Imagine Entertainment: Celebs Rumors

The Glen Powell business is booming in Hollywood, and if “Twisters” does well in theaters this weekend, expect the actor’s ascension to superstardom to happen even more swiftly than it already is. “Twisters” is Powell’s last big release of 2024, but he has Ari Aster‘s “Huntington“ and Edgar Wright‘s “The Running Man” remake on the way, too.

EXCLUSIVE: Tracey Lincoln has been appointed to the role of Vice President, Community and Brand Partnerships at Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment.

Veteran producers Cora Yim and Benjamin Lin are launching a production company, S11 Partners, with an equity investment from Hong Kong-listed Medialink Group.

EXCLUSIVE: Imagine Entertainment has hired Jeb Brody to be President of Imagine Features. Brody had most recently been President of Amblin Partners, which was downsized by Steven Spielberg. Imagine founders Brian Grazer and Ron Howard are bringing Brody aboard to lean more heavily into feature films.

EXCLUSIVE: Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment is partnering with Wattpad Webtoon Studios to develop a feature adaptation of Love Advice from the Great Duke of Hell, the hit comic from the creator known as Unfins, which has thus far garnered more than 160 million views on digital comic publishing platform, Webtoon.

EXCLUSIVE: Imagine Entertainment has struck a preemptive film rights deal for Whalefall, the next anticipated novel from bestseller Daniel Kraus. The deal for the book option was reached ahead of its August 8th publication by MTV Books, an imprint of Simon & Schuster.

It’s been a banner Emmy nomination day for Imagine Entertainment, the company notching 14 noms across a variety of categories including Outstanding Scripted Variety Series and Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Special. 

“The September Issue”) and his This Machine production company, which will take a deep dive into the intersecting narratives, on and off the field, that surround the high stakes climax of America’s national pastime.Imagine and Cutler most recently partnered on the MGM+ true crime docuseries, “Murf the Surf: Jewels, Jesus and Mayhem in the USA” which tells the story of one of the most complicated and notorious American crime figures ever, Jack Roland Murphy, who became America’s very first true crime television superstar in 1964, a mere few months after the assassination of John F. Kennedy.From “Blue Crush” to “Friday Night Lights” to “Rush” to the documentary “The Day Sports Stood Still” to the upcoming second season of “Swagger,”Imagine has a rich history in telling stories rooted in sports. Over the last five years, Imagine has strategically expanded into an independent content studio with targeted acquisitions, partnerships, and new divisions, including an exclusive first look strategic partnership with The Washington Post in 2022 and with Warner Music Group in 2020, to co-produce a slate of projects across all mediums.Major League Baseball represents the highest level of professional baseball and is the most historic sports league in the United States.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film Writer Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment has entered a significant content deal with Major League Baseball, Variety can report exclusively. The partnership will yield multiple scripted and unscripted projects, the first of which is a documentary feature from noted filmmaker R.J. Cutler (“The September Issue,” “Billie Eilish: The World’s a Little Blurry”) following baseball’s 2023 world series. “I’ve always been drawn to the drama, high stakes, and emotion of baseball ever since I was kid in the bleachers of Dodger Stadium,” Oscar winner Howard told Variety. “These also happen to be the very same elements that make for a great movie or television show, which is why Brian, Imagine, and I are so excited to be teaming up with Major League Baseball to bring more of their stories to life.”

Amazon Studios has closed an exclusive multiyear first-look film deal with Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment, the company announced on Friday.Under the pact, Amazon Studios will have a first look on narrative features and documentaries Imagine Entertainment intends to produce.“Whether it’s a captivating drama like ‘Thirteen Lives’ or a poignant documentary like ‘Lucy and Desi,’ the team at Imagine Entertainment has an incredible gift for storytelling,” Jennifer Salke, Head of Amazon and MGM Studios said in a statement. “As we look forward to more exciting projects on the horizon, we are honored to make our longstanding relationship official and to bring more powerful, engaging stories to audiences around the world.”“Brian, Ron, and I, along with our entire team at Imagine including Karen Lunder, President of Imagine Features, and Sara Bernstein, President of Imagine Documentaries, couldn’t be more excited to have a home at Amazon and continue our shared desire to make tentpole films that inspire, elevate, and entertain audiences,” Justin Wilkes, President of Imagine Entertainment added.

