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Tag: MGM

  • Sony’s Andrew Gumpert joins Paramount Pictures as COO

    Sony’s Andrew Gumpert joins Paramount Pictures as COO

    MUMBAI: Former president of worldwide business affairs and operations for Sony’s Motion Picture Group and veteran Hollywood finance authority Andrew Gumpert has joined Paramount Pictures as its chief operating officer. The film studio’s chairman and CEO Brad Grey announced the hiring of Gumpert.

    With this new role, Gumpert is in charge of business affairs, home entertainment and television transactional distribution. He will also oversee the studio’s operations ranging from strategic planning, to labor relations, to parks and resorts. Gumpert replaces long-time COO Frederick Huntsberry who was at Paramount for a decade.

    At Sony, Gumpert arranged the studio’s financial partnerships with MGM, Lone Star Capital, Village Roadshow, China’s Dalian Wanda Group, etc.

    Gumpert joined Sony Pictures Entertainment in 2005 as the executive vice president of business affairs for Columbia Pictures. Several reports suggest that Gumpert resigned from Motion Pictures Group on 8 November because of the studio’s chairman Tom Rothman’s micro-management and contentious manner. Before this, he led business and legal affairs for Miramax’s Dimension Films division.

  • MGM buys out Mark Burnett, names him as president of TV & Digital

    MGM buys out Mark Burnett, names him as president of TV & Digital

    MUMBAI: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Inc. (MGM) is acquiring full control of United Artists Media Group (UAMG), in which reality TV producer Mark Burnett owned a 23 per cent interest with his wife Roma Downey.

     

    Additionally, Burnett has been named president of MGM Television and Digital Group.

     

    Burnett, who signed a five-year contract, will report directly to MGM CEO Gary Barber. Burnett’s new appointment will occur simultaneously with the closing of MGM’s acquisition of the remaining 45 per cent of Hearst’s, Burnett’s and Downey’s interests in UAMG, which will be absorbed under the MGM Television Group umbrella.

     

    “Mark Burnett is one of the most successful producers in television and a highly sought-after executive in content creation. His leadership is the next step in our never-ending quest to expand and grow our television and digital businesses,” said Barber. “Combining all of our TV content efforts under the purview of this unparalleled chief is incredibly exciting. Additionally, we believe this synergistic transaction will be very accretive to MGM.”

     

    Burnett and Downey will exchange their 23 per cent interest in UAMG for 1,337,360 shares of MGM stock valued at $90 per share. Hearst will receive $113.5 million in cash for their 22 per cent interest. This transaction will enable the complete integration of UAMG’s and MGM’s television businesses and the consolidation of their operations. The transaction is expected to close at the beginning of 2016 and was valued based upon the original deal parameters established when MGM acquired the initial 55 per cent of UAMG in 2014, less distributions.  The planned OTT channel will remain a separate entity controlled by its investors, Downey, Burnett, Hearst and MGM.

     

    “Joining MGM under the incredible leadership of Gary Barber is an exciting new chapter of my television career,” said Burnett. “Demand for quality content is stronger than ever and the opportunities to grow our pipeline and develop projects from the wealth of Intellectual Property in the MGM and United Artists libraries are enormous. There is no better time to be creating premium content for distribution across multiple platforms. “

     

    Downey added, “We have entered into an era where faith-based and family programming is experiencing a creative renaissance. I am so excited and grateful to head up the team at LightWorkers Media under MGM. This is an enthusiastic marketplace that inspires us every day to create and curate new, thoughtful and dynamic content for all screens in the distribution landscape.”

     

    In 2016, MGM Television will now have numerous unscripted and scripted television shows airing on network and cable or in production including: The Voice (NBC); Survivor (CBS); Shark Tank (ABC); Beyond the Tank (ABC); Celebrity Apprentice (NBC);Fargo (FX); Vikings (History); Teen Wolf (MTV);  500 Questions (ABC); The People’s Choice Awards (CBS); Lucha Underground (El Rey Network) and America’s Greatest Makers (INTEL/Turner).

