Disney and Pixar Plan More 3D Reissues

EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures and Working Title Films will need a new director for Bridget Jones 3, and I hear they want a Brit. Paul Feig has withdrawn after developing the most recent draft of the script with the intention to direct. I?m told that both sides agreed it didn?t work out and that maybe this is just a quintessential British comedy that needs a British sensibility. They will set a director soon as they are still slated to start production in January, with Renee Zellweger, Colin Firth and Hugh Grant all eager to return.

Feig has enough to keep him busy at Universal, where he just directed the sleeper hit Bridesmaids. He?s got two projects there including an untitled comedy that he?s writing to direct for producer Judd Apatow, with the hope that Jon Hamm will play a guy obsessed with a woman who?ll be played by Melissa McCarthy. That certainly puts much of the Bridesmaids team together, and it will have to do until the studio figures out a way to get moving on a Bridesmaids sequel after the first one grossed $286 million worldwide on a $32 million budget.

Hamm was recently quoted saying that Kristen Wiig, who starred in and co-wrote the original, wasn?t likely to come back. I?ve been hearing the same thing for a while, but the studio is hopeful that things have changed since when she was first asked, when the film was just becoming a phenomenon and it was all a bit overwhelming. She?s now doing her final season of Saturday Night Live, and it wouldn?t be the worst thing in the world to start the next stage of her career with the second installment of a franchise that people actually want to see. Wiig wrote the script with Annie Mumolo, and so far they haven?t even come up with a sequel idea. Of course, Universal has experience continuing hit movies when the original stars don?t return: That happened with The Fast And The Furious when Vin Diesel declined to return for the second film. The franchise did fine anyway, and he?s back now. If the studio can get back Wiig and the cast that includes McCarthy (who is proving herself an accomplished physical comic actress most recently with last weekend?s outrageously funny SNL hosting stint), the sequel makes too much sense not to happen in some form.

Sony Pictures has organized a memorial for former studio head John Calley, who passed away last month. Here are the specifics:

Friends, family and colleagues who worked with and loved John Calley will celebrate his extraordinary life and career on Wednesday, October 19th at 4:00 pm at Sony Pictures Studios. RSVP?s are required by Friday, October 14th to (310) 244-4142. Parking will be accommodated in the Overland Parking structure. All guests should enter through the Overland gate for directions to the celebration.

Disney has seen the 3D light following the success of its re-release of The Lion King in the extra dimension, announcing today limited theatrical releases for four more of its animated films: Beauty and the Beast (January 13, 2012), Pixar?s Finding Nemo (September 14, 2012) and Monsters, Inc. (January 18, 2013), and The Little Mermaid (September 13, 2013). The Lion King 3D is about to cross $80 million in domestic box office since it was re-released September 16; it finished third this past weekend domestically, where it is playing in 2,340 theaters. The Monsters Inc. date, meanwhile, comes five months before Disney releases that film?s prequel, Monsters University, on June 21, 2013.

Los Angeles, CA ? October 4, 2011 ? It was announced today that Emmett / Furla Films and Cheetah Vision Films are partnering to produce the action thriller ?The Pursuit,? which will star Curtis ?50 Cent? Jackson. The announcement was made today by Randall Emmett, who co-runs Cheetah Vision with Jackson and is partnered with George Furla in Emmett / Furla Films.

Director Jessy Terrero (?Soul Plane? ?Gun?) has signed a three picture directing deal with the producers, which will begin with him directing ?The Pursuit.?

Principle photography is slated to begin February 15th 2012 in Louisiana. The film will be distributed by Lionsgate through Cheetah Vision?s existing 10 picture output deal with the leading independent studio.

