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MGM & BermanBraun Sign TV Production Deal, First-Look Feature Pact

By NELLIE ANDREEVA | Tuesday June 18, 2013 @ 9:07am PDTTags: Berman/Braun, MGM
Nellie Andreeva

UPDATED: Gail Berman and Lloyd Braun’s TV/digital/film production company has set up shop at MGM for television and film. BermanBraun, which just came out of a five-year stint at NBCUniversal, has signed an exclusive multiyear production deal with MGM Television to create and develop scripted and unscripted programming for broadcast and cable. The agreement, the first such production pact for MGM Television, which has been in a rapid expansion mode, came together pretty quickly only two weeks after BermanBraun’s most recent deal at NBCU expired. “It was a real meeting of minds,“ said Roma Khanna, President, Television Group & Digital, MGM Television.”The idea of this deal is to say that our appetite is large for quality productions, that we want to work with the best talent and are smart about the TV projects we put together.”

Berman and Braun took several meetings but ultimately opted to go with upstart MGM vs. a traditional TV studio because of their plan to aggressively build their TV operation. “We’re exited to be part of their expansion, it gives us an unique opportunity to spread our wings,” Berman said.

BermanBraun and MGM TV both have experimented with not-traditional production models, something BermanBraun is employing in their summer NBC series Camp, which was done as a straight-to-series, lower license fee show. MGM TV is behind History’s Vikings, which went straight to series and is made as an international co-production, as well as FX’s straight-to-series limited series Fargo. Khanna noted that MGM “got lucky” to land the two straight-to-series orders but is staying “flexible”, pursuing both non-traditional and traditional pilot development and willing to deficit finance/co-finance its projects. MGM’s focus remain on cable dramas, though Khanna hopes to expand into unscripted series via BermanBraun’s expertise in the arena. Meanwhile, BermanBraun had serviced NBCU’s cable networks, including producing Syfy’s Alphas, though its primary focus for the past five years has been on broadcast, supplying NBC. The deal with MGM “really allows to get (the cable drama) part of our business jump-started, so our interests aligned beautifully in that,” Berman said,. In addition to Khanna, BermanBraun will work with Steve Stark, President, TV Production, MGM Television. On the BermanBraun side, Gene Stein, President of Television, will be leading their team in the new venture.

MGM has also signed BermanBraun to a first-look deal on all theatrical projects they are developing and will work directly with Jonathan Glickman, President, Motion Picture Group, MGM. The theatrical executive from BermanBraun is Andrew Mittman, Head of Feature Film Development. READ MORE »

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Jon M. Chu Re-Enlisting To Helm ‘G.I. Joe 3′

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Tuesday June 11, 2013 @ 3:41pm PDTTags: Big Deals Film, Dwayne Johnson, G.I. Joe 3, Jon M. Chu, MGM, Paramount Pictures
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Paramount and MGM are making a deal with Jon M. Chu to direct another installment of G.I. Joe. It was Chu who essentially guided a do-over from 2009′s G.I. Joe: The Rise Of Cobra, and it wasn’t the easiest process. The film was refashioned with Dwayne Johnson and Bruce Willis as its core leads. Even then, Paramount pulled the film from its 2012 release calendar (to make it 3D and do some creative enhancements) and did the same with World War Z (to shoot a whole new third act). It looks like the studio’s gamble will pay off in both cases. G.I. Joe: Retaliation came out in March to gross $365 million globally, and WWZ is beginning to generate positive buzz after being prematurely written off because of its production issues, now that people are seeing it’s a good movie. Read More »

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Hot Trailer: ‘The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday June 11, 2013 @ 10:18am PDTTags: MGM, Peter Jackson, The Hobbit: The Desolation Of Smaug, Warner Bros

The sequel to Peter Jackson‘s The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey is due out December 13 from Warner Bros, the second of three MGM- and Warners-produced movies adapted from JRR Tolkien’s Lord Of The Rings prequel novel. Here’s the first look at the The Desolation Of Smaug, which … Read More »

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MGM, Paramount Start Shooting Dwayne Johnson-Starrer ‘Hercules’

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday June 10, 2013 @ 10:40am PDTTags: Dwayne Johnson, Hercules, MGM, Paramount Pictures

