Exclusive: Following a competitive situation with what we hear were four offers, TriStar Pictures has snapped up film rights to Wesley Wang’s nothing, except everything., a short film that Wang will adapt for the big screen as writer and director, with Darren Aronofsky’s Protozoa producing.
A 19-year-old currently studying economics at Harvard, Wang made nothing, except everything. during his senior year of high school, seeing it go viral on YouTube and win the Grand Jury Prize at Indianapolis’s Indy Shorts Film Festival. Billed as a romantic sci-fi thriller, the film watches as a graduating high schooler navigates a world of seemingly inevitable chaos by finding order in the number 7. Based on that logline, it’s not hard to see how Harvard alum Aronofsky might have sparked to the material, similar as it is to that of his 1998 debut feature, Pi.
An 11-time national chess champion who began making films at 11 years old,...
A 19-year-old currently studying economics at Harvard, Wang made nothing, except everything. during his senior year of high school, seeing it go viral on YouTube and win the Grand Jury Prize at Indianapolis’s Indy Shorts Film Festival. Billed as a romantic sci-fi thriller, the film watches as a graduating high schooler navigates a world of seemingly inevitable chaos by finding order in the number 7. Based on that logline, it’s not hard to see how Harvard alum Aronofsky might have sparked to the material, similar as it is to that of his 1998 debut feature, Pi.
An 11-time national chess champion who began making films at 11 years old,...
- 4/29/2024
- by Matt Grobar
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Walt Disney Company and National Geographic have unveiled a slate of Earth Day-themed programming as part of their global cross-platform ourHome campaign. Beginning April 19 through April 22, Earth Day-themed content will be featured across ABC News, Disney+, Disney Channel, Disney Junior, Freeform, FX, Fxx, Hulu, National Geographic, Nat Geo Wild and Nat Geo Mundo, with ourHome collections on Disney+ and Hulu.
Morgan Freeman will be the voice of the ourHome brand anthem, which will air throughout the Earth Day content rollout across the Disney networks, Disney Owned Television Stations and select digital platforms.
Beginning on Sunday, April 21, ABC News will launch a special week-long series for ourHome, Power of Us: People, The Climate, and Our Future, featuring innovative solutions for climate change. The series will be led by ABC News’ chief meteorologist and climate correspondent, Ginger Zee, along with the ABC News weather and climate unit. Power of Us...
Morgan Freeman will be the voice of the ourHome brand anthem, which will air throughout the Earth Day content rollout across the Disney networks, Disney Owned Television Stations and select digital platforms.
Beginning on Sunday, April 21, ABC News will launch a special week-long series for ourHome, Power of Us: People, The Climate, and Our Future, featuring innovative solutions for climate change. The series will be led by ABC News’ chief meteorologist and climate correspondent, Ginger Zee, along with the ABC News weather and climate unit. Power of Us...
- 4/19/2024
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: After strong start to 2024 with Masters of the Air and Dune Part 2, Oscar-nominee Austin Butler is looking to build on that success and is teaming up with another Oscar-nominated director. Sources tell Deadline Butler is set to star in Academy Award nominee Darren Aronofsky’s crime thriller Caught Stealing for Sony Pictures. The studio recently landed the package which is based on the book by Charlie Huston. The script will be written by Huston with Protozoa producing.
“I am excited to be teaming up with my old friends at Sony Pictures to bring Charlie’s adrenaline-soaked roller coaster ride to life. I can’t wait to start working with Austin and my family of NYC filmmakers,” said Aronofsky.
Written by and based on the books by Huston, Caught Stealing follows Hank Thompson, a burned-out former baseball player, as he’s unwittingly plunged into a wild...
“I am excited to be teaming up with my old friends at Sony Pictures to bring Charlie’s adrenaline-soaked roller coaster ride to life. I can’t wait to start working with Austin and my family of NYC filmmakers,” said Aronofsky.
Written by and based on the books by Huston, Caught Stealing follows Hank Thompson, a burned-out former baseball player, as he’s unwittingly plunged into a wild...
- 3/27/2024
- by Justin Kroll
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Monster In My Pocket is the latest the toy brand that is set to be turned into a television series.
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Altar Rock Pictures have teamed up to develop a live-action series adaptation.
The two companies are currently meeting with writers to turn the collection of over 200 pocket-sized, collectible monsters, drawn from global myths and legend, into a series.
The brand was launched in 1989 by former Mattel execs Joe Morrison and John Weems, and have sold over 500M units globally. It has been turned into an ABC animated TV special, comic books and a Nintendo game.
Terence Carter and David Boorstein will executive produce the project on behalf of Westbrook Studios, alongside Barbara Goldner and Josh Feldman for Altar Rock Pictures, and Joe Morrison and Maggie Morrison for Morrison Entertainment Group (Meg).
Westbrook Studios is behind television projects including Peacock’s Bel-Air,...
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios and Altar Rock Pictures have teamed up to develop a live-action series adaptation.
The two companies are currently meeting with writers to turn the collection of over 200 pocket-sized, collectible monsters, drawn from global myths and legend, into a series.
The brand was launched in 1989 by former Mattel execs Joe Morrison and John Weems, and have sold over 500M units globally. It has been turned into an ABC animated TV special, comic books and a Nintendo game.
Terence Carter and David Boorstein will executive produce the project on behalf of Westbrook Studios, alongside Barbara Goldner and Josh Feldman for Altar Rock Pictures, and Joe Morrison and Maggie Morrison for Morrison Entertainment Group (Meg).
Westbrook Studios is behind television projects including Peacock’s Bel-Air,...
- 12/7/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Fox Nation’s Jesus Christ show has found its distributor and director.
All3Media International has taken on Jesus Crown of Thorns [working title] for international sales and Deadline can reveal the premium docu-drama will be directed by Hereward Pelling (The Lost Pirate Kingdom).
Revealed by Deadline in October, the series, which is intended as a franchise, will “redefine the way we perceive Jesus’ life against the backdrop of the turbulent times,” according to producer Nutopia. It will set Jesus’ life and mission in the context of the intense political backdrop in which he emerged as a revolutionary figure who dared challenge the status quo.
“Jesus Crown of Thorns promises to be illuminating and will explore the historical context of Jesus’ life in a way that’s never been told before,” said Rachel Job, SVP Non-Scripted Content at All3Media International. “Set against the backdrop of turbulent, political times and focused on...
All3Media International has taken on Jesus Crown of Thorns [working title] for international sales and Deadline can reveal the premium docu-drama will be directed by Hereward Pelling (The Lost Pirate Kingdom).
Revealed by Deadline in October, the series, which is intended as a franchise, will “redefine the way we perceive Jesus’ life against the backdrop of the turbulent times,” according to producer Nutopia. It will set Jesus’ life and mission in the context of the intense political backdrop in which he emerged as a revolutionary figure who dared challenge the status quo.
“Jesus Crown of Thorns promises to be illuminating and will explore the historical context of Jesus’ life in a way that’s never been told before,” said Rachel Job, SVP Non-Scripted Content at All3Media International. “Set against the backdrop of turbulent, political times and focused on...
- 12/5/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Netflix has added Sahara Bushue to its unscripted team, TheWrap can confirm.
Bushue had been consulting for the streaming giant since March. She will now join the company on a permanent basis on unscripted VP Brandon Riegg’s team. Her official title will be director of unscripted series.
Previously, Bushue worked as the senior vice president and head of unscripted for Westbrook Studios, the entertainment venture company founded by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. She was there for a little over two years when the company produced projects such as “Red Table Talk,” “Welcome to Earth,” “Amend: The Fight for America” and “Women of the Movement.”
Before that, Bushue was the senior vice president for alternative programming and development at NBC. Altogether, she was at the network for 13 years. Throughout her time at NBC, she’s worked on “America’s Got Talent,” “Ellen’s Game of Games,” “World of Dance,” “Little Big Shots” and “Hollywood Game Night.
Bushue had been consulting for the streaming giant since March. She will now join the company on a permanent basis on unscripted VP Brandon Riegg’s team. Her official title will be director of unscripted series.
Previously, Bushue worked as the senior vice president and head of unscripted for Westbrook Studios, the entertainment venture company founded by Will and Jada Pinkett Smith. She was there for a little over two years when the company produced projects such as “Red Table Talk,” “Welcome to Earth,” “Amend: The Fight for America” and “Women of the Movement.”
