ITV

Tag: J.J. Abrams

  • Universal teams up with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci

    Universal teams up with Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci

    MUMBAI: Universal Pictures has signed a two-year first-look production deal with one of the leading writing/producing teams in the entertainment industry, Alex Kurtzman and Roberto Orci, and their K/O Paper Products banner.

    The duo will kick off their new relationship with Universal by reimagining titles from the studio‘s library including Van Helsing and The Mummy, according to Universal Pictures‘ chairman, Adam Fogelson and co-chairman Donna Langley.

    It is reported that Tom Cruise is set to star and produce the remake of 2004 vampire movie Van Helsing. It will be one of the first works of Kurtzman and Orci under their new two-year production deal with Universal Pictures.

    Earlier, Kurtzman and Orci have collaborated with some of the industry‘s top creative minds including J.J. Abrams, with whom they wrote the third installment of Mission: Impossible that grossed nearly $400 million at the worldwide box office.

    In 2007, they wrote Transformers and went on to write Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen in 2009. Together, these films grossed more than $1.5 billion worldwide.

    More recently, the pair wrote and executive produced 2009‘s Star Trek that grossed more than $385 million worldwide.

  • Disney licenses ‘Ugly Betty’ to Spanish broadcaster Cuatro

    Disney licenses ‘Ugly Betty’ to Spanish broadcaster Cuatro

    MUMBAI: Disney’s international TV distribution arm, Buena Vista International Television (BVITV), has announced that Spanish free TV broadcaster Cuatro will launch the Golden Globe -winning show Ugly Betty to its viewers later this year.

    Yesterday the show won a Golden Globe for Best Television Series – Musical or Comedy. America Ferrera (who plays Betty Suarez) also received a Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Television Series – Musical or Comedy.

    The show was adapted in India by Sony as Jassi Jaisi Koi Nahin. Ugly Betty follows Betty Suarez, a seemingly plain, but intelligent and hard-working, secretary at fashion magazine Mode. Few people get to know her because in the world of fashion, Betty is the oversized square peg in the petite round hole. When publishing mogul Bradford Meade hands the reigns of his fashion magazine over to his son Daniel (Eric Mabius), he hires Betty as his son’s new assistant, because she’s the only woman in NYC who Daniel won’t sleep with. Neither of them knows the ins and outs of the fashion world, but together they’re a formidable team against the label-wearing sharks who will do anything to see them fail.

    Ugly Betty is based on Yo Soy Betty La Fea the Colombian telenovela. Cuatro has also picked up the other Touchstone Television series Day Break and Six Degrees. Taye Diggs stars in the thriller Day Break that takes a bad day and multiplies it by infinity. Detective Brett Hopper (Diggs) is having a hellacious day; the kind of day where nothing goes his way and he just can’t wait to put it behind him… only he can’t, because he’s living the same day over and over again. Only when Hopper figures out why his life is broken and how to fix it will he awaken to a brand new day.

    Six Degrees created by J.J Abrams Lost, is an ensemble drama which follows the notion that everybody is connected to one another by a chain of six people, which means that nobody is a stranger for long. Six very different New Yorkers go about their lives not realising the impact they’re having on each other – yet. A mysterious web of coincidences will gradually draw them closer, changing the course of their lives forever.

  • “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Ghost Whisperer” and “What About Brain” to air for the first time on terrestrial television Indonesia

    “Grey’s Anatomy”, “Ghost Whisperer” and “What About Brain” to air for the first time on terrestrial television Indonesia

    Singapore: In an inaugural deal, Buena Vista International Television–Asia Pacific (BVITV-AP), the international television distribution arm of The Walt Disney Company, announced today an agreement to license a live action series package to Indonesian terrestrial broadcaster JAK-TV, a leading local channel targeting Greater Jakarta’s urban and upscale audience.

    For the first time on terrestrial television, viewers will be able to enjoy a selection of BVITV’s hottest series including the No.1 show currently on US television, “Grey’s Anatomy” (seasons 1 and 2), as well as J.J. Abrams’s (creator of “Lost”) “What About Brian” and “Ghost Whisperer”, starring Jennifer Love Hewitt. The series’ are expected to launch early next year.
    “We are delighted to be bringing for the first time to JAK-TV viewers some of our most talked about series,” commented Steve Macallister, BVITV-AP’s senior vice president and managing director. “This deal reflects our commitment to expanding the reach of our programming into key markets such as Indonesia.”

    JAK-TV’s president director, Erick Thohir, added “It is a great honor for JAK-TV to exclusively carry BVITV’s hottest series, since BVITV is known around the world for its high quality and entertaining programming. This is the kind of programming that we are looking for our viewers: the young, smart, and cosmopolitan community such as the Jakarta citizens. It also shows the world that there is trust and cooperation between the two that can be built successfully. We look forward to a long-lasting relationship with BVITV.”

    Starring Golden Globe winner Sandra Oh and Emmy-nominee Patrick Dempsey, “Grey’s Anatomy”, has already been sold to over 200 territories worldwide and a consistent timeslot winner in countries like Australia, New Zealand, France and Spain. In New Zealand, “Grey’s Anatomy” is one of the top two series in 2006 (to date) on TV2 for P18-49, behind “Desperate Housewives”, with a rating / share of 18 / 47%.

    Licensed to more than 165 territories around the world, “Ghost Whisperer” made its international debut earlier this year on Seven Network Australia as the No.1 program of the night. And the series has been consistently leading its hour in markets such as New Zealand, UK and Germany. “Ghost Whisperer” is one of the top two U.S. series this year to date in Singapore and Malaysia, on Channel 5 and 8TV, respectively.

    Although not yet launched internationally, “What About Brian” has already been licensed to over 60 territories across the world.

  • ‘Alias’ celebrates 100th episode this week in the US

    ‘Alias’ celebrates 100th episode this week in the US

    MUMBAI: US broadcaster ABC has anniounced that its action packed show Alias will air its milestone 100th episode on 26 April 2006. In India the show airs on AXN.

    In late February, cast members from the present, as well as the past, gathered together with the “Alias” crew to reminisce and celebrate the landmark occasion on the APO set at the Disney Studios. Creator/executive producer J.J. Abrams, along with Stephen McPherson, president, ABC Entertainment, made humorous-yet-touching speeches about working with everyone involved with the show for the past five seasons.

    In the 100th episode, Sydney’s maternity leave is cut short when she learns that Will has been abducted by her nemesis, Anna Espinosa. Meanwhile, Sloane finds himself one step closer to obtaining the cure for daughter Nadia. The lead characters is played be jennifer Garner.