Hilary Swank Latest To Board Steven Soderbergh Heist Film ‘Logan Lucky’

Hilary Swank is joining Steven Soderbergh’s heist film Logan Lucky.  She joins Daniel Craig, Channing Tatum, Katherine Heigl, Adam Driver, Seth MacFarlane and Riley Keough. (DH)

WME/IMG, Sequoia Capital China, Tencent Set Joint Venture Targeting Sports and Entertainment

WME/IMG is looking to grow its operations in China, setting a joint venture with Sequoia Capital China to help expand its activities in sports and entertainment. (VAR)

Box Office: ‘Warcraft’ Soars To Record $90M-Plus In China

Legendary and Universal’s big-budget tentpole opened Wednesday is getting the widest release of all time in mainland China. (THR)

GKIDS Teams With Angelina Jolie To Produce Taliban Tale ‘The Breadwinner’

GKIDS has joined Angelina Jolie Pitt as executive producers of The Breadwinner, an animated film about a young girl living under the Taliban in Afghanistan. (WRAP)

Open Road Buys Chadwick Boseman’s Thurgood Marshall Movie

Open Road Films has acquired all U.S. rights to Marshall, starring Chadwick Boseman as Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall and Josh Gad as lawyer Sam Friedman. (VAR)

‘You Me Her’ Scores 2-Season Renewal From DirecTV

Polyromantic comedy “You Me Her” has been renewed for Season 2 and Season 3 on AT&T and DirecTV’s Audience network. (TVN)

Branded Entertainment News

Hulu Is Bringing Product Placement To Its Original Shows

Hulu is working with Lexus and Goose Island Beer Co. to put cars and brews in episodes of The Mindy Project and Casual, respectively, to stay tapped into ad money without offending viewers used to a commercial-free viewing experience. (VOC)

Edelman And United Entertainment Group Move Deeper Into Influencer Space

Edelman and United Entertainment Group are moving deeper into the influencer marketing space with “Starling.” Starling, a new division dedicated to matching influencers with brands, will continue to work with either company’s roster of brands. (VI)

Top Deals

Papa John’s & Ghostbusters

Papa John’s International, Inc. is making a major splash on the big screen with its biggest film integration ever to support the release of Ghostbusters, in theaters July 15. (BW)

Nordstrom & the Tony Awards

The retailer is jumping on the trend of making fashion items available as soon as they’re seen by live-streaming the red carpet on its blog The Thread and making accessories worn by attendees available for purchase immediately online. (MD)

Warcraft & T-Mobile

T-Mobile is giving away a free ticket to Universal Pictures’ Warcraft for its U.S. premiere this weekend to all of its customers. (VAR)

General Mills Free Plug For New Cereal by Colbert

General Mills is out with its first completely new cereal brand in 15 years called Tiny Toast. According to Stephen Colbert, it might be the “biggest breakfast news since Sonny the Cuckoo Bird finally went into rehab.” (AD)

Tencent & L’Oreal

Inside Tencent and L’Oreal’s zany branded content experiment in China. (AD)

Hot Projects

Flatliners

Remake of the 1990 Columbia Pictures dramatic thriller. To be directed by Niels Arden Oplev. Ellen Page  and Nina Dobrev will star. (SE)

The First Wives Club

TV Land gave a pilot order to this comedy based on the 1996 film of the same name directed by Hugh Wilson. Rebecca Addelman will write the pilot and Jenny Bicks will executive produce. Paramount Television will produce the project. Alyson Hannigan and Megan Hilty will star. (SE)

Jerry Bruckheimer Television Parts Ways With Warner Bros. TV

With the prolific producer’s 15-year, exclusive pact with Warner Bros. Television ending this year, Jerry Bruckheimer Television will become an independently financed outfit. (THR)

Jennifer Lawrence Will Star In A Movie About Theranos

Jennifer Lawrence is joining an upcoming Adam McKay drama about Theranos, the blood-testing startup. Lawrence would play Elizabeth Holmes, the company’s founder, and McKay would direct. (VER)

Angelina Jolie May Board ‘Murder On the Orient Express’

Spider-Man: Homecoming Adds Kenneth Choi As New Character

Kenneth Choi has just joined the cast of Homecoming as the principal of Peter Parker’s high school. (SR)

Helena Bonham Carter Reteaming With Producer Faye Ward For ‘Saint Mazie’; Scott LaStaiti’s Palantir Co-Producing

Helena Bonham Carter is reuniting with Suffragate producer Faye Ward to develop Saint Mazie, the fictional novel by Jami Attenberg based on a real-life character. Scott LaStaiti’s Palantir Group is partnering with Ward’s Fable Pictures on the prospective mini-series, which Clara Brennan (Janis) is adapting. (DH)

HBO Names Francesca Orsi, David Levine Co-Heads Of Drama

Both senior vice presidents report directly to Programming President Casey Bloys. (WRAP)

‘Descendants 2’ Gets Greenlight At Disney Channel

Disney Channel has given the greenlight to Descendants 2, a sequel to the network’s hit original movie, Kenny Ortega will once again direct, executive produce and choreograph the film, which follows the teenage sons and daughters of Disney’s most infamous villains. (VAR)

Box Office: 10 Reasons Why ‘World of Warcraft’ Opened Big in China- Beating ‘Star Wars: The Force Awakens’

Fantasy video game adaptation Warcraft tore up several chapters of the record books in China as it debuted with a stellar opening weekend of $156 million in the Middle Kingdom. The mega-wide release last Wednesday – on 67% of China’s 39,000 screens – was the culmination of an unprecedented combination of marketing, corporate investment and ‘big data.’ (VAR)

Tony Awards: Watch as James Corden Stands Up for Love After Orlando Shooting- “Hate Will Never Win”

The awards show said earlier on Sunday that it was dedicating that evening’s ceremony from New York’s Beacon Theatre to the victims of the massacre at Pulse nightclub, the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history. (THR)

Tony Awards: The 5 Biggest Snubs & Shockers

In a 2015-16 season in which the top winner at the Tony Awards, Hamilton, had been a foregone conclusion since the musical opened last summer, the biggest uncertainty of the Tony telecast was how Broadway would sensitively acknowledge the recent shootings in Orlando while also going on with the show. Here are five of the evening’s biggest snubs and surprises. (VAR)

Microsoft is Buying Linkedin for $26.2 Billion, But the Question is Why?