Before that, Bushue was the senior vice president for alternative programming and development at NBC. Altogether, she was at the network for 13 years. Throughout her time at NBC, she’s worked on “America’s Got Talent,” “Ellen’s Game of Games,” “World of Dance,” “Little Big Shots” and “Hollywood Game Night.
- 10/13/2023
- by Kayla Cobb
- The Wrap
Exclusive: Netflix is staffing up its unscripted division.
Sahara Bushue, who was previously head of unscripted at Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios and more notably spent nearly 13 years at NBC, has joined Brandon Riegg’s team. She is a director of unscripted series.
Bushue had been consulting for the streamer for many months but recently closed a deal to join the company on a permanent basis.
Given that she was previously SVP, Alternative Development and Current at NBC, where she worked on shows such as America’s Got Talent, Ellen’s Game of Games, World of Dance, Little Big Shots, and Hollywood Game Night, she brings experience of shiny-floor stage formats, social experiment, game shows to the streamer, which has been moving further into these genres, as well as live, which is a new area for Netflix.
Between November 2020 and March 2023, she was SVP and Head of Unscripted Television for Westbrook Studios,...
Sahara Bushue, who was previously head of unscripted at Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios and more notably spent nearly 13 years at NBC, has joined Brandon Riegg’s team. She is a director of unscripted series.
Bushue had been consulting for the streamer for many months but recently closed a deal to join the company on a permanent basis.
Given that she was previously SVP, Alternative Development and Current at NBC, where she worked on shows such as America’s Got Talent, Ellen’s Game of Games, World of Dance, Little Big Shots, and Hollywood Game Night, she brings experience of shiny-floor stage formats, social experiment, game shows to the streamer, which has been moving further into these genres, as well as live, which is a new area for Netflix.
Between November 2020 and March 2023, she was SVP and Head of Unscripted Television for Westbrook Studios,...
- 10/13/2023
- by Peter White
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: The Last Czars maker Nutopia has landed its latest docu-drama, a re-telling of the life of Jesus that will “shine a new light” on his life.
Jesus Crown Of Thorns will debut on Fox Nation – the first time Jane Root’s indie has worked with the Fox streamer – and will head into production later this year.
The series, which is intended as a franchise, will “redefine the way we perceive Jesus’ life against the backdrop of the turbulent times,” according to the producer. It will set Jesus’ life and mission in the context of the intense political backdrop in which he emerged as a revolutionary figure who dared challenge the status quo.
“We’re delighted to be collaborating with our new partners at Fox Nation to explore the life of Jesus in this new and illuminating way,” said exec producer Ben Goold.
In recent years, Nutopia has nurtured a...
Jesus Crown Of Thorns will debut on Fox Nation – the first time Jane Root’s indie has worked with the Fox streamer – and will head into production later this year.
The series, which is intended as a franchise, will “redefine the way we perceive Jesus’ life against the backdrop of the turbulent times,” according to the producer. It will set Jesus’ life and mission in the context of the intense political backdrop in which he emerged as a revolutionary figure who dared challenge the status quo.
“We’re delighted to be collaborating with our new partners at Fox Nation to explore the life of Jesus in this new and illuminating way,” said exec producer Ben Goold.
In recent years, Nutopia has nurtured a...
- 10/13/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: UK unscripted vet Daniel Pearl is exiting Paramount UK for Lion TV.
The streamer’s VP of unscripted originals in the UK, whose past credits include Leaving Neverland and 72 Films-produced Premier League series Rise of the Billionaires, will become Creative Director at the All3Media-owned production outfit, replacing Tom Watt-Smith but with a wider remit.
Pearl has spent the past six years at Paramount UK, where he has overseen a wealth of factual shows first for Paramount UK network Channel 5 and latterly Paramount+ – leading the charge on the streamer’s UK unscripted push. Credits for Paramount+ include Rise of the Billionaires, serial killer series The Box and reality show Hot Yachts. For Channel 5, he oversaw big factual beasts such as Our Yorkshire Farm.
Pearl is a UK unscripted vet, having spent the six years before Paramount/Channel 5 in various current affairs roles with Channel 4, and the 15 years before that at the BBC.
The streamer’s VP of unscripted originals in the UK, whose past credits include Leaving Neverland and 72 Films-produced Premier League series Rise of the Billionaires, will become Creative Director at the All3Media-owned production outfit, replacing Tom Watt-Smith but with a wider remit.
Pearl has spent the past six years at Paramount UK, where he has overseen a wealth of factual shows first for Paramount UK network Channel 5 and latterly Paramount+ – leading the charge on the streamer’s UK unscripted push. Credits for Paramount+ include Rise of the Billionaires, serial killer series The Box and reality show Hot Yachts. For Channel 5, he oversaw big factual beasts such as Our Yorkshire Farm.
Pearl is a UK unscripted vet, having spent the six years before Paramount/Channel 5 in various current affairs roles with Channel 4, and the 15 years before that at the BBC.
- 9/11/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Mobeen Azhar has questioned whether the documentary genre will “end up in a situation where buyers with the biggest cheque books get bigger access,” but senior Sky and Amazon execs have shot back.
The BAFTA-winning documentarian raised fears that public service broadcasters with shallower pockets will end up in a “special space without money” that he compared to a “desert island,” while the best contributors opt for docs greenlit by the money-laden U.S. streaming services.
“That’s why I think [paying contributors] is an issue and I know it already happens,” said Azhar, who has made a wealth of docs mainly for the BBC.
Azhar debated with BBC, Sky and Amazon doc bosses this afternoon at the Edinburgh TV Festival over the practice of how much to pay contributors, or whether they should be paid at all.
Sky’s Poppy Dixon shot back at Azhar. “You are presuming that [a contributors’] primary motivation is money,...
The BAFTA-winning documentarian raised fears that public service broadcasters with shallower pockets will end up in a “special space without money” that he compared to a “desert island,” while the best contributors opt for docs greenlit by the money-laden U.S. streaming services.
“That’s why I think [paying contributors] is an issue and I know it already happens,” said Azhar, who has made a wealth of docs mainly for the BBC.
Azhar debated with BBC, Sky and Amazon doc bosses this afternoon at the Edinburgh TV Festival over the practice of how much to pay contributors, or whether they should be paid at all.
Sky’s Poppy Dixon shot back at Azhar. “You are presuming that [a contributors’] primary motivation is money,...
- 8/23/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Welcome to Earth with Will Smith producer Nutopia is pushing further into the returning formats game with the hire of a new Creative Director in the UK.
Tom Watt-Smith joins Nutopia from Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb producer Lion TV just a few months after he was promoted to become Lion’s Creative Director of Premium and Specialist Factual.
At Nutopia, he will take on the newly-created Creative Director of Formats and Special Projects post to expand the transatlantic outfit’s documentary and returning formats slate, based out of London. He will “support Nutopia’s continued growth into new markets, price points, and territories,” according to the indie.
Nutopia’s shows include Nat Geo’s Welcome to Earth with Will Smith, Netflix’s African Queens and Sky History’s Royal Mob. Jane Root’s outfit also has a deal in place with former Travel Channel boss Pat Younge to...
Tom Watt-Smith joins Nutopia from Secrets of the Saqqara Tomb producer Lion TV just a few months after he was promoted to become Lion’s Creative Director of Premium and Specialist Factual.
At Nutopia, he will take on the newly-created Creative Director of Formats and Special Projects post to expand the transatlantic outfit’s documentary and returning formats slate, based out of London. He will “support Nutopia’s continued growth into new markets, price points, and territories,” according to the indie.
Nutopia’s shows include Nat Geo’s Welcome to Earth with Will Smith, Netflix’s African Queens and Sky History’s Royal Mob. Jane Root’s outfit also has a deal in place with former Travel Channel boss Pat Younge to...
- 4/20/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Blockbuster hits Black Panther and The Woman King have cleared the path for Netflix to succeed with Jada Pinkett Smith-narrated docu-drama African Queens, according to the show’s exec.
Premiering this week, African Queens will first tell the story of Queen Njinga of Angola and subsequently Cleopatra in its second season. It is produced by Welcome to Earth with Will Smith indie Nutopia and Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios.
Speaking exclusively to Deadline ahead of a London screening tonight, EP Maxine Watson, who has worked on some of Britain’s biggest factual hits, said recent blockbusters have created a landscape in which shows like African Queens can flourish. A separate Njinga drama from Starz, which is being exec produced by 50 Cent, is also in the works.
