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Avatar: Fire and Ash, the third installment in James Cameron's blockbuster science fiction series, is set to hit theaters this winter. But if you can't want to return to Pandora, Disney+ is ready to take you to another one of Cameron's alien worlds. The Abyss, Cameron's groundbreaking 1989 deep-sea thriller, will stream in 4K on the service starting on April 11, 2025.

The Abyss was Cameron's first film after his megahit Aliens, and he was given a $43 million Usd budget to work with. The production of the film was harrowing for both cast and crew, as the extensive underwater scenes proved to be exceptionally difficult and exhausting to shoot. Actor Ed Harris refuses to speak about it to this day, while co-star Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio has simply stated "The Abyss was a lot of things. Fun to make is not one of them." The film also features one of the first ever...

Hulu has officially ordered a new crime drama series based on the 1987 film, Black Widow, with Shameless actress Emmy Rossum in talks to star in the show.

Per Deadline, Rossum is set to executive produce the untitled project alongside New Girl creator Liz Meriwether and is in talks to star in the series as well. The official logline for the untitled series reads: "An FBI agent uses the secrets from a female serial killer’s past to try and find her.” Rossum will reportedly portray the FBI agent if an agreement is reached to star in the series. In addition to serving as executive producer, Meriweather will also serve as writer on the series.

The untitled series is based on 1987's Black Widow, a crime drama directed by Bob Fafelson and written by Ronald Bass. The film stars Debra Winger, Theresa Russell, Sami Frey, Dennis Hopper, Nicol Williamson, Terry O'Quinn,...

Back in December, the James Cameron films The Abyss, Aliens, True Lies, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water were all given 4K digital releases. Next Tuesday, March 12th, is the day when The Abyss, Aliens, and True Lies are going to get their physical 4K Uhd releases – and to mark the occasion, we got our hands on an Exclusive clip from one of the bonus featurettes that will be on The Abyss disc! You can check it out in the embed above.

The Abyss has the following synopsis: In this underwater sci-fi adventure written and directed by James Cameron, a nuclear sub mysteriously sinks and a private oil rig crew, led by foreman Bud Brigman, is recruited to join a team of Navy SEALs on a search and rescue effort. The group soon finds themselves on a spectacular life-and-death odyssey 25,000 feet below the ocean’s surface, where they find...

Composer Ben Lanzarone, whose work was featured in television shows such as “Happy Days,” “The Love Boat” and “Dynasty,” died of lung cancer in Los Angeles on Feb. 16. He was 85.

Lanzarone received ASCAP’s “Most Performed Composer Award” for his work composing television scores. He wrote for episodes of “The Tracy Ullman Show,” “The Jay Leno Comedy Hour” and” Mr. Belvedere.” In association with Aaron Spelling and Doug Cramer, he composed many scores for “Dynasty,” “The Love Boat,” “Vegas,” “Matt Houston,” “The Colbys” and “Hotel.” In addition, he wrote the music for numerous episodes of “Happy Days,” “Laverne and Shirley” and “Mork and Mindy.”

Also an arranger, musical director and pianist, Lanzarone became a force in popular music when he began associating with Bob Crewe and Charles Fox. Lanzarone’s album “In Classic Form” came as a result of their collaboration, showing off his talent as a classical and jazz pianist.

The Notebook is a beloved romance movie that is considered a classic and is praised for its storytelling through flashbacks. Plans for a TV show adaptation of The Notebook were announced in 2015 but have since been put on hold and are now unlikely to happen. However, fans can look forward to The Notebook being adapted into a stage musical, set to open on Broadway in 2024, bringing a new take on the iconic romance.

The 2004 film The Notebook is arguably one of the most famous romance movies ever made, but there were other plans for the story that never came to light. Based on the 1996 novel by Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook depicts the relationship of Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton, as they spend a summer romance together before reuniting years later. Their story is told by an elderly man named Duke, to a woman suffering from dementia in a nursing home.

December has been packed with 4K releases of James Cameron films. First up was the release of the Titanic 25th Anniversary Collector’s Edition 4K Uhd on December 5th. 4K digital releases of The Abyss, Aliens, True Lies, Avatar, and Avatar: The Way of Water followed on December 12th, and the Avatar movies also got new physical media releases on the 19th. March 12, 2024 is the date when Disney is going to give The Abyss, Aliens, and True Lies their physical 4K Uhd releases… but The Digital Bits reports that the 4K digital release of The Abyss has been cancelled in the UK because of “the rat scene“.

Here’s what The Digital Bits had to say: “We’ve learned from industry sources that the 4K Ultra HD release of James Cameron’s The Abyss (1989) in the UK has been cancelled, and for exactly the reason you think—the scene in...

