Film Shorts: 'Argo' Scribe In Demand, 'Wool' Advances, Hugh Jackman Eyes 'X' Re-Team

Screenwriter Chris Terrio has landed a two-script deal at Warner Bros that will follow his reteaming with Argo producers George Clooney and Grant Heslov on a project with director Paul Greengrass, Deadline has confirmed. The Greengrass project with Clooney and Heslov is at Sony where the pair's production shingle Smoke House is based. Clooney is attached to star in the original tale that unfolds amid New York crime syndicates. Terrio's initial script for Warner Bros is expected to be next in line. In addition to his screenplay for Argo, Terrio's resume includes directing and co-writing Sony Pictures Classics Heights as well as scripting the upcoming Tell No One and A Murder Foretold.

Scott Free Productions and 20th Century Fox are moving forward in developing Hugh Howey's Wool series of post-apocalyptic e-novelettes with UK writer-director J Blakeson in early talks for the project, Deadline has confirmed. Fox and Scott Free acquired rights to the best-selling e-books earlier this year. Ridley Scott and Steve Zallian are producing. Blakeson wrote and directed The Disappearance of Alice Creed and co-wrote The Descent Part 2.

Hugh Jackman is in talks to join Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellan in Bryan Singer's X-Men: Days of Future Past, Deadline has confirmed. Jackman would reprise as Wolverine along with Stewart as Charles Xavier and McKellan as Magneto in 20th Century Fox's X-Men followup. James McAvoy, Jennifer Lawrence, Michael Fassbender and Nicholas Hoult are also lined up for Days Of Future Past.

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Global Showbiz Briefs: China Rebates, Bona Film, Screen Australia Docs & More

China Theaters Offered Rebates To Boost Local Film Market Share
Worried about competition from U.S. and other foreign titles, China's movie industry regulators have created financial incentives for any theater chain that takes in at least 50% of its annual box-office revenue from Chinese films. Tian Jin, deputy director of China's State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, complained recently that the market share of Chinese films in China had dropped to 41.4%. The incentive will be in the form of a rebate of the fees ' 5% of all ticket sales ' that theater owners pay to the National Film Development Funds Management Committee. If half of a theater owner's revenue comes from domestic films, the entire fee is refunded. If 45% of sales come from Chinese films, 80% of the fee is returned. If the percentage falls below 45% but exceeds the domestic market share in the previous year, the rebate is 50% of the fee.

Bona Film Group Secures $20M Credit Line
China's Bona Film Group has arranged a $20 million revolving credit line agreement with East West Bank. The secured credit line will be used to fund upcoming productions and for acquiring distribution rights to international films in China. At the American Film Market, Bona agreed to buy China rights to the action comedy sequel Red 2 and the Harald Zwart-directed adventure fantasy Mortal Instruments: City of Bones. For both movies it plans day and date releases with North America. The company is also seeking a government licence for Allen Hughes' crime thriller Broken City, which it acquired in 2011 and aims to release next year.

Screen Australia Funds Four Documentaries
Screen Australia is investing $A780,000 ($813,000) in four documentaries as part of its Signature Documentary Program. Writer/director Judy Rymer's Charlotte's Story will follow one young Australian woman's fight for justice following her horrific gang rape in Kenya. In Bob We Trust, from writer/director Lynn-Maree Milburn, tells the story of 77-year-old Father Bob Maguire, who continues to minister to Melbourne's poor despite being forcibly retired and evicted by the Catholic Church. Writer/director Sophia Turkiewicz's Remember Me will chronicle the journey of a mother and daughter from a Siberian gulag to Australia. In Tyke: Animal Outlaw, producer/directors Susan Lambert and Stefan Moore will tell the story of a circus elephant's rampage. ' Don Groves

Singapore Creates Legal TV Directory To Fight Piracy
Singapore has such a high rate of pay-TV piracy that an industry trade group and media-tech law firm have created an online directory of content available from legitimate sources. The site, www.finddigitaltv.com, was launched yesterday. According to a report by research firm Media Partners Asia, Singapore has the fifth-highest per capita infringement rates globally. Trade group Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Association of Asia said Singapore, despite its small population, has the 'highest per-capita incidence of peer-to-peer infringement of English-language pay-TV shows in the Asia-Pacific region'. Singapore is also ranked 24th out of at least 48 international markets in terms of global infringement by volume. This is only one spot behind South Korea, which had a population of 49.8 million last year, compared to Singapore's 5.2 million that year.

UK Series 'River Cottage' Gets Spin-off in Oz
Granada Media Australia and Keo Films will produce River Cottage Australia, the first international version of the popular British lifestyle series River Cottage created by Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall. Commissioned by paybox Foxtel and its The LifeStyle Channel, the series will test Aussies' knowledge of food and resilience in setting up a sustainable farm. Fearnley-Whittingstall will act as a mentor when production starts in early 2013. The producers are seeking an Aussie to front the show.

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Castings: Claire Forlani In 'Panda Eyes', Dale Dickey In 'White Bird Bird In A Blizzard'

Claire Forlani is joining writer-director Isabel Coixet's Panda Eyes. Project is described as a paranormal thriller about a young girl (Sophie Turner from Game Of Thrones) haunted by her past. Forlani will play the mother of Turner's character. The movie also stars Jonathan Rhys-Meyers, Rhys Ifans and Gregg Sulkin. Production is taking place in Wales for Fox International Film. Forlani is repped by Paradigm Agency, Principal Entertainment and London's Independent Talent.

Independent Spirit Award winner Dale Dickey (Winter's Bone) has been cast in director Gregg Araki's White Bird In A Blizzard. The project stars Shailene Wooley as Kat, a young woman whose mother disappears. Dickey will play Mrs. Hillman, Kat's blind next door neighbor. White Bird also stars Angela Bassett, Eva Green, Christopher Meloni and Gabourey Sidibe. Dickey's upcoming roles include The Guilt Trip, Being Flynn and Iron Man 3. She also appeared in HBO's True Blood and will recur next season on Fox's Raising Hope. She is represented by Bauman Redanty & Shaul.

