SSN ORIGINALS
Film Development for 11/19/15: ‘Baywatch’ Finds its Summer, Doug Liman Circling ‘Gambit’, Emma Stone Set for ‘Love May Fail’
Among the other deals that took place over the last seven days are a new agreement for Nic Pizzolato as he re-ups with HBO without a full go on a third season of True Detective, a big first look deal between new distributor Broad Green and new production shingle Storyscape Enterainment, and plenty more. (SSN)
OTHER HEADLINES
Oscar Talk: Academy Announces List Of Finalists For Animated Short
AMPAS has announced the 10 finalists vying for the Animated Short trophy at the 88th Academy Awards. Member of the Short Films and Feature Animation Branch will select five nominees from group during branch screenings in Los Angeles, London, New York and San Francisco in December. The finalists, which emerged from a group of 60 entries, include Sanjay’s Super Team, from Pixar. (AL)
Despite a Seven Year Age Difference, Kathy Bates Has Signed On as Billy Bob Thornton’s Mom In ‘Bad Santa 2’
The Oscar-winning actress joins the cast of the long-in-development project, playing Sunny Soke, the foulmouthed, tough-as-nails mom to Thornton’s mall-Santa scoundrel, Willie Soke. Tony Cox and Brett Kelly from the original film will also return. Mark Waters will direct from a screenplay by Johnny Rosenthal, Doug Ellin and Shauna Cross. (CS)
Supergirl Is About To Get a New Love Interest, and Melissa Benoist Happens To Know the Actor Very Well
CBS’ rookie drama has tapped Melissa Benoist’s former Glee co-star-turned-real-life husband Blake Jenner to join the cast as a potential new love interest for her character, Kara. Jenner will portray Adam Foster, a handsome stranger from Cat Grant’s (Calista Flockhart) past whose arrival in National City tests Kara and Cat’s relationship like never before. At the same time, Adam and Kara form a very unexpected connection. He will debut on the show in 2016. (TVL)
Fox Plots Demon Drama ‘Haunted’ With ‘Devil Inside,’ ‘Fast & Furious’ Duo
Network, home to horror comedy anthology Scream Queens, is adapting Bob Cramner’s book The Demon of Brownsville Road as a potential drama series. The Devil Inside co-screenwriter/director William Brent Bell is set to write and helm the serialized drama. Show is described as a chilling horror series about a military agent who is partnered with her ex-boyfriend, now a rogue demonologist, to help a family overcome a deadly demonic infestation of their home. (LF)
Forget White Castle, Jon Hurwitz and Hayden Schlossberg Sign a Big TV Deal With Lionsgate
Studio behind Mad Men has entered a multi-year first-look television deal with the writing/directing/producing team. Under the deal, the duo best known for the Harold & Kumar films, will develop and produce original, scripted comedy programming. The deal includes Fair and Balanced,” the newsroom comedy they are developing with ABC that is based on Kal Penn’s experience appearing on news shows and working for President Barack Obama. (VAR)
James Bond Meets Jackie Chan In New Untitled Adventure
Formerly known as The Foreigner and adapted from Stephen Leather’s book The Chinaman, the film has added a new cast member: Pierce Brosnan. Chan is starring as a restaurant owner in London’s Chinatown, devastated in an attack orchestrated by rogue Irish terrorists. When the justice system brings him no satisfaction, he decides to go after the people responsible himself. Brosnan is playing a former IRA member who is now a government official. (EMP)
Jordan Peele Finds a Lead For HIs “Black Man Horror” Flick, ‘Get Out’
British actor Daniel Kaluuya has been cast as the male lead in the film, which has already cast Girls co-star Allison Williams. All that is known of the plot at this point is that the story follows a young African American man as he visits his white girlfriend’s family estate. And then some *interesting* things happen. (SAA)
Trailer Buzz, Part One: ‘A Monster Calls’
Focus Features has released the first teaser trailer from the upcoming adaptation of Patrick Ness’ bestselling novel. Starring Liam Neeson, Felicity Jones, Toby Kebbell, Geraldine Chaplin and Sigourney Weaver and directed by Juan Antonio Bayona, it hits theaters October 21st, 2016. (VUL)
Trailer Buzz, Part Two: ‘Midnight Special’
Warner Bros. has put the first trailer online for the upcoming sci-fi drama from director Jeff Nichols. Starring his Take Shleter star Michael Shannon, as well as Kirsten Dunst, Adam Driver and Jaeden Lieberher, the movie comes out on March 18th, 2016. (SF)