What makes great directors great is their massive swings at creating something that is remembered in the eyes of film lovers for decades to come. Anyone who has ever tried to even make a film, whether it be for a big studio or with a few friends on the weekend in their backyards, knows one thing. A director has to have big ideas and vision to achieve something special about the film they are creating.

The Abyss Release Date August 9, 1989 Director James Cameron Cast Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio, Michael Biehn, Leo Burmester, Todd Graff, John Bedford Lloyd Rating PG-13 Runtime 139 Main Genre Adventure See More-->

Enter James Cameron. One of the best living filmmakers. He is a man who has advanced film technology with every movie he has made while still keeping the cinema of it all intact with memorable stories and themes in his predominantly science fiction films.

The Abyss hi-def edition is finally coming after a decade, featuring groundbreaking SFX and impressive underwater chase scenes. Color grading restoration will enhance the original subtleties and bring out the beauty of the film's visuals. An extended version of The Abyss with unreleased footage may be a possibility, adding more depth to the story.

Having been in the pipeline for the best part of a decade, it appears that the much-anticipated hi-def edition of James Cameron's 1989 underwater spectacular The Abyss is finally about to see the light of day. Something of a rite of passage for sci-fi fans in the 1980s, the rollercoaster action film featured Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio and Ed Harris as estranged lovers Lindsey and Bud in the lead roles.

Former Cameron collaborator Michael Biehn plays Coffey, the leader of a group of Navy SEALs tasked with the job of investigating the mysterious disappearance of a submarine in the mid-Atlantic.

"There is something down there, something not us, not human." 20th Century has revealed a 4K re-release of James Cameron's early sci-fi classic The Abyss, originally released in 1989. This has been in the works for a while! Fans have been awaiting a Blu-ray release of The Abyss for a decade, but for some reason it has never come together. Until now. To celebrate this long-awaited 4K debut of the underwater aliens movie, they're also replaying it in theaters for one night only this December. "If you haven't seen the film before, this is the way to experience it, and if you have, it will be like the first time all over again. So, get out to the theaters and enjoy." A civilian oil rig dive team is enlisted to search for a lost nuclear submarine and faces danger while encountering an alien aquatic species. Starring Ed Harris, Mary Elizabeth Mastrantonio,...

Most of the moviegoing population is probably under the assumption that "Titanic" was director James Cameron's first seafaring movie, but they'd be wrong! That honor goes to "The Abyss," the 1989 sci-fi flick that went on to garner four Academy Award nominations and win the Oscar for Best Visual Effects.. The only drawback of "The Abyss," however, is that its availability has long been a matter of concern among film enthusiasts. Years ago, /Film covered the rumors that the movie would finally come to Blu-ray and 4K after only being available on DVD. Last we heard, this was still the plan ... but now we're hearing from the man, myth, and legend himself that fans will finally get the chance to watch the movie exactly the way Cameron intended it -- on the big screen and through the fabled Special Edition.

Cameron announced the news himself on Twitter to immediate celebrations on social media.

Seven years have passed since writer/director James Cameron first said he was working on a 4K transfer of his 1989 film The Abyss – and now he’s finally ready to share the 4K version of the film with an audience. 20th Century Studios will be giving The Abyss a special one-night-only theatrical re-release on Wednesday, December 6th. A press release notes, “Fans will be able to experience Cameron’s thrilling underwater sci-fi adventure for the first time in stunning, remastered 4K. Tickets go on sale beginning November 20 and can be purchased at Fandango or wherever tickets are sold.“

Cameron provided the following statement: “If you haven’t seen the film before, this is the way to experience it, and if you have, it will be like the first time all over again. So, get out to the theaters and enjoy.“

The Abyss has the following synopsis: In this underwater sci-fi...

Based on the nonfiction novel The Minds of Billy Milligan, Akiva Goldsman and Todd Graff bring us a 10-episode anthology about a young teenager who finds himself in a heap of trouble in the Apple+ series The Crowded Room. Played by Tom Holland, Danny Sullivan is an awkward teen in the late ’70s in Manhattan who’s suddenly the center of police attention because he pulled a gun on a man in the middle of Rockefeller Center. As investigator Rya Goodwin goes into depth, trying to explore Danny’s reasons behind his actions, the series reveals certain dark secrets about the teen’s past. Here’s what happens in the first episode of The Crowded Room.

Spoilers Ahead

Why Is Danny Sullivan Arrested?

The first episode of The Crowded Room begins with a subway ride as a nervous-looking boy with shaggy, shoulder-length hair keeps fidgeting with a brown paper bag in his lap.

