AWARDS HEADLINES
Nominees Respond: Holders Of Oscar Nods Speak Out With Their Gratitude
Sylvester Stallone, Leonardo DiCaprio, Saorise Ronan, directors George Miller, Adam McKay and Lenny Abrahamson, and plenty of other actors, producers and below the line talent weigh in with their reactions to having their names and films called out this morning. (HRA)
In a Very Interesting Foreign Language Feature Race, ‘Mustang’ Ends Dry Spell For France In a Field Full Of Firsts
With today’s Oscar nominations, this race has been whittled down to five. While there are no major shocks like last year when Force Majeure did not advance from the shortlist, there are nevertheless some interesting twists here. Notably, Mustang has brought an Oscar nomination back to France for the first time since 2009’s A Prophet. The six-year dry spell was the longest gap between nominations for France in the history of the awards. (AL)
OTHER HEADLINES
Screenwriting: The Top Ten Screenwriting Contests to Enter in 2016
There are at least 74 screenwriting contests, but only a small number are worth entering. If you want to enter all the screenplay contests, go for it (though this can get expensive), but the recommendation is that you focus on taking fewer, higher-quality shots by entering the top screenwriting contests to which industry executives pay attention. (SSN)
Film Development For 1/14/16: Aaron Sorkin To Make Directorial Debut, Jennifer Lawrence Joins Darren Aronofsky Pic, and More
Among the news coming out this week is Priyanka Chopra being up for a big role in the Baywatch movie adaptation, while the Tupac Shakur biopic and Bad Santa 2 both get some added cast, as well. Meanwhile, Jamie Foxx joins a Lionsgate’s Robin Hood reboot and Ridley Scott circles an adaptation of The Prisoner. Click the link for more info. (SSN)
On the Day We Mourn the Passing Of Alan Rickman, We Remember His Best Film Roles
In the decades after his debut in Die Hard, he worked enough in big Hollywood movies to become the kind of go-to villain and supporting player that he already seemed to be back in 1988. He had an amazing voice — deep and thick, like his tongue was coated in honey — and he paired it with a civility that bordered on world-weariness. He was often cast as the smartest guy in the room, and in his best films, he was able to explore exactly what that meant. (VUL)
Breathe Easy, ‘Mad Max’ Fans! George Miller Will, Indeed, Return For Two More Films In the Franchise
Several days after a story claimed he was done with the franchise, the filmmaker dismissed it as bunk, saying the writer took his words out of context and that, even though he will not make another Mad Max film right away, he still has “two more stories to tell.” (COL)
Guillermo Del Toro Puts Yet Another Project Into Development, Will Delve Into ‘Scary Stories To Tell In the Dark’
The Pacific Rim director will develop an adaptation of the book trilogy for CBS Films. The Alvin Schwartz books, the first of which came out in 1984, were often banned from school libraries because they were considered too scary for children. He will produce the film alongside Sean Daniel, Jason Brown and Elizabeth Grave, and may potentially direct the film, which has been adapted for the screen by Charlie and the Chocolate Factory scribe John August. (HV)
Undeterred By His Oscar Snub, Ridley Scott Puts His Producer’s Hat Back On, Will Oversee ‘Marvel’ For AMC
Show is a TV adaptation of George Pendle‘s nonfiction book Strange Angel. AMC might give the drama — which has nothing to do with Marvel Comics or Entertainment — a straight-to-series order. Project is inspired by the co-founder of Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Jack Parsons. Besides his major accomplishments, he was pals with L. Ron Hubbard and partook in some rather interesting rituals for Enochian Magic. (SF)
Gale Anne Hurd-Henry Bromell Drama ‘Falling Water’ Ordered to Series at USA
NBCUniversal-owned cable network announced Thursday that the drama from late Homeland Emmy winner Henry Bromell and exec produced by Gale Anne Hurd has been picked up to series. Bromell wrote and co-created the drama with frequent collaborator Blake Masters before his unexpected passing in 2013 following a heart attack. The prolific and beloved writer-producer was 65. (LF)
Netflix Just Gave the Brains Behind ‘Miranda Sings’ Her Very Own Sitcom
Streaming service has given an eight-episode series order to Haters Back Off, a half-hour comedy starring top YouTube personality, actress-comedian-singer Colleen Ballinger-Evans. Based on her most popular character, Miranda Sings, the show delves into the oddball family life of Miranda, an incredibly confident, totally untalented star on the rise who continues to fail upward by the power of her belief that she was born famous, it’s just no one knows it yet. (DH)