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Paramount has released the first trailer and poster for Dear Santa, which is a live-action adaptation of popular 2017 animated short Dear Satan. The movie marks the return of the directing/producing team of Bobby and Peter Farrelly, and stars Jack Black in the lead role.

Black, who worked with the brothers on Shallow Hal, plays the Devil, alongside a supporting cast consisting of Robert Timothy Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, Pj Byrne, Jaden Carson Baker, Kai Cech and Austin Post, aka Post Malone.

The story focuses on a young boy who writes his yearly note to Santa, but the "crappy speller" sends it to the man downstairs instead. Delighted to have a fan, a merry Mephistopheles pays the kid a visit and offers him three wishes... on the condition that he can collect his soul once he's used them up.

Though the project is based on Dear Satan,...

Jack Black is reuniting with the Farrelly brothers for Christmas comedy Dear Santa, and here’s the trailer for the film.

Jack Black and the Farrelly brothers have worked together before. Go back to 2001, and we got Shallow Hal. It follows a man (Black) who is hypnotized into seeing only the inner beauty of women and falls in love with Gwyneth Paltrow. It remains a prime example of the Farrelly brothers’ near-the-knuckle comedy. However, it’s also a film with a rather unpleasant mean streak which has attracted a lot of criticism in the years since its release.

Anyway, to now. Jack Black has reunited with the Farrelly brothers to play a twisted version of Father Christmas in festive film Dear Santa.

Black stars alongside Robert Timothy Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, Pj Byrne, newcomer Jaden Carson Baker, Kai Cech and Austin Post.

Bobby Farrelly directed the film...

Peter and Bobby Farrelly and Jack Black are throwing it back to the rude ‘90s/’00s style of comedy they originated in movies like “Dumb & Dumber” and “Shallow Hal” for their straight-to-streaming Christmas comedy “Dear Santa.” Paramount+ released a mischievous trailer for the project on Thursday.

In “Dear Santa,” a nice kid (Robert Timothy Smith) tries to send his Christmas wish list to Santa, but due to a spelling error, the list gets delivered to someone else whose name has all the same letters but arranged in a different order. So devilish Jack Black appears to try to corrupt the boy’s soul before Christmas by encouraging him to misbehave. The kid might turn the devil good before that happens, though. They have a lot to learn from each other.

The trailer features bathroom humor, Post Malone, and lots of Jack Black antics of the sort we haven’t...

Add another new title to the list of holiday films to check out this winter.

After an extended wait, Paramount Pictures has unveiled the first trailer for their comedy Dear Santa, reteaming Jack Black with director Bobby Farrelly, announcing that the film will become available for streaming on Paramount+ and on digital November 25.

In Dear Santa, a young boy mails his Christmas wish list to Santa with one crucial spelling error. Thereafter, a devilish Jack Black arrives to wreak havoc on the holidays.

Ricky Blitt & Peter Farrelly wrote the script from their story conceived with Dan Ewen. The project reunites Black with the Farrelly brothers for the first time since the 20th Century Fox comedy Shallow Hal, co-starring Gwyneth Paltrow, back in 2001.

Robert Timothy Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, Post Malone, P.J. Byrne, Jaden Carson Baker, and Kai Cech round out the cast. Peter Farrelly, Bobby Farrelly, and...

The Farrelly brothers reunite with Jack Black after their 2001 film Shallow Hal in this new Christmas comedy that makes use of the popular joke misspelling of Santa. Paramount has just released the trailer for Dear Santa. The holiday film stars Jack Black, Robert Timothy Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, Post Malone, P.J. Byrne, Jaden Carson Baker and Kai Cech. While both the Farrellys are involved, only Bobby Farrelly directs the movie while Peter Farrelly writes the screenplay with Ricky Blitt.

The holly jolly comedy centers on Liam Turner (Robert Timothy Smith), a young boy who still believes in Santa Claus. Liam isn’t the best speller, and while writing his yearly note to Santa, he misspells the rotund elf’s name, addressing his wishes to Satan instead. Touched by the boy’s outreach, Satan (Jack Black) visits Liam, bringing the gift of devilish tricks, demonic shenanigans, and laughs to the spirited season.

Paramount+ today revealed the trailer for Dear Santa, the upcoming original holiday comedy from the Farrelly Brothers, which will premiere on the streaming service on November 25. The film has been rated PG-13 for some language and suggestive material.

The movie, which is the service’s first original Christmas film, will premiere exclusively on Paramount+ in the U.S. and the following day in the UK and Australia. Additional Paramount+ international market premiere dates will be announced at a later time.

The movie will also be featured in the annual Paramount+ “‘Tis the Season for Streaming” holiday collection that curates a broad and popular lineup of beloved movies, seasonal episodes from hit original series, and festive specials for the whole household to enjoy. The film will also be available to buy on digital the same day.