Microsoft just surprised the world with its LinkedIn acquisition. Valued at $26.2 billion, it’s a huge price to pay for a social network, and it tops the charts as Microsoft’s biggest-ever acquisition. While many are surprised at the cash figure, the question on everyone’s lips is, why does Microsoft want LinkedIn? (VRG)

Netflix Snags ‘The Discovery’ Starring Rooney Mara, Robert Redford and Jason Segel

SVOD giant Netflix has acquired global rights to Charlie McDowell’s The Discovery, starring Rooney Mara, Robert Redford and Jason Segel. The Discovery is a sci-fi story set two years after the discovery of an afterlife that has been scientifically proven where millions of people have taken their own lives in order to start over. (DL)

James Cameron Dives in with NatGeo to Produce ‘Search for Atlantis’ Documentary

James Cameron is re-teaming with National Geographic Channel to executive produce Search for Atlantis, an expedition documentary about the Atlantis myth. Cameron has been part of other exploration docs, like the Ghosts of the Abyss, about the making of the Titanic. (THR)

Netflix Greenlights BFF Series ‘Big Mouth’ From Real-Life BFFs Nick Kroll & Andrew Goldberg

Netflix has greenlit Big Mouth, an animated series from Nick Kroll with a 10-episode order, Variety has learned. The 30-minute “edgy, surreal animated comedy” about the teenage adventures in puberty hails from Kroll and his real-life best friend Andrew Goldberg, a writer/producer on Family Guy. (VAR)

CBS Taps Jim Lanzone to be the Chief Digital Officer as Interactive Audience Doubles

CBS Interactive CEO Jim Lanzone will now also be the Chief Digital Officer, a newly created job that reports to CEO Les Moonves. CBS Interactive’s audience has more than doubled since he joined as president in 2011, following the company’s acquisition of Clicker Media which Lanzone co-founded. (DL)

TNT & TBS to Search for Buried Treasure in the Online Community Wattpad with New Deal

Wattpad is partnering with Turner, owner of TV networks like TBS and TNT, to give its writers the opportunity to have their stories adapted for Turner’s networks. The initial focus of the partnership will be on the upcoming Tales from the Crypt show, a horror anthology airing on Turner’s TNT and featuring executive producer M. Night Shyamalan. (BK)

Trailer Buzz: ‘Moana’

Disney has released the first trailer for its upcoming animated movie, which focuses on the first Polynesian princess, Moana. The film stars Dwayne Johnson as the demi-god Maui and newcomer Auli’i Cravahlo as the titular character, Moana. (PYG)

EMMY HEADLINES

Inside the Emmy Ballot: Who’s In, Who’s Out, and Who’s Turning Heads?

The Television Academy has officially opened the ballot for the first round of voting for the 68th Emmy Awards. After combing through the list of contenders, here’s a look at the major standouts, missing players, and overall buzzworthy choices. (EW)

The Secret Reason Why Constance Zimmer & Steve Zissis May Have Better Emmy Odds This Year

Emmy prospects are looking up for those with last names beginning with a ‘Z’ because of a change in how the names are ordered. The Academy didn’t come out and say they were worried that some of last year’s potential nominees had been hurt by their position in the alphabet, but they admitted they were aware of the potential problem. (TW)

OTHER HEADLINES

Victory for Consumers as Court Upholds FCC Declaration of Net Neutrality Rules

The court’s decision upholds the F.C.C. on the declaration of broadband as a utility. That has broad-reaching implications for web and telecommunications companies and signals a shift in the government’s view of broadband as a service that should be equally accessible to all Americans, rather than a luxury that does not need close government supervision. (NYT)

11 Shows Snag California Tax Credits Including ‘Rosewood’ at Over $11 Million

The third season of American Crime, Season 2 of Rosewood, Season 6 of Veep, newbies This Is Us and Pitch are today among the latest television recipients of California’s lucrative tax credits. 11 projects will be receiving part of the $65 million available this round through the California Film Commission. (DL)

Robert De Niro Suiting Up for Battle for ‘The War With Grandpa’ Film

Robert De Niro is in final negotiations to star in The War With Grandpa, a comedy that is being financed and produced by Marro Films and distributed by Dimension. Tim Hill will direct the flick based on Robert Kimmel Smith’s bestselling youth title. (DL)

Guilty! Former State Sen. Ron Calderon Pleads Guilty to Taking Bribes Regarding California Film Incentive Program

Ron Calderon pleaded guilty in the case to mail fraud, conceding he accepted tens of thousands of dollars in bribes from undercover FBI agents and a corrupt hospital executive. Calderon said he agreed to push for a tax break for producers of independent films in return for money and a made-up job for his daughter. (LAT)

It’s Moving Time for Action Director Renny Harlin as He Makes His Way to China

Action director Renny Harlin (Die Hard 2, Cliffhanger) has launched a production company in Beijing, China where he has decided to now base himself permanently with the aim to nurture new Chinese talent. Its remit covers development and production, with output being Chinese titles or Chinese-foreign co-productions. (VAR)

Jeff Daniels & Merritt Wever Head West to Star in Netflix’s ‘Godless’

The Emmy-winning duo have been tapped to star in the streaming giant’s limited Western series Godless. Daniels and Wever join Unbroken alum Jack O’Connell in the Steven Soderbergh and Scott Frank limited series. (THR)

China’s Alibaba Pictures Unveils 17 Film Slate Along with New Partners

Alibaba Pictures has unveiled the development and production pipeline with a production slate that includes 17 features. They also announced a raft of new partnerships as it intends to turn its online dominance into a creative ecosystem for its collaborations to thrive. (DL)

Ratings Gold: How Networks and Cablers are Looting the 2016 Election for New Series

