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Amazon offers first details about its 'Lord of the Rings' series
Amazon initially said precious little about its Lord of the Rings series beyond acknowledging its existence, but details are finally starting to trickle out. In an interview with Deadline, Amazon Studios chief Jennifer Salke provided a few tidbits about the fantasy show despite its early stages. For one, there will be familiar characters. Amazon isn't "remaking the movies," Salke said, but nor is it is "starting from scratch." The Prime Video production will make at least some effort to shape its own identity, then.
Amazon goes all-in on Jordan Peele's TV shows
Amazon has signed a deal with Jordan Peele, the New York Times reports, that, going forward, will give the company a first look at any new TV series coming out of Peele's Monkeypaw Productions company. The move extends an ongoing relationship between the two companies as Amazon has already ordered two series from Peele and Monkeypaw. Last month, Amazon snagged the rights to The Hunt -- a drama about a group of people who decide to hunt down hundreds of Nazi officials planning a Fourth Reich in the US. And in April, it bought a Monkeypaw-produced documentary series about Lorena Bobbitt.
Amazon is in talks to resurrect 'The Expanse'
Just because Syfy dropped The Expanse doesn't mean the cult sci-fi hit has met its end. Sources talking to Deadline, Variety and Hollywood Reporter have all claimed that Amazon is in discussions to resurrect The Expanse for a fourth season. Neither Amazon nor show producer Alcon are commenting on the rumor, but Deadline heard there's "interest" in the move. The tricky part would be negotiating a deal -- it's more complex than you might think.
Amazon gives 'Mrs. Maisel' third season just months after premiere
If it wasn't already apparent that Amazon has a lot of confidence in Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, it is now. The internet giant has confirmed a third season of the 1950s comedy/drama before the second season has even premiered -- and that's after ordering two seasons right out of the gate. That kind of trust in a show isn't completely unheard of for Amazon (just ask the creators of Jack Ryan), but it's rare when streaming services frequently order one season and wait until after a show's debut to make another commitment.
Amazon greenlights docuseries about soccer icon Diego Maradona
Ahead of the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Amazon has greenlit a new series about the life of soccer star Diego Maradona. The show will follow Maradona from early childhood to his rise in the world of professional soccer. It will cover his time playing in Spain and Italy as well as the 1986 World Cup, in which he led Argentina to victory. Darker aspects of Maradona's history -- such as failing a drug test during the 1994 World Cup -- will be included as well. "There are few players whose notoriety transcends generations and geographic borders -- Maradona is a household name around the world, and his career highlights are still discussed today among the biggest moments in soccer's history," Amazon Prime Video's Brad Beale said in a statement.
Amazon snags Jordan Peele-produced Nazi hunter series
Amazon has ordered a Jordan Peele-produced series about Nazi hunters living in 1977 New York City, Deadline reports. In The Hunt, a group known as The Hunters find out that hundreds of Nazi officials are living in the US, plotting the creation of a Fourth Reich. They then decide to stop the Nazis and their plans for genocide. "Our biggest priority is attracting exceptional writing and producing talent to bring addictive, groundbreaking projects to Prime Video," Amazon Studios head Jennifer Salke said in a statement. "The Hunt is edge-of-your seat entertainment that is not only culturally relevant but deliciously original."
Amazon won't distribute Terry Gilliam's ill-fated movie
Terry Gilliam's The Man Who Killed Don Quixote really does seem to be cursed. Variety has learned that Amazon won't distribute the decades-in-the-making movie in the US. It's not certain why Amazon is dropping the title (we've asked for comment), but it comes in the wake of a legal fight between Gilliam and former producer Paulo Branco as well as the resignation of Amazon Studios chief Roy Price following sexual harassment claims. That last part may play an important role -- simply speaking, this might not be the kind of movie Amazon wants on Prime Video.
Amazon renews 'Jack Ryan' months before it premieres
Amazon is confident that Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan will be a success -- so confident, in fact, that it's not waiting for initial viewings to declare it a hit. The company has already renewed Jack Ryan for a second season despite a months-long wait for Prime Video show's August 31st premiere. If you ask Amazon, it's a combination of its reaction to watching the show (generally a good idea) with early hints of customer interest. Reportedly, there was a 400 percent jump in watchlist additions for Jack Ryan following Amazon's Super Bowl ad campaign.
Amazon Studios stops taking amateur scripts on June 30th
For years, Amazon Studios has held an open call for concept and script submissions. You could send an idea to the company and not only make it publicly available, but (if you were lucky) see it developed as an honest-to-goodness Prime Video production. However, you'll now have to scramble for an alternative. Amazon is closing the open call on June 30th, 2018. You'll still have access to the companion Storybuilder and Storywriter tools, but you won't be showing Amazon the fruits of that labor.
Amazon cancels 'Mozart in the Jungle' after four seasons
One of Prime Video's earliest successes is about to fade away: Amazon has canceled Mozart in the Jungle after four seasons. It's not certain what prompted the decision to axe the show, but it wasn't due to a lack of talent when the "sex, drugs and classical music" series won Golden Globes and Emmys during its stint. Amazon doesn't disclose viewership, so it's not clear that demand was an issue. However, it may be a reflection of the internet giant's evolving video strategy.
