Tag: Amazon

Posted on in News

Amazon Officially Announces Agreement To Purchase MGM For $8.45 Billion – Will “Reimagine” Their Deep Catalog

It’s been reported for days that Amazon was looking to spend almost $9 billion to acquire MGM, a major Hollywood studio that has a heap of IP titles and legacy films. The studio also has a partnership with EON Productions for the James Bond franchise.

Well, the streaming giant made the merger official this morning and dropped a press release confirm it’s going ahead, paying an impressive $8.45 billion for MGM. The press release also mentioned Amazon’s intention to “reimagine” the deep catalog, which likely means turning properties into films and television shows.

“The real financial value behind this deal is the treasure trove of IP in the deep catalog that we plan to reimagine and develop together with MGM’s talented team. It’s very exciting and provides so many opportunities for high-quality storytelling,” said Mike Hopkins, Senior Vice President of Prime Video and Amazon Studios. 

Amazon (NASDAQ: AMZN) and MGM today announced that they have entered into a definitive merger agreement under which Amazon will acquire MGM for a purchase price of $8.45 billion. MGM has nearly a century of filmmaking history and complements the work of Amazon Studios, which has primarily focused on producing TV show programming. Amazon will help preserve MGM’s heritage and catalog of films, and provide customers with greater access to these existing works. Through this acquisition, Amazon would empower MGM to continue to do what they do best: great storytelling.

The studio’s film catalog includes 12 Angry Men, Basic Instinct, Creed, James Bond, Legally Blonde, Moonstruck, Poltergeist, Raging Bull, RoboCop, Rocky, Silence of the Lambs, Stargate, Thelma & Louise, Tomb Raider, The Magnificent Seven, The Pink Panther, The Thomas Crown Affair, and many films, over 4,000 of them. Not to mention 17,000 television shows as well.

MGM is already looking to soft-reboot RoboCop with RoboCop Returns from Aussie director Abe Forsythe (Little Monsters). The Russo Brothers are producing a new incarnation of the romantic crime flick Thomas Crown Affair led by Michael B. Jordan (Creed, Black Panther, Without Remorse) as the charming thief. Jordan is about to direct and star in Creed III, making his directorial debt on the boxing drama. A new James Bond is expected to be hired for Bond 26, once No Time To Die ends the Daniel Craig era. Alicia Vikander’s Tomb Raider reboot movie is set to get a sequel from director Misha Green (Lovecraft Country). Something like Stargate would be prime for a franchise reboot as it was a feature film that spawned multiple television shows. Those are just some examples that are just the tip of the iceberg and we should expect more projects announced in the coming weeks/months given the deep pockets of Amazon Studios/Prime Video.

Amazon getting their hands on a legacy Hollywood studio should help boost their film/television library but also allowing them to create new original IP content, allowing them to become more competitive against the Netflix originals and could see Amazon attempt theatrical distribution on a larger scale as they could add global box office to their revenue stream.

Some of the high-profile Prime Video shows on the horizon are the expensive Lord of The Rings that is expected to land at least five seasons and at least two seasons of Wheel of Time series led by Rosamund Pike that is based on the Robert Jordan fantasy novels.

SOURCE: AMAZON

Posted on in Film News

Amazon’s Purchase of MGM For $9 Billion Could Be Announced This Week

There have been reports circulating for a while now that streaming giant Amazon is looking to buy Hollywood studio MGM Studios, it would be their first entry into making a huge push into major feature film development.

A deal could be announced as early as this week according to a report from The Wall Street Journal and point towards a figure close to $9 billion. People have pointed out that valuation is a bit steep as the company was valued at around $5.5 billion back in December.

Amazon.com Inc. is nearing a deal to buy the Hollywood studio MGM Holdings for almost $9 billion, said people familiar with the matter, a pact that would turn a film operation founded in the silent era into a streaming asset for the e-commerce giant. An agreement could be announced as early as this week, people close to the situation said, assuming the talks don’t fall apart at the last minute.

MGM is the partner of EON Productions on the James Bond franchise and could mean that Amazon could become the streaming home of the franchise. They’re also behind the Candyman remake from Nia DaCosta (The Marvels), the Creed films with Michael B. Jordan set to direct Creed III, and they’ve been developing a new RoboCop film as well.

Amazon landing a real and established Hollywood studio means that the streaming service could branch-out to global theatrical distribution, as I don’t imagine EON would want to see their Bond franchise become some Prime Video exclusive and could see Amazon originals turn into box office earners.

SOURCE: THE WALL STREET JOURNAL

Posted on in Television News

‘Wheel of Time’: Amazon Has Officially Greenlit Season 2 As Season 1 Wraps Filming

Amazon has multiple high-profile series as they’re still shooting the Second Age era Lord of The Rings series in Auckland, New Zealand and they’ve just announced that Season 1 of Wheel of Time has completed production in the Czech Republic.

