Francis Lawrence Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorDNEG, a U.K.-based visual effects and animation house whose customers include Netflix and major Hollywood film studios, has called off plans to go public amid the broad global slump in financial markets.In January, DNEG had announced plans to merge with Sports Ventures Acquisition Corp., a special purpose acquisition company (SPAC), in a deal valuing the company at $1.7 billion. The duo had previously expected that to close in the first half of 2022.On Thursday, the companies announced the termination of the agreement as a result of “current unfavorable SPAC market conditions” and other factors.

Josh Andrés Rivera will be returning to work with his West Side Story star Rachel Zegler in Lionsgate’s growing ensemble prequel The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. 

played by Tom Blyth. Jerome Lance will play Marcus, a tribute from the dystopian world’s District 2.Mackenzie Lansing will play Coral, a tribute from District 4.Knox Gibson will play Bobbin, tribute from District 8.Aamer Husain will play Ravinstill, mentor to a tribute from District 11.Ashley Liao will play Clemensia Dovecoat, a close friend of Coriolanus and mentor to a tribute from District 11.As previously announced, Rachel Zegler will play Lucy Gray Baird, the impoverished District 12 tribute that Coriolanus is assigned to mentor. Lucy is an orphan and a singer, who wows her mentor and eventually, viewers across Panem, with her impressive voice — before proving in the Games that she's even more cunning than she seems.In a press release about Blythe's casting, the studio described protagonist Coriolanus as such: «18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol.

EXCLUSIVE: We have learned that Lionsgate’s prequel, The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, has landed its first round of tribute and mentor characters in the Francis Lawrence directed film.

be out Nov. 17, 2023.

Lionsgate is starting its engines for The Hunger Games: The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes, the highly anticipated Hunger Games prequel coming November 17, 2023.

prequel film, Lionsgate announced on Monday that star Rachel Zegler has been cast in a lead role, and will play Lucy Gray Baird in the upcoming, Francis Lawrence-directed adaptation of the latest novel by franchise author Suzanne Collins.Zegler joins Tom Blyth in the film, who was previously cast to play the young Coriolanus Snow, who mentors Lucy in the 10th Hunger Games, many years before he evolves into the Capitol's sinister President Snow. The female tribute from District 12, Lucy is an orphan and a singer, who wows her mentor and eventually, viewers across Panem, with her impressive voice — before proving in the Games that she's even more cunning than she seems.“Like everybody, I first saw Rachel Zegler in  and like everybody, I knew I was watching a star who would command the screen for a generation,” said Lawrence in the press release announcing her casting. «Lucy Gray is a perfect match for her as an actress: the character is bold, independent, and defiant, but also vulnerable, emotional, and loving.

Move over, Jennifer Lawrence: the “Hunger Games” films have a new star. With a movie version of the series prequel, “The Ballad Of Songbirds And Snakes,” set for a November 2023 release date, Lionsgate has that film’s female lead.

Fresh off her commanding performance in Steven Spielberg’s Oscar-nominated “West Side Story” (and ahead of starring roles in “Shazam! Fury of the Gods” and Disney’s live-action “Snow White”), Rachel Zegler has been tapped by Lionsgate to lead “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” as Lucy Gray Baird for director Francis Lawrence and producers Nina Jacobson and Brad Simpson. The prequel film in the franchise that has grossed over $3 billion globally is based on the best-selling novel by Suzanne Collins and slated to hit theaters on November 17, 2023.The film’s official synopsis is as follows: “Years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem, 18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol.

More casting is warming up for the highly anticipated prequel to Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games –The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. This morning, it’s been announced that West Side Story Maria actress Rachel Zegler is joining the Francis Lawrence directed movie in the lead female role of Lucy Gray Baird. She joins recently announced Tom Blyth who’s playing the young Coriolanus Snow, that role made famous by Donald Sutherland in the original trilogy.