Dear Santa is the story of a young boy (Robert Timothy Smith) who mails his...

Jack Black is reteaming with the Farrelly Brothers (Dumb and Dumber, There’s Something About Mary, Kingpin, Shallow Hal) for the Christmas comedy Dear Santa, which centers on a kid who accidentally writes a letter to… Satan. It’s a family-friendly affair rather than any kind of horror movie, but you can watch the official trailer for Dear Santa below.

Jack Black is Not Santa this holiday season.

Dear Santa comes to Paramount+ and Digital on November 25, 2024.

In the upcoming Dear Santa, “When a young boy mails his Christmas wish list to Santa with one crucial spelling error, a devilish Jack Black arrives to wreak havoc on the holidays.”

Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, Pj Byrne, Jaden Carson Baker, Kai Cech and Austin Post star alongside Jack Black in the holiday comedy.

Director Bobby Farrelly tells Entertainment Weekly, “We never wanted to make it a horror movie or something like that.

We first heard that a live-action adaptation of popular 2017 animated short Dear Satan was in the works from the directing/producing team of Bobby and Peter Farrelly last year, and Paramount has now unveiled a first look at the Christmas-themed "horror" comedy via some promo stills and a brief teaser.

Jack Black, who worked with the brothers on Shallow Hal, stars as the Devil, alongside a supporting cast consisting of Robert Timothy Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, Pj Byrne, Jaden Carson Baker, Kai Cech and Austin Post, aka Post Malone.

The story focuses on a young boy who writes his yearly note to Santa, but mixes up the letters and sends it to the man downstairs instead. Delighted to have a fan, a merry Mephistopheles arrives on the kid's doorstep.

Though the project is based on Dear Satan, the studio decided to go with the more marketable and family-friendly title Dear Santa,...

My Spy: The Eternal City is a spy action comedy film directed by Peter Segal from a screenplay co-written by Erich Hoeber, Jon Hoeber, and Segal. The 2024 film serves as a sequel to the 2020 film My Spy, and it picks up the story of JJ and Sophie a couple of years later after the events of My Spy. Sophie is now a teenager and she wants some freedom from JJ’s daily strict routine. During a trip to Italy, Sophie and JJ try to prevent a nuclear attack on the Vatican City. My Spy: The Eternal City stars Dave Bautista and Chloe Coleman in the lead roles with Anna Farris, Kristen Schaal, Flula Borg, Ken Jeong, Billy Barratt, Taeho K, Lara Babalola, and Craig Robinson starring in supporting roles. If you loved the action, comedy, and explosions in My Spy: The Eternal City here are some similar movies you could watch next.

Norman Lear was still active in developing television shows at age 101.

The television icon, who passed away Dec. 5 of natural causes, was in recent weeks working on his TV slate, including redeveloping a reboot of Mary Hartman, Mary Hartman after TBS exited the scripted originals business and the cable network released the project, sources tell The Hollywood Reporter.

“He loved the slate and was excited to bring it to the world,” a source close to Lear says.

Schitt’s Creek alum Emily Hampshire remains attached to take on the role originally played by Louise Lasser as well as co-write and exec produce the live-action update. The comedy landed at TBS on Lear’s 99th birthday on July 27, 2021, after months in development at Sony Pictures Television, where Lear and Brent Miller’s Act III Productions remains based with an active overall deal.

Sony acquired rights to Lear’s TV library via its...

Exclusive: D.K. Uzoukwu, Telma Hopkins, Jay Wilkison and Norah Murphy have joined the cast of Amazon Freevee’s Clean Slate as series regulars. They join previously announced stars Laverne Cox and George Wallace.

Clean Slate follows old-school and outspoken car wash owner Harry Slate (Wallace), who is thrilled his estranged child is finally returning home to Alabama after 17 years away. However, he has a lot of soul-searching to do when the child he thought was a son returns as the determined, proud, trans woman Desiree (Cox).

Uzoukwu will play Louis, a closeted gay choir director at the local church who the older female congregants insist on trying to fix up. He’s a close childhood friend of Desiree, and the only person who gives her a genuinely heartfelt welcome home.

Hopkins will play Ella, Louis’ mother, a no-nonsense jack-of-all-trades who has known Harry for much longer than either of them would like to admit.

Back when Peter and Bobby Farrelly were still making movies as a team, Jack Black starred for them in one of their big comedy hits, Shallow Hal. He's now set to reunite with the sibling duo for new Christmas film Dear Santa.

The Farrellys are also back together for this one — though Bobby is actually directing, while Peter produces and co-writing the script with his brother and Ricky Blitt.

Dear Santa, which sprung from an original idea from Dan Ewen, focuses on a young boy, who in writing his yearly note to Santa, mixes up the letters and sends it to Satan instead.

This is one that has been on the Farrellys' radar for more than a decade now, originally set up at 20th Century Fox as Dear Satan, but now squatting at Paramount.

