Matt Donnelly-Senior: Last News

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Claire Silver, an artist who collaborates with artificial intelligence, has signed for representation with WME.  The prolific Silver is known as an early adopter in the crypto and NFT space. Her current medium is post-photography, or the manipulation of data to enhance digital images. In addition to signing with the Hollywood power agency, her work will be presented at legendary Paris museum The Louvre courtesy of Superchief Gallery NFT. Premiering March 21, Superchief is one of the first galleries in the world to exhibit AI artwork.  Like many of her digital cohorts, Silver’s identity remains anonymous. Her work has sold at Sotheby’s London, on SuperRare, and has been exhibited in galleries, museums, and festivals all over the world. She is a noted advocate for exploring the use of AI in creative works, something show business has been sweating about in recent months. Fears abound that machines will eventually replace screenwriters, VFX houses and more.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Elon Musk will be the center of a new documentary from the unflinching Alex Gibney, the Oscar-winning director of “Going Clear: Scientology and the Prison of Belief.” Already months into production, Gibney announced the project on Monday saying he was “hugely excited” about tackling Musk on film. It is described as a “definitive and unvarnished examination of multi-billionaire tech entrepreneur and CEO of Tesla, SpaceX and Twitter.” Tech mogul Musk reached peak saturation in late 2022 when he completed a $44 billion acquisition of Twitter, promising to upend the platform’s user experience as well as restore “balance” to its user body (including the elimination of bot accounts, which Musk has previously said ran rampant on the site).

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Howard Bragman — an architect of modern public relations and queer rights advocate who died last month — was celebrated by friends, family, and former clients in an emotional memorial on Sunday in Los Angeles.  A packed private park in North Hollywood adorned with string lights and a humble stage welcomed guests including Stevie Wonder, Lizzy Caplan, Melissa Rivers, Judy Garland’s daughter Lorna Luft, and Bragman’s musician husband Michael Maimone. Industry types in attendance included Oscar winner and “The Woman King” producer Cathy Shulman, former Entertainment Weekly editor Jess Cagle, and former “Good Morning America” hosts Amy Robach and T.J. Holmes. Bragman’s brother Adam and his client Don Lemon sent video tributes honoring the late executive. 

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Comedian Hasan Minhaj delivered a brutal indictment of the state of award shows, trade journalism, Armie Hammer and the indie film ecosystem at the 2023 Independent Spirit Awards on Saturday. Streaming live on YouTube — a focal point of mockery in Minhaj’s monologue — the annual Santa Monica gathering started off on a bitter note. First in line for execution was IFC, the cable channel that previously aired the awards franchise but did not renew its licensing deal. “We’re doing this super indie tonight,” Minhaj said. “We literally don’t have a distributor. The independent film channel did not want the independent film awards.”

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Sony Pictures has won global distribution rights to the hot comedy package “My Ex-Friend’s Wedding,” a script co-written by buzzy author Taylor Jenkins Reid starring a murderers’ row of funny women. Oscar winner Ariana DeBose, “Saturday Night Live” breakout Chloe Fineman, Amanda Seyfried and Megan Stalter are set as the core ensemble. The film follows four childhood best friends who receive a drunken voicemail from a former BFF on the eve of her wedding day — confessing that she thinks she’s making a mistake. The group sets out to stop her wedding and rekindle the friendship they once shared. Comedy vet Kay Cannon, whose 2019 feature directorial debut “Blockers” over-performed at the box office, is directing. The script is from Ashley Rodger and Jenkins Reid. The latter could not be hotter at the moment, as the series adaptation of her novel “Daisy Jones & The Six” is about to hit Amazon Prime Video. Additional Jenkins Reed books are headed to the screen at Hulu (“Malibu Rising”) and Netflix (“The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo”).

