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AGC Intl., the international sales arm of Stuart Ford’s AGC Studios, is launching sales in Cannes on director Matt Tyrnauer’s documentary feature “Nobu,” about world-renowned chef and hotelier Nobu Matsuhisa.

Matsuhisa’s path to success was strewn with obstacles, adversity and tragedy. His story will be uncovered by Tyrnauer, the former editor-at-large at Vanity Fair, with exclusive access to the chef, his global empire, and his key collaborators, friends and famous fans.

Tyrnauer’s films have included “Valentino: The Last Emperor,” which was shortlisted for an Academy Award for documentary feature; the Emmy-nominated multi-part series “Victoria’s Secret: Angels and Demons,” about the man behind the commercial empire and his hidden ties to Jeffrey Epstein; “Where’s My Roy Cohn?,” about the Svengali behind Joseph McCarthy and Donald Trump; “Studio 54,” about the famed New York City nightclub that became a cultural phenomenon; “Scotty and the Secret History of Hollywood,” about...

The Gotham Film & Media Institute announced today the nominations in seven competitive award categories for its inaugural Gotham TV Awards, recognizing a range of series, including Baby Reindeer, Ripley, The Curse, Shōgun, Bodkin, Mr. & Mrs. Smith and Black Twitter: A People’s History as well as performances from Emma Stone and Nathan Fielder in The Curse, Andrew Scott in Ripley, Kristen Wiig in Palm Royale, Richard Gadd in Baby Reindeer, and Lily Gladstone in Under The Bridge, among others. The awards ceremony is set for June 4 in NYC.

“In a historic moment for The Gotham, we’re thrilled to recognize an extraordinary collection of TV series and the brilliant creators responsible for bringing them to the screen,” said Jeffrey Sharp, The Gotham’s Executive Director.

The longstanding Gotham Awards is focused on film but includes three television categories. From here on, they will migrate to the new event.

Photograph courtesy of A&e Networks A&e will premiere the two-night documentary event “James Brown: Say It Loud” delving into the immeasurable musical and cultural impact of the entertainment icon. Directed by Deborah Riley Draper (The Legacy of Black Wall Street, Versailles ’73: American Runway Revolution) and executive produced by legendary artist Mick Jagger, Academy Award® winner Ahmir ‘Questlove’ Thompson, Tariq ‘Black Thought’ Trotter, Peter Afterman, David Blackman, Victoria Pearman, Bruce Resnikoff, Shawn Gee, Zarah Zohlman, Charlie Cohen, and Mari Keiko Gonzalez, the documentary examines Brown’s incredible life that was as innovative as it was influential. The special examines Brown’s legacy through exclusive interviews, never-before-seen archival footage and his beloved music catalog. “James Brown: Say it Loud” premieres Monday, February 19 and Tuesday, February 20 at 8Pm Et/Pt on A&e. Across four hours, “James Brown: Say it Loud” traces the incredible trajectory of Brown’s life and career from...

Exclusive: Hollywood vet Gianni Nunnari, producer on movies including the 300 franchise, Immortals, and From Dusk Til Dawn, is teaming with producer Simon Horsman to launch Euro Gang Entertainment.

The company plans to develop, finance and produce movies, scripted and unscripted TV series, stage productions and other live events.

The outfit will have offices in London, Rome and Madrid, while keeping a base in Los Angeles, and is affiliated to Nunnari’s long-time label Hollywood Gang Productions, which will continue to develop and service legacy projects.

Euro Gang says it has more than 30 projects in development across various genres, formats, and budget ranges, and this week it sealed a co-development agreement with Warner Music Group’s film and TV division Warner Music Entertainment, headed by Charlie Cohen.

Under terms of the pact, the companies will co-develop nine scripted projects, which include original concepts,...

Luis Ortega has wrapped production in Argentina on “Kill the Jockey,” starring Úrsula Corberó, “Money Heist’s” Tokyo, and Nahuel Pérez Biscayart (“120 Bpm”), which is shaping up as one of the biggest upcoming movies from Latin America.