The cast also includes Robert Timothy Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, Pj Byrne, Jaden Carson Baker,...

It’s likely not a project we’ll be covering much here on Bloody Disgusting, but Deadline reports today that Jack Black is reteaming with the Farrelly Brothers for a Christmas comedy titled Dear Santa, and the plot synopsis notably hints at some sinister horror elements.

Coming soon from Paramount, “The movie centers on a young boy, who in writing his yearly note to Santa, mixes up the letters and sends it to Satan instead.”

At the very least, we’ll be keeping our eyes on this one…

Robert Timothy Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, Pj Byrne, Jaden Carson Baker, Kai Cech and Austin Post will star alongside Jack Black.

Deadline notes in their report this afternoon, “The current working draft is by the Farrelly Brothers and Ricky Blitt, with the original idea from Dan Ewen.”

Bobby Farrelly will direct, with Peter Farrelly on board to produce.

The...

After more than 20 years, Jack Black is reteaming with his Shallow Hal filmmakers the Farrelly Brothers for the Paramount comedy Dear Santa.

The feature centers on a child who intends to write a letter to Santa Claus, but mixes up the letters and sends it to Satan instead.

Bobby Farrelly will direct and produce, with brother Peter Farrelly producing along with Jeremy Kramer. The Farrelly brothers penned the script with Ricky Blitt, the writer behind the 2005 Johnny Knoxville feature The Ringer. The story came from an original idea from Dan Ewen, known for the John Cena comedy Playing With Fire.

Black leads a cast that includes Robert Timothy Smith, Keegan-Michael Key, Brianne Howey, Hayes MacArthur, Pj Byrne, Jaden Carson Baker and Kai Cech.

The Farrelly Brothers have comedy hits dating back decades including Dumb and Dumber; Me, Myself & Irene; There’s Something About Mary; and Kingpin. Bobby Farrelly is in theaters...

Exclusive: Jack Black and brothers Bobby and Peter Farrelly, the team behind the 2001 comedy Shallow Hal, look to be reuniting for the holidays — and bringing an infamous character along for the sleigh ride. Sources tell Deadline that Black is set to star in the Christmas comedy Dear Santa with Bobby Farrelly set to direct and Peter Farrelly on board to produce with Bobby and Jeremy Kramer.

The movie centers on a young boy who, in writing his yearly note to Santa, mixes up the letters and sends it to Satan instead. Black recently teased the project on social media when he posted a photo of him posing with Christmas decorations with no context — it got everyone talking about what it could be.

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A post shared by Jack Black (@jackblack)

The film also will star Robert Timothy Smith, with a supporting cast that includes Keegan-Michael Key,...

Amazon Freevee has given the green light to comedy series “Clean Slate,” written by George Wallace, and Laverne Cox.

Cox and Wallace also star in the series, which hails from Sony Pictures Television and Norman Lear’s Act III Productions. Dan Ewen also helped write the story of the show and wrote the script for its pilot.

Here’s a logline for the series:

Old school and outspoken car wash owner, Henry (Wallace), is thrilled his estranged child is finally returning home to Alabama after 17 years. However, Henry has a lot of soul searching to do when the child he thought was a son returns as the determined, proud, trans woman, Desiree (Cox).

“Clean Slate” has been in development at Amazon Freevee for over a year after moving from NBCUniversal’s development slate in early 2021. That’s after NBCU held onto the project for about a year, as well.

Cox...

TV veteran Norman Lear will kick off his second century in showbiz with Clean Slate, a comedy starring Laverne Cox and George Wallace that has been ordered to series at Amazon Freevee (fka IMDb TV).

Originally in development at Peacock before it landed at Freevee in February 2021, Clean Slate stars Wallace as old-school car wash owner Henry, who must do some soul-searching when his estranged child returns home to Alabama after 17 years — not as the son he’s expecting, but as the determined, proud trans woman Desiree (Cox).

More from TVLineWho's the Boss? Sequel Series Lands at Freevee, With Stars...

Amazon Freevee has picked up to series the Laverne Cox-George Wallace comedy Clean Slate, from Norman Lear’s Act III Productions and Sony Pictures Television, where the company is based. This is a formal order for the half-hour project, starring Cox and Wallace, which I hear was unofficially made around Lear’s 100th birthday on July 27.

The green light brings to a successful conclusion Clean Slate’s journey’s to the screen. The comedy was initially announced as part of NBCUniversal’s development slate in January 2020, and moved to Amazon Freevee (then-IMDb TV) for development in early 2021.

2022 Amazon Freevee Pilots & Series Orders

Clean Slate follows Henry (Wallace), an old-school and outspoken car wash owner, who is thrilled his estranged child is finally returning home to Alabama after 17 years. However, Henry has a lot of soul searching to do when the child he thought was a son returns as the determined,...

