Angela Lansbury as Jessica Fletcher in ‘Murder, She Wrote.’ Photo courtesy of Universal Television.
For those who didn’t grow up in the 1980s or have somehow gotten this far in life not knowing the name Jessica Fletcher, ‘Murder She Wrote’ was a crime procedural drama series that kicked off on CBS in 1984.
It stars Lansbury as Fletcher, a seemingly mild-mannered crime writer who has a penchant for digging into mysteries of all kinds. Working and living primarily in the fictional town of Cabot Cove, Maine, she’s consistently underestimated by police and criminals and ends up solving many murders.
For the new movie, ‘Dumb Money’ duo Lauren Schuker Blum and Rebecca Angelo wrote the screenplay based on the series. Curtis will take on the role as Fletcher, and the tone may tend towards warmly comedic.
What else has Jason Moore directed?
In addition to helping launch the ‘Pitch Perfect’ franchise, Moore has also been behind the camera for movies including ‘Sisters’ and ‘Shotgun Wedding.’
He’s also directed the pilot and served as an executive producer on ‘Elle,’ the upcoming ‘Legally Blonde’ prequel TV series at Prime Video.
(L to R) Jennifer Lopez, Josh Duhamel, and director Jason Moore on the set of ‘Shotgun Wedding’. Photo Credit: Ana Carballosa.
Rebel Wilson attends the Netflix ‘Senior Year’ Special Screening and Reception at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills on May 10, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Netflix.
Through her film career, Australian actor Rebel Wilson has dipped into the musical genre more than once, especially with the three ‘Pitch Perfect’ movies, where she’s played Fat Amy to plenty of plaudits.
So, for her first attempt at directing a movie, it’s perhaps not a shock that she’d pick an adaptation of a stage musical.
And that’s just what she has done, making a deal to direct, co-produce and appear (at least for a small role) in ‘The Deb’, which was a success on stage in Australia. Wilson was at the launch party on a yacht in Cannes this week, where backers Unigram were announcing the movie –– and the director –– to the world.
Originally premiering at Sydney’s Australian Theatre for Young People in 2022, ‘The Deb’ theater production was written by Hannah Reilly and includes original songs from singer-songwriter Meg Washington.
The musical follows lovable farm girl and high school outcast Taylah Simpkins (Natalie Abbott), who is certain the upcoming Debutante Ball, nicknamed “the Deb,” is her one chance to redefine herself.
When her cynical city cousin Maeve (Charlotte MacInnes) is exiled to Taylah’s drought-stricken town Dunburn, she thinks the ball is a “heteronormative shit-show” and immediately disrupts the status quo. In their search for the spotlight, Taylah and Maeve dig deep to find self-acceptance — and a date to the Deb.
Here’s what Wilson said about her reasons for directing a musical:
“Because I’ve been on set and have done so many musicals, you kind of pick up things like how to shoot a musical number and how to do the soundtrack, because you’re there and you’re part of it. I’ve always just been watching as the actress — watching, watching, watching — and then I produced a lot of things with musical numbers in them, like ‘Senior Year’ on Netflix, which had a lot of cheerleading routines. Everyone kept saying, ‘You should direct!’ I just started getting offered movies to direct from studios, so then I was like, ‘Oh my God, if I have to take a year out of my life and not be an actress and be a director, it has to be something that I am massively passionate about.”
Rebel Wilson attends the Netflix ‘Senior Year’ Special Screening and Reception at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills on May 10, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Netflix.
Who will star in ‘The Deb’?
The movie is set to star a clutch of rising Australian stars including MacInnes and Abbott (reprising their roles) and Stevie Jean. Other actors in the film include Tara Morice, Jay Laga’aia, Shane Jacobson and Wilson.
“I really like seeing my culture on screen. Those films are very seminal to me, and I really wanted to create a movie that was like the modern version of those. Those movies have such charm, they’re so colorful, and they’re very funny. And they have real heart to them.”
‘The Deb’ doesn’t yet have a release date, but the cameras are set to roll in September.