Ortega’s follow-up to 2018 Un Certain Regard hit “El Angel,” which sold worldwide and set a box office record in Argentina, “Kill the Jockey” has been snapped up for overseas sales by Vicente Canales’ Film Factory Entertainment, which also sold “El Angel.”

TelevisaUnivision VOD service ViX will roll out “Kill the Jockey” in the U.S. and Latin America. Scanbox handles distribution in Scandinavia.

“Kill the Jockey’s” top-notch cast also features Daniel Giménez Cacho, Mariana Di Girólamo, Daniel Fanego (“El Ángel”) and Roly Serrano (“Youth”).

It turns on Remo (Pérez Biscayart), the best jockey of his generation, whose addictions, however, have gradually cast a shadow over his glory. Like Abril (Corberó), another jockey,...

Devo, the rock band best known for 1980 hit “Whip It,” is getting the documentary treatment.

The project marks the first authorized documentary about the band, which featured the classic lineup of Mark and Bob Mothersbaugh, Gerald and Bob Casales and Alan Myers.

Chris Smith, who directed Netflix’s Fyre, about the troubled Fyre Festival, and Tiger King, will helm the doc.

It comes from BMG, Fremantle Documentaries, and Warner Music Entertainment with Vice Studios and Library Films producing in association with Mutato Entertainment.

The untitled doc, which is currently in production, tells the story of the band that formed in Akron, Ohio in 1973, in the wake of the Kent State massacre.

It will feature a mix of archival footage and interviews from other characters in their orbit.

Producers include Anita Greenspan and Chris Holmes for Mutato Entertainment, exec produers are William Kennedy, Stuart Souter, and Kathy Rivkin Daum for BMG,...

An untitled documentary about Grammy-winning artist Lizzo is coming to HBO Max this fall, she announced at the Warner Bros. Discovery upfront on Wednesday, while unveiling the first teaser of the film. The doc will follow the singer, songwriter, rapper, flutist and actor from her humble beginnings to her history-making career in music and culture, as she balances the challenges of stardom.

“Growing up I never dreamed I’d get to experience all of the things I’ve accomplished in my life, and I’m just getting started,” Lizzo said in a statement. “I’m so excited I get to share and relive my journey with my fans and HBO Max. From ‘Cuz I Love You’ to my dramatic world tour, losing and gaining love, and creating my new album ‘Special,’ y’all get to see the amount of time, patience, blood, sweat and tears that went into this process.

It’s been a busy few months for Lizzo and there’s no sign of slowing down. The “Good As Hell” pop star is to be the subject of a documentary heading to HBO Max.

The doc is directed by Doug Pray, exec producer of HBO’s The Defiant Ones and director of Seattle grunge doc Hype! The film has been long in the works with Deadline teasing the series in December 2020.

Lizzo announced the project at Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront in New York.

Warner Bros. Discovery Upfront: Deadline’s Complete Coverage

The film will follow the star and explore her humble beginnings to her meteoric rise with an intimate look into the moments that shaped her hard-earned rise to fame, success, love and international stardom.

It comes after her Amazon series – where she signed a first-look deal in 2020 – Watch Out For The Big Grrrls launched in March and she hosted SNL.

HBO Max has lined up a documentary on music superstar Lizzo for the fall.

Currently untitled, the doc charts the Grammy winner’s rise to fame, and becoming an influential superstar.

“To get the chance to work with someone we have admired and adored for so long is a dream come true. Lizzo’s formidable talent has entertained and inspired millions, and we are ecstatic to help share her incredible journey,” Sarah Aubrey, head of original content, HBO Max, said in a statement.

Here’s the logline: “Every once in a while, an artist changes not only music, but culture as well. Lizzo has done both. This is the journey of a trailblazing superstar who has become the movement the world desperately needed just by being herself. The HBO Max documentary shares the inspirational story behind her humble beginnings to her meteoric rise with an intimate look into the moments...

HBO Documentary Films is in production on Stax, a multi-part documentary series exploring the Memphis-based record label Stax Records, which featured R&b stars Otis Redding, Booker T. & the M.G.’s, Isaac Hayes, the Staple Singers and Sam & Dave.

