David Ellison


China’s Tencent buys stake in Altered Carbon producer

Chinese online giant Tencent has bought a significant minority stake in US-based producer Skydance Media. The exact size and cost of the deal was not revealed, but the agreement does show Chinese firms are still in the market for Hollywood assets. The Chinese government has seesawed on its approval of foreign acquisitions, while Donald Trump’s […]

Skydance names ex-DreamWorks exec animation president

Skydance Media has named former DreamWorks Animation exec Bill Damaschke as president of animation and family entertainment, effective immediately. In the newly created role, Damaschke will curate and oversee a team dedicated to creating animated and hybrid family programming, in conjunction with the company feature film and TV divisions. Damaschke will report to chief creative […]

UnReal’s Noxon behind Dietland plan for AMC

US cable channel AMC has given the greenlight to Dietland, the latest drama from UnReal showrunner Marti Noxon. News of the series first emerged last year, and a ten-part series is now going ahead following successful execution of AMC’s writers’ room development model. This sees writers work on scripts for several months ahead of a […]

Amazon brings drama with Tom Clancy’s Jack Ryan

Amazon Prime Video has given the greenlight to a TV adaptation of the Tom Clancy-created Jack Ryan novel character. John Krasinski (American Office) will play the titular character in Jack Ryan, which will run to ten episodes. Alec Bladwin, Harrison Ford, Ben Affleck and Chris Pine have all played movie adaptations of Ryan. Skydance Television […]

ABC to spend Ten Days in the Valley with Sedgwick

US broadcaster ABC has gone straight-to-series with a ten-part drama from Skydance Television, which will star Kyra Sedgwick (The Closer). Ten Days in the Valley will follow Sedgwick, who is also an executive producer on the show, as an overworked television producer and single mother whose life begins to mirror her controversial police series after […]

Grace and Frankie studio raises $700m

Skydance Media, the US film and television studio behind series such as Grace and Frankie and upcoming Altered Carbon, has raised US$700 million in funding. This will be used to finance ongoing business in Skydance’s studio units, as well as acquisitions and productions coming from its Skydance International arm. The firm’s TV arm, Skydance Television, […]

Skydance weighs Dietland drama with Noxon

Manhattan studio Skydance Media is working on a scripted series from writer-producer Marti Noxon set in the weight-loss industry. Dietland is an adaptation of a novel of the same name from Sarai Walker, and is the first fruits of a new multiyear agreement Noxon and Skydance Television, the TV arm of US-based Skydance. Noxon is […]

Futuristic drama original for Netflix

Netflix has gone for a ten-part sci-fi drama based on 2002 book Altered Carbon. The series, which has the same name, comes from Skydance Television and Shutter Island screenwriter Laeta Kalogridis. Richard K. Morgan’s original novel is set in the 25th century and is set in a world where the human mind has been digitised, […]

Nine to Five pair reunite for Netflix comedy

Jane Fonda and Lily Tomlin are to star in Grace and Frankie, Netflix’s first originally-conceived comedy original. The pair will play long-term rivals brought together when their respective husbands announce they are in love with one another and plan to marry. Netflix has commissioned Skydance Productions (Manhattan, World War Z) to produce the single-cam 13x30mins […]

WGN America goes to Manhattan for second original

US station WGN America has ordered its second original drama, a 13-part about the scientists racing to create the first atomic bomb that has The West Wing exec producer Thomas Schlamme attached. Manhattan is written and created by Sam Shaw (Masters of Sex), who will exec produce alongside David Ellison, Dana Goldberg, Marcy Ross and […]