“Now is a wise time to launch as The Woman King and Wakanda Forever have made it easier...
Premiering this week, African Queens will first tell the story of Queen Njinga of Angola and subsequently Cleopatra in its second season. It is produced by Welcome to Earth with Will Smith indie Nutopia and Pinkett Smith and Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios.
Speaking exclusively to Deadline ahead of a London screening tonight, EP Maxine Watson, who has worked on some of Britain’s biggest factual hits, said recent blockbusters have created a landscape in which shows like African Queens can flourish. A separate Njinga drama from Starz, which is being exec produced by 50 Cent, is also in the works.
“Now is a wise time to launch as The Woman King and Wakanda Forever have made it easier...
- 2/13/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Will Smith is slated to star in and executive produce a new travel series for Disney Plus titled Pole to Pole.
National Geographic announced that Tte show will be a part of the streaming service’s hub and will follow, as its title suggests, Smith and a film crew as they make the gruelling 26,000-mile trek from the South Pole to the North Pole.
Filming will last for more than 100 days, as the team spends time in various communities along the way, crossing all of Earth’s biomes.
The forthcoming series is among several series ordered by Nat Geo. Others include projects from Avatar director James Cameron, John Favreau and the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, as well as an unnamed adventure show hosted by magician David Blaine.
National Geographic Content president Courteney Monroe said in a statement about the news that the brand’s “strategy is to tell bold,...
National Geographic announced that Tte show will be a part of the streaming service’s hub and will follow, as its title suggests, Smith and a film crew as they make the gruelling 26,000-mile trek from the South Pole to the North Pole.
Filming will last for more than 100 days, as the team spends time in various communities along the way, crossing all of Earth’s biomes.
The forthcoming series is among several series ordered by Nat Geo. Others include projects from Avatar director James Cameron, John Favreau and the BBC Studios Natural History Unit, as well as an unnamed adventure show hosted by magician David Blaine.
National Geographic Content president Courteney Monroe said in a statement about the news that the brand’s “strategy is to tell bold,...
- 2/3/2023
- by Inga Parkel
- The Independent - TV
Exclusive: James Wan’s Atomic Monster has teamed with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios on Concrete Jungle, an urban nature docuseries.
Based on an original idea from Wan and Ingrid Bisu, Concrete Jungle is described as “not your typical natural history show”. It follows the secret lives of urban animals – food foraging and hunting, dating and mating habits, internal clashes and turf wars with other species — and these aren’t the traditional, majestic animals from exotic, picturesque places like the African savanna or South Asian jungles.
Per the description, it “stars grungy, hardened, and clever critters abiding in the gritty Concrete Jungles of America, from bobcats to crows to coyotes to squirrels and more. Taking a darker, and also comedic perspective, the series will track the unexpected lives of these local animals as they live below us, above us, in our backyards and even in our walls,...
Based on an original idea from Wan and Ingrid Bisu, Concrete Jungle is described as “not your typical natural history show”. It follows the secret lives of urban animals – food foraging and hunting, dating and mating habits, internal clashes and turf wars with other species — and these aren’t the traditional, majestic animals from exotic, picturesque places like the African savanna or South Asian jungles.
Per the description, it “stars grungy, hardened, and clever critters abiding in the gritty Concrete Jungles of America, from bobcats to crows to coyotes to squirrels and more. Taking a darker, and also comedic perspective, the series will track the unexpected lives of these local animals as they live below us, above us, in our backyards and even in our walls,...
- 1/20/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Nutopia, the Welcome to Earth with Will Smith and Limitless with Chris Hemsworth producer, has created a Chief Creative Officer role for veteran exec Simon Willgoss.
Willgoss, who has been with Jane Root’s transatlantic indie for 15 years, was most recently EVP Development and became Head of Development in 2015. Prior to this, he was part of the team that pioneered the “mega-doc”, an in-vogue genre that has seen the likes of National Geographic trio Welcome to Earth with Will Smith, Limitless with Chris Hemsworth and Darron Aronofksy’s One Strange Rock hit TV screens.
Root said Willgoss has been a “crucial part of Nutopia’s success over the past decade and his creative vision and leadership will help take the company to new heights.”
Simon Willgoss
Willgoss added that “big plans and new partnerships” are incoming in 2023. “It’s been a fantastic journey so far and I look forward...
Willgoss, who has been with Jane Root’s transatlantic indie for 15 years, was most recently EVP Development and became Head of Development in 2015. Prior to this, he was part of the team that pioneered the “mega-doc”, an in-vogue genre that has seen the likes of National Geographic trio Welcome to Earth with Will Smith, Limitless with Chris Hemsworth and Darron Aronofksy’s One Strange Rock hit TV screens.
Root said Willgoss has been a “crucial part of Nutopia’s success over the past decade and his creative vision and leadership will help take the company to new heights.”
Simon Willgoss
Willgoss added that “big plans and new partnerships” are incoming in 2023. “It’s been a fantastic journey so far and I look forward...
- 1/11/2023
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Carmelo Anthony has teamed with Westbrook Studios and Falkon Entertainment on Seven, a four-part docuseries, which Anthony’s company Creative 7 will also produce.
Named after Anthony’s signature jersey, Seven will chronicle the life and career of the 10-time NBA All-Star and entrepreneur, starting with his childhood, diving into the good, the bad, and sometimes ugly experiences and learnings that shaped him into the man and the athlete that he is today.
Seven promises to reveal the truth behind notable moments throughout Anthony’s career, many of which he has never spoken about publicly before. The series will also take an introspective look at his life and who he is today — at practice, after games, with his family — through the lens of what it means to be an athlete, a celebrity, and most importantly, a human being.
Anthony and his long-time business partner Asani Swann will executive produce the...
Named after Anthony’s signature jersey, Seven will chronicle the life and career of the 10-time NBA All-Star and entrepreneur, starting with his childhood, diving into the good, the bad, and sometimes ugly experiences and learnings that shaped him into the man and the athlete that he is today.
Seven promises to reveal the truth behind notable moments throughout Anthony’s career, many of which he has never spoken about publicly before. The series will also take an introspective look at his life and who he is today — at practice, after games, with his family — through the lens of what it means to be an athlete, a celebrity, and most importantly, a human being.
Anthony and his long-time business partner Asani Swann will executive produce the...
- 8/15/2022
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Darren Aronofsky may be known for tense psychological dramas ranging from “Requiem for a Dream” to “The Wrestler,” and has another one in the pipeline this fall with “The Whale,” but the filmmaker has a side hustle with much loftier aims. As the producer of the National Geographic series “One Strange Rock” and “Welcome to Earth” through his company Protozoa Pictures, Aronofsky has been pushing for environmentally-conscious non-fiction projects in tandem with his own directorial undertakings, which he sees as a direct response to divisive Washington rhetoric.
“It’s a very sad state of affairs to call the environment political,” Aronofsky told IndieWire in a recent interview. “I don’t know how we lost control of that conversation.”
His latest effort on that front is “The Territory,” filmmaker Alex Pritz’s intense debut feature that follows the efforts of the Indigenous Amazon community called Uru-eu-wau-wau to protect their land from aggressive deforestation efforts.
“It’s a very sad state of affairs to call the environment political,” Aronofsky told IndieWire in a recent interview. “I don’t know how we lost control of that conversation.”
His latest effort on that front is “The Territory,” filmmaker Alex Pritz’s intense debut feature that follows the efforts of the Indigenous Amazon community called Uru-eu-wau-wau to protect their land from aggressive deforestation efforts.
- 8/15/2022
- by Eric Kohn
- Indiewire
“I personally got in by fluke. I did not have any intention on being in sound,” says “Women of the Movement” supervising sound editor Bobbi Banks about how she entered her specialized field. She actually started as an administrative assistant at Sound One and learned the trade there over time. Now she’s one of the leading artists in her field, at one point serving as the president of the Motion Picture Sound Editors. We talked to her and her fellow sound artists Mathew Waters (“Only Murders in the Building”), Michael J. Benavente (“Under the Banner of Heaven”), Jay Price (“Welcome to Earth”) and Matt Skelding (“The Wheel of Time”) for our “Meet the Experts” TV sound editors and mixers panel. Watch our roundtable discussion above. Click each person’s name above to watch that person’s individual chat.
Since Banks has been passionate about raising the profile of sound design,...
Since Banks has been passionate about raising the profile of sound design,...