The series, which documents the meteoric rise and fall of the label, is directed by “Ailey” filmmaker Jamila Wignot, and executive produced by Ezra Edelman and Caroline Waterlow (“Oj: Made In America”) of Laylow Pictures and Nigel Sinclair and Nicholas Ferrall of White Horse Pictures. It’s presented in association with Concord Originals, Polygram Entertainment and Warner Music Entertainment.

“In both the sound that fueled its rise and the events that triggered its demise, Stax Records manifested the soul of America,“ Edelman said in a statement. “There is no better person to bring this quintessential American story to HBO’s viewers than Jamila Wignot, whose work I’ve long admired.

Exclusive: Stax Records, the label responsible for hits such as Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ on) The Dock of the Bay” and Sam & Dave’s “Soul Man,” is getting the docuseries treatment.

HBO is behind a new multi-part series telling the story of the fabled Memphis-based label.

Jamila Wignot — who directed Ailey, a portrait of the legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey, and has worked on HBO’s Axios — is directing, with Oj: Made in America helmer Ezra Edelman and producer Caroline Waterlow exec producing. Nigel Sinclair and Nicholas Ferrall of White Horse Pictures, the company behind Martin Scorsese’s doc No Direction Home: Bob Dylan, also are EPs.

The series will explore the rise and fall of the label, which was founded in 1957 by Jim Stewart. Stewart, a country music fan, and his sister Estelle Axton, who mortgaged her house to afford recording equipment, released “Fool in Love” by the Veltones under its original name Satellite Records.

Candlebox, the Seattle grunge band that was signed to Madonna’s record label, is the latest band to get the feature doc treatment.

The band, which was signed to Maverick Records after the explosion of the Pacific Northwest scene, is the subject of Far Behind: The Candlebox Story.

The doc is directed and produced by Jack Piatt, founder of Highway West Entertainment, and is exec produced by Madonna’s manager Guy Oseary. It is produced by Warner Music Entertainment, the film and TV arm of the record label.

The film will explore the story of the band and their rise to fame – they released their eponymous debut album in 1993. They broke up in 2000 after releasing Lucy in 1995 and Happy Pills in 1998 but got back together in 2016 with a new lineup and have released a number of albums.

It will feature footage and interviews with original band members Kevin Martin, Peter Klett,...

Exclusive: Ashok Amritraj’s Hyde Park Entertainment Group and Warner Music Entertainment, Warner Music Group’s film and television division have launched the Hyde Park Entertainment & Warner Music Entertainment Asian Women Fellowship.

The initiative, run in partnership with Film Independent, will showcase women-identifying writers and writer-directors who are Asian or part of the Asian diaspora. The Fellowship is aligned with Hyde Park Entertainment and Warner Music Group’s shared, ongoing commitment to diversity and inclusion.

With guidance from leading industry advisors, the winners will continue to develop and package their feature projects, with the goal of shopping the final screenplays to major studios and streamers. Industry advisors and supporters include Academy Award-winner Chloé Zhao; Gemma Chan; Independent Spirit Award winner Lulu Wang; and Gurinder Chadha.

Sari Arambulo, the program’s inaugural fellow, was chosen from an initial set of ten finalists and has been awarded a $12,5K grant and development support.

Exclusive: Cinco Paul is set to make his feature animation directorial debut on Winter Wonderland, the live action/stop motion animation film built around the classic holiday song. Pic is a collaboration between Imagine Kids+Family and Warner Music Group. Deadline previously reported that Paul would be writing original songs for the live action/stop motion picture.

Paul’s credits include co-writing with Ken Daurio the Despicable Me trilogy, Minions, Dr. Seuss’ Horton Hears A Who, and The Lorax, and The Secret Life of Pets, as well as serving as the showrunner and songwriter for Schmigadoon! on Apple TV+. Those animated films have grossed over $4 billion at the box office.

The film is being shopped to find a home this week. Paul has created and written a live-action and stop-motion animated family film anchored by the classic holiday song, and featuring original songs written by him. Imagine Kids+Family and Wmg...

Sam Pollard, the Peabody winning director of “Mr. Soul!” and “Sammy Davis, Jr.: I Gotta Be Me,” has set another documentary feature called “The Sound of Philadelphia” about music icons Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell and the musical genre they helped proliferate, Philly Soul.