EXCLUSIVE: Amazon Studios has closed an exclusive multiyear first-look film deal with Imagine Entertainment. In making Amazon its new movie home, co-founders Brian Grazer and Ron Howard will give Amazon first look on narrative features and documentaries Imagine intends to produce.

EXCLUSIVE: Justin Wilkes, Chief Strategy Officer of Imagine Entertainment and President of Imagine Documentaries and Brands, has been promoted to President of the company, headed by Executive Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.

Justin Wilkes, chief strategy officer of Imagine Entertainment and president of Imagine Documentaries and Brands, has been promoted to president. The company is headed up by Executive Chairmen Brian Grazer and Ron Howard.With Wilkes’ promotion, co-president of documentaries Sara Bernstein has been named president of documentaries, leading the division.

Imagine Entertainment has promoted Beth Bednarski to Chief Financial Officer, COO Steve Shikiya announced on Friday.Bednarski will oversee finance and accounting along with human resources, operations and IT, and partner with senior leadership on business development and strategic initiatives.“I’ve had the opportunity to work closely with Beth for over a decade and known her to be exceptionally strategic and operational. She has become an integral part of the senior leadership team at Imagine, particularly as the company has aggressively expanded into new content businesses over the past few years,” Shikiya said in a statement.Bednarski previously held the position of Executive Vice President of Finance and Operations at Imagine.

EXCLUSIVE: Beth Bednarski has been promoted to Chief Financial Officer of Imagine Entertainment, the award-winning global entertainment company of Brian Grazer and Ron Howard. The news comes following the amicable departure of Imagine Entertainment’s Presidents Tony Hernandez and Lilly Burns (from Jax Media), which we were first to report on.

EXCLUSIVE: Jax Media’s Tony Hernandez and Lilly Burns are leaving Imagine Entertainment where they have been Presidents for the past year.

Patrick Frater Asia Bureau ChiefBrian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment is adding firepower to two industry and talent development programs in the Asia Pacific region.One is the third edition of the Impact Australia screenwriter accelerator event which will operate an eight-week program from September. The other is the first edition of Emerge, a 20-week development program intended to raise the game of premium Taiwanese TV series.Impact Australia was founded by Grazer and Howard and led by CEO Tyler Mitchell. The event is delivered by Gentle Giant Media, the Melbourne-based production company headed by former Village Roadshow Entertainment Group executive Greg Basser.

Deadline first reported the news.

EXCLUSIVE: The Washington Post and Imagine Entertainment have entered into a strategic partnership to create scripted and non-scripted film and television properties culled from The Post’s vast archives, current reporting, and ongoing investigations. The multi-year deal gives Imagine an exclusive first-look to develop and produce all projects through the venture. Creative Artists Agency, which represents both entities, brokered the deal and will harness its resources and expertise to help expand The Post’s storytelling opportunities with Imagine across multiple formats. Washington Post Publisher and CEO Fred Ryan will oversee the deal with Imagine Entertainment Executive Chairman Brian Grazer and Chief Strategy Officer Justin Wilkes.

Jennifer Maas TV Business WriterJax Media executives Sarah Madigan and John Skidmore have joined Imagine Entertainment, the parent company of Jax, as head of business affairs and strategic partnerships and head of production, respectively, Variety has learned exclusively.Both will continue in their current roles at Jax Media, with Madigan remaining head of business affairs and Skidmore, a founding partner of Jax Media, still chief operating officer of the Imagine Entertainment-owned production company.Skidmore, who will be overseeing all projects across all divisions for Imagine, has produced some of Jax’s most popular titles, including “Broad City,” “Search Party,” “A Black Lady Sketch Show,” “Russian Doll” and the Netflix stand-up specials “Chris Rock: Tamborine,” “John Mulaney: Kid Gorgeous” and “Mike Birbiglia: The New One.” Madigan currently runs business affairs at Jax Media and previously held roles at MGM and Netflix.“Skidmore is a founding member of Jax and Madigan has been integral to the company’s growth over the past few years, and we couldn’t imagine doing this new job without them,” Imagine Entertainment presidents Tony Hernandez and Lilly Burns said in a joint statement to Variety.Jax Media co-founders Hernandez and Burns were promoted to co-presidents of Imagine Entertainment in January and continue to lead Jax Media as CEO and CCO, respectively.

