Latest in Universal Pictures

EXCLUSIVE: Universal Pictures has landed the rights to the Brian Freeman novel Infinite, with Fast & Furious scribe Chris Morgan and Head of Development Ainsley Davies producing through their Chris Morgan Productions. Thomas Dean Donnelly and Joshua Oppenheimer will write the script. The story follows Dylan Moran, who…

Marking his third collaboration with director Paul Greengrass, News of the World offered costume designer Mark Bridges the chance to tackle his first Western, and an earlier period than he'd ever before done on film. The Universal Pictures title centers on Captain Kidd (Tom Hanks), a Civil War veteran who journeys…

In the past year, streamers have been swiping up bigscreen titles. They certainly circled the George Clooney and Julia Roberts romantic comedy Ticket To Paradise, which Deadline announced on Friday. But Universal brass, citing a commitment to theatrical, wouldn’t let the film go. It’s the latest in string of…

With News of the World, composer James Newton Howard returned to the Western genre for the first time in many years. In concert with director Paul Greengrass, he'd craft a more somber, inward-looking score than is often heard in the genre—"broken" music for a broken nation. The Universal Pictures title centers on…

While directing The Croods: A New Age, Joel Crawford often found himself chasing that 'Wow' factor, which all great films (and sequels) have in common. His follow-up to 2013's The Croods would expand the scope of a universe established by writer/directors Chris Sanders and Kirk DeMicco, at the same time preserving…

After co-directing 2016's Trolls—the critically acclaimed box office smash from DreamWorks Animation—Walt Dohrn made the leap to lead director with the equally catchy sequel, Trolls World Tour. While Dohrn had honed his craft in animation for over 20 years, spending much of that time at DreamWorks, he says his ascent…

Update: Sources now tell Deadline Daniel Kaluuya is in negotiations to co-star with Palmer as first reported by The Illuminerdi. If deal closes, it would mark a reteam for Peele and Kaluuya, who worked together on Get Out. EXCLUSIVE: Following the massive success of his first two feature films, Jordan Peele’s next…

“I think often what can happen with period pieces, as well as Westerns, is they just get kind of fancy—and sometimes, it works for the story. But when you look at pictures from the time period of towns all over the U.S., on the edge of things, things were rough. No one was worrying about having the perfect colored…

Better Call Saul Emmy winner Bob Odenkirk steps into a different kind of role in Universal Pictures’ upcoming Ilya Naishuller-directed action pic Nobody. He plays Hutch, dad and husband who is often underestimated and is seen as a doormat — until he is put to the test. In a new Super Bowl spot, we get to see Odenkirk…

It’s been a while since we have heard from Vin Diesel's Dom Toretto and his ragtag group of speedsters — until the Super Bowl. Universal Pictures dropped a new 30-second spot for Justin Lin’s F9: The Fast Saga, the next installment of the wildly popular box office blockbuster franchise. The Super Bowl spot fit in a…

Universal Pictures has entered into a first-look production agreement with Dan Lin and his Rideback production banner.  Lin has produced films grossing more than $5 billion worldwide, including the successful The LEGO Movie, Stephen King's It and Sherlock Holmes franchises, as well as Disney's live-action Aladdin. The…

 WHO Helena Zengel Age: 12 Hometown: Berlin  WHAT After winning the German Film Award for Best Leading Actress with 2019's System Crasher, Helena Zengel made her American film debut alongside Tom Hanks in News of the World. To star opposite Hanks, who plays Captain Jefferson Kidd, a war veteran widower traveling…