Universal Studio’s Jurassic Park continues to draw in big crowds, earning more than $54 million in theaters and moving it over the $500 million mark (domestically). It also snagged the top spot at the box office for the third weekend in a row. Only Disney/Pixar’s Inside Out gave it a run for its money, with newcomers Ted 2 and Max having to settle for third and fourth place finishes. Max‘s fourth place was about what was expected, however Ted 2 underperformed and didn’t come close to bringing in what Seth MacFarlane’s first trash-talking teddy bear film made over its first weekend in release. Ted opened the same weekend in 2012, ringing up $54.4 million while Ted 2 could only manage a $33 million weekend.
The second season of Outlander new cast member announcements continue to roll in. Here are the newest cast members to join the exceptional show.
Okay, ladies first… We have a new real-life Claire coming into the Outlander cast. Claire Sermonne is cast as Louise de Rohan, the new friend of Claire Fraser while she’s in France. Louise de Rohan is unwise in her behaviors, especially given her status in French society. Sermonne’s an actor of French and Russian ancestry.
The French Connection to Jamie’s heart is now cast. Margaux Chatelier is cast as Annalise de Marillac, Jamie’s infatuation while he was in France before returning to Scotland. Chatelier’s acting credits include Belle and Sebastian, Tenderness, and Paris-Manhattan.
The little brother to the man we love to hate has been revealed. Laurence Dobiesz will play the much milder Randall brother, Alex Randall. And by milder I mean nice and compassionate. He does also have a Duke of Sandringham connection and meets our fair couple for the first time in France.
Dobiesz took to Twitter after news of his involvement in season two broke, saying, “Thrilled to be joining the second @Outlander_Starz adventure!” His acting credits include Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows and Testament of Youth.
Marc Duret will portray the Minister of France to Louis XV, Monsieur Joseph Duverney… wow that is a mouthful. He’s such a handsome French actor to be the chess competitor for our Jamie. Duret’s acting credits date back to 1981 and include La Femme Nikita and Borgia.
Thus ends the second installment of new additions to the Outlander world. We are overjoyed to have them all in the FANmily. More new cast to come…
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has invited 322 actors, directors, editors, and other artists and executives to join the Academy this year. Those who accept the invitation will officially become Academy members in September 2015.
“It’s gratifying to acknowledge the extraordinary range of talent in our industry,” stated Academy President Cheryl Boone Isaacs. “This year, our branches have recognized a more diverse and inclusive list of filmmakers and artists than ever before, and we look forward to adding their creativity, ideas and experience to our organization.”
2015 Invitees:
Actors
Elizabeth Banks – “Love & Mercy,” “The Hunger Games”
Choi Min-sik– “Lucy,” “Oldboy”
Benedict Cumberbatch – “The Imitation Game,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”
Martin Freeman – “The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey,” “Hot Fuzz”
Heather Graham – “The Hangover,” “Boogie Nights”
Tom Hardy – “Mad Max: Fury Road,” “Inception”
Kevin Hart – “The Wedding Ringer,” “Ride Along”
Felicity Jones – “The Theory of Everything,” “Like Crazy”
Stephen Lang – “Avatar,” “The Men Who Stare at Goats”
Jodi Long – “A Picture of You,” “Beginners”
John Carroll Lynch – “Shutter Island,” “Zodiac”
Gugu Mbatha-Raw – “Beyond the Lights,” “Belle”
Denis O’Hare – “Milk,” “Michael Clayton”
Michael O’Neill – “Dallas Buyers Club,” “Transformers”
David Oyelowo – “Selma,” “A Most Violent Year”
Dev Patel – “The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel,” “Slumdog Millionaire”
Rosamund Pike – “Gone Girl,” “Pride & Prejudice”
Chris Pine – “Into the Woods,” “Star Trek”
Daniel Radcliffe – “Kill Your Darlings,” “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 2”
Eddie Redmayne – “The Theory of Everything,” “Les Misérables”
Jason Segel – “The Five-Year Engagement,” “The Muppets”
J.K. Simmons – “Whiplash,” “Juno”
Sonny Skyhawk – “Geronimo: An American Legend,” “Young Guns II”
Song Kang-ho – “Snowpiercer,” “The Host”