- 6/4/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
“The whole aspiration for the show was to kind of open up the audiences’ senses to the wonders of the world,” explains “Welcome to Earth” sound designer Jay Price about the mission of the National Geographic series that follows Will Smith to the ends of the Earth to experience the planet in ways he never has before. That includes remarkable sounds throughout nature. We talked with Price as part of our “Meet the Experts” TV sound editors and mixers panel. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
Among the adventures that Smith undertakes throughout the series are journeys to the top of an active volcano, down to the bottom of the ocean, across the Serengeti and white water rafting in Iceland. The first episode is focused entirely on sound, paying special attention to the rumblings of that volcano, the communication of the ocean’s loudest whales and the resonance of ice...
Among the adventures that Smith undertakes throughout the series are journeys to the top of an active volcano, down to the bottom of the ocean, across the Serengeti and white water rafting in Iceland. The first episode is focused entirely on sound, paying special attention to the rumblings of that volcano, the communication of the ocean’s loudest whales and the resonance of ice...
- 6/4/2022
- by Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
What led to your first opportunity in show business? When did you discover editing and realize you could make a career out of it? What film or TV show has had a lasting impact on your life?
These were some of the questions answered by four of today’s top TV editors when they joined Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” group roundtable panel with 2022 Emmy contenders. Watch our full group chat with Robert Martinez (“Lucy and Desi”), Jamie Martin (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”), Melissa McCoy (“Ted Lasso”) and Felix Black (“Welcome to Earth”) above. Click on each name above to view that person’s individual interview.
See over 300 interviews with 2022 Emmy contenders
“I was a senior portrait photographer,” Martinez says with a laugh when thinking back on his start in show business. “I had a creative itch and no direction. I helped on [my wife’s] sets for student films. I quickly...
These were some of the questions answered by four of today’s top TV editors when they joined Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” group roundtable panel with 2022 Emmy contenders. Watch our full group chat with Robert Martinez (“Lucy and Desi”), Jamie Martin (“RuPaul’s Drag Race”), Melissa McCoy (“Ted Lasso”) and Felix Black (“Welcome to Earth”) above. Click on each name above to view that person’s individual interview.
See over 300 interviews with 2022 Emmy contenders
“I was a senior portrait photographer,” Martinez says with a laugh when thinking back on his start in show business. “I had a creative itch and no direction. I helped on [my wife’s] sets for student films. I quickly...
- 5/31/2022
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
“What you get to do in many documentaries is find a side of life that perhaps you couldn’t have imagined was there before,” declares Felix Black, the editor of NatGeo’s “Welcome To Earth” that’s currently streaming on Disney+. “You have the great privilege to show this and to tell these stories to sometimes a vast audience and that can give you an insight into other people, other cultures, science and stories that are an absolute joy to edit and to bring to the wider world.” We talked to Black as part of our “Meet the Experts” TV editors panel. Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See over 300 interviews with 2022 Emmy contenders
“Welcome to Earth” is a Disney+ original series from National Geographic, and follows Academy Award winner Will Smith on an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime adventure around the world to explore Earth’s greatest wonders and reveal its most hidden secrets.
See over 300 interviews with 2022 Emmy contenders
“Welcome to Earth” is a Disney+ original series from National Geographic, and follows Academy Award winner Will Smith on an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime adventure around the world to explore Earth’s greatest wonders and reveal its most hidden secrets.
- 5/31/2022
- by Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Welcome to Earth producer Nutopia has struck a deal with former Travel Channel and BBC Productions boss Pat Younge to develop a slate of global TV franchises with a focus on diversity and inclusion.
Younge and Nutopia will forge shows “rooted in the stories and perspectives of the African and Asian diaspora.”
The strategic collaboration reunites Younge with Nutopia Founder Jane Root, with the two having worked together at the BBC and then Discovery Communications in the U.S.
Younge is widely credited with leading a turnaround at the Travel Channel, having introduced the likes of Man v Food and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations to the world.
He went on to be Chief Creative Officer of then-bbc Productions (now BBC Studios), overseeing a slate of in-house BBC shows including Top Gear, Luther and Strictly Come Dancing.
Most recently, he became a non-exec director of British factual indie Cardiff Productions,...
Younge and Nutopia will forge shows “rooted in the stories and perspectives of the African and Asian diaspora.”
The strategic collaboration reunites Younge with Nutopia Founder Jane Root, with the two having worked together at the BBC and then Discovery Communications in the U.S.
Younge is widely credited with leading a turnaround at the Travel Channel, having introduced the likes of Man v Food and Anthony Bourdain: No Reservations to the world.
He went on to be Chief Creative Officer of then-bbc Productions (now BBC Studios), overseeing a slate of in-house BBC shows including Top Gear, Luther and Strictly Come Dancing.
Most recently, he became a non-exec director of British factual indie Cardiff Productions,...
- 5/31/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Writing the perfect main title theme for a television show is easier said than done, say some of the industry’s top composers during the Gold Derby Meet the Experts: Composers roundtable panel. Watch the exclusive video interview above.
“It’s like trying to squeeze the last bit of toothpaste in a container. It takes ages,” says Breton Vivian, a composer who worked with Brian Tyler on the score for “1883” and its parent series, “Yellowstone.” “Sometimes it’s just some sort of hook that you can kind of expand into a bigger thing. But for me, it’s always just spending a really long time with it, measure by measure.… But then sometimes you just do it in like, a couple of minutes. For me, there’s no real formula for it.”
In our exclusive video interview roundtable, Vivian was joined by Nathan Barr (an Emmy Award winner who...
“It’s like trying to squeeze the last bit of toothpaste in a container. It takes ages,” says Breton Vivian, a composer who worked with Brian Tyler on the score for “1883” and its parent series, “Yellowstone.” “Sometimes it’s just some sort of hook that you can kind of expand into a bigger thing. But for me, it’s always just spending a really long time with it, measure by measure.… But then sometimes you just do it in like, a couple of minutes. For me, there’s no real formula for it.”
In our exclusive video interview roundtable, Vivian was joined by Nathan Barr (an Emmy Award winner who...
- 5/26/2022
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
The visual imagery on the NatGeo docu-series “Welcome to Earth” is so remarkable that some viewers might think it is enhanced by special effects. It’s not, of course, but that almost otherworldly quality about the show is something composer Daniel Pemberton wanted to focus on while writing his hypnotic score.
“I always want to do something different. And a lot of this, for me, was like seeing the world in a way you’ve never seen it before. So I wanted the music to have that same sense of the unexpected, the unusual,” Pemberton says in an exclusive video interview with Gold Derby. “I wanted it to be a sound approach that made you go, ‘Hang on, what was going on here?’ And so you engage with the story and the environment in a different way.”
See over 250 video interviews with 2022 Emmy contenders
Pemberton is one of the most...
“I always want to do something different. And a lot of this, for me, was like seeing the world in a way you’ve never seen it before. So I wanted the music to have that same sense of the unexpected, the unusual,” Pemberton says in an exclusive video interview with Gold Derby. “I wanted it to be a sound approach that made you go, ‘Hang on, what was going on here?’ And so you engage with the story and the environment in a different way.”
See over 250 video interviews with 2022 Emmy contenders
Pemberton is one of the most...
- 5/26/2022
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Five top TV sound editors and mixers will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022 Emmy Awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Tuesday, May 31, at 6:00 p.m. Pt; 9:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Daniel Montgomery and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.
RSVP today to our entire ongoing Emmy contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 contenders:
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Synopsis: Three strangers who share an obsession with true crime suddenly find themselves caught up in one.
Bio: Mathew Waters was a five-time Emmy winner for “Game of Thrones” among nine career nominations,...
RSVP today to our entire ongoing Emmy contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 contenders:
Only Murders in the Building (Hulu)
Synopsis: Three strangers who share an obsession with true crime suddenly find themselves caught up in one.
Bio: Mathew Waters was a five-time Emmy winner for “Game of Thrones” among nine career nominations,...
- 5/25/2022
- by Chris Beachum and Daniel Montgomery
- Gold Derby
When Amazon’s “Night Sky” cinematographer Ashley Connor was a teenager, her father showed her some classics. Not that he might like her telling people this particular anecdote.
