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Exclusive: Dennis Quaid has formed Bonniedale, a new production company in which he’s partnered with wife Laura Quaid and Ben Howard, latter of whom produced the Quaid-starrer Blue Miracle. They are cooking up a batch of film and TV projects that reflect the life affirming everyman themes of Quaid’s best remembered films, which include The Rookie, The Parent Trap and The Right Stuff.

First up is American Pride, a biopic of Charley Pride, the C&w superstar. Script is being written by Empire’s Dianne Houston, and Dolemite and Coming 2 America’s Craig Brewer will direct. Bonniedale is producing with Brewer and Third Coast Content. Quaid will play “Cowboy” Jack Clement, who wrote and recorded with Pride many of his breakthrough songs. Clement was also a longtime mentor to Quaid in his own music career. The name of the production company comes from Quaid’s mom’s middle name.

The tide is finally turning for female helmers vying to break into the male-dominated field of broadcast drama directing.

This pilot season marked a breakthrough with 14 of the 42 broadcast drama pilots going to female directors, reversing an alarming trend –four pilots directed by women in 2015, two in 2016 and just one last year.

Eight of the 14 drama pilots, or 57%, went to series. That includes ABC’s The Fix (Larysa Kondracki and The Rookie (Liz Friedlander), CBS’ Red Line (Victoria Mahoney), Fox’s Proven Innocent (Patricia Riggen), NBC’s New Amsterdam (Kate Dennis), The InBetween (Charlotte Sieling) and The Village (Minkie Spiro), and the CW’s Roswell, New Mexico (Julie Plec). Of the eight helmers, three were first pilot directors, and only one, Friedlander, had previously helmed a broadcast pilot.

Meanwhile, 46% of the drama pilots directed by men this year (13 out of 28) were picked up to series..

Drama pilots traditionally have been one of the toughest directing gigs to land, with the networks and studios imposing very high standards for level of accomplishments required for it. Drama pilots are a risky bet, costing $7 million-$8 million and sometimes as much as $15 million, and networks have been very conservative, handing jobs to either a big feature helmer or a veteran TV pilot director with a proven track record.

The problem with the dearth of broadcast drama pilots directed by women was trifold — there weren’t enough well-established female directors — in features or drama series — who would be getting straight pilot offers; there weren’t that many female episodic drama directors who have enough experience to land open pilot-directing assignments; and there wasn’t strong enough will on the part of the networks to give such helmers assignments.

All of that started to change over the past 1-2 years with Initiatives like NBC’s Female Forward, designed to give female directors the opportunity to get training and helm episodes of NBC series, and Ryan Murphy’s Half, aiming to hire 50% female directors to work on all his television shows, as well as series like Ava DuVernay’s Own drama series Queen Sugar, which employs all female directors, almost all of whom are women of color.

Exemplifying the progress is NBC, which was in the back of the pack last year when none of its 13 drama and comedy pilots was directed by a woman. This year, out of NBC’s 15 pilots, almost half, seven — three dramas and four comedies — were directed by women. What’s more, all three NBC drama pilots directed by women went to series, a 100% success ratio.

There have been a string of milestones for female directors over the past year, including Patty Jenkins setting a new boxoffice record with Wonder Woman and Victoria Mahoney, who just got her Red Line pilot picked up to series by CBS, recently becoming the first African American woman to direct a Star Wars movie when she was tapped as Jj Abrams’ second unit director on Star Wars: Episode IX.

The strong showing for female drama directors this broadcast season is just the next step toward an even playing field.

ABC has ordered the period comedy “The Kids Are Alright” to series.

Set in the 1970s, the ensemble, single-camera comedy follows a traditional Irish-Catholic family, the Clearys, as they navigate big and small changes during one of America’s most turbulent decades. In a working-class neighborhood outside Los Angeles, Mike and Peggy raise eight boisterous boys who live out their days with little supervision. The household is turned upside down when oldest son Lawrence returns home and announces he’s quitting the seminary to go off and “save the world.” Times are changing and this family will never be the same. The series is inspired by the childhood of writer and executive producer Tim Doyle.

It stars Michael Cudlitz as Mike Cleary, Mary McCormack as Peggy Cleary, Sam Straley as Lawrence, Caleb Martin Foote as Eddie, Sawyer Barth as Frank, Christopher Paul Richards as Joey, Jack Gore as Timmy, Andy Walken...

ABC is adding another retro comedy to its primetime lineup, handing a series order to ’70s family sitcom The Kids Are Alright, TVLine has learned.

