Spire Animation Studios Closes $20M Funding Round With Strategic Investment By Epic Games

Illumination and Universal have set release dates for their forthcoming animated films Migration and Despicable Me 4. The former original will be released wide on June 30, 2023, opening against the untitled fifth film in the Indiana Jones franchise from Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures. The latest installment in the top-grossing Despicable Me franchise is set for a wide release on the wide-open weekend of July 23, 2044. Both films are taking up slots inhabited by previously announced, untitled Illumination Animated Films.

Schitt’s Creek alumna Karen Robinson and The Sinner alum Michael Mosley round out the series regular cast for The Missing, Peacock’s eight-episode series from David E. Kelley based on Israeli crime writer Dror A. Mishani’s international bestselling novel The Missing File. They join previously announced leads Jeff Wilbusch and Juliana Canfield in the drama series.

Director Brad Bird is returning to animated feature films, but won’t be heading back to Pixar. Bird previously worked with the Disney-owned animation house leading two Best Animated Feature Oscars for his work on “Incredibles” and “Ratatouille.” According to Deadline, Bird is teaming up with disgraced former Pixar head John Lasseter and Skydance Animation for an original feature film, “Ray Gunn” that the filmmaker will direct from a script he co-wrote with Matthew Robbins.

Todd Spangler NY Digital EditorSpotter, a two-year-old startup that acquires rights to the video catalogs of YouTubers, announced $200 million in new funding led by Japan’s SoftBank. Spotter said that gives it a valuation of $1.7 billion — and will let the company invest $1 billion with YouTube creators.The Series D in financing from SoftBank Vision Fund 2 follows the $555 million in funding Spotter raised across three previously undisclosed rounds of financing.

EXCLUSIVE: Alexandra Fraser, a UK indie veteran and former Joint-CEO of Embarrassing Bodies producer Maverick TV, has joined Channel 4-backed Spirit Studios in the newly-created role of Creative and Board Advisor.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterKaren Toliver has joined Netflix as vice president of animated film, Variety has learned exclusively.The former Sony Pictures Animation senior vice president will join the streamer in March reporting to Melissa Cobb, VP of the kids and family division. She’ll be responsible for two to three animated features annually and will work alongside fellow animation VP Gregg Taylor.“It has been an absolute dream working with Kristine Belson and her game-changing team at Sony Pictures Animation.

EXCLUSIVE: Bill Camp (The Queen’s Gambit, The Night Of) is the latest addition to the cast of Amazon Studios’ film The Burial, based on the New Yorker article by Jonathan Harr.

EXCLUSIVE: Screen Media has acquired North American rights to the horror film The Accursed, from director Kevin Lewis (Willy’s Wonderland), which stars Mena Suvari (American Beauty), Sarah Grey (Power Rangers), Meg Foster (They Live) and Alexis Knapp (Pitch Perfect). The Chicken Soup for the Soul Entertainment company has slated the title, which is currently in post-production, for a theatrical day-and-date release this fall.

J. Kim Murphy George Spiro Dibie, a television cinematographer whose credits across a 48-year career ranged from “Barney Miller” to “Night Court” to “Sister, Sister,” died on Tuesday.

It was announced by a spokesperson from the ICG (International Cinematographers guild-Local 600), that cinematographer and Emmy winner George Spiro Dibie has died at his home in L.A. He was 90. 

John Hopewell Chief International CorrespondentBest-known for her action roles in “Skyscraper,” with Dwayne Johnson, and Simon West’s “Skyfire,” Asian star Hannah Quinlivan has joined director Jesse Atlas’s sci-fi feature “Soul Assassin.”The film’s ensemble cast also includes Bruce Willis (“Die Hard,” “The Sixth Sense”), Andy Allo (“Upload,” “Pitch Perfect 3”), Nomzamo Mbatha (“Coming2America,” “All About Love”), Dominic Purcell (“Killer Elite,” “Assault on Wall Street”) and Mustafa Shakir (“Cowboy Bebop,” “Emancipation”).Atlas’ feature debut, “Soul Assassin”is described as a female-led, mind-bending sci-fi thriller. In it, a female former black ops soldier joins an experimental drone warfare program to hunt down her husband’s killer.

Sky Studios Chief Content Officer Jane Millichip is departing the Comcast-owned pay-TV giant after nine years amid a wider restructure.

NBC’s primetime Olympics host will return to the U.S. from Beijing after Monday night’s broadcast, earlier than was originally planned.

Epic has confirmed that Windbound will be the next free game on the Epic Games Store.From February 10, Epic Games Store users will be able to pick up Windbound for free. This will replace Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair, which is free until 4PM on the same day.Created by 5 Lives Studios, Windbound is an indie survival game that’s all about surviving a shipwreck.“As Kara, you are a warrior, caught at sea in a fierce storm, adrift from your tribe.

EXCLUSIVE: Jeff Huang and Carl Choi, entrepreneurs and lifelong fans of comic book, fantasy/sci-fi, and horror storytelling, have formed Six Studios as a genre-focused content company. In Six Studios’ first major content move, the company has acquired rights to the first six books in Raymond E. Feist and Janny Wurts’ international bestselling fantasy book series The Riftwar Cycle for television. Writers Hannah Friedman (Untitled Pixar Feature, Disney+’s Willow, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Unt. Doug Liman Feature), Jacob Pinion (Fear the Walking Dead, Unt. Doug Liman Feature) and Nick Bernardone (Fear the Walking Dead, Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt) are attached to adapt the books for a potential series.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentITV Studios Finland and French production and distribution group Oble have partnered up on “Helsinki Crimes,” a new Finnish crime drama which will debut at Goteburg TV Drama Vision.“Helsinki Crimes” is an eight-part crime series based on Matti Yrjänä Joensuu’s bestselling novels. Set in contemporary Helsinki in the height of summer, the series revolves around Timo Harjunpää (Olli Rahkonen), a popular detective known for his honesty and empathy for the victims, as well as the criminals.