Amazon Studios Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

If you dig down into it, it’s pretty complicated to discuss the rights situation surrounding “The Lord of the Rings” IP. Warner Bros.

Well, Season 2 of Prime Video‘s “Reacher” is done premiering, and it’s another runaway hit for the streamer. So obviously it’s no surprise that “Reacher” Season 3 is already filming, and will likely premiere in December like last season.

Like all good love stories, Prime Video’s gay romantic comedy “Red, White, & Royal Blue” has its cake and eats it too. Literally.

Ewan McGregor has had decent luck in TV the past decade with shows like “Fargo,” “Halton,” and Disney+‘s “Obi-Wan Kenobi.” Now Variety reports he’ll star in a new show in development at Amazon called “Lodi,” based on an Alta online article by Andrew Dubbins.

Based on the novel of the same name by Grant Ginder, director Clare Scanlon (“Set It Up”) returns to the world of romantic comedies with the charmless, vaguely holiday-set “The People We Hate at the Wedding”.

Spike Lee may have a multiyear film deal with Netflix lined up since last December, but his next project will be with Amazon Studios. Deadline reports Lee will direct and co-serve as executive producer on an upcoming coming-of-age ROTC drama for Amazon.

Russian-born director Ilya Naishuller quickly made a name for himself with his 2015 actioner “Hardcore Henry.” Then last year he turned “Better Call Saul” star Bob Odenkirk into a bonafide action star in “Nobody.” So, what does Naishuller have in store for audiences next? Deadline reports that he’ll helm a new action-packed movie for Amazon Studios called “Heads Of State,” with Idris Elba and John Cena attached to star.

Amazon already has one giant fantasy series currently airing on Prime Video with “Lord Of The Rings: The Rings Of Power.” Now they want to take over the streaming sci-fi market with “Blade Runner 2099,” a “Blade Runner” sequel series, with Ridley Scott on board as executive producer. READ MORE: ‘Blade Runner 2099’ Live-Action Sequel Series Lands At Amazon & Ridley Scott May Direct Variety reports that Amazon has a formal order for the show after announcing its development in February.

Joe and Anthony Russo already made Netflix‘s most expensive movie ever this year, with their spy blockbuster “The Gray Man” costing well over $200 million. Now it looks like the brothers’ penchant for mega-budget productions has taken over their next project, the Amazon Prime Video series “Citadel.” READ MORE: Kevin Feige Says Russo Brothers Are “Not Connected” To ‘Avengers: The Kang Dynasty’ & ‘Avengers: Secret Wars’ [Comic-Con] The Hollywood Reporter has an exclusive scoop about how The Russo Bros.’ upcoming spy series for Amazon has become one of the most expensive series ever produced.

“Cosmic Love,” a new, one-of-a-kind dating show from Amazon Studios, four sexy contestants from across the United States embark on a star-crossed journey to find their perfect match, guided by their hearts — and their astrological birth charts.“They say love doesn’t come with instructions but actually your birth chart is a little instruction manual to yourself,” Ophira and Tali Edut, otherwise known as the AstroTwins, explained to The Post. The show’s astrologers and best-selling authors — who have worked with a number of A-listers including Beyoncé, Emma Roberts, Alicia Keys, Karlie Kloss and Sting — counsel the singles throughout the season by way of the mysterious and mystical Astro Chamber.

Jeremy Strong, star of the critically acclaimed and award-winning drama “Succession,” is set to star in and executive produce a series for Amazon Studios revolving around Boeing’s contentious 737 Max airplanes. Coming off the heels of 2021 which saw Strong star in the third season of HBO’s darkly comedic family portrait, the actor is set to create this new series alongside Chris Terrio, the Oscar-winning screenwriter of “Argo,” and Plan B, the studio responsible for Adam McKay’s “Vice” and James Gray’s “Ad Astra,” amongst other titles.

Amazon has secured its leads for “Ending Things,” quite an interesting-sounding action film the studio is putting together. Deadline reports that Amazon Studios has selected Priyanka Chopra Jonas (“The Matrix: Resurrections“) and Anthony Mackie (“The Falcon & The Winter Soldier”) to lead a new film based on a spec script from Kevin Sullivan.

Two of the busiest people working in Hollywood today are Yahya Abdul-Matten and Michael B. Jordan; the two are collectively attached to so many projects it’s hard to keep track of all of them.

Over at HBO, the network is diving into the post-apocalyptic video game adaptation business with the upcoming TV series “The Last of Us.” Not to be outdone, it appears Amazon is ready to get the ball officially rolling on its own post-apocalyptic video game adaptation with “Fallout,” and the streaming platform thinks Jonathan Nolan is the right Nolan to direct.

It’s been a minute since we’ve heard from Aussie filmmaker Garth Davis. Getting a big lift on his career by co-directing much of “Top of the Lake” with the great Jane Campion, Davis soon won the gig to direct the Oscar Best Picture nominee “Lion” starring Dev Patel and Nicole Kidman.

In the age of streaming, all intellectual property needs to be leveraged and can’t stay idle; nearly anything can be a franchise on TV. Thus Joe Wright‘s action thriller “Hanna” (2011) was turned into a series at Amazon Prime Video.

You should know the drill by now, but here’s a reminder if you don’t know the routine. In something that may turn into an annual tradition, if the deal extends, that is, Blumhouse Productions is back with its anthology horror series, “Welcome To The Blumhouse,” a collaboration with Amazon Studios.