When people decide to get into theatre, the audience is typically a major reason why they do it. For as personally gratifying it is to deliver a well-crafted monologue, belt out a brash 11 o'clock number, or nail a complicated tap dance routine, the reason all that work is worthwhile is getting an audience to applaud, to laugh, to cry, to gasp, or whatever you are performing is hoping to elicit from the people in the house. This is particularly true in musical theatre, where shows are literally designed to have designated moments for the audience to shower the performers in applause.

Anna Kendrick was a bona fide theatre kid, appearing on Broadway at the early age of 12 in a stage adaptation of the 1956 movie musical "High Society" (which in turn was a musical adaptation of the 1939 play "The Philadelphia Story"). She played the precocious younger sister to the show's leading...

Back in 1989, writer-director James Cameron was fresh off his flick Aliens, the hit sequel to Ridley Scott's original tale of space terror, Alien. Cameron was getting ready to bring The Terminator back to the screen in a big way with Terminator 2: Judgment Day but between those two epic projects, Cameron wrote, directed and produced a quieter sci-fi thrill-ish movie with the eternally underappreciated, The Abyss. And if you're as big a fan of Cameron's The Abyss as I am, then you'll be glad to hear that there is an all-new 4K restoration in the works.

I know, I know, we've heard this before. In fact, for years now, us fans have been wondering when the hell we were going to get a high-def version of the movie considering the classic has never been released on Blu-ray. Hell, you can't even stream The Abyss in hi-def. That said, back...

Believe it or not, James Cameron’s classic 1989 deep sea sci-fi film The Abyss has never been released on Blu-ray. Well, it looks like that’s finally going to change! Skip Kimball, who has worked in the editorial department on some of Cameron’s films including Avatar and Alita: Battle Angel, has revealed that the film is currently going through the remastering process and getting a 4K overhaul!

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This is happening on stage one this weekend! The Abyss, directed by @jamescameronofficial. . . . . . . #theabyss #4k #hdr #remaster #efilmstageone #efilmhollywood #blackmagicdesign #davinciresolve15 #theabyssbluray#colorgrading#jamescameron#bluray

A post shared by Skip Kimball (@skip_kimball) on Mar 3, 2019 at 9:58am Pst

I love The Abyss, and I couldn’t be happier to see that one day in the near future I’m going to get to watch it in 4K glory. I really hope that when they are finished they do a theatrical rerelease!

Say what you will about Jennifer Lopez, but one thing is true: She takes risks. Never sticking to a particular type, she has run the gamut in her choice of films from romantic comedies to thrillers to biopics and beyond. “Second Act” is her first live-action film since 2015’s “The Boy Next Door,” and it feels like a confused puppy, caught between a stale script and a very confused storyline that frequently loses focus.

Maya (Jennifer Lopez) is a big-box store assistant manager who has goals. She wants to wow her boss (Larry Miller) in the hopes of getting a well-deserved promotion to general manager. Instead, he introduces her to the white guy (Dan Bucatinsky) with an Ivy League Mba he hired for the position. Why? Because she isn’t a college grad, and no matter how many years she has put into the store, how loved she is by her co-workers,...

Exclusive: The Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab has accepted 15 writers from countries including the U.S., Lebanon, South Africa, Turkey and the UK who will bring 12 projects to the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah from January 18-23.

The January Screenwriters Lab was created and organized under the leadership of Sundance Institute’s Feature Film Program Founding Director Michelle Satter and Labs Director Ilyse McKimmie. The team of Creative Advisors includes Artistic Director Dana Stevens, Michael Arndt, Thomas Bidegain, Todd Graff, Phil Hay, Erik Jendresen, Richard Lagravenese, Jenny Lumet, Malia Scotch Marmo, Walter Mosley, Nicole Perlman, Susan Shilliday, Zach Sklar, Elena Soarez, Veena Sud, Robin Swicord, Joan Tewkesbury and Tyger Williams. This year’s Lab is dedicated to the memory of two cherished Creative Advisors: Tom Rickman and Audrey Wells. The Lab provides one-on-one story sessions for Fellows with the Creative Advisors. The Lab is the first step in a year-round continuum...

NBC is getting further into business with Jennifer Lopez. “Major,” a dance drama from JLo and “Joyful Noise” writer-director Todd Graff, in development at the network, an individual with knowledge of the deals tells TheWrap.

Described as being in the tone of “Fame” meets “Chorus Line,” the series is set at the most competitive and prestigious university dance department in the country and focuses on the dancers and the teachers who are all struggling to define themselves, find their voices and pursue their dreams.

