Jennifer Egan: Last News

Last night at the Deadline-hosted celebration of the Black List 20th anniversary, founder Franklin Leonard told attendees that there was more to come.

EXCLUSIVE: Just before the holiday break, Universal Pictures has found an exciting package under its tree. Sources tell Deadline that the studio has landed rights to the Christmas comedy Naughty, which has Olivia Wilde directing and LuckyChap producing. The package is based on a spec by Cocaine Bear scribe Jimmy Warden, and the auction saw several studios in the mix with Universal ultimately delivering the winning bid.

James Patterson, Suzanne Collins and Margaret Atwood are among thousands of writers endorsing an open letter from the Authors Guild urging AI companies to obtain permission before incorporating copyrighted work into their technologies.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Netflix co-CEO Ted Sarandos will no longer attend a gala meant to honor him next week in New York. The decision comes as labor issues grab headlines across Hollywood. Sarandos was set to accept the Business Visionary Award at the annual PEN American Spring Literary Gala, alongside fellow honoree Lorne Michaels and a host of literati including Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, Susan Choi, Jennifer Egan, Min Jin Lee, Jay McInerney and Gay Talese. He’s skipping the event, to be held under the blue whale at the American Museum of Natural History, as many industry celebrations weigh how to address the writers strike. “Given the potential to disrupt this wonderful evening, I thought it was best to pull out so as not to distract from the important work that PEN America does for writers and journalists, as well as the celebration of my friend and personal hero Lorne Michaels. I hope the evening is a great success,” Sarandos told Variety in a statement.

Olivia Wilde landed her next big directing project, and it’s for a television series.

EXCLUSIVE: Jennifer Egan’s best-selling novels A Visit from the Goon Squad and its sequel The Candy House are getting the TV treatment in a big way as A24 has optioned the rights to the books with Olivia Wilde attached to direct the series. Wilde also will exec produce along with Jennifer Fox.