EXCLUSIVE: Lionsgate has acquired worldwide rights to Scrambled, written by and starring Leah McKendrick, who makes her feature directorial debut on the comedy, which just wrapped filming.

Produced by Jonathan Levine and Gillian Bohrer’s Megamix, along with Brett Haley and Amanda Mortimer, and executive producer Mariah Owen, the film stars McKendrick as Nellie Robinson, a broke, single 34-year-old, fresh off a breakup, who faces down an existential crisis when she decides to freeze her eggs. McKendrick wrote the script following her own egg-retrieval experience last year.

The ensemble cast includes Ego Nwodim (SNL, Love Life), Andrew Santino (Dave), Clancy Brown (Shawshank Redemption, John Wick 4, Dexter: New Blood), Laura Cerón (Station 19, ER), Adam Rodriguez (Magic Mike, Criminal Minds), Yvonne Strahovski (Handmaid’s Tale), June Diane Raphael (Grace and Frankie, Long Shot), Noah Silver (Tyrant), and Sterling Sulieman (Station 19). The cast also includes Max Adler, Mimi Kennedy, Camille Mana, and Matt Pascua.

McKendrick is a Latina American multi-hyphenate from San Francisco. She wrote, produced and co-starred in the vigilante thriller M.F.A. alongside Francesca Eastwood which premiered at SXSW and was dubbed “the first horror movie to speak to the #MeToo era” by The New York Times. McKendrick’s romcom feature Voicemails for Isabelle was preempted by Sony Pictures and landed her on the Black List in 2019. She then wrote the highly-anticipated Grease prequel Summer Lovin’ for Paramount, and set up a second Paramount feature, Better Late than Never, which she is attached to direct. She is currently penning TriStar’s reboot of the ’80s cult classic Troop Beverly Hills.

The project continues Lionsgate’s collaboration with Megamix, which has a production deal with the studio. The studio will go into production next year on a sequel to Dirty Dancing, starring and executive produced by Jennifer Grey, which Megamix will produce and Levine will direct. The studio also recently announced the Megamix production, Sailing, a yacht rock musical comedy to star Woody Harrelson.

BondIt Media Capital is providing production financing. Matthew Helderman, Luke Taylor and Grady Craig executive produce for BondIt.

McAuley Cahill and Jordan Backhus co-produce for Megamix.

Chad Russo at Ramo Law negotiated the deal on behalf of the production. McKendrick is represented by UTA, manager David Clark of Mazo Partners, and Joel VanderKloot of VanderKloot Law. Megamix is represented by Carlos Goodman at Goodman, Genow, Schenkman, Smelkinson & Christopher.

Source: deadline.com

Nominations were revealed Wednesday morning for the 28th annual SAG Awards, one of the bellwether guild events in the awards-season calendar.

After this morning’s nominations, guild members will vote from January 19-25 ahead of the awards ceremony now set to air on TNT and TBS on February 27 at Barker Hangar in Santa Monica, a departure from the guild’s usual Shrine Auditorium locale.

In 2021, the SAG Awards were held as a one-hour virtual ceremony delayed to April because of the constraints of the pandemic; for now, an in-person event is planned, complete with a red carpet. There are also plans for a virtual backstage for winners.

Television
Outstanding Performance by an Ensemble in a Drama Series
THE HANDMAID’S TALE
ALEXIS BLEDEL / Emily Malek
MADELINE BREWER / Janine Lindo
AMANDA BRUGEL / Rita Blue
ANN DOWD / Aunt Lydia Clements
O-T FAGBENLE / Luke Bankole
JOSEPH FIENNES / Commander Fred Waterford
SAM JAEGER / Mark Tuello
MAX MINGHELLA / Commander Nick Blaine
ELISABETH MOSS / June Osborne/Offred
YVONNE STRAHOVSKI / Serena Joy Waterford
BRADLEY WHITFORD / Commander Joseph Lawrence
SAMIRA WILEY / Moira Strand

Source: deadline.com

Yvonne Strahovski’s second baby has arrived.

