Exclusive: Erik Feig’s Picturestart is making its first foray into animation, acquiring the rights to Nick Drnaso’s graphic novel Beverly to develop as an animated series. Pulitzer Prize-nominated playwright Sarah DeLappe (The Wolves) is attached to pen the adaptation and executive produce.
Beverly, published in 2016 by Drawn & Quarterly, presents a searing exploration of the sexual anxieties, social insecurities, and cultural malaise of the American suburb as seen through the eyes of its teenage inhabitants. As the thin line between fantasy and reality blurs, Drnaso’s debut novel peels back the civilized facades to reveal the sardonic ironies, simmering tensions and outright violence lurking just beneath the surface.
Drnaso also will executive produce. Ryan Lindenberg and Julia Hammer are overseeing for Picturestart which is developing and producing the project. This marks Picturestart’s push into animation but the project still falls under the company’s mandate of developing, financing and producing discover-of-voice content.
Beverly, published in 2016 by Drawn & Quarterly, presents a searing exploration of the sexual anxieties, social insecurities, and cultural malaise of the American suburb as seen through the eyes of its teenage inhabitants. As the thin line between fantasy and reality blurs, Drnaso’s debut novel peels back the civilized facades to reveal the sardonic ironies, simmering tensions and outright violence lurking just beneath the surface.
Drnaso also will executive produce. Ryan Lindenberg and Julia Hammer are overseeing for Picturestart which is developing and producing the project. This marks Picturestart’s push into animation but the project still falls under the company’s mandate of developing, financing and producing discover-of-voice content.
- 10/2/2020
- by Denise Petski
- Deadline Film + TV
Here is a wrap-up of all the news you need to know from Thursday, May 14 2020.
CBS All Access today announced the season five order of its hit original series The Good Fight.
The Good Fight Season 4 is currently underway, with new episodes dropping weekly on Thursdays exclusively on CBS All Access.
Due to the ongoing halt in production since early March, season four of will conclude with episode seven on Thursday, May 28.
"The Good Fight remains one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed original series on CBS All Access, and we've seen a tremendous response from fans this season," said Julie McNamara, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming, CBS All Access.
"While we all had hoped to provide audiences with a 10-episode fourth season, we, among many others, have had to adapt due to the pandemic."
"Although it's a shortened season, the incredible cast and crew, helmed by...
CBS All Access today announced the season five order of its hit original series The Good Fight.
The Good Fight Season 4 is currently underway, with new episodes dropping weekly on Thursdays exclusively on CBS All Access.
Due to the ongoing halt in production since early March, season four of will conclude with episode seven on Thursday, May 28.
"The Good Fight remains one of the most beloved and critically acclaimed original series on CBS All Access, and we've seen a tremendous response from fans this season," said Julie McNamara, Executive Vice President and Head of Programming, CBS All Access.
"While we all had hoped to provide audiences with a 10-episode fourth season, we, among many others, have had to adapt due to the pandemic."
"Although it's a shortened season, the incredible cast and crew, helmed by...
- 5/14/2020
- by Paul Dailly
- TVfanatic
The View Tell-All Book to Become Scripted Miniseries: Who Should Play Barbara, Rosie, Whoopi, Et Al?
If all the daytime drama on The View isn’t enough for you, we’re about to see a scripted version of what goes on when the cameras are off.
The tell-all book Ladies Who Punch by Ramin Setoodeh, which chronicles the battles behind the scenes at the ABC talker, has been optioned by media company PictureStart to become a scripted TV miniseries, according to our sister site Variety. (Full disclosure: Setoodeh is Variety‘s New York Bureau Chief.) The miniseries will dramatize the power struggle — that has occasionally spilled onto the show — between The View‘s current and former hosts,...
The tell-all book Ladies Who Punch by Ramin Setoodeh, which chronicles the battles behind the scenes at the ABC talker, has been optioned by media company PictureStart to become a scripted TV miniseries, according to our sister site Variety. (Full disclosure: Setoodeh is Variety‘s New York Bureau Chief.) The miniseries will dramatize the power struggle — that has occasionally spilled onto the show — between The View‘s current and former hosts,...
- 5/14/2020
- TVLine.com
Barbara Walters is making a return to TV. But this time, an actress will be playing her.
“Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of ‘The View,” the New York Times best-selling book about the behind-the-scenes drama at the ABC daytime talk show, has sold its screen rights to Erik Feig’s media company PictureStart.
