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Exclusive: Kelly Rowland (Mea Culpa) and Cliff “Method Man” Smith (Power Book II: Ghost) are set to lead the new Amazon MGM Studios rom-com Relationship Goals, based on Michael Todd’s New York Times bestseller Relationship Goals: How to Win at Dating, Marriage, and Sex. Robin Thede (A Black Lady Sketch Show) and Annie Gonzalez (Flamin’ Hot) will also star.

Relationship Goals is a funny and inspiring romantic comedy on finding lasting love and sustaining a healthy relationship at every stage of courtship. The book, based on Todd’s viral sermon series about dating, marriage, and sex, spent 13 straight weeks on the NY Times bestsellers list and debuted at No. 1 on Amazon, according to the streamer.

The script was written by Laura Lekkos (Somewhere Only We Know), with prior drafts by Michael Elliot (R&b) and Cory Tynan (R&b). Rowland and Bart Lipton will executive produce while DeVon Franklin will produce. Linda Mendoza is set to direct.

Rowland recently starred in Netflix’s Tyler Perry film Mea Culpa. She has also guest starred on several series including Girlfriends, Empire, American Soul, Being Mary Jane, and L.A.’s Finest. On the film side, Rowland appeared in Kevin Hart’s Think Like A Man, New Line Cinema’s Freddy vs. Jason, Netflix’s The Curse of Bridge Hollow, and produced and starred in Merry Liddle Christmas Baby. Additionally, she executive produced her docuseries Chasing Destiny and co-produced a digital series called Milk + Honey alongside Idris Elba and Issa Rae. She is repped by UTA, Sb Projects, and Del Shaw Moonves Tanaka.

Smith starred in all four seasons of the hit Starz series Power Book II: Ghost, which recently wrapped up after four seasons last year. For his portrayal of Davis MacLean, he received three NAACP Image Awards for “Best Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.” He can currently be seen in Carnegie Hill Entertainment’s feature Bad Shabbos, and the Paramount+’s feature film On the Come Up for which he received an NAACP Image Award nomination for “Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture”. Smith will next be seen in Maude Apatow’s directorial debut Poetic License and as a guest star in Peacock’s Emmy Award-winning original series Poker Face for Season 2. He is represented by Shauna Garr, CAA, and Frankfurt Kernit Klein & Selz.

Six-time Emmy nominee Robin Thede is the creator, showrunner, executive producer, writer, and star of HBO’s Emmy-winning sketch comedy series, A Black Lady Sketch Show. She recently starred alongside Eddie Murphy and Tracee Ellis Ross in the Amazon MGM Studios holiday feature, Candy Cane Lane. Previously, she was the creator, executive producer, writer and host of The Rundown with Robin Thede on BET becoming one of the only Black women to host a late-night talk show. She is represented by WME and Johnson Shapiro Slewett & Kole Llp.

Gonzalez can be seen in films such as East of the Mountains directed by S.J. Chiro, Flamin’ Hot from Searchlight Pictures and Franklin Entertainment, Drive-Away Dolls directed by Ethan Coen, and Jenni, which Gonzalez stars in and produced. On the TV side, credits include Netflix’s Gentefied, Showtime’s Shameless, FX’s American Horror Story, Netflix’s Good Girls, Starz’s Vida, and most recently, NBC’s Lopez vs Lopez. She is represented by Innovative, Neon Kite, and Granderson Des Rochers.

Franklin serves as President and CEO of Franklin Entertainment, a production company dedicated to uplifting the human spirit through inspirational content. He just wrapped production on R & B, a modern version of the Biblical love story of Ruth & Boaz. Franklin has also produced the inspirational hit films Flamin’ Hot directed by Eva Longoria, Breakthrough starring Chrissy Metz for Disney/Fox, Sony’s The Star and Miracles From Heaven starring Jennifer Garner. Franklin has a first-look deal with Tyler Perry Studios and Netflix and with CBS Studios.

Elliot and Tynan are represented by Evoke Entertainment. Lekkos is represented by Gersh and Felker Toczek. Mendoza is represented by Independent Artist Group, Atlas Literary, and Del, Shaw, Bobb et al.

Netflix is honoring Black History Month by making theater screenings free.

IndieWire can announce that the Netflix-owned Paris Theater will present a special weekend of free community screenings as part of the “Strong Black Lead at the Paris” series. A total of six features will screen starting February 21; the series concludes February 23.

Spike Lee, George C. Wolfe, Tyler Perry, Rebecca Hall, and Malcolm Washington are among the directors whose films will be featured. According to a Netflix representative, the curated films were selected for being powerful features that each offer a unique perspective on Black experiences throughout American history. “Whether based on true stories or inspired by lived experience, these six films by gifted, visionary artists are essential viewing,” a press statement reads.

Among those “essential viewing” films include recent Netflix releases “The Piano Lesson,” directed by Malcolm Washington, and Tyler Perry’s “The Six Triple Eight” starring Kerry Washington.

A Complete Unknown has landed on a major box office chart by the end of its first full week in theaters. The movie, which was directed by Walk the Line's James Mangold, follows iconic musician Bob Dylan (Timothée Chalamet) during the early years of his career in the 1960s. The Complete Unknown release kicked off on Christmas Day, 2024, with an $11.6 million debut seeing it land at No. 6 on the chart as the second-best new release of the weekend behind Robert Eggers' horror remake Nosferatu.

Per The Numbers, A Complete Unknown has reached a cumulative domestic box office total of $25.68 million as of Monday, December 30. This means that it has taken the movie less than a week to land on the chart of the Top 100 highest-grossing movies based on a factual book or article at the domestic box office. With its total as of Monday, it has landed at No. 98 on the chart,...

