'Captain America 2' ditches Wilmington for Cleveland

 In what has to be a big coup for the Cleveland Film Commission (and a big slap in the face of the North Carolina Film Commission after landing Iron Man 3), Marvel Studios has decided to film portions of 2014's Captain America: The Winter Soldier in Cleveland, Ohio instead of Wilmington as was originally planned. (Indoor scenes will be shot in Marvel's Raleigh Manhattan Beach Studios in California.) It flies in the face of North Carolina extending its 25% production incentive to the end of 2014, as hosting Captain America 2 was contingent on that. Well, not anymore.

Marvel Studios and Disney will release the film April 4, 2014.

Freestyle Releasing Wins Domestic Rights To "GENIUS ON HOLD"

Freestyle Releasing announced today that they have acquired all domestic rights to GENIUS ON HOLD, the hard hitting documentary written and directed by Gregory Marquette (“Innocents”). The film was produced by Walter T. Shaw, and co-produced by Diana Ross-Shaw and is narrated by Frank Langella (fresh from his Oscar-worthy role in “Robot & Frank”). GENIUS ON HOLD debuted as an official selection at the Palm Beach International Film Festival and Soho International Film Festival this past year.

GENIUS ON HOLD intertwines four true stories of the life of an American inventor responsible for some of the most important telephone inventions in history; his son’s anger at the treatment of his brilliant father, corporate greed, and the mafia. At its heart is the story of Walter L. Shaw—a brilliant inventor with an astonishing list of telecommunications patents to his name. His ground-breaking designs should have earned him great fortune and lasting fame, but for one thing—the power, greed, and oppression of AT&T, the largest, government-sanctioned, telecommunications monopoly in the United States which blocked him from realizing his dream. Punished, imprisoned, and eventually destitute, Shaw was drawn to the only organization that would reward him for his talent—the mob, whose bookies used his “black box” to run their gambling operations and evade the Feds. His son, embittered by his father’s destruction, turned to organized crime; becoming one of the most notorious jewel thieves in American history. All to get back at the system that destroyed his family; but at what cost?

The deal for the domestic rights was negotiated by Freestyle Releasing’s Co-President Mark Borde and Producer Walter T. Shaw.

“Phones are the center of most of our universes today,” said Mark Borde, Co-President of Freestyle Releasing. “I was amazed to learn about Walter Shaw and am honored to be able to help have his voice finally be heard.”

“My father always believed and fought for the right of the inventor.  It may be too little too late for the Shaw family but hopefully – 62 years later – his words came to pass.  This recent Supreme Court ruling will help those inventors of the future,” said Shaw.

EBF & Associates and Palmstar Media Capital Partner For New Film Financing Venture

Minneapolis-based private investment firm EBF & Associates and Kevin Frakes’ PalmStar Media Capital announced today the formation of Merced Media Partners, a strategic partnership that is targeting  investments in approximately 15 films per year.  Merced was introduced to the industry at this year’s Cannes Film Market, where it began seeking investment opportunities.  Since then, Merced has circled over $20M in financing for an initial slate of pictures leading into TIFF, including EVERY SECRET THING starring Diane Lane and Elizabeth Banks, to be directed by Amy Berg; CHAINED to be directed by and starring Ryan Phillippe and CAREFUL WHAT YOU WISH FOR starring Isabel Lucas, to be directed by Elizabeth Allen.  Merced recently closed on a structured facility for some of Exclusive Media’s upcoming titles, the first of which is Ron Howard’s RUSH.  Merced plans to announce additional investments leading up to the American Film Market in November. 
 
Raj Singh, Stuart Brown and Mike Sullivan of EBF & Associates are involved with the day-to-day operations of Merced Media Partners.
 
Founded in 1988, EBF & Associates is a privately-held registered investment advisor specializing in alternative investment strategies. The firm currently has $1.3 billion in capital under management. Limited partners include endowments, foundations, state and corporate pension plans, family offices, and high net worth individuals.
 
PalmStar Media Capital is a Los Angeles based entertainment company focused on motion picture investments and specialty financial services.  It is owned and operated by partners Kevin Frakes and Peggy Taylor.  PalmStar also develops and produces films through its production arm PalmStar Entertainment.  Recent film credits include Rashida Jones’ CELESTE AND JESSE FOREVER currently in theaters and being released by Sony Pictures Classics; Bille August’s NIGHT TRAIN TO LISBON starring Jeremy Irons and Melanie Laurent; the Paul Walker starrer VEHICLE 19; SEVEN BELOW with Val Kilmer and Ving Rhames and the New Orleans-set Hurricane Katrina drama HOURS, starring Paul Walker.

Waterman Entertainment Adds "Mr. Ed" To Library

Family-based production outfit Waterman Entertainment is developing a feature film concept based on the iconic family television property, MR. ED. The property fits seamlessly into the company’s business model, which is to identify existing and successful family brands that can be developed into live action/CGI feature film properties.

Over the past twelve months the company has been aggressively seeking out family-friendly brands that have franchise potential and ancillary viability on platforms including television, digital, literary, and merchandising. In doing so, Waterman Entertainment works in conjunction with the creators and rights holder’s to tap their wealth of knowledge around their characters and storylines allowing for stronger content that remains true to the property.

Steve Waterman, who founded and manages the company along with his sons Tucker and Cooper, has served as an Executive Producer on theatrical features including CASPER with Universal; ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS, ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: THE SQUEAKQUEL and ALVIN AND THE CHIPMUNKS: CHIPWRECKED with 20th Century Fox; and STUART LITTLE and STUART LITTLE 2 with Columbia Pictures, among other credits.