Set in a working-class neighborhood outside Los Angeles during the 1970s, The Kids Are Alright stars Michael Cudlitz (The Walking Dead) as Mike Cleary, the patriarch of a traditional — and big! — Irish-Catholic family, raising eight rowdy boys with his wife Peggy (In Plain Sight‘s Mary McCormack). Their lives are thrown for a loop when eldest son Lawrence (Chicago P.D.‘s Sam Straley) quits seminary school and returns home with plans to “save the world.

ABC has given a series order to legal drama The Fix, from Marcia Clark, toplined by former Mentalist star Robin Tunney. The series, from ABC Studios, joins previously ordered The Rookie, A Million Little Things and Grand Hotel — all from ABC Studios — and Whiskey Cavalier, from Warner Bros. TV. Here are more details:

Attorney and author Marcia Clark co-writes and executive produces a new legal drama about Maya Travis, an L.A. district attorney who suffers a devastating defeat when prosecuting an A-list actor for double murder. With her high-profile career derailed, she flees for a quieter life in Washington. Eight years later when this same celebrity is under suspicion for another murder, Maya Travis is lured back to the Da’s office for another chance at justice. This legal thriller is executive produced/co-written by Clark, Liz Craft and Sarah Fain, and is from Mandeville TV and ABC Studios.

Comedies “American Housewife,” “Black-ish,” and “Fresh Off the Boat” have been renewed by ABC.

Heading into its third season, “American Housewife”follows Katie Otto, a confident, unapologetic wife and mother of three, raises her flawed family in the wealthy town of Westport, Connecticut, filled with “perfect” mommies and their “perfect” offspring.

It stars Katy Mixon, Diedrich Bader, Meg Donnelly, Daniel Dimaggio, Julia Butters, Carly Hughes, and Ali Wong. Sarah Dunn wrote the series and serves as executive producer. Aaron Kaplan, Rick Wiener, and Kenny Schwartz are also executive producers. Ruben Fleischer directed and was executive producer of the pilot. Kapital Entertainment and ABC Studios produce.

The series has become a reliable part of ABC’s Wednesday comedy block, averaging a 1.2 rating in adults 18-49 and 4.6 million viewers in Live+Same Day.

ABC has also renewed “The Goldbergs,” “The Good Doctor,” “Grey’s Anatomy,” “How to Get Away With Murder,” “Modern Family,...

ABC has canceled its freshman comedy “Alex, Inc.”

The single-camera half-hour was based on Alex Blumber’s podcast entitled “StartUp” about a man who quits his job to start his own company. Zach Braff executive produced and starred in the series and also directed a few episodes.

The series also starred Michael Imperioli, Tiya Sircar, Hillary Anne Matthews, Elisha Henig and Audyssie James. Matt Tarses served as executive producer and writer; John Davis and John Fox were executive producers from Davis Entertainment; Blumberg, Chris Gilberti and Matt Lieber from Gimlet Media also executive produced in association with Sony Pictures Television and ABC Studios.

“Alex, Inc” averaged a lackluster 3.5 million total viewers and a 0.87 rating in the 18-49 demo.

ABC previously cancelled both “Quanitco” and “Designated Survivor” earlier on Friday, while freshman comedy “Splitting Up Together” had been renewed. ABC has also renewed “The Goldbergs,” “The Good Doctor,” “Grey’s Anatomy,...

Freshman comedy “Splitting Up Together” has been renewed for another season at ABC.

Based on the Danish series of the same name, the show tells the story of a couple whose marriage is reignited by their divorce. They still live in the same house, alternating weeks, with one living upstairs and doing the parenting while the other lives downstairs in the guest apartment.

It stars Jenna Fischer, Oliver Hudson, Bobby Lee, Diane Farr, Lindsay Price, Olivia Keville, Van Crosby, and Sander Thomas. Emily Kapnek serves as writer and executive producer. Dean Holland directed and executive produced the pilot. Ellen DeGeneres, Jeff Kleeman, Mette Heeno, Mie Andreasen, and Hella Joof also serve as executive producers. DeGeneres’ A Very Good Production and Kapnek’s Piece of Pie Productions produce in association with Warner Bros. Television.

Fischer announced the news on her Instagram story on Friday.

The show has performed well in its first season,...

ABC has ordered the comedy “Single Parents” to series.

The single-camera ensemble comedy follows a group of single parents as they lean on each other to help raise their 7-year-old kids and maintain some kind of personal lives outside of parenthood. The series begins when the group meets Will, a 30-something guy who’s been so focused on raising his daughter that he’s lost sight of who he is as a man. When the other single parents see just how far down the rabbit hole of PTA, parenting and princesses Will has gone, they band together to get him out in the dating world and make him realize that being a great parent doesn’t mean sacrificing everything about your own identity.