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Nick Panella has been named the leader of a new podcast and audio group at Agency for the Performing Arts, Variety can report exclusively.  Panella joins the company from Workhouse Media, where he worked extensively with names like Shonda Rhimes, Ellen DeGeneres, “Modern Family” co-creator Chris Lloyd and Oprah Winfrey.  Announced by APA’s head of content development Kyle Loftus, the hire is yet another strategic move from the agency to pick up slack lost in CAA’s acquisition of ICM Partners, the hulking-up of Endeavor, and other dramatic shifts in the representation landscape. Panella has produced over 2,000 podcast episodes and led Workhouse clients to over 1 billion downloads, the agency said.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer After months of speculation, Amazon Studios has made it official with seasoned movie executive Courtenay Valenti. While many expected her to take the top film job at MGM, acquired by Amazon for $8.5 billion last year, Valenti has hammered out a hulked-up role that will give her considerable influence in feature programming. Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke told staff on Tuesday that Valenti has been named head of film, streaming and theatrical at both Amazon Studios and MGM. She will report directly to Salke, and be responsible for delivering “a well-rounded selection of tentpoles, prestige films and genre fare,” according to a memo.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Emmy nominee Razan Ghalayini has joined Alex Gibney’s Jigsaw Productions as vice president of non-fiction development. The executive will be responsible for managing Jigsaw’s non-fiction slate of projects and will drive sales efforts alongside scripted and audio divisions. “I am thrilled to welcome Razan to Jigsaw. I have long been an admirer of her work. And I am in awe of her infectious enthusiasm and her ability to find, develop and produce stories that are powerful, vitally relevant to our present moment and hugely entertaining,” said Gibney, president of Jigsaw.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Major Major, a full-service creative advertising agency, has officially opened its doors in Los Angeles. Staffed by veteran creatives and executives across filmed content and digital media, the company will specialize in areas like theatrical trailers, TV spots, branding, live-action production, social video, behind-the-scenes features, and more. The operation Is founded by Craig A Platt, Des Esposito and Chris Nesheim, along with senior execs like creative director Josh Beaumont and music EVP Toddrick Spalding.   The group has over 50 years of combined experience on major features (“Elvis,” “Dune,” “Logan,” and “Aquaman”), family animation (“Frozen,” “Coco,” “Zootopia,” “Mitchells vs The Machines”), art house dramas and popcorn faire. They most recently entered the streaming marketing sector with work on Amazon’s “Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power.”

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Warner Bros. Pictures is revamping the “Lord of the Rings” film franchise. On a Thursday earnings call, Warner Bros. Discovery CEO David Zaslav announced that newly-installed studio leaders Mike De Luca and Pam Abdy have brokered a deal to make “multiple” films based on the beloved J. R. R. Tolkien series. The films will be developed through WB label New Line Cinema. The first series of films, helmed by Peter Jackson, grossed nearly $3 billion worldwide. Embracer Group AB made the deal with he studio for adaptations of “Lord of the Rings” and “The Hobbit.”

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Filmmakers Christopher Nolan and Emma Thomas are set for a big honor at this year’s CinemaCon, the annual convention of movie theater owners.  Nolan and Thomas will receive the NATO Spirit of the Industry award, presented by the National Association of Theatre Owners, on April 27 at Las Vegas’ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace. “I am deeply honored to present the Spirit of the Industry Award to our good friends Chris and Emma as my last official act as President of NATO,” noted NATO President and CEO John Fithian. “No one has done more to advance the theatrical experience than these two champions of cinema.”

