Pod Script Sales: Koppelman/Levien Set Up First TV Project, Jamie Tarses Sells Drama

Filmmakers Brian Koppelman and David Levien have sold the first project under their their first-look deal with 20th Century Fox TV, the duo’s first formal TV deal. The project, drama Yard Dogs, which has received a script commitment from Fox, will be written by Malcolm Spellman (Our Family Wedding). It revolves around two cops who specialize in getting information from prisoners pertaining to cases that the police cant crack in the outside world. Koppleman and Levien are executive producing. Spellman is currently writing the animated musical Welcome To the Jungle for Jamie Foxx at Fox Animation. Sony TV and Jamie Tarses’ studio-based Fanfare banner have landed a script commitment with penalty at CBS for Baby Big Shot, a legal drama written by Dana Calvo, a supervising producer for the Sony/Fanfare TNT series Franklin & Bash. It centers on a working-class woman who uses her street smarts to compete with her more polished colleagues at a tony Manhattan law firm. Calvo, Tarses and her Fanfare partner Julia Franz are executive producing along with Sony TV-based writer-producer Kevin Falls. This is a rare foray into drama for comedy-focused Fanfare, which has already sold several half-hour projects this season, including a comedy to CBS with writer Jeff Rake.

Hanks, Baldwin Endorse USAN as SAG N.Y. Race Heats Up

Since announcing its formation last month, One Strong Unionthe group challenging United Screen Actors Nationwide for control of the Screen Actors Guild's New York divisionhas touted its endorsements from numerous actors active in guild politics. Now USAN has hit back with high-profile backing of its own. On Aug. 24, USAN announced that it has received endorsements from Tom Hanks and Alec Baldwin."I support the people who have guided SAG during these last months of huge changes in our art and industry," Hanks said in a written statement. "USAN has been vital in leadership positions and has worked ceaselessly to bring SAG and AFTRA together to create One Union to serve us all. That's why I support USAN."Baldwin added, "I strongly endorse the direction the union is going in now, and I encourage all N.Y. SAG members to continue to support USAN."USAN has already received backing from SAG national president Ken Howard and national secretary-treasurer Amy Aquino. The two top elected officers, along with 1st national vice president Ned Vaughn, will join current New York division president Mike Hodge and USAN's board candidates at a meet-and-greet Aug. 25 in New York. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Gossip Bar & Restaurant, 733 Ninth Ave. (between West 49th and 50th streets), in Manhattan. SAG members can RSVP to reservation@usanforoneunion.com.One Strong Union has received endorsements from Holter Graham, president of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists' New York local, as well as several SAG members involved in the founding of USAN more than a decade ago. The new group announced last month that it would field a slate of candidates to challenge USAN in the New York board elections. Several of those candidatesincluding Sam Robards, who is opposing Hodge in the race for division presidentwere formerly aligned with USAN.On Aug. 22, in a letter posted to One Strong Union's blog, Robards criticized the TV-theatrical contract that SAG jointly negotiated with AFTRA earlier this year, expressing dissatisfaction with the deal's new-media provisions. In "2011 we did not make great strides in new media, which disappointed me as a member of the negotiating team," Robards wrote. "There was no effort to reduce streaming windows, no serious consideration given to alternate models for residuals payments, such as percentage-based residuals."Both USAN and One Strong Union claim to support merger with AFTRA as part of their platforms. By Daniel Holloway August 24, 2011 Tom Hanks PHOTO CREDIT Jason Merritt/Getty Images Since announcing its formation last month, One Strong Unionthe group challenging United Screen Actors Nationwide for control of the Screen Actors Guild's New York divisionhas touted its endorsements from numerous actors active in guild politics. Now USAN has hit back with high-profile backing of its own. On Aug. 24, USAN announced that it has received endorsements from Tom Hanks and Alec Baldwin."I support the people who have guided SAG during these last months of huge changes in our art and industry," Hanks said in a written statement. "USAN has been vital in leadership positions and has worked ceaselessly to bring SAG and AFTRA together to create One Union to serve us all. That's why I support USAN."Baldwin added, "I strongly endorse the direction the union is going in now, and I encourage all N.Y. SAG members to continue to support USAN."USAN has already received backing from SAG national president Ken Howard and national secretary-treasurer Amy Aquino. The two top elected officers, along with 1st national vice president Ned Vaughn, will join current New York division president Mike Hodge and USAN's board candidates at a meet-and-greet Aug. 25 in New York. The event will take place at 6:30 p.m. at Gossip Bar & Restaurant, 733 Ninth Ave. (between West 49th and 50th streets), in Manhattan. SAG members can RSVP to reservation@usanforoneunion.com.One Strong Union has received endorsements from Holter Graham, president of the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists' New York local, as well as several SAG members involved in the founding of USAN more than a decade ago. The new group announced last month that it would field a slate of candidates to challenge USAN in the New York board elections. Several of those candidatesincluding Sam Robards, who is opposing Hodge in the race for division presidentwere formerly aligned with USAN.On Aug. 22, in a letter posted to One Strong Union's blog, Robards criticized the TV-theatrical contract that SAG jointly negotiated with AFTRA earlier this year, expressing dissatisfaction with the deal's new-media provisions. In "2011 we did not make great strides in new media, which disappointed me as a member of the negotiating team," Robards wrote. "There was no effort to reduce streaming windows, no serious consideration given to alternate models for residuals payments, such as percentage-based residuals."Both USAN and One Strong Union claim to support merger with AFTRA as part of their platforms.