The network has given a script sale commitment to “Major,” which will be written, executive produced and directed by Graff. Lopez will also executive produce, along with Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas, Kristel Laiblin and Benny Medina.

Also Read: Jenna Dewan Exits as 'World of Dance' Host

The series hails from Universal Television in association with Nuyorican Productions.

“Major” would be the most recent in a string...

NBC has put in development Major, a dance drama from Joyful Noise writer-director Todd Graff, Jennifer Lopez and Elaine Goldsmith-Thomas’ Nuyorican Productions and Universal TV where Nuyorican is based.

Written by Graff, Major, said to be in the tone of Fame meets Chorus Line, is set at the most competitive and prestigious university dance department in the country. It focuses on the dancers and the teachers who are all struggling to define themselves, find their voices and pursue their dreams.

Graff executive produces and also is set to direct. Lopez, Goldsmith-Thomas, Kristel Laiblin and Benny Medina executive produce for Nuyorican. Universal TV produces in association with Nuyorican.

This is familiar territory for Graff, who wrote and directed music-themed features Joyful Noise, starring Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, and Bandslam starring Aly Michalka and Vanessa Hudgeons. Additionally, he is a Tony-nominated Broadway actor.

This is Nuyorican’s second recent broadcast sale.

“Money talks nobody walks.” As part of this year’s Greater St. Louis Humanities Festival – which runs from Sept. 23-Oct. 2, and whose theme is “E Pluribus Unum?” – Cinema St. Louis presents a free screening Monday, September 26 at 7 Pm of writer/director John Sayles’ masterful City Of Hope (1991), which compellingly explores the racial attitudes and socioeconomic forces that divide the citizens of the fictional (but all too realistic) Hudson City, N.J.

An ambitious, richly detailed panorama of a city in decline – and rapidly approaching crisis – City Of Hope addresses urban decay in the United States by poking around in Hudson City’s political garbage, turning over and exposing the contaminated dirt of patronage, bribery, and special interests, demonstrating how the toxins trickle down to the middle class and poor, seep into our attitudes, and poison our thoughts. The sprawling cast includes actors from the director’s informal stock company – Joe Morton,...

Exclusive: Steve Rabineau has just jumped from UTA to join Wme as a partner in the agency's Motion Picture Literary department. Rabineau, who represents directors and writers, has a strong list that is expected to follow him. That includes Oscar-winning Gravity helmer Alfonso Cuaron, Roger Donaldson, Todd Graff, Gavin Hood, Ron Hutchinson, Phillip Noyce, John Romano, Don Roos, Brad Silberling, John Waters and Simon West. Rabineau had been a partner at UTA, where he spent…...

My guest for this month is Herb van der Poll, and he’s joined me to discuss the film I chose for him, the 1988 Dutch–French film The Vanishing. You can follow the show on Twitter @cinemagadfly.

Show notes:

The director, George Sluizer, didn’t really direct much else besides this film and its remake The soundtrack definitely has a Tears for Fears vibe to it, which is 100% ok with me Herb checked with his Dutch parents to make sure we pronounced Spoorloos correctly Bernard-Pierre Donnadieu is basically perfect as the villain in this film If you enjoy this film, you’d probably also love Alfred Hitchock’s The Lady Vanishes The actress who plays the second girlfriend Lieneke, Gwen Eckhaus, was randomly in a television series in the Netherlands called Spoorloos verdwenen, which I assume is unrelated Getting a compliment on your film from Stanley Kubrick is a big...

Nicholas Sparks Productions, the film and TV production company founded by the romance author, is shuttering. The company, which was based on the Warner Bros. lot, launched in 2012 with a two-year, first-look deal with Warner Horizon Television to create TV series. Sparks' company also produced 2013's Safe Haven and, as its first indie production, the adaptation of Sparks' book The Choice, which Lionsgate released earlier this year. Nicholas Sparks Productions and Warner Bros. TV had also teamed up last August to develop a TV series based on Sparks' book The Notebook. Todd Graff was hired to pen

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David Bowie in 'The Hunger' with Catherine Deneuve. David Bowie movies: Iconic singer memorable as fast-aging vampire in 'The Hunger,' Nikola Tesla in 'The Prestige' Singer and sometime actor David Bowie, one of the iconic figures of the English-language music scene of the second half of the 20th century, died of cancer yesterday, Jan. 10, '16. Bowie (born David Robert Jones in the London suburb of Brixton) had turned 69 on Jan. 8. His son, filmmaker Duncan Jones (Moon), has confirmed Bowie's death on Twitter. Bowie was seen in only a couple of dozen movies during his four-decade show business career. Among his most memorable film roles were those in the titles listed below. The Man Who Fell to Earth Directed by Nicolas Roeg (Walkabout, Don't Look Now) from a screenplay by Paul Mayersberg (based on a novel by Walter Tevis), The Man Who Fell to Earth...

