IATSE Receives Solidarity Pledge From Global Entertainment Unions As Contract Talks Begin

EXCLUSIVE: In a competitive situation, Berlanti Productions and Warner Bros. Television have acquired the rights to Matthew Blake‘s debut crime thriller novel Anna O. The series adaptation is in the process of being set up at Netflix for development, sources tell Deadline.

Green Day have performed ‘Basket Case’ with its original demo lyrics upon receiving an award from Avril Lavigne – watch the moment below.The pivotal pop-punk band recently appeared at the iHeartRadio Awards last night (April 1), during which they were presented with the Landmark Award by Avril Lavigne.The trio consisting of Billie Joe Armstrong, Mike Dirnt and Tre Cool went on to perform a medley of ‘Bobby Sox’ and ‘Basket Case’. The first song is taken from their most recent 2024 album ‘Saviors‘, while their classic hit ‘Basket Case’ comes from their 1994 record ‘Dookie’.However, Green Day decided to add some spice to ‘Basket Case’, surprising the crowd by singing the original demo lyrics: “They said this has been emotionless flight / Around each other intoxicating their minds / Dancing in the street under suburban lights / They stumbled to the ground without a hurt.”Previously, Armstrong admitted he rewrote these lyrics, calling them “embarrassingly bad”.

EXCLUSIVE: Alejandra Reyes, most recently a TV lit agent at UTA, is switching to management and joining 3 Arts Entertainment. She is bringing an expertise in the international space — focusing on Latin America and Spain — which she developed as an agent, introducing international writers and directors to the US market, attaching them to major series and closing first-look/overall deals for them. That includes a first-look deal with Onyx for The House of Flowers creator Manolo Caro and his production company Woo Films and an overall deal with Netflix for Chilean writer José Ignacio “Chascas” Valenzuela, creator, executive producer and showrunner of Who Killed Sara?

EXCLUSIVE: Martin Kaszubowski’s feature film Earlybird has been acquired by Good Deed Entertainment for worldwide rights.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Veteran Chinese director Zhang Yimou will be presented with a lifetime achievement award at the upcoming edition of the Festival of Far East Film in Italy’s Udine (April 24 – May 2). The lineup will include three films by Zhang: his 2023 political thriller “Under the Light” in its competition section; as well as “To Live” and “Raise the Red Lantern” in its restored classics section. The festival’s total lineup includes 74 films in total – 47 in competition and 28 out of competition) from 11 countries.

Nicholas Galitzine opened up about playing queer characters as a straight actor.

YG Entertainment has refuted reports that it spent US$30million on BLACKPINK‘s contract renewals.According to a business report released by the company on March 22, YG Entertainment had stated a KRW41.2billion (about US$30million) sum for intangible assets last year.Per Korea JoongAng Daily, this is an accounting practice commonly used by music labels in South Korea when funds are needed for contract renewals. Of note, last year YG Entertainment had secured the contract renewal of K-pop girl group BLACKPINK for group activities, following a months-long negotiation process.However, YG Entertainment has since denied that all the funds were used for that purpose, in a statement to Korea JoongAng Daily. “There were various other contract renewals as well as new contracts formed over various intellectual property,” a YG Entertainment spokesperson said.The label added that it “cannot disclose the contract details”, but noted that “the amount in question cannot be considered exclusive to BLACKPINK’s contract extension”.In the same report, Korea JoongAng Daily also noted that YG Entertainment said that it is “planning” for group activities from BLACKPINK.

Kevin Hart, who rose from the open mics and comedy clubs of his native Philadelphia to become one of the country’s most recognizable performers, will receive the Mark Twain Prize for American Humor at a gala performance Sunday at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.Hart, 44, has honed a signature style that combines his diminutive height, expressive face and motor-mouth delivery into a successful stand-up act.In Hollywood, Hart made his movie debut in the 2002 film “Paper Soldiers” and came to mainstream fame through a string of scene-stealing cameos in hits such as 2005’s “The 40-Year-Old-Virgin.”Hart’s films have grossed more than $4.23 billion globally.Now in its 25th year, the Mark Twain Prize annually honors performers who have made a lasting impact on humor and culture. Honorees receive a bronze bust of Twain, the iconic American writer and satirist whose real name was Samuel Clemens.Mark Twain recipients are honored with a night of testimonials and video tributes, often featuring previous award winners.

