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The intent of THR‘s annual list of the 50 Most Powerful Showrunners is to provide an accurate state of the TV union — a rundown of the writer-producers selling in an increasingly fraught media climate, making culturally relevant and awards-friendly shows and serving the masses at a time when consensus entertainment has all but vanished. It’s also a great opportunity to pick some brains.

Those showrunners who made the 2023 list were polled on a variety of subjects. If Suits can become a streaming hit years after ending, what other shows deserve a similar fate? What IP are they dying to get their hands on? What’s already a pressing issue for the next WGA contract negotiation with the studios? And if they found themselves with a burner social media account, what would they do with it?

Here are some of the best answers to those and more questions.

If I...

Exclusive: Taylor Jenkins Reid’s novel The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo is being turned into a Netflix movie with Little Fires Everywhere creator Liz Tigelaar adapting.

The book, which has recently spent 54 weeks on the New York Times Bestseller Paperback list, four years after publishing, and has turned into a TikTok book phenomenon, follows reclusive Hollywood legend Evelyn Hugo, who chooses an unknown reporter, Monique Grant, to tell her life story. Evelyn recounts her time in the Golden Age of Hollywood, her rise to fame, and her seven marriages — revealing stunning secrets and lies. But through it all one question remains: Why has she chosen Monique for her final confession?

Producing the project are Liza Chasin for 3Dot Productions and Brad Mendelsohn for Circle of Confusion. The feature project continues Netflix’s creative partnership with Chasin and 3Dot. EPs are Reid and Margaret Chernin

Tigelaar was most recently creator,...

Atx Television Festival has set June 2-5 as its 2022 dates, planning to return to in-person events but still provide a virtual attendee option.

Additionally, the festival announced that submissions for its annual pitch competition are now open and will be through Jan. 30, 2022.

This will be the festival’s 11th year overall, but its first in-person one since 2019. Programming information, as well as details on how to attend, is expected to be announced in January 2022.

The pitch competition gives undiscovered writers a chance to pitch their script ideas to top decision-makers in television (both on the creative side and executives). First, applicants must submit a 90-second video pitch and a 10-page writing sample for a scripted TV show. The top candidates are narrowed down by a panel composed of network and studio executives, showrunners and other writers and producers, as well as The Black List, Sundance Episodic Labs and Inevitable Foundation,...

After hosting fully virtual festivals the last two years, the Atx TV Festival will return next year with an in-person event for its 11th edition, along with a virtual option. The 2022 event, dubbed “TV Camp for Grown Ups,” is set for June 2-5 in downtown Austin.

Expected for next year’s event are screenings, Q&As, events, and a return of the annual Pitch Competition. Details on how to attend, badges, passes, pricing, and initial programming confirmations will be announced in January.

The Pitch Competition begins accepting submissions November 15; applications are due January 30. The competition provides up-and-coming TV writers a chance to pitch their scripted ideas to decision-makers. It also gives those without access to the industry a path to management, agents, staffing; all finalists get tools and resources for career advancement.

Applicants submit 90-second video pitches and a 10-page writing sample. The pitches are judged by a panel of network and studio executives,...

Taylor Jenkins Reid has had quite the busy slate. As she prepared for the release and debut of her new book, Malibu Rising from Ballantine Books, news of future Reid projects quickly followed.

Amid the book’s publication last week, The Hollywood Reporter exclusively announced that it is also in development for a television series at Hulu with Little Fires Everywhere creator, showrunner and executive producer Liz Tigelaar and writer Amy Talkington, who will reteam for the adaptation. The potential series was bought preemptively by the Disney-owned streamer in advance of the book’s June 1 publication.

“Everything’s sort of happening at once. I’m ...

Taylor Jenkins Reid has had quite the busy slate. As she prepared for the release and debut of her new book, Malibu Rising from Ballantine Books, news of future Reid projects quickly followed.

Amid the book’s publication last week, The Hollywood Reporter exclusively announced that it is also in development for a television series at Hulu with Little Fires Everywhere creator, showrunner and executive producer Liz Tigelaar and writer Amy Talkington, who will reteam for the adaptation. The potential series was bought preemptively by the Disney-owned streamer in advance of the book’s June 1 publication.

“Everything’s sort of happening at once. I’m ...

Hulu is headed to Mailbu.

Author Taylor Jenkins Reid’s recently released novel Malibu Rising (Ballantine Books) is being developed as a TV series for Hulu. The potential series was bought preemptively by the Disney-owned streamer in advance of the book’s June 1 publication.

Little Fires Everywhere creator, showrunner and executive producer Liz Tigelaar will exec produce the series alongside Brad Mendelsohn, Stacey Silverman and Jennifer Gwartz. Amy Talkington, who wrote and produced Little Fires Everywhere, will re-team with Tigelaar to exec produce and write the Malibu Rising adaptation. Jenkins Reid will exec produce.

