Categories
Movies/Television

Jenji Kohan is Back for HBO

The creator of 'Weeds' and 'Orange is the New Black,' Jenji Kohan, is working on her next project for HBO.
The creator of ‘Weeds’ and ‘Orange is the New Black,’ Jenji Kohan, is working on her next project for HBO.

We all loved Weeds and Orange is the New Black, and now the mastermind behind both hit television series, Jenji Kohan, is back. Kohan was the creator of Showtime’s Weeds and the co-creator of Netflix’s original series Orange is the New Black, and we will be seeing her now as she begins work on a new drama on HBO. The new untitled Salem drama is a period piece that will explore the circumstances surrounding the witch hysteria in American history. The segment of Salem’s history that pitted neighbors against neighbors and set everyone into a mass hysteria interested Kohan, and she hopes to explore this with her already large fan base.

She will be writing the bewitching story with Bruce Miller and Tracy Miller, and she and Bruce will be executive producing as well. The show will be premiering on HBO, and Kohan will be working on the project with Lionsgate TV where she has an overall deal.

The untitled drama comes as Jenji is in the middle of production with the second season of acclaimed hit series, Orange is the New Black.

Other projects in the works at HBO include Ryan Murphy’s Open and another newcomer, The Leftovers.

View full story at The Hollywood Reporter.

Categories
HPC News Glendale News Movies/Television

‘The Killing’ to Return for a 4th Season on Netflix

'The Killing' will be returning for a 4th season, but this time exclusively on Netflix.
‘The Killing’ will be returning for a 4th season, but this time exclusively on Netflix.

HPC News – The Killing cannot be killed. Hollywood Production Center’s longtime tenant will be continuing their work on their popular television series The Killing from our offices. The hit television show first aired in 2011 on AMC, and continued to air three seasons until the cable network announced the show’s cancellation earlier in 2013. However, Netflix recently announced that they would be picking up the series and continuing the 4th season. This 4th season will air 6 episodes and will be considered the “final season.” The series’ stars Joel Kinnaman (who plays Stephen Holder) and Mireille Enos (who plays Sarah Linden) will be returning to the show to explore a new police case.

The Killing has gained a lot of popularity on Netflix’s streaming service, which helped it grow its audience for three seasons. The show had originally been cancelled after two seasons, but Fox TV Studios later announced that it would be returning after all due to a unique deal with AMC and Netflix. In this deal the streaming service, which had already built up an audience from the first 2 seasons being on its service, would stream the 3rd season 90 days after the finale aired on AMC to offset costs. When AMC announced that they would be pulling the plug for good in 2013, Netflix stepped in to pick up a 4th season to be aired exclusively to Netflix users. The wildly popular streaming service believe this show is perfect for on-demand viewing, so they have given Sarah Linden and Stephen Holder the chance at a proper goodbye.

Production for the 4th season of The Killing  is set to begin in February.

View the full story at The Hollywood Reporter.

Categories
Hollywood News Movies/Television

Netflix Picks up a Psychological Thriller

Todd, Blah and Blah's new psychological thriller has been picked up by Netflix as part of its original programming.
Todd A. Kessler, Daniel Zelman and Glenn Kessler’s new psychological thriller has been picked up by Netflix as part of its original programming.

Netflix is a streaming platform that has recently dived into original programming. With their shows being so well received, it is no surprise that Netflix has ordered a 13-episode psychological thriller for its next series. They have ordered the new show from Todd A. Kessler, Daniel Zelman and Glenn Kessler, the creators of Damages. The untitled new show will focus on a family of adult siblings whose past issues and secrets arise with the return of their black sheep brother. In a joint statement by the trio of co-creators, they said “the series is a tightly wound thriller that explores the complex bonds between parents and children, brothers and sisters, and the rivalries, jealousies, and betrayals at the core of every family.” The television thriller is set to start production in early 2014.

Netflix began its expansion into original programming earlier this year with Emmy-winning House of Cards, which received a two season order right from the start. This show was followed by Hemlock Grove and Orange is the New Black, which each received a season renewal after shortly after the premiere.

The three co-creators found success in their 2007 Damages, which aired on FX for three seasons before finishing off its final two on DirecTV. It received 20 Emmy nominations in its five season run.  

Categories
Glendale News Movies/Television

DreamWorks Animation Now Producing for Television

A scene from DreamWorks Animation TV show, "Dragons: Riders of Berk."
A scene from DreamWorks Animation’s TV show, “Dragons: Riders of Berk.”

Glendale – Glendale is home to DreamWorks Animation SKG. Up until now, DreamWorks Animation has focused primarily on making animated movies, but this week they have become a multifaceted media company. They signed deals this week with Netflix and a German leading children’s television channel to produce animated television shows for them. With the decline in DVD sales everywhere, DreamWorks has decided to expand their horizons in order to not have to rely solely on box office revenues from their animated features.  

The Glendale company will be creating over 300 hours of programming for Netflix. DreamWorks Animation has already produced several animated television shows based on their character from previous films, such as “Dragons: Riders of Berk,” which airs on Cartoon Network and is based on the 2010 movie, “How to Train Your Dragon.” By creating animated programming for Germany’s children’s channel, they are also guaranteeing that their franchises will continue to grow and be enjoyed by children all over the world.

DreamWorks Animation’s first animated film was “Antz” and was released in 1998. To date they have released 26 movies, and they have all been very successful. Most notably, “Shrek,” “Madagascar,” and “How to Train Your Dragon” have been the most successful, as well as their sequels. DreamWorks Animation is preparing for their next premiere, which will take place next month for “Turbo.” This movie will tell the story of an ordinary garden snail whose dream is to become the fastest snail in the world. “Turbo” is scheduled to be released on July 17th.

DreamWorks Animation was spun-off from DreamWorks Studios in 2004 and is headed by one of the original founders, Jeffrey Katzenberg.