Following the success of his directorial debut “The Rental,” Amazon Studios announced today that director Dave Franco would be making an original drama, “Somebody I Used To Know,” with a script penned by Franco and his wife and creative collaborator Alison Brie.

Marion Cotillard was not the first actress cast in the role of Ann Defrasnoux in the musical fantasy “Annette.” In fact, she wasn’t even the second. But when she was eventually offered the part in Leos Carax’s long in the works oeuvre she simply couldn’t say no.

Comedic actor Randall Park (“Always Be My Maybe,” “Ant-Man & The Wasp“) is coming off a popular supporting role in Marvel Studios‘ first canonical entry into the world of television with “WandaVision,” reprising his MCU role of FBI Agent Jimmy Woo. It looks like he’ll be teaming up with another Marvel actor for an untitled action-comedy at Amazon Studios.

In 2014, actor Val Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer and went public with his illness in 2017. Because of the various surgeries that impacted his throat, the actor’s voice has radically changed, and in fact, he has a difficult and even painful time talking.

In 2014, actor Val Kilmer was diagnosed with throat cancer and went public with his illness in 2017. Because of the various surgeries that impacted his throat, the actor’s voice has radically changed, and in fact, he has a difficult and even painful time talking.

The legacy of author Tom Clancy‘s famous spy, espionage, and military-science thriller novels is such his name is in the title of Michael B. Jordan‘s latest film, “Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse.” Clancy, of course, is the author behind the books adapted for such famous movies like “The Hunt for Red October” (1984), “Patriot Games” (1987), “Clear and Present Danger” (1989), and “The Sum of All Fears” (1991).

Amazon’s “Sound Of Metal” drama starring Riz Ahmed as a noise metal drummer who goes deaf and then struggles with his hearing loss and identity, is obviously a bruising emotional film, and is earning much critical and award season praise to back that notion up. There are many ways to look at the film, part horror movie—the fear that creeps up in that first act is terrifying— drama, addiction story, tragic romantic co-dependent relationship story (Olivia Cooke co-stars), and more.

Just in time for Oscar season, Amazon Studios is bringing three of its award contenders to the Criterion Collection, the first time the studio’s had a movie make it to the collection since 2018. READ MORE: ‘Fast Times,’ ‘Nightmare Alley’ & More Join The Criterion Collection In May IndieWire reports that Darius Marder‘s “Sound of Metal,” Regina King‘s “One Night in Miami,” and Garrett Bradley‘s “Time” will join the prestigious Criterion Collection.

Michael B. Jordan returns to the action genre with “Tom Clancy’s Without Remorse.” The title represents a big step for the actor, whose credits include blockbusters and respected indie fare.

After wowing audiences in “Black Panther” and “Us,” Winston Duke has found his next standout role, as he’s just been cast as political activist Marcus Garvey in Amazon Studios‘ “Marked Man.” READ MORE: Director Sam Pollard on HBO’s ‘Black Art,’ ‘MLK/FBI’ His Work With Spike Lee & More [Deep Focus] Deadline reports that Duke is set to play Garvey in the upcoming biographical drama “Marked Man” for Amazon.

Regina King has seen the discourse. She knows that some pundits, critics, and others have criticized her new Best Picture contender, “One Night in Miami,” for feeling at times like a “filmed play.” In reality, screenwriter Kemp Powers did adapt his own play for the screen, but in her view, it’s reductive.

We’ve been closely following writer/director Aaron Sorkin‘s new project “Being The Ricardos,” which has been bubbling behind the scenes for months at Amazon. In fact, we spoke to Sorkin recently about “The Trial Of The Chicago 7” (interview soon), and the writer/director played mum on all our questions, but promised news was coming soon.

With anticipated films delayed, theaters closed, and festivals canceled or refurbished to virtual affairs, there has been little in big, prestigious movie events for audiences to rally around in 2020. Steven McQueen‘s five-film anthology series “Small Axe” may be as close to a buzz-worthy event as we’ll get in the current movie climate.

Many people will tell you that making a TV show about a pandemic while in the middle of a pandemic is a bad or even dumb idea, and those people would be right. Turns out, even Amazon Prime has realized this, as they just canceled the remake of “Utopia” after just one season.

As the season continues to shuffle and the streaming wars will feature its first big face off on Christmas Day (HBO Max’s “Wonder Woman 1984” vs. Disney+‘s “Soul“), other streaming services are making moves.

Almost 20 minutes into our conversation, Paul Bettany jokes that maybe he really is a “glass half empty” person. It’s been less than a week since Joe Biden was anointed the President-Elect of the United States, but the British born Bettany, who was just able to vote as an American citizen for the first time this year, is far from overjoyed.

Yesterday, U.K. audiences got their first official taste of “Small Axe,” Steve McQueen‘s new film anthology series that comprised of five original films set from the late 1960s to the mid-1980s that tell personal stories from London’s West Indian community, whose lives have been shaped by their own force of will despite rampant racism and discrimination.

After working on the acclaimed but short-lived Jim Carrey-starring “Kidding,” Michel Gondry is getting back on the director’s chair for an adaptation of “As She Climbed Across the Table.” READ MORE: Michel Gondry Crafts A New Animated Short About The Trouble Leaving LA To Travel To France The Hollywood Reporter has the scoop, with news that Gondry has come aboard to direct the adaptation of the Jonathan Lethem novel for Amazon Studios and Chernin Entertainment.

Idris Elba and John Cena apparently had a good thing going in the upcoming “The Suicide Squad” sequel, because the two actors pitched an action film titled “Heads of State” over Zoom to studios and Amazon Studios just picked up the film.