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Variety is premiering the trailer (below) for upcoming animated feature “Heidi – Rescue of the Lynx,” which will be presented to buyers by sales agency Studio 100 Film at the American Film Market in Las Vegas this week.

Leonine will release the film theatrically in Germany, with completion set for early summer 2025.

The adventure film stays true to the spirit of the original book and its characters, according to Studio 100 Film, while telling a completely new story of the girl from the Swiss Alps.

When eight-year-old Heidi saves a lynx family and their home from a greedy businessman, she gets her grandfather to come clean with the village community and she realizes that her beloved little lynx belongs with his family in the wild just as she belongs with her grandfather in the mountains.

Swiss author Johanna Spyri’s original book “Heidi” has sold 50 million copies in 50 languages. The latest “Heidi...

Dame Maggie Smith, the legendary British actor known for roles in A Room With A View, Downton Abbey, the Harry Potter franchise and more, has died. Her sons Toby Stephens and Chris Larkin confirmed the news to the BBC. She was 89 years old.

"It is with great sadness we have...

Ricard Claus and Karsten Kiilerich’s kids and family animated feature “Panda Bear in Africa” is continuing its long journey and heading to France (Le Pacte), Switzerland (Praesens) and the Benelux territories (WW Entertainment) after a raft of sales by the film’s sales agent Cinema Management Group. In early fall, it will also release in the Middle East (Front Row Entertainment), Poland (Kino Świat), Portugal (Films4You) and Turkey (Filmarti).

Screening in this year’s Annecy Presents section at the French festival, the film focuses on Pang, a young panda bear who is best friends with Jielong, a young female dragon.

While playing with Jielong in the bamboo forest, Pang is abducted by an African baboon and a “hilariously dimwitted” crocodile. Pang’s journey to save his best friend will take him far away from his home in China, all the way to the southern tip of Africa.

“When we are making films,...

Summertime is the best time to transport yourself into a nostalgic world, as Freeform celebrates 30 Days of Disney with legendary Disney films starting June 1. Viewers can relive their childhood with films from the full Disney catalog, including Disney-Pixar’s Inside Out, National Treasure, Avatar, Spider-Man (2002), and many more.

The programming event will also feature the world television premiere of Disney-Pixar’s animated film Lightyear. Other Freeform premieres include Disney-Pixar’s Soul and Disney Animation’s Fantasia (1940 and 2000).

Throughout each week in June, fans can reminisce with special summer marathons that will stir up fond memories and reconnect them with the films they cherish.

During the first weekend of June, you can check out your Disney “faves” with classic films like Disney Animation’s Aladdin, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid (1989). During the second weekend, check out your Pixar faves with movies like Inside Out, Coco, and Cars.

Celebrate...

Germany’s Studio 100 Media and Spain’s 3Doubles Producciones have teamed to develop animated adventure comedy “Flamingo Flamenco.” World sales agent Studio 100 Film, a subsidiary of Studio 100 Media, will introduce the project to buyers at the European Film Market in Berlin.

The script has been written by Rob Sprackling, whose credits include “Shaun the Sheep Movie,” “Gnomeo & Juliet” and “The Queen’s Corgi.”

The CGI film is scheduled for delivery in the fourth quarter of 2026.

“Flamingo Flamenco” follows the journey of Rosie, a young and exuberant flamingo, as she navigates personal loss and seeks to rediscover the joy of dance. The action is set against the backdrop of the beautiful Fuente de Piedra lagoon in Andalucía, Spain.

“Flamingo Flamenco”

The family-friendly entertainment feature “promises an enchanting and passionate blend of adventure, comedy and heartwarming moments,” according to a statement from Studio 100 Film, adding that the film “emphasizes the importance of perseverance,...

It’s a fairly packed month on Hulu this February thanks to the addition of some interesting TV shows from FX and ABC. While the streamer’s own original content is somewhat limited – Life + Beth is returning for season 2 – you can also catch the new series of Feud this month. The new installment in Ryan Murphy’s juicy anthology show is based on the bestseller Capote’s Women: A True Story of Love, Betrayal, and a Swan Song for an Era by Laurence Leamer, and tells the story of Truman Capote’s betrayal and fall-out with New York’s most glamorous socialites. The cast is absolutely stacked, with Naomi Watts, Diane Lane, Chloë Sevigny and Calista Flockhart all swearing delicious revenge on Tom Hollander’s Capote.

Also via Hulu in February comes the third season of Abbott Elementary, along with new episodes of The Connors, The Good Doctor, Will Trent,...

Historical British comedy Seize Them! lands in UK cinemas in April, and the trailer has landed.

Prolific comedy writer Andy Riley, along with his writing partner Kevin Cecil, has written for numerous comedy shows including Trigger Happy TV, So Graham Norton, Smack the Pony, The Armando Iannucci Shows, Black Books, Harry and Paul, Big Bad World and Veep. They also created and wrote the underrated Matt Berry sitcom Year of The Rabbit for Channel 4.