New poster for Steven Soderberghs Contagion

A replacement-sheet poster for Steven Soderbergh's Contagion continues to be launched online.The most recent promo art for that publish-apocalyptic movie features the six primary figures in 'action' poses.Here's our one-word overview of each actor's portrayal about the poster:Laurence Fishburne - pensive.Marion Cotillard-sexy.Matt Damon-shocked.Jude Law-manikin.Kate Winslet-answerphone.Gwyneth Paltrow-infected.Yes, despite the herpes virus eliminating mankind Cotillard looks great. We simply hope Winslet recognizes that - in automated dialling terms - her call continues to be vital that you us.Contagion opens on 21 October.

First Trailer for 'Trespass': Is It That Bad?

Joel Schumacher's latest film, the home-invasion thriller 'Trespass,' has gotten a lot of bad buzz around the Web lately, mostly, it seems, because of an uninspired one-sheet and the announcement this summer that the film would go to DVD only a few weeks after it was to open this fall (It can't be good if it goes to DVD too soon, right?). Anyhow, the film, starring Nicolas Cage, Nicole Kidman, Ben Mendelsohn, Cam Gigandet and Liana Liberato, was pretty much under the radar for months until Millennium Films picked it up this June. Now -- just prior to its unspooling at the Toronto International Film Festival -- Millennium has released the first trailer for the film ... and some bloggers think it's downright bad. Has Schumacher -- whose career has included such diverse outings as 'St. Elmo's Fire,' 'The Lost Boys,' 'Flatliners,' 'Dying Young,' 'Falling Down,' 'Batman & Robin' and 'Phone Booth' -- hit rock bottom as some pundits are asserting? (See The Playlist, Collider, FirstShowing, among others). We won't know until the film opens -- Oct. 14, before hitting DVD and VOD on Nov. 1 -- but here's the trailer, preceded by the official synopsis. Tell us what you think. In a private, wealthy community, priority is placed on security and no exception is made for the Miller family's estate. Behind their pristine walls and manicured gardens, Kyle, a fast-talking businessman, has entrusted the mansion's renovation to his stunning wife, Sarah. But between making those big decisions and keeping tabs on their defiant teenage daughter, Sarah often finds herself distracted by a young, handsome worker at their home. Nothing is what it seems, and it will take a group of cold-blooded criminals led by Elias, who have been planning a vicious home invasion for months, to bring the Miller family together. When they storm the manor, everyone is tangled up in betrayal, deception, temptation and scheming. Kyle, Sarah and Avery will take the ultimate risk to make it out with their lives -- and their family -- intact.

Ben Silverman in the 'Kitchen'

'The Kitchen Musical'Ben Silverman has found another international TV format to bring to the U.S.The man who helped import the BBC's "The Office" and Colombian telenovela "Ugly Betty" has set his sights on Asian format "The Kitchen Musical." The distribution arm of his company, Electus, has struck a deal with Singapore-based the Group Entertainment in association with Small World Prods. to take Stateside the scripted drama, which has "Glee"-esque musical elements set in the culinary world.Silverman's goal is to land "Kitchen" on a broadcast network once he begins formally pitching in September. " We think it's a big, broad, accessible idea that's got a bit of everything: a cooking element, a musical, an 'Upstairs/Downstairs' dynamic and a little bit of 'Romeo and Juliet,'" he said."Kitchen" is set to debut in October across 18 countries in Asia over a mix of broadcast and pay TV channels. A TV musical will mark a first for the region. The story concerns a rich girl who goes to work at a restaurant after graduating from famed Paris culinary school Le Cordon Bleu. Electus would co-produce the U.S. version and retain distribution rights across all platforms. The Asian version is currently being shot in Singapore. "We are excited to be teaming up with Electus/Engine Distribution to bring this never-before-seen multiplatform format to audiences all over the world," said Nelia Sutrisno, CEO of the Group Entertainment. Silverman said he's already got an experienced showrunner and choreographer-director who he can't yet identify on board and will look to add top talent as well. He also sees "Kitchen" as a property with plenty of ancillary possibilities given what he's seeing being exploited already in Asia, including a cookbook, live tour and stage musical.While this is Electus' first unscripted format in Asia, the company has been busy locking up formats from other spots on the globe for American adaptations. Last year, Silverman sold the Spanish format "I Hate This Place" to ABC with Sofia Vergara attached as a producer, and it will soon take out another format from South America, "Mafia Dolls." Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com