Emma Stone – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “The Help”
Casting Directors
Lucy Bevan – “Cinderella,” “The Hundred-Foot Journey”
Victoria Burrows – “The Hobbit: The Desolation of Smaug,” “King Kong”
Aisha Coley – “Selma,” “Beyond the Lights”
Patricia DiCerto – “Blue Jasmine,” “Vicky Cristina Barcelona”
Mary Hidalgo – “The Lego Movie,” “The Incredibles”
Roger Mussenden – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Get Smart”
Lucie Robitaille – “Incendies,” “The Barbarian Invasions”
Luis San Narciso – “The Skin I Live In,” “The Sea Inside”
April Webster – “Tomorrowland,” “Star Trek”
Tricia Wood – “Woman in Gold,” “The Lincoln Lawyer”
Cinematographers
Christopher Blauvelt – “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” “The Bling Ring”
Adriano Goldman – “August: Osage County,” “Jane Eyre”
Ben Kasulke – “Laggies,” “Safety Not Guaranteed”
Ryszard Lenczewski – “Ida,” “Margaret”
Jody Lee Lipes – “Ballet 422,” “Martha Marcy May Marlene”
Sharone Meir – “Whiplash,” “Mean Creek”
Rachel Morrison – “Cake,” “Fruitvale Station”
Tristan Oliver – “ParaNorman,” “Fantastic Mr. Fox”
Hoyte Van Hoytema – “Interstellar,” “Her”
Roman Vasyanov – “Fury,” “End of Watch”
Łukasz Żal – “Ida,” “Joanna”
Costume Designers
Kasia Walicka Maimone – “Foxcatcher,” “Moonrise Kingdom”
Francesca Livia Sartori – “Piazza Fontana: The Italian Conspiracy,” “When the Night”
Jany Temime – “Gravity,” “Skyfall”
Designers
Ramsey Avery – “Tomorrowland,” “Star Trek Into Darkness”
Gae Buckley – “The Book of Eli,” “He’s Just Not That into You”
Keith Brian Burns – “The Best Man Holiday,” “2 Fast 2 Furious”
Lester W. Cohen – “Fading Gigolo,” “Cop Land”
Suzie Davies – “Mr. Turner,” “The Children”
John F. Fenner – “The Phantom of the Opera,” “The Talented Mr. Ripley”
Darren Gilford – “Oblivion,” “Tron: Legacy”
Derek R. Hill – “Southpaw,” “Pirates of the Caribbean: The Curse of the Black Pearl”
Bryn Imagire – “Cars 2,” “Up”
Dina Lipton – “Baggage Claim,” “Love Hurts”
Tatiana Macdonald – “The Imitation Game,” “The Invisible Woman”
Dominic Masters – “Woman in Gold,” “Casino Royale”
Doug Meerdink – “Jurassic World,” “Ocean’s Thirteen”
Chris Spellman – “Paper Towns,” “This Is the End”
Patrick Tatopoulos – “300: Rise of an Empire,” “Total Recall”
Charlotte Watts – “Mr. Holmes,” “Mr. Turner”
Directors
Michael Binder – “Black or White,” “Reign over Me”
Bong Joon-ho – “Snowpiercer,” “Mother”
Niki Caro – “North Country,” “Whale Rider”
Damien Chazelle* – “Whiplash,” “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench”
Simon Curtis – “Woman in Gold,” “My Week with Marilyn”
François Girard – “Silk,” “The Red Violin”
F. Gary Gray – “The Italian Job,” “Friday”
James Gunn – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Super”
Im Kwon-taek – “Chi-Hwa-Seon (Painted Fire),” “Chunhyang”
Stan Lathan – “Beat Street,” “Amazing Grace”
Malcolm D. Lee* – “The Best Man Holiday,” “The Best Man”
Justin Lin – “Fast & Furious 6,” “Better Luck Tomorrow”
François Ozon – “Young & Beautiful,” “Swimming Pool”
Paweł Pawlikowski* – “Ida,” “My Summer of Love”
Kelly Reichardt – “Meek’s Cutoff,” “Wendy and Lucy”
Ira Sachs – “Love Is Strange,” “Keep the Lights On”
Lynn Shelton – “Laggies,” “Your Sister’s Sister”
Abderrahmane Sissako* – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Damián Szifron* – “Wild Tales,” “On Probation”
Fernando Trueba – “Chico & Rita,” “Belle Epoque”
Morten Tyldum – “The Imitation Game,” “Headhunters”
Zaza Urushadze – “Tangerines,” “The Guardian”
Wayne Wang – “Anywhere but Here,” “The Joy Luck Club”
Edgar Wright – “The World’s End,” “Scott Pilgrim vs. the World”
Joe Wright – “Anna Karenina,” “Atonement”
Andrey Zvyagintsev* – “Leviathan,” “Elena”
Documentary
Richard Berge – “The Island President,” “The Rape of Europa”
Mathilde Bonnefoy* – “CitizenFour,” “The Invisibles”
Emad Burnat – “5 Broken Cameras”
Guy Davidi – “5 Broken Cameras,” “Interrupted Streams”
Geralyn Dreyfous – “The Square,” “The Invisible War”
Lewis Erskine – “Free Angela: And All Political Prisoners,” “Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple”
Shana Hagan – “Misconception,” “This Film Is Not Yet Rated”
Tony Hardmon – “Detropia,” “Semper Fi: Always Faithful”
Leonard Retel Helmrich – “Position among the Stars,” “Shape of the Moon”
Pirjo Honkasalo – “The 3 Rooms of Melancholia,” “Atman”
Judy Irving – “Pelican Dreams,” “The Wild Parrots of Telegraph Hill”
Robert Kenner – “Merchants of Doubt,” “Food, Inc.”
