Hollywood Studios and Unions Near Agreement on Safety Protocols to Restart Production

Kate Aurthur editorDespite looming uncertainty about the testing system for British Columbia-based productions, the Warner Bros.

Dino-Ray Ramos Associate Editor/ReporterIt’s been said before, but it is worth saying again: diversity pays — but not in terms of checking boxes and tokenism.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe Hollywood Foreign Press Association moved on Monday to throw out a Norwegian reporter’s lawsuit, arguing that she has not been harmed by being denied admission to the organization.Kjersti Flaa filed the complaint on Aug. 3, alleging that HFPA members use their clout to monopolize entertainment coverage in foreign territories.

Ted Johnson Joe Biden will participate in an NBC News town hall on Oct. 5 in Miami, with Lester Holt moderating.The event was announced following this evening’s debate between Biden and President Donald Trump.This will be Biden’s second town hall of the fall campaign.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorFollowing weeks of lockdown, production for several shows has resumed with new safety protocols in place to protect cast and crew members.

Jennifer Aniston seriously considered walking away from Hollywood before landing TV hit The Morning Show after a horrible experience on an “unprepared project”.The Friends star made her return as a small screen regular on the Apple TV+ drama series last year (2019), and she admits her Emmy-nominated role as a breakfast show newswoman saved her from quitting showbusiness altogether.Aniston shared the surprising news during an interview with her actor pals Jason Bateman, Will Arnett, and Sean

Andreas Wiseman International EditorLondon’s Twickenham Studios has appointed Warner Bros De Lane Lea Director Cara Sheppard as MD.Sheppard will be tasked with guiding all aspects of production, post-production and emerging technology and developing the studio’s ties with UK, Hollywood and international clients.Sheppard spent four years at post house De Lane Lea, where she oversaw a fully serviced production Digital Dailies offering and new facility and the studio’s dark fibre capability.

Christopher Vourlias “Around the World in 80 Days,” the David Tennant-starring adaptation of the beloved classic by Jules Verne, is set to resume shooting in Romania and South Africa, Variety has learned. Production was suspended by the coronavirus pandemic in March.Production restarts next month in Romania before traveling to South Africa, which last week announced that international flights into the country will resume on Oct.

Sharon Stone is opening up about her best kiss in Hollywood! Last night, the veteran actress appeared at Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen, where she was asked which famous star is the best kisser? Stone revealed that her best on-screen kiss was “far and away” Robert De Niro, her love interest in Martin Scorsese’s Casino. “It was the pinnacle of the kissing moment for me,” revealed Stone.

The industry has just cleared a major hurdle in its effort to get back to work. After months of negotiations, Hollywood’s top studios and unions have finally come to an agreement on a handful of lingering issues related to COVID-19 filming protocols on Monday (read the full return-to-work agreement here).

Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA), along with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP) on behalf of the studios.

Dave McNary Film ReporterHollywood unions have reached an agreement with the major studios on protocols to allow the industry to safely restart production amid the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.The agreement was announced Monday, three and a half month after the unions issued their “Safe Way Forward” guidelines.“Guiding principles include strictly enforced testing regimens and safety protocols, a zone-based system, and diligent use of personal protective equipment,” the unions said.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans EditorEarlier this summer, Paramount Pictures partnered with New Republic on “Mission Impossible: 7” and eight other movies.New Republic, led by veteran producers Brian Oliver and Bradley Fischer, announced  that it had closed a co-financing deal that included “The Tomorrow War,” “Infinite,” Michael B.

Jamie Lang On May 11, Uruguay became the first country in Latin America to resume shooting following shutdowns. Several international productions relocated to the country where revenues from commercial shoots have already surpassed 2019’s, says Roberto Blatt, director of Uruguay’s Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual.Hernán Musaluppi, producer at Cimarrón, confirms its first production service begins Sept.

Nellie Andreeva Co-Editor-in-Chief, TVMost of the remaining CBS TV Studios series sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic have received a green light to return to production.The list includes CBS stalwart Blue Bloods, which is heading into Season 11, and SEAL Team, which will start filming its fourth season, as well as the CW’s Charmed and Nancy Drew.Also greenlighted to resume production is summer adventure drama series Blood and Treasure, which needs to finish its second season, which was deep

Meryl Streep lends her voice to this environmentalist film, Here We Are: Notes for Living on Planet Earth, based on the book by notable children’s book author, Oliver Jeffers.The movie is about an existential search for one’s greater purpose on earth. A little boy feels lost for seemingly no reason, a feeling his father very much relates to but cannot resolve.

Nancy Tartaglione International Box Office Editor/Senior ContributorThis is absolutely not a plug for the pandemic, but coronavirus-imposed health and safety protocols at the Venice Film Festival’s press conferences I attended today made for a welcome change.Typically, getting into and out of these briefings and Q&As with film talent features racing, jostling, jockeying for seats and bottlenecking.

Naman Ramachandran Norway is the latest stop for Tom Cruise’s peripatetic “Mission: Impossible” franchise, with the production hiring two ships from Norwegian cruise line Hurtigruten, according to local media reports.Hurtigruten has confirmed to Norwegian tabloid Verdens Gang that they have rented out two of their ships, MS Vesterålen and MS Fridtjof Nansen, for a month, beginning at the end of August until the end of September, to local production services company Truenorth Norway.The purpose