Disney to finally unleash 'John Carter'

Disney's sci-fi tentpole cost $250 million, with an additional $100 million in worldwide marketing.'John Carter' star Taylor Kitsch, above, on set with director Andrew Stanton.Pixars John Lasseter, actress Lynn Collins, director-writer Andrew Stanton and producer Jim Morris arrive at the John Carter premiere.Few characters in Hollywood have been as polarizing as John Carter in recent years.Tarzan creator Edgar Rice Burroughs' fantasy figure, introduced in 1912, has a loyal following -- the novels in which he appears have influenced everything from "Star Wars" to "Dune," "Superman" and "Avatar" -- but the character's first bigscreen outing, set to bow this weekend, has shouldered bad buzz since Disney greenlit the pricey production two years ago.Having dealt with rumors of cost overruns on a tentpole with no major stars, marketing stumbles (including a controversial title change and DayGlo materials) and 100-year-old source material unknown to most moviegoers, Disney and a team of Pixar vets are either about to launch a new franchise or write off the next failed labor of love, like "Watchmen."The parallels to Warner Bros.' dark superhero tale are hard to ignore.Both projects, with a small but vocal fanbase, are based on books that, while not publishing powerhouses, have influenced pop culture (Alan Moore's "Watchmen," introduced in 1986, led to the current crop of edgy comicbook pics, while references to John Carter's Mars exploits are found throughout other sci-fi and fantasy fare). The resulting films were risky bets taken by studios that wanted to remain faithful to the source material after decades of development.In "John Carter's" case, "Looney Tunes" director Bob Clampett hoped to direct an animated feature in 1931, while Ray Harryhausen wanted to produce a stop-motion pic in the 1950s. During the 1980s, Disney had the rights with John McTiernan once attached to direct Tom Cruise as Carter. The 11-book series then moved to Paramount, where Robert Rodriguez, Kerry Conran ("Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow") and Jon Favreau were each attached to helm before the project went back to the Mouse House.Andrew Stanton ("Finding Nemo," "Wall-E") couldn't turn down "Carter" as his live-action debut: "After pushing (Disney) to make it for so long, I couldn't say no when they offered it to me."The resulting film, about a Civil War soldier who finds himself in the middle of a war on Mars, is a film "we selfishly wanted to see," Stanton said, referring to himself and fellow producers, including Pixar's general manager and former president of Lucas Digital (ILM and Skywalker Sound) Jim Morris, as well as supporters like Pixar and Disney animation chief John Lasseter."We wanted to re-create and capture the feeling we had as kids when we first read the books," Morris said.Disney bows the film on more than 3,500 screens this weekend. It's pushing the film hard on a global scale, launching day-and-date in nearly every major market (except Japan and China) totaling 51 territories.Domestically, early tracking is not encouraging: Monday polls have the PG-13 film opening to a $25 million-$30 million weekend. But estimates this early always skew conservative, and alternative box office prognosticators indicate a much stronger bow.Critics were quick to scrutinize every aspect of the pic during its arduous journey to theaters. That's included the budget, which Disney quotes at around $250 million, with an additional $100 million to market the film worldwide. (Though industryites have whispered that the film cost much more, producers tell Variety that those rumors are "ridiculous" -- everyone connected to the film insists it came in on time and on budget).Negativity surrounded last May's title change from "John Carter of Mars" to simply "John Carter," which followed the flop of Robert Zemeckis' "Mars Needs Moms." Critics argued that the new name says little about the film, but the studio worried that the Mars element would turn off female auds, while the title of Burroughs' book, "A Princess of Mars," would have kept men away.Stanton admits "John Carter" has proved difficult for Disney to market -- which Stanton is used to after "Finding Nemo" and "Wall-E.""You can't control people's first impressions as much as you'd like," Stanton said. He's no stranger to pre-release reactions, either, saying, "There was negative press before 'Finding Nemo.' There was negative press before 'Toy Story.'"But that hasn't kept the helmer and Disney's marketing team (that includes former promo chief MT Carney) from trying. The studio skipped Comic-Con to promote "Carter" to Disney fans at D23 in August, with a lengthy presentation that touted Burroughs' influence over more familiar pop culture properties.The latest blitz has included a Super Bowl ad, extended online clips and ads during the March Madness tournament. Stanton also has hit Twitter over the past several weeks to answer questions and spoke at last month's TED conference. Stars Taylor Kitsch ("Friday Night Lights") and Lynn Collins ("X-Men Origins: Wolverine") are now on the talkshow circuit.Walt Disney Studios chairman Rich Ross has been puzzled by the negative reaction. "I've never had something healthy get treated like a corpse," he said at the film's lavish premiere last month. "Usually, it's the other way around," with a studio having to make something bad look good.Yet even if "Carter" winds up D.O.A. at the box office, Ross won't have much to lose: He and Disney production president Sean Bailey inherited "Carter" from the studio's previous regime, led by Dick Cook. A poor showing would bruise Pixar's vets, given that it's their rare foray into live action, but a hit would spawn the kind of new cross-platform franchise Disney craves.Studio isn't loading up store shelves with "Carter" merchandise this time around, as retailers are holding out to see if the film catches on. Such a move isn't unusual, especially for risk-averse toymakers.Still, Stanton already is working on a follow-up script with "Carter" co-scribe Michael Chabon, so that Disney can move forward with a sequel based on Burroughs' second novel, "The Gods of Mars."It all depends on whether "Carter" performs better than "Watchmen," which earned $185 million worldwide, of course. Early reviews are positive, as is social media chatter. Disney lifts its review embargo Wednesday, a play to keep favorable reviews fresh in ticket buyers' minds.In the final weeks leading up to the launch, the film's campaign has amped up its focus on action sequences and various characters to eventize the production. And to get auds as excited about John Carter's adventures as Stanton was as a kid reading the books."If a kid in 1976 can enjoy reading the books that were published in 1912," Stanton said, "I think someone in 2012 can enjoy it for the same reasons." Contact Marc Graser at marc.graser@variety.com