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Sometimes, a movie just doesn't get the fair shake that it deserves, even if all of the right pieces seem to be in place. Such was the case with "The Bronze." A comedy released by Sony Pictures Classics in 2016, the film was pretty much dead on arrival and hardly registered at all with moviegoers at the time despite being written by and starring Melissa Rauch of "The Big Bang Theory" fame. Mind you, this was when the CBS sitcom was still thriving on the air. So, what went wrong?

For those who may not be familiar, "The Bronze" centers on Hope Ann Greggory (Rauch). Once America's sweetheart, Hope's performance on a ruptured achilles at a prestigious gymnastics tournament when she was younger brought glory to her small hometown in Ohio. In the years since that third place victory, however,...

With Christmas just around the corner, Netflix is offering Christian viewers a chance to celebrate the story of the Immaculate Conception with a film that places Jesus’ mother in the spotlight. The streaming giant is backing the faith-based film “Mary,” which tells the Biblical story of the Virgin Mary, who becomes pregnant with the Son of God and suffers persecution to keep him alive.

An official synopsis of the film reads, “Through Mary’s eyes, this coming-of-age biblical epic tells the story of one of history’s most profound figures and the remarkable journey that led to the birth of Jesus. Chosen to bring the Messiah into the world, Mary (Noa Cohen) is shunned following a miraculous conception and forced into hiding. When King Herod (Anthony Hopkins) orders a murderous hunt for her newborn baby, Mary and Joseph (Ido Tako) go on the run – bound by faith and driven by...

Tyler Perry Studios and DeVon Franklin have set the cast and director of their first faith-based film for Netflix, under their deal with the streamer revealed in May.

R&b stars Serayah (Empire), Tyler Lepley (Harlem), Phylicia Rashad (The Gilded Age), Walnette Santiago (Doom Patrol), Nijah Brenea (Kold x Windy), James Lee Thomas (One Spoon of Chocolate), Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, Jermaine Dupri (Genius: Aretha) and Lecrae Moore. Alanna Brown (Trees of Peace) will take on directing duties.

From writers Michael Elliot (Brown Sugar) and Cory Tynan (Play’d), R&b is a modern-day retelling of the story of Ruth and Boaz, a love story from the Bible. Set in Tennessee, the film tells the story of a young woman who escapes the Atlanta music scene to care for an elderly widowed woman and in the process finds the love of her life and gains the mother she never had.

DeVon...

Netflix has found its Ruth and Boaz.

Serayah, Tyler Lepley and Phylicia Rashad are set to lead the ensemble cast of “R&b,” the first film out of the streaming giant’s creative partnership to produce faith-based films with DeVon Franklin and Tyler Perry Studios.

Alanna Brown will direct the modern-day retelling of the iconic biblical love story following Ruth and Boaz. Set in Tennessee, “R&b” is about a young woman who escapes the Atlanta music scene to care for an elderly widowed woman, and in the process finds the love of her life and gains the mother she never had.

Michael Elliot (“Brown Sugar”) and Cory Tynan (“Play’d”) penned the script for the project, which will be produced by Franklin and Perry. Angi Bones, Tony L. Strickland and Bart Lipton executive produce.

Walnette Santiago, Nijah Brenea, James Lee Thomas, Kenneth ‘Babyface’ Edmonds, Jermaine Dupri and Lecrae Moore round out the cast.

DeVon Franklin has opened up about how working on The Pursuit of Happyness led him to want to dedicate his life to making faith-based movies.

The Miracles from Heaven producer, who recently signed a multi-year deal with Tyler Perry, had interned for Will Smith since he was a freshman and worked with him for several years before being asked to forge a faith-based marketing campaign for 2006’s The Pursuit of Happyness, Franklin told today’s AVPSummit in south Italy.

“As a person of faith that movie really spoke to me,” he said. “Domestically it almost made as much as Casino Royale and a lot of people attribute the faith-based marketing campaign to its success.”

The success of Pursuit of Happyness “was the first time I said, ‘Oh, who I am as a person can be good for the movie biz and the bottom line,” Franklin said. “That was the beginning...

Netflix believes in the power of faith-based film… and in the power of Tyler Perry.

Netflix has extended its creative deal with mega-producer Tyler Perry, in which he’s meant to write, direct, and produce films and series for the streamer, to now include faith-based movies. Perry and Netflix as part of the deal will recruit one of the original hit makers in the current wave of faith-based movies, DeVon Franklin (“Miracles from Heaven”).

Together, Franklin and Perry will produce several faith-based films for Netflix as part of a new multiyear and multi-picture first-look film deal, Netflix announced on May 6.

The first project under the deal will be “R&b,” a modern-day retelling of the story of Ruth and Boaz, one of the Bible’s iconic love stories. Set in Tennessee, “R&b” tells the story of a young woman who escapes the Atlanta music scene to care for an...

Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin are teaming up to produce faith-based films under a multi-year and multi-picture first-look deal at Netflix.

The films will be produced by the duo in conjunction with Tyler Perry Studios in the latest expansion of Perry’s creative partnership at Netflix, inked as a first-look film deal in October 2023 and has broadened to include scripted and unscripted TV projects.

“I’m so excited to be working with DeVon on this and future projects,” said Perry in a statement announcing the partnership. “I think in this polarizing world, and at a time where the world seems to be growing colder everyday, we both share the common goal of wanting to spread some good. And there’s no better place than Netflix.”

Added Franklin, “Tyler and I have been great friends for over 15 years, so when he called me to team up on movies that can uplift the human spirit,...