Reid’s Malibu Rising, which is her follow-up to her New ...

Hulu is headed to Mailbu.

Author Taylor Jenkins Reid’s recently released novel Malibu Rising (Ballantine Books) is being developed as a TV series for Hulu. The potential series was bought preemptively by the Disney-owned streamer in advance of the book’s June 1 publication.

Little Fires Everywhere creator, showrunner and executive producer Liz Tigelaar will exec produce the series alongside Brad Mendelsohn, Stacey Silverman and Jennifer Gwartz. Amy Talkington, who wrote and produced Little Fires Everywhere, will reteam with Tigelaar to exec produce and write the Malibu Rising adaptation. Jenkins Reid will exec produce.

Reid’s Malibu Rising, which is her follow-up to her New ...

The Writers Guild of America announced their WGA Awards TV nominations for on Wednesday, February 3. After getting just one bid from the Golden Globes earlier in the day, AMC’s “Better Call Saul” rebounded to top all shows with five nominations including for Drama Series along with Amazon Studios’ “The Boys,” Disney +’s “The Mandalorian” and Netflix’s “The Crown” and “Ozark.”

Hulu lands two shows in contention for Comedy Series with “The Great” and “PEN15,” making the streaming service the only company to score multiple nominees in the category. They are joined by HBO’s “Curb Your Enthusiasm,” Apple TV+’s “Ted Lasso” and FX’s “What We Do in the Shadows.”

Another notable feat belongs to “The Simpsons,” which dominates the animation category with four of the six nominations. Despite premiering over 30 years ago, the Fox series shows no signs of writer’s fatigue. “Bob’s Burgers” and “BoJack Horseman...

The WGA on Wednesday unveiled nominations for its 2021 WGA Awards in the categories of TV, new media, news, radio/audio and promotional writing during 2020. Winners will be honored March 21 in a virtual ceremony.

AMC’s Better Call Saul topped all shows with five nominations including for Drama Series, joining a list that includes Amazon Studios’ The Boys, Netflix’s The Crown (which led the way on the TV side at the Golden Globe nominations earlier today) and Ozark and Disney+’s The Mandalorian.

Also making noise today is Hulu, the only other company to have multiple noms in the top categories; it scored in Comedy with Tony McNamara’s The Great and Pen15 and FX on Hulu’s What We Do in the Shadows, which are joined in the race by HBO’s Curb Your Enthusiasm and Apple TV+’s Ted Lasso.

Lasso is also nominated in the New Series,...

The nominations for the 2021 Writers Guild Award TV categories were announced on Wednesday, with streaming series dominating the lineup.

Both the drama series and the comedy series categories were majority streaming, with hits like “The Queen’s Gambit,” “The Mandalorian,” “The Crown” and “Ozark” sitting alongside fan-favorites like “PEN15,” “The Great” and “Ted Lasso.” Other nominees included HBO Max’s “The Flight Attendant,” HBO’s “Lovecraft Country” and Showtime’s “Good Lord Bird.

“Better Call Saul” also landed three additional nominations for individual episodes, with “Ozark” picking up another. “The Great” and “Ted Lasso” both picked up nomination for individual episodes as well as for Best New Series.

Comedy and variety nominees included Peacock’s fledgling late-night show, “The Amber Ruffin Show,” Amazon’s “Yearly Departed,” the one-off “30 Rock” reunion special and Stephen Colbert’s 2020 election coverage on Showtime.

Nominations in the film categories will be announced later this month,...

“Better Call Saul” are among the top nominees for this year’s Writers Guild Awards, landing a nod for best drama series, as well as three nominations in the episodic drama category. “The Simpsons” landed four nominations in best animation, while newcomers “Ted Lasso” and “The Great” both scored nominations in best comedy, new series and episodic comedy. Winners will be honored at a joint 2021 Writers Guild Awards virtual ceremony on Sunday, March 21, 2021. Here’s the complete list of nominations, announced on Wednesday morning:

Drama Series

“Better Call Saul,” Written by Ann Cherkis, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Ariel Levine, Heather Marion, Thomas Schnauz, Gordon Smith, Alison Tatlock; AMC

“The Boys,” Written by Eric Kripke, Ellie Monahan, Anslem Richardson, Craig Rosenberg, Michael Saltzman, Rebecca Sonnenshine; Amazon Prime Video

“The Crown,” Written by Peter Morgan, Jonathan Wilson; Netflix

“The Mandalorian,” Written by Rick Famuyiwa, Jon Favreau, Dave Filoni; Disney Plus

“Ozark,” Written by Laura Deeley,...

Liz Tigelaar’s “Little Fires Everywhere” writers’ room was on the Paramount lot, a central point between herself and many of her Eastside writers. But when the show wrapped, she wanted to move her space closer to home in Venice Beach. Her new location, into which she moved in January, is now only blocks from the beach, as well as her son’s school. The second-floor space includes a balcony where she, her writers and her dog Frites can collaborate. “I’ve been all over for so many years of my career, but now I just feel like I get to work at home,” she says.

