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Exclusive: Phil Hawkins’ thriller stars Robert Englund, Finn Jones and Emily Berrington; Sc Films handle sales.

Sony Pictures Home Entertainment (Sphe) has acquired UK rights to The Last Showing from The Philm Company and Sc Films.

Written and directed by Phil Hawkins, the thriller centres on a projectionist who traps a young couple inside the cinema and decides to create his own horror film using the CCTV cameras.

It stars horror icon Robert Englund, alongside Game Of Thrones’ Finn Jones, Emily Berrington (24: Live Another Day), former Screen International Star of Tomorrow Malachi Kirby and Keith Allen.

The deal was announced by Richard Benson, Sphe UK marketing director who commented: “The film, packed with tension and deadly twists, stars a true icon of the genre plus a strong cast of rising British talent.”

“Partnering with Sony for The Last Showing is a fantastic result and really highlights the commercial potential of our slate. It’s exactly...

Created in 1939 by Paul Ernst (Note: Kenneth Robeson was a pen name used by many writers working at Street and Smith Publications), The Avenger first appeared in the pulp magazine titled Justice Inc. The story followed Richard Benson, a millionaire globetrotter, who becomes a crimefighting superhero in the wake of his wife Alicia and daughter Alice's abduction and murder. The trauma of the ordeal turn Benson's face and hair white and paralyzes the muscles in his face, giving him the ability to alter its appearance to a degree. The proposed show in development at The CW is reshuffling the origin of The Avenger in a significant way. Instead of following Richard Benson, the tv show will follow Alice Benson, who "in the wake of her parents’ murder, discovers she possesses a superpower as a result of genetic bio-hacking which allows her to transform her appearance at will."...

Deadline is reporting that CBS TV Studios is working on a new project from Neal Baer and Conde Nast Entertainment inspired by the '30s pulp character "The Avenger." The show is described as "an updated Biopunk version" of the character and wil be written by Warehouse 13 's Deric Hughes and Benjamin Raab. Though the original "Avenger" stories starred the character Richard Benson, avenging the death of his family, this updated series is said to star "Alice Benson." Sharing the name of Richard's daughter, this version of Benson is described as  "a young woman who, in the wake of her parents. murder, discovers she possesses a superpower as a result of genetic bio-hacking which allows her to transform her appearance at...

From the 5:2 diet to Tiger Mothers and the furore over skivers-and-strivers, discipline has become the guiding principle that informs our lives. But is it a step too far when having Ocd and increased workloads become a badge of honour?

We have reached the end game of have-it-all culture. Because I'm Worth It has had its day, and discipline is the new decadence. The Nike Fuel Band, which tracks your calorie expenditure and praises you for an active lifestyle, has more smug-factor than a Rolex right now. The dominant meme of annoying Facebook behaviour has segued from the posting of party photos to "inspirational" quotes (American men – Henry Ford, Albert Einstein, Ralph Waldo Emerson – are especially hot right now). Meanwhile, the narrative of reality TV has changed: bad behaviour in the hot tub, à la early Big Brother, has been replaced, from The Voice to The Apprentice, by Saturday-night preaching...

"The Simpsons Movie" co-writer David Mirkin is going to know a lot more about Richard Benson as he puts together the adapted script for his memoir "Richard Branson: Loosing my Virginity". Don't ask me what's up with the title of that book, I'm not the one who named it. The writer is also latched on to produce along with Steven Paul who's on the project under the Junction Films label. The autobiography he's adapting focuses on Branson's rags-to-riches tale as an entrepreneur with roots in the music business, as well as his love for death-defying stunts, including riding across the Atlantic Ocean in hot-air balloons. Mirkin will also be directing the biopic, but there's no word on who could be playing the billionaire.His new company Virgin Produced will be attached to the production. The new company is tied together with Relativity Media.Source: Variety...