The series stars Taran Killam as Will, Leighton Meester as Angie, Kimrie Lewis as Poppy, Jake Choi as Miggy, Marlow Barkley as Sophie, Tyler Wladis as Graham,...

“Speechless” has been renewed for a third season at ABC.

The single-camera comedy follows Maya Dimeo (Minnie Driver), a mom on a mission who will do anything for her family, particularly her eldest son Jj (Micah Fowler), who has cerebral palsy. The series begins with the family moving to a new school that will provide Jj with an aide to speak for him, but Jj prefers the company of groundskeeper Kenneth (Cedric Yarbrough).

In addition to Driver, Fowler, and Yarbrough, the series stars John Ross Bowie, Mason Cook, and Kyla Kenedy. Scott Silveri created the series and serves as executive producer of the show, along with “Fresh Off the Boat’s” Jake Kasdan and Melvin Mar. The series is produced by Twentieth Century Fox Television and ABC Studios.

Driver posted the news on Twitter, writing, “This Just In: #spechless picked up for a 3rd season Ha! Brilliant. Couldn’t be happier.

Nathan Fillion‘s got a new show, and we’ve got the teaser trailer to prove it. Fillion stars in The Rookie, about a 40-year-old rookie cop trying to learn the ropes of law enforcement. While this scenario, plus Fillion’s involvement, may hint at comedy, this The Rookie teaser looks surprisingly serious. National treasure Nathan Fillion is back at […]

The post ‘The Rookie’ Teaser: National Treasure Nathan Fillion is Back on the Small Screen appeared first on /Film.

Sneak Peek new footage, plus images from the cop comedy drama "The Rookie" starring Nathan Fillion ("Castle"), airing in 2018:

"...'John Nolan' (Fillion), is the oldest 'rookie' in the 'Lapd'. At an age where most are at the peak of their career, Nolan cast aside his comfortable, small town life and moved to L.A. to pursue his dream of being a cop.

"Now, surrounded by rookies twenty years his junior, Nolan must navigate the dangerous, humorous and unpredictable world of a 'young' cop, determined to make his second shot at life count..."

Click the images to enlarge and Sneak Peek "The Rookie"...

"We got some new blood this morning. Officer Bishop – you get to ride with the 40-year-old rookie."

I'm a huge fan of Nathan Fillion and it looks like he's got another great series for us to enjoy. The series is called The Rookie and in it, Fillion plays a forty-year-old rookie cop for the Lapd. We have the first teaser trailer for you to watch today, and even though it's brief, I like what I see! This looks like it turned out to be a perfect character for Fillion to play and show for him to be a part of.

The series is actually inspired by a true story and it's an intriguing concept that I'm interested in watching play out. This is the synopsis that was released:

Nathan Fillion plays John Nolan, the oldest rookie in the Lapd. At an age where most are at the peak of their career,...

“We got some new blood this morning. Officer Bishop – you get to ride with the 40-year-old rookie.”

That rookie is Lapd Officer John Nolan, played by Castle alum Nathan Fillion, in ABC’s upcoming drama series The Rookie, which had received a straight-to-series order last October. ABC released the first teaser and photo (see below) following its formal series order earlier today.

The series, inspired by a true story, focuses on Fillion’s Nolan, the oldest rookie in the Lapd who realizes that starting over isn’t easy as he pursues his dream of being an Lapd officer following a life-altering incident.

Co-starring in the series are Alyssa Diaz as Angela Lopez, Richard T. Jones as Sergeant Wade Grey, Titus Makin as Jackson West, Mercedes Mason as Captain Zoe Andersen, Melissa O’Neil as Lucy Chen, Afton Williamson as Talia Bishop and Eric Winter as Tim Bradford.

The series hails...

ABC is counting on A Million Little Things to beef up its slate in the 2018-19 TV season.

The Alphabet network on Wednesday gave a series order to the aforementioned drama, which follows a group of friends from Boston who bonded under unexpected circumstances. “Some have achieved success, others are struggling in their careers and relationships, but all of them feel stuck in life,” reads the synopsis. “After one of them dies unexpectedly, it’s just the wake-up call the others need to finally start living. Along the way they discover that friends may be the one thing to save them from themselves.

ABC has ordered the drama “A Million Little Things” for the 2018-2019 season.

The order marks the network’s first pickup for one of its pilot this year. The series centers on a group of friends from Boston who bonded under unexpected circumstances. Some have achieved success, others are struggling in their careers and relationships, but all of them feel stuck in life. After one of them dies unexpectedly, it’s just the wake-up call the others need to finally start living. Along the way they discover that friends may be the one thing to save them from themselves.

The series stars David Giuntoli as Eddie, Ron Livingston as Jon, Romany Malco as Rome, Allison Miller as Maggie, Christina Moses as Regina, Christina Ochoa as Ashley, James Roday as Gary, Stephanie Szostak as Delilah, and Lizzy Greene as Sophie.

