‘Diary Of A Teenage Girl’ Leads At Gotham Independent Film Award Nominations
Marielle Heller’s romantic drama gathered the most noms at the 25th annual Gotham Independent Film Award nominations this morning earning nods in best feature, screenplay, actress and breakthrough director categories. The Gothams are the first set of kudos to get awards season started ahead of any guild or critics group with a specific focus on independent films. Deadline has the full list of nominees. (DH)
What Was Rumored Yesterday Is Confirmed Today: Chris Rock Is Your 2016 Oscar Host
The comedian and actor has been confirmed as the host of next year’s Oscars, producers David Hill and Reginald Hudlin announced. The 88th Academy Awards will be broadcast live Sunday, Feb. 28th, 2016, on ABC. Rock previously hosted the 77th Oscar telecast in 2005. (TW)
YouTube Has Also Made It Official, Will Take On Netflix With a New Subscription Service
YouTube Red will cost $9.99 a month and features include offline viewing and the ability to play videos in the background across all devices. The YouTube service is set to launch next Wednesday, the 28th, with a one-month free trial offer. At launch, the new service will feature ten original series, including shows from some of YouTube’s biggest stars including PewDiePie, Fine Bros., Rooster Teeth and Lilly Singh aka IISuperwomanII. (IW)
Phil Lord and Chris Miller Have Apparently Found More Hours In the Day, Are Developing New Time Travel Sitcom
Executive producers of Will Forte’s The Last Man On Earth are now behind In Time, from experienced TV writer Julius Sharpe, who has developed the idea and will head the writing team for the show, which has earned a pilot order from Fox. The show’s story finds three friends who discover a way to time travel, but must balance that with the more ordinary details of their lives. (EMP)
Could Sony Lose James Bond? Even Before the Release Of ‘Spectre’, It’s Looking Increasingly Likely
Even if the film proves a big success, as most believe it will, it could mark the end of the Sony/MGM collaboration. Spectre is the last in a two-picture deal that Sony struck in 2011 with MGM, which controls rights to Bond along with Eon producers Barbara Broccoli and Michael G. Wilson. MGM is expected to pursue an especially tough bargain once other studios come calling. (THR)
Marvel Sees a Good Thing, Won’t Change It: Peyton Reed To Return For ‘Ant-Man’ Sequel
Director of this summer’s Ant-Man is in talks with the studio to helm Ant-Man and The Wasp, which has just been handed a July 2018 release date. Paul Rudd and Evangeline Lilly are returning as the title characters, as is Michael Douglas as Hank Pym, the creator of the technology both heroes use. No writer is yet on board to write the sequel. The first film grossed $454 million worldwide. (VAR)
Amy Schumer Is Getting a Pretty Enormous Pay Raise For Her Next Movie
The Emmy-winning comedian-actress will receive between $4 million and $5 million for an untitled Fox mother-daughter comedy, which is much higher than the $300,000 she was paid for Trainwreck (although she likely ended up earning considerably more in backend and bonuses seeing as the movie grossed $138.3 million over the summer). (FT)
Twentieth Century Fox Sets Release Date For ‘Kingsman’ Sequel, Sets It Up Against Stiff Competition
Studio will open the film on June 16th, 2017, a far more competitive spot than the February 13th release date the first film had earlier this year. The sequel’s release date sets it up one week after the expected release of Paramount’s World War Z 2, and one week prior to Warner Bros.’ Wonder Woman. Star Taron Egerton is returning from the first film, as is director Matthew Vaughn. (COL)
Trailer Buzz: ‘Jane Got Her Gun’
The Weinstein Company has released the first trailer from the embattled film that stars Natalie Portman, Ewan McGregor, Joel Egerton, Rodrigo Santoro, Noah Emmerich and Boyd Holbrook. The film, which TWC rescued from the Relativity Media bankruptcy, opens in February. (TP)
Screenwriters: Cross Road — ‘Woodland’ and the New Game Plan For Faith-Based Films
Our world is changing — fast. Writers, directors and producers of faith-based films are directly affected by how the world watches movies. More people around the world are now living in cities than in rural areas, resulting in a 30% growth of movie theaters in the last five years worldwide. There are ten new movie theaters opening every day in China alone. So what are they watching? (SM)