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Exclusive: Three Wiser Men and a Baby producer Lighthouse Pictures has upped Trevor McWhinney to SVP of Content.

McWhinney was previously the Canadian studio’s VP of Business Development and VP of Production. His new gig will see him oversee Lighthouse’s strategy for developing and producing original TV movies. He will collaborate with writers, clients and producers on new projects, from the development stage through to greenlight, while focusing on discovery and mentorship of new creative talent.

McWhinney is the creator and producer behind Gotta Grudge?, which aired in 12 countries and led to a deal on the hit series Dragon’s Den. His promotion comes as part of the company’s global expansion strategy, it said. Lighthouse recently promoted Jameson Parker to CEO after Martini Film Studios took a majority stake.

McWhinney said: “Having worked with its talented team for so many years, I have seen how the company...

Justin Dyck, the director behind 2020 horror darling Anything for Jackson, has lined up his next horror feature, The Casket Girls. Deadline reports today that the new movie has found its star in Gabrielle Union.

The Casket Girls was written by Thomas Lennon & Robert Ben Garant (Night at the Museum), with revisions by Keith Cooper (Anything for Jackson) & Dyck.

The story is inspired by a true story, the real-life Casket Girls of New Orleans. The moniker refers to the young women sent from France to New Orleans to become brides to French colonists in the early 1700s, bearing luggage resembling caskets. Because their arrival coincided with an uptick in the city’s murder rate, the girls were blamed and accused of being demons or vampires. The city imprisoned the girls in the attic of the Vatican-controlled Ursuline Convent, which still exists today.

It’s the precise type of historical tale that feels ripe for horror.

The writing duo of Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben Garant are best known for their work on comedies and family friendly projects: Reno 911!, Taxi (2004), The Pacifier, Herbie: Fully Loaded, Let’s Go to Prison, Balls of Fury, Mr. Peabody & Sherman, Baywatch (2017), Night at the Museum, and Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian. But they’ve also written the horror comedy Hell Baby, and Garant has written the horror films The Veil and Jessabelle. So it’s not entirely off brand to hear that they wrote the initial screenplay for the upcoming horror film The Casket Girls, with Gabrielle Union (Breaking In) on board to star and executive produce.

Deadline reports that Justin G. Dyck will be directing The Casket Girls and has done script revisions with Keith Cooper (Anything for Jackson). Dyck has a lot of directing credits to his name, most of them being on romantic TV movies,...

Exclusive: Fresh off the TIFF premiere of their new documentary Vice Is Broke, Get Out producer QC Entertainment has enlisted Gabrielle Union (Riff Raff) to star in The Casket Girls, a new horror film to be directed by Justin Dyck (Anything for Jackson), which they will produce and fully finance.

Written by Thomas Lennon & Robert Ben Garant (Night at the Museum), with revisions by Keith Cooper (Anything for Jackson) & Dyck, The Casket Girls is inspired by the true story of a group of young women sent from France to New Orleans to become brides to French colonists in the early 1700s. They arrived with small chests, or “caskets” of their belongings, hence the name given by locals. According to legend, upon the girls’ arrival, the homicide rate in New Orleans rose dramatically, with stories of men drained of their blood. The girls were blamed and feared to be demons or vampires,...

Exclusive: Lifetime has set six new original films to premiere this fall as part of its “Ripped from the Headlines” movie slate starring Heather Locklear, Ana Ortiz, Lyndsy Fonseca, Jackie Cruz, Sheila E. and Karrueche Tran. The new movies will air on Saturdays at 8 p.m./7 c.

These films join the previously announced movies, Buried Alive and Survived (Sept 21) starring Eva Marcille, and He Slid into Her DMs (Sept 28) with Courtney Thorne Smith.

Learn more about the films and when they will premiere below.

The Girl Who Wasn’t Dead

Starring Lyndsy Fonseca, Emma Tremblay and Kyle Clark

Premieres October 5th at 8/7c.

Inspired by true events, The Girl Who Wasn’t Dead tells the story of 15-year-old Erica (Tremblay) who vanishes without a trace. Authorities believed Erica might be the victim of a local serial killer, but her mother, Carrie (Fonseca) refused to believe the worst. In an incredible turn of events,...

In November 2022, Hallmark Channel released Three Wise Men and a Baby, starring Paul Campbell, Tyler Hynes, Andrew Walker and Margaret Colin.