Artist of Another Kind

Tigelaar doesn’t just write and produce, she also likes to paint, and back in 2005 she was starting to play with texture and using different materials in her pieces. That was also when “American Dreams,” a period drama on which she was a writer,...

“We’re a show that’s grieving right now on multiple levels,” said Liz Tigelaar during the Little Fires Everywhere writers panel on the final day of Atx TV…from the Couch!.

She first paid tribute to fellow Little Fires executive producer and director Lynn Shelton, who passed away in May from complications of a previously unidentified blood disorder. “We’re grieving for Lynn Shelton, our executive producer, who directed four of the eight episodes, whom we tragically lost very suddenly. We’re grieving for her family, for her friends, for her colleagues, and for her films that we’re not going to get to see, all the work she was still yet to do,” said Tigelaar.

“We’re also grieving with the country for the life of George Floyd, all the black men and women who’ve been murdered simply for being black, said Tigelaar, turning her attention to current events.

HBO’s upcoming adaptation of “Perry Mason,” HBO Max’s new ballroom competition series “Legendary” and reunions of “Justified” and “Psych” are among the series taking part in Atx Television Festival’s first-ever virtual television festival, the organization announced Friday.

Other newly announced programming includes Pop TV’s “One Day at a Time,” HBO Max’s “Search Party,” Hulu’s “Little Fires Everywhere,” Showtime’s “Outcry” and the “One Chicago” franchise. Additionally, the three-day screening and panel series of events will be raising awareness and funds for Direct Relief and the Actors Fund, in an effort to benefit those affected by the Covid-19 pandemic.

“In choosing to go virtual, we knew this was also an opportunity to raise awareness and support for those who have been negatively impacted by Covid-19. It was important for us to partner with organizations that support the industry we are celebrating and the healthcare workers...

Atx Television Festival’s very first virtual edition titled “Atx TV….From The Couch!” has unveiled additional panels for the event which is set to take place June 5-7.

The fest will feature the marquee panel conversation with the cast and creatives of HBO’s reboot of Perry Mason. Audiences will get a first look at the new gritty drama ahead of its June 21 premiere date. Hulu will also bring their original series Little Fires Everywhere to the fest with a panel featuring showrunner/executive producer Liz Tigelaar, co-executive producer/writer Attica Locke, co-executive producer/writer Raamla Mohamed, co-executive producer/writer Amy Talkington, co-executive producer/writer Nancy Won, writer/producer Shannon Houston, writer/producer Harris Danow, and writer/producer Rosa Handelman

HBO Max, which launches May 27, will enter the fold, serving a panel “Extravaganza” with the cast from the new reality voguing competition, Legendary. There will also be a table...

When the original Valley Girl was released in 1983, most of you weren't even a thought in your parents' imaginations.

Meanwhile, like the Valley Girls themselves, I was a high school senior navigating the chilly waters of teenage acceptance.

Because of that film and its place in history, most of you probably have a better idea of girls from the valley than I did at that time. All we knew of such places came from entertainment, and until the Frank and Moon Zappa song arrived (which very loosely inspired the film), everything from The Valley was as distant as Arabia to a girl from Pittsburgh.

Fast forward an incredible 37 years, and the movie that fascinated a generation and launched the career of Nicolas Cage gets a reboot.

Given my very soft feelings for the original film, the thought of replacing it worried me. And it's a musical, which is not, by any stretch,...

Stars: Jessica Rothe, Josh Whitehouse, Chloe Bennet, Peyton List, Jessie Ennis, Mae Whitman, Mario Revolori, Rob Huebel, Judy Greer | Written by Amy Talkington | Directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg

1983’s Valley Girl was one of a myriad of teen movies that decade that mixed wish-fulfilment and star-crossed lovers to riff on the old Romeo and Juliet premise. And whilst the film featured a career-defining role from Nicolas Cage as one half of the lovers at the centre of the film, the movie has – in the years since – seemingly fallen out of favour with both those that lived through that decade of cinema and those who look back on those films with a fondness, be it an ironic fondness or not.

Originally slated for release in 2018, this Valley Girl was set to follow hot on the heels of the remake of Adventures in Babysitting, another remake of an 80s favourite. A few...

Remember Valley Girl? Back in the 80s, the romantic comedy helped usher in a new era for films. Eventually turning into a cult classic, the movie now has spawned a remake. Luckily, as misguided as that idea may have initially sounded, this take on the material, imagining it as a jukebox musical of sorts, has a surprisingly large amount of life to it. It’s cheesy and unrepentantly old fashioned, but it has a ton of charm, as well. Hitting Digital today, this is a fun little flick, one that you’ll likely smile at throughout its entire running time. Whether you’re a fan of the original or not, this is just a good time. The movie is a remake of the 1983 title of the same name, though this version of the plot is told a bit differently. Here, an older Julie (Alicia Silverstone) is telling the story of...

