In today’s film news roundup, Jacqueline Bisset has joined “Honey in the Head,” Freestyle Digital buys “Carter and June” and the editorial employees of Nickelodeon Animation Studio have unionized.
CASTING
Jacqueline Bisset is set to join the cast of “Honey in the Head” opposite Nick Nolte, Matt Dillon and Emily Mortimer, Variety has learned exclusively.
She will play the mother of Mortimer’s character, and likes to playfully flirt with Nick Nolte’s character whenever she has the opportunity. “Honey in the Head,” the English-language remake of the 2014 German drama “Honig Im Kopf,” will start production in May in Germany, Italy, and the U.K.
The original movie, produced by Barefoot Films, was directed by and starred Til Schweiger as the son of a retired veteran suffering from Alzheimer’s disease who convinces his widowed father (played by Dieter Hallervorden) to move in with him. The film, co-produced and distributed by Warner Bros. Germany, went on to earn $60 million at the box office.
The English-language adaptation will also be directed by Schweiger and produced by Barefoot Films in co-production with Warner Bros. Entertainment GmbH.
Popular on Variety
Bisset stars in the drama “Backstabbing for Beginners” as the female lead opposite Ben Kingsley and Theo James in the political thriller from Danish director Per Fly. Bisset also portrayed the wife of a fictional politician, inspired by Dominique Strauss-Kahn, in 2014’s “Welcome to New York,” and received a Golden Globe for supporting actress for 2013’s miniseries “Dancing on the Edge.”
ACQUISITION
Freestyle Digital Media has acquired the domestic rights to “Carter and June,” an action/comedy heist film directed by Nicholas Kalikow, Variety has learned exclusively.
The film was produced by Sean C. Covel, Diane Richey and Kyle Roper, with Rob Warren Thomas, Matt Post and Kalikow writing the screenplay. Michael Raymond-James, Samaire Armstrong and Timothy Omundson star, while The Doors guitarist Robby Krieger composed original songs for the soundtrack. The film will be available in theaters and on digital platforms on May 18.
The deal was negotiated by Dan Fisher of Freestyle and by Jack Campbell, president of Octane Entertainment, on behalf of the filmmakers.
EDITORS UNIONIZED
The editorial employees of Nickelodeon Animation Studio have elected to unionize with the Motion Picture Editors Guild, Local 700 of the International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees.
Nickelodeon has agreed to recognize the editors’ union after an arbitrator verified that a majority of employees had signed union authorization cards. The studio produces animated episodic programming such as “SpongeBob SquarePants,” “The Loud House,” “Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles” and “Shimmer and Shine.”
The newly unionized positions encompass a range of pre-production and post-production roles. Recording engineers and dialogue editors record and arrange voice actors’ dialogue prior to animation. Animatic editors work in pre-production to assemble storyboards and soundtracks in a pre-visualization of the finished show. Picture editors cut the completed color animation. Machine room employees manage the elements and equipment used in the creation of shows.
“We are proud to welcome this group of professionals to the Editors Guild family,” said Alan Heim, president of the Motion Picture Editors Guild. “Their work helps bring to life some of the most beloved children’s programming on television, and they deserve a voice in the workplace. We are glad that Nickelodeon honors their editorial crew’s decision, and we look forward to productive negotiations with the company.”
The news was first reported by Deadline Hollywood.
