Movie News

Following last weekend's poor showing at the domestic box office, February gets underway in earnest this weekend with four new releases including The Lego Movie 2 and What Men Want, both of which are looking at strong starts. Additionally, Lionsgate release of Summit's Cold Pursuit and Orion's The Prodigy will hope for solid starts, given their budgets, in the high single digits as all four new releases hope to be the top four films on the weekend box office chart. Looking at an easy #1 finish is Warner Bros.'s release of The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, which will open in over 4,300 locations * including showings in 2D, 3D, IMAX, Dbox and more * with the studio anticipating a debut anywhere from $50-55 million. This projection mostly jibes with what we're seeing, with IMDb page view data trending similar to, or out-performing, comp titles such as Kung Fu Panda 3 and Hotel Transylvania 2.

Nisha Ganatra, who directed the Sundance darling “Late Night,” is in negotiations to helm Universal and Working Title’s upcoming film “Covers,” sources tell Variety.

Not much is known about the project, written by first-time screenwriter Flora Greeson, other than it being a romance set in the Los Angeles music world.

Working Title’s Tim Bevan and Eric Fellner will produce “Covers,” and Working Title’s Alexandra Loewy will serve as executive producer. Universal executive VP of production Erik Baiers and creative executive Lexi Barta will oversee the movie on behalf of the studio.

The move comes on the heels of Universal’s pledge to join Time’s Up’s 4% Challenge, a commitment to working with more female directors.

Ganatra most recently directed the comedy “Late Night,” which premiered at this year’s Sundance Film Festival to rave reviews. Mindy Kaling wrote the movie and co-stars alongside Emma Thompson. Amazon Studios

Universal Pictures and Lorne Michaels’ production company, Broadway Video, have purchased the feature film rights to “The Operator,” a book by former Navy Seal Robert O’Neill about how he fired the shots that killed Osama bin Laden, an individual with knowledge of the project told TheWrap.

The full title of the New York Times bestselling book is “The Operator: Firing the Shots that Killed Osama bin Laden and My Years as a Seal Team Warrior.” Michael Russell Gunn, who is currently a supervising producer on “Billions,” is adapting the screenplay.

“SNL” boss Michaels is producing the film, with Erin David and Sammy Perlmutter overseeing for Broadway Video, and Kristin Lowe and Mika Pryce overseeing for Universal. O’Neill is also executive producing.

Based on his accounts in “The Operator,” O’Neill had been

Seth Rogen and Michael Keaton are in talks to star in new comedy “King of the Jungle,” which STXfilms is in final negotiations to acquire the U.S. distribution rights for.

Glenn Ficarra and John Requa (“I Love You Philip Morris”) are directing the film from a script by Scott Alexander and Larry Karaszewski.

Based on the true story first published in Condé Nast’s Wired magazine by Joshua Davis, the film is from Condé Nast Entertainment, Zaftig Films, MadRiver Pictures and Endurance Media, who are also co-financing, and Epic Entertainment. Imr International introduced “King of the Jungle” to foreign buyers at the American Film Market and will continue foreign sales at the European Film Market this week. Stx has committed to a wide U.S. theatrical release.

“King of the Jungle

Nominated for the Oscar for Best Documentary Feature, and airing on PBS’s Independent Lens beginning February 11th (and now on iTunes), RaMell Ross’s Hale County This Morning, This Evening lives up to its buzz and then some. The award-winning photographer’s debut feature is a low-key, highly cinematic look at the Alabama Black Belt over a period of five years. In that time Ross trained his lens mostly on two twenty-something men, Daniel and Quincy, as they navigated education, blue-collar labor, fatherhood, and just the intricacies of daily life in their culturally rich, economically impoverished Southern town. Filmmaker was fortunate enough […]

Closing in on one of the edgier mainstream upcoming movies from Argentina, Sony Pictures Television has acquired rights to Latin America on “Los Adoptantes” (The Adopters).

Sony will release the film theatrically in three territories in Latin America. The deal does not include a theatrical release in Argentina, which is still being negotiated.

FilmSharks Intl., the sales agent on “The Adopters, “ is also in talks to close the U.S., Spain, the U.K. and Germany, among other territories, said FilmSharks’ Guido Rud.

Now in post-production, the feature marks the second solo directorial outing for Argentine Daniel Gimelberg, who co-directed “Hotel Room” alongside Catalan auteur Cesc Gay. Gay has gone on to become one of Spain’s most popular quality auteurs.

The original idea for the film is from Gimelberg, who is gay and adopted, and Gay.

Starring Diego Gentile (“Wild Tales”) and Rafel Spregelburd (“Zama”), “The Adopters” turns on

New York-based Visit Films has acquired international sales rights to doc “The Sanctity of Space,” co-directed by Renan Ozturk.