     

    As part of the new structure, Downey will serve as president of LightWorkers Media, which will be the faith and family division of MGM Television, and will report to Burnett.  Downey will also serve as the chief content officer for the planned OTT channel. 

     

    Additionally, Chris Ottinger has been promoted to president of worldwide television distribution & acquisitions for MGM, reporting directly to Barber. MGM president of television development & production Steve Stark will continue to oversee all scripted content and will report directly to Burnett in an expanded role.

     

    MGM president of domestic television distribution John Bryan will continue in his role overseeing domestic distribution. Roma Khanna has stepped down from her position as head of television and digital. “Roma has done a terrific job at MGM. We are thankful for her efforts in helping grow MGM and wish her much success in her future endeavours,” said Barber.

  • Academy Award Winner Luise Rainer passes away at 104

    Academy Award Winner Luise Rainer passes away at 104

    MUMBAI: The star of cinema’s golden era and the first person ever to win back-to-back Oscars, Luise Rainer, 104, died of pneumonia on 30 December at her home in London.  Born on 12 January 1910 in Dusseldorf, Germany, Rainer astonished her director with a terrific audition when she was 16, and he cast her in several of his stage productions.  She was then reportedly discovered by an MGM talent scout.

     

    Rainer will be remembered for her brilliant portrayal in films like The Emperor’s Candlesticks (1937), Big City (1937), The Toy Wife (1938), The Great Waltz (1938) and Dramatic School (1938). She had an unprecedented back-to-back Oscar wins for The Great Ziegfeld and The Good Earth.

     

    The only other actress to win back-to-back Oscars was Audrey Hepburn for Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner and A Lion in Winter.

     

    However, it is reported that Rainer became increasingly dissatisfied with the movie business. She had to be ordered by MGM, studio head, Louis B. Mayer to attend the Academy Awards ceremony to accept her second Oscar. She stunned reporters by claiming that she hated being molded by Hollywood. Disgruntled with the film business, she became reclusive.

     

    In 1937, Rainer married American playwright Clifford Odets but soon, their marriage became stormy and the couple divorced after three years. She developed a friendship with Albert Einstein and broke her contract with MGM in 1938.

     

    Her last major film was Hostages in 1943 before she left her Hollywood career behind, eventually settling in London with her second husband, publisher and England native Robert Knittel.

     

    After her move to England, Rainer did appear occasionally on U.S. television. It took another two decades before she showed up again on TV when producer Aaron Spelling coaxed her into appearing in a 1983 episode of The Love Boat. Three years later, she performed in a Swiss telefilm titled A Dancer, and in 1997, at age 86, she had a 10-minute scene in a version of Fyodor Dostoyevsky’s The Gambler.

     

    In 2010, on the year of her centenary, the British Film Institute held a tribute to Rainer at London’s National Film Theater, where she was interviewed by Richard Stirling.

  • ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ crosses US$ 350 million

    ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ crosses US$ 350 million

    BENGALURU:  Earning more than US$350 million, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies has bagged the top position at the international box office.  The announcement was made today by New Line Cinema president and chief operating officer Toby Emmerich, Warner Bros. Pictures president of worldwide marketing and international distribution Sue Kroll, Warner Bros. Pictures president of domestic distribution Dan Fellman and Warner Bros. Pictures president of international distribution Veronika Kwan Vandenberg.

     

    Emmerich stated, “For Peter Jackson, the adventure that began with his benchmark The Lord of the Rings trilogy has reached a high water mark with this incredible response to the epic finale of The Hobbit Trilogy.  Along with our colleagues at Warner Bros. and MGM, we congratulate Peter on this exciting conclusion to his 16-year endeavor to bring this enduring saga to life for millions of moviegoers all over the world.”

     

    Jointly produced by New Line Cinema and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures (MGM), the film is the conclusion to Peter Jackson’s acclaimed “The Hobbit” Trilogy based on the timeless classic by J.R.R. Tolkien. 