On the big screen, Cecil and Riley wrote the scripts for Gnomeo And Juliet and the sequel, Sherlock Gnomes.

Now, Riley has written the screenplay for Seize Them! a historical comedy with a huge ensemble cast of familiar faces from the British comedy scene. Originally set for release last year, we’re delighted to see it’s now returned to the cinema release schedule.

The synopsis reads as follows:

Brimming with warmth, humour and swordfights,...

If there is cinematic butt to be kicked, rest assured that Jason Statham will be at the front of the line. Since he burst onto the scene in Guy Ritchie’s Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels in 1998, he’s left a lot of broken bodies and wrecked cars in his wake. And when Expendables 4 rolls out on September 20, he will be nearing his 50th film, the lion’s share being unapologetic explosive action.

Statham makes movies with staying power. He’s made four Expendables films, three Transporters, two Mechanics (2011 and 2016), tw0 Cranks (2006 and 2009) and two Megs (2018 and 2023). Oh, yes, he also jumped into the Fast and Furious universe, making Furious 7 (2015), The Fate of the Furious (2017), Fast X (2023) and the spinoff Fast and Furious Presents: Hobbs and Shaw (2019), teaming with Dwayne Johnson.

As a leading man, his films have delivered $1.8 billion worldwide, according to The Numbers.

With its list of new releases for July 2023, Prime Video is going to help you stay safe from the oppressive July sun.

Highlighting the Amazon Originals on the TV side this month are two heavy hitters. The first is The Horror of Dolores Roach on July 7. Based on a podcast of the same name, this series could best be described as a modern day Sweeney Todd? Why, you ask? Well you know why. Think about it. Then season 2 of Neil Gaiman adaptation Good Omens premieres on July 28. This season will follow angel Aziraphale (Michael Sheen) and demon Crowley (David Tenant) as they seek to keep the Archangel Gabriel (Jon Hamm) away from both heaven and hell.

There aren’t any Amazon Original movies of note this month and that’s alright as the influx of library titles is more than enough. July 1 sees the arrival of The 40-Year-Old Virgin, No Country for Old Men,...

The second season of original series “Almost Paradise” is set to premiere on Freevee on July 21. When hypertension forces DEA agent Alex Walker (played by Christian Kane) into early retirement, he moves to the Philippines in hopes of a quieter life. But unfortunately for him, he can’t avoid danger. Soon, the local police ask him to help solve a series of serious crimes.

Watch the “Almost Paradise” Season 2 trailer:

Also coming to Amazon’s free streaming service in July is the incredibly meta action series “Ze Network.” In the show, David Hasselhoff plays himself as he takes a gig at an English-language theater in Germany — and we all know that Germans love David Hasselhoff. However, once there, he is recruited into an elite society of super-spies, who must work together to prevent a dangerous plot from striking the nation.

Check out the trailer for “Ze Network”:

The Coen Bros.

“The Help” is coming to Freevee on June 1. The top-notch cast includes Emma Stone, Viola Davis, Octavia Spencer, and Jessica Chastain. The plot focuses on two black maids who work in white homes in Jackson, Mississippi, in the 1960s. Stone plays a writer who wants to help the women chronicle the hardships they face, so their injustices are exposed nationwide. “The Help” chronicles real-life conditions in the Deep South, while celebrating female friendship and empowerment.

Watch the trailer for “The Help”:

Also streaming on June 1 is the hit dystopian thriller “The Hunger Games,” turned into a four-film franchise, starring Jennifer Lawrence. In the first, the nation of Panem pits one girl and one boy from 12 tribes to fight to the death each year in the games. There can be only one survivor. The story is written from the perspective of a 16-year-old girl, who takes her sister’s place...

Ozzy Osbourne, the Godfather of Metal, may be most famous for his legendary contributions to the music genre, but the Prince of Darkness has also acted in a handful of movies. He's far from the first rock star to do so, but his choice of roles prove his sense of humor and knack for camp. Folks may recognize him from his cameos in comedies like "Austin Powers in Goldmember" and "Little Nicky," or voice cameos in "Gnomeo & Juliet" and "Trolls 2: World Tour," but earlier on he appeared in the lesser-known 1986 heavy metal horror film "Trick or Treat."

Not to be confused with the 2007 Halloween-themed anthology "Trick 'r Treat," "Trick or Treat" is a tongue-in-cheek relic of a time when conservative commentators were denouncing metal music as a serious threat to the public order. The story follows high school metalhead Eddie Weinbauer, played by Marc Price, and his quest...

It feels just like last month we were complimenting Hulu on its true crime offerings. Well, with its list of new releases for February 2023, Hulu is staying in the true crime lane. Suppose that’ll happen when you push back the release date of a series or two.