Marc Levin – “Mr. Untouchable,” “The Last Party”
Jesse Moss – “The Overnighters,” “Full Battle Rattle”
Pratibha Parmar – “Alice Walker: Beauty in Truth,” “A Place of Rage”
Paula DuPre’ Pesmen – “Keep On Keepin’ On,” “The Cove”
Gordon Quinn – “Life Itself,” “Hoop Dreams”
Kim Roberts – “Waiting for ‘Superman’,” “Lost Boys of Sudan”
Richard Rowley – “Dirty Wars,” “The Fourth World War”
João Moreira Salles – “Santiago,” “Entreatos (Intermissions)”
Ondi Timoner – “We Live in Public,” “Dig!”
Executives
Carolyn Blackwood
Robbie Brenner
Lia Buman
Steve Burke
David Fenkel
Mellody Hobson
Brian Keane
Steven Paul O’Dell
Jim Orr
Mark Rachesky
Ted Sarandos
Jeff Shell
Film Editors
Craig Alpert – “Pitch Perfect 2,” “Pineapple Express”
Mick Audsley – “The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus,” “Dirty Pretty Things”
Pablo Barbieri – “Wild Tales,” “La Antena (The Aerial)”
Nadia Ben Rachid – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Kristina Boden – “The Disappearance of Eleanor Rigby,” “Cake”
Mathilde Bonnefoy* – “CitizenFour,” “Run Lola Run”
Julian Clarke – “Chappie,” “District 9”
Douglas Crise – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Babel”
Tom Cross – “Whiplash,” “Any Day Now”
Jinx Godfrey – “The Theory of Everything,” “Man on Wire”
Robert Grahamjones – “Brave,” “Ratatouille”
Masahiro Hirakubo – “Virunga,” “The Duchess”
Jarosław Kamiński – “Ida,” “Aftermath (Pokłosie)”
William Kerr – “Bridesmaids,” “I Love You, Man”
Nico Leunen – “Lost River,” “The Broken Circle Breakdown”
Mike McCusker – “Get On Up,” “3:10 to Yuma”
Tim Mertens – “Big Hero 6,” “Wreck-It Ralph”
Barney Pilling – “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “An Education”
David Rennie – “22 Jump Street,” “Office Space”
Gary D. Roach – “American Sniper,” “Prisoners”
Michael L. Sale – “We’re the Millers,” “Bridesmaids”
Stephen Schaffer – “Cars 2,” “WALL-E”
Job ter Burg – “Borgman,” “Winter in Wartime”
Peter Teschner – “St. Vincent,” “Horrible Bosses”
Tara Timpone – “Friends with Kids,” “Bad Teacher”
Makeup Artists and Hairstylists
Frida S. Aradottir – “August: Osage County,” “A Serious Man”
Victoria Down – “Big Eyes,” “Rise of the Planet of the Apes”
Frances Hannon – “The Grand Budapest Hotel,” “The King’s Speech”
Todd Kleitsch – “Run All Night,” “Black Swan”
Dennis Liddiard – “Foxcatcher,” “Jobs”
Jerry Popolis – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Noah”
Janine Rath-Thompson – “Star Trek Into Darkness,” “Bridesmaids”
Johnny Villanueva – “The Gambler,” “The Fighter”
David White – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “La Vie en Rose”
Elizabeth Yianni-Georgiou – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “An Education”
Members-at-Large
Andy Armstrong
Wayne Billheimer
Kevin Brownlow
Simon Crane
Debbie Denise
Jeff Habberstad
Andy Hendrickson
Elissa M. Rashkin Loparco
Guido Quaroni
Nicole Scalise
Steven J. Scott
Leon D. Silverman
Gregg Smrz
Lynda Ellenshaw Thompson
Steve Venezia
Music
Tyler Bates – “John Wick,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Alex Gibson – “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight”
Jonny Greenwood – “Inherent Vice,” “The Master”
Dave Grusin – “Skating to New York,” “The Firm”
Alex Heffes – “Love and Honor,” “Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom”
Lisa Jaime – “Annie,” “Rock of Ages”
Jóhann Jóhannsson – “The Theory of Everything,” “Prisoners”
Laura Karpman – “States of Grace,” “Black Nativity”
Christopher Lennertz – “The Wedding Ringer,” “Horrible Bosses”
Lonnie Lynn – “Selma,” “Freedom Writers”
Chris McGeary – “Jersey Boys,” “RoboCop”
Sergio Mendes – “Rio 2,” “Rio”
Daniel Pinder – “Big Hero 6,” “Captain Phillips”
