AWARDS HEADLINES
The Academy’s Sci-Tech Awards Have Found Their Hosts In the Form Of Olivia Munn and Jason Segel
The pair are set to host the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Scientific and Technical Awards Presentation on Saturday, February 13th, at the Beverly Wilshire in Beverly Hills. They will present 11 awards to 33 individual recipients and the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers during the evening. (AL)
Art Directors Guild Awards: Production Designers Appraise the Nominees
Ahead of the Art Director Guild’s annual awards ceremony, production designers weigh in on the current work of some of their shortlisted colleagues. A variety of films across several categories are covered, including Bridge of Spies, Cinderella, and The Martian. (IC)
OTHER HEADLINES
SSN Box Office Trending Report for 1/29/16: ‘Deadpool’ Sneaks In While ‘Kung Fu Panda 3′ Leaps On to the Scene
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 1/29/16: Danny Glover Starts on ‘The Good Catholic’, Emily Blunt and Luke Evans Wrap ‘Girl on the Train’
A very light week of production beginnings and endings sees just the one beginning and a small handful of endings, including the Iraq War drama, The Yellow Birds, starring Tye Sheridan, Jack Huston, Alden Ehrenreich, Jennifer Aniston and Jason Patric. Click on the link to get all the info. (SSN)
Netflix Renews ‘House of Cards’ for a Fifth Season, Without Creator and Showrunner Beau Willimon
Streaming giant and producers Media Rights Capital have renewed the streaming giant’s breakthrough original series for a fifth season (the fourth debuts March 4th), but the show must go on without creator and showrunner Willimon. The question now is whether the popular political melodrama, starring Kevin Spacey and Robin Wright, can sustain critics’ and viewers’ interest without him. (TOH)
With ‘Tron 3’ Shelved, Joseph Kosinski Moves on to Wildfire Drama ‘No Exit’
Filmmaker has signed to helm a film about wildfires called No Exit. Lorenzo di Bonaventura, is producing No Exit with Black Label Media financing the picture.The movie is based on the true story of the tragic 2013 wildfire in Prescott, Arizona — known as the Yarnell Hill Wildfire — that almost killed an entire crew of firefighters. (COL)
Liam Neeson Lines Up a Third Action Thriller With His ‘Non-Stop’ and ‘Unknown’ Director
The actor will once again team with helmer Jaume Collet-Serra for The Commuter, which will find Neeson unwittingly caught up in a conspiracy that threatens the lives of himself and the people he loves, when he somehow gets involved in a criminal enterprise on his way home from work. (CB)
With the Success Of ‘The Royals’, E! Network Continues Its Foray Into Scripted Fare With ‘The Arrangement’
The NBCUniversal-owned cable network has given a series order to the drama from former Mad Men scribe Jonathan Abrahams. Project centers on a beautiful young actress who auditions for the female lead in a summer blockbuster playing opposite the hottest actor in town. Her amazing audition segues into a perfect first date, but her Cinderella story turns bizarre when she is presented with a contract that details an entire relationship with her leading man. (LF)
Reports Of Fish Mooney’s Death Have Been Greatly Exaggerated: Jada Pinkett Smith Returning To ‘Gotham’
Comic book drama is putting a literal spin on the classic Fish out of water tale. The actress has signed on to reprise her role as Fish Mooney for multiple Season 2 episodes. A rep for the Fox drama confirmed Smith’s return but declined to provide details about how the crime boss will resurface. Fish was last seen in the Batman prequel’s Season 1 finale getting pushed into a watery grave by the Penguin. Gotham resumes its second season on Monday, Feb. 29. (TVL)
Is Sundance Too Big for its Own Good? Founder Robert Redford Proposes Big Changes
Between the record-breaking deal for Nate Parker’s The Birth of a Nation and many other multi-million dollar purchases, including the $10 million Amazon paid for Manchester By the Sea, there’s no doubt this year’s festival is Sundance’s biggest yet. But it’s not just the films that are getting bigger and selling for more, and according to festival founder Robert Redford, Sundance might be getting too big for its own good. (IW)