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CBS and Viacom agree to sign $30 billion merger deal
CBS and Viacom have reached a long-rumored merger agreement. The two companies announced today that they will reunite as ViacomCBS. According to The Wall Street Journal, CBS and Viacom hope that, together, they'll be better positioned to fight against cable TV competition and streaming services.
An 'Event Horizon' series is in the works at Amazon
The classic sci-fi horror movie Event Horizon is about to get a new lease on life in the streaming era. Variety has learned that Amazon and Paramount are creating an Event Horizon series for Prime Video. Details of the plot are scarce, although the 1997 flick revolved around a ship whose trip to an alternate dimension unleashed terrors on the crew sent to rescue the vessel. There will, however, be a connection to the creative team from the movie.
Watch a behind-the-scenes look at 'Terminator: Dark Fate'
Paramount Pictures has released a Terminator: Dark Fate featurette at San Diego Comic-Con, showing an inside look at the making of what people are calling the true sequel to Terminator 2. While the franchise spawned three movies since the iconic flick, including the critically panned Terminator Genisys with Emilia Clarke, Dark Fate will serve as a soft reboot to the series and will directly follow the events of Judgment Day. James Cameron and team even got Linda Hamilton to reprise her role as Sarah Connor almost three decades after saying hasta la vista to the character.
'Sonic the Hedgehog' movie delayed to fix nightmare-inducing design
Sorry, Sega fans, you'll need to wait a little longer to see the Sonic the Hedgehog movie. Paramount pushed back the release date three months to give the filmmakers "a little more time to make Sonic just right."
'Sonic the Hedgehog' director: Changes are 'going to happen'
That the internet had an uneasy reaction to our first look at the upcoming Sonic the Hedgehog live action movie isn't surprising, but the absolute horror induced by some elements of the furry hero's design has not gone unnoticed. This afternoon director Jeff Fowler tweeted "The message is loud and clear... you aren't happy with the design & you want changes. It's going to happen." He didn't say what changes were in store, but Sonic's detailed teeth, under-stylized body type and widely spaced eyes seem like potential places to start. Take a look at the trailer again and let us know what, if anything, would make it better in your opinion.
Paramount is urging theaters to show Ang Lee's new sci-fi movie at 120 fps
Ang Lee hasn't given up on high-frame-rate cinema despite the expensive misfire that was Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk. The two-time Oscar winner is shooting his upcoming film, sci-fi assassin thriller Gemini Man, in 3D at 120 frames-per-second (fps) and 4K resolution. There's just one problem: theater chains may not be able to screen it in the format. To ensure it gets a wide release that matches Lee's intended vision, Paramount is writing to cinema owners with instructions on how to bring their projector equipment up to speed, reports The Playlist.
'Venom' and 'Alpha' will be the first IMAX Enhanced 4K blockbusters
The 'IMAX Enhanced' tag that IMAX and DTS teamed up to create for home entertainment is continuing to expand with several announcements at CES. According to its backers, the label means that content is mastered using the latest "proprietary post-production process developed by IMAX while a "special variant" of DTS:X pumps up the audio to deliver an "immersive" IMAX experience at home. Today the group added three general outlets for streaming IMAX Enhanced content: Tencent in China, FandangoNow in the US and RakutenTV in Europe, plus Privilege 4K in the US for Sony TVs. Sony Pictures announced that Venom and Alpha will be among the first blockbuster movie titles available with the tag. while Paramount has also pledged support. Arcam, Elite, Integra, Lexicon, Onkyo, Pioneer and Trinnov are working on certified A/V receivers, while TCL has joined Sony in developing certified TVs. Meanwhile, an IMAX Certified Mode to optimize settings based on content is still in development.
Gorgeous puzzle game 'Monument Valley' is being turned into a movie
One of the most beautifully-designed mobile puzzle games of all time is going to be given the silver screen treatment. Released in 2014 and quickly snapping up the title of Apple's Game of the Year, Monument Valley will be adapted into a movie in a joint venture by Paramount Pictures and Weed Road Pictures.
How Mission Impossible made the leap to 4K and HDR
Mission Impossible is an unusual film franchise. It's spanned more than 22 years and five directors, each bringing his own distinctive touch to Tom Cruise's increasingly over-the-top escapades. Brian De Palma's 1996 film, which kicked off the series, hearkens back to classic '70s conspiracy thrillers while John Woo's Mission Impossible 2 is pure '90s action blockbuster excess, complete with dueling motorcycles, elaborate shootouts and his signature doves. To prime audiences for the next film, Fallout, Paramount re-released the entire Mission Impossible series on 4K Blu-ray last month. The new discs are not only a huge upgrade for cinephiles but also a fascinating glimpse at how studios can revive older films for the 4K/HDR era.
