Reginald Hudlin & Byron Phillips Strike First-Look Non-Scripted Deal With Fremantle’s Original Productions

Parker Finn has just signed a first-look deal with Paramount to write, produce, and direct features.

$217 million at the global box office last fall, filmmaker Parker Finn has signed a first-look deal with Paramount Pictures. “I am honored and thrilled to be joining the Paramount family,” Finn said in a statement.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Somebody must be flashing their pearly whites. Paramount Pictures has entered a multi-year, first-look deal with Parker Finn to write, produce and direct features.  The pact comes on the heels of Finn’s breakout horror hit “Smile,” which became a sleeper box office sensation. Finn wrote and directed the creepy tale, which went on to be the top grossing original horror movie of 2022, raking in $216 million worldwide on a $17 million budget. It was based on his short film “Laura Hasn’t Slept.” “‘Smile’s’breakthrough success is a testament to Parker’s unique and fresh filmmaking, and we are thrilled that he will make Paramount his home,” said Paramount Pictures President & CEO Brian Robbins.

Paramount Pictures has hammered a multi-year, first-look deal with Parker Finn to write, produce and direct features. 

Oscar-nominated The Case Against Adnan Syed documentary director Amy Berg has become the latest creative to strike a first-look deal with Fremantle.

Elizabeth Taylor On March 8, the eighth annual Icon Mann Honors paid tribute to “The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood, who was lauded for her hallmark filmmaking and for inspiring culture by breaking new ground in cinema. Striving for a better future in the arts, she addressed the audience that gathered at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills. “I have always believed our greatness is reflected in our work and the ways that we show the world the incredible breadth of our humanity.” The driving force for her career was further described during her acceptance speech. “From the beginning, I tell stories of Black women and girls and reframe the narrative of who we are and what we can be. I want us to look up on the screen and see ourselves reflected in a way that inspires us and that we can aspire to be. And I’m proud of the Black men that I’ve centered in my work.”

Marc Malkin Senior Film Awards, Events & Lifestyle Editor In the final stretch to the Oscars, Hollywood’s A-List and industry insiders get their party on in the days and nights leading up to the big show. From Gina Prince-Bythewood being among the honorees at Essence’s Black Women in Hollywood Awards and a Friday night Versace fashion show to a celebration of Kerry Condon, Jessie Buckley and Eve Hewson at the Oscar Wilde Awards, this year’s Academy Award soirres and events are in full swing. Of course, the partying continues into the wee hours after the awards are handed out. Here, Variety gives you this year’s ultimate Oscar party guide.

press release.“In my more than 20 plus years in television I have had 17 wonderful seasons working in daytime television with “Rachael.” However I’ve made the decision that’s it’s time for me to move on to the next exciting chapter in my broadcast career,” Ray said. “My passions have evolved from the talk show format production and syndication model to a platform unencumbered by the traditional rules of distribution.”The talk show host recently launched Free Food Studios, a new production company with the mission to distribute Ray’s “in the kitchen content.” The platform will also develop new upcoming new talent.“Rachael Ray” debuted in national syndication Sept.

EXCLUSIVE: Blake Griffin and Ryan Kalil are getting into business with Sony Pictures Entertainment. The producing partners have signed a multi-year first-look development and production deal for film and TV via their Mortal Media production banner.

Angelique Jackson The eighth annual Icon Mann Honors dinner will salute “The Woman King” filmmaker Gina Prince-Bythewood, “Sidney” director Reginald Hudlin and Uzodinma Iweala, CEO of the Africa Center NYC and author of the New York Times bestseller “Beasts of No Nation.” Icon Mann partnered with Sony Pictures for the event, which has a “Reimagining African Diasporic Narratives” theme and will take place on Wednesday, March 8 at the Waldorf Astoria in Beverly Hills, Calif. The dinner is part of a series of awards week events for Icon Mann, which is a media, production and management consultancy representing African Diasporic heritage. The company is a leading strategic broker for investments and enterprise within creative industries for Hollywood and media-driven African nations, cultivating a global network of creators and leaders focused on “positive narrative representation.”