Organisers at the Park City jamboree have added a documentary from New Zealand, a profile of Mike Nichols and a presentation of Dazed And Confused with live commentary by Richard Linklater and Jason Reitman.

New additions include three archive films from The Sundance Collection at UCLA, a film preservation programme established in 1997.

The late arrivals mean the 2016 festival will present 123 features representing 37 countries and 49 first-time filmmakers, including 30 in competition.

These films were selected from 12,793 submissions, including 4,081 features and 8,712 shorts. Of the feature submissions, 1,972 were from the Us and 2,109 were international. A total of 103 features at the festival will be world premieres.

The 2016 Sundance Film Festival is scheduled to run from January 21-31 in Park City, Salt Lake City, Ogden and Sundance, Utah. The synopses below were provided by the festival.

World Cinema Documentary Competition

Tickled (New Zealand)

Dirs: David Farrier, Dylan Reeve

A journalist stumbles upon a mysterious tickling competition. As he delves...

Of all the Nicholas Sparks adaptations to have us reaching for the tissues – or remote, depending on your personal taste – The Notebook is arguably the one that resonated the most, particularly after New Line’s 2004 hit starring Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling. Heck, Sparks’ romantic drama even treaded the boards as a broadway play a few years back, and Entertainment Weekly now brings word that the love story will makes its small-screen debut on The CW.

Promising to expand the core, heart-wrenching story of Noah and Allie, The CW reportedly has big plans for The Notebook as a TV series, exploring the lovestruck pair’s youth as the grow up in the rural hills of North Carolina post-World War II.

Here’s the official logline per EW:

This series will follow the romantic journey of the two beloved central characters Noah and Allie, at the outset of their blossoming relationship...

If you thought it would be tough to sit through another date night rewatching The Notebook with your significant other, how about twelve times the time commitment? Entertainment Weekly has learned that The CW is developing a remake of the Nicholas Sparks novel turned seminal romantic film. The series, if greenlit, will be written by Todd Graff and produced by Sparks himself. There are not plans at this time to... Read More...

The CW is developing a new TV series based on the 2004 romance classic The Notebook, which catapulted Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams to stardom. The original movie, based on the Nicholas Sparks novel, earned $115 million worldwide from just a $29 million production budget. Take a look at the official plot synopsis below, courtesy of Entertainment Weekly.

"This series will follow the romantic journey of the two beloved central characters Noah and Allie, at the outset of their blossoming relationship as they build their lives and their future together against the backdrop of the racial politics, economic inequities, and social mores of post-World War II of the late 1940s in North Carolina."

The original movie was also partially set in present day, with the older version of Noah (James Garner) telling his story to an Alzheimer's-stricken Allie (Gena Rowlands), who can't remember her past. The CW's Mark Pedowitz revealed that this...

The latest Hollywood blockbuster to become a television series is The Notebook.

The CW is currently working on adapting Nicholas Sparks's novel-turned-movie into a continuing episodic drama for next season, reports Entertainment Weekly.

An official synopsis reads: "This series will follow the romantic journey of the two beloved central characters Noah and Allie, at the outset of their blossoming relationship as they build their lives and their future together against the backdrop of the racial politics, economic inequities, and social mores of post-World War II of the late 1940s in North Carolina."

Noah and Allie were famously played by Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in the 2004 film version of Sparks's 1996 book. Sparks is producing the CW pilot from a script by Todd Graff (Camp).

Television seems to be turning to Hollywood films as the bases for new programming more than ever this year.

CBS has shows based on Limitless...

For how many episodes can a star-crossed couple canoodle in a downpour?

The CW aims to explore that question via a pilot adaptation of The Notebook, the 1996 Nicholas Sparks novel that in 2004 was turned into a beloved motion picture starring Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams.

RelatedThe CW Eyeing Dark Little Women Adaptation From NCIS Star

As reported by EW.com, the official logline says the drama will follow the characters of Noah and Allie as they “build their lives and their future together against the backdrop of the racial politics, economic inequities and social mores of post-World War II...

Get ready to weep on a weekly basis: The Notebook TV series is in the works at The CW. That's right, the Nicholas Sparks book that became a sobfest on the big screen in 2004 with Rachel McAdams and Ryan Gosling could be heading to the small screen. E! News has learned The CW just has a script in development with Sparks attached as an executive producer. Theresa Park is also on board the project with Camp scribe Todd Graff writing and executive producing the project. The show would be based on the book and movie of the same name and follow "the romantic journey of the two beloved central characters Noah and Allie" from the start of their relationship to their future together "against the backdrop of...