As the election cycle transitions from primary season to a head-to-head Trump-Clinton matchup, networks whose audiences are used to tuning in for a healthy dose of nonfiction have been programming to those viewers with more than just news and comedy. The tricky part is standing out from all the other political chatter. (VAR)

Branded Entertainment News

The 25 Campaigns that Could Win Cannes Lions Including Favorites Burger King & REI

Burger King and Y&R’s McWhopper offer to McDonald’s for Peace One Day is one of the pre-festival favorites. But it’s only one of several dozen remarkable campaigns on Leo Burnett’s 29th annual Cannes Predictions list. (AW)

How Local Brands like Seaworld Have Responded to the Orlando Shooting

Local Orlando brands have responded to the shooting with tweets of love and support. JetBlue is offering free flights to immediate family and domestic partners of victims who were killed or injured. (BC)

Snapchat’s New Goal? $1 Billion in Ad Sales Via a Colossal Expansion of its Advertising

The API means that Snapchat ads will, for the first time, be sold by third parties, and will be divided by two kinds of collaborators: Ads Partners and Creative Partners. API inventory will be sold via an automated, auction-based system. (AW)

Top Deals

Band of Horses Band Gets Personal in New Video that is Also Branded Content for Sonos

The days when bands promoting their music through brands was taboo have long passed, but it’s interesting that Band of Horses and Sonos picked one with so much obvious meaning to partner up on. (FC)

NY Mag Gets New Editor for a Day a la Bravo’s ‘Jill Weber’ to Promote “Odd Mom Out” Season 2

After watching the Odd Mom Out Season 2 trailer, fans can make their own videos reviewing what they think of the next season and then share it across social networks, with a little help from the network. Odd Mom Out’s main character, Jill Weber, will takeover New York Magazine’s site via an overlay video and edit headlines. (LR)

Nothing But Class- Gucci Partners With Condé Nast’s 23 Stories on 4-Part Film Directed by Gia Coppola

Condé Nast’s in-house branded content studio, 23 Stories, released its first major fashion project on Monday: a four-part video series paid for by Gucci. The digital film was directed by Gia Coppola and stars Lou Doillon, Marcel Castenmiller and Laura Love all decked out in Gucci’s pre-fall collection. (F)

Nick Offerman Goes Fishing with his Dad in Lagavulin Single Malt Scotch Whisky Father’s Day Spot

Of the experience, Offerman said, “Working with my Dad (aka my hero) was a sincere honor and a treat – especially since all we had to do was go fishing. And if people have enjoyed my stoic expressions, then I expect they’re about to have their hats fly off when they lay eyes on the face of the august edifice from whence I sprung.” (MV)

Hot Projects

Blood Drive

Syfy gave a series order to this post-apocalyptic sci-fi drama written by John Hlavin (Underworld: Awakening) and James Roland, Hell on Wheels’ David Straiton will direct and it will star TMNT’s Alan Ritchson. (SE)

Brockmire

IFC has ordered a series based off of episode three of Funny-or-Die’s series Gamechangers. Undateable’s Joel Church-Cooper will executive produce and Hank Azaria of Simpsons fame will star. (SE)

EMMY HEADLINES

Emmy Documentary Overview: Inside This Year’s Outstanding Doc Series And Specials

This year’s stand-out runners and riders for the Creative Arts Emmys documentary categories—series and special—tackle the crucial sociopolitical issues of today, investigating everything from the 2016 presidential race, to possible wrongful imprisonment and the significant challenges of growing up trans. Here are the standouts. (DL)

Open Battlefield for Late-Night After Shake-Up Gives Way to Newcomers

With former Emmy winner David Letterman and record-breaker Jon Stewart off the air, this year’s race for the Emmy in late night has become an open field for newcomers. Meanwhile veterans Conan O’Brien and Jimmy Kimmel continue to seek that elusive Emmy win. (VAR)

OTHER HEADLINES

Netflix Will Take ‘David Brent: Life On The Road’ in UK ‘The Office’ Spinoff Deal

The Office fans can rejoice! Ricky Gervais, the creator of the popular UK and U.S. television series, announced that Netflix has just bought the rights to his ‘Office’ movie spinoff, David Brent: Life On The Road. (CNN)

Mega Joint Venture Between CAA & Global Brands Group Includes Jennifer Lopez, Coca-Cola & Hershey’s

CAA has teamed with Hong Kong-based Global Brands Group for a joint venture that will expand the agency’s capabilities in brand management, licensing, product development and retail activities. The deal makes the newly created CAA-GBG a subsidiary of Global Brands. (VAR)

Bradley Whitford to Lead TNT’s Timely ‘Civil’ Series Based on Fictional Hotly Contested Election

Emmy winner Bradley Whitford is set as a lead opposite Enrique Murciano in TNT’s modern-day Civil War pilot Civil. It takes place in the wake of a hotly contested Presidential election, as America finds itself plunging uncontrollably into a modern day Civil War. (DL)

Peter Chernin-Backed Ellation to Bundle Digital Channels Crunchyroll & Nerdist in New Streaming Video Service Vrv

Digital media company Ellation is announcing a big push into streaming video with Vrv, which will offer a variety of channels aimed at gamers and other geeks. The service will go the targeted route, with social features that allow viewers to feel more involved and part of a community. (TC)

Netflix’s Secret “Project Beetlejuice” Revealed Through Lawsuit

“Project Beetlejuice” — about which little is known — pays people to pick the best still images and videos from thousands of titles to help users figure out what to watch. Now, two of them are suing for overtime, paid vacation, health insurance and more. (THR)

Filmmakers Assemble! Steven Spielberg, Matt Charman & Marc Platt Re-Team for Walter Cronkite Film

Steven Spielberg, Matt Charman and Marc Platt, who worked together so memorably on Tom Hanks Cold War-starrer Bridge of Spies, are re-teaming for a feature project about legendary newscaster Walter Cronkite for Amblin Partners. (DL)

Believe it or Not Kanye West Beat Donald Trump as TV Season’s Twitter MVP

With nearly a billion Tweets sent in the U.S. about TV during the 2015-2016 season, social media continues to play a starring role in fans’ living rooms. At the close of this eventful TV season, Nielsen took a look back to highlight the top series, specials and sports events on Twitter in the U.S. from Aug. 31, 2015, through May 29, 2016. (NL)

Trailer Buzz: ‘The Young Pope’

In Paolo Sorrentino’s new series The Young Pope, Jude Law stars as the fictional Pope Pius XIII, the first American Pope. The series also stars Diane Keaton as Sister Mary, a nun who raised Pius and helped him reach the papacy. (IW)

EMMY HEADLINES

At $50,000 a Pop, Who’s Really Winning the FYC Party Arms Race?

