Trade Round-Up: MGM Ready To Start Pumping Out Crappy Sequels Again
· After the studio dabbled in the unsexy world of distributing and marketing "mid-range indie pics," MGM head Harry Sloan is ready to restore The Lion to its rightful place as a mega-budgeted sequel factory that will pump out blockbuster product like new Terminator, Pink Panther, and Hobbitt movies. [Variety]
Spike Lee stretches his creative wings, following up his HBO documentary on the post-Katrina New Orleans with a pilot script for a drama series about post-Katrina New Orleans. [THR]
This weekend's box office take was the lowest of any weekend in three years, a slowdown that experts attribute to "shitty movies that no one wants to see. Especially that Renny Harlin one." [Variety]
Fox orders a presentation of a potential late-night talk show starring The Sopranos' Steven "Bobby Bacala" Schirripa to fill a development void left by the abrupt cancellation of its The Big Pussy Domestic Violence Hour earlier this year. [THR]
As the America's Next Top Model writers strike drags on with no end in sight, WGA members debate whether or not it's a good idea to continue to commit resources to their expensive occupation of the sidewalk outside the Top Model offices. [Variety]