“I think my dad would tell me not to say, but we definitely watched ‘A Clockwork Orange’ when I was pretty young. And then ‘2001: A Space Odyessy.’ He sort of showed me a few kinds of bigger-brain movies that kind of blew my mind in my early teens,” Connor says during our Meet the Experts: Cinematographers roundtable group panel. “Those were the films that really kind of engaged my brain in a more photographic sense. And really, like, brought me into an artier space of filmmaking.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Connor is one of six talented cinematographers who spoke to Gold Derby about their path to becoming filmmakers. Our Meet the Experts: Cinematographer panel also included participation from Karl-Walter...
“I think my dad would tell me not to say, but we definitely watched ‘A Clockwork Orange’ when I was pretty young. And then ‘2001: A Space Odyessy.’ He sort of showed me a few kinds of bigger-brain movies that kind of blew my mind in my early teens,” Connor says during our Meet the Experts: Cinematographers roundtable group panel. “Those were the films that really kind of engaged my brain in a more photographic sense. And really, like, brought me into an artier space of filmmaking.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
Connor is one of six talented cinematographers who spoke to Gold Derby about their path to becoming filmmakers. Our Meet the Experts: Cinematographer panel also included participation from Karl-Walter...
- 5/21/2022
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Acclaimed cinematographer Brendan McGinty had a big challenge when he rejoined some of his collaborators from “One Strange Rock,” including executive producer Darren Aronofsky, for the NatGeo series “Welcome to Earth”: How to manage a globe-spanning nature docuseries with Will Smith at the center of the real environments.
“It was a very radical proposal,” McGinty tells Gold Derby about the series during our Meet the Experts: Cinematographers panel. “To take a Hollywood A-list actor and put them on a volcano or at the bottom of the ocean… And we wanted a photographic style that would accommodate this new sort of immersion in the world.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
See over 200 interviews with 2022 Emmy contenders
The six-part series was shot in 2020 and released late last year. In each episode, Smith is guided by a top-flight explorer and experiences wonders of the natural world that seem almost impossible to comprehend.
“It was a very radical proposal,” McGinty tells Gold Derby about the series during our Meet the Experts: Cinematographers panel. “To take a Hollywood A-list actor and put them on a volcano or at the bottom of the ocean… And we wanted a photographic style that would accommodate this new sort of immersion in the world.” Watch the exclusive video interview above.
See over 200 interviews with 2022 Emmy contenders
The six-part series was shot in 2020 and released late last year. In each episode, Smith is guided by a top-flight explorer and experiences wonders of the natural world that seem almost impossible to comprehend.
- 5/21/2022
- by Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Five top TV editors will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022 Emmy Awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Thursday, May 26, at 4:00 p.m. Pt; 6:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Denton Davidson and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.
RSVP today to our entire ongoing Emmy contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 contenders:
Lucy and Desi (Amazon Prime)
Synopsis: Explores the rise of comedian icon Lucille Ball, her relationship with Desi Arnaz, and how their groundbreaking sitcom “I Love Lucy” forever changed Hollywood.
Bio: Robert Martinez was an Emmy and American Cinema...
RSVP today to our entire ongoing Emmy contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 contenders:
Lucy and Desi (Amazon Prime)
Synopsis: Explores the rise of comedian icon Lucille Ball, her relationship with Desi Arnaz, and how their groundbreaking sitcom “I Love Lucy” forever changed Hollywood.
Bio: Robert Martinez was an Emmy and American Cinema...
- 5/20/2022
- by Chris Beachum and Denton Davidson
- Gold Derby
Four top TV composers will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022 Emmy Awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Tuesday, May 24, at 4:00 p.m. Pt; 7:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Christopher Rosen and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.
RSVP today to our entire ongoing Emmy contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 contenders:
1883 (Paramount+)
Synopsis: Follows the Dutton family on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of uncolonized America.
Bio: The career of Breton Vivian has included “Galavant,” “Agent Carter,” “Sausage Party,” “The Fate of the Furious,...
RSVP today to our entire ongoing Emmy contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 contenders:
1883 (Paramount+)
Synopsis: Follows the Dutton family on a journey west through the Great Plains toward the last bastion of uncolonized America.
Bio: The career of Breton Vivian has included “Galavant,” “Agent Carter,” “Sausage Party,” “The Fate of the Furious,...
- 5/18/2022
- by Chris Beachum and Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Sky has unveiled one of its biggest factual slates yet, greenlighting six shows including documentaries on the assassination of Swedish Prime Minister Olof Palme and the Italian 1990 football World Cup, and a royal factual drama told through the eyes of Queen Victoria’s granddaughters.
The shows will air across Sky Documentaries, Sky Crime, Sky Nature and Sky History over the next year and come as the Comcast-owned pay-tv giant prepares for a swanky London do tomorrow night, at which they will be presented.
Leading the slate is The Assassination of Olof Palme, a thriller-esque four-part series set in the Scandi Noir world of Cold War Sweden when the Prime Minister was shot in 1986 on the snowy streets of Stockholm. What followed was a 36-year search for the killer, which consumed many including the late Girl With the Dragon Tattoo author Stieg Larsson.
Next is three-parter Italia’ 90 as Sky doubles down on sports docs,...
The shows will air across Sky Documentaries, Sky Crime, Sky Nature and Sky History over the next year and come as the Comcast-owned pay-tv giant prepares for a swanky London do tomorrow night, at which they will be presented.
Leading the slate is The Assassination of Olof Palme, a thriller-esque four-part series set in the Scandi Noir world of Cold War Sweden when the Prime Minister was shot in 1986 on the snowy streets of Stockholm. What followed was a 36-year search for the killer, which consumed many including the late Girl With the Dragon Tattoo author Stieg Larsson.
Next is three-parter Italia’ 90 as Sky doubles down on sports docs,...
- 5/16/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Six top TV cinematographers will reveal secrets behind their projects when they join Gold Derby’s special “Meet the Experts” Q&a event with 2022 Emmy Awards contenders. They will participate in two video discussions to premiere on Wednesday, May 18, at 4:00 p.m. Pt; 7:00 p.m. Et. We’ll have a one-on-one with our senior editor Christopher Rosen and a roundtable chat with all of the group together.
RSVP today to our entire ongoing Emmy contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 contenders:
Halo (Paramount+)
Synopsis: Aliens threaten human existence in an epic 26th-century showdown. TV series based on the video game ‘Halo.’
Bio: Karl-Walter Lindenlaub was an Emmy nominee for “Houdini.” Other projects have included “Independence Day,” “The Princess Diaries,” “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,...
RSVP today to our entire ongoing Emmy contenders panel series by clicking here to book your free reservation. We’ll send you a reminder a few minutes before the start of the show.
This “Meet the Experts” panel welcomes the following 2022 contenders:
Halo (Paramount+)
Synopsis: Aliens threaten human existence in an epic 26th-century showdown. TV series based on the video game ‘Halo.’
Bio: Karl-Walter Lindenlaub was an Emmy nominee for “Houdini.” Other projects have included “Independence Day,” “The Princess Diaries,” “The Chronicles of Narnia: Prince Caspian,...
- 5/12/2022
- by Chris Beachum and Christopher Rosen
- Gold Derby
Exclusive: Nat Geo is developing a new season of explorer format Lost Cities With Albert Lin, with production switching from UK producer Blakeway Productions to The Tinder Swindler indie Raw TV.
The budget has been increased for the latest run, Deadline understands, which has not been greenlit yet. A decision on whether the show premieres on Disney+ will be made at point of greenlight and season one is currently available on the streamer, which has a Nat Geo tile.
Raw TV crewed up late last year and the show is in production at the moment, it is understood.
Helmed by the U.S. TV host, scientist and explorer, the show sees Lin visit parts of the world featuring ancient runes such as the Knights Templar in Israel, UK’s Stonehenge and Machu Picchu.
Lin is known for employing high-end techniques and the show combines hi-tech archaeology with 3D scanning to...
The budget has been increased for the latest run, Deadline understands, which has not been greenlit yet. A decision on whether the show premieres on Disney+ will be made at point of greenlight and season one is currently available on the streamer, which has a Nat Geo tile.
Raw TV crewed up late last year and the show is in production at the moment, it is understood.
Helmed by the U.S. TV host, scientist and explorer, the show sees Lin visit parts of the world featuring ancient runes such as the Knights Templar in Israel, UK’s Stonehenge and Machu Picchu.
Lin is known for employing high-end techniques and the show combines hi-tech archaeology with 3D scanning to...
- 5/11/2022
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
Deadline has launched the streaming site for its second annual Sound & Screen, an award-season composer showcase of original music for television.
Click here to launch the streaming site.
