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Breaking Film and TV Industry News — February 28

More of this week's news for industry insiders.
IndieWire’s Film & TV Industry News: Awards, Honors, Festival Lineups

Wednesday, February 28

– Samuel Goldwyn Films announced that the company has acquired North American rights to Xavier Gens’ “Cold Skin.” The film stars Ray Stevenson, David Oakes, and Aura Garrido. It is slated for an early June release.

– Mangurama has announced a deal for the North American theatrical release of Randall Wright’s heart-warming documentary “Summer in the Forest.” Abramorama, R2W Films, Rockhopper Films, and FilmWrights have partnered on the North American theatrical release of the film, opening in New York, on March 23 in honor of World Down Syndrome Day (March 21), and select cities nationwide thereafter.

– Netflix has acquired worldwide rights to Sandi Tan’s “Shirkers,” which had its world premiere at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival, where Tan won the Directing Award in World Cinema Documentary. Netflix also acquired “Zion,” a ten-minute film directed by Floyd Russ about a young wrestler who was born without legs and finds acceptance and community within the world of wrestling. Both films will launch globally on Netflix later this year.

Tuesday, February 27

– ABC has picked up the new one-hour talk show “Sundays With Alec Baldwin,” featuring the titular star, and set a surprise sneak peak for the series following the Oscars on Sunday, March 4. Baldwin will interview Jerry Seinfeld and Kate McKinnon for this Sunday’s special, which will be followed by eight additional episodes to premiere later this year.

– Factory 25 has announced that it has acquired world rights to the multiple festival award-winning “No Light and No Land Anywhere.” Amber Sealey wrote, directed, and produced the film with Executive Producer Miranda July, rounding out a female-centric team that included producers Alysa Nahmias and Drea Clark and a cast and crew that is 85% women. Factory 25 will premiere the film theatrically on March 16 in New York City at IFC Center and at Facets in Chicago on March 9.

– Apple has given a straight-to-series order for an untitled psychological thriller from M. Night Shyamalan and writer Tony Basgallop. Shyamalan will also direct the first episode of the half-hour, 10-episode original thriller. The project is created by Basgallop (“24,” “To The Ends of the Earth”), who will write and executive produce the series.

BEVERLY HILLS, CA - AUGUST 9: Denis Leary from FX's 'Sex&Drugs&Rock&Roll' poses for a portrait at the 2016 Summer TCAs Getty Images Portrait Studio at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on July 27th, 2016 in Beverly Hills, California (Photo by Maarten de Boer/Getty Images)
Denis LearyGetty Images

– Denis Leary (“Rescue Me”) has joined the cast of TNT’s “Animal Kingdom” as the show enters its third season. Leary will play Billy, Deran’s (Jake Weary) drifter dad who Smurf (Ellen Barkin) kicked out years ago. The series, about a Southern California crime family, also stars Scott Speedman, Shawn Hatosy, Ben Robson, Finn Cole, Molly Gordon and Carolina Guerra.

– Netflix will premiere the comedy special “Steve Martin and Martin Short: An Evening You Will Forget For The Rest Of Your Life” later in 2018.

The special was taped at the Peace Center in Greenville, South Carolina during Short and Martin’s current national tour. According to Netflix, “it features new material presented in a variety of musical sketches and conversations about their iconic careers, most memorable encounters, and of course, their legendary lives in show-business and stand-up.”

Grammy Award-winning bluegrass band The Steep Canyon Rangers and jazz pianist Jeff Babko will handle music duties.

– Hot Docs has announced 15 documentary features that will screen in this year’s Special Presentations program. Special Presentations features a high-profile collection of world and international premieres, award winners from the recent international festival circuit and works by master filmmakers or featuring some star subjects. Check out the newly announced titles here.

Special Presentations will screen as part of the 2018 Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, running April 26 – May 6. The complete Special Presentations program and the full selection of films to screen at Hot Docs 2018 will be announced on March 20 including the 2018 opening night film.

– Following the European Film Market in Berlin, Music Box Films announced today that it has acquired all U.S. rights to “The Apparition” (L’Apparition), written and directed by Xavier Giannoli, from Memento Films International.

– Producers Michael De Luca and Jennifer Todd have announced additional presenters for the 90th Oscars telecast. Hosted by Jimmy Kimmel, the Oscars will air live Sunday, March 4, on the ABC Television Network.

The additional presenters, including past Oscar winners and nominees, are Emily Blunt, Sandra Bullock, Dave Chappelle, Eugenio Derbez, Ansel Elgort, Jane Fonda, Jodie Foster, Eiza González, Ashley Judd, Nicole Kidman, Matthew McConaughey, Helen Mirren, Rita Moreno, Lupita Nyong’o and Christopher Walken.

Monday, February 26

– Faith Ford (“Corky Sherwood”), Joe Regalbuto (“Frank Fontana”) and Grant Shaud (“Miles Silverberg”) have signed on to reprise their original characters on “Murphy Brown” along side star Candice Bergen.