EXCLUSIVE: Grindstone Entertainment has acquired the North American rights to the crime drama Mob Cops, we’ve learned. A release date will be set in the future.

EXCLUSIVE: The first days of spring are seeing labor peace bloom in Hollywood.

EXCLUSIVE: Real Estate mogul Doval Bacall is set to finance producer Steven Schneider’s next feature film Boyfriend as his first significant entertainment deal.

Editor’s note: This is the latest installment in the Deadline series Hollywood Contraction, which examines the toll the job losses caused by the ongoing industrywide cost-cutting has had on different sections of the entertainment community.

Katcy Stephan Brandon Routh and Mena Suvari will lead the cast of Grammy-winning director Joseph Kahn‘s next film, “Ick.” The film aims to evoke the timeless creature features of the 1980s with an ambitious arsenal of scares and comedy. Routh (“Superman Returns,” “Scott Pilgrim”) stars as Hank, a high school science teacher who still pines for his childhood sweetheart, played by Suvari (“American Beauty,” “American Pie”). While discovering he may have a teenage daughter, portrayed by Malina Weissman (“Lemony Snicket’s Series of Unfortunate Events”), Hank must grapple with a terrifying alien anomaly (the titular “Ick”) invading their small town.

Variety Lounge at the 2024 Hong Kong International Film & TV Market (FILMART) emerged as a dynamic hub of creativity and insight. The studio played host to a series of illuminating interviews featuring prominent figures in the global film industry including European filmmaker Cristiano Bortone, producer and co-founder of boutique studio S11 Partners Ltd.

is one of two recipients of the 2024 Courage and Civility Award, which is given by Jeff Bezos and his fiancée, Lauren Sánchez, “to people who try to find solutions to complicated problems, attempt to be uniters, and embrace civility,” per . During a ceremony on March 14 in New York City, Longoria and Bill McRaven, a retired Navy admiral and former chancellor of the University of Texas System, received $50 million each for their contributions to society.Commentator Van Jones and chef José Andrés were the recipients of the inaugural award in 2021, and each received $100 million.

A temporary guardian argued in a lawsuit filed last month that Lifetime‘s documentary Where Is Wendy Williams? was a “blatant exploitation of a vulnerable woman with a serious medical condition,” and that the talk host had lacked mental capacity to enter a contract to do the show, according to newly unsealed documents.

SXSW showcase have now pulled out of the festival in solidarity with Palestine.Kneecap, Sprints, Soda Blonde, Gavin James, Robert Grace, Mick Flannery, Chalk, Gurriers, Cardinals and NewDad all pulled out from the annual music, culture and arts showcase which takes place in Austin, Texas. This came after it was revealed that the US Army was a “super sponsor” of the event as well as defence contractor RTX Corporation, which has supplied weapons to Israel.Northern Irish-funded artists Enola Gay and Conchur also pulled out, joining the likes of their fellow Irish peers.UK funding channels (PRS Funded) booked the Northern Irish artists and were set to play various UK-led events that were different from the Music From Ireland showcases.

UK distributor-producer Signature Entertainment has set plans to acquire Latin American production and distribution company Particular Crowd. 

Alex Ritman Belfast hip-hop trio Kneecap has canceled several shows they were due to perform at the SXSW festival to support their wild comedy biopic “Kneecap” in “in solidarity with the people of Gaza.” In a statement posted on its social media channels, the group — who go by the stage names of Mo Chara, Móglaí Bap and DJ Próvaí and star as themselves in the film — said that the decision was made due to “highlight the unacceptable deep links the festival has to weapons companies and the US military who at this very moment are enabling a genocide and famine against a trapped population.”We will not be appearing at @sxsw festival.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief COVID, changing money flows and a new superpower Cold War of sorts may have, over the past few years, helped to reduce the connections between the film and TV industries of China and the rest of the world — so, will the 2024 edition of FilMart, whose organizers continue to claim bridgehead status, be the market to increase those connections? Candas Yeung, the Trade Development Council associate director who takes over as head of FilMart this year, says that visitor and exhibitor numbers have crept up again this year — to an anticipated 7,500 and 715, respectively — and that fully 40% of market participants hail from mainland China. “That’s a pretty significant proportion and they are very active in the market, both buying and selling, and making some announcements,” Yeung says.