Trent Reznor – “Gone Girl,” “The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo”
Atticus Ross – “Love & Mercy,” “The Social Network”
John Stephens – “Selma,” “Django Unchained”
Marc Streitenfeld – “Poltergeist,” “Prometheus”
Erica Weis – “Spy,” “The Heat”
Gary Yershon – “Mr. Turner,” “Another Year”
Producers
Caroline Baron – “Capote,” “Monsoon Wedding”
Effie T. Brown – “Dear White People,” “Real Women Have Curves”
Terence Chang – “Warriors of the Rainbow: Seediq Bale,” “Face/Off”
Wyck Godfrey – “The Fault in Our Stars,” “Twilight”
Jeremy Kleiner – “Selma,” “12 Years a Slave”
Pamela Koffler – “Still Alice,” “Hedwig and the Angry Inch”
Gina Kwon – “Camp X-Ray,” “Me and You and Everyone We Know”
Dan Lin – “The Lego Movie,” “Sherlock Holmes”
Eric Newman – “RoboCop,” “Children of Men”
Bruna Papandrea – “Wild,” “All Good Things”
Lydia Dean Pilcher – “Cutie and the Boxer,” “The Darjeeling Limited”
Rebecca Yeldham – “On the Road,” “The Kite Runner”
Public Relations
Jennifer Allen
Asad Ayaz
Dawn Baillie
Andrew Bernstein
Liz Biber
Mara Buxbaum
Lee Ginsberg
R. Jeff Hill
Michelle Hooper
Chris Libby
Susan Norget
Lewis Oberlander
Gordon Paddison
Elias Plishner
David Pollick
Weiman Seid
LeeAnne Stables
Ryan Stankevich
Bonnie Voland
Short Films and Feature Animation
Alan Barillaro – “Brave,” “WALL-E”
Kristine Belson – “The Croods,” “How to Train Your Dragon”
Darlie Brewster – “Curious George,” “The Prince of Egypt”
Roy Conli – “Big Hero 6,” “Tangled”
Ronnie Del Carmen – “Up,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron”
Paul A. Felix – “Big Hero 6,” “Lilo & Stitch”
Michael Fukushima – “Me and My Moulton,” “Dimanche/Sunday”
Don Hall – “Big Hero 6,” “Winnie the Pooh”
Talkhon Hamzavi – “Parvaneh,” “Taub”
Hu Wei – “Butter Lamp (La Lampe Au Beurre De Yak),” “Le Propriétaire”
Jin Kim – “Big Hero 6,” “Bolt”
Mat Kirkby – “The Phone Call,” “Hard to Swallow”
David Kneupper – “Alex and Sylvia,” “The Civil War in 4 Minutes”
Michael Lennox – “Boogaloo and Graham,” “The Back of Beyond”
Fabio Lignini – “How to Train Your Dragon 2,” “Puss in Boots”
James Lucas – “The Phone Call”
Patrick Osborne – “Feast,” “Paperman”
Jerome Ranft – “Toy Story 3,” “Ratatouille”
Jim Reardon – “Wreck-It Ralph,” “WALL-E”
Kristina Reed – “Feast,” “Paperman”
Jason Reisig – “Home,” “Shrek Forever After”
Nicolas Schmerkin – “Habana,” “Logorama”
Anthony Stacchi – “The Boxtrolls,” “Open Season”
Isao Takahata – “The Tale of the Princess Kaguya,” “Grave of the Fireflies”
Michael Thurmeier – “Ice Age: Continental Drift,” “No Time for Nuts”
Marlon West – “Frozen,” “The Princess and the Frog”
Sound
Ray Beckett – “Zero Dark Thirty,” “The Hurt Locker”
Odin Benitez – “Frozen,” “Silver Linings Playbook”
Ron Bochar – “Mortdecai,” “Moneyball”
Jason Canovas – “The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies,” “World War Z”
Thomas Curley – “Whiplash,” “The Spectacular Now”
Michael Dressel – “American Sniper,” “Interstellar”
Mary H. Ellis – “Vacation,” “Prisoners”
Stephanie Flack – “Jupiter Ascending,” “Ender’s Game”
Martín Hernández – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Dean Humphreys – “Taken 3,” “The Pianist”
William Johnston – Vice President of Engineering, Formosa Group
Shawn Jones – “Iron Man 3,” “Drive”
Daniel Laurie – “Inside Out,” “Big Hero 6”
David Lee – “Unbroken,” “The Matrix”
Craig Mann – “Dope,” “Whiplash”
Kyrsten Mate – “Tomorrowland,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Shannon J. Mills – “Inside Out,” “Big Hero 6”
Bryan K. Pennington – “Transformers: Age of Extinction,” “Promised Land”
Juan P. Peralta – “Tomorrowland,” “Captain America: The Winter Soldier”