February sees the arrival of three notable true crime series on Hulu. Taiwan Crime Stories premieres on Feb. 1 and presents four true tales from Taiwan’s criminal “dark underbelly.” That will be followed by ABC News Studios’ Killing County on Feb. 3. That three-episode series ponders the question “what happens when police kill?” The most interesting true crime offering premieres on Feb. 9. That’s when Stolen Youth: Inside the Cult at Sarah Lawrence College shares its four-episode saga of Larry Ray and the young college students he victimized.

As far as non true crime offerings go, the third and final season of Hulu...

March will see the return of a fan-favorite series, the launch of a spinoff of a fan-favorite series and a handful of noteworthy films added to Amazon Prime Video.

Below, we’ve assembled a complete list of what’s new on Amazon Prime Video in March, and it includes the highly anticipated second season of the sci-fi comedy series “Upload,” which premieres March 11. Additionally, the new series “The Boys Presents: Diabolical” premieres on March 4 and promises eight all-new animated stories set within the R-rated superhero world of “The Boys.”

Also on March 4, the Amy Poehler-directed documentary “Lucy and Desi” premieres, chronicling the relationship between Lucille Ball and Desi Arnaz.

In terms of library titles, March 1 brings the Ryan Reynolds-Sandra Bullock rom-com “The Proposal,” the classic “Dead Poets Society,” the sci-fi “Alien” prequel “Prometheus,” the comedy spoof “Spaceballs” and a number of other films to the streaming service.

Amazon Prime Video’s epic The Lord of the Rings series won’t arrive until 2022. Thankfully, with its list of new releases for November 2021, Amazon has a pretty major fantasy adaptation to hold us over.

The Wheel of Time is set to premiere on Nov. 19 and will bring Robert Jordan’s massive fantasy universe to life. Rosamund Pike stars as Moiraine, a powerful magic-user who guides five young people on a perilous journey around the world. One of them just might be the reincarnation of the Dragon, a powerful entity who could save the world…or destroy it.

Read more TV The Wheel of Time: Who Are the Aes Sedai? By Michael Ahr TV How The Wheel of Time Adapts a Sprawling Epic Fantasy By Michael Ahr

In addition to that bit of fantasy fun, Amazon Prime also has some other TV options this month. Lesbian dating show Tampa Baes (Nov.

The latest in our series of writers sticking up for maligned movies is a defence of the Arnie-free alien sequel

Predator is a bona fide classic of science fiction. Predator 2 is, by most accounts, utter trash – one of countless sequels from the late 80s and early 90s that live in the shadow of their predecessor. Yet such is the way that the predator has been tarnished by almost every film that has come since, Predator 2 stands up as one of the creature’s best outings. Stephen Hopkins’s film stands up well to repeat viewings and is far less dumb than it first appears. It has its dumb moments but still has more brains behind the brawn than it receives credit for.

Related: Hear me out: why Gnomeo & Juliet isn’t a bad movie...

Archewell Productions, the Netflix-based shingle launched by Prince Harry and Meghan Markle, is getting into the animation business. Meghan, The Duchess of Sussex, is the creator behind “Pearl,” described as a “family series that centers on the adventures of a 12-year-old girl, who is inspired by a variety of influential women from history.”

Credited as The Duchess of Sussex in the release, Markle will executive produce “Pearl” (which is a working title) with David Furnish, Carolyn Soper, Liz Garbus, and Dan Cogan. Amanda Rynda has been tapped as showrunner and executive producer.

“Like many girls her age, our heroine Pearl is on a journey of self-discovery as she tries to overcome life’s daily challenges,” Markle said in a statement. “I’m thrilled that Archewell Productions, partnered with the powerhouse platform of Netflix, and these incredible producers, will together bring you this new animated series, which celebrates extraordinary women throughout history.

You know what they say: when God (or Kevin Feige) closes the door on one Disney+ Marvel series, he opens the door on another. Disney+’s list of new releases for March 2021 is highlighted by a changing of the guard for Marvel TV shows.

The highly successful and fun Marvel Disney+ premiere WandaVision will wrap up its run on Friday, March 5. The following week will see an intriguing making-of doc called Assembled premiere. Then on March 19, Marvel’s next TV effort, The Falcon and The Winter Soldier will finally arrive. It’s been a long wait for the latest chapter of Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson but we’ll get to see them carry on Cap’s legacy soon enough.

While it’s a big month for Marvel on Disney+ (and every month probably will be for the foreseeable future), the streamer does have some other intriguing originals arriving. Animated...

“His Dark Materials” star James McAvoy is set to narrate a new reality competition show for U.K. broadcaster Channel 4, in which a group of strangers is tasked with building a bridge to reach an island.

