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Category: Films

Film Headline News

Animated Oscar-Nominated Shorts to Play in Select Theaters

Magnolia Pictures and Shorts International have partnered to bring the Academy Award-nominated live-action and animated short films to select U.S. theaters before the Oscar broadcast on March 5, 2006. The films will later be available through HDNet and Magnolia's new Home Entertainment division, as well as across other platforms that include ShortsTV on mobile phones.

Film Headline News

Nancy Drew Feature Goes Before Cameras

By Rick DeMott | Thursday, February 16, 2006 at 12:00am

Production has begun in Los Angeles on the family mystery adventure, NANCY DREW, starring Emma Roberts (Nickelodeon's UNFABULOUS), Josh Flitter (THE GREATEST GAME EVER PLAYED), Max Thieriot (THE PACIFIER) and Tate Donovan (GOOD NIGHT, AND GOOD LUCK.).

Toon Headline News

Toon Boom Touts 2D Curious George Release

Toon Boom Animation Inc. celebrates the strong opening of CURIOUS GEORGE, a 2D animated feature from Imagine Ent. and Universal Pictures that employs the software company's Opus to the production of this globally known character. Ranking third place in past weekend box office, the feature offers an all-new adventure based upon the beloved tales of George, the inquisitive little guy with an insatiable taste for action.

Mainframe Headline News

Weinstein Co. Acquires CG-Animated Escape From Planet Earth

The Weinstein Co. has acquired the rights to ESCAPE FROM PLANET EARTH, a CG-animated comedy feature to be written by Tony Leech and Cory Edwards, the duo behind the box office animated hit HOODWINKED. Leech is set to direct the project and Preston Stutzman of Blue Yonder Films will produce it along with Jonathan Shestack (AIR FORCE ONE), Brian Inerfeld and Gregory R. Little with Mainframe Ent., which will animate the film in Vancouver. Jeremy Stein of Jon Shestack Productions will co-produce. Mainframes ceo Rick Mischel will exec produce.

Headline News

Universal Shines With Red Star Comic

Universal Pictures has obtained the rights to Christian Gossett's award-winning comicbook THE RED STAR, tapping NIGHT WATCH director Timur Bekmambetov to develop and possibly direct the sci-fi epic, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

Marc Platt will produce from his Marc Platt Prods., along with Bekmambetov via his Tengri shingle. Jim Lemley and Jason Netter will also produce. Gossett and Ken Levin will serve as exec producers.

The epic war saga is set in a re-imagined Soviet Union, where militarized sorcery and monolithic technology live side by side.

Film Headline News

Eddie Murphy Becomes Starship Dave

20th Century Fox is ready to blast off on STARSHIP DAVE with Eddie Murphy starring and Peter Segal (THE LONGEST YARD) directing, VARIETY is reporting. The film was originally set up at Paramount. Deep River Prods. will produce along side Guy Walks Into a Bar.

The film follows a crew of miniature human-looking aliens who search for a way to save their doomed world.

David Friendly and Marc Turtletaub are producing for Deep River with Jon Berg and Tom Komarnicki for Guy Walks Into a Bar. Segal's producing partner Michael Ewing will also produce.

Headline News

Michael Bay To Produce 11th Friday the 13th

Michael Bay's Platinum Dunes is set to produce the 11th film in the FRIDAY THE 13TH franchise for New Line, reports VARIETY. Bay will produce with Platinum Dunes partners Brad Fuller and Andrew Form.

Mark Wheaton (SON OF THE MORNING STAR) has been hired to pen the prequel that will deal with the origins of the Jason Voorhees. New Line hopes to release the film on Friday, Oct. 13, 2006.

Studio president Toby Emmerich shepherding with execs Cale Boyter and Jeff Katz.

Animation Headline News

Renegade Animation & Robert Zappia to Deliver Santa Animated Feature

Renegade Animation embarks on its own first feature, partnered with writer/director Robert Zappia to produce an animated, holiday-themed feature film, WHO STOLE SANTAS SACK? for release in late 2006. Carole Ann Zappia and two-time Emmy winner Marco Zappia will exec produce through Easy To Dream Ent.

Animated Headline News

Tim Burton Talks Animated Features New York City

By Guest (not verified) | Monday, February 13, 2006 at 12:00am

CORPSE BRIDE director Tim Burton was on hand in New Yorks Union Square Virgin Megastore on Feb. 11, 2006, for an afternoon of DVD signing, photographs and handshakes.

Hundreds of fans spent hours snaked around the store entrance, down the street and past the multiplex a block away for their chance to say hi to the former Disney animator turned fantasy filmmaker. Burtons return to his stop-motion roots has earned CORPSE BRIDE a nomination for this years Best Animated Feature Oscar.

Headline News

2D Animation Featured in Top Box Office Spots

Inspector Clouseau and his animated buddy returned to top the box office in the Sony Pictures' remake of the PINK PANTHER (2D animated titles by Kurtz & Friends), which debuted $20.2M for the weekend ended Feb. 12, 2006. Audiences obviously weren't tired of sequels either as New Line's FINAL DESITNATION 3 opened in the No. 2 spot with $19.2M. Scampering into a respectable third place on its debut was the 2D-animated CUROUS GEORGE from Universal and Imagine Ent., taking in $14.7M. Moviegoers obviously were ready for fresh film, giving another new release, Warner Bros.

Film Headline News

Spot Director Helms Hexxx for Mandalay

German-born commercial director Marc Schoelermann will make his feature film debut on Mandalay Pictures HEXXX, reports VARIETY. The supernatural thriller starring THE O.C. star Mischa Barton is set to go before cameras this spring.

Little detail is known about John Raffo and Mark Gibson script, which centers on college students in New Orleans.

