Lionsgate Showbiz and Celebrity Breaking News

It has literally been more than seven years since we first started talking about Kevin Smith going back to the Quick Stop to make “Clerks III.” Well, after a number of false starts, it appears the gang is getting back together officially for “Clerks III,” which is heading into production later this summer.

Lionsgate and Starz are expanding the “John Wick” franchise with a three-part event series focused on a young Winston in New York City during the 1970s, and they’ve selected their main director for the project, “The Continental.” READ MORE: ‘John Wick’ Spinoff Series Details: ‘The Continental’ Is A Prequel Focusing On A Young Winston In NYC During The 1970s The global hotel chain acts as neutral ground for assassins and offers various services to its clientele, some work-related and other things

For someone who has been as prolific making music videos over the decades as Mark Romanek has, it’s absolutely shocking that the filmmaker doesn’t have more features under his belt.

After the attempted reboot-quel, “Jigsaw,” didn’t necessarily light up the box office and reinvigorate the “Saw” franchise, many just assumed that Lionsgate would likely just move on. But when you have Chris Rock come to you and pitch a new sequel to the “Saw” franchise, you listen and you do whatever it takes to make that happen.

If America currently howls in psychic pain, broken and divided, suffering from various emotional, spiritual, political crises, hemorrhaging each day in existential agony from the soul-crushingly bleak, relentlessly interminable horror that is life during a pandemic and the failure of leadership to see us through it, let me submit to you that American comedy is also lost and in deep crisis.

It was inevitable, we’re entering the stage where studios are making movies about eSports. “Fanboys” director Kyle Newman is now working on a comedy about eSports titled “1Up,” which just got a late-stage shake-up in its cast.

“Bridesmaids” is one of the most iconic comedy films of the past decade. The raunchy comedy not only featured a breakout performance from Melissa McCarthy but also served as the launching point for Kristen Wiig’s Post-‘SNL’ career.

Veteran filmmaker Marc Forster (“Finding Neverland,” “Christopher Robin,” “Quantum of Solace”) has been tapped to direct the feature adaptation of the graphic novel “White Bird: A Wonder Story” for Mandeville Films and Lionsgate. The story of the graphic novel stems from the same universe as Lionsgate’s 2017 film “Wonder.” Yes, that Jacob Tremblay, Owen Wilson, and Julia Roberts-led “Wonder,” which earned a sneaky Oscar nomination for Makeup and Hairstyling.

If you’re a filmmaker that has a huge directorial debut, such as Chad Stahelski and “John Wick,” for example, all you want is to make sure your sophomore feature isn’t a bust. Well, after two more “John Wick” sequels, each performing better than the last, it’s clear that Stahelski is no fluke, and Hollywood studios have taken notice.

Another week, another studio film ditches a theatrical release and heads straight for the digital domain. Last week, it was announced that Lionsgate is taking its upcoming thriller, “Antebellum,” and sending it straight to PVOD.

If you had a childhood anything at all like mine, you’re well aware of the 1987 romance film, “Dirty Dancing.” Not because you’re obsessed with dance and/or Patrick Swayze (“Roadhouse” is still incredible, FYI), but only because your parents (my mom, in this case) played the hell out of the film during your formative years.

studio’s release of quarterly earnings, which came in above estimates.Lionsgate revealed in July that “Dirty Dancing” star Jennifer Grey was collaborating with the studio on an untitled dance movie in which she will star and executive produce.

The series that no one likely thought would turn into such a massive hit and big cash cow for Lionsgate is going for broke. On an investor’s earnings call today studio’s CEO John Feltheimer revealed that a fifth “John Wick” film is happening and will likely shoot back to back with the fourth installment, pending the availability of its franchise star Keanu Reeves.

The COVID-19 pandemic dominoes keep following. While Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros.

EXCLUSIVE: A new untitled dance movie is taking shape at Lionsgate, set in the 1990s and starring and executive produced by “Dirty Dancing” Golden Globe nominee Jennifer Grey.While details are being kept very quiet, there’s some rumblings that a new “Dirty Dancing” movie could be in the works.

Janelle Monáe is poised to have a big 2020. She’s the star of Season 2 of Amazon’s acclaimed mystery series, “Homecoming,” which is expected to hit the Prime Video streaming service this month, and she’s also the star of the upcoming thriller, “Antebellum,” which could be a breakout hit film in a year that has been without features on the big screen for months.

Lionsgate has laid off nearly 20 employees, primarily in its feature film marketing and distribution department, sources tell Variety.

As movie theaters continue to shutter due to the coronavirus pandemic, Lionsgate and Kingdom Story Company will release the faith-based drama “I Still Believe” on premium VOD early, beginning on March 27.

Lionsgate has joined the parade of releases pulled from theatrical release due to the coronavirus pandemic, pulling the Chris Rock-Samuel L. Jackson “Saw” reboot, Janelle Monae’s “Antebellum” and Sarah Paulson’s “Run.”

Janelle Monáe in “Antebellum” (Image courtesy of Lionsgate)

Starz is the latest entertainment company to pull out of the annual SXSW festival over coronavirus concerns, a source tells Variety, canceling its screening and activation for Cape Cod crime drama series “Hightown” and its featured session for “Power.”

Janelle Monae is dealing with a time-traveling nightmare of slavery in Lionsgate’s latest trailer for the horror film “Antebellum.”

“Shazam!” star Zachary Levi and “Riverdale’s” Cole Sprouse have boarded Lionsgate’s music-driven comedy “Undercover” from director Steve Pink.

Starz’s international streaming platform Starzplay has struck an output deal with parent company Lionsgate for split first pay streaming rights in the U.K. to Lionsgate’s recently released and upcoming feature films.

Citing strong performance from “Knives Out,” Lionsgate has posted revenues and operating income above Wall Street projections for its third fiscal quarter that ended on Dec. 31.

Lionsgate is developing a biopic about retired NFL player Kurt Warner.

Lionsgate has set a March 19, 2021 wide-release date for “The Unbearable Weight of Massive Talent,” the meta action comedy that stars Nicolas Cage as a version of himself.

In today’s film news roundup, Lionsgate is developing graphic novel “Memetic” as a feature, the latest Laura Ziskin Prize is announced and Firelight Media creates a fund for nonfiction filmmakers of color at the mid-career mark.

Carmi Zlotnik, Starz’s president of programming, is exiting the company after a decade with the premium cabler to “pursue new creative endeavors,” Variety has learned.

North American rights to Benedict Cumberbatch’s civilian spy thriller “Ironbark” have been acquired by Roadside Attractions and Lionsgate out of the Sundance Film Festival, insiders close to the deal told Variety.