The project will be adapted into a TV miniseries. “Ladies Who Punch,” which came out in 2019 from St. Martin’s Press, became a sensation on social media, with repeated mentions by Andy Cohen, Howard Stern and Wendy Williams, among others.
“Ladies Who Punch” is written by Variety’s New York Bureau Chief Ramin Setoodeh based on more than 150 interviews. The non-fiction book chronicles the backstage workings at “The View,” the program created by Barbara Walters in 1997 as a platform for women to discuss politics and pop culture.
But one of the unintended consequences of the show,...
“Ladies Who Punch: The Explosive Inside Story of ‘The View,” the New York Times best-selling book about the behind-the-scenes drama at the ABC daytime talk show, has sold its screen rights to Erik Feig’s media company PictureStart.
The project will be adapted into a TV miniseries. “Ladies Who Punch,” which came out in 2019 from St. Martin’s Press, became a sensation on social media, with repeated mentions by Andy Cohen, Howard Stern and Wendy Williams, among others.
“Ladies Who Punch” is written by Variety’s New York Bureau Chief Ramin Setoodeh based on more than 150 interviews. The non-fiction book chronicles the backstage workings at “The View,” the program created by Barbara Walters in 1997 as a platform for women to discuss politics and pop culture.
But one of the unintended consequences of the show,...
- 5/14/2020
- by Variety Staff
- Variety Film + TV
HBO Max is developing a series based on Scholastic’s “Point Horror” books by R.L Stine, Variety has learned exclusively.
The project hails from Picturestart and Lionsgate Television. The show, which is currently titled “Point Fear,” is described as an anthology series that exposes the horrors of being a teenager. Each episode of the show will be inspired by one of the books in the series, told for today’s audiences but with a nostalgic nod to the 1990s. Many authors have published books under the “Point Horror” banner, but the series will specifically focus on those written by Stine.
Jon M. Chu is in negotiations to direct and executive produce the series. Stine will also executive produce along with Yvonne M. Bernard. Ryan Lindenberg will oversee the project for Picturestart.
Previous television adaptations of Stine’s work includes the “Goosebumps” series, as well as shows like “The Nightmare Room” and “Eye Candy.
The project hails from Picturestart and Lionsgate Television. The show, which is currently titled “Point Fear,” is described as an anthology series that exposes the horrors of being a teenager. Each episode of the show will be inspired by one of the books in the series, told for today’s audiences but with a nostalgic nod to the 1990s. Many authors have published books under the “Point Horror” banner, but the series will specifically focus on those written by Stine.
Jon M. Chu is in negotiations to direct and executive produce the series. Stine will also executive produce along with Yvonne M. Bernard. Ryan Lindenberg will oversee the project for Picturestart.
Previous television adaptations of Stine’s work includes the “Goosebumps” series, as well as shows like “The Nightmare Room” and “Eye Candy.
- 11/12/2019
- by Joe Otterson
- Variety Film + TV
“One Thousand and One Nights,” a vast collection of treasured Middle Eastern folklore, is being adapted for film, TV and gaming content by producer Reza Aslan and film executive Erik Feig’s new venture, Picturestart.
The internationally renowned stories — which count characters like Aladdin and his genie, Sinbad and Alibaba — will be framed as they have throughout history, as told by the Persian queen Scheherazade. Self-contained stories and tales-within-tales will be told across various media, all springing from the powerful female figure in different time periods and new dimensions, ala “Doctor Who.”
Picturestart will produce and finance, with Aslan and Mahyad Tousi of BoomGen Studios as writer-creators. Aslan is an Emmy nominee and James Joyce Award winner, whose credits include HBO’s drama “The Leftovers” and the upcoming “Dune: The Sisterhood.” He hosts the Topic streaming series “Rough Draft” as well as the podcast Metaphysical Milkshake. Ryan Lindenberg and Julia Hammer...
The internationally renowned stories — which count characters like Aladdin and his genie, Sinbad and Alibaba — will be framed as they have throughout history, as told by the Persian queen Scheherazade. Self-contained stories and tales-within-tales will be told across various media, all springing from the powerful female figure in different time periods and new dimensions, ala “Doctor Who.”
Picturestart will produce and finance, with Aslan and Mahyad Tousi of BoomGen Studios as writer-creators. Aslan is an Emmy nominee and James Joyce Award winner, whose credits include HBO’s drama “The Leftovers” and the upcoming “Dune: The Sisterhood.” He hosts the Topic streaming series “Rough Draft” as well as the podcast Metaphysical Milkshake. Ryan Lindenberg and Julia Hammer...