John Ross – “Danny Collins,” “American Hustle”
Peter Staubli – “San Andreas,” “Skyfall”
Mark Taylor – “Edge of Tomorrow,” “Captain Phillips”
Addison Teague – “Big Hero 6,” “The Amazing Spider-Man”
Jon Title – “San Andreas,” “The Divergent Series: Insurgent”
Thomas Varga – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “The Immigrant”
Ben Wilkins – “Whiplash,” “Star Trek”
Visual Effects
Nicolas Aithadi – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “X-Men: First Class”
Daniel Barrett – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “The Hunger Games: Catching Fire”
Stephane Ceretti – “Guardians of the Galaxy,” “Cloud Atlas”
Paul Corbould – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Guardians of the Galaxy”
Tim Crosbie – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “The Wolverine”
Dan DeLeeuw – “Captain America: The Winter Soldier,” “Iron Man 3”
Sean Faden – “Fast & Furious 6,” “Let Me In”
Joe Farrell – “The Wolf of Wall Street,” “Hereafter”
Scott R. Fisher – “Interstellar,” “The Dark Knight Rises”
Chris Harvey – “Chappie,” “Fast & Furious 6”
Alex Jaeger – “Tomorrowland,” “Marvel’s The Avengers”
Matt Kutcher – “Focus,” “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes”
Andrew Lockley – “Interstellar,” “Inception”
Gray Marshall – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Carl Miller – “Jurassic World,” “Elysium”
David Nakabayashi – “Tomorrowland,” “Avatar”
Rocco Passionino – “Avengers: Age of Ultron,” “Spider-Man 2”
Lou Pecora – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen”
Cary Phillips – “Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles,” “Transformers: Dark of the Moon”
Ellen Poon – “Frozen,” “Inception”
Edwin Rivera – “22 Jump Street,” “Moneyball”
Cameron Waldbauer – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Elysium”
Erik Winquist – “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes,” “Avatar”
Writers
Armando Bo – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Damien Chazelle* – “Whiplash,” “Guy and Madeline on a Park Bench”
Álex de la Iglesia – “El Crimen Perfecto,” “The Day of the Beast”
Rick Famuyiwa – “Dope,” “The Wood”
Maya Forbes – “Infinitely Polar Bear,” “Monsters vs Aliens”
E. Max Frye – “Foxcatcher,” “Something Wild”
Nicolás Giacobone – “Birdman or (The Unexpected Virtue of Ignorance),” “Biutiful”
Dan Gilroy – “Nightcrawler,” “The Bourne Legacy”
Jorge Guerricaechevarría – “Cell 211,” “The Day of the Beast”
Rita Hsiao – “Toy Story 2,” “Mulan”
Simon Kinberg – “X-Men: Days of Future Past,” “Sherlock Holmes”
Malcolm D. Lee* – “The Best Man Holiday,” “The Best Man”
Christopher Markus – “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Stephen McFeely – “Thor: The Dark World,” “Captain America: The First Avenger”
Graham Moore – “The Imitation Game”
Paweł Pawlikowski* – “Ida,” “My Summer of Love”
Abderrahmane Sissako* – “Timbuktu,” “Bamako”
Damián Szifron* – “Wild Tales,” “On Probation”
Kessen Tall – “Timbuktu”
Tyger Williams – “The Perfect Guy,” “Menace II Society”
Andrey Zvyagintsev* – “Leviathan,” “Elena”
Associates
Victoria Belfrage
Josh Braun
Wayne Fitterman
Sharon Jackson
Patricia Keighley
Cliff Roberts
Elyse Scherz
James Toth
Bart Walker
Seven individuals (noted above by an asterisk) have been invited to join the Academy by multiple branches. These individuals must select one branch upon accepting membership.
Michael Crichton’s Micro has been picked up by DreamWorks Studios with Frank Marshall producing and Sherri Crichton and Laurent Bouzereau executive producing. The novel was actually completed by Richard Preston following Crichton’s death in 2008 and has spent 20+ weeks on the New York Times’ bestseller list.