Apartment 3B Prods. principal Jennifer Klein will produce with Mandalays evp David Zelon shepherding the project.

Mandalay picked up the film in turnaround from MGM late in 2005.

Animated Headline News

IDT Brings Slate To European Film Market At Berlin Film Fest

IDT Ent. Sales will attend the European Film Market in Berlin from Feb. 9-20, 2006, for the first time with a slate of films, including the computer-animated YANKEE IRVING, which features the voices of Rob Reiner, William H. Macy and Whoopi Goldberg and is scheduled for theatrical release this summer by 20th Century Fox in the U.S. and Canada.

Headline News

Del Toro To Make a Killing On Carnival Row

New Line is in final talks with HELLBOY director Guillermo Del Toro to helm futuristic fantasy-thriller KILLING ON CARNIVAL ROW, reports VARIETY. Arnold and Anne Kopelson will produce via their Kopelson Entertainment banner.

New Line purchased the spec script from Travis Beacham last fall. Set in a Victorian city inhabited by humans, faeries, elves and vampires, a detective hunts down a serial killer.

New Line president Toby Emmerich and execs Keith Goldberg and Michael Disco are shepherding the project.

Disney Headline News

Disney Gets Ratatouille Pic to Release in Pixar Buy

The Walt Disney Co. and Pixar Animation Studios Inc. have agreed to extend their current distribution agreement to include Pixar's 2007 release, RATATOUILLE.

The film, about a rat that lives in a French restaurant, follows Pixar's summer 2006 release, CARS.

An existing distribution agreement would have been moot if Disney's proposed $7.4 billion acquisition of Pixar closes this summer as expected.

Studios Headline News

Hecht’s Worldwide Biggies To Produce First Animated Theatrical Release

Hot off its deal with Nickelodeon, Worldwide Biggies Inc. has entered into an agreement with Ilion Animation Studios to produce the studios first CG theatrical release entitled PLANET ONE. Albie Hecht, the ceo of Worldwide Biggies Inc., and Ilion have signed the Oscar-nominated writer of SHREK and SHREK 2, Joe Stillman, to pen the script. Ilion Animations Studios is the theatrical animation company started by the founders of Pyro Studios, best known as the creators of the international hit videogame series COMMANDOS.

Headline News

Weta Dives Into Water Horse

Walden Media, Beacon Pictures, Revolution Studios and Ecosse Films have teamed to produce a feature based on children's fantasy novel THE WATER HORSE, by British author Dick King-Smith. Weta Digital and Weta Workshop have been tapped to handle the visual effects.

Robert Nelson Jacobs will write the script and Jay Russell will direct. Production is set to start in May in New Zealand.

The book follows a lonely boy in Scotland who finds a mysterious egg from which hatches a "water horse" a mythical sea monster of Scottish legend.

Story Headline News

Shrek 2 & Spirit Director Goes Live Action With Thief of Always

SHREK 2 co-director Kelly Asbury has written and will direct the live-action screenplay adaptation of Clive Barker's THE THIEF OF ALWAYS for 20th Century Fox and Seraphim Films, according to THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER.

Asbury and Barker met at an authors festival where Asbury was invited to discuss his nonfiction book DUMMY DAYS. Asbury and Barker struck up a conversation, which lead to Barker asking Asbury to write and direct the screen adaptation of his 1992 juvenile dark fantasy novel.

Headline News

Stranger Dials Super Bowl Record

For the third consecutive year, Screen Gems has offered up record Super Bowl openings, and this year the remake of WHEN A STRANGER CALLS scared up $21.6M against the Big Game for the weekend ended Feb. 5, 2006. Fox's BIG MOMMA'S HOUSE 2 slipped to second with $13.6M and a two-week cume of $45.6M. Following in third was Universal's NANNY MCPHEE (with vfx from Framestore CFC), bringing home $9.7M and $26.5M. Focus Features' Oscar favorite, BROKEBACK MOUNTAIN, climbed to the fourth spot with $6M, as it expanded to 2,089 screens.

Headline News

Weinstein Co. To Distribute Exodus’ CG Feature Igor

The Weinstein Co. has acquired the North American distribution rights to Exodus Film Groups CG-animated feature comedy IGOR. Chris McKenna (TVs AMERICAN DAD) wrote the screenplay and John D. Eraklis is set to produce. Seasoned animation exec Max Howard, who has collaborated on such animated blockbusters as THE LION KING, ALADDIN, SPACE JAM and THE IRON GIANT, will exec produce.

Headline News

Harry Potter 5 Commences Production

Principal photography will commence Feb. 6, 2006, at Leavesden Studios on HARRY POTTER AND THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX, the fifth film adaptation of J.K. Rowling's beloved HARRY POTTER novel series.

Directed by award winning British filmmaker David Yates (THE GIRL IN THE CAFÉ, SEX TRAFFIC, STATE OF PLAY), THE ORDER OF THE PHOENIX is produced by series producer David Heyman and David Barron, from a screenplay by Michael Goldenberg (WHERE THE WILD THINGS ARE, PETER PAN, CONTACT).

Headline News

Walt Disney & Walden Media Begin Pre-Production on Prince Caspian

Walt Disney Pictures and Walden Media, in collaboration with Academy Award-nominated director Andrew Adamson, have begun pre-production on THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: PRINCE CASPIAN, the follow-up to the international blockbuster, THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA: THE LION, THE WITCH AND THE WARDROBE.

Digital Headline News

Digital Dimension Selects XSI for Legend of Secret Pass Feature

Digital Dimension Canada, a division of Los Angeles-based Digital Dimension, has selected SOFTIMAGE|XSI software as the main 3D production for the upcoming 3D-animated feature, THE LEGEND OF SECRET PASS.

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