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UPDATE: Apple just wrapped up its press conference announcing the upgraded iPhone. Better hardware, new operating system, and available on Sprint as well as AT&T and Verizon ? but not the revolutionary iPhone 5?that some predicted. Available Oct. 14, wireless subscribers will be able to score a 64 gig version of the iPhone 4S?for $399,?a 32 GB model for?$299, and 16 GB for?$199. But?the price for the 8 GB iPhone4?has been cut to $99 while the 3GS is free. The 4S will look a lot like previous iPhones but will have a dual core processor that handles graphics about seven times faster ? good news for gamers. It will be a world phone, capable of handling wireless calls transmitted via GSM or CDMA technologies. The camera has been upgraded: 8 megapixels with more sensitive light processing and?face detection. The company also talked up the speed; just a half second lag between shots. It will handle 1080p high definition video with image stabilization. Apple?s also excited about a new feature called Siri: It will answer verbal inquiries about, say, the weather, stock prices, and restaurant reviews ? and handle tasks such as making appointments in your calendar. As expected, the company said that it will launch its iCloud service on Oct. 12. No talk about Facebook integration. Investors apparently expected more: The value of Apple shares declined during the presentation and are down about 4.7% about an hour before the end of the trading day.

PREVIOUS 2:10 AM: Super-secretive Apple?e-mailed ?Let?s Talk iPhone? invitations to a 10 AM PT media event at its headquarters in Cupertino this morning. But it?s the first major product unveiling that won?t be introduced by Steve Jobs. Instead,?his successor Tim Cook is expected to present what may be the iPhone 5 and/or the iPhone 4S and/or?Apple?s latest iOS mobile software ?iOS 5.?According to The AP,?the latest iPhone?will include?wireless device setup and content syncing, a better 8-megapixel camera, as well as email and Web-browsing apps. But?the new smartphone isn?t expected to look?much different from the iPhone 4, though it could be thinner and have a bigger screen. Deadline?s sibling site BGR.com says some industry watchers had hoped for?a brand new teardrop-shaped iPhone 5 with larger display, insanely thin design, and more. Now it?s looking like Apple might be set to introduce an upgraded iPhone 4 instead. Bummer, right??Not if?Apple?s iPhone 4S is?a pretty substantial bump as opposed to just an incremental update, as many are speculating. Some even think?Apple?is set to unveil about a dozen various iPhone models this week, ranging from a modest update on the cheap to a teardrop-shaped overhaul that will feature a 4-inch display and a unibody aluminum design.

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The future of the longest-running scripted series on television, Fox?s The Simpsons, is once again in doubt over cast renegotiations, a torturous cycle we go through every couple of years. Like they did the last time around, the voice cast and the studio behind the veteran series, 20th Century Fox TV, have reached an impasse over the size of the actors? salaries. ?23 seasons in, The Simpsons is as creatively vibrant as ever and beloved by millions around the world,? 20th TV said in a statement. ?We believe this brilliant series can and should continue, but we cannot produce future seasons under its current financial model. We are hopeful that we can reach an agreement with the voice cast that allows The Simpsons to go on entertaining audiences with original episodes for many years to come.? As reported by The Daily Beast, talks between the cast and 20th TV broke down after 20th TV turned down the cast?s proposal to take a 30% pay cut to about $4 million per season each in exchange for a piece of the back-end and issued an ultimatum yesterday for a 45% salary reduction. While still wildly profitable, The Simpsons has seen its primetime ratings on Fox erode over the last few years. But the franchise continues to be extremely important to News Corp., with the company?s COO Chase Carey recently suggesting that a Simpsons cable channel may be in the offing.

Graham King?s GK Films has hired Robert Towne to write The Battle Of Britain, a script about the largest and most sustained air battle to date. King and Tim Headington will produce. In 1940, the Royal Air Force battled the German Luftwaffe for control of British airspace over the city of London, which ultimately prevented a Nazi invasion of Britain. For King, it was a courageous battle his father told him about when he was growing up.

?My father lived in London and watched this spectacular dog fight over the city, so bringing this story of endurance and triumph to the big screen means a great deal to me,? King said in a statement. ?I am also extremely excited to be joining forces with the iconic Robert Towne who is a master of mixing complex characters and tremendously compelling plots. Robert has a passion for history and a shared love of this particular story.? Towne most recently wrote the miniseries Pompeii for Scott Free and HBO, and he is currently writing Compadra, an hourlong pilot for Scott Free/FX/Fox 21. Next up for him is Next Of Kin for David Fincher, Sam Raimi and Josh Donen at Sony.