Everyone knows the beats of the original “Valley Girl,” a neon-colored gem of teen-centric ’80s moviemaking that should be remembered in the same breath as “Fast Times at Ridgemont High” and “Sixteen Candles” and yet has remained oddly hard to come by in the nearly four decades since it was released. Like most great high school-set love stories, it’s a Romeo and Juliet tale, this time configured around a pair of decidedly period-appropriate lovers: a high-ponytailed Valley Girl and a tattooed Hollywood punk. Martha Coolidge’s original film, which starred Deborah Foreman and a young Nicolas Cage,

Anyone prone to snarking at this material from the outset will be turned from the start, and the anachronistic nature of the material doesn’t help matters. However, Goldenberg’s film manages to evoke the spirit of coming of age during a singular cultural moment. Alongside screenwriter Amy Talkington, she has even...

Southern California is first and foremost a car culture. Everything’s so spread out, any trip to the mall, the movies, the beach takes place on wheels. For today’s So Cal teens, those trips offer a chance to catchup on cell phone conversations, podcasts, maybe NPR, but back in the early ’80s, drive time was dominated by pop radio, and the stations competed to be cutting edge. You can hear that in the original “Valley Girl,” a generation-defining opposites-attract romance that opens with a helicopter shot that pans from Hollywood, up over the hills, past a radio tower, to the San Fernando Valley. We hear the L.A.-based station fade out and the female Valley-side DJ take over.

From there on, “Valley Girl” was basically wall-to-wall new wave discoveries — catchy, synth-powered songs from bands that hadn’t yet broken, lending cred to an otherwise conventional tale of the edgy,...

It must be written somewhere that any and all cinematic homages to the neon-tinged ’80s have to include the use of Cyndi Lauper’s pop classic “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.” That’s doubly true for films focused on girls coming of age during the decade: Lauper’s 1983 song even inspired a 1985 comedy with the same name. And the cinematic truism still holds in Rachel Lee Goldenberg’s new “Valley Girl,” a musical reimagining of Martha Coolidge’s 1983 cult classic.

For the first-time feature filmmaker, turning the film into a jukebox musical was actually a means of saluting the original. “I wanted to feel like there’s a reason and we’re not just rehashing this classic cult film, and the musical element felt like it gave permission to pay homage to it,” Goldenberg said in a recent interview. “Taking all these songs and re-producing them and re-imagining them...

In an alternate reality, MGM and Orion’s Valley Girl remake would have (maybe?) set hearts and theaters ablaze in June with its romantic, musical tale of new love discovered on the wrong side of town, but in this one, they’ve had to settle for a VOD release in the midst of an ongoing Covid-19 pandemic that has forced cinema chains around world to shut up shop. Consequently, Valley Girl‘s debut has now moved up a month to May, and a first trailer has arrived online to publicize the shift in plans.

Starring Happy Death Day‘s Jessica Rothe and Poldark‘s Josh Whitehouse, this remake reimagines the 1983 film, which featured a couple of blinding performances by Deborah Foreman and Nicolas Cage in his element. Clean-cut Julie and rocker Randy, aka Romeo and Juliet, are once again star-crossed lovers connecting at a party under the disapproving eye of society.

Orion Classics has dropped the first trailer for the musical remake of the 1983 teen romance classic “Valley Girl,” and the distributor has revealed that the film will now hit digital on May 8.

And the first look, is, like, ya know, totally ’80s and rad.

Jessica Rothe and Josh Whitehouse star in “Valley Girl” — which is a remake of the film starring Nicolas Cage and Deborah Foreman — but this time with a musical take. The film is told as a flashback to the ’80s, with the mom of her own teen girl remembering her life as an ’80s jukebox musical. The trailer itself includes colorful takes on The Go-Go’s and A-Ha and should scratch that ’80s nostalgia itch if you’re still waiting on “Wonder Woman 1984” or the next season of “Stranger Things.”

Also Read: 'Happy Death Day 2U' Star Jessica Rothe on Dying 'Only 8 Times' In Sequel: 'The...

“Shazam!” star Zachary Levi is set to star in a new comedy with “Riverdale” actor Cole Sprouse called “Undercover,” set up at Lionsgate and Mandeville Films. Levi announced the news on his Instagram on Tuesday.

“Y’all, this is gonna be a real humdinger,” Levi said on Instagram. “It’s gonna be chock full of heart, humor, and some of the most iconic tunes of the last 50 years, that I get to Sing!!!”