Adding to that news they’ve officially greenlit a Season 2 of Wheel of Time, which is based on the Robert Jordan series of novels.

The cast consists of Rosamund Pike, Josha Stradowski, Madeleine Madden, Marcus Rutherford, Barney Harris, Zoë Robins, Daniel Henney, Álvaro Morte, Hammed Animashaun, Johann Myers, Priyanka Bose, Taylor Napier and Emmanuel Imani.

Below is the official press release from Amazon.

As Season 1 wraps production in the Czech Republic, Amazon Studios today announced it has greenlit a second season of the upcoming fantasy series The Wheel of Time, based on Robert Jordan’s series of best-selling novels. Both seasons, co-produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television, will exclusively stream on Amazon Prime Video in more than 240 countries and territories worldwide.

The Wheel of Time is one of the most popular and enduring fantasy series of all-time, with over 90 million books sold. Set in a sprawling, epic world where magic exists and only certain women are allowed to access it, the story follows Moiraine, a member of the incredibly powerful all-female organization called the Aes Sedai, as she arrives in the small town of Two Rivers. There, she embarks on a dangerous, world-spanning journey with five young men and women, one of whom is prophesied to be the Dragon Reborn, who will either save or destroy humanity.   
 
Based on Robert Jordan’s best-selling fantasy novels, which have sold more than 90 million copies worldwide, The Wheel of Time was adapted for television by executive producer/showrunner Rafe Judkins (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Hemlock Grove). Larry Mondragon and Rick Selvage of Red Eagle Entertainment (Winter Dragon), Ted Field and Mike Weber of Radar Pictures (Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle, Winter Dragon), Darren Lemke (Shazam!, Goosebumps, Winter Dragon), Marigo Kehoe and Uta Briesewitz will also serve as executive producers, with Briesewitz set to direct the first two episodes. Rosamund Pike will serve as Producer and Harriet McDougal and Brandon Sanderson as consulting producers. The Wheel of Time is co-produced by Amazon Studios and Sony Pictures Television.
 

SOURCE: AMAZON

Posted on in Television News

‘Lord of The Rings’: Amazon Announces ‘The Witcher’s Charlotte Brandstrom Will Direct Two Episodes

Today, Amazon has announced a third director has joined their Lord of The Rings series that has a massive budget of $465 million for Season 1 (five season commitment) and is still shooting down in Auckland, New Zealand. It’s massive budget revealed by trade reports.

The streamer dropped in an officially press release that Swedish-French television director Charlotte Brandstrom (The Witcher, The Man In The High Castle) has joined the fantasy series loosely based on the work of author J.R.R. Tolkien and taking place within the Second Age of Middle-Earth. The era that saw the rise of Sauron after the banishment of the first Dark Lord, Morgorth, the fall of the island kingdom of Númenor, the creation of the Rings of Power, and Sauron’s ultimate defeat (for a time).

She’ll direct two episodes alongside J.A. Bayona and Wayne Che Yip.

Continuing on the work of Spanish filmmaker J.A. Bayona and British Chinese Director Wayne Che Yip, Brändström joins the international ensemble cast, currently filming in New Zealand, to direct two episodes. Brändström is an International Emmy Award®-nominee for Julie, chevalier de Maupin. She has also directed over 30 feature films, mini-series, and movies-of-the-week including episodes of The Man in the High Castle, Outlander, The Witcher and the upcoming series Jupiter’s Legacy.

Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-Earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

The show’s massive cast includes actors Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Daniel Weyman, Lenny Henry, Peter Mullan (Trainspotting, Children of Men), Lloyd Owen, Augustus Prew, Peter Tait, Benjamin Walker (Heart of The Sea, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Arrow, Power), Simon Merrells, Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Geoff Morrell, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham, and Sara Zwangobani.

Episodes are expected to begin airing on Prime Video in 2022 and we’re hearing they’ll continue to use Auckland for the production of subsequent seasons.

SOURCE: AMAZON

Posted on in Film News

‘The Tomorrow War’ Teaser Trailer: Chris Pratt Fights Aliens In Time-Traveling Action Flick Releasing This July On Amazon Prime Video

In The Tomorrow War, the world is stunned when a group of time travelers arrive from the year 2051 to deliver an urgent message: Thirty years in the future mankind is losing a global war against a deadly alien species. The only hope for survival is for soldiers and civilians from the present to be transported to the future and join the fight. Among those recruited is high school teacher and family man Dan Forester (Chris Pratt). Determined to save the world for his young daughter, Dan teams up with a brilliant scientist (Yvonne Strahovski) and his estranged father (J.K. Simmons) in a desperate quest to rewrite the fate of the planet.

