What men want 2019
What men want 2019
What men want 2019
Chloe Bailey, the “Grown-ish” star and one half of the pop duo Chloe x Halle, is set to star in a youth choir comedy called “Praise This” at Universal.
Tina Gordon is directing the film and also wrote the most recent draft of the script, which is a music-competition feature comedy set in the world of youth choirs. “Praise This” is based on an original idea by The Story Company and Camilla Blackett, and the writing group Murder Ink wrote previous drafts of the screenplay.
Production on “Praise This” will begin in Atlanta in June.
Will Packer Productions founder and CEO Will Packer (“The Photograph,” “Little”) and The Story Company co-founder and CEO Tim Story are set to produce alongside executive producer and Will Packer Productions EVP Johanna Byer.
“Praise This” falls under Will Packer Productions’ first look deal with Universal which has also been behind Gordon’s “Little” as well as “Night School,
Chloe Bailey To Star In Youth Choir Comedy ‘Praise This’ For Will Packer Productions & Universal Pictures; ‘Little’ Helmer Tina Gordon Directing
Exclusive: Chloe Bailey (Grown-ish) has signed on to star in the upcoming film Praise This, which Tina Gordon (Little) is directing for Universal Pictures.
Praise This is a music-competition feature comedy set in the world of youth choirs. We hear that Universal is eyeing it for a potential franchise in the vein of Pitch Perfect, with production on the first installment set to kick off in Atlanta in June. Gordon penned the latest draft of the script, which was based off an original idea by The Story Company. Earlier drafts were written by Camilla Blackett and Brandon Broussard, Hudson Obayuwana and Jana Savage—the trio otherwise known as Murder Ink.
The film falls under Will Packer Productions’ first-look deal with Universal, which has produced such hits as Night School, Girls Trip, the Ride Along films and Little. Wpp’s founder and CEO Will Packer will produce alongside The Story Company’s co-founder and CEO Tim Story, with Wpp EVP Johanna Byer exec producing. Executive Vice President of Production Erik Baiers and Director of Production Development Tony Ducret will oversee the project on behalf of Universal.
Bailey is an actress, singer-songwriter and record producer who rose to fame as a member of the Grammy-nominated sister duo Chloe x Halle, which was signed to Beyoncés Parkwood Entertainment Company after catching the attention of the musical icon. The multi-hyphenate most recently starred alongside Yara Shahidi on Freeform’s hit show Grown-ish, last year releasing her debut solo single, “Have Mercy.” She will next be seen in Miramax’s supernatural thriller The Georgetown Project, with Russell Crowe and Ryan Simpkins.
In addition to Little, starring Regina Hall, Issa Rae and Marsai Martin, Gordon previously wrote and directed the 2013 romantic comedy Peeples for Lionsgate. Her credits as a screenwriter also include Drumline and What Men Want.
Bailey is represented by CAA, Parkwood Entertainment and Schure Media Group; Gordon by UTA and Ziffren Brittenham; Blackett by UTA, Independent Talent Group and Yorn, Levine, Barnes; and Murder Ink by APA and Joel VanderKloot of VanderKloot Law.
Kingdom Story Company’s ‘Ordinary Angels’ Adds Nancy Travis, Tamala Jones & More
The film set against the backdrop of the worst snowstorm in Kentucky history is inspired by the incredible true story of a struggling hairdresser (Swank) who single-handedly rallies an entire community to help a widowed father (Ritchson) save the life of his critically ill young daughter.
Jon Gunn (The Unbreakable Boy) is directing, and wrote the most recent draft of the script with Jon Erwin. Meg Tilly and Kelly Fremon Craig penned an earlier draft. Kingdom Story Company’s Kevin Downes, Jon Erwin and Andrew Erwin are producing alongside Stampede Ventures’ Jon Berg, Vertigo Entertainment’s Roy Lee,
Paramount Players to Merge Under Film Group, President Jeremy Kramer to Exit
Paramount Pictures on Tuesday said it will merge its Paramount Players banner into the Paramount Pictures motion picture group under the leadership of co-heads Daria Cercek and Michael Ireland.