Rebel Wilson attends the Netflix ‘Senior Year’ Special Screening and Reception at The London West Hollywood at Beverly Hills on May 10, 2022 in West Hollywood, California. Photo by Vivien Killilea/Getty Images for Netflix.
Anna Kendrick is one of the most popular and talented actress working today.
She first gained attention for her supporting role in the ‘Twilight’ franchise and was quickly nominated for an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress for her work opposite George Clooney in ‘Up in the Air,’ and has since appeared in such popular movies as ‘Scott Pilgrim vs. the World,’ ‘End of Watch,’ ‘Cake,’ ‘The Accountant,’ ‘Trolls’ and the ‘Pitch Perfect’ franchise. Her latest project, ‘Alice, Darling’ opens exclusively in AMC Theaters on January 20th.
In honor of the release of her new film, Moviefone is counting down the 20 best movies of Anna Kendrick’s career, including ‘Alice, Darling.’
Bella (Kristen Stewart) once again finds herself surrounded by danger as Seattle is ravaged by a string of mysterious killings and a malicious vampire continues her quest for revenge. In the midst of it all, she is forced to choose between her love for Edward (Robert Pattinson) and her friendship with Jacob (Taylor Lautner), knowing that her decision has the potential to ignite the ageless struggle between vampire and werewolf. With her graduation quickly approaching, Bella is confronted with the most important decision of her life.
Mike (Adam DeVine) and Dave (Zac Efron) are young, adventurous, fun-loving brothers who tend to get out of control at family gatherings. When their sister Jeanie (Sugar Lyn Beard) reveals her Hawaiian wedding plans, the rest of the Stangles insist that the brothers bring respectable dates. After placing an ad on Craigslist, the siblings decide to pick Tatiana (Aubrey Plaza) and Alice (Kendrick), two charming and seemingly normal women. Once they arrive on the island, however, Mike and Dave realize that their companions are ready to get wild and party.
Weekend trips, office parties, late night conversations, drinking on the job, marriage pressure, biological clocks, holding eye contact a second too long… you know what makes the line between “friends” and “more than friends” really blurry? Beer. Starring Kendrick, Olivia Wild, Jake Johnson, and Ron Livingston.
After the highs of winning the world championships, the Bellas find themselves split apart and discovering there aren’t job prospects for making music with your mouth. But when they get the chance to reunite for an overseas USO tour, this group of awesome nerds will come together to make some music, and some questionable decisions, one last time.
Inspired by a true story, a comedy centered on a 27-year-old guy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt) who learns of his cancer diagnosis and his subsequent struggle to beat the disease.
The new found married bliss of Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) and vampire Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson) is cut short when a series of betrayals and misfortunes threatens to destroy their world.
After having visions of a member of her support group who killed herself (Kendrick), a woman (Jennifer Aniston) who also suffers with chronic pain seeks out the widower of the suicide.
When Bella Swan (Kristen Stewart) moves to a small town in the Pacific Northwest, she falls in love with Edward Cullen (Robert Pattinson), a mysterious classmate who reveals himself to be a 108-year-old vampire. Despite Edward’s repeated cautions, Bella can’t stay away from him, a fatal move that endangers her own life.
The Bellas are back, and they are better than ever. After being humiliated in front of none other than the President of the United States of America, the Bellas are taken out of the Aca-Circuit. In order to clear their name, and regain their status, the Bellas take on a seemingly impossible task: winning an international competition no American team has ever won. In order to accomplish this monumental task, they need to strengthen the bonds of friendship and sisterhood and blow away the competition with their amazing aca-magic! With all new friends and old rivals tagging along for the trip, the Bellas can hopefully accomplish their dreams.
Stephanie (Kendrick), a dedicated mother and popular vlogger, befriends Emily (Blake Lively), a mysterious upper-class woman whose son Nicky attends the same school as Miles, Stephanie’s son. When Emily asks her to pick Nicky up from school and then disappears, Stephanie undertakes an investigation that will dive deep into Emily’s cloudy past.
