Sony Pictures Animation Names Damien de Froberville as Executive Vice President (EXCLUSIVE)

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer A dizzying amount of A-list Hollywood actors, comedians and entertainment executives signed an open letter to President Joe Biden on Monday, calling for the release of all hostages taken by terrorist group Hamas. Amy Schumer, Sacha Baron Cohen, Chris Rock, Gwyneth Paltrow, Katy Perry, Bradley Cooper, Justin Timberlake and more were among the highly visible figures to sign the note, launching a formal campaign called #NoHostageLeftBehind.

Sony Pictures Television has hired Tania Missad as EVP of Research, Strategy and Analysis.

Joe Otterson TV Reporter Sony Pictures Television has brought in Tania Missad as executive vice president of research, strategy, and analysis. She will begin her new role today at the studio’s Culver City lot and will report to Sony Pictures Television Studios president Katherine Pope. “A deeply respected leader, Tania brings curiosity, rigor, and passion to her work,” Pope said.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Sony Pictures has acquired the English-language remake rights to Chinese comedy drama, “Hi, Mom,” which until recently overtaken by “Barbie” had been the world’s highest grossing film directed by a solo female. The original picture, directed by Jia Ling and released in early 2021, sees a young woman whose mother has been fatally injured in a car accident, travel back to the early 1980s where she becomes best friend to the younger version of her mother. That enables her to work on giving her mother a better life than first time around.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Tom Oyer, senior vice president of member relations and awards at the Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences, is exiting his post after 16 years, Variety has learned exclusively. On Friday, Oyer shared the news of his departure in a letter sent to colleagues and industry professionals. A beloved figure by Academy members and staffers, Oyer has made vital and notable contributions during his tenure.

Angelique Jackson Veteran film executive Paul Davidson has acquired the remake rights to “Electric Dreams,” the 1984 film written and produced by Rusty Lemorande. Davidson — who previously ran The Orchard and IDW Entertainment — struck the deal with Lemorande (“Yentl,” “Caddyshack”), who retained the rights to the film after its release nearly four decades ago. Brian T.

Lionel Messi Gets Animated With Sony

EXCLUSIVE: Anand Ramayya’s Karma Film is set to produce Maya Bastian’s The Devil’s Tears alongside Canada’s Blackout Media, while Shant Joshi’s Fae Pictures has also come on board to executive produce. 

Ellise Shafer David Smyth has been named the executive vice president of content sales at Fox Entertainment Global. He will begin his new role in January and report to Tony Vassiliadis, FEG’s chief operating officer.

Paul Noble, a veteran executive who served as co-head of global theatrical marketing at Sony Pictures Entertainment since 2021, has died. He was 51.

UPDATED, 11:34 a.m.: Sony Pictures Classics has firmed up release plans for its drama Freud’s Last Session, starring Anthony Hopkins and Matthew Goode, which charts the relationship between psychoanalyst Sigmund Freud and author C.S. Lewis. Based on the stage play by Mark St. Germain, who wrote the script, the film opens in theaters in New York and L.A. December 22nd, with an expansion to follow in January.

Brent Lang Executive Editor Fusion Entertainment has signed on to manage Joanna Arnow, an acclaimed acclaimed writer, director, actor and editor whose narrative feature debut “The Feeling That the Time for Doing Something Has Passed” impressed audiences and critics when it debuted at the Cannes Film Festival in the Directors Fortnight section.The film was later acquired by Magnolia Pictures. It will be released domestically in 2024 after having its U.S.

Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Movies are back on PlayStation — although they’re all titles from corporate cousin Sony Pictures Entertainment. More than two years ago, PlayStation shut down its service offering movie and TV show purchases and rentals.

Jaden Thompson Jenna Boyd has been appointed senior vice president of development for Disney Branded Television. The announcement was made by Charlie Andrews, executive vice president of live action and unscripted content. Boyd will report to Andrews and oversee the scripted series development team as well as creatively supervise production for Disney+ and Disney Channel scripted series pilots.

‘Poor Things’ to Screen at Chicago International Film Festival With Costume Designer Holly Waddington Accepting Tour de Force Award Yorgos Lanthimos’ “Poor Things” had been added to the lineup of the 59th Chicago International Film Festival, which will run from Oct. 11-22. Costume designer Holly Waddington will appear to receive the festival’s Tour de Force Award.

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired North American rights to Stage 6 Films, Participant and Symbolic Exchange’s We Grown Now, which had its world premiere in the Centerpiece and Next Wave Selects section at this year’s TIFF. The movie’s writer, director, producer Minhal Baig received TIFF’s Changemaker Award which explores issues relevant to young people and is focused on themes of social change and youth empowerment.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures Television has promoted Lamar Chase to SVP, Current Programming. Reporting to EVP Current Programming Marie Jacobson, who heads the indie studio’s current scripted series department, Chase will continue to work alongside Morgana Cabrera-Rosenberg who was promoted to SVP, Current Programming in March.

EXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that Michelle Grady has been upped to President of Sony Pictures Imageworks. She was previously, EVP Sony Pictures Imageworks.

Pat Saperstein Deputy Editor Magnolia Pictures has acquired North American rights to “Catching Fire: The Story of Anita Pallenberg,” which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The documentary, which was acquired by SK Global Entertainment, tells the story of Anita Pallenberg, the model and actress who rose to fame in the 1960s and ’70s after a chance encounter with the Rolling Stones. Alexis Bloom and Svetlana Zill directed the docu, which features the voice of Scarlett Johansson as Anita, based on the words of her unpublished memoir.

Eurythmics’ Dave Stewart has revealed he and Lou Reed once had to convince Damien Hirst not to chop off his hands for an art project.Stewart told the story as part of an interview for NME’s Does Rock N’Roll Kill Braincells? series, shortly after he was asked which comedian had played him in a ’90s Rock Profile sketch.“He wanted to have his hands chopped off and then stitched back on by a surgeon in Mexico, while filming it as an art piece,” Stewart said. “He seemed dead-serious but myself and Lou Reed were trying to convince him: ‘No, this isn’t a good idea.