Tyler Perry and DeVon Franklin (Miracles From Heaven) are getting into business with Netflix to make faith-based movies together.

The first film under their new partnership will be R&b, written by Mike Elliott (Brown Sugar) and Cory Tynan, and described as a modern-day retelling of the story of Ruth and Boaz, an iconic Biblical love story. Set in Tennessee, R&b follows a young woman who escapes the Atlanta music scene to care for an elderly widowed woman, only to the love of her life and gain the mother she never had.

The partnership between Tyler Perry Studios and Franklin comprises a multi-year and multi-picture first-look deal. “I’m so excited to be working with DeVon on this and future projects. I think in this polarizing world, and at a time where the world seems to be growing colder everyday, we both share the common goal of wanting to spread some good.

Tyler Perry Studios and DeVon Franklin (Flamin’ Hot) are partnering with Netflix to produce faith-based films under a multiyear, multipicture first-look deal. It marks the latest extension of Perry and Netflix’s creative partnership that sees him write, direct and produce films and series, but films under the new deal will be produced by Franklin and Perry in conjunction with Tyler Perry Studios.

The first film under the new partnership will be R&b, written by Mike Elliott (Brown Sugar) & Cory Tynan (Play’d). Most recently the writing duo penned the faith-based romantic comedy Relationship Goals for Franklin and Amazon MGM Studios.

R&b is a modern retelling of the story of Ruth and Boaz, one of the most iconic love stories in the Bible. Set in Tennessee, R&b tells the story of a young woman who escapes the Atlanta music scene to care for an elderly widowed woman...

Matt McCauley’s feature directorial debut, Undefiled, will only be released in theaters for two nights, starting on February 4th and February 10th at the Route 66 Theater in Webb City, Missouri.

Undefiled stars former MLB player Bradford Haynes (Stranger Things, Paradise City), Stelio Savante (Fresh Kills, Nefarious), Cory Kays (Looking For Andrew, Lily Is Here), Kalyn Wood (Wrath and Rituals), Sharonne Lanier (Pursuit Of Freedom, Son of The South), and Zach Sale (Ambitions, Miracles From Heaven).

In the film, “Struggling with an endless cycle of addiction, an aging Mitch Jennings finally gets his shot at professional baseball. But, taking that chance will mean turning his back on a team secret that may cost a young sex-trafficked victim her life.”

The screenings will include a meet and greet with the producers, director, and selective cast followed by a live Q&a session after the screening.

Tickets are available for direct purchase Here.

After a season of spending, Freevee knows you don't have to break the bank for quality. The free Amazon streamer has already added several titles to its platform to start the month, including the Tom Hanks-starred "Captain Phillips" and Ryan Coogler's directorial debut "Fruitvale Station," but more great titles will be coming throughout the rest of the month.

Find out The Streamable's top picks for what's here now and what's coming to the streamer throughout January!

Watch Now Free amazonfreevee.com What are the 5 Best Shows and Movies Coming to Freevee in January 2024? “Baby Driver” | Monday, Jan. 1

Edgar Wright helms the action thriller starring Ansel Elgort as Baby, a prodigal heist getaway driver and music-loving orphan in for one last job before riding off into the sunset with his girlfriend Debora (Lily James). Eiza Gonzalez, Jon Hamm, Jamie Foxx, Jon Bernthal, and Kevin Spacey make up the supporting...

Veteran producer Jon Erwin and former Netflix and YouTube exec Kelly Merryman Hoogstraten have announced the launch of The Wonder Project, a new independent studio that will cater to faith and values-oriented audiences.

Founded by Chief Content Officer Erwin and overseen by CEO Hoogstraten, The Wonder Project will look to create premium film and TV content for what they see as a huge audience that has traditionally been underserved by the entertainment industry. They’ll aim to build on the marked success in this arena of such recent titles as The Chosen and The Sound of Freedom, as well as older works like The Passion of the Christ, Heaven is for Real, I Can Only Imagine, War Room, Miracles from Heaven, and Soul Surfer, as they build their global audience.

More than $75 million in seed and Series A funding was raised ahead of launch from such major players as Sovereign’s Capital,...

The famous spy drama and action-thriller series Alias ran for five seasons, totaling over 100 episodes.

The series was well-recognized and was on the American Film Institute’s top ten list of television programs in 2003. In addition, Alias earned several nominations and awards, including nominations for Outstanding Actress and Outstanding Supporting Actor for Jennifer Garner and Victor Garber.

While Alias was an ensemble cast, it was led by Jennifer Garner. At least half of the cast appeared in the entire five seasons.

Alias premiered in September 2001 and lasted until May of 2006.

What is the cast of Alias doing now? Find out below!

Jennifer Garner as Sydney Bristow

Jennifer Garner didn’t just appear in Alias; she Was Alias.

While it was an ensemble-driven series, Alias would not have been as successful without Garner.

That was ultimately her break-out role, and she thrived from it, earning multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominations...

Hillary Swank rallies her entire town to help out a neighbor in the latest trailer for Lionsgate’s true-life faith-based drama “Ordinary Angels.”

The two-time Oscar winner plays a hairdresser who inserts herself into the life of a grieving widower with a critically ill daughter. The kid needs a new liver, and the dad just needs a little help. As revealed in the trailer, circumstances change when a new organ becomes available for transplant, but it requires a cross-country flight and happens to occur during a once-in-a-generation cold front.

Swank won two Best Actress Oscars, one in 2000 for “Boys Don’t Cry” and one in 2005 for “Million Dollar Baby.” Although she never really became a bankable draw, she has made a career out of mostly top-billed leading roles in films like “Amelia,” “The Core” and “The Gift.” Moreover, she almost never found herself just playing the love interest or the lone woman in a macho melodrama,...