DJ Nash serves as the writer and executive producer. Aaron Kaplan...

DJ Nash’s hourlong gamble paid off. A Million Little Things, the first drama project ever from the comedy writer who created NBC’s Growing Up Fisher and Truth Be Told, was a big front-runner among ABC’s 2018 crop of pilots and now was handed one of the network’s first series orders for next season. The project, from ABC Studios and Aaron Kaplan’s Kapital Entertainment, joins light cop drama The Rookie starring Nathan Fillion as well as The Goldbergs spinoff.

A Million Little Things features an all-star ensemble cast, many of whom had led their own series: David Giuntoli, Ron Livingston, Romany Malco, Allison Miller, Christina Moses, Christina Ochoa, James Roday, Stephanie Szostak and Lizzy Greene. Livingston’s casting had not been confirmed until now, but he was in the pilot, playing a pivotal role, and will appear in multiple episodes of the series.

Written by Nash and directed by James Griffiths,...

Castle star Nathan Fillion is officially back on ABC with a new light crime drama series. The network has given a formal series order to Fillion’s pilot The Rookie, from former Castle executive producer/co-showrunner Alexi Hawley, Entertainment One and ABC Studios. It marks the second new ABC series picked up for next season, joining The Goldbergs spinoff.

In a competitive situation, ABC nabbed The Rookie pitch in October from the Mark Gordon Company with a straight-to-series order.. But like the previous star-driven Mark Gordon project with a straight-to-series commitment, drama Designated Survivor, toplined by Kiefer Sutherland, ABC still had the right to make a final decision after seeing the pilot. I hear the deadline for that was today, and the network has exercised its option to go to series.

Written by Hawley,...

Nathan Fillion is back on the ABC beat — and we’ve got a first look at his first full-time TV gig since Castle ended two years ago. Ahead of its “Upfront” presentation next Wednesday, ABC unveiled the first image and teaser promo for The Rookie, the police procedural starring Fillion that scored a straight-to-series order last October.

The network also released the following, slightly-tweaked logline for the show:

Starting over isn’t easy, especially for small town guy John Nolan who, after a life-altering incident, is pursuing his dream of being an Lapd officer. As the force’s oldest rookie,...

As NBC just kicked off pilot-to-series pickups this afternoon with medical drama New Amsterdam, here is the final installment of Deadline’s annual feature that tracks buzz on broadcast pilots. With networks wrapping up pilot screenings, their executives will have the weekend to mull over their choices before the wave of series pickups next week.

Every year there are late pilot-season surprises that shake up the field. Fox’s bid to resurrect former ABC comedy series Last Man Standing starring Tim Allen is one such twist. The growing momentum to get the multi-camera sitcom on the air next season has helped a seemingly dormant pilot, the off-cycle multi-camera Cool Kids, from the It’s Always Sunny In Philadelphia team. The retirement-home comedy largely had kept a low profile despite solid testing and screenings. But it is considered a very suitable companion to Last Man Standing, which makes it a strong contender.

With upfronts right around the corner, the usual flurry of renewals and cancellations at the broadcast networks will be coming soon.

Hit shows like “The Good Doctor” and “This Is Us” have already picked up early renewals, while other series like “Lethal Weapon,” “Kevin Can Wait,” “Station 19,” and “AP Bio” are still awaiting word on potential new seasons.

And while a few shows have already been pulled off the schedule, all but signalling their cancellation, the broadcast networks still need to make some room for their current crop of pilots. Seventy-seven projects have been ordered this pilot season, including 32 comedies and 45 dramas, up slightly from the 74 projects ordered in 2017. Though clearly not all 77 of those will make the cut, that number still includes the straight-to-series orders for dramas “The Rookie” and “Take Two” and the comedy spinoff of “The Goldbergs” at ABC, as well as the revival of “Murphy Brown...

As we enter the pilot screenings phase of pilot season, here is the latest installment of Deadline’s Pilot Panic 2018, which tracks buzz on broadcast pilots. While we are only two weeks away from the upfronts, information is still incomplete, with a number of high-profile pilots, like ABC’s Whiskey Cavalier, yet to be delivered. Here are some of the pilots that are making noise at the moment.

ABC’s Nathan Fillion starrer The Rookie, which has a straight-to-series order, DJ Nash ensemble A Million Little Things, and the Eva Longoria-produced Grand Hotel, toplined by Demian Bichir and Roselyn Sanchez, continue to garner strong buzz, joined by suburban drama False Profits starring Bellamy Young and Vanessa Williams. Beyond that things are murky. With rookie cop drama-comedy The Rookie looking assured of a slot of the schedule, the competition among the slew of other law & order pilots ordered by the network this year increases.