“The Sound of Philadelphia” is a documentary produced by Warner Music Entertainment, Warner Chappell Music and Imagine Documentaries in partnership with Jigsaw Productions. Alex Gibney is executive producing the film.

The film will explore how Gamble, Huff and Bell — together known as “The Mighty Three” — founded the record label Philadelphia International Records and helped craft a signature sound heard in a catalog of over 3,500 songs. It includes tracks like “Love Train” by The O’Jays, “If You Don’t Know Me Now” by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul, “Rubberband Man” by the Spinners, “You Are Everything” by The Stylistics,...

“The Sound of Philadelphia,” a documentary on the 1970s “Philly Soul” sound and its masterminds Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff and Thom Bell, is coming from Warner Music Entertainment, Warner Chappell Music, and Imagine Documentaries, in partnership with Jigsaw Productions, the companies announced on Wednesday. The lushly orchestrated but soulful sound — exemplified by songs like “Love Train” by the O’Jays, “If You Don’t Know Me Now” by Harold Melvin & the Blue Notes, “Me and Mrs. Jones” by Billy Paul, and “Tsop” by Mfsb and the Three Degrees – famously known for its use as the Soul Train theme song.dominated U.S. radio in the mid-1970s and influenced all of the R&b that has followed, perhaps most immediately with David Bowie’s “Young Americans” album, and most recently with Bruno Mars and Anderson .Paak’s Soul Sonic.

The Oscar and Emmy award-winning executive producer Alex Gibney has signed on to the project,...

Exclusive: The story of Kenny Gamble, Leon Huff, and Thom Bell, who created the sound of Philly Soul, is to be chronicled in a new feature documentary.

Sam Pollard, director of Mr. Soul!, MLK/FBI and Citizen Ashe, will direct The Sound of Philadelphia with Alex Gibney, director of docs including Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief, set as exec producer.

The doc, which will tell the story of the sound of late ’60s/early ’70s soul music, comes from Warner Music Entertainment, publishing company Warner Chappell Music and Imagine Documentaries in partnership with Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions.

The Sound of Philadelphia will include exclusive interviews and never-before-seen footage featuring the songwriters and producers Gamble, Huff, and Bell – known as The Mighty Three. It will explore how the founders of the legendary record label Philadelphia International Records, crafted their sound and navigated the music business.

The trio wrote...

Warner Music Group and Sk Global unveiled a pact Thursday to co-produce and co-finance a slate of music-focused documentaries and scripted projects “mined from Wmg’s extraordinary roster of artists and songwriters, as well as its expansive global catalog.”

The partners’ new content efforts together will include both English and local-language projects, and will “pay special attention to Wmg’s vast array of celebrated international artists, particularly across the U.S., Asia, and Latin America,” the companies said in a joint press release.

The pact was made public by Sk Global chairman Sidney Kimmel, co-CEOs John Penotti and Charlie Corwin, and Charlie Cohen, president of Warner ...

Warner Music Group and Sk Global unveiled a pact Thursday to co-produce and co-finance a slate of music-focused documentaries and scripted projects “mined from Wmg’s extraordinary roster of artists and songwriters, as well as its expansive global catalog.”

The partners’ new content efforts together will include both English and local-language projects, and will “pay special attention to Wmg’s vast array of celebrated international artists, particularly across the U.S., Asia, and Latin America,” the companies said in a joint press release.

The pact was made public by Sk Global chairman Sidney Kimmel, co-CEOs John Penotti and Charlie Corwin, and Charlie Cohen, president of Warner ...

A couple of major industry players are planning to put their spin on music documentaries and scripted content.

Warner Music Group and Sk Global announced a partnership Thursday that will see the companies co-produce and co-finance a slate of music-oriented nonfiction and fiction projects “mined from Wmg’s extraordinary roster of artists and songwriters, as well as its expansive global catalog.” The pact also calls for producing local language content.

“The partnership will pay special attention to Wmg’s vast array of celebrated international artists,” a release noted, “particularly across the U.S., Asia, and Latin America.”

The announcement came from Sk Global Chairman Sidney Kimmel, co-CEOs John Penotti and Charlie Corwin, and Charlie Cohen, president, Warner Music Entertainment, Wmg’s TV and Film Division.

