Roland Emmerich Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

EXCLUSIVE: Roland Emmerich, director of Independence Day, has teamed up with folks behind the likes of World of Warcraft for a new franchise, Space Nation.

Director/producer Roland Emmerich (“Midway”) and Oscar-winner Anthony Hopkins (“Silence of The Lambs”) have teamed up with AGC Studios to bring the Roman Empire to the small screen as Peacock has released a first-look trailer for the upcoming series “Those About To Die.” The new show premiering this summer is set to explore the world of gladiators, which has been iconically portrayed in the Ridley Scott action-drama “Gladiator.” Taking a page from history, “Those About To Die” sees Hopkins lead as the real-life Emperor Vespasian in the show focusing on the seedy and corrupt world of the blood sport.

Peacock has set the premiere date and released the first trailer for Roland Emmerich‘s gladiator epic Those About To Die, starring Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins. All ten episodes of the series will drop Thursday, July 18 on the streamer.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy’s Cinecittà Studios, which have been undergoing a radical overhaul since 2021, recently released their fiscal 2023 results, which saw the Rome-based facilities turn a profit for the second year in a row after bleeding red ink for years. The iconic studios are being managed by Nicola Maccanico, a former Warner Bros.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor AGC Studios chief creative officer Lourdes Diaz has signed a new multi-year employment agreement and has been elevated to partner with a seat on the board of the independent film and television studio. The promotion comes on the back of founders Stuart Ford, chairman and CEO, and Miguel Palos, chief operating office, themselves signing new multi-year agreements late last year.

EXCLUSIVE: Emmy-nominated screenwriter John Orloff, creator of the highly anticipated Apple TV series Masters of the Air, has signed with Verve for representation.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Nicola Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec, has been spearheading the radical overhaul of Rome’s Cinecittà Studios since April 2021, when the government-owned facilities embarked on a mission to secure a multi-million dollar loan provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund. Three years later, the studios are equipped with 20 state-of-the-art soundstages, including one of Europe’s largest LED walls, and have become a magnet for Hollywood productions such as Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series “Those About to Die.” As the production hiatus brought on by the Hollywood strikes eases up, more U.S.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media Reporter Adam Fogelson is replacing Joe Drake as chair of Lionsgate‘s motion picture group. Drake reportedly initiated the transition and will be working with Fogelson over the coming months on succession plans.

John Hopewell Chief International Correspondent 2023’s American Film Market may be shaping up for “a rather quiet year,” says Martin Moszkowicz, chairman of the executive board at Germany’s Constantin Film. That said, Moszkowicz will stay in Los Angeles for around 10 days. “We have so much business there – and much of it is not related directly to the market,” he says.

EXCLUSIVE: Hollywood vet Gianni Nunnari, producer on movies including the 300 franchise, Immortals, and From Dusk Til Dawn, is teaming with producer Simon Horsman (Legacy: The True Story of the LA Lakers, Magazine Dreams) to launch Euro Gang Entertainment.

Disney Branded Television announced today that Danny Glover will play Santa Claus in its forthcoming original movie, The Naughty Nine. The teaser for the project, which will be released on the Disney Channel annd Disney+, and the first photo of Glover in character were also released. See below for those.

EXCLUSIVE: Roland Emmerich is heading to next month’s Mipcom Cannes to present first-look footage from upcoming Gladiator epic Those About to Die.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Nicola Maccanico, a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec, has been spearheading the radical overhaul of Rome’s Cinecittà Studios since June 2021, when the government-owned facilities secured a multi-million dollar loan provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund to upgrade and expand the iconic facilities. Under Maccanico’s watch, the studios – which now boast 20 state-of-the-art soundstages and one of Europe’s largest LED walls – have become a magnet for Hollywood productions, such as Netflix’s period soap “The Decameron” and Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series “Those About to Die,” which is still currently shooting.