The CW is teaming with author Nicholas Sparks to develop a TV series based on his iconic romance novel "The Notebook".

The story will follow the romantic journey of the two beloved central characters, Noah and Allie, at the outset of their blossoming relationship.

The pair build their lives and their future together against the backdrop of the racial politics, economic inequities and social mores of late 1940s in North Carolina.

Todd Graff will pen the script and executive produce alongside Sparks and Theresa Park. The book was previously adapted into the 2004 Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams film.

Source: The Live Feed...

Last night, acclaimed director Todd Graff unexpectedly announced plans to film a follow-up to 2003 cult favorite theatre-themed movie musical Camp titled Camp 2 Freaks In Nature set to feature fellow Tony Award-winning icons Patti LuPone and Donna Murphy, among others, inspiring Broadway babies to excitedly anticipate the many musical selections that could potentially be presented as part of the project. Of course, the original film famously featured a young Anna Kendrick memorably belting out the Company 11 o'clocker 'The Ladies Who Lunch' in addiiton to an unforgettable recreation of the original Michael Bennett-staged mini masterpiece from Promises, Promises, 'Turkey Lurkey Time' - plus some standout original tunes by the likes of Michael Gore and Lynn Ahrens, too - not to mention Stephen Sondheim himself appearing onscreen in a cameo role. Now, Graff himself promises at least one showstopper to match the ones in the first film, relaying, 'We're going to introduce some fabulous new additions,...

"It's important to think. It's what separates us from lentils." --Richard Lagravanese, The Fisher King

He did it the hard way, like David battling Goliath this past Valentine's Day. Yes, Richard Lagravanese's latest effort, The Last Five Years, a romantic musical of sorts with next to no spoken dialogue, opened against the whip-wielding Fifty Shades of Grey, a syrupy soft core melodrama with perhaps too much dialogue.

The battle's result so far, at least as of this past Monday: $137,945 versus a worldwide take of $485,791,785. Well, at least David got the better reviews.

Yes, Richard Lagravanese, the Oscar-nominated screenwriter of such acclaimed titles as The Fisher King, Behind the Candelabra, The Bridges of Madison County, and Unbroken, which he co-wrote with the Coen Brothers, and the intermittent director of such fare as Living Out Loud and Freedom Writers, is a survivor of numerous Hollywood battles, many won, some lost. Beloved, for example,...

From his psychological thriller to Spider-Man to Battle Angel, here's a look at the James Cameron-directed projects that never happened...

In the summer of 1977, James Cameron, like lots of other people that year, went to the cinema and watched Star Wars. But unlike so many others, Cameron didn't feel elation as the room went dark and the first space ship soared overhead - he felt a shiver of mild panic.

"My reaction to it was not, 'Oh, wow, that's cool. I want to see more,'" he later recalled. "It was, 'Oh wow, I better get off my butt because somebody is doing this stuff, you know, and they're beating me to it.'"

Within one year, the 24-year-old Cameron had borrowed some money from a consortium of dentists looking for a tax break, and with it, made the short film Xenogenesis. That film and its title (which could...

The CW is getting into the music industry. The network is teaming with uber-producer Scooter Braun and Tony nominee Todd Graff to develop a music drama, The Hollywood Reporter has learned. The untitled entry, which has received a script commitment, is set in the ever-evolving world of music, entertainment and social media. It chronicles the rise of Gary Graham, a brilliant young manager with the talent and ambition to shake up the industry, which is a world gone viral: where stars are minted overnight, relationships are constantly tested and careers can be made or crushed with one perfectly

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54 Below just welcomed a part of its December line-up for a special performance preview, including Tony Award-winner Randy Graff, Tony nominee Todd Graff, and Nikka Graff Lanzarone from 'The Graff Family Holiday Special' running 1214 amp 16 Tony-nominated song-writing team Richard Maltby, Jr. and David Shire running 1217 Tony nominee Euan Morton running 1212 and Chip Zien running 125 amp 11. Check out photos from the previews below...

Lucky Monkey Pictures and Sh-k-Boom Records announced today Academy Award-and Tony Award nominated actress Anna Kendrick and Tony Award and Grammy Award nominated Jeremy Jordan (“Smash,” “Joyful Noise”) will star in the film adaptation of Jason Robert Brown’s acclaimed musical The Last 5 Years to be written and directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Lagravenese.