Artists Union Gives 'Full Support' to SAG-AFTRA Merger

The American Federation of Artists has endorsed SAG/AFTRA merger, the AFM mentioned in the statement Monday evening, adding the union's worldwide executive board had communicated "its full support" to AFTRA and SAG."The recommended merger can be a historic step which is synonymous with Oneness for your entertainment sector as well as the entire labor movement," mentioned AFM leader Ray Hair. "For several years, AFTRA and SAG have was plainly and happily for dignity and justice inside the entertainment industry workplace. The joining of individuals two great unionsSAG-AFTRAwill focus Union energy toward a far greater future for your media business, not only within the united states . States but all over the world.In . Although AFTRA is often suggested in Hollywood just like a union representing stars and television stations (despite the fact that latter are simply 8Percent in the union, or 4% from the merged SAG-AFTRA), entertainers may also be an essential part in the membership. Thus, particularly on major label tracks, the entertainers are frequently AFTRA people because the instrumentalists are AFM. Both unions have contracts while using major record labels.The other day, Stars Equity endorsed SAG/AFTRA merger. Both AFM and Equity, additionally to IATSE, endorsed a 2003 merger attempt, That effort not successful when SAG fell 2% missing the requisite 60% supermajority. The Hollywood Reporter

Elizabeth Olsen In Line For Old Boy

Has Spike Lee found his leading lady?With Spike Lee recently musing that he'd like to make Brooklyn Loves MJ "next", there was some speculation that his new version of Oldboy had been back-burnered. But it seems not, with the news this morning that Elizabeth Olsen is the latest actress to be offered the female lead. Maybe by "next", Lee meant after this one.Rooney Mara and Mia Wasikowska have both been in the running, but would appear to have passed: a story that keeps recurring in the development of this project. While Josh Brolin was locked fairly quickly for the Oh Dae-su role, the film has also struggled to find a villain thus far, with Christian Bale, Clive Owen and Colin Firth all considering it and then moving on.The female role now on the table for Olsen is sushi chef Mi-do, played in Park Chan-wook's film by Kang Hye-jeong. Lee's new version names her as Marie, according to Twitch, so there's probably reason to suspect that she won't be preparing sushi anymore either. But she'll presumably remain the love interest, who our hero Oh Dae-su / currently-unnamed-Brolin takes a shine to along the way to solving the mystery of his 15-year imprisonment. There's also the threat of her death hanging over his progress, just to spice things up. Oh, and without wishing to be spoilerific, perhaps there's more to her character than is immediately revealed...Olsen's immediate next project is the Zola adaptation Therese Raquin, in which she's co-starring with Glenn Close. Despite being a hot prospect right now following her break-out introduction in Martha Marcy May Marlene, Twitch believe she doesn't have much lined up for the rest of this year (though she's fully booked for 2013), so if true, that might make her particularly likely to sign on the Oldboy line.Mark Protosevich has eight volumes of manga to draw from in his screenplay, and they don't much resemble the Chan-wook classic. There's potential for this to be a very different film, on which note Mandate are apparently splitting the title back into its original two words: so it's Old Boy from now on, not Oldboy. There still doesn't seem to be a solid start date, but shooting is planned to start "soon".We'll next see Olsen in single-take horror Silent House, out in the UK on May 4.