Viola Davis is backing away from “G20” in a move that may put pressure on other A-listers.

The Egot winner says she’s stepping away from the project even after the film got the SAG-AFTRA interim agreement necessary to start production.

“I love this movie, but I do not feel that it would be appropriate for this production to move forward during the strike,” said the 57-year-old in a statement obtained by Et. “I appreciate that the producers on the project agree with this decision. JuVee Productions and I stand in solidarity with actors, SAG/AFTRA and the WGA.”

On Friday, SAG-AFTRA shared via its website that “G20” was approved for a waiver. Davis was set to produce and star in the film that secured the go-ahead from the actors guild, even given the involvement of Amazon Studios, because the project hails from the non AMPTP-affiliated MRC and will only be distributed by Amazon.

The first time Jesse Garcia learned about Richard Montañez — the former Frito-Lay executive who’s said that he invented the wildly successful Flamin’ Hot Cheetos brand when he was working as a janitor for the company — the actor immediately thought, “That would be an awesome movie.” Years later, Eva Longoria cast Garcia to play Montañez for her feature directing debut, “Flamin’ Hot,” which premieres June 9 on Hulu and Disney+.

The film, produced by DeVon Franklin, covers Richard’s life from his difficult childhood to his marriage to his high school sweetheart Judy (Annie Gonzalez) to his rise at Frito-Lay. For Garcia, it was an all-too-rare opportunity to depict the real-life story of a Latino family in a mainstream feature film.

“Non-Latino projects, they have the luxury of failing,” Garcia says. “But if our work doesn’t work — or if for some reason is not successful — it’s a struggle to get the next project.

Searchlight’s Flamin’ Hot trailer delves into the true story behind the popular (but messy) Flamin’ Hot Cheetos. Jesse Garcia (Quinceañera) stars as Richard Montañez, the janitor at a Frito-Lay factory who helped turn the industry around by cooking up a spicy version of the cheesy snack food.

“My journey is the journey of billions of people,” said the real Richard Montañez. “Being Mexican, being born in a labor camp, I’ve been fighting my whole life. I don’t know what it’s like not to fight.”

Director Eva Longoria calls Montañez the godfather of Hispanic marketing.

“That was his gift: seeing that nobody was paying attention to the Hispanic consumer. His gift wasn’t making a recipe in a chemical lab. His genius and talent and where he broke through was saying, ‘You guys, there’s a huge segment of the population in the United States that nobody is paying attention to,...

Hulu dropped its first trailer for “Flamin’ Hot,” an Eva Longoria-directed film about Mexican immigrant and former Frito-Lay janitor Richard Montañez, who claims he invented Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

The film, streaming June 9, stars Jesse Garcia as Montañez, as well as Annie Gonzales, Dennis Haysbert, Tony Shalhoub, Matt Walsh and Emilio Rivera.

Montañez’s story is that while he was working as a custodian at the Rancho Cucamonga Frito-Lay plant, he thought of spicing up Cheetos with chile powder. He contacted executives to pitch the snack and subsequently outsmarted corporate saboteurs, leading him to become a successful author and businessman.

The accuracy of Montañez’s story is disputed by Frito-Lay itself, which, in a Los Angeles Times article from May 2021, said employees located in the Upper Midwest actually created Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.

Frito-Lay told the Times, “We value Richard’s many contributions to our company, especially his insights into Hispanic consumers,...

The trailer for the new film Ordinary Angels showcases Hilary Swank's latest drama. The film, which was directed by Jon Gunn, is based on the true story of a Kentucky hairdresser named Sharon Stevens (Hilary Swank) who pulled the community together to help save the daughter of a neighbor (Alan Ritchson), who desperately needs a liver transplant. The cast also includes Skywalker Hughes, Nancy Travis, Tamala Jones, Emily Mitchell, Drew Powell, and Angel's Amy Acker.

Today, Lionsgate premiered the official trailer for Ordinary Angels.

In addition to revealing the details of the movie's plot, the trailer showcases Swank's performance, which seems to draw on two Oscar-winning brassy female roles of the past, namely Julia Roberts' Erin Brockovich and Sandra Bullock's Leigh Anne Tuohy in 2009's The Blind Side. Lionsgate has already released two promotional stills for the film featuring Swank and Ritchson in a snowy scene. Check...

On Easter weekend, TheWrap lists the top 10 highest grossing Christian films in box office history.

10.”Miracles From Heaven” (2016)

The Jennifer Garner film made $61.7 million this year on a budget of $13 million, good for eighth all time, adjusted for inflation.

9. “God’s Not Dead” (2014)

Starring Kevin Sorbo, Shane Harper, David A.R. White, and Dean Cain, “God’s Not Dead” opened to $60.8 million in 2014 ($61.8 million adjusted for inflation) on a budget of $2 million. Its box office success warranted a 2016 sequel.

8. “Exodus: Gods and Kings” (2014)

The film starring Christian Bale, Joel Edgerton, John Turturro and Aaron Paul grossed $65 million domestically.

7. “War Room” (2015)

The Sony Pictures film raised holy hell at the box office when it opened in August of 2015. It ended up making $67.8 million on a budget of $3 million. Adjusted for inflation, that’s $68.8 million.

6. “I Can Only Imagine” (2018)

Jon and Andrew Erwins’ take on the story behind MercyMe’s record-setting Christian single was so...

Exclusive: Following the movie’s world premiere at SXSW, Searchlight Pictures’ Eva Longoria feature directorial debut, Flamin’ Hot, will stream on both Hulu and Disney+ on June 9. It’s the first time that a new movie has been made available on both of the Disney-owned Ott services stateside. The pic will stream on Disney+ overseas.