Amazon Freevee has given the greenlight to “Clean Slate,” a new comedy from Norman Lear’s Act III Productions, starring Laverne Cox and comedian George Wallace. The original comedy has been in development at Freevee since February 2021, back when the ad-supported streamer was known as IMDb TV.

“Clean Slate,” which comes from Cox, Wallace and Dan Ewen, centers on car wash owner Henry (Wallace), whose estranged child comes home to Alabama after 17 years. But he must do some soul searching as he comes to terms with the fact that his adult child is a trans woman, Desiree (Cox). There’s no word yet on an episodic order, when the series might shoot or an estimated premiere date.

Ewen serves as executive producer and writer on “Clean Slate,” and he has story credit along with Cox and Wallace. Cox will also serve as an executive producer on the show, while Wallace is a producer.

Click here to read the full article.

On Norman Lear‘s 100th birthday, Amazon Freevee gifted him with a series greenlight.

The streaming service ordered his latest producorial effort, Clean Slate, to series. The original comedy, which hails from Lear’s Act III Productions and Sony Pictures Television, centers on an outspoken, old-school car wash owner, played by George Wallace, who’s thrilled his estranged child is finally coming home to Alabama after 17 years. But, per the show’s official logline, he has “a lot of soul searching to do” when that child returns not as a son but rather as a determined, proud, trans woman, played by trans actress Laverne Cox.

Dan Ewan will serve as the series’ showrunner, having written the pilot and conceived the story with Cox and Wallace. In addition to acting credits, Cox will serve as an executive producer and Wallace as a producer. Lear...

Norman Lear is getting into business with IMDb TV. He has set two projects in development at the Amazon-owned free streaming service including the Laverne Cox-George Wallace comedy Clean Slate, which previously was in development at Peacock.

The streamer is working with Lear’s Act III Productions and Sony Pictures Television, where Lear is under an overall deal, on Clean Slate and Loteria.

Clean Slate, which initially was announced as part of NBCUniversal’s development slate in January 2020, is set to star Cox and Wallace. The half-hour comedy follows Henry (Wallace), an old-school car wash owner who is thrilled that his estranged child is returning home to Alabama after 17 years. However, Henry has a lot of soul searching to do when the child he thought was a son returns as the determined, proud trans woman Desiree (Cox).

Cox and Wallace wrote the story with Dan Ewen, who wrote...

Norman Lear’s Act III Prods. and Sony Pictures TV have landed a pair of projects in development at Amazon’s IMDb TV, including one starring Laverne Cox and comedian George Wallace.

Lear and his production partner Brent Miller are executive producers on “Clean Slate” and “Lotería,” which are set up at the quickly growing IMDb TV, which is the premium free streaming service complement to Amazon’s subscription Prime Video service.

Both projects are original ideas about family navigating unique challenges to their relationships: “Clean Slate,” which comes from Cox, Wallace and Dan Ewen, centers on car wash owner Henry (Wallace), whose estranged child comes home to Alabama after 17 years. But he must do some soul searching as he comes to terms with the fact that his adult child is a trans woman, Desiree (Cox).

Ewen is executive producer and showrunner on the half-hour comedy, while Cox also serves as executive producer.

In today’s film news roundup, Sabrina Carpenter’s “The Short History of the Long Road” gets a home, comedian Jo Koy’s life will become a movie, “True to the Game” is getting a sequel and Apa promotes Chris Ridenhour.

Acquisition

FilmRise has acquired Sabrina Carpenter’s coming-of-age drama “The Short History of the Long Road” and is planning a May 15 theatrical release.

The film, written and directed by Ani Simon-Kennedy, won a special jury mention for screenplay at the 2019 Tribeca Film Festival. “The Short History of the Long Road” also stars Maggie Siff, Steven Ogg and Danny Trejo.

Carpenter portrays a teenager who grew up living out of a van with her beloved father. When tragedy strikes, she is confronted by the reality that life as an outsider may not be her only choice.

The film is produced by Darren Dean, Bettina Kadoorie, Kishori Rajan, Eddie Rubin, Ani Simon-Kennedy,...

NBC's forthcoming streaming service, Peacock, is ramping up its development slate, despite the service not being fully revealed to the masses.

The network unveiled six additional series it has in the works, including a MacGruber TV series starring Will Forte, as well as a Laverne Cox-Norman Lear series titled Clean Slate.

They join the Queer as Folk reboot as programs under development. Neither of the shows has received series orders.

Here is the full list of new shows in the works.

The Adventure Zone

Based on the McElroy Family’s wildly popular Dungeons & Dragons podcast and No. 1 New York Times best-selling graphic novel series, The Adventure Zone is a side-splitting and heart-filled fantasy animated comedy series that follows an unlikely, poorly equipped trio and their beleaguered Dungeon Master as they reluctantly embark on a quest to save their world.

