AWARDS HEADLINES
Academy Overhaul: Vows To Double Number Of “Women And Diverse Members”, Amends Oscar Voting Rules
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Board of Governors voted unanimously Thursday night to approve what it calls ” substantive changes designed to make the Academy’s membership, its governing bodies, and its voting members significantly more diverse.” The goal is to commit to doubling the number of women and diverse members of the Academy by 2020. (AL)
A Breakdown of the ‘Outrageous’ Costs Of 2016 Oscar Campaigns
Leonardo DiCaprio may have devoured real bison liver while shooting The Revenant, but Oscar voters have a far better meal plan: breakfast at Monkey Bar, lunch at Le Bernardin, dinner at the Harvard Club. For the 6,000-plus members of the Academy, awards season is now synonymous with handshakes and selfies against a stream of lavish buffets. Welcome to the new reality of the Academy Awards. (IC)
OTHER HEADLINES
SSN Box Office Trending Report For 1/22/16: ‘Star Wars’ & ‘The Revenant’ Stay Strong While ‘The 5th Wave’ Fizzles
In our latest weekly series, SSN Insider will take a deep dive into the film ticket sales of the week leveraging data from the powerhouse ticketing website, MovieTickets.com. Not only will the infographic pinpoint which movies are claiming the largest piece of the pie from day to day in terms of sales but also which film had the biggest uptick in terms of a percentage variance surge and which had the biggest downtick or steepest dive between any two points. (SSN)
On the Set for 1/22/16: Michael Fassbender Starts Shooting Universal’s ‘The Snowman’, Antonio Banderas Wraps on ‘Security’
Among the other films getting up and running are the new drama from Oren Moverman and the new movie starring Noomi Rapace and Michael Shannon, the new Blumhouse film is among the films to finish principal photography. Click on the link to get all the info. (SSN)
Well, That Was Fast: ‘Avatar 2’ Bows Out Of Christmas 2017 Release Date, Avoids ‘Star Wars’ Showdown
Back at the start of 2015 came the news that James Cameron had opted to delay the release of Avatar 2 by a year. Kicking off a new trilogy, it would now arrive at Christmas, 2017 instead of Christmas, 2016. Exactly 12 months later, Avatar 2 has shifted its release date again. It now definitely won’t arrive at the end of next year, and this time there’s no indication of when it’ll surface instead. (EMP)
Universal Pictures to Strike $500M Slate Deal With China’s Perfect World
Five-year pact makes the Chinese TV production and video games company a co-financier, giving Universal a new source of funds. It also makes Perfect World the latest Chinese player to align with a big-name Hollywood company. Conglomerate Dalian Wanda Group recently sealed a $3.5 billion deal to acquire Legendary Entertainment. (TB)
Greta Gerwig Snags an Oscar-Nominated Actress To Lead her Directorial Debut
Saoirse Ronan is set to star in Lady Bird for Gerwig, who also wrote the script. Movie follows a high school senior over her last year at home in Sacramento. Scott Rudin is on board to produce, along with Eli Bush and Evelyn O’Neill. (SF)
From Superheroes To Vampires, Charlie Cox Signs On To Headline Feature ‘Eat Local’
Cox has joined the cast of the upcoming vampire feature, which marks the directorial debut of actor Jason Flemyng. Film revolves around an unwitting Essex boy whose promise of a night of passion with a ravishing cougar quickly turns into a fight for survival after she introduces him to some of her friends – a coven of hungry vampires – at a remote farmhouse. Then, a heavily armed band of mercenary vampire hunters crashes the party – and they’re out for blood. (CS)
David Schwimmer Returns To Series TV, Will Star In New AMC Drama
Friends alum, who next appears as Robert Kardashian in the FX anthology The People v O.J. Simpson: American Crime Story, has been tapped to star in Feed the Beast. Jim Sturgess will co-star in the drama, which revolves around two friends who are like brothers and can’t stay out of trouble. They share a dusty pipe dream of opening up an upscale restaurant in their hometown of the Bronx, which is all they have left to turn their lives around. (LF)
HBO Drops ‘Brothers In Atlanta’, as Comedy Series Will Not Move Forward On the Cable Net
Network has opted not to proceed with the comedy series created by and starring Diallo Riddle and Bashir Salahuddin, directed by Tim Story and produced by Lorne Michaels. The network had been trying to get the project off the ground for several years and was picked up to series in April. The show will not go forward. (DL)