard hat. I’m “biast” (pro): nothing
I’m “biast” (con): really hate this series
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Manny the Mammoth is back! In this Very Special Episode of Ice Age, Manny gets exasperated by the fact that his wife, Ellie, and daughter, Peaches, are independent creatures with minds of their own: “Women! I don’t get ’em!” he exclaims [insert laugh-track clip of a 1967 studio audience roaring]. Watch what happens when Manny forgets his wedding anniversary — he’s gonna be in trouble with the missus! [studio audience groans dramatically] And then there’s Peaches’ upcoming wedding to loveable doofus Julian. [studio audience: “awwwww!”] Is it the end of Manny’s world now that his little girl is officially all grown up? It just might be… what with that massive asteroid heading straight for planet Earth!
I’m “biast” (con): really hate this series
(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto)
Manny the Mammoth is back! In this Very Special Episode of Ice Age, Manny gets exasperated by the fact that his wife, Ellie, and daughter, Peaches, are independent creatures with minds of their own: “Women! I don’t get ’em!” he exclaims [insert laugh-track clip of a 1967 studio audience roaring]. Watch what happens when Manny forgets his wedding anniversary — he’s gonna be in trouble with the missus! [studio audience groans dramatically] And then there’s Peaches’ upcoming wedding to loveable doofus Julian. [studio audience: “awwwww!”] Is it the end of Manny’s world now that his little girl is officially all grown up? It just might be… what with that massive asteroid heading straight for planet Earth!
- 7/18/2016
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Vince Vaughn to play U.S. Marshall who bands with prisoner in Triple Time The versatile Vaughn, who's been playing more comedy of late than anything else, will go back to more serious work in the Peter Billingsley-directed Triple Time thriller, reports Variety. Vince and Victoria Vaughn produce via Wild West Picture Show Productions, alongside Scott Steindorff's Scott Pictures. Michael J. Wilson and Billingsley wrote the script which stars Vaughn as a broke U.S. Marshall tasked with transporting a prisoner who's accused of causing an environmental disaster in Washington, D.C. Their transport plan explodes, banding them together to find out who's behind the conspiracy, which could include any one of them as well.
- 11/1/2012
- Upcoming-Movies.com
Warrior's Gavin O'Connor has found his next feature directing gig. Deadline reports that he is on board to direct Yakuza, a contemporary Japan-set thriller for Universal Pictures and Imagine Entertainment. The story follows "an American intelligence expert who becomes embroiled in the affairs of a notorious yakuza godfather and finds himself plunged into the violent criminal underworld and toxic landscape of post-tsunami Japan."
Aaron & Matthew Benay wrote the original script, with Chap Taylor doing rewrites. O’Connor and Josh Fagin are rewriting the script again. Brian Grazer is producing, and Imagine’s Kim Roth and Sarah Bowen will be executive producers. O’Connor is also attached to direct Neverland, a Channing Tatum-produced revisionist look at Peter Pan for Sony Pictures scripted by Billy Ray. He also has The Samurai, a spec script he wrote with Michael J. Wilson, for Warner Bros.
Warrior was god awful, so I hope...
Aaron & Matthew Benay wrote the original script, with Chap Taylor doing rewrites. O’Connor and Josh Fagin are rewriting the script again. Brian Grazer is producing, and Imagine’s Kim Roth and Sarah Bowen will be executive producers. O’Connor is also attached to direct Neverland, a Channing Tatum-produced revisionist look at Peter Pan for Sony Pictures scripted by Billy Ray. He also has The Samurai, a spec script he wrote with Michael J. Wilson, for Warner Bros.
Warrior was god awful, so I hope...
- 5/11/2012
- by Tiberius
- GeekTyrant
After the debut of last year’s criminally underseen and severely underrated Warrior, writer and director Gavin O'Connor did manage to find one major silver lining – the adoration of scads of brand new fans who loved his film and wanted to see more of his work. Fortunately, while Warrior went without much of the notice it deserved, O’Connor has not, as the filmmaker has been steadily lining up work in the months since the film hit theaters. Next up, Universal Pictures has picked the director to helm Yakuza, “a contemporary Japan-set thriller” that focuses on “an American intelligence expert who becomes embroiled in the affairs of a notorious yakuza godfather and finds himself plunged into the violent criminal underworld and toxic landscape of post-tsunami Japan.” The film’s script was penned by Chap Taylor (Changing Lanes), but O’Connor will now rewrite it, along with Josh Fagin. Imagine Entertainment and Brian Grazer are producing. While...
- 5/10/2012
- by Kate Erbland
- FilmSchoolRejects.com
Exclusive: Universal Pictures has set Gavin O’Connor to direct Yakuza, a contemporary Japan-set thriller for Imagine Entertainment. Brian Grazer is producing. The focus is an American intelligence expert who becomes embroiled in the affairs of a notorious yakuza godfather and finds himself plunged into the violent criminal underworld and toxic landscape of post-tsunami Japan. The project originated at Imagine, with a script originally written by Aaron & Matthew Benay, and rewritten by Chap Taylor. O’Connor will rewrite the script with Josh Fagin, and Imagine’s Kim Roth and Sarah Bowen will be executive producers. O’Connor, who last helmed Warrior, is separately attached to direct Neverland, a Channing Tatum-produced revisionist look at Peter Pan for Sony Pictures that has a Billy Ray script, as well as The Samurai, a spec script he wrote with Michael J. Wilson, for Warner Bros. He’s also fashioning the Walter Tevis novel...
- 5/10/2012
- by MIKE FLEMING
- Deadline
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