Content execs keep the pricey, elaborate events coming as the TV Academy enables (and profits from) the madness. So what’s the TV Academy’s take on this blatantly transactional activity? As it turns out, the organization not only allows it but is intricately involved. (THR)

‘Jessica Jones’ Director & Other Female Directors Open Up About Current State of Diversity in TV

“There’s no doubt that the entire media industry is suffering from not representing the diversity of society,” says Susanne Bier, director of The Night Manager for AMC. “It’s also suffering from a slightly conventional way of thinking about projects, because yes, in general, female directors get to do a certain kind of material.” (VAR)

OTHER HEADLINES

George Clooney & Grant Heslov Producing ‘America’s Most Admired Lawbreaker’ With First Look Deal at Sonar

George Clooney and Grant Heslov’s indie production company Smokehouse Pictures is continuing its push into television, inking a first-look deal with Sonar Entertainment. Their first project is America’s Most Admired Lawbreaker, based on the serialized Huffington Post article by journalist Steven Brill. (DL)

‘Orphan Black’ Will Stop the Cloning Process with Fifth and Final Season

Cult sensation Orphan Black has been renewed for a fifth – and final – season. That’s right: The BBC America thriller starring Tatiana Maslany will end with season 5. (EW)

Bradley Cooper to Produce ‘Stand Up to Cancer’ Special to Benefit Non-Profit that has Raised Over $370 Million

Bradley Cooper is on board to exec produce the latest “Stand Up to Cancer” primetime fundraising special, set to air Sept. 9 as a roadblock across more than two dozen networks. The hourlong special featuring an array of celebrities and musical performances will air live from the downtown Los Angeles’ Walt Disney Concert Hall. (VAR)

Netflix Signs Up for ‘Skylanders Academy’- the First Animated Series Out of Activision Blizzard Studios

Netflix announced today that Skylanders Academy, based on the bestselling console game, has been picked up for a pair of 13-episode seasons. Featured voices on the good-versus-evil animated show include actor Justin Long as the game’s lovable purple dragon Spyro and actress Ashley Tisdale as crafty, tree-hugging Stealth Elf. (LAT)

Promotions Abound at Emmett/Furla/Oasis with Tim Sullivan Upped to President of Production and Development

Emmett/Furla/Oasis Films has made a series of promotions, elevating Tim Sullivan to President of Production and Development, Alex Eckert to Creative Executive, and Tony Callie to Chief Operating Officer. (DL)

Studio Series: Disney is Shattering Records Thanks to Marvel, Lucasfilm and Pixar, But Can it Continue?

Last year Disney had the second best year of any studio in cinematic history, it just happened to do so the same year that Universal went bananas. This is Part Two of a series analyzing the current state of the studios. (TB)

Looking for the Next Hit Film? Try Leveraging Metadata & Twitter

“The million-dollar question is whether you can build a plot around [metadata],” said James Sullivan, managing director of research at JPMorgan Chase. “Ultimately, I think the answer will be ‘yes,’ but it’s an incredibly controversial conversation. There have been clear creative concerns expressed to me, particularly by screenwriters.” (AA)

Trailer Buzz: ‘Chronically Metropolitan’

The film stars Mary-Louise Parker, Chris Noth and Ashley Benson. It’s about a promising young author who returns to the city unannounced to reunite with his ex-girlfriend, make peace with his estranged parents and conquer his writer’s block. (DL)

Branded Entertainment News

Shanghai Disneyland Opens- “We Didn’t Build Disneyland in China, We Built China’s Disneyland”

Disney is leading an incoming wave of top-notch megaparks developed by both local and foreign operators competing for a tourism industry that is set to double by 2020. Considering the growth in the market, Disney has taken pains to incorporate Chinese elements into the resort. (AA)

Sony Pictures Invests Millions in Interlude & Their Interactive Video Platform Eko

Sony has brought on Will Gluck, who directed Annie for the studio, to create and oversee the development of entertainment content to be distributed on Interlude’s Eko platform — touted as being able to allow viewers to control the outcomes of stories on the screen. (VAR)

Intel is First Out of the Gate to Publish on Facebook’s Instant Articles

The distinction between marketers and publishers is getting increasingly blurred. Facebook, which created Instant Articles a year ago to make publishers’ articles load faster, is now giving that tool to brands. Intel is the first to take advantage, posting content from its digital tech-focused publication, iQ, as Instant Articles starting last week. (DD)

Top Deals

Platforms May Evict Commercials But Ads Will Just Move to Higher Ground- Sponsored Content

As much a part of our consumerist economy as the products they pitch, ads never truly die — they adapt. And a new move, ostensibly designed to cut ad-time from beloved network institution Saturday Night Live, has possibly unveiled the next evolution in TV commercials: sponsored content. (DT)

Want to Go to the Moon? Adobe’s Virtual Cinema Will Take You There

Interested in watching the 2015 hit film The Martian from the surface of the moon? Adobe wants you to take you there. Today, Adobe is debuting Virtual Cinema, a feature that will allow Primetime clients to develop experiences for users to enter a virtual environment. (AW)

How Bonnaroo Leverages Social Media Influencers to Compete with Coachella

Though fewer people attend Bonnaroo than Coachella, Lollapalooza, and Electric Daisy Carnival, a recent Adweek article reports that Bonnaroo still has an estimated reach of 5 million households, making “The Farm” an ideal place for influencer marketing collaborations and social media marketing campaigns. (MK)

