‘Sky & Luna’ Animated Film In Works From PoC Studios, Man of Action Entertainment, Creation Station & Composition Media; Duncan Rouleau Directing With ‘Hair Love’s Carl Reed Among Producers

EXCLUSIVE: We have heard that Aaron Eckhart is now the lead of Bee Holder and Concourse Media’s spy action thriller movie Chief of Station, which is being directed by Jesse V. Johnson.

A second WandaVision spinoff series focusing on Paul Bettany’s Vision is in the works at Marvel Studios for Disney+, sources tell Deadline.

EXCLUSIVE: Harriet Slater (Pennyworth) has signed on for a role in the horror feature Horrorscope, which Anna Halberg and Spenser Cohen are directing for Screen Gems and Alloy Entertainment, in their feature debut.

EXCLUSIVE: Prime Video Nordics is pushing heavily into the Scandinavian unscripted originals market, unveiling a handful of reality shows at a splashy event in Sweden today. The streamer has also struck a multi-territory movie output deal with Nordisk Film for the likes of John Wick: Chapter 4 and The Hunger Games prequel, we can reveal.

William Earl “Death of a Salesman” actor Wendell Pierce, “The Piano Lesson” director LaTanya Richardson Jackson and “Till” star John Douglas Thompson are among the honorees set for the inaugural Salute to Broadway presented by the African American Film Critics Association. The event is set for Oct. 17 at The Lambs Club in the heart of Midtown’s theater district. “It’s no secret that some of our greatest actors have come from the stage or have tested their chops on it,” said Gil Robertson, co-founder of AAFCA. “Sidney Poitier, Ruby Dee and Ossie Davis are just a handful of our beloved icons for which this was true, with Tony winners Denzel Washington, Viola Davis, Audra McDonald, Adrienne Warren and Myles Frost among those continuing that legacy. As a reliable pipeline for outstanding Black talent in front of the camera as well as behind it, Hollywood has benefited greatly from this esteemed training ground and AAFCA Salutes Broadway celebrates that rich heritage.”

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Japan’s Toei Animation and Korea’s CJ ENM unveiled a volley of new projects on Saturday flowing from their previously-established cooperation pact. The new shows include: a series that will be produced in both live action and animated formats; a live action series; and a third animation series. “The genesis of this co-operation was the notion that we should play to the strengths of Korean content and Japanese animation,” said Yi Jongmin, the CJ executive who heads the joint venture’s shared control unit. “That was before we factor in language barriers and cultural differences and suffered the disruptions of the COVID pandemic.”

EXCLUSIVE: Labid Aziz’sPeople of Culture Studios (PoC Studios), has picked up North American distribution rights to Kim Bass’s comedy A Snowy Day in Oakland, and will open the film nationwide in theaters over the Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday weekend, Jan. 13, 2023. The movie is the debut theatrical release for PoC Studios. 

Manori Ravindran International Editor In the Stone Age horror movie “The Origin,” a tribe of starving homo sapiens must fight for survival in early Britain. It’s a film set 45,000 years ago, but its message about humanity — told through a genre lens — is as dark as it is timeless. Directed by Scottish helmer Andrew Cumming (“Radiance,” “Clique”) and written by Ruth Greenberg (“The Spark”) in both of their feature debuts, the film — produced by “Saint Maud’s” Oliver Kassman — is launching at the BFI London Film Festival on Thursday with three sold-out screenings. Shot on location in 2020 in the Scottish Highlands, the story follows a group of early humans looking for food and shelter in a new land. They subscribe to their leader’s promise of a better life, but find themselves in a dangerous terrain, where they’re preyed upon by a supernatural force. The cast includes Safia Oakley-Green, Kit Young and Chuku Modu.

Chicago police say a man walked into a police station on Wednesday with a gun and began shouting "anti-police sentiment" while pointing the gun at officers before being shot. The man entered the Ogden District station at 12:52 p.m., according to Chicago Police Department Superintendent David Brown, adding that the man walked into the police station with a gun inside of a plastic bag wrapped around his hand. Brown said the suspect pointed a gun at officers who were working at the front desk.

Entertainment Weekly reported. Brimming with the denizens of the Mushroom Kingdom, the poster features a technicolor array of islands, hills and other potential dangers for the fearless plumber.The star-studded cast includes Chris Pratt voicing Mario, Jack Black as Bowser and Anya Taylor-Joy as Princess Peach.

Production is underway on an official documentary about Michael Jackson’s Thriller, the biggest selling album of all time.

John Lennon signed on day of his murder in 1980 is going on auction.The late Beatle‘s signature is displayed on a legal document that is up for auction through Gotta Have Rock and Roll tomorrow (October 4). You can view it here.The typed letter lists three people to whom Lennon gave his proxy to vote at an annual meeting for the Beatles corporations that was happening nine days later in London.It was signed by Lennon on December 8, 1980, hours before he was shot and killed by Mark Chapman outside his New York City apartment block.The document is expected to fetch between $30,000 (£26,366) and $50,000 (£43,943).Incidentally, Lennon also put his signature on another item that same day.

Rebecca Souw Multifaceted Korean film company Acemaker Movieworks will unveil four titles at this year’s Asian Contents & Film Market, which operates alongside the Busan International Film Festival. Action and revenge feature prominently as unifying themes. The COVID pandemic continues to have a delayed impact on the Korean production and film releasing scenes. Last year’s prolonged theatrical drought meant funds for reinvestment were in short supply and releases postponed. Many of Acemaker’s movies were shot in 2020, but are only now confirming completion and new release dates. “Remember” is an action drama film starring Lee Sung Min (“The Spy Gone North”) and Nam Joo Hyuk (best known for TV series “Start-Up” and “Twenty-Five Twenty-One”). Directed by Lee Il Hyung (“A Violent Prosecutor”), the story revolves around a retired soldier suffering from dementia, seeking revenge from people he believes caused the death of his family. The film is a remake of Atom Egoyan’s Nazi drama thriller of the same name that starred the late Christopher Plummer. “Remember” will have its theatrical release in Korea on Oct. 26, 2022.

EXCLUSIVE: Sidekick no more. CBS is going for a fresh take on Arthur Conan Doyle’s classic mystery franchise with Watson, from Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment and CBS Studios. The medical drama with detective elements, in development at the broadcast network, is written by Craig Sweeny, who spent five years on CBS’ Sherlock Holmes/Dr. Watson procedural Elementary, most of them as executive producer.

Colin Jost and Michael Che got right into poking fun at politics in Saturday Night Live’s Weekend Update segment.

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor “The Woman King” director Gina Prince-Bythewood will be feted at the 10th annual Middleburg Film Festival with the Agnès Varda Award, while “Triangle of Sadness” star Dolly De Leon will receive the festival’s Breakthrough Performance Award. “Empire of Light” actor Micheal Ward is being honored with the Spotlight Actor Award. The Sam Mendes film has also been named as the closing night film of the festival. 2019 Distinguished Composer Award recipient Terence Blanchard and his band, the E-Collective, will return to the festival and close out with a music performance.