Mr. Ed Returns as CGI/Live-Action Hybrid

Waterman Entertainment is looking to adapt the classic television series Mr. Ed into a feature film. The company also recently bought the rights to The Brave Little Toaster, hoping to breathe new life into beloved children's properties.

"We are identifying properties that have had success with multiple generations of parents who feel comfortable and have excitement about reintroducing the characters and storylines to their own kids and grandkids," said executive producer Cooper Waterman. "While each property remains independent of each other, they will share the commonality of addressing social values, morality lessons, and characteristics that are clearly identifiable for kids with comedic elements for all age groups."

The original TV show centered on the exploits of a talking horse, Mr. Ed, and his klutzy but affable owner Wilbur Post. Current plans are to adapt the series into a live-action/CG hybrid movie.

Source : ign[dot]com

Manimal Gets a Movie

Sony Pictures Animation has just landed the movie rights to Manimal, based on the 1980s television series about a wealthy doctor with the power to transform into animals in order to fight crime.

The Hollywod Reporter says the film will be a live-action/CG hybrid, with the original series' producer Glen A. Larson -- known for his work on other '80s fare like Battlestar Galactica, Knight Rider and Magnum P.I. -- attached to produce the film.

Manimal was widely panned by critics and slaughtered in the ratings when it aired opposite Dallas in 1983. The series only lasted eight episodes before it was cancelled. However, the show gained a cult following for its campiness in the years that followed.

The studio is currently in search of writers to pen the new project.

Max Nicholson is a writer for IGN, and he desperately seeks your approval. Show him some love on Twitter and IGN.

Source : ign[dot]com

Terry Brook's Shannara Heads to TV

Sonar Entertainment, in collaboration with Farah Films, is now developing a television show based on Terry Brooks' bestselling fantasy novel series Shannara.

Set hundreds of years after the fall of our own civilization, the story centers on the Shannara family, whose magical powers perpetually reshape the future of the world. According to Variety, the first season of the show will follow the events of The Elfstones of Shannara, the second book in the series.

"Partnering with Sonar Entertainment and Farah Films on adapting the Shannara saga for television is an exciting prospect," said Brooks in a statement. "Everything about both companies suggests the result will be one that both old and new fans of the books will readily embrace. I am committed to doing everything I can to help make this happen."

Dan Farah and Stewart Till are set to executive produce the TV series, and will begin the search for a showrunner and director before they shop the project to potential networks.

Source : ign[dot]com

New Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Balances Comedy and Action

The TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour can be a rather stuffy affair, which was why it was extra amusing to have the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles in attendance for the final day of the two-week event today. No, not just the producers and voice cast from Nickelodeon’s new animated series, but the four Turtles themselves were present as costumed characters – making a brief appearance onstage, before the press began asking questions.

Executive Producer Ciro Nieli noted the challenges of being the third big animated take on TMNT, considering the Turtles now have multiple generations of fans – yet this series has to be appealing for kids. “What we tried to do is get this long view on what it’s been and what you think the public really wants and try to boil it down and do the best thing for the franchise.” He said it was very important to, “Keep that comedy element, which is a really big aspect from the original [1987 animated series].” On the other hand, the more recent animated series (from 2003), “really focused on action,” and Nieli said he felt they “had a pretty decent blend of both” in the new TMNT.

Nieli, who said he was personally also a big fan of the first live-action Turtles film, said finding the balance between all the previous Turtles iterations was “the trickiest thing,” while noting the original animated show especially has a ton of nostalgia surrounding it and was “like lightening in a bottle.”

April O’Neil is a teenager in this version, and Nieli said that came from an overall desire to focus on the word Teenage in the title. Nieli felt, “In all the other iterations, that was either glanced over or completely betrayed,” noting in the 2003 series, the Turtles were “very muscular and seemed like they were in their mid-20.”

Nieli joked about feeling the previous TMNT stories always had April “on her way to work and she seemed kind of frustrated [with the Turtles].” Making her a teenager was a way to “make her more active” and a contemporary to the Turtles.

