Natalie Qasabian’s ‘Run’ Wins 2021 Sundance Institute/Amazon Studios Producers Award

Amazon Studios has hired a new executive to spearhead the marketing of big franchises like its forthcoming The Lord of the Rings series. Greg Coleman joins the streamer as global head of franchise marketing, where he will oversee the team dedicated to getting the word out about fantasy and sci-fi originals films and TV series.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterAmazon Studios has brought on board Greg Coleman as its global head of franchise marketing, where he will be tasked with overseeing the team in charge of TV and film fantasy and sci-fi originals — including the upcoming “Lord of the Rings” series.In leading Amazon’s genre-focused marketing, Coleman and his team will look to engage mass audiences across the world via the streaming studio’s marketing campaigns and support global expansion of the fantasy and sci-fi

In Ukonwa Ojo’s first major hire since she joined Amazon Studios as Chief Marketing Officer Of Prime Video, she has brought in Disney’s Greg Coleman as Global Head of Franchise Marketing. He will start March 1, reporting to Ojo.

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterDonald Glover has inked an eight-figure overall deal with Amazon Studios, sources tell Variety, marking an exit from his current deal with Disney’s FX.Sources also say that Malia Obama is joining the writers’ room of a Glover project at the streaming service’s studio, a mini-room for a Janine Nabers project.An Amazon spokesperson declined to comment. The Hollywood Reporter first reported news of the pact.More to come…

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterAmazon Studios is expanding and restructuring its executive leadership team, bringing on board Laura Lancaster as head of series and upping Marc Resteghini to head of development in both the U.S. and globally.

As the volume of Amazon Studios’ TV development, current series and overall deals increases, the company has moved in to restructure and streamline its programming operations.

Ron Wright was a Republican U.S. Representative from Texas’ 6th congressional district, in the Arlington area.Wright began his political career in 2000 as a member of the Arlington, Texas city council.

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Studios has made a deal to develop the comedy adventure Lost and Found as a starring vehicle for Gina Rodriguez and Zachary Levi, with Steve Pink (Hot Tub Time Machine) directing. Pink and Jeff Morris wrote the script, about a headstrong lawyer and an off-the-grid renegade who reluctantly team up to find a long-lost buried treasure by the Mississippi River.

A24 announced it acquired U.S. Rights to the Ninja Thyberg-directed 2021 Sundance drama Pleasure. This was a film that had been announced as a Cannes title for 2020 before the fest was canceled because of Covid, and made its debut as part of virtual Sundance.

Naman Ramachandran Rob Delaney (“Catastrophe”) and Alice Eve (“Belgravia”) have joined the cast of Amazon Studios’ upcoming drama thriller “The Power” as recurring guest stars.Edwina Findley (“Treme”), Jacob Fortune-Lloyd (“The Queen’s Gambit”) and Simbi Ajikawo (“Top Boy”) also feature in the cast as recurring guest stars alongside series regulars Zrinka Cvitešić (“London Spy”), Archie Rush (“Black Mirror”) and Gerrison Machado (“Prank”) and Pietra Castro (“Jingle Bell Bride”).Previously

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterMichael B.

The Crown star Emma Corrin has joined Harry Styles in My Policeman, a romantic drama for Amazon Studios. Michael Grandage will direct the adaptation of the Bethan Robert novel of the same name and will use an adapted screenplay by Ron Nyswaner.

Just as we’re getting our heads around the Golden Globes nominations, the Screen Actors Guild drops its own list of nominees ahead of this year’s hotly-anticipated awards.

After generating attention primarily through TV series since its move into original content, Amazon Studios is enjoying some good news on the film front — care of Wednesday’s Golden Globe Awards nominations. Of the streamer’s 10 total nominations, seven come courtesy of feature ventures.

Michael Schneider Variety Editor at LargeAmazon Studios head Jennifer Salke doesn’t expect Jeff Bezos to turn his attention to producing as he steps down as Amazon CEO — but she doesn’t rule it out either.Variety took the opportunity on Wednesday morning to ask Salke — calling in to chat about the Golden Globes 2021 nominations — about Bezos’ big news.

Not since the Manchester By the Sea year of 2017 has Amazon Studios generated as many as the 10 Golden Globes nominations it received Wednesday morning.

For the first time in recent memory, the Sundance Film Festival recruited just three members each for its competition juries. Even in the context of a virtual festival, that might have been a mistake after one film dominated the Dramatic category winning four awards.

Amazon Signs Channel 4 Commissioner Channel 4 documentaries commissioner Fozia Khan has joined Amazon Prime Video unscripted team in the UK. She will report to head of unscripted Dan Grabiner, who is responsible for shows including All or Nothing: Tottenham Hotspur. Khan will join Amazon in the summer and news of her departure follows a commissioning restructure at Channel 4. Her appointment was first reported by UK trade Broadcast.

EXCLUSIVE: In the first big deal of the 2021 virtual Sundance Film Festival, Apple has landed worldwide rights to CODA, for a number just north of $25 million. That sets a new a Sundance acquisitions record — above the $22.5 million that Palm Springs received last year from Hulu/Neon. But this time, all the premiere watching and all night auctioning was done far from the slopes of Park City. It came down to a pitched battle between Apple and Amazon.

As the Sundance Film Festival kicked off virtually amid the novel coronavirus pandemic, founder Robert Redford made a brief appearance during the opening night welcome ceremony from Park City, Utah. Redford, who skipped for the second year running the opening press conference earlier in the day, was not personally featured on screen.