“The Bridge” marks one of the first unscripted endeavors for the “Split” actor, whose voice work spans feature films such as “Gnomeo & Juliet” and “Watership Down.” McAvoy will narrate all five episodes of the show, which sees 12 strangers come together in the British countryside to win £100,000.

However, the prize lies out of reach on an island 250 meters away from where the contributors are based, and to reach it, they must work together to build the bridge in 20 days. If the group successfully works as a team and reaches the cash before the deadline, overcoming various twists in the process, each will get a vote on who they think is the most deserving of the prize.

Stuart Cornfeld, the producing partner with Ben Stiller on Zoolander, Dodgeball and Tropic Thunder, died Friday of cancer. He was 67.

His friend, actress Liliana Greenfield-Sanders confirmed the news on Twitter.

Very sad to let you know that our dear friend Stuart Cornfeld died today from cancer. He was the funniest person on the planet. I will miss him terribly. Do yourself a favor and watch one of the many amazing films he produced. He was truly one of the greats. pic.twitter.com/ONcuOl56Hk

— Greenfield-Sanders (@Liliana) June 26, 2020

Cornfeld was born in Tarzana in 1952, and graduated from the American Film Institute in 1975. While working with Anne Bancroft on two Directing Workshop for Women projects, she introduced him to husband Mel Brooks. That led to Cornfeld becoming the assistant on 1977’s High Anxiety.

He worked on several other Bancroft and Brooks projects, becoming the executive producer on the Brooks-produced The Elephant Man.

Kelly Asbury, an animator who directed Oscar-nominated films such as “Shrek 2” and “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” has died. He was 60.

Asbury died Friday morning in Los Angeles following a long battle with abdominal cancer, a representative for Asbury, Nancy Newhouse Porter, told Variety.

Asbury, who started his career at Walt Disney Feature Animation in 1983, directed five animated feature films during his career: “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron,” which was released in 2002; “Shrek 2″ in 2004, which he co-directed with Conrad Vernon; 2011’s “Gnomeo & Juliet”; 2017’s “Smurfs: The Lost Village”; and his final directorial effort was 2019’s “Ugly Dolls,” which starred Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton and Pitbull.

His other work includes credits on “The Little Mermaid,” Tim Burton’s “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” “James and the Giant Peach,” “The Prince of Egypt,” “Chicken Run,” “Shrek,” “Wreck-It Ralph,” “Frozen” and “Sherlock Gnomes.”

In addition, the Texas native...

Kelly Asbury, an animation writer-director and voice actor whose credits include Shrek 2, Smurfs: The Lost Village and Beauty and the Beast, died today after battling cancer for several years. He was 60. His rep Nancy Newhouse Porter of Newhouse Porter Hubbard confirmed the news to Deadline.

“He was one of the most admired and beloved people in the industry,” she said. “It’s heartbreaking for everyone.”

A three-time Annie Awards nominee for helming 2004’s Shrek 2 and writing and directing 2011’s Gnomeo & Juliet, Asbury also was nommed twice by the Cannes Film Festival: He was up for the Palme d’Or for Shrek 2 and the Camera d’Or for best debut feature for 2002’s Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron.

His also directed last year’s UglyDolls, and his writing credits included co-penning the story for Disney’s 1991 animated classic Beauty and the Beast.

Born on January 15, 1960, in Beaumont,...

Kelly Asbury, an animation director known for directing “Shrek 2,” “Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron” and most recently “Uglydolls,” has died. He was 60.

Asbury died peacefully Friday in Encino, California, following a long battle with cancer, a representative for Asbury, Nancy Newhouse Porter, told TheWrap.

Asbury has a story credit on Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” and additionally wrote the screenplay and story for “Gnomeo & Juliet,” which he also directed in 2011. Asbury got his start at Disney between 1983 and 1995, contributing storyboards for Golden Age Disney films such as “The Little Mermaid,” “The Black Cauldron,” “The Rescuers Down Under” and more.

Also Read: Lewis John Carlino, 'The Great Santini' Writer and Director, Dies at 88

Upon shifting to DreamWorks in 1995, his directorial debut was for the 2002 animated film “Spirit,” which was nominated for an Oscar. He would even provide additional voices for “Shrek 2” and in “Shrek the Third.

Kelly Asbury, the respected animator who directed such films as Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Shrek 2 and Gnomeo & Juliet, has died. He was 60.

Asbury died Friday after a long battle with cancer, rep Nancy Newhouse Porter confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. "This was one of the most admired and beloved people in the industry," she said.

Most recently, Asbury helmed the STX animated film UglyDolls (2019), a musical starring Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton and Pitbull.

A CalArts alum and three-time Annie Awards nominee who started his career at Walt Disney Feature Animation ...

Kelly Asbury, the respected animator who directed such films as Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron, Shrek 2 and Gnomeo & Juliet, has died. He was 60.