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Quickflix Slashes Staff, Spending

Don Groves is a Deadline contributor based in Sydney.

Australia's struggling online DVD rental and subscription streaming service Quickflix revealed today it has slashed staff by one-third in a restructuring aimed at stemming the outflow of company cash which averaged $A1M ($1.04M) per month in fiscal 2012. Its shares, which last traded at 5.6¢, have been suspended since November 13 while it seeks a new strategic investor or capital infusion. Quickflix, in which HBO bought a 15.7% stake for $10M in February, is burning through cash and had $2.2M in the bank at the end of September, when it had just 115,592 paying customers. HBO's rep Henry McGee quit the board along with two other directors and chief executive Chris Taylor is leaving in March as executive chairman Stephen Langsford takes over that role. Among other cost-saving measures, the company is ceasing advertising, streamlining the organization into DVD and digital operating divisions, and lowering the cost of acquiring customers which had ballooned from $31 to $60 per customer. The company said talks are continuing with Australian and international investors, it has retained investment advisers in the U.S., and it expects to provide an update on funding arrangements next week.

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Barnes & Noble Shares Slip After Reporting Mixed Results In Fiscal Q2

The stock is down about 6.5% in early trading following the leading bookstore chain's earnings report that left open questions about whether it can keep up with online rivals led by Amazon that continue to take market share. Helped by $2.8M in dividends received from preferred shares, Barnes & Noble reported net income of $2.2M for the quarter ending in October ' up from a $6.6M loss a year ago ' on revenues of $1.88B, -0.4%. The revenue figure is slightly lower than the $1.91B that analysts expected. But excluding the dividend, the net loss attributable to B&N of 4 cents a share beat the Street's forecast of a 6 cent loss. At the retail unit, which includes the bookstores and book sales at BN.com, revenues fell 2.9% to $996M. The company says that last year's numbers were helped after Borders liquidated. But in stores open at least a year sales (not including its NOOK eReaders and tablets) were up 1.8%. In college textbooks B&N revenues were up 0.4% to $773M. Meanwhile the NOOK operation ' which includes the hardware as well as digital content ' remains a mixed story: Revenues were up 5.6% to $160.3M but it still generates a cash flow loss as B&N invests in new products and overseas expansion. The company says that NOOK unit sales doubled in last week's four day Black Friday period vs last year ' which matches Amazon's experience with its Kindles. Walmart and Target heavily promoted the NOOK. But B&N adds that if you exclude NOOKs, its retail sales fell slightly over the weekend. The company's new NOOK HD products and partnership with Microsoft to promote Windows 8 will 'further fuel the growth of our digital business,' CEO William Lynch says.

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'True Grit's Hailee Steinfeld Lands Lead in Kevin Costner's Relativity Media Thriller

EXCLUSIVE: Hailee Steinfeld, who burst on the scene with an Oscar-nominated turn in True Grit, has landed the lead role opposite Kevin Costner in the untitled action film that McG will direct for Luc Besson's EuropaCorp and Relativity Media. Scripted by Besson and Adi Hasak under the title Three Days to Kill, the film stars Costner as Secret Service agent who discovers he's dying. Before he goes, he attempts to complete a final mission, and reconnect with his estranged daughter. He's also taking an experimental drug that could prolong his life, and that adds complexity to the ticking clock because of the drug's hallucinatory side effects. Besson and Virginie Besson-Silla are producing with Hasak and Relativity CEO Ryan Kavanaugh. Tucker Tooley's exec producer.

Steinfeld, who turns 16 this month, stars in several upcoming films, including the John Carney-directed Can A Song Save Your Life?, the title role in the Carlo Carlei-directed Romeo and Juliet, and the Gavin Hood-directed Ender's Game. She's repped by ICM Partners and Anonymous Content.

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UK's Organic Marketing Acquires Film PR Firm Romley Davies

Joe Utichi contributes to Deadline's UK coverage

The UK film publicity landscape got a little more interesting today as Organic Marketing, the agency founded in 2008 by Nick Leese, announced the acquisition of production PR specialist Romley Davies. Veteran Harry Potter unit publicist Vanessa Davies will become Organic's executive director of film production and work with deputy managing director Emma McCorkell across production and release, in the UK and internationally. Organic has up to now specialized in release campaigns and events management. Bringing Romley Davies on board allows the company to start working on films at the production stage. 'We have big ambitions and wanted to look at what made sense in terms of next steps,' McCorkell tells Deadline. 'It's a great time to get into film production in the UK, and Vanessa is the best in the business.' Davies, who was head of film production publicity across all eight chapters of the Harry Potter series, says the two companies share the same ethos, 'We can bring something really new to the table together, thinking long term and strategically.' Organic also recently hired DDA's Kirsty Langsdale to run up international publicity and today's news makes the firm a key player in UK agency publicity, which is currently dominated by companies like DDA, Freuds and Premier.

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Exhibition Company Q4 Earnings To Benefit From Stronger-Than-Expected Box Office

B. Riley & Co analyst Eric Wold is so encouraged that he raised his earnings estimates for Regal, Carmike, and Cinemark this morning ' the second time he has done so in less than two weeks. And yesterday Stifel Nicolaus' Benjamin Mogil upped his projections for Regal and Cinemark, also citing recent theatrical sales. The domestic Q4 box office is up 20.2% to date vs the same period last year. Even if sales cool slightly and the quarter finishes +17.4% then 'it would just beat out the current Q4 box office record currently held by 2009, while also representing the sixth highest quarterly box office revenues in history,' Wold says. The good news is that theaters aren't just benefiting from expected blockbusters led by Sony/MGM's Skyfall and Lionsgate's The Twilight Sage: Breaking Dawn Part 2. The $100M+ ticket sales for Sony's Hotel Transylvania, Fox's Taken 2, Warner Bros' Argo, and Disney's Wreck-It Ralph 'demonstrate the continued broad-based strength of both box office and attendance trends even during what could be considered a less-than-optimal movie-going environment (e.g., tough economy and natural disasters),' Wold says.

