Amblin Partners, Universal Pictures Strike Multiyear Film Partnership

Ellise Shafer Mark Edwin Seiler, the former president of RKO Pictures and Hemdale Films and CEO of Capella Films, died on July 7 of Parkinson’s disease. He was 75. While Seiler was at the helm of RKO, the company produced notable films including “Plenty” (1985) starring Meryl Streep, “Half Moon Street” (1986) with Sigourney Weaver and Michael Caine and “Campus Man” (1987), where he met his longtime fiancée Morgan Fairchild.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media Writer Film workers who have been unemployed during the strike will get some help in maintaining their health insurance, the industry plan announced Monday. The Motion Picture Industry Pension and Health Plans will extend eligibility to certain participants who otherwise would not have enough hours to qualify for benefits. The MPIPHP also announced that members will be able to take a one-time “hardship withdrawal” from their defined-contributed retirement plans.

some of its biggest milestones to mark 25 years online.Among them is the highest audience-scored film, which goes to 2008 Batman movie The Dark Knight, standing at 94% Fresh with over 500,000 ratings.Rotten Tomatoes called the Christopher Nolan film, which saw Christian Bale’s Caped Crusader face off against Heath Ledger’s Joker, “an enduring cultural touchstone”.“The film is widely regarded not just as one of the best superhero movies, but one of the best films ever made, full stop, and with a 94% Tomatometer to match its Audience Score, that’s one thing critics and fans wholeheartedly agree on,” they said.Back in January, director Steven Spielberg suggested that The Dark Knight should have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar, saying he was encouraged when Avatar: The Way Of Water and Top Gun: Gun Maverick became the first blockbuster sequels to be nominated earlier this year.“I’m really encouraged by that,” he told Deadline. “[But] it came late for the film that should have been nominated a number of years ago, Christopher Nolan’s The Dark Knight.“That movie would have definitely garnered a Best Picture Nomination today, so having these two blockbusters solidly presented on the top 10 list is something we should all be celebrating.”The film did earn eight Oscar nominations back in 2009, with Ledger winning posthumously in the Best Supporting Actor category.Nolan’s latest film Oppenheimer was recently released in cinemas, and stars Cillian Murphy (who played the villain Scarecrow in The Dark Knight trilogy) as the titular J.

Risks in Hollywood pay off. “Barbie” has already grossed half a billion dollars after nine days in theaters, with no signs of slowing down as the film heads into its second box office weekend.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Beta Film has sold more than 100 hours of drama series to PBS Distribution-backed Walter Presents for the U.S., and Channel 4-backed Walter Presents for the U.K. Five seasons of Italy’s gritty crime series “Rocco Schiavone” as well as Canadian mystery dramas “The Wall – The Chateau Murder” and “The Wall – The Orchard” will be available in both territories.

Way back in 2019, it was reported that Daniel Kaluuya was involved as a producer in a new feature film adaptation of “Barney,” the classic kids’ show featuring the iconic purple dinosaur. Since then, there have been a few tidbits here and there about the film, but it many people are curious why one of the best actors working today is so excited about making a film about a huge, silly purple dinosaur.

Venice Film Festival artistic director Alberto Barbera is refusing to row back on his decision to invite controversial movie-biz bigwigs Roman Polanski, Woody Allen and Luc Besson to the late summer event, which will take place despite the potential disruption by the ongoing SAG-AFTRA and WGA strikes. “Luc Besson has been recently fully cleared of any accusations. Woody Allen went under legal scrutiny twice at the end of the ’90s and was absolved,” Barbera said in a new interview with Variety.

Way back in 2019, it was reported that Daniel Kaluuya was involved as a producer in a new feature film adaptation of “Barney,” the classic kids’ show featuring the iconic purple dinosaur. Since then, there have been a few tidbits here and there about the film, but it many people are curious why one of the best actors working today is so excited about making a film about a huge, silly purple dinosaur.

As the man behind Yellowstone and its myriad spinoffs, Taylor Sheridan is one of the most important people at Paramount Network — but the Yellowstone universe is only one part of his empire.

Vulture, Jackson said some tear-jerking scenes that were ultimately cut from the movie “kept [him] from getting an Oscar.”“But also the things they took out kept me from getting an Oscar,” Jackson said. “‘Really, motherf–kers? You just took that s–t from me?’ My first day working on that film, I did a speech in a room with an actor and the whole f–king set was in tears when I finished. I was like, ‘Okay.

