Union tells actors not to work on pandemic film "Songbird"

The Deadline Team (Press Association) Tesla founder Elon Musk regularly visited Amber Heard late at night at Johnny Depp’s Los Angeles penthouse, it has been claimed.Alejandro Romero, a concierge at the Eastern Columbia Building, said in a written witness statement as part of Depp’s libel trial with The Sun, that the actress, 34, gave Musk his own fob to access the apartment.The statement said: “From March 2015 onwards, Ms Heard was visited regularly late at night, at around 11pm to midnight, by

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorRiverdale‘s KJ Apa and Pretty Little Liars: The Perfectionists‘ Sofia Carson have landed the lead roles as star-crossed lovers in the Adam Goodman and Michael Bay pandemic thriller production Songbird which started filming last Wednesday in Los Angeles.Told from street level through the eyes of the characters, Songbird takes place two years into the future, as a lockdown has been re-implemented after a more serious virus continues to

David Robb Labor EditorEXCLUSIVE: Ron Valentine, business agent of IATSE Stagehands Local 33 in Los Angeles, says he doesn’t expect concerts, sporting events and theatrical productions to return with audiences until 2021.

Dave McNary Film ReporterKJ Apa and Sofia Carson will star in pandemic thriller “Songbird,” joining previously announced cast Demi Moore, Bradley Whitford, Craig Robinson, Jenna Ortega, Paul Walter Hauser and Peter Stormare.“Songbird” producers announced July 8 that they had launched principal photography in Los Angeles — the first film to shoot in the city since the start of coronavirus-induced lockdown.

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Unified School District is discussing its options for a potential reopening of its schools on August 18 while the leadership of the Los Angeles teachers union is saying that campuses must remain closed and for distance learning to continue when the school year begins next month. According to the Los Angeles Times, Teacher’s Union leadership concluded it is not safe to bring children back on campus as COVID-19 cases across the County are surging.

Bruce Haring pmc-editorial-managerThe Los Angeles teachers union has called for district school campuses to remain closed and online learning to continue when the 2020-2021 school year starts on Aug. 18.The UTLA posted a notice on its website Thursday night calling on administrators to implement the request.

The board of SAG-AFTRA’s largest local on Tuesday voted 69 percent to 31 percent against the new TV/theatrical deal approved by the national board, The Hollywood Reporter has learned, in a videoconference meeting that resulted in a symbolic show of force signaling tumultuous times ahead for entertainment’s largest union. The 29 to 13 non-binding vote by the Los Angeles board was “essentially along party lines” one board member said, speaking on condition on anonymity.

Get Out star Bradley Whitford and Jane the Virgin actress Jenna Ortega have joined the pandemic thriller Songbird.

The feature film “Songbird” began production in Los Angeles today, marking the first motion picture to begin filming there since the City of Angels went into lockdown in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dave McNary Film ReporterOn-location film in Los Angeles plunged to its lowest levels on record for the second quarter due to the coronavirus pandemic, the FilmLA permitting agency reported Wednesday.The report showed overall production plunged by 97.8% to only 194 shoot days as production remained shut down from March 20 to June 15.

Anthony D'Alessandro Editorial Director/Box Office EditorEXCLUSIVE: Deadline has learned that Get Out star Bradley Whitford and Jane the Virgin‘s Jenna Ortega have boarded the pandemic thriller Songbird, which begins principal photography today.The movie from former Paramount production chief Adam Goodman and former Disney exec Andrew Sugerman’s Invisible Narratives, with Catchlight Films and Michael Bay also producing, is the first feature film to shoot in Los Angeles since the COVID-19

SAG-AFTRA has given a greenlight for production on 7th & Union, a LatinX drama toplined by Mexican comedy star Omar Chaparro and Edy Ganem, and to start in Los Angeles on Monday. The feature from newly launched Broken English Productions has Chaparro playing Raymundo, a Mexican ex-fighter who forms an unlikely bond with a disgruntled man (Gregg Daniel), whose life and relationship with his daughter, played by Erinn Westbrook, are unraveling.

Dave McNary Film ReporterSAG-AFTRA has told told its members to refuse work on the pandemic thriller “Songbird,” produced by Michael Bay.“Songbird” had been announced in mid-May as a low-budget production that would shoot in Los Angeles. The performers union announced the “do not work” order on Thursday for production company On A Lark Productions LLC. It said the company had failed to complete the signatory process and is therefore not signed to any applicable SAG-AFTRA agreement.

David Robb Labor EditorSAG-AFTRA today put the kibosh on Songbird, one of the first movies to shoot in Los Angeles during the pandemic, telling members not to work on the film because it “failed to complete the signatory process and is therefore not signed to any applicable SAG-AFTRA agreement.” In the past, however, many such Do Not Work orders have been resolved once producers clear up the paperwork with the union.As Deadline’s Mike Fleming reported on May 19, Songbird is a pandemic thriller

Tencent Holdings has opened a new development studio in Los Angeles that will work on AAA games for next-gen consoles.The studio is called LightSpeed LA, and will be headed by former Rockstar Games studio manager and director Steve Martin.

Dino-Ray Ramos Associate Editor/ReporterWomen and Film, Los Angeles and The Black List unveiled the participants of the​ 2020 Feature Lab and Residency on Monday. The annual program is an expansion of the original writing lab which is a joint effort between WIF and The Black List.The program provides mentorship and career opportunities to seven rising women screenwriters over the course of a year.

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle are continuing to connect with their new home through charity work!

Prince Harry‘s recent volunteer excursions in Los Angeles have kept him connected to his late mother, Princess Diana.Harry, 35, and wife Meghan Markle visited Homeboy Industries earlier this week to observe how the L.A.-based nonprofit is helping former gang members rebuild their lives and create positive change in their communities.

Prince Harry is always willing to give back, no matter which state or country.