He also felt April was, “The above-sewer counterpart to Splinter.” The new series begins with the Turtles having never really been exposed to anything outside the sewers and Nieli remarked, “When they finally come above ground, they need this hip, cool, energetic person,” as they discover, “This world above ground in NYC is so amazing!” Added Mae Whitman (Arrested Development, Parenthood, Avatar: The Last Airbender), “She loves pizza now!”

I asked about Casey Jones on the series, and Nieli replied, “Casey Jones will show up in the second season,” noting he didn’t want to give too much away, but that, “We’ll take our time introducing him.” Casey will also be a high school student, but “Maybe a couple years older – he got held back.”

Baxter Stockman will be introduced fairly early on, while Fugitoid may show up later. Nieli said he wanted the first season to focus on the Turtles themselves more than a constant introduction of familiar characters from previous versions. In coming season though, “We’ll get into other mutations,” with the plan being to later get to “science fiction and outer space” and other elements previous Turtles stories have explored.

As to his approach to the villains on the series, Nieli said his philosophy on a show like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was, “”If the characters aren’t having fun, it’s not worth a damn.”

He wants TMNT to be, “A real worls with dangerous stakes and weird characters having fun.” Nieli said balance was key and that while they wanted the villains to have weight, “If Shredder does something that truly is villainous and vile, that we react or cut it appropriately [with something more lighthearted] so it has that balance for kids.” Still, he felt the new Turtles, “can also age up for an older audience. It’s about how you do it. It’s a hard question to answer. It’s subtle. And every case is unique.”

When it comes to the actions of characters like Krang and Shredder, things can “Ramp up for this horrifying moment and then suddenly it becomes very funny, very quickly. It’s compression and release, compression and release. “

A big factor in the success of the original animated series was the cast, Nieli felt, and he said he worked hard to recapture that with the new cast, wanting the group to feel like brothers – and a sister, with April.

The voice cast said they felt they achieved that camaraderie, with Sean Astin (Raphael) saying, “We really didn’t fight for it - it was just there.” Some of the cast, like Rob Paulsen (Donatello) and Greg Cipes (Michelangelo), are prolific voice actors, and Jason Biggs (Leonardo) said, “All of these voices compliment each other. I don’t do a voice. I’m just bringing my [natural] voice to the table.” Biggs added, “When we first saw the footage, it really blew us away. It really worked. It’s very exciting.”

Everyone laughed that the eccentric Cipes essentially was Michelangelo, while there was high praise for veteran Paulsen – the original voice of Raphael in the 1980s series, which Biggs was a big fan of. Paulsen said he was very excited to, “Get another crack at one of the top three or four franchises in history.”

When it came to the fighting on the show, Nieli said, “The violence never goes to a place that’s excessive. The Turtles are acting in the greater good, but they’re justified. This is a kids show. It’s not that violent.” Astin, a parent himself, said he felt Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was, “Fun and age-appropriate and I’m totally comfortable with my kids experiencing it.”

On the other hand, Nieli did want to note this was, “the first Nina Turtles incarnation where they actually use their weapons, instead of throwing them at the wall!” He laughed about scenes on the original series, where Leonardo would leap forward holding his swords, but just kick his feet – only using his sword when he threw it at a light bulb. “That would drive me crazy, so that’s not happening.” That being said, “We’re not chopping sentient, actual thinking beings in half.”

Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles premieres September 20th on Nickelodeon.

Source : ign[dot]com

HBO Set for Larry David Movie, but Will Curb Your Enthusiasm: Season 9 Happen?

Larry David and HBO will continue to collaborate – the only question is whether that collaboration will include more Curb Your Enthusiasm.

At the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour yesterday, HBO executives Michael Lombardo and Richard Plepler confirmed they had signed a deal with David to write and star in a movie for the cable channel, with Greg Motolla (Superbad, Adventureland) directing. It has previously been reported that Jon Hamm and Michael Keaton will also star in the film, but HBO did not comment on that.

