SSN ORIGINALS
SSN Events Calendar: Tribeca Film Fest, LA Festival of Books, Disney’s ‘The Jungle Book’ & ‘Game of Thrones’ All Headed for April
Even though summer movie season hasn’t hit yet, there’s still plenty happening this month. If you’re in LA, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter opens at Universal Studios Hollywood on the 7th. Over on the East Coast, The Tribeca Film Festival opens the 13th. On the film side, Disney is releasing the live-action heavy CGI The Jungle Book on the 15th, and on TV, HBO premieres Game of Thrones, Silicon Valley and VEEP on the 24th. Check out SSN’s calendar. (SSN)
TV Development for 4/5/16: All the U.S. Acquisitions Out of MIPTV Plus Comedy Central Releases Development Slate
In other news, HBO announces a post-Game of Thrones talk show with Bill Simmons, Pivot gets rolling with a new drama series set in London, and the Discovery Channel announces a new series featuring a real life treasure hunter. There’s plenty more, of course, so click the link to read on. (SSN)
OTHER HEADLINES
‘Wicked’ Composer Calls for North Carolina Boycott: “Expect Consequences” for Anti-LGBT Laws
As composer and lyricist of the fastest Broadway production in history to reach $1 billion in ticket sales, Stephen Schwartz has inspired a generation of theater fans to live by the “Defying Gravity” credo: “Everyone deserves the chance to fly.” Now Schwartz is putting his money where that message is. He has pledged to keep Wicked out of the state until the newly passed Public Facilities Privacy and Security Act is struck down. (TB)
Disney Inks New Deal With Comcast To Sell Digital Movies
Customers of the cable giant will now be able to purchase a selection of the studio’s new releases and library films, under a new licensing pact between the companies. Starting today, Comcast customers can buy Star Wars: The Force Awakens directly from their TVs or via the Xfinity website. Movies covered under the deal will come from Disney, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Pixar, Marvel Studios, Lucasfilm, Disneynature and Touchstone Pictures. (VAR)
Jared Leto Has Chosen His Next Project, and It’s a World War II Yakuza Thriller
The Oscar winner will star in Martin Zandvliet’s action-thriller The Outsider. With a screenplay penned by Andrew Baldwin, principal photography is currently set to begin this fall. Set in post-WWII Japan, film tells the story of an imprisoned America soldier who is released with the help of his Yakuza cellmate. Now free, he sets out to earn their respect and repay his debt while navigating the dangerous criminal underworld. (CS)
Netflix Negotiating To Complete and Distribute Orson Welles’ ‘The Other Side Of The Wind’
It has been a long and winding road for the late filmmaker’s final, unfinished project. For years, there has been a concerted effort to try and complete the director’s “lost” film, but it has been slow going. Now, the online streaming giant is negotiating with producers for a two-picture, $5 million deal that would include the completed The Other Side Of The Wind, along with a companion documentary. (TP)
Mark Hamill and Kathleen Kennedy Reveal New ‘Force for Change’ Campaign
During filming on The Force Awakens, fans were offered all kinds of incentives to donate as part of the charitable “Force for Change” campaign benefiting UNICEF. It raised over $10 million, and now the folks behind Star Wars want to do it again. This new campaign will benefit UNICEF Kid Power, American Red Cross, Boys & Girls Clubs of America, and Make-A-Wish. Starting today, the campaign will match your donation dollar for dollar up to $1 million. (COL)
Joel McHale to Portray Chevy Chase in Netflix’s National Lampoon Origins Movie
Actor is in final negotiations to portray Chevy Chase, with whom he starred in NBC’s Community, in Netflix’s tragic story of National Lampoon co-founder Douglas Kenney, A Futile and Stupid Gesture. Will Forte is starring as Kenney with Domnhall Gleeson as fellow co-founder Henry Beard in the feature being directed by David Wain, the co-creator of Wet Hot American Summer. (THR)
Fox Orders 10 Episodes of New Comedy Series From Ralph Farquhar and Ty Hodges
Network continues to add content from black creatives to its upcoming slate, today ordering a new half-hour comedy from the pair of creators titled Famous, which will debut Sunday, June 12th. A 10-episode season of the new series will follow a young couple whose relationship is tested when one of them skyrockets to stardom virtually overnight. (SAA)
Trailer Buzz: ‘The BFG’
Disney has released the first look at the upcoming adaptation of the Roald Dahl classic, directed by Steven Spielberg. Starring Oscar winner Mark Rylance, Bill Hader, Jemaine Clement, Penelope Wilton and Rebecca Hall, it opens July 1st. (YT)