Subtle But Substantial- How BEN & Crackle Are Collaborating on Product Placement

Crackle will use Branded Entertainment Network (BEN) technology, content database and analytics to improve its integration opportunities. But BEN will keep it organic with Crackle by being involved in the process from the early stages of development with the producers and the marketing department, as well as the brands. (VI)

Hot Projects

It

A horror film based on the Stephen King novel, adapted by Chase Palmer (The Equalizer) and directed by Andy Muschietti (Mama). Bill Skarsgård (The Divergent Series: Allegiant) will star. (SE)

MacGyver

CBS is developing a reboot of the classic creative field agent to be produced by Atomic Monster (Annabelle). The series is written and executive produced by Scott Gemmill (NCIS: Los Angeles) with James Wan (Saw), Michael Clear (A Million Ways to Die in the West), and Henry Winkler (Bob’s Burgers) all executive producing as well. Lucas Till (Monster Trucks) will star. (SE)

EMMY HEADLINES

Jason Sudeikis Ousted From Emmy Consideration for Fox’s ‘Last Man On Earth’

When the 2016 Primetime Emmy ballots went online Monday, Jason Sudeikis was included among the list of guest actors in a comedy series for his critically acclaimed turn on Fox’s The Last Man On Earth. There’s just one problem: Under Emmy rules, Sudeikis isn’t a guest star. (VAR)

The Top Never-Would-Have-Thought-That Oddities Found on the Emmy Ballot

The race for the 2016 Emmys has officially begun. We already knew about some of the season’s more unusual contenders — like Amy Poehler and Tina Fey’s joint submission as guest actress for hosting Saturday Night Live, but Variety perused some of the top categories to find more inevitable oddities, including surprise inclusions (Doctor Who!) and exclusions (sorry, Manhattan). (VAR)

OTHER HEADLINES

‘Finding Dory’? Try ‘Finding Money’ as Film Swims to Record $9.2 Million on Thursday Night

Pixar and Disney’s animated sequel Finding Dory swam to a huge $9.2 million in Thursday previews as the film heads to a strong domestic debut north of $100 million. It’s a record for a Thursday preview for an animation title, beating Minions, Despicable Me 2 and Diseny-Pixar hits Toy Story 3 and Inside Out. (THR)

Inside the Film Studio Politics at Play with the Fox Executive Shake-Up

Stacey Snider takes the top job as 21st Century Fox leaders James and Lachlan Murdoch usher in a new era at the studio with a succession plan announced to quash chatter about Snider’s lack of a defined role. Stacey Snider became the first woman to head two major motion picture studios on Thursday, when 20th Century Fox announced she will succeed Jim Gianopulos as the company’s top film executive. (THR)

Filmmaker Tara Miele in the Spotlight After ‘Meet a Muslim’ Video Hits it Big Thanks to WME

Just as presumptive Republican Party presidential candidate Donald Trump renewed his pledge to stop allowing Muslims to enter the U.S. in the wake of last weekend’s Orlando nightclub massacre, a short film called Meet A Muslim has created a viral groundswell and become part of the discussion. (DL)

Orlando Bloom Joins Action Thriller ‘Smart Chase: Fire & Earth’ Set in Scorching Hot Location, China

Orlando Bloom has joined the cast of Smart Chase: Fire & Earth, a Shanghai-set action-packed thriller that will be directed by French helmer Julien Seri (Night Fare). The movie is being produced by Paris-based Eskwad (Zulu) and Chinese outfit Bliss Media. Bloom is also co-producing via newly-launched venture BlissBloom Productions. (VAR)

Dubai-based Front Row Sets Up Ambitious Release Slate, Acquiring Halle Berry Starrer ‘Kings’ Among Others

Dubai-based distributor Front Row Films has closed a number of buzzy deals coming out of Cannes as it continues to push forward with its ambition of becoming the leading indie distrib in the Middle East. (DL)

China’s Huanxi Media Cancels $50 Million Investment in Working Title Backed MUBI

New Chinese media group Huanxi Media has announced the cancellation of its agreement to go into business with MUBI, a curated subscription on demand service from the U.S. and U.K. It offered no reasons for the cancellation of the deal, nor any explanation of the direction of the ongoing talks with MUBI. (VAR)

Amidst Shuffle, ‘Furious 7′ Helmer James Wan Will Direct Pilot for Rejiggered ‘MacGyver’

CBS’ new fall series MacGyver, a reimagining of the 1985 show about a resourceful and ingenious agent, is getting its original director, James Wan. Here is a glimpse at the changes in the concept of the rebooted series. (DL)

Screenplay: ‘Bulworth’

Warren Beatty stars as a politician who rises in popularity due to his, well ‘politically incorrect’ talk. Here’s the logline- A suicidally disillusioned liberal politician puts a contract out on himself and takes the opportunity to be bluntly honest with his voters by affecting the rhythms and speech of hip-hop music and culture. (LF)

Box Office: ‘Finding Dory’ Makes History With $136.2M U.S. Bow

That’s the biggest domestic opening ever for an animated film; Dwayne Jonson and Kevin Hart’s action comedy Central Intelligence opens to a solid $34.5 million. (THR)

Warner Bros. Bowls A Box Office Turkey With Three Straight Mid-Level Hits

Over the last three weeks, Warner Bros. has snagged three unmitigated hits in a row from the very kind of mid-to-low budget genre films that everyone fears are going away. (FOR)

‘Monopoly The Musical’: Hasbro Partners With Broadway Producer For Live Entertainment

Hasbro has targeted Monopoly the Musical, for Broadway and the first of a series of stage projects to be announced out of a new partnership between Hasbro and the Araca Group, the Broadway producing and merchandising company. (VAR)

Aron Coleite Tapped By Fox To Adapt Iconic Japanese Graphic Novel ‘Amulet’

Aron Coleite has been tapped by 20th Century Fox to adapt iconic Japanese grphic novel Amulet. Temple Hill Entertainment is producing at Fox with Ryan Jones and Mark Roybal the overseeing execs for Fox. (DH)