- 10/25/2019
- by Matt Donnelly
- Variety Film + TV
Producer and longtime executive Erik Feig has launched media company PictureStart, which will be focused on creating, co-financing and producing content around the “Discovery of Voice” theme.
The theme is “meant to speak not just to youth culture but to a broader sense and purpose of establishing identity and telling diverse stories.” PictureStart’s content will be designed for a broad range of audiences as well as fandom communities. The media company has enlisted key executives, including Ryan Lindenberg, Lucy Kitada, and Jessica Switch, to round out its film and TV slate.
PictureStart’s investors include Warner Bros. Pictures, which includes a first-look arrangement with PictureStart, as well as Nordic Entertainment Group, which will also receive first-look Nordic rights. Scholastic will provide PictureStart unique access to its IP for development. Endeavor Content will serve as co-financier and strategic advisor on select projects. Bron Ventures will serve as co-producer/co-financier on select projects,...
The theme is “meant to speak not just to youth culture but to a broader sense and purpose of establishing identity and telling diverse stories.” PictureStart’s content will be designed for a broad range of audiences as well as fandom communities. The media company has enlisted key executives, including Ryan Lindenberg, Lucy Kitada, and Jessica Switch, to round out its film and TV slate.
PictureStart’s investors include Warner Bros. Pictures, which includes a first-look arrangement with PictureStart, as well as Nordic Entertainment Group, which will also receive first-look Nordic rights. Scholastic will provide PictureStart unique access to its IP for development. Endeavor Content will serve as co-financier and strategic advisor on select projects. Bron Ventures will serve as co-producer/co-financier on select projects,...
- 5/2/2019
- by Beatrice Verhoeven
- The Wrap
Breaking: Former Lionsgate Motion Picture Group co-president Erik Feig has launched Picturestart, a media company that has a broad range of funding to create, co-finance, and producen what he calls “discovery of voice” content across multiple platforms. He’s got deals from Warner Bros, Nordic Entertainment Group, Scholastic and Endeavor Content to see it through.
What’s “discovery of voice” storytelling? The phrase is meant to speak not just to youth culture but to a broader sense and purpose of establishing identity and telling diverse stories with diverse creatives..
Picturestart is backed by:
* Warner Bros. Pictures, which has ponied up a significant equity investment and a first look deal to co-develop and cofinance with Picturestart films it will distribute. .
* Nordic Entertainment Group (Nent Group), the Nordic company that has put up an equity investment and will get first look on Nordic rights to select Picturestart TV productions as part of its equity investment
*Scholastic,...
What’s “discovery of voice” storytelling? The phrase is meant to speak not just to youth culture but to a broader sense and purpose of establishing identity and telling diverse stories with diverse creatives..
Picturestart is backed by:
* Warner Bros. Pictures, which has ponied up a significant equity investment and a first look deal to co-develop and cofinance with Picturestart films it will distribute. .
* Nordic Entertainment Group (Nent Group), the Nordic company that has put up an equity investment and will get first look on Nordic rights to select Picturestart TV productions as part of its equity investment
*Scholastic,...
- 5/2/2019
- by Mike Fleming Jr
- Deadline Film + TV
Warner Bros, Nent Group, Scholastic among investors.
Former co-president of Lionsgate motion picture group and Summit Entertainment president Erik Feig has launched Picturestart with the goal of championing stories from diverse creatives with appeal to broad audiences and fandom communities.
Backed by investment from a number of media sectors and his own funds, Feig has secured equity investment from Warner Bros Pictures, which gets a first-look deal to co-develop, co-finance, and distribute features.
Nordic Entertainment Group (Nent Group) has struck a deal for first-look Nordic rights to select television productions as part of an equity investment that creates co-financing and...
Former co-president of Lionsgate motion picture group and Summit Entertainment president Erik Feig has launched Picturestart with the goal of championing stories from diverse creatives with appeal to broad audiences and fandom communities.
Backed by investment from a number of media sectors and his own funds, Feig has secured equity investment from Warner Bros Pictures, which gets a first-look deal to co-develop, co-finance, and distribute features.
Nordic Entertainment Group (Nent Group) has struck a deal for first-look Nordic rights to select television productions as part of an equity investment that creates co-financing and...
- 5/2/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Berlanti Productions is beefing up its senior executive ranks with the hire of Erika Kennair and Jonathan Gabay as SVPs of development.