The pic is based on the true story of Richard Montañez (Jesse Garcia) who as a Frito-Lay janitor disrupted the food industry by channeling his Mexican-American heritage to turn Flamin’ Hot Cheetos from a snack into an iconic global pop culture phenomenon.

“I’m so excited for the world to see Flamin’ Hot on these two streaming platforms making this universal, inspirational story accessible to an even wider audience,” said director Eva Longoria. “Now everyone can celebrate the joy, power and heart of this film that also happens to uplift Latinos both in front of and behind the camera.

Exclusive: Josh Gordon and Will Speck have signed a first-look deal with Sony Pictures Entertainment to develop and produce feature films. The news comes in the wake of their feature take of the children’s book Lyle, Lyle, Crocodile grossing over $104 million at the global box office.

The movie, which stars Javier Bardem and Constance Wu and has songs by Benj Pasek & Justin Paul and Shawn Mendes, is set for a China release April 15.

Speck and Gordon are attached to direct a film based on the AfterShock comic The Kaiju Score for Columbia Pictures. Todd Black and Jason Blumenthal at Escape Artists are producing along with AfterShock Media’s Lee and Jon Kramer; that project is in development. The duo are also attached to direct the A24 TV thriller Silverlake starring Zach Quinto and written by Samuel D. Hunter (The Whale). They also are the creators and showrunners of the...

Watching Jesus Revolution surge past $45 million in ticket sales for Lionsgate—matching or besting The Fabelmans, The Banshees Of Inisherin, Tár, Women Talking and Triangle Of Sadness, combined—it finally seems safe to say it. The faith-based audience is back.

Between Covid and the culture wars, it’s been a rough few years for those who make, promote and/or enjoy what are loosely called inspirational films. Sometimes the pictures are overtly religious, as with Jesus Revolution, the real-life story of a pastor and his counter-cultural following in the 1970s. Others are simply aspirational—moralistic, values-laden tales, like Creed III or Respect, about individuals striving to be more and better than they already are.

Either way, the uplift business was having tough time until Top Gun: Maverick broke through, at the strictly secular level, last year. The last explicitly religious film to top $40 million at the box office appears to have been Breakthrough,...

Eva Longoria’s feature directorial debut, “Flamin’ Hot,” had audiences on fire at its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival on March 11 — while deftly navigating the controversy surrounding the film’s subject without ever addressing it by name.

The movie is based on the life of former Frito-Lay executive Richard Montañez, played by Jesse Garcia, who has said that he was responsible for inventing the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos brand when he was working as a janitor for the company.

Before “Flamin’ Hot” went into production in 2021, however, Montañez’s claims were disputed by a Los Angeles Times report in which Frito-Lay stated that an internal investigation turned up no evidence that “Richard was involved in any capacity in the Flamin’ Hot test market” in 1990. Instead, the Times’ story attributed a Frito-Lay factory in the Midwest with spearheading the Flamin’ Hot brand and credited Montañez for helping to bring to...

Amazon Studios has picked up the rights to “Daring to Live,” produced by DeVon Franklin’s (“Breakthrough”) Franklin Entertainment.

Previously set up at Paramount Players, the project is now in development at Amazon Studios.

The film is inspired by Sheri Hunter’s 2020 memoir “Daring to Live: How the Power of Sisterhood and Taking Risks Can Jump-Start Your Joy.” It follows Hunter’s journey of “embracing life anew” after the sudden loss of her husband, thanks to the support of her group of friends — Angenette Frink, Mia Lewis and Brenda Jegede, collectively known as the “Dare Divas” — who encourage her to step outside her comfort zone.

As the film’s official description explains, the quartet go on to “tackle a series of death-defying adventures around the world that remind them all what it means to truly live. Through these dares, the women form an unbreakable bond and each learns to live life to the fullest.

Exclusive: BET+ has renewed its popular music-driven drama series Kingdom Business for a second season. Production is underway in Atlanta on the series executive produced by DeVon Franklin (Miracles From Heaven), Holly Carter (The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel), multi-Grammy-award-winner Kirk Franklin and Michael Van Dyck.

Written by John Sakmar and Kerry Lenhart, Kingdom Business explores the gospel music industry through the lenses of family, faith, love and the redemptive power of music.

Yolanda Adams returns to lead the series as the reigning “Queen of Gospel” Denita Jordan and Serayah as Rbel, a talented up-and-coming gospel star with a troubled past who threatens Denita’s crown.

Yolanda Adams and Tasha Cobbs Leonard

Joining as recurring guest stars for Season 2 are Loretta Devine and Louis Gossett, Jr. as Denita Jordan’s parents, “Darlene” and “Jeremiah”. Musical guests this season include Grammy and Billboard Award winners Tasha Cobbs Leonard and...

Exclusive: Sierra McCormick (American Horror Stories), Jade Pettyjohn (Big Sky), Brenna D’Amico (Descendants franchise), Gianni DeCenzo (Cobra Kai) and Bentley Green (61st Street) have signed on to star in Burnouts, a supernatural thriller from writer-director Tim Donner, which is heading into production in Atlanta this summer.

The film sees a group of grieving teens, hot off of quarantine, head off for a much needed retreat to reconnect and mend their wounds. A seance subsequently leads to an evening where anything can and does happen. Summer Parker (ABC’s Schooled pilot) and Connor Hammond (The Summer I Turned Pretty) will also star. Farrah West cast the film, which Kevin G. Lee and Kendrick Foxx of Tlk Filmworks are producing.