“We are so pleased to have this opportunity to develop Micro,” said Steven Spielberg. “For Michael, size did matter whether it was for Jurassic’s huge dinosaurs or Micro‘s infinitely tiny humans.”
Commenting on the acquisition, Sherri Crichton said, “Michael was exhilarated, passionate and invested in Micro, a story he spent years researching and developing. It was yet another opportunity for him to explore the clash between science and nature, as seen through the eyes of relatable characters. Michael also wrote in cinematic terms and would be so pleased to see Micro come to life on the big screen at DreamWorks.”
“Michael Crichton’s vast body of work has thrilled audiences around the world for decades, and it feels particularly poignant to be bringing his last published novel to DreamWorks,” said CEO of DreamWorks Studios Michael Wright. “This is the perfect place to unite these two dynamic brands.”
The Plot: The high-concept thriller follows a group of graduate students lured to Hawaii to work for a mysterious biotech company—only to find themselves miniaturized and cast out into the rain forest, with nothing but their scientific expertise and wits to protect them.
15 of Michael Crichton’s novels have been made or are in the process of being made into feature films including Jurassic Park, The Andromeda Strain, The Great Train Robbery, Disclosure, Timeline, Next, State of Fear, and Pirate Latitudes.
Amadeus Serafini and Willa Fitzgerald in MTV’s ‘Scream’
Not only will MTV once again be hosting the MTV Fandom Fest and taping the Fandom Awards during the 2015 San Diego Comic Con, the network will also be presenting panels for Teen Wolf, Scream: The TV Series, and The Shannara Chronicles. This year marks the sixth year in a row Teen Wolf cast members will be making the trek to San Diego for the convention. Scream: The TV Series and The Shannara Chronicles will be making their first trips to promote their upcoming first seasons.
Thursday, July 9
Teen Wolf – 5:00 – 6:00 PM
Famed Director/Writer and Actor Kevin Smith will moderate the panel discussion and fan Q & A with cast members Tyler Posey, Dylan O’Brien, Holland Roden, Shelley Hennig, Dylan Sprayberry, Cody Christian and Executive Producer Jeff Davis as they discuss the current season and share an all new Comic-Con exclusive trailer. Kevin Smith is moderating.
Location: Ballroom 20
“MTV Fandom Fest” and “Fandom Awards” 7:00 – 10:45 PM
Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf) and Bella Thorne (Scream) will host the second annual “MTV Fandom Awards,” which honors diehard fans whose excitement has pushed movies, TV shows, books and comics from subculture to mainstream worldwide success in the past year. All Comic-Con badge holders are welcome to join the “MTV Fandom Fest” party at Petco Park, featuring food, drinks, games and giveaways, on Thursday, July 9 beginning at 7:00pm PT and leading into the 8:00 p.m. PT taping of the “MTV Fandom Awards Special,” which premieres Sunday, July 12 at 8 p.m. ET/PT on MTV. Fans can vote at FandomAwards.MTV.com through July 8 at 6 p.m. ET.
Location: Petco Park
Friday, July 10
The Shannara Chronicles – 12:30-1:30 PM
MTV will introduce fans to the world of Shannara when author and series Executive Producer, Terry Brooks, joins stars Poppy Drayton, Austin Butler, Ivana Baquero, John Rhys Davies and Manu Bennett along with Executive Producers Al Gough and Miles Millar. Attendees will bear first witness to a first look trailer of the highly anticipated new series and be able to participate in a Q & A with the panelists. Damian Holbrook, Senior Writer from TV Guide Magazine will moderate.
Location: Room 6DE
Scream: The TV Series – 4:30 – 5:30 PM
MTV’s latest series will “Scream” into San Diego when cast members Bella Thorne, Willa Fitzgerald, Bex Taylor-Klaus, Carlson Young, Amadeus Serafini, John Karna, Connor Weil, Tracy Middendorf and Jason Wiles, along with series Executive Producers Jaime Paglia and Jill Blotevogel, debut an all new mid-season trailer, followed by discussion and Q&A moderated by Buzzfeed Senior Editor, Jarett Weiselman.
Location: Room 5AB
The MTV Booth – Booth Number 3729:
MTV will also make a splash on the convention center floor this year with the network’s first-ever branded booth featuring top series Teen Wolf, Scream and The Shannara Chronicles. Throughout the weekend fans can participate in an interactive slo-mo Scream themed photo booth where enthusiasts can experience their own bloody death. Devotees will also be treated to casts from all three series as they stop by for signings throughout the weekend. Swag will be handed out all weekend including Scream t-shirts and a special San Diego Comic-Con exclusive edition of The Elfstones of Shannara book (in which the series is based) plus posters for all three series, and more!