Ozturk was one of the cinematographers and climbers on “Meru,” the breakthrough film of “Free Solo” directors Jimmy Chin and E. Chai Vasarhely.

Also a Dp and and director of high-altitude scenes on “Sherpa,” which Variety acclaimed as packing a “visual and emotional punch,” Ozturk co-directs “The Sanctity of Space” with climber-writer Freddie Wilkinson.

Visit Films will be presenting a private promo of the film, currently in post-production, to key partners at the Efm.

“The Sanctity of Space” follows climbing buddies Ozturk, Wilkinson and Zack Smith as they retrace the steps of legendary mountaineer, explorer and photographer Bradford Washburn, who put up many of the first ascents in Alaska.

Inspired by Washburn’s photographs of Alaska’s Denali National Park in Alaska from 75 years ago, “The Sanctity of Space” weaves Washburn

Film opens Generation 14Plus in Berlin.

Japan’s Nikkatsu has sealed a trio of deals on We Are Little Zombies, which won a special jury award for originality in Sundance and is playing as the opening film of the Generation 14Plus section here in Berlin.

The film, which is the feature debut of award-winning short filmmaker Makoto Nagahisa, has been sold to France’s Arp, Taiwan’s Joint Entertainment and Edko Films for Hong Kong. Nikkatsu is also in negotiations for a sale to China.

Produced by Robot Communications and Dentsu, the film tells the story of four recently orphaned

Will start pre-selling the titles at Efm.

China’s Hgc Entertainment has picked up international rights to two animated features, Fortune Cat and Loli Pop In Fantasy, which it will start pre-selling at the Efm.

Fortune Cat is a fantasy adventure featuring the lucky-charm cats with a waving paw that are hugely popular in Chinese and Japanese culture. The story involves four fortune cats who travel back in time to save the world from a demon. Loli Pop In Fantasy is based on the popular 3D animated TV series Gg Bond created by Gu Zhibin. Both titles are currently in

Han Jun-hee’s crime action film heading to Australia and New Zealand.

South Korea’s Showbox has sold crime action film Hit-And-Run Squad to a raft of territories led by Australia and New Zealand (Jbg Pictures).

The other territories are Japan (New Select), Us and Canada (815 Pictures), Hong Kong (Megaton), Taiwan (Movie Cloud), the Philippines (Viva Communications), Singapore (Shaw Renters), Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar and Vietnam (Westec Media), and Malaysia, Brunei, Indonesia and Thailand (Cj E&M Hk). The film also sold worldwide in-flight rights excluding Korea (Emphasis).

From director Han Jun-hee (Coin Locker Girl), the film stars Kong Hyo-jin (Door

Jean Paul Gautier model Alex Wetter set to star.

Other Angle Pictures is launching sales on French-Portuguese actor Ruben Alves’s upcoming comedy Miss, starring androgynous model Alex Wetter as a young man who sets his heart on winning the Miss France contest.

It is Alves’ second feature after 2013’s well-travelled The Gilded Cage about a Portuguese caretaker couple working in a Paris apartment block, which drew 1.2m spectators in France and sold well internationally.

Wetter is a well-known model on the Paris fashion scene who has walked the catwalk for the womenswear collections of Jean-Paul Gautier and others. He

Feature doc about renowned Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia.

Kim Longinotto’s documentary Shooting The Mafia – about renowned Sicilian photojournalist Letizia Battaglia - is drawing buyers ahead of its European premiere in Panorama Dokumente.

Joint sales agents Paris-based company Charades and the UK’s MetFilm Sales are reporting deals to France (Le Pacte), Scandinavia and Baltics (NonStop Entertainment), ex-Yugoslavia (2I) and Poland (Against Gravity).

The film, which world premiered at Sundance, intercuts Battaglia’s striking black-and-white photographs capturing Mafia brutality with rare archival footage, classic Italian films and her personal memories.

It was funded by Impact Partners, Screen Ireland, private investors and Irish tax incentives.

Directed by Takanobu Kanazawa, the project also stars Osamu Mukai (Hanamizuki) and Rena Tanaka (Omotenashi).

Japan’s Village Inc is launching sales at Efm on the latest Geki Cine production, Fortress Of Skulls, which features one of Japan’s biggest stars, Kenichi Matsuyama, in a lead role. Geki Cine produces filmed versions of its acclaimed stage plays in a single take and using multiple cameras, surround sound and high-end post-production.

Directed by Takanobu Kanazawa, the filmed version of Fortress Of Skulls also stars Osamu Mukai (Hanamizuki) and Rena Tanaka (Omotenashi). Matsuyama is best known internationally for the Death Note film

Boney Kapoor’s Bayview Projects has snapped up remake rights on Hadi El Bagoury’s Egyptian romantic comedy.

Veteran Bollywood producer Boney Kapoor’s Bayview Projects has snapped up remake rights on Hadi El Bagoury’s Egyptian romantic comedy hit Hepta: The Last Lecture, in a deal brokered by Arab cinema agency Mad Solutions.

