STX & Lionsgate In Talks For Strategic Partnership

Lionsgate has announced that another Saw movie is on the way!

Lionsgate and Twisted Pictures are going into production on another Saw movie which will hit theatres on Oct. 27, 2023.

Viola Davis (The Woman King) is the latest addition to the cast of Lionsgate’s The Hunger Games: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. The Oscar winner has been tapped for the role of Head Gamemaker Volumnia Gaul, joining an ensemble led by Tom Blyth and Rachel Zegler.

As a rule, Sydney Sweeney is drawn to characters that are nothing like her. “I find that challenge interesting,” she says. But playing Cassie Howard, the LA teen who wears her emotions on her sleeve in Sam Levinson’s Euphoria was a welcome exception for the 24-year-old. “Cassie is one of the most relatable characters to me, because I search for love and acceptance, and I’m scared of being alone.” Deadline talked to Sweeney about embodying the intensity of her character, showing real depth to Cassie and what makes her character Olivia on Mike White’s black comedy The White Lotus so terrifying.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorVeteran rapper and activist Meek Mill and talent agency WME have formed a strategic partnership focusing on the next wave of cultural leaders, according to an announcement issued Thursday. The agency will also represent Mill in all areas.The relationship is part of Meek’s new initiative Culture Currency, “designed to expand Meek’s business while identifying and supporting his network of artists, athletes, and entertainers so that they can take better advantage of their influence on culture, and open up more opportunities for them within the entertainment, brand and business space,” the announcement states.WME will represent Mill in all areas while working together to identify talent to potentially represent or partner with, and in turn who can benefit from the resources and global reach of the agency that spans film, television, music, books, digital, endorsements and more.

Carson Burton “Prey” may be an entry in the “Predator” saga, but it stands on its own by taking on-screen representation to the next level. In his first-ever acting role, actor Dakota Beavers looks at the film as a step in the right direction for an industry that has been historically fraught with problems regarding the representation of Native American identities.“Being Native is a part of who I am,” Beavers said. “Being able to represent Native people as accurately as you can with [producer] Jhane Myers — who is a Comanche woman herself — as the producer on this project, just meant the absolute world to me.

Jem Aswad Senior Music EditorMike Dean is a man of few words, letting his music do the talking on songs he’s produced for himself — such as his 2021 album “4:22” — and for others, including Beyonce, Kanye West the Weeknd — who he’s currently opening for on the “After Hours Til the Dawn” stadium tour — and his just-released compilation, “See You Next Year.”Oh, and the occasional social media post, like Wednesday night’s minor drama involving his apparent removal from Kid Cudi’s Moon Man Landing Festival in Cleveland next month. Dean wrote, “Looks like I won’t be playing moon man’s landing this year.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaSubscriber growth at Starz lifted shares of Lionsgate in after-hours trading, giving investors optimism that the media company will be able to demand top dollar when it finalizes plans to sell off its cable and streaming arm. Streaming subscribers jumped to 26.3 million worldwide, a 57% year-over-year increase.On an earnings call, Lionsgate CEO Jon Feltheimer said that potential buyers are also interested in the company’s film studio, suggesting that Amazon’s $8.5 billion purchase of Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer had made Lionsgate a more attractive target.“Our library is newer, fresher than the MGM library,” Feltheimer said.His remarks came as Lionsgate saw a dip in revenue for the most recent fiscal quarter, dropping from $901.2 million to $893.9 million.

Lionsgate execs said the company is still on track to announce a deal for Starz next month and close as early as next spring, but talks have expanded to possibly include the studio as well.

Lionsgate Sound, with a show hosted by 50 Cent about drug lord El Chapo among the inaugural programs. The motion picture group also is planning to bring aboard STX chairman Adam Fogelson as the film studio’s vice chair, an announcement that preceded a report that said Lionsgate was in discussions with STX about a strategic partnership involving theatrical distribution.

Top U.K. STX International executives Llewellyn Radley, Laura Austin Little, Jill Silfen and Mike Shanks have reunited with John Friedberg at new company Black Bear International, as it announces a U.K. distribution plan.

Simply put, Lena Dunham’s “Sharp Stick” is a film about sex. But sex for a very naive, innocent, fearless, infertile, 26-year-old virgin woman is more than just sex, and the implications of the many encounters and decisions made by Sarah Jo (the luminous Kristine Froseth) on her journey of self-discovery can be dizzying in their sheer number and magnitude.

Joey King has been busy planning a wedding.

The 79th edition of the Venice Film Festival boasts one of its strongest lineups in years. There are new films from Luca Guadagnino, Noah Baumbach, Alejandro G.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentVenice artistic director Alberto Barbera is smiling and looking relaxed after unveiling the festival’s strongest lineup in recent memory, a rich mix of hotly anticipated pics from the U.S. and elsewhere around the world that’s likely to bolster the Lido’s power as an Oscars kingmaker.Venice’s program of high-profile titles is especially impressive in a year that sees the Toronto International Film Festival roar back to life after two COVID-stricken years. As in pre-pandemic times, there will be a few days of overlap between the Canadian and Italian festivals.Although Venice struggled with ticketing last year due to theaters remaining at 50% capacity, Barbera informed Italian media that this year’s festival is expected to shed COVID measures altogether, meaning there should be ample space for delegates.

EJ Panaligan editorLongstanding production company Lionsgate has announced a partnership with licensing company IMG as its new global agency for consumer products.As part of the multi-year agreement, IMG will work with Lionsgate to develop and expand strategic, multi-category consumer product programs for its feature film franchises, including upcoming iterations of “John Wick,” “The Hunger Games,” “Dirty Dancing,” “Expendables” and more. IMG will also focus on Lionsgate’s television properties such as “Mad Men,” “Power” and “Orange is the New Black.”The partnership comes after Lionsgate’s Consumer Products business has merged its Global Live, Interactive and Location Based Entertainment into the newly-formed Global Products and Experiences.

Lionsgate has appointed IMG as its new and exclusive global agency for consumer products.

Brent Lang Executive Editor of Film and MediaAdam Fogelson has been named vice chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, the studio announced Monday.He joins the studio from STX Entertainment, where he was in charge of the struggling company’s motion picture group. At STX, Fogelson launched the successful “Bad Moms” franchise, as well as the critical and commercial hit “Hustlers.” Other Fogelson-backed movies include “Molly’s Game,” which picked up an Academy Award nomination for its screenplay, as well as bombs such as “The Happytime Murders.” STX was originally intended to make mid-budget comedies, thrillers and other genres that studios had abandoned in favor of franchises and comic book fare, but the results were a mixed bag and streaming services made many of the same kind of films that the studio was attempting to make into theatrical propositions.

EXCLUSIVE:  Adam Fogelson has been appointed Vice Chair of the Lionsgate Motion Picture Group, and will begin Sept. 1 as he segues from his role as STX Entertainment Motion Picture Group Chairman, a post he’s held for the last eight years.