Jack Black stars in ‘The Brink’ (Photo by Merie W. Wallace / HBO)
HBO’s new comedy series The Brink continues its first season run in July 2015 with four new episodes starring Jack Black, Tim Robbins, Aasif Mandvi, and Pablo Schreiber. The network’s just released details on the July episodes including the basic plots and air dates:
Episode #3: “Baghdad My Ass”
Debut date: SUNDAY, JULY 5 (10:30-11:00 p.m. ET/PT)
Other HBO playdates: July 5 (12:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m.), 6 (12:15 a.m.), 7 (10:30 p.m., 3:40 a.m.), 8 (7:30 p.m.), 9 (8:30 p.m.) and 10 (12:30 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 6 (9:00 p.m.), 10 (2:30 a.m.), 11 (12:30 p.m.) and 12 (6:00 p.m.)
Alex (Jack Black) is tasked by Zaman’s (Iqbal Theba) half-brother, Raja (Bernard White), to get a message to Walter (Tim Robbins) – a mission Alex hopes will save him from being sent to Baghdad. Walter is greeted with personal and professional surprises at home before taking off for New Delhi. On the aircraft carrier, Zeke (Pablo Schreiber) and Glenn (Eric Ladin) await their inquiry into the downed drone.
Written by Roberto Benabib & Kim Benabib; directed by Jon Poll.
Episode #4: “I’ll Never Be Batman”
Debut date: SUNDAY, JULY 12 (10:30-11:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: July 12 (12:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m.), 13 (12:30 a.m.), 14 (11:15 p.m., 2:45 a.m.), 15 (7:30 p.m.), 16 (8:00 p.m.) and 17 (12:15 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 13 (9:00 p.m.), 17 (4:00 a.m.), 18 (10:30 a.m.) and 19 (7:00 p.m.), and Aug. 2 (6:00 p.m.)
In New Delhi, Walter defies doctor’s orders and meets with the Indian foreign minister (Ajay Mehta) to urge him to withdraw his troops. Zeke contemplates the merits and perils of leading a double life before he and Glenn take off on a recon mission. In Islamabad, Alex encounters resistance as he tries to deliver a package to Raja.
Written by Dave Holstein; directed by Michael Lehmann.
Episode #5: “Swim, Shmuley, Swim”
Debut date: SUNDAY, JULY 19 (10:30-11:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: July 19 (12:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m.), 20 (11:30 p.m.), 21 (11:30 p.m., 2:50 a.m.), 22 (7:30 p.m.), 23 (8:00 p.m.) and 24 (12:45 a.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 20 (9:00 p.m.), 24 (2:30 a.m.), 25 (2:45 p.m.) and 26 (7:00 p.m.), and Aug. 2 (6:30 p.m.)
Zeke and Glenn narrowly escape two armed men in a tribal region before being picked up by Martin (Rob Brydon) and Vanessa (Michelle Gomez), an eccentric British couple. With Fareeda (Melanie Kannokada) missing, Alex and Rafiq (Aasif Mandvi) head to her school and encounter a group of girls with nowhere to go. Against the president’s orders, Walter pays an unscheduled visit to the Israeli foreign minister (Iris Bahr).
Written by Jack Kukoda; directed by James Muro.
Episode #6: “Tweet Tweet Tweet”
Debut date: SUNDAY, JULY 26 (10:30-11:00 p.m.)
Other HBO playdates: July 26 (12:30 a.m., 3:30 a.m.), 27 (2:30 a.m.), 28 (10:30 p.m., 3:20 a.m.), 29 (7:30 p.m.), 30 (8:00 p.m.) and 31 (11:50 p.m.)
HBO2 playdates: July 27 (9:00 p.m.) and 31 (2:30 a.m.), and Aug. 1 (12:30 p.m.) and 2 (7:00 p.m.)
Ordered to return to DC, Walter runs into Joanne (Carla Gugino) in Tel Aviv, and angles to use her new position to his advantage. Held hostage by Martin and Vanessa, Zeke and Glenn agree to participate in role-playing games in hopes of release. Later, Alex meets with Kittredge (John Larroquette), who shares a revelatory dream.
Written by Sam Forman; directed by Michael Lehmann.
Tom Hardy stars in ‘Legend’ (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
Tom Hardy tackles dual roles in the thriller Legend directed by Oscar-winning writer Brian Helgeland (L.A. Confidential) and based on a true story. Universal’s just released a new trailer and poster for the dramatic thriller starring Hardy as twin brothers Reggie and Ron Kray. The film focuses on the history of the Kray brothers (notorious London gangsters) and “the extraordinary events that secured the infamy of the Kray twins” in the 1960s.
