Friday April 11, 2008

PROJECTS ANNOUNCED

• Crown Publishers has ponied up $3 million for a book trilogy by “Heroes” creator Tim Kring. Novelist Dale Peck will co-write “The Flag of Orpheus,” an alternate history thriller about the abuses of power and moral obligation to resist it, with the TV scribe, a newcomer to the book realm. Endeavor lit topper Richard Abate brokered the deal for Kring, who’s repped by the tenpercentery for his smallscreen activities. First tome, dubbed “Shift,” is skedded for a fall 2009 by the Random House imprint. Trilogy revolves around key turning points in late 20th century, including early 1960s drug culture. Each installment will be launched with an alternate reality game as part of the online marketing push.

• Disney has preemptively acquired “Family Dude,” a comedy pitch that will be written by Steven Gary Banks and Claudia Graziosi. Walt Becker will produce through his Walt Becker Prods. shingle. “Family Dude” follows an uptight, successful finance exec who convinces his neighbor — a single mother of three kids — to join him on a dude ranch in Montana and pretend they are his family so he can close a big business deal.

• Columbia Pictures has made a preemptive acquisition of “Battle: Los Angeles,” a Chris Bertolini spec about an alien invasion that starts in Santa Monica and heads east toward Los Angeles. Neal Moritz will produce through his Original Films banner. Original’s Ori Marmur and Col’s Sam Dickerman brought in the spec.

• Natalie Portman is attached as the lead in a new film version of “Wuthering Heights.” U.K. production company Ecosse Films, whose projects include “Mrs. Brown,” “Becoming Jane” and the upcoming “Brideshead Revisited,” is backing the pic. HanWay Films is handling worldwide sales. Olivia Hetreed (“Girl With a Pearl Earring”) wrote the script. Up next for Portman is a turn opposite Jake Gyllenhaal and Tobey Maguire in Jim Sheridan’s “Brothers.”

• MGM is getting acquainted with “Bobism,” buying Ben Wexler’s comedy spec and setting it up with ContraFilm’s Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson along with Adam F. Goldberg. Story’s centered on a shy collegian who discovers that life in 1,000 years will be based on his blog. ContraFilm’s Lisa Zambri will be involved in a producing capacity. It’s the first comedy put into development at MGM since Mary Parent took over as head of the worldwide motion picture group. Parent’s first exec hires, Cale Boyter and Becky Sloviter, will oversee.

PROJECT UPDATES

• Venezuela is kicking an extra $9 million into the budget for biopic “Toussaint,” the co-production between Danny Glover’s Louverture Films and Venezuela’s film studio Villa del Cine. That’s on top of the nearly $18 million it shelled out to Glover’s pet project last year. Budgeted at $30 million, “Toussaint” tracks the life of iconic leader Toussaint Louverture, who led an 18th-century uprising in Haiti.

• Colin Farrell will star in “Triage,” the next pic by Bosnian helmer Danis Tanovic. Paz Vega and Christopher Lee also star in the dark tale of a photojournalist who returns home following a dangerous assignment without his colleague and best friend. Pic is produced by Parallel Films’ Alan Moloney, and ASAP Films’ Cedomir Kolar and Marc Baschet. Kolar and Baschet produced Tanovic’s “No Man’s Land,” which won the 2001 Oscar for foreign language film.

ACQUISITIONS/ FESTIVAL NEWS

• ThinkFilm has grabbed domestic rights to existential thriller and Sundance preem “The Escapist” for about $1 million. Stylish actioner starring Brian Cox, Joseph Fiennes, Dominic Cooper and Damian Lewis marks the feature debut of Brit helmer Rupert Wyatt. Nonlinear story cuts between past and present following an inmate as he plots his escape and races the clock to see his drug-addled daughter.

• Quentin Tarantino will give the cinema masterclass lecture at the Cannes Film Festival, which runs May 14 to 25. Tarantino, who headed the 2004 Cannes jury, will discuss his experiences as a helmer and screenwriter. The date and time of the lecture has not yet been set. Previous luminaries who have delivered the lecture include Martin Scorsese, Stephen Frears, Nanni Moretti, Wong Kar Wai and Sydney Pollack. Tarantino’s first pic, “Reservoir Dogs” played out of competition at the fest in 1992. Two years later, “Pulp Fiction” was awarded the Palme d’Or by a jury headed by Clint Eastwood. Last year, Tarantino’s B-movie homage “Death Proof” played in competition at the fest.