Lovable and friendly, the trolls love to play around. But one day, a mysterious giant shows up to end the party. Poppy (Kendrick), the optimistic leader of the Trolls, and her polar opposite, Branch (Justin Timberlake), must embark on an adventure that takes them far beyond the only world they’ve ever known.
In a woods filled with magic and fairy tale characters, a baker (James Corden) and his wife (Emily Blunt) set out to end the curse put on them by their neighbor, a spiteful witch.
Anna Kendrick stars as Alice, a woman pushed to the breaking point by her psychologically abusive boyfriend, Simon (Charlie Carrick). While on vacation with two close girlfriends (Kaniehtiio Horn and Wunmi Mosaku), Alice rediscovers the essence of herself and gains some much-needed perspective. Slowly, she starts to fray the cords of codependency that bind her. But Simon’s vengeance is as inevitable as it is shattering – and, once unleashed, it tests Alice’s strength, her courage, and the bonds of her deep-rooted friendships.
A girl (Kendrick) falls for the “perfect” guy (Sam Rockwell), who happens to have a very fatal flaw: he’s a hitman on the run from the crime cartels who employ him.
Two young officers (Jake Gyllenhaal and Michael Peña) are marked for death after confiscating a small cache of money and firearms from the members of a notorious cartel during a routine traffic stop.
As a math savant (Ben Affleck) uncooks the books for a new client, the Treasury Department closes in on his activities and the body count starts to rise.
Corporate downsizing expert Ryan Bingham (George Clooney) spends his life in planes, airports, and hotels, but just as he’s about to reach a milestone of ten million frequent flyer miles, he meets a woman (Vera Farmiga) who causes him to rethink his transient life.
As bass guitarist for a garage-rock band, Scott Pilgrim (Michael Cera) has never had trouble getting a girlfriend; usually, the problem is getting rid of them. But when Ramona Flowers (Mary Elizabeth Winstead) skates into his heart, he finds she has the most troublesome baggage of all: an army of ex-boyfriends (Chris Evans, Brandon Routh, and Jason Schwartzman) who will stop at nothing to eliminate him from her list of suitors.
College student Beca (Kendrick) knows she does not want to be part of a clique, but that’s exactly where she finds herself after arriving at her new school. Thrust in among mean gals, nice gals and just plain weird gals, Beca finds that the only thing they have in common is how well they sing together. She takes the women of the group out of their comfort zone of traditional arrangements and into a world of amazing harmonic combinations in a fight to the top of college music competitions.
The story follows a cheerleader (Rebel Wilson) who wakes up after a 20-year coma and returns to high school to try to regain her status and claim the prom queen crown that eluded her.
Two women, one from the United States (Cameron Diaz) and one from the United Kingdom (Kate Winslet), swap homes at Christmastime after bad breakups with their boyfriends. Each woman finds romance with a local man but realizes that the imminent return home may end the relationship.
College student Beca (Anna Kendrick) knows she does not want to be part of a clique, but that’s exactly where she finds herself after arriving at her new school. Thrust in among mean gals, nice gals and just plain weird gals, Beca finds that the only thing they have in common is how well they sing together.
She takes the women of the group out of their comfort zone of traditional arrangements and into a world of amazing harmonic combinations in a fight to the top of college music competitions. Also starring Rebel Wilson, Anna Camp, and Brittany Snow.
Jerry Maguire (Tom Cruise) used to be a typical sports agent: willing to do just about anything he could to get the biggest possible contracts for his clients, plus a nice commission for himself. Then, one day, he suddenly has second thoughts about what he’s really doing. When he voices these doubts, he ends up losing his job and all of his clients, save Rod Tidwell (Cuba Gooding Jr.), an egomaniacal football player.
Fired from his band and hard up for cash, guitarist and vocalist Dewey Finn (Jack Black) finagles his way into a job as a fifth-grade substitute teacher at a private school, where he secretly begins teaching his students the finer points of rock ‘n’ roll. The school’s hard-nosed principal is rightly suspicious of Finn’s activities. But Finn’s roommate remains in the dark about what he’s doing.