Neil Blomkamp first made his big splash in Hollywood with 2009’s “District 9.” But his other sci-fi follows-ups, 2013’s “Elysium” and 2015’s “Chappie,” didn’t fare as well with either critics or audiences. Now, after a brief (and underwhelming) pitstop into horror with 2021’s “Demonic,” Blomkamp tries another genre on for size with the summer blockbuster in the coming-of-age racing movie “Gran Turismo.” READ MORE: Summer 2023 Movie Preview: 52 Must-See Films To Watch Based on the hit PlayStation videogame series, “Gran Turismo” takes on the story of Jann Mardenborough, a player so good at the racing simulation game he ended behind the wheel of a real race car — and did well there, too.

Filmmaker James Mangold’s “Indiana Jones And The Dial Of Destiny” is in theaters now, and while it seemed to underwhelm at the global box office in its opening weekend, the film has grossed $305 million worldwide so far, so maybe there’s hope it can have some minor legs. If anything, it maybe shows how making a blockbuster with an 80-year-old star can only take you so far with audiences.

On-location filming in Los Angeles has plummeted during the ongoing Writers Guild strike to levels not seen since the dog days of the Covid pandemic, according to FilmLA, the city and county film permit office.

Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent Les Films du Losange has unveiled the trailer for “Un Silence,” Joachim Lafosse’s thought-provoking film starring Daniel Auteuil and Emmanuelle Devos that will world premiere in competition at San Sebastian Film Festival. Tackling themes of abuse, the timely film revolves around Astrid (Devos), the wife of an acclaimed lawyer (Auteuil). Silenced for 25 years, her family balance suddenly collapses when her children initiate their own search for justice. One of Belgium’s leading filmmakers, Lafosse is best known internationally for 2012’s “Our Children,” a heart-wrenching drama based on a true story starring Emilie Dequenne and Tahar Rahim. “Our Children” represented Belgium in the Oscars race. “Un Silence” will mark Joachim’s follow up to “The Restless,” which competed at Cannes in 2021 and also explored imploding family dynamics.

If there was a GIF for the moment, it may be Michael Scott running around like a headless chicken screaming for everyone to “stay calm.”

Amblin Partners and Universal Pictures have set a new film partnership that builds on the companies’ longstanding creative collaboration. The new multi-year deal revealed Tuesday will continue to deliver Universal with first-look status on all Amblin theatrical film projects, while evolving Amblin’s film production model to give the company more creative and financial flexibility.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners and Universal Pictures have changed the terms of their partnership as part of a new multi-year deal. Under the new pact, Amblin will no longer fully finance its own films, as it has in the past. Instead, Universal will provide backing for any Amblin movie it opts to produce. There will be a handful of job cuts through a mix of layoffs and some contracts not being renewed associated with the transition. The new relationship seems to be an acknowledgment of the challenges of finding financial partners for movies aimed at adults or that don’t fit into pre-existing franchises — in short, the kind of movies that Amblin, which produced the likes of “Green Book,” “The Post” and “First Man,” tends to make. Compounding issues, some of Amblin’s more recent releases such as “Easter Sunday” with Jo Koy and Spielberg’s autobiographical “The Fabelmans” stumbled at the box office.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent In a broad-based deal, Netflix and Germany’s Constantin Film, one of Europe’s biggest production-distribution companies behind the “Resident Evil” film franchise and TV series “Shadowhunters,” have struck an exclusive long-term partnership.  The powerful alliance sees Netflix acquiring pay distribution rights pay to Constantin Film’s theatrical productions in the German-speaking region. These include national and international original and co-produced films, as well as films acquired for cinema or straight-to-video (STV) release. German and international theatrical productions.  Titles will be made available to Netflix subscribers on an SVOD basis 10-12 months after their theatrical release. In return, Netflix will contribute significantly to the financing of these productions, Constantin Film announced this week. The new agreement grants Netflix licensed access to Constantin Film’s existing film and series catalog, it added. 

Netflix and Constantin Film are expanding their business relationship.

David Zaslav should be sending a fruit basket right about now to Comcast President Mike Cavanagh.