Writer/executive producer: Adam Higgs (Orphan Black)

Executive producers: Clint McElroy,...

Ahead of Comcast’s investor presentation today to officially unveil NBCUniversal’s upcoming streaming service Peacock, the platform has announced its inaugural development slate. It includes comedies MacGruber, starring and co-written by Will Forte; and Clean Slate, starring and co-written by Laverne Cox and George Wallace. Creative auspices on Peacock’s series in development also include Amy Poehler, Mindy Kaling, Norman Lear and Lorne Michaels, among others. The projects come from within NBCUniversal Content Studios — from both Universal TV and Ucp — as well as from outside studios, Warner Bros. and Sony.

From the get-go, Peacock’s original series slate had a comedy bent, with sequels to sitcoms Saved By the Bell and Punky Brewster among the platform’ first orders, along with pickups for A.P. Bio and Ed Helms-Mike Schur comedy Rutherford Falls.

The streamer’s development slate continues that programming direction. Five of the six projects on it are comedies,...

“MacGruber” and Laverne Cox are officially in business with Peacock.

NBCUniversal’s nascent streaming service is developing two comedy series — one based on the character Will Forte originated on “Saturday Night Live” and another starring Cox with the legendary Norman Lear attached to executive produce.

In “MacGruber,” after rotting in prison for over a decade, America’s ultimate hero and uber patriot MacGruber (played by Forte) is finally released. His mission: to take down a mysterious villain from his past—Brigadier Commander Enos Queeth. With the entire world in the crosshairs, MacGruber, Vicki, and Piper must race against time to defeat the forces of evil, only to find that evil may be lurking within.

Forte is a writer and executive producer on the project in addition to starring. Jorma Taccone and John Solomon are also writing and executive producing. Lorne Michaels, John Goldwyn, Andrew Singer, Erin David of Broadway Video will executive produce.

“Harriet” writer-director Kasi Lemmons was in a reflective mood at Tuesday night’s “Behind the Scene” event at the Formosa Cafe in West Hollywood, sponsored by the Writers Guild of America West.

The biopic, starring Cynthia Erivo as slave-turned-abolitionist Harriet Tubman, has been receiving buzz since its premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival. It’s Lemmons’ fifth movie in 22 years, going back to “Eve’s Bayou.”

“To make movies, I have to have that incredible focus,” Lemmons explained. “So Harriet was my anchor. She’s easy to love.”

“I wanted to do a movie that felt big even if it wasn’t and I wanted to do with the scope it deserved,” she added. “I wanted to research, feel who she was and bring all that detail into it. At first, I didn’t really understand the textures of Maryland and I didn’t get that it was a...

Need to drop off the kids at the multiplex while you take care of some pre-Thanksgiving “prep”? Or Christmas shopping. Well, it’s still a few weeks until Frozen 2, that Addams clan is going the way of the bags of “fun-size” candies and cardboard witches, and those Artic Dogs are racing across the tundra toward home video (seems to be setting records….all the “worst-ever’ ones). How about a nice PG-rated “family-friendly” slapstick comedy? Most kids love those firefighters and their big trucks (in grade school we’d rush to window upon the siren’s wail), and those big larger than life wrestlers. Mix ’em all up with a lovable sloppy dog and three rowdy, mischievous kids and you’ve got the “kiddie matinee fodder’ entitled Playing With Fire. But with that name, is there still a big chance that you’ll get burned?

At the start of the story,...

When I think about some of the family films that peppered my childhood, there are many that still make the cut for decent, fun entertainment. Unfortunately for my daughter and nephews, “Playing with Fire” won’t be one of those fond movie memories they will want to share with their own kids someday.

The film is bland and predictable, underestimates kids’ abilities to understand story and humor, and relies way too much on sight gags that are clichéd and overdone.

Fire Station Superintendent Jake Carson (John Cena), “Supe” to his crew, loves his job. As a smoke jumper, he leads Mark (Keegan Michael-Key), Rodrigo (John Leguizamo) and Axe as they parachute into wildfires, saving lives and homes throughout a more woodsy area of California. When Supe airlifts Brynn, Will and Zoey (Finley Rose Slater) from a blazing cabin fire, the incoming weather and inability to hand them off to a...

John Cena is the latest Hollywood tough guy to show his silly and sensitive side in the family comedy “Playing With Fire.”

In the film, Cena plays a firefighter turned babysitter when he’s forced to look after a family of kids he rescued from a blaze as he tracks down their parents. And before long, this hardened professional finds himself swimming in bubble baths and playing friendly games of dodgeball with the little kids he’s watching over.

Oh, and of course the firefighters have a mean attack dog that doesn’t stay so mean once he meets this family.

