Brett Ratner Trying To Push Himself As ‘Rush Hour 4’ Director
Warner Bros. sources emphatically say that the director, who has been accused of sexual misconduct by several women, will not helm the fourth film if there is one.
Like other men accused of sexual misconduct, Brett Ratner appears to be plotting a comeback — in this case just six months after allegations against him first surfaced. His hoped-for vehicle: The Rush Hour franchise.
Sources say that Ratner has been telling associates that he will direct the fourth film in the series — a boast that has put Warner Bros. and its New Line division in an awkward position.
Studio sources emphatically say Ratner will not direct a fourth Rush Hour film if there is one. “Brett has been walking around town telling people he’s going to direct a Rush Hour movie because it’s his only way back in,” says one high-level exec. “He’s trying to make believe he’s employable.” Putting together a movie with him would be ‘a suicide mission,'” this person says.
But it seems that, given their long and very close professional and social relationships with the director, neither Warners chairman and CEO Kevin Tsujihara nor film studio chairman Toby Emmerich is prepared to relay that to Ratner. Warners declined to comment or to rule out Ratner as a possible director for the project. Ratner’s attorney Marty Singer also declined to comment.
Rush Hour producer Arthur Sarkissian says he has long been pressing to make a fourth film in the $850 million-grossing franchise and believes that with the right script, stars Jackie Chan and Chris Tucker will be on board. Ratner, 49, has directed all three Rush Hour movies, starting with the original in 1998. The most recent film, 2007’s Rush Hour 3, grossed $258 million worldwide.
Impatient to launch a fourth movie, Sarkissian says he asked the studio to put the project in turnaround and had an agreement in place in 2014 that was never signed. At that point, Emmerich suggested that a television series was a better idea than another film. Warners put together a show — without Chan or Tucker — that ran for one season on CBS.
Subsequently, the studio had decided that another movie was worth making. But then the Harvey Weinstein allegations surfaced and the #MeToo movement engulfed Ratner, who was accused of sexual misconduct by several women, including actresses Olivia Munn and Natasha Henstridge. (Ratner has denied the claims and is suing a woman for defamation after she wrote on Facebook that he raped her.)
“The scandal broke and they put a pin in it,” Sarkissian says, referring to Warner Bros. executives and Rush Hour 4. “I went back [to them] and said, ‘I want to do my movie.’ They said, ‘Fair enough.’”
Sarkissian says Warners has put the film in turnaround — freeing him to commission a script with outside financing. Should he succeed in assembling the elements, the studio has a chance to opt back into the project. Sarkissian confirms that Black-ish creator Kenya Barris was approached to write a script. But Barris is said to have wanted no part in the project if Ratner was involved, and he passed regardless due to a busy schedule.
Sarkissian says Ratner is “not attached” to the project at this point and he doesn’t know why Ratner would tell people that he is directing Rush Hour 4. Asked whether there is any chance Ratner might direct the fourth film, Sarkissian has nothing definitive to say. “All I’m interested in is to make the best movie possible,” he says.
Sources confirm that Ratner has been checking in with Warners every month or two to ask about the progress of the project. They maintain that Ratner will not be directing another Rush Hour should the project come to fruition, but a source says “no one is willing to tell Brett he’s not the director of the picture.”
Another high-level source says billionaire Len Blavatnik, Ratner’s former partner in his Ratpac Entertainment production-finance company, had told the embattled filmmaker that he would continue to pay him but asked Ratner to keep a low profile. (Blavatnik’s Access Industries did not respond to a request for comment.) That doesn’t seem to be in Ratner’s DNA. In January, Page Six ran a story headlined, “Scandal Plagued Brett Ratner Living it up in Miami.” The gossip column reported that Ratner was desporting himself at Blavatnik’s trendy Miami hotel, Faena. A source says Blavatnik wasn’t pleased by the attention that Ratner was drawing to himself. Ratner also was spotted with several women in Cannes during the film festival last month wearing a Warner Bros. hat.
Singer, referring to the Miami hotel in the Page Six story, said Ratner “wasn’t partying with Avi Lerner and Donny Deutsch — he is going to dinner with friends. He has a right to have a life and go to private dinners. Brett has no reason to hide.”
Source: Variety
Kevin Hart To Produce New FX Comedy Pilot With Lil Dicky
FX is going big with Lil Dicky.
