Erik Lomis, MGM Distribution Chief, Dies at 64

EXCLUSIVE: M88 on Tuesday announced its signing of in-demand director Erica Watson for management.

Disney’s The Little Mermaid, has revealed that Harry Styles turned down a role in the live-action film due to the singer seeking more “darker” movies.The ‘As It Was’ singer was initially approached to be cast as Prince Eric in the new remake of children’s classic starring singer Halle Bailey. However, the Grammy Award winner declined the position.The director of The Little Mermaid, Rob Marshall, told Entertainment Weekly that he “met with” Styles and “he was lovely”.“What a wonderful guy,” said Marshall.

Instagram.“It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Sam Lerner wrote.“His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special.

A post shared by Sam Lerner (@samlerner)“Everyone that knows him knows how insane he was— in the best way. I’m so lucky I got to spend so much time with him, and we’re all lucky we can continue to watch his work for the rest of time.

Michael Lerner, an actor who appeared in television shows like Clueless and Glee and was nominated for an Oscar for his role in Barton Frink, has died. He was 81 years old.

J. Kim Murphy Michael Lerner, an actor who featured in films such as “Elf,” “Godzilla” and “X-Men: Days of Future Past” and who received an Oscar nomination in best supporting actor for his performance in Joel and Ethan Coen’s 1991 psychological comedy “Barton Fink,” died Saturday evening. He was 81 years old. Lerner’s death was confirmed by his nephew, “The Goldbergs” actor Sam Lerner, who paid tribute to his uncle through a post on Instagram Sunday afternoon. No further details regarding Lerner’s death are available at this time. “We lost a legend last night. It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Lerner wrote. “His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special. Everyone that knows him knows how insane he was— in the best way.”

Harry Styles may not be playing Prince Eric in the live-action remake of , but he's always a king in our hearts!While it was long-rumored that the «As It Was» singer could be taking on the role of Ariel's prince, the part ultimately went to Jonah Hauer-King, and the film's director, Ron Marshall, is explaining why in a new interview with .While Marshall confirmed he spoke with Styles about playing Eric «once upon a time,» he shared that the  star «really felt like he wanted to go off and do the movies that he ended up doing, which were sort of darker» than Disney's reimagining of one of its most beloved fairy tales.As for Hauer-King, Marshall said the British actor, who previously appeared in PBS' 2017  miniseries, came with a «sweetness» and «deep passion» that he was looking for in the film's prince., who also spoke to Hauer-King and Ariel herself, Halle Bailey, noted that three other people were up for the part of Eric.«I didn't take her being kind to me as any indication,» Hauer-King recalled of his final audition round with Bailey. «I just assumed she was a lovely person and would've done that for anyone.»After returning to his trailer from the audition, Hauer-King told the outlet he heard a knock at his door.

Way back in 2019, it was reported that Harry Styles turned down the role of Prince Eric in The Little Mermaid live action remake, which will hit theaters next month on May 26.

EXCLUSIVE: MGM+ continues to round out the lead cast for Hotel Cocaine, adding Mark Feuerstein as a series regular opposite Danny Pino. In addition to Pino, Feuerstein joins previously announced Michael Chiklis and Yul Vazquez in the streamer’s upcoming crime thriller from creator Chris Brancato.

EXCLUSIVE: Joseph Baena and Ludovica Frasca have joined the cast of Josh Webber’s family holiday film Athena Saves Christmas, which is currently shooting in California’s Lake Arrowhead area for a late 2023 release.

Eva Longoria’s loyal friends are coming to her defense after she was the center of a Twitter rant. On March 19, Eric Braeden took to the social media site with thumbs of fury, saying she “wasn’t good enough to survive the pressures of daytime television.” Her friends Roselyn Sánchez and Eric Winter called the whole thing “unwarranted.” Braeden, who is 81, starred as Victor Newman on The Young and the Restless.

EXCLUSIVE: Yul Vazquez is set as a lead opposite Danny Pino & Michael Chiklis in Hotel Cocaine, MGM+’s upcoming crime thriller from creator Chris Brancato.

Taking a stand! Eva Longoria‘s friends defended her after soap star Eric Braeden claimed she made “derogatory remarks” about daytime TV actors.

Erik Lomis died suddenly last week and the stars of Air honored the late MGM and Amazon Studios executive.

Addie Morfoot Contributor Three projects pitched at CPH:FORUM – the industry program of CPH:DOX, the Copenhagen-based documentary festival – have been awarded cash prizes. They are Robin Petré’s “Only on Earth,” Iryna Tsilyk’s “Red Zone” and Yegor Troyanovsky’s “Cuba & Alaska.” The filmmakers were awarded at a ceremony in the Danish capital on Thursday. Petré’s “Only on Earth” garnered the Eurimages Co-Production Development Award worth €20,000 for best pitch. The docu, produced by Signe Skov Thomsen, and Malene Flindt Pedersen, depicts a journey deep into one of Europe’s hottest fire zones, Galicia, where wild horses roam the mountains under the watch of local cowboys. These horses are excellent at fire prevention, but now they are vanishing in the clash between humans and nature.

The death of MGM distribution chief Erik Lomis on Wednesday has shocked many around Hollywood. More than just being a sage to filmmakers and executives about the motion picture business, Lomis was known for his generosity fundraising with the Will Rogers Institute, cultivating others’ careers, and even being a mentor to many in their personal lives.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Erik Lomis, a longtime film distribution executive, died at his home in Santa Monica, Calif. He was 64. Lomis served as MGM’s head of theatrical distribution and most recently oversaw the release strategy for “Creed III,” which opened to a franchise-record $51 million.

Extremely devastating news: MGM and United Artists Releasing Distribution Boss Erik Lomis has died suddenly at his home in Santa Monica, CA, we have learned from sources. No details were provided in regards to his death. Lomis was a towering figure behind many filmmakers’ hits including those from Quentin Tarantino, Paul Thomas Anderson, Adam McKay, Sylvester Stallone, Ryan Coogler, David O. Russell, Lee Daniels, Tom Hooper to name a few and most recently Michael B. Jordan with Creed III.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor Ruben Igielko-Herrlich, a veteran film marketing executive, died March 7 in Beverly Hills. He was 62 and had been fighting glioblastoma brain cancer for four years. He co-founded PropagandaGEM, a global entertainment marketing group, in 1991 with his friend and business partner Anders Granath. The company expanded to encompass 10 offices across Europe, Asia, South America, and the U.S. Under his leadership, Propaganda created brand integrations such as “The Matrix” placing Nokia’s flip phone into the hands of Keanu Reeves and the iconic “Mission Impossible” chase scenes with Tom Cruise behind the wheel of a BMW.

Ruben Igielko-Herrlich, a veteran film marketer who co-founded the global entertainment marketing group PropagandaGEM, has died of brain cancer. He was 62.