reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

OwnAFilmCompany.com is a new website that intends to get 100,000 members of the public together to make fund a feature film. Initial registration is free, and open to anyone in the world. Once the site has 100,000 registered free members, they will be asked to pay a £30 (£35.25 with VAT) membership fee, which will be put towards the running of the website and the funding of a £2.5m feature film.

In return for paying their £30 membership fee, members get to vote for the script as well as the lead actors and main crew members. A Limited company will be set up, with all paid up members owning 1 share, this means that if the film fails or the company goes into debt, members will not be liable. All they will "lose" is their £30 membership fee.

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Sandlot Venture Group has partnered with Red Bird Cinema to fund a variety of future movie ventures. Founded in 2007, Sandlot Venture Group is focused on the financing and development of high profile film projects. Its first act in alliance with Red Bird Cinema will be to produce a feature film based on the life story of boxing legend, Sugar Ray Leonard, with Pulitzer Prize winning author H.G. "Buzz" Bissinger to write the screenplay.

Based in Silicon Valley, Sandlot Venture Group (SVG) is a $25 million private equity fund to procure, develop and package its high-profile film projects. Comprised of individual investors from technology, entertainment and professional sports as well as several successful business entrepreneurs, SVG will combine outstanding deal flow, great experience in optimizing investment terms and an investor base that is focused on developing outstanding feature films and a solid return on investment.

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Sony Pictures Entertainment has acquired North American distribution rights as well as distribution rights in a significant number of foreign territories, including all English speaking territories, to the Peter Jackson produced sci-fi motion picture "District 9" from QED International. The announcement was jointly made today by Peter Schlessel, President of Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group, and QED International CEO Bill Block.

Academy Award(R) winner Peter Jackson is producing "District 9" through his WingNut Films production banner. QED International, the Los Angeles based production, financing and international sales company, is fully financing the film. Jackson's manager Ken Kamins of Key Creatives is serving as executive producer along with Bill Block.

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Multitalented producer, talk show host, entrepreneur and supermodel Tyra Banks has signed an exclusive development and production deal with Warner Bros. Entertainment. Under terms of the multiyear pact, Banks' production company – Bankable Productions – will create and produce original primetime television series programming via the Studio's Warner Bros. Television (WBTV) and Warner Horizon Television (WHTV) production units, as well as original movies for Warner Premiere, the Studio's direct-to-consumer production arm. Tyra will continue her dual role as host and executive producer of both Telepictures Productions' syndicated "The Tyra Banks Show," as well as The CW's hit show "America’s Next Top Model" ("ANTM"), now in its 10th cycle.

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Jean-Claude Van Damme ("Sudden Death," "Timecop") and Academy Award(R)-nominated actor Stephen Rea ("The Crying Game," "V for Vendetta") star in the Spike original movie, "Until Death," premiering on Sunday, November 25th from 9-11 p.m. (ET/PT). "Until Death" is the first of thirteen films slated under the "Spike Guy Movies" umbrella that will air through 2008.

"Until Death" is a gritty action-thriller centered around the life of a dirty cop (Van Damme) and follows his downward spiral and eventual salvation. Anthony Stowe (Van Damme) is a down-and-out narcotics cop who spends his days strung out on heroine, drunk, cheating on his wife with prostitutes and haunted by the elusive Callahan (Rea), his former partner turned crime boss. After a vicious gunfight with Callahan and his men, Stowe is left for dead and falls into a coma. After nearly losing his life while hunting his former partner, Anthony recovers, a changed man and sets out to right his wrongs and bring down his nemesis.

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

BloodSpell, the "punk fantasy" Web series, spawns its own feature film after more than 100,000 viewers. In 2006, Web animation viewers watched as beautiful swordswomen battled on a pyrotechnic chess board. A gladiator with a steam-powered arm fled an army of wraiths. A sorcerer and an angel fought atop a cliff overlooking a fantasy city.

This was BloodSpell, the animated epic released online last year. Now, the series has spawned an 84-minute feature film.

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reported by Brian Scott, CyberScreenwriter.com

Regent Releasing has acquired North American distribution rights to the romantic comedy The Hottie and the Nottie. The film is scheduled for a Valentine's Day release on February 8th, 2008 and will play in theaters nationwide. Hadeel Reda's Purple Pictures developed and produced the film. The Hottie and the Nottie stars Paris Hilton, Joel David Moore, and Christine Lakin and is directed by Tom Putnam.

Written by Heidi Ferrer, The Hottie and the Nottie is a comedy with heart centering on a "perfect 10" woman, Cristabel Abbott (Hilton); her less fortunate best friend, June Phigg (Lakin); and the guy who gets in the middle. Having pined for Cristabel since the first grade, twentysomething Nate Cooper (Moore) must find a boyfriend for the less-than-beautiful June before he will have a shot at landing the girl of his dreams.

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