Welcome to The Best Movie You Never Saw, a column dedicated to examining films that have flown under the radar or gained traction throughout the years, earning them a place as a cult classic or underrated gem that was either before it’s time and/or has aged like a fine wine. This week we’ll be looking at The Rookie (1990)! The Story: Nick Pulovski (Clint Eastwood), a veteran cop, seeks... Read More...

Dark Matter‘s Melissa O’Neil has copped a key role on ABC’s The Rookie, opposite Castle alum Nathan Fillion.

O’Neil has been cast in the coveted role of Lucy, an Lapd rookie who is intelligent, confident, tough and compassionate. She hails from a family of law-breakers, and is the first member of her brood to choose an honest, respectable path. (A previous version of this story listed the character’s last name as Benitez, though that will change.) During Season 1 of the new series, a budding romance develops between her and Fillion’s title character, John Nolan.

After casting Nathan Fillion’s new female partner, ABC’s straight-to-series light crime drama The Rookie has locked in a potential new love interest for the Castle alum. Dark Matter alumna Melissa O'Neil has been cast as one of the female leads in The Rookie, starring and executive produced by Castle alum Fillion. Written by former Castle executive producer/co-showrunner Alexi Hawley, The Rookie stars Fillion as John Nolan, the oldest rookie in the Lapd. At an age where…...

Nathan Fillion‘s new TV castle continues to take shape. Afton Williamson (HBO’s The Night Of, Cinemax’s Banshee) has booked a series-regular role on The Rookie, ABC’s straight-to-series crime dramedy starring Fillion as a nascent cop.

According to Deadline, Williamson will play Talia Bishop, a newly promoted training officer who is assigned to work alongside Fillion’s 40-year-old Lapd rookie. As TVLine previously reported, The Rookie is also on the prowl for an actress to play Fillion’s love interest. The character, Lucy Benitez, is described as a Latina rookie in her mid-20s who is intelligent,...

Steve Bertram becomes eOne president, film, television and digital.

Source: eOne

eOne has appointed producer Mark Gordon president and chief content officer, film, television and digital and agreed to buy the 49% of The Mark Gordon Company that it did not already own for $209m.

Steve Bertram, co-president of the global independent’s recently combined film and TV operations, will now become eOne’s president, film, television and digital, overseeing commercial and distribution operations. John Morayniss, Bertram’s fellow co-president and previously head of eOne Television, is to step down after a transition period.

The company said in a statement that in his newly-created role Gordon “will continue his producer and creator-friendly philosophy…” and “deepen eOne’s network of creative relationships around the world.”

Publicly-traded eOne, formed in Canada but now with operations across North America, Europe, Australia and Asia, bought 51% of Gordon’s company three years ago. The companies formed a joint venture to produce films and TV programming...

So far so good. The first official hourlong pilot directing job this broadcast season has gone to a female helmer, Conviction co-creator Liz Friedlander, who has been tapped to direct and executive produce the first episode of ABC’s straight-to-series light crime drama The Rookie starring and executive produced by Castle alum Nathan Fillion. Friedlander has been carrying the flag for female directors the last two years when their numbers plunged to all-time lows. In 2017…...

Nathan Fillion is on the hunt for a new Beckett.

With production on the Castle alum’s new ABC dramedy The Rookie slated to commence in early March, casting for the series’ other key roles has officially begun. Among the seven series regulars: A love interest for Fillion’s titular cop John Nolan.

RELATEDStana Katic’s Absentia Gets U.S. Premiere Date on Amazon

TVLine has learned that the character, tentatively named Lucy Benitez, is a Latina rookie in her mid-20s who is intelligent, confident, tough and compassionate. She hails from a family of law-breakers, and is the first...

If you’re a baseball fan, particularly if you’re a Dodgers, Astros, Cubs or Yankees fan, the real baseball season started this past Friday with the inauguration of the American and National League Championship Series. I’m a Dodgers fan, which means I’m among that group who, arguably, have gone the longest without the satisfaction/excitement/nail-biting terror of seeing their team in the World Series, the next step for whoever wins in the Nlcs. The Dodgers last appeared in the World Series in 1988, capping a memorable run with a championship by beating the Oakland A’s. That was 29 years ago. The Cubs are the reigning Mlb champions, having won last year’s World Series after a 107-year drought. And the Yankees, a mainstay of the World Series around the turn of this century, last appeared in an October championship series in 2009.

The only team to come close...

Sony Classical announces the release of Goodbye Christopher Robin (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) with an original score by Academy Award®-nominated composer Carter Burwell.