And as a result of the realignment, Paramount Players president Jeremy Kramer will be stepping down from his position. He previously reported to CEO and president Brian Robbins.
“Partnering with our filmmakers across a range of genres and budgets is critical to our studio’s vibrancy and our business’ long-term success,” Robbins said in a statement. “In uniting Paramount Players within the larger Motion Picture Group, our goal is to optimize the power of one division to scale the expertise and skill set of an incredibly talented team of executives under Daria and Mike.”
“Over the last couple of years, Jeremy has played an integral role in further establishing Players as a youthful, entrepreneurial production arm throughout the industry and within our own company,
Black History Month Programming: What’s On TV And Streaming In February
Today marks the start of Black History Month, with the broadcast and cable networks and streamers planning a slew of TV series, movies, news programming, documentaries, specials and more to roll out over the course of February to celebrate, educate and entertain.
Deadline has compiled a list of programming highlights that touches on some of the myriad ways outlets are commemorating the occasion, from live coverage of the NAACP Image Awards on BET to the documentary series Lincoln’s Dilemma on Apple TV+ and everything in between.
Check out below for some of the content (all times Et) and keep checking back as we add to the list.
ABC News is presenting two primetime specials February 3 from its Soul of a Nation series. Soul of a Nation Presents: Screen Queens Rising, explores how Black actresses, a historically overlooked and under-valued group in Hollywood,
Taraji P. Henson to Star as Shug Avery in Blitz Bazawule’s ‘The Color Purple’ (Exclusive)
Oscar- and Emmy-nominee Taraji P. Henson will star as Shug Avery in Blitz Bazawule’s “The Color Purple.”
The forthcoming Warner Bros. movie is an adaptation of the Tony-winning Broadway musical, which is itself an adaptation of Alice Walker’s Pulitzer Prize-winning novel. The production is directed by Bazawule, best known for his work on Beyoncé’s “Black is King,” “The Burial of Kojo” and “Cherish the Day.”
Marcus Gardley (“The Chi”) wrote the screenplay, based on Alice Walker’s novel, the 1985 Warner Bros. Pictures film, and the stage musical.
In Steven Spielberg’s 1985 film version, Margaret Avery played Shug Avery — the jazz and blues singer introduced as Mister’s long-time mistress before becoming Celie’s confidant — while such talents as Jennifer Hudson, Michelle Williams, Heather Headley, Elisabeth Withers, Angela Robinson and Nicola Hughes took on the role in productions of the stage musical.
Oprah Winfrey, who made her feature
Will Packer Productions Sets ‘Love and Theft’ Adaptation at Universal Pictures
Will Packer Productions has tapped Leon Chills to adapt Stan Parish’s “Love and Theft” into a new movie for Universal Pictures.
Based on Parish’s novel, which was published in 2020 by Penguin Random House through its imprint at Knopf Doubleday, “Love and Theft” is a global romantic heist film set in Las Vegas, Mexico, and Spain.
Chills has previously written episodes for Netflix’s “Spinning Out” and Amazon’s “The Wilds,” where he was a story editor. On the feature side, Chills’ first spec sale was “Shadow Force,” an action drama sold to Lionsgate.
Packer and Johanna Byer will produce the movie, while Alvie Hurtado will oversee the production for Wpp. Lexi Barta, Universal Pictures’ vice president of production development, will oversee on behalf of the studio.
Paradigm Signs Kausar Mohammed; Bret Michaels Inks With UTA
South Asian writer/actor Kausar Mohammed has signed with Paradigm for representation. She can currently be seen as “techspert” Soraya on CW’s 4400. She also voices series lead, Yaz, on Dreamwork’s Jurassic World: Camp Cretaceous.