In “Undercover,” Levi will play Jack, a down-on-his-luck rocker-turned-father, who, to make ends meet, secretly joins a group of young musicians in a wedding cover band led by misfit Ben, played by Sprouse. Things start looking up for this ragtag band, but when Jack’s secret gets revealed, he rediscovers what’s truly important in life while teaching Ben to find his own voice as a musical talent.

Also Read: Seth Rogen's Point Grey to Team...

“Shazam!” star Zachary Levi and “Riverdale’s” Cole Sprouse have boarded Lionsgate’s music-driven comedy “Undercover” from director Steve Pink.

Levi will play a down-on-his-luck rocker-turned-father, who secretly joins a group of young musicians in a wedding cover band led by Sprouse. When things start looking up for the band, Levi’s character gets exposed.

Mandeville Films’ Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman will produce the project. Their credits include “Wonder,” “Beauty and the Beast” and “The Muppets.” Pink’s directing credits include the two “Hot Tub Time Machine” movies. He also wrote the scripts for “High Fidelity” and “Grosse Pointe Blank.”

“Undercover” was written by Amy Talkington, with revisions by Jonathan Igla, Diablo Cody, Chris Hazzard and Michael Fontana. Jonathan Levine serves as executive producer. Alex Young is an executive producer for Mandeville Films.

“Like ‘School of Rock’ and ‘Pitch Perfect,’ ‘Undercover’ is a movie that unites audiences with the...

Shazam star Zachary Levi made the news official today about the upcoming music-driven family comedy film Undercover on his Instagram. Lionsgate is reuniting with Mandeville Films for the movie which will also star Cole Sprouse, and be directed by Steve Pink, who previously directed such music-driven movies as Hot Tub Time Machine and wrote the seminal classics High Fidelity and Grosse Point Blank. Mandeville Films’ Todd Lieberman and David Hoberman are producing, their $1.8 billion-grossing credits including such family hits as Lionsgate’s Wonder, and Disney’s Beauty and the Beast, and The Muppets. Undercover was written by Amy Talkington, with revisions by Jonathan Igla, Diablo Cody, Chris Hazzard & Michael Fontana. Jonathan Levine serves as executive producer. Alex Young serves as an executive producer for Mandeville Films. Levi will play Jack, a down-on-his-luck rocker-turned-father, who, to make ends meet, secretly joins a group of young musicians in a wedding cover band led by misfit Ben,...

In some totally tubular news, Variety reports that Mae Whitman has just joined the Valley Girl musical remake. Whitman will play a “punk rock lesbian” who is Randy’s (Josh Whitehouse, who succeeds Nicolas Cage) bandmate and best friend. Mary + Jane’s Jessica Rothe is in the role of Julie, who was played by Deborah Foreman in the original film. MGM’s backing the project, based on Martha Coolidge’s 1983 film, which will be directed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg from a script by Amy Talkington, with some doctoring from Martin Noxon. Matt Smith—the Maleficent executive producer, not the Doctor—is producing. The original soundtrack, which includes some Toni Basil, Sparks, and Bananarama, should afford the filmmakers plenty of opportunities to make this a bitchin’ musical adaptation.

Exclusive: Chloe Bennet and social media star Logan Paul have been cast in MGM’s musical remake Valley Girl, along with Better Call Saul‘s Jessie Ennis and Ashleigh Murray (Riverdale). The group join topliners Jessica Rothe and Josh Whitehouse in the pic with Rachel Lee Goldenberg at the helm. Written by Amy Talkington, with revisions by Marti Noxon., production is slated to begin in La next month. The adaptation to the 1983 original follows Julie (Rothe), a…...

Exclusive: Jessica Rothe has signed on to star in the musical adaptation of the 1983 romantic comedy Valley Girl, which is being helmed by Rachel Lee Goldenberg for MGM. The script was penned by Amy Talkington and Matt Smith is attached to produce with filming slated to begin next year. The remake follows Julie (Rothe), a sweet-natured San Fernando Valley girl whose world and values are rocked when she falls hard for a punk rocker from Hollywood. Martha Coolidge directed…...

The carcass of the 1980s has not yet been picked clean, so MGM is going forward with its musical adaptation of Martha Coolidge’s well-remembered 1983 cult film Valley Girl. And now, the project even has a director: Rachel Goldenberg, probably best known for helming the 2015 Lifetime movie A Deadly Adoption with Will Ferrell and Kristen Wiig. (Goldenberg has also directed episodes of The Mindy Project and Angie Tribeca.) Matt Smith will produce this newfangled Valley Girl, and Goldenberg will direct from a script by Amy Talkington, who also appears to be working on a Private Benjamin reboot.

In the original independent sleeper hit, Nicolas Cage plays a Hollywood punk rocker named Randy who falls in love with Julie (Deborah Foreman), a resident of the San Fernando Valley, famed at the time for its unique slang and fashion. Considering that Valley Girl was made to cash in on an ...