     

    The film has earned US$90.63 million domestically and has also expanded across the majority of international markets, taking in US$105.5 million over the weekend.  The international total stands at US$265 million and counting. 

     

    With maximum shows sold out internationally on the first day, The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies enjoyed the biggest opening day of year in a number of key markets, including Germany, Scandinavia and the director’s home country of New Zealand, where it had the widest release ever in that country.

     

    The film also shot to #1 in Brazil and Mexico, where it went up against the final match of the Mexican Soccer League. It also broke records for the biggest opening of all time in Sweden, Finland, Croatia and Czech Republic; and the biggest opening of the year in Spain, Germany, Russia, Holland, Switzerland, Australia, Belgium, Croatia, Slovakia and Slovenia. 

     

     Commenting on the positive response for the film, Kroll stated, “We are very proud to have accompanied Peter Jackson and his remarkable team of collaborators on his hugely successful cinematic journey.  The positive response of both critics and audiences to this final film in ‘The Hobbit’ Trilogy is a tribute to the talents of everyone who dedicated years to bringing these ambitious films to fruition, and we applaud them all on this tremendous success.”

     

    Fellman said, “This is an extraordinary start for our final adventure in Middle-earth.  We are excited by the enthusiasm of moviegoers, who have already made ‘The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies’ a blockbuster, and this is just the beginning.  We expect word of mouth to continue to drive the box office through the holiday season and well into the new year.”

     

    Kwan Vandenberg noted, “This is a timeless story that speaks to audiences all over the world, and the anticipation for the Trilogy’s electrifying finale has yielded tremendous results.  Everywhere it’s opened, the film has seen huge debuts, strong holds and amazing buzz, and the momentum will only build as we move into 2015.” 

     

    The Hobbit: The Battle of the Five Armies stars Ian McKellen as Gandalf the Grey, with Martin Freeman in the central role of Bilbo Baggins, and Richard Armitage as Thorin Oakenshield. 

     

    The film also stars Evangeline Lilly, Luke Evans, Lee Pace, Benedict Cumberbatch, Billy Connolly, James Nesbitt, Ken Stott, Aidan Turner, Dean O’Gorman, Graham McTavish, Stephen Fry, Ryan Gage, Cate Blanchett, Ian Holm, Christopher Lee, Hugo Weaving, Orlando Bloom, Mikael Persbrandt, Sylvester McCoy, Peter Hambleton, John Callen, Mark Hadlow, Jed Brophy, William Kircher, Stephen Hunter, Adam Brown, John Bell, Manu Bennett and John Tui.

  • Francis Ford Coppola cites late Bengali cinematic great Satyajit Ray as an influence

    Francis Ford Coppola cites late Bengali cinematic great Satyajit Ray as an influence

     NEW DELHI: Eminent filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola who made the iconic The Godfather has said cine craftsman Satyajit Ray was a major influence in life.

     
    “I love Bollywood films because I come from a family involved in musicals.” he told Riz Khan during the twelfth edition of Hindustan Times Leadership Summit.

     
    Addressing the enthusiastic audience, Coppola said that all businesses he has been involved in are about story-telling.

     
    He talked about his path breaking films and creative journey. The acclaimed director emphasised on the value of changing techniques and what could be the future of cinema. He said, “Cinema is a marriage of writing and acting. Ultimately it is in the choice of the story and how that reaches people.”

     
    “Cinema is about to change dramatically. The audience will be the master of the situation and there won’t be Paramount, MGM any more. It will be Netflix and Facebook in the future,” he said.

     
    Talking about The Godfather he said, “Godfather was the metaphor for America. It was an accident. I never intended to be an important Hollywood director. I wanted to make small, personal cinema. I also never wanted to make the sequel of The Godfather, but I did so because of financial distress.”

     
    He also spoke about the challenges of adapting a book to film. He said, “A novel is tricky because it wasn’t intended to be seen in two hours. The challenge is trying to find ways to collapse it and shorten it without destroying the original book. There has to be a balance in cinema. It’s like literature.”