Mia (Emma Stone), an aspiring actress, serves lattes to movie stars in between auditions and Sebastian (Ryan Gosling), a jazz musician, scrapes by playing cocktail party gigs in dingy bars, but as success mounts they are faced with decisions that begin to fray the fragile fabric of their love affair, and the dreams they worked so hard to maintain in each other threaten to rip them apart.
Shallow, rich and socially successful Cher (Alicia Silverstone) is at the top of her Beverly Hills high school’s pecking scale. Seeing herself as a matchmaker, Cher first coaxes two teachers into dating each other. Emboldened by her success, she decides to give hopelessly klutzy new student Tai (Brittany Murphy) a makeover. When Tai becomes more popular than she is, Cher realizes that her disapproving ex-stepbrother was right about how misguided she was — and falls for him.
When a young boy (David Moscow and Tom Hanks) makes a wish at a carnival machine to be big—he wakes up the following morning to find that it has been granted and his body has grown older overnight. But he is still the same 13-year-old boy inside. Now he must learn how to cope with the unfamiliar world of grown-ups including getting a job and having his first romantic encounter with a woman (Elizabeth Perkins).
After high school slacker Ferris Bueller (Matthew Broderick) successfully fakes an illness in order to skip school for the day, he goes on a series of adventures throughout Chicago with his girlfriend Sloane (Mia Sara) and best friend Cameron (Alan Ruck), all the while trying to outwit his wily school principal and fed-up sister.
In this enchantingly cracked fairy tale, the beautiful Princess Buttercup (Robin Wright) and the dashing Westley (Cary Elwes) must overcome staggering odds to find happiness amid a six-fingered swordsmen (Christopher Guest), a murderous prince (Chris Sarandon), a dangerous Sicilian (Wallace Shawn), a man searching for his father’s killer, (Mandy Patinkin) a giant (André Roussimoff), and rodents of unusual size. But even death can’t stop these true lovebirds from triumphing.
The long-gestating big screen adaptation of classic musical “Cats” is continuing to round out its cast, adding another big name to its already-starry ensemble.
Deadline has the scoop that Rebel Wilson is set to co-star in the flick, playing the role of Jennyanydots, an old Gumbie cat who’s frequently mistaken for being lazy. Wilson has already demonstrated her singing and dancing chops on the big screen, starring in the “Pitch Perfect” series, making her addition to “Cats” pretty pitch purrfect (sorry).
The actress is just the latest famous face to sign on for the flick, joining a seriously stacked ensemble full of ridiculously talented folks. They include Oscar winners Jennifer Hudson (playing Grizabella, who belts the show’s most well-known tune, “Memory”) and Judi Dench (playing a gender-swapped Deuteronomy); one of the world’s biggest pop stars, Taylor Swift; perennial Bond candidate and the newly-anointed Sexiest Man Alive, Idris Elba (playing Macavity); late night host James Corden; and Gandalf/Magneto himself, Ian McKellen (playing Gus the Theatre Cat).
According to Deadline, rehearsals have already started at Leavesden Studios in England. “Cats” is a decidedly weird musical, but with this group on board, we’re definitely eager to see how Oscar-winning director Tom Hooper brings this film together.
Many fans read into Brittany Snow going back to Chloe Beale’s red hair, among other clues:
the four fingers means pitch perfect 4 just like the first picture for pp3, thats also the reason why brittany went back to being a redhead (((no idk i just like to hurt myself))) pic.twitter.com/KyxyqYX4CT
our first sign that there's gonna be a pp4 was the hashtag BellaBootCamp2019 then brittany being back to redhead and now this, so what's next??? 🤔 https://t.co/UHYttUTMiY
The fourth installment of the “Insidious” horror franchise scared up a surprisingly strong $29.3 million at 3,116 sites for Universal. Disney-Lucasfilm’s “The Last Jedi” followed in third with a 55% decline to $23.6 million at 4,232 venues for a 24-day total of $572.5 million — the sixth-largest of all-time.
Fox’s third weekend of “The Greatest Showman” held nicely in fourth, declining only 12% to $13.6 million at 3,342 theaters for a 19-day total of about $77 million. It was followed in fifth by Universal’s third session of “Pitch Perfect 3” with $10.2 million at 3,458 sites, lifting its 17-day take to a solid $86 million.