We Need to Talk About Kevin French Trailer: Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly Birth a Sociopath

The last time I saw a trailer as eerie as We Need to Talk About Kevin’s has to be… hmmm, Buried? With Ryan Reynolds acting all “traumatized”? I think so. We Need to Talk About Kevin pairs Tilda Swinton and John C. Reilly as hapless parents who can’t figure out why their son Kevin is such a creep. Hint, Tilda: He’s soulless. We Need to Talk About Kevin Bande-annonce by toutlecine Based on Lionel Shriver’s 2003 novel, We Need to Talk About Kevin compares a child’s innate evilness with a mother’s onus as a nurturing force in the child’s life. When Kevin (Ezra Miller) commits a deplorable crime, we watch his mother unfurl and become the quivering shell we see at trailer’s end. Tilda’s signature eyebrowlessness really helps eradicate the joy from her face! This is not only an eerie trailer, but a great one. Who wouldn’t want to find out what’s up with Kevin’s demonic glare, ruthlessness, and penchant for white t-shirts? It’s a harrowing glimpse into a scary soul, but I think it’s no doubt one that Tilda Swinton is capable of conveying well. John C. Reilly as her husband is a strange choice, but you have to remember he once costarred in The Hours and Gangs of New York. His versatility is underrated, and I’m thrilled to see it tackle the grisly familial stuff here. Verdict: Unfortunate son! ‘We Need to Talk About Kevin’ French Trailer [/Film]

Friday Box Office Goes 'Ape' Rising To $19M And $50M Weekend; Ryan Reynolds Flops Again: 'Change-Up' Sinking To $4.5M/$13M

FRIDAYPM/SATURDAY AM, 3RDUPDATE: Twentieth Century Fox's prequel Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes is leaping to an easy box office lead in 3,648 North American theaters. Hollywood initially thoughtthe origins story withdigital animals, Andy Serkis,and James Franco would follow the same trajectory as last weekend'sCowboys & Aliens which went on to a $36.4MFriday-Saturday-Sunday.But, remember, that pic got Smurf-ed. The far better reviewedApes is faringstrongerwith a very healthy $19M Friday (including a low-key $1.254M midnights in only 1,124 locations) for a projected $50M weekend or even higher. ItsCinemaScore was an 'A-'and exit polls showedmales making up 54% of the audience which was59% at oroverage25. Nice win for former News Corp No. 2-turned-showbiz producer Peter Chernin and his film lieutenant Dylan Clark. "Phenomenal opening validating a sensational marketing effort led by Oren Aviv and Tony Sella," a Fox exec gushed to me Friday night. And that'swithout the hype and pedigree of DreamWorks/Universal's Cowboys & Aliens which fell -64% from last Friday to 3rd place this week but at half the budget ($93M, or so Fox claims). Sony Pictures' The Smurfs held -56% for 2nd place. But this weekend's other major studio release, Universal's The Change-Up, is bottoming in 4th place with $4.8M Friday and just an estimated $13M for the weekend from 2,913 venues. This truly isn't Ryan Reynolds' summer of stardom after the collapse of Green Lantern here and abroad.It's a disastrous start considering that stars like Reynolds are supposed to open movies to at least $20M. "It's disappointing. We're kind of confounded by it," a Uni exec tells me about the raunchy comedy witha $50M budget from the director of Wedding Crashers and writers of The Hangover. "This movie tested unbelievably well and played like the best R-rated comedies we have." But reviews have hammered this lame body-switching premise. Full analysis and refined numbers coming. Overall moviegoing this weekendlooks like $150M, which isup +12% from last year. Here's the Top 10: 1.Rise Of The Planet Of The Apes (Fox) NEW [3,648 Theaters] Friday $19M, Estimated Weekend $50M 2.The Smurfs - 3D (Sony) Week 2 [3,395 Theaters] Friday $5.7M (-56%), Estimated Weekend $18M, Estimated Cume $73M 3.Cowboys & Aliens (DreamWorks/Universal) Week 2 [3,754 Theaters] Friday$4.6M(-64%), Estimated Weekend $15M, Estimated Cume $66.6M 4.The Change-Up (Universal) NEW [2,913 Theaters] Friday$4.5M, Estimated Weekend $13M 5.Captain America - 3D (Marvel/Disney/Paramount) Week 3 [3,620 Theaters] Friday$3.7M, Estimated Weekend $13M, Estimated Cume $143.2M 6.Crazy, Stupid, Love (Warner Bros) Week 2 [3,020 Theaters] Friday$3.7M(-43%), Estimated Weekend $11.5M, Estimated Cume $41.6M 7. Harry Potter/Hallows Pt 2 - 3D (Warner Bros) Week 4 [3,175 Theaters] Friday $3.4M, Estimated Weekend $12M, Estimated Cume $342.6M 8. Friends With Benefits (Sony) Week3 [2,398 Theaters] Friday $1.5M, Estimated Weekend $4.5M, Estimated Cume $49.3M 9. Horrible Bosses (New Line/Warner Bros) Week 5 [2,025 Theaters] Friday $1.3M, Estimated Weekend $4.5M, Estimated Cume $105M 10. Transformers 3 - 3D (Paramount) Week6 [1,854 Theaters] Friday $975K, Estimated Weekend $3.3M, Estimated Cume $344.5M