Lombardo and Plepler noted that this would not be a Curb Your Enthusiasm movie, but were a bit coy on whether David would be playing himself in any way, with Lombardo simply stating, “He's not playing the Larry David from Curb Your Enthusiasm.”

But as to how this movie affects future seasons of Curb, Plepler said that, per usual, the ball was in David’s court – that if he wants to make more, they will. “It means whatever Larry wants it to mean for future seasons of Curb. And we always say, he has essentially carte blanche with us. Don't quote us on that because he'll take it! But he does, and when he wants to come back and do Curb, we'd be thrilled. Right now, he wants to do the movie. So we are thrilled about that.”

The execs did say they were sure this movie would happen before a potential Curb: Season 9, with Lombardo remarking, I think, after the last season of Curb, Larry sat down and said, ‘What is it I want to do?’ And it was this film that he wanted to do. But I don't think he's closed the door to another season of Curb. I think he wants to do another season of Curb if he has a great idea for another season of Curb.”

Added Plepler, “He said to us, this is what he's feeling right now, and we said, "Fantastic."

Source : ign[dot]com

Television Critics Association Honors Game of Thrones, Breaking Bad

Tonight, the Television Critics Association (of which both IGN TV's Executive Editor Eric Goldman and I are members) recognized the top programs and actors of the 2011-2012 television season at its 28th Annual TCA Awards presentation. Breaking Bad star Bryan Cranston hosted the annual invitation-only event, held at the Beverly Hilton hotel in conjunction with the TCA’s summer press tour.

HBO's Game of Thrones captured (presumably with fire and blood) the top honor of "Program of the Year" while comedian Louis C.K. took home two awards; "Outstanding Achievement in Comedy" (for his series Louie) and "Individual Achievement in Comedy" (for his performance on the series).

Too bad there's no Individual Achievement in Douchebag.

Showtime's riveting counter-terrorism series Homeland also took home two awards - one for "Outstanding New Program" and one for lead Claire Danes in "Individual Achievement in Drama."  Meanwhile, Downton (Spanish flu induced?) fever wasn't just for last week's Emmy Award nominations as Masterpiece: Downton Abbey won the 2012 TCA Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials."

In the "Outstanding Achievement in Drama" category, AMC's Breaking Bad took the top prize while the classic Bostonian bar sitcom Cheers beat out nominees such as Twin Peaks and Lost to take home the Heritage Award.  Here is the full list:

• Individual Achievement in Drama: Claire Danes (“Homeland,” Showtime)
• Individual Achievement in Comedy: Louis C.K. (“Louie,” FX)
• Outstanding Achievement in News and Information: “60 Minutes” (CBS)
• Outstanding Achievement in Reality Programming: “So You Think You Can Dance” (Fox)
• Outstanding Achievement in Youth Programming: “Switched at Birth” (ABC Family)
• Outstanding New Program: “Homeland” (Showtime)
• Outstanding Achievement in Movies, Miniseries and Specials: “Masterpiece: Downton Abbey” (PBS)
• Outstanding Achievement in Drama: “Breaking Bad” (AMC)
• Outstanding Achievement in Comedy: “Louie” (FX)
• Career Achievement Award: David Letterman
• Heritage Award: “Cheers”
• Program of the Year: “Game of Thrones” (HBO)

Source : ign[dot]com

Last Resort: How The Shield's Creator is Bringing a "Monstrous Scope Show" to ABC

Shawn Ryan, the creator of The Shield, has brought us a lot of excellent television through the years. But speaking at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour yesterday, he said it was only now that he was ready for something on the scale of Last Resort, the exciting new series he's created alongside Karl Gajdusek (Dead Like Me).

