Thompson on Hollywood

Wright, Working Title Take on Live-Action Little Mermaid

Here's welcome news you've all been waiting for: a live action adaptation of the Little Mermaid is in the works. The script is by Abi Morgan (Brick Lane) and director Joe Wright is partnered with Working Title (who also brought us Wright's Atonement and Pride and Prejudice). This is no Alice In Wonderland, Sleeping Beauty or Cinderella (just to name a few of the fairy tales in development or production). It's the original Hans Christian Anderson Little Mermaid - which is more darkly beautiful adult horror story than children's sing-a-long (a stage play adaptation at Little Angel Theatre Company, founded by Wright's father, was part of the inspiration). Wright may prove the right man to channel the spirit of Anderson's Little Mermaid without the happily-ever-after Disney ending that skews the story's legacy.

By Sophia Savage
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July 8, 2010 5:33 AM
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Sony Attaches Barry Levinson to Direct Brother Jack

Veteran director Barry Levinson (Rain Man and HBO's You Don't Know Jack, nominated for 15 Emmys) is to direct Columbia Pictures' Jack Healey biopic Brother Jack. The coming-of-age story is based on Healey's life as he leaves the priesthood and arrives on the streets, where he fought for and pioneered human rights issues and activism.

By Anne Thompson
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July 8, 2010 5:13 AM
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Lindsay Lohan Breaks Probation, Sentenced to 90 Days in Jail

It's like watching a train wreck. A Los Angeles judge ruled Tuesday that Lindsay Lohan has violated her parole in a 2007 drug case and sentenced her to 90 days in jail, reports AP: "Prosecutors said she failed to attend court-ordered alcohol education classes."

By Anne Thompson
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July 6, 2010 10:27 AM
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Academy Gets 6,304 Nicholl Screenwriting Fellowship Entries; Will Award Five

The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has received 6,304 entries for its Nicholl Fellowships in Screenwriting, from which up to five recipients will be granted $30,000 each in November. In its 25th year, the competition welcomed first time entries from Azerbaijan, Barbados, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Cameroon, Uganda and Uruguay. All 50 states and dozens of countries are also represented this year. To be eligible, screenwriters must not have earned over $5,000 from writing for film or TV, entries must be feature length and originally written in English (translations and adaptations are ineligible). Of the 113 fellowships that have been awarded over time, recipients include including Oscar nominee Susannah Grant (The Soloist, Erin Brockovich), Doug Atchison (Akeelah and the Bee), Mike Rich (The Rookie, Finding Forrester), Ehren Kruger (Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen, The Ring) and Andrew Marlowe (Air Force One) (and more).

By Sophia Savage
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July 6, 2010 7:28 AM
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McGurk and Rosett Are Out at Overture

Another indie bites the dust. At a time of serious contraction in the indie market, Overture Films has been on the block since January.

By Anne Thompson
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July 1, 2010 12:51 PM
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Sony Casts Andrew Garfield as Peter Parker in Spider-Man 4

Sony Pictures Entertainment has chosen its new Spider-Man. It's Brit Andrew Garfield, perhaps the most mature of the crop of boyish actors the studio was reportedly considering. He'll be 27 in August. And he's a strong actor.

By Anne Thompson
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July 1, 2010 12:06 PM
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Parlay Media Expands Film Sales Division

Kevin Iwashina and Ross Dinerstein's Parlay Media is moving aggressively into the film sales gap left open by the departure from the indie sales field of William Morris's Cassian Elwes and a shift at Cinetic Media toward distribution and foreign sales. To that end, they've hired former T & C International exec Christine D'Souza as director of content acquisitions and sales for their film sales and finance advisory division, IP Advisors.

By Anne Thompson
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July 1, 2010 8:59 AM
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Where Is IESB's Robert Sanchez?

Tuesday the Twittersphere started fluttering with vague comments about something disturbing that was breaking in the world of online fan sites.

By Anne Thompson
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June 30, 2010 7:35 AM
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Michael Feinstein's American Songbook Debuts This Fall on PBS

Classics crooner Michael Feinstein will make legions of music lovers happy this fall when he premieres a three-part series exploring the history of American popular music. The American Songbook will air October 6, 13 and 20 at 8 PM on PBS. This is my idea of heaven.

By Anne Thompson
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June 17, 2010 8:01 AM
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Lost in Translation: Lasse Hallstrom to Direct Tom's Dad

Many directors who come to Hollywood from overseas manage to make the shift from more personal low-budget local films to less personal big-budget studio fare aimed at a worldwide audience. It's tough to pull off the push-pull of studio interference. Filmmakers love playing with a richer tool kit and great actors, but it's hard to hang on to your own voice and steer clear of mass-market blandness.