Asbury died Friday at his home in Encino after a long battle with cancer, rep Nancy Newhouse Porter confirmed to The Hollywood Reporter. "This was one of the most admired and beloved people in the industry," she said.

Most recently, Asbury helmed the STX animated film Uglydolls (2019), a musical starring Kelly Clarkson, Nick Jonas, Janelle Monáe, Blake Shelton and Pitbull.

A CalArts alum and three-time Annie Awards nominee who started his career ...

Lady Gaga has officially returned to the dance floor that built her early career. Chromatica, a deep dive into the history of house and underground dance music, follows pit stops in jazz (Cheek to Cheek), country (Joanne) and Oscar territory (A Star Is Born). Along the way, she picks up a select group of friends to collaborate with her. Of course, Ariana Grande and Blackpink have their own histories of releasing booming pop bangers, but Elton John’s foray into dance music with Gaga feels like a welcome, surprising touch.

Just look at this line-up of nominees: Beyonce vs. Taylor Swift vs. Elton John vs. Cynthia Erivo — along with composer and Egot champ Robert Lopez and spouse Kristen Anderson-Lopez.

Will there be a glitzier or more highly competitive category at the 77th Golden Globes than Best Original Song in a Motion Picture? Too bad that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association doesn’t make room for musical performances during its party that passes as an awards show.

One can only hope that these are also the same candidates that will show up on the Oscar ballot. Perhaps John Travolta will be given another a chance to right his wrong when he weirdly introduced “Frozen’s” Elsa — Idina Menzel — as Adele Dazeem before she sang the winning”Let It Go” at the 2014 ceremonies — that is if she gets to wail “Into the Unknown” from its sequel, “Frozen 2.”

See 2020 Golden Globes film nominations forums reactions: Cheers for ‘Joker,...

Jack Whitehall voices a disgraced doggie who ends up joining a canine fight club in this mirthless animated caper

These are indeed the misadventures of one of Her Majesty’s pluckier canine companions. Much of the action thus takes place in and around a functionally rendered Buckingham Palace, complete with photorealistic Liz and Phil in union-jack slippers. And yet this is not a homegrown animation. The credits reveal that most of the key personnel – headed by directors Vincent Kesteloot and Ben Stassen – are Belgian. Is there no one on this side of the North Sea who could digitise a few poop gags? Or would that leave the animators facing charges of treason?

Since Fly Me to the Moon (2008), Stassen’s Brussels-based nWave studio has generated cheap and cheerful product for harassed parents to make do with if the latest Pixar has sold out. The Queen’s Corgi script, by Gnomeo & Juliet...

It’s safe to say Disney’s “Avengers: Endgame” won’t be done breaking records any time soon. Up next, the Marvel box office behemoth has its sights set on securing the biggest domestic second weekend of all time.

That crown currently belongs to “Star Wars: The Force Awakens,” with its mighty $149 million sophomore outing in North America. “Avengers: Endgame” is already in uncharted territory after its jaw-dropping $357 million opening weekend, making it all the more difficult to predict just how big of a second weekend the superhero blockbuster is heading for. Even so, “Endgame” could endure a massive 57% decline in box office receipts from its debut and still surpass the benchmark set by “The Force Awakens,” which dipped 39.8%.

By comparison, “Avengers: Infinity War,” the precursor to “Endgame,” saw a 55% drop in sales during its second frame. It’s undisputed that the superhero finale will assemble sizable ticket sales this weekend,...

In “UglyDolls,” an air-popped animated musical fairy tale about learning to embrace the ugly — that is, ordinary — specimen most of us are, the title plush toys are monochromatic fuzzy-felt factory rejects who get tossed off the assembly line for one reason or another. Each has a flaw that fails to meet the corporate standards of eye-pleasing symmetry and cuddliness. Moxy (voiced by Kelly Clarkson), the movie’s heroine, is a rambunctious blob of pinkness whose problem is her teeth. Ox (Blake Shelton), a rabbity green customer, has an X where his left eye should be — though at least he’s meant to have another eye. Ugly Dog (Pitbull), a cyclops canine mascot, has one glaring yellow peeper at the center of his forehead. And Wage, voiced by Wanda Sykes, sports two ungainly lower incisors, an homage, I assume, to the gargoyle voiced by Sykes on Disney Junior’s “Vampirina.”

The Ugly Dolls,...

Kelly Clarkson declares herself a “superwoman” on her sleek new electro-pop song “Broken & Beautiful,” which appears on the upcoming soundtrack to animated film UglyDolls. The song was co-written by Pink and co-produced by Marshmello.

“I never held my hand out and asked for something free/I got pride I could roll out for miles in front of me,” the singer softly croons over a four-chord synth pulse. “I don’t need your help, and I don’t need sympathy/I don’t need you to lower the bar for me.