The cable network has ordered a pilot for a half-hour comedy series inspired by the life of the rapper and comedian, whose real name is Dave Burd. The series is centered around a suburban neurotic man in his late twenties who has convinced himself that he’s destined to be one of the best rappers of all time. Now he must convince the world.
The untitled series is based on a story co-written by Burd and “The League” co-creator Jeff Schaffer. Burd wrote the teleplay and will star as well as serve as executive producer for music. The pilot will be directed by Greg Mottola.
The pilot will be executive produced by Burd, Schaffer, Kevin Hart via Hartbeat Productions, Mottola, Marty Bowen, Scooter Braun, Mike Hertz, James Shin and Scott Manson. The pilot is being produced by FX Productions.
Burd achieved critical acclaim and commercial success with his album “Professional Rapper,” which debuted at #7 on the Billboard Hot 100 and #1 on the Comedy, Rap and Independent Charts, and featured the 2x platinum single “Save Dat Money.” His latest single, “FreakyFriday,” peaked at #8 on the Billboard Hot 100 and has been on the charts since its release nine weeks ago, as the song has surpassed over 500 million global streams in just under two months.
FX also recently gave a series order to the half-hour drama “Mr Inbetween,” based on a short film by Australian actor Scott Ryan, and an adaptation of the 2014 comedy film “What We Do in the Shadows.”
Source: Variety
Rickey Smiley Gives Kid A Car For Defining ‘Determination.’
A student deemed “the definition of determination” was awarded a set of wheels by syndicated morning radio host Rickey Smiley. Graduating high school student Corey Patrick has become a viral sensation with his story of taking a crosstown bus every morning at 4 to complete his high school education. The payoff: a brand new Jeep.
The student’s story gained traction when a bus driver posted a pic on social media of graduating student Patrick in Birmingham, AL. As a result, Patrick was invited to guest on “The Rickey Smiley Morning Show”—based in his hometown—where the host said, “We want to thank you Corey, for showing us the definition of determination”—and then told him he needed to get a driver’s license. With the assistance of University Chrysler Dodge Jeep Ram of Anniston, AL; R&B hitmaker Tyrese; and SummitMedia rhythmic “95.7 Jamz” WBHJ Birmingham, Smiley then handed Patrick the keys to a new car.
Smiley said over the air, “You inspire so many people. You inspire me to do better.” He referenced the fact that Patrick woke up at 4am to catch a bus in the 5am hour to get to school at Tarrant High School in Tarrant, AL. The interview, video and pictures are gaining more traction on Smiley’s website and social media—and have also been covered nationally on NBC’s “Today” show, CNN, People and more.
“The Rickey Smiley Morning Show” is heard weekdays nationally on nearly 60 radio stations. It is syndicated by Reach Media.
Source: Inside Radio
The ‘Bad Boys’ Spinoff ‘LA’s Finest’ Moves Forward With Charter Communications!
I hear talks are progressing between Charter Communications and Sony Pictures TV, and the two sides are now in serious negotiations for a series order to the studio’s LA’s Finest drama pilot starring Gabrielle Union and Jessica Alba.
Sony TV took out the action pilot, a spinoff from the Bad Boys movie franchise, immediately after the project’s original network, NBC, surprisingly passed on it 20 days ago. Charter Communications quickly emerged as a likely potential home, starting talks with Sony TV just days later. A deal now appears likely. Reps for Charter and Sony TV declined comment.
With its title recognition and A-list stars, L.A.’s Finest may be used as a key launching piece in Charter Communications’s recently announced strategy to introduce high-end original content on its Spectrum cable systems. The company signaled its entrance in the original scripted series arena by signing co-production deals with AMC Networks and Viacom and by hiring seasoned TV executive Katherine Pope to lead its original content efforts.
Charter, which counts savvy billionaire John Malone as a key stakeholder, is among many cable operators looking to provide content that can stem the tide of cord-cutters ending their pay-TV subscriptions.
With elaborate action sequences, LA’s Finest was one of the most expensive pilots this season, with its budget said to be around $12 million. It follows the Special Agent Syd Burnett character played by Union in 2003’s Bad Boys II as she moves to Los Angeles and joins the LAPD. In the pilot, written by Brandon Margolis and Brandon Sonnier and directed by Anton Cropper, the free-spirited former DEA agent Burnett has a fresh start in her new job as an LAPD detective. She’s partnered with Nancy McKenna (Alba), a working mom who can’t help but look at Syd’s freedom with some grass-is-greener envy.
