Harvey Weinstein To Be Sentenced Next Week For Trio Of Sex Crime Charges; LA Jury Delivered Mixed Verdict Last Month

EXCLUSIVE: After a fierce bidding battle that followed the rousing premiere Sunday Sundance premiere, Apple is closing a deal for Flora and Son, the John Carney-directed film that stars Eve Hewson, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Oren Kinlan and Jack Reynor. Streamers Apple, Amazon battled to the end, and Netflix and Searchlight were all in the mix. Haven’t got a final number yet, but the bidding landed in the vicinity of just under the $20M Netflix paid for Fair Play, I’m told.

Working at the opposite end of the spectrum to Baz Luhrmann, Ireland’s John Carney seems content to make low-key, localized musicals that are almost custom-sized for Sundance. True, some fingers were burned when, perhaps emboldened by the slow-burn success of 2007’s Once, he hired a big star (Keira Knightley), filmed in New York, and endured the full horror of a hands-on Harvey Weinstein release for the bigger-budgeted follow-up, Begin Again, in 2013. After whatever went down on that film, however, he returned to Ireland with a bunch of largely unknown actors for his next and arguably best so far: Sing Street (2016), an underrated romantic comedy about a young man (Ferdia Walsh-Peelo) trying to find his identity through his love of music.

Showing off their love! After initially playing coy about their relationship status, Lori Harvey and Damson Idris have been all smiles since going public.

Fun night out! Lori Harvey and Damson Idris were spotted holding hands on a date shortly after making their relationship official.

On the eve of its anniversary, Verve has tapped founding Partner Bill Weinstein as the first CEO in the agency’s thirteen years. The decision was made by the Partnership and announced by his fellow Founding Partners Adam Levine and Bryan Besser in an all-company meeting with a grateful and excited Weinstein thanking each member of the Verve community for their support and belief.

The Big Bang Theory signed off after its 12-season run, Rauch returned to Warner Bros. studios in Los Angeles to begin filming the pilot for , Night Court.

If you don’t know the story of filmmaker Todd Field, who directed the critically-acclaimed “Tár” (our review) this year with Cate Blanchett, it goes a little bit like this. An actor in small indies, and some blockbusters (Jan De Bont’s “Twister”), Field moved up to writing and directing and knocked it out of the park on his first try.

Her new man. Lori Harvey and boyfriend Damson Idris made their relationship Instagram official amid her 26th birthday.

Todd Field is recalling the moment he found out that Harve Weinstein’s Miramax had acquired his debut film In the Bedroom at the Sundance Film Festival and how Tom Cruise’s advice saved him.

President Joe Biden will deliver his State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress on Feb. 7.

Editors note: Deadline’s Read the Screenplay series debuts and celebrates the scripts of films that will factor in this year’s movie awards races.

EXCLUSIVE: Harvey Keitel (The Irishman) and Olga Kurylenko (Black Widow) have signed on to star in Paradox Effect — an action-thriller to be directed by Scott Weintrob (Home) for Iervolino & Lady Bacardi Entertainment, which is going into production in Italy in January.