The event May 5 at UCLA’s Royce Hall featured a 50-person orchestra spotlighting the music from composers Daniel Pemberton, Sean Callery, Amanda Jones, Dan Romer, Jeff Russo and Nico Muhly; composer-songwriters Tom Mizer & Curtis Moore; and music supervisor Jen Malone all of whom took part in post-performance Q&As to discuss their work. The night also featured a special virtual performance by Mick Jagger.
The studios and streamers who took part included Amazon Studios/Prime Video with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel; Apple TV+ with Pachinko, Slow Horses and The Afterparty; CBS Studios with Star Trek: Picard and The Man Who Fell to Earth; HBO/HBO Max with Euphoria, Station Eleven, Somebody Somewhere and A Black Lady Sketch Show; National Geographic with Welcome to Earth...
Click here to launch the streaming site.
The event May 5 at UCLA’s Royce Hall featured a 50-person orchestra spotlighting the music from composers Daniel Pemberton, Sean Callery, Amanda Jones, Dan Romer, Jeff Russo and Nico Muhly; composer-songwriters Tom Mizer & Curtis Moore; and music supervisor Jen Malone all of whom took part in post-performance Q&As to discuss their work. The night also featured a special virtual performance by Mick Jagger.
The studios and streamers who took part included Amazon Studios/Prime Video with The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel; Apple TV+ with Pachinko, Slow Horses and The Afterparty; CBS Studios with Star Trek: Picard and The Man Who Fell to Earth; HBO/HBO Max with Euphoria, Station Eleven, Somebody Somewhere and A Black Lady Sketch Show; National Geographic with Welcome to Earth...
- 5/9/2022
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
Seeing superstar Will Smith visit remote locations on the planet was the hook for the National Geographic docuseries Welcome to Earth. Daniel Pemberton’s job was to provide Smith’s journey with a sound, and he said during a panel for the series at Deadline’s Sound & Screen concert event that he used some he’d never played before.
“A big thing for me was trying to make it not sound like anything you’ve heard before,” Pemberton said onstage during the TV music event at UCLA’s Royce Hall. “The idea with the show is seeing the world in a way you’ve never seen it before. I always wanted music that didn’t feel what you’d expect and use sounds that you wouldn’t expect. “
Pemberton said in his music career, he often experimented with sounds that never made it into traditional scores. Welcome to Earth, which streams on Disney+,...
“A big thing for me was trying to make it not sound like anything you’ve heard before,” Pemberton said onstage during the TV music event at UCLA’s Royce Hall. “The idea with the show is seeing the world in a way you’ve never seen it before. I always wanted music that didn’t feel what you’d expect and use sounds that you wouldn’t expect. “
Pemberton said in his music career, he often experimented with sounds that never made it into traditional scores. Welcome to Earth, which streams on Disney+,...
- 5/6/2022
- by Fred Topel
- Deadline Film + TV
Deadline’s Sound & Screen, a showcase of television’s most moving and lauded original music from some of the industry’s top-most talent, has lifted the baton for its second edition tonight live and in person at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
Attendees of the awards-season event, which kicked off at 6:30 p.m. Pt, will be transported through the melodic sounds of these programs from a 50-piece orchestra, followed by sit-downs with the composers, conductors and music supervisors behind the works.
Scores facilitate in carrying the audience’s emotions and heighten senses in a way that would not be possible with just dialogue. Imagine HBO’s Euphoria without its hypnotic and genre-bending soundtrack? Or being marched ahead through the final frontier in CBS Studios’ Star Trek: Picard without its ethereal score? Or being carried through the sweeping migrant saga of Apple TV+’s Pachinko without its gentle orchestral melodies?
This year,...
Attendees of the awards-season event, which kicked off at 6:30 p.m. Pt, will be transported through the melodic sounds of these programs from a 50-piece orchestra, followed by sit-downs with the composers, conductors and music supervisors behind the works.
Scores facilitate in carrying the audience’s emotions and heighten senses in a way that would not be possible with just dialogue. Imagine HBO’s Euphoria without its hypnotic and genre-bending soundtrack? Or being marched ahead through the final frontier in CBS Studios’ Star Trek: Picard without its ethereal score? Or being carried through the sweeping migrant saga of Apple TV+’s Pachinko without its gentle orchestral melodies?
This year,...
- 5/6/2022
- by Diana Lodderhose
- Deadline Film + TV
Sound & Screen, Deadline’s inaugural live concert showcasing the composers, music supervisors and songwriters behind the music of television’s buzziest shows, has set the lineup for its in-person event May 5 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
The free-to-attend evening will feature a 50-piece orchestra performing songs from 12 featured series, followed by panelists talking about their respective works. Those include some of the biggest names in music, from a virtual performance by The Rolling Stones icon Mick Jagger for Apple TV+’s Slow Horses to in-person discussions with composers Daniel Pemberton, Amanda Jones, Sean Callery, Nico Muhly, Jeff Russo and Dan Romer; composer-songwriters Tom Mizer and Curtis Moore; and music supervisor Jen Malone.
The lineup features Amazon Studios’ The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel; Apple TV+’s Pachinko, Slow Horses and The Afterparty; HBO/HBO Max’s Euphoria, Station Eleven, Somebody Somewhere and A Black Lady Sketch Show; CBS Studios’ Star Trek: Picard...
The free-to-attend evening will feature a 50-piece orchestra performing songs from 12 featured series, followed by panelists talking about their respective works. Those include some of the biggest names in music, from a virtual performance by The Rolling Stones icon Mick Jagger for Apple TV+’s Slow Horses to in-person discussions with composers Daniel Pemberton, Amanda Jones, Sean Callery, Nico Muhly, Jeff Russo and Dan Romer; composer-songwriters Tom Mizer and Curtis Moore; and music supervisor Jen Malone.
The lineup features Amazon Studios’ The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel; Apple TV+’s Pachinko, Slow Horses and The Afterparty; HBO/HBO Max’s Euphoria, Station Eleven, Somebody Somewhere and A Black Lady Sketch Show; CBS Studios’ Star Trek: Picard...
- 4/26/2022
- by The Deadline Team
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios has acquired worldwide rights to the Japanese series We Can’t Work Together and is developing an English-language remake of the project in partnership with Japanese company Akimoto Project as part of a strategic alliance.
The relationship comedy will follow a Hollywood “it couple” who have refused to work together since their breakup 20 years ago. With hopes of reigniting their careers, they partner on a big-budget TV series that forces them to put aside their animosity for one last chance to prove their relevance in an industry ready to write them off. The project is Westbrook’s first out of Asia.
Terence Carter and David Boorstein will executive produce the series for Westbrook Studios, which will serve as the studio. Yasushi Akimoto will also executive produce. Westbrook is said to be exploring creative leads and “high-level talent” to package the two leading roles.
The relationship comedy will follow a Hollywood “it couple” who have refused to work together since their breakup 20 years ago. With hopes of reigniting their careers, they partner on a big-budget TV series that forces them to put aside their animosity for one last chance to prove their relevance in an industry ready to write them off. The project is Westbrook’s first out of Asia.
Terence Carter and David Boorstein will executive produce the series for Westbrook Studios, which will serve as the studio. Yasushi Akimoto will also executive produce. Westbrook is said to be exploring creative leads and “high-level talent” to package the two leading roles.
- 2/17/2022
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Will Smith’s Westbrook Studios and David Oyelowo’s Yoruba Saxon have partnered with Netflix to produce the film adaptation of “Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun.”
Based on the upcoming book by British-Nigerian author, journalist and hair care educator Tọlá Okogwu, “Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun” tells the tale of a teenager who learns she has powers and travels to Nigeria to learn more about her origins, where she discovers a threat to her newfound magical community.
Described as “Black Panther” meets “X-Men” or “Percy Jackson,” the book is the first in an action-packed series for middle-grade children and will be published by Simon & Schuster in the U.S. and U.K. this June. Okogwu is represented by CAA and Claire Wilson at Rcw Literary Agency.
Ola Shokunbi is set to write the film adaptation after helping to bring “Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun” to Netflix.
Based on the upcoming book by British-Nigerian author, journalist and hair care educator Tọlá Okogwu, “Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun” tells the tale of a teenager who learns she has powers and travels to Nigeria to learn more about her origins, where she discovers a threat to her newfound magical community.
Described as “Black Panther” meets “X-Men” or “Percy Jackson,” the book is the first in an action-packed series for middle-grade children and will be published by Simon & Schuster in the U.S. and U.K. this June. Okogwu is represented by CAA and Claire Wilson at Rcw Literary Agency.
