AWARDS HEADLINES
Academy Mulls Changes in Membership & Categories to Halt Diversity Crisis
The leadership of the Academy is under the gun, and next week’s board meeting could see a revamp of the best-pic race and an overhaul of membership requirements in the midst of worldwide criticism over this year’s list of nominees. (IC)
Lady Gaga To Perform Oscar-Nominated Song At Producers Guild Awards
In a big get for the PGA, the singer has been added to the lineup of Saturday’s Producers Guild Of America Awards where she will perform her Oscar- and Grammy-nominated song “Til It Happens To You” from director Kirby Dick’s documentary The Hunting Ground. The pic is the recipient of the guild’s Stanley Kramer Award. Producer Amy Ziering will accept the honor at the awards gala being held at the Hyatt Regency Century Plaza in L.A. (AL)
A Week After the Nominations, a Look At the Path To Victory For Five Front Runners
The Revenant scooped up the Golden Globe for best drama, but there’s a long history of the Hollywood Foreign Press being out of sync with the Oscars, and insiders believe five of the eight best picture nominees have a legitimate chance to win: Revenant, The Big Short, Spotlight, Mad Max: Fury Road and The Martian. (The other three — Bridge of Spies, Brooklyn and Room — are seen as long shots.) This could be the most wide-open race in years. (HRA)
OTHER HEADLINES
Film Development For 1/21/16: ‘Jumanji’ Finds its Director, Jennifer Lawrence to Romance Castro in ‘Marita’, Tina Fey and Ronda Rousey Team-Up
Also: more cast added to the Tupac Shakur biopic, Scoot McNair joins the Arnold Schwarzenegger film 478, Dwight Yoakam scores a sweet new role, and an impressive trio of actors join the cast of horror flick I Am the Pretty Thing That Lives in the House. Click on the link to get the full skinny. (SSN)
Universal Pushes Its Tom Cruise-Led ‘The Mummy’ Reboot Back a Couple Months
Studio has set a new release date for the monster movie: the film will bow on June 9th, 2017. Sofia Boutella is on board to play the classic monster with Alex Kurtzman directing. Pic was originally set to bow on March 24th, 2017. The studio tapped Kurtzman and Chris Morgan last summer to help develop a universe for Universal in which its classic monster movie library is front and center. The Mummy will be the first in the series. (VAR)
J.C. Chandor Lines Up His Next Project, Signs On To Helm Remake Of German Film ‘The Robber’
Five years after Sony picked up the remake rights to Benjamin Heisenberg’s German language thriller Der Rauber, the A Most Violent Year director has taken the reins the picture, which is now set up at FilmNation Enterntainment. Chase Palmer, who is writing It for Warner Bros., will pen the script for the real-life story of marathon runner Johann Rettenberger aka “Pump-gun Ronnie” who earned his name by robbing banks. (TP)
HBO Remains In the Judd Apatow Business, Orders To Series New Comedy Starring Pete Holmes
On the heels of drama series order The Deuce, premium cable network has handed out a series pickup to Crashing. Executive produced by Apatow and starring Holmes, the semi-autobiographical comedy stars former the TBS late-night host as a sweet, wholesome comedian who stays on the couches of New York’s finest comics after his wife leaves him. The project was picked up to pilot in September. (LF)
Relativity News: Company and And Investors Preparing $500M Fraud Case Against Colbeck Capital
Relativity Media CEO Ryan Kavanaugh, fellow investors in the studio led by Joe Nicholas, and its unsecured creditors are preparing to accuse move forward with the suit and have agreed to put any complaints into mediation. But the plaintiffs want to take this to the court system and are looking to file in New York, possibly as early as tomorrow. (DH)
C7 Deliveries Bring ‘Scream Queens’ Back From Death’s Door
While its live ratings suggested it was headed for an early grave, an uncommonly large uplift in the C7 currency helped secure a second season for Fox’s blood-spattered horror spoof Scream Queens. The show established a significant lift in the currency from the very start of its run. Taken together, its first three weeks averaged a 1.4 in the so-called dollar demo, which jumped to a 2.1 rating upon application of the C7 data. (AA)
Trailer Buzz: ‘Keanu’
New Line has released the red band trailer for the upcoming comedy starring Michael-Keegan Key and Jordan Peele. It’s scheduled to hit theaters April 22nd. (SAA)