Goldman Sachs is seeking to offload its two-thirds stake in movie financing and distribution company Alliance Films, the Financial Times reported today. Canadian-based Alliance has a sizable library and is the north-of-the-border distributor for Lionsgate, CBS Films, Weinstein Company, Focus Features and Relativity Media. The remaining third of Alliance is owned by an arm of the provincial government, Investissement Quebec. Alliance financed last year’
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Goldman Sachs To Sell Alliance Films Stake
Daniel Battsek & David Beal Out At National Geographic Films & Entertainment; Beverly Hills Office Shuttered; Is It Finished?
EXCLUSIVE: I’m told the decisions were made after Thanksgiving and 
HR asked staff not to reveal the news. Daniel Battsek will depart as President of National Geographic Films at the end of January and is working out his exit package. (Battsek was exited as Miramax president in 2010 just before its sale and joined NGF a year ago.) Battsek reported to David Beal who also will leave as President of National Geographic Entertainment at the end of December. The Beverly Hills office of National Geographic Films shuttered as of December 20th after HR had been laying off staffers for several months. Remaining activities will be housed out of the National Geographic Global Media group’s headquarters. But the exact future of National Geographic Films and Entertainment is unclear.
For instance, the future of NGF’s $100+ million film fund with ImageNation Abu Dhabi remains up in the air: I understand it was secured at a time when film financing was hard to come by and specified that it had to be spent within the specified 5-year time period on 10 to 15 features. Battsek was responsible for the development, production, acquisitions, and distribution of all of NGE’
Charlize Theron: Actions Speak Louder Than Acting
Photo by David Aguilera/BuzzFoto.com
By Hannah in PA
Charlize Theron is making news lately for her role in the new movie ‘
Hammond: Alexandre Desplat Is Music To Oscar’s Ears
Is Alexandre Desplat the new hardest working man in show business?
The prolific french composer who has had four Oscar nominations in the last five years is just coming off his busiest year since gaining international notoriety in 2003 with Girl With A Pearl Earring. Since then he has been one of, if not the most in-demand composers in the business with a remarkable output that
made me tired just reading all the titles. Those Oscar-nominated scores , The King’s Speech, The Fantastic Mr. Fox, The Curious Case of Benjamin Button and The Queen are just a tiny sample of the nearly 60 scores he has written in the last 10 years , a decade of major achievement for the now-50 year old Desplat who can probably safely say life really does start at 40. He has actually been actively composing for films for a quarter century but has only become an international household name in movie music circles since ’03. When I sat down with him at a small dinner last week he was in town just for 36 hours and between back-to-back Q&As with his The Ides of March director George Clooney. That morning he had just completed the score for Stephen Daldry’s Christmas release, Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. It was a rush job to be sure as he was brought in as a last minute replacement for the film’s first composer, Nico Muhly ( who despite … Read More
Bill Paxton In Talks To Direct ‘Kung Fu’
EXCLUSIVE: Bill Paxton is in talks to direct Kung Fu, a screen adaptation of the classic 1972 TV series that starred David Carradine. Paxton, who’s coming off a run in the HBO series Big Love, gets the job after helming two solid films: Frailty and The Greatest Game Ever Played. John McLaughlin will write the script. The film’s being put together under the Legendary Entertainment banner to shoot partly in China next summer. It is possible that this will come under Legendary East, the Hong Kong-based joint venture that involves Thomas Tull’s Legendary, but insiders said that hasn’t happened to this point.
The original series tracked the adventures of a Shaolin monk as he wanders the American West. The monk wants peace but usually winds up using his spectacular martial arts skills to kick some serious tail, in between flashbacks of his early life in the monastery. Below is a reminder of the show.
Jennifer Lopez is trying to bone Jason Statham and Rodrigo Santoro
These are some photos of Jennifer Lopez and Jason Statham on the Miami set of Parker, their new movie together. I know, I know. I don’
An Interview With RadioMan
Photos by Christopher Peterson/BuzzFoto.com
Actor James Gandolfini gets videotaped by Radioman outside Peace Love cafe in Tribeca in New York yesterday (September 13). According to his Wiki page, Radioman (b. c. 1951) is the nickname of a former homeless man in New York City who has gained notoriety from making cameo appearances in a number of films and TV shows.
His real name has been cited as either Craig Castaldo or Craig Schwartz, although he is known as “Radioman” for the radio which he wears around his neck. He has made cameos in 30 Rock, The Departed, Just My Luck, Romance & Cigarettes, Elf, Two Weeks Notice, Glitter, Keeping the Faith, Godzilla, Ransom, Big Daddy, Little Nicky, Mr. Deeds, and other films and television shows.