Exclusive: Universal Pictures has acquired an untitled comedic dance movie pitch to be scripted by Amy Talkington. Brownstone Productions’ Elizabeth Banks and Max Handelman will produce. Talkington most recently wrote Sabrina The Teenage Witch for Sony, Hot Fuss for Disney, and Ever After High for Mattel/Chernin Entertainment. Her draft of Valley Girl: The Musical is casting and gearing up for production at MGM. The studio is keeping details of the toe-tapping project…...

There’s been a change in the ranks for the planned remake of 1980 Goldie Hawn comedy Private Benjamin. While Anna Faris was lined up to star back in 2010, word now arrives that Rebel Wilson will instead pull on the fatigues and report for duty.We can see it making some sense: while Wilson and Farris’ comedy stylings are different, Wilson definitely allows for a more obviously different take on the story, albeit one with a lot of improv. The original, of course, saw Hawn’s entitled heiress joining the Army after her husband dies during sex on their wedding night. In the new film, Wilson’s character will apparently be a redneck who enlists to extricate herself from a tough situation. Though Amy Talkington was attached to write the script back four years ago, there’s no mention of her in Variety’s update of the story.Wilson has been...

Exclusive: Screenwriter Amy Talkington has made a deal for her first novel with Soho Teen, the young adult imprint of Soho Press. The novel, Liv, Forever, will be published next March, and a film package is quickly being assembled that has Talkington attached to adapt and Offspring Entertainment producing. They will shop it to studios shortly. Talkington has a lot going on as a screenwriter, including scripting the Clay Weiner-directed Valley Girl at MGM, the Alex Timbers-directed Hotfuss at Disney and the Jonathan Levine-directed Under Cover at Lionsgate. The novel aspires to be Ghost for the Twilight generation. Liv Bloom is murdered shortly after arriving at a prestigious New England boarding school. Her spirit remains and with the help of two boys–one of whom she’s fallen for and the other she reluctantly is trusting–she tries to solve her own murder. Offspring’s Adam Shankman...

Deadline reports that Paramount and MGM have teamed for a musical remake 1983's Valley Girl. The original film is a slice of 80's nostalgia with a nice mix of New Wave music and valley talk. It is the film that helped launch Nicolas Cage's acting career. The remake will be helmed by commercial director Clay Weiner.

This version of Valley Girl will still "follow the original story of a punk guy with no money from the wrong side of the tracks who sets his sights on winning the affection of a Valley girl with a loutishly preppy boyfriend." The remake will feature the actors singing songs from bands like The Go Go’s and The Cars. The long-gestating project has now been put on the fast track at MGM. Amy Talkington wrote the first draft of the script that is now being rewritten by Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married...

Paramount and MGM are teaming for a musical remake of 1983 romantic comedy "Valley Girl" which commercials director Clay Weiner will make his feature directorial debut on says Deadline.

The original followed a Hollywood punk (Nicolas Cage) with no money who sets his sights on winning the affection of a popular and pretty Valley girl (Deborah Foreman) with a loutishly preppy boyfriend (Michael Bowen) .

This musical version has the actors singing 80's New Wave tunes from bands like The Go Go’s and The Cars. Jenny Lumet ("Rachel Getting Married") is currently re-writing Amy Talkington's script.

Weiner reportedly put together a three-minute demo reel, paid for out of his own pocket, which helped him score the gig.

MGM’s near-bankruptcy from a few years back must have really shook them to their core, because ever since they came roaring (sigh) back they’ve been trying to remake nearly everything in their library from Robocop to Carrie to even the recently announced Death Wish.

Add another cog to the MGM Remake machine; Deadline reports that the studio, in conjunction with Paramount, are unleashing a remake of the 80′s classic Valley Girl, which helped change the lexicon of our country as well as jump started the career of Nicolas Cage. But this isn’t just a straight up remake because that would be too easy; instead MGM is turning Valley Girl into a musical in the same vein as the upcoming Rock of Ages where instead of exerting any creativity, they’re just optioning 80′s songs and having the cast sing them instead. Great. Didn’t we stop caring about the 80′s yet?...

MGM continued work on an upcoming slate of remakes including Brazilian director José Padilha’s new take on the ‘80s sci-fi classic Robocop; Boys Don’t Cry director Kimberly Peirce’s remake of the Stephen King horror Carrie and Joe Carnahan’s reboot of the Charles Bronson revenge thriller Death Wish. MGM added a musical remake of its ‘80s teen romance Valley Girl to its redo list and Deadline reported today on its fresh choice of director, Clay Weiner. Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married, The Language of Flowers) recently reworked Amy Talkington’s original script with Paramount joining MGM on the musical remake of the 1983 teen romance about a Los Angeles Punk Rocker dating a suburban girl.

