Gene Maddaus

2 weeks ago | variety.com | Gene Maddaus

Justin Baldoni‘s lawyers responded Thursday to Blake Lively‘s attempt to throw out his defamation suit, arguing that a California law meant to protect harassment victims doesn’t apply to Lively’s “fabricated” claims. The actor-director filed a $400 million lawsuit against Lively, his co-star, and her husband Ryan Reynolds in January, arguing that they set out to destroy his career and hijack his movie, “It Ends With Us,” with false allegations of harassment on set.

3 weeks ago | variety.com | Gene Maddaus

It’s been a tough few years for the theater business, and it’s been particularly brutal in San Francisco. Since the pandemic began, the city has lost the Embarcadero Center Cinema, the Century Theatres in the Westfield Mall and CinéArts at the Empire. But for sheer financial calamity, it would be hard to top the CGV Cinemas, a 14-screen multiplex in the Tenderloin. South Korea’s largest movie chain opened the theater in September 2021.

4 weeks ago | variety.com | Gene Maddaus

California lawmakers are moving to increase the payout to subsidized film and TV productions in the Los Angeles area to 35%, while expanding the range of productions that qualify. The current program provides a credit of 20% or 25% to live-action films and scripted TV shows. Under legislative language submitted on Tuesday night, eligibility would be expanded to animated films and TV shows, sitcoms and “large-scale” competition shows. Gov.

1 month ago | variety.com | Gene Maddaus

Greg Hessinger, a former executive director of the Screen Actors Guild, has been named the third-ever chief executive of the Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers. Hessinger will take responsibility for negotiating dozens of labor agreements on behalf of the major Hollywood studios. The contracts with the Directors Guild of America, the Writers Guild of America and SAG-AFTRA are up for bargaining next year.

1 month ago | variety.com | Gene Maddaus

Netflix wants its money back. Five years after wiring $11 million to director Carl Erik Rinsch for a sci-fi series that never got made, the streamer is asking for a return on those funds. Rinsch, 47, was arrested last week on charges of fraud and money laundering for allegedly using the cash for lavish purchases, speculative investments and legal fees to sue Netflix. He is out on a $100,000 bond and due to be arraigned in federal court in New York on April 3.