Avi Arad Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Sam Raimi stepped into the offices of Sony Pictures in an impeccable black suit to pitch himself to direct “Spider-Man.” He had no reason to expect he would get the job.“My agent, Josh Donen, said, ‘They want to be honest with you. There’s about 18 directors they’d rather have than you on a list,'” Raimi recalls. “And I said, ‘OK, well, tell them I’m number 19.'”When Raimi finally did get a meeting, he found himself in a room that included Sony Pictures CEO John Calley, Columbia Pictures chair Amy Pascal, Marvel Studios chief Avi Arad, Sony film executive Matt Tolmach and the film’s producer, Laura Ziskin.

abandoning Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and meddling in Israeli politics amid the Jewish State’s war with Hamas.Arad, a dual citizen who was born in Israel and moved to the US in 1969, sent in a scorching personal letter to Schumer Tuesday saying he was stunned by the high-ranking Jewish official’s betrayal of Israel’s leader in its time of need.“I am writing about your recent statement last Thursday when you called on Israel to hold new elections, saying you believe Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has `lost his way’ and is an obstacle to peace in the region amid a growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. I believe your statement is not only incorrect, but inappropriate,” Arad, 75, said.“It’s not your war.

Katcy Stephan Lionsgate has closed a deal with “Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings” director Destin Daniel Cretton to write and direct a live-action film adaptation of the manga classic “Naruto.” The announcement was made today by Adam Fogelson, chair, Lionsgate Motion Picture Group. The movie will be based on the manga created by Masashi Kishimoto.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Sony Pictures will conduct a live orchestra at the Academy Museum featuring the bombastic music from its animated feature (and best picture) contender “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse.” At a special invitation-only event at the David Geffen Theater, the studio will feature an exhilarating arrangement of electronics, turntables and a live orchestra performing the original score from Columbia Pictures and Sony Pictures Animation’s box office smash by Oscar-nominated and Emmy-winning composer Daniel Pemberton. The concert will feature appearances by Oscar-winning producers and screenwriters Phil Lord and Chris Miller; the film’s directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers and Justin K.

Sony is making sure it has its franchises covered as the actors strike hopes to end as the studio is co-financing with Nintendo a live action feature of popular videogame The Legend of Zelda. Maze Runner franchise filmmaker Wes Ball is directing.

EXCLUSIVE: Eli Roth’s feature version of videogame Borderlands has set an Aug. 9, 2024 release date.

EXCLUSIVE: Korean multi-hyphenate powerhouse Don Lee (aka Ma Dong-seok) is set to star in and produce an English-language feature adaptation of New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sansbury Smith’s dystopian sci-fi novel series Hell Divers. The film will draw from the first three books in the series whose first installment was published by Blackstone in 2016; there are 10 books in total. 

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor As “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” finally hits theaters this weekend, the producers behind the trilogy have their attention set on the third installment, next year’s “Beyond the Spider-Verse.” However, that’s not the only web-slinging project that’s on their minds. Producer Amy Pascal says a Spider-Woman and live-action Miles Morales movie are in the works. “You’ll see all of it,” she told me Tuesday at the “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” premiere in Los Angeles. “It’s all happening.” Producer Avi Arad teased that moviegoers will see a “Spider-Woman” movie “sooner than you expect.”

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorThe strong debut of Sony Pictures’ “Uncharted” at the box office last month came a happy sign that moviegoing is back to normal-ish levels as families returned to multiplexes for the Tom Holland-starrer based on the PlayStation video game franchise.Behind the scenes, “Uncharted” is also a textbook case of a movie that needed seasoned and dedicated producers to see it through a nearly 13-year journey to get made. The leader of that pack was Charles Roven, the head of Atlas Entertainment, who has been in the business of making blockbusters for a long time. Think “The Dark Knight” trilogy, “Suicide Squad,” “Man of Steel,” “Wonder Woman” and more.Roven discusses “Uncharted’s” course to the big screen — including his collaboration with producer Avi Arad — on the latest episode of Variety podcast “Strictly Business.” He also weighs in on the debate over what defines filmmaking in the streaming age.

Also Read: Eli Roth to Direct 'Borderlands' Movie Based on Video Game Series at LionsgateThe latest draft of the “Borderlands” screenplay is by Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”). Avi Arad and Ari Arad are producing through their Arad Productions banner, with Erik Feig also producing through PICTURESTART.“Borderlands” is based on the PC and console trilogy from Gearbox Software and publisher 2K.

Also Read: 'Halloween Kills' Teaser: Jamie Lee Curtis Can't Escape Michael Myers (Video)The latest draft of the “Borderlands” screenplay is by Craig Mazin (“Chernobyl”). Avi Arad and Ari Arad are producing through their Arad Productions banner, with Erik Feig also producing through PICTURESTART.“Borderlands” is based on the PC and console trilogy from Gearbox Software and publisher 2K.

Metal Gear Solid film adaptation, according to reports.The Star Wars actor will play Solid Snake in the film, which is currently in development at Sony Pictures with director Jordan Vogt-Roberts and producer Avi Arad, as reported by Deadline.Based on the Metal Gear Solid video game created by Hideo Kojima and published by Konami, the film will be written by Derek Connolly, whose major credits include Star Wars: The Rise Of Skywalker, the Jurassic World trilogy, Pokémon Detective Pikachu, and

By Justin Kroll