Lionsgate Picks Up Global Rights To Leah McKendrick Comedy ‘Scrambled’

Eddy Cue, who leads Apple’s services business and has spearheaded the company’s push into subscription streaming and live sports, called a recently minted deal with Major League Soccer “a huge global opportunity” for the tech giant.

A parents rights group is filing a complaint with the Department of Education's Office of Civil Rights over a high school theater production which appears to limit participation only to students of color.  Newton North High School’s Theater Ink program is putting on a production in January 2023 titled "Lost and Found: Our Stories as People of Color." According to the show audition packet, "Lost and Found will be a reserved safe space for this exploration and for people of color to be vulnerable and support one another." Parents Defending Education filed complaint alleging that the action is "in violation of both Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 … and the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution." "The performance description does not assert that participation in this performance is open to all," the complaint continues.  Theater Ink, according to its website, is "Newton North High School's Teaching and Working Theatre, is a student-centered community that emphasizes the process of artistic collaboration and instills a disciplined work ethic." The site links directly to a Black Lives Matter website, and the audition for "Lost and Found" asks students how they "identify racially/ethnically." The audition pamphlet also specifies that weekly rehearsals for the production will include "organized discussions about race and identity in our lives."  "Regardless of intent, American public schools may not offer opportunities to students on the basis of skin color.

Five years ago, the story that had long been whispered in the halls of agencies and studios, as well as on film and television sets, finally became public. A series of bombshell articles revealed that Harvey Weinstein harassed and assaulted dozens of women for decades and used his power to bully them into silence.   Weinstein’s fall was the fuse the ignited a revolution. That upheaval turned things around for the better, and culture has been forever changed. And yet, the entertainment industry still has a long way to go to untangle a complex web of decades of bad behavior. In an interesting turn of events, the fight for change that began nearly five years ago with those initial stories will be litigated once again in courtrooms across America in the coming weeks.  

Kevin Beggs is sticking around Lionsgate.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Lionsgate Television Group chairman and chief content integration officer Kevin Beggs has signed a multi-year renewal of his contract. “Kevin and his team have done a great job in building Lionsgate Television into a world-class supplier of valuable premium content to buyers throughout the ecosystem,” said Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer. “Kevin is a trusted partner whose entrepreneurial, innovative and collaborative approach reflects our culture at its best. Under his leadership, our television business is positioned to continue growing its profitability and strengthening its respected brand.” Under Beggs, Lionsgate’s current roster of scripted series include three broadcast TV shows — “Home Economics” at ABC, “Welcome to Flatch” at Fox, and the breakout hit “Ghosts” at CBS. The studio also picked up a series order at NBC recently for an untitled multi-cam from Mike O’Malley with Jon Cryer starring.

Director Ruben Fleischer, best known for directing “Venom” and most recently “Uncharted,” is set to direct the third installment of the action-heist franchise “Now You See Me” for Lionsgate, Nathan Kahane, president, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, announced on Thursday.Seth Grahame-Smith (“Pride and Prejudice” and “Zombies”) has been tapped to work on a new draft of the screenplay, overseen by Fleischer. The previous draft was written by Eric Warren Singer, who previously co-wrote “Top Gun: Maverick” and “American Hustle.”“The Now You See Me” franchise has grossed $687 million worldwide at the box office.

EXCLUSIVE: Venom and Uncharted filmmaker Ruben Fleischer has been tapped to helm the next installment of Now You See Me from Lionsgate.

After star turns in “The Last Black Man In San Francisco,” “The Harder They Fall,” and “Devotion,” what does Jonathan Majors have up next? Well, being Kang the Conquerer in various MCU fare is one answer, but here’s another, more audacious one. Deadline reports that Majors is set to star as ex-NBA star Dennis Rodman in Lionsgate‘s upcoming film, “48 Hours In Vegas.” READ MORE: New ‘Devotion’ Trailer: Jonathan Majors & Glen Powell’s Korean War Drama Has Its World Premiere At TIFF This September The upcoming film follows the infamous story now made legendary by last year’s Michael Jordan–Chicago Bulls documentary, “The Last Dance.” While the Bulls vied for their second thee-peat championship run, Rodman took a 48-hour trip to Las Vegas to unwind in the middle of the 1998 finals.