It stars Chris Pratt, Yvonne Strahovski, J.K. Simmons, Betty Gilpin, Sam Richardson, Edwin Hodge, Jasmine Mathews, Ryan Kiera Armstrong, and Keith Powers.

The sci-fi film directed by Chris McKay (The Lego Batman Movie) was originally going to be released theatrically by Paramount Pictures only for the film to be sold-off to Amazon Prime Video for the hefty price of $200 million and will be streaming starting July 2, 2021.

Tomorrow War isn’t the only Paramount Pictures action movie picked-up by Prime Video as the Michael B. Jordan franchise starter Without Remorse will hit Amazon this Friday. Without Remorse focuses on John Kelly/Clark, a CIA operator that lives in the world of Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan franchise. You might be aware of Amazon’s popular Jack Ryan series led by John Krasinski, which likely made the film very attractive to the streaming giant.

It remains to be seen if either The Tomorrow War or Without Remorse will lead to sequels, despite originally signing-on to reprise John in a Rainbow Six movie too.

Posted on in Television News

Amazon’s ‘Kids In The Hall’ Revival Shooting May To July In Toronto

The Ronin has been confirm that The Kids In The Hall revival for Amazon Prime Video has landed production dates as the Canadian comedy series will shoot from May 19 to July 15 in Toronto. Original cast members Dave Foley, Bruce McCulloch, Kevin McDonald, Mark McKinney, and Scott Thompson are all expected to return.

Kids In The Hall was hugely influential on me as a kid growing up as there were limited examples of Canadian entertainment outpacing American counterparts. It wasn’t until HBO’s Mr. Show that it felt like American sketch show was able to catch-up with Kids In The Hall.

Speaking of Canadian comedy revivals, there was also an SCTV reunion special coming to Netflix from Martin Scorsese but there hasn’t been an official announcement about it’s release date.

Posted on in Television News

Season 1 of ‘Lord of The Rings’ Will Cost Amazon $465M – They Spent $11B On Content In 2020

Amazon has been known for throwing around their buyer power for a while now. Last week, it was revealed via CNBC that Amazon had spent a massive $11 billion on content for streaming and music services. It’s a lot of money and it’ll be interesting to see what will come from that spending.

Amazon spent $11 billion on content for its streaming video and music services last year, the company disclosed Thursday in its annual report, the latest sign of the company’s willingness to invest heavily in entertaining Prime members.

On Friday, we learned from The Hollywood Reporter that Lord of The Rings series is going to one of the most expensive shows. The streaming service is spending $465 million on just the first season on the fantasy prequel. There is an expectation with a five season commitment at Prime Video it could end up costing them $2.3 billion if the next four seasons have a similar price tag.

The Hollywood Reporter has confirmed that Amazon will spend roughly NZ$650 million — $465 million in U.S. dollars — for just the first season of the show.

The show’s massive cast includes actors Robert Aramayo, Owain Arthur, Nazanin Boniadi, Tom Budge, Morfydd Clark, Ismael Cruz Córdova, Ema Horvath, Markella Kavenagh, Joseph Mawle, Tyroe Muhafidin, Sophia Nomvete, Megan Richards, Dylan Smith, Charlie Vickers, Daniel Weyman, Lenny Henry, Peter Mullan (Trainspotting, Children of Men), Lloyd Owen, Augustus Prew, Peter Tait, Benjamin Walker (Heart of The Sea, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter), Cynthia Addai-Robinson (Arrow, Power), Simon Merrells, Maxim Baldry, Ian Blackburn, Kip Chapman, Anthony Crum, Maxine Cunliffe, Trystan Gravelle, Thusitha Jayasundera, Fabian McCallum, Geoff Morrell, Alex Tarrant, Leon Wadham, and Sara Zwangobani.

Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-Earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

Filming is taking place in Auckland, New Zealand and is expected to continue to shoot there in follow-up seasons.

SOURCE: CNBC & THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER

Posted on in Television News

‘The Peripheral’: Charlotte Riley & JJ Field Among New Cast Members For Cyberpunk Amazon Series Produced By Lisa Joy & Jonathan Nolan

Chloe Grace Mortez (Kick-Ass) and Jack Reynor (Midsommar) are leading a series adaptation of the William Gibson cyberpunk novel The Peripheral that is being produced by Westworld showrunners Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan via their production company Kilter Films for Amazon’s Prime Video.

The book centers on Flynne (Moretz) and her brother Burton (Reynor). In the novel, Burton, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps’ elite Haptic Recon force, is hired for a security job which takes place in what he thinks is cyberspace. When Flynne temporarily takes his place, she witnesses something that might have been murder.