     

    Talking on whether he felt that The Godfather was dealt with the mafia, glorified violence, he said, “That’s always a problem with a war film. It’s very difficult to make a good anti-war film because it has so much violence in it. Italians are associated with great people – great artists, writers, designers – and to have it reduced to these bloodthirsty gangsters is problematic. Avoid films that are unduly violent, the responsibility lies with you.”

     
    “I want to see films that make me more human,” he further added.

     

  • Jack Hudson to play title role in ‘Ben Hur’

    Jack Hudson to play title role in ‘Ben Hur’

    NEW DELHI: Jack Hudson has landed the role of the Biblical character Judah in MGM and Paramount Pictures remake of the 1959 classic Ben Hur that had gone on to become a box office hit.

     

    Timur Bekmambetov, who earlier made Wanted is directing the classic. Scripted by the Oscar-winning 12 Years a Slave scribe John Ridley and Keith Clarke, the film is expected to be released on 26 February 2016.

     

    The film is based on Lew Wallace’s 1880 novel ‘Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ’, and follows a falsely accused nobleman who survives years of slavery to take vengeance on his best friend who betrayed him. It was also made in 1925 as a silent film.

     

    Huston is best known for his role in HBO’s Boardwalk Empire as Richard Harrow and recently signed on to co-star in the adaptation of Pride Prejudice and Zombies.

     

    Paramount Pictures has already seen success from this genre with the movie Noah, Darren Aronofsky’s take on the story of Noah’s Arc starring Russell Crowe. That film grossed $359 million worldwide, including more than $100 million domestically.

     

    Fox and Chernin have just wrapped production on their latest film Exodus: Gods and Kings about Moses, which is slated to release in December and stars Christian Bale. The studio is also developing a King David film produced by Ridley Scott. 

     

    The 1959 Ben-Hur was directed by William Wyler, produced by Sam Zimbalist for Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and starring Charlton Heston, Stephen Boyd, Jack Hawkins, Hugh Griffith and Haya Harareet.  It had the largest budget at $15.175 million and the largest sets built for any film produced at the time. This was followed by a $14.7 million marketing effort. It was the fastest-grossing as well as the highest grossing film of 1959, in the process becoming the second-highest grossing film in history at the time after Gone with the Wind. It won a record 11 Academy Awards.

  • MediaPro terminates distribution alliance with NDTV, MCCS, MGM

    MediaPro terminates distribution alliance with NDTV, MCCS, MGM

    MUMBAI: The MediaPro split is known to all. With Star and Zee setting up their affiliate sales teams for their respective channels, a few networks that formed a part of the content aggregator have now been left with no choice but to distribute the channel on its own.

     

    The three year distribution venture split after the Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) came out with its regulation on the role of content aggregators. News now is that MediaPro has decided to not renew its distribution deal with New Delhi Television (NDTV) with effect from 1 April 2014.

     

    The content aggregator has also terminated its distribution alliance with   Media Content & Communication Services (MCCS) and MGM programming Service India (MGM) with effect from 16 April 2014.

     

    As a result of this, NDTV (NDTV India, NDTV 24×7, NDTV Good Times and NDTV Profit), MGM (MGM) and MCCS (ABP News, ABP Majha and ABP Ananda) will now distribute their respective channels through their own independent affiliate teams.

  • MGM plans Pink Panther reboot with Julie Andrews

    MGM plans Pink Panther reboot with Julie Andrews

    MUMBAI: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer (MGM)’s chairman and CEO Gary Barber and president of motion picture group Jonathan Glickman announced on 31 March that it is currently in the process for producing a full-length hybrid animation and live-action feature film based on the animated Pink Panther character.

     

    Walter Mirisch, executive producer of the original Pink Panther films and television series will serve as the producer of the new film, along with Academy Award-winning actress, Julie Andrews (The Princess Diaries), wife of the late director Blake Edwards. David Silverman (The Simpsons Movie, Monsters, Inc.) will direct.  The Pink Panther character originated a remarkable fifty years ago.