Cooper Waterman said, “We are identifying properties that have had success with multiple generations of parents who feel comfortable and have excitement about reintroducing the characters and storylines to their own kids and grandkids.  While each property remains independent of each other, they will share the commonality of addressing social values, morality lessons, and characteristics that are clearly identifiable for kids with comedic elements for all age groups.”

The company recently announced the acquisition of rights for THE BRAVE LITTLE TOASTER, a project that Disney released as a fully animated feature in 1987. Waterman will present the reimagination as a CGI/live action property and give it a contemporary storyline, while preserving the original essence of the characters and moral lessons behind the story.

Waterman Entertainment is focused on acquiring properties and growing them across multiple platforms to support the theatrical release.  Tucker Waterman continued, “When we develop properties we don’t limit them solely to the big screen. They are iconic characters and brands that have appeal far beyond movies. We will be utilizing both traditional and new methods to bring these characters to audiences in a myriad of platforms.”

Waterman Entertainment (www.watermanent.com) is a family-owned and operated media and entertainment company that focuses on creating, financing and distributing film, television, and digital media properties across multiple platforms for family audiences. The company works closely with creators and rights holders and manages all licensing rights to their brands and characters to exploit ancillary revenue streams tied to worldwide theatrical releases.

Poster For Nicolas Winding Refn's "Pusher"

Based on the edgy and explosive series by visionary director Nicolas Winding Refn (DRIVE), PUSHER stars Richard Coyle as a drug dealer who grows increasingly desperate over the course of a week after a botched deal lands him in the merciless clutches of a ruthless crime lord.  The more desperate his behavior, the more isolated he becomes until there is nothing left standing between him and the bullet his debtors intend to fire his way.

New "Smiley" Trailer

Beginning October 12, AMC will exclusively release SMILEY theatrically through its AMC independent platform on 28 screens in 14 markets including New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Houston and Atlanta. The release will also be supported by a marketing campaign from AMC.
 
The story of the film follows a mentally fragile college student named Ashley (Caitlin Gerard from “Magic Mike” and “The Social Network”) who, after learning of an urban legend in which a mysterious serial killer named “Smiley” can be summoned through the Internet, must decide whether she is losing her mind or becoming Smiley‘s next victim.” Smiley also stars Melanie Papalia (“Endgame”) and Andrew James Allen (“Make It or Break It”), with Roger Bart (“Desperate Housewives”), Keith David (“The Thing”) and Liza Weil (“Scandal”) rounding out the cast.

Trailer For "The Details" Starring Tobey Maquire & Elizabeth Banks

After ten years of marriage, Jeff and Nealy Lang (Tobey Maguire and Elizabeth Banks) have an idyllic suburban home… and a relationship on the skids.  But, when a family of hungry raccoons ransacks their perfectly manicured backyard, Jeff becomes single-mindedly obsessed with eradicating the pests by any means necessary. Soon the relentless rodents aren’t merely uprooting the lawn, but also overturning the Langs’ entire bourgeois existence, as the man-versus-beast battle leads into an absurd mess of infidelity, extortion, organ donation and other assorted mayhem.  Devilish throughout, THE DETAILS also stars Laura Linney in a stand-out performance as the Langs’ eccentric neighbor, Lila.  Ray Liotta, Dennis Haysbert and Kerry Washington round out the cast in this darkly funny meditation on marital malaise.

THE DETAILS will be available on VOD October 5, 2012 and in theaters November 2, 2012.

First TV Spot for "Les Miserables"

This season of Dancing With the Stars finally served a purpose tonight by premiering the first TV spot for Les Miserables.  The internet served an even better purpose when the Les Miserables Twitter page posted the same spot online so that we didn't have to sit through Dancing With the Stars to see it.

Entitled "Dream", the spot is basically an updated version of the first trailer, showcasing Anne Hathaway's gut-wrenching version of"I Dreamed a Dream", but with a few new glimpses of Russell Crowe as Inspector Javert (possibly from "Stars"?), and a shot of poor Eponine that's sure to make fans of that love triangle burst into tears:

Cannot wait for this.  Just like the new film poster that debuted this week, I love how the dissolve at the end of the TV spot goes from little Isabelle Allen's Cosette to that iconic image of Cosette from the stage musical (which is based on the original Emile Bayard illustration for Victor Hugo's novel).  That's just beautiful.

Les Miserables opens in theaters on Christmas Day.

Matt Reeves No Longer Directing 'The Twilight Zone'

Director/Writer Matt Reeves (Cloverfield) is no longer attached to helm the feature-film adaptation of The Twilight Zone.

Last year, it was reported that Reeves had signed on to direct the project for Warner Bros. as his follow-up to his second directorial effort, Let Me In.  However, due to scheduling conflicts, Reeves will not longer be behind the camera for - what is sure to be - a big-budget sci-fi epic.

There's no specifics on what exactly prevented Reeves from proceeding with the project - he recently signed a big television development deal with 20th Century Fox - though something tells me a certain "big fish" Warner Bros. director who was originally thought of as a choice for The Twilight Zone (and who probably recently returned from a long, refreshing vacation) expressed some interest...

Let's just say he's put the Bat behind him.

Source: Justin Kroll of Variety  

Evangeline Lilly: One Sexy Elf

Courtesy of One Ring is the Lost alum as Tauriel, the elven warrior princess invented for Peter Jackson's Hobbit trilogy. From where else, but the action-figure display art!