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer “The Flash” is set to blaze through CinemaCon 2023, where Warner Bros. Pictures will screen the superhero blockbuster at the annual convention of movie theater owners in April, multiple sources told Variety. Showing the film in this capacity is yet another sign of Warner Bros.’ passionate support of the project, one that has been saddled with controversy due to trouble surrounding star Ezra Miller. It’ll be the first full screening of “The Flash,” which opens in theaters on June 16. CinemaCon is taking place in Las Vegas from April 24 through April 27. Major studios typically bring sizzle reels, first-look trailers and trot out celebrities at the yearly gathering, which is designed to get exhibitors pumped about the movies they’ll put on their screens in the coming year.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer The 81st Golden Globe Awards are heading back to Sunday night. The film and TV celebration, which officially kicks off awards season, has staked January 7, 2024 for its next telecast, Variety can report exclusively. The show pivoted to a Tuesday this year to avoid an NFL game leading up to the NCAA National Championship showdown. In addition to reclaiming the traditional Sunday slot, producers behind the Globes are entertaining multiple offers from potential distribution partners, sources familiar with the talks said. Both TV networks and streamers are in the mix to air the next installment, one of the sources added. This includes NBC, the network which has broadcast the show since 1996. That year, “Sense and Sensibility” took home best drama, and Emma Thompson, the winner for best motion picture screenplay, delivered a memorable speech in character as Jane Austen. It’s not surprising that streamers are interested in the Globes, as the major platforms look to diversify their viewing experiences with live programming. In January, Netflix announced a multiyear deal to host the Screen Actors Guild Awards (which goes on service starting in 2024, and this year will be live-streamed on Netflix’s official YouTube channel).