Watching 'Annihilation' at home versus the cinema
Alex Garland wrote 28 Days Later, Sunshine and Dredd, establishing his bona fides as a master of blending horror and mind-bending sci-fi. He then wrote and directed Ex Machina, which propelled him into an elite fraternity of directors producing smart, arty films that stick with you long after you leave the theater. His latest film, Annihilation, was set to be his big mainstream breakthrough, but it will be released theatrically only in the US, Canada and China. In the rest of the world, the film will play on Netflix. Does that mean everyone in the rest of the world is losing out by having to watch it in the comfort of their own homes? We asked two of our editors -- one in New York and one in London -- to report their respective experiences.
Movies Anywhere includes your FandangoNOW flicks
Movies Anywhere has strengthened its position as the go-to movie library platform by welcoming FandangoNOW into the fold. This means that Movies Anywhere users can now access the films they've purchased via iTunes, Amazon Video, Vudu, Google Play and of course FandangoNOW, from one central location. It doesn't matter where or how you bought the movie, just link the account to Movies Anywhere and you'll have access to it.
'Top Gun 3D' comes with its own virtual movie theater
Paramount has apparently been busy building its own movie theater these past six months -- and it's the kind of you can access anywhere you are, because it exists in virtual reality. According to Deadline, the studio teamed up with cross-platform software Bigscreen and worked with Oculus, Samsung, HTC and Microsoft to create a virtual cinema where it can show its films. They're launching the theater to the public on December 3rd with a showing of Top Gun 3D.
Relive the first 11 seasons of 'South Park' on Blu-ray this fall
While we tend to post more about South Park video games around here, television's most crass social satire is equally important, really. To that end, Paramount Pictures has just announced that the first 11 years of South Park will be available on Blu-ray this fall for the first time. The individual seasons will come as a two-disc set, with the first five seasons available on November 21st and the following six seasons available on December 19th.
'Galaxy Quest' Amazon TV series back on track with a new writer
Galaxy Quest, the cult movie beloved by sci-fi fans for its gentle mocking of, well, sci-fi fans, is back on track as a rebooted TV series for Amazon, THR reports. The revival was originally revealed in 2015, but plans were put on hold after the death of original cast-member Alan Rickman, who was to reprise his role in the news series. It's now on again, with writer/actor/comedian Paul Scheer (The Disaster Artist, Veep) set to write the script.
MGM spends $1 billion to take full control of the Epix channel
Epix has long been the baby of four studios (Lionsgate, MGM, Paramount and Viacom), but it's about to have just one parent. MGM has bought out the stakes of its partners for just over $1 billion, giving it full control over the internet-friendly, movie-focused TV channel. The move will still see Lionsgate and Paramount supplying first-run movies as part of "multi-year" deals, so don't panic about a sudden dearth of content -- this is more about a changing media landscape than any kind of feud.
CBS and Paramount settle lawsuit with 'Star Trek' fan film
It's been a wild ride for the folks behind the Axanar Star Trek fan film, but it's finally over -- the fan production group has settled its lawsuit with CBS and Paramount. The terms of the agreement aren't completely clear, but both parties have announced that the deal will allow Axanar productions to finish and release its fan film for free as long as a certain number of undisclosed "substantial changes" are made. Even better? According to Ars Technica, the settlement doesn't require the fan group to pay damages, either.
Watch the first live-action 'Ghost in the Shell' trailer
Want to see how Hollywood takes on Ghost in the Shell outside of a handful of tiny video clips? You just got your chance. Paramount has released a full-length trailer for its spin on the anime/manga classic, and it's at least interesting -- if not necessarily what purists would want. It's visually stunning, with more than a few moments that will remind you of at least the 1995 animated movie. It's mainly the casting and unanswered questions that might leave you on the fence ahead of the movie's March 31st, 2017 launch date.
'Ghost in the Shell' teasers offer a glitchy look at the Major
We're still not sure if Scarlett Johansson is the best choice to play Major Motoko Kusanagi, but our first look at the upcoming Ghost in the Shell live-action flick is here. Separated into five brief teaser trailers that aired during tonight's Mr. Robot season finale, they're just enough to get a taste of what the movie looks like without giving any plot points away. They're so brief that it's tough to judge if the movie properly captures the environment of the manga and anime series, but there will surely be plenty of previews available before the flick hits theaters on March 31, 2017.
Paramount axes its exclusivity clauses with Sky TV
Paramount Studios has went back on its proposed exclusivity clauses with its Sky TV contract.
Paramount signs up to release more movies with DTS:X audio
We got a chance to hear the audio capabilities of DTS:X at CES in 2015, but there haven't been many movies released that way so far. Now Paramount seems ready to change that, signing up with DTS to release a "collection" of films with the multi-dimensional audio encoding applied. Some of the Blu-rays are already on shelves, like The Big Short and Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, but there should be more on the way. Like Dolby Atmos, DTS:X is supposed to align audio in a way that fits with where your speakers are actually positioned, and as we saw in our demo, allows for features like turning up the volume on dialogue without affecting other sounds.
