Former Blue Ant Execs Solange Attwood & Asha Daniere Set Up Serial Maven Studios

Michaela Zee Paramount’s “Mean Girls” musical made fetch happen after surpassing $100 million at the global box office. The oh-so pink movie musical has generated $101.2 million worldwide after six weeks of release, including $71.2 million in North America and $30 million from 31 international territories. Based on the Broadway adaptation of the 2004 comedy classic, “Mean Girls” was originally commissioned with plans to make a streaming debut directly on Paramount+, but executives opted for a theatrical release after enthusiastic test screenings.

Cole Sprouse is getting real about his most embarrassing moment. During an interview with Elle for its "Ask Me Anything" series, Cole spoke about his time starring as Jughead on the hit CW teen drama "Riverdale." The actor recalled filming a scene for the show in which he had limited attempts to knock a door open and react to seeing a dead body. "I scramble backwards against the door frame and on like my elbows and my legs," he explained.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer 101 Studios, the film and TV production entity run by David Glasser, has named Gray Krakower as executive vice president of brand partnerships. Karkower joins the company behind “Yellowstone” and many spinoffs in the lucrative Taylor Sheridan universe from Endeavor/IMG. There he served clients as a VP of global licensing and branding, working on accounts like Lionsgate Films (“John Wick,” “Saw,” “The Hunger Games”), gaming giant Fortnite and on country legend Dolly Parton’s consumer products.

Sasha Montenegro, the Mexican actress known for her work in the ‘70s and ‘80s, has died at the age of 78. Montenegro was battling lung cancer and experienced a brain hemorrhage this past Wednesday. She was 78 years old.

Emiliano De Pablos Pink Parrot Media, the Montreal and Madrid-based international sales house, has revealed a flurry of deals for the German-Canadian CG animated fantasy feature “Elli and Her Monster Team!,” which is making its market premiere at the EFM. Underlining the appetite for toon family features by European distributors, the film has been sold to Just Entertainment in Benelux, Bim Distribuzione in Italy, NOS Lusomundo in Portugal, Flins&Piniculas in Spain and GPI for Baltics. “Elli” has also been acquired by Pro Films in Bulgaria, Rocket Releasing for CIS, Forum (Czech Republic/Slovak), MCF Megacom Film (Former Yugoslavia), Cinetel (Hungary), Forum for Poland, Romania and Israel, and Front Row in the Middle East.

Chris Petrikin, a former Paramount, Fox and William Morris Agency communications executive, has joined consulting firm Actum LLC as a managing director.

Jem Aswad Executive Editor, Music Just two days after Def Jam Records co-founder Russell Simmons was sued for rape by a former Def Jam executive, he was hit on Thursday with another lawsuit for a former employee, Drew Dixon, who has leveled claims of sexual assault against him in the past. She is suing Simmons for defamation for calling her a “liar” after she made those statements, according to court documents filed Thursday and obtained by Variety; the lawsuit was first reported by Rolling Stone. Dixon, who worked as a Def Jam A&R executive from 1993 until 1995, filed suit in New York on Thursday and is seeking compensatory and punitive damages.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor AGC Studios and Meridian Pictures has sold U.S. and Canada as well as Asia pay TV rights for the Brad Anderson-directed thriller “The Silent Hour,” starring “Suicide Squad’s” Joel Kinnaman, “1917’s” Mark Strong, “New Amsterdam’s” Sandra Mae Frank and “8 Mile’s” Mekhi Phifer, to the newly revitalized Paramount label Republic Pictures. In the film, Kinnaman plays a Boston police detective who suffers an on-the-job accident that leaves him hearing impaired.

Carlos Santana will join forces with ’90s alt rockers Counting Crows for their ‘Oneness Tour.’Along the way, the co-headliners are dropping into a number of New York and New Jersey locales.First, they’ll rock out at Camden, NJ’s Freedom Mortgage Pavilion on Friday, June 21.After that, Santana and Adam Duritz swing into Bethel, NY’s Bethel Woods Center For The Arts on July 18, Holmdel, NJ’s PNC Bank Arts Center on July 19, Wantagh, NY’s Jones Beach Theater on July 21 and Syracuse, NY’s Empower Federal Credit Union Amphitheater on July 24.And if you want to get down to “Smooth” and “Mr. Jones” in the same night, you can grab tickets as soon as today.Although inventory isn’t available on Ticketmaster until Friday, Feb.

EXCLUSIVE: SC Films International is heading to the upcoming European Film Market with Aussie fantasy horror Dusk, starring Charles Cottier (Please Like Me), Peter Thurnwald (XO Kitty), Shuang Hu (Five Blind Dates), Isabella Procida, and George Pullar.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Australia-based indie sales firm Odin’s Eye Entertainment has picked up international rights to adult-skewing animation film “The Weird Kidz.” The film, which has a 1980s vibe and sense of humor, debuted last year in festivals and Odin’s Eye will be using Berlin’s European Film Market to launch an expanded version. A weekend camping trip becomes a disarming and unexpected rite of passage for three adventurous boys and one big brother looking to score with his girlfriend.

Hulu has announced the premiere dates for limited series Under the Bridge and the two docs The Contestant and the film Freaknik: The Wildest Party Never Told.

major role in the rise of Nirvana, died on Jan. 18 at her West Seattle home after several years living with frontotemporal dementia, a progressive neurological disorder, her family confirmed.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Amazon has confirmed which Lee Child book will serve as the basis for “Reacher” Season 3. The third season of the Prime Video series, which was announced in December, will be based on the book “Persuader.” That book is the seventh in the Jack Reacher series written by Child. The official logline for the season states, “Reacher must go undercover to rescue an informant held by a haunting foe from his past.” In addition, it is now confirmed that Maria Sten will return as Frances Neagley in the third season of the hit show, with Sten having appeared in both Seasons 1 & 2.

EXCLUSIVE: VMI Releasing, the North American distribution arm of VMI Worldwide, has hired Dan Fisher as Executive Vice President. 

EXCLUSIVE: Gilmore Girls fans will be doing internal — and external — cartwheels over this news: Yanic Truesdale, who played the scene-stealing sarcastic concierge Michel Gerard on the beloved WB/CW series, has joined Gilmore Girls executive producers’ next series, Étoile.

Saudi’s Joy Awards Honors Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Costner & More

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief “Sound of Freedom,” the indie action-drama film that earned some $184 million at the North American box office, has set a significant theatrical release in South Korea. Angel Studios, the crowd-funded Utah-based production and distribution firm behind the film, initially set up direct-to-theater releases for the film’s first international outings in the U.K., Australia and Latin America. In Korea, rights have been licensed in conventional fashion by the N.E.W. – Contents Panda group, which plans to give the picture a release from Feb. 21, 2024.

The Flight Attendant will not be returning for a third season. The show, which was originally set as a limited series, aired two seasons on Max, with the second season ending in May 2022.

Bring Me The Horizon member Jordan Fish is working on new music with Spiritbox, it has been revealed.Last month, BMTH announced that they’d parted ways with keyboardist, songwriter and studio wiz Fish. “We want to thank him for the musical journey he took with us and wish him luck with everything in the future,” they wrote.Oli Sykes and co. have since embarked on a UK and Ireland arena tour, which is scheduled to run until next Tuesday (January 23).