Sci-Fi Title ‘Europa’ To Orbit Toronto
EXCLUSIVE: Here’s another title that will get shopped at the 2011 Toronto Film Festival in script stage: Wayfare Entertainment and Misher Films are in pre-production on Europa, a contemporary space adventure that will be directed by Sebastian Cordero, the Ecuadorian helmer whose credits include Rage and Cronicas. District 9‘s Sharlto Copley is set to star with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo’s Michael Nyquist, Anamaria Marinca (she starred in the Palme d’Or winning 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days), and Asian superstar Daniel Wu. Wayfare Entertainment is fully funding the film, and Misher Films’ Kevin Misher is producing with Wayfare’s Ben Browning. Sierra/Affinity’s Nick Meyer is handling international sales. Scripted by Philip Gelatt, Europa is the story of a six-person team of astronauts from various international space stations who are sent by a private sector corporation to be the first manned mission to Jupiter’s fourth moon. Eugenio Caballero (Pan’s Labryrinth, is production designer, and the plan is to begin shooting in New York this fall. Wayfare’s Michael Maher and Jeremy Kipp Walker will be exec producers alongside Andy Berman.
More From the Avengers
Actor Chris Evans films a scene for The Avengers with Marvel Comics’ creator Stan Lee outside Grand Central Station.
Actor Chris Hemsworth, dressed as Thor films outside Grand Central Station for “The Avengers.”
Photos by Christopher Peterson/BuzzFoto.com
Scarlett Johansson films an action scene for “The Avengers.”
Scarlett Johansson, Jeremy Renner, and Chris Evans film an action scene for “The Avengers” in New York City.
Photos by TinTin/BuzzFoto.com
On Set of “What Maisie Knew”
Alexander Skarsgard
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Photo by Tin Tin/BuzzFoto.com
Alexander Skarsgard films scenes for his latest film, “What Maisie Knew” in NYC.
Critics Rank Anne Hathaways Top 10 Movies
My has this girl grown up. First bursting onto the scene as the awkward teen from San Francisco in Princess Diaries, Anne Hathaway has held onto fame well and matured in her films as well. This year is no exception and it’s about to get super busy for the young,…
On Set With Gossip Girl
Actor Penn Badgley films a scene for Gossip Girl at a baseball diamond in Prospect Park.
Actress Kaylee Defer, wearing pink jeans and floral top and blue jeans, a bra and tank top revealing a wing tattoo on her right side, films a scene for Gossip Girl at Colonie restaurant in Boerum Hill.
Writer and actor Jay McInerney, wearing a Writers & Artists t-shirt, films a scene with actor Penn Badgley at a baseball diamond in Prospect Park.
Actor Brian J. Smith films a scene for Gossip Girl at Colonie restaurant in Boerum Hill.
Photos by Christopher Peterson/BuzzFoto.com
Enjoy the photos from the set of “Gossip Girl” this week in New York.
Report: Premium VOD Likely To Fizzle As Movie Industry Regroups
Movie theaters face a lot of problems but competition from premium VOD probably won’t be one of them, Moody’s Investors Service says in an industry report today. The debt rating company says that studios probably will continue to wait more than four months before offering new films to cable and satellite VOD “because it is in their economic interest to do so.” For example, they depend on theaters to show trailers for the studio’s upcoming films. Also, any decline in box office sales could affect the whole value chain including home video sales and pay TV deals. Theater owners will find little else to cheer in the report. It says that the movie business is “mature and business risks are increasing” as consumers spend more time playing video games and surfing the Web. And 3D “isn’
Lincoln Center Celebrates Sidney Lumet
Pete Hammond Remembers Sidney Lumet
Having covered Hollywood from a New York base for over 20 years, I watched Gotham hold its own because of filmmakers that included Jonathan Demme, Alan Pakula, Woody Allen, Spike Lee, Martin Scorsese and Sidney Lumet. So let’s see where that leaves us. Demme doesn’t work often enough. Pakula, whose resume includes one of the greatest American movies ever in All the President’s Men, died in a freak accident on the Long Island Expressway. Allen has been on an extended tour of Europe that I admit has completely reinvigorated him as a filmmaker but hasn’t helped the production scene in Manhattan. Scorsese shoots all over the place, and Lee has had trouble getting his films funded even though he’s a voice well worth hearing. Finally, Lumet, the guy who made seminal movies like Network, 12 Angry Men, Dog Day Afternoon and Serpico, and continued directing films at such a fast pace that co-workers swore he shot while double-parked, passed away. Now, Lincoln Center has announced a summer series of films made by the great Lumet. It is worth checking out some of his great films. Meanwhile, I’m still waiting for that electrifying new New York filmmaker who’ll have the clout to force productions to be shot in his backyard despite the high union costs, and who makes Gotham relevant again … Read More
Simon West To Direct 'Expendables 2'
EXCLUSIVE: After a long search, Simon West is the choice to direct The Expendables 2, the sequel to the 2010 surprise hit action film. West, who most recently directed the CBS Films remake of The Mechanic with Jason Statham and Ben Foster, also directed Con Air, Lara Croft: Tomb Raider and The General’s Daughter. Production begins in the summer.
