Latest in Donna Langley

EXCLUSIVE: Jurassic World: Dominion began pre-production more than 18 months ago when the world was a very different place. The $165M Universal blockbuster wrapped this morning at the UK’s Pinewood Studios after an unprecedented shoot, which required 40,000 COVID tests, millions of dollars spent on protocols, and for…

Donna Langley, chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment Group, and Ann Sarnoff, chair and CEO of Warner Bros had the same reaction Thursday when asked if their companies had any interest in buying movie theaters. They laughed. “We have no plans to do that currently,” Langley said, appearing with Sarnoff and CBS CEO G…

Universal Pictures has signed on to be the home for a biopic of iconic singer Madonna, who will direct her own story from a script she is writing with Oscar-winning Juno scribe Diablo Cody. Madonna will produce the film with Pascal Pictures’ Amy Pascal. Madonna will not act in the film, but she will lead a search for…

EXCLUSIVE: Senator Kamala Harris has long been tight with Hollywood, and yesterday Tinseltown's biggest donors handed over some very big bucks to the Democrats' vice presidential nominee. In a virtual fundraiser put together by Ryan Murphy, Disney TV Studios boss Dana Walden, PR ace Chrisette Hudlin and Laura Shell…

EXCLUSIVE: After a highly profitable collaboration with Bazalevs principal Timur Bekmambetov on the Screenlife film Unfriended ($1 million budget, $65 million worldwide gross), Universal and Bekmambetov have made a deal to partner on five more films shot in the format. Screenlife is a disruptive form of storytelling…

EXCLUSIVE: California Gov. Gavin Newsom sees the state as mere days away from new guidelines to further open up from the coronavirus pandemic, but entertainment industry insiders are feeling broadsided by today's announcement. "WTF?" said one top cable executive to Newsom today announcning he would reveal plans on May…

EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures has completed a five-year exclusive deal with the LEGO Group that will lead to the development, production and theatrical distribution of films constructed from the fusion of original ideas to the colorful building blocks. The deal was spearheaded by Donna Langley, Chairman, Universal…

(UPDATED WITH SETH BYERS DETAILS) Nearly two years after he was shown the door at Universal following undisclosed "inappropriate conduct" allegations, the studio's former president of marketing Josh Goldstine has emerged with his name cleared and his bank account apparently quite healthy. While nowhere up in the eight…

Universal Pictures has set in a first-look film production deal with Phil Lord and Christopher Miller, the franchise-launching duo who shared the Best Animated Film Oscar for Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse, and who hatched the Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs, 21 Jump Street and The Lego Movie franchises. Their…

EXCLUSIVE: Michelle Obama isn't running for any office but the former First Lady can sure draw a well heeled crowd that would be the envy of any politician, as was the case last night at Bryan Lourd's place. Just 48 hours after appearing on-stage with Gayle King at this year's Essence Festival in Atlanta, the…

Donna Langley, the chairman of Universal Filmed Entertainment, invoked the late director John Singleton today in her commencement speech for the USC School of Cinematic Arts’ Class of 2019, reminding the audience to “touch what is human” in all audiences. Langley, who joined the USC School of Cinematic Arts Board of…

EXCLUSIVE: Ending a three decade run at Sony Pictures, Amy Pascal is moving her Pascal Pictures into a first look deal with Universal Pictures. Deal comes at the end of the four-year producing pact Pascal made at Sony in June, 2015, when she stepped down as chairman of the SPE Motion Picture Group after 20 years at…