BUSINESS NEWS

• With the prosecution’s wiretapping and racketeering case against Anthony Pellicano and his four co-defendants having wrapped Thursday, it’s time to look at what did and didn’t happen during the government’s case. Much of the hype surrounding the years-long grand jury investigation revolved around speculation that a large swath of the Hollywood power structure, especially Brad Grey, Michael Ovitz and Bert Fields, would be indicted. That, of course, didn’t happen, although there have been some high-profile casualties, such as the guilty plea from director John McTiernan. So, the case that came to trial was not the case Hollywood was salivating over. As for the case the government did put on, it looks like a slam-dunk, at least against Pellicano. Unique in the annals of celebrity trials, Pellicano is representing himself. On cross-examination, he seemed determined to assure former clients like Grey that he will take their secrets to his grave. As for his victims, he gave Linda Doucett, Garry Shandling’s former girlfriend, the chance to tell him that he was the only bad man she knew and Anita Busch the opportunity to tell the jury that he ruined her life. Pellicano would have been better off declining to cross-examine the witnesses. How the defense will conduct its case is the next big mystery. U.S. District Court Judge Dale Fischer already has raised the specter of Pellicano running back and forth between the witness box and the podium, acting as a witness and his own attorney. Despite the lack of bombshells at trial, the government abundantly exposed the seamy underbelly of a Hollywood where money buys illegal access, petty vendettas are pursued and litigation is a battle where no weapon is off-limits. Long-forgotten scandals like the Heidi Fleiss mess sprang back to life when the government played a tape where Pellicano told McTiernan that he didn’t need to worry about former studio executive Michael Nathanson because “I saved his fucking career. There was a whole lot of shit with him and prostitutes and cocaine.” The low point in the sleaze parade was investor Adam Sender’s testimony that Pellicano offered to kill Aaron Russo for him. Sender had planned to launch his Hollywood career by investing $1 million with producer Russo (who has since died). The movie company never happened, and Sender found his way to Fields, who in turn recommended Pellicano, who, he said, used unorthodox methods but attained spectacular results. The sordid tale of billionaire Alec Gores unexpectedly dragged famed female litigator Patty Glaser into the Pellicano orbit. Gores testified that he hired Pellicano to spy on his wife and brother — who were having an affair — at Glaser’s suggestion. Glaser, who is representing her indicted partner Terry Christensen, has long maintained that she didn’t use Pellicano.

• It’s been a tough week for the PR execs at Black Rock. CBS News found itself in the crosshairs of a mini media frenzy in the last few days, fueled by speculative reports about what the Eye’s top brass may or may not be planning to do with its newsgathering operations and with its high-priced “Evening News” anchor Katie Couric. On Thursday, however, CBS got at least some positive news of its own with a partial win when a New York judge dismissed four of seven causes in the $70 million breach-of-contract lawsuit filed against the company by former “Evening News” anchor Dan Rather. Judge Ira Gammerman of New York Supreme Court also dismissed CBS Corp. chief Leslie Moonves, CBS and Viacom chairman Sumner Redstone and former CBS New prexy Andrew Heyward as defendants in the suit. “With respect to the few remaining claims, relevant to his contract, there are no facts to support them, and we expect them to be dismissed when the discovery process is complete,” CBS said in a statement. The suit stems from Rather’s forced exit from CBS in 2006 following his involvement in the scandal over the use of questionable documents to substantiate a 2004 “60 Minutes II” report critical of President George W. Bush’s service in the National Guard in the 1970s. Rather’s lawyer, Martin Gold, was quick to point out that while the judge dismissed the allegations of fraud and defamation, the “essence” of Rather’s breach-of-contract suit was allowed to proceed, along with the allegation that CBS failed to live up to its fiduciary duty to Rather, which could allow him to recover punitive damages at trial.