Ryan remarked, “When we pitched this to [network president] Paul Lee and his cohorts at ABC last summer or fall, I described it as the show that I couldn't make five years ago because I didn't possess the skill set and that I felt like the shows I had done up to this point, the ongoing serialization of The Shield, combined with the production value of Chicago Code, combined with this buddy thing that we had done in Terriers, that all this stuff sort of got me to this place where I felt I could do something this ambitious.”

Last Resort tells the story of what happens when the commander of a nuclear submarine refuses orders to fire – in the midst of very suspicious and suspect circumstances – ultimately bringing the sub and its crew to a small island, where they maintain a very uneasy relationship with the locals, while trying to decide what their next move is – all while in a standoff with their own country.

Said Ryan, “It's not like I didn't want to do something of a huge scale like this before. But this is a really difficult show from a storytelling standpoint, from a production standpoint, to have the production in Hawaii and to manage that. It's a big budget, very huge, monstrous scope show that I don't think I would have been capable of doing before. So it's not like my ambitions have grown, but my feelings about my capability to live up to those ambitions has grown, I think.”

As for what to expect from Last Resort week to week, Ryan noted, “We go in a lot of different directions. You know, there's going to be a Tom Clancy aspect to this show, the way there was in the pilot, every episode. But TV is about relationships.”

Ryan elaborated, “TV is about character and so it will come characters first. We've described this, Karl and I, not as a show about war, but it's a show about people in a time of crisis. So in the same way that Casablanca and Gone with the Wind and Reds and Doctor Zhivago were personal character stories about people in the middle of crisis, that's what we're hoping to do in a weekly series.”

The sub’s commander, Marcus (Andre Braugher) is supported in his decision by second in command Sam (Scott Speedman), and Ryan revealed, “We're going to delve into what happens between Sam and Marcus. They're in lockstep at the beginning of this pilot. Will they stay in lockstep? Will they become opposed to each other?”

Then there’s the ship’s third in command, Grace (Daisy Betts), the daughter of an Admiral (Bruce Davison). Said Ryan, “Grace is a trailblazer. You know, only recently has the U.S. government allowed women on submarines, so her character is a trailblazer. Can she live up to that? Will she be viewed as a creature of nepotism, or will she prove herself amongst her crew? I could go on in eight, ten more of these storylines between these characters. So it will be a character piece.”

Ryan, who worked on series like Nash Bridges and Angel before creating The Shield stressed, “There's not going to be a ‘monster of the week’ kind of situation, but there will be high stakes. They find themselves in a very precarious situation. There will be three kinds of threat that we deal with, first from the outside world. America's not happy that the submarine is sitting parked with nuclear weapons aimed at it. Other countries are going to want to get involved in some way. So there will be external threats. There's threats on the island, as represented by Julian Serrat, our character who was the local strongman, who's not thrilled at the arrival of these people. And then probably most interesting to me is the internal threats.” When it comes to the crew of the sub, Ryan said, “They're not all going to think alike. Some of them are going to be solidly with Marcus and Sam. Some are not. What do they want to do? What threats will emerge from within that group? So we feel like we have lots of stories to tell, and any one episode is not going to be like another. This isn't going to be the kind of show where every episode feels the same.”

Speaking to the motivations of the main characters, co-creator Karl Gajdusk remarked, “We believe that our crew and our captain and XO are patriots, and are patriots to the end of the pilot. And they get this very questionable order and… You know, we talked to several commanders of submarines in preparing for this, and they do what should be done, which is question an order. Before you know it, they're on the run. This is only to say that it's not the United States as a whole that has chased them out. It is a portrait of an executive gone wrong, of what could happen if the checks and balances in our system went off the rails.”

Source : ign[dot]com

Louie Renewed for Season 4; Wilfred and Anger Management Renewals Likely

At the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour today, FX president John Landgraf announced that the critically acclaimed Louie has been renewed for Season 4. This comes on the heels of Louie receiving multiple Emmy nominations, including Louie C.K.’s nominations for acting and writing (though Landgraf acknowledged their disappointment that it didn’t get a Outstanding Comedy nomination).

