ZDF Businesses nabs 'Texas Killing Fields'

BERLIN -- ZDF Businesses, the commercial arm of German pubcaster ZDF, is beefing up its feature film purchases having a slew of high-profile worldwide pick-ups, including Ami Canaan Mann's approaching Venice screener "Texas Killing Fields," starring Mike Worthington and Jeffrey Dean Morgan. Headed by Margrit Staerk, ZDF Enterprises' feature film purchases unit continues to be intensifying its concentrate on worldwide productions, and boarding projects that generally nabs all privileges. Texas Killing Fields," created by Michael Mann (the helmer's father), as well as starring Jessica Chastain and Chloe Moretz, hits U.S. screens March. 7. A German release date has not yet been set. ZDF Businesses also lately acquired Take advantage of Cohen's "I, Alex Mix," starring Tyler Perry. The variation of James Patterson's crime novel is shooting within the U.S., and it is tentatively scheduled for any late 2012 or early 2013 release. Staerk is settling with assorted film marketers for that pic. Other game titles include Stephen Sommers' adaptation of Dean Koontz's bestseller "Odd Thomas," starring Anton Yelchin like a clairvoyant short-order prepare who encounters a mysterious guy having a connect to dark forces. Pic is within publish and can likely arrived at theaters next summer time. ZDF Businesses is handling distribution for Craig Lahiff's Australian thriller "Swerve" in German-language nations too as with an array of foreign areas. Also in the selection is Olivier Horlait's family film "Nicostratos," in regards to a boy living on the Greek island who befriends a pelican. Pic, which stars Emir Kusturica and Thibault Le Guellec, is because of hit German theaters the coming year. The Mainz-based ZDF Businesses runs all purchases and worldwide co-productions with respect to ZDF, acquires programming for worldwide distribution and it is accountable for development, production and global distribution of original programming. Contact Erectile dysfunction Meza at staff@variety.com

Ough Gervais States NBC Has Asked Him To Host The Golden Globes, And That He Was Contacted Concerning The Academy awards, Too

UPDATE, 2:55 PM: ABC just taken care of immediately Ron Gervais’ claim today he continues to be contacted to host the Academy awards. The Oscar broadcaster states there's no truth into it. PREVIOUS: 2:12 PM: Ough Gervais had Hollywood buzzing in The month of january together with his no-holds-barred hosting stint on NBC’s Golden Globes telecast. He ripped enough folks — from Charlie Sheen to Robert Downey to The Actor-brad Pitt to God — that couple of thought the host Hollywood Foreign Press Association want him back for any third stint (see Deadline’s undertake the evening:Live-Snarking The Meanest Golden Globes). Apparently, though, NBC has other ideas about this: The British comedian stated in the Edinburgh Worldwide Television Festival today the network has requested him to host again, saying he's thinking about it “but I shouldn’t get it done.” NBC rejected to discuss the problem. “I love NBC, I really like the very fact they stuck by me through it,” Gervais stated, adding, “I don’t think I ought to get it done. What am I returning as?” Gervais wasn’t done yet in the annual TV confab. He also says he was contacted about hosting the Academy awards, although it’s unclear whether which was before or following the Academy introduced Brett Ratner and Don Mischer would produce the Oscarcast — normally the producers result in the ask the host. Regardless, Gervais stated he’d never go ahead and take gig. “They stated to my agent would he enjoy being on our list. I couldn’t perform the Academy awards. It’s a thankless job for a comedian. They don’t wish to hear jokes, they would like to hear should they have won the most crucial award of the career,” he stated. Gervais also stated he continues to be offered a U.S.-based talk show “a couple of occasions” but isn’t interested. “I experienced e-commerce and so i didn’t need to put a suit on and sit behind a desk five occasions per week. It might be strange to get it done.” The question for you is what hasn’t Gervais been offered? What about SAG leader?

Weinsteins Latest Bid For Free Film PR: Our Idiot Brother Trailer That ABC Wont Air

Almost every time TheWeinstein Co gets set to release a new movie, it manufactures some fake”controversy” in order to get free film publicity from media outlets. Usually it’s Weinstein Co vs MPAA’s ratings system. Now it’sWeinstein Covs ABC. I’m sick and tired of this, frankly. So here’s the latest,Weinstein todayis bitching thatABCrefused to air the commercial spot for its newcomedy Our Idiot Brother being released Friday unless TWC makes specified cuts.The action has promptedHarvey Weinsteinto cut a new and dirtier red-band trailer for the film and dedicate it “to censorship everywhere”.Oh barf.