‘Penny Dreadful’ Will Not Return For Season 4

The season 3 finale of Showtime’s gothic drama was also its series finale — a choice that originated with series creator John Logan. (EW)

Paddington Films Set For Third Installment

The intellectual property rights for the orphan bear have been adopted by StudioCanal. The company is committed to a third Paddington film out of Michael Bond’s books. (GUAR)

Ron Howard’s Beatles Doc To Hit Hulu, Select Theaters In September

The film also gets its first teaser trailer and poster; indie distributor Abramorama is partnering with Hulu on the U.S. theatrical release. (BILL)

‘Empire': Xzibit Snags Series-Regular Promotion Ahead Of Season 3

The rapper-actor made his debut as Lucious’ drug-dealing, music-making adversary in the Fox smash’s Season 2 finale. His promotion takes affect in Season 3. (TVL)

Emmy Headlines

Emmys: THR TV Critics Make Their Picks For 9 Major Categories

Tim Goodman and Daniel J. Fienberg deliver their opinions on where the nominations should net out, and who should get snubbed, before the big July 14 announcements. (THR)

Why Constance Zimmer, Steve Zissis Have Better Emmy Oddzzz This Year

Sometimes, actors like Wu, Zimmer and Togetherness co-star Steve Zissis will still be at the back of the line when voters go to cast their ballots, but other times they’ll be right up front. (WRAP)

Other Headlines

Eli Roth Is The Latest Director To Grant Bruce Willis’ ‘Death Wish’

Eli Roth is the next director up to bat on the Bruce Willis film, Death Wish.  Big Bad Wolves directors Navot Papushado and Aharon Keshales are previous directors, but they departed citing creative differences over the Bruce Willis-approved screenplay. (SF)

J.J. Abrams, Tavis Smiley Partner On Michael Jackson Event Series

Abrams’ Bad Robot to help adapt Smiley’s new book Before You Judge Me: The Triumph and Tragedy of Michael Jackson’s Last Days. (IW)

CBS TV Studios Names Bryan Seabury Head Of Drama Development

CBS drama executive Bryan Seabury is moving to sibling CBS Television Studios, where he will run the drama department as SVP Drama Development, Broadcast and Cable Programming. Seabury succeed Julie McNamara, who was just named EVP Original Content for CBS CBS All Access. (DH)

SXSW Winner ‘Tower’ Gets October Release

Kino Lorber has acquired the U.S. distribution rights to Keith Maitland’s animated documentary Tower, which won SXSW’s Grand Jury Prize and Audience Award for best documentary feature. (VAR)

‘Hotel Transylvania’ TV Series Headed To Disney Channels Worldwide

Sony Pictures’ and Nelvana’s small-screen version will debut on Disney Channel in the U.S. and elsewhere globally in 2017. (THR)

Comic-Con: ‘Prison Break’, ‘Son Of Zorn’, More Fox Series To Be Previewed

Fox is hitting Comic-Con 2016 with cast and crew panels, screenings, and sneak previews from 13 new and returning series. (EW)

EMMY HEADLINES

Emmy Late-Night Preview: Widest Field Yet As Corden, Oliver & Others Battle It Out

Will the broadcast networks make a return to glory with The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon, ABC’s Jimmy Kimmel Live, newbie Late Show With Stephen Colbert, along with the relatively new Late Late Show With James Corden and Late Night With Seth Meyers? (AL)

Emmy Awards 2016: Drama Writing Frontrunners – ‘Game Of Thrones,’ ‘Mr. Robot,’ ‘The Americans’

The Emmy Awards ballot for Best Drama Writing lists a staggering 247 episodes come from 101 series. This is the first year that there will be officially six nominees. (GD)

OTHER HEADLINES

Glenn Ficarra & John Requa Ink Overall Deal With 20th Century Fox TV

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa, who directed NBC’s standout drama pilot This Is Us, have signed an overall deal with the studio behind the project, 20th Century Fox TV, for Zaftig Films, their company with Charlie Gogolak. (DH)

Preview New Frozen Northern Lights Animated Shorts

Disney announced Frozen Northern Lights, an original story from the kingdom of Arendelle spanning a collection of books, animated shorts from the LEGO Group and new digital extensions. (CS)

Famechangers 2016: Rewriting The Rules Of Celebrity

Young self-made stars are heading to Anaheim this week for VidCon, an annual celebration of digital-native talent expected to attract more than 25,000 fans, not to mention the studios and networks who want to market to them. (VAR)

Sony Animation Dates ‘Hotel Transylvania 3’, ‘Emojimovie’ & More; ‘Ghostbusters’ TV Series Set

Sony Pictures Animation has set release dates for Hotel Transylvania 3, its animated Spider-Man feature, the first fully animated Smurfs movie and the newly titled original pics Emojimovie: Express Yourself and The Star. (DH)

Mark Cuban, Rob Gronkowski Join Ed Helms In ‘The Clapper’

New England Patriots star Rob Gronkowski and Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban are joining the cast of The Clapper set to play themselves in the comedy. (EW)

Prometheus’ Noomi Rapace Back for ‘Alien: Covenant’

Despite Ridley Scott’s prior claims that Noomi Rapace is not reprising her role as Elizabeth Shaw in Alien: Covenant, it appears the Prometheus star will be back after all. (IGN)

Netflix Adds Margaret Atwood Murder Drama ‘Alias Grace’ From Sarah Polley, Mary Harron

Six months after Making a Murderer became a phenomenon, the streaming giant is partnering with Halfire Entertainment and Canadian broadcaster CBC to adapt Margaret Atwood’s Canadian murder drama novel Alias Grace. (THR)

Branded Entertainment News

Yahoo In Cannes Puts Emphasis On Branded Content, Storytelling, Mobile

At Cannes Lions, Yahoo announced a branded content initiative that Dasani, Farmers Insurance, and JetBlue have already signed up to participate in. (MP)

TheStreet Rolls Out Blue Chip In-House Branded Content Studio

TheStreet, the financial media company founded by TV personality and former hedge fund manager Jim Cramer, announced that it is launching a custom media division, Blue Chip Content Studio. (VI)

