Amblin Partners Inks First Look Film Deal With SRO Productions

Manori Ravindran International EditorA first look at the third and final season of “Derry Girls” is finally here.U.K. broadcaster Channel 4 has unveiled the first Season 3 still and trailer for the show, which garnered global popularity via Netflix.

Sometimes a novel is so popular that a film adaptation is almost a certainty. Whether or not those films respect the source material and become massive hits are a whole other discussion.

EXCLUSIVE: MGM has signed a first-look feature film production deal with Oscar-winning writer Akiva Goldsman and his production company, Weed Road Pictures.

Filmmaker Judd Apatow has hammered a multi-year production film and TV pact across NBCUniversal including Universal Pictures and Universal Studio Group. The parties’ working relationship began with the 2005 $177M-plus grossing comedy blockbuster The 40-Year-Old Virgin. Apatow’s movies have grossed close to $3 billion around the world, the studio’s most successful original comedies.

K.J. Yossman Film Mode Entertainment has inked a multi-project distribution deal with Australian director/producer Luke Sparke’s company Sparke Films.Among the titles Film Mode will represent worldwide are Sparke’s upcoming projects “Weapons of Choice,” a television adaptation of John Birmingham’s World War Two trilogy “Axis of Time” and “Primitive War,” a horror feature franchise based on Ethan Pettus’ book series.Film Mode will also handle worldwide sales rights for “Occupation: Rainfall 2” and “Occupation: Rainfall 3” – the third and fourth films in Sparke’s franchise – as well as a number of other projects still in development.

Emmy-nominated producer Stephanie Allain has signed a new first-look deal with Warner Bros. Television Group and HBO. The new agreement continues Allain’s relationship with the Studio, where she and her Homegrown Pictures production company has been under a first-look pact since February 2020. Allain and her Homegrown Pictures team, including Director of Development Gabrielle Ebron, will develop original scripted programming to be produced by Warner Bros. Television for HBO and HBO Max, external streaming services, cable, and broadcast.

Lydia Hampson, the Fleabag exec and former Amazon Studios Head of UK Scripted, has joined Chernobyl indie Sister and struck a first-look deal with her former employer.

Pinocchio is coming!

In the first look photo at Robert Zemeckis’ “Pinocchio,” Tom Hanks dressed as Geppetto admires at his puppet boy wonder and re-imagines a scene that closely resembles the 1940 animated classic. The live-action film combines Zemeckis’ CG visual effects in order to bring Pinocchio to life on Geppetto’s quest to help him become a real boy.

Emmy Rossum is unrecognizable in the first look at Angelyne!

We are a little over two months away from the premiere of the long-awaited “Obi-Wan Kenobi” streaming series. And as such, Disney and Lucasfilm are starting the marketing campaign for the “Star Wars” spinoff show with some first-look photos that show the title character, as well as one of the baddies that he’ll encounter.

EXCLUSIVE: WME has signed Colin Trevorrow and his Metronome Film Company, repping both across film and television.

Underwood and CBS Studios, which produces The Talk, have also entered into new two-year first look deal.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterKristen Campo has renewed her first-look deal with Endeavor Content. In addition, Campo has launched the new production shingle Campout Productions.“The longstanding relationship I’ve had with Endeavor Content is truly meaningful, and I couldn’t ask for better partners,” said Campo. “I’m excited to continue developing compelling premium programming for years to come.”Campo has hired Hannah Getts to lead Campout as vice president of development and production.

EXCLUSIVE: Amblin Partners and Nordisk Film have set a multi-year renewal of their long-standing distribution partnership.

German-Turkish film director, screenwriter, and producer Fatih Akin has signed a first-look deal with WarnerMedia, the first such agreement the filmmaker has made in his career.

The brand new season of iCarly is on the way – and Josh Peck is joining the show!

Lacey Chabert is sticking with Hallmark Channel.

EXCLUSIVE: Olatunde Osunsanmi, director/executive producer of Star Trek: Discovery, has signed a multi-year overall deal with the studio behind the flagship Star Trek Universe series, CBS Studios.