Fox’s fourth weekend of animated comedy “Ferdinand” finished sixth with $7.7 million at 3,156 venues, followed by Jessica Chastain‘s “Molly’s Game” from STXfilms, which brought in $7 million after expanding to 1,608 sites from 271. Chastain received a Golden Globe nomination for best actress in a drama for her work in the film — whether or not she wins will be determined Sunday. The film also received a Producers Guild Award nomination on Friday for best film, a day after Aaron Sorkin’s script received a Writers Guild nom for adapted screenplay.
The “Jumanji” sequel has taken in $244.4 million in its first 19 days domestically. It’s the first weekend box office win for “Jumanji” — which has gone past “Justice League” as the ninth-largest domestic grosser among 2017 titles. “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle” is also topping the $500 million mark worldwide.
Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Jack Black, and Karen Gillan star in “Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle,” a sequel to Robin Williams’ original, which was a 1995 hit with $262 million worldwide. “Welcome to the Jungle” follows four high schoolers in detention who wind up as video game characters facing an array of challenges.
“Insidious: The Last Key” came in far above expectations, which had been in the $16 million to $19 million range. It’s the latest horror title from Blumhouse Productions, which delivered low-cost horror hits last year for Universal with “Split,” “Get Out,” and “Happy Death Day.” The franchise dates back to 2010 with “Insidious,” followed by “Insidious: Chapter 2” in 2013 and “Insidious: Chapter 3” in 2015 — which have grossed a collective $357 million worldwide.
Lin Shaye, who has starred in all three films, returns in “Insidious: The Last Key” as a parapsychologist whose haunted childhood comes to threaten her family and home in a follow-up to the events in “Insidious: Chapter 3.” It’s produced by “Insidious” regulars Jason Blum, Oren Peli, and co-creator James Wan and by Sony Pictures (through Stage 6 Films) with Blumhouse. Universal is the U.S. theatrical distributor with Sony releasing in the rest of the world.
Overall domestic business was up 18.1% to $165 million, according to comScore — a welcome sign after 2017 saw a 2.3% decline in total grosses.
“2018 is off to a rollicking start with ‘Jumanji’s’ unexpected strength boosting the overall marketplace nearly 20% ahead of the comparable weekend a year ago as the box office new year gives the industry cause to celebrate with an incredibly diverse lineup of titles driving patrons to theaters and a red hot awards season in full swing,” noted Paul Dergarabedian, senior media analyst with comScore. “Two years ago was not even as strong with a ‘Force Awakens’ driven marketplace ringing up sales of $159.1 million for the same weekend in 2016.”
Get ready to feel a little aca-older today, people, because “Pitch Perfect” is turning five.
The musical comedy was released on September 28, 2012 and became a modest hit, finding legions of fans on DVD. And we still can’t get “Cups” out of our head to this day. A 2015 sequel was born and an upcoming third film, “Pitch Perfect 3,” is set to hit theaters on December 22, 2017. While you count down the days until the final installment in the aca-trilogy, check out these 11 “Pitch Perfect” fun facts. 1. Elizabeth Banks, who plays the hilarious announcer Gail, is a producer on all three installments of the film. She directed “Pitch Perfect 2.”
2. The role of Gail was actually written with Kristen Wiig in mind, according to writer Kay Cannon.
3.Anna Kendrick sang her songs live on set. “Because I think something is a little bit lost in the recording studio, and frankly I’m just not good in the recording studio, like I don’t know how to do that. I think I’m just — I’m used to singing in front of people and singing in a recording booth was a little isolating and sterile,” Kendrick told Collider.
5. The iconic “Cups” audition was originally going to be another number, but Anna Kendrick found a viral video of the song’s cover set to the Cup Game on reddit and decided to take time to learn the whole sequence. The rest is history.6. Kendrick made the song a huge it. It went all the way to number one on the Adult Contemporary Billboard charts.
