The city of Beverly Hills has paved the way for a new, six-story headquarters for William Morris talent agency on Beverly Drive.
The Beverly Hills City Council voted 4-1 last week to approve the project in a bid to retain a talent agency while others have moved to new digs in Century City over the last year. Creative Artists Agency and International Creative Management both headed west last year.
“It’s a high priority for the city to retain our entertainment business,” said Assistant City Manager Cheryl Friedling. “We are extremely desirous to keep William Morris as a tenant.”
William Morris has outgrown its current home on El Camino Drive. The new development includes a 200,000-square-foot headquarters with a 200-seat screening room and about 750 parking spaces, as well as plans for a subway station entrance on a proposed extension of the Red Line. The agency would have a 20-year lease on the building.
Among the conditions are penalties for early departure.
A number of community members spoke out in opposition to the project.
One particular area of contention along with parking and traffic-related complaints was representation of the developer by former Beverly Hills Mayor Mark Egerman, who is lobbying on behalf of the New York-based George Comfort & Sons Inc., which, along with Morgan Stanley, will own the building.
Councilwoman Nancy Krasne was the lone dissenter in the vote. The project will come back for final review before the council on Dec. 5.
Animated Hit
The strong box office showing for Paramount’s 3-D “Beowulf” could have Sony Pictures seeing more interest from investment partners.
Early this month, Sony Pictures Entertainment confirmed reports it was looking to sell at least half of its Sony Pictures Imageworks animation unit and digital effects production division.
“Beowulf,” a motion-capture film based on performances by actors that are later turned into animation, was made with Imageworks animation and brought in more than $50 million worldwide, and represented 83 percent of the total box office gross its opening weekend. Increasing popularity of digitally produced movies could make animation units look like attractive buys.
Imageworks also works with other rival studios on their films, and according to executives is performing below expectations.
It’s Imageworks fourth 3-D production; earlier releases were: “Polar Express,” “Monster House” and “Open Season.”
The studio’s next animated feature, “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs” is set to debut in March 2009.
Interest in 3-D as a whole seems to have reawakened, largely as a way to give movie viewers, who increasingly watch content at home, an experience they can only get in theaters.
Hollywood’s heavy hitters, including James Cameron and Jeffrey Katzenberg, are backing 3-D as driver of digital cinema’s future.
There are currently over 1,200 3-D theater screens in the world, most of them in the U.S., and that number is expected to double by next summer; by late 2010 there are projected to be over 10,000.
Large companies that specialize in 3-D technology, such as Beverly Hills-based Real D, Texas Instrument’s DLP and smaller production outfits including Van Nuys-based Stereo Vision Entertainment Inc., are already trying to capitalize on what they say is an emerging trend.
“For all the recent advances in home theater technology and portable devices, nothing beats the experience of seeing a movie in a theater,” said Stereo Vision producer Doug Schwartz. “The coming 3-D revolution will only embolden and enhance that experience and promises to bring moviegoers back to the theater.”
Lumet Movies
Paul Parmar, chairman of production and distribution company Funky Buddha Group, last week announced a multi-picture deal with Academy Award nominee Sidney Lumet, committing to finance the legendary director’s next two movies, with an option for a third.
Parmar and Michael Cerenzie will produce the films that range from $20 million to $25 million apiece. The trio recently collaborated on “Before the Devil Knows You’re Dead,” starring Phillip Seymour Hoffman, Marisa Tomei and Ethan Hawke.
The first of the three movies will be “Getting Out,” which will start production in New York in January 2008. The deal comes on the verge of the re-release of Lumet’s 50-year old Oscar-nominated film “12 Angry Men.”
“There’s all kinds of money out there right now from hedge funds and private equity, so the producers who are going to get movies made have to have a set of financial skills,” Cerenzie said. “When working with the studios, co-financing gives us financial autonomy.”
FBG has also purchased Lumet’s original script, “Getting Out,” providing a green light on the first of the three possible movies. Cerenzie started casting the film last Wednesday.
Staff reporter Anne Riley-Katz can be reached at
[email protected]
, or at (323) 549-5225, ext 225.