EXCLUSIVE: LA-based Brit Stuart Ford has operated at the sharp end of international film sales and movie financing for more than two decades.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Roland Emmerich’s gladiator drama “Those About to Die,” which Prime Video has acquired exclusive streaming rights for in several European territories, is an ambitious project creatively, but it also breaks new ground in business terms. With a budget north of $150 million for a 10-episode first season, it is the most expensive independently produced European series ever. For Emmerich, the German filmmaker best known for blockbuster movies such as “Independence Day,” the show is a new departure as well as it is his first foray into television.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Rome’s Cinecittà Studios are in the midst of a radical overhaul that started in June 2021, when the government-owned facilities, headed by Nicola Maccanico — who is a former Warner Bros. and Sky Italia senior exec — secured a multi-million dollar loan provided by the European Union’s post-pandemic recovery fund to upgrade and expand the studios. Productions that recently set up camp on its iconic backlot, lured in part by Italy’s generous 40% cash-back tax credit, include Roland Emmerich’s gladiator series “Those About to Die,” which is currently shooting, and Luca Guadagnino’s recently wrapped William Burroughs adaptation “Queer” starring Daniel Craig.

Roland Emmerich’s upcoming gladiator series Those About to Die has been picked up by Prime Video across Europe.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Prime Video has acquired the Ancient Rome gladiator drama series “Those About to Die” in multiple European territories. The show is directed by “Independence Day” helmer Roland Emmerich and Marco Kreuzpaintner. The 10-episode first season will debut exclusively on Prime Video in Germany, the U.K., France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, the Netherlands, Austria, Switzerland, Ireland, Poland, Turkey, Andorra, Monaco, Luxembourg and Belgium.

Vivica A. Fox is sharing her true feelings about the “Independence Day” sequel.

Vivica A. Fox is getting real about the Independence Day sequel she starred in and expressing how she really felt about the film.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent “Bikini Blue” director Jarek Marszewski will direct the 1920s-set euthanasia drama “Iron Ribbon,” for which Los Angeles-based Egyptian actor Mohamed Karim is attached and Tom Hughes (“The English”) is in advanced talks.  The English-language romantic thriller, which is being produced by London-based Daniella Gonella and Jay Michaelson’s DG Productions, is based on the true story of rising Polish stage star Stanislawa Uminska, who in 1924 killed her cancer-stricken fiancé (the dashing painter, critic and writer Jan Zynowski) in Paris upon his request as an act of euthanasia. She then stood trial, but was set free by the French court.

Leo Barraclough International Features Editor Germany’s leading independent film distributor Leonine Studios and A24 are partnering to set up joint label A24 | Leonine Studios, which will distribute films in Germany and Austria. The first films to be released under the new banner are the newly acquired titles “Wizards!” by David Michôd, starring Orlando Bloom, Naomi Scott and Pete Davidson, and Sean Durkin’s “The Iron Claw,” with Lily James, Harris Dickinson, Zac Efron and Jeremy Allen White. The new label builds on the companies’ collaboration on multi-Oscar winner “Everything Everywhere All at Once,” which was released by Leonine on April 28, 2022, and garnered more than 380,000 admissions in Germany and Austria.

Carole Horst “Those About to Die,”AGC Television’s upcoming gladiator series from Roland Emmerich, stars Anthony Hopkins and boasts a cast drawn from across Europe and the Middle East. It’s also financially innovative.  Rather than rely on a single, deep-pocketed streamer to write the check for the pricey series, budgeted at $145 million for the first season, AGC adopted a split rights structure: U.S. rights are licensed to Peacock, European rights to HEP, the Herbert Kloiber Sr./Constantin joint venture, and AGC International distributing in the rest of the world.  AGC chairman and CEO Stuart Ford takes pride in proving the naysayers wrong with financing for the project set in ancient Rome and based on Daniel P. Mannix’s book of the same name.

$8.45 billion acquisition of MGM that the company plans to develop TV or film projects around, including “Robocop,” “Stargate” “Legally Blonde,” “Fame,” Barbershop,” “The Magnificent Seven,” “Pink Panther” and “The Thomas Crown Affair.”A source familiar with the matter confirmed to TheWrap that the company is in active early conversations for a “Legally Blonde” movie and potential TV series. Additionally, Amazon has similar plans for “Stargate” under consideration, with a movie expected to go first.

