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Sony Buys Majority Stake in Skarsgård Family

Sony Pictures Television’s long-rumoured acquisition of the Skarsgård is finally official, with the company adding a hugely successful household of Swedish actors to its growing arsenal.

Sony announced on Monday that it had taken a majority stake in the family, which includes patriarch Stellan Skarsgård, plus sons including Alexander and Bill. Financial details weren’t disclosed, but industry sources put the cost at around $90 million.

“We’re absolutely thrilled to be starting this exciting new relationship with the incredible Skarsgårds, and can’t wait to see the fruits of this collaboration,” said a Sony spokesperson in a statement.

“With Stellan still going strong thanks to Chernobyl and Dune, Alexander hitting new heights with The Northman and Succession, Bill recently seen in Eternals and with the next John Wick lined up, and even Gustaf, one of the lesser-known Skarsgårds, having been cast in Christopher Nolan’s Oppenheimer, this is a family that shows no sign of slowing down.”

Added the spokesperson: “And with more Skarsgårds being discovered all the time, we really do have high hopes for our investment.”
WWE to Produce 2023 Oscars Ceremony

The Academy has made an unexpectedly early hire for its 2023 Oscars ceremony, bringing on board WWE to produce.

WWE replaces Will Packer, who oversaw the 2022 ceremony, and has been appointed to “take the high-octane, adrenaline-pumping action viewers loved last Sunday and turn up the heat,” said AMPAS in a statement.

The hire comes after the telecast of year’s ceremony saw a 60 percent surge in viewers on ABC, with numerous insiders saying that the Academy wanted to build on this momentum and focus on the show’s more popular moments.

“We couldn’t be more pumped to be getting in the ring with the Oscars,” said WWE CEO Vince McMahon. “Together, AMPAS and WWE will be the ultimate tag-team champions and we simply can’t wait to see the acting elite bodyslamming each other for Hollywood’s top championship belts next year.”
Will Smith Can Only Truly Apologize By Starring in Another ‘Men in Black’ Sequel, Says ‘Men in Black’ Producer

Will Smith’s apology to Chris Rock for his infamous slap at the Academy Awards is simply not enough, says one Hollywood producer.

“I read the non-apology that Will posted to Instagram and thought it was just pathetic,” says Walter Graham, one of the producers of the Men in Black franchise. “Saying that your actions were ‘unacceptable and inexcusable’ and describing yourself as a ‘work in progress’ is all well and good, but these are just meaningless words. And in Hollywood, we need actions.”

According to Graham, the only way for Smith can possibly repair his profile and standing in the industry would be to return to one of his most famous roles.

“For Will to truly show that he’s sorry, Hollywood needs to see return to his roots, and by roots I mean a hit sci-fi action comedy franchise,” added Graham. “Another Men in Black film, which I’m currently developing, would be the perfect apology.”
Vladimir Putin Compares Will Smith to Russia

The day after he was at the center of one of the most shocking moments in Oscars history, Will Smith has found an unlikely defender in the Kremlin.

In a confusing and rambling televised address on Monday, Russian leader Vladimir Putin threw his support behind the actor, who caused an international stir after slapping Chris Rock live on stage during the Academy Awards.

“Unlike so much of Hollywood and the West, Smith has shown he is no sissy nancyboy, like Russia.” Putin said.

“And we will slap Kiev. We will slap Odessa. We will slap Poland if need be. We will keep slapping the West until it apologizes for calling Russia the G.I. Janes of history,” he added. “We are not Demi Moore! We are Bruce Willis but Russian so tougher. We Die Hardest with Vengence. And slap the world.”
Jane Campion, Sam Elliott Found Dead After Shootout on Oscars Red Carpet

In what appears to have been the climax of a feud that was dominating the 2022 awards season, Jane Campion and Sam Elliott have been found dead following a shootout just hours before the Academy Awards ceremony.

The two bodies were recovered on the red carpet of the Dolby Theater, with police reporting that they were positioned 50 yards apart, with one solitary gunshot wound each and vintage Colt Six-Shooter revolvers at their feet.

Both Campion and Elliott had been at loggerheads over the last week after Elliott described the director’s awards season darling The Power of the Dog as “looking like a dime’s worth of dog meat.” In response, while collecting the top prize on stage at the DGA Awards, Campion said that Elliott knew as much about filmmaking “as a hog does a hip pocket in a bathing suit,” adding that his “mustache smelled like a mildewed saddle blanket after it had been rid on a sore back hoss three hundred miles in August.”

At the Oscars ceremony, Campion could make history as the first filmmaker to win best film while also featuring in the in memoriam section.
Ken Loach to Launch NFT Collection

Ken Loach is getting into the NFT game.

The twice Palme d’Or-winning director is partnering with viral photo site and streaming platform Platinum VIP Lounge to enter the NFT space with a line of blockchain collectibles that will explore elements of Loachian filmmaking.

Each token in the Official Cathy Come Home NFT 1000 will have a unique graphic of Loach and accompanying quote taken from one his films relating either to anti-imperialism, the plight of the working class, or left-wing politics.