And he's optimistic about Warner Bros' The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey, which opens on December 14. That film, alone, could generate more box office revenues than theaters saw last year from Paramount's Mission: Impossible ' Ghost Protocol and Warner Bros' Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows combined. Wold notes that The Hobbit will be released in both 3D (traditional and high frame rate) and IMAX formats ' which have high ticket prices ' while only Mission: Impossible was in IMAX last year. The analyst is hedging his bet slightly, forecasting that the Q4 box office will end +15%. He says it's 'realistic,' though, to imagine +19%. If he's right, then the full year domestic box office could end up +7%.

But Wold warns that the euphoria could evaporate in the first three months of 2013. He expects only three films to generate $100M+ domestically including Disney's Oz: The Great And Powerful, Paramount's G.I. Joe: Retaliation (which opens March 29, the very end of the quarter), and Fox's A Good Day To Die Hard. That may be no match for last year when four films crossed the $100M mark in Q1, including Lionsgate's The Hunger Games. Even so, Wold expects domestic box office sales to rise by a low- to mid-single digit percentage in 2013 due to 'a fairly robust movie slate, increased usage of premium formats (3D, private large formats, IMAX), the potential launch of dedicated alternative content channels to drive midweek visitation as well as the accretive contribution of additional acquisitions.'

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Lionsgate Enters Output Deal With Russia's West Company

Lionsgate has formalized its relationship with independent distributor West Company via an output deal for all Lionsgate titles in Russia and other CIS countries. West Company just released The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn ' Part 2 to a franchise-best of $22M in Russia and the CIS on opening weekend. The film also scored the best non-holiday opening day in the territory's history and the second biggest overall opening of all time. Lionsgate co-chairs Rob Friedman and Patrick Wachsberger said, 'We're delighted to expand and extend Lionsgate's longstanding relationship with West Company in what has become one of our top territories.' The West Company deal adds to agreements Lionsgate has been busy securing in order to create an international distribution network. Other offshore partners include Metropolitan Filmexport in France, StudioCanal in Germany, Nordisk Films in Scandinavia, Aurum Producciones in Spain and Roadshow Pictures in Australia. The Lionsgate-West Company deal does not alter Summit's output arrangement with Central Partnership in the CIS.

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Deadline Big Media With David Lieberman, Episode 11

Listen to episode 11 of our audio podcast 'Deadline Big Media, with David Lieberman.' This week, Deadline Executive Editor David Lieberman and host David Bloom discuss why Facebook is winning back some friends on Wall Street; why Big Media companies are going batty for baseball broadcast deals; how Black Friday may not be enough to pull Best Buy into the black, and what it may mean for Hollywood; and how the fall of Rise Of The Guardians in its opening weekend box office may be a challenge for DreamWorks Animation.

Deadline Big Media Episode 11 (MP3 format)
Deadline Big Media Episode 11 (M4A format)

The M4A version of this podcast is designed to run on any device using Apple's iTunes software, and includes enhanced graphics and links to stories and other resources. The MP3 version of this podcast is designed to play on virtually any device capable of playing digital audio.

For those using non-iTunes software to listen to the podcast who want to automatically receive the 'Deadline Big Media' podcasts in their non-iTunes 'podcatcher' software, you can subscribe at http://www.deadline.com/big-media-podcast/

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R.I.P. Marty Richards

Marty Richards, producer and philanthropist, died yesterday at age 80. The New Yorker's stage producing credits included Chicago, Sweeney Todd, La Cage aux Folles, and Crimes of the Heart. While Broadway was his stomping grounds over a 50 year career, Richards had a pretty good film resume as well. It includes winning Best Picture for the 2002 film Chicago, as well as The Boys From Brazil, Fort Apache, The Bronx, and the Stanley Kubrick-directed The Shining. Funeral services will be held later this week in New York for Richards, whose philanthropic efforts included the formation of Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS and Meals On Wheels. He also made possible the liver and kidney transplant unit at NYU Medical Center.

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Pinewood Shepperton Studios See Increased Film Revenues, Operating Profit

Studios operator Pinewood Shepperton's unaudited six month results for the year ended September 30 show a marked improvement over the last comparable period. Before-tax profits are at £3M largely reversing a £5.4M loss in 2011. Revenues were £27.1M, up from £24.6M and operating profit jumped from £3.7M to £6.1M. Specifically, revenues from film were £18.8M, up from £16.4M. During the period, the UK facilities hosted Disney's Maleficent; Marvel's Thor: The Dark World; Working Title and Universal's Les Misérables; Paramount's latest Jack Ryan pic, Maryland; Universal's Fast And Furious 6, Marv Films/Kick Ass 2 Productions' Kick Ass 2 and Eon, MGM and Sony's Skyfall. Pinewood Shepperton CEO Ivan Dunleavy said 'The number of film productions contracted so far for next year is encouraging and the Board looks forward to the future with confidence.' TV revenues, however, were down to £2.5M from £3.6M in the earlier period. That was due to the increased film activity that saw those productions spill over to the TV studios.

In the past six months, the company has started work on a new 45,000 sq ft studio facility that will help make up for a lack of capacity that has sent some potential customers to other studios. It also entered an agreement with the Isle of Man Treasury to source and advise on film investment opportunities for a £25M fund. Construction of Pinewood Iskandar Malaysia Studios is expected to be complete in May 2013 and a 60,500 sq ft water tank at Pinewood Indomina Studios in the Dominican Republic reached practical completion in mid-October, with stages due to be completed by March 2013.

