A roundup of what else happened today on the deal front: HBO and Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman are determined to show the versatility of Paul Giamatti. He played American patriot John Adams in the miniseries that won 13 Emmys for Playtone and HBO. Now, they’ve got him playing Russian leader Nikita Khrushchev in K Blows Top, an adaption of the Peter Carlson book that is being scripted as a telepic by Paul Bernbaum. Project was brought to Playtone by KippSter Entertainment’s Perri Kipperman and David Stern, who’ll be co-exec producers. Hanks and Goetzman will be exec producers…Yesterday, Deadline told you that Justin Timberlake was in talks to play the male lead in I’m.Mortal, the Andrew Niccol-directed film for New Regency and Fox that stars Amanda Seyfried. The deal’s getting close, Deadline hears…Million Dollar Arm, the Mitch Glazer-scripted fact-based baseball film about a scout’s search for hurlers in India that Deadline first told you about in April 29 when Columbia was making a deal, reportedly will instead land at Disney with Mark Ciardi, Gordon Gray and Joe Roth still on the producer roster…Sony Pictures Entertainment picked up Mommy & Me, which Stanley Tucci is attached to direct.
Sony Sparks To ‘Million Dollar Arm’ Pitch
Denials That Justin Or Elton Judging ‘Idol’
Tag Goetzman
And In Other Deals…
Green Day's `American Idiot' Making Movie Move With Playtone's Hanks, Goetzman
EXCLUSIVE: The Green Day-fueled American Idiot doesn’t bow on Broadway bow until April 20. Already, talks are underway with Playtone partners Tom Hanks and Gary Goetzman to turn the musical into a feature film.
Playtone’s last stage-to-screen transfer was the Abba musical Mamma Mia! Critics might not have loved it, but audiences sure did. The film grossed $610 million worldwide, becoming one of the biggest hits in Universal Pictures history. Hanks and Goetzman have a first-look deal at Universal, but the producers will sew up the movie rights before giving the studio first crack, I hear. They just set up Larry [...]