‘Wishbone’ Feature Film in the Works From Universal Pictures and Mattel

Tom Pollock, the former Universal Pictures chairman who died Aug. 1 at the age of 77, had a shrewd eye for business.

Dave McNary Film ReporterTom Pollock, the former chairman of Universal Pictures and the American Film Institute, died Saturday of natural causes at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. He was 77.“We are incredibly saddened by the loss of Tom Pollock,” said NBCUniversal vice chairman Ron Meyer in a statement.

Tom Pollock, the former chairman of Universal Pictures and the American Film Institute, has died at the age of 77, TheWrap has learned from longtime law partner Alan Hergott and screenwriter Nicholas Meyer.As an entertainment lawyer and later a producer and studio head, Pollock helped several iconic filmmakers get their start and oversaw the release of some of the most famous blockbusters ever released.

Fox Business reported today on Tom Cruise‘s collaboration with Universal Pictures in which the legendary actor convinced the studio to film the first-ever movie in outer space. At the moment, however, it’s not clear how much of the project will be done outside of the earth’s orbit.

Animation powerhouse Pixar has unveiled its next feature, Italy-setLuca, to be directed by Enrico Casarosa, writer and director of the studio's 2012 Academy Award-nominated animated short La Luna. Walt Disney said Luca, which will be produced by Andrea Warren (Lava, Cars 3),is set to open in U.S.

Also Read: Amazon in Talks to Acquire Michael B Jordan's 'Without Remorse' From ParamountThe film follows Ali — unable to stay on the island because of Jim Crow-era segregation laws — as he spends the night at the Hampton House Motel in one of Miami’s historically black neighborhoods celebrating with three of his closest friends: activist Malcolm X, singer Sam Cooke and football star Jim Brown.

Also Read: 'Soul' Teaser Celebrates Black Voices and Music in Pixar's Latest Film (Video)The studio released “Onward” theatrically on March 6, 2020, but the movie was made available to stream on Disney+ two weeks later due to theater closures amid the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.“Soul” — about a jazz singer whose soul finds its way to “The Great Before” — is slated to open November 20, 2020.

Rebecca Rubin News Editor, OnlineUniversal Filmed Entertainment Group has opened submissions for its 2021 composers initiative, a program designed to seek and amplify rising talent in the entertainment industry.Universal’s Composers Initiative, created in 2018 by the Global Talent Development and Inclusion Department, looks for aspiring artists from all creative and professional backgrounds at various points in their music production careers.

In the latest attempt to become a Hollywood player,digital media company Buzzfeed will partner with Liosngate on a slate of narrative feature films. The slate of full-length feature films, which were described as "socially relevant and high-concept" that would attract millennials and Gen Z, will be produced with BuzzFeed for primarily distribution strategies.

Also Read: BuzzFeed Lays Off Nearly 70% of Furloughed StaffBuzzFeed also points to data that says nearly three-quarters of its audience make their TV and film choices based on the staff’s own content recommendations, and the film’s development process will use that same data and insights in order to figure out what stories will work best with young audiences.“We are thrilled to collaborate with BuzzFeed to expand our digital footprint with a slate of original films that speak to their highly

Denise Petski Senior Managing EditorEXCLUSIVE: Sony Pictures Television has acquired the rights to David Henry Sterry’s memoir Master of Ceremonies: A True Story of Love, Murder, Roller Skates & Chippendales, to develop as a series.

Jimmy Fallon and Will Arnett tried — and failed — to play a game of “Hey Robot” during Thursday’s “Tonight Show”.

Paris Hilton is opening up.

The trailer for the upcoming, Canadian-shot film “Spinster” has arrived.

Amanda N'Duka pmc-editorial-managerUniversal Pictures Home Entertainment has picked up the U.S. rights to Emperor, the feature based on the harrowing journey of American freedom fighter Shields Green, played by Dayo Okeniyi (Shades of Blue).

Wishbone — the Jack Russell terrier with a penchant for literary classics — is getting the feature film treatment via Oscar winner Peter Farrelly. Universal and Mattel Films are teaming for the project, a modern take on the beloved PBS series that ran from 1996 through 2001.

“The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” has returned to the studio, minus the audience, after filming from Fallon’s home during the COVID-19 shutdown.

Last week was a special one for 50 Cent. Not only did the Get Rich or Die Tryin' rapper turn 45, but on Sunday night (July 12), his heralded protégé Pop Smoke scored his first No. 1 album on the Billboard 200 with Aim For the Moon, Shoot For the Stars netting 251,000 equivalent album units. His latest feat also made him the first artist to debut No. 1 on the Billboard 200 with a posthumous album since XXXTentacion's Skins in 2018.

Peter White Television EditorEXCLUSIVE: Most Dangerous Game, the action thriller starring Liam Hemsworth and Christoph Waltz, has been renewed for a second season at Quibi and is also set to be packaged into a standalone feature film.The series, one of the short-form service’s most-high profile titles, follows Dodge Tynes (Hemsworth), who is desperate to take care of his pregnant wife before a terminal illness can take his life and accepts an offer to participate in a deadly game where he’s the