Buzz Newsroom » Universal

Battleship, The Movie

Christo — Mon, 18 May 2009 11:57:18 +0000

Between this, and Clue and Candyland, Universal has officially set 2011 as the worst year in the history of cinema.

Peter Berg may be crying out “You sank my battleship!” The filmmaker is in talks to direct a big-screen version of the Hasbro board game for Universal. Brothers Jon and Erich Hoeber have signed on to write the script. Universal has several board game titles in development as part of its six-year deal with Hasbro. “Ouija Board” is being produced by Michael Bay’s Platinum Dunes shingle, “Candy Land” has Kevin Lima attached to direct with Etan Cohen writing the script, and Ridley Scott is developing a project based on “Monopoly.” – from THR

Universal joins with YouTube for new download service

Christo — Mon, 13 Apr 2009 11:35:07 +0000

Brushing aside disputes between YouTube and music societies, Universal Music Group – the world’s largest music company – has just announced that it is going to be partnering with the video sharing website on a new venture.

The upcoming site, called VEVO, will give people “premium” access to the whole of UMG’s video catalogue – which includes musicians like Kanye West, Taylor Swift, Jay-Z, Eminem, Sting and the Killers – as well as let them syndicate and share material elsewhere.

Eric Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, said that he was “committed to promoting greater innovation and choice” – in what some will see as a sideswipe at rivals like Apple’s iTunes (certainly, Google doesn’t very often partner with companies in this way). The company, he added, was “thrilled to be working with UMG in what will surely be an exciting new service for consumers, advertisers, content creators and the music industry at large”.

- from Guardian

They Live 2!?

Christo — Fri, 05 Dec 2008 12:36:58 +0000

John Carpenter’s cult 1988 film is getting the remake treatment from Universal and studio-based Strike Entertainment, which are in negotiations to acquire the film rights with rights holder Les Mougins.

Strike’s Marc Abraham and Eric Newman will produce, while Shep Gordon of Les Mougins and Carpenter will serve as executive producers.

The original film, part sci-fi thriller and part social satire, told the story of a down-on-his-luck construction worker (Roddy Piper) who discovers glasses that let him see aliens walking among us and controlling humanity. The man races against the clock to find a way to stop them.

The movie is known for a fight scene that lasts 5 1/2 minutes and for the line, “I have come here to chew bubblegum and kick ass … and I’m all out of bubblegum.”

- from THR