A lifelong fan of Sherlock Holmes, director John Stevenson had a set of specific conditions for taking on the Paramount animated sequel, Sherlock Gnomes. Coming off Kelly Asbury’s 2011 feature Gnomeo & Juliet, the follow-up would retain key elements—namely, a band of charming garden sculptures, who get into a series of comedic misadventures. At the same time, Stevenson’s take wouldn’t be overly goofy or broad. Set in contemporary London, it would show reverence for an iconic literary character, who would be “repositioned to work for a family film.” An interesting and unusual challenge for the director was to take a franchise that began in one genre—the musical romantic comedy—and recontextualize it for another. “That’s not a normal thing to do with any kind of movie, let alone an animated one,” Stevenson says. “But that was the condition for me to work on it, and...

Exclusive: Extras and Sherlock Gnomes actress Ashley Jensen is the first cast aboard for Disney’s Lady And The Tramp reboot, I understand.

Jensen has landed a supporting role in the anticipated pic voicing Scottish Terrier Jackie (in the original movie it was Jock), a loyal supporter to Lady. Disney is currently gathering lead and supporting cast on the movie, which could potentially go into production later this year.

Disney recently tapped The Lego Ninjago Movie director Charlie Bean to helm the live-action/CG hybrid update of the animated classic, which is a priority project for the studio’s as-yet-untitled streaming service slated to launch in late 2019.

The movie will be an exclusive to the service — which will include film and TV content from Disney, Pixar, Marvel and Lucasfilm — and it won’t have a theatrical run.

The 1955 original followed an upper-middle-class American cocker spaniel named Lady who meets a streetsmart,...

MaryAnn’s quick take… A flimsy treasure-hunt plot, a sexy song-and-dance number, and more of the same Elton John songs deployed with trite, lazy tedium. They mean to keep cranking out these dumb, dull movies, don’t they? I’m “biast” (pro): nothing

I’m “biast” (con): hated the first movie

(what is this about? see my critic’s minifesto) women’s participation in this film

(learn more about this)

What new spoof adventure shall we hear this time?” the living, breathing, talking, and somehow even farting garden gnomes returning from Gnomeo & Juliet ask us as their second cinematic adventure opens. “Game of Gnomes? Indiana Gnomes?” You laugh… and then you realize, Oh, crap, they mean to keep cranking out these dumb, dull movies.

Gnomeo & Juliet was tedious, obvious, humorless, and trite. Sherlock Gnomes is more of the pointless same. I half suspect that these lazy excuses...

Rogue One star Felicity Jones, Love Actually’s Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Star Trek’s Patrick Stewart and Bates Motel’s Freddie Highmore have joined Tomer Eshed’s Dragon Rider.

The quartet will work alongside previously announced actors Meera Syal (Doctor Strange), Sanjeev Bhaskar (Absolutely Anything) and Nonso Anozie (Cinderella) in the animated adaptation of Cornelia Funke’s novel.

It is being sold at Cannes by Timeless Films and is produced by Constantin Film’s Martin Moszkowicz and Oliver Berben together with the co-producers Cyborn and RiseFX along with the team of Lumatic. The film is due to be delivered fall 2019.

Written by Johnny Smith (Gnomeo & Juliet), Dragon Rider trails an unlikely trio of heroes; young silver dragon Firedrake (Brodie-Sangster), Sorrel (Jones) the mountain brownie and a boy called Ben (Highmore) as they embark on an epic adventure and battle against a vicious, dragon-killing machine called Nettlebrand (Stewart) to find the ‘Rim of Heaven’.

“Felicity,...

Felicity Jones, the star of 2016’s “Rogue One,” has signed up for animated movie “Dragon Rider,” joining an impressive voice cast that includes Patrick Stewart. The film is one of the biggest animation projects out of Europe in recent times.

Based on Cornelia Funke’s bestselling novel of the same name, the family adventure will be produced by Constantin Film’s Martin Moszkowicz and Oliver Berben. It will be directed by Tomer Eshed. Cyborn, RiseFX and Lumatic are co-producers. Johnny Smith (“Gnomeo & Juliet) wrote the movie, which will launch in the fall of 2019.

Other cast members are Thomas Brodie-Sangster, Freddie Highmore, Meera Syal, Sanjeev Bhaskar and Nonso Anozie.

The film follows Firedrake, a young silver dragon; Sorrel, a mountain spirit; and Ben, an orphaned boy. The unlikely band searches in the Himalayas for the Rim of Heaven, which can offer sanctuary for Firedrake’s kin, whose valley is made uninhabitable by a dam.

Timeless Films selling project in Cannes.

Felicity Jones (Rogue One), Thomas Brodie-Sangster (The Maze Runner) and Patrick Stewart (Star Trek) have boarded the voice cast of feature animation Dragon Rider.