Based on Mohamed Sadek’s best-selling book, Hepta revolved around the seven stages of love and was one of the highest-grossing romantic films in the history of Egyptian cinema.

“India and Egypt have been strongly influencing each other’s culture, arts and architecture since ancient times.

The second film of The Love Trilogy, Chained, premieres in the Berlinale’s Panorama section.

Alpha Violet has taken over sales on Israeli filmmaker Yaron Shani’s The Love Trilogy, the second film of which Chained premieres in Panorama tomorrow (Feb 9).

The film, revolving around an Israeli police officer who is suspended after he is falsely accused of abusing a minor, was previously handled by Celluloid Dreams. Under the deal, the Paris-based company is also handling the third film in the trilogy Reborn. The first film Stripped premiered at Venice.

“It’s generating strong interest and we’re also already

Each company will give a 10% discount on its services for gender-balanced productions.

The new 10% For 5050 Campaign will be launched at the Berlinale today. The initiative is a collaboration between post-production powerhouse Chimney, which operates in nine countries, and Women in Film and TV International (Wifti).

Already, 21 companies have signed up for the initiative, which will see each company give a 10% discount on its services for film productions that are gender balanced. Any service provider in the film and TV industry around the globe is invited to join the campaign and can find out more info at www.10percentfor5050.com.

Productions

“The Golden Glove,” Golden Bear winner Fatih Akin’s film about a real-life serial killer, has been sold to multiple territories, including Japan, Spain and Italy, by German sales agent The Match Factory.

The film is scheduled to world-premiere Saturday in competition at the Berlin Film Festival. Set in the 1970s, the pic tells the story of Fritz Honka, who killed at least four women in Hamburg’s red-light district. Akin’s screenplay is based on the novel of the same name by Heinz Strunk.

The film, which will be released by Pathe in France and Warner Bros. in Germany, has now been acquired by Bitters End in Japan, Vertigo in Spain, Bim in Italy, Cineart in Benelux and Rosebud in Greece. Other buyers include Vertigo in Hungary, Independenta Film 97 in Romania, Art Fest in Bulgaria, A-One Films in the Baltic states, McF MegaCom Film in the former Yugoslavia, and Bio Paradis in Iceland.

Cercamon has come aboard as international sales agent for “Goldie,” which stars Slick Woods, Rihanna’s favorite fashion model, as well as featuring rapper A$AP Ferg, George Sample III, Danny Hoch and Khris Davis.

Sam de Jong’s film, which has its world premiere Sunday in Berlin Film Festival’s Generation 14Plus sidebar, is the story of a precocious teenager living in a family shelter, fighting to keep her sisters together while she pursues her dreams of being a dancer.

Sébastien Chesneau, partner, acquisitions and sales for Cercamon, said: “[Sam de Jong] has created such a naturalistic, accessible story with Slick Woods’ unique character at its heart. Already a fashion and internet icon, Slick is a revelation in ‘Goldie,’ and delivers a breakthrough performance we will all be talking about for a long time.”

De Jong’s directorial debut, “Prince,” premiered in Generations 14Plus in 2015.

“Goldie” was produced by Luca Borghese and

Everyone could use a little inspiration when it comes to gift-giving, and just in time for Valentine’s Day, we’ve rounded up 10 novel gift ideas inspired by some of the most popular romantic comedies of all time.

Think the era of romantic comedies are over? Think again. As the massive success of 2018’s “Crazy Rich Asians” proved, love stories with happy endings will always resonate, both with movie audiences and, hopefully, gift recipients alike. Here’s how to stream some of our favorite romantic films, along with ways to pick up the unique gifts that these fairytale flicks inspired.

1. The Notebook

“The Notebook” follows the love story of Noah and Allie (Ryan Gosling and Rachel McAdams in flashbacks; James Garner and Gena Rowlands in present day), as the elder Noah reads from his journals to try and jog Allie’s memories of their past. Leave your love notes for

“Wraith” the first film to emerge from the slate of Mubina Rattonsey’s Zero Gravity Motion Pictures will shoot in Abu Dhabi in the second half of this year. The English-language horror thriller being directed by Armaan Zorace (“God is Dead”) is to feature a live, Muslim exorcism.

The plot focuses on a couple who hail from Seattle and attempt to settle down in a new town. But the house they find contains an evil presence, obliging them to fight forces from other dimensions.

This is a unique modern ghost story, which the mystery takes us into largely unexplored territory,” director and co-writer Zorace told Variety. “Abu Dhabi is ideal as it is easy and efficient, but also has the nuances of a Middle Eastern country that one cannot easily fabricate.”

“We will film real a Muslim exorcism, as conducted by the head of a Mosque, Our actors will interact with the ceremony,