“We could not be more pleased to join hands with our longtime friend Charlie Cohen and his immensely talented team around the globe,” Penotti and Corwin said in a statement.

Warner Music Entertainment will co-produce, co-develop and co-finance projects with Lightbox.

Warner Music Entertainment (WME) has signed a partnership deal with UK-us production company Lightbox to co-produce, co-develop and co-finance non-fiction film and TV projects.

Under the terms of the deal Lightbox will have access to the catalogue of WME’s parent company Warner Music Group for its documentaries.

The two companies have a slate underway with details yet to be announced.

Lightbox was founded in 2014 by Simon Chinn in London and his LA-based cousin Jonathan Chinn.

The company’s recent slate includes Kevin Macdonald’s Whitney, which premiered at Cannes in 2018; HBO title Tina,...

Warner Music Entertainment, the film and television division of Warner Music Group (Wmg), and London and Los Angeles based television and film production company Lightbox, have signed a partnership deal to co-produce, co-develop and co-finance non-fiction film and TV projects.

The deal gives Lightbox, founded by double Oscar winner Simon Chinn and double Emmy winner Jonathan Chinn, access to Wmg’s catalog, to create new content telling the stories of Wmg’s current talent, songwriters and legacy acts.

Simon Chinn and Jonathan Chinn said: “This deal with Wmg will open up the vaults to an archive of amazing musical talent and rich history of songwriters and performers. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to bring some of Warner Music’s extraordinary artists and their stories to audiences around the world.”

“This is a really exciting partnership for us at Warner Music. We have such an incredible array of artists...

Exclusive: After co-writing Despicable Me and the Apple TV+ musical series Schmigadoon!, Cinco Paul will team with Imagine Kids+Family and Warner Music Group on Winter Wonderland. Paul has created and written a live-action and stop-motion animated family film anchored by the classic holiday song, and featuring original songs written by Paul. Imagine Kids+Family and Wmg (the song is controlled by Warner Chappell Music) will co-produce and co-finance the film.

The film will be produced by Imagine Entertainment Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard and Imagine Kids+Family President Stephanie Sperber, along with Wmg’s Charlie Cohen, President, TV & Film, Warner Music Entertainment, Meredith Milton, Wmg consultant and producer, as well as Kurt Deutsch, SVP, Theatrical and Catalog, Warner Chappell Music.

Said Wmg’s Cohen: “When it comes to joyful and poignant storytelling, there is no one better than Cinco Paul. We are incredibly excited to have him bring this...

Wednesday saw a unique red carpet unfold in Los Angeles. It had actors and interviewers, but there was no premiere or awards show. And the real stars were the reporters.

The reporters were 10 students from the Los Angeles Center for Enriched Studies (Laces), a public high school in Mid-City Los Angeles. The occasion was the conclusion of the inaugural Micheaux Project, the outreach program launched earlier this year by Variety and the African American Film Critics Assn., designed to introduce high school students from Bipoc communities to potential careers in the entertainment industry.

Laces is the first school to host Micheaux Project workshops. The eight-week course covered such topics as film criticism, interviewing, finding a point of view and working with a newsroom. And though the students had dipped their toes into interviewing over seven previous workshops, with the virtual red carpet assembled for the final installment, the budding reporters...

Hybrid physical-online festival set to run September 10-19.

Spike Lee’s filmed version of Broadway show David Byrne’s American Utopia will open the 45th Toronto International Film Festival on September 10.

Co-heads Cameron Bailey and Joanna Vicente announced the selection on Tuesday (July 21), weeks after they unveiled plans for a hybrid physical-online festival, set to run from September 10-19.

David Byrne’s American Utopia features the Talking Heads frontman and a troupe of 11 musicians performing songs from Byrne’s 2018 solo album of the same name and Talking Heads standards like Once In A Lifetime and Burning Down The House.

The...

Exclusive: We have learned that Greenwich Entertainment has acquired North American distribution rights to Rick Korn’s documentary Harry Chapin: When in Doubt, Do Something, which follows the Grammy-winning and 16 million album-selling singer-songwriter and activist who spent his fame and fortune trying to end world hunger before his tragic passing. The docu will hit the fall festival circuit before Greenwich’s release in October.