L.A.’s Finest comes from Jerry Bruckheimer Television, Primary Wave, 2.0 Entertainment and Sony TV. Alba and Union executive produce alongside Sonnier Margolis, Bruckheimer, Belgrad, Jonathan Littman, KristieAnne Reed, Jeff Gaspin and Jeff Morrone.
Source: Deadline
Robin Thede Announced As The Host Of 34th Annual TCA Awards
The Television Critics Association (TCA) announced Thursday that Robin Thede will host the upcoming 34th Annual TCA Awards. Held on August 4 at the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, Calif., the awards show honors the year’s top programs as decided by TV critics from the U.S. and Canada.
Thede, the creator, executive producer, and host of “The Rundown with Robin Thede” on BET, is also known for her work on Comedy Central series “The Nightly Show with Larry Wilmore,” where she came the first black female writer in late night. In 2016, she was the first African-American woman to serve as head writer for the White House Correspondents Dinner.
“Outside of #Beychella, nothing has excited me more than hosting this year’s TCA Awards! After all, if a burnt turnip can be president, why can’t I host this incredible show?,” Thede joked in a statement. “I look forward to the event and can’t wait to body roll my way into every critic’s heart.”
The comedian, who has also appeared on “Key & Peele,” “Difficult People,” “Goodwin Games” and “Funny Or Die,” joins the company of past TCA Awards hosts Kristin Chenoweth, James Corden, Terry Crews, Bryan Cranston, Ellen DeGeneres, Conan O’Brien, Drew Carey, Craig Ferguson, Wanda Sykes and Nick Offerman.
The TCA Awards will honor programs across 13 distinct categories highlighting scripted series, performances, youth programming, reality series, and more. The foundation also presents the Heritage Award to one long-standing series that has culturally influenced society, as well as a Career Achievement Award. Nominees will be announced in early June.
Source: Variety
Eddie Murphy To Debut Another Reggae Song This Fall After Filming ‘Dolemite’ And Beverly Hills Cop 4!
According to our sources, we hear that comedian and actor Eddie Murphy continues to be in the studio (actually he never left) and is preparing to debut another reggae song later this year.
Word is that after Murphy films his next two films, the Dolemite remake and another installment of Beverly Hills Cop, he will then debut his new song and possible album. There are also more rumors that he is going to hit the stage with a new comedy set and encompass it with music, but as many folks know in the comedy circles until Murphy actually hits the stage to do stand up, seeing is believing. If we believe the rumor, Murphy is planning to mix his stand up with lots of his musical performances.
Speaking of reggae, his last venture in the genre climbed the Billboard Reggae charts with his song titled, “Oh Jah Jah”, and climbed as far as No. 4 and No. 1 on the iTunes Reggae channel.
“Oh Jah Jah” is not Murphy’s first journey into the reggae genre. Not only did Murphy sing the catchy reggae song “Kill the White People” on SNL, but on Love’s Alright, Murphy teamed up with the legendary Jamaican dancehall artist Shabba Ranks on “I Was A King.” Despite the big-name artists featured on the album, it was neither a critical nor a commercial success, which may be why it was Murphy’s last full-length musical release.
In 2013, Murphy collaborated on “Red Light” with Snoop Dogg’s reggae playing alter-ego Snoop Lion. The video racked up over 7,000,000 YouTube views.
He followed “Red Light” with “Temporary” and the retro R&B jam “Promise (You Won’t Break My Heart)”. As for “Oh Jah Jah,” the song was inspired by news of the Ebola outbreak, according to Murphy in an interview with Billboard. “I was on the balcony watching the news and the song basically came together right there — with me taking it all in and playing chords on my guitar. So I wanted to put it out now because it felt timely,” Murphy said.
More on this as it develops.
Sources: Billboard, Variety, Vanity Fair
Arsenio Hall And George Lopez To Co-Host LA Dodgers Foundation Blue Diamond Gala Headlined By John Legend
The Los Angeles Dodgers Foundation (LADF) announced today that comedy icons Arsenio Hall and George Lopez will co-host its fourth annual Blue Diamond Gala Monday, June 11, at Dodger Stadium.
The evening will kick off with a star-studded blue carpet and pre-show dinner party followed by two hours of entertainment and post-show food trucks. Multi-award winning, platinum-selling singer-songwriter John Legend will headline the show — all to celebrate the foundation’s impactful work.