MGM continued work on an upcoming slate of remakes including Brazilian director José Padilha’s new take on the ‘80s sci-fi classic Robocop; Boys Don’t Cry director Kimberly Peirce’s remake of the Stephen King horror Carrie and Joe Carnahan’s reboot of the Charles Bronson revenge thriller Death Wish. MGM added a musical remake of its ‘80s teen romance Valley Girl to its redo list and Deadline reported today on its fresh choice of director, Clay Weiner. Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married, The Language of Flowers) recently reworked Amy Talkington’s original script with Paramount joining MGM on the musical remake of the 1983 teen romance about a Los Angeles Punk Rocker dating a suburban girl.

MGM continued work on an upcoming slate of remakes including Brazilian director José Padilha’s new take on the ‘80s sci-fi classic Robocop; Boys Don’t Cry director Kimberly Peirce’s remake of the Stephen King horror Carrie and Joe Carnahan’s reboot of the Charles Bronson revenge thriller Death Wish. MGM added a musical remake of its ‘80s teen romance Valley Girl to its redo list and Deadline reported today on its fresh choice of director, Clay Weiner. Jenny Lumet (Rachel Getting Married, The Language of Flowers) recently reworked Amy Talkington’s original script with Paramount joining MGM on the musical remake of the 1983 teen romance about a Los Angeles Punk Rocker dating a suburban girl.

As soon as we thought we could predict the outcome of the Oscars, here comes another surprise! This one's brought to you by the Writers Guild of America. Picked for Best Original Screenplay was Christopher Nolan's "Inception." The director, famously dissed for not getting a Best Director Oscar nomination, may just win the Best Original Screenplay come Oscar night. Oscar front-runner, "The King's Speech" was not nominated because it didn't quality under union rules which prompted Nolan to say during his WGA acceptance award that he looked forward to a time when he could accept the award "without qualification."

That could be the beginning of a great script Mr. Nolan, go write it :happy

For adapted screenplay, I'm happy to report that Aaron Sorkin's fantastic script won! Based on "The Accidental Billionaires" by Ben Mezrich, "The Social Network" was the only film last year that I predicted to win this very category.

HollywoodNews.com: The Writers Guild of America, West (Wgaw) and the Writers Guild of America, East (Wgae) tonight announced the winners of the 2011 Writers Guild Awards for outstanding achievement in writing for screen, television, radio, news, promotional, videogame, and new media writing at simultaneous ceremonies at the Renaissance Hollywood Hotel-Grand Ballroom in Los Angeles and the Axa Equitable Center in New York City.

Screen Winners

Original Screenplay

Inception, Written by Christopher Nolan; Warner Bros.

Adapted Screenplay

The Social Network, Screenplay by Aaron Sorkin; Based on the book The Accidental Billionaires by Ben Mezrich; Sony Pictures

Documentary Screenplay

Inside Job, Written by Charles Ferguson; Co-written by Chad Beck, Adam Bolt; Sony Pictures Classic

Television Winners

Drama Series

Mad Men, Written by Jonathan Abrahams, Lisa Albert, Keith Huff, Jonathan Igla,Andre Jacquemetton, Maria Jacquemetton, Brett Johnson, Janet Leahy, Erin Levy,

Tracy McMillan, Dahvi Waller, Matthew Weiner; AMC

Comedy Series

Modern Family, Written by Jerry Collins,...

"I Love You Phillip Morris" came out of nowhere and secured a nod for the 2011 Writers Guild Awards. Based on the book by Steven McVicker, the film starring Jim Carrey and Ewan McGRegor as prisoners in love received a Best Adapted Screenplay nomination.

"Phillip Morris" will be competing with awards-favorites "127 Hours" (screenplay by Danny Boyle & Simon Beaufoy), "The Social Network" (screenplay Aaron Sorkin), "The Town" (screenplay by Peter Craig and Ben Affleck & Aaron Stockard), and True Grit (screenplay by Joel Coen & Ethan Coen).

In the Original Screenplay category, critics-darlings "Black Swan" (screenplay by Mark Heyman and Andres Heinz and John McLaughlin), "The Fighter" (screenplay by Scott Silver and Paul Tamasy & Eric Johnson), "Inception" (Christopher Nolan), and "The Kids Are All Right" (written by Lisa Cholodenko & Stuart Blumberg) will be competing with "Please Give" by Nicole Holofcener. Much like "I Love You Phillip Morris," "Please Give," a family dramedy set in New York,...

HollywoodNews.com: The Writers Guild of America, West and the Writers Guild of America, East have announced nominations for outstanding achievement in television, news, radio, promotional writing, and graphic animation during the 2010 season to be honored at the 2011 Writers Guild Awards on February 5, 2011, in Los Angeles and New York.