“I’m absolutely thrilled to be teaming with my good friends at Platinum VIP Lounge on my first set of NFTs,” said Loach. “Ever since I bought my first Bored Ape NFT last year I’ve been looking to put my own name on a collection and I simply cannot wait for fellow NFT enthusiasts to get their hands on these super cool tokens.”

In a call with Benelux & Airlines, Platinum VIP Lounge founder Chaz Fortune said he was “absolutely pumped” to be launching an NFT collection with “his favourite movie director in the world,” describing it as a “real dream come true.”

“We have no doubt that this set — featuring inspirational, thought-provoking and politically-rousing lines from films such as I, Daniel Blake, Land and Freedom and The Wind that Shakes the Barley — will sell out in no time,” he added. “Vive la NFT revolution!”
Russian Oscars Broadcast to Include Dubbed Acceptance Speeches Praising Putin

In news that will likely shock Hollywood to its core, B&A has heard reports of a plan by the Russian government to subvert this Sunday’s Academy Awards ceremony.

According to multiple sources, although the Oscars is being broadcast on the state-owned Red Square TV, the Kremlin will be dubbing the acceptance speeches of the winners, changing their words so that — in Russian — they appear to make statements praising Vladimir Putin and supporting the current “special operation” in Ukraine.

In extracts of the script seen by B&A, should Will Smith win best actor for King Richard, the Russian dubbing will see him thank “his wife, children, team, director, fellow castmembers and the one-true Fresh Prince, my homie Vlad, and his brave forces fighting to end the genocide in the People’s Republics of Donetsk and Lugansk.”

Likewise, should Jane Campion take home best director for The Power of the Dog, the filmmaker will be heard to Russian audiences comparing the rise of female voices in Hollywood to the “rise of Vladimir Putin as the voice of justice and freedom.”

In the eventuality that CODA’s deaf star Troy Kotsur wins best supporting actor, the Kremlin has reportedly hired a sign language expert to ensure the translation of his acceptance speech is replaced with an enthusiastic address in support of “Mother Russia and its fearless leader”.
‘CODA’ to Get All-Hearing Remake

CODA, Sian Heder’s triple-Oscar-nominated drama about a hearing person in a deaf family who discovers her singing talent, is getting an all-hearing adaptation.

Benelux & Airlines can reveal that the film — which has become an awards season darling and is now among the favourites to clinch the best picture on Sunday — is being remade with the deaf family, played by Marlee Matlin, Troy Kotsur and Daniel Durant, replaced with a hearing family. Dolby has come on board to co-produce.

“It’s been so uplifting following the journey of this beautiful and groundbreaking little film and the incredible impact it has had on the deaf community around the world,” said the producers in a statement. “We’re now hoping to capitalize on the phenomenal success of CODA and use it to help inspire other groups, including the non-deaf community, and open a cinematic window into their world.”

Producers have vowed to keep the same ethos as the original CODA, which used deaf actors for deaf roles, and hire only hearing actors.

“We had to fight to use deaf actors in CODA and we’ll fight to use non-deaf actors in this remake,” said a source close to the production. “Representation is hugely important for us and the main reason we’re so excited about this new adaptation.”

Producers are also reportedly considering shifting the setting of the non-deaf CODA from coastal Massachusetts to Upper West Side New York City.
Oscars: Kanye West to Rap Names of Deceased in Ceremony’s In Memoriam Segment (EXCLUSIVE)

Kanye West may not be performing at the Grammys, but he will be taking to the stage at the Academy Awards, Benelux and Airlines can reveal.

As part of attempts to shore up interest in Sunday’s telecast, the artist has been booked to perform during the ceremony’s In Memoriam section, according to a source involved with the show.

B&A understands that West will rap the names of those the Academy has tragically lost over the last year during the tribute, finding fitting rhyming couplets for the likes of Sidney Poitier, Betty White and William Hurt.

“I can’t wait to see what Kanye does with Peter Bogdanovich,” said the source, who added that West would be adapting the lyrics to his hit 2005 song “Gold Digger.”
AMPAS Sent “Stunningly” Edited, Scored Hostage Video Demanding it Reinstate 8 Oscars in Telecast

In what appears to be a dramatic escalation of the ongoing fallout from the Academy’s controversial decision to exclude eight craft categories from the Oscars telecast, AMPAS has reportedly been sent a hostage video that sources have described as being “stunningly” edited and scored.

In the video, set to an original piece of orchestral music that an AMPAS insider said “plays with modern elements but deploys classical flourishes to truly underpin the emotions of the scene,” an unnamed AMPAS employee — tied to a chair — reads out a statement demanding that the eight categories be televised.

Filled with lingering close up shots of the hostage that the insider said “don’t simply draw the audience into their point of view, but almost allow them to experience their personal trauma,” the video is now in the hands of the Los Angeles Police Department.

“We don’t condone violence in any manner, but the Foley work on this was just incredible,” AMPAS said in a statement, adding that, should the hostage be returned “safe and well,” it looked forward to the filmmakers submitting the hostage video for 2023’s Live-Action Short Oscar, which it confirmed would not be televised.