LADF has invested more than $21 million into the Los Angeles community in the form of direct programs and grants to local organizations.
Proceeds from the Blue Diamond Gala will support the expansion of its direct programs — Dodgers Dreamfields and Dodger RBI (Reviving Baseball in Inner Cities) — and help LADF reach its goal of building 50 baseball fields in underserved communities.
“The Blue Diamond Gala is one of the most exciting nights of the year, and we know that Arsenio and George will make it even more memorable,” said Mark Walter, Dodger owner and chairman of the LADF Board. “Our vision is for the foundation’s programs, including the 50th Dodgers Dreamfield that will be built with gala proceeds, to improve the lives of 10,000 children annually.”
The Los Angeles Dodgers Ownership Group is presenting the 2018 Blue Diamond Gala. The group includes Walter; Earvin Magic Johnson; Todd Boehly; Robert “Bobby” Patton, Jr.; and Peter Guber. Serving as this year’s event chairs are Emily and Teddy Greenspan; Terri and Eric Holoman; William McMorrow; Stephanie and Nicholas Sandler; Sarah and Kurt Rappaport, Cindy Starrett and Allan Bates; and Renata and Ken Simril.
Blake Griffin Lands In New Sci-Fi Action Comedy For Paramount!
Paramount has picked up a sci-fi action comedy pitch from Mortal Media, the banner of the NBA’s Blake Griffin and NFL’s Ryan Kalil.
The untitled feature hails from duo Aaron Buchsbaum and Teddy Riley, who penned MGM’s proposed Shanghai Noon sequel, Shanghai Dawn, and put together the pitch with theDetroit Pistons forward and Carolina Panthers center.
Plot details are being kept under wraps, but the project is shaping up to be the first original feature being developed by the shingle. Mortal is developing a reboot of Disney’s Rocketeer (1991) that will be headlined by a black female character and a White Men Can’t Jump remake from Black-ish creator Kenya Barris at Fox.
Buchsbaum and Riley, who are repped by WME, Mosaic and McKuin Frankel, are also developing animated series Fairfax with Amazon.
Mortal is represented by UTA and Ziffren Brittenham.
Source: The Hollywood Reporter
It’s Official: Jamie Foxx Lands The Lead Role In New ‘Spawn’ Film!
Jamie Foxx is set to star in Spawn, the Blumhouse film that marks the directorial debut of Todd McFarlane from his scripted adaptation of his comic book creation. Foxx will play the character who started out in the comics as Al Newman, a member of a CIA black ops team who is betrayed twice. After being set up by his cohorts to be murdered with his corpse set aflame, Newman is double-crossed in Hell. He is convinced to become a Hellspawn warrior in exchange for being able to be reunited with his wife. But Spawn finds himself stuck in a demonic creature shell, and that his wife moved on and married his best friend. So this is one pissed off antihero who attends to dispatching the scum of the city in good and evil battles that encompass earth, heaven and hell.
The comic was huge in the 1990s and was previously turned into an animated film and a live action pic with Michael Jai White playing the character. McFarlane has long gotten overtures on a new live action film that could launch a franchise, but he always had creative issues that led him to his own gritty low-budget version at Blumhouse, with McFarlane making his directorial debut. He expects the budget to be between $10M-$12M for a dark R-rated realization of his vision that will stack up favorably from both a creative and a financial standpoint.
He doesn’t intend to tell Spawn‘s origin story and he expects his anti-hero to be a man of few words.
Courtesy Todd McFarlane
“The scariest movies, from Jaws to John Carpenter’s The Thing, or The Grudge and The Ring, the boogeyman doesn’t talk,” McFarlane told Deadline, acknowledging that he’s gotten odd stares from studio suits in the past on this approach. “It confuses people because of the comic book industry, and because they all default into their Captain America mindset and I keep saying, no, get into John Carpenter’s mindset or Hitchcock. This is not a man in a rubber suit, it’s not a hero that’s going to come and save the damsel. It’s none of that. At the end of the movie, I’m hoping that the audience will say either, is this a ghost that turns into a man, or is it a man that turns into a ghost? I’ve got a trilogy in mind here, and I’m not inclined in this first movie to do an origin story. I’m mentally exhausted from origin stories. Luckily, there’s a movie that just came out that helps my cause. In A Quiet Place, the first thing on screen is a card in black and white letters that says Day 89. It doesn’t care about what happened in those first 88 days. There are a couple headlines, but then we are on day 450. That movie doesn’t worry about explaining and giving all the answers. What it said in that case was, if you can hang on for a story of survival of this family, this movie will make complete sense for you.”
