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SSN ORIGINALS
Starting tomorrow, New York’s Javits Center will once again be inundated with editors, agents, writers and book geeks all gathered together to check out panels, attend events, and snag sought-after galleys in book publishing’s largest industry event, Book Expo America. If you’d rather skip the crowds, you’re in luck because SSN has put together a list of eight books available for film and TV development.
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In the wake of the upfronts over the last few weeks, this was a slower week on the television front, but there was still a fair amount of activity. Click on the link to get the full skinny.
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TODAY’S HEADLINES
Originally on the air for just a single season, the Hanna-Barbera animated series has lived on as a cult series, and now will be done as a live action film. While no casting has been announced, in 2009 Dwayne Johnson said in an interview that he and Zak Efron had been cast to play Race Bannon and Jonny Quest, respectively. An earlier attempt at the project was announced in 1995 with
Superman director Richard Donner, but was never greenlit.
(NSA)
The UK TV giant has decided not to pursue the acquisition. The British broadcaster, which has been on a buying spree, had been looking at acquiring the business for up to $950 million. One source at ITV said the company felt that the content and brands of TWC were attractive, but that the TV unit was inextricably linked with the company's film operation. ITV has never expressed an interest in expanding into film.
(THR)
Seven different writers and seven directors are teaming for the project, put together by L.C. Cruell, a longtime writer/director who felt inspired to break the monolithic stereotypes of Black people not being involved in horror, especially Black women. Authors Tananarive Due and Valjeanne Jeffers, filmmaker Tiffany D. Jackson, and actress/director Rae Dawn Chong are among those involved.
(SAA)
Thomas Mann and Jenny Slate are in talks for the film, which Gerard Barrett is directing his scripted adaptation of the Susannah Cahalan’s bestselling memoir
Brain On Fire: My Month Of Madness, with Fanning playing the author during a terrifying and sudden descent into insanity as the result of a mysterious illness. Charlize Theron, Beth Kono and AJ Dix are producing for Denver and Delilah Films, and Rob Merilees for Foundation Features.
(DH)
PBS has announced that ITV and Masterpiece will co-produce
Churchill’s Secret, with Michael Gambon set in the titular role of prime minister Winston Churchill. Lindsay Duncan will star alongside Gambon as Churchill’s wife Clementine. The film will be based on Jonathan Smith’s recently released book
The Churchill Secret: KBO, which told the story of Churchill’s stroke in 1953 and how his health issues affected his ability to lead.
(EW)
Half-hour series stars Tyler Labine as a hapless but gifted medium who will go to any lengths to help New York’s ghosts settle their unfinished business. Brandon T. Jackson plays his savvy best friend, and Cat Deeley stars as a glamorous celebrity medium who is a rival and nemesis. The online streaming service ordered 13 more episodes of the series.
(CS)
Greg Grunberg, who appeared in the original series, is coming back to the new run, while
Orphan Black star Dylan Bruce is also joining the cast of the revival.
Reborn is a continuation of NBC’s superhero drama
Heroes, which originally ran for four seasons from 2006 to 2010. Jack Coleman, Masi Oka, Jimmy Jean-Louis, Zachary Levi, Robbie Kay and Ryan Guzman are also in the show.
(TVL)
What began as something of a Hail Mary reboot became something that would have lasting and far-reaching aftereffects. It's a story of desperate ambition, shocking triumph, and fevered imagination. But it's also a cautionary tale: one about pushing limits too far, holding on too long, and learning to accept the forces of entropy.
(VUL)
