Paramount Pictures Acquires the Rights to Wayward Children Fantasy Book Series
Paramount Pictures has acquired the rights to the Wayward Children fantasy book series by Seanan McGuire. Six books have already been published in the series, and a seventh is coming in early 2022. Sources have said Emma Watts, the president of Paramount’s Motion Picture Group, has had her eye on the series for a while and was hands-on in aggressively pursuing the rights for the series. Paramount is planning a series adaptation, which will be produced by Pouya Shahbazian, who is currently working on Season 2 of Netflix’s Shadow & Bone.
Scarlett Johansson Sues Disney for Breach of Contract over Black Widow Release
Actress Scarlett Johansson is suing Disney over the company’s decision to release Black Widow on Disney Plus at the same time as it hit theaters. The lawsuit was filed on Thursday in Los Angeles Superior Court. Attorneys allege that the Johansson’s contract was breached when the studio chose not to debut the film exclusively in theaters. Johansson and other artists connected to the project rely on compensation tied specifically to the box office performance of Black Widow. In other words, when the film hit certain benchmarks at the box office, bonuses would be handed out. The suit reads, “Disney chose to placate Wall Street investors and pad its bottom line, rather than allow its subsidiary Marvel to comply with the agreement.”
John Berlinski, an attorney for Johansson, said in a statement, “It’s no secret that Disney is releasing films like Black Widow directly onto Disney Plus to increase subscribers and thereby boost the company’s stock price…But ignoring the contracts of the artists responsible for the success of its films in furtherance of this short-sighted strategy violates their rights and we look forward to proving as much in court.”
6th Grade Author Helps Launch Pop-Up Library in Charlotte
Jade Watkins, the 11-year-old author of the book I AM ME, is helping to launch two pop-up library locations in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Thumbs Up Reading library initiative was established in memory of life-long Charlotte resident Clyde Albert Phifer, who was an avid reader. The initiative hopes to recognize the power of diversity in children’s literature and aims to give children and young adults access to over 1,000 books, specifically those living in historically Black and brown communities. The installation of the first Thumbs Up Reading’s pop-up library is scheduled for Saturday, July 31, 2:00 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. at Steele Creek A.M.E. Zion Church, 1500 Shopton Road, Charlotte.
Books to Put on Hold at the Library Right Now
Don’t hesitate when it comes to these new and upcoming releases! Everyone’s going to want to get their hands on these fall 2021 books, so put them on hold at your local library ASAP!