BBC Studios is gearing up for next week’s Showcase event by signing a global first-look deal with former Warner Bros. Australia TV boss Shaun Murphy.

, written and directed by Tyler Perry and starring Kerry Washington. With the World War II biopic now in production, Perry shared a behind-the-scenes look at the actress and her co-stars in full period costume on set in the United Kingdom as they go back in time to chronicle the story of the only all-Black, all-female battalion. According to the streaming platform, tells the true story of the 855 women who «joined the war effort with little knowledge of what exactly they would be doing, but were quickly given the mission of a lifetime: sort through and fix the three-year backlog of undelivered mail.» Tasked with this herculean mission, which was believed to be impossible at the time, the unit overcame discrimination, foreign land and a war-torn country to sort over 17 million pieces of mail and reconnect American soldiers with people back home.

EXCLUSIVE: Principal photography has wrapped in New York state on COUP!, a period satire starring Peter Sarsgaard and directed by Austin Stark and Joseph Schuman.

Angelique Jackson If you were wondering what to expect from Tyler Perry’s next project, the Netflix World War II-set drama “Six Triple Eight,” the director and the film’s star Kerry Washington have shared a first look. Written, directed and produced by Perry, “Six Triple Eight” tells the inspiring true story of the 6888th Postal Directory Battalion, the only all-Black, all-female battalion to serve overseas during World War II. The project is currently filming in the U.K. and Perry shared an image from set, featuring his all-star ensemble cast including Washington, Ebony Obsidian, Milauna Jackson, Kylie Jefferson, Shanice Shantay, Sarah Jeffery, Pepi Sonuga, Jeanté Godlock, Moriah Brown, Dean Norris and Scott Daniel Johnson.

Warner Bros. Pictures Group has signed a multiyear first-look directing and producing agreement with two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker M.

Angelique Jackson M. Night Shyamalan has inked a new multi-year, first-look deal with Warner Bros. Pictures, with the Oscar-nominated filmmaker switching his allegiance from Universal. The announcement was made Thursday by Warner Bros. Pictures Group co-chairs and CEOs Michael De Luca and Pam Abdy. News of the pact comes as the director celebrates his latest release “Knock at the Cabin,” which marks his seventh No. 1 opening at the box office — he has a No. 1 film in each of the last four decades — and further contributes to his more than $3 billion haul at the global box office, beginning with his breakout hit, “The Sixth Sense.” “Where I write and direct is my home,” Shyamalan said in a statement announcing the new deal. “Disney and Universal, where I’ve made most of my films, will always be home and family to me. Warner Bros. has a storied history of cinema. Through its recent experiences, the company has rediscovered its love and appreciation for filmmakers, and the impact of the theatrical experience. We all win when movies succeed in theaters. I believe David Zaslav, Michael De Luca, and Pam Abdy have dedicated themselves to unique filmmakers, and to filling theaters all around the world for years to come.”

EXCLUSIVE: Warner Bros Pictures Group has inked a multi-year first-look directing and producing agreement with two-time Oscar-nominated filmmaker M. Night Shyamalan, whose movies have grossed $3.3 billion at the box office.

EXCLUSIVE: Akiva Goldsman is returning his Weed Road to Warner Bros, in a multi-year first look deal.

Ra, ra, ah-ah-ahhh. Lady Gaga is certainly caught in a bad romance amidst journey to win . On Valentine's Day, the pop star//actor shared a photo from her most recent acting gig in Joker: Folie à Deux, the sequel to director Todd Phillips's 2019 film Joker, which won several Oscars, including best actor for Joaquin Phoenix (the titular Joker) and best original score.

The first look at Lady Gaga in the upcoming “Joker” sequel, “Joker: Folie À Deux”, is here! The film’s director, Todd Phillips, shared a still shot from the film on Instagram in honour of love day Tuesday, writing, “Happy Valentine’s Day.”