The funny movie quickly became a hit with viewers. Now, for a special treat, the feel-good network is to air the movie again with an extended cut in July as part of Hallmark’s annual Christmas in July programming event.

Hallmark’s Three Wise Men and a Baby Extended Cut

As an early Christmas present, fans will get to spend more time with Paul Campbell (Magic in Mistletoe), Tyler Hynes, Andrew Walker and Margaret Colin in the extended cut of the 2022 holiday hit movie.

What is the movie about? Credit: ©2022 Hallmark Media/Photographer: Ricardo Hubbs

As a reminder, Luke Brenner (Walker) is Mr. Perfect, an all-star firefighter and poster boy for physical health and clean living. However, when he finds a baby named Thomas on the doorstep of the fire hall,...

The supernatural horror film It Lives Inside, which stars Megan Suri of the Netflix series Never Have I Ever, didn’t draw in many viewers when it reached theatres last Friday. It had an opening weekend of $2.6 million and finished in seventh place on the top 10. Maybe it will do better when it reaches home video – and we can confirm that Distribution Solutions, a division of Alliance Entertainment, will be giving the film a DVD release on November 7th. Copies are available for pre-order at This Link. We don’t have any information on a Blu-ray or 4K release at this time, but Amazon is also accepting pre-orders for the Prime Video digital release.

It’s a shame It Lives Inside didn’t have better box office, as it was good enough to earn an 8/10 review from JoBlo’s own Tyler Nichols. That review can be read Here. The film...

Bishal Dutta’s horror movie It Lives Inside is coming to theaters on September 22 from Neon, and Bloody Disgusting is debuting a brand new piece of poster art this morning.

This latest official poster comes courtesy of Creepy Duck Design, and you can check it out down below. Tickets for It Lives Inside are available now, so check those local listings.

Meagan Navarro wrote in her review for Bloody Disgusting, “It Lives Inside introduces a bold new voice, creating a captivating new spin on demonic horror.”

Megan Suri (“Never Have I Ever,” Missing), Neeru Bajwa (Jatt & Juliet 1 & 2), Mohana Krishnan, Vik Sahay (Captain Marvel, “Chuck”) and Betty Gabriel (Get Out) star.

In It Lives Inside, “Sam is desperate to fit in at school, rejecting her Indian culture and family to be like everyone else. When a mythological demonic spirit latches onto her former best friend, she must come to terms with...

Exclusive: Thomas Middleditch, who starred in six seasons of HBO’s Silicon Valley and is currently playing the co-lead in CBS’ B Positive, and Humphrey Ker, writer and actor on Apple TV+’s Mythic Quest: Raven’s Banquet are prepping a new Canadian historical comedy series.

The pair have teamed up with Canadian producers Brightlight Pictures and Pier 21 Films for Fort Puleyne, which is in development at Bell Media, owner of CTV.

Written and created by Middleditch and Ker, with Evany Rosen (New Eden) joining as a writer, the series follows the foppishly optimistic young officer, Major Fitzwilliam “Fitz” Gower, as he leaves behind the life he knows for Upper Canada to lead the most misfit militia that ever served in the British Army during the War of 1812. With the help of his men, or more often in spite of them, Fitz must find a way to survive in this backwater garrison,...

Winners of the 2017 Whistler Film Festival were announced at the Awards Celebration this morning on the final day of the 17th annual Festival. Ian Lagarde’s first feature All You Can Eat Buddha and Jason and Carlos Sanchez’s A Worthy Companion tied for the $15,000 cash prize presented by the Directors Guild of Canada, British Columbia and the $15,000 post-production prize sponsored by Encore Vancouver in the 14th edition of the coveted Borsos Competition for Best Canadian Feature Film. The jury states “each in their own way convey unique visions and creative storytelling the jury believes have made and will make powerful contributions to the world of cinema.”A Worthy Companion

A Worthy Companion takes a fresh and new perspective that explores the complexity and humanity within the predator, victim relationship. This film questions how we perpetuate manipulative power dynamics between adult and child through the inner struggle of our female protagonists.

Rkss to direct horror-thriller.

Gunpowder & Sky has partnered with Brightlight Pictures to produce Summer Of ‘84.

The horror-thriller is set in 1984 and centres on 15-year-old neighbourhood conspiracy theorist Davey Armstrong who suspects his police officer neighbour might be the serial killer all over the local news. He and his three best friends begin an investigation that soon puts them in danger.

François Simard, Anouk Whissell and Yoann-Karl Whissell of Rkss (Roadkill Superstar), known for 2015’s Turbo Kid, will direct the film that is set to go into production this July for an end-of-year release date.