Courtesy Todd McFarlane
McFarlane wants to challenge Spawn aficionados and newcomers in the same fashion. “If you want to see something creepy and powerful where you go, just what the hell was that? I’m not going to explain how Spawn does what he does; he is just going to do it. We’ll eventually do some of the background if we make a trilogy, but that’s not this first movie. The first movie is just saying, do you believe? And if you believe than that’s good because I’m hoping to take you for a long ride with this franchise.”
McFarlane expects the envelope-pushing take might turn his biggest fans into his most ferocious critics. If there’s a touchstone film to his approach, it’s Jacob’s Ladder, a film that left audiences questioning whether or not the action on the screen was real or a nightmare.
If Spawn doesn’t have much to say, then why Foxx, the Oscar-winner who delivered so many memorable lines in everything from Django Unchained to Collateral and Ray?
Courtesy Todd McFarlane
“There are five or six moments where I’m going to need things from my actors, and a couple of them have to come from Jamie, and I’ve seen him deliver them onscreen,” McFarlane said. “He gets into a zone, with body language and a look that basically will say way more than anything i could type on a piece of paper, and this movie is going to need those moments. And in the odd moment where he has to deliver a line that’s short, curt and has impact, he can do it in a way that makes you go, ‘whoa, I don’t want to mess with that guy. What a badass.’”
McFarlane adds that Foxx was the actor in his mind when he wrote the script.
“Jamie came to my office five years ago, and he had an idea about Spawn and we talked about it,” McFarlane said. “I never forgot him, and when I was writing this script, you sort of plug people in, and he was my visual guy and I never let go of him. When I got done and my agents and everybody was talking about what actor, I said, I’m going to Jamie first and until he says no I don’t want to think about anyone else because I’ve never had anyone else in my head. Luckily, he hadn’t forgotten either. I said, ‘hey, I’m back to talk about Spawn again, and he was like, let’s do it.’”
Blumhouse chief Jason Blum sparked to the pairing.
“We are thrilled Jamie Foxx will be playing the title role in our movie adaptation of Spawn,” he said in a statement. “He is an incredible actor and a huge fan of the Spawn Universe that Todd McFarlane created. With the depth of talent Jamie can commit to the role and Todd at the helm bringing the world of Spawn to life, we could not be more excited for this film.”
Foxx sparked to the idea that his five year wait to play the character will be worth it.
Said Foxx: “A few years back I flew out to Arizona to meet the man behind one of the most incredible comic book characters in the universe… Todd McFarlane. He was taken aback when I told him with the enthusiasm of a young child that more than anything I wanted to put my name in the hat to embody his beloved character Spawn…. I told him no one would work harder than me if given the opportunity… well… the opportunity is here!! I’m humbled and ready to transform… and to top things off the young Jason Blum is lending his brilliance to the project! Time to be great!!!! #Spawn.”
Foxx is repped by CAA and LBI Entertainment.
Source: Deadline
‘Superfly’ Set To Open American Black Film Festival In Miami Beach
The 2018 American Black Film Festival will open with the premiere screening of “Superfly” on June 13 at the Fillmore Theater in Miami Beach, Fla., Variety has learned exclusively.
Sony Pictures is opening the title nationwide on the same date to get a two-day jump on Disney and Pixar’s “Incredibles 2.”
“Superfly” is directed by Director X in his feature film debut from Alex Tse’s script. It stars Trevor Jackson, Jason Mitchell, Michael Kenneth Williams, Lex Scott Davis, and Jennifer Morrison.
The original 1972 “Super Fly” starred Ron O’Neal as a cocaine dealer who is trying to quit the underworld drug business. Directed by Gordon Parks, the $500,000 film was massively profitable with box office of $30 million.
“We are thrilled ‘Superfly’ will be the opening night film at the 2018 ABFF,” CEO Jeff Friday said. “For many, the title resonates as a cultural touchstone, not only for the look and style of the film itself, but also for Curtis Mayfield’s legendary soundtrack, and for its place in history. ‘Superfly’ is one of the few films of its era that featured African-American characters with agency and power. In bringing ‘Superfly’ to a new generation, Director X has transitioned a timeless classic into a modern day, entertaining film that will be enjoyed by all.”