Lauren Versel, Kurt Deutsch, Richard Lagravenese and Janet Brenner will produce. Steve Norman will Co Produce. Steven Meizler, who has worked extensively with Steven Spielberg, David Fincher and Steven Soderbergh, is the Director of Photography. The film begins shooting this week in New York City. CAA will handle domestic sales, with Brian O’Shea and Nat McCormick handling international sales for The Exchange.

The Last 5 Years is a musical love story for a new generation. Told through emotionally powerful and comic songs from their individual perspectives, “The Last 5 Years” is a deconstruction...

Lucky Monkey Pictures and Sh-k-Boom Records announced today Academy Award-and Tony Award nominated actress Anna Kendrick and Tony Award and Grammy Award nominated Jeremy Jordan (Smash, Joyful Noise) will star in the film adaptation of Jason Robert Brown's acclaimed musical The Last 5 Years to be written and directed by Academy Award nominee Richard Lagravenese. Lauren Versel, Kurt Deutsch, Richard Lagravenese and Janet Brenner will produce. Steve Norman will Co Produce. Steven Meizler, who has worked extensively with Steven Spielberg, David Fincher and Steven Soderbergh, is the Director of Photography. The film begins shooting this week in New York City. CAA will handle domestic sales, with Brian O'Shea and Nat McCormick handling international sales for The Exchange.

The Last 5 Years is a musical love story for a new generation. Told through emotionally powerful and comic songs from their individual perspectives, The Last 5 Years is a deconstruction of...

Even though a two-hour biopic about Marvin Gaye.s life probably wouldn.t hold a soul-and-cocaine-fueled candle to the roller coaster that was Gaye.s private life, it.s still a highly anticipated project that has been through all sorts of developmental hell. But like the man says, let.s get together and get our hopes up once again. Deadline is reporting through the grapevine that Jesse L. Martin will suavely step into the role of Gaye in Sexual Healing, to be directed by Julien Temple, well-known for a career full of documentaries. Martin is best known for his work as Det. Ed Green on Law & Order, though he.s recently appeared in Todd Graff.s musical Joyful Noise with Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton, as well as the Chris Evans-led drama Puncture. He.d actually been attached to the project back in 2008, when James Gandolfini was producing. Sadly...

The townspeople of Pacashau, Georgia, are struggling. The recession has hit this once vibrant community hard, employment is scarce and spirits are low. The Sacred Divinity Church Choir is the still-beating heart of this beaten-down town and now, with a place at the National Joyful Noise Competition, they have the opportunity to break its losing streak at last.

Cosmetically-tweaked country gal G.G.Sparrow intends to shake a little soul back into the staid and traditional singing group and her rebellious grandson is following right in her footsteps. New choir director Vi Rose Hill has a beautiful daughter with the vocal skill and the passion to take the troupe all the way to the top but sparks between the talented teens threaten to ignite a war between the old guard and the new. Can there ever be harmony in Pacashau again?

Oscar nominees Queen Latifah and Dolly Parton share top...

Benedict Cumberbatch ("War Horse," "Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy," "Atonement") has signed on to play Brian Epstein in a biopic about the Beatles' longtime manager. Paul McGuigan, who's directed Cumberbatch in a number of "Sherlock" episodes, will helm the Epstein project. The film is from a script by Todd Graff, focusing on Epstein's tumultuous personal life of gambling and drug addiction, set against the backdrop of history's biggest pop culture mania. Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman of Playtone will produce. No word yet on a title, but it won't be "The Fifth Beatle," as that's already taken for another Epstein project in the works, a film adaptation from Vivek J. Tiwary of the graphic novel. (That project reportedly already has some music rights secured -- a coup.) Fitting that Cumberbatch would sign on for a project related to the Beatles, as the actor has proven to be a phenomenon in his own right,...

What is Casting Couch? It’s where Hollywood moms come every day to find out if their actor kids have gotten a job. Remember that movie about the day JFK got shot that Tom Hanks was putting together because these days he’s such a history loving, lame dad? It’s called Parkland, and it just put together an awesome cast. According to Collider, director Vincent Bugliosi has signed the terrific trio of Paul Giamatti, Jackie Weaver, and Billy Boy Thornton to headline the cast. There’s no word on what characters they’ll be playing, but my guess is Giamatti will be JFK, Thornton will be Jackie O, and Weaver will be Lee Harvey Oswald. Makes sense, no? Not only is Benedict Cumberbatch awesome in the BBC’s preemptive Elementary ripoff, Sherlock, he also has the most fun name to say in the entire world. Benedict Cumberbatch. So it’s with great joy we report that...