Last Exorcism sequel on the way

Despite covering fairly well-worn ground in terms of its subject matter, Daniel Stamm's The Last Exorcism was a nastily effective little horror film. It also turned a healthy profit, raking in a worldwide haul of $62.5 million to more than cover its meagre $1.8 million budget.It should come as no surprise then to learn that Canal Plus are keen to see sequel made, with production set to begin on the project in the coming months. According to Heat Vision, Damien Chazelle is already hard at work on penning the script.Chazelle is a recent Harvard grad, whose only completed film credit is Guy And Madeleine On A Park Bench, a small-scale musical that served as part of his college thesis. However, since then things have been very much on the up for the talented youngster.His 2010 Black-Listed script The Claim was picked up last year and Chazelle recently sold Grand Piano to Buried producer Adrian Guerra. Not bad going for a 25-year-old, is it?No word as yet on the direction the sequel will take, or indeed who will occupy the director's chair. The first film was a found-footage chiller, based around the premise of a documentary crew that follow a preacher through his final confrontation with the forces of evil.

What's Really Happening With Mike Myers And 'Austin Powers 4'?

After the Hitfix website reported that Mike Myers had signed a deal to do a fourth Austin Powers film, other websites are running wild with it. What's really going on? Well, I wouldn't necessarily dress for the premiere just yet. No deal has yet been signed, and top New Line brass are surprised the whole thing has reared up after they made Myers an offer six months to a year ago, and hear nothing. Forgive New Line for being skeptical: The film company thought it was well on the way to another Austin Powers installment when it made a deal in 2008 with Myers to collaborate with Mike McCullers for a Dr. Evil film that was to focus on his relationship with son Scotty (Seth Green), meant to be an unabashed homage to Myers' father, whose Brit influence basically prodded Myers to create the British agent Austin Powers character in the first place. Then, Myers' screen creation, The Love Guru, opened to $13 million in June 2008 against the nearly $40 million that Steve Carell's Get Smart grossed with Steve Carell. Myers went AWOL, surfacing only for a small role in Inglourious Basterds. McCullers never moved forward with the script. Cut to six month ago. While Myers got a $20 million against 20% of first-dollar gross for Austin Powers in Goldmember (which grossed $297 million in 2002), New Line sent Myers' reps a pro forma deal offer that gave a low upfront payday against a gross that would kick in after Warner Bros recouped its costs. That's not an uncommon deal for stars who cashed out-sized first-dollar gross checks but who ain't ever getting those deals again. Myers was offered a deal similar to the one Cameron Diaz got for Bad Teacher and Jim Carrey for Mr. Popper's Penguins. The studio heard nothing from Myers -- until this week, when Myers' reps came out of the woodwork and expressed interest. New Line's not sure what this means. It's unclear whether Myers wants to proceed with his 2008 dad homage idea, or whether he's figured out a new way to revive his Shagadelic secret agent. I'm told that at this point it's not clear whether McCullers will be back or if Myers would work with another collaborator. Also unclear is whether Jay Roach is engaged at this point, even though he directed the first three films. And there is the question of whether Myers waited too long to bring his franchise character back. It's the risk actors take when they choose to stay away for years at a time. I often wonder the same thing about the wildly talented Chris Tucker, whose name was mentioned as the possible lead in Quentin Tarantino's Django Unchained (a role that went to Jamie Foxx) but who has not been on screen since 2007's Rush Hour 3. But say one thing for Mike Myers: He's a handful to work with, but the only movie star who reliably creates screen characters as memorable is Sacha Baron Cohen, who's currently back at it with The Dictator. Myers probably has enough good will to launch another Austin Powers, but if he wants it, he'd better move quickly and not disappear like he did in 2008. After all, we're coming up on 10 years since the last Austin Powers, and the clock is ticking.

Covert Affairs Postmortem: Creators on Finale Game-Changer, and Annie's and Jai's Futures

