The CW Sees a Universe Ruled by Hotties
Everyone's going for a twist today. Friends stars are trying to edgy-it-up; Paramount wants to pull one over on the theater owners and The CW is seeing hotties fighting Bin Laden and going to Mars. It's all in the trades.
• Young women having personal drama in dangerous places seems to the theme of the CW's upcoming development slate, revealed yesterday. In the works: a drama about women at the CIA's spy school, a soap opera by Veronica Mars creator Rob Thomas set in space and a show featuring original music by country star Brad Paisley about a young woman headed for Nashville stardom. [Variety]
• Hollywood perennial war — the battle between distributors and theater owners has heated up again, sparked by Paramount's attempt to sell the DVD of GI Joe and The Goods a mere 88 days after their theatrical debuts, within the 90 day window traditionally given to the multiplexes. "We don't know what Paramount is up to, but it's highly objectionable," was National Association of Theatre Owners president John Fithian's response to the plan. [THR]
• Anheuser-Busch has signed a deal to be the sole and exclusive sponsor of this week's Saturday Night Live, buying out the entire ad space. The brewery will also be hosting sponsored watch parties of the branded episode around America. [LAT]
• The Wrap reports on Warner Brothers contradictory marketing plans for their upcoming Where the Wild Things Are release, selling it simultaneously as an adult film, with a campaign of branded merch sold at Urban Outfitters and as a kids movie. Having just seen it, given the choice between where its a grown-up and kids film, we'd like to vote neither. [The Wrap]
• Former Friends star David Schwimmer will direct Clive Owen and Catherine Keener in, Trust, the very un-Friends-like tale of a couple whose lives are turned upside down when their daughter is stalked by an online predator. [THR]