Not officially announced as renewed yet were Wilfred and Anger Management, but it sounds like both will almost certainly be back. Landgraf said he was “very optimistic” about Wilfred’s renewal, but noted there were “some deal issues to work out” first.

Anger Management meanwhile has an unusual (but not unique – the same deal was established for Tyler Perry’s TBS comedies) situation where if FX picks it up, it’s picking it up for an additional 90-episodes on top of the original 10, making it a 100-episode, syndication-ready package.

While Landgraf said they won’t make the final decision on that pickup until the first 10 complete their run, he did reveal Martin Sheen would be joining the cast as Charlie Sheen’s onscreen father, should it continue (Martin will guest star in Season 1). It’s hard to believe that the show would not be picked up, on the heels of a casting announcement like that.

Landgraf also revealed Brand X with Russell Brand will be back this fall for seven more episodes, after its six-episode summer run. The fall episodes will air alongside It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia and The League. Landgraf said there will be changes to the format.

Source : ign[dot]com

Jon Favreau Gives Magic Kingdom Update and Discusses how Pixar is Involved in the Disneyland-Based Film

Jon Favreau was at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour yesterday in support of Revolution, the new NBC series he’s executive producing alongside J.J. Abrams and Eric Kripke, with Favreau also directing the pilot episode.

After we spoke about Revolution (look for that portion of our interview in the coming weeks), the conversation also turned to Magic Kingdom, the Disneyland-inspired film Favreau is attached to direct. Favreau gave an update on that project and revealed that he’s been developing the film with the assistance and input of John Lasseter and the team at Pixar.

Jon Favreau: Magic Kingdom, I’ve been working on. I went back to back to back, three movies in a row -- Iron Man, Iron Man 2 and Cowboys & Aliens -- all of them with release dates announced as I cracked the script for the first time. We already knew the date and the poster -- and sometimes in some cases the cast. On this one, Magic Kingdom is a big film. It’s a very special piece of intellectual property with all the characters from the park and the legacy of Walt Disney. When I got hired, I said, “Look, I really want to emulate the storytelling model and development process of Pixar.” Pixar’s process is a lot different than Hollywood movies. You don’t just write a script, prep it, shoot it, and then figure it out sometime later. There’s a lot of visual effects that include animation, and post-production tends to be a bit of a knockdown, drag-out fight in the big Hollywood films, especially the visual effects elements. So what we’ve been doing is writing the script, going up to Pixar and meeting with the brain trust, coming back down, bring on artists and story editors, and putting it together as though it were an animated film. Then, by the time we actually film it, we’ll have a rock-solid story. I don’t want to rush anything. I want this one to be perfect. I want it to be one shot, one kill, like a sniper. I want to make sure this movie’s right in the crosshairs, that we can really knock it out of the park -- so to speak.

Question: Do you have to decide on a main character, or is it more of an ensemble?

Favreau: It’s going to be a family in the park, and it’s an alternate reality version of the park they get lost into. So much of it is just how it weaves together as a tapestry and what the visuals look like in creating this rich world. Fortunately, there’s no rush on it. I’ve been working on it as a writer now, and we’re in a very exciting part of the process and looking forward to getting that long lead prep as you would on an animated film. Then you work your way to where you know what the whole movie’s going to be before you ever roll camera. You could actually watch it -- as the Pixar people do -- actually watch it on a screen and evaluate it before you ever roll camera.

Question: It’s not officially considered a Pixar production though, right?

Favreau: No, as far as I know it’s a Disney production, but they’ve been very good about... I’ve known [John] Lasseter for many years now, and it’s our first time collaborating together. But he’s opened up us to all the resources at Pixar. I’ve been up there a few times now and stayed up at the ranch. It’s just been a dream come true. Taking a tour of Pixar is special enough, but to sit in a room and pitch to those people and hear their ideas? It’s very, very exciting. So I want to learn as much as I can from them and hopefully have their success in storytelling that they do as well by learning from their process. But I really want to hold this film in very high standards. I’m not rushing it, but it’s coming along very well. We’re very excited about it.

