Former Sony Pictures TV Studios President Jeff Frost Inks First-Look Deal With Studio, Launches Company

Carol Mendelsohn, the former showrunner of CSI: Crime Scene Investigation, has signed a deal with Fox and is once again attempting a series adaptation of Thomas Perry’s The Bomb Maker.

The United States could become more closely united with Canada and Mexico as there are reportedly negotiations in the works between the Biden administration and these countries to form a European Union-like agreement, according to Republican Congressman Matt Gaetz. Gaetz, R-FL, told Fox News’ Tucker Carlson on Friday that he was made aware of the backdoor talks by Mexico President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and said he has personally reached out to Secretary of State Antony Blinken for more information.

EXCLUSIVE: Orlando, filmmaker Sally Potter’s seminal gender-bending and much acclaimed 1992 movie, is finding new life with a 30th anniversary 4K restoration and a theatrical re-release beginning Friday. It’s from Sony Pictures Classics, the specialty arm of Sony Pictures that also happens to be celebrating their 30th anniversary this year, counting Orlando as a major part of their first year in business in 1992. It went on to score even a couple of Oscar nominations for its Production Design and Costume Design in addition to becoming a movie that not only never seems out of date, but now in this era even more pertinent and timely than ever.

Selome Hailu Karis Jagger and Fabienne Toback have entered a first look deal with Lionsgate Television. Under the deal, they will develop and produce unscripted and documentary programming under their production banner Hey Sistah Productions. Lionsgate’s Pilgrim Media Group, which focuses on unscripted programming, will provide development support and serve as production services entity for sold projects.     Jagger and Toback are best known for producing “High on the Hog: How African American Cuisine Transformed America,” a Netflix documentary series based on Dr. Jessica Harris’ book of the same name. The series follows food writer Stephen Satterfield on a culinary journey alongside chefs, historians and activists that celebrates the courage, artistry and resourcefulness of the African American people.

EXCLUSIVE: Disney Branded Television is reuniting with longtime former VP Original Series Kory Lunsford with a new comedy series and a first-look deal. Disney has picked up to series Pretty Freekin Scary, a multi-camera sitcom based on the popular books, from CakeStart Entertainment, where Lunsford serves as president and partner, and Cloudco Entertainment. Lunsford left Disney after nearly 20 years in May 2021 to join the newly formed CakeStart.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures has beaten out other suitors to take one of the hottest movie packages off the table, striking a domestic deal and more for Craig Gillespie’s Dumb Money from Black Bear Pictures.

K.J. Yossman London-based longform news and podcasting outlet Tortoise Media has inked an exclusive first-look deal with Tortoise Media. The multi-year deal will see Sky potentially adapting Tortoise’s original podcasts including their investigative podcast “The Slow Newscast” into scripted and factual high-end series and/or features in the U.K., Italy, Germany and more. Tortoise will collaborate with Sky Studios during the development purpose on the Sky Original projects. Among the podcast series Tortoise Media has put out are “Sweet Bobby,” an investigation into one of the world’s most sophisticated catfishes, and “Hoaxed,” a multi-part series about one of Britain’s most   Since 2019, Tortoise Media has produced chart-topping podcast series such as “Sweet Bobby” and “Hoaxed,” their latest multi-part series exploring one of Britain’s most unusual conspiracy theories, in which an affluent London school community was torn apart by allegations of a satanic paedophile ring was in operation.

BreAnna Bell Production is moving forward for Jensen and Danneel Ackles. With their latest endeavor, “The Winchesters” slated to premiere on The CW on Oct. 11, the couple recently renewed their first-look deal with Warner Bros. Television for two more years and teases there’s a few more stories they’re looking to share in the future through their production company, Chaos Machine. “We are excited to continue our relationship with Warner Bros. as it’s been our home for a long time. It feels only natural that The Winchesters would stay within the Warner Bros. family and continue on the Supernatural legacy,” said the couple in a joint statement.

The disgraced former Los Angeles city council president said that cutting police funding is a "step" toward ending racism. In the wake of the murder of George Floyd, former Los Angeles City Council President Nury Martinez backed a proposal to slash police funding for the City of Angels.

Amazon has released the first photos of new supes Sister Sage, played by Susan Heyward, and Firecracker, portrayed by Valorie Curry, in the upcoming fourth season of The Boys.

Not seeing eye to eye! Sister Wives‘ Janelle Brown and Kody Brown can’t stop arguing over the logistics of her RV being on their family land.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) today announced the establishment of its first LED virtual production stage, located at Sony Innovation Studios in Culver City. With LED virtual production transforming the way film and television are made, the new stage is the world’s largest using Sony’s high brightness and wide color gamut Crystal LED display panels. The panels were created in collaboration with top engineers at SPE for use in virtual production. The establishment of this LED stage allows Sony Innovation Studios (SIS) to expand its virtual production workflow across various entertainment platforms and seamlessly merge the real and virtual worlds with its Atom View technology and proprietary stage-integration software.

EXCLUSIVE: Licorice Pizza and If Beale Street Could Talk producer Sara Murphy and War Pony producer Ryan Zacarias have launched their own TV and film production company and have struck a deal with Anonymous Content.

National Geographic has closed a first-look deal with Chris Hemsworth and producer Ben Grayson’s newly formed Wild State, a multi-platform production company that develops scripted and unscripted content.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline can reveal the first-look images from Rumble Through the Dark, the latest film from directing duo Graham and Parker Phillips (The Bygone), starring Aaron Eckhart And Bella Thorne. Scroll down for the pics.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Sony Pictures Classicspresidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard offered sound advice to U.S. theater chains, while explaining the reasons behind their continued success, during a discussion at the Zurich Film Festival on Saturday about their colorful and storied partnership that has spanned more than four decades. Zurich is honoring the duo for their services to film culture with its Game Changer Award on Sunday.   Speaking to Roeg Sutherland, co-CEO of CAA Media Finance, at the festival’s Zurich Summit industry event, Barker and Bernard took an engaging and humorous trip down memory lane, from first working together at United Artists Classics and then at Orion Classics, before establishing Sony Pictures Classics in 1992, to working with Akira Kurosawa, and managing to reacquire “Howards End” from Ismail Merchant, despite Harvey Weinstein’s efforts to significantly outbid them.

Sarah Michelle Gellar shared a first look at her Wolf Pack character Kristin Ramsey, a chief arson investigator who she describes as a “hard person to crack” with plenty of secrets of her own.

Tom McCarthy, Sony Pictures Entertainment’s executive vice president of postproduction services, is retiring from his role after a career spanning three decades with the studio. Kimberly Jimenez will now be promoted to fill his shoes in a new role as senior vice president of postproduction services at the studio. The news was shared in a note with staff on Thursday from Jon Hookstratten, EVP of Administration & Operations.

Jennifer Kuo Baxter, an entertainment attorney and executive who worked as SVP Business and Legal Affairs at Sony Pictures and in senior positions at DreamWorks Animation and other studios during her 30-year career, has died. She was 62.