Covert Affairs, Anne Dudek and Piper Perabo [WARNING: The following story contains major spoilers from the summer season finale of Covert Affairs. Read at your own risk.]No, those bruises weren't from stapler accidents.After being cleared of polonium poisoning on the Covert Affairs summer season finale, Annie (Piper Perabo) decides to finally come clean to her increasingly suspicious big sis Danielle (Anne Dudek) about her secret spy life. Danielle's reaction? Stunned and hurt, she kicks Annie out of her guesthouse.Covert Affairs exclusive: Meet Auggie's new girlfriendAnnie, of course, wasn't the only one forced to take a hike: Joan (Kari Matchett) dispatches a disgruntled Jai (Sendhil Ramamurthy) to the DPD's Southwest station in Phoenix (not Asia), prompting him to make a cryptic phone call by episode's end.Who was Jai calling? And where do Annie and Danielle go from here? Co-creators/co-executive producers Chris Ord and Matt Corman answer our burning questions about the finale and what's ahead in the six-episode winter season. (A familiar face is returning!)How and why did you decide now was the time for Annie to read in Danielle?Matt Corman: I think in our minds, it was just a question of when. You can't sustain that for too long. It starts to push credulity. At the very beginning of the season, when we were sort of breaking the arcs, we said, at a certain point, we want this to happen. It's a momentous moment in both of their lives and their relationship. It sort of felt finale-worthy.Chris Ord: We felt our own pressure to do it [not just from the fans]. As Matt said, you can only sustain a lie like that for so long before you start losing sympathy for the person that's being lied to. You just can't believe that they could be so blind. It was a matter of figuring out how to do it.I like that Annie just flat-out told her when she walked into the house. Was it important for you that Annie read in Danielle instead of Danielle finding out herself somehow?Corman: Yeah, I think that was really important and I think that allowed for more dramatic tension. First of all, we loved how Annie and Piper played it. It was really nuanced and they spent a lot of effort in perfecting their performance. As far as crafting the scene, we thought about how one reacts when they're told something totally seismic or incredibly traumatic, or life-changing news comes down. The normal person's reaction is shock and disbelief and only later do you process it and start to ask questions. Ord: We knew we wanted to do this polonium episode and we felt it really lent itself to the reading-in story. You could create that moment where Annie wants to read her sister in and doesn't, but because of this health scare, has to start to read her in under very different circumstances. By that point, there was no recourse.Corman: And the allegory is there. At least in Danielle's mind, Annie's sort of radioactive for the family and so she kicks her out. That's sort of the meaning behind the meaning and that was the other thing that was important for us. She needs to stick to her guns. Danielle claims she's not feeling safe with Annie there and we needed to honor that sentiment. She really will be kicked out. That's not a TV thing where you come back and she's back in the house.Ord: I think she will regret [kicking Annie out] to some degree. She has a very close relationship with her sister and that's going to not be there. Annie's absence will affect her and Annie's gotta re-earn her trust.How much of Danielle will we see going forward? The presumption may be that her presence would be diminished or obsolete now that Annie's out of the house.Corman: We still intend for there to be a really vigorous and vital role for her. It's just going to be different. We love Annie Dudek; we love the character of Danielle. It's not all about Annie pretending to bob and weave and pretending she's doing something else. Ord: Just because you've been read in to what your sister does, you can't know anything beyond that. So in some ways, it could become more difficult once you read your family in. We felt that gave us more grist, in the same way you see at the end of the episode, Danielle now knows the bruise on Annie's face is not a stapler accident. And she can't find any solace in that sort of naivete. ... We're going to have an Annie-Danielle story line [that] will be more emblematic of the challenges they have going forward now that she has read her in, not because of. We're really excited about the stories we can do now.Does Danielle have or have you considered her having a secret she's kept from Annie?Ord: I think that's the interesting thing - it could be a two-way street.[We haven't thought of] anythingspecific, but that's a really good notion. I think everyone has secrets, not just people in the CIA. Covert Affairs: A Heroes reunion, Annie's "crowded" love life and a USA crossoverWhat about Jai? Is he actually going to Phoenix and who is he calling? Henry (Gregory Itzin)?Corman: We can't say who he's calling, but it's someone he's familiar with and somebody with whom he's trying to change his paradigm by calling. ... Will he be in Phoenix? Let's put it this way: His role is changing in a very interesting way.Where do his loyalties lie now? His dad's blackmailing him and he's forced to relocate with no room for advancement...Ord: Jai - he's been loyal to Arthur (Peter Gallagher), to his dad, to Annie - now recognizes that he can only rely on himself, so he's most loyal to himself. But he has goods on Henry as well. They're sort of locked in a stalemate and things are going to get more complex with them. ... We're sort of seeing the repercussions of the leak rather than the ongoing nature of it too, so we may see Liza Hearn (Emmanuelle Vaugier) as needed.Is he going to turn on the DPD? Sendhil said he's never pictured Jai as a bad guy.Corman: That remains to be seen. What we love about Sendhil as an actor and what we love about the character is that you want to see him challenged and tempted by these forces. He's taking matters into his own hands. He wants to be everything his dad was and more. He's not going to be satisfied until people see his dad in the context of just his dad.Ord: I'm not sure Jai is satisfied without some sort of world domination. ... He's definitely going to be much more of a force to contend with. No more sulking! Every marathon begins with a step and that phone call was a step.Auggie (Christopher Gorham) is going to have a girlfriend, Parker (Devin Kelley). What kind of impact will she have on him and Annie?Corman: I think they just want each other to be happy. Annie and Auggie have a very strong relationship and a very strong friendship. They will continue to orbit one another, even though other romantic things will go on. They're stronger than the romances they have independently. ... We're very excited about [Parker]. Devin's really terrific. We feel she and Chris are going to interact in a really fun way on screen. They make a good-looking couple! And Annie will have her share of suitors too now that Dr. Scott (Ben Lawson) is out of the picture.Corman: Definitely her share of suitors! We had great chemistry between Piper and Oded Fehr, so he's going to be back in the [winter] premiere. He's a great actor. ... I wouldn't say it would never [be romantic between them]. You never know. There's always going to be suitors circling around. We have Santiago Cabrera from Heroes in the first one back. He'll come into Annie's life and he's a good-looking, charismatic guy.Ord: We want to explore other relationships now, which was how Dr. Scott came about, but Ben (Eion Bailey) is always going to be the guy through which Annie judges all other guys. Their love was so powerful and so strong and defined so many other things in her life. It drove her into the CIA on many levels. He's the prism through which she sees everything. Even when he's not around, he is around.Are you still firm on not pairing Annie and Auggie together yet? When is the right time?Ord: It's not now! Thankfully, it seems the fans also recognize it would really be a disservice to the show to go there too quickly. Obviously we know there's a great chemistry and great friendship there, but I think we're going to bide our time. ... Piper and Chris really recognize those little moments between Annie and Auggie. They can see the forest for the trees.A Covert Affairs sight to behold: Auggie's blind past revealed with "plenty of shirtlessness"What's next for Joan and Arthur? They seemed a bit more stable this season.Corman: Yeah, that was the goal. Their marriage gets tested every day just by going to work. We'll see more of that. I think it can get exhausting watching a couple snipe at one another and I think, although they were tested in the first season, there is a strong core there, and they have a shared history, a shared ambition that's very real. ... We have a really exciting Arthur-centric episode. We'll revisit some of his past. Part of his romantic past will resurface. We're going back to when he was new to the CIA. It wouldn't be [flashbacks], but someone coming out of the past. Ord: It's set in Berlin because that's where Arthur was stationed. We're going to shoot on location.Matt: He was stationed there right before the Wall fell, so it's got kind of a Cold War feel, but still contemporary. It's a great episode.What do you have planned for the winter finale?Corman: We're building toward something as big as this finale was in Annie's life. We have something in mind that will be life-altering for her. Our goal is to give the audience something big. Not just big cliff-hangers, but big stories that are satisfying in their own right because they contain textual bombshells, like this [summer] one - it was a game-changer.Ord: And emotional bombshells. I think people identify with Annie and want her to be OK, physically and emotionally, and this [winter one] will definitely play into the emotional side.Chris said he's pitched to you a prequel movie for Auggie showing his recovery after getting blinded.Corman: Yeah, he told us that! The Auggie character is certainly interesting, but I think right now we're just focused on the stories that are right in front of us. But it could be really fascinating.Ord: We'd be up for it. I think for us it's about figuring out whether it would work. We're kind of up for any and all of it. We love doing the show and we love exploring all the different story lines. Something like that, it's a cool idea, so let's think about that.What did you think of the finale?

