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Deal Also Includes CGI Feature 'Holy Cow' HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Jan. 10, 2006 /PRNewswire/ -- Producers Lawrence Bender and Karen Barber have signed a two-picture deal with Nickelodeon Movies to bring Random Houses "The Five Ancestors" book series to the big screen. The announcement was made today by Julia Pistor, Senior Vice President, Nickelodeon Movies. For Bender, who is best known for producing groundbreaking fare from director Quentin Tarantino, the deal marks a broadening into the ever-expanding and lucrative family marketplace. "This important alliance with Lawrence re-emphasizes Nick Movies' commitment to deliver groundbreaking, edgy fare into the family marketplace and we are extremely pleased about this collaboration," said Pistor. Following in the Nick Movies tradition of finding great stories in children's literature, "The Five Ancestors," will be adapted from Jeff Stone's seven book series from Random House, the first two of which, "Tiger" and "Monkey" were released last year. Random House picked up the book series in a heated auction from first-time author Stone. The third book in the series, "Snake" will be released in March. "I have wanted to break into the family genre for a long time now, and what better way than partnering with Nick Movies," said Bender. "It was Karen Barber's mandate to bring in this type of material and she hit a home run with these projects." As part of the deal, Bender and Barber will also produce the CGI feature "Holy Cow," a tale of a young bull from Montana named Bamboo who befriends a caterpillar that tells him of a place called India, where cows are sacred, free and holy. The two embark on an epic journey as they cross the globe and outwit the chickens who desperately try to stop them. The film is based on a spec script by Ted Grennan and Peter Kalmbach. Since 1992, Bender has built his reputation as an edgy, established producer with a slate of award-winning and blockbuster features that have garnered more than $1 billion at the box office. His films to date have been honored with nineteen Academy Award nominations, including two for Best Picture. A long time collaborator of Quentin Tarantino, Bender's producing credits include cult classic "Reservoir Dogs," "Kill Bill 1 & 2," "Pulp Fiction," "Fresh," "Jackie Brown," "Four Rooms," "From Dusk Til Dawn," "White Man's Burden," "Anna and The King," "Good Will Hunting" which received a total of nine nominations and won Oscars(R) for Best Original Screenplay and Best Supporting Actor, among many others. "The Five Ancestors" book series are set in 17th century China and follow the adventures of five young monks, each of whom specialize in a different style of "animal" kung fu which reflect their individual personalities. After a renegade brother monk leads a brutal attack on their secret Shaolin temple, the young monks are forced to flee and must rely on their training and instincts to survive and uncover the mysteries of the past. Random House is putting their significant marketing muscle behind the books, and the series has sold in a number of foreign markets including the UK, Japan, Denmark, Spain, France and Germany. The first two books in the series have already garnered numerous award nominations, including a nomination for the 2005 Quills Award and for American Library Association 2006 Quick Pick for Reluctant Teen Readers. They made the Book Sense Summer Reading 2005 Selection and received a Publisher's Weekly Starred Review. The producers of "The Five Ancestors" are Julia Pistor, Lawrence Bender ("Pulp Fiction") and Karen Barber (producer for Lawrence Bender Productions, "Pumpkin," "The Adventures of Sabastian Cole"). Andy Cohen ("Magic Kingdom for Sale") of Grade A Entertainment brought the books to Bender and will serve as Executive Producer. This is Cohen's third high-profile book-to-film deal in the last few months, following the sales of potential tentpoles "Magic Kingdom for Sale" to Universal with Stephen Sommers directing and Lowell Ganz and Babaloo Mandel writing and "Miracle Cars" to New Line with Don D. Scott writing and Nick Cannon starring. Bender was represented in his deal by Carlos Goodman of Bloom Hergott Diemer Rosenthal Laviolette, LLP. Stone was represented by Laura Rennert of the Andrea Brown Literary Agency, Ben Reder of Reder and Feig and Cohen of Grade A Entertainment. Ted Grennan and Peter Kalmbach were represented by Joe Gatta at the Gersh agency. Nick Movies, the feature film development and production division of Nickelodeon, produces kid and family friendly movies in association with its sister Viacom company, Paramount Pictures. To date, Nick Movies releases have grossed over one billion dollars at the box office and include the Oscar(R) nominated Lemony Snicket's Series of Unfortunate Events and The Adventures of Jimmy Neutron: Boy Genius as well as The SpongeBob Square Pants Movie, the Rugrats movies, critically acclaimed documentary Mad Hot Ballroom and current release Yours, Mine and Ours directed by Raja Gosnell and starring Renee Russo and Dennis Quaid. Upcoming releases include Charlotte's Web, based on the classic book and produced by Jordan Kerner, directed by Gary Winick with cast including Dakota Fanning, Julia Roberts, Oprah Winfrey, and Steve Buscemi and Barnyard, a CGI animated film written and directed by award-winning writer and director Steve Oedekerk. Currently in production is Nacho Libre, written by Jared Hess and Mike White, directed by Jared Hess and starring Jack Black. Nickelodeon, Nickelodeon Movies and all related titles, characters and logos are trademarks of Viacom International Inc. Oscar(R) Nominee Thomas Haden Church Cast as the New Nemesis in Sony Pictures and Marvel Studios' Spider-Man(R)3 Latest Adventure Set to Debut Worldwide on May 4, 2007 CULVER CITY, Calif., March 22, 2005 /PRNewswire/ -- Thomas Haden Church, who was most recently nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor in Sideways, has been cast as Spider-Man's new archenemy in the next chapter of the Spider-Man(R) adventure, it was announced by director