McCormick recently had an arc on FX on Hulu’s American Horror Stories, and can currently be seen in the horror film We Need to Do Something, which is streaming on Hulu.

Exclusive: CAA has signed Eugenio Derbez and his production company 3Pas Studios in all areas.

Derbez is on a hot streak following the announcement of multiple deals: a first-look deal with TelevisaUnivision’s streamer Vix, a development deal with Encantos for kids content, and a re-up of a first-look film deal at Lionsgate, to name a few.

The 3Pas Studios-produced bilingual series Acapulco for Apple TV+ was recently renewed for a second season.

Derbez is an award-winning actor, writer, director, producer, and philanthropist, who, along with former Pantelion Films executive and producer Ben Odell, built 3Pas Studios, a bilingual production company producing English and Spanish language content for global audiences.

3Pas has offices in Los Angeles, Miami, and Mexico City, where they also have its production services arm, Visceral. Composed of 22 employees, the studio services development and production across English and Spanish language movies, scripted and unscripted content, as well...

Exclusive: Yolanda Adams and Serayah have been tapped to star in Kingdom Business, a music-driven drama executive produced by DeVon Franklin (Miracles From Heaven), Holly Carter (The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel), multi-Grammy-award-winner Kirk Franklin and Michael Van Dyck.

Written by John Sakmar and Kerry Lenhart, co-creators of Mr. & Mrs. Smith the series, the eight-episode Kingdom Business explores the gospel music industry through the lenses of family, faith, love and the redemptive power of music.

The series will be led by Adams as the reigning “Queen of Gospel” Denita Jordan and Serayah as Rbel, a talented up-and-coming gospel star with a troubled past who threatens Denita’s crown. In addition to their leading roles, both Adams and Serayah will be featured in musical performances.

Michael Jai White also stars as Julius “Caesar” Jones, a powerful producer and Denita’s former collaborator turned rival; Michael Beach as Calvin Jordan,...

Exclusive: BET+ has given a series order to Kingdom Business, a music-driven drama executive produced by DeVon Franklin (Miracles From Heaven), Holly Carter (The Clark Sisters: The First Ladies of Gospel), multi-Grammy-award-winner Kirk Franklin and Michael Van Dyck. The eight-episode series explores the gospel music industry through the lenses of family, faith, love and the redemptive power of music.

Written by John Sakmar and Kerry Lenhart, co-creators of Mr. & Mrs. Smith the series, Kingdom Business is centered around the reigning Queen of Gospel Denita Jordan, and her ex-producer/songwriter/lover, Caesar, who created her sound and launched her career. Denita, who also runs an in-house record label and megachurch, is determined to guard her family and its many secrets at all costs to retain her place on the throne. Things seem to be unfolding in Denita’s favor until an unsuspecting young woman on the rise with a checkered past enters the scene.

Harkening back to his earlier films about childhood, Steven Spielberg has cast a slew of young actors in his semi-autobiographical film about his adolescence as an aspiring filmmaker in Arizona, which has the working title of “The Fabelmans.”

Gabriel Bateman (“Child’s Play”), Gustavo Escobar (“Instant Family”), Nicolas Cantu (“The Walking Dead: World Beyond”), Cooper Dodson (“Fear the Walking Dead”), Lane Factor (“Reservation Dogs”) and Stephen Smith (“The 15:17 to Paris”) are playing the friends of the character loosely based on Spielberg, portrayed by Gabriel Labelle.

They join a sprawling ensemble that includes Michelle Williams, Seth Rogen, Paul Dano, Judd Hirsch, Sam Rechner, Oakes Fegley, Chloe East, Julia Butters, Jeannie Berlin, Robin Bartlett, Jonathan Hadary and Isabelle Kusman.

Spielberg co-wrote the screenplay for “The Fabelmans” with his regular collaborator Tony Kushner. They’re both also producing the film with Kristie Macosko Krieger, backed by Spielberg’s company Amblin Partners. The film is currently in production,...

Exclusive: Breakthrough and Miracles From Heaven producer DeVon Franklin and his Franklin Entertainment are developing a feature film based on Michael Todd’s New York Times bestseller Relationship Goals: How to Win at Dating, Marriage, and Sex with Amazon Studios. Michael Elliot (Brown Sugar) and Cory Tynan (Woman Thou Art Loosed) will write the script.

Relationship Goals is a candid, inspiring guide to finding lasting love and sustaining a healthy relationship that encourages readers to get real about their goals. The book is based on Todd’s viral, multimillion-view sermon series about dating, marriage and sex. Relationship Goals spent 13 straight weeks on the New York Times bestsellers list and debuted at No. 1 on Amazon. The musical single “Relationship Goals (Revelation)” reached No. 10 on Billboard’s R&b chart.

Franklin is producing the project under his Franklin Entertainment. Katarina Hicks will oversee for the project for the company.

Franklin has a first-look deal at Paramount Pictures.

Update: PepsiCo has issued a new statement defending Richard Montañez, in which it says the Flamin’ Hot Cheetos controversy has caused “strain” in its relationship with the Latino community. The company also claims its previous statements have been “misconstrued.”

The screenwriter of an upcoming film about Flamin’ Hot Cheetos defended the project on Tuesday, after the Los Angeles Times report challenged Montañez’s claim to have invented the snack product.

Lewis Colick argued that Montañez, the hero of “Flamin’ Hot,” still has an inspiring story to tell of rising through the corporate ranks at Frito-Lay.

“I think enough of the story is true,” Colick said. “The heart and soul and spirit of the story is true. He is a guy who should remain the face of Flamin’ Hot Cheetos.”

Montañez has been claiming credit for Flamin’ Hot Cheetos for years, in books, interviews and motivational speeches. Director Eva Longoria is...