Cynthia Littleton Business EditorImagine Entertainment has expanded the purview of Imagine Documentaries chief Justin Wilkes to overseeing new business development as chief strategy officer for the independent content powerhouse.The move for Wilkes comes as Imagine Entertainment is actively seeking an influx of capital to fund its ambitious growth plans. The company headed by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer since 1986 is looking to bring in a new financial investor that will allow Imagine to continue operating status quo with its current management team.At present, Imagine is in talks with U.K.-based Centricus Asset Management about a sale that would value the company at around $700 million.

The interested parties included at that time an unnamed Middle East sovereign wealth fund, as well as international banks and a domestic private equity firm. The valuation of the Oscar-winning A Beautiful Mind production company was reported as north of $800M.

Tony Hernandez & Lilly Burns, co-founders of Emily in Paris producer Jax Media, have been promoted at Imagine Entertainment.

Imagine Entertainment is launching a podcast division and has struck a deal with iHeartMedia.

Concordia Studio has named industry veteran Lori Rovner, formerly of Imagine Entertainment and Skydance Media, as its COO and general counsel, overseeing all operational, business, financial and legal aspects of the company, as well as serving as key liaison with Emerson Collective, one of its founders.

Investors and potential buyers are taking interest in Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment, Deadline has confirmed.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterImagine Entertainment, the production banner run by Ron Howard and Brian Grazer, has been the subject of renewed acquisition talks in recent weeks, multiple sources told Variety.Investors and potential buyers include an undisclosed sovereign wealth fund from the Middle East, which has been quietly exploring American media investments of late. Also kicking the tires on Imagine are international banks and a domestic private equity firm, according to two individuals familiar with the discussions.

EXCLUSIVE: Fresh off a starring role in Coming to 2 America, Jermaine Fowler is in talks to lead The U.S.P.S., a spy action-comedy which is being developed by Amazon Studios, Imagine Entertainment, and Chronology. Imagine’s Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, and Karen Lunder are producing the film with Oscar-nominated screenwriter Eric Heisserer and Carmen Lewis of Chronology.

Apple has struck a first-look dealBrian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment. The multi-year pact will see the banner produce aslate of scripted features, exclusively for the streamer.

Jordan Moreau Ron Howard and Brian Grazer’s Imagine Entertainment has signed a multi-year, first-look deal to create scripted features exclusively for Apple.Imagine Entertainment’s previous films include 2001’s “A Beautiful Mind,” which won best picture at the Oscars; “Hillbilly Elegy,” which earned Glenn Close a Golden Globe nomination for best supporting actress; “Rush”; “J.

Also Read: Natalie Portman, Lupita Nyong'o to Star in Apple's 'Lady in the Lake' Limited Series From Alma Har'elApple and Imagine have previously partnered on the documentary “Dads” from director Bryce Dallas Howard and “Peanuts in Space: Secrets of Apollo 10,” directed by Morgan Neville.

EXCLUSIVE: Brian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment is partnering with Impact to launch a global call to discover an emerging writer to pen a new basketball comedy. An idea hatched by Imagine, the feature is described as a “School of Rock meets Moneyball“.

EXCLUSIVE: Film and TV exec and producer Mark Bauch, has been named Senior Vice President of Imagine Entertainment’s Feature Film Group. Bauch will be responsible for bringing in new projects, helping to oversee the development and packaging of Imagine’s current feature slate, as well as targeting IP and books.

Also Read: Ron Howard to Direct Biopic on Master Chinese Pianist Lang Lang“Ron and Brian have built one of the most admired, truly creatively-led companies in the business and I’ve thoroughly enjoyed our partnership in documentaries over the years,” Wilkes said in a statement.

Matt Donnelly Senior Film WriterBrian Grazer and Ron Howard’s Imagine Entertainment has promoted Justin Wilkes to chief creative officer.Currently the head of the prolific Imagine Documentaries division, Wilkes’ expanded role was announced internally on Monday by Howard and Grazer. He will now work closely with film, TV, docs, branded entertainment, kids and family, and international programming.

Natalie Oganesyan editorImagine Entertainment has set a development pact with the Rebel Girls media brand to produce a wide range of original content.Rebel Girls’ best-selling book series “Good Night Stories” will serve as inspiration for the partnership, spotlighting key woman creators, innovators, leaders and pioneers throughout history. The pact envisions Imagine and Rebel Girls partnering on historical content, feature films and short and long-form scripted and unscripted series aimed at girl demos.Imagine Kids + Family President Stephanie Sperber and Sara Bernstein, Imagine Documentaries exec VP will work with Rebel Girls’ CEO Jes Wolfe and entertainment president Martha Adams on the projects.