Panitch Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

In the wake of Ghostbusters: Afterlife reinvigorating the Sony franchise, as well as the family business at the pandemic box office with $115.8M WW, the Culver City lot has signed the sequel’s director/co-writer Jason Reitman and EP/co-writer Gil Kenan to an overall producing deal.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures has raised Maia Eyre to SVP of Creative Development at Columbia Pictures.

Austin Butler is taking on a new role.

EXCLUSIVE: After strong start to 2024 with Masters of the Air and Dune Part 2, Oscar-nominee Austin Butler is looking to build on that success and is teaming up with another Oscar-nominated director. Sources tell Deadline Butler is set to star in Academy Award nominee Darren Aronofsky’s (The Whale, Black Swan) crime thriller Caught Stealing for Sony Pictures. The studio recently landed the package which is based on the book by Charlie Huston. The script will be written by Huston with Protozoa producing.

EXCLUSIVE: Oscar winning co-director/co-scribe/producer of Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, Rodney Rothman, and former MGM exec Adam Rosenberg, have inked a first look deal with Sony Pictures to develop, produce, write, and direct feature films through their company, Modern Magic.

Tokyo-based production executive Bill Ireton is stepping down from his role at Sony Pictures International Productions, Japan, where he oversaw local production, to launch an independent production venture effective January 1, 2023.

Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group and Legendary Entertainment have made a new multi-year worldwide film distribution partnership. The deal replaces the former pact which Legendary had with Warner Bros, however, both studios will continue to remain in business on select existing titles, read the upcoming Dune: Part Two which is shooting for a Nov. 3, 2023 release, as well as the Monster-verse movies. We told you back in August that Legendary was looking to move off its Warner arrangement.

Legendary Entertainment and Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group have launched a multiyear worldwide film distribution partnership pursuant to which Sony Pictures will market and distribute Legendary’s new upcoming theatrical film titles, the companies said Monday.Legendary and Sony Pictures are aligned in their ongoing commitment to theatrical distribution as a driver for other “downstream” windows and the theatrical window’s long-term value for films.As part of the pact, Sony Pictures will market and distribute new Legendary theatrical releases worldwide excluding China, where Legendary East will handle all marketing and distribution activities. Sony Pictures will also handle home entertainment and TV distribution for the titles it releases.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures Entertainment has signed an overall deal with the writing and producing team of Eduardo Cisneros and Jason Shuman under their new production arm, RaqMar Entertainment.

EXCLUSIVE: International production veterans Shebnem Askin and Michael Rifkin have been appointed Co-Heads of Sony Pictures International Productions. Reporting to Sanford Panitch, President, Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group, the pair takes over from Laine Kline who stepped down earlier this year.

EXCLUSIVE: Ashley Marks has joined Sony Pictures as VP of Casting, covering all of the studio’s labels including Columbia Pictures, 3000 Pictures, TriStar, Screen Gems, Affirm Films and Sony Pictures Animation.

EXCLUSIVE: We have learned that Columbia Pictures has raised Brittany Morrissey to SVP Production. She will report to Sanford Panitch, president of Sony Pictures Entertainment Motion Picture Group.