Also Read: John Cena Says 'Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader' Is More About Learning Than Winning

“No! Sit,” the young Finley Rose Slater says in the trailer to their charging pit bull Masher. “I think the baby just broke your dog,” John Leguizamo’s character responds.

“Playing With Fire...

John Leguizamo and Keegan-Michael Key are the latest to join John Cena in the family comedy Playing With Fire.

Leguizamo is set and Key is in final negotiations for the Paramount Players project that follows wildfire fighters that spend Christmas weekend at the station taking care of three rambunctious kids they rescued.  

Deadpool actress Brianna Hildebrand and Judy Greer are also set for the family comedy, which the studio has dated for March 20, 2020.

Andy Fickman (She's the Man) will direct. Dan Ewen wrote the original spec with Matt Lieberman (The Christmas Chronicles, The Addams Family) handling ...

John Leguizamo and Keegan-Michael Key are the latest to join John Cena in the family comedy Playing With Fire.

Leguizamo is set and Key is in final negotiations for the Paramount Players project that follows wildfire fighters that spend Christmas weekend at the station taking care of three rambunctious kids they rescued.  

Deadpool actress Brianna Hildebrand and Judy Greer are also set for the family comedy, which the studio has dated for March 20, 2020.

Andy Fickman (She's the Man) will direct. Dan Ewen wrote the original spec with Matt Lieberman (The Christmas Chronicles, The Addams Family) handling ...

Brianna Hildebrand, who is best known as the Deadpool franchise's resident angsty teen, is in talks to join John Cena in the family comedy Playing With Fire. 

The Paramount Players project follows wildfire fighters that spend Christmas weekend at the station taking care of three rambunctious kids they rescued. Hildebrand will be playing the eldest of the orphaned siblings, Brynn.

Andy Fickman will direct. Dan Ewen wrote the original spec with Matt Lieberman (The Christmas Chronicles, The Addams Family) handling the most recent rewrite. Todd Garner and Sean Robins will produce via Broken Road Productions. Matt Dines is overseeing for ...

Brianna Hildebrand, who is best known as the Deadpool franchise's resident angsty teen, is in talks to join John Cena in the family comedy Playing With Fire. 

The Paramount Players project follows wildfire fighters that spend Christmas weekend at the station taking care of three rambunctious kids they rescued. Hildebrand will be playing the eldest of the orphaned siblings, Brynn.

Andy Fickman will direct. Dan Ewen wrote the original spec with Matt Lieberman (The Christmas Chronicles, The Addams Family) handling the most recent rewrite. Todd Garner and Sean Robins will produce via Broken Road Productions. Matt Dines is overseeing for ...

Andy Fickman has signed on to direct the Paramount Players pic “Playing With Fire” starring John Cena, sources tell Variety.

The family comedy revolves around a group of rugged wildfire fighters who meet their match when they rescue a trio of rambunctious children.

Todd Garner and Sean Robins of Broken Road Productions are on board to produce “Playing With Fire.” Paramount Players bought the spec script from Dan Ewen this past February and hired Matt Lieberman to pen a rewrite. Paramount executive VP Matt Dines is overseeing for the studio.

Paramount Pictures launched Paramount Players in June, with veteran producer and executive Brian Robbins at the helm. Robbins is working with Viacom’s Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, and Bet to generate projects, while the new division focuses on contemporary properties.

Fickman is currently working on “Heathers: The Musical” on West End with Andrew Lloyd Webber and Bill Kenwright producing.

He...

John Cena is joining a new film project called Playing With Fire. It’s a family comedy in which we will see Cena meet his match. According to Variety:

The family comedy revolves around a group of rugged wildfire fighters who meet their match when they rescue a trio of rambunctious children.

Yeah, that seems like the kind of movie that John Cena would sign up for. I can already imagine how the story is going to play out. The actor seems to like being a part of these silly family comedies. I personally think he could and should be making better films, but I guess this is the stuff that he gravitates towards. Hey, he’s a working actor making lots of money, so if he’s content with it… great!

Paramount Players bought the spec script for the film from screenwriter Dan Ewen and the script will...

John Cena is in final negotiations to star in the Paramount Players movie “Playing With Fire,” sources tell Variety.

The family comedy revolves around a group of rugged wildfire fighters who meet their match when they rescue a trio of rambunctious children.

Todd Garner and Sean Robins of Broken Road Productions are on board to produce “Playing With Fire.” Paramount Players bought the spec script from Dan Ewen this past February and hired Matt Lieberman to pen a rewrite. Paramount executive VP Matt Dines is overseeing for the studio.

Paramount Pictures launched Paramount Players in June, with veteran producer and executive Brian Robbins at the helm. Robbins is working with Viacom’s Nickelodeon, MTV, Comedy Central, and Bet to generate projects, while the new division focuses on contemporary properties.

Cena’s latest big-screen role was alongside Leslie Mann and Ike Barinholtz in the Universal comedy “Blockers,” which ended its theatrical run with $94 million worldwide.

