CBS Greenlights Comedy Pilot Starring Martin Lawrence

EXCLUSIVE: Using what will most likely function as the final pilot order this season, CBS has given a late eco-friendly light with a an untitled multi-camera comedy starring Martin Lawrence. The project, put together by Mike Lisbe and Nate Reger and produced by CBS TV Art galleries, stars Lawrence just like a widowed father of two teens who, after losing his job in construction, decides to go to police force academy and become a cop at 46. Lisbe and Reger are executive creating with Lawrence’s managers, Michael Eco-friendly and Mike Maydew within the Collective. Lisbe and Reger are conversant faces at CBS, their latest gigs were becoming supervisory producers round the network’s $#*! My Dad States and co-executive producers relating to this season’s How To Be A Gentleman. Nevertheless, a choice of their script just like a starring vehicle for Lawrence will be a surprise. CBS had commissioned 2 top authors, Tom Hertz and Ray Wilmore, to pen 2 potential automobiles for Lawrence, which has a talent deal with CBS this season. In addition, the network were built with a couple of backup scripts that have been much less particularly personalized for Lawrence, and one of these simple, Lisbe and Reger’s cop comedy, ended up acquiring the pilot order. They are with ICM.

'Quiet' time for Exclusive Media

Exclusive Media Group will fully finance supernatural thriller "The Quiet Ones" for its Hammer Films banner and has attached helmer John Pogue ("Quarantine 2").Exclusive will shop the project for the first time at the European Film Market this week.Pogue also penned the script, which is inspired by true events and tells the story of an unorthodox professor who uses controversial methods to take part in a dangerous experiment in an attempt to create a poltergeist. James Gay-Rees ("Senna," "Exit Through the Gift Shop") produces the pic.Exclusive's prexy of worldwide production and acquisitions, Tobin Armburst, will oversee production alongside director of development Shira Rockowitz.Pic, currently in pre-production, is presently casting and skedded to begin lensing in May in South Africa.Exclusive is also shopping Scarlett Johansson and Mark Ruffalo starrer "Can a Song Save Your Life?" from "Once" helmer John Carney. Contact Diana Lodderhose at diana.lodderhose@variety.com

Teri Everett ankles News Corp.

HendersonEverettNews Corp.'s top flack is walking lower.Teri Everett, senior Vice president corporate matters and communications, will exit her publish on February. 10. Julie Henderson will replace her, presuming the brand new publish of chief communications officer."I'm hugely grateful to Teri for leading our communications efforts so expertly recently,Inch Rupert Murdoch, chairman/Boss of News Corp.Henderson, who formerly offered as senior Vice president communications and corporate strategy, reported to both Everett and News Corp. leader Chase Carey, to whom she'll still report.Henderson continues to be continuously rising within News Corp. over her 5 years with the organization, most lately investing lots of time working in london with Murdoch because the conglom suggests using the fallout in the hacking scandal. She would be the top gatekeeper for that mogul, that has been greater profile than ever before as he's come to indicating themself directly via Twitter in recent several weeks.Henderson continues to be with News Corp. since 2006, beginning in the now defunct Fox Interactive Media division. Just before using the publish she went digital unit at MPRM Pr. She'll split her time between NY and La.Whilst former News Corp. leader/COO Peter Chernin was the one that first elevated Henderson from FIM right into a larger role managing West Coast communications issues for the organization, it had been Carey who required her profile in the conglom one stage further. This past year, he marketed Henderson to some more proper-oriented role that saw her move beyond PR to duties regarding driving greater synergies between all the company's models. "News Corp. professionals really are a peerless group and that i will miss them hugely," stated Everett, who had been with the organization for ten years. "Although it might be a tired clich, I'm ready for something different.Inch Contact Andrew Wallenstein at andrew.wallenstein@variety.com