Producers Say Cheryl Coles Accent, Stateside Profile Not A Motive In X Factor Exit

By Jolie LashBEVERLY HILLS, Calif. -- Producers at FOX say Cheryl Coles strong, regional English accent, and lack of profile stateside had no relationship to the British singer departing The X Factor as a judge and mentor after just two audition rounds. The crowd was great with her, President of Alternative Entertainment for FOX, Mike Darnell, told Access Hollywood after The X Factor panel at the Television Critics Association Session in Beverly Hills on Friday. I think that Simon and the producers just felt that it was, at the moment that she was doing it, they felt like maybe, she would be more comfortable doing [the show in] England. Cecile Frot-Coutaz, an Executive Producer of The X Factor, said Cole was well received by the American crowds and no contestants questioned whether she was experienced enough in the stateside entertainment world to judge. I think people knew her because she was on the British show. There was nobody who said, Well, who are you? Frot-Coutaz told Access. People knew who Cheryl was and when she walked into the arena, people knew who Cheryl was and they understood her [accent]. I think it was more of a trade off in terms of the franchise. Frot-Coutaz suggested that Simon Cowells own departure from The X Factors UK branch to the U.S. edition was responsible for producers thinking it might be best to keep Cole on the British show. The English, they were looking for their panel in England, she said. After Simons departure, they had to recast the British show. Darnell confirmed that Coles exit will be featured as part of The X Factor when it begins this September. Well have to, he said. Were going to air the shows as they happened, Frot-Coutaz added. Effectively, Cheryl was with us for two cities and when we air those two cities, shell be in the scenes, Frot-Coutaz added. Theres not a big explanation. Sometimes you have guest judges and theyre there for a couple of cities and you dont dwell on the judges Its about the talent; its about the auditions; its about the contestants. The X Factor premiers on FOX on September 21. Copyright 2011 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved.This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Showtime's Fogge to mind NBC marketing

FoggeAnother Showtime professional is on the go to NBC. Len Fogge, a 15-year vet from the pay cabler, continues to be drawn on prexy of selling for that Peacock.Fogge's proceed to reunite together with his former Showtime boss, NBC Entertainment chairman Bob Greenblatt, came a couple of hrs after Showtime introduced an professional shuffle in the marketing department.Fogge will lead all strategy, branding, creative, compensated media, digital and social networking and partnership marketing initiatives for NBC's primetime, daytime and latenight dayparts. Current NBC marketing topper Adam Stotsky is going to be departing the organization following a transition period."I loved a detailed working relationship with Len throughout my seven years at Showtime and that i don't think anybody warrants more credit than him for building the subscription base (at Showtime) to record levels or rebranding the organization among the leading forces in cable tv," Greenblatt stated. At Showtime, Fogge oversaw creative, marketing, research and digital media, supervisory all the company's creative in addition to its inhouse agency, Red-colored Group.Stotsky gone to live in NBC in 2008 from Sci Fi Funnel. His marketing team was instrumental in the prosperity of reality series "The Voice," that is NBC top nonsports program this season. Contact Stuart Levine at stuart.levine@variety.com