Progressive Ain’t Afraid Of No Ghosts

As part of the Mayfield, Ohio-based insurer’s sponsorship of the new Ghostbusters film, which will hit theaters July 15, Progressive is running a series of spots that will air both on TV and before the movie. (AA)

Top Deals

Inside Nicole Kidman’s New VR Film That Shows Off a Luxurious Etihad Airways Jet

The Academy Award-winning actress plays a version of herself in a five-minute short for Etihad Airways, titled “Reimagine.” The film is a 360-degree, fully immersive virtual reality story that takes viewers along for the ride. (AW)

Mountain Dew Taps Into Your 90s Nostalgia By Resurrecting GUTS Aggro Crag

Tapping into 90s kid nostalgia, Mountain Dew resurrected the Aggro Crag in New York City last week as part of its “Dewcision 2016″ campaign. (AW)

Facebook Signs Up Intel And Budweiser With Innovative Brand Offerings

Facebook continues to innovate with its offerings to marketers—and now Intel has signed on as first brand to publish on Instant Articles and Budweiser will be one of the first to roll out Facebook’s 360 Photos. (BC)

Hot Projects

Chaos Walking

Lionsgate’s youthful sci-fi about the power of the human spirit. Based on the popular YA novel series by author Patrick Ness, written for the screen by Charlie Kaufman. Doug Liman is attached to direct. Allison Schearmur will produce. (SE)

Gypsy

Netflix is developing this drama series from writer and executive producer Lisa Rubin to be produced by Working Title Television for Universal Television. Naomi Watts is attached to star. (SE)

‘Bad Blood’ Bids Mobilize For Jennifer Lawrence-Adam McKay Package: 9 Offers

This is the movie package that has Jennifer Lawrence attached to play Elizabeth Holmes, founder of the controversial blood-test company Theranos.  A total of nine bidders are in the mix, a day after McKay pitched his vision for the hot-button film he’ll write and direct. (DH)

‘Game of Thrones’ Stars Score Hefty Pay Raises For Season 8

Due to score sizable pay bumps are leads Peter Dinklage, Kit Harington, Lena Headey, Emilia Clarke and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. They’ll each earn upward of $500,000 per episode of season seven. (THR)

‘Broom-Hilda’ Comic Strip Rights Flies To ‘Tales From the Crypt’ Producer

Broom-Hilda, the popular 1970 comic strip from Russell Myers, has just been picked up by producers Gilbert Adler and Jason A. Rosenberg. The two secured the IP from the strip’s syndicator, Chicago-based Tribune Content Agency. (DH)

CBS Announces Fall Premiere Dates, Including JonBenet Ramsey Docuseries, Kevin James Sitcom

One of the most anticipated shows of the fall, “Case Closed,” begins Sept. 18. The six-hour limited documentary series will re-examine the 1996 killing of JonBenet Ramsey and joins a spate of true-crime projects on the small screen. (LAT)

Bryan Cranston Joins ‘Power Rangers’ Movie As Floating Head Zordon

Lionsgate confirms that Bryan Cranston will appear in Power Rangers, the March 2017 movie based on Mighty Morphin’ Power Rangers, which aired on Fox Kids from 1993 to 1995. (TVL)

Trailer Buzz: ‘Jack Reacher: Never Go Back’

Watch the movie trailer for Jack Reacher: Never Go Back, starring Tom Cruise. Jack Reacher is coming to theatres October 21, 2016. (YT)

Screenwriters: ‘Leaving Las Vegas’

The February 8, 1994 unspecified draft by Mike Figgis (adapted from the novel by John O’Brian). (DS)

Box Office: ‘Secret Life of Pets’ Hops To $5.3 Million Thursday

Animated film The Secret Life of Pets earned a strong $5.3 million in late night shows. Comedy Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates also began rolling into theaters with $1.6 million. (THR)

‘Lego Movie Sequel’ Getting Rewrite From ‘BoJack Horseman’ Creator

Warner Bros. has hired Raphael Bob-Waksberg to rewrite the script. Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, who directed the first film, penned the original draft. Rob Schrab is directing with Lord and Miller producing. (VAR)

Kiefer Sutherland Crossing Over To ‘Flatliners’ Redo

Kiefer Sutherland is joining the cast of the reboot of the 1990 film after schedules were worked out for the actor to do both his new ABC series Designated Survivor and the Sony feature film. (DH)

Amblin Gets Back Into the Alien Invasion Business With New Script ‘The Fall’

Amblin Entertainment has snapped up the rights to a spec script about an alien invasion called The Fall, written by Australian writer Pete Bridges. (IW)

Kate Mara, Ed Helms Join ‘Chappaquiddick’

Kate Mara will play the tragic victim in Chappaquiddick. The former House of Cards star and Ed Helms have been cast in the political thriller. (EW)

Steve Rabineau Moves To WME From UTA, Reuniting With Top Partners

Steve Rabineau has just jumped from UTA to join WME as a partner in the agency’s Motion Picture Literary department. (DH)

Tomb Raider Movie Reboot Release Date Announced

The new Tomb Raider film starring Alicia Vikander will open in theaters on March 16, 2018, Warner Bros. and MGM announced. (IGN)

‘Hairspray Live’ Adds Ariana Grande In Pivotal, Pigtailed Role

The Scream Queens victim has been cast as Penny Pingleton — the best friend of leading lady Tracy Turnblad — in NBC’s upcoming Hairspray Live, airing Dec. 7. (TVL)

Screenwriters: ‘The Wild Bunch’

The February 7, 1968 unspecified draft by Walon Green & Sam Peckinpah (Story by Roy Sickner). (DS)

Weekend Box Office Wrap-up: July 10, 2016

Coming in first this week is The Secret Life of Pets, which brought in $103.1 million in its first three days. This is another notch on Illumination’s belt, as the studio has quickly become one of the leading figures in family films. (SR)

U.F.C. Sells Itself For $4 Billion

The league, which promotes mixed martial arts, has sold itself to a group led by the talent giant WME-IMG for about $4 billion. (NYT)

Will ‘Secret Life of Pets’ Make Chris Meledandri A Household Name?

