Sony Pictures Imageworks Promotes Michelle Grady To President

The late, great Paul O’Grady spent his final few moments smoking a spliff, his widower Andre Portasio has revealed.The surprising admission came as Andre and Paul’s loved ones gathered together in a memorial service on Wednesday, 18 October, to commemorate his life, as he told guests in attendance: “We’d had a very ordinary day, just watching TV together at home, when Paul said he wanted to make a ‘cup of tea,’ and that was our ­little code for rolling a spliff. “So Paul went to the kitchen to make a cup of tea, brought it back, lit it and started smoking it – and that was our last time together, the last thing we did.

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.

Battersea Dogs and Cats Home's veterinary hospital is to be named after the late Paul O'Grady.The legendary TV presenter and comedian passed away aged 67 back in March, having become celebrated in his later years as a huge lover of all things furry - making 11 series of Paul O'Grady: For the Love of Dogs (at Battersea itself) and three series of Paul O'Grady: Animal Orphans.The Sun reports that the charity put together a 'tribute fund' after Paul's death, raising close to half a million pounds in the process, most of which will be used on "life-saving and transformative medical procedures" for poorly pets. Five separate animal charities close to the entertainer's heart will get £20,000 too.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Paramount Global Content Distribution has licensed the highly anticipated CBS Studios series “Elsbeth” to TF1 in France. Starring Emmy Award winner Carrie Preston, “Elsbeth” is based on the popular character of Elsbeth Tascioni, the astute but unconventional attorney featured in “The Good Wife” and “The Good Fight.” “The series has been highly sought after in the French territory and this agreement will provide TF1 viewers exclusive access to the series in the market,” Paramount Global Content Distribution said.

Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Guess how many times cinema legends Martin Scorsese and Steven Spielberg have gone head-to-head at the Oscars? With 37 nominations between them and five decades of indelible classics, such as the gangster epic “Casino” (1995) and the shark thriller “Jaws” (1975), you might assume at least half a dozen ceremonies have seen both auteurs prominently recognized. Read: Variety’s Awards Circuit for the latest Oscars predictions in all categories. Well, guess again.

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. 

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Sony Pictures Animation is shoring up its executive ranks with the addition of Damien de Froberville, who has been named executive vice president of production and operating strategy. De Froberville comes from the Spain-based shop Sergio Pablos Animation and will largely assume a portfolio held by long-serving SPA executive Pam Marsden.

It’s been eight months since we’ve seen Emily VanCamp and Josh Bowman on the red carpet together, and we’re so happy to have them back!

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.

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.

‘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.

Michelle Obama is hanging out with some famous friends amid rumors that she’s preparing to mount a presidential campaign.

EXCLUSIVE: Canadian prodcos Pillango Productions and Aircraft Pictures have just wrapped Gangnam Project, a new tween dramedy series set in the world of K-pop, with co-commissioning broadcasters CBC Kids and CBBC. 

NFTS And Left Bank Pictures Launch UK Writers Program

Angelique Jackson It might officially be fall, but Netflix had a “Strong Black Summer.” At least, that was the name of the streamer’s warm-weather months campaign promoting a string of TV, film and documentary projects fronted by Black talent. Among the hot titles were Gabrielle Union’s rom-com “The Perfect Find,” the John Boyega-starring conspiratorial caper “They Cloned Tyrone,” a fourth season of the Emmy-nominated comedy “The Upshaws,” comedian Michelle Buteau’s semi-autobiographical series “Survival of the Thickest,” the “Ladies First: A Story of Women in Hip-Hop” documentary, and a first look at awards contenders “Stamped from the Beginning” and “Rustin.” “The goal of ‘Strong Black Summer’ was to generate conversation and create community with Black consumers and partners,” says Netflix’s Shelly Gillyard, vice president of marketing in the U.S.

Caroline Brew editor In collaboration with Sony Pictures, the Coalition of Asian Pacifics in Entertainment (CAPE) announced the return of the CAPE Animation Directors Accelerator. The initiative aims to identify and equip the next generation of AAPI animation professionals with the skills to become directors in feature film and episodic animation.