Question: Are the rides in the movie?

Favreau: Yeah, I think they’re called “attractions.” Disney corporate would call them attractions. But yeah, it’s informed by everything that I remember and know about the park from going there since I was a small child.

Question: Might we get any reference to Club 33?

Favreau: Club 33 is something that we’ve been discussing, definitely. I’ve been giving a lot of thought to the vulture in Club 33. That’s an interesting character. There’s a lot of ideas swirling around right now. I don’t know which ones are going to make it in, but it’s primarily informed by Walt’s vision of the park, either before or immediately after it opened. So a lot of it, for people our age, there will be a nostalgic element to it. People who know Disneyland, they’re going to see that we did our homework, but it’s ultimately going to be an adventure for the family and for the kids, too. I had a lot of fun playing to that type of crowd with Elf and Zathura, and this seems to be mixing elements from all the films I’ve done -- from Iron Man, Cowboys & Aliens, Zathura, Elf -- all rolled into one project that’s calling upon everything I’ve learned up to this point.

Source : ign[dot]com

Community: NBC President Comments on Dan Harmon's Removal

Today, at the TCA (Television Critics Association) press tour, was the first time NBC president Bob Greenblatt had faced a large group of TV journalists since Dan Harmon’s controversial removal from Community. And while it’s believed that Community’s studio, Sony, were the primary decision-makers when it came to removing Harmon, it’s also clear NBC went along with that decision. And so it was inevitable Greenblatt would be asked about the situation with the series today.

Greenblatt was asked about how the network views Community currently, having also moved it to Fridays and giving it a reduced thirteen-episode order. NBC have ordered a ton of new comedies for the fall and Greenblatt spoke about how the network (who are coming off years of infamously bad ratings) are trying to expand this audience, given the critically acclaimed but small audiences shows like Community, Parks and Recreation and 30 Rock get, which are dwarfed by the audiences for CBS hits like Two and a Half Men, The Big Bang Theory, Mike and Molly and 2 Broke Girls.

Said Greenblatt, “I think we’re in a transition with our comedy programming and trying to broaden the audience and broaden what the network does. Those Thursday comedies, which the critics love and we love, tend to be a bit more narrow than we would like as we go forward.” Greenblatt noted Community has always been a bubble show, but they decided to renew it and, “See what a fourth season will do for us.” He said the order was for thirteen episodes, “because we really wanted to get more comedies on the schedule. We sort of laid out the number of episodes we’d need of things in order to get more shows on.” However, he also said the initial thirteen episode order didn’t mean they might not decide to extend the season past that.

Addressing the Dan Harmon situation, Greenblatt clearly wasn’t going to get into specifics about why that decision was made, saying, “Every so often, it’s time to make a change with the showrunner. You sort of evaluate the creative and how the show is run and how the writing staff works. Sometimes you want to freshen the show. We just decided it was time to do that on Community. No disrespect to anyone.” Greenblatt also stressed, “I think Community fans will get the same show they loved since the beginning.”

As for whether Community could get a Season 5 or whether the network sees Season 4 as the end, Greenblatt said, “I would love nothing more for Community to have a following on Friday and be able to continue.”

Later, Greenblatt spoke a bit more about the difficulties they’ve had with their comedies, saying, “These shows, especially the Thursday night shows, are just great shows. They’re award winning and incredibly sophisticated and clever and we couldn’t be prouder of them.” However, addressing the network’s overall ratings decline, he said, “We just can’t get the biggest audience for those shows. They do tend to be a little more narrow and a little more sophisticated than you want for a real broad audience.”

He said the intent with new NBC comedies, including Go On, Animal Practice and The New Normal was to have series that are “Also clever and also smart and you critics like them but can also broaden the size of the audience.”

Source : ign[dot]com