GK Films is next up with the Martin Scorsese-directed Hugo.

UPDATED: NBC is giving new comedy series Up All Night and Whitney a major vote of confidence with early full-season pickups. Meanwhile, as we indicated in the ratings story earlier this morning, low-rated new drama The Playboy Club has become the first new series to be canceled this fall. The 1960s drama is being pulled from the schedule effective immediately and will be replaced by Brian Williams? new primetime newsmagazine, Rock Center With Brian Williams, which will premiere October 31. For the next three weeks, NBC will air repeats of its other struggling new drama, the well-received Prime Suspect, in the Monday 10 PM hour for additional sampling, while keeping originals on Thursday. ?We made comedy an important goal for us this season and I?m very pleased to be making full-season commitments to both?Whitney and?Up All Night,? NBC chairman Bob Greenblatt said. ?We?re thrilled with the creative direction of both shows as well as the potential for them to continue to build loyal audiences over the coming months.?

While not breakout hits of the size of Fox?s New Girl or CBS? 2 Broke Girls, Up All Night and Whitney have been solid in their first couple of weeks, especially compared to the performance of NBC?s new drama series. The pickup of Whitney, which will be joined shortly by a full-season order for 2 Broke Girls at CBS, will give Whitney Cummings, who created and stars in Whitney and co-created 2 Broke Girls, two successful new shows this fall.? As for Playboy, the series was expected to get the ax last week after its low-rated premiere was followed by a Week 2 decline, but Greenblatt gave the period drama another shot. Unfortunately, the series dropped again last night to a 1.2 demo rating despite its lead-in actually improving a bit. Read More ?

After its lackluster debut last Monday, there has been a series of encouraging news for Fox?s Terra Nova in the past 24 hours. First, the prehistoric drama yesterday rose to the top spot in 18-49 among all new drama series premieres in Live+3 ratings. Then the data from the international markets came in, showing a strong launch for Terra Nova in almost every territory. In Canada, the two-hour opener drew 1.4 million viewers on CityTV to become the most-watched drama in the network?s history. And then the first ratings for last night were released this morning with more good news for the rookie drama: In its second outing on Fox, Terra Nova (3.0/8) matched the fast national for its two-hour premiere despite airing from 8-9 PM vs. 8-10 PM last week. (Last week, the premiere was adjusted up in the finals, which will probably happen again today, so the 100% hold will likely carry on in the final ratings.) UPDATE 9:25 AM: Fox just released final numbers for Terra Nova, and it indeed rose to a 3.1 rating. This is the best Week 1-to-Week 2 retention for a new series this fall. At 9 PM, veteran House (3.9/9) was down a modest 7% from last fall when it aired in the more challenging 8 PM hour. Read More ?

NEW YORK?(BUSINESS WIRE)? Television networks are not alone in announcing Fall TV line-ups this year. Yahoo! (Nasdaq:YHOO), the premier digital media company, today introduces its first full slate of original, premium, TV-quality web shows in tandem with the beta of its re-vamped video destination, Yahoo! Screen (http://screen.yahoo.com).

Yahoo!?s new original shows star top Hollywood talent including Judy Greer (The Descendants, Arrested Development), Niecy Nash (Reno 911, Dancing with the Stars), Cameron Mathison (All My Children, Dancing with the Stars), Morgan Spurlock (Super-Size Me, 30 Days) and others. Seven of the eight shows are live now with new episodes airing Mondays. Morgan Spurlock?s show, ?Failure Club? will premiere on Yahoo! in November. This slate of shows adds to Yahoo!?s existing industry-leading video programming. In August, Yahoo! had all ten of the top ten most-watched Web shows.