Mohammed wrote and stars in the holiday romcom The Syed Family Xmas Eve Game Night, directed by Fawzia Mirza, which world premiered at TIFF 2021. She also worked alongside Taraji P. Henson on Paramount’s What Men Want, with Issa Rae on the Universal film Little, and has additional credits on shows such as HBO’s Silicon Valley, CW’s Black Lightning and Carol’s Second Act on CBS.
Mohammed is a featured talent in this year’s ViacomCBS Diversity 2021 Showcase and plays series lead in Paul Feig’s dramedy, East of La Brea. She portrays Rakhi in Coffee Shop Names, alongside Danny Pudi and Karan Soni, that was recently released on HBO Max. She also is the co-founder of Shift,
Workplace Sitcom ‘Chopped & Screwed’ In The Works At ABC From Phoebe Robinson & Dewayne Perkins
Exclusive: ABC is developing a multi-camera sitcom set in a barbershop and beauty salon from 2 Dope Queens co-creator Phoebe Robinson and The Amber Ruffin Show writer Dewayne Perkins.
The network has put Chopped & Screwed in the works with the pair with Perkins, who was also a co-producer on Brooklyn Nine-Nine, attached to star as well.
The series is centered on a Black barbershop and beauty salon that, due to unavoidable circumstances, must come together as one entity to continue servicing the superficial and therapeutic needs of their customers and community.
Robinson and Perkins will write and exec produce. ABC Signature, where Robinson has an overall deal, is producing in association with Robinson’s Tiny Reparations and LeBron James and Maverick Carter’s SpringHill Company.
It is Robinson’s latest project for a Disney-owned network; she recently scored a series order at Freeform for Everything’s Trash, an adaptation of her memoir.
‘Hocus Pocus’ Disney Plus Sequel Adds Eleven New Cast Members, Including Tony Hale, Hannah Waddingham and Sam Richardson
Disney has announced eleven new cast members that will join returning stars Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker and Kathy Najimy in “Hocus Pocus 2,” its upcoming Disney Plus sequel to the 1993 family fantasy film.
Disney made the announcement through its official Disney Plus Twitter, alongside a video featuring the sequel’s logo.
The black flame candle is alight to the Sanderson sisters’ delight.
Bette Midler, Sarah Jessica Parker, & Kathy Najimy shall soon return.
Joined by new faces which you soon will learn.
See more of the spellbinding cast in the next tweet.
Enjoy this #Hallowstream treat.
Will Packer to produce 2022 Academy Awards
Organisation eager to stop ratings decline.
Hollywood and TV producer Will Packer is the Academy’s latest pick to produce the Oscars telecast in the organisation’s ongoing battle to make the ceremony broadly appealing amid an ongoing ratings decline.
Packer will take charge of the 94th Academy Awards on March 27 2022. He founded Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media and has produced or served as executive producer on the likes of Straight Outta Compton, What Men Want, the Ride Along films, the Roots remake, Blackballed and That Girl Lay Lay.
Shayla Cowan, chief of staff of Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media,
Oscars: Will Packer Set To Produce 2022 Academy Awards
Will Packer has been named Producer of the 94th Annual Academy Awards, set for March 27.
This will be the first Oscar show to be produced by Packer, a prolific producer of numerous films and TV projects including Straight Outta Compton, Ride Along, Girls Trip, the Think Like a Man films and the television remake of Roots, for which he received an Emmy nomination. But his credits do not include a lot of live TV projects, so taking on the Oscars will be a relatively new experience. His wide-ranging credits in comedy give hope that he also will be creating a fun Academy Awards.