It was created by Scott B. Smith and will be showrun by Greg Plageman.

There is word of influx of casting additions to the sci-fi show as Deadline reports five actors are joining The Peripheral. The new additions include Charlotte Riley (A Christmas Carol, Edge of Tomorrow) as Aelita, JJ Feild (Lost in Space, Captain America: The First Avenger) as Lev, Adelind Horan (The Deuce, The Punisher) as Billy Ann Baker, T’Nia Miller (The Haunting of Bly Manor) as Cherise, and Alex Hernandez (Bloodshot) as Tommy Costantine.

Author William Gibson alongside Philip K. Dick are the fathers of the cyberpunk genre.

Lisa Joy is making her feature film debut with the Hugh Jackman sci-fi thriller Reminiscence for Warner Bros. and Jonathan Nolan is an accomplished Hollywood screenwriter. Jonathan writing scripts for his brother, Christopher Nolan, those projects include The Prestige, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Interstellar. The pair are producing via their production company Kilter Films which is also working on a series based on the post-Apocalypse video game franchise Fallout.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Television News

‘Midsommar’s Jack Reynor Takes Lead Role In Amazon Cyberpunk Series ‘The Peripheral’ From Lisa Joy & Jonathan Nolan

Westworld showrunners Lisa Joy and Jonathan Nolan are developing a series adaptation of William Gibson’s science fiction novel The Peripheral for Amazon. It was created by Scott B. Smith and will be showrun by Greg Plageman.

There is news of another casting addition to The Peripheral as Deadline reports that Irish actor Jack Reynor has taken a lead role of in the show. He’ll be playing Burton, the Marine brother of Chloe Grace Moretz’s Flynne.

The book centers on Flynne (Moretz) and her brother Burton (Reynor). In the novel, Burton, a veteran of the United States Marine Corps’ elite Haptic Recon force, is hired for a security job which takes place in what he thinks is cyberspace. When Flynne temporarily takes his place, she witnesses something that might have been murder.

Jack Reynor is likely best known from Transformers: Age of Extinction, Ben Wheatley’s action comedy Free Fire, and Ari Aster’s horror flick Midsommar.

If you’re not aware, author William Gibson is one of the fathers of the cyberpunk genre. His first novel, Neuromancer, was published in 1984 and became popular in the wake of the release of Ridley Scott’s Blade Runner. That film was based on the work of legendary science fiction writer Philip K. Dick, another famous author connected to the creation of cyberpunk. At one point, Gibson attempted to write a screenplay for an early incarnation of Alien 3 that never got made but was eventually turned into graphic novel by Dark Horse Comics.

Lisa Joy is making her feature film debut with the Hugh Jackman sci-fi thriller Reminiscence for Warner Bros. and Jonathan Nolan is an accomplished Hollywood screenwriter. Jonathan writing scripts for his brother, Christopher Nolan, those projects include The Prestige, The Dark Knight, The Dark Knight Rises, and Interstellar. The pair are producing via their production company Kilter Films which is also working on a series based on the post-Apocalypse video game franchise Fallout.

SOURCE: DEADLINE

Posted on in Television News

‘Lord of The Rings’: Wayne Yip Officially Directing 4 Episodes

Filming is still happening in New Zealand on Amazon’s Lord of The Rings series and the streamer has just announced a new director.

Today, it was revealed by Amazon that British director Wayne Yip will be directing four episodes and also nabbed an executive producer credit. Yip joins fellow director J.A. Bayona (Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom), J.A. directed the first two episodes of the fantasy series.

Wayne’s massive amount of credits include Utopia, Doctor Who, Hunters, Misfits, Preacher, and Doom Patrol. The director recently working on Amazon’s The Wheel of Time, another large fantasy world from author Robert Jordan and likely had a lot to do with his hiring for The Lord of The Rings.

They’ve committed to at least five seasons which means Amazon is going to be spending a heap of money on this show. Considering they’ll be covering the The Second Age they have multiple events to cover including the fall of the ancient kingdom of Númenor, J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-Earth take on the Atlantis myth. Along with Sauron manipulating various kingdoms in the wake of The Dark Lord Morgoth’s banishment.

Amazon Studios’ forthcoming series brings to screens for the very first time the heroic legends of the fabled Second Age of Middle-Earth’s history. This epic drama is set thousands of years before the events of J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings. Beginning in a time of relative peace, the series follows an ensemble cast of characters, both familiar and new, as they confront the long-feared re-emergence of evil to Middle-earth. From the darkest depths of the Misty Mountains, to the majestic forests of the elf-capital of Lindon, to the breathtaking island kingdom of Númenor, to the furthest reaches of the map, these kingdoms and characters will carve out legacies that live on long after they are gone.

SOURCE: AMAZON