Jordan said on the docuseries. “So, when Scottie came back, Dennis wanted to take a vacation.”“48 Hours in Vegas” will explore the wild bender that Rodman enjoyed during that vacation, which according to Jordan ended with him finding Rodman hungover while his then-girlfriend Carmen Electra hid herself.

EXCLUSIVE: Sean Penn, star of Milk and Gaslit, and Lost‘s Matthew Fox are set as leads of an Australian satirical comedy series for streaming service Stan. The pair will star in C*A*U*G*H*T, a six-part series from Kick Gurry (Edge of Tomorrow) that takes aim at fame and stardom.

If there one man you want to go to to talk about pop music, it's Ryan Tedder.

Leah McSweeney created a firestorm among fans of The Real Housewives of New York City after she referred to herself as a “former housewife.”

Liza Foreman Boutique distributor Juno Films has picked up North American distribution rights to the Irish-language feature “Róise and Frank,” (“Mo Ghrá Buan”), the company confirmed on Friday. Written and directed by Rachael Moriarty and Peter Murphy, the drama tells the story of an imaginative widow, played by Irish actress Bríd Ní Neachtain, who decides that a stray dog she befriends is the reincarnation of her deceased husband Frank. As time passes, Róise slowly begins to open herself back up to the outside world and reconnect to friends and family. Her canine companion starts to coach the local junior high school’s hurling team with great success for the team and its players, under Frank’s guidance. 

Pam Kaufman is building out her international team at Paramount Global, as she beds into her new post.

Cynthia Littleton Business Editor Tel Aviv-based Donna and Shula Productions and “Tehran” director Daniel Syrkin have set a joint venture to develop TV series for the global market, with an emphasis on the U.S. and Europe. Donna and Shula Productions leaders Dana Eden and Shula Spiegel have shepherded two seasons of the espionage drama series “Tehran” with Syrkin. The series debuted in June 2020 on Israel’s Kan 11 broadcast network. Apple TV+ quickly picked up the show, making it the first non-English series to premiere on the platform. “Tehran” bowed on Apple TV+ in 2021 and the streaming giant partnered with Kan 11 on the production of a second season that premiered in May.

Michaela Zee editor GKIDS has acquired the North American distribution rights to “Unicorn Wars,” ahead of the adult animated film’s U.S. premiere at Fantastic Fest in Austin, Texas. The news was announced Thursday. Set during an ancestral war between teddy bears and unicorns, the horror-comedy film follows Bluet and Tubby, teddy bear brothers who are polar opposites to each other. When their time at teddy bear bootcamp leads to a combat tour in the Magic Forest, Bluet and Tubby’s complicated history and tense relationship could affect the fate of the war, including whether the teddy bears will fulfill the prophecy and usher in a new era. “Unicorn Wars” is directed and written by illustrator Alberto Vázquez. Prior to this deal, GKIDS distributed Vázquez’s Goya Award-winning feature “Birdboy: The Forgotten Children” and animated short “Decorado.”

Naman Ramachandran HBO Max in Hungary will stream a local version of hit survival reality format “The Bridge.” The competition sees participants tasked with building a 250-metre-long bridge to an island for the chance to win a large cash prize. Presented by Csaba Magyarósi, “The Bridge Hungary” is produced locally by Free Monkeys Production. This is the sixth adaptation of the format, which was created in Spain by Zeppelin, part of Banijay Iberia and has U.K., Brazil and Australia versions.. Banijay Rights struck multiple deals for the U.K. version with broadcasters in the Netherlands and across Africa and Latin America. The U.K. series also aired on HBO Max in the US, Latin America, and Asia.

EXCLUSIVE: Toronto’s Elevation Pictures has picked up North American rights to Warren Pereira’s feature documentary Tiger 24, executive produced by The Gotham Group. The film has begun a limited theatrical release which includes a week’s run at the Laemmle’s Monica Film Center (Los Angeles), starting September 30. It will subsequently release on all transactional VOD platforms in North America on November 15.

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