Justin Timberlake is speaking out! …Kind of.
07.06.2024 - 17:05 / variety.com
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Viz Media, a leading manga and anime platform, is launching One-Shots, a collection of bite-sized Japanese comic (manga) series that flow from the pens of new creators. Leading the program is former Weekly Shonen Jump editor-in-chief Sasaki Hisashi, who oversaw Japan’s prestigious Weekly Shonen Jump magazine at a time when some of the most iconic and highest-grossing creators of all were being serialized. The first four One-Shots series are: action, sci-fi series “Cinematic Certitude” by Naf; fantasy, action series “Ancient Melody,” by Jonathan Lareva; action adventure “Skin & Bone,” written by Josh Tierney and designed by Valentin Serber; and action, sci-fi “The Stranger,” by Liam Naughton.
Others new series will be added each month. The program allows creators to work with Sasaki in the U.S., rather than having to travel to Tokyo to do so. Although it competes with Korean-style webtoons, Viz claims that the Japanese one-shot model for serialization has the most influential and successful track record on the planet for launching debut manga creators.
“It is a model in which a one-shot (a complete story running between 20-50 pages) is published for an already built-in audience,” the company said. As with webtoons, consumption on mobile devices is optimized. “Successful one-shots can access a wealth of opportunities at Viz Media, including the licensing and establishing of an IP as an ongoing series for digital and print formats, producing their story into an anime, and the production of consumer products,” the company said in a statement.
Justin Timberlake is speaking out! …Kind of.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief The Malaysia International Film Festival (Miffest), which runs July 21-28, will open with horror film “Indera” by local director Woo Ming Jin and starring Shaheizy Sam and Azira Shafinaz. The festival will conclude with the double feature of “Love Lies” by Ho Miu Ki and “Peg O’ My Heart” by Nick Cheung.
Callum Jones has made his new relationship Instagram official this week as he jetted off for a sun-soaked getaway to Mykonos with model and TikTok star Myna Amor.The reality star, 28, who recently had a stint on Love Island: All-Stars, shared a series of snaps from the trip with his new girlfriend - showing only the back of her head and her hand in a bid to 'soft launch' the romance. While Myna, 23, confirmed that she is the beauty in the pictures by sharing her own snaps from the same location.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Feelgood local movie “Moments We Shared” ran off to a dominant win at the mainland China box office, despite releasing only on Saturday. If ever there was need of further evidence of Hollywood’s diminished power with Chinese audiences, this weekend provided it. “Moments’” win came at the expense of two U.S.
Elsa Keslassy International Correspondent A raft of high-concept unscripted formats from the likes of Yes Yes Media, Keshet International and Fulwell 73 were informally presented this week at the first edition of the International Creative Alliance Days hosted by Satisfaction Group, the Paris-based outfit founded by entrepreneur and famed TV host Arthur Essebag. The two-day event brought together creatives and industry players who are either part of Satisfaction or doing business with the company, notably acquisition executives from M6, France Televisions and Amazon Prime Video, among others.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Steve W. Chung, a former executive at Fox and Korea’s CJ ENM, has been appointed as the inaugural COO of Azuki, an anime community platform and digital art collection.
Naman Ramachandran Vertigo Releasing has acquired “Your Monster,” the debut feature from writer-director Caroline Lindy, from Bankside Films. The film blends romantic musical elements with comedy-horror and stars Melissa Barrera (“Scream,” “Abigail”), Meghann Fahy (“The White Lotus”), Tommy Dewey (“Casual”), Kayla Foster (“Call Jane”) and Edmund Donovan (“Civil War”). The story centers on Laura (Barrera), an actress who, after battling illness and a breakup, returns to her childhood home.
EXCLUSIVE: Chad Powers has found its first director.
A column chronicling conversations and events on the awards circuit.
Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Alex Jones‘ personal assets must be liquidated to pay the families of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims over the conspiracy theorist’s false claims that the massacre was a hoax, a federal judge ruled Friday. Jones, founder and host of right-wing fringe site InfoWars, had already filed for personal bankruptcy protection after juries in two separate states ordered him to pay nearly $1.5 billion in damages to the Sandy Hook families. Judge Christopher Lopez of the U.S.
Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor Quincy Jones, the first Black producer to be nominated for best picture, and legendary casting director Juliet Taylor will receive honorary Oscars at this year’s Governors Awards, announced by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Wednesday. Screenwriter and director Richard Curtis will receive the Jean Hersholt Humanitarian Award, while James Bond producers Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli will be bestowed with the Irving G.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief U.S-produced film and TV content has maintained leadership in terms of reach among Subscription video-on-demand (SVOD) users in nine major markets in Asia-Pacific. And it remains important for acquiring and maintaining subscriptions, a new report finds. New research from consultancy firm Media Partners Asia is based on passively-collected data from 40,000 digital users amassed by its AMPD sister company.
Patrick Frater Asia Bureau Chief Reminiscent of the outsized Chinese box office success once enjoyed by a certain genre of Hollywood movie – think “Expendables 3,” Pacific Rim” and “Transformers: Age of Extinction” – some Japanese anime films are now earning more in China than they are in their native Japan. Last year, “Suzume” (pictured above) earned $117 million in China, coming in ahead of the film’s $104 million total in Japan.
Clayton Davis Senior Awards Editor BET wants some Emmys. In a year where major streamers and legacy networks dominate the Emmy conversations, BET Media Group, which includes BET+ and BET Studios, has had a record-breaking year for its critically acclaimed content, such as Lee Daniels’ racy sitcom “The Ms. Pat Show,” the drama thriller “Average Joe” and the dark comedy “Diarra From Detroit.” All in all, the legacy broadcast media network has submitted in over 35 Primetime Emmy categories, the most in its history.
Selome Hailu As “White Collar” sees a resurgence in popularity years after its conclusion, it seems fans will have new episodes to watch soon. Series creator Jeff Eastin revealed at Variety‘s TV Fest on Thursday that a new version of the police procedural is in the works. “We’re gonna reboot.
Marc Malkin Senior Editor, Culture and Events It’s an early Friday morning in May and comedian Alex Edelman is on a Zoom video call from a Los Angeles hotel. He has a bit of a bed head and says that he had to borrow the socks he is wearing, a detail he shares when I tell him I’m nervous about our interview because he’s a really “smart comic.” “That is so nice but.. I’m not a smart comic.
Todd Spangler NY Digital Editor Apple is hosting 50 students from 19 historically Black colleges and universities for an immersive two-week experience as part of the Propel Center‘s arts and entertainment industry accelerator. Apple and Southern Company are the founding partners of Propel Center, launched in 2011 as a hub designed to support and advance the work of HBCUs.
We should all be so lucky to look like Brett!!
Brent Lang Executive Editor “Ezra,” the story of a stand-up comic embarking on a road trip with his autistic son, is the kind of movie that Hollywood doesn’t make much anymore. It’s not based on a toy or a comic book; instead it’s a warm-hearted, deeply human story without much in the way of special effects. But the movie, which opened last weekend in the height of summer popcorn season, is exactly what Closer Media, the new film and television company that backed the production, was founded to champion.
Summer Games Done Quick, the annual speedrunning marathon that raises money for charity, has announced a strong mix of classics and newer hits for its summer schedule.Summer Games Done Quick will be running from June 30 to July 6, and every day will feature several speedruns. A classic that many Xbox fans will enjoy is a four-player, co-op, legendary difficulty speedrun of Halo 3.