Kenny Ortega To Direct Dirty Dancing Reboot

By Jolie LashLOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Dirty Dancing is getting the reboot treatment, Lionsgate announced on Monday. Kenny Ortega, the films original choreographer, and director of Michael Jacksons This Is It, will direct the new film. The opportunity to direct Dirty Dancing is like returning home for me, Ortega said in a statement. Growing up in the 60s, on the dance floor helped define me as a person and as an artist. I am looking forward to assembling a great creative team and an exciting cast to bring Dirty Dancing to the screen for a new generation. Patrick Swayze set the bar for men dancing in the movies as Gene Kelly and Fred Astaire did before him. I believe everywhere you look there is evidence that the talent is out there and I cant wait to begin the process of discovering the next breakout triple-threats. AH Nation Poll: Is the Dirty Dancing reboot a good idea? Click HERE to vote! Ortega is set to produce the film with Debra Martin Chase, whose credits include The Princess Diaries and The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. Amazingly it has been almost 25 years since the original film was released, but the fans remain legion, and engaged more than ever with a brand that is special and vital to them. We believe that the timing couldnt be better to modernize this story on the big screen, and we are proud to have Kenny Ortega at the helm, Joe Drake, co-Chief Operating Officer of Lionsgate and President of the Motion Picture Group said in a statement. Lionsgate is in talks with the original writer and co-producer of the 1987 film, Eleanor Bergstein, to become involved with the reboot in some capacity, the studio said in a release. The late Patrick Swayze and recent Dancing with the Stars champ Jennifer Grey starred in the original, much-beloved film. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Uncle Vanya