The soundtrack will be released digitally on October 13 and on CD on October 27, 2017. The film will be released in the Us on October 13, 2017.

Pre-order here.

Goodbye Christopher Robin is directed by Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn, Woman in Gold) and will be released in Us theaters by Fox Searchlight Pictures on October 13, 2017.

Carter Burwell said about the score:

“One of the riskier decisions Simon Curtis and I made with the score was to withhold the main theme until the middle of the film, when A. A. Milne begins to write and his friend Ernest Shepard begins to illustrate “Winnie The Pooh”. We did this to make that moment especially noteworthy, to make it the turning point of the story. Before that point, the music plays...

The Founder doesn’t resemble the often feel-good stories of some of John Lee Hancock‘s previous films, such as Saving Mr. Banks, The Rookie, or The Blind Side. At the end of the day, this is a story of the good guys losing. Depending on who you ask, there’s little that’s inspiring about Ray Kroc’s (Michael Keaton) success story. The Founder is a biopic […]

The post Interview: ‘The Founder’ Director John Lee Hancock Explains Why John Carroll Lynch is a Stone Cold Pro appeared first on /Film.

The filmography of Texas-born director and writer John Lee Hancock indicates a fascination with major pieces of Americana like baseball, football, and Walt Disney, the latter serving as both a subject (Saving Mr. Banks) and a sometime employer (Banks, along with The Rookie and the ill-fated Touchstone production The Alamo). So it makes sense that Hancock would tackle the American institution known as McDonald’s in The Founder, a second-act biopic that explains how, exactly, the restaurant went from a single location in San Bernardino, California, to 118 countries across the globe.

It’s more surprising, in the context of Hancock’s other work, that this origin story involves the wheelings and dealings of Ray Kroc (Michael Keaton), a salesman who, essentially, filched a family business away from the actual McDonalds, Dick (Nick Offerman) and Mac (John Carroll Lynch). In contrast with the folksy Disneyfication on display in Saving Mr ...

Top 5 baseball movies to celebrate Baseball Fan Day!Top 5 baseball movies to celebrate Baseball Fan Day!Amanda Wood8/12/2016 10:00:00 Am

If there’s one sport that’s synonymous with summer, it’s baseball. Few things scream summer more than cheering on your home team in the stands with a hotdog and popcorn.

Today is Baseball Fans Day, which celebrates the millions of baseball fans around the world. Our collective love for the sport has naturally spilled over into Hollywood, where scores of movies have been made over the years celebrating the boys (and girls) of summer and the excitement of the game.

In honour of Baseball fans day, we’ve put together a list of some of our favourite baseball movies. Check out the list below to see if your fave made the cut, and then head outside to play it yourself!

Field of Dreams (1989)

We obviously had to include this Kevin Costner classic.

When producer Gordon Gray and his wife Kristen's two young daughters were diagnosed with a rare and deadly brain disease in March 2015, the couple knew they needed a miracle. Thanks to the support of thousands - including stars like Jennifer Garner, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Anne Hathaway - they may have found one. One year after their daughters' received the devastating diagnosis of Batten disease - a genetic degenerative brain disorder for which there is no cure - the Los Angeles, California, couple's 5-year-old daughter Charlotte became the first patient in the world to enroll in a clinical trial...

When producer Gordon Gray and his wife Kristen's two young daughters were diagnosed with a rare and deadly brain disease in March 2015, the couple knew they needed a miracle. Thanks to the support of thousands - including stars like Jennifer Garner, Dwayne 'The Rock' Johnson and Anne Hathaway - they may have found one. One year after their daughters' received the devastating diagnosis of Batten disease - a genetic degenerative brain disorder for which there is no cure - the Los Angeles, California, couple's 5-year-old daughter Charlotte became the first patient in the world to enroll in a clinical trial...

In the midst of March Madness and with the Kentucky Derby around the corner, the first pitch of baseball season is almost here.

A quote from Field Of Dreams best describes America’s national pastime, “The one constant throughout the years has been baseball.”

To mark the start of the 2016 season, here’s our list of the Best Baseball movies.

The Bad News Bears

Considered by some to be the best baseball movie ever, the film celebrates its 40th anniversary this month (April 7, 1976). In an article from the NY Daily News, one line reads, “It is a movie that someone like the late Philip Seymour Hoffman called his favorite, and one which resonates on many levels today, with all different generations.”

Who are we to argue with greatness?

After skewering all-American subjects such as politics (The Candidate) and beauty pageants (Smile), director Michael Ritchie naturally set his sights on the...

As iconic logos go, it's impossible to beat those golden arches. Smart teaser work, then, to instantly brand your movie. On the other hand...