     

    The new caper film will focus on the character, rather than inspector Clouseau, and will reminisce back to the tone shared by the original Friz Freleng and David De Patie cartoons as well as that of Blake Edwards’ films.

     

    “We are incredibly proud to re-introduce the Pink Panther to a brand new generation in such a fresh way. Even more exciting is the chance to work again with our dear friends Walter Mirisch and Julie Andrews, as well as the talented David Silverman, whose enthusiasm convinced us to ‘Think Pink!’,” said Glickman in a press statement.

     

    “I am delighted that the legacy of Blake’s iconic Pink Panther franchise will continue to grow in its new hybrid form. It is exciting that the quintessential ‘next step’ for our beloved Panther will be enjoyed by a fourth generation of audiences. I feel that Blake is encouraging us on,” said Andrews in the statement.

     

    For fifty years, the Pink Panther has been one of the most beloved characters in the history of film. There are a select few animated characters who have reached the level of popularity and longevity that the Pink Panther has achieved.  Next to James Bond, The Pink Panther movie franchise is one of the longest running in cinematic history, boasting 11 feature films, spanning five decades. The films have won 2 Academy Awards, 2 Golden Globe Awards and the Grammy Award-winning theme song by the legendary music composer Henry Mancini (Breakfast at Tiffany’s) still stands today as one of the greatest themes of all time.

  • Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Hercules’ movie trailer released

    Dwayne Johnson’s ‘Hercules’ movie trailer released

    MUMBAI: MGM and Paramount have come together to re-envision the classic Greek tale of the legend of Hercules starring Dwayne Johnson (The Scorpion King, Fast & Furious) as the legendary hero, adapted from Steve Moore’s graphic novel.

    The film boasts a stellar cast that includes Golden Globe Award winner Ian McShane (Deadwood, The Pillars of the Earth), BAFTA Award nominee Rufus Sewell (Eleventh Hour), BAFTA Award winner Joseph Fiennes (American Horror Story: Asylum), Emmy Award nominee Peter Mullan (Top of the Lake) and Golden Globe Award winner John Hurt (Midnight Express) and is directed by Brett Rattner (Rush Hour series).

    Ratner’s film follows the story of the warrior who, in the wake of his legendary twelve labours, becomes a mercenary. When the King of Thrace and his daughter seek him out for help to defeat a tyrannical warlord, his life is tested in a way it never has been before. Based on the graphic novel series Hercules: The Thracian Wars by Steven Moore and Admira Wijaya.

    The Rock took to Instagram to talk about the grueling preparations he undertook to get into the titular role for Hercules, which hits the big screen this summer.

    Click here to watch the trailer

    “I trained and worked harder than ever for eight months for this role. Lived alone and locked myself away (like a moody 260-lb. monk) in Budapest for six months while filming.” He said on his Instagram page, “Goal was to completely transform into this character. Disappear in the role. Press journalist asked me today, with the mental & physical toll the role had on me, would I do it again? Not only would I do it again… I’d do it twice!”

  • Amazon’s Prime Instant Video strengthens its library

    Amazon’s Prime Instant Video strengthens its library

    MUMBAI: Amazon and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios (MGM) are getting into a content licensing partnership that will see Prime Instant Video streaming past seasons of MTV’s Teen Wolf, along with a host of old classics.

     

    The popular series will air exclusively on Amazon’s online-only subscription home. The deal will also make available for streaming past MGM movies such as The Usual Suspects, Raging Bull and Thelma and Louise. More movies are set to be available on Prime later this year.

     

    The company is glad to add more MGM classic films such as Raging Bull and Thelma and Louise to Prime Instant Video; and is confident that its customers will love these great films.

     

    Teen Wolf is an exciting addition to the library of MGM content available for instant streaming exclusively to Amazon Prime customers. The company strives to deliver its most popular TV shows and movies on a variety of platforms which its audiences can access from anywhere.