Somebody tell Benedict Cumberbatch that all he needs is love.

According to THR, the Sherlock star and up-and-coming actor is set to play Beatles manager Brian Epstein in a biopic about his life. Todd Graff wrote the script, which THR describes as follows:

Sometimes called the 'fifth Beatle,' Epstein signed the band in 1961 -- before Beatlemania hit -- and died in 1967 from an accidental drug overdose. He was a closet homosexual and suffered from gambling and drug addictions -- and was many times the glue that held the band together. The producers describe the project as the story of “the man who threw the biggest party of the 1960s but ultimately forgot to invite himself.

Tom Hanks is getting back in the music game after writing, starring in, and directing That Thing You Do! by producing this film, which is currently untitled, and the project will reunite Cumberbatch with...

"Sherlock" star Benedict Cumberbatch and director Paul McGuigan are re-teaming for a biopic about The Beatles' iconic manager Brian Epstein for Playtone.

The story will not deal with the band but Epstein himself, a closeted gay gambler and addict who signed the band in 1961. He was also a brilliant visionary who helped guide them to international stardom.

Epstein died in 1967, at the age of 32, from an accidental drug overdose. Todd Graff penned the screenplay for this feature. Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman and Simon Halfon are producing.

Source: THR...

• Benedict Cumberbatch (or, as I’ve unadvisedly taken to calling him, Benny Batch) will star in an untitled biopic about Brian Epstein, the troubled manager for the Beatles, a closeted gay man who died in 1967 from an accidental overdose. Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman are producing the film, which will be helmed by Paul McGuigan (a frequent director of Cumberbatch’s acclaimed BBC series Sherlock). Todd Graff (Joyful Noise, Bandslam) penned the script. #BennyBatch #MakeItHappen [THR]

• Yes: Christoph Waltz is in talks to star in the sequel to The Muppets, as an Interpol inspector. While star Jason Segel won’t reprise his role,...

The iconic true story of Brian Epstein, the troubled first manager of The Fab Four, is so rife with drama that it's hard to believe it's taken this long to get the biopic treatment.

The Hollywood Reporter announced today that Benedict Cumberbatch, who took top spot on our recent Brits on the Brink list, and his "Sherlock" director Paul McGuigan will be teaming up with producers Tom Hanks, Gary Goetzman, and Simon Halfon to bring screenwriter Todd Graff's look at the "Fifth Beatle" to the big screen.

Benedict Cumberbatch has signed on to star in an untitled biopic based on the life of The Beatles manager Brian Epstein. This project is not related to The Fifth Beatle graphic novel adaptation we reported on earlier this month.

Todd Graff wrote the screenplay, which focuses on the manager's entire life, rather than a story about The Beatles from his perspective. Brian Epstein signed the iconic band back in 1961, launching them to international superstar status. Behind closed doors, he was a closet homosexual and battled addictions with drugs and gambling. He died in 1967.

Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin, Push) will direct, with Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman producing. Paul McGuigan also directed Benedict Cumberbatch in four out of the six episodes of the hit BBC series Sherlock. No production schedule was given.

Help! I need somebody. Help! Not just anybody. Help! I really need Benedict Cumberbatch to play Brian Epstein . longtime manager of The Beatles . in a planned biopic. Thankfully, Tom Hanks agrees with the casting, for Cumberbatch has been hired to play Epstein in a Hanks-produced movie that.s making strides toward production, THR reports. Paul McGuigan, who helmed episodes of Cumberbatch.s Sherlock for the BBC, will direct the picture, which will be produced under Hanks' Playtone label. The trade says that it will tell the story of Epstein rather than being a Beatles story told through the manager.s point of view. Todd Graff penned the movie.s screenplay and Hanks will co-produce with Gary Goetzman. So many threads are at play. Hanks, of course, directed his own ode to Beatlemania with the winning comedy That Thing You Do!, making his directorial debut. But Graff.s storyline reportedly will...

Brian Epstein is an odd choice for a biopic, you say? You’re not sure about a Brian Epstein biopic, to be perfectly honest?

Well, Tom Hanks doesn’t agree with you, and he probably knows a bit more about the movies given that he’s been in the business as an actor and producer for, what, thirty years? And a busy producer at that, it seems, given that Hanks recently announced he’s working on a Jkf movie and now he’s working on this one, too, with Benedict Cumberbatch set to star as the infamous Beatles manager. Yes, that’s his real name.

For those of you who are shrugging and saying, “Why not give the Beatles their own bloody biopic?”, you might like to know that Epstein was a rather interesting figure in his own right: he was a closet homosexual, drug addict, 60s swinger and all-round character.