EXCLUSIVE: Akiva Goldsman is returning his Weed Road to Warner Bros, in a multi-year first look deal.
26.01.2023 - 22:07 / deadline.com
EXCLUSIVE: As Warner Bros Pictures continues to find its footing under new management, the studio on Thursday secured the services of a cornerstone filmmaker, signing a first-look deal with its Elvis director-writer-producer Baz Luhrmann.
The deal was made by Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy. This comes on the heels of eight Academy Award nominations including Best Picture that the film received Tuesday. Already the top-grossing original film in the Oscar crop with $151 million domestic and $287 million worldwide — the second-highest musical biopic gross worldwide — Elvis is poised to build that number further as the film returns to theaters across North America this weekend for a limited engagement.
For Luhrmann, the result is particularly satisfying in that it was the first major movie to be pulled off line at the start of the Covid pandemic; it fades in memory, but Tom Hanks was the first major movie star to come down with the virus days before shooting (Deadline’s scoop on that was our most trafficked story ever). Hanks recovered, and soon every production in Hollywood shuttered as the world self-quarantined. Luhrmann held the production together, and the down time allowed him to further hone the film, and for Best Actor nominee Austin Butler to live in the skin of the iconic Presley for a good long time.
“Baz Luhrmann is one of the most singular filmmakers in modern cinema, and we couldn’t be more excited to announce that Warner Bros. is continuing our association with him,” De Luca and Abdy said. “The massive success of Elvis, which helped drive audiences of all ages and a whole new generation back to theaters, proves Baz remains ahead of the curve and at the
EXCLUSIVE: Akiva Goldsman is returning his Weed Road to Warner Bros, in a multi-year first look deal.
Baz Luhrmann is opening up about the reason why there was a sense of relief from Lisa Marie Presley after Austin Butler won a Golden Globe for Best Actor.During an interview on SiriusXM's , the director revealed that despite losing contact during the filming of her father's biopic, the director and the producers behind the film were so lovingly embraced by Lisa Marie after he screened the film for her ahead of the Golden Globes.«So, comes the moment that I screened the film to her, and honestly, from that very emotional moment on, we were embraced into the family,» Luhrmann said. «I mean, we were brought back to Graceland to have a barbecue and hang out in the jungle room, having cocktails.
Austin Butler is happy his “Elvis” success is happening in his 30s and not when he was younger.
As part of a new first look deal with Amazon Studios, character design studio Superplastic is developing a series starring two synthetic celebrities from their canon. “The Janky & Guggimon Show” follows the adventures of two lazy and spectacularly incompetent best friends who are hell-bent on getting rich and famous but leave a trail of chaos and destruction in their wake.
In 1967’s The Graduate, Dustin Hoffman’s fresh out of college Benjamin Braddock is told the future is in plastics. In 2023, Amazon is taking some of that advice to heart and betting some of its future on Superplastic.
When it came to making “Elvis” — with the late singer’s ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, and daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, watching closely — Baz Luhrmann knew it all came down to casting.
Paramount has entered a first-look, multi-year deal with GoldDay, the newly formed production company of filmmakers John Francis Daley and Jonathan Goldstein. The “Game Night” and “Vacation” writer-director-producer duo has teamed up with the studio and eOne on “Dungeons & Dragons: Honors Among Thieves,” which hits theaters on March 31.According to a release, GoldDay will focus on “telling unique stories that defy easy genre classification,” with the intention of creating “entertainment that takes viewers on a journey they haven’t been on before.
Oscars Nominees Luncheon at The Beverly Hilton in Beverly Hills, California.The annual tradition allows nominees from all categories to rub elbows before the big night and this year was no different.
— with the late singer's ex-wife, Priscilla Presley, and daughter, Lisa Marie Presley, watching closely — Baz Luhrmann knew it all came down to casting. «I was not gonna make the film unless I found someone who could play Elvis,» he recalled of the pre-production process. «I didn't really think I could.»Everything came together when he found Austin Butler, who devoted himself to learning The King's songs, mannerisms, and, of course, his iconic voice. However, Luhrmann said the most «nerve-wracking» screening of his entire career came when he sat down with Priscilla to show her the film for the first time."[Priscilla] was quite cynical about how this young kid could, in fact, manifest her husband," he shared, noting that the family has had their share of «disappointments» when it comes to portrayals of Elvis onscreen. «I remember Priscilla said, 'I know I was hard on you,' she wrote me an email… She said, 'Every wink, every move, if my husband was here he would say, 'Hot damn, you are me!''»«She said, 'How did he know about Elvis' rage, his stillness, his inner life, his complex inner life?'» he added. «Because that's not out there.
“If that’s a joke, I love it. If not, can’t wait to unpack that with you later,” said Ted Lasso, perhaps accidentally highlighting two varying differences of comedy – the darker dramedy side and the laugh out loud variety.
Ben Wasserstein, who most recently served as SVP, original programing at HBO, is reuniting with his former HBO boss Richard Plepler. Wasserstein has signed an exclusive first-look deal with Plepler’s film and television production company Eden Productions. Based on the West Coast, he will develop new comedy and drama series, limited series and films for Eden’s exclusive multi-year deal with Apple TV+, working in conjunction with Heather Karpas who joined the company from ICM Partners in 2020.
EXCLUSIVE: Renowned documentarian Lisa Cortés has entered into a first-look development agreement with the Museum of the City of New York, the goal being to hone documentary IP based on the museum’s exhibitions.
EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros Pictures Vice President of Production Peter Dodd is joining Netflix as a Director on the film team. He’ll be part of VP Niija Kuykendall’s group focused on mid-sized features.
Since Austin Butler‘s star turn as Elvis Presley in Baz Luhrmann‘s “Elvis” last year, the actor has struggled to shake the singer’s iconic accent. But EW reports that on Friday’s episode of BBC One‘s “Graham Norton Show,” Butler confirmed he’s finally leaving it behind.
The creators of series including Tuca & Bertie and Gordita Chronicles, which both were axed at Warner Bros Discovery, have taken the conglomerate to task for the recent moves.
Kevin Fortson, the Executive Vice President of Production & Administration for Warner Bros. Unscripted Television, will retire this summer after three decades with the studio.
Elvis scooped up eight Oscar nominations on Tuesday, including Best Picture and Best Actor for Austin Butler in the title role. The good news dovetailed neatly with the birthday of director Baz Luhrmann’s wife and producing partner Catherine Martin, and their wedding anniversary, and yet tragically, it also comes just two days after the pair attended the funeral service for Elvis Presley’s daughter Lisa Marie Presley.
JuVee Productions, the production company owned by Viola Davis and film producer Julius Tennon, has signed a two-year, exclusive first-look television and new media deal with Entertainment One.
“We’re going to put 2022 behind us and focus on the future,” said Kathleen Finch, Chairman and Chief Content Officer of Warner Bros. Discovery’s U.S. Networks Group.
Oscar-nominated filmmaker Baz Luhrmann and his longtime producing partner and collaborator, Oscar-winning production and costume designer Catherine Martin, will be this year’s recipients of the Art Directors Guild’s Cinematic Imagery Award. Their 30-year collaboration includes work on such films as The Great Gatsby, Australia, Romeo + Juliet, Strictly Ballroom, Moulin Rouge! and last year’s Elvis.