The pic features features Bruce Springsteen, Billy Joel, Pete Seeger, Sir Bob Geldof, Kenny Rogers, Graham Nash, Pat Benatar, Darryl “Dmc” McDaniels, Robert Lamm, Richie Havens and Harry Belafonte intimately reflecting on Chapin’s impact on music and the world. His “Cat’s in the Cradle” hit No. 1 on the Billboard 100 and received a 1975 Grammy nom for Best Male Pop Vocal Performance and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2011. He also hit the U.S. top 40 with “Taxi” in 1972 and “Wold” two years later.

Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment has signed a co-producing and co-financing partnership with Warner Music Group.

The two companies will collaborate on music-centered projects across multiple mediums, including film, television, documentary, and other short-form content. Imagine and Warner Music Group are already working together on the third season of National Geographic’s “Genius” anthology series, which spotlights Aretha Franklin.

Warner Music’s participation in the series will allow the series to feature many of Franklin’s songs and recordings, including “I Never Loved a Man (The Way I Love You),” “Chain of Fools,” “Don’t Play That Song,” “Since You’ve Been Gone” and “Baby I Love You.” It will also feature Franklin’s performances of “I Knew You Were Waiting for Me,” “Freeway of Love” and “Sisters Are Doin’ It for Themselves.” Cynthia Erivo stars the late Queen of Soul, alongside Courtney B. Vance, David Cross, Malcolm Barrett,...

Imagine Entertainment and Warner Music Group have cut a deal to co-produce and co-finance a slate of music-themed projects for a range of film, TV and digital outlets.

The deal is an outgrowth of the pair’s partnership on the upcoming Nat Geo limited series “Genius: Aretha,” revolving around the life of legendary musician Aretha Franklin, whose prime catalog of recordings is largely owned by Warner Music Group.

The deal envisions projects for feature films, scripted TV series, documentary projects and short-form digital platforms. Imagine has significantly diversified its production operations over the past few years to incorporate documentaries as well as children’s fare and made-for-digital content.

Imagine principal Ron Howard has directed two high-profile music documentaries over the past four years: 2016’s “The Beatles: Eight Days a Week — The Touring Years” and 2019’s “Pavarotti.” Imagine chairman Brian Grazer has led the diversification push that began with Raine Group...

The filmed version of David Byrne’s Broadway show “American Utopia” — directed by Spike Lee — has been nabbed by HBO and will debut on the platform later this year, it was announced Tuesday by Nina Rosenstein, EVP, HBO Programming. No specific date was announced.

“American Utopia” features new takes and choreography to some of Byrne’s classic songs with Talking Heads and his solo career and had a sold-out run from October 2019 to February 2020 at Broadway’s Hudson Theater.

People who didn’t get to see the show got a taste of Byrne’s distinct showmanship when he performed with some of the Broadway cast on “SNL” earlier this year.

Also Read: 'David Byrne's American Utopia' Broadway Review: Stop Making Sense, Start Making Music

“David Byrne’s ‘American Utopia’ is a uniquely transformative experience and a perfect example of how entertainment can bring us together during these challenging times,...

HBO has landed the Spike Lee-directed version of Broadway show David Byrne’s American Utopia.

The film will launch on the premium cable network later this year and comes after Deadline revealed the filmed version of the show in January.

The Broadway production, which opened October 2019 and ran through February 16 at the Hudson Theatre, features the Talking Heads cofounder accompanied by 11 musicians from around the world performing songs from Byrne’s 2018 album American Utopia as well as hits from his Talking Heads and solo periods.

The stage musical is set to return to Broadway’s Hudson Theatre for a limited engagement beginning in September, though all Broadway immediate plans are more or less on hold as theaters remain closed due to the coronavirus.

The Broadway production featured the work of choreographer Annie-b Parson and Alex Timbers serving as production consultant, both of whom previously collaborated with Byrne on the...

Spike Lee has signed on to direct a movie based on the Broadway show “David Byrne’s American Utopia” with Participant acting as lead financier and executive producer.