Student filmmakers from USC dominated the 26th Annual DGA Student Film Awards for African American, Asian American, Latino and women directors, which are designed to honor, encourage and bring attention to exceptional diverse directors in film schools and universities across the country. A national awards ceremony will take place virtually on Tuesday.

The DGA gives out 16 awards – eight in the West region and eight in the East – and USC students won all but two of the western regional honors. Student filmmakers from Columbia University won four of the eight eastern regional honors. Other schools whose students were honored include New York University (two awards), and with one each, the American Film Institute, Uc Berkley, the Savannah College of Art and Design, and the University of North Carolina School of the Arts.

“Congratulations to all of the talented awardees for this year’s DGA Student Film Awards,” said DGA president Thomas Schlamme.

Exclusive: Paramount Pictures has acquired Reckless Love feature from a pitch by To All The Boys: Ps I Still Love You scribe J. Mills Goodloe. Super-producer DeVon Franklin is attached to produce via his Franklin Entertainment label, which has a first-look deal at Paramount.

The film is based on the true love story behind critically acclaimed Christian worship song of the same title by Cory Asbury, one of the top Christian singer-songwriters. Goodloe will pen the screenplay, which will follow the love story between Cory and his wife Anna, who live in Kalamazoo, Michigan and have four children.

Released in 2018, the song spent 68 weeks on the Hot Christians Songs chart, 18 weeks at number one and 55 weeks in the top 10. The single, which has over 300 million total streams and more than 125 million views on YouTube, was also nominated for a 2019 Grammy for Best Contemporary Christian Music Performance/Song.

Israel Houghton will...

We might not be getting any new episodes of The Walking Dead until next year, but AMC is supplying us with a holiday treat to tide us over. As part of the network’s Best Christmas Ever schedule, The Walking Dead is receiving a Christmas special this December that’ll see the cast of the hit zombie drama coming together virtually for a festive tease of what’s headed our way when the show returns in 2021.

Hosted by Talking Dead‘s Chris Hardwick, the holiday special will unite several fan favorite stars of the long-running series as well as its spinoffs Fear the Walking Dead and The Walking Dead: World Beyond. It’ll stream exclusively on AMC+ – the network’s new premium on-demand platform offering early access and ad-free viewing – on Sunday, December 13th. That’s one week after World Beyond wraps up its season 1 finale.

The Walking Dead Holiday...

The Korean-American, Spider-Man-like heroine Silk may lead a live-action Marvel series from Sony Pictures TV, sources tell our sister site Variety. Lauren Moon (Good Trouble, Atypical) is in talks to pen the project, with Spider-Man: Into the Spiderverse‘s Phil Lord and Chris Miller exec-producing. While no outlet is officially attached yet, Amazon Prime is in talks, per Variety‘s sources.

Silk, aka Cindy Moon, was bitten by a radioactive spider in the comics, just like her classmate Peter Parker. She then developed the ability to move at incredible speed and shoot webs out of her fingertips, in addition...

Exclusive: CBS has put in development Closure, a one-hour drama loosely based on the life of baseball Hall of Famer-turned-funeral home owner Andre Dawson, from Samantha Corbin-Miller, DeVon Franklin (Breakthrough) and his Franklin Entertainment and CBS Television Studios, where Franklin is under an overall deal.

Written by Corbin-Miller, in Closure, a beloved baseball Hall of Famer takes over his uncle’s funeral home in an unexpected second chapter of his career in the wake of the unsolved disappearance of his adult son. Rocked by his family’s loss, he and his three daughters — a homicide detective, coroner and trauma nurse, who each have their own parallel journeys in the business of death — commit themselves to helping others find the peace and closure their family hasn’t been able to yet.

Corbin-Miller executive produces with Franklin. Jenna Nicholson, VP Television for Franklin Entertainment, will co-executive produce. Dawson will serve as a consultant.

Will the movies ever let religion back into the mainstream? It doesn’t seem likely, given the secular bent of most critics, festivals, and film awards. But the question could certainly occur to any thoughtful viewer of Marco Pontecorvo’s Fátima, which is set for release by Picturehouse in theaters and via PVOD on Aug. 28.

The film, which has been shown in pop-up previews for the last few weeks, is about the heavenly visions of three young children, who in 1917 said they encountered the Blessed Virgin Mary in a field near Fátima, Portugal. Believers flocked to the site. There may have been miracles. And Mary, said the children, confided three “secrets,” which became the core of an enduring Catholic cult that eventually found of the two young people, Francisco and Jacinta Marto, canonized as saints following their deaths in the 1918 flu pandemic, and made the third, Lùcia dos Santos, a...

Exclusive: Producer, motivational speaker and bestselling author DeVon Franklin (Breakthrough) is expanding his work in television, signing an overall deal with CBS TV Studios.

Franklin serves as president and CEO of the Franklin Entertainment production company, which has a multi-year first-look film deal with Paramount Pictures and a second-look deal with Netflix. Franklin has tapped former Juniper Place Productions exec Jenna Nicholson as VP Television to oversee his deal at CBS TV Studios.

On the film side, Franklin most recently produced the inspirational film Breakthrough starring Chrissy Metz, Topher Grace, Josh Lucas, Mike Colter and Marcel Ruiz for Disney/Fox; the Sony Pictures Animation film The Starring with Zachary Levi, Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry; and the Sony Pictures film Miracles From Heaven starring Jennifer Garner, Queen Latifah and Eugenio Derbez. On the TV side, he previously sold projects to NBC, ABC, CBS, Netflix and Hulu.

Additionally, Franklin Entertainment has...