The Academy clearly is looking for fresh ideas and new directions after the pandemic-affected, critically derided and record-low-rated 2021 telecast produced by the trio of Steven Soderbergh, Stacey Sher and Jesse Collins. Of course the ratings collapse of that show, which was delayed to April 25, was not entirely
Oscars 2022: Multi-Hyphenate Will Packer Will Produce Show for First Time
Following in the footsteps as such big names as Steven Soderbergh, Jesse Collins, Stacey Sher, Lynette Howell Taylor, Stephanie Allain, and Donna Gigliotti, Hollywood multi-hyphenate Will Packer will produce the 94th Oscars. Shayla Cowan, chief of staff of Will Packer Productions and Will Packer Media, will serve as co-producer alongside Packer. The move marks Packer’s first involvement with the Oscars, which will air live on ABC and broadcast outlets worldwide on Sunday, March 27, 2022.
“Will is a powerhouse producer who has enjoyed success across all movie genres. He’s already bringing a boundless energy and a focus on innovation to this year’s Oscars, to entertain the widest spectrum of fans. Many wonderful surprises ahead!,” said Academy President David Rubin and Academy CEO Dawn Hudson in an official statement.
Added Craig Erwich, president of Hulu Originals and ABC Entertainment, “There is no one better than Will Packer to celebrate our collective love for cinema.
Alvie Hurtado Named Director of Development for Will Packer Productions
Will Packer Productions has promoted Alvie Hurtado to director of development.
In the new role, Hurtado is responsible for identifying content, filmmakers and talent for feature film development and production. He reports directly to Johanna Byer, Will Packer Prods.’ (Wpp) executive vice president of motion pictures.
“Alvie is an integral part of our film team,” producer and founder Will Packer said, announcing Hurtado’s promotion. “As we embark upon a rousing new chapter at Wpp he will be essential to our short and long term goals.”
Hurtado joined Wpp in 2017 as an assistant to the president of film and was upped to creative executive in 2020. During his tenure with the company, Hurtado has focused on the company’s expanding development slate while championing diverse and innovative voices. Outside of Wpp, he is a co-founder and board member of The Latin Tracking Board, an organization for up-and-coming LatinX executives in Hollywood.
Brian Robbins Officially Tapped to Lead Paramount
Brian Robbins has officially been named president and CEO of Paramount Pictures, replacing Jim Gianopulos as head of the studio behind the “Mission: Impossible” and “Transformers” franchises, and setting up a new era in the oversight of one of Hollywood’s big movie studios.
Robbins will take the reins while continuing in his current post as head of Nickelodeon and as the chief content officer of kids and family for Paramount Plus, the streaming service launched this year by Paramount’s parent company ViacomCBS. Gianopulos will serve in an advisory role at Paramount through the end of the year. The media conglomerate hopes that Robbins, who boasts digital savvy and a long history in kids programming, will help guide it as it looks ahead to a future dominated by streaming giants.
“Paramount is one of ViacomCBS’s crown jewels, delivering some of the most iconic moments in entertainment for more than a century.
Brian Robbins to Become Chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures
Nickelodeon head Brian Robbins is slated to become the next chairman and CEO of Paramount Pictures, people familiar with the matter have confirmed to Variety.
Robbins, who currently oversees Nickelodeon, has seen his responsibilities expand since re-joining parent company ViacomCBS in 2018. and has established a reputation as one of the industry’s key purveyors of content aimed at teens and younger viewers. He also serves as the chief content officer of kids & family for Paramount Plus, the streaming service launched this year by ViacomCBS.
He will take the reins from Jim Gianopulos, a respected film veteran who took over the studio in 2017 after a long stint at 20th Century Fox. Paramount controls valuable franchises such as “Mission: Impossible” and “Transformers,” but it has often found itself punching up against entertainment giants such as Disney and Warner Bros., which have deeper libraries. ViacomCBS further complicated matters by being slow to launch
Veteran Producer James F. Lopez Named President of Macro Film Studios
Macro CEO Charles D. King tapped veteran producer James F. Lopez as president of Macro Film Studios, overseeing the company’s slate of projects in development, production and distribution.
Lopez previously served as president of Will Packer Productions and, in his new role, joins King, Macro executive vice president Poppy Hanks and vice president Greta Fuentes to spearhead the expansion of the multi-platform media company’s film business.