The sequel is expected to have back an original cast that includes Sylvester Stallone, Statham, Dolph Lundgren, Mickey Rourke, Terry Crews and Jet Li. Stallone directed the original, which grossed $275 million worldwide, $103 million domestic. The film’s produced by Millennium Films and will be released by Lionsgate. West is repped by CAA.
Latest 'Franken' Film Will Be Adaptation
EXCLUSIVE: While the outbreak of zombie and vampire films has been well chronicled, Hollywood has also become flush with Frankenstein films. The latest is an adaptation of the Peter Ackroyd novel The Casebook of Victor Frankenstein, which has just gotten Pulitzer-winning Proof playwright David Auburn signed to write the script. The project is set with RT Features, and Sam Raimi and Rob Tapert’
Analyst: 'Pirates' Was Hurt By 3D As Consumers Tire Of High Ticket Prices
Analyst Richard Greenfield of Wall Street’s BTIG has long been skeptical of claims by Jeffrey Katzenberg and James Cameron that 3D would do wonders for the movie business. But now Greenfield says that 3D is actually hurting the industry: “U.S. consumers are increasingly rejecting 3D movies,” he said in a report today. Attendance for Disney’s Pirates of Caribbean: On Stranger Tides “would have been higher” this past weekend if half of its screens showed the movie in conventional 2D instead of just a third, he says. The evidence? He notes that about 38% of the $90 million in box-office revenue for the film’s opening weekend came from non-IMAX 3D screens. That’s much lower than the average last year, when 54% of the opening revenues for DreamWorks Animation’s Shrek Forever After, and 57% of the initial sales for the studio’s How To Train Your Dragon, came from non-IMAX 3D screens. Greenfield says that “pricing remains our single biggest concern, especially with so many 3D movies aimed at the family segment.” He figures theaters charged $14.85 a ticket to see Pirates on IMAX 3D, $10.85 for non-IMAX 3D, and $7.60 for 2D. He adds that family films also are hurt by “young children not wanted to wear 3D glasses.” His advice: Hollywood should make fewer 3D films in 2012. “Focus on making consumer-desirable films rather than worrying about the technology,” he says.
R.I.P. Donald Krim
Donald B. Krim, who was head of one of the most prestigious independent film distribution companies in the United States, died at his New York home today after a one-year battle with cancer. He was 65. According to his official bio, Krim, as the president of Kino International, helped introduce some of the world’s most revered film directors to U.S. audiences, among them Wong Kar-Wai (Happy Together, Fallen Angels); Michael Haneke (The Piano Teacher); Amos Gitai (Kippur, Kadosh); Aki Kaurismäki (The Match Factory Girl, Ariel); Julie Dash (Daughters of the Dust); and Andrei Zvyagintsev (The Return).
After law school, Krim began his career at United Artists, first becoming head of the 16mm non-theatrical film rental division, then working on the formation of United Artists Classics, the first major studio-owned art house division and the model for today’s Fox Searchlight and Sony Pictures Classics. Eventually, UA Classics also began to handle distribution rights to the MGM library and new foreign films shortly after. In 1977, Krim purchased the one-year-old company Kino International and immediately started to expand. he made deals to handle the Chaplin films, the Selznick films, and the Korda library before releasing new films beginning in 1979. Krim started going to the Berlin Film Festival looking for new films and began acquiring one or two a year.
In the last four years, Kino International titles have earned three Academy Award nominations in the Best Foreign Language Film category: Beaufort (2007), Ajami (2009) and Dogtooth (2010). In December of 2009, Kino International merged with Lorber Films, and formed Kino Lorber Inc. … Read More
CAA Signs Vanessa Hudgens From WME
CAA has signed Vanessa Hudgens, who graduated from the High School Musical films to star in the features Bandslam, the Zack Snyder-directed Sucker Punch and the CBS Films fairy tale Beastly. She just finished shooting Journey 2: The Mysterious Island for New Line. She separately played Mimi in the Hollywood Bowl production of Rent and has released two albums. She had been with WME and continues to be managed by Untitled.