CBS has given a 13-episode, series production commitment to a current-day revival of the show, which originally aired from 1988-1998.

“Corporate”Comedy Central

– Comedy Central has renewed “Corporate” for a second season. The dark comedy airs Wednesdays at 10 p.m. ET, with the season finale airing on March 14. “It’s hard to understand why people relate so strongly to the comedic, existential crises of working for corporations, but who are we to argue?” said Comedy Central president Kent Alterman.

“Corporate” was created by Jake Weisman, Matt Ingebretson and Pat Bishop, as stars Weisman and Ingebretson as two Junior Executives-in-Training at Hampton DeVille, a “heartless, corporate hell-hole” led by CEO Christian DeVille (Lance Reddick) and his top lieutenants John and Kate (Adam Lustick and Anne Dudek).

Friday, February 23

– Syfy has revealed the official premiere date for Season 3 of “The Expanse”: Wednesday, April 11 at 9 p.m., along with a teaser trailer for the critically acclaimed sci-fi drama. Take a look below:

Thursday, February 22

– MTV has announced that actress, comedian, and New York Times bestselling author Tiffany Haddish will host the 2018 MTV Movie & TV Awards on Monday, June 18. The 2018 categories and nominees will be announced at a later date.

– Kate McKinnon will receive the CinemaCon Comedy Star of the Year Award on the evening of Thursday, April 26, at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace during the annual event.

– The Film Society of Lincoln Center and The Museum of Modern Art has announced the complete lineup for the 47th annual New Directors/New Films (ND/NF), March 28 – April 8. This year’s festival will introduce 25 features and 10 short films to New York audiences. The festival will open with Stephen Loveridge’s “Matangi/Maya/M.I.A.” and will close with RaMell Ross’s “Hale County This Morning, This Evening.” You can see the full lineup right here.

– Comedy Central has renewed “Drunk History” for a sixth season.

Wednesday, February 21

– NBC has renewed “Superstore” for a fourth season. The show is a solid performer for NBC, growing +6% versus one year ago in adults 18-49 (1.7 rating) and +3% in total viewers (5.195 million). The show was NBC’s No. 1 comedy across digital platforms in 2017.

America Ferrera, Ben Feldman, Colton Dunn, Nico Santos, Nichole Bloom, Mark McKinney, and Lauren Ash star in the show, which was created and written by Justin Spitzer.

– South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference and Festivals (March 9-18, 2018) has announced the addition of Keynote Nonny de la Peña, and more Featured Speakers to the programming lineup.

Featured Speakers announced today include “The Daily” host Michael Barbaro; “Black-ish” creator Kenya Barris; Blumhouse Productions Founder and CEO Jason Blum; New York Times foreign correspondent Rukmini Callimachi; “Ready Player One” author Ernest Cline; POLITICO chief Washington correspondent Edward-Isaac Dovere; bestselling author and Together Rising founder and president Glennon Doyle; actress Dakota Fanning, “CBS This Morning” co-host Gayle King; President of Paramount TV & Digital Entertainment Amy Powell; music legend Nile Rodgers; Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders; actor and former Governor of California Arnold Schwarzenegger; CNN anchor and chief Washington correspondent Jake Tapper; rapper and founding Wu-Tang Clan member U-GOD; Ireland’s Taoiseach Leo Varadkar T.D.; and many more.

Explore the full list of previously-announced Featured Speakers, as well as the full list of Conference programming on the online schedule.

– The newly formed Hamptons Arts Network (HAN) announces THAW FEST, a Hamptons-wide, weekend festival to celebrate spring, and promote the broadly diverse range of cultural programs and institutions that make the South Fork of Long Island unique. Hamptons Arts Network (HAN) is a newly formed 19-member consortium of not-for-profit organizations working together to create a unified arts community in the Hamptons. The goal is to promote collaboration, partnerships, and shared programming among its members, and to advocate for the arts in the areas of economic development, tourism, and education. HAN will create events to shine a light on the year-round cultural mecca located on Long Islands East End.

THAW FEST (The Hamptons Arts Weekend Festival), will launch three days of exhibitions, theater performances, film, music, garden tours, workshops, community engagement and family-focused events.

Tuesday, February 20

– The Marlene Meyerson JCC Manhattan has announced its official lineup of feature films for the 10th Annual ReelAbilities Film Festival: New York. The 2018 festival will take place March 8–14 at the JCC and more than 30 other venues across all five boroughs of New York City, as well as on Long Island and in Westchester and Rockland counties, making it the most geographically accessible festival in the country. Utilizing various technologies, the festival strives to offer the most accessible programs for those with special needs of all kinds. For the first time, the festival will offer Audio Description for all its feature films.

Check out the full lineup and how to purchase tickets right here, plus see the festival’s newest trailer below.

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