Sam Raimi and producers Laura Ziskin and Marvel Studios' Avi Arad. Spider-Man(R) 3, which is scheduled for release on May 4, 2007, will reunite the successful team that was responsible for the first two blockbuster films. The franchise has grossed more than $1.5 billion in worldwide ticket sales and the new film will again reteam director Raimi, producers Ziskin and Arad, and actors Tobey Maguire as Peter Parker/Spider-Man and Kirsten Dunst as M.J. Production on Spider-Man 3 is scheduled to begin early next year. "In addition to the on-going relationship between Peter Parker and M.J., these films are driven by the great actors who have brought our villains to life," said Raimi. "Thomas Haden Church will be a fantastic and challenging new nemesis and we all look forward to working with him." The identity of the new villain is being kept secret and while speculation is rampant about which character is being called into action, the studio will not comment on the casting beyond confirming Church. Since his star-making role in Sideways, Church has been in demand. The actor is voicing one of the characters in the upcoming animated film Charlotte's Web, and he recently appeared in Columbia Pictures' Spanglish. Church previously appeared in such other films as George of the Jungle, 330 Miles to Graceland and Tombstone. In 2003, he also starred in, co-wrote and directed the comedy Rolling Kansas. From 1990 to 1995, Church played Lowell Mather in the TV series "Wings." About Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures, part of the Columbia TriStar Motion Picture Group, is a Sony Pictures Entertainment company. Sony Pictures Entertainment (SPE) is a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America (SCA), a subsidiary of Tokyo-based Sony Corporation. SPE's global operations encompass motion picture production and distribution; television production and distribution; digital content creation and distribution; worldwide channel investments; home entertainment acquisition and distribution; operation of studio facilities; development of new entertainment products, services and technologies; and distribution of filmed entertainment in 67 countries. Sony Pictures Entertainment can be found on the World Wide Web at http://www.sonypictures.com/. Universal Studios Hollywood Adds Movie Sets From Steven Spielberg's 'War of the Worlds' to Its World-Famous, Behind-the-Scenes Studio Tour UNIVERSAL CITY, Calif., Feb. 9 /PRNewswire/ -- The original movie sets from Steven Spielberg's highly anticipated film, "War of the Worlds," are the latest feature to be added to Universal Studios Hollywood behind-the-scenes Studio Tour, the theme park's signature attraction which immerses guests in the authentic Hollywood experience.
Alda, Allen, Baldwin, Fonda, Montgomery and Morris to Present at American Society of Cinematographers Awards LOS ANGELES, Feb. 8 /PRNewswire/ -- Alan Alda, Debbie Allen, Alec Baldwin, Peter Fonda, Poppy Montgomery and Kathryn Morris have been announced as presenters at the 19th Annual American Society of Cinematographers (ASC) Outstanding Achievement Awards gala here on Sunday, February 13, at the Grand Ballroom at Hollywood & Highland.
NEWSWEEK EXCLUSIVE: Tom Hanks Cast as Lead in 'The Da Vinci Code' Perfect for Cerebral Role; 'Hanks is an Exciting Actor to Watch Thinking,' Director Ron Howard Says NEW YORK, Nov. 14, 2004 (PRNewswire) -- Tom Hanks has been pegged to play the lead role in Sony's upcoming film "The Da Vinci Code," the adaptation of author Dan Brown's best-selling thriller, Newsweek has learned. Director Ron Howard and producer Brian Grazer, the duo who helped make Hanks a star with their 1984 comedy "Splash" and rehired him 11 years later for "Apollo 13," cast Hanks as the globe-trotting scholar Robert Langdon, a decision based partially on the cerebral (riddle-solving, code-cracking) nature of the action in "Da Vinci," Newsweek reports in the November 22 issue (on newsstands Monday, November 15). "Tom is an exciting actor to watch thinking," Howard tells General Editor Devin Gordon. "We probably don't need his status from a box-office standpoint" -- by now, "The Da Vinci Code" sells itself -- "but he gives Langdon instant legitimacy." Howard and Grazer are taking their time casting "Da Vinci," but plan to hire actual foreign actors to play the book's foreign characters. "If there's any book that's supposed to be an international thriller, says Grazer, "this is it." Grazer tells Newsweek that one recent Oscar winner inquired about the role of Parisian cryptologist Sophie Neveu, "and she could easily do it. But I think the audience would be let down a bit. They expect a French girl." As for the role of bullish cop Bezu Fache, Gordon reports that Jean Reno is on Grazer's short list. Grazer first got wind of "The Da Vinci Code" early in 2003, when Joel Surnow -- creator of the acclaimed TV series "24" -- thought "Da Vinci" would make a terrific story line for the show's third season. Surnow asked his boss, Grazer, to look into acquiring the rights, Newsweek reports. But as Brown had no intention of handing over his book to a mere TV show, Grazer says that "it quickly became clear that we had no chance." A few months later Sony paid $6 million for the movie rights -- and hired Grazer as the producer for the biggest film adaptation since "Harry Potter." The 53-year-old
Grazer, who also paired with Howard on the Oscar-winning "A Beautiful
Mind," has several upcoming projects on his slate, including an animated
"Curious George" film with Will Ferrell and "Fun with Dick
and Jane" starring Jim Carrey. Grazer is also producing a documentary
about the notorious skinflick "Deep Throat," Gordon reports.
Due out in February, it may be the first NC-17 movie released by a major
studio in years.
UNIVERSAL
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Studios Home Video Announces the Release of The Rundown Rocking out on
DVD and VHS on March 23, 2004 Mel Gibson is America's Favorite Movie Star, New Harris Poll Results Show Actors Confirmed -- If You Liked "Grumpy Old Men'' You'll Love 'Forget About It' The
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