“James Lopez is an exceptional producer and leader,” King said, announcing Lopez’s hiring. “I respect him immensely. I trust his creative instincts and his understanding of the culture and his connection to artists are unparalleled. As Macro is at an exciting inflection point of expansion, I am thrilled to have him by my side as partner to lead the growth of our film business.”
During his tenure as president of Will Packer Productions, Lopez produced numerous films for Universal Pictures including the upcoming movie “Beast,
Macro Hires Will Packer Productions’ James F. Lopez As Film President
James F. Lopez, who for the past three years was president of Will Packer Productions where he produced a string of hits including Girls Trip and Night School, has been hired as president of Macro Film Studios, the motion picture arm of Charles D. King’s Macro.
Lopez, who before joining Wpp in 2010 worked at Sony’s Screen Gems as SVP Production and helped steer hits including Think Like A Man, About Last Night, Think Like A Man Too, The Wedding Ringer, The Perfect Guy and When The Bough Breaks, will now oversee Macro’s slate of film projects in development, production and distribution following the success last year of the company’s Best Picture Oscar nominee Judas and the Black Messiah.
He joins a team that includes CEO King, EVP Poppy Hanks and VP Greta Fuentes as Macro expands its film business, which aims to tell diverse stories on a global scale.
Will Packer & EbonyLife Acquire Rights To Bloomberg Article About Fall Of “Billionaire Gucci Master” Ramon Abbas; Action Thriller Set Up At Universal
Will Packer Productions and Mo Abudu’s EbonyLife Studios are teaming to develop an untitled project based on Evan Ratliff’s Bloomberg article, “The Fall of the Billionaire Gucci Master.”
The companies won the rights in a highly competitive situation and have set up the project at Universal Pictures.
Ratliff’s article digs into the story of Nigerian Instagram influencer Ramon Abbas. The figure otherwise known as Hushpuppi, or the Billionaire Gucci Master, is alleged to have perfected a simple internet scam that allowed him to launder millions of dollars.
Packer and Abu’s project is described as a globetrotting action thriller — a hybrid of Catch Me If You Can and The Usual Suspects.
Writer discussions are said to be progressing quickly.
Will Packer and James Lopez will produce through their Will Packer Productions, with Abudu producing for EbonyLife.
“EbonyLife is uniquely positioned to ensure the depth and authenticity of this film,
Paramount+ Will Add Over 1,000 New Movies This Week
Alongside some of the biggest streaming apps available now, Paramount+ has entered the highly competitive market and is looking to make its mark. Originally launched as CBS All Access in 2014, the ViacomCBS owned service was rebranded as Paramount+ on March 4, 2021, following the 2019 re-merger of CBS and Viacom. With 36 million subscribers currently, Paramount Plus is looking to expand even more. They will be adding over one thousand new movie titles this week alone.
And the move seems very necessary. HBO Max recently merged with Discovery+. Disney, Netflix, and Prime Video are available globally with millions of subscribers. Paramount+ will start streaming Paramount Pictures’ theatrical releases after a 45-day window in movie theaters. So, you can expect to stream A Quiet Place Part 2 from July. Paramount’s sci-fi thriller Infinite, starring Mark Wahlberg and Chiwetel Ejiofor will be exclusively streaming on the platform from June 10.
The animated children’s film Paw Patrol: The Movie
User Reviews
Honestly this was rubbish
Rubbish 2/10 Pad.A
I think in the terms of Romcoms this movie ranks above average.
You know what you’re getting into by choosing this movie, it’s a romcom about a woman trying to figure out what men want. Then how are people hating on it so much? I don’t get it. It delivers what it promises, nothing fancy, no plot twists, no unique writing, enjoyable fun acting, just mindless bubbly fun.
