Blumhouse Inks 3-Picture Deal With ‘Host’ Director Rob Savage

By and large, Zac Efron has really focused on making people laugh in his roles on the big screen.

Vertigo Entertainment, the banner behind recentIt and Lego Moviefranchises, has inked a first-look deal with Lionsgate. The pact will cover all areas outside of television, where Vertigo has a pact with Sony Pictures TV.

Janet W. Lee Lionsgate Motion Picture Group has announced a first-look deal with Vertigo Entertainment, the production company behind the “It” franchise and “The Lego Movie.”The wide-ranging deal covers all media other than television, including motion pictures, stage, location-based entertainment, podcasts and video games.

Patrick Hipes, Amanda N'Duka Giant Pictures has acquired North American rights to The Sounding, the feature writing and directing debut of Catherine Eaton. She also stars in the pic, which is shifting release gears from theatrical owing to the pandemic lockdown and now will premiere on-demand nationwide October 20.

Amanda N'Duka pmc-editorial-managerLionsgate has closed on a first-look deal with Vertigo Entertainment, the production company behind the It franchise and The Lego Movie. The newly-formed pact covers all media outside of television (Vertigo has a TV deal with Sony Pictures Television) including motion pictures, stage, location-based entertainment, podcasts, and video games.Vertigo and Lionsgate are currently collaborating with Point Grey on Cobweb, a thriller starring Lizzy Caplan, Antony

Naman Ramachandran Netflix shows “Criminal U.K.” and “Delhi Crime,” UFA’s second season of “Charité,” and the second season of HBO Latin America’s “The Bronze Garden” are the nominees in the best drama category at the International Emmy Awards.Vying for best actress are Glenda Jackson for “Elizabeth is Missing,” for which she has already won a BAFTA, Yeo Yann Yann for “Invisible Stories,” Emma Bading for “Play,” and Andrea Beltrão for “Hebe.”Nominees for best actor are Billy Barratt for

Denise Petski Senior Managing EditorWriter-producer Francesca Sloane (Atlanta, Fargo) has signed an overall deal with Amazon Studios, and set her first project, a series based on the works of Anaïs Nin.

Amanda N'Duka pmc-editorial-managerEXCLUSIVE: New York Times best-selling cookbook author, host, and lifestyle influencer Ayesha Curry has announced her new television and film production company, Sweet July Productions, which has entered a first-look deal for unscripted television with eOne.In addition, the newly formed company has hired Tiffany Nicholson-Horton to serve as the Executive Vice President and Head of Development for scripted and unscripted content. Sweet July aims is to empower a

Dominic Patten Senior Editor, Legal & TV CriticEXCLUSIVE: Norman Reedus is doubling down at AMC.Less than a week after it was announced that The Walking Dead star would be fronting his own spinoff of the cabler’s zombie apocalypse series with Melissa McBride, Reedus has now signed a first look development deal with AMC Studios.Set to run for two years, the agreement with the AMC Network’s unit comes as Reedus has formed his own bigbaldhead production shingle.Partnering with Brillstein

Ed Meza @edmezavarIn her debut feature film, “Why Not You,” writer-director Evi Romen explores the tragic consequences of a deadly attack in a gay club in Rome and the ostracization of outsiders in a small South Tyrolean community in northern Italy.The story follows Mario, a troubled but artistic young man, portrayed by Thomas Prenn (“Biohackers”), who longs to leave his provincial village for the wider world.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorEXCLUSIVE: Director/Producer Jay Karas has signed with Verve for representation.Most recently, Karas directed the feature The Main Event for Netflix, released in April of this year. The film was the #1 Most-Watched movie in its initial week on the streamer in the U.S.

Nellie Andreeva, Denise Petski EXCLUSIVE: Moshe Zonder, co-creator of the upcoming Apple original drama series Tehran, is expanding his relationship with the streaming service. Zonder has signed a multi-year first-look deal to create premium, scripted television projects for Apple TV+.Co-created by Zonder, Dana Eden and Maor Kohn, and directed by Daniel Syrkin, Israel-Iran spy thriller Tehran tells marks Apple TV+’s first non-English language series.

Dave McNary Film ReporterJason Blum’s Blumhouse has signed a three-picture deal with “Host” director Rob Savage, and will finance and partner with Savage to produce the films.Savage will be collaborating with the same team behind “Host,” including producer Douglas Cox; the writing team of Jed Shepherd & Gemma Hurley; and editor Breanna Rangott.“We’ve been tracking Rob’s work for some time now, and when I got a look at ‘Host,’ I saw the inventiveness in his work that Ryan Turek on the Blumhouse

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorBlumhouse has entered into a three-picture deal with sought-after British director Rob Savage, which the studio will finance and partner with the filmmaker to produce.Savage will be collaborating with the same team behind Host, including producer Douglas Cox; writers Jed Shepherd & Gemma Hurley; and editor Breanna Rangott.“We’ve been tracking Rob’s work for some time now, and when I got a look at Host, I saw the inventiveness in his work

Joe Otterson TV ReporterMara Brock Akil has signed an overall deal with Netflix. The news comes just days ahead of the Netflix premiere of Brock Akil’s classic sitcom “Girlfriends,” which will begin streaming on Netflix on Sept.

Amongst the upcoming films that suffered at the hands of the COVID-19 pandemic was Tom Cruise starrer Mission: Impossible 7. In February, production was supposed to kickstart in Venice before moving to Rome.