Ola Shokunbi is set to write the film adaptation after helping to bring “Onyeka and the Academy of the Sun” to Netflix.
- 2/16/2022
- by Angelique Jackson
- Variety Film + TV
Big-budget non-fiction series from Will Smith, Darren Aronofsky, Jon Favreau, James Cameron and David Blaine make up Nat Geo’s latest slate for Disney+.
The factual giant has ordered 12 new series as part of its latest streaming lineup.
Following Welcome To Earth and One Strange Rock, Smith is returning to Nat Geo with Pole to Pole, a series that will see the King Richard star cover 26,000 miles from the South Pole to the North Pole. It comes from Smith’s Westbrook Studios, Jane Root’s Nutopia and Aronofsky’s Protoza.
The company has set eight new natural history series: Great Migrations, Home, Lion, Secrets Of The Elephants, Secrets Of The Octopus, Sentient, Super/Natural and The Biggest Little Farm Series.
Jon Favreau-created Lion follows a a single pride for four years and will use cutting-edge technology to explore the challenges facing an entire species. The Iron Man director exec produces the series,...
The factual giant has ordered 12 new series as part of its latest streaming lineup.
Following Welcome To Earth and One Strange Rock, Smith is returning to Nat Geo with Pole to Pole, a series that will see the King Richard star cover 26,000 miles from the South Pole to the North Pole. It comes from Smith’s Westbrook Studios, Jane Root’s Nutopia and Aronofsky’s Protoza.
The company has set eight new natural history series: Great Migrations, Home, Lion, Secrets Of The Elephants, Secrets Of The Octopus, Sentient, Super/Natural and The Biggest Little Farm Series.
Jon Favreau-created Lion follows a a single pride for four years and will use cutting-edge technology to explore the challenges facing an entire species. The Iron Man director exec produces the series,...
- 2/7/2022
- by Brandon Choe
- Deadline Film + TV
National Geographic is sending Will Smith to both ends of the Earth. The programmer announced Monday that it has ordered the non-fiction series “Pole to Pole,” which follows Smith on a journey from the South Pole to the North Pole.
“Pole to Pole” is part of an extensive slate of new content that Nat Geo is bringing to Disney Plus, which it revealed during its portion of the Television Critics Association winter press tour.
“Pole to Pole” will mark Smith’s third project with National Geographic after “Welcome to Earth” and “One Strange Rock.” The series covers an expansive journey spanning different biomes, communities and landscapes across the Earth. “Pole to Pole” is executive produced by Smith under his Westbrook banner, alongside Miguel Melendez and Terence Carter. For Nutopia, Jane Root and Peter Lovering are executive producers. For Protozoa, Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel are executive producers.
“At National Geographic,...
“Pole to Pole” is part of an extensive slate of new content that Nat Geo is bringing to Disney Plus, which it revealed during its portion of the Television Critics Association winter press tour.
“Pole to Pole” will mark Smith’s third project with National Geographic after “Welcome to Earth” and “One Strange Rock.” The series covers an expansive journey spanning different biomes, communities and landscapes across the Earth. “Pole to Pole” is executive produced by Smith under his Westbrook banner, alongside Miguel Melendez and Terence Carter. For Nutopia, Jane Root and Peter Lovering are executive producers. For Protozoa, Darren Aronofsky and Ari Handel are executive producers.
“At National Geographic,...
- 2/7/2022
- by J. Kim Murphy
- Variety Film + TV
That Nat Geo tile on Disney+ just upped its star power. At Monday’s Television Critics Association (TCA) Winter Press Tour, National Geographic unveiled 13 new original projects being produced for the streaming service, including shows from Will Smith, Jon Favreau and David Blaine.
Smith’s new series, “Pole to Pole,” comes under his Westbrook company’s first-look deal with Nat Geo. “Pole to Pole” follows Smith as he journeys 26,000 miles over 100 days from the South Pole to the North Pole.
Darren Aronofsky, James Cameron and Ron Howard/Brian Grazer are each overseeing a pair of new Disney+ programs under the Nat Geo banner. One of the projects from the Imagine duo will be Howard’s “We Feed People,” which premieres at SXSW ahead of its Memorial Day streaming launch. “We Feed People” follows chef José Andrés and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen’s mission in the disaster relief sector.
One...
Smith’s new series, “Pole to Pole,” comes under his Westbrook company’s first-look deal with Nat Geo. “Pole to Pole” follows Smith as he journeys 26,000 miles over 100 days from the South Pole to the North Pole.
Darren Aronofsky, James Cameron and Ron Howard/Brian Grazer are each overseeing a pair of new Disney+ programs under the Nat Geo banner. One of the projects from the Imagine duo will be Howard’s “We Feed People,” which premieres at SXSW ahead of its Memorial Day streaming launch. “We Feed People” follows chef José Andrés and his nonprofit World Central Kitchen’s mission in the disaster relief sector.
One...
- 2/7/2022
- by Tony Maglio
- The Wrap
Interest swirling on ’Nothing Compares’, ’Good Luck To You, Leo Grande’, ’Cha Cha Real Smooth’, ’Honk For Jesus’.
National Geographic Documentary Films has made the first two acquisition plays of Sundance 2022 and swooped on much-fancied Fire Of Love and The Territory as interest continued to coalesce around a number of other opening weekend premieres.
Sources said the worldwide deal for Fire Of Love fell in the mid-seven-figure range. Sara Dosa’s U.S. Documentary Competition entry premiered on Day One (20) and streamers, studios and speciality distributors were in swift pursuit before it was confirmed on Sunday morning that Submarine had...
National Geographic Documentary Films has made the first two acquisition plays of Sundance 2022 and swooped on much-fancied Fire Of Love and The Territory as interest continued to coalesce around a number of other opening weekend premieres.
Sources said the worldwide deal for Fire Of Love fell in the mid-seven-figure range. Sara Dosa’s U.S. Documentary Competition entry premiered on Day One (20) and streamers, studios and speciality distributors were in swift pursuit before it was confirmed on Sunday morning that Submarine had...
- 1/24/2022
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Inc. has closed a deal to sell a minority stake to the media venture run by former Disney executives Tom Staggs and Kevin Mayer.
The company, which produces the popular “Red Table Talk” on Facebook Watch and backed the inspirational drama “King Richard,” was previously in talks to sell, until that deal collapsed in October. Mayer and Staggs are being financed by private-equity giant Blackstone Group. Last year, the venture made headlines when it purchased Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine in a deal valued at $900 million and followed that up with a $3 billion deal for Moonbug Entertainment, the children’s TV company behind “CoComelon” and “Blippi.”
Sources say that Staggs and Mayer’s venture paid $60 million for a roughly 10% ownership stake. The deal values the company at just under $600 million.
Westbrook also produces the Netflix hit “Cobra Kai,” which recently returned for its fourth season,...
The company, which produces the popular “Red Table Talk” on Facebook Watch and backed the inspirational drama “King Richard,” was previously in talks to sell, until that deal collapsed in October. Mayer and Staggs are being financed by private-equity giant Blackstone Group. Last year, the venture made headlines when it purchased Reese Witherspoon’s Hello Sunshine in a deal valued at $900 million and followed that up with a $3 billion deal for Moonbug Entertainment, the children’s TV company behind “CoComelon” and “Blippi.”
Sources say that Staggs and Mayer’s venture paid $60 million for a roughly 10% ownership stake. The deal values the company at just under $600 million.
Westbrook also produces the Netflix hit “Cobra Kai,” which recently returned for its fourth season,...
- 1/4/2022
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Will Smith always comes across as a cool dude both on and off screen. Ad he’s kicked butt as an action star in such blockbusters as 1996’s “Independence Day” and 2020’ “Bad Boys for Life.” But truth be told, Smith’s afraid of water. He’s never slept in a tent. He’s not the outdoorsy guy. But Smith, who is one of the top contenders for a Best Actor Oscar nomination as the misunderstood father of tennis titans Venus and Serena Williams in “King Richard,” comes face to face with his fears in the new National Geographic/Disney + six-part series “Welcome to Earth,” which began streaming on Dec. 8.
The series features Smith as he goes on an adventure around the world with prominent explorers and gets up close and person “with some of the most interesting experiences on the planet.” In the trailer for the series (Smith is also...