Slate debate: Investors now get to pic & choose

Sony secured financing from Hemisphere for three tentpoles, including 'Men in Black III.'Paramount partnered with Skydance on a slate of films that features 'G. I. Joe: Retaliation.'Slate financing has a PR problem.Lawsuits, the credit crunch and a number of films that didn't return the kind of money investors expected have all made studio slate deals less palatable. And with the recent or near-end of several high-profile arrangements, the question now is whether new money will be in place by the time the old coin runs out -- and whether the majors really need the capital at all. Any new deal, however, will likely look a lot different than the majority of slate arrangements locked down between 2005 and 2008."The biggest challenge in getting a traditional slate financing deal done today is that significant losses were experienced (over the past decade), which has caused equity and subordinated capital providers to pull back," says Christa Thomas, managing director and senior film adviser in SunTrust's Private Wealth Management Sports & Entertainment Specialty Group. "The changing technology landscape, especially for home entertainment, has further eroded confidence around risk assessment and mitigation."And that's caused financiers to demand more from Hollywood and to broker deals that add on many more layers and deal points. In the past, many moneymen blindly financed slates of films they didn't pick themselves. Their cash often covered 50% of the budgets on dozens of pics that ranged in degree of risk. Now, many co-financing arrangements involve fewer films and allow studio partners like David Ellison's Skydance Prods. and Jeff Sagansky's Hemisphere, for example, to have more leverage in choosing which films to partner on -- especially among tentpoles."The old slate deals were just a blunderbuss," says Stroock & Stroock & Lavan partner Schuyler Moore. "The real story is, it's just not happening (anymore) now what you're doing is identifying your films going in."That's because investors want more safeguards. They often want the chance to recoup a portion of their investment before the studio takes its fees, or they want to get their money back before the talent gets it backend.But the question of which concessions the majors will or won't make won't be answered until more slate arrangements are assembled -- something that seems much less likely than in years past. Co-financing arrangements can take months to close, and the majors are always in discussions with investors to explore opportunities. While these deals aren't essential to keep the lights on, most studios prefer to mitigate risk on all but their highest-profile franchises. But when one door closes, another opens. As studios produce fewer of their own films, that provides room for distribution agreements with companies that have financed commercial projects -- like the deals Universal inked with Cross Creek and MRC last year. Cross Creek's Ron Howard-helmed "Rush" will mark the former pact's first release, while MRC currently has Seth MacFarlane's "Ted" in post-production. While banks may be willing to lend, many observers wonder when equity will come back into the film-financing market. As a result, funds have turned their eyes overseas, particularly to China, India and elsewhere in Asia. Hemisphere's coin, for example, came in large part from Japan's Toho-Towa Co. and Kadokawa Shoten, and Korea's Lotte Cinema.Paramount, Warner Bros. and Fox all have co-financing deals in place, while Disney is the studio outlier. Credit Suisse First Boston arranged $500 million in funding for the Mouse House's Kingdom deal in 2005 (the studio's first co-financing arrangement in a decade), but that pact ended in 2009.Sony was able to fund 18 films, including hits like "Salt," "The Social Network" and "Grown Ups," through its Beverly I slate-selection arrangement. While the package also included misfires like "Did You Hear About the Morgans?," the pics overall grossed more than $2.6 billion worldwide.Prior to 2008, estimates for a pic's overall performance counted in large part on homevideo sales, which often matched or even doubled worldwide box office grosses. That set expectations high for slate performances, and those expectations have been difficult to meet in recent years because of the decline in DVD dollars. Aramid Entertainment Fund, an investor in the Beverly I slate, sued Relativity and hedge fund Fortress in February over its stake in the deal. The suit didn't name Sony or accuse the studio of any wrongdoing, but Aramid's very public unhappiness with its deal adds to the negativity surrounding these types of arrangements. But money is always knocking at the studio gates, some of it more real, some of it less. As Variety first reported in August, Sony secured financing for three of its tentpoles from Hemisphere ("The Smurfs," "Men in Black III" and "The Adventures of Tintin," the latter of which was also co-financed by Paramount), and the studio is always talking to investors about other potential opportunies. Any discussions Universal is having with potential financiers comes in advance of the end of its own co-financing deal.Beverly II, arranged by Ryan Kavanaugh's Relativity Media and backed by Elliott Management in 2008, will fund films greenlit through the end of 2012, although the overall deal expires in 2014.Under terms of the arrangement, Elliott funds about half the budgets of 75% of U's films each year. And while U had some home runs in 2011, with hits like "Fast Five" and "Bridesmaids," and this year with "Safe House," the studio is still smarting from a string of modest to disappointing performers (including "Cowboys & Aliens," in which Relativity participated) over the past few years. Relativity can select films for Elliott, but it's not clear whether U's whole slate is open to them. Either way, Beverly II did not participate in "Fast Five," which wound up grossing more than $600 million worldwide to become the "Fast and the Furious" franchise's top grosser -- one very big missed opportunity. Across town, Paramount's major co-financing arrangement comes from Ellison's Skydance. The two partnered in 2009 for a four-year deal that would allow Skydance to co-finance four to six of the studio's pics per year, including "Mission: Impossible -- Ghost Protocol," "Star Trek 2," "World War Z" and "G.I. Joe: Retaliation" through Skydance's $350 million fund (with a $200 million credit line arranged by JPMorgan Chase). Melrose II, a $300 million slate deal arranged by Dresdner Bank in 2006, wrapped up in 2008, although it still enables Melrose II investors to put money into sequels whose originals they also financed -- provided that the studio releases those pics by 2016. Any new investors would not have access to films included in the Skydance or Melrose II deal. In November, investors in Melrose II filed a suit against the studio over profits to more than 29 films (including "Mission: Impossible III," "Charlotte's Web," "Dreamgirls," "Blades of Glory," "Jackass 2" and all three "Transformers" films).Fox's pact with Dune, renewed in 2010, marks one of the longest-standing co-financing relationships at any of the studios. Dune began funding Fox movies, including boffo pics like "Avatar" and "Live Free or Die Hard," in 2005, and the pact's longevity and multiple renewals suggest Dune's contentment with its deal. Additionally, Fox has capital coming in from partners including New Regency and Ingenious, the former of which has been on the Fox lot since 1998.Meanwhile, Warner Bros. is set for the near future. Its two major investors, Village Roadshow and Legendary Entertainment, both secured new credit lines within the past two years. Village Roadshow closed a $1 billion facility in 2010, while Legendary wrapped up a $600 million-plus facility last April. Ultimately, whether they have co-financing coin or not, the studios are always in discussions with potential investors, and always considering new financing arrangements."All of the studios today are divisions of much larger conglomerates," says Lindsay Conner, partner at Manatt, Phelps & Phillips. "Gone are the days when one mogul owned a big share of a studio, and that was the main business of the company. Today, they're all part of larger businesses, and it's a common and appropriate corporate practice to spread the risk of all expensive new initiatives." What: Slate financiers demand more control over projects. The takeaway: As studios mitigate risk, they must cede some control to the moneymen.Return to Movies & Money >> Contact Rachel Abrams at Rachel.Abrams@variety.com

