News

Could Hannibal Continue With Amazon?

Published

9 years ago

June 23, 2015

Update (06/25): Fuller spoke with Deadline, and pretty much said it’s unlikely that Netflix will get it, and seemed to make the case for Amazon as the front-runner. Here’s the quote:

Netflix has been great in expressing their enthusiasm for the show but it’s just not feasible for them to pick it up. The deal with Amazon, I believe, precludes other streaming services. So that wouldn’t give Netflix what they need as a distributor in terms of first rights, etc.

Read the full interview here.

Original Article: Ok, it’s been a day, and fans have had time to process the news that Hannibal is going away from NBC and may never come back after Season 3 wraps up. The good news is that there seems to be quite a bit of hope about the potential for the show to continue on with another network.

Hannibal is optimistic

In fact, it’s pretty clear that there is some interest out there, not to mention rabid fan support. That’s no guarantee that our wishes will be fulfilled, but I’d say that in this era in which TV shows are being resurrected left and right there’s a very good chance it will happen with Hannibal.

A lot of people are hoping Netflix will save it, as it has done this with other shows, but if you ask me, it’s more likely that Amazon would do so. Consider the following excerpt from this uplifting Film School Rejects article:

Hannibal‘s consistently abysmal ratings ended up being a godsend. The show’s teetered on the brink of cancellation after every season, meaning that Fuller & co have already made multiple pre-emptive trips down “Who Wants To Buy Hannibal?” lane. In dealing with those “other options,” it sounds like Fuller’s just going to be making a few calls from the ol’ rolodex.

After the first season, Hannibal‘s ratings had already slumped and NBC was wavering on a second year. Early buzz from Deadline? That “at least one cable network,” plus Amazon’s still-in-its-infancy TV department were both interested in snatching up the show. Same deal after season two: Fuller, Gaumont and the rest were making inroads with other outlets in advance, just in case Hannibal was axed.

Then consider this excerpt from a Deadline article from Monday:

The cancellation news is barely a couple of hours old, but I hear that there has been a significant interest in Hannibal from other outlets. The one that would make most sense is Amazon, which already has exclusive rights to the existing three seasons of the show as part of a four-year, five-show deal with NBCUniversal. The deal is in the middle of its term, which would complicate potential negotiations with Amazon competitors like Netflix.

Yep, Amazon secured exclusive streaming rights to Hannibal back in 2013, when in a press release, it said shows like Hannibal are “big wins for our customers.”

Amazon is trying like hell to compete with Netflix on the original programming front, and Hannibal could provide a particularly helpful spark in that department.

Here’s some similar thinking from Forbes:

If, like a FBI profiler, you want to know where Hannibal might dine next, then it’s best to follow the money. If the license fee is as small as reported, then look for a streaming service to pick up NBC’s side of the deal. Hulu and Netflixhave experience saving shows, from Degrassi to The Mindy Project, but Amazon’s a likelier host. It already has a streaming deal in place, and the website’s still looking to expand its content and user base. Hannibal won’t be a big hit on a network, but next to something like Transparent or Catastrophe, the show’s still pretty big news.

It also helps to keep in mind that pretty much everything Amazon does is in the interest of getting more Prime subscribers. It even built a laughing stock of a smartphone for that very purpose. They’ve thrown tons of money at this objective, and there’ no reason to think there would be much financial hesitation about bringing on Hannibal.

Amazon is just one potential destination for this show, but it’s an intriguing one.

Of course there are petitions out there for fans to show their support, though I’m not sure how good much difference those will actually make. Even still, the fan support is obvious from social media, and frankly there’s a lot of optimism in the media in general about the future of this show.

At the end of the day, the news that the show is being canceled sucks, but there’s actually good reason to be hopeful for its resurrection.

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News

Netflix Releases First BTS ‘Fear Street: Prom Queen’ Footage

Published

8 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

It’s been three long years since Netflix unleashed the bloody, but enjoyable Fear Street on its platform. Released in a tryptic fashion, the streamer broke up the story into three episodes, each taking place in a different decade which by the finale were all tied together.