The animated film’s massive $103.2 million launch this weekend solidifies Meledandri among the most successful people in the animation space and reaffirms his status as one of the movie industry’s biggest hit-makers. (VAR)

Goldie Hawn Is Going Back To Her Adventure Movie Roots With Amy Schumer

Scribe Katie Dippold is writing an untitled adventure comedy along with Kim Caramele and Amy Schumer, and Goldie Hawn is set to appear as one half of a mother/ daughter semi-eponymous duo with Schumer. (IW)

Dean Norris Joins ‘Girlboss’ Netflix Comedy Series

Breaking Bad alum Dean Norris has booked a recurring role opposite Britt Robertson and Ellie Reed in Girlboss, Netflix’s 13-episode comedy series inspired by Sophia Amoruso’s popular autobiography. (DH)

Showtime Secures Rights To Air Amblin, DreamWorks, Participant Films

Steven Spielberg’s Amblin Partners has signed an output deal with Showtime that will give the premium cable network rights to air feature films released by the company through 2021. (VAR)

‘Hunters’ Canceled at Syfy After One Season

The NBCUniversal-owned cable network has canceled the straight-to-series adaptation of Whitley Strieber’s best-selling novel Alien Hunter. (THR)

How The Lionsgate-Starz Merger Could Completely Change The Shape Of The Industry

It was announced last week that Lionsgate is going to spend $4.4 billion dollars to purchase the pay cable network Starz.  The smart networks have their own streaming services already up and running, which gives them the escape route needed to insure continued viewership. (TB)

Screenwriters: ‘All is Lost’ Moment Equals Opportunity For Character

Jen Grisanti explains how your character’s “all is lost” moment is an essential step for both the plot of your story and character growth. (SM)

Steve Pink Directing Sega ‘Rent A Hero’ Movie

Hot Tub Time Machine director Steve Pink has signed on to write and direct Rent a Hero, a film adaptation of the Sega video game title. (VAR)

‘Battlefield’ Video Game To Be Adapted As TV Series 

Paramount TV and Anonymous Content have optioned the rights to the Battlefield video game property to adapt as a TV series. (DH)

Warner Bros., BuzzFeed Team For ‘Brother Orange’ Movie

Warner Bros is teaming up with BuzzFeed to bring the story of the internet phenomenon to the screen, and developing the project with Flagship Entertainment. (THR)

‘Finding Dory’ Passes ‘Captain America: Civil War’ As The Biggest Domestic Movie Of 2016

This weekend, Finding Dory surpassed Captain America: Civil War to become the highest-grossing domestic film of 2016. With an estimated $423 million to Captain America’s $406.2 million, Finding Dory is now the biggest movie of the year in North America. (EW)

Andrew Haigh’s ‘Lean On Pete’ Finds Its Lead In Charlie Plummer

The project has just found its lead in Charlie Plummer. The young actor will play Charley Thompson, a wayward teenager whose mother abandoned him as a newborn and whose father has just died. (IW)

Working Title Options Tamara Mellon’s ‘In My Shoes’

The prolific UK-based production company has optioned In My Shoes, the autobiography of Jimmy Choo co-founder Tamara Mellon, with a view to bringing the larger-than-life story to the big screen. (DH)

Disneyland Resorts Tease Upcoming Star Wars Land Experience in Tremendous New Image

Disneyland Resorts have been on a long crusade to get Star Wars Land, their largest ever single-themed expansion, finished and open. They are now teasing the arrival of the 14-acre experience with concept art. (COLL)

Colin Firth Will Indeed Be Back For The ‘Kingsman’ Sequel

Star Taron Egerton hinted that Firth would return for the upcoming sequel Kingsman: The Golden Circle, and now, thanks to an instagram post, it appears he’s back from the dead. (VUL)

Enjoy A Spidey Selfie From The Set Of ‘Spider-Man: Homecoming’

Rookie Spider-Man Tom Holland took a photo in costume while hanging around on the set of next year’s hit. (FCC)

BRANDED ENTERTAINMENT NEWS

TOP DEALS

History Partners With Yeti Coolers For Branded Content Saturday Block

Yeti and History announce Wild History, a programming block for the outdoor adventurer, to air exclusively on History. (MCN)

Syfy Hooks Dodge In Sprawling ‘Sharknado 4′ Ad Deal

As Syfy preps for the premiere of Sharknado 4: The 4th Awakens, the NBC Universal ad sales team has hooked the Fiat Chrysler’s Dodge division and will use the movie as a showcase for three of its seven current models. (AA)

HGTV & Food Network Launch Sponsored Shoppable Apps

HGTV and Food Network have launched new apps on Amazon’s Fire TV platform that will allow viewers to browse products related to show topics while watching their programming. (SD)

‘Real Housewives Of New Jersey’ Kicked Off Season 7 With Facebook Live Special

Season 7 of Bravo’s Real Housewives of New Jersey kicked off with the stars of the show participating in a Facebook Live special event hosted by The People’s Couch stars Julie Goldman and Brandy Howard and featuring show cast members Melissa Gorga and Teresa Giudice. (DRUM)

T-Mobile Goes Yard With the MLB Home Run Derby

As part of its title sponsorship of the event, T-Mobile has developed a virtual reality experience in which regular fans can experience the thrill of stepping up to the plate and trying to knock one into the stands. (MP)

YouTube Star Cutie Pie Marzia Partners With Zoya To Launch Her Own Shade Of Nail Polish

Marzia Bisognin is the latest YouTube star attaching her personal brand to a line of beauty products. Also known as Cutie Pie Marzia, she has announced a product line with nail polish brand Zoya. (TF)

HOT PROJECTS

Flatliners

Remake of the 1990 Columbia Pictures dramatic thriller. To be directed by Niels Arden Oplev. Kiefer Sutherland will star alongside Ellen Page and Nina Dobrev. (SE)

Break My Heart 1000 Times

Gold Circle Films’ vibrant supernatural thriller to be directed by Scott Speer. Bella Thorne will star. (SE)