Freddie Highmore (Finding Neverland), Meera Syal (Doctor Strange), Sanjeev Bhaskar (Absolutely Anything) and Nonso Anozie (Cinderella) are also in the cast of the film, which follows a trio of heroes: young silver dragon Firedrake (Brodie-Sangster), Sorrel (Jones) the mountain brownie and a boy called Ben (Highmore) as they embark on an adventure and battle against a dragon-killing machine called Nettlebrand (Stewart).

Based on Cornelia Funke’s novel of the same...

This chuckle-worthy sequel to the animated Gnomeo & Juliet is daft and charming, but creative inspiration is running low

Whatever could have led diminutive megastar Elton John to bankroll a series of digimations headlining humble garden gnomes? The fragile tchotchkes debuted in Rocket Pictures’ 2011 venture Gnomeo & Juliet, which offered Ozzy Osbourne voicing an ornamental faun, a soundtrack of childproofed Elton hits, and near-unsurpassable novelty value.

This flatly functional sequel relocates the trinkets from Stratford to London, where G&J’s honeymoon is almost over – she’s spending too much time in the garden – and a spate of gnome thefts attracts the interest of Baker Street’s finest, voiced here by Mortdecai star Johnny Depp as the same old supercilious pseud.

Yesterday as the capital bathed in some unseasonable sunshine giant garden gnomes invaded Leicester Square for a family gala screening of Sherlock Gnomes, the follow up to the most acclaimed clay-based Shakespeare adaptation Gnomeo and Juliet.

The film stars Emily Blunt, James McAvoy, Mary J. Blige, Stephen Merchant, Maggie Smith, Michael Caine, Johnny Depp, Chiwetel Ejiofor, Ashley Jensen, Matt Lucas and Dexter Fletcher. Sir Elton John also has contributed music and voice to the project, although in a slightly more family friendly take than his role in Matthew Vaughn’s Kingsman: The Golden Circle.

In this film two garden gnomes, Gnomeo & Juliet, recruit the renowned detective Sherlock Gnomes to investigate the mysterious disappearance of other garden ornaments. The director John Stevenson talked passionately about respecting the characters from Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, as well as the number of Sherlockian Easter Eggs which are present in the film.

You can see his interview,...

Executive producer Elton John’s imprint is all over Sherlock Gnomes, the sequel to his 2011 animated effort, Gnomeo & Juliet, a cutesy toon take on Shakespeare that inevitably has sparked another literary-inspired sequel riffing on the legend on Britain’s most famous investigator, Sherlock Holmes. You can almost see the committee meeting to decide where to go next: "Hey, what rhymes with gnomes? Oh wait. Holmes! Let’s do it and just figure out some sort of story to go…...

Welcome to the “Preview Reel” column, where we look at the week’s upcoming wide-release movies. Black Panther continued its record breaking run last weekend as it was the top movie for the fifth weekend in a row. The superhero’s streak is likely to end as another blockbuster opens this week in the form of Pacific Rim: Uprising, as does the animated Sherlock Gnomes.

Pacific Rim: Uprising

What we are excited about: The pitch for the original Pacific Rim (2013) was simple: robots vs. monsters. Guillermo del Toro’s big-budget blockbuster was mostly fun, even though the film had a lot of problems. The action scenes were entertaining (though poorly lit) and the world building was exciting enough to entertain the idea of the movie launching a franchise. Now, five years later, we get the next chapter in the Pacific Rim universe, and it doesn’t look terrible. There’s...

Mark Harrison Jan 30, 2018

Paramount Pictures has faced a tougher time than most studios of late. What, though, does it have planned next?

In any given year, the top ten highest grossing films at the worldwide box office are mostly made up of franchise films or adaptations of existing intellectual property. Around the world, the movie business is a franchise game right now, and of the traditional 'big six' studios, Paramount Pictures seems to be falling behind its rivals.

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After an almost unbroken string of box office flops and underperformers in 2017, the studio has recently been in the news after selling international distribution rights to Alex Garland's hotly anticipated second feature Annihilation to Netflix, and are reportedly looking to do the same on the long delayed third Cloverfield film.

To briefly take inventory of their competition's big hitters,...

There’s a new trailer for Sherlock Gnomes. The sequel to the charming Gnomeo & Juliet doesn’t have a release date yet, but the trailer above should get you excited.

Johnny Depp voices Sherlock with Chiwetel Ejiofor as his sidekick Watson along with returning voice cast James McAvoy, Emily Blunt, Maggie Smith, Michael Caine and Stephen Merchant. This time the gnomes find themselves targets of a kidnapper and there is only one gnome who can uncover the truth after Gnomeo (McAvoy) and Juliet (Blunt) find that everyone in their garden is missing.

Check out the trailer and let us know your thoughts below.