The series features Smith as he goes on an adventure around the world with prominent explorers and gets up close and person “with some of the most interesting experiences on the planet.” In the trailer for the series (Smith is also...
- 12/23/2021
- by Susan King
- Gold Derby
All products and services featured by IndieWire are independently selected by IndieWire editors. However, IndieWire may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes.
Will Smith gets up close and personal with some of the planet’s most breathtaking spectacles in “Welcome to Earth,” a six-part limited series from National Geographic, which premiered on Disney+ December 8.
Guided by elite explorers from all over the world, 51-year-old Smith embarks on the once-in-a-lifetime journey to discover “hidden worlds that sit beyond our senses.”
In the first episode, Erik Weihenmayer, a blind mountaineer, and volcanologist Jeff Johnson lead Smith on a trek to Mount Yasur, an active volcano in the South Pacific. The episode delves deep into the science of sound, and shows Smith doing everything from staring at boiling lava to dodging boulders while climbing into the crater of Mount Yasur.
Will Smith gets up close and personal with some of the planet’s most breathtaking spectacles in “Welcome to Earth,” a six-part limited series from National Geographic, which premiered on Disney+ December 8.
Guided by elite explorers from all over the world, 51-year-old Smith embarks on the once-in-a-lifetime journey to discover “hidden worlds that sit beyond our senses.”
In the first episode, Erik Weihenmayer, a blind mountaineer, and volcanologist Jeff Johnson lead Smith on a trek to Mount Yasur, an active volcano in the South Pacific. The episode delves deep into the science of sound, and shows Smith doing everything from staring at boiling lava to dodging boulders while climbing into the crater of Mount Yasur.
- 12/8/2021
- by Latifah Muhammad
- Indiewire
It’s been more than three years since National Geographic premiered One Strange Rock, a nature series executive produced by Darren Aronofsky and Will Smith.
The series featured some of the most exquisite photography I’ve ever seen, approaching Earth with almost an outsider’s perspective for its varied topography and alien beauty. I thought One Strange Rock was an exemplary showcase for any high-definition television and a captivating series of vignettes focused on featured explorers, scientists and astronauts. It was an enriching travelogue filled with educational details that frequently derailed because somebody felt it was necessary to have Smith make ill-timed appearances as ...
The series featured some of the most exquisite photography I’ve ever seen, approaching Earth with almost an outsider’s perspective for its varied topography and alien beauty. I thought One Strange Rock was an exemplary showcase for any high-definition television and a captivating series of vignettes focused on featured explorers, scientists and astronauts. It was an enriching travelogue filled with educational details that frequently derailed because somebody felt it was necessary to have Smith make ill-timed appearances as ...
- 12/8/2021
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Exclusive: What do Will Smith, Chris Hemsworth and Jeff Goldblum have in common? They are driving a revolution in factual programming led by the world’s biggest stars, and this revolution is being steered by one company above all: Jane Root’s Nutopia.
The Washington/London indie’s Co-founder Jane Root has spent recent months overseeing Disney+ trio The World According to Jeff Goldblum season two, which dropped in November, Smith’s Welcome to Earth, coming tomorrow, and Limitless With Chris Hemsworth, which is slated for next year.
Leading this talent through factual adventures has been a whirlwind but Root stressed that Nutopia didn’t go out of its way to ensure A-list-led docs were a specialism.
“We were never like ‘let’s become a company purely working with these amazing people’,” she told Deadline. “It really crept up on us, through following a sense of what was interesting.”
Smith’s Welcome To Earth,...
The Washington/London indie’s Co-founder Jane Root has spent recent months overseeing Disney+ trio The World According to Jeff Goldblum season two, which dropped in November, Smith’s Welcome to Earth, coming tomorrow, and Limitless With Chris Hemsworth, which is slated for next year.
Leading this talent through factual adventures has been a whirlwind but Root stressed that Nutopia didn’t go out of its way to ensure A-list-led docs were a specialism.
“We were never like ‘let’s become a company purely working with these amazing people’,” she told Deadline. “It really crept up on us, through following a sense of what was interesting.”
Smith’s Welcome To Earth,...
- 12/7/2021
- by Max Goldbart
- Deadline Film + TV
It’s almost December and you know what that means: it’s Star Wars time. Yes, forget all the arguments about Die Hard being a Christmas movie because the Star Wars franchise has been shockingly consistent with its holiday release schedule. With its list of new releases for December 2021, Disney+ has the latest Star Wars project to drop on or around Christmas.
The Book of Boba Fett is set to premiere on Dec. 29. This spinoff of The Mandalorian will feature Temuera Morrison reprising his role as the galaxy’s most enigmatic bounty hunter, Boba Fett. Following the events of The Mandalorian season 2, Boba and his partner Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) now have a major stake in the galaxy’s criminal underworld, and will do whatever it takes to keep it.
Read more TV How The Book of Boba Fett Changes the Bounty Hunter’s Original Star Wars Story By John Saavedra...
The Book of Boba Fett is set to premiere on Dec. 29. This spinoff of The Mandalorian will feature Temuera Morrison reprising his role as the galaxy’s most enigmatic bounty hunter, Boba Fett. Following the events of The Mandalorian season 2, Boba and his partner Fennec Shand (Ming-Na Wen) now have a major stake in the galaxy’s criminal underworld, and will do whatever it takes to keep it.
Read more TV How The Book of Boba Fett Changes the Bounty Hunter’s Original Star Wars Story By John Saavedra...
- 12/1/2021
- by Alec Bojalad
- Den of Geek
"Welcome To Earth", produced by Darren Aronofsky, is a new original documentary TV series from National Geographic, following actor Will Smith "...on an extraordinary, once-in-a-lifetime adventure around the world to explore Earth’s greatest wonders and reveal its most hidden secrets...":
"...Will is guided by elite explorers on an awe-inspiring journey, getting up close and personal with some of the most thrilling spectacles on the planet — from volcanoes that roar in silence to deserts that move beyond our perception to animal swarms with minds of their own. Combining breathtaking cinematography with Will's boundless curiosity and enthusiasm, the blockbuster series is an exciting, multisensory ride through Earth’s most mind-bending portals..."
Click the images to enlarge...
"...Will is guided by elite explorers on an awe-inspiring journey, getting up close and personal with some of the most thrilling spectacles on the planet — from volcanoes that roar in silence to deserts that move beyond our perception to animal swarms with minds of their own. Combining breathtaking cinematography with Will's boundless curiosity and enthusiasm, the blockbuster series is an exciting, multisensory ride through Earth’s most mind-bending portals..."
Click the images to enlarge...
- 12/1/2021
- by Unknown
- SneakPeek
Death is a common theme, it seems, in each of the six-part limited documentary series National Geographic previewed at Disney+ Day.
“There is a real risk you could die,” one expert tells Chris Hemsworth in the trailer for the actor’s sojourn into biohacking and self discovery, Limitless.
The series follows Hemsworth’s mission to discover how we can live healthier, smarter and longer lives. Hemsworth aims to transform himself by training for six extraordinary challenges, showing how to fight aging at every stage of life.
The trailer opens with Hemsworth dangling on a rope 1,000 feet in the air, then quickly runs through a montage of stunningly-shot footage including the Thor actor immersing himself in frigid water, surfing big waves, bungee jumping, pulling a golf cart in a harness, spear fishing and engaging in some sort of shamanistic ritual.
“Basically, I was...
“There is a real risk you could die,” one expert tells Chris Hemsworth in the trailer for the actor’s sojourn into biohacking and self discovery, Limitless.
The series follows Hemsworth’s mission to discover how we can live healthier, smarter and longer lives. Hemsworth aims to transform himself by training for six extraordinary challenges, showing how to fight aging at every stage of life.
The trailer opens with Hemsworth dangling on a rope 1,000 feet in the air, then quickly runs through a montage of stunningly-shot footage including the Thor actor immersing himself in frigid water, surfing big waves, bungee jumping, pulling a golf cart in a harness, spear fishing and engaging in some sort of shamanistic ritual.
“Basically, I was...
- 11/13/2021
- by Tom Tapp
- Deadline Film + TV
IMDb.com, Inc. takes no responsibility for the content or accuracy of the above news articles, Tweets, or blog posts. This content is published for the entertainment of our users only. The news articles, Tweets, and blog posts do not represent IMDb's opinions nor can we guarantee that the reporting therein is completely factual. Please visit the source responsible for the item in question to report any concerns you may have regarding content or accuracy.