Exclusive: Todd Garner is moving his Broken Road Productions banner onto the Paramount lot. Garner has made a two-year first look deal to develop and produce movies for both Paramount Pictures and Paramount Players.

Garner, who makes mainstream comedies and genre films, had most recently been under a deal with Covert Media, where he will continue to product numerous projects he set up. It is a homecoming of sorts for Garner, who started his career in accounting for Paramount Domestic Television, assigned to The Arsenio Hall Show.

“It was a huge success, back when Bill Clinton came on to play his sax and Eddie Murphy would show up,” Garner told Deadline. “I would walk around the lot and couldn’t believe I was on it. It was where I first learned what a creative executive was.” Garner became a creative exec and spent a decade as an exec at Disney rising to co-president of production,...

RuckusFilm is rebooting the "Ernest" franchise that starred Jim Varney and consists of nine feature films that were made between 1987 and 1998. Varney, who first appeared as the character in commercials in early 1980s, died in 2000. John Cherry, who created the character and directed most of the films, will return to produce. The reboot, called "Son of Ernest," will center on Ernest P. Worrell's long-lost son. Casting is currently underway. Dan Ewen (Dear Satan) is writing the script. "Ernest was this plucky little engine that could -- against all odds," said Ewen. "Ernest struck a nerve, one we're going to revisit. We plan to honor the originals and Jim Varney while birthing a new chapter that lies somewhere between not sucking and Earth-shatteringly funny."...

Just when you thought that everything from the '80s and '90s had already been rebooted and rehashed a few hundred times over by now, along comes someone to remind us that there's still at least one more property that has yet to be tapped. Believe it or not, former TV commercial personality turned movie star Ernest P. Worrell is headed back to the big screen... knowhutImean, Vern? Original creator John Cherry is bringing back the classic character that he created in the mid-'80s and then essentially ran into the ground until the death of star Jim Varney in 2000. The new movie is called Son of Ernest and will obviously star a different actor donning the denim vest. Hey, what could possibly go wrong? According to Variety, production company Ruckusfilm is bringing back Ernest with the help of screenwriter Dan Ewen, who recently wrote a potential upcoming Farrelly Brothers movie called Dear Satan.

Jim Varney may have passed on several years ago, but the legacy of his most well-known on-screen character endures. Variety reports that Ruckusfilm is launching a reboot of Varney's Ernest P. Worrell character in Son of Ernest. Newcomer Dan Ewen has been chosen to write the screenplay and will also produce. Aside from the film centering on Ernest's long-lonst son, plot details are being kept under wraps. Early discussions are also underway to character the lead. "Ernest was this plucky little engine that could – against all odds, " Ewen said. "Ernest struck a nerve, one we're going to revisit. We plan to honor the originals and Jim Varney while birthing a new chapter that lies somewhere between not sucking and Earth-shatteringly...

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Ruckusfilm is planning a reboot/sequel to the "Ernest" comedy film series entitled "Son of Ernest" reports Variety.

The Ernest P. Worrell character, played by the late Jim Varney, appeared in nine films from 1987 to 1998 after he began life as a character in commercials.

Dan Ewen is penning the screenplay and will produce the film which centers on Worrell's long-lost son. Early discussions are already under way in regards to casting.

Clarke Gallivan, Coke Sams and John Cherry will produce.

Seeing as he appeared in commercials, had his own television series, and starred in nine feature films, you would think that the character of Ernest P. Worrell was one of the most hilarious and beloved in comedy history. But that’s not exactly the case. As a matter of fact, you would probably be hard-pressed to find anyone willing to admit to ever liking an Ernest movie these days (full disclosure: I still consider Goes to Camp, Saves Christmas, and Scares Stupid to be guilty pleasures). We must have all just been experiencing some mass hallucination throughout the 80s and early 90s, and there’s no way anybody could make any money by trying to market another Ernest product in this day and age, right? Well, don’t tell that to RuckusFILM, as they’re trying to bring the character back in a new feature called Son of Ernest. As announced in a press release (which was...

Even though the great Jim Varney has passed away, audiences will still see more of Ernest P. Worrell on screen. FirstShowing reports that Ruckus film has decided to reboot the series with Son of Ernest, which will be produced by character creator John Cherry. The story will focus on Ernest's long-lost son.

According to Variety, newcomer Dan Ewen will penn the script. He already has a project called Dear Satan to be directed by the Farrelly Brothers at Fox, and a family film called Playing with Fire on the way.

Ewen had this to say about the reboot:

Ernest was this plucky little engine that could -- against all odds. Ernest struck a nerve, one we're going to revisit. We plan to honor the originals and Jim Varney while birthing a new chapter that lies somewhere between not sucking and Earth-shatteringly funny.