A Kennedy Center presentation of a Sydney Theater Company production of a play in two acts by Anton Chekhov, adapted by Andrew Upton. Directed by Tamas Ascher.Serebryakov - John BellYelena - Cate BlanchettSonya - Hayley McElhinneyMaria - Sandy GoreUncle VanyaR - ichard RoxburghDr. Astrov - Hugo WeavingTelegin - Anthony PhelanMarina - Jacki WeaverLaborer - Andrew TigheA revival of "Uncle Vanya" set in 1950s-era Russia and performed in Australian "shrimp-on-the-baahbie" twang? Yes, it works -- does it ever -- in this sublime revival of the Chekhov classic by the Sydney Theater Company. Two years after their successful visit to D.C. and New York with "A Streetcar Named Desire," Cate Blanchett and colleagues impress again in an exclusive three-week stop at the Kennedy Center. There are no weaknesses in this lively and penetrating production that benefits from a talented ensemble, a frank new adaptation by Andrew Upton and a nuanced interpretation by Hungarian director Tamas Ascher, a renowned Chekhov scholar. Upton, co-artistic director of the Sydney troupe with his wife Blanchett, offers a plain-spoken version of Chekhov's thesis on futility. Ascher helms an insightful and energetic ride, coaxing sensitive portrayals of Chekhov's stoic achievers and one famously shameless narcissist. The tear-filled tableau is embellished with adroit use of comedy, some of it slapstick that in lesser hands would surely cheapen the experience. Blanchett delivers a compelling performance as the exquisite and self-obsessed Yelena, who sets hearts aflutter while coping with boredom and lamenting her tiresome marriage to the overbearing professor (a suitably pompous John Bell). Playing both victim and vixen with her two admirers, a nimble Blanchett lounges seductively around set designer Zsolt Khell's spartan estate. She also looks terrific, especially in her slinky red dress, matching shoes and pearls by costume designer Gyorgyi Szakacs. Another razor-sharp performance is turned in by Hayley McElhinney as Sonya, the estate's tireless plain Jane whose dreams for love are thwarted by the comely visitor and whose misspent life is defined by the experience. The role is delivered with aching sincerity; perhaps the production's most delightful scene is Sonya and Yelena's giddy interplay over their mutual interests while giggling on the floor like school girls. Richard Roxburgh's Vanya is riveting as he teeters on the edge of despair, a frustrated servant flailing and ruminating over his wasted life, the incompetent professor and his missed opportunity with the lovely Yelena. All personal pride is willingly discarded as the lovesick buffoon invites rejection, and when the character finally snaps in act three, it's like watching a volcano erupt. Hugo Weaving fashions a carefully textured performance as the confident but hopelessly smitten Dr. Astrov. The free-spirited character, who commutes to the estate on his motorcycle, is intensely focused on his interests but blind to Sonia's affections. Yet all pretensions are lost when he suddenly falls out the window after too many vodkas -- a bit of business that perfectly captures Ascher's refreshing and unforgettable production.Sets, Zsolt Khell; costumes, Gyorgyi Szakacs; lighting, Nick Schlieper; music/sound, Paul Charlier. Opened, reviewed Aug. 6, 2011. Runs through Aug. 27. Running time: 2 HOURS, 40 MIN. Contact the Variety newsroom at news@variety.com

Michael Patrick King Says He Has 'No Connection' to 'Sex and the City' Prequel

On stage to discuss his latest small-screen effort Two Broke Girls, Michael Patrick King cleared up a lingering question on the minds of Sex and the City fans.our editor recommendsKristin Davis Opposed to 'Sex and the City' Prequel "I'm not working on any Sex and the City prequel," the writer-director said definitively, adding that he hasn't even read author Candace Bushnell's books yet. Though he praises her as a "brilliant satirist" and a "really fascinating writer," it is not a direction that he'd like to see the long-running HBO franchise move in. PHOTOS: The Quotable TCA: TV Press Tour Eavesdropper "My Carrie Bradshaw started at 33, and I took her to 43. I didn't even want to know who Carrie Bradshaw's parents were because I thought she only existed in Manhattan," he told a roomful of reporters gathered for the Television Critics Association press tour Wednesday. He added, "So for me, the idea of going backwards and making her less evolved ... is something that I don't imagine doing." Email: Lacey.Rose@THR.com Twitter: @LaceyVRose Related Topics TCA TCA Summer Press Tour 2011