Comcast Buys DreamWorks Animation in $3.8 Billion Deal & CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg Gives Up Lead Position
Comcast’s NBCUniversal division is acquiring the DreamWorks Animation studio for about $3.8 billion. Comcast said shareholders in DreamWorks will receive $41 in cash per share of stock. CEO Jeffrey Katzenberg will give up his leadership position but will remain involved with DreamWorks’ ownership interests in Awesomeness TV and NOVA. (CNN)
From Jedi to Rabbit- John Boyega to Star with James McAvoy in Netflix/BBC Co-Production ‘Watership Down’
John Boyega, James McAvoy and Sir Ben Kingsley are among an all-star cast set to provide voices in a new adaptation of Watership Down. The four-part CGI animated mini-series will bring an original interpretation to Richard Adams’ classic 1972 novel. Commissioned by the BBC, it is the first blockbuster drama made as a co-production between the BBC and Netflix. (BBC)
An Offer He Can’t Refuse- Stallone to Play Mafia Head in a TV Adaptation of Mario Puzo’s ‘Omerta’
Three-time Oscar nominee Sylvester Stallone is finalizing a deal to star in Antoine Fuqua’s TV adaption of Mario Puzo’s Omerta, the final book in the author’s mafia trilogy that started with The Godfather and The Last Don. Stallone is expected to play the mafia head at the center of the story. (THR)
‘American Idol’ Owner in Debt to the Tune of $398 Million, Files for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy
In the bankruptcy filing, Core says it owes $398 million to third parties. The company says its capital structure is now “unsustainable” given the inability to replace Idol, and while it still is getting money from Fox for So You Think You Can Dance, it has been facing a financial crunch. (THR)
Stephen Merchant to Join Hugh Jackman in ‘The Odd Couple’….No Wait….‘Wolverine 3’
In a bit of a departure, Stephen Merchant has joined the cast of 20th Century Fox’s Wolverine 3, the latest in the Hugh Jackman-starring X-Men stand-alone franchise. No word on his role. Merchant is a longtime collaborator with Ricky Gervais, co-creating the original The Office with him as well as The Ricky Gervais Show and Life’s Too Short. (DL)
Oscar-Winning Director Kevin Macdonald to Shine a Light on Whitney Houston with Official Documentary
The “unvarnished and authentic” project – the first to be officially authorized by the singer’s estate since her 2012 death – will be introduced to buyers in Cannes by the banner behind Amy’s record-breaking U.K. release. (THR)
‘Super Combat Teams’ Headed for the U.S., Described as “‘Fear Factor’ Meets ‘Minute To Win It’ on Acid”
Under a deal with Small World IFT, Minute To Win It maker Smart Dog Media is developing interactive primetime stunt-battle format, Super Combat Teams, for the U.S. market. The series racked up over 100 million viewers and 200 million second-screen players across the first season. (DL)
CAA’s Evolution Media Partners to Launch in China with $350 Million Out of the Gate
Evolution Media Partners, the investment and advisory arm of Creative Artists Agency and Evolution Media Capital, is to open shop in China, with an initial funding of $350 million. The new unit, to be located in Beijing with a staff of five, is a joint venture of Evolution and TPG, the investment giant which is now the majority owner of CAA. (VAR)
Sony Producer Adam Fields Named Relativity’s Co-President Of Production
Relativity is making changes in the executive ranks as it emerges from bankruptcy, with another key hire. Adam Fields has been named co-president of production, effective immediately. Fields, who most recently served as a producer and also a consultant at Sony Pictures, will have business affairs, physical and post-production all answering to him. (DL)
Screenwriters: How Making a Short Film Taught Me the Most Important Screenwriting Lesson
If you’re a writer and haven’t yet worked on the production side of the business that’s essential to bringing your pages to life on screen, there’s no easier way to jump in than learning to make a short film. It will quickly make you start asking ‘is it worth the screen time’? (SM)