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Tag: Legendary

  • ‘Pacific Rim’ Live-Action Series Set at Amazon

    ‘Pacific Rim’ Live-Action Series Set at Amazon

    Amazon is looking to turn Pacific Rim into its next big television series. Variety announced on Thursday that Amazon’s MGM Studios has teamed up with Legendary Television to develop a live action Pacific Rim series for the small screen. The news comes after it was revealed last year that the project was previously in development at Legendary. Amazon has hired Eric Heisserer to serve as the writer and executive producer; he will develop the project under his Chronology production banner.

    Heisserer is coming off the Netflix series, Shadow & Bone, where he served as the writer, executive producer, and showrunner of the series based on the Grishaverse novels by bestselling author Leigh Bardugo. Along with Shadow & Bone, Heisserer previously penned the hit Netflix series, Bird Box, as well as titles including the 2010 remake of A Nightmare on Elm Street and Lights Out.

    The first Pacific Rim movie was released in 2013 and hailed from Guillermo del Toro, who also penned the film alongside Travis Beacham. The movie, which focused on a war between human-operated Jaegers and Kaujus that managed to break into our world and attack humanity, only earned $411 million worldwide. However, it would go on to spawn a sequel with 2018’s Pacific Rim: Uprising, a Netflix animated series with Pacific Rim: The Black, and comic books, novels, and more.

    Source: Variety

  • Legendary Finds New Partner in Sony, ‘Dune’ and MonsterVerse Remain with Warner Bros.

    Legendary Finds New Partner in Sony, ‘Dune’ and MonsterVerse Remain with Warner Bros.

    Hollywood is going through a massive change once again, as another surprise development has shown its hands. Long-time Warner bros. collaborator, Legendary Entertainment has seemingly moved on and has a new partner in Sony Pictures. As such, the production company will distribute and market their films globally with Legendary East still handling China. It also means all home entertainment and TV distributions will be handled by their new partner.

    This deal also marks an interesting development for their streaming ventures. Sony, unlike Warner Bros. and Disney, has no internal streaming service and simply works with those that exist in the market. As such, Legendary will continue to partner with streaming services for various productions, such as Enola Holmes that has found its home on Netflix. Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group’s Josh Greenstein and Sanford Panitch had the following to say on the deal:

    ’s a rare opportunity to partner in this mutually beneficial way with true pros, who are completely aligned in our theatrical commitment and vision for this business. The creative brilliance and power of Legendary is huge and we look forward to bringing their work to theaters across the world.

    If you’re wondering what this means for the upcoming releases of Dune and the Monsterverse franchise, they are still with Warner Bros. Dune: Part Two is still set to release in November next year with WBD. Though, it’s unclear what this might mean for future entries moving forward, especially when former WarnerMedia head Jason Kilar released their films on HBO Max alongside its theatrical release. While Dune and Godzilla vs. Kong still were some of Warner Bros. most successful releases since the pandemic started, it left a bitter taste. Either way, Warner Bros. Discovery’s current development also may have led to this decision and Legendary is moving on.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Duke Nukem’ Film in Active Development with Legendary Entertainment

    ‘Duke Nukem’ Film in Active Development with Legendary Entertainment

    News has officially broken on a creative team for an upcoming film based on the popular 1990s video game franchise Duke Nukem. Josh Heald, Jon Hurwitz, and Hayden Schlossberg, creators of the popular Karate Kid revival series Cobra Kai, are set to produce this film. Legendary Entertainment has picked up the film rights to the project from Gearbox.

    No writer or director is currently attached to this iteration of the project and an active search is currently underway. Though it might not be a surprise to see at least some creative involvement from the trio of producers based on their previous line of work. Whether that be the three of them creating Cobra Kai, Heald writing Hot Tub Time Machine, or Hurwitz and Schlossberg helming numerous projects in the Harold & Kumar franchise.

    The Duke Nukem video game franchise began in 1991 and has officially made over $1 billion throughout its various games. Duke Nukem follows the adventures of the titular hero in various pastiches of 1980s action movies with him serving as the stereotypical protagonist based on films of the era dealing with a mass alien invasion within Los Angeles. Their games were a major part in introducing the mainstream success of first-person video games within the industry.

