Ramsey Naito Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

Liza Foreman Delivering MipJunior’s keynote on Saturday, a composed Ramsey Naito, president of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation talked up some of the recurrent themes at this weekend’s kids content confab, not to mention the network’s strategies for its slew of successful franchises. In her current position, the Nickelodeon veteran has overseen huge expansion. Five years ago, she said, there were only nine animation properties in development.

Chris Hemsworth joined forces with fellow Marvel actors Brian Tyree Henry and Lupita Nyong’o while attending 2024 CinemaCon on Thursday (April 11).

Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment, the leading film and television industry organization for Asian and Pacific Islanders, on Monday night presented its second annual Radiance Gala, celebrating the achievements of Asian and Pacific Islander Women and Non-Binary artists, artisans, and leaders in entertainment, presenting honors to actress Sandra Oh, the teams behind Lionsgate‘s Joy Ride and Hulu’s Black Cake, and more.

UPDATED, 4:14 p.m.: Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment on Tuesday announced the honorees set for the second edition of its Radiance Gala, celebrating the achievements of Asian and Pacific Islander Women and Non-Binary artists, artisans and leaders in entertainment.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Paramount Animation has entered an exclusive, multi-year first-look development deal with writer, director and producer Jeff Rowe.  The pact extends the relationship between the studio and the filmmaker following the success of last summer’s “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” which Rowe directed and co-wrote. The agreement covers Rowe’s development and directing services, as well as his producing and executive producing work, on both animated and live-action projects.

Michaela Zee When Will Smith hit Chris Rock after the comedian joked about Jada Pinkett Smith‘s bald head at the Oscars, she assumed it was part of a skit. In her new memoir “Worthy,” Pinkett Smith reflects on the night of the infamous incident, including the moment she understood the gravity of the situation when Smith returned to his seat and yelled at Rock, “Keep my wife’s name out of your fucking mouth.” Several people checked in on Pinkett Smith at every commercial break, she recalls, including Lupita Nyong’o, Nicole Kidman, Keith Urban, Ramsey Naito, Tiffany Haddish and Queen Latifah.

Brent Lang Executive Editor It seemed like the end of the road for the “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.” The popular kids franchise had inspired a half-dozen movies of declining quality, with the live-action 2016 adventure “Out of the Shadows” suffering from the kind of withering reviews and bad box office returns that derail a film series. But Paramount and Nickelodeon CEO Brian Robbins and Nickelodeon Animation and Paramount Animation president Ramsey Naito had an offbeat idea for how they could make the Turtles cool again. That involved tapping Seth Rogen and his producing partner Evan Goldberg, the duo behind “Superbad” and “This is the End,” to give the characters an adolescent flair.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies are developing a sequel to “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” and planning a two-season series that will serve as a “bridge” between the films. The spinoff series will appear on Paramount+.

Karen Idelson As the Nickelodeon Animation Studio celebrates its 25th anniversary, it’s clearly blossomed from being a small but formidable toon house to a world-class studio with dozens of productions in process and executive Ramsey Naito at the helm. And Naito’s plans include growing relationships with creators who can speak to Nick’s audience.  In the last five to six years, the studio has expanded to include Nick Animation West (Burbank), Nick Animation East (New York) and offices in Hollywood on the Paramount lot. When Naito was named president of Nickelodeon Animation in 2020 (she has since become president of Paramount Animation as well), there were nine shows in production at the studio. Today there are nearly 70 at a place known for its irreverent, fun and boundary-breaking animation.  

th Anniversary.   This year’s class of trailblazing storytellers includes Jeron Braxton (“Slime”), Daniel Fernandez Casas (“Migration”), Owen Dennis (“Infinity Train”), Carrie Hobson & Michael Yates (“Win or Lose”), Rachel Larsen (“The Tiny Chef Show”), Marie Lechevallier (“Chicken Run: Dawn of the Nugget”), Abigail Nesbitt (“Pupstruction”), Olufikayo Ziki Adeola (“Iwájú”), Woodrow White (“Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem”) and Jane Wu (“Blue Eye Samurai”). Additionally, Phil Lord and Christopher Miller will present “Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse” directors Joaquim Dos Santos, Kemp Powers, Justin K.