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Jake Bongiovi, budding actor and son of rocker Jon Bon Jovi, is one of three young stars who have joined the cast of the comedy “Rockbottom,” Variety can report exclusively. Bongiovi, a considerable social media presence and native to the music space, will join McKaley Miller (“Ma”) and Teala Dunn (“Crush”) in the feature project from writer-director and SFX makeup guru Todd Tucker (“The Terror of Hallow’s Eve”). The actors will orbit lead Tom Everett Scott (“That Thing You Do,” “13 Reasons Why”). Tucker’s script, co-written with Greg Zekowski, follows 1980s hair metal band CougarSnake, whose career ended just as it was starting due to clashes over the direction of the group. In the present day, a mention of the band in an interview by Billboard-charting, Gen-Z music star Bryce Cooper (Brandon Butler), whose absentee father introduced him to CougarSnake as a child, creates a frenzy to find the members of the group and reunite them as opening act for Cooper’s forthcoming charity concert. Scott stars as Jesse, the bass player for CougarSnake, who has not-so comfortably settled into single fatherhood. Unsure whether he wants to relive his faded rockstar dreams, his daughter Alex (Miller) and her best friend Kat (Dunn) join forces to change his mind and get the band back together. Bongiovi will play Justin, the potential new lead singer, who must overcome stage fright to lead the band back to glory.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Nick Lieberman, a writer and director on the breakout Sundance comedy “Theater Camp,” has signed with Range Media Partners for representation. Sold out of this year’s Sundance Film Festival to Searchlight for $8 million and guaranteed a theatrical release, the feature earned an ensemble prize from the U.S. Dramatic jury. Equal parts scathing satire and heartwarming camp adventure for child performers, “Theater Camp” stars Molly Gordon, Ben Platt, Noah Gavlin, Patti Harrison, Jimmy Tatro and Ayo Edebiri. Lieberman and Gordon directed from a script by Lieberman, Platt, Galvin and Gordon. Will Ferrell and Jessica Elbaum produced via Gloria Sanchez Productions along with Erik Feig’s Picturestart. The film will screen at the forthcoming South by Southwest film festival before hitting theaters later this year.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Talent agent Brandon Liebman has parted ways with longtime employer WME, multiple sources told Variety. A partner at the power agency since 2014, Liebman’s exit was announced in a brief companywide memo circulated on Monday. WME declined to comment on the matter. Liebman did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Liebman’s contract was recently up for renegotiation, one source familiar with his deal said, and neither party could reach terms on a new agreement. Liebman’s next moves are unclear. During his long tenure at the agency, he worked on teams for stars including Tom Hiddleston, Pedro Pascal and Nikolaj Coster-Waldau. Liebman was also crucial in shaping the career of disgraced actor Armie Hammer.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Assemble Media, a literary incubator which concurrently develops its book projects for film and TV adaptation, has sold five new titles to major publishers. Founded by by director and producer Jack Heller, the round of sales includes “Eat Post Like” (to Avon, division of HarperCollins), “Promposal” (to Joy Revolution, an imprint of Delacorte at Penguin Random House), “The Wayside,” “The Light Between Sirens,” and “The Girls From Hush Cabin” (to Blackstone Publishing).  All of Assemble’s intellectual property and book concepts are developed in-house then packaged with writers and shopped to publishers. Heller’s team includes Caitlin de Lisser-Ellen and Steven Salpeter, president of literary and IP development.“The original concepts that come to life from the collaboration of our Assemble team and brilliant writers truly showcase the ingenuity and boldness of those behind the scenes,” said Heller. “We have been extremely lucky to work alongside inspiring individuals and  love watching these projects develop.”The company has served as producers on films like Ralph Fiennes and Jessica Chastain. They also recently sold “Instafamous” to MGM and Orion TV, an original Assemble Media concept written by Alexis Nedd. It was included in the first issue of their Blackstone-published short story publication Assemble Artifacts. Read a brief synopsis of each project: “Eat Post Like” by Emily Arden Wells: Pitched as “Emily in Paris” meets “Eat Pray Love,” the story follows a woman who discovers her newly deceased-boyfriend is behind one of the most popular food critic social media accounts. She decides to take his place on a tour around the world to discover great meals and herself.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Hong Chau has joined the cast of the anticipated new film from “The Favourite” and “The Lobster” director Yorgos Lanthimos. Chau, who has been prolific in recent years, joins a stacked ensemble featuring Emma Stone, Jesse Plemons, Willem Dafoe and Margaret Qualley. Plot details are (frustratingly) under wraps from the Greek master of subversion, who has also given us “The Killing of a Sacred Deer” and “Dogtooth.” Lanthimos directs from a script he wrote with Efthimis Filippou (reuniting after both “Lobster” and “Sacred Deer”). Searchlight Pictures is financing and distributing the project with Element Pictures and Film4. Ed Guiney and Andrew Lowe of Element, Kasia Malipan and Lanthimos are producing. Principal photography begins this month in Chau’s native New Orleans.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer The remarkable true story of Irish immigrant Jennie Hodgers — who posed as a man to fight for the Union Army during the American Civil War — will be adapted for screen. Arny Granat, a veteran concert promoter turned Tony-winning musical producer, has hired Stephanie Sanditz to pen a feature film script from Lynda Durrant’s book “My Last Skirt: The Story of Jennie Hodgers, Union Soldier.” Granat — whose stage credits include “In The Heights,” “The Color Purple,” “Spamalot,” “Glengarry Glen Ross” and “History Boys” — has been chasing an adaptation of the story for nearly a decade. Set in the 1800s, “My Last Skirt” tells the story of Hodgers, who went by the name Albert Cashier to enlist and serve her country. Following the war, Hodgers would live as Cashier for much of her life after observing the disparity in opportunity for women of the age. She is also believed to be the first person assigned female at birth to cast a vote for president before Women’s Suffrage.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Lee Schroder has been named an executive in the motion picture marketing department at CAA. Schroder joins the powerhouse agency from Netflix. Reporting to department head Megan Crawford, she will help advise clients on all aspects of a film marketing and distribution strategy for theatrical and streaming releases. The marketing team works closely with CAA Media Finance, led by Roeg Sutherland and Benjamin Kramer, which funds and packages many indies and mid-budget commercial fare. Schroder will also advise the CAA roster on festival and awards campaign strategies, and curating the agency’s effective tastemaker screenings.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer The tragic death — and subsequent sweeping justice movement — of U.S. Army soldier Vanessa Guillen is the center of a new documentary coming to Netflix later this fall. “I Am Vanessa Guillen,” from director Christy Wegener, will tell Guillen’s tragic but galvanizing tale, about a young woman who dreamed of a military career. In 2020, however, after telling her mother she was being sexually harassed on the Fort Hood army base, Guillen was murdered by a fellow soldier. Her story sparked an international movement of assault victims demanding action. The project follows her family’s fight for historic reform, a journey that takes them to the Oval Office.