ICYMI: SSN’S Top Original Stories For 3/24 – 3/28/14

The Up & Up: 10 Child Actors To Know

When a child actor delivers a great performance, it’s all about innate talent. As part of SSN’s ongoing Up & Up series, and in honor of Nickelodeon’s Kid Choice Awards that air Saturday, March 29, we’re bringing you 10 child actors to know in 2014, some of whom may just wind up on your pre-teen’s radar before your own. (SSN)

11 Spinoff Characters that Could Save or Expand the Biggest Film Franchises

We dove into the studios’ back catalogues to see what franchises could be reinterpreted, deconstructed and refreshed by honing in on singular—even marginalized—characters. Studios can spin something out of a pre-existing property with name recognition at relatively low risk. SSN presents a rundown of potential franchise re-starters and the characters that could conceivably anchor them. (SSN)

BioPic Break-Outs: ‘Cesar Chavez’ Joins ’12 Years a Slave’ & ‘King’s Speech’ in Reviving the Formula

SSN’s list of the 10 most interesting biopics of the 21st century – not necessarily a best-of list, it’s rather a look at the more interesting methods of telling a true-life story. There are arguments to be made for plenty of films left off the list, but we have good reasons for this group listed here. (SSN)

The Pros & Cons of Straight-to-Series TV Pickups

Ordering a show straight-to-series is fraught with peril, as NBC found out when they made a 22-episode commitment for The Michael J. Fox Show. It sank like a rock in the ratings and was pulled – with a third of a season they’re obligated to air. Still, there are advantages to a system where a showrunner can work on their show rather than fret about its status. SSN has your pros and cons. (SSN)

Women’s History Month: 10 Upcoming Projects By Female Feature Directors & TV Showrunners

Though the numbers still look bleak, and we have a ways to go, in honor of Women’s History Month SSN’s made a list of 5 female directors of upcoming feature films, and 5 showrunners/producers with projects that we’re looking forward to – from Helen Hunt and Elizabeth Banks to Jenna Bans and Emily Spivey. (SSN)

Hong Kong FILMART: Young, Rich & Overlooked- The Demographic Studios Should be Targeting

Asian audiences and theatrical B.O. are huge and China, alone, is poised to become the No. 1 theatrical market. 2013 figures show China with ticket sales of 3.5 billion and a growth rate of 28% since 2010. With stats like this, Hong Kong FILMART and the demographic it celebrates should be on the top of every studio’s radar. SSN breaks down the stats here. (SSN)