Former group COO and group CFO of EMI, Ruth Prior, has also joined the Board as an independent non-executive director.

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DreamWorks Animation Shares To Drop After 'Guardians' Box Office Disappoints

DreamWorks Animation shares are down 3.1% to $17.49 in jumpy pre-market trading this morning after Rise Of The Guardians' $32.6M domestic box office for the five-day Thanksgiving holiday made it, in Janney Capital Markets' Tony Wible's words, 'one of the most disappointing releases in the company's history.' If the pre-market stock price holds, then DreamWorks Animation would be down nearly 24% from November 2 when it hit a 52-week high of $22.98 ' partly driven by analysts' optimistic expectations for Guardians. Wible expected to see $55M over Thanksgiving, slightly less than the consensus forecast among analysts for $58M. He now predicts it will generate $134M domestically (down from his earlier forecast for $225M) and $312M internationally (down from $338M). He also cut his earnings-per-share estimates for the company by 71% to 25 cents for 2012, and by 9% to 79 cents for 2013, although he maintained his 'buy' recommendation based on DWA's other initiatives. 'Parent review sites noted several dark moments, which may have kept younger viewers away' from Guardians, he says. 'However, we still struggle to understand why audiences rejected the film.'

Others also are rejiggering their spreadsheets for DreamWorks. Lazard Capital Markets' Barton Crockett says this morning that if results in other markets follow the pattern set this weekend, then Guardians could generate a $15M loss instead of a $39M profit ' which would lead him to slash his 2013 EPS forecast by nearly 53% to 72 cents. He anticipates a domestic box office of $146M, down from his earlier projection of $176M. Overseas sales likely won't bail the movie out. In Russia, the film's biggest international market so far, Crockett says Guardians generated $5.9M in its opening weekend ' lower than Puss in Boots' $14.9M opening in Russia, How to Train Your Dragon's $7.3M, and Megamind's $6.9M.

Susquehanna Financial Group's Vasily Karasyov says that overseas ticket buyers will have to spend at least $235M on Guardians to keep it from ending up in the red ' which he says is still possible if the film matches the performance of Disney's Tangled, which opened the same weekend in 2010. But even if Guardians eeks out a profit, the disappointing performance may scar DreamWorks which wants to produce more than two major releases a year. For investors to see that as a positive, 'they need to have confidence in the fact that incremental titles will be profitable, which we think it harder after last weekend,' Karasyov says.

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'Zero Dark Thirty' Debuts: Can It Overcome Controversy To Wow Oscar Voters?

And the hits just keep on coming. After a dry first nine months of the year, the Oscar season is heating up with one sensational contender after another. In the first half of Thanksgiving weekend, Les Miserables put itself firmly in the leading tier of the Oscar race. Now Sony Pictures' surefire Best Picture nominee Zero Dark Thirty took over the latter half of the holiday. It earned enthusiastic standing ovations for star Jessica Chastain and director Kathryn Bigelow at a Sunday unveiling (the first major screening) at LA's Pacific Design Center. Shrouded in controversy throughout its pre-production and shooting stages, this riveting story of the hunt for Osama Bin Laden  had quite a checkered history in coming to the screen. As Oscar winning screenwriter Mark Boal explained in the Q&A following the film he and his partner, director Kathryn Bigelow had been developing for the better part of a decade  the story of how Bin Laden eluded capture and most likely would never be caught. Then suddenly in 2011 he was nailed. That changed the whole trajectory of their story and it suddenly became a movie about his ultimate capture and killing.

It's a remarkable effort on the part of Boal and Bigelow who won Oscars for their acclaimed The Hurt Locker just three years ago.  I would venture to say they will be back in the race again this year for this follow-up effort which should figure strongly in the Best Picture, Actress (for Jessica Chastain), Director, Original Screenplay, Film Editing , Cinematography, Sound Mixing and Editing and Music Score (a haunting underscore by Alexander Desplat) categories.  Much talk on editorial pages and among moviegoers upon its limited December 19th opening followed by a January  wide break will only add to the Oscar potential here with critics groups year-end honors also likely to figure into the picture.

This is turning into a hell of an Oscar race.  Strategists were hoping that many of the November/December releases would fall by the wayside and clear the way for earlier contenders like Argo and Toronto sensation  Silver Linings Playbook but clearly the late-innings flicks are delivering big time clouding the picture and adding an unusual amount of mystery to the race.

After today's first screening , primarily for an audience consisting of many SAG nominating committee members, Boal, Bigelow and actors Chastain, Jason Clarke, Jennifer Ehle and Edgar Ramirez particiapted in a Q&A to talk about the extraordinary experience of making this film which was shrouded in secrecy and controversy during its making . There were charges that in the heat of the Presidential campaign the Obama administration was givng unprecendented cooperation since obviously a positive film about the capture of Bin Laden couldn't hurt his re-election chances. The filmmakers always denied that and in fact in the finished product unveiled today Obama is only seen or heard one time in newsreel footage talking about how the U.S. would never tolerate inhumane means of torture in order to elicit information even as the film's early scenes vividly shows such uses as waterboarding and other horrific acts to get the info they desire. Not exactly a pretty picture.Other than that there is no mention of President Obama and his efforts to make this happen except occasion references to the intense interest of the President as to how this operation was going to be enacted. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton is never seen or mentioned.