WGA East ceremony extended on laughs

By JILL GOLDSMITH Raucous humor within the B.B. King House of Blues was fond of many Authors Guild Award individuals who win who chosen to collect statuettes in La on Sunday. Meanwhile Mandy Patinkin uncovered a sizable blooper and Rachel Dratch carried out the cello within the Colonial edition in the Authors Guild Honours, which held synchronised occasions in Gotham and L.A. In NY, nobody understood who was simply or wasn't in your home, meaning hosts and site visitors scanned everybody else after each envelope was opened up up trying to find decisive movement for that stage. ''I'm prone to accept on their own account,'' presenter Jimmy Fallon mentioned. ''You know, once i bought a typewriter my mother mentioned I used to be a jackass. Who's the jackass now, mother?'' he mentioned, proclaiming statuettes for your absent Heath Corson and Richie Keen. The duo won for Web series ''Aim High'' inside the Original New Media category. ''Saturday Evening Live's'' Seth Meyers, waiting with one statue in each hands, mentioned, ''I appear like I'm in the horror movie and that i must hold these items or everybody dies.'' ''Writers Guild Honours,'' sang Fallon for the tune of ''Riders round the Storm,'' based on comedian and actress Dratch, the evening's host. She welcomed everybody else of ''writers, and individuals that don't have social problems.'' ''What's up Authors Guild? How 'bout people wings?'' cracked Jon Benjamin sprawled on the floor along with his microphone. ''It's hard to write a completely new series. It's tough to produce anything really. I written this. I written things i am reading through through at this time around. It absolutely was very difficult.'' ''Homeland'' star Patinkin recognized the show's win to find the best new series with fond words for scribes. ''I'm just an actress. I am nothing special. An actress is simply much like what they have round the page before them, and anyone who notifies you in different ways is stuffed with shit,'' he mentioned. But he blew his top after being referred to as back later by film author Terry George to just accept the Episodic TV award for your ''Breaking Bad'' seg ''Box Cutter,'' which tied with ''The Good Soldier'' episode of ''Homeland.'' ''I have no idea what this show is,'' Patinkin mentioned. Peering within the envelope, he screamed to George after realizing it might be a tie. ''How many drinks possibly you've had? You have to make out the print all,'' he screamed. ''I guess I'm not receiving employment on 'Homeland','' George responded. Judd Apatow, locating the Plant Sargent Award for Comedy Excellence, came out bemused having a montage of his photos featuring mostly hard-ons and people getting hit inside the mind while having sex. ''It was too extended. Plus it mentioned some repetitions throughout my work,'' he mentioned. Showing Apatow, Kristen Wiig thanked ''My friend B.B King, for hosting theses honours at his lovely home.'' It absolutely was the ceremony's first-time within the Occasions Square venue. Daytime TV author and creator of ''Ryan's Hope'' Claire Labine, champion in the Ian McLellan Hunter Award, decried the decline in the genre. ''I am appalled more care wasn't taken using this form that we love a good deal,'' she mentioned. A self-declared very drunk presenter Jonathan Ames, ranted about Cinemax getting rid of his series ''Bored to Dying,'' dissed comedy series champion ''Modern Family'' and declared ''I don't' know very well what is going on inside the alternate realm of La. But we have Mandy Patinkin here to just accept everybody's award.'' WGA East prexy Michael Winship gave a jerk to press freedom and journalists arrested covering Occupy Wall Street protests, also to NY Occasions reporter Anthony Shadid who died in Syria the other day. Another in the WGA East's individuals are broadcast news authors. Stephen Colbert's team, which won comedy/variety series for ''The Colbert Report,'' paid out homage for his or her boss Colbert who ''writes as being a mofo.'' Contact the number newsroom at news@variety.com

Law & Order: SVU: Will Benson's New Relationship Last?

