‘Bad Trip’ Director Kitao Sakurai To Helm ‘72 Hours’ For Sony Pictures, ‘Cobra Kai’ Creators Penning Script

K.J. Yossman Sony Pictures Television International chief Wayne Garvie has set his sights on European production, he revealed during a keynote discussion at MipTV on Monday afternoon.Garvie was speaking alongside Bad Wolf co-founder Jane Tranter in a panel discussion moderated by Variety international editor Manori Ravindran.

EXCLUSIVE: Spotting new IP whose series adaptation would produce the next big TV hit has become vital for the business as the competition for eyeballs in the expanding TV universe continues to intensify. With that in mind, Sony Pictures Television has signed a first-look deal with Matt DeVoe, co-founder and CCO of CovrPrice, a comic book collectibles platform, for him to identify new trends in IP for series development.

Sony Pictures Classics announced today that its golf film The Phantom of the Open, starring Academy Award winner Mark Rylance, Academy Award nominee Sally Hawkins and BAFTA Award nominee Rhys Ifans, will open in New York and Los Angeles on June 3, with a wider release in additional markets set for the following weeks.

Sony Pictures Television is teaming up with corporate sibling the Game Show Network for the companies’ first joint upfront presentation to advertisers.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorArchewell, the media production company founded by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, has quietly hired former Sony Pictures Entertainment exec Fara Taylor as head of marketing.Prior to Archewell, Taylor spent more than 11 years at Sony Pictures, most recently as VP of global marketing partnerships.She joined Beverly Hills-based Archewell in September 2021, according to the company. Taylor oversees all global marketing efforts for its three divisions: Archewell Productions, which has an exclusive deal with Netflix; Archewell Audio, which has an exclusive audio content pact with Spotify; and the not-for-profit Archewell Foundation.As a movie marketing exec, Taylor worked on dozens of campaigns including those in the Spider-Man and James Bond franchises.

Love has come out of the Cobra Kai cast. Peyton List, 23, and Jacob Bertrand, 22, who play Tory Nichols and Hawk Moskowitz, respectively, in the hit Netflix series, are dating. The pair confirmed their relationship to TMZ at LAX Airport on March 22, after a photographer for the outlet caught the two traveling together.

Welcome to Deadline’s International Disruptors, a feature where we’ll shine a spotlight on key executives and companies outside of the U.S. shaking up the offshore marketplace. This week, we’re speaking to esteemed UK TV executive Jane Tranter, co-founder of Bad Wolf. The company is behind hits such as His Dark Materials and A Discovery Of Witches and recently sold a majority stake to Sony Pictures Television. In her first interview since the deal, we take a deep dive into Tranter’s career and Bad Wolf’s ambitions for the future. 

“Season 4 everyone knew that we were heading toward a tournament, season 5, no one knows where we are headed,” said Cobra Kai co-creator Jon Hurwitz.

Sony veteran Carrie Ferman has been elevated to EVP & Head of Strategy and Operations at Sony Pictures TV Studios, from her previous SVP role.

EXCLUSIVE: Josh Berman has entered a first-look book-to-screen deal with independent publisher Sourcebooks. Under the three-year pact, Berman’s Sony Pictures Television-based Osprey Productions will have a first look at all new titles that Sourcebooks acquires film and television rights to, as well as an overall look at the company’s extensive backlist of bestselling fiction.

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired worldwide rights to the feature documentary The Return Of Tanya Tucker — Featuring Brandi Carlile, on the heels of its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival.

A notorious thug caused a Covid scare at a wedding venue just hours before a couple's big day - after sleeping in the venue while infected with the deadly virus.

Sony Pictures Classics announced today that its feature documentary Jazz Fest: A New Orleans Story, co-directed by five-time Oscar nominee Frank Marshall (The Bee Gees: How Can You Mend a Broken Heart) and Ryan Suffern (Mr. A & Mr. M: The Story of A&M Records), will hit theaters in New York and Los Angeles on May 13, before expanding to additional markets in the following weeks. It will open against IFC Films’ horror-thriller The Innocents, Roadside Attractions’ comedy Family Camp and Universal’s horror-thriller Firestarter starring Zac Efron and more.

Andrew Garfield’s love of “Cobra Kai” is well-known so when he got to meet the “Karate Kid” himself, Ralph Macchio, it was a heartwarming moment.

EXCLUSIVE: The Blacklist showrunner John Eisendrath is extending his relationship with Sony Pictures Television, the studio behind the long-running NBC drama. He has signed a new three-year overall deal with Sony TV through 2025.

Ellise Shafer Two weeks after pausing the theatrical release of “Morbius” in Russia, Sony Pictures has announced that it is also halting all other business in the country following its unprovoked invasion of Ukraine.This includes home entertainment releases, such as that of box office hit “Spider-Man: No Way Home,” and any television distribution deals. Crunchyroll has also suspended its anime streaming service in Russia.Below, read the full memo from chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra:“As we continue to see the devastating news and images coming out of Ukraine, I wanted to reach out with an update on how SPE is reacting to these events.

Sony Pictures is the latest company to pause its business operations in Russia in the wake of the Ukraine invasion. SPE’s Tony Vinciquerra informed staff of the decision in a memo Friday that was obtained by TheWrap, and the pause of business operations includes halting planned home entertainment releases of “Spider-Man: No Way Home” and other future TV distribution deals.

A day after Disney announced it was suspending their business in Russia amid the Ukraine invasion, Sony Pictures Entertainment has made it effective that they too, are doing the same. This goes beyond the standard theatrical releases which both studios earlier halted.

EXCLUSIVE: Japanese director Hikari is to helm Netflix’s dramedy Beef.