Tag: wwe studios

Major League Soccer relocating production to WWE Headquarters

Posted on by Ian Carey

The studios at WWE Headquarters will be used to produce Major League Soccer (MLS) action beginning next season. 

WWE’s headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut, features a 30,000-square-foot production facility, five studios, and production amenities. It will now be the MLS’s English and Spanish live studio programming hub.

WWE EVP of Media & Production, Lee Fitting, was quoted in a press release about the news:

“We have long admired the tremendous MLS-IMG partnership – and the fantastic product and results it has generated over the years,” said Fitting. “We believe that WWE’s new state-of-the-art facilities will help take their collective capabilities to even greater heights.”

IMG (International Management Group) produces the league’s 600+ annual games. The move to WWE studios is part of a renewal agreement announced today between IMG and MLS. 

In November, TKO Group Holdings (the parent company of WWE and UFC) announced it had acquired IMG, along with On-Demand, and PBR (Professional Bull Riders). The transaction will be officially completed in the first half of this year. 

“With the incredible momentum and excitement around the league, we are thrilled to further our partnership with IMG to support our vision of elevating production, creating new viewing opportunities, and pushing the sports broadcast landscape into the future,” said, Seth Bacon, executive vice president of media for MLS.

“Together with MLS and Apple, we have set a new standard for the MLS viewing experience, creating a new era of entertaining, highly engaging content for football fans globally,” said Barney Francis, EVP, Studios, IMG. “Over the coming years, we will continue to innovate with cutting-edge technology and creativity, powered by our incredible new home, The Studios at WWE, and IMG’s industry-leading production experience and capabilities.” 

Paramount & WWE Studios’ ‘Rumble’ film to premiere on Paramount+

Posted on by Joseph Currier

A release date has been set for Paramount and WWE Studios’ animated film “Rumble.”

“Rumble” will premiere exclusively on Paramount+ on Wednesday, December 15. The film was originally expected to be released in the summer of 2020, but it had to be pushed back following the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. The film was then delayed until 2022 before the decision was made to release it on Paramount+.

Here’s the description for the movie: “In a world where monster wrestling is a global sport and monsters are superstar athletes, ‘Rumble’s’ teenage Winnie seeks to follow in her father’s footsteps by coaching a loveable underdog monster into a champion.”

WWE’s Roman Reigns and Becky Lynch have roles voicing characters in “Rumble.” It stars Will Arnett, Geraldine Viswanathan, Terry Crews, Stephen A. Smith, Jimmy Tatro, Tony Danza, Susan Kelechi Watson, Tony Shalhoub, Bridget Everett, Greta Lee, Ben Schwartz, Reigns, Lynch, Michael Buffer, and Charles Barkley.

“Rumble” is produced by Paramount Animation in association with WWE Studios. It’s based on the graphic novel “Monster on the Hill” by Rob Harrell. Hamish Grieve is the director of the movie.

The trailer for “Rumble” is available to watch below:

Paramount & WWE Studios’ ‘Rumble’ animated film delayed to 2022

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paramount Pictures & WWE Studios’ animated film “Rumble” has been delayed again due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Rumble” is now scheduled to be released in theaters on Friday, February 18, 2022. The film was originally expected to be released in the summer of 2020 and — prior to this delay — had most recently been set to be released on May 14, 2021.

Will Arnett, Terry Crews