Television Nominees

Dramatic Series

Boardwalk Empire, Written by Meg Jackson, Lawrence Konner, Howard Korder, Steve Kornacki, Margaret Nagle, Tim Van Patten, Paul Simms, Terence Winter; HBO

Breaking Bad, Written by Sam Catlin, Vince Gilligan, Peter Gould, Gennifer Hutchison, George Mastras, Tom Schnauz, John Shiban, Moira Walley-Beckett; AMC

Dexter, Written by Scott Buck, Manny Coto, Charles H. Eglee, Lauren Gussis, Chip Johannessen, Jim Leonard, Clyde Phillips, Scott Reynolds, Melissa Rosenberg, Tim Schlattmann, Wendy West; Showtime

Friday Night Lights, Written by Bridget Carpenter, Kerry Ehrin, Ron Fitzgerald, Etan Frankel, Monica Henderson, David Hudgins, Rolin Jones, Jason Katims, Patrick Massett, Derek Santos Olson, John Zinman; NBC

Mad Men,...

Summit Entertainment doesn't have much experience with comedies—their latest, Furry Vengeance, looked like an abomination—but that's not stopping them from going forth with Under Cover, a high-concept comedy about "a recently divorced father of two who joins a youthful cover band so he can earn enough money to win his custody battle against his ex-wife". Hit the break to learn more. Pajiba broke the news, announcing that Summit is looking to Jim Carrey to take on the lead role. Or as they describe it, he's being "courted"—though I can't imagine they'd need to do much courting. From the premise alone, the film falls right in line with the rest of Carrey's filmography. The screenplay comes from Amy Talkington, who is currently scripting remakes of Valley Girl and Private Benjamin. All that really tells us is that studios apparently see Talkington as a good fit for remaking mostly forgotten '80s comedies.

Jim Carrey is being courted to star in "Under Cover" for Summit Entertainment according to Pajiba.

The story follows a recently divorced father of two who joins a youthful cover band so he can earn enough money to win his custody battle against his ex-wife.

Amy Talkington, who is penning the upcoming remakes of "Valley Girl" and "Private Benjamin", is writing the script.

Jim Carrey is being courted to star in Under Cover for Summit Entertainment, according to the Hollywood Cog. The movie, based on a script by Amy Talkington (currently scripting remakes of Valley Girl and Private Benjamin), is about a recently divorced father of two who joins a youthful cover band so he can earn enough money to win his custody battle against his ex-wife.

I thought this was strangely interesting: The average median age now for network television is 51. The average median age for CBS is 55; ABC is 51; NBC is 49; and Fox's is 44, all of which means that the average median age now doesn't even fall into the coveted 18-49 demographic. There are a lot of people watching network television that advertisers don't care about. (AP)

It's official: Ryan Reynolds beat out all of those other dudes and will star opposite Denzel Washington in Safe House, if Reynolds can fit...

New Line is remaking the 1980 comedy "Private Benjamin," reconfiguring it for the new century as a starring vehicle for Anna Faris (Scary Movie). Amy Talkington is in discussions to write the new film. .Benjamin. starred Goldie Hawn as a spoiled woman who joins the Army after her husband dies during sex on their wedding night. One of the top-grossing movies of that year, .Benjamin. was hailed for tackling women's issues and earned three Oscar nominations . for Hawn, supporting actress Eileen Brennan and original screenplay. The new take will set the story in contemporary times with modern wars as the backdrop. Insiders say the studio doesn't want to poke fun at the men and women in the service or take political potshots, but rather focus on the empowerment elements and build on the fish-out-of-water comedy. The title joins "Vacation" and "Police Academy" as the latest titles from the Warner Bros' library that New Line is remaking.

Anna Faris is set to star in a remake of Private Benjamin.

So as you see, this actress could take over Goldie Hawn’s role from 1980, in new remake (yes, if it’s not 3D then it’s a remake), but unfortunately we still don’t have any information about the possible director.

The only thing we know is that Amy Talkington is in talks to write for producer Mark Gordon.

We’re more than sure you all remember that interesting story about Judy Benjamin, a Jewish-American woman who joins the U.S. Army after her new husband dies on their wedding night during sex.

Duped by a sneaky recruiting sergeant who lets her believe military life to be more glamorous than it is, she has a rude awakening in boot camp. After getting in trouble constantly, Judy wants to quit but chooses to stick it out, and has a...

Anna Faris has just landed the role that made Goldie Hawn a superstar! The house bunny will be called up to duty for New Line's remake of "Private Benjamin!"

In the 1980 film, Hawn played a spoiled woman who joins the army after her husband dies during sex on their wedding night. The film was nominated for three Oscars including Hawn for best actress, Eileen Brennan for best supporting actress, and best original screenplay for Nancy Meyers, Charles Shyer, and Harvey Miller.

The original was rated R and the rating gave the filmmakers enough leeway to create a thoroughly engrossing film. Given the current economic state of Hollywood, you wanna bet that the remake will be PG-13 for wider audience?

But according to The Hollywood Reporter, the remake "will set the story in contemporary times with modern wars as the backdrop. Insiders say the studio doesn.t want to poke fun...