• within its borders in a bid to regain an edge over its credit-happy neighbors Connecticut, New Jersey and Massachusetts. The state legislature late Wednesday approved a budget that includes a major revision of the existing tax incentive program. The revision extends the program by two years to 2013 and takes the total credit to 30% of all below-the-line costs from 10%. New York City also offers a 5% credit, so city shoots can reap a total of 35%. Under the revision, the credit will also be granted in one lump sum, rather than the current method of spreading it across two years of tax returns. The single payment is viewed as a boon to investors or producers. The state’s $121.7 billion budget needs only the signature of new Gov. David A. Paterson, who succeeded the disgraced Eliot Spitzer less than a month ago. It is almost a certainty that Paterson will put pen to paper within a few days. Pat Swinney Kaufman, exec director of the Governor’s Office for Motion Picture and TV Development, has worked with her staff and other allies for more than a year to up the ante.

• Celestial Pictures will see two of its movie channels added to Hong Kong pay-TV platform Now TV from Tuesday. The IPTV-based platform will be home to Celestial Movies Asia, a channel carrying contemporary movies from around the Asian region, and retro channel Celestial Classic Movies. Celestial, is the Hong Kong-based film and TV arm of Malaysian satellite group Astro All Asia Networks.

STRIKE NEWS/ LABOR ISSUES

• The Australian Screen Council looks set to implode, just 30 months after the screen industry lobby group was formed to present a united industry voice in the Oz government’s free trade negotiations with the U.S. The Australian Writers Guild has withdrawn from the group, alleging negligence by the former administrating body, the Australian Directors Guild. AWG topper Jacqueline Woodman accused the ADG of ignoring the scribe guild’s complaints and declared a future arrangement untenable. The ASC sought to “unite the Australian screen production industry, speak with one voice to government, increase its net returns and enhance its cultural contribution to the Australian and international communities.” Org was effective during the initial free trade campaign but has been invisible ever since. It was always an uncomfortable alliance between traditional foes, the Screen Producers Assn. of Australia, actors union the Media, Entertainment and Arts Alliance, the AWG and the ADG.

INDUSTRY MOVES

• Christopher Williams has been appointed VP, commercial & network development Asia Pacific, Global Networks, by NBC Universal. Previously based in Hong Kong for Walt Disney, where he held business development and digital media positions, Williams relocates to Singapore for the newly created role. He will work with Asia Pacific Global Networks head Raymund Miranda and reports to Greg Matson, senior VP, commercial & network development for Global Networks in the U.K.

• Turner Broadcasting’s Tru TV has named Darren Campo to the top programming job. Campo, who joined the network in 1999 when it was called Court TV, gets the title of senior VP of programming, production and development, putting him in charge of a department that churns out more than 30 original series, encompassing 500 episodes, a year.

• Peter Nyren is ankling as head of light entertainment at pubcaster Swedish Television (SvT) after two years. He wants to devote time to his production company, Hallucination, and could cooperate with his former employer. Veteran SvT producer Margareta Feldt-Ahren will step into Nyren’s role while the pubcaster recruits a replacement.

• Twentieth Century Fox Home Entertainment has tapped Mary Daily as exec VP of marketing, North America. This marks her second tour of duty for the studio, and her first U.S. posting in her career.

• Michael Bass has returned to the NBC Universal fold, this time as senior veep of strategic initiative. Reporting to NBC U CEO Jeff Zucker, Bass is tasked with spearheading corporate initiatives involving everything from content development to international expansion to digital growth.

• Veteran visual effects producer Joe Gareri has signed on with the production management team at Sony Pictures Imageworks. Gareri’s first assignment will be executive director of operations of SPI’s new satellite facility in Chennai. He will supervise staffing and oversee the intergration of the new facility’s work flow with SPI’s other offices, including its Culver City HQ. Gareri will report to Imageworks EVP of production Jenny Fulle.

