James Patterson Inks First-Look Deal With Skydance Television

EXCLUSIVE: A+E Studios is getting into business with Curate Management and its founder Britton Rizzio. The studio has signed a first-look deal with the company to develop scripted series for broadcast and streaming in the U.S. and international space. Curate says the deal reinforces the company’s commitment to producing content that reflects unique perspectives and stories. 

Tom Daley shared a first look at his new baby boy in a sweet gallery of images on Instagram on Wednesday.  The post came just hours after it was revealed the Olympic diving champ and his husband Dustin Lance Black have welcomed their second child via surrogate - and the baby has a very unusual name. Tom, 28, wrote: 'Phoenix Rose Black-Daley.

Lizzo has extended her first-look deal with Prime Video as she searches for singers for the second season of Watch Out for the Big Grrrls.

Amazon Studios has closed an exclusive multiyear first-look film deal with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment, the company announced on Friday.Under the pact, Amazon Studios will have a first look on narrative features and documentaries Imagine Entertainment intends to produce.“Whether it’s a captivating drama like ‘Thirteen Lives’ or a poignant documentary like ‘Lucy and Desi,’ the team at Imagine Entertainment has an incredible gift for storytelling,” Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon and MGM Studios said in a statement. “As we look forward to more exciting projects on the horizon, we are honored to make our longstanding relationship official and to bring more powerful, engaging stories to audiences around the world.”“Brian, Ron, and I, along with our entire team at Imagine including Karen Lunder, President of Imagine Features, and Sara Bernstein, President of Imagine Documentaries, couldn’t be more excited to have a home at Amazon and continue our shared desire to make tentpole films that inspire, elevate, and entertain audiences,” Justin Wilkes, President of Imagine Entertainment added.

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Studios has closed an exclusive multiyear first-look film deal with Imagine Entertainment. In making Amazon its new movie home, co-founders Brian Grazer and Ron Howard will give Amazon first look on narrative features and documentaries Imagine intends to produce.

Amazon Studios has signed an exclusive first-look deal with former Marvel Editor-In-Chief Joe Quesada. Under the deal, Quesada will be developing series and films for Prime Video, focusing on adapting existing and new comic book IP.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Joe Quesada, the former editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics, has signed a first-look film and TV deal with Amazon Studios. Under the deal, Quesada will develop film and TV projects with a particular focus on adapting comic book IP, including both new and existing titles. “I can’t begin to express just how thrilled I am to be joining the Amazon Studios family,” Quesada said. “From the moment Nick Pepper, Matt King, and the team approached me, it was clear we spoke the same language and shared the same creative goals. What was also clear is that they’re creating a collaborative environment and unique methodology that I’m surprised no one has yet thought to implement, but I’m certain will be quickly imitated.”

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winning co-director/co-scribe/producer of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Rodney Rothman, and former MGM exec Adam Rosenberg, have inked a first look deal with Sony Pictures to develop, produce, write, and direct feature films through their company, Modern Magic.

EXCLUSIVE: Showrunner and producer Ingrid Escajeda has signed a first look deal with Universal TV to develop and produce projects for broadcast, cable and streaming platforms.

Sometimes friendship can be a little too much.

Droughtlander is nearly over as Starz sets the premiere date for Outlander‘s seventh season for Friday, June 16 at midnight ET via streaming, and internationally on the Lionsgate+ premium streaming platform in the U.K. For linear viewers, the show premieres on the same day at 8 p.m. ET/PT in the U.S. New episodes will be released weekly on Fridays.

The fourth and final season returns with two episodes Thursday, April 13, on HBO Max, followed by one episode weekly through May 11. Watch the trailer above in which Sanger announces, “My name is Brother Blood, and I’m going to change the world.”HBO Max also shared a photo of the new supersuit for Tim Drake as Robin created by costume designer Laura Jean (“LJ”) Shannon. The character is played by Jay Lycurgo.Among the storylines in the remaining six episodes: Gar Logan (Ryan Potter) goes on a quest of self-discovery, attempting to find his true purpose and to save his friends. “It’s a matter of life and death for the entire world,” he says in the trailer.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Best-selling author James Patterson has signed an exclusive first-look deal with Skydance Television. Under the terms of the deal, Patterson will develop television adaptations of his best selling book series “Women’s Murder Club” and Michael Bennett books, as well as book series “Private” and the soon-to-be published books “Jane Smith” and “Holmes, Miss Marple and Poe.” “In speaking with David Ellison, Dana Goldberg and the team, it quickly became clear Skydance is only interested in making quality entertainment with top talent,” said Patterson. “This kind of partnership is exactly what we have been seeking for James Patterson Entertainment, as we continue to grow our brand across every area of the business.”

EXCLUSIVE: Sharp Objects developer/executive producer Marti Noxon is reuniting with eOne, the indie studio behind the Emmy-nominated HBO drama, with a two-year exclusive first-look deal for television and new media.

EXCLUSIVE: Josh Gordon and Will Speck have signed a first look deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to develop and produce feature films. The news comes in the wake of their feature take of children’s book Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile grossing over $104M WW.

Parker Finn has just signed a first-look deal with Paramount to write, produce, and direct features.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Satellite radio and podcast company SiriusXM extended its relationship with Kevin Hart and his entertainment company, Hartbeat, in a new multiyear deal. Under the agreement, Hartbeat will continue to curate content on Hart’s Laugh Out Loud Radio (SiriusXM channel 96), where all of Hartbeat’s audio programs will premiere exclusively — and the channel will have the exclusive first window on a previously unreleased stand-up album from late comedy legend Bernie Mac. Hart, who first struck a deal with SiriusXM in 2017, will continue to host his show and podcast, the newly renamed “Gold Minds With Kevin Hart” (formerly called “Comedy Gold Minds”), which debuts its new season Wednesday (March 15) at 7 p.m. ET exclusively on SiriusXM. In the season premiere, the comedian-actor-producer-entrepreneur will host filmmaker Ryan Coogler, and the duo will discuss his career journey, working with Michael B. Jordan across multiple projects including “Creed III,” and receiving guidance from the likes of Denzel Washington, Forest Whitaker, Sylvester Stallone and Christopher Nolan along the way.

$217 million at the global box office last fall, filmmaker Parker Finn has signed a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures. “I am honored and thrilled to be joining the Paramount family,” Finn said in a statement.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Somebody must be flashing their pearly whites. Paramount Pictures has entered a multi-year, first-look deal with Parker Finn to write, produce and direct features.  The pact comes on the heels of Finn’s breakout horror hit “Smile,” which became a sleeper box office sensation. Finn wrote and directed the creepy tale, which went on to be the top grossing original horror movie of 2022, raking in $216 million worldwide on a $17 million budget. It was based on his short film “Laura Hasn’t Slept.” “‘Smile’s’breakthrough success is a testament to Parker’s unique and fresh filmmaking, and we are thrilled that he will make Paramount his home,” said Paramount Pictures President & CEO Brian Robbins.

Paramount Pictures has hammered a multi-year, first-look deal with Parker Finn to write, produce and direct features.