Exclusive: DeVon Franklin, the producer behind the faith-based drama Breakthrough, has signed on to produce Daring to Live, a film adaptation based on the forthcoming novel Daring to Live: How the Power of Sisterhood and Taking Risks Can Jump-Start Your Joy by Sheri Hunter. The pic is set up at Paramount Players, with Jumping the Broom and The Fighting Temptations scribe Elizabeth Hunter attached to write the script.

Franklin, who has a newly minted first-look deal with Paramount Pictures, will produce via his Franklin Entertainment banner.

Sheri Hunter’s book, which will be released Tuesday via Baker Books, is a true story of how the “Dare Divas” were formed after the sudden death of Hunter’s husband. Three of her closest friends decided to help her heal from her grief through extreme adventures that dared them all to face their greatest fears. From whitewater rafting to skydiving to race-car driving,...

A year ago at the Sundance Film Festival, a group of Latinx industry execs kept asking each other the same question: Where are the Latinos?

With only a few movies at the festival by U.S.-born Latinos and the lack of our voices represented in the stories being told, we realized how little progress we’ve made in Hollywood. We vented our frustration on panels and on social media, but by the end of the festival, it was clear that we had to do more than just complain if we really wanted to help our community move forward.

A year later, La Collab was born: In partnership with Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti, we launched a collective impact effort with the support of more than 60 allies and partners to double by 2030 the representation of Latinos in Hollywood, both in front and behind the camera.

We can’t do this alone.

Exclusive: Affirm Films, Sony Pictures’ label specializing in inspirational, faith and family-friendly features, is expanding into television. Affirm Films has partnered with Sony Pictures Television to launch Affirm Television and has tapped tapped Marybeth Sprows, VP Original Programming for Crown Media Family Networks to run it. As VP, Affirm Television, Sprows will oversee all aspects of development and production, with a dual report to Rich Peluso, Evp/Head of Affirm Films, and Chris Parnell and Jason Clodfelter, Co-Presidents at Sony Pictures Television Studios.

“The pairing of Affirm Films and Sony Pictures Television brings together two passionate, experienced and focused groups with unique strengths that will make a mark in the television and episodic space,” said Peluso. “I’m eager to start working with Marybeth Sprows and the Spt team to create entertaining and meaningful content that will connect with an underserved audience seeking faith, family and inspirational content, and expanding...

Exclusive: NBC has put in development Kingdom Business, a gospel music industry drama produced by DeVon Franklin’s Franklin Entertainment, Holly Carter’s Relevé Entertainment, Kirk Franklin and Fo Yo Soul Entertainment, Michael Van Dyck’s Inspired Entertainment and Universal TV, a division of NBCUniversal Content Studios.

Written by John Sakmar and Kerry Lenhart, Kingdom Business is a behind-the-scenes look into the world of the gospel music industry and all of the conflict and secrets that come with money, fame and success.

Sakmar and Lenhart executive produce with DeVon Franklin, Carter, Kirk Franklin and Van Dyck. Universal TV is the studio.

Sakmar and Lenhart created mid-’90s TV series Mr. & Mrs. Smith, which aired for one season on CBS. The writing-producing duo served as consulting producers on Reign and Make It Or Break It, and co-executive producers on The Glades and Signed, Sealed & Delivered, among other credits.

DeVon Franklin has signed a first-look producing deal at Paramount Pictures.

Under his Franklin Entertainment banner, Franklin previously produced inspirational and faith-based films, including this year’s “Breakthrough,” starring Chrissy Metz, as well as “Miracles From Heaven,” with Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah, and the animated film “The Star,” toplined by Zachary Levi, Gina Rodriguez, Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry.

Prior to launching his own production company, Franklin was a senior vice president of production at Columbia TriStar, where he worked on “Heaven Is for Real,” “The Karate Kid” and “The Pursuit of Happyness.” He is also the author of multiple books, including the New York Times bestseller “The Wait,” which he co-wrote with his wife, Meagan Good.

“We couldn’t be happier to be collaborating with DeVon to bring his unique brand of uplifting stories to our audiences,” said Wyck Godfrey, president of Paramount’s Motion Picture Group. “His...

DeVon Franklin, the producer behind faith-based films such as the Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah-starrer Miracles from Heaven, has inked first-look producing deal with Paramount Pictures.

Franklin’s most recent film, Breakthrough starring Chrissy Metz, was released in April via 20th Century Fox, where Franklin held an overall deal. He currently has Flamin’ Hot, the Eva Longoria-directed biopic about the man who created the spicy Flamin’ Hot Cheetos snack, set at Fox Searchlight.

Prior to launching his own production shingle, Franklin Entertainment, Franklin served as Senior Vice President of Production at Sony’s Columbia TriStar and worked on pics such as Heaven is For Real, The Karate Kid, and The Pursuit of Happyness. Earlier this year, Deadline reported that he has re-teamed with Sony for a biopic about multi-platinum gospel singer Kirk Franklin.

Franklin is also a preacher, motivational speaker, and the author of multiple books including the...

Paramount Pictures on Monday announced a first-look producing deal with preacher-turned-producer DeVon Franklin.

Under his Franklin Entertainment banner, Franklin will work with the Hollywood studio to make faith-based films following the box office success of such efforts as Breakthrough, starring Chrissy Metz; Miracles From Heaven, starring Jennifer Garner and Queen Latifah; and the animated film The Star, starring Zachary Levi, Gina Rodriguez, Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry.

Before launching his own production company, Franklin was senior vp production at Columbia TriStar, where he worked on Heaven Is For Real, The Karate Kid and The Pursuit of Happyness, among other titles.

"We ...