Mariska Hargitay, Harry Connick Jr. For the first time in a long while, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit's Olivia Benson is in a stable, healthy relationship. But how long will it last?Law & Order: SVU Scoop: Harry Connick Jr. to play Benson's new love interest"[It] has to be scary as hell for her," executive producer Warren Leight tells TVGuide.com of the relationship between Oliva (Mariska Hargitay) and Executive Assistant District Attorney David Haden (Harry Connick Jr.). "It's going to be interesting to see somebody in her mid-40s who has not really been in a long-term sexual relationship with someone for a very long time."In our Q&A below, Leight tells us some of the obstacles in store for Benson and Haden, how long he'll be around, and how Leight thinks things are going during this transitional year. Plus: Will the show return for a 14th season?So you're more than halfway through your first season on the show. How's it going?Warren Leight: NBC has made it clear they're very happy with where the show is, as has [executive producer Dick Wolf]. And I'm happy with it too. There was a lot of adjusting to life without Chris Meloni for the show and for fans. I'm glad that we didn't just sort of pretend that we were going to put in two new guys and start from scratch.I think we spent a good amount of time at the beginning acknowledging the hole in the squad room.What sort of fan reaction have you heard about the addition of Kelli Giddish and Danny Pino?Leight: There are some fans of the Olivia-Elliot relationship for whom that was the only reason they were watching the show. And those fans are just stuck at the moment. Creatively, I think the show has been going very well. [Since] Kelli and Danny have come into the squad room, we have a lot of flexibility now. ... It's allowed for all kinds of interesting combinations and new alliances and problem areas. Fans of the show, I think, are very much engaged.Fans of the Olivia-Elliot relationship? I don't know what else to do for them.Get more scoop on your favorite shows in our Winter TV previewAnd now you've got Oliva in a new relationship with Harry Connick Jr. Why was now the time?Leight: I always thought that as long as Elliot was her partner, she had the perfect excuse to not be in a real relationship. This was a guy whose values were completely in sync with hers. They were a perfect team, and he emotionally supported her.So if you're afraid of being in a truly intimate relationship with a man, this was the perfect thing because you have everything you could want, but he's married with five kids.But now that he's gone...Leight: Take him away and now she can begin to look at other men for the first time. What I wanted, in the Connick character, was a guy who was appropriate for her so that it would be scary to her. It's one thing to date a younger, rookie cop; you can kind of blow them off afterward. But Connick's character is emotionally open. He's available. He does the same kind of work she does.He has the same values that she does. So that has to be scary as hell for her.How do you see the relationship progressing?Leight: As they get in a little deeper, it will scare her a bit more. It's going to be interesting to see somebody in her mid-40s who has not really been in a long-term sexual relationship with someone for a very long time. I just thought, "Let's play the reality of the crutch of Elliot being gone.Now what does she do?" So, now we see if she blows it up, or if circumstances blow it up, or if it's allowed to blossom. She does seem to still be a bit guarded around him. Will that wall come down?Leight: Well, they're going to be sleeping together pretty soon, so at some point they have to get there. But even then it's going to be push-me-pull-you.Check out our list of TV's sexiest crime fighters!How long do you see Haden staying around?Leight: Originally [Connick] was booked for four episodes, but I'm under no obligation to kill him off at the end of those four.He seems to be having a good time. They seem to be working pretty well together, but at some point drama must rear its head. One thing I will say is we will not reveal him to be a serial killer. And I have no intention of tragically blowing him up in a car or anything like that.What type of obstacles do you have in mind?Leight: They may disagree on a case. She may question his commitment because she's such a crusader. If you work as a No. 2 in a NY City D.A.'s office, you have to have political skill. So I could see her mistaking his political skill for a lack of fervor.And clearly, they're not supposed to be working on the same cases. That'll get a case thrown out of court. The ethical boundary is a huge, huge issue. But then also there's this question of boundaries in a relationship. If both of you do the same kind of stuff, and you're always talking shop - is that healthy for a relationship? So whether he goes or stays, how do you want this relationship to impact Benson moving forward?Leight: She'll be more aware of what she's not allowed herself. I wanted to play them as two humans trying to figure out what their second acts are emotionally. That's nice.The show doesn't get to do that too often.As for other emotional moments, I hear you're bringing back Benson's half-brother Simon (Michael Weston). Leight: Yes, Simon's coming into town. What I wanted in that episode is kind of a Remains of the Day thing, where your hero is caught between a job she has to do and this huge family crisis. Simon's daughter, Olivia's niece, has been taken from the family. And Olivia, up until this point, had no idea she had a niece.NBC Scoop: Hargitay signs up for another season of SVU And how does that affect her? Warren Leight: She does everything she can to get her niece out of the city's foster care.I mean, she meets the kid for the first time at a social services agency, so it's heartbreaking for her. And so, she enlists Andre Braugher's character to take on the city of NY.That's high stakes.I understand Wednesday's episode (10/9c, NBC) has a big moment for Rollins (Giddish). Is it something potentially career-threatening?Leight: She will deal with some personal demons. As part of the crime they're investigating, the SVU office ends up interacting with one of the victims who was a heavy gambler. So we start getting into that world, and it turns out Rollins is familiar with people in that world.So do you expect the show to be back next season?Leight: NBC clearly wanted to get the message out that Mariska will be back for Season 14. And I assume they mean on SVU. All I can think is my job is to make the show. I just keep working on the show and I will assume, all things being equal, we'll be back next year. But it's TV. I've been wrong before. ... We're on NBC and that's challenging right now.Given that, how will you approach the end of the season?Leight: I've had a note in the back of my head since the season began. And I still have that same note. There's an interesting place for the last several episodes to go, but I don't think it will involve bringing back anyone who's left or killing anyone who's there. It's always good to begin the season knowing where the last episode is. Things can change and all that, but it doesn't have to be a bloodbath at the end.Law & Order: SVU airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on NBC. Watch a preview of tonight's episode below:

