Sony Pictures Lands Reunion Comedy ‘Homecoming;’ Tracy Oliver, Kevin Garnett, Dewayne Perkins Scripting

Anna Marie de la Fuente Sony Pictures Television (SPT) has tapped Oscar-nominated scribe Guillermo Arriaga to be the creative lead on “Yo No Soy Mendoza,” an SPT project Colombian writer-creator Fernando Gaitan was developing before he died unexpectedly in January 2019.Gaitan was best known for his Colombian aspirational telenovela “Yo Soy Betty La Fea” (“Ugly Betty”), deemed by the Guinness World Records as the most successful telenovela in history.“Ugly Betty” aired in some 180 countries, was

Elaine Low Senior TV WriterSony Pictures Entertainment has named Ravi Ahuja as chairman of Global Television Studios and its corporate development operations, where he will lead Sony Pictures TV’s domestic and international productions, the studio’s game show franchises and its India business, according to the company.Ahuja will also oversee the company’s corporate development and mergers and acquisitions alongside SPE chairman and CEO Tony Vinciquerra.“Ravi is an extraordinarily talented and

Andrea Martin (Great News), Robert Ri’chard (Empire), Juani Feliz (Blue Bloods), Kate Rockwell (Mean Girls: The Musical) and Sullivan Jones (The Surrogate) are set for recurring roles on Amazon’s Harlem, the comedy series from Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip), Amy Poehler’s Paper Kite Productions and Universal TV. They’ll join previously announced Whoopi Goldberg and Jasmine Guy, who also recur.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions has bought all international rights to writer-director Nikole Beckwith’s second feature, Together Together, which debuted at this year’s Sundance Film Festival.

Rebecca Rubin Film and Media ReporterUnder a new multi-year agreement, Sony Pictures will handle distribution for Lionsgate’s physical home entertainment releases in the United States and Canada.Lionsgate will continue to maintain its own independent sales and marketing teams, while leveraging Sony Picture Home Entertainments supply chain and distribution services for DVD sales.

Sony Interactive Entertainment CEO Jim Ryan has confirmed that more PlayStation exclusive games will release on PC.Ryan shared the news in an interview with GQ, where he talked about the new PlayStation VR console that is being developed.

Joe Otterson TV ReporterA live-action series adaptation of the “Twisted Metal” PlayStation game franchise is officially moving forward, Variety has learned.Sony Pictures Television and PlayStation Productions are developing a series based on the “Twisted Metal” vehicular combat games, the first of which was released in 1995.

EXCLUSIVE: George Tillman, Jr. and Robert Teitel’s State Street Pictures has signed a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Television.

Natalie Oganesyan editorIn today’s TV news roundup, Whoopi Goldberg and Jasmine Guy have joined the cast of Tracy Oliver’s comedy series “Harlem,” and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” will air special documentary “RuPaul’s Drag Race: Corona Can’t Keep A Good Queen Down” on Feb. 26.Whoopi Goldberg and Jasmine Guy have been cast in recurring roles in “Harlem,” series from Tracy Oliver and also executive produced by Amy Poehler, Dave Becky, Kim Lessing, Pharrell Williams and Mimi Valdés.

EXCLUSIVE: Whoopi Goldberg and Jasmine Guy are set for recurring roles in Amazon’s Harlem (fka Untitled Tracy Oliver Project) comedy series from Tracy Oliver (Girls Trip), Amy Poehler’s Paper Kite Productions and Universal TV.

EXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures has closed a deal to acquire rights to Tracy Yvonne Productions’ reunion comedy Homecoming. Pic will be written by Tracy Oliver, Kevin A. Garnett & Dewayne Perkins. Oliver and Joy Ganes are producing.

previously charged in 2018 with the Sony Hack crime, as well as the February 2016 cyber-enabled heist of $81 million from the Bank of Bangladesh and the May 2017 global Wannacry 2.0 attack. This was the first time the U.S.  made charges against a Pyongyang operative.According to the DOJ, the three defendants worked for the Reconnaissance General Bureau, a wing of the North Korean military intelligence.

Gene Maddaus Senior Media WriterThe Department of Justice on Wednesday announced the indictment of three North Koreans who are accused of perpetrating the 2014 hack of Sony Pictures, along with numerous other cyber intrusions and financial crimes.Arrest warrants were issued for three defendants — Jon Chang Hyok, Kim Il, and Park Jin Hyok — all of whom are believed to be in North Korea.

EXCLUSIVE: Fox is going royal with its latest animated comedy development.

EXCLUSIVE: In a deal north of $2 million, Annapurna Pictures has acquired North American rights to On The Count of Three, the 2021 Sundance buzz title that marks the directorial debut of standup comedian Jerrod Carmichael.  Pic is expected to be released through Annapurna’s distribution pact with MGM’s Orion Pictures.

Adam B. Vary Senior Entertainment WriterIn one of the first big deals of the upcoming SXSW Film Festival, emerging genre sales company Yellow Veil Pictures has acquired the global sales rights for the animated fantasy “The Spine of Night.”Directed by Philip Gelatt and Morgan Galen King, the film is set to have its world premiere in the SXSW Midnighters section of the festival, which runs virtually from March 16–20.

Sony Pictures International Productions is launching Parasomnia Productions, a new label dedicated to genre movies in France. The label’s creation is in association with Marc Missonnier’s Moana Films.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentSony Pictures International Productions (SPIP) is joining forces with Ben Stassen, a veteran Belgian animation director and producer, and his producing partner Matthieu Zeller on “Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness,” an ambitious 3D-animated adventure film based on the Dark Horse comics.Stassen and Benjamin Mousquet will direct “Chickenhare and the Hamster of Darkness,” whose screenplay was written by Dave Collard, based on “Chickenhare,” the

Sony Pictures Television's international production division has extended its partnership with EbonyLife Media, the expanding banner led by prolific Nigerian producer Mo Abudu. SPT struck an exclusive first-look deal for all new EbonyLife-controlled scripted television projects created, originated, or developed by or for EbonyLife and intended for global audiences.

Sony Pictures Television has signed an exclusive first-look deal with Nigerian media company EbonyLife Media to develop scripted TV series.