Principal photography on Hercules has begun in Budapest, Hungary. The film, starring Dwayne Johnson and Ian McShane is based on the graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars. The ensemble action film is a revisionist take on … Read More »

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MGM Buys ‘Modern Family’ Producer Ben Karlin’s ‘Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Thursday May 23, 2013 @ 1:16pm PDTTags: Ben Karlin, MGM, Modern Family, Things I've Learned From Women Who've Dumped Me
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: MGM has acquired screen rights to Things I’ve Learned From Women Who’ve Dumped Me, the best-selling humor anthology edited by Ben Karlin. Script will be written by Kyle Pennekamp & Scott Turpel, who scripted the upcoming Get … Read More »

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MGM Reports Q1 Windfall From ‘Hobbit’ And ‘Skyfall’

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Thursday May 16, 2013 @ 1:23pm PDTTags: MGM, Skyfall, The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey

The numbers do the roaring for MGM. In the first three months of this year it generated net income of $57.4M, +150.7% vs the period last year, on revenues of $481.7M, +168.4%. It shouldn’t be a surprise. With the late 2012 release of the James Bond film Skyfall, and a 50% stake in The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, the studio had $139.5M in worldwide box office revenues, up from $0.5M last year. The company says that it has to wait for costs to be covered before it can recognize revenue from two films it co-financed: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters and G.I. Joe: Retaliation. Home entertainment also was way up — to $201.7M from $36.2M — with the home video release of Skyfall and piggy-back promotions for its James Bond library. But worldwide television licensing was -3.2% to $109.3M. MGM’s 19.1% stake in EPIX delivered $5M to net earnings, +16.3%. The results “exceeded our expectations” and “position us well to deliver on our financial goals” for 2013, CEO Gary Barber told investors. Read More »

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Paramount & MGM Sued For $23M By ‘G.I. Joe’ Writers Who Claim Sequel Was ‘Stolen’

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Monday May 6, 2013 @ 4:27pm PDTTags: David Elliot, G.I. Joe: Retaliation, MGM, Paramount Pictures, Paul Lovett

Two of the screenwriters of the first G.I. Joe movie have filed a multi-million copyright infringement suit against Paramount Pictures, MGM, Hasbro and Di Bonaventura Pictures. In their two-claim complaint (read it … Read More »

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‘Hercules’ Pic Adds ‘Lovely Bones’ Reece Ritchie

By DOMINIC PATTEN | Wednesday April 17, 2013 @ 9:06am PDTTags: Hercules, MGM, Paramount Pictures, Reece Ritchie

EXCLUSIVE: Hercules has put on a bit more casting muscle. Reece Ritchie has joined Dwayne Johnson in Brett Ratner-directed action movie from Paramount and MGM. The Lovely Bones and Prince Of Persia actor will play Iolaus, … Read More »

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MGM Setting Adam Shankman To Helm Vin Diesel-Starrer ‘The Machine’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Friday April 12, 2013 @ 10:14am PDTTags: Adam Shankman, MGM, The Machine, Vin Diesel
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: MGM is in talks with Adam Shankman to direct The Machine, the action comedy that will star Vin Diesel and was scripted by the Night At The Museum team of Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben … Read More »

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Hot Trailer: ‘Carrie’ Remake

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday April 4, 2013 @ 5:26pm PDTTags: Carrie, Chloe Moretz, Julianne Moore, MGM, Screen Gems

It’s a tough road to fully wipe clear the iconic images of Brian De Palma’s 1976 original, based on the Stephen King book about a loner high school girl whose crazy mom and the mean kids at school eventually get the brunt of her blossoming telekinetic powers. But this first … Read More »

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Addison Timlin Lands Lead In ‘The Town That Dreaded Sundown’

By JEN YAMATO | Wednesday April 3, 2013 @ 10:45am PDTTags: Addison Timlin, MGM, The Town That Dreaded Sundown

EXCLUSIVE: The Californication and Zero Hour actress is set to star in MGM‘s horror remake, which puts a modern meta twist on the original. Pic takes place in Texarkana, site of the 1946 “Moonlight Murders” that … Read More »

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MGM & GK Films Team For ‘Tomb Raider’ Reboot

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Wednesday March 27, 2013 @ 12:38pm PDTTags: GK Films, MGM, Tomb Raider