Universal Pictures has acquired the action-comedy spec Shots! Shots! Shots! penned by Matt Mider and Kevin Burrows (The Package), with Jason Momoa (Dune) coming aboard to star.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorNetflix signed a multiyear services renewal with VFX and animation company DNEG, under which the streamer expects to spend at least $350 million with the company through 2025.The non-exclusive agreement covers the provision of visual effects and virtual production services by DNEG for Netflix series and movies through September 2025. The new deal extends and expands on a previous agreement that the companies signed in September 2020.Under the agreement, Netflix has agreed to assign projects to DNEG worth a minimum of $350 million of its services over the term, “which may be increased if certain project award milestones are achieved,” DNEG disclosed in a regulatory filing.DNEG is working with Netflix on a number of upcoming projects, including “Stranger Things” Season 4; Rian Johnson’s “Knives Out 2”; fantasy action-dramas “The School for Good and Evil” and “Avatar: The Last Airbender”; origin story “The Witcher: Blood Origin”; and upcoming fantasy comedy-adventure “Slumberland” from director Francis Lawrence.

Visual effects and animation firm DNEG has extended its deal with Netflix through 2025.

Tom Blyth, who stars in Epix’s Western series Billy the Kid, has been cast as the young Coriolanus Snow The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes, Lionsgate’s upcoming adaptation of Suzanne Collins’ latest installment in her bestselling YA series.

prequel film,, has found its young President Snow. Lionsgate announced on Monday that the studio has cast Tom Blyth as the young Coriolanus Snow in the highly anticipated prequel feature, based on the book of the same name by franchise author Suzanne Collins.Blyth, who currently stars as the titular outlaw on EPIX’s series, will play the future despot «years before he would become the tyrannical President of Panem.»In a press release about the casting, the studio described the character as such: «18-year-old Coriolanus Snow is the last hope for his fading lineage, a once-proud family that has fallen from grace in a post-war Capitol. With the 10th annual Hunger Games fast approaching, the young Snow is alarmed when he is assigned to mentor Lucy Gray Baird, the girl tribute from impoverished District 12.

Lionsgate has found their young President Snow!

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterTom Blyth is headed to Panem. The actor, best known for “Billy the Kid” and “The Gilded Age,” has been cast as young President Coriolanus Snow in Lionsgate’s “The Hunger Games” prequel “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes.”The movie is based on the 2020 book of the same name, which is set decades before the exploits of Katniss Everdeen in “The Hunger Games.” That means the beloved heroine, a role that propelled Jennifer Lawrence to superstardom, does not appear in “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” which instead centers on the man (portrayed by Donald Sutherland in the original trilogy) who eventually becomes the tyrannical president of Panem.

Blyth currently stars on the Epix series “Billy the Kid,” and now will be the face of a film that Lionsgate hopes will revive its most lucrative franchise with four films that combined grossed nearly $3 billion at the global box office. Donald Sutherland starred in those four films as Snow, who leads a dystopian nation where 12 vassal districts are required each year to sacrifice two of their children for a televised fight to the death as punishment for a failed rebellion. Based on Suzanne Collins’ 2020 novel of the same name, “The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes” takes place 64 years before the events of the “Hunger Games” and chronicles the start of Snow’s rise to power, starting as a mentor to Lucy Gray, a teen girl from District 12 chosen to compete in the Hunger Games.

Lionsgate has officially announced a release date for the upcoming The Hunger Games prequel movie.

Lionsgate announced at the end of their CinemaCon session today that the Hunger Games prequel, The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes will finally hit theaters on Nov. 17, 2023.

The prequel, titled “The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes,” is based on the novel of the same name written by series creator Suzanne Collins will follow Coriolanus Snow, the future tyrannical leader of the nation of Panem, when he was just 18 years old. As one of the top students of Panem’s Academy, which is a school for the country’s elite, Snow is selected as a mentor for Lucy Gray Baird, a tribute selected to compete in the Hunger Games for District 12, the home of Snow’s future adversary Katniss Everdeen.