TECHNOLOGY/ MULTI-PLATFORM CONTENT NEWS

• Could the big winner in Microsoft’s increasingly hostile bid for Yahoo be Jeff Bewkes? It started to look that way on Wednesday, as it came out that Yahoo has been contemplating a merger with AOL as a way out of getting acquired by Microsoft, a situation that Yahoo CEO Jerry Yang and chairman Roy Bostock seem almost desperate to avoid. As contemplated, the deal would see Time Warner giving its troubled AOL unit’s content and advertising operations to Yahoo, along with some cash, in return for about 20% of the combined entity. Time Warner would keep AOL’s Internet access business, which Time Warner CEO Bewkes has already said he intends to spin off or sell. The new Yahoo would then buy back some shares at more than $30 per share, exceeding the value of Microsoft’s approximately $29 per share offer. That would presumably incentivize shareholders to reject Microsoft’s bid, which the tech giant has threatened to turn hostile after it was rejected by Yahoo’s board. Wall Street analysts still think that an AOL deal is somewhat less likely than an eventual purchase by Microsoft, particularly now that News Corp. is considering joining forces with Microsoft for a joint bid that could combine Yahoo, MySpace and MSN into one giant online entity. Yahoo has also been flirting with Google, as it yesterday announced a trial partnership to use the search giant’s advertising against a small percentage of its search traffic. Analysts consider a long-term partnership between the two to be highly unlikely, however, and consider it more as a way to fend off Microsoft by showing it has alternative options. Analysts noted that with some combination of Yahoo, Microsoft and Google looking likely, AOL and News Corp.’s Fox Interactive Media are eager to not be left out.

• Maybe they should rename it “Lost, Inc.” It’s still a hit TV show, first and foremost. But “Lost” has also spawned mobisodes, videogames, books, viral videos, interactive Internet sites and much more. For the exec producers who run that enterprise — Carlton Cuse and Damon Lindelof — the show’s timing couldn’t have been more perfect. “Lost” came along right when the ability to create video for multiple platforms exploded. Among primetime series, few shows are better suited than “Lost” to embrace the brave new world. But there have been a few bumps along the way. “We’ve learned some things worked better than others,” Cuse says. “We’ve enjoyed the opportunities ‘Lost’ has given for us to try to expand the brand on other platforms. (But the) skill set involved in running a TV series does not translate directly to success in other platforms.” Lindelof and Cuse say their experience with ancillary products and platforms has varied depending on whom they’ve collaborated with. They loved what Australia-based Hoodlum, for example, came up with for the show’s recent “Find 815″ interactive campaign. But the duo was less thrilled with some of the products that emerged early in the show’s life, including a series of studio-commissioned “Lost”-themed novels that had little to do with the actual show. “Us realizing we were managing a brand started early in season one,” Lindelof says. “ABC business development came to us … but we said all those conversations will be moot if we don’t have a hit show.” A year later, after getting rid of those novelizations, the “Lost” team came up with the idea for “Bad Twin,” a book discovered on the show by one of the characters. Created for the show and distributed in bookstores, the novel wasn’t about what was happening on the show, but it tied into the world of “Lost.” That’s become the mantra for all of “Lost’s” extracurricular activities, be it mobisodes or videogames: The other platforms can’t be considered canon, or required for “Lost’s” TV audience.

WEBSITES TO WATCH

http://www.dailylit.com/

If only this were around in Dickens’ day. Online book distributor DailyLit signed a deal with publisher Grove/Atlantic to release Mike Lawson’s new thriller House Rules in daily bite-size email and RSS installments for set price of $9.95. DailyLit has signed similar deals with 20 publishers in all.

http://worldtv.com/

Online video start-up WorldTV is adding interoperability with mobile video broadcasting service Qik.com, allowing WorldTV users to create and share live broadcasts simultaneously on Qik and their WorldTV channel.

http://www.apple.com/trailers/paramount/ironman/

The Apple trailers site has an exclusive of the newest Iron Man trailer, available in small, medium, large, 480p, 720p, 1080p or optimized for the iPhone. The presentation is much more impressive than on the cluttered MySpace Trailer Park site, which got to debut the first Iron Man trailer. The movie has all the makings of being the biggest box-office extravaganza of the summer. Offering consumers a pristine taste of the experience is as compelling an argument for the need for more bandwidth as the industry can make.

SOURCES:

www.variety.com
www.cynopsis.com