Instead Bigelow explained what they went through on the movie. even in the darkest moments when it looked like it wouldn't be made. 'We were working on a project on the failed hunt for Osama Bin Laden in 2001 where basically he was last seen in the Tora Bora mountain range in Afghanistan and we were working with a group of Delta operators who were in the mountain range at the time  and they lost him as he went down the back corridor into Pakistan. Mark was working on the screenplay  and about 10pm at night on May 1, 2011 we realized we could no longer make a movie about the failed hunt for Osama Bin Laden, ' she said to much laughter in the audience.  Boal added he had been going around saying that they were never going to get Bin Laden so it was a very emotional personal moment that night,  but they were married to the material and decided to hop on to this idea at that point  and he started researching the intelligence hunt that led to Bin Laden's eventual demise.

'We started getting this idea of trying to capture the history as best we could in the context of it being drama and hopefully capture this moment in time in American life and make something that stands up to the test of time. that in maybe ten years time somebody would say ' they more or less  got this right', ' he said, adding that  they knew there would be many tv quickie movies and the like and had to move fast especially since they had already paid their dues on the subject. 'For the last year we have all been working really long hours to get this done and to make sure it wasn't just a history lesson, and that's what the actors did so amazingly  is find the moments of human passion and pain within this larger historical frame.'

A key fact Boal stumbled across was that women played such a key role in the hunt for Bin Laden. That led to Chastain's lead role as the CIA operative , Maya who cracked the case as it were. Chastain is simply remarkable in the role and a certain Oscar nominee for Best Actress in playing a person who becomes obsessed over the course of several years in finding and killing Bin Laden. It's a fascinating , singular portrait of blind ambition toward a greater cause. She nails it.

For Chastain it almost didn't happen due to scheduling problems but when she got the call from Bigelow she was there. Once she signed on she was all-in.'For any project you have to train. When I got cast it was impossible for me to start shooting the next day. I sat down and went through every single line and every single word because Jessica needed to understand what all the terminology would mean. So when I said it , I believe it and if I don't know what I am saying the audience won't get it. It was an absolute school and we submerged ourselves into it,' she said.

Boal emphasized it is all not a documentary but hopefully closely captures the spirit of what happened and says this is first time it has been brought together, but he couldn't reveal the CIA agents he spoke to or betray their privacy. Still he assures it is as close as anyone has come to truth of the hunt for Bin Laden.

Certainly Boal and Bigelow have the 100% rousing support of Sony Pictures Entertainment co-Chairman Amy Pascal who endorsed their efforts earlier this month when she sat on the Moguls panel of Deadline's all day The Contenders event. 'You know Mark  is an excellent journalist and one of the things Kathryn and Mark do , and set out to do, is make living history. They don't wait for people. They don't wait for books or articles or anything elese to tell us how to feel about an event. They don't wait for time or interpretation. What the're doing with this movie is delving into something that is happening, that is in our hearts right now today, and making us a part of it. It's not that much of a politicl film as it is an emotional  film and a film about the greatest manhunt in the world, and a film about the unsung heroes. I think it will surprise everybody when you see it, to see it's about the decent people in this country who no one ever knows , who protect us every day, who give their lives for absolutely no money, no recognition, who are the true superheroes of our time. I think they (Boal and Bigelow) make movies about something that no one is making movies about and I am not one bit worried,' she said about the reaction to the film and the way any controversy might affect its Oscar chances.

Awards Columnist Pete Hammond - tip him here.

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McGraw-Hill Agrees To Sell Its Education Publishing Business For $2.5B

NEW YORK, Nov. 26, 2012 ' The McGraw-Hill Companies (NYSE: MHP) ('the Company') today announced it has signed a definitive agreement to sell its McGraw-Hill Education business to investment funds affiliated with Apollo Global Management, LLC (NYSE: APO) (collectively with its subsidiaries, 'Apollo'), for a purchase price of $2.5 billion, subject to certain closing adjustments. As part of this transaction, McGraw-Hill will receive $250 million in senior unsecured notes issued by the purchaser at an annual interest rate of 8.5%. The transaction, which is expected to close in late 2012 or early 2013, is subject to regulatory approval and customary closing conditions.

Upon closing, McGraw-Hill, which will be renamed McGraw Hill Financial (subject to shareholder approval), will be a high-growth, high-margin benchmarks, content and analytics company in the global capital and commodities markets. With customers in more than 150 countries, McGraw Hill Financial expects 2012 revenue of approximately $4.4 billion with nearly 40% from international markets. The Company will provide 2013 financial guidance for McGraw Hill Financial when it announces its 2012 fourth quarter and year-end financial results.

'After carefully considering all of the options for creating shareholder value, the McGraw-Hill Board of Directors concluded that this agreement generates the best value and certainty for our shareholders and will most favorably position the world-class assets of McGraw-Hill Education for long-term success,' said Harold McGraw III, Chairman, President and CEO of The McGraw-Hill Companies who will lead McGraw Hill Financial once the transaction is complete. 'We were able to secure an attractive outcome and create additional balance sheet flexibility for McGraw Hill Financial.'

Mr. McGraw added, 'McGraw-Hill Education is a leader in digital learning with world-class content and enormously talented and committed employees. As we begin the next chapter in our rich history, I am very proud of and grateful to all the McGraw-Hill Education professionals who are contributing so much to the company and to educators, administrators and students all over the world. I look forward to seeing their continued success with the expertise and support of Apollo.'

'We are excited about this announcement and what it means for McGraw-Hill Education,' added Lloyd G. 'Buzz' Waterhouse, President and CEO of McGraw-Hill Education. 'Apollo is a leading global alternative investment manager and its affiliated funds have made significant investments in learning companies for more than a decade. McGraw-Hill Education's expertise and premier brands coupled with Apollo's resources represent a powerful combination.'

