2 - FILM NEWS
Verve, Bellevue Painting the Town with Spec “HAPPY LITTLE TREES” Centered on the Feud Between Bob Ross & Bill Alexander
Broken Road Productions, Unique Features, and Alexa Faigen are all among the producers taking this into studios!
The untold true story about the rivalry between painting gurus Bill Alexander and Bob Ross; after Alexander’s long-running show “The Magic of Oil Painting” was cancelled by PBS and replaced with Ross’s show “The Joy of Oil Painting,” Alexander accused the soft-spoken, afro’d Ross of stealing his act, inciting a bitter dispute that changed the lives of both men forever. AMADEUS set in the world of 1980s TV painting culture.
Outrider would be Schwarzenegger’s first ongoing television role other than his season hosting The Celebrity Apprentice. It’s odd timing for the announcement coming after Amazon’s announcement of a new Conan the Barbarian series yesterday.
The actor best known for playing Ronnie Raymond/Firestorm on the CW’s The Flash will play a man who gets uploaded into his own personal version of heaven after dying.
Richard Eyre will adapt and direct the TV film set in present-day England which will air on BBC Two and Amazon Prime Video next year. The cast also includes Emily Watson, Jim Broadbent, Christopher Eccleston and Florence Pugh.
Based on Travis Beacham’s Black List feature script, which Guillermo del Toro tried to get made, the eight-episode fantasy series will be directed by Paul McGuigan (Victor Frankenstein) and produced by Legendary Television, along with Bloom.
The success the comic creator has had with the AMC series and its spin-off, Fear the Walking Dead, has made Kirkman a hot commodity in the television space, and his deal with Amazon follows Netflix’s buying of comic creator Mark Millar’s Millarworld earlier this week.
Tells a love story that crosses parallel worlds.
After finding success with alternate universe drama Man in the High Castle, Amazon is hoping lightning will strike with a second alternate universe series, this one from Aaron McGruder and Will Packer. Plot details on the untitled series are currently being kept under wraps.
Update: While some studios pop champagne bottles to celebrate this morning’s Oscar nominations, others have moved on and are focusing on what’s next. To that end, several suitors are scrambling for Joe Ballarini’s spec Skyward, which is described as being similar in tone to Best Picture winners Argo and The King’s Speech.
Feature dramedy Brad’s Status from Mike White has been picked up from Amazon for distribution. The film was written and directed by Mike White and stars Ben Stiller and Austin Abrams.
After his eight-year run on The Office, which ended in 2013, John Krasinksi is returning to television — streaming television, that is. He will be taking on the lead role in Jack Ryan, based on the popular books by Tom Clancy, which has been picked up for a 10-episode order from Amazon.