The cast also includes Emily Browning, David Thewlis, Christopher Eccleston, Chazz Palminteri, Tara Fitzgerald, and Taron Egerton. Legend will open in theaters on October 2, 2015.
Dolly Wells and Emily Mortimer star in ‘Doll & Em’ (Photo: Mischa Richter / HBO)
The comedy special Ferrell Takes the Field will debut on HBO on September 12, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT as just announced by HBO. Will Ferrell stars in the one-hour special which was filmed back in March and finds the actor attempting to play every single position on the field at five different baseball spring training ballparks in Arizona. Per HBO, the special is “dedicated to helping the charity Cancer for College.”
HBO also announced the premiere date for the return of Project Greenlight from executive producers Ben Affleck and Matt Damon. The series aired season one in 2001 and season two in 2003, and is finally returning for a third season on September 13, 2015 at 10pm ET/PT. The half-hour show will have an eight episode run.
As described by HBO, Project Greenlight chronicles the search for a first-time director and exploring the filmmaking process. “Spanning the entire filmmaking process, it takes a revealing, uncensored look at the challenges facing a novice director. The show begins with a digital competition, following the winner from pre-production and casting through principal photography and post-production.”
Doll & Em has also landed a return date and will air immediately after Project Greenlight on September 13th at 10:30pm ET/PT. Season two of Doll & Em will consist of six episodes and is written by BFFs Emily Mortimer and Dolly Wells who also star in the comedy series. The plot: “This show is a bittersweet, intimate portrait of female friendship. In the new season, Doll and Em write an off-Broadway play together in an effort to do something creative on equal footing.”
Doll & Em‘s second season will feature guest stars Ewan McGregor, Olivia Wilde, Evan Rachel Wood, and Mikhail Baryshnikov.
J.K. Rowling tweeted out the news that Harry Potter And the Cursed Child, a play focusing on Harry’s backstory, will open in London’s West End next summer. Harry Potter And The Cursed Child is a new story that’s a collaboration between Jack Thorne (Let The Right One In), director John Tiffany, and Rowling. Rowling went on to tweet that she doesn’t want to say too much because she doesn’t want to spoil the surprise, but promised it will be “a real treat for fans.”
Rowling also confirmed it’s not a prequel and said that she chose not to do Harry Potter And the Cursed Child as a novel believing a play is the right medium for this particular tale.
Tiffany is directing with movement by Steven Hoggett. Imogen Heap is working on the music and Christine Jones (American Idiot) is handling the set designs. Katrina Lindsay is in charge of costumes, the lighting is by Neil Austin, and Gareth Fry is doing the sound. The special effects will be by Jeremy Chernick.
The play will open in the summer of 2016 at the Palace Theatre. Sonia Friedman Productions, Colin Callender’s Playground Entertainment and Harry Potter Theatrical Productions are producing. Tickets will go on sale this autumn. For more info, visit the play’s official website.
I'm also very excited to confirm today that a new play called Harry Potter and the #CursedChild will be opening in London next year.
The critically acclaimed series Transparent has been given a third season order by Amazon and will arrive on Amazon Prime sometime next year. Season two will be available this fall, with filming set to start next week in Los Angeles.
Created by Jill Soloway, Transparent stars Jeffrey Tambor, Judith Light, Gaby Hoffman, Amy Landecker, and Jay Duplass. Soloway will be back as writer/showrunner/executive producer, and all the key cast members are expected to return for the third season.
“Jill is truly a creative force and I’m thrilled that we will be collaborating with her additional projects in the future and on a third season of Transparent,” stated Roy Price, Vice President, Amazon Studios. “The second season is currently starting production, and I know our customers will be delighted to continue the journey with Maura and the Pfefferman family.”
“I am so thrilled that I get to share more of the Pfeffermans’ story with the world,” added Soloway. “We are all so in love with watching them change and grow. I am blown away by the creative freedom Amazon gives me and I can’t wait to reveal where this journey is going to take us.”
The Plot:
Transparent is a half hour novelistic series that explores family, identity, sex, and love. The series stars Tambor as Maura, who has spent her life as Mort—the Pfefferman family patriarch. When she reintroduces herself to her family, everyone else’s secrets finally start to come out. This includes her ex-wife Shelly (played by Light), and their children—meandering Ali (played by Hoffmann), record producer Josh (played by Duplass), and sexually conflicted Sarah (played by Landecker). Each family member spins in a different direction as they figure out who they won’t become.
The critically acclaimed series 