Check out the poster spoofing The Bourne Legacy...

Just because actor Jim Varney has passed away, doesn't mean we're done with Ernest P. Worrell. After all, since studios are obsessed with rebooting and established intellectual property, a film franchise with no less than nine films sounds like a solid investment. That's exactly what Ruckusfilm thought, and the company is working on Son of Ernest, a reboot that will be produced by character creator John Cherry. With lead actor Jim Varney passed away, the film will focus on Ernest's long-lost son, who will most likely be just as goofy as Varney's original character who's origin goes back to commercials in the 80s. Read on! A press release was also sent our way with this Bourne Legacy spoofing promo art: Variety reports relatively new writer Dan Ewen (who has a film called Dear Satan set up at Fox with the Farrelly Brothers attached, and a family film called Playing with...

Uday Chopra has announced the formation of Yrf Entertainment, a Hollywood-based production and financing company focused on developing and producing feature films for the U.S. and international marketplace. The company is launched and funded by Yash Raj Films, the 41-year old studio that was founded by Yash Chopra, and continues to be one of India's most prolific film producers and distributors. Uday Chopra will serve as CEO of Yrf Entertainment and has hired Jonathan Reiman to head development and production under him. Uday Chopra commented, "My family has a deep commitment to making and distributing quality films that entertain and enlighten audiences. I share that passion, as well as a love for American films that I have had since childhood. It is that enthusiasm and my love of the creative process of filmmaking that drove me to start this new venture." Yrf Entertainment is currently producing and financing The Longest Week,...

Uday Chopra has announced the formation of Yrf Entertainment, a Hollywood-based production and financing company focused on developing and producing feature films for the U.S. and international marketplace. The company is launched and funded by Yash Raj Films, the 41-year old studio that was founded by Yash Chopra, and continues to be one of India's most prolific film producers and distributors. Uday Chopra will serve as CEO of Yrf Entertainment and has hired Jonathan Reiman to head development and production under him. Uday Chopra commented, "My family has a deep commitment to making and distributing quality films that entertain and enlighten audiences. I share that passion, as well as a love for American films that I have had since childhood. It is that enthusiasm and my love of the creative process of filmmaking that drove me to start this new venture." Yrf Entertainment is currently producing and financing The Longest Week,...

Mumbai, 22nd November 2011: Uday Chopra has announced the formation of Yrf Entertainment, a Hollywood-based production and financing company focused on developing and producing feature films for the U.S. and international marketplace. The company is launched and funded by Yash Raj Films, (yashrajfilms.com) the 41-year old studio that was founded by Yash Chopra, and continues to be one of India’s most prolific film producers and distributors. Uday Chopra will serve as CEO of Yrf Entertainment and has hired Jonathan Reiman to head development and production under him.

Uday Chopra commented, “My family has a deep commitment to making and distributing quality films that entertain and enlighten audiences. I share that passion, as well as a love for American films that I have had since childhood. It is that enthusiasm and my love of the creative process of filmmaking that drove me to start this new venture.”

Yrf Entertainment (yrfentertainment.

Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek

(June 2011, screening at the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival)

Directed/Written by: Amber Sealey

Starring: Kent Osborne, Amber Sealey, Amanda Street, Dan Ewen, V. Kim Blish and Gabriel Diamond

Watching an out-of-shape middle-ager bounce around his backyard wearing nothing but his (lack of) dignity is a rare beginning to a rare movie about a married limo driver who sketches raunchy stick figures on Post-it notes and for whom sex with his wife is something slotted between appointments for the purposes of conception. While traffic congestion is forever imminent, and L.A.’s concrete streets are represented with a poetic prettiness, the idiosyncrasies inherent in this union sit uncomfortably in the foreground of all decisions and actions to unfold.

Kent Osborne’s brand of real man was used to apt effect in Joe Swanberg’s “Hannah Takes the Stairs” and “Uncle Kent,” and Osborne again brings an...

Reviewed by Elliot V. Kotek

(June 2011, screening at the 2011 Los Angeles Film Festival)

Directed/Written by: Amber Sealey

Starring: Kent Osborne, Amber Sealey, Amanda Street, Dan Ewen, V. Kim Blish and Gabriel Diamond

Watching an out-of-shape middle-ager bounce around his backyard wearing nothing but his (lack of) dignity is a rare beginning to a rare movie about a married limo driver who sketches raunchy stick figures on Post-it notes and for whom sex with his wife is something slotted between appointments for the purposes of conception. While traffic congestion is forever imminent, and L.A.’s concrete streets are represented with a poetic prettiness, the idiosyncrasies inherent in this union sit uncomfortably in the foreground of all decisions and actions to unfold.

Kent Osborne’s brand of real man was used to apt effect in Joe Swanberg’s “Hannah Takes the Stairs” and “Uncle Kent,” and Osborne again brings an...