ABC Family Orders New Series Bunheads from Gilmore Girls' Creator

Sutton Foster ABC Family has picked up Bunheads, a dance drama series from Gilmore Girls creator Amy Sherman-Palladino, Deadline reports. The series stars Tony award-winner Sutton Foster as a Las Vegas showgirl who moves to a small town with her new husband and becomes a teacher at her mother-in-law's dance school. ABC Family also recently gave series orders to the comedy Baby Daddy and docuseries Beverly Hills Nannies.

Restored 'Cabaret' to spread out TCM fest

The 3rd annual TCM Classic Film Festival will launch April 12 in Hollywood using the world premiere from the 40th anniversary restoration of "Cabaret." Liza Minnelli and Joel Gray are scheduled to look. The 4-day fest has additionally added its northern border American premiere of the 75th anniversary restoration of Jean Renoir's "Grand Illusion" a screening of 1924's "The Crook of Bagdad," using the Mont Alto Movie Orchestra to supply live musical accompaniment a global premiere from the 60th anniversary restoration of "Singin' while it is rainingInch along with a 50th anniversary screening of "The way the West Was Won" at ArcLight Cinema's Cinerama Dome. Darlene Reynolds can look in the latter two. Peggy Cummins, Rhonda Fleming and Marsha Search will each appear at tests of the particular film noirs "Gun Crazy," "Cry Danger" and "Raw Deal" included in a meeting of "The Noir Style." Diana Serra Cary, among Hollywood's top child stars throughout the quiet era, will join filmmaker Vera Iwerebor for that U.S. premiere of documentary "Baby Peggy: The Elephant within the room.Inch The festival's also slated an Katherine Hepburn tribute with "Sabrina," "Funny Face" and also the world premiere of the 45th anniversary restoration of "Two for that Road." Festival tests is going to be held at Grauman's Chinese, Chinese 6 Theaters, the Egyptian and also the ArcLight. Contact Dork McNary at dork.mcnary@variety.com

1492, ro*co to partner on photos

Chris Columbus' 1492 Pictures is joining up with ro*co prods., the development arm of ro*co films intl. to evolve documentary films into feature dramas. First pic underneath the arrangement is going to be Yoav Potash's award-winning doc "Crime After Crime," which opened finally year's Sundance Film Festival."Crime" follows two youthful lawyers because they fight a constant fight to free Darlene Peagler from prison two decades after she was sentenced to existence in jail on her role within the murder from the guy who mistreated her. Pic, which in fact had its TV debut on The famous host oprah Winfrey's OWN network last fall, gained 15 major honours such as the Freedom of Expression Award in the National Board of Review."We're very looking forward to dealing with ro*co and Yoav to evolve 'Crime After Crime' right into a dramatic feature film," stated 1492 Pictures prexy Michael Barnathan. "This remarkable documentary has great potential like a narrative feature film. We've made films that started as ideas, books, plays, and scripts. While this is our first documentary-to-dramatic-feature adaptation project, we certainly hope it's not our last. ro*co comes with an uncanny capability to find and attract great documentary works and filmmakers." "At ro*co, we use our filmmakers to increase possibilities for his or her documentary films," stated Annie Roney, founder and controlling director of ro*co films intl. "This is exactly why we've close ties with tv stations in america and abroad, plus an educational division to produce a different type of box office in classes as well as on college grounds across the nation. Choosing the best partner to evolve these documentary stories towards the giant screen was our next mission. Dealing with 1492 Pictures, we all know these real existence tales will end up celebrated movies."The offer was discussed by Sue Turley for ro*co films worldwide and Barnathan for 1492 Pictures.ro*co films has four films at Sundance including "The Atomic States of America," "The Invisible War," "What The Law States during these Parts" and "We are Not Broke." Contact Shaun Sneider at shaun.sneider@variety.com

Keck's Exclusives: Start Searching at Becki Newton the way i Met Your Mother

Becki Newton, Neil Patrick Harris Beginning February 13, former Ugly Betty star Becki Newton brings her sexy sass towards the Way I Met Your Mother - and shove it in Barney's face (for your relaxation of year and likely to the next). "My character can have an authentic challenge to Neil Patrick Harris and supply him a run for his money," teases Becki of her character, Quinn. "She kind of has Barney determined before he even starts speaking."Basically, am i to visualise Quinn can be as promiscuous as Barney? "Possibly, yes," she states. "Which is a great deal fun! For Barney, it'll be like searching inside the mirror. He is not familiar with someone speaking his language, and it will rock his world."Calculates Becki cast herself inside the role after winding up within the show's producers. "She sitting lower and mentioned, 'Barney takes a love interest which i will be that girl,'" unveils professional producer Craig Thomas. "She preferred to honestly just like a formidable pressure to complicate his world." Complications involve several secrets that Quinn is keeping. "The best a few seconds of her first episode, in the scene without any within our cast, will disclose who she's really. She's basically a puppet master playing Barney." Expect Ted to lower a Quinn-related blast on love-struck Barney a few episodes later.While Becki's meshing along with her new TV family, she's not forgotten her Betty roots. She and her boy recently met track of Ana Ortiz, Ashley Jensen in addition to their babies. States Becki, "Everybody knows each other perfectly it felt oddly normal to own our kids around.InchSign as much as TV Guide Magazine now!