Shawn Williamson, CEO of Brightlight Pictures, and Jameson Parker are producing the film.

Matt Leslie co-produced and wrote alongside writing partner Stephen J. Smith. Their screenplay was featured on the 2016 ‘Blood List’ selection of the best dark genre screenplays voted on by industry professionals.

“How could we not bet on a writer associated with Straight Outta Compton and the directors of Turbo Kid to tell...

Myriad Pictures will commence international sales at the Efm in Berlin next month on Vancouver-based Brightlight Pictures satirical murder mystery.

Evan Morgan will direct from his screenplay about a vilified, down-at-heel former American child detective who gets a shot at his first ‘adult’ case. Nelisse rose to prominence for her role in The Book Thief.

Production on The Kid Detective is anticipated to begin early in the year. Myriad, Brightlight and UTA Independent Film Group jointly arranged financing. Myriad represents international sales and handles the Us with UTA Independent Film Group.

“This is a great film with a bold script, excellent cast and a very talented director,” said Shawn Williamson, president of Brightlight. “Partnering with Myriad Pictures and UTA gives it a strong foundation to be brought to market.”

“We are very pleased to be working with everyone at Brightlight to bring Evan Morgan’s unique story vision to the screen with such a talented cast,” said...

Plus: Rlj Entertainment picks up Kickboxer: Vengeance; CinemaCon honour for Bryce Dallas Howard; and more…

Focus Features will release Jeff Nichols’ upcoming drama Loving in the Us in an exclusive release on November 4 followed by wide expansion a week later.

Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga star as Richard and Mildred Loving, whose interracial marriage in the 1950s led to banishment, prison, and finally Supreme Court vindication.

Focus paid $9m for Loving for North America and most of the world in Berlin after CAA showed early footage. Nichols’ sci-fi drama Midnight Special starring Michael Shannon, Edgerton, Adam Driver, Jaeden Lieberher, and Kirsten Dunst opens this week in the Us via Warner Bros.

Rlj Entertainment has acquired all Us rights to Kickboxer: Vengeance, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme in a return to the franchise that made him famous. John Stockwell directs from a screenplay by Dimitri Logothetis and Jim McGrath. The cast includes newcomer Alain Moussi, Dave Bautista, [link...

Plus: Rlj Entertainment picks up Kickboxer: Vengeance; CinemaCon honour for Bryce Dallas Howard; and more…

Focus features will release Jeff Nichols’ upcoming race drama Loving in the Us in an exclusiverelease on November 4 followed by wide expansion a week late.

Joel Edgerton and Ruth Negga star as Richard and Mildred Loving, whose interracial marriage in the 1950s led to banishment, prison and finally a Supreme Court triumph.

Focus pounced on worldwide rights in a $9m deal in Berlin after CAA showed footage. Nichols’ sci-fi drama Midnight Special starring Michael Shannon, Edgerton, Adam Driver, Jaeden Lieberher, and Kirsten Dunst opens this week in the Us via Warner Bros.

Rlj Entertainment has acquired all Us rights to Kickboxer: Vengeance, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme in a return to the franchise that made him famous. John Stockwell directs from a screenplay by Dimitri Logothetis and Jim McGrath. The cast includes newcomer Alain Moussi, Dave Bautista, Gina Carano, [link...

Plus: CinemaCon honour for Bryce Dallas Howard; Brightlight Pictures staffs up; and more…

Rlj Entertainment has acquired all Us rights to Kickboxer: Vengeance, starring Jean-Claude Van Damme in a return to the franchise. John Stockwell directs from a screenplay by Dimitri Logothetis and Jim McGrath.

The cast includes newcomer Alain Moussi, Dave Bautista, Gina Carano, Georges St-Pierre, and Cain Velasquez. Logothetis produced with Nicholas Celozzi, Ted Field, Allen Knudson, Samuel Cory Timpson and Rob Hickman, who arranged the majority of the financing.

Rlj brokered the deal with Logothetis, Field, Brian O-Shea, and Mike Weber on behalf of the film. Kickboxer: Vengeance will open in theatres and on VOD later this year.

Bryce Dallas Howard will receive the CinemaCon Award For Excellence In Acting in Las Vegas on April 14. The official convention of The National Association Of Theatre Owners takes place from April 11-14 at Caesars Palace. Howard’s next film is the August 12 release of Peter’s Dragon...