Does McDonalds really scream "Major Motion Picture" or will it have people thinking i saw a doc about that once. 

The presence of the newly dazzling Michael Keaton (quite a comeback these past two years!) should help win the film attention. Keaton is the businessman who wrestled away control of McDonalds in the 1950s and made it into an empire... but not without a lot of behind the scenes drama apparently. The supporting cast includes John Carrol Lynch and Nick Offerman as the actual McDonald brothers, and Laura Dern as Keaton's wife. Patrick Wilson and Linda Cardellini play another couple though we're not sure how they fit into the story. The film opens on August 5th from the Weinstein Co who keep claiming they're determined to...

Breaking Bad producer Mark Johnson is in Western Australian for the Simon Baker's directorial debut..

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Oscar and Emmy winning Hollywood producer, Mark Johnson, has arrived in Western Australia to work on Simon Baker's directorial debut film, Breath, which is based on Tim Winton's award-winning novel.

Johnson is working in partnership with Baker and See Pictures' Jamie Hilton to produce the film, which is being shot entirely in the Great Southern region, primarily in Denmark..

The Hollywood-based producer has has worked for many years in film and television..

He has produced and been involved in projects including: Rain Man, Breaking Bad, Better Call Saul, Rectify, Good Morning Vietnam, The Natural, Tin Men, Avalon, Diner Bugsy, The Chronicles of Narnia franchise, The Notebook, Galaxy Quest, The Rookie and Donnie Brasco, to name a few.

..Since I first read Breath and began discussing it with Simon, I.ve dreamed of filming in Western Australia,...

Walden Media, producer of such hit films as “The Chronicles of Narnia” series, “Bridge to Terabithia,” “Charlotte’s Web,” and the “Journey to the Center of the Earth” series, will co-finance and co-produce DreamWorks Studios’ upcoming film A Dog’S Purpose.

Based on the best-selling novel, “A Dog’s Purpose” is an inspirational story of one devoted dog finding his purpose in the lives of the humans he loves.

Dennis Quaid (“Far From Heaven,” “The Rookie”), Britt Robertson (“Tomorrowland,” “Delivery Man”), K.J. Apa (“Shortland Street”), Juliet Rylance (“The Knick,” “Frances Ha”) and Peggy Lipton (“Mod Squad,” “Twin Peaks”) join the film, which is being directed by Academy Award nominated director Lasse Hallstrom (“The Hundred-Foot Journey,” “Chocolat”).

Based on the beloved book by W. Bruce Cameron, the screenplay was written by Cameron & Cathryn Michon and Audrey Wells. Gavin Polone is producing with Alan Blomquist and Mark Sourian serving as executive producers.

Producer Gordon Gray is facing a battle that greatly outweighs any onscreen drama in his string of hit sports films such as “Million Dollar Arm,” “Invincible” and “The Rookie.” Gray and his wife, Kristen Kaiser Gray, have launched a social media campaign that has already gotten the support of many powerful figures in Hollywood to find a cure for their daughters, Charlotte, 4, and Gwenyth, 3, who have both been diagnosed with a rare terminal illness called Batten Disease. “The Charlotte and Gwenyth Gray Foundation to Cure Batten Disease” aims to raise an estimated $10 million to fund a clinical trial imperative to saving their daughters and.

In his long career as a film producer, Gordon Gray is best known for making inspirational fact-based sports movies about subjects who overcame long odds, from baseball pitcher Jim Morris in The Rookie to football player Vince Papale in Invincible, to the gold medal-winning U.S. Olympic hockey team in Miracle. After Gray and his wife Kristen learned in March that both their 4-year-old daughter Charlotte and 20-month-old daughter Gwenyth have the incredibly rare and…...

Is this heaven? Nope, it’s Opening Week.

Recently Mlb rounded up a group of players to recite, word for word, James Earl Jones’ famous “people will come, Ray” speech from Field Of Dreams.

Wamg declares America’s national pastime, Baseball, to be the official sport of movie fans everywhere. As Brad Pitt said in Moneyball, “How can you not be romantic about Baseball?”

It all started Sunday night with the Cardinals at the Cubs with St. Louis winning 3 to 0.

To celebrate the first pitch of Opening Week, here’s our list of the best Baseball movies.

The Rookie

One of the best baseball biopics to come along over the years, The Rookie, starring Dennis Quaid, tells the true story of Jim Morris, a man who finally gets a shot at his lifelong dream-pitching in the big leagues. A high school science teacher/baseball coach, Morris’ players make a bet with him:if they win district,...

My alternate Super Bowl programming this year was a DVD of The Rookie I checked out from the library. I had first seen the baseball drama closer to its original theatrical release in 2002 and remembered enjoying the story, but hadn’t really thought of the Disney film in the past ten years.