Kennair, most recently VP comedy development at ABC, and Gabay, most recently Svp comedy development and programming at Fox, fill an Svp development vacancy at Berlanti Prods. left by the departure of Ryan Lindenberg who has joined Erik Feig’s new company Picturestart. The appointment of two executives stems from the rapid expansion Berlanti Prods.’ slate has undergone over the past few years to a record 15 live-action series currently on the air.
As for Kennair and Gabay coming off comedy jobs as they join Berlanti Prods., whose portfolio is dominated by drama series, both also have drama backgrounds and their hires was a result of principals Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter seeking rising star executives regardless of specialty.
“We are beyond excited to bring Erika and Jonathan into the Berlanti Productions family.
Kennair, most recently VP comedy development at ABC, and Gabay, most recently Svp comedy development and programming at Fox, fill an Svp development vacancy at Berlanti Prods. left by the departure of Ryan Lindenberg who has joined Erik Feig’s new company Picturestart. The appointment of two executives stems from the rapid expansion Berlanti Prods.’ slate has undergone over the past few years to a record 15 live-action series currently on the air.
As for Kennair and Gabay coming off comedy jobs as they join Berlanti Prods., whose portfolio is dominated by drama series, both also have drama backgrounds and their hires was a result of principals Greg Berlanti and Sarah Schechter seeking rising star executives regardless of specialty.
“We are beyond excited to bring Erika and Jonathan into the Berlanti Productions family.
- 4/4/2019
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Exclusive: Life Sentence creators Erin Cardillo and Richard Keith are the most prolific writers this broadcast developing season, selling a third high-profile project. NBC has given a put pilot commitment to 3,000 Hours, a drama from Cardillo, Keith, Greg Berlanti’s Berlanti Prods. and Warner Bros. TV, where Berlanti Prods. is based. The sale gives Berlanti Prods. at least one project with a big commitment at each of the five broadcast networks this season.
Penned by Cardillo and Keith, 3,000 Hours revolves around a group of master’s psychology candidates who embark on the 3,000 clinical hours they must spend in the field with patients to get their degrees — all while balancing their education, friendships and messy personal lives. Along the way, they’ll not only find unique and surprising ways to help their patients, they’ll also learn how to help each other and, ultimately, themselves.
Cardillo and Keith executive produce via...
Penned by Cardillo and Keith, 3,000 Hours revolves around a group of master’s psychology candidates who embark on the 3,000 clinical hours they must spend in the field with patients to get their degrees — all while balancing their education, friendships and messy personal lives. Along the way, they’ll not only find unique and surprising ways to help their patients, they’ll also learn how to help each other and, ultimately, themselves.
Cardillo and Keith executive produce via...
- 11/27/2018
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
The man who is the talk of upfronts is not even there.
Uberproducer Greg Berlanti, who has just set a new record with 14 series on air, makes it a point to stay in L.A. during the busiest week of the year for the TV business. “I never go to upfronts. They never notice when I’m there, so I stopped going years ago,” he confesses. “I’m also really superstitious. The last time I went, I got a bunch of shows canceled. So now I don’t come back.”
Whatever his secret, it’s working: Berlanti added to his already overfull plate with three new broadcast series (CBS’ “God Friended Me” and “The Red Line” and The CW’s “All-American”), the digital series “Doom Patrol” for DC Universe — and only faced one cancellation (ABC’s “Deception”).
Here, he talks to Variety about what it means to him to set the record,...
Uberproducer Greg Berlanti, who has just set a new record with 14 series on air, makes it a point to stay in L.A. during the busiest week of the year for the TV business. “I never go to upfronts. They never notice when I’m there, so I stopped going years ago,” he confesses. “I’m also really superstitious. The last time I went, I got a bunch of shows canceled. So now I don’t come back.”
Whatever his secret, it’s working: Berlanti added to his already overfull plate with three new broadcast series (CBS’ “God Friended Me” and “The Red Line” and The CW’s “All-American”), the digital series “Doom Patrol” for DC Universe — and only faced one cancellation (ABC’s “Deception”).
Here, he talks to Variety about what it means to him to set the record,...
- 5/15/2018
- by Debra Birnbaum
- Variety Film + TV
Karyn Smith-Forge has joined Greg Berlanti’s Greg Berlanti Productions as Svp of production. Additionally, the company has promoted Jimmy Gibbons to Director of Production. Smith-Forge will oversee all Berlanti Prods TV series in production, working closely with the showrunners of each series to hire directors and writers, along with shepherding other aspects of production. Sarah Schechter (President of Production) and Ryan Lindenberg (VP of Development) who will continue…...
- 2/2/2018
- Deadline TV
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