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June 19 - June 25

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Apple Original Films will make an animated feature adaptation of the popular children's book "Little Santa." The project will be directed by Peter Baynton, who recently landed an Academy Award for Apple's animated short "The Boy the Mole, the Fox and the Horse." The film will feature original songs from Oscar and Grammy-winning songwriter, comedian, actor and writer Bret McKenzie, who is best known for his work on "Flight of the Conchords," and a script from Martin Hynes, who co-wrote the Academy Award-winning "Toy Story 4." Julia Pistor ("The SpongeBob Squarepants Movie") will serve as producer. "Little Santa" will be animated by WildBrain, including pre-production by WildBrain's House of Cool. Hynes will also serve as executive producer alongside McKenzie...

It took 11 long years, but the most expensive movie ever made has officially been dethroned by a 2022 sci-fi action sequel that grossed more than $1 billion at the box office. While there have been a lot of expensive movies produced over the years, including Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny ($419M) and Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides ($410M), it was Star Wars: The Force Awakens that beat them all by a wide margin to take the crown. The first installment of the Star Wars sequel trilogy cost a whopping $638.9 million in 2015, making it the most expensive film ever made – until now. Based on a new report from Fortune, the epic space opera directed by J.J. Abrams has been dethroned by 2022's Jurassic World Dominion, which is the third installment in the Jurassic World series, and sixth installment overall in the Jurassic Park franchise....

Michael J. Fox has nabbed the lead voice role in an upcoming CG animated feature, Dragoons. The Back to the Future star will lend his voice to Dougie, an overlooked, ordinary worker at WizCorp who, after a freak accident, turns into a hero, with an apprentice, Dart. "Transformed into a mighty dragon, Dougie and Dart uncover an impossible truth: their kind were once legendary rulers of the skies, until the ruthless wizard-CEO Hex shrank them, erased their memories and stole their power to build his empire. With this new truth in front of their eyes, and in their hearts, Dougie and Dart must find the courage to rise, awaken their kind and prove that even the smallest spark can light up the sky," a synopsis from the producers states. Fox welcomed playing a scrappy, big-hearted voice lead in the Dragoons. "Dougie and Dart's story is one I understand deeply, the idea that something immense can be sleeping inside you, just waiting for the right moment to be set free. This is a film for anyone who has ever felt overlooked, underestimated or forgotten. I'm honored to help bring Dougie to life," he said...

Karlovy Vary unveils 11 movies from "established filmmakers with extensive festival pedigrees" and eight books for the first adaptation showcase, designed to become a "Central-Eastern European IP market." The literary works selected for the first-ever Book-to-Screen at KVIFF showcase, designed to create a market for film adaptation rights to original IP from Central and Eastern Europe and strengthen cooperation between the film and publishing industries. "The award-winning books, selected by an international jury for their strong cinematic potential," will be presented to domestic and international producers in a talk show format moderated by Niki Théron of the Frankfurt Book Fair on Tuesday, July 7, KVIFF said. "For this first edition, we were delighted to receive more than 70 submissions from 14 countries," said Théron. "Selecting just eight was a real challenge, but the final lineup now reflects the region's diversity of countries, genres and themes, from historical epics and folk horror to children's stories and bold contemporary voices." Among the books being pitched for possible adaptations are historical drama Cupid at the Kremlin Wall, Lithuanian hit Aspic Bistro, "set in a surreal, almost Orwellian-controlled kitchen environment," and Amadoka, which uses the war in the Donbas as its starting point. "Our long-term ambition with Book-to-Screen at KVIFF is to become a true Central-Eastern European IP market that helps develop dialogue between the film and publishing industries and create a more transparent environment for adaptation rights in the region," said Hugo Rosák, the head of KVIFF Film Industry Programs...

In the wake of his Project Hail Mary success, Ryan Gosling will receive this year's American Cinematheque Award. The annual American Cinematheque Awards gala is set for Nov. 2 at the Beverly Hilton, and serves as an annual fundraiser for the non-profit organization that handles programming for the Aero Theatre in Santa Monica, Los Feliz 3 Theatre in Los Feliz and Egyptian Theatre in Hollywood. The ceremony, now in its 40th year, celebrates an actor's entire career and typically welcomes a starry group of the honoree's friends and collaborators as presenters. "Ryan represents everything this honor stands for — an artist of extraordinary range, depth and fearless creative commitment. From his early work in The Believer and Half Nelson, for which he earned an Academy Award nomination, to his breathtaking performances in Drive, Blue Valentine, La La Land, and his revelatory, scene-stealing turn in Barbie, Ryan has demonstrated a remarkable ability to inhabit characters with intelligence, vulnerability, and undeniable charisma," American Cinematheque board chair Rick Nicita said in a statement..

Yu Shui was well pleased with the $215 million his most recent feature, Nobody, earned at the Chinese box office last year — but the animator freely admits to bigger global ambitions. Spurred by the runaway success of Ne Zha 2 — whose $2.2 billion worldwide haul made it the biggest animated hit of all time — Yu and his contemporaries are keen to broaden their horizons. "I have realized that we must reach a global audience," she said. "If we want Western audiences to understand, we must simplify our stories. So, over the years, we've all known what British humor and American humor are, but the world needs a moment where people can understand what Chinese humor and Indian humor are...

Universal and Imagine Entertainment are developing a sequel to 2000's "How the Grinch Stole Christmas," a family smash that dominated the box office earning more than $350 million, a huge sum at the time. In addition to Carrey, who starred as the Grinch, Howard is expected to return as director. Brian Grazer, the co-founder of Imagine with Howard, is expected to come back as a producer on the film. Carrey was one of the biggest stars of the 1990s and early aughts but has been less active in recent years. He is currently set to reprise his role as Dr. Robotnik in 2027's "Sonic the Hedgehog 4." Carrey has said he'd be open to returning as the Grinch before, though he noted that the intensive makeup process on the first film was off-putting and he wanted to use motion capture. "Oh, gosh, you know, if we could figure out the Grinch," Carrey told ComicBook.com in 2024. "The thing about it is, on the day, I do that with a ton of makeup and can hardly breathe. It was an extremely excruciating process. The children were in my mind all the time. 'It's for the kids. It's for the kids. It's for the kids.' And now, with motion capture and things like that, I could be free to do other things. Anything is possible in this world."...

Report from Latino Donor Collaborative and McKinsey & Co. makes the business case for why increasing the representation of Latinos in mainstream movies and TV could yield incremental annual revenue of $12 billion-$18 billion. Latino consumers typically account for about $20 million in box office for mainstream movie hits. The analysis concludes that studios could reap as much as $20 million to $40 million more per title with what the report calls "a focused strategy" to incorporate Latino talent and characters into storylines. The report notes that a Latino-focused blockbuster action movie could generate as much as $600 million, based on the moviegoing habits of young U.S. Latino consumers....