Marta Balaga It’s time to finally “humanize” the workplace, argued Oscar-nominated director Nora Twomey at Annecy. And women are leading the way. “There was a point when I wanted to prove myself and would spend long hours immersed in animation. It took me until I had kids to start working smarter,” she said.   “Then I got sick in the middle of making ‘The Breadwinner’ and that also made me think about working in a way that could empower people around me. Now, I really don’t give a fuck anymore,” she added to thunderous applause. During her “fireside chat” with Ramsey Naito at the Women in Animation (WIA) World Summit, Twomey – co-founder and creative director at Ireland’s Cartoon Saloon – also underlined the importance of representation. 

EXCLUSIVE: Ramsey Naito, President, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, has a big remit, overseeing all of the groups’ operations from development through release. The respected veteran also has big hopes for an upcoming slate of franchise installments as well as original features. 

Ben Croll Academy-Award winner Vicky Jenson, Cartoon Saloon co-founder Nora Twomey, “Nimona” graphic novel creator N.D. Stevenson, Paramount Animation chief Ramsey Naito and acclaimed animator Anna Ginsburg will leave outdated paradigms in the dust at this year’s Women in Animation World Summit at the Annecy Intl. Animation Festival. Organized in collaboration with LGBTQ+ media advocacy organization GLAAD, the seventh annual WIA World Summit will run as a daylong symposium on Monday, June 12, heralding new leadership, calling for creative risk-taking and celebrating diversity – in terms of stories told and those who tell them – with a number of panels and conversations united under a shared banner called, ‘Break the Box: Redefining Gender and Leadership.’

Paramount has bumped up its nationwide release date for the CG-animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem from Friday, August 4 to Wednesday, August 2, 2023.

Rihanna is about to be the only girl in the world. 

Rihanna will star as Smurfette in the Untitled “Smurfs” Animated Film, Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon Movies announced at CinemaCon on Thursday.Appearing on stage, the singer and entrepreneur will also write and perform original music and serve as a producer for the film.“On behalf of our studio and our creative partners at LAFIG, we couldn’t be more excited to have found our Smurfette in one of the most beloved stars in the world,” Brian Robbins, President and CEO of Paramount Pictures and Nickelodeon, and Ramsey Naito, President of Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation said in a statement. “With Rihanna’s singular creative appeal and musical talents, there is an enormous opportunity to elevate the cultural touchstone of The Smurfs universe in a way that’s never been done before.”Based on the characters and works of Peyo, Untitled “Smurfs” Animated film is directed by Chris Miller, co-directed by Matt Landon, and produced by Rihanna, Jay Brown, Tyran “Ty-Ty” Smith, and Ryan Harris.Based on the popular animated TV series “The Smurfs,” Smurfette was created by the evil wizard Gargamel to spy on the Smurfs and sow jealousy among them.

Paramount Animation, Hasbro and eOne are teaming on the first-ever animated Transformers movie, now titled Transformers One. Directed by Josh Cooley and executive produced by Steven Spielberg, the origins story’s key voice cast includes Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson, Keegan-Michael Key, Jon Hamm and Laurence Fishburne. Release is scheduled for July 19, 2024.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Rihanna has been cast in the voice role of Smurfette, in a new animated feature from Paramount Animation. The superstar showed in person to CinemaCon, the annual convention of movie theater owners, to make the announcement. “I tried to get the Papa Smurf role but It didn’t work out,” the singer joked on stage at Daesar’s Palace Hotel and Casino. Appearing with Paramount Animation head Ramsey Naito, it was revealed that Rihanna will star, write and record original songs, and produce the upcoming projects. Rihanna previously lent her voice to the DreamWorks animated feature “Home,” which grossed over $380 million at the worldwide box office. Her live action screen credits include “Battleship,” “This Is the End,” “Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets,” “Ocean’s 8” and “Guava Island.”

