SSN ORIGINALS
SSN Box Office Trending Report for 3/4/16: ‘Zootopia’ to Remain as Strong as an Ox, While ‘The Divergent Series: Allegiant’ Starts Presale Climb
In our ongoing 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 3/11/16: Taraji P. Henson & Octavia Spencer Team Up for ‘Hidden Figures’ While Jordan Peele, Allison Williams & Catherine Keener Wrap ‘Get Out’
Among the other projects that are now up and running are Charlize Theron and David Oyelowo’s American Express, as well as the Whoopi Goldberg-Charlie Sheen flick Nine Eleven, while Mark Pellington’s new film, The Last Word, is among the films finishing up principal photography. For the full skinny, click on the link and see it all. (SSN)
OTHER HEADLINES
Alexander Payne Adds Yet Another Oscar Winner To His ‘Downsizing’ Cast
Two-time winner Christoph Waltz has signed up to co-star alongside Matt Damon and Reese Witherspoon in a yet-to-be-defined role. Inherent Vice‘s Hong Chau has also joined the project. Damon plays a man whose money struggles lead him to shrink himself as the ultimatum cost-saving device. As a tiny person he meets a woman played by Witherspoon, and the pair saddle up a pair of flying ants to foil a dastardly plot. (EMP)
It’s Renewal Day At The CW, as Network Gives Go Ahead For New Seasons Of 11 Different Shows
Network has pretty much renewed its entire primetime lineup, as CW boss Mark Pedowitz announced early renewals for Arrow (for Season 5), The Flash (Season 3), The Vampire Diaries (Season 8), The Originals (Season 4), iZombie (Season 3), Legends of Tomorrow (Season 2), Supernatural (Season 12), The 100 (Season 4), Jane the Virgin (Season 3) and Crazy Ex-Girlfriend (Season 2). Even cellar-dweller Reign is coming back for Season 4. (TVL)
Chris Nolan’s Next Film Nails Down Tween Audience, Casts One Direction’s Harry Styles
Singer/songwriter Styles will make his feature film debut as one of the leads in Warner Bros.’ Dunkirk, which Nolan will direct from his own original screenplay. Largely-unknown British actor Fionn Whitehead has taken the lead role in the epic action thriller set during the legendary evacuation. Recent Oscar-winner Mark Rylance, Kenneth Branagh and Tom Hardy will be the more experienced members of the ensemble cast. (CS)
James Gandolfini Passion Project ‘Criminal Justice’ Gets New Title, Summer Premiere at HBO
The adaptation of Peter Moffat’s BBC drama has changed titles to The Night Of, and added Michael K. Williams, Glenne Headly, Ben Shenkman, Max Casella, Amara Karan, Sofia Black-D’Elia. Paul Sparks, Afton Williamson, Paulo Costanzo, Ned Eisenberg, Mohammad Bakri. Nabil Elouahabi. Ashley Thomas, Glenn Fleshler and Chip Zien. They join Riz Ahmed, Bill Camp, Payman Maadi. and Poorna Jagannathan and John Turturro, who toplines the project. (LF)
Nicole Holofcener Is Coming To TV, and She Has Amy Ryan Toplining the Series
Details are scarce at this point, but Holofcener will write and direct all of the episodes in the first season, and is working on the project with global media company Media Rights Capital (MRC). MRC will take the show to cable networks (HBO, Showtime, Starz) and streaming services (Hulu, Amazon, Netflix). (WAH)
Sam Neill To Star In AMC’s Texas Drama ‘The Son’; Four More Round Out Cast
Actor is set as the lead in cable net’s upcoming drama series from Sonar Entertainment and AMC Studios. Rounding out the cast in the 10-episode series are Henry Garrett, Zahn McClarnon, Paola Nunez, and Sydney Lucas. Based on the book by Philipp Meyer and written by Meyer, Lee Shipman and Brian McGreevy, show is a multi-generational epic tale of the story of America’s birth as a superpower through the bloody rise and fall of one Texas family. (DH)
Mark Your Calendars: Netflix Sets Premiere Date for Marvel’s ‘Luke Cage’ Series
Show’s star Mike Colter revealed at last night’s premiere event for the second season of “Daredevil,” that the new show will premiere on September 30th. Joining Colter in the series are Mahershala Ali, Simone Missick, Alfre Woodard, Theo Rossi, and Rosario Dawson. (SAA)
Need More Than 24 Hours? Seven Secrets To Finding More Time in a Day
Sometimes it can be hard to believe that everyone has the same amount of time in each day. How fast you work does play into productivity, but those who really make the most of their 24 hours just know how to work efficiently. It’s about cutting out what you don’t need to make time for what you do need, and it’s about understanding balance and creating a routine. How fast you work is really just one very small piece of the puzzle. (INC)