Jennifer Lopez Excited For The Return Of In Living Color; Open To Returning To Shows Specials

First Published: January 8, 2012 9:04 PM EST Credit: Getty Images LOS ANGELES, Calif. -- Caption Judge Jennifer Lopez speaks onstage during the American Idol panel during the FOX Broadcasting Company portion of the 2012 Winter TCA Tour at The Langham Huntington Hotel and Spa, Pasadena, on January 8, 2012Jennifer Lopez would be open to helping her former In Living Color boss, Keenen Ivory Wayans, with the upcoming return of the sketch comedy, set to happen on FOX this spring. Its what? Jennifer said, when AccessHollywood.com asked her if shed want to be a part of the show, which returns with an updated version of the sketch comedy, in two half-hour specials in Spring 2012. Oh my God, I didnt even know! Thats awesome, she told Access on Sunday after the Television Critics Association Winter Session panel for American Idol of In Living Color being revived. I havent heard from [Keenen], but if he called me and wanted me to do something, that would be awesome, Jennifer said. Jennifer said shes remained grateful to Keenen for giving her such a great start and encouragement in her younger days when she was a Fly Girl. I owe Keenan a lot. From the beginning of my career, he always believed in me, he always was constantly putting in my brain, Youre gonna be a star, youre gonna be a star, do you know that? And he was a mentor to me so I wish him the best with that, she added. As previously reported on AccessHollywood.com, original creator and executive producer Keenen will host the new episodes. The specials will feature young talent, musical performances and special guests. In Living Color originally aired between 1990 - 1994 on FOX. Copyright 2012 by NBC Universal, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

'Breaking Beginning,' 'Snow White' Complete MTV Movie Brawl 2012's Rivals

A few days is drawing to some close, but MTV Movie Brawl 2012 round one rages on with the weekend! Voting does not close until 12:00 PM EST on Sunday (The month of january 8), so there's still time for you to get the favorite movies into next week's March Madness-style bracket. Today, we are closing out our preview of brawlers with a glance at a real estate agent having a license to kill, the fairest maiden of all of them, and vampires of the underworld who sparkle within the sunlight. "Prometheus" With "Prometheus," Ridley Scott returns towards the sci-fi genre he assisted define, and potentially towards the world he established in "Alien." This is an exciting move for sci-fi fans in writing, and also the lately launched trailer only raises our anticipation. Speaking personally, "Prometheus" is by far the film I am most excited for in 2012. If you value me, you'll election with this. -Josh Wigler "Rock of Age range" Everything we all know about Rock Of Age range informs us that would possess a cheesy good time come June 1 if this opens in theaters. The film musical is really a rock operatic love story in line with the Tony award-nominated play of the identical title, that includes a very star-studded cast belting the "arena rock" stylings of popular 1980s artists like Journey, Pat Benatar, Bon Jovi, Styx and REO Speedwagon. Tom Cruise, Alec Baldwin, Russell Brand, Catherine Zeta-Johnson, Mary J. Blige, Paul Giamatti, Julianne Hough and Malin Ackerman all star. And sing! -Kara Warner "Skyfall" Following a strong begin in "Casino Royale," Daniel Craig's Bond hit a vital snag with "Quantum of Solace." The fix? Add Academy Award-winning director Mike Mendes towards the mix. Casting Javier Bardem because the villain and Rob Fiennes being an unknown government worker certainly does not hurt either. We simply know one small detail from the plot, but a dark secret from M's past seems like classic 007 to us. Could this be Bond's return to the peak? -Kevin P. Sullivan Watch MTV Movie Brawl Analysis In Talk Nerdy In My Experience! "Snow Whitened And Also The Huntsman" This a person's significant for many reasons. It's the to begin two Snow Whitened-designed films decreasing the pike this season, it features "Twilight" star Billy Burke like a completely different kind of story book princess alongside Huntsman Chris Hemsworth and Evil Full Charlize Theron. Within this action movie-esque version, Stewart showcases sword-carrying abilities and warrior-like habits which we imagine is going to be helpful within the inevitable showdown between Snow, Huntsman and Full. "SWATH," as it is been generally known to on the web, opens June 1. -KW "Taken 2" In "Taken," Liam Neeson displayed a really particular group of abilities making an unexpected hit from it and a new job like a middle-aged action star. For that second bypass, Rade Serbedzija plays the daddy of among the "Taken" kidnappers, who sets his sights on Neeson's Bryan Mills, and takes the previous CIA operative hostage. -KPS "The Twilight Saga: Breaking Beginning Part 2" This fall the seem of countless women screaming will gradually disappear because the vampire romance phenomenon involves a detailed. Part one from the story saw the birth of youthful Renesmee and Bella's transformation right into a vampire. The family Cullen must safeguard the kid from outdoors forces that will threaten it. -KPS "Wrath from the Leaders" They previously launched the Kraken. Ok now what? Perseus and also the gods have returned for additional, and this time around it is the Leaders use destroy ancient greek language cities. Mike Worthington, Liam Neeson and Rob Fiennes all go back to reprise their roles in the first film, only one other element is creating a less welcome return: publish-converted three dimensional. -KPS "Lady in Black" Serta Radcliffe can make his first publish-"Potter" appearance within the adaptation from the classic Victorian ghost story, and it is quite the mature role! He plays a parent and recent widower who travels to some house haunted through the mysterious lady from the title. Hewlett packard fans ought to be clamoring to determine what's next using their leading guy and when the star could make the jump to their adult years in the movies. -KPS MTV Movie Brawl 2012 Has Started! Exactly what do you think about the MTV Movie Brawl? Inform us within the comments as well as on Twitter, and click on here to election!