Dennis Quaid (Frequency, The Day After Tomorrow) leads the movie based on the true story of Jimmy Morris, a Texas high-school baseball coach who makes a deal with his team that he will try out for the major leagues if they win district and go on to state. Rachel Griffiths (Muriel's Wedding) plays his wife Lorri, the school counselor. I had forgotten that before he started the sitcom mega-hit Two and a Half Men, Angus T. Jones played the adorable son here. See how young he is in the still posted above.

We are shown the origins of...

The Wrap Emily Blunt is joining Charlize Theron to double the evil sorceress perfection that terrorizes Chris Hemsworth in The Huntsman. Now I suddenly want to see it.

Mnpp Whatever happened to Sean Maher (Firefly). Jason has the answer 

Vulture John Travolta without his hairpiece. Ditch it permanently, John. Bald is beautiful. Or at least more beautiful than pretending you have hair (you did have a great head of it) when you no longer do. 

THR Michael Keaton in talks to star in a "gritty" drama from John Lee Hancock (who, tbh, we don't associate with "gritty" since he made The Rookie and The Blind Side*) called The Founder about the rise of McDonalds and behind the scenes shady business. It sounds like there are three good male roles so I wonder who will join Keaton? Can I put in a request for Edward Norton. I want them to become...

The biggest fast food chain in the world is getting its own movie. The film will be called The Founder, and Saving Mr. Banks director, John Lee Hancock, is in negotiations to direct. The film will tell the origin story of McDonald's and its rise to the top in the fast food empire. This is seriously like the The Social Network, but with McDonald's. Here's a description of the story from THR:

"The Founder is a drama that tells the true story of how Ray Kroc, a salesman from Illinois, met Mac and Dick McDonald, who were running a burger operation in 1950s Southern California. Kroc was impressed by the brothers' speedy system of making the food and saw franchise potential. He maneuvered himself in a position to be able to pull the company from the brothers and create a billion-dollar empire."

The script was written by Robert Siegel (Big Fan...

Producer Mark Ciardi, whose specialty has been inspirational sports dramas like The Rookie and Million Dollar Arm, is joining forces with Tom Duterme, who has worked in development at both Google and YouTube, and venture capitalists William Chang and Ash Vasudevan to form a new production company called Aspire Entertainment. Ciardi had been partnered with Gordon Gray in Mayhem Pictures, which has had a first-look deal at Disney since 2002, but the two recently parted ways. Aspire will be involved in film production, but is also looking to create both scripted and unscripted content for a wide variety of

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Say it ain't so, folks! According to multiple reports, Meg Ryan and John Mellencamp have decided to call it quits after nearly three years of dating. Distance was reportedly a factor in the decision. The 52-year-old actress lives in New York City, while the 62-year-old rocker currently resides in Indiana. The pair quietly became an item in 2010 after Mellencamp split from his wife, Elaine Irwin, after 18 years of marriage. Ryan was previously married to The Rookie actor Dennis Quaid.   Although they both led very private lives, the twosome was spotted spending time together on Martha's Vineyard. They also were seen enjoying coffee and running errands in New York's SoHo...

The London Indian Film Festival (Liff, July 10-17) and The Walt Disney Company are delighted to announce that Madhur Mittal, the star of Million Dollar Arm, will participate in an exclusive Q&A alongside producer Mark Ciardi at the film’s UK Premiere at Cineworld Shaftesbury Avenue on July 14. Million Dollar Arm, which also stars Jon Hamm, Suraj Sharma, Lake Bell, Alan Arkin, Bill Paxton is the London Indian Film Festival’s Centrepiece Gala.

Madhur Mittal’s breakthrough role was in Danny Boyle’s multiple BAFTA, Golden Globe and Oscar winning Slumdog Millionaire and thereafter he made a mark in Treasure Island.

The multi-talented Mark Ciardi is a producer whose credits include Invincible, Tooth Fairy, The Game Plan and Secretariat, The Rookie, Me, Myself & Irene and Fever Pitch.

Now in its fifth year, the London Indian Film Festival is the largest South Asian film festival in Europe. The festival opens with Sold,...

Reacting to Tony To’s move to Lucasfilm, Disney has hired Philip Steuer to be Svp Physical Production, for the studio’s live-action film group. Steuer produced Saving Mr. Banks and all three Chronicles Of Narnia films. His executive producing credits include Oz The Great And Powerful, The Rookie, and Disney’s upcoming Alexander And The Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day, due out in October. So he has experience in logistically challenging films, and knows the studio infrastructure. For the time being, Steuer and longtime studio executive Jerry Ketcham will co-lead physical production following To’s move to Lucasfilm. The two will report […]...