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Chris Hemsworth, Brian Tyree Henry, Scarlett Johansson will lead the voice cast of “Transformers One,” an animated prequel about the epic rivalry between the Autobots and the Decepticons. Hemsworth is playing young Optimus Prime, Henry is voicing young Megatron in the origin story about how the brothers-in-arms turned into sworn enemies. Additional cast members include Johansson as Elita, Keegan-Michael Key as Bumblebee, Jon Hamm as Sentinel Prime and Laurence Fishburne as Alpha Trion. “Toy Story 4” filmmaker Josh Cooley is directing the film from a screenplay by Andrew Barrer and Gabriel Ferrari. It’s set to release in theaters on July 19, 2024.

on Monday, following Seth Rogen's announcement of the star-studded voice cast at the Kids' Choice Awards over the weekend. Rogen is a producer on the film, set to hit theaters Aug. 3, and also voices mutant warthog Bebop, alongside a young cast of talent as the turtles: Micah Abbey (Donatello), Shamon Brown Jr.

Seth Rogen dropped some news Saturday at the 2023 Kids’ Choice Awards worthy of a rowdy cowabunga!

J. Kim Murphy Seth Rogen took to the Nickelodeon Kids’ Choice Awards stage Saturday evening to reveal the full voice cast for the animated reboot “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” including the teenage actors voicing the squad of heroes and Jackie Chan as the master sewer dweller Splinter. Micah Abbey, Shamon Brown Jr., Nicolas Cantu and Brady Noon will voice the roles of Donatello, Michelangelo, Leonardo and Raphael, respectively. The quartet was introduced by Rogen, a producer and voice actor for the film, onstage at the ceremony to accompany the announcement. The voice cast also features a slew of notable performers taking on characters that will be familiar to “TMNT” fans, including Hannibal Buress as Genghis Frog, Rose Byrne as Leatherhead, John Cena as Rocksteady, Ice Cube as Superfly, Natasia Demetriou as Wingnut, Ayo Edebiri as April O’Neil, Giancarlo Esposito as Baxter Stockman, Post Malone as Ray Fillet, Paul Rudd as Mondo Gecko, Maya Rudolph as Cynthia Utrom and Rogen as Bebop. Jeff Rowe (“The Mitchells vs. the Machines”) is directing.

Seth Rogen dropped some news Saturday at the 2023 Kids' Choice Awards worthy of a rowdy !The actor announced the main voice cast for the upcoming, and it includes Rogen voicing the warhog Bebop, who is a member of Shredder's New York City gang. Rogen, who is also a producer for the film set to hit theaters Aug.

Spin Master Entertainment’s sequel PAW Patrol: The Mighty Movie has added to their voiceover ensemble including Kristen Bell (Frozen, Zootopia), Christian Convery (“Sweet Tooth”), McKenna Grace (Gifted, “The Handmaid’s Tale”), Lil Rel Howery (Get Out, Free Guy), James Marsden (Disenchanted, Sonic The Hedgehog), Finn Lee-Epp (Let Him Go) as Ryder, and tennis ace Serena Williams.

Andrew Barker Senior Features Writer Ramsey Naito has been running Nickelodeon Animation since 2017, and in that time the network’s programming has exploded with a raft of both homegrown series and adaptations of external IP. “Star Trek,” “SpongeBob,” “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Blue’s Clues,” “Dora the Explorer,” “Rugrats”… if that seems like too much for one network to handle, well, it no longer has to. Last fall, Naito added running Paramount Animation to her docket, and since then, the scope of potential programming across the corporate-partnered Nickelodeon networks, Paramount+ and Paramount theatrical has given the network increased space to expand. “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem” — the Seth Rogen-produced feature spun off from Nick’s revamped “Turtles” animated series — is due out next summer. Nickelodeon feature films from “PAW Patrol,” “Blue’s Clues” and “Baby Shark” are also on the horizon, as well as new features from Paramount properties “Transformers” and “Smurfs.” For Naito, this glut of programming presents opportunities.