Amazon turns 'A League of Their Own' into a TV series
Amazon still isn't done turning classic movies into Prime Video productions. Hollywood Reporter has learned that the internet is turning the legendary baseball movie A League of Their Own into a half-hour comedy series. It's too soon to learn about the casting, but Broad City's Abbi Jacobson and Mozart in the Jungle's Will Graham are poised to both write and executive produce the show. It's still focused on the creation of the all-women pro baseball league in 1943 and the story of the Rockford Peaches, although it's safe to presume that the movie's cast won't be reprising their original roles. The series won't include the central characters of Dottie (played by Geena Davis) or Kit (Lori Petty), either.
Amazon may spend $1 billion to adapt hit Chinese sci-fi novels
Amazon's bid to create worldwide blockbuster shows may extend well beyond very familiar Western stories like Lord of the Rings. Investors speaking to the Financial Times claimed that Amazon is in talks that would let it spend up to $1 billion for the rights to Liu Cixin's massively successful sci-fi novel trilogy Remembrance of Earth's Past, also known as The Three-Body Problem. The internet giant is reportedly hoping to acquire rights from Chinese game developer Youzu Interactive's Lin Qi and turn it into a three-season Prime Video series.
Amazon's Michigan Wolverines 'All or Nothing' series debuts April 6th
Amazon's found great success with its All or Nothing series focused on NFL teams. Now the online giant has announced that Prime Video will host additional sports documentaries under this banner. The previously announced eight-episode series All or Nothing: The Michigan Wolverines, which highlights college football and is narrated by Mark Harmon of NCIS fame, will be available Friday, April 6th, on Prime Video.
Leaked Amazon figures show TV drives millions of Prime signups
Amazon is notoriously secretive about its sales figures, from how many Kindles it has sold to how many subscribers pay for Prime. Reuters is reporting that it has obtained leaked documents that, if true, will shed plenty of light on at least one part of Amazon's business -- Prime Video. If you thought Amazon was keeping quiet because its projects were flops, think again, because some of its shows are actually more popular than some of the fare you'll find on basic cable.
Netflix’s real advantage is that it’s a tech company first
Netflix hasn't been coy about its plans to take over Hollywood. The company has already said it could spend up to $8 billion on content this year alone. But, for all the awards House of Cards and Icarus rack up, one of the reasons Netflix has tasted success so rapidly is its streaming technology. That's an area it has been perfecting in-house since 2010, when it became more than a simple mail-order DVD rental shop.
Netflix isn't chasing the competition into sports or live TV
Fresh off of its Oscars win for Icarus, a documentary about Russia's doping epidemic in sports, Netflix held a press event at its Hollywood headquarters. There, inside a 280,000-square-foot, state-of-the-art studio that it just opened last year, CEO Reed Hastings talked about the state of Netflix and the industry as a whole. The setting seemed fitting, considering the company is planning an $8 billion investment in original content for 2018 alone. That programming strategy is what makes Hastings confident that Netflix's future is bright, especially as it faces increased competition from the likes of Amazon, Hulu and, soon, Disney. The latter of which is also a partner, since it owns all of the Marvel franchises that Netflix has built a mini-verse around.
Amazon taps 'BoJack Horseman' duo for new animated series
Amazon hasn't had much of an answer to Netflix's numerous animated shows, but that should change in the near future -- and it's even 'borrowing' from Netflix in the process. The internet giant has ordered its first half-hour animated series, Undone, with BoJack Horseman alumni Raphael Bob-Waksberg and Kate Purdy at the helm. It'll also have the executive production work of BoJack's Noel Bright and Steven Cohen, with A Scanner Darkly's Tommy Pallotta rounding things out.
Amazon renews podcast-inspired 'Lore' series for a second season
Amazon's podcast-based series Lore will return for a second season. Production for the horror-tinged series begins in April, and in addition to new episodes, it'll feature a new showrunner, Sean Crouch, who worked on The Exorcist series. There aren't a ton of details, but Amazon promises that the new season will explore horror stories on a global level. Given the production timeline, it doesn't seem like a stretch to assume the new episodes will be available by Halloween -- just in time to compete with Hulu's forthcoming macabre show.
Amazon backs Marie Curie biopic starring Rosamund Pike
Amazon's latest Prime Video production won't just rely on star power to reel you in -- it should also appeal to science fans. The internet giant is teaming with France's Studiocanal on Radioactive, a biopic covering the work and romance of pioneering radioactivity scientist Marie Curie (and by extension, Pierre Curie). Produced by Persepolis' Marjane Satrapi, it's the adaptation of Lauren Redniss' graphic novel Radioactive and will star Gone Girl's Rosamund Pike. The star of the show may be the science itself, however.
Amazon confirms Jeffrey Tambor won't return to 'Transparent'
Jeffrey Tambor's role in Transparent has been in limbo for months following sexual harassment allegations, but there's no ambiguity now: he's out. Amazon has confirmed that Tambor won't return to the series following an internal investigation into his conduct. Tambor had denied claims of intentional harassment and argued that the "politicized atmosphere" made it impractical for him to come back, but he had never gone so far as to formally depart.