Jason Momoa (Dune) is in early talks to star in a live-action Minecraft film in the works at Warner Bros., sources tell Deadline.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJustin Chon has signed on to direct and executive produce the upcoming Jason Momoa Apple series “Chief of War,” Variety has learned exclusively.The show was first reported as being set up at Apple earlier in April. Chon was in negotiations to join the series at that time, with his deal now officially closed. It is said to follow the epic telling of the unification and colonization of Hawaii from an indigenous point of view.Chon will direct and executive produce the first two episodes of the series.

Jason Momoa is one of the more in-demand actors in Hollywood that have been able to juggle television series and film. With his Apple TV+ show “See,” appearing in multiple Netflix films like the upcoming fantasy film “Slumberland” from director Francis Lawrence, the supporting role in Denis Villeneuve‘s Oscar-winning epic “Dune,” and finishing up James Wan‘s “Aquaman” sequel in the United Kingdom, Momoa has been working non-stop for the last two years.

Jason Momoa is diving deep into Hawaiian history for Apple TV+.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterJason Momoa is set to star in, write, and executive produce the drama series “Chief of War” for Apple, Variety has learned.The series follows the story of the unification and colonization of Hawaii from an indigenous point of view. Apple has given the show an eight-episode order.Momoa will write alongside Thomas Pa’a Sibbett. Both also serve as executive producers, as will Francis Lawrence, Peter Chernin, Jenno Topping, Erik Holmberg, and Doug Jung.

Apple TV+ has given a straight-to-series order to Chief of War, a limited series starring, written and executive produced by Jason Momoa, from Endeavor Content and Chernin Entertainment.

EXCLUSIVE:  Francis Lawrence is set to direct the feature take of Kevin J. Anderson and Steven L. Sears’ Stalag-X following New Republic Pictures winning the graphic novel’s rights.

I Am Legend is on the way starring Will Smith and Michael B. Jordan.According to Variety, a follow-up feature – which Smith and Jordan will also produce – is in the works for Warner Bros, with a script penned by Akiva Goldsman.Smith and Jon Mone, co-president and head of motion pictures at Westbrook Studios, will produce with Ryan Shimazaki overseeing, while Jordan and Elizabeth Raposo will produce under their Outlier Society banner.James Lassiter will serve as an executive producer.

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros. is really upping the stakes to its I Am Legend franchise to a stratospheric level and bringing back for the next chapter, not just original star Will Smith, but he’ll be joined by Black Panther actor Michael B. Jordan in what will rep the duo’s first big movie together as stars and producers. Talk about two big stars getting together, between Smith and Jordan combined, their movies have grossed a massive $12.3 billion at the box office.

original films coming in 2022. As part of a sizzle reel for the year’s upcoming feature films, the first footage from a number of highly anticipated Netflix movies has been unveiled.Chief among them is “Knives Out 2,” which doesn’t yet have a title but gets the final spot in the nearly three-minute-long video.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterJake Gyllenhaal is set to star in “Cut and Run,” a heist thriller about a group of thieves who use high-powered speed boats to rob super-yachts. Their caper takes a turn when they steal the wrong thing from the wrong group of people.New Republic Pictures won rights to the spec script, written by John Glenn, after a bidding war with several potential buyers.In addition to starring, Gyllenhaal will produce the film through his company Nine Stories Productions.

New Republic Pictures, Francis Lawrence’s about:blank and Electric Shepherd Productions are teaming to adapt Philip K. Dick’s novel Vulcan’s Hammer for the big screen, with Hunger Games sequels helmer Lawrence is set to direct.

Angelique Jackson After piloting the “Hunger Games” franchise to more than $2 billion at the worldwide box office, Francis Lawrence is taking on another dystopian text — Philip K.

New Republic Pictures, Francis Lawrence’s about:blank and Electric Shepherd Productions have joined together to adapt Philip K. Dick’s novel “Vulcan Hammer,” the companies announced on Monday.Lawrence is set to direct the project.

Cynthia Erivo is attached to star in the 1970s period drama “Steel” for MRC Television, the company announced Monday.Set in London, the series centers on Erivo as Madeline Crow, a “fiercely ambitious arms dealer who seizes control of her own destiny in a high-octane and dangerous profession dominated by her male colleagues,” according to the series description.