INSIDER
โLord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollumโ in development with Andy Serkis to direct and star
Read full article: โLord of the Rings: The Hunt for Gollumโ in development with Andy Serkis to direct and starAndy Serkis is going back to Middle-earth to play Gollum in two new Lord of the Rings films.
'Return of Jedi,' 'Selena' added to National Film Registry
Read full article: 'Return of Jedi,' 'Selena' added to National Film RegistryThis yearโs inductees into the National Film Registry include an epic Star Wars and Lord of the Ring films, projects starring Jennifer Lopez and the late Cicely Tyson along with films that took on racially motivated violence against people of color.
A by-the-numbers look at a year of Oscar diversity, firsts
Read full article: A by-the-numbers look at a year of Oscar diversity, firsts10 โ Nominations for โMank," the most of any film this year, with nods for best picture, best director for Fincher, best actor for Gary Oldman and best supporting actress for Seyfried. In the best supporting actor category, Heath Ledger and Ralph Richardson were nominated, with Ledger winning for โThe Dark Knightโ in 2009. 4 โ Nominations received by โNomadlandโ director Chloรฉ Zhao, a record for a woman in a record year for women. 1 โ Man nominated for both best actor and best original song. ___This story has been corrected to reflect that Olivia Colman won best actress in 2019, not 2020.
Sean Parker OK'd to buy stake in Peter Jackson's VFX studio
Read full article: Sean Parker OK'd to buy stake in Peter Jackson's VFX studioFILE - In this May 6, 2017, file photo, Sean Parker arrives at an event in Culver City, Calif. Tech billionaire Sean Parker has been approved by New Zealand authorities to buy a one-third stake in film director Peter Jackson's visual effects studio. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)WELLINGTON โ New Zealand authorities have approved tech billionaire Sean Parkerโs purchase of a one-third stake in film director Peter Jacksonโs visual effects studio. Parker needed special permission from the Overseas Investment Office because he isnโt a New Zealand resident and the Weta Digital studio is worth more than 100 million New Zealand dollars ($71 million). Weta will issue new shares for Parker, diluting Jackson's stake. In 2016, Parker and Akkaraju founded a video-on-demand startup called Screening Room, which this year relaunched as SR Labs.
Peter Jackson to make original animated content for Weta
Read full article: Peter Jackson to make original animated content for WetaWeta Digital, the Academy Award-winning visual effects company that made The Lord of the Rings and Avatar possible, is making original animated content for cinemas and streaming for the first time in its 25-year history. Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh, the married filmmaking team behind The Lord of the Rings and majority stakeholders in the company, plan to write, produce and direct several of the projects for Weta Animated. Its also been one of the rare filmmaking companies that has been able to continue functioning safely throughout the pandemic. In addition to the Avatar sequels, Weta Digital is also working on Jungle Cruise and The Batman.Akkaraju co-founded SR Labs with Sean Parker, who recently invested in the company and joined the board as vice chairman. Im thrilled to be joining Peter, Fran and the extraordinary team at Weta as we enter into a hypergrowth stage with the launch of original content, Akkaraju said.