Now, the streamer is in production for its sequel Fear Street: Prom Queen which brings the story into the 80s. Netflix gives a synopsis of what to expect from Prom Queen on their blog site Tudum:

“Welcome back to Shadyside. In this next installment of the blood-soaked Fear Street franchise, prom season at Shadyside High is underway and the school’s wolfpack of It Girls is busy with its usual sweet and vicious campaigns for the crown. But when a gutsy outsider is unexpectedly nominated to the court, and the other girls start mysteriously disappearing, the class of ’88 is suddenly in for one hell of a prom night.”

Based on R.L. Stine’s massive series of Fear Street novels and spin-offs, this chapter is number 15 in the series and was published in 1992.

FEAR STREET: PROM QUEEN IS NOW IN PRODUCTION 🩸 Welcome to Shadyside High. We're gonna have a killer time. pic.twitter.com/jDl0zRa2CH
— Netflix (@netflix) April 30, 2024

Fear Street: Prom Queen features a killer ensemble cast, including India Fowler (The Nevers, Insomnia), Suzanna Son (Red Rocket, The Idol), Fina Strazza (Paper Girls, Above the Shadows), David Iacono (The Summer I Turned Pretty, Cinnamon), Ella Rubin (The Idea of You), Chris Klein (Sweet Magnolias, American Pie), Lili Taylor (Outer Range, Manhunt) and Katherine Waterston (The End We Start From, Perry Mason).

No word on when Netflix will drop the series into its catalog.

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News

Live Action Scooby-Doo Reboot Series In Works at Netflix

Published

9 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Timothy Rawles

The ghosthunting Great Dane with an anxiety problem, Scooby-Doo, is getting a reboot and Netflix is picking up the tab. Variety is reporting that the iconic show is becoming an hour-long series for the streamer although no details have been confirmed. In fact, Netflix execs declined to comment.

If the project is a go, this would be the first live-action movie based on the Hanna-Barbera cartoon since 2018’s Daphne & Velma. Before that, there were two theatrical live-action movies, Scooby-Doo (2002) and Scooby-Doo 2: Monsters Unleashed (2004), then two sequels that premiered on The Cartoon Network.

Currently, the adult-oriented Velma is streaming on Max.

Scooby-Doo originated in 1969 under the creative team Hanna-Barbera. The cartoon follows a group of teenagers who investigate supernatural happenings. Known as Mystery Inc., the crew consists of Fred Jones, Daphne Blake, Velma Dinkley, and Shaggy Rogers, and his best friend, a talking dog named Scooby-Doo.

Normally the episodes revealed the hauntings they encountered were hoaxes developed by land-owners or other nefarious characters hoping to scare people away from their properties. The original TV series named Scooby-Doo, Where Are You! ran from 1969 to 1986. It was so successful that movie stars and pop culture icons would make guest appearances as themselves in the series.

Celebrities such as Sonny & Cher, KISS, Don Knotts, and The Harlem Globetrotters made cameos as did Vincent Price who portrayed Vincent Van Ghoul in a few episodes.

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News

BET Releasing New Original Thriller: The Deadly Getaway

Published

10 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Cameron McFarland

BET will soon be offering horror fans a rare treat. The studio has announced the official release date for their new original thriller, The Deadly Getaway. Directed by Charles Long (The Trophy Wife), this thriller sets up a heart racing game of cat and mouse for audiences to sink their teeth into.

Wanting to break up the monotony of their routine, Hope and Jacob set off to spend their vacation at a simple cabin in the woods. However, things go sideways when Hope’s ex-boyfriend shows up with a new girl at the same campsite. Things soon spiral out of control. Hope and Jacob must now work together to escape the woods with their lives.

The Deadly Getaway is written by Eric Dickens (Makeup X Breakup) and Chad Quinn (Reflections of US). The Film stars, Yandy Smith-Harris (Two Days in Harlem), Jason Weaver (The Jacksons: An American Dream), and Jeff Logan (My Valentine Wedding).

Showrunner Tressa Azarel Smallwood had the following to say about the project. “The Deadly Getaway is the perfect reintroduction to classic thrillers, which encompass dramatic twists, and spine-chilling moments. It showcases the range and diversity of emerging Black writers across genres of film and television.”

The Deadly Getaway will premiere on 5.9.2024, exclusively ion BET+.