Scott Z. Burns News

Could a graphic novel hold the key to ending a deadly pandemic? It might in the new trailer for UTOPIA on Amazon Prime.

AMC announced today that it has greenlit National Anthem, an 8-episode anthology series created by writer/director Scott Z. Burns (The Report, Contagion) and executive produced by Oscar® and Emmy® Award-winner Mark Johnson (Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Rectify, Rain Man, The Natural, Bugsy).  The musical dramedy is the first series greenlit under Johnson's multi-year overall deal with AMC Studios, through which he will continue to develop new series for the company's Entertainment Group as well as projects for potential sale to other content companies. National Anthem is the tragically funny story of a middle class midwestern family tumbling down the ladder of American society; periodically bursting into song as they struggle to catch themselves.  Award-winning musician T Bone Burnett (Crazy Heart, The Hunger Games) is attached as the series' music producer with words and music by Craig Finn (The Hold Steady).

At the Television Critics' Association (TCA) Press Tour, AMC Networks and AMC Studios announced a partial list of current projects in development. The broad slate, which includes potential AMC Studios series being developed for the company's Entertainment Group and also projects being developed for potential sale to other content companies, reflects fresh ideas and strong voices from creators and talent including Scott Z. Burns, Katie Couric, Owen and Stephen King, Megan Mostyn Brown, Armadu Garba, Eliza Clark, Mark Johnson, Zack Whedon, Scott Gold, Ilana Glazer, T Bone Burnett and many others.

The 32nd Annual Virginia Film Festival will feature a deep and diverse program of more than 150 films, including some of the hottest titles on the festival circuit today, and an array of special guests from throughout the industry, and from across the globe. This year's lineup includes award-winning actor, writer, and director Ethan Hawke, noted actor Ann Dowd, international bestselling author John Grisham, actor Dennis Christopher, acclaimed filmmaker Wanuri Kahiu - plus more than 100 filmmakers in all.

Netflix has released the trailer for Steven Soderbergh's THE LAUNDROMAT starring Meryl Streep, Gary Oldman, and Antonio Banderas.

Aspen Film is proud to announce the program for its 40th Anniversary Filmfest, which will showcase top filmmaking from across the globe at Aspen's Wheeler Opera House and Metropolitan's Isis Theatre from September 23-29, 2019, and a weighty lineup of documentaries at the Crystal Theater in Carbondale from September 27-29, 2019. In addition to screenings of highly anticipated fall previews and award-winning features and documentaries, panel discussions with special guests punctuate the week-long festival, which celebrates 40 years of Independent by Nature.

Amazon Studios has released the trailer for The Report starring Adam Driver and Annette Bening. The Report is a riveting thriller based on actual events.

James Bond Producers, Michael G. Wilson and Barbara Broccoli today released the official title of the 25th James Bond adventure, No Time To Die. The film, from Albert R. Broccoli's EON Productions, Metro Goldwyn Mayer Studios (MGM), and Universal Pictures International is directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga (Beasts of No Nation, True Detective) and stars Daniel Craig, who returns for his fifth film as Ian Fleming's James Bond 007. Written by Neal Purvis & Robert Wade (Spectre, Skyfall), Cary Joji Fukunaga, Scott Z. Burns (Contagion, The Bourne Ultimatum) and Phoebe Waller-Bridge (Killing Eve, Fleabag) No Time To Die is currently in production. The film will be released globally from April 3, 2020 in the U.K. through Universal Pictures International and in the U.S on April 8, from MGM via their United Artists Releasing banner.

TIFF Co-Heads Cameron Bailey and Joana Vicente today announced the first round of titles selected for the Gala and Special Presentations programmes at the 44th Toronto International Film Festival. This first batch of films from the 2019 Official Selection features 18 Galas and 38 Special Presentations.

Filmmakers from the U.S., Lebanon, Palestine, and the United Kingdom have been selected for the 2019 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs, taking place at the Sundance Mountain Resort in Utah. At the Directors Lab (May 27-June 18), filmmakers will rehearse, shoot, and edit key scenes from their scripts, working in an immersive, hands-on environment with support from accomplished advisors to build their craft as directors and make key discoveries in collaboration with their actors and key crew. Immediately following, the Screenwriters Lab (June 20-24) provides the opportunity to process the insight gained from the Directors Lab through one-on-one story sessions with screenwriter advisors, and find inspiration and guidance for continued development of their screenplays.

Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who just culminated her off-Broadway run of Fleabag, has been brought in to liven up the script for Bond 25, according to The Hollywood Reporter.

Following another all-night negotiation at Sundance, Amazon Studios has acquired worldwide rights to VICE Studios' political thriller The Report. Amazon is targeting a fall release later this year during the awards corridor.

Danny Gabai, who has been acting as Executive Creative Director of VICE Studios from its inception, has been elevated to Head of Vice Studios U.S., EVP overseeing the burgeoning production arm of VICE Media.  It was announced today by VICE CEO Nancy Dubuc.

BMI® (Broadcast Music, Inc.®) unveils additional lineup for its programming at this year's Sundance Film Festival featuring the 21st edition of the Composer and Director Roundtable “Music & Film: The Creative Process,” on Sunday, Jan. 27, 2019 at theKimball Arts Center, followed by the 17th annual BMI Snowball on Tuesday, Jan. 29, 2019 at The Shop.

Sundance Institute will gather 20 celebrated and revered expert voices across film, art, culture and science to award feature-length and short films shown at the 2019 Sundance Film Festival with 12 prizes, announced at a ceremony February 2 that will be livestreamed at sundance.org and on YouTube. Short Film Awards will be announced at a separate ceremony on January 29 and will also be livestreamed. The Festival takes place January 24 through February 3 in Park City, Salt Lake City and Sundance, Utah.

The nonprofit Sundance Institute announced today the showcase of new independent feature films selected across all categories for the 2019 Sundance Film Festival. The Festival hosts screenings in Park City, Salt Lake City and at Sundance Mountain Resort, from January 24 - February 3, 2019.

Jacob G. Padron, 38, has been named the new Artistic Director of Long Wharf Theatre and will begin his role February 1, 2019.

According to the Hollywood Reporter, Meryl Streep will star in The Laundromat, a drama based on the Panama Papers that Steven Soderbergh will direct.

Thirteen new independent feature projects from Cuba, Chile, Kenya, the UK and the U.S. have been selected for the 2017 Sundance Institute Directors and Screenwriters Labs in Utah's Wasatch Mountains. These Labs are the centerpiece of the nonprofit Institute's year-round support for independent artists.

The students of the Warner Theatre Center for Arts Education Performance Lab will present the chilling play by Scott Z. Burns in the Nancy Marine Studio Theatre this February.