    With the popularity of the video games and their basis within over-the-top action movies, Duke Nukem has been a long-sought-after film adaptation. However, it’s consistently been within “development hell” despite numerous attempts to green-light the project. Most recently, Gearbox had an adaptation in the works with Paramount Pictures that would have had John Cena in the lead role, but it ultimately fizzled out over time.

    It remains to be seen what direction will be taken with this film and if this trio of producers and Legendary Entertainment will finally be able to get this film off the ground and into production.

    Source: The Hollywood Reporter

  • ‘Dune’s Legendary Sells Minority Stake to Apollo

    ‘Dune’s Legendary Sells Minority Stake to Apollo

    Legendary Entertainment has seen a strong rebound during the pandemic, as their latest releases Dune, Enola Holmes, and Godzilla vs. Kong left a good impression, especially since the latter was the first to revive the box office during its March release. Yet, the company has been open to potentially sell or even merging with other companies back in July. It seems that they found a buyer, as Legendary has sold a minority stake of its company to the equity firm Apollo for $760M. However, no official statement has been made on how large that equity stake will be. CEO Josh Grode had the following to say on their sale:

    We didn’t need to do this now. We have a significant amount of cash on our balance sheet.” The influx of funding from Apollo “positions us for what we believe is the future, which is a lot of M&A opportunities.

    Josh Grode

    The company was first purchased back in 2016 by Wanda for $3.5 billion and went on to produce some strong box office franchises. Dune made quite a splash at the box office last year and they’ve made some strong deals with streamers to extend their IPs through other means, such as the recent announcement of an Apple TV+ series that explores the aftermath of 2014’s Godzilla. It seems they have also considered a full takeover, but decided against it. Besides its film offerings, Legendary also consists of a comic book, VR, licensing, and merchandising divisions.

    Source: Deadline

  • ‘Dune’ and ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’s Legendary Entertainment Open to Sale or Merger

    ‘Dune’ and ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’s Legendary Entertainment Open to Sale or Merger

    It looks like another production company is seeking a potential merger, as Legendary Entertainment is exploring sales options. This news drops right after they unveiled the new trailer for Dune, which has quite a bit of hype behind it. It’s also surprising if you consider its release of Godzilla vs. Kong as one of the few blockbusters during the pandemic era. It even revived the franchise, which was seeing a drop in Box Office since the launch of its first Monsterverse film in 2014.

    It seems that there have been discussions since April. Discussions have picked up in pace in the last few weeks. The timing is quite curious as A24, Imagine Entertainment, and Hello Sunshine are also actively seeking a potential sale. Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer is still getting their purchase by Amazon signed off. There’s also the WarnerMedia and Discovery merger that needs a governmental sign-off. Iit seems very likely that Warner Bros. might be the most interested in purchasing the production company. They’ve worked on most projects in the past, but it’s a free-for-all moving forward.

    Of course, there’s also the chance they would merge with smaller production companies, or a competition purchases them. Variety states that the company has seen a steady cash flow but still would be under the $3.5B it was acquired for in 2016. The pandemic played a key part in many smaller production companies’ development. It would be quite a twist if Disney acquires the company. Godzilla used to appear in Marvel comics. So, it would be quite the twist if they acquire the rights to the characters and he gets to face off against Marvel heroes

    Source: Variety

  • Diane Ademu-John Boards HBO Max’s ‘DUNE’ Spin-Off Series As Showrunner

    Diane Ademu-John Boards HBO Max’s ‘DUNE’ Spin-Off Series As Showrunner

    Denis Villeneuve’s Dune just got its second trailer, and the franchise is already expanding. Diane Ademu-John has officially boarded the film’s spin-off series, Dune: The Sisterhood, as its new showrunner. The HBO Max series will explore the universe established in Dune through the eyes of the mysterious Bene Gesserit. The Jedi-like organization of women has achieved a mastery over mind and body, which allows them to meddle in the political landscape of their universe.