The Handmaid’s Tale star, 39, and husband Tim Loden welcomed the newest addition to their family earlier this week, she announced on Instagram Thursday. The pair are also parents to 3-year-old son William.

“An angel joined our world this past week ❤️,” Strahovski wrote. “Welcome to the family my love ❤️ I love you so very much ❤️ #mamaoftwo #❤️.”

Strahovski revealed that she was expecting on June 30, debuting her baby bump on the red carpet at the Los Angeles premiere of her action movie The Tomorrow War, which she costars in alongside Chris Pratt. “I’m having a boy,” she told Entertainment Tonight at the event.

Back in July 2019, Strahovski told Glamour U.K. about returning to work to film Hulu’s Handmaid’s Tale after giving birth to her first baby back in October 2018. She said her husband brought their baby to the set of the drama, in which Strahovski plays the villainous Serena Joy.

“It was definitely one of the hardest and most challenging moments ever in my entire career. Coming back to work with a newborn and all the sleep deprivation that comes with that, plus I was breastfeeding,” she recalled at the time.

“… I was running in between set and my trailer, breastfeeding on demand and doing scene work. It was crazy being all ‘miserable Serena’ and then coming in and having so much joy looking at my baby, and then going back into the scene and then coming back again and breastfeeding and being happy,” added Strahovski.

The star also opened up about the emotional side of returning to work.

“I think there’s pros and cons to both ends of it. I was devastated to begin with, if I’m honest. It was like a ticking time bomb, knowing that I was going to go back to work and that I was going to have to part with my baby for the hours that I would be on set filming,” she said. “Even knowing my husband was there with him, I was still dreading being apart. Emotionally, I just didn’t want to let go and be away.”

“But in hindsight looking back on it, I think that because I knew I was going back to work, I appreciated every single little moment that I had with him — including the breakdowns in the middle of the night, where I was just so tired that I was crying and nothing else was happening at the moment, except you’re just devastated that you’re tired,” said the Emmy nominee.

“Even those moments were oddly appreciated because I knew that this was going to be it,” she added. “Time flies so quickly with little ones, you know, and the next day they change and they’re not so little anymore and that’s the only time that you get.”

Source: people.com

The 73rd Primetime Emmy Awards, hosted by Cedric the Entertainer, will take place Sept. 19 on CBS and Paramount Plus at 5 p.m. PT/8 p.m. ET.

Supporting Actress in a Drama Series

Gillian Anderson (“The Crown”)
Helena Bonham Carter (“The Crown”)
Madeline Brewer (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Ann Dowd (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Aunjanue Ellis (“Lovecraft Country”)
Emerald Fennell (“The Crown”)
Yvonne Strahovski (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)
Samira Wiley (“The Handmaid’s Tale”)

Strahovski was on Watch What Happens Live with Andy Cohen when she was asked whether she’s involved in Dexter Season 9.

“I’m so sorry to break it to everybody, but I haven’t heard anything about the reboot,” she replied. “So it doesn’t seem that Hannah McKay’s making a return. I have a theory that perhaps, um, perhaps uh Harrison has already murdered her and is following in the footsteps of his father. I don’t know. I don’t know anything.”

As it turns out, she’s not the only one who isn’t returning

Strahovski joins a growing list of actors who seemingly aren’t returning to the show, including Julia Stiles (Lumen Pierce) and James Remar (Harry Morgan). Remar even claimed in a video shared in May that none of the original cast members were invited to appear in the revival.

“They didn’t ask any of the original cast back, so I don’t know what they’re doing…” he said in the clip, which was re-posted to Reddit. “I really have no idea. It’s too bad because all of us wanted to go back. But, you know, it’s their show, so they’re gonna do what they wanna do.”

However, Dexter newcomer Jamie Chung contracted his claims when she told People the revival features “a lot of familiar” faces. She didn’t name anyone, but there has been lots of speculation that Jennifer Carpenter (Debra Morgan) might pop up, possibly as the voice inside of Dexter’s head. As of writing, Carpenter has not directly commented on whether she’s involved in the revival.

Source: cheatsheet.com