Terry Flores Paramount Pictures Animation and Nickelodeon Animation president Ramsey Naito and Sony Pictures Animation topper Kristine Belson will be featured speakers at the 2022 VIEW Conference, to be held Oct. 16-21 in Turin, Italy. Naito and Belson will be attending in person as the conference returns mostly to an onsite event. In her role with Paramount and Nickelodeon, Naito oversees animation across all platforms: linear, digital, TV movies, theatrical films and SVOD. She is behind such hit Nick projects as “Star Trek: Prodigy,” “PAW Patrol: The Movie” and the expansion of the SpongeBob SquarePants universe. She is also behind the upcoming Paramount theatrical releases of “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,” produced by Seth Rogen and Point Grey Pictures, and “The Tiger’s Apprentice,” directed by Raman Hui. She’ll talk about these projects and more at the conference.

Terry Flores The VIEW Conference will host a virtual talk with the filmmakers behind Pixar’s “Lightyear” on Tuesday, June 28, and has announced the first speakers for its largely in-person event in Turin, Italy, from Oct. 16-21.The free PreVIEW online event features director Angus MacLane, producer Galyn Susman, animation supervisor David DeVan and simulation and tailoring supervisor Fran Kalal.

Paramount and Nickelodeon have announced that three new animated Avatar films are in development under the latter’s Avatar Studios banner. Lauren Montgomery (Avatar: The Last Airbender) is attached to direct the untitled first installment.

The last airbender is coming to the big screen. Three animated movies are currently in development about “Avatar” at Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation that will be based on the worlds of “Avatar: The Last Airbender” and “The Legend of Korra.” The first of the three movies, which is still untitled, will be directed by Lauren Montgomery, who worked on “The Last Airbender” and “Voltron: Legendary Defender.” No plot details were unveiled for the movies, but the films will be intended for theatrical release.

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentNickelodeon is launching its Intergalactic Shorts Program 2.0 which opens its search for new and diverse creators from across the globe, Ramsey Naito, president of Nickelodeon Animation and Paramount Animation, announced Monday.The Intergalactic Shorts Program 2.0 will focus on new voices and nurturing their vision for original comedy-drive content with an eye to representation, Naito added.The 2.0 Program will be overseen by Nickelodeon executives Daniel Wineman and Chris Rose.News of the new 2.0 Program comes as Nickelodeon gears up to bow “Rock, Paper, Scissors,”  the first finalised short and series greenlit from the 2019 inaugural program.“Rock, Paper, Scissors” will make its worldwide short debut at France’s Annecy Intl. Animation Film Festival during a Nickelodeon Animation presentation on Thursday, June 16.

Nickelodeon Animation and Paramount Animation have formed a creative partnership with LAFIG Belgium and IMPS to produce multiple The Smurfs movies.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter“The Smurfs” empire will continue to expand.Multiple feature films based on “The Smurfs,” as well as another season of the original television series, have been put into development, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation announced on Monday. A renewed emphasis on the tiny blue creatures is the result of a new creative partnership with LAFIG Belgium and IMPS.

Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation on Thursday said it has hired Illumination and DreamWorks Animation veteran Latifa Ouaou as EVP Movies and Global Franchises, Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation, while Eryk Casemiro has been elevated to EVP Nickelodeon Animation, Global Series Content.

Terry Flores Paramount Animation and Nickelodeon Animation are further aligning under president of animation Ramsey Naito with a pair of major executive moves.Latifa Ouaou has been named executive vice president of movies and global franchises for Paramount Animation and the Nickelodeon Animation Studio. Ouaou will oversee theatricals and streaming film content across both Paramount and Nickelodeon.On the series side, Eryk Casemiro has been promoted to executive vice president global series content for Nickelodeon Animation. Casemiro will oversee animation series content for preschool and kids ages 6-11 across all formats and platforms for Nickelodeon Animation Studio.“Latifa has an incredible resume and an incredible reputation,” Naito says.

In one of Brian Robbins’ first major moves as Paramount Pictures President and CEO, he has brought in one of his top lieutenants at Nickelodeon, Ramsey Naito, to lead the film studio’s animation division in addition to her current duties as President of Nickelodeon Animation.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterParamount Pictures has parted ways with animation president Mireille Soria. In a promotion, Nickelodeon’s Ramsey Naito has added oversight of the label to her purview.Soria’s exit comes as a continuing reorganization of Paramount Pictures by new chairman and CEO Brian Robbins, who replaced Jim Gianopulos in early September.