Sony Pictures Postproduction Exec VP Tom McCarthy to Retire After 30-Year Career

Clayton Davis Thirty years ago, former Orion Classics heads Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom created the independent arm of Sony Pictures Entertainment with full autonomy to produce, acquire and distribute films from cinema’s notable auteurs. In the decades since, Sony Pictures Classics has picked up 158 Oscar nominations and 37 statuettes (41 in total for films helmed by Barker and Bernard). It has also made history: Ang Lee’s “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon” (2000) earned 10 Oscar nominations, the most ever for a non-English-language movie, and went on to win four trophies, including foreign language film.

J. Kim Murphy Sydney Sweeney has found another film project to add to her slate, setting plans to star in a new “Barbarella” movie for Sony Pictures, a source close to the project confirmed. The film remains in early development, with no director, producer or writer currently attached. Sweeney seemed to confirm her involvement with the project through an Instagram post late Tuesday afternoon. The actress shared an image of original artwork from the original 1968 space opera, with a caption: “time to save the universe.”A post shared by Sydney Sweeney (@sydney_sweeney) Sweeney has become somewhat of a marquee talent at Sony Pictures, with the actress co-starring alongside Dakota Johnson in the Marvel Comics adaptation “Madame Web.” The studio also landed the rights to “The Registration,” an adaptation of Madison Lawson’s thriller of the same name. Brad Fuller is producing, while Sweeney is attached to star.

EXCLUSIVE: Sydney Sweeney isn’t done staying busy with Sony Pictures, as sources tell Deadline the Emmy-nominated Euphoria and The White Lotus actress is attached to star in a new Barbarella movie for the studio. The film is based on Jean-Claude Forest’s French comic book series that was turned into a 1968 movie starring Jane Fonda.

K.J. Yossman “White Noise” director Noah Baumbach spoke about his career highlights – and low points – as well as his creative partnership with Greta Gerwig during the BFI London Film Festival on Friday afternoon (Oct. 7). Asked about the eight-year gap between making “Mr. Jealousy” and “The Squid and the Whale,” Baumbach quipped: “I thought, you know what? I really needed about eight years off.” “No, it wasn’t by design, it was by accident,” he quickly clarified. “I sort of had two careers in a way. I had this early career very quickly and I was really figuring it all out as I was doing it. I had never really been on a movie set before I made ‘Kicking and Screaming.’ But I had this sense of how a movie should be and what I wanted a movie to be. And then after ‘Mr. Jealousy’ [the way] I experienced it at the time is that I was having trouble getting things made. I think, also, I didn’t really know what I wanted to make. And I think maybe, in some ways, my ambitions sort of exceeded my ability.”

Jazz Tangcay Artisans Editor Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) today announced the establishment of its first LED virtual production stage, located at Sony Innovation Studios in Culver City. With LED virtual production transforming the way film and television are made, the new stage is the world’s largest using Sony’s high brightness and wide color gamut Crystal LED display panels. The panels were created in collaboration with top engineers at SPE for use in virtual production. The establishment of this LED stage allows Sony Innovation Studios (SIS) to expand its virtual production workflow across various entertainment platforms and seamlessly merge the real and virtual worlds with its Atom View technology and proprietary stage-integration software.

Naman Ramachandran Banijay‘s planned acquisition of Sony Productions Film und Fernseh Produktions GmbH Germany (Sony Pictures Television Germany) from Sony Pictures is now complete. Following customary closing conditions, Banijay Germany has secured 100% stake in the company. The label, founded in 1995, will now operate as Noisy Pictures GmbH, with Astrid Quentell and Mirek Nitsch remaining in leadership positions. Sony Pictures Television Germany’s successful shows include “Die Höhle der Löwen,” which has been on Vox since 2014; drama-comedy “Der Lehrer,” which has played nine seasons on RTL and won numerous awards; and ZDF crime series “Heldt.”

“This is exactly why local journalism matters,” big city investigative journalist Eileen (Hilary Swank, “Boys Don’t Cry,” “Million Dollar Baby”) proclaims to one of her new co-workers towards the end of the pilot episode of “Alaska Daily.” This overly earnest, yet nonetheless true maxim is the beating heart of Tom McCarthy’s latest foray into television.

There’s a brand new Tarzan movie on its way!

EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Frost, who recently left his post as President of Sony Pictures Television Studios, has set up a production company, Bristol Circle Entertainment, and has signed a first-look TV production deal with the indie studio. Under the pact, Frost is executive producing the high-profile new series from Breaking Bad creator and Better Call Saul co-creator Vince Gilligan, starring Rhea Seehorn, which just landed at Apple TV+ with a big, two-season straight-to-series order.

Beth McCarthy-Miller will once again serve as Awards Chair for the 75th Annual DGA Awards, which will be held February 18, 2023 at the Beverly Hilton. She served in the same position last year.

Ed Meza @edmezavar Sony Pictures Classicspresidents Michael Barker and Tom Bernard offered sound advice to U.S. theater chains, while explaining the reasons behind their continued success, during a discussion at the Zurich Film Festival on Saturday about their colorful and storied partnership that has spanned more than four decades. Zurich is honoring the duo for their services to film culture with its Game Changer Award on Sunday.   Speaking to Roeg Sutherland, co-CEO of CAA Media Finance, at the festival’s Zurich Summit industry event, Barker and Bernard took an engaging and humorous trip down memory lane, from first working together at United Artists Classics and then at Orion Classics, before establishing Sony Pictures Classics in 1992, to working with Akira Kurosawa, and managing to reacquire “Howards End” from Ismail Merchant, despite Harvey Weinstein’s efforts to significantly outbid them.

Tom “Tommy” McCarthy, executive vice president of post-production facilities, is retiring from his post at Sony Pictures Entertainment after more than three decades. Jon Hookstratten, EVP of Administration & Operations, confirmed the news in a memo adding that Kimberly Jimenez had been promoted to senior vice president of post-production services.

Jennifer Kuo Baxter, an entertainment attorney and executive who worked as SVP Business and Legal Affairs at Sony Pictures and in senior positions at DreamWorks Animation and other studios during her 30-year career, has died. She was 62.

EJ Panaligan editor Jennifer Kuo Baxter, an entertainment lawyer whose career led to holding several senior executive positions at multiple movie studios, died on July 23 of cancer. She was 62. Kuo Baxter’s career in entertainment spanned more than 30 years, working in the business and legal affairs departments at Sony Pictures Entertainment, TriStar Pictures, Sony Pictures Animation, Interscope and DreamWorks Animation Studios. She joined the legal affairs group at Columbia Pictures — which subsequently became Sony Pictures Entertainment — in the fall of 1986, where her responsibilities included supporting the production and distribution of feature films and motion pictures.

Nikki Sixx after criticising Mötley Crue‘s recent performance in Las Vegas.Mötley Crue wrapped up their 2022 North American ‘Stadium Tour’ at Vegas’ Allegiant Stadium on September 9. Joan Jett & The Blackhearts, Poison and Def Leppard all opened for the group at the gigs.Soussan – who formerly played bass for Ozzy Osbourne, and currently performs in Last In Line – was among those in attendance at the final concert in Sin City.

Over the weekend, Woody Allen made headlines after a Spanish media outlet published an interview that seemed to have the filmmaker announce his retirement after the completion of his upcoming 50th feature. In addition, Allen seemingly announced that he would write a novel after he put a bow on his filmmaking career.

Sony added three news movies to their 2023-2024 theatrical release sked while shifting some others due to the post-production jam which continues to plague a number of big pics. The good news is that nothing is moving out of 2022.