Instagram.“It’s hard to put into words how brilliant my uncle Michael was, and how influential he was to me,” Sam Lerner wrote.“His stories always inspired me and made me fall in love with acting. He was the coolest, most confident, talented guy, and the fact that he was my blood will always make me feel special.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Rome’s Cinecittà Studios are generating a profit for the first time in years amid a radical upgrade, overhaul, and expansion of the filming facilities where Hollywood productions are now flocking on a scale that is starting to be comparable with its glory days. Roland Emmerich last month started shooting his gladiator series “Those About to Die” starring Anthony Hopkins as Emperor Vespasian; Joe Wright is in the midst of production on TV series “M,” about Benito Mussolini’s rise to power; and in January cameras started rolling in the “City of Cinema” on Netflix’s period soap “The Decameron.” These are among the biggest international productions lured by the storied studios in recent years, also thanks to Italy’s 40% cash back tax rebate.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Roland Emmerich’s large-scale gladiator series “Those About to Die,” starring Anthony Hopkins as Emperor Vespasian, has started shooting at Rome’s Cinecittà Studios. Several new cast members have been announced, including “Game of Thrones” alumn Iwan Rheon. Rheon, who in “Thrones” played the villainous Ramsay Bolton – and can currently be seen in Emmerich-produced film “The Magic Flute” – will replace Lorenzo Richelmy who has exited the Peacock show due to scheduling conflicts. Also joining the “Those About to Die” cast are Liraz Charhi (“Tehran”) who will play Berenice, Queen of the conquered Judeans; and Rupert Penry-Jones (“The Batman”) as retired general Marsus who aspires to succeed Vespasian on the imperial throne (they are pictured above).

Game of Thrones star Iwan Rheon is one of nine joining the cast of Peacock’s epic gladiator drama Those About to Die, as principal photography on the Roland Emmerich show kicked off at Rome’s historic Cinecittà Studios.

Lance Reddick, who starred in "The Wire," "Fringe" and the "John Wick" franchise, has died. He was 60. The actor died "suddenly" due to natural causes on Friday morning, his publicist Mia Hansen confirmed in a statement to the Associated Press.

Nick Vivarelli International Correspondent Italy’s 40% tax rebates for international film and TV series are a magnet that has been crucial to luring lots of shoots to the country. These incentives are behind the current contemporaneous presence on the Cinecittà Studios lot of Oscar-winner Edward Berger’s new film “Conclave,” Netflix period soap “Decameron,” and Roland Emmerich’s Peacock gladiator series “Those About to Die,” to name a few examples.  That’s why Italian Deputy Culture Minister Lucia Bergonzoni on Oscar week travelled to Los Angeles to meet with Hollywood studio and streamer chiefs. Her mission: to dispel fears swirling in the global film community ever since Italy’s new right-wing government was installed in October 2022 regarding the prospect that the Italian rebates could be pulled or in some way watered down. 

Shout! Studios presents The Magic Flute by Florian Zigl, executive produced by Roland Emmerich, at 325 theaters with expansion likely. A reimagining of the Mozart opera, it follows a present-day teen sent from London to the Austrian Alps on singing scholarship at the legendary Mozart boarding school. There, he discovers a century old forgotten passageway into the magical world of Mozart’s famed opera.

Peacock’s upcoming gladiator drama Those About to Die has added seven names to its cast, with Marco Kreuzpaintner (Beat) now signed up as co-director and exec producer.

Anthony Hopkins is stepping into the gladiatorial arena with his latest role.

EXCLUSIVE: Independence Day and Godzilla co-writer Dean Devlin’s Electric Entertainment is to roll out its AVoD ElectricNOW beyond the U.S.

EXCLUSIVE: Two-time Tony-winning actor and Emmy nominee Matthew Broderick is joining Sony’s R-rated Jennifer Lawrence comedy No Hard Feelings, Deadline has learned.

‘The Magic Flute’ To World Premiere At Zurich, First Image Of Jack Wolfe In Lead Role Released Florian Sigl’s contemporary reimagining of Mozart’s opera classic The Magic Flute, which is executive produced by Roland Emmerich, will make its world premiere at the Zurich Film Festival (Sept 22 to Oct 2) as part of its music-themed Sounds sidebar. The production has released a first image of Shadow And Bone star Jack Wolfe in the lead role of a 17-year-old boy who is sent from London to Austrian Alps on a singing scholarship, to coincide with the announcement. Other highlights of the section include the Swiss premiere of drama Taurus starring Machine Gun Kelly. The US rapping star is due to attend a gala screening of the film, which originally world premiered at the Berlinale. Further world premieres in the sidebar include bio-doc about Irmin Schmidt, who shot to stardom with the Cologne band Can and composed the music for many of Wim Wenders’ films.