Exclusive: CSI: NY Books Lee Majors for Guest Spot

Lee Majors, Gary Sinise CSI: NY is about to call on the Six Million Dollar Man for help.Lee Majors, the veteran actor best known for his memorable role as Steve Austin on ABC's The Six Million Dollar Man, will guest-star on an upcoming episode of the CBS drama, TVGuide.com has learned exclusively.Check out our list of TV's sexiest crime fighters! Majors will play Burton, a detective who worked a case in 1957 that soon went cold. When an alarmingly similar case pops up in present day, Mac (Gary Sinise) calls on Burton's expertise to help crack it.The episode will also feature a Greek reunion: Former ABC Family stars Spencer Grammer and Aaron Hill will both guest-star as lab techs who are questioned when one of their coworkers is murdered, TV Line reports.Get more scoop on your favorite shows in our Winter TV previewBesides his work on Six Million Dollar Man and its spin-off The Bionic Woman, Majors also starred in the 1980s ABC drama The Fall Guy. More recently, he has appeared on such series as The Game, Community, $#*! My Dad Says, Raising Hope and Grey's Anatomy.CSI: NY returns Friday, Jan. 6 at 9/8c before going on hiatus in February. Majors' episode is slated to air after the show resumes, sometime in April.

Elton John: I Want Justin Timberlake to Play Me in Biopic

Elton John For the upcoming Elton John biopic Rocketman, the legendary singer has someone quite specific in mind to play him."No. 1 on my wish list is Justin Timberlake, because he played me before in a David LaChapelle video of 'Rocket Man' and was superb," John told the Los Angeles Times.He's a Rocketman: Elton John biopic in developmentThe 64-year-old Grammy winner and David Furnish are developing the film, and plan to make an announcement about it "very, very soon ... then it's just going to be a matter of getting the script exactly the way we want it."The film will chronicle the life and epic career of the "Candle in the Wind" singer. Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) wrote the script.

Queen's honors to Bonham Carter, Bazalgette

Bonham CarterTV producer Peter Bazalgette, actress Helena Bonham Carter and BAFTA/LA charitable organization organizer Katherine Haber were among the showbizzers reported inside the Queen's annual New Year's Honours list, revealed in the last weekend.Bazalgette, who introduced the show "GovernmentInch for the U.K. and devised a string a vast amount of-duplicated lifestyle and reality shows, is created a dark evening.Bonham Carter was presented with a CBE for services to drama she mentioned she's trading the CBE to her late father.BAFTA/LA board member Haber, co-director in the org's education and outreach committee, received an MBE for services for the community of los angeles.Statement producer Steve Lillywhite, who labored with rock groups for instance U2, the Moving Gems as well as the Smiths, was granted a CBE for services to music.Sky News journalist Alex Crawford, who shot in the lately liberated Tripoli after travelling there with Libyan mma fighters who had overthrown Moammar Gadhafi's regime, was granted an OBE.Thesp David Harewood, presently in Showtime's "Homeland," was granted an MBE, and former Oasis frontman Liam Gallagher received a CBE.In climbing lower order, the honors are knighthoods CBE, short for Commander in the Order in the British Empire OBE, a officer in the Order in the British Empire and MBE, Part of a purchase in the British Empire. People saluted in the last three groups are often "promoted" to greater honors in subsequent years.Britain's honours are presented two occasions yearly with the monarch at New Year's and also on her official birthday in June. Visitors are selected by committees of civil servants from nominations created by the us government as well as the public.The entire or every so often someone else within the royal household is certainly the award inside a ceremony known to being an "investiture." Several investitures are held at Buckingham Structure london all year round.A lot of the honors visit individuals that aren't inside the limelight, for services to community or industry., additionally they reward a sprinkling of famous faces. For example, Bonham Carter was Oscar-nominated as supporting actress on her behalf performance as Full Elizabeth -- the wife of King George Mire and mother in the reigning monarch -- in "The King's Speech." She made her feature film debut inside the 1985 "A Place Getting a View." Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com