7. The nickname “Fat Amy” was actually something Amy Poehler, a friend of writer Kay Cannon’s, called herself when she was pregnant. Cannon recalled: “I said, ‘How are you feeling?’ She’s really petite and was like, ‘I wasn’t able to tell anybody. I wasn’t feeling good. I was tired. I just felt like fat Amy.’ I was like, ‘I think somebody should call themselves Fat Amy, so that other people can’t make fun of them.’ That’s how that came about,” Cannon explained to Collider.
8.Ester Dean, who plays Cynthia Rose, is a major force in the music industry. She’s co-written songs for everyone from Beyonce to Katy Perry. She performs Rihanna‘s “S&M” in the Riff-Off, a song she helped write in real life.
9.Rebel Wilson improvised a lot of her lines throughout the movie, especially when she was paired with Adam Devine. “Also, because I’m partnered with Adam Devine in the movie, he’s a great improviser as well. So they had hours and hours of footage of us bantering back and forth saying crazy stuff to each other,” Wilson revealed. 10. Rebel auditioned for Amy with an American accent, but ended up using her real voice.
11.Adam Devine (Bumper) threw a burrito at a cameraman when he was meant to ht Rebel Wilson’s character. He told Vulture, “He said to aim for him, thinking I wouldn’t hit him, and I pegged him right in the face. That’s why that scene is slightly out of focus. I think now that I have a reputation for an amazing toss, I should do a baseball movie. I need to be in ‘Bull Durham 2.’”
The new trailer for “Pitch Perfect 3” indicates this is the final curtain call for everyone’s favorite a cappella group. But are the Bellas themselves — and audiences, for that matter — really ready to say goodbye?
When we pick up with our post-college protagonists, it’s clear that they’re all longing to be back in the spotlight. (Fat Amy even resorts to punching a giant fish in frustration.) Luckily, a USO tour is looking for participants, and the Bellas hop a jet overseas.
They quickly realize, though, that not everyone performs without instruments (“We like to keep it oral,” Chloe not-so-helpfully interjects when a plugged-in group fronted by Ruby Rose takes the stage), and they’re not exactly the hot ticket anymore. Can the girls come to grips with moving on in life? And will Beca really sign a solo contract, leaving her fellow Bellas in the dust?
We have a sneaking suspicion the latter answer will be “no.” As for moving on, the “Pitch Perfect” series may or may not be wrapping after this flick bows, depending on whether you believe the stars or the studio’s marketing. We’ll have to wait and see how things shake out.
“Pitch Perfect 3” is due in theaters on December 22.
“Pitch Perfect 3” isn’t due to hit theaters until later this year, but that hasn’t stopped star Anna Kendrick from talking about the franchise’s (potential) future.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Kendrick chatted about all the fun the sprawling cast has had getting back together again to shoot the threequel, telling the magazine, “It’s totally like summer camp.” And Kendrick says’s she’s definitely on board for more adventures with the Bellas should studio Universal want to make “Pitch Perfect 4.”
Kendrick responded with an enthusiastic “Hell, yeah!” when asked by EW whether or not she’d sign on for another sequel in the series.
“We’d do them forever,” the actress told the magazine.
Of course, “PP3” is being marketed with language like “last call” and “farewell tour,” which certainly seems to indicate that the series will wrap after the flick is released. And based on what Kendrick and new director Trish Sie told EW about “Pitch Perfect 3” — which picks up with the Bellas post-college, all in various states of disarray in their lives — it sounds like the flick may truly be the perfect swan song for the series. Then again, the second movie was such a huge, surprising hit that it spawned an unlikely franchise; Universal may want to keep the lucrative series singing for as long as possible.
Before we bet on “PP4,” we’ll have to see how “Pitch Perfect 3” performs. The film makes its debut on December 22.
LOS ANGELES, Jan 7 (Variety.com) – Sony’s “
Get ready to feel a little aca-older today, people, because “Pitch Perfect” is turning five.
1. 
6. Kendrick made the song a huge it. It went all the way to number one on the Adult Contemporary Billboard charts.
10. Rebel auditioned for Amy with an American accent, but ended up using her real voice.
The new trailer for “
“