Taraji P Henson is a bowl of energy and sunshine that keeps the rhythm of this movie constantly up and high and she elevates the whole movie. The movie really banked on this as well, almost every scene has her which is great.
Supporting characters are barely memorable except Max Greenfield (Who played Schmidt on New Girl) simply because I like the actor. Rest are forgettable.
Plot is simple, nothing that unique but fun, it follows the basic romcom formula but nothing wrong with that.
Are there better Romcoms, yes of course. Are there worse, many.
Don’t believe on those 1 star 2 star reviews I’d say, the IMDb rating is quite accurate 5-6 star ballpark is much suited for this movie.
If you’re in the mood of bubbly fun movie I’d say go for it. I personally quite enjoyed this movie.
It’s obvious purely from the title that the film was going to play heavily on stereotypes, so it was no surprise when the script went out very hard on men. The majority of men’s thoughts turned out not just to be sexual, but vulgar. We had a 16 year old girl in our group of watchers, and it was too heavy for a 16 year old.
The original What Women Want did a huge amount to defend women, glorify them and reveal their best qualities to men. What Men Want was mensploitation (if there’s such a term, along with whitesploitation) and lacked the class of the original, and while that’s not uncommon, I was hoping for a lot more than just a bunch of hoopla laughs. In fact, the movie would have been a lot more fun watching a naive girly woman discovering the secrets of men, learning to avoid their pitfalls and then taking on some of their best qualities to improve herself. That’s what the original did.
The movie was really funny and the actors did a great job. Settings were nicely chosen. Camera work was precise. Everything played just well into each other. It was a 7.5+ rounded up to 8 for me.
With so many 1/10 I almost missed it, but surely something seems fishy with these down votes. You might not like it and give it a 5 or 6, but so many 1s seem like some campaign to kill the movie for some reason I don’t know.
Just watch it and enjoy laughing and feeling with the characters.
My girlfriend and I were looking forward to seeing this. We walked away very disappointed. Teraji P Henson’s is a favorite of ours but we found ourselves not even wanting to root for her character.
I like slapstick or over the top humor in measured doses as much as the next guy, but the way her character was portrayed felt more like a mixture of over acting, completely unbelievable behavior in the workplace, and borderline psychotic behavior.
In fact, it was a near perfect portrayal of a psychotic disorder. Through most of the movie she almost completely lacked guilt or remorse, was narcissistic and severely lacked empathy. She was dishonest and manipulative and superficial and reckless.
There’s a scene with her father, played by Richard Roundtree, where he attempts to explain her behavior as an unintentional side effect of him not trusting people after his wife left. It just doesn’t wash.
We could have forgiven some of this but other issues abounded. For example, the majority of the cast came off as hugely unintelligent. And the affection and loving reaction of her would be love interest, portrayed by Aldis Hodge, to her unfeeling, unloving, selfish behavior, makes no sense at all, unless you fancy imagining a man with no self esteem.l whatsoever.
What happened to movies with believable, identifiable, and lovable characters? Why couldn’t her character be portrayed as someone you can honestly believe is real? Or decent, for that mater? Someone who is having real life problems, not just that she’s crazy?
We felt insulted just watching the various scenes with her. Also, why did 90% of the men have to be portrayed as dogs, completely unfaithful to their ladies? It’s one thing for a man to have thoughts about another woman, like noticing her features, but it’s quite another thing to consciously plan adultery or cheating.
The movie makes fun of straight men and homosexuals, but often does it in a demeaning way.
There was just nothing endearing about most of the characters. This movie was painful to watch. We barely made it through it.
She repeatedly demonstrates a complete lack of empathy. She shamelessly uses people. It’s clear from the beginning that she is unstable. Her work relationships are unrealistic. She’s unprofessional. My girlfriend and so actually felt embarrassed for her.
Look, if you love her like my girlfriend and I do, you will forgive some of these problems and laugh and enjoy some of the movie, but it will test your loyalty to her. It’s a horrible movie. She should be ashamed.