Excalibur Star Nicol Williamson Dies

Exorcist III actor was 73Scottish actor Nicol Williamson has died aged 73, reports The Daily Telegraph. According to his son Luke, the stage and screen actor died of esophageal cancer on December 16. He was best known for his roles in Excalibur and The Exorcist III, as well as a long and much acclaimed stage career.Williamson was a star turn as Merlin in John Boorman's dark folk fantasy Excalibur, in which he was reluctantly cast alongside former lover Helen Mirren. Boorman's mischief-making paid off: the pair share the best scenes in the film, with Mirren's Morgana and Williamson's wizard playing wittily off against each other. Williamson and Mirren had worked together once before, although much less auspiciously, in a radical staging of Macbeth. The Hamilton-born actor made his name in John Osbourne's Inadmissible Evidence for which he received great acclaim and, later, a Tony award on Broadway. Osborne later described him as the greatest actor since Brando, a claim another playwright, Samuel Beckett, would corroborate. He was an actor, said Beckett, "touched by genius". Williamson's last screen outing came in 1997's comic-book noir Spawn in which he played a demon-cum-mentor to Michael Jai White's superhero. "By the time he'd made Spawn, he was done with it," Luke Williamson told Empire. More recently, he'd worked with his son on musical collaborations that showcased his diverse interests. The actor's rich and occasionally tempestuous life took him not just to Hollywood, but into the corridors of power. Harold Wilson was so impressed by his performance in Tony Richardson's Hamlet that he commended him to Richard Nixon. The result was an invitation to perform at one of the president's 'Evening at the White House' series.But Williamson was prouder of his performance as a different kind of politician, in the movie-length adaptation of The Resistable Rise Of Arturo Uri. He played a Hitler-like protagonist in the BBC's potent take on Bertolt Brecht's rise-of-the-Nazis parable. He also spoke fondly of a rare bad guy role alongside Sidney Poitier and Michael Caine in 1975 thriller The Wilby Conspiracy. Richard Lester's Robin And Marian, meanwhile, brought a much-valued opportunity to work with Audrey Hepburn.The actor, who was known as a straighforward, private man, leaves his son, Luke. "He was the most honest, funny and intelligent man I have ever had the pleasure of knowing," writes Luke on Williamson's official website. "He was my father and words cannot adequately express how proud I am of him."

Beverly McDermott dies at 83

Beverly McDermott, a casting director for movies and television more than 4 decades together with a producer of musicvideos and documentaries, died Jan. 19 in Hollywood, Fla. She was 83. McDermott cast films including Bob Fosse's "Lenny," "Airport terminal terminal '77" and each one of the "Cocoon" photos, too for TV, she did the area Miami casting for your pilot to Michael Mann's "Miami Vice" series. She also did location casting in Florida for John Frankenheimer thriller "Black Sunday," Burt Reynolds' 1985 directorial effort "Stick" as well as the 1989-90 Reynolds TV series "B.L. Stryker." McDermott was nominated for your Casting Society of America's Artios Award on her behalf work casting "Cocoon" which is follow-up. She made her (uncredited) debut just like a casting director round the 1967 detective film "Tony Rome," starring Frank Sinatra and shot in Miami. Other credits as casting director include 1977's "The Best,Inch starring Muhammad Ali the The the spanish language language film "Miss Caribe" as well as the Italian actioner "Hammerhead." She last offered as casting director round the 2005 film "Gamers Anonymous," which she appeared to become an connect producer. McDermott happen to be a talent agent in Florida before entering the casting biz relatively late around. Earlier, she will be a manager and booking agent for just about any nightclub near Boston. Also through the 19 fifties she discovered singer Freddy Cannon. She and her husband, Jack, handled Cannon additionally to Boston rock group the G-Cleffs. She co-produced Judy Garland's appearance within the Miami Beach Convention Center after which produced the comeback performance of Connie Francis in 1989. McDermott also offered as first V . p . of girls in the Film Industry (WOMPI). She's managed to get by her husband a boy together with a daughter a brother together with a sister. A memorial service will probably be held Saturday, Jan. 28, at 2 p.m. at Landmark Funeral Home in Hollywood, Fla. Contact Variety Staff at news@variety.com

MTV Movie Brawl 2012 Final Round: 'Hunger Games' Vs. 'Cosmopolis'

It began with 32 movies. Five additional films entered the fray through the Wild Card round. Several weeks and head-to-head battles later, it all comes down to two: "Cosmopolis" versus "The Hunger Games." In one corner is the Robert Pattinson-starring thriller about one extremely bad day in Manhattan. In the other, the story of a young woman forced to take extreme measures to protect herself and the people she loves. One film an underdog in this competition, the other a frontrunner from the very beginning. Both have had extraordinary arcs throughout the MTV Movie Brawl 2012, but only one can walk away with the title of can't-miss movie of the year. The Movie Brawl's final round is open for voting until 5PM EST on Monday (January 23). Only then will we finally know which movie stands at the top of the heap in the brawl for it all!

Chris Evans May Join Snow Piercer

Bong Joon-ho wants him to obtain coldWhile he's most carefully recognized with Captain America right now, Chris Evans is ensuring he makes use of the fireplace it's lit under his career to push it in interesting directions. He's now in discussions to star in Host director Bong Joon-ho's Snow Piercer. Although it seems like he'd be playing another super hero (one having a slightly odd-sounding energy - "Iam the Snow Piercer!""That which you do inside your personal time is the own problem, mate"), it's really an indie occur a frigid realm of snow and ice, and centered on a train filled with vacationers who're battling to outlive both conditions and one another.There is no word on which exactly Evans is going to be playing if he locks inside a deal, but when he is doing sign up, he'll are accountable to the Prague occur March to begin shooting.Bong Joon-ho, who last made crime thriller Mother, has written Snow Piercer with another leading light of Korean Cinema, Oldboy director Park Chan-Wook.Evans will next appear inside a little film known as The Avengers (due April 27) and it is at the office now around the Iceman, the storyline of killer Richard Kuklinski (Michael Shannon) who stored his mob assassin side hidden from his family.