City Holland, county Russell Showbiz Latest News and Updates

DGA leaders said today that their upcoming contract negotiations with the Aliance of Motion Picture & Television Producers “promises to be an extremely challenging negotiating environment – one of the most difficult and complex we have faced in many years.”

DGA leaders have informed their members of their rights and responsibilities in the event of a writers strike against the studios.

Variety Staff Follow Us on Twitter The European Film Market kicks off Feb. 16 with a wide assortment of films from sellers around the world. Below is a healthy selection of what’s on offer for buyers. Director: Alex Winter Key cast: Evan Rachel Wood, Josh Gad, Anthony Carrigan Synopsis: A sister and brother, Megan and Nathan are barely hanging on and their lives are completely upended when they discover a dead body, long buried in their parent’s basement, sending them down a rabbit hole of crime and murder. Producers: Alex Winter, Scott Kroopf, Russell Hollander Sales: Rocket Science (international); CAA Media Finance (domestic)  Director: Jess Varley  Key cast: Emma Roberts, Laurence Fishburne  Producers: Brad Fuller, Eric B. Fleischman, Cameron Fuller  Synopsis: When astronaut Sam Walker (Roberts) returns from her first space mission, she’s found miraculously alive in a punctured capsule floating deep off the coast of the Atlantic Ocean. General William Harris (Fishburne) arranges for her to be placed under intense NASA surveillance in a high security house for rehabilitation and medical testing. However, when disturbing occurrences begin happening around the property, she fears that something extraterrestrial has followed her back to Earth. Sales: Highland Film Group (international); CAA Media Finance and UTA Independent Film Group (domestic) 

Rachel Evan Wood (“Westworld, “Thirteen,” Running with Scissors”) will star alongside Josh Gad (“Frozen,” “The Wedding Ringer”) and Anthony Carrigan (“Barry,” “Gotham”) in Alex Winter’s murder mystery “The Adults.” Rocket Science will begin sales at Berline’s European Film Market.  “The Adults” concerns siblings (Gad and Wood) struggling in modern-day America when they discover a dead body in their parents’ basement.

Actor-turned-filmmaker Alex Winter (Showbiz Kids) has set the murder mystery The Adults, starring Evan Rachel Wood (Westworld), Josh Gad (Avenue 5) and Anthony Carrigan (Barry), as his next project behind the camera, with plans to also act in the pic.

DGA leaders have told their members that the guild’s upcoming contract talks with the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers “will not be an ordinary negotiation” and that “if necessary, we are prepared for a fight.”

Michaela Zee editorThe Directors Guild of America (DGA) has hired Rebecca Rhine as western executive director. Rhine recently served as the national executive director of the International Cinematographers Guild, IATSE Local 600, where she expanded the Local’s focus on safety, communications and legislation.Under her new position at DGA, Rhine will have oversight of contracts and agency relations, as well as work with the lobbying team that handles state and local governments.

Rebecca Rhine is moving from the Cinematographers Guild to the Directors Guild. She’ll be the DGA’s new Western Executive Director starting in October.

Faith Santilla has been promoted to assistant executive director of the DGA, the position formerly held by Steven Knauss shortly before his death in March at age 42.

Steven Knauss, the DGA’s Associate Western Executive Director, has died unexpectedly of natural causes Saturday, the guild said. He was 42.

The Directors Guild of America is urging the Senate Commerce Committee to reject Joe Biden’s nominee to the FCC, citing Gigi Sohn’s past stances on copyright.

As Hollywood continues to roll out its condemnations of Georgia's new election law, the Directors Guild of America has unleashed one of the strongest critiques yet.

Leaders of the DGA, SAG-AFTRA and IATSE have sent a letter to congressional leaders urging them to work with President Joe Biden to pass the $1.9 trillion American Rescue Plan Act, saying that it will provide “much-needed relief for the current crisis and address long-standing vulnerabilities in our economy.”

The Directors Guild of America has extended the contract of national executive director Russell Hollander through 2026.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe Directors Guild of America has extended its contract with national executive director Russell Hollander through 2026, the guild announced on Monday.Hollander has helmed the organization since 2017, and he led negotiations on the renewal of its contract last year.

The Directors Guild has sided with the Writers Guild in the WGA’s ongoing legal battle with WME over the agency’s ownership interest in its affiliated production entity – Endeavor Content.

Dave McNary Film ReporterThe Directors Guild of America has criticized Warner Bros. over the studio’s decision to release its entire 2021 theatrical slate simultaneously on the HBO Max streaming service, according to a report in The Hollywood Reporter.DGA National Executive Director Russell Hollander sent a letter to Warner Bros.

By Dave McNary

After weeks of deliberations between Hollywood’s guilds and studios, the Industry-Wide Safety Committee has submitted a white paper to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo and California Gov. Gavin Newsom offering its recommendations for safety guidelines to resume film and television production.

In another union effort to bring financial relief to the entertainment community amid COVID-19, the Directors Guild announced on Friday that it had expedited the payout of $9 million in foreign levies to directors. The Guild says it paid over 5,000 directors in the past week as a result of these efforts.

By Dave McNary

Steven Soderbergh will lead a new Directors Guild of America committee that seeks to assess when halted film and television productions may restart and Hollywood can resume work.

By David Robb

By Dave McNary

Hollywood’s creative guilds have been working overtime to keep residual checks going out to members during the coronavirus crisis.

Leaders of the Directors Guild of America have told the 18,000 DGA members that they are working on a variety of initiatives amid the coronavirus crisis, such as financial relief legislation and speeding up residual payments.