In addition, Yahoo! Screen is being developed to house the most comprehensive collection of premium video content on the Web and upgrades Yahoo! Video, the company?s existing video site. Yahoo! Screen adds many of the ingredients that have made Yahoo! No. 1 in nine other online categories*: original programming, the best aggregated content from across the Internet, personalization technologies, and expert editors to curate the experience. Visitors to Yahoo! Screen will also find:

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The nine-station acquisition includes ABC affiliates in Denver, Indianapolis, San Diego, and Bakersfield, CA.?When the transaction is complete,?10 of Scripps? 19 stations will be ABC affiliates?? making it?the largest independent owner of ABC stations. McGraw-Hill?s other stations are low-power affiliates of Spanish language network Azteca America. Wells Fargo analyst Marci Ryvicker says this morning?that the terms are ?a?positive?for?the?broadcast?TV?space? because they?reaffirm the value of stations at a time when potential buyers are growing concerned about the prospects for the ad market. Nexstar is still looking to sell. McGraw-Hill wanted to unload its stations as it prepares to split into two companies, and deal with shareholder concerns that it has become too unfocused. Here?s the release: Read More ?

Kevin Reilly, entertainment president of Fox Broadcasting Company, says that building awareness of new shows online before they premiere has become its new mantra. Reilly, giving the keynote this afternoon in Cannes, highlighted his company?s new comedy New Girl as an example of how Fox uses social networks to build awareness. The network pre-released an episode on iTunes and VOD before it even aired the pilot, and got 2 million downloads. Fox has given New Girl an early back-nine pickup after two highly rated airings, bringing the order to the Zooey Deschanel comedy to 24 episodes. Reilly said that Fox really started exploiting social media with Glee. The show was streamed on Hulu before its TV premiere and songs were pre-released on iTunes to keep social media chatter going. Reilly said: ?The series premiered as a bona fide hit, which I am certain would not have been the case had we marketed it in a more traditional way.? Here?s the full transcript of Reilly?s speech:

?No One Knows Anything.? I?m sure you know this famous quote about Hollywood from the great screenwriter William Goldman.

A common interpretation is that all Hollywood executives are idiots.

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This morning?s decision by the European Court Of Justice in Luxembourg?could derail the way that most independent films and TV shows are financed now and end the pre-selling territorial rights upfront. That?s because?the court?ruled that selling movie and TV rights country-by-country goes against the spirit of the single European market.?It could also mean that Hollywood studios may only be able to sell Europe-wide pay-TV licences for movies, rather than striking deals with individual broadcasters. The ECJ said that this exclusive system of licences is ?contrary to EU law? as the whole thrust of the European Union is to encourage the single market.

The European court also ruled that there is nothing to stop viewers from paying for cheaper pay-TV movie and sports channels beamed in from elsewhere in Europe. From now on, they will not have to pay BSkyB in the UK or Canal+ in France but could buy cheaper. ?On the face of it, this is bad news for Big Content,? one TV analyst tells me. Read More ?

The British Film Institute will award David Cronenberg, director of A Dangerous Method, and Ralph Fiennes, director of Coriolanus, a BFI Fellowship each. It?s the highest award the BFI can offer. Previous fellows include Clint Eastwood, Elizabeth Taylor and David Lean. This year?s ceremony will take place at LSO St Luke?s on October 26. A Dangerous Method and Coriolanus will both screen at this year?s London Film Festival, which runs October 12-27.

Meanwhile, the BFI has announced which films are in the running for the Best Film Award. 360, The Artist, The Deep Blue Sea, The Descendents, Faust, The Kid With A Bike, Shame, Trishna and We Need To Talk About Kevin will all be competing. Director John Madden (The Debt) will chair the Best Film Award jury, whose other members are actress Gillian Anderson, writer/director Asif Kapadia, producer Tracey Seaward, writer Andrew O?Hagan and director Sam Taylor Wood. Jury members on other panels include producers Andy Harries (The Lady) and Stephen Woolley (Made In Dagenham) and Andrew Eaton (Trishna).

London ? 4 October 2011: The 55th BFI London Film Festival is delighted to announce the shortlists and juries for the 2011 Festival Awards, supported by MontBlanc, which will take place at LSO St Luke?s on 26 October.

At this year?s ceremony, the BFI will bestow its highest honour, the BFI Fellowship, on David Cronenberg and Ralph Fiennes. The original and provocative Canadian

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Source: http://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/1923680/news/1923680/

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