    The series will serve as a prequel to Villeneuve’s project, with its story ultimately leading to the famous events on the desert planet Arrakis. Dune: The Sisterhood originally got announced in 2019, but not much has been said about the show since original showrunner Jon Spaihts stepped down in November of that year. The announcement of Ademu-John’s involvement is good news for those who were worried about the series’ future. The project’s newest helmer has a long history working in television, having written for shows like The Haunting of Bly Manor, Empire, The Originals, and The Vampire Diaries.

    The show’s pilot will be directed by Denis Villeneuve, and will most likely be made sometime between Dune and its intended sequel. The sprawling franchise has a lot of content to work with, as series creator Frank Herbert wrote a total of six Dune novels in his lifetime. The Star-studded initial film was going to drop last year. Due to COVID-related delays, it will now release on October 22 in theaters and on HBO Max.

    Source: Variety

  • ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Revives the International Box Office With Massive Opening Weekend

    ‘Godzilla vs. Kong’ Revives the International Box Office With Massive Opening Weekend

    We’ve all been keeping a close eye on the international Box Office. Numbers have been down quite a bit since the pandemic hit. It was clear that it wouldn’t change overnight. Studios were looking towards streaming as an alternative to avoid overflooding the market whenever it would heal. Plus, it was uncertain when one could even talk about “normalcy” in the cinema market ever again. Black Widow seemed like the film that would help guide the Box Office back, but Disney decided to give it a simultaneous release on Disney+ and in theaters. It even got postponed. So, the hope lied with the upcoming release of Godzilla vs. Kong to get the ball rolling.

    Well, it finally happened. After various films barely made a dent, the latest entry in Legendary’s Monsterverse has surpassed expectations. The film debut with around $121.8M in 38 overseas markets over the weekend. China was the strongest gainer here with $70.34M. It had the largest opening for a Hollywood title since the pandemic started with $21.5M. On top of that, it also managed to top 2019’s Godzilla: King of the Monsters opening Box Office in China, which was at an unadjusted $66M. It is even tracking ahead of the film by 11% on par with Kong: Skull Island‘s opening.

    Sony’s Peter Rabbit 2: The Runaway has also seen some stronger legs in Australia before the Easter holiday. Deadline believes the film might have long legs, which is also very likely for the latest adaptation of the battle between a giant lizard and ape. Hopefully, it is a good sign we’ll have plenty more Western adaptations of Kong and Godzilla in the future. Godzilla: King of the Monsters has struggled a bit fearing for the franchise’s end, but now it may just be a new beginning.

    Source: Deadline

  • Peter Dinklage Joins ‘Toxic Avenger’ Reboot

    Peter Dinklage Joins ‘Toxic Avenger’ Reboot

    No, you read that title correctly. It looks like Peter Dinklage has already selected his next feature film, which will be a remake of the 1984 low budget comedy. Toxic Avenger was a cultural phenomenon when it became a success through midnight screenings in New York City. The film managed to get three more sequels before It was created by Troma Entertainment, who is well-known for some rather bizarre films like Redneck Zombies, Poultrygeist: Night of the Chicken Dead, and Tromeo and Juliet. That last film was co-written by James Gunn, as he started his career with the studio. Co-Founder Lloyd Kaufman even has a cameo in Guardians of the Galaxy.

    It is uncertain which role Dinklage will have in the film and how closely it’ll follow the original. Toxic Avengers is the story of a mild-mannered janitor who lives in Tromaville. After being dumped into a vat of toxic waste, he transforms into the titular character, who will become an unlikely hero of the fictional city of Tromaville. He tries to keep his community safe from corruption and greed that is threatening their suburban lives.

    Macon Blair joined the production last year after Legendary acquired the rights to the comedy franchise. He will act as the writer and director of the film. His debut film I Don’t Feel at Home in This World Anymore was highly-acclaimed and won the Grand Jury prize at the 2017 Sundance Film Festival. Troma Entertainment founders Lloyd Kaufman and Michael Herz are also involved with the picture, as they will serve as producers. Legendary’s Alex Garcia and Ashenfelter are overseeing the project.

    Source: Deadline, Variety