Ivan Reitman News

The 2013 Pageant of the Masters, a celebration of art in tableaux vivants is honoring eighty years of 'living pictures' at the Festival of Arts, with 'The Big Picture.' It's a theme with a dual purpose: 1) contemplating the relationships between masterpieces of art and the movies they've inspired, and 2) taking a light-hearted look at the Pageant's own history. According to Pageant director Diane Challis Davy, while the resulting production will have an abundance of classical artworks, it will also feature opportunities for theatrical fun and special effects.

After yesterday's news that Canadian pop group Barenaked Ladies will no longer be writing songs for the musical adaptation of ANIMAL HOUSE, The Calgary Herald reports that the band's lead singer Ed Robertson said he and the group are 'disappointed that things didn't work out' with the show and that they 'ultimately couldn't give any more time to the project' due to a new record and tour.

According to the Lethbridge Herald, Canadian pop group Barenaked Ladies will no longer be composing songs for the upcoming Broadway musical adaptation of ANIMAL HOUSE. They were replaced by composer David Yazbek (Dirty Rotten Scoundrels) a few months ago.

Lionsgate (NYSE: LGF) continued to dazzle its International distribution partners with its lineup of films for the 2013 Cannes Film Festival, achieving a Company record of more than $250 million in sales for nine titles that included MOCKINGJAY 1 and 2, the third and fourth installments of the global blockbuster HUNGER GAMES franchise, STEP UP 5 and upcoming Lionsgate and Summit titles such as DRAFT DAY, THE LAST WITCH HUNTER and Lionsgate UK's A LITTLE CHAOS.

Acclaimed stage and screen actress Ellen Burstyn is the lastest star to sign on for Lionsgate's DRAFT DAY, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

NAACP Award nominee Orlando Jones will now play the role of Mabel 'Madea' Simmons in the next installment of the Madea franchise entitled 'Tyler Perry's A Madea Christmas'. He replaces creator Tyler Perry, who is focusing on the partnership between his company and Oprah Winfrey's struggling OWN network that was announced last October.

In a recent interview with Esquire, famed comedian Dan Aykroyd announced that the team behind the long-rumored GHOSTBUSTERS 3, is making headway towards production. Aykroyd has been the threequel's biggest cheerleader for years - enlisting the likes of Gene Stupnitsky and Lee Eisenberg (of THE OFFICE) and Etan Cohen to get the film rolling.

The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today that HITCHCOCK, starring Academy Award winner Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock, Academy Award winner Helen Mirren as his wife, Alma Reville, Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel as Vera Miles and James D'Arcy as Anthony Perkins, will have its World Premiere today, November 1, as the Opening Night Gala of AFI FEST 2012 presented by Audi.

Deadline reports that after nearly two decades of a rumored return, GHOSTBUSTERS 3 will finally makes its way back to the big screen with a new installment. Ivan Reitman will once again direct the comedy which is scheduled to start production in the summer of 2013.

The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today that HITCHCOCK, starring Academy Award® winner Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock, Academy Award® winner Helen Mirren as his wife, Alma Reville, Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel as Vera Miles and James D'Arcy as Anthony Perkins, will have its World Premiere on Thursday, November 1, as the Opening Night Gala of AFI FEST 2012 presented by Audi.

The American Film Institute (AFI) announced today that HITCHCOCK, starring Academy Award® winner Anthony Hopkins as Alfred Hitchcock, Academy Award® winner Helen Mirren as his wife, Alma Reville, Scarlett Johansson as Janet Leigh, Jessica Biel as Vera Miles and James D'Arcy as Anthony Perkins, will have its World Premiere on Thursday, November 1, as the Opening Night Gala of AFI FEST 2012 presented by Audi.

Winning the prestigious Woodward/Newman Award for best play, while being developed at Rogue Machine for their 2012 season, brought with it a fully funded production mounted at the Bloomington Play Project in Indiana. It turned out to be one of their most successful projects to date. A Holland New Voices Award came shortly afterwards, and now playwright Henry Murray is ready for its close-up at Rogue Machine, known for staging new works. This will be a West Coast Premiere in one of the country's most vibrant cities for new plays, Los Angeles, opening tonight, September 15, 2012.

In a unique special event created for Toronto International Film Festival audiences, Reitman directed a live stage reading of Alan Ball's screenplay for American Beauty. Sam Mendes' film about a family man's resplendent mid-life crisis premiered in Toronto in 1999 and went on to win five Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Screenplay. The one-night-only performance included Bryan Cranston, Christina Hendricks, Woody Harrelson, Adam Driver, Sarah Gadon, Nick Kroll, Mae Whitman and George Stroumboulopoulos. Check out photos from the event below!

Cellist Maya Beiser will see the New York premiere of her new production, ELSEWHERE, a "CelloOpera," in four performances from October 17 through 20 at 7:30pm, during the 2012 BAM Next Wave Festival in the inaugural season of the Fishman Space, part of BAM's new Richard B. Fischer Building which opens in September 2012 at 321 Ashland Place in Brooklyn. ELSEWHERE is produced by Beth Morrison Projects.

Winning the prestigious Woodward/Newman Award for best play, while being developed at Rogue Machine for their 2012 season, brought with it a fully funded production mounted at the Bloomington Play Project in Indiana. It turned out to be one of their most successful projects to date. A Holland New Voices Award came shortly afterwards, and now playwright Henry Murray is ready for its close-up at Rogue Machine, known for staging new works. This will be a West Coast Premiere in one of the country's most vibrant cities for new plays, Los Angeles, opening September 15, 2012.

Today we are shining a special solo spotlight on one of the most revered actors of the stage and screen on the premiere of his newest feature film lead role, in ROBOT & FRANK - which recently received the Alfred P. Sloan Prize at the Sundance Film Festival - the incomparable Frank Langella.

Digitalspy.com reports that Justin Timberlake is in talks to star in the lead role of Paramount Pictures' upcoming big screen adaptation of BAYWATCH. According to the report, the former 'NSYNC band member would play the role of a disgraced former Olympic swimmer who is attempting to become part of the Baywatch team.