Larry Berg, Senior Partner of Apollo said, 'With a longstanding track record of investing behind leaders in education, Apollo is pleased to be acquiring a marquee business that has been a pioneer in educational innovation and excellence for over a century. McGraw-Hill Education has a deep and impassioned management team, and we share their enthusiasm and strategic vision for the business. We look forward to leveraging the company's leading portfolio of trusted brands and innovative digital learning solutions to drive growth through the ongoing convergence of education and technology on a global basis.'

'Today's transaction marks a transformative time for our company, shareholders, customers and employees,' Mr. McGraw said. 'This move builds on McGraw-Hill's strong legacy and gives us an unprecedented opportunity to focus on accelerating the growth of our iconic brands and leading franchises such as Standard & Poor's, S&P Dow Jones Indices, S&P Capital IQ, Platts and J.D. Power and Associates. The strong trends driving global financial markets create enormous growth opportunities for McGraw Hill Financial. As markets become more interconnected, as more borrowers around the world fund growth through the capital markets, and as technology produces more and more data in a complex world, our leading brands provide essential intelligence and independent benchmarks across asset classes and markets.'

Upon closing of the transaction, McGraw Hill Financial will have considerable balance sheet flexibility. The Company will use the estimated proceeds of approximately $1.9 billion, net of tax and certain closing adjustments, from this sale to sustain its share repurchase program, to make selective tuck-in acquisitions that enhance McGraw Hill Financial's portfolio of powerful brands, and to pay off any short-term borrowing obligations.

Beginning in the fourth quarter of 2012, the Company will classify and report results of McGraw-Hill Education as discontinued operations. As a result of this transaction, the Company anticipates a non-cash impairment charge in the fourth quarter of approximately $450 to $550 million relating to the School Education Group.

The McGraw-Hill Companies announced in September 2011 it would separate into two industry-leading companies following a year-long strategic portfolio review. This decision was a key driver of the Company's Growth and Value Plan, which also included a commitment to generate $100 million in cost savings and a significant share repurchase program. On November 2, 2012, the Company provided an update of its progress on these initiatives and will do so again when it announces its 2012 fourth quarter and year-end results.

McGraw-Hill received financial advice from Evercore Partners and Goldman, Sachs & Co., and legal advice from Wachtell, Lipton, Rosen & Katz and Clifford Chance.

Apollo received financial advice from Credit Suisse, UBS Investment Bank and BMO Financial Group. The financing is provided by Credit Suisse, Morgan Stanley, Jefferies, UBS Investment Bank, Nomura and BMO. Apollo received legal advice from Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP and Morgan, Lewis and Bockius LLP.

Best-Ever Thanksgiving 5-Day Box Office! Newcomers: 'Rise Of The Guardians' Weak, 'Life Of Pi' Overperforms, 'Red Dawn' Meh; Holdovers Stronger ' 'Breaking Dawn 2' #1, 'Skyfall' #2, 'Lincoln' #3

SUNDAY 3:45 AM, 6TH UPDATE: (Saturday/Weekend/Holiday #s below)
What is there to say other than this 5-day Thanksgiving Holiday was a monster at the weekend box office. Best of all, audiences came out in droves for an overwhelming majority of original films as well as popular sequels. Hollywood today is giving thanks this is now the biggest-ever moviegoing T-Day holiday: $288M for the 5 days of domestic box office, smashing 2009's record of $258.6M. It also beat the previous all-time 5-day moviegoing record set in 2009 of $270.5M. I don't wanna hear these studios plead poverty to the Hollywood community for at least several months. ('We have no complaints,' agreed one studio bigwig.)In sharp contrast to Wednesday and Thanksgiving Day grosses, domestic box office went into overdrive on Friday by posting double- and triple-digit increases. Saturday lost a little steam and stayed relatively flat, with only one film in the Top 10 up slightly.

Among holdovers, this will be another great #1 weekend for Summit's Twilight Saga finale Breaking Dawn Part 2 as well as #2 for Eon Productions/MGM/Sony Pictures' James Bond #23 Skyfall (which crossed $200M domestic over the weekend) and #3 for Steven Spielberg's Lincoln from DreamWorks/Fox/Disney. That biopic continues to find an audience ' amazingly ' in both red and blue states.

Unfortunately, among newcomers, #4 DreamWorks Animation's Rise Of The Guardians 3D distributed by Paramount disappointed in its 3,653 locations (including 2,900 3D or IMAX presentations). Based on a series of best-selling books, toon fell -22% from Wednesday to Thursday, then came back very strong Friday ' +149% - but dropped -3% Saturday. Overall, this Avengers-like team of fantasy characters from Santa Claus to the Easter Bunny to the Tooth Fairy and Despicable Me minion-like elves really underperformed and shockingly couldn't even make it to $33M for the 5-day holiday. These days successful toons open to at least $40+M regular weekends and most Christmas-themed movies for kids are in demand this time of year, especially when there's no pure family fare this holiday season. By contrast How To Train Your Dragon posted one of the slowest openings in DWA history and still eked out $43.7M for its 3-day non-holiday weekend. There's still the chance Guardians might build momentum the same way Dragon did as its coveted 'A' CinemaScore helps word of mouth. It's hard to pinpoint what went wrong in this quirky pic directed by Peter Ramsey as his feature film debut, scripted by David Lindsay-Abaire, produced by Guillermo del Toro, and featuring the voices of Hugh Jackman, Chris Pine, Alec Baldwin, Jude Law, Isla Fisher. Except some felt the pic was unextraordinary, and its message about fame powering the world off-putting to parents. Others are suggesting its unique animation style makes it a tougher sell than more standard animated fare. It certainly didn't perform for lack of marketing, which was omnipresent as usual.

DWA/Paramount even boasted that 'Rise Of The Guardians is, by far, our most impactful and widest DWA online media campaign to date reaching over 200 million uniques with highly visible social, video, and gaming stunts. YouTube played a vital role'. In addition to, we partnered with Machinima, the largest male 13-34 gaming/entertainment video destination on the web (139MM worldwide uniques), to present an extended first look at the film. The trailer launched in April on Titanic 3D but also with other toons like Madagascar 3, Ice Age 4, Hotel Transylvania, and Wreck it Ralph. There also were a variety of custom ROTG in-theatre spots running on over 11,000 movie screens in the domestic market ' all films, all ratings. The adult campaign kicked off October 7th with a blitz on ABC's Once Upon A Time. There was no election campaigning for 36 hours 'to stay out of the noise' but the toon jumped on Halloween, Thanksgiving and early Christmas TV programming. There was exclusive 3D footage presented at CinemaCon in April and Cannes in May. Facebook and Twitter were used as usual to amplify engagement with content launches and to drive purchase intent on release day. There also was the highest 'Kids & Family' reach of any DWA film 'with the highest level of engagements we've seen to date', I'm told. My last word is that this is going to be a headscratcher for months to come if Guardians can't get its act together.

Twentieth Century Fox was thrilled its #5 Life Of Pi with Avatar-like 3D climbed a massive +24% from Wednesday to Thursday - up more than any other top film in the marketplace. Then it went up +97% Friday, prompting a studio exec to gush, 'The good news keeps coming at you like a hungry Richard Parker!' It dropped -7% on Saturday. This PG pic received an 'A-' CinemaScore which is keeping it overperforming. Before it opened, the studio told me it would rejoice if director Ang Lee's Oscar-buzzed pet project opened over $20M ' and it accomplished that. But at a costly $120M because of all that CGI. Exit polling showed it playing to a broad cross-section of moviegoers: 54% male and 46% female, 23% under age 18 and 38% under 25. Subject matter was far and away the primary driver for interest. The first footage debuted at Cinemacon on April 26th after which Life Of Pi was the opening night film at the New York Film Festival. Now the studio has launched its Oscar campaign. I give Fox high marks for a compelling marketing campaign despite a hard-to-describe faith-based storyline. For weeks before the picture opened, Fox tried to tamp down box office expectations, telling me how Life Of Pi was 'a truly unique film that studios get criticized for not taking risks to make anymore. And, like any unique original film, it takes time to seep into the broader cultural awareness. And we feel this is a steady, gradual release that will grow as acclaim comes in and word of mouth spreads. This was a bestselling book that no one thought could be made into a feature film. We took the creative risk and backed a top filmmaker's vision to go on a journey previously thought unfilmable.' As for its faith-based campaign, Fox says it made the film for a worldwide spiritual audience. (It only opeed day and date this weekend in 4 international territories: Taiwan, Hong Kong, India, China.) 'The thing that is different from traditional 'faith' campaigns is that we have reached out to all denominations of religious backgrounds - Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, etc - and these leaders and organizations have really taken to the film. They like the storyline that Pi as a  teenager has a rabid curiosity about faith and the differences (and similarities) that impact him spiritually and allow him to survive by embracing it.' Of course, Fox is still all about the bucks and its marketing promotions included Life Of Pi 'inspired by' merchandise like Christmas ornaments and mango black teas.

Besides spiritualists, the overall marketing focused on book lovers and film lovers. Written by David Magee based upon Yann Martel's novel which has sold more than 9 million copies, pic was produced by Gil Netter, David Womark, and Ang Lee (Brokeback Mountain, Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon) who spent 4 years trying to get the project to the screen while the book was in development for 10 years. But it probably needed to wait because that's some CGI Bengal tiger! (Out of more than 165 shots of Richard Parker, only 24 were of real tigers.)  Unlike most Hollywood movies these days, Lee worked with only the one screenwriter, Magee, the entire time in development. He shot the films in 3 countries ' India, Taiwan and Canada ' with the multinational cast Suraj Sharma, Irrfan Khan, Tabu, Rafe Spall, and Gérard Depardieu. Suraj became the focus of the media campaign because of his backstory: he beat out 3,000 kids for the part and only attended the Delhi auditions because his brother was trying for the role and promised him a Subway sandwich if he came along. Suraj did not know how to swim when cast and had to learn along with perform all his own stunts.

Finishing only #7, FilmDistrict's Red Dawn (2,724 theaters) dropped -22% from Wednesday to Thursday but recovered +88% Friday then dropped -10% Saturday. Not helping was that this action remake received only a so-so 'B' CinemaScore. But, heck, it's a minor miracle that this pic is finally releasing since it was trapped for so long in MGM's bankruptcy. Chris Hemsworth was still an unknown when cast back in 2008 but pic now benefits from his career trajectory into a big action star. Also unknown castmembers better known now are Josh Hutcherson and Adrianne Palicki. Directed by Dan Bradley, produced by Beau Flynn and Tripp Vinson, with credited screenwriters Carl Ellsworth and Jeremy Passmore, the ploy is more or less the same: America is invaded (this time, not by Russians but by Koreans ' changed from Chinese) and a group of good-looking guerrilla fighters claw back control of their town. FilmDistrict merely obtained distribution rights September 2011 to this remake of the 1984 Red Dawn which MGM put into production in 2009 (back when then studio head Mary Parent was crossing her fingers and hoping for the best). Once completed, the film was then shelved due to MGM's financial mess. Pre-release tracking indicated the film could post a 5-day holiday in the very high teens with a 3-day weekend in the low teens. Given that, FilmDstrict's biggest obstacle was how to market the movie for next to nothing. The trailer launched in August, and Red Dawn was closed Fantastic Fest in Austin in September to start fanboy hype, followed by a heavy word-of-mouth screening program on over 100 military bases and college campuses. With the media focused on core M12-34 and P12-34 audiences, the campaign was heavy on sports TV channels, Comedy Central, Spike, WWE/UFC, BET, and the like. Digital integrated promotion of the new film with recognition of the original through contests for hometown screenings via Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Tumblr.

The Weinstein Co's Oscar-buzzed Silver Linings Playbook is still on a slow rollout after Harvey changed the release strategy and didn't go wide right away. Its gross went up +162% Friday and it eaned the distinction of being the only Top 10 movie to increase grosses (+3%) on Saturday. Still its per screen average needs to strengthen. Clearly the pic's R rating puts off Jennifer Lawrence's younger female fans who are still Twilight Saga-obsessed. And Bradley Cooper is by no means a box office sure thing. This adult comedy's ability to earn big still has a big question mark.

Fox Searchlight's much anticipated Oscar candidate Hitchcock starring Tony Hopkins and Hellen Mirren opened Friday in 17 theaters, earning $112K with a per screen average of $6,954. Again, I thought this PG13 AFI Fest opener would start stronger. It's expected to platform this weekend to $312K. Shot entirely in LA this past May, this project from Tom Pollock and Ivan Reitman's Montecito Picture Company came to Fox Searchlight with Sacha Gervasi already attached as the director. Pic's classic Hollywood storytelling by screenwriter John J. McLaughlin and Stephen Rebello who wrote the book, as well as the performances, have merited an awards campaign, but it wasn't helped by Hopkins' recent attack on the whole campaigning process. With both Hopkins and Mirren working in London, now, the studio has been doing satellite Q&As for voters and media alike in advance of Hitchcock's Academy premiere. Fox Searchlight will continue with a platform release over a four-week period, and then head into a limited national release into about 500 theaters for December 14th.

Related: Anthony Hopkins Joins Anti-Awards Campaign Club
Related: 'Hitchcock' Opens AFI Fest, Starts Oscar Talk

Also opening in limited release was Sony Pictures Classics' Rust And Bone in 2 theaters. The R-rated drama made $9K and is expected to end the weekend with $24K. SPC was eager to work with French producer Pascal Chaucheteux again following Jacques Audiard's previous project, A Prophet. Here the company received an early draft of Rust And Bone with one of France's biggest stars already committed ' Marion Cotillard ' further sparking interest. Audiard directed and also co-wrote with Thomas Bidegain and Craig Davidson. SPC picked up North American rights in addition to a few other territories. Consistent with the company's release strategy, it has a platform rollout to put it into the zeitgeist. Pic opened Friday only in New York; Los Angeles follows on December 7th. The Friday before Christmas, it will open in 12 additional cities. At the end of January, it'll go wider. SPC is hoping Rust And Bone receives awards consideration

And finally, Focus Features' holdover Anna Karenina playing in 66 theaters grossed $307K Friday for what should be $807K for the 3-day weekend and $1M for the 5-day holiday. Cume for this R-rated adaptation directed by Joe Wright and starring Keira Knightly should be $1.4M.

Here's the Top 10 based on 3-day weekend estimates. Check back for refined numbers.

1. Breaking Dawn Part 2 (Summit/Lionsgate) Week 2 [Runs 4,070] PG13
Wednesday $13.3M, Thursday $8.3M, Friday $17.4M, Saturday $17.3% (-7%)
3-day Weekend $44.2M, 5-day Holiday $66.0M, Cume $228.9M

2. Skyfall (Eon/MGM/Sony) Week 3 [Runs 3,526] PG13
Wednesday $7.4M, Thursday $7.7M, Friday $14.7M, Saturday $13.4M (-9%)
3-Day Weekend $36.0M, 5-Day Holiday $51.1M, Cume $221.7M

3. Lincoln (DreamWorks/Fox/Disney) Week 3 [Runs 2,018] PG13
Wednesday $4.2M, Thursday $4.8M, Friday $9.9M, Saturday $9.8M (-2%)
3-Day Weekend $25.0M, 5-Day Holiday $34.0M, Cume $62.1M

4. Rise Of The Guardians 3D (DreamWorks Anim/Par) NEW [Runs 3,653] PG
Wednesday $4.8M, Thursday $3.7M, Friday $9.2M, Saturday $9.1M (-3%)
3-day Weekend $23.5M, 5-Day Holiday $32.0M

5. Life Of Pi 3D (Fox) NEW [Runs 2,927] PG
Wednesday $3.6M, Thursday $4.5M, Friday $8.8M, Saturday $8.2M (-7%)
3-Day Weekend $21.8M, 5-Day Weekend $30.0M

6. Wreck-It Ralph 3D (Disney) Week 4 [Runs 3,259] PG
Wednesday $3.7M, Thursday $2.5M, Friday $6.7M, Saturday $6.5M (-3%)
3-Day Weekend $16.7M, 5-Day Holiday $23.0M, Cume $149.5M

7. Red Dawn (Film District) NEW [Runs 2,724] PG13
Wednesday $4.2M, Thursday $3.2M, Friday $6.0M, Saturday $5.4M (-10%)
3-Day Weekend $14.1M, 5-Day Holiday $22.5M

8. Flight (Paramount) Week 4 [Runs 2,638] R
Wednesday $1.2M, Thursday $1.4M, Friday $3.3M, Saturday $3.2M (-3%)
3-Day Weekend $8.2M, 5-Day Holiday $10.9M, Cume $74.4M

9. Silver Linings Playbook (Weinstein) Week 2 [Runs 367] R
Wednesday $661K, Thursday $617K, Friday $1.6M, Saturday $1.6M (+3%)
3-Day Weekend $4.2M, 5-Day Holiday $5.5M, Cume $6.1M

10. Argo (Warner Bros) Week 7 [Runs 1,255] R
Wednesday $568K, Thursday $614K, Friday $1.5M, Saturday $1.5M (0%)
3-Day Weekend $3.8M, 5-day Holiday $4.8M, Cume $98.0M

For more estimates listed by title, see box office results here...

Editor-in-Chief Nikki Finke - tip her here.

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