River Road Entertainment and Warner Music Group will also co-finance. The film will be produced by RadicalMedia, as well as Byrne’s Todomundo and Lee’s Forty Acres and a Mule Filmworks production companies.

“Pinch me. This couldn’t have worked out better for this project,” Byrne said. “Spike Lee directing and Participant producing — two socially engaged teams, well, three if you count us in the band, coming together in what I feel will be something moving, important, and unlike anything anyone has seen before.”

“American Utopia” opened in October and runs through Feb. 16 at the Hudson Theatre. The film is planned for a 2020 release.

The Broadway show includes Byrne and 11 musical artists performing songs from Byrne’s 2018 album of the same name,...

Spike Lee will direct a film version of David Bryne’s Broadway show “David Byrne’s American Utopia,” with primary financing provided by media company Participant with co-financing from Warner Music Group and River Road Entertainment, Participant announced Friday.

To be produced by RadicalMedia, David Byrne’s Todomundo and Spike Lee’s Forty Acres and a Mule Filmworks production companies, the film will be executive produced by Byrne, Lee and Participant’s Jeff Skoll, David Linde, and Diane Weyermann.

Warner Music Group’s David Bither, Charlie Cohen, and Kurt Deutsch, Bill Pohlad of River Road, and RadicalMedia’s Jon Kamen, Dave Sirulnick and Meredith Bennett will also executive produce along with Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson and Patrick Catullo, who produced the Broadway show.

Also Read: 'David Byrne's American Utopia' Broadway Review: Stop Making Sense, Start Making Music

“Pinch me. This couldn’t have worked out better for this project. Spike...

Exclusive: Oscar winner Spike Lee has signed on to direct a filmed version of the acclaimed Broadway show David Byrne’s American Utopia. Participant adds another title to its portfolio of films meant to engage positive social change, as it will be lead financier and executive producer for the project. It is financing the film with River Road Entertainment and Warner Music Group.

The film will be produced by RadicalMedia, as well as Byrne’s Todomundo and Lee’s Forty Acres and a Mule Filmworks production companies. Byrne, Lee and Participant’s Jeff Skoll, David Linde and Diane Weyermann will share executive producer credit; along with Warner Music Group’s David Bither, Charlie Cohen, and Kurt Deutsch; Bill Pohlad of River Road; and RadicalMedia’s Jon Kamen, Dave Sirulnick and Meredith Bennett. Kristin Caskey, Mike Isaacson and Patrick Catullo, who lead produced the Broadway production, will also serve as executive producers.

Four years ago, Mattel teamed up with Paramount Pictures to develop a live-action feature based on the toy Max Steel. The action figure was developed in tandem with an animated series that run from 200-2002, and then there were nine animated movies from 2004-2012. A reboot currently airs on Disney Xd. According to Wikipedia, Max Steel's current iteration is about "Maxwell McGrath, and Max Steel is no longer one person, but two; Maxwell and an alien robot named, "'Steel.' Maxwell has the ability to generate "Turbo Mode," however, he cannot contain it and is becoming unstable." The Paramount partnership eventually fizzled out, and Mattel is now teaming with Dolphin Entertainment to make the movie. As for the plot, the press release states "the storyline centers on bringing a positive and relatable hero to kids, drawing upon turbo-charged teamwork, laughter and friendship." I wish my friendships were turbo-charged. Hit...

Dolphin Entertainment, Inc. and Mattel, Inc., have partnered to develop the live-action, feature-length film “Max Steel” based on Mattel’s franchise property of the same name. The film will be produced by Dolphin Films, a newly-formed subsidiary of Dolphin Entertainment. Open Road Films will distribute “Max Steel” in the U.S. as the first of a multi-picture agreement with Dolphin Films. The film will be given a wide release in theaters in the fourth quarter of 2014.

Bill O’Dowd, CEO, Dolphin Entertainment said:

“Today marks the beginning of an exciting new relationship between Dolphin Entertainment and Mattel, two companies that have consistently worked to delight and entertain children all over the world. We couldn’t think of a better property to kick off Dolphin’s feature film division than Max Steel, which tells a story of the power of friendship and teamwork, with a heavy dose of humor – all qualities...