Exclusive: Elton John’s Rocket Pictures has set up the 3D animated Gnomeo & Juliet: Sherlock Gnomes, a sequel to the 2011 Disney hit that grossed $194 million worldwide. Andy Riley and Kevin Cecil, who wrote the original, are writing the sequel script. Elton John is currently composing new songs for the film. Rocket Pictures’ principals Steve Hamilton Shaw and David Furnish are producing, and John is exec producer. The plan is to begin production in the fall, and they are talking to directors. Gnomeo & Juliet director Kelly Asbury will act as a creative consultant on the sequel. When gnomes start disappearing from the suburban gardens of England, Gnomeo, Juliet and friends enlist the help of Sherlock Gnomes, “the greatest ornamental detective,” to track the culprit. Unfortunately, Sherlock is neither as brilliant nor as insightful as his human counterpart, and as the crimes against gnomanity continue, the threat to their world becomes bigger than they ever imagined.

Here are a few interesting and/or noteworthy projects that were recently added to IMDbPro's database of development titles:

Vipaka – Filming is already underway in New Orleans for this indie-Voodoo thriller from Forest Whitaker's Significant Productions. Whitaker co-stars opposite Anthony Mackie, Mike Epps and Sanaa Lathan in the project written by Shintaro Shimosawa.

Fully Automatic – Justin Timberlake is expected to topline this buddy action comedy produced by Joel Silver and Warner Bros. The '80s-inspired pic centers on a pair of male rookie officers out who team up with a hot former Delta Force agent.

1950 – Rob Cohen directs this U.S.-Korean co-production, which tells the true story of the ground-breaking war correspondent, Marguerite Higgins, who fought to cover the Korean War for the New York Herald Tribune during the military's ban on women correspondents in the country.

Will Gallows and the Snake Bellied Troll – Elton John's Rocket Pictures is ready to blast off with their next project. Following the success of this year's Gnomeo & Juliet, the musician's optioned the film rights for this Wild West tome about an elfin cowboy trying to avenge his father's death. Gnomeo's writer-director Kelly Asbury is on board to adapt the script and direct.

If you know of something in the works, you can submit it via our online submission form.

Paradigm has signed Arc Productions, the Toronto-based animation house that was formerly called Starz Animation after it was bought by a group of Canadian investors. Arc Productions projects include Gnomeo and Juliet, but the plan is to extend its animation and vfx service business by developing its own animated intellectual property.

After the impressive box office of the Elton John produced "Gnomeo and Juliet" over the past few weeks, it's hard to find anyone in Hollywood who doesn't believe the animated hit couldn't have made more money if it was released under the Disney banner.  Instead, "Gnomeo" was released under the studio's now seldom used Touchtone Pictures label.  In 18 days the 3-D animated film has already grossed $74 million domestically and $101.6 million worldwide.  Considering the family friendly nature of the Disney brand, most industry executives would have expected an even larger bounty if the film had been a "Disney" picture....

Disney’s Gnomeo & Juliet debuted two weeks ago in third place. Last holiday weekend it rose to second place, and this weekend, it took the box-office crown. At this pace, it’ll be running for President by next year, and five years from now, we’ll all be groveling at the feet of our new ornamental overlords. The animated musical won a decidedly slow weekend with $14.2 million, dropping only 26 percent and raising its cumulative gross to $75.1 million. Even though Gnomeo started the weekend in fourth place, it jumped a ridiculous 101 percent on Saturday thanks a strong turnout from families. Not...

Animated holdover Gnomeo & Juliet surged ahead of yet another set of weak openers as the box office continues in the doldrums.(Here's our six reasons why.) See weekend trailers and Top Ten Box Office Chart below. Anthony D'Alessandro has the numbers: A band of CGI elves had the last laugh as Disney’s Gnomeo & Juliet stole the box office with $14.2 million, kicking former marquee champs, the Farrelly Brothers and Nicolas Cage, in the groin. The Farrelly’s Hall Pass, distributed by Warner Bros./New Line, slid to second with a $13.4 million three-day after showing signs of a No. 1 win on Friday with $4.6 million. Summit Entertainment’s Cage headliner Drive Angry 3D from Nu Image Pictures crashed and burned in ninth with $5.1 million – the ...

Ok, this is getting serious. Already down more than 25 percent coming into the usually-soft Oscar weekend, the domestic box office seemingly plunged to a new low, with a three-week-old G-rated holdover, Disney's CG-animated lawn-gnomes movie, "Gnomeo and Juliet," leading the market with just $14.2 million, according to studio estimates. The weekend's big new releases both underperformed badly, with Warner's Farrelly Bros. comedy "Hall Pass" undershooting pre-release estimates in the high teens with just $13.4 million, and Summit's Nicolas Cage supernatural thriller "Drive Angry" not even coming close to approaching studio hopes...