Register

    Amazon adds to film portfolio with Woody Allen’s latest

    By SHOOTUpdated:No Comments981 Views
    In this July 15, 2015 file photo, director Woody Allen attends a special screening of "Irrational Man", in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

    By Jake Coyle, Film Writer

    NEW YORK (AP) --

    Amazon has acquired Woody Allen's latest movie, adding one of film's biggest names to its growing slate of original titles.

    Amazon said Thursday that it will distribute Allen's currently untitled film in a traditional theatrical release in North America this summer, followed by a streaming release through its subscription service, Amazon Prime. The film is a romantic comedy set in the 1930s that was shot last summer in New York and Los Angeles. It stars Kristen Stewart, Steve Carell and Parker Posey.

    The deal also extends Amazon's relationship with Allen, who is prepping a six-episode TV series for the online retailer. That series, to star Elaine May and Miley Cyrus, is to start shooting in March.

    "Like all beginning relationships, there is much hope, mutual affection and genuine goodwill – the lawsuits will come later," said Allen in a statement.

    "Woody Allen is a brilliant filmmaker," said Roy Price, head of Amazon Studios. "We're so proud to be in business with him for both his next film and his first ever TV series."

    Amazon released its first original film last year by another quintessentially New York filmmaker: Spike Lee's "Chi-Raq."

    Tags:AmazonWoody Allen



    Ex-OpenAI engineer who raised legal concerns about the technology he helped build has died

    Saturday, December 21, 2024
    Suchir Balaji poses for a photo in Hawaii in 2018. Balaji was a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who died in November 2024. (Balaji Ramamurthy via AP)

    Suchir Balaji, a former OpenAI engineer and whistleblower who helped train the artificial intelligence systems behind ChatGPT and later said he believed those practices violated copyright law, has died, according to his parents and San Francisco officials. He was 26.

    Balaji worked at OpenAI for nearly four years before quitting in August. He was well-regarded by colleagues at the San Francisco company, where a co-founder this week called him one of OpenAI's strongest contributors who was essential to developing some of its products.

    "We are devastated to learn of this incredibly sad news and our hearts go out to Suchir's loved ones during this difficult time," said a statement from OpenAI.

    Balaji was found dead in his San Francisco apartment on Nov. 26 in what police said "appeared to be a suicide. No evidence of foul play was found during the initial investigation." The city's chief medical examiner's office confirmed the manner of death to be suicide.

    His parents Poornima Ramarao and Balaji Ramamurthy said they are still seeking answers, describing their son as a "happy, smart and brave young man" who loved to hike and recently returned from a trip with friends.

    Balaji grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area and first arrived at the fledgling AI research lab for a 2018 summer internship while studying computer science at the University of California, Berkeley. He returned a few years later to work at OpenAI, where one of his first projects, called WebGPT, helped pave the way for ChatGPT.

    "Suchir's contributions to this project were essential, and it wouldn't have succeeded without him," said OpenAI co-founder John Schulman in a social media post memorializing Balaji. Schulman, who recruited Balaji to his team, said what... Read More

    MySHOOT Profiles


    Add A Comment