MGM announced today that it has picked up film rights to the Tomb Raider video game from GK Films and will be working with the company to reboot the action franchise. GK Films had acquired … Read More »

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‘Hercules’ Pic Cast Additions Include Ian McShane, Joseph Fiennes & John Hurt

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Thursday March 21, 2013 @ 1:25pm PDTTags: Hercules, Ian McShane, John Hurt, Joseph Fiennes, MGM, Paramount Pictures

The Dwayne Johnson-starrer Hercules already set Rufus Sewell to co-star as Autolycus. Now Ian McShane, Joseph Fiennes, Rebecca Ferguson (BBC’s The White Queen), Aksel Hennie (Headhunters) and John Hurt have come aboard, Paramount and MGM said today. Ryan Condal wrote the screenplay for the action film, based on Radical Studio’s graphic novel Hercules: The Thracian Wars, Evan Spiliotopoulos rewrote it and Brett Ratner is directing and producing with Barry Levine and Beau Flynn. Production is set to begin in May and the movie will be released July 25, 2014.

The plot: After renouncing his mythological origins, Hercules lives in exile and fights as a mercenary for hire alongside his loyal but weary comrades. Hercules and his crew will face their most challenging labor yet when one battle forces the man behind the myth to question everything he once believed, and reconsider the truth behind his own legend. Read More »

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Rufus Sewell Joining Dwayne Johnson In MGM’s ‘Hercules’

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday March 20, 2013 @ 3:43pm PDTTags: Dwayne Johnson, Hercules, MGM, Rufus Sewell
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: Rufus Sewell is set to star as Autolycus alongside Dwayne Johnson in Hercules for MGM. Ryan Condal has written the film and Evan Spiliotopoulos rewrite it and Brett Ratner is directing. Ratner will produce with Barry Levine and Beau Flynn. After renouncing his mythological origins, Hercules lives in exile and fights as a mercenary for hire alongside his loyal but weary comrades. Hercules and his crew will face their most challenging labor yet when one battle forces the man behind the myth to question everything he once believed, and reconsider the truth behind his own legend. The pic has been set to open July 25, 2014. Read More »

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MGM Will Have To Disclose Additional Info Following 2012 Film Successes

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Tuesday March 19, 2013 @ 4:06pm PDTTags: MGM, MGM Finance

Execs at privately held MGM won’t be able to play their cards so close to the vest after the James Bond film Skyfall and The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey helped to push company revenues … Read More »

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Paramount, MGM Confirm ‘Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters’ Sequel In Works

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Monday March 18, 2013 @ 1:29pm PDTTags: Hansel & Gretel: Witch Hunters, MGM, MTV Films, Paramount

The news comes the same day the revisionist fairy tale starring Jeremy Renner and Gemma Arterton crossed $200 million at the global box office. That’s a significant milestone and key to the decision to go ahead with a … Read More »

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MGM Swings To Q4 Profit With Help From ‘Skyfall’ And ‘The Hobbit’

By DAVID LIEBERMAN, Executive Editor | Monday March 18, 2013 @ 12:06pm PDTTags: MGM, MGM Finance

MGMWhen you look at the numbers for the end of 2011 and 2012, you’d almost think they’re from two different companies. In the last three months of 2012 MGM generated net income of $40.2M, up from an $11.3M … Read More »

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‘Monster House’s Gil Kenan Finds New Haunt: He’ll Helm MGM ‘Poltergeist’ Remake

By MIKE FLEMING JR | Wednesday March 6, 2013 @ 5:05pm PSTTags: MGM, Sam Raimi
Mike Fleming

EXCLUSIVE: MGM has found a director for its remake of the horror classic Poltergeist. It’s Gil Kenan, who’s best known for helming Monster House and City Of Ember. He separately has set up an original, A Giant, with Lava … Read More »

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‘Hercules’ 2014 Release Date Shifts Month

By THE DEADLINE TEAM | Tuesday February 26, 2013 @ 4:55pm PSTTags: Hercules, MGM, Paramount

Paramount and MGM said that the Dwayne Johnson-starrer Hercules, originally scheduled for wide release on August 8, 2014, will now open July 25, 2014. Brett Ratner is directing the pic, which is being eyed as a … Read More »

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