Filmmaker Wes Anderson will return to his hometown of Houston on July 17 to support the preservation of the historic Garden Oaks Theater.
The one-night-only benefit will raise funds to help save the 1947 neighborhood movie theater and create a new Arts and Film Center. The evening also marks the 30th anniversary of Anderson’s career and will feature a special introduction by the director and a screening of “Bottle Rocket,” which helped launch his career.
Short films “Castello Cavalcanti,” “Hotel Chevalier,” “The Swan” and “The Private Dining Room of the Police Commissioner” will also be shown and were personally selected by Anderson, who will participate in a pre-show conversation.
The event will be held at Zilkha Hall at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts.
Friday, July 10
American Black Film Festival Pop Up Tour Returns in Four Key Cities
The American Black Film Festival is bringing back its pop up tour for the second year in a row while expanding to new markets.
Nice Crowd, the organization behind ABFF, is producing the event, which kicks off at Washington, D.C’s Angelika Pop-Up at Union Market (Sept. 25-27), New York City’s AMC Lincoln Square (Oct. 10-11), Atlanta’s AMC Madison Yards (Oct. 24-25) and Houston’s Regal Edwards Houston Marq’E (November 7-8). Each weekend will feature award-winning independent films and celebrity conversations.
“ABFF Pop Up gives us the opportunity to bring our festival experience to audiences beyond our annual event and connect with communities in new and returning markets throughout the year,” Nice Crowd’s president and co-founder Nicole Friday said in a statement. “We’re excited to introduce ABFF Pop Up to Washington, DC and Houston while returning to New York and Atlanta. Each stop is designed to capture the spirit of ABFF by bringing together exceptional films, meaningful conversations, and the community that has always been at the heart of the festival.”
Tickets go on sale July 24.
Apple TV debuts trailer for “Snoopy Presents: There’s No Place Like Home, Snoopy”
The Peanuts crew is in the doghouse in the new trailer for the Apple TV special “Snoopy Presents: There’s No Place Like Home, Snoopy.”
The trailer follows the classic Charles M. Schultz characters setting up for a yard sale. But when Sally sells Snoopy’s doghouse, Charlie Brown sets the crew off on a Sherlock Holmes-style hunt for a new one.
The special stars Riley Vargas as Charlie Brown, Terry McGurrin as Snoopy and Rob Tinkler as Woodstock. They are joined by Kitai O’Garro as Franklin, Josephine Nisbett as Marcie, Grace Nicolaou-Wood as Sally, Jo-Hannah Atchison as Lucy, Lexi Perri as Peppermint Patty, Athan Giazitzidis as Linus and Diego Whalen as Rerun.
Josh Scherba, Stephanie Betts, Logan McPherson, Paige Braddock, Chris Bracco and Mark Evestaff are executive producers. Singer-songwriter Allen Stone created the original song, “Home, Where Your Heart Found Me” for the special.
“Snoopy Presents: There’s No Place Like Home, Snoopy” premieres on Apple TV on July 31.
Watch the trailer below.
Guillermo del Toro and Aaron Sorkin to Receive Honorary Degrees From AFI
Guillermo del Toro and Aaron Sorkin will receive honorary degrees at the American Film Institute’s conservatory commencement on Aug. 7.
The AFI will award the filmmakers with a Doctorate of Fine Arts degree honoris causa for their contributions to film, recognizing them during the commencement for the institute’s conservatory. The ceremony will take place at the TCL Chinese Theatre.
Del Toro and Sorkin join the list of other distinguished recipients, such as Maya Angelou, Mel Brooks, Clint Eastwood, James Earl Jones, Spike Lee, Rita Moreno, Quentin Tarantino and John Williams.
Thursday, July 9
Dan Trachtenberg’s ‘Friday the 13th’ Animated Film Sets 2028 Release Date
The Untitled Dan Trachtenberg Animated Family Horror Comedy, which is based on the “Friday the 13th” indie comic by Yehudi Mercado, will release in theaters Oct. 13, 2028.
The “10 Cloverland Lane” and “Predator: Badlands” director will collaborate with co-director Mercado. The film follows the fictional Freddy Vanwinkle, the out-of-luck 13th-born son in his family who can’t catch a break. An official synopsis teases that “a family vacation turns into a nightmare when fun Uncle Freddy accidentally kills the Boogeyman and takes on his powers.”
Trachtenberg recently signed a three-year first-look deal with Paramount Pictures and is producing the film with frequent collaborator Ben Rosenblatt.
Paramount Animation also recently unveiled a “Survivor” movie featuring animal contestants and will release “Paw Patrol: The Dino Movie” in August.
‘Buddy’ Trailer: Cristin Milioti and Topher Grace Lead Horrifying Twist on Beloved Childhood Show
“Barney & Friends” gets a horrific twist in the new trailer for “Buddy,” starring Cristin Milioti, Topher Grace, Michael Shannon, Patton Oswalt and Keegan-Michael Key.
The fairy tale satire, which premiered earlier this year at Sundance to strong reviews, comes from the mind of “Too Many Cooks” creator Casper Kelly. Co-writing with Jamie King, “Buddy” follows a group of children trapped in the world of the ’90s kids show. All is going well in a picture-perfect world, at least until one child refuses to play along. It’s safe to say that Barney doesn’t take the news very well.
Executive producers include Kevin Flanigan, Dexter Braff, Roberto Linck, Nathan McAuley, Emilio Schenker, Gideon Tadmor, Adam J. Wilde, Geoff Yaw, Ryan J. Kelly, Casper Kelly and Jamie King. Producers are Tyler Davidson, Drew Sykes, Raphael Margules, J.D. Lifshitz, and Tracy Rosenblum.
“Buddy” releases in theaters Aug. 28 from Roadside Attractions and Saban Films.
Watch the trailer below.
Wednesday, July 8
Nat Wolff and Austin Cauldwell’s L.A. Wildfire Doc ‘Where We Played: Voices From the Fire’ to Screen at Oscar-Qualifying Festival
Nat Wolff and Austin Cauldwell’s short doc “Where We Played: Voices From the Fire,” which follows the devastating Los Angeles wildfires from the perspective of young children, will screen at Heartland’s Indy Shorts Film Festival.
Screening on July 25 at 2 p.m. at the Oscar-qualifying festival in Indiana, “Where We Played” features first-hand interviews with kids in California personally affected by the tragedy.
“In the wake of the fires, much of the conversation focused on what had been lost: homes, schools, and a sense of stability. What felt missing were the voices of the children living through it. Rather than speaking about them, we wanted to listen to them,” Wolff and Cauldwell said in a joint statement.
Wolff is known for his performances in YA adaptations of “The Fault in Our Stars” and “Paper Towns,” while Cauldwell appeared in “Switched at Birth” and “NCIS.” “Where We Played” was produced by Mina Sundwall, who previously acted in “Maggie’s Plan” and “Lost in Space,” for her company Zenosyne Media. Eliza Paprin and cinematographer Julia Pitch also produced.
‘Reacher’ Star Malcolm Goodwin Set to Direct Thriller ‘Grace’ From Team Wave Entertainment
Team Wave Entertainment has launched production in Waco, Texas on psychological thriller “Grace” with actor, producer and filmmaker Malcolm Goodwin set to direct. Written by Victor Hawks, the film stars Jessica Harmon (“iZombie), David Anders (“Alias”), David Blue (“Stargate Universe”) and Taylor Aronson. The ensemble also includes Lele Pons, Krause Cruz, Isabelle Hahn, Elliot Guess, and Renes Rivera.
According to the official synopsis, “Grace” follows a devoted wife and mother whose seemingly perfect life is shattered when she is thrust into a high-stakes, real-time crisis that forces her to confront devastating secrets hidden within her marriage.
Team Wave Entertainment partners Malcolm Goodwin, Victor Hawks, Vanessa Goodwin, Brennan Karem, Shelby Karem, and Krause Cruz produce with Pete Groetzinger, Michele Groetzinger, Catherine Carpenter Cox and Dillon Short executive producing.
Goodwin is known for his performances as Detective Clive Babineaux in “iZombie” and as Oscar Finlay in Amazon’s “Reacher.”
Tuesday, July 7
Sycamore Studios Acquires Exclusive Animated Motion Picture Rights to ‘InvestiGators’
Sycamore Studios has acquired the exclusive animated motion picture rights to the “InvestiGators” graphic novel franchise and will develop an animated feature for theatrical release.
John Patrick Green’s crime-fighting alligators series has printed more than 5 million copies since its 2020 debut. The ninth installment, “InvestiGators: Weather or Not,” debuted at No. 1 on “The New York Times” Best Seller List this week.
“Great family franchises don’t come along very often, and when they do, they have a way of capturing the imagination of an entire generation. ‘InvestiGators’ is one of those rare properties,” said Christian McGuigan, co-founder and CEO of Sycamore Studios. “John Patrick Green has created something incredibly rare: a wholly original world that children genuinely love. As a father of four, I’ve had the privilege of watching my own kids devour these books, recommend them to friends, and eagerly count down the days until each new release. Seeing that enthusiasm firsthand has made it impossible to ignore just how special this franchise has become. We couldn’t be more excited to partner with John and bring Mango and Brash to audiences around the world.”
The graphic novel adaptation is the latest addition to Sycamore Studios’ portfolio of kid-friendly entertainment and book adaptations. The studio just began production on “Doctor Dolittle: King of the Wild” and has worked on the “Madeline” franchise and “Zita the Spacegirl” trilogy, based on graphic novels by Ben Hatke.
Monday, July 6
Orbital Studios Moving to Television City Lot
Orbital Studios has relocated its LED walls to Television City, the former CBS studio on Los Angeles’ Fairfax Avenue.
The virtual production company moved its headquarters from the L.A. Arts District to the historic lot once home to “The Carol Burnett Show” and “The Price Is Right.”
The move provides LED volume possibilities for Television City, supported by Orbital Studios’s virtual production and research and development lab. Virtual production uses technology like CGI, LED screens or augmented reality to create effects and backdrops on a physical set. For Netflix’s “Nemesis,” Orbital Studios rebuilt portions of downtown Los Angeles using digital scans.
Orbital Studios is currently in production on “The Drop: A Snowfall Saga” series for FX and has previously worked on “Justified: City Primeval,” “History’s Greatest Heists” and “World War II with Tom Hanks.”
Horror Satire ‘Namaslay’ to Open in Theaters on Aug. 6
The genre-bending horror yoga satire “Namaslay” from Junghal Studios will open in theaters in New York and Los Angeles on Aug. 6, and expand nationwide on Aug. 13. Written and directed by Rish and Kanish, the story revolves around a woman who arrives in Los Angeles, where she’s invited to join a yoga instructor program at an upscale studio. When she’s invited to the instructor’s retreat, she “discovers the ulterior nature of her invitation,” according to the synopsis. It “turns the wellness industry upside down in a blood-soaked cultural reckoning,” according to the producers.
Produced by Venk Potula alongside Rish and Kanish, it stars Kirunthuja Srikanth-Talim, Angela Sant’Albano, Alicia Mitchell-Mangual, Usha Krishnan and Christina Moore.