Category: Writing
51st Annual Annie Award Nominations Announced
Best Animated Feature nominees ‘Nimona,’ ‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse,’ ‘Suzume,’ ‘Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles: Mutant Mayhem,’ and ‘The Boy and the Heron’ top the expansive list of category nominations; animation’s biggest awards ceremony is scheduled to return live on Saturday, February 17 at UCLA’s Royce Hall.
Jacob Elordi, Christoph Waltz Join Guillermo del Toro’s ‘Frankenstein’
Felix Kammerer, Lars Mikkelsen, David Bradley, and Christian Convery are also added, joining Oscar Isaac and Mia Goth on the live-action Netflix flick based on Mary Shelley’s 1818 novel.
Final Draft 13 Now Available
Latest update for the leading screenwriting application includes the new Navigator 2.0, character development tools, and an enhanced outline editor.
Eisner-Winning Graphic Novel ‘Criminal’ Gets Prime Video Series Order
Creator Ed Brubaker and Jordan Harper will co-showrun the interlocking universe of crime stories from Legendary Television and Amazon MGM Studios.
Derek Simonds Boards ‘Battlestar Galactica’ Reboot as Showrunner and Writer
‘The Sinner’ creator will also executive produce alongside Sam Esmail for UCP and Chad Hamilton; Michael Lesslie was previously attached to write and executive produce.
Did ‘Andor’ Season 2 Premiere Get Pushed into 2025?
While the ‘Star Wars’ sci-fi franchise boasts many upcoming offerings, including ‘The Acolyte,’ ‘Skeleton Crew,’ and ‘The Bad Batch Season 3,’ Disney’s release slate for 2024 has one notable omission…
Matthew Orton Joins ‘Captain America: Brave New World’ As Writer
Although principal photography was completed before both the WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, additional shoots have been expected, delaying the film multiple times with the premiere now set for February 14, 2025.
Nickelodeon Sets ‘Rock Paper Scissors’ Series Launch
New show, developed from the first short in Nick’s Intergalactic Shorts Program ever picked up for series, will debut February 12, 2024; it follows best friend and roommate trio Rock, Paper and Scissors, who compete over everything in hilarious and wildly absurd ways; watch the short first on Xmas day.
The Quiet, Uncomfortable, and Darkly Funny ‘Carol & The End of The World’
Debuting December 15 on Netflix, Dan Guterman’s new adult animated limited series, which he calls ‘a meditative, character-driven dramedy,’ follows a woman who can’t shake her meek, depressed existence, though surrounded by hedonistic excess, in the face of humanity’s impending extinction from a mysterious planet hurtling towards earth.
‘Aikane’: An Eclectic Love Story Highlighting Cultures Around the World
In the new short from Dean Hamer, Joe Wilson, and Daniel Sousa, the team behind the award-winning ‘Kapaemahu,’ an island warrior who descends into a strange underwater world after being wounded in battle falls in love with the shapeshifting octopus that saves his life.
Disney Legend Andreas Deja Talks ‘Mushka’
The famed animator, who brought to life iconic animated characters - villains and heroes - like Gaston, Jafar, Scar, Hercules, and Lilo, talks about his time at the studio as well as the challenge of directing his first film, a beautifully hand-drawn short that tells of a young girl who must save the tiger she has raised from a cub.
Oscar-Qualified ‘Dragonfly’ Recounts the Devastating 1945 Tokyo Firebombing
For filmmaker Julia Morizawa, learning about her grandparents she’d only seen in a black and white photo meant coming face-to-face with the horrors of the single most destructive bombing raid in human history, and how asking questions and confronting the past is the only way to keep tragic events from being lost to history and possibly happening again.
Filmmaker Janice Nadeau and NFB Producer Marc Bertrand Talk ‘HARVEY’
A conversation between the director and National Film Board of Canada producer takes us inside their collaboration on the award-winning NFB/Folimage animated short that examines bereavement and coping with the loss of a parent through the imaginative eyes of a child.
81st Golden Globe Awards Nominations Announced
‘Spider-Man: Across the Spider-Verse’ and ‘The Super Mario Bros. Movie’ lead the Best Motion Picture – Animated category while also getting nods in ‘Cinematic and Box Office Achievement’ and ‘Best Original Score - Motion Picture;’ winners will be announced at an awards ceremony January 7, live on CBS and streaming on Paramount+.
Comedy and TV Legend Norman Lear Passes at 101
Known for his early ‘70s sitcoms, including ‘All in the Family’ and ‘Sanford and Son,’ the famed creative contributed his talents to numerous hit shows and films, both live-action and animated, until his last days.
‘Loki’ EP Michael Waldron to Write ‘Avengers: Kang Dynasty’
The Disney+ show’s creator replaces previous writer Jeff Loveness as the production moves in a new direction, also sans original director Destin Daniel Cretton; the troubled film is still slated for a May 1, 2026 release.
Ana Nogueira to Pen DC Studios ‘Supergirl: Woman of Tomorrow’ Feature
First announced as part of James Gunn and Peter Safran’s new DCU, the live-action science fiction adventure is based on Tom King’s award-winning dark comics stories; Sasha Calle to reprise her role as Superman’s cousin Kara Zor-El, along with her superdog Krypto.
Jennifer Lee Talks Walt Disney Animation Studios’ ‘Wish’
Reflecting on 100 years of moviemaking, the studio’s Chief Creative Officer and writer/executive producer of its new animated musical – hitting theaters today - discusses the return of the classic Disney villain, using modern animation technology to create a throwback visual style, and how Walt Disney’s push to always evolve as storytellers and innovators still guides her efforts today.
Apple TV+ Greenlights New 3DCG ‘Peanuts’ Feature
From WildBrain Studios and Peanuts Worldwide, the untitled film, set to begin production next year, will see the Peanuts gang go on an epic adventure to the Big City and learn the true meaning of friendship, while meeting some surprising new friends along the way.
2nd Annual Children’s & Family Emmy Nominees Announced
Lots of great animation being recognized - ‘Star Wars: Young Jedi Adventures,’ ‘The Guardians of the Galaxy Holiday Special,’ and ‘I Am Groot’ among top nominees; the award’s ceremony to be revealed next week.
Ellen Doherty Talks Fred Rogers’ Legacy and the Future of Writers' Neighborhood
22 years after the final episode of ‘Mister Rogers' Neighborhood’ aired, Fred Rogers Productions continues its mission to create quality kid’s content with a slate of award-winning series and its innovative, eight-week program for emerging BIPOC writers that focuses on how to build and sustain a career as a freelance writer in children's media.
2nd CAPE Animation Directors Accelerator Class Announced
Program, which kicked off at Lightbox Expo, includes a month of in-person and virtual sessions; participants are paired with high-level animation industry mentors while developing and honing creative and leadership skills.
Paul McCartney’s Animated ‘High in the Clouds’ Finds Director, Writer
Toby Genkel will direct the feature film adaptation of the iconic rocker’s 2005 novel from a screenplay by Jon Croker, with pre-production to begin first quarter 2024.
Mike McMahan Talks ‘Star Trek: Lower Decks’ Season 4
As he does with AWN every season, the two-time Emmy winner riffs on his latest collection of sci-fi adventures that ‘boldly, but not too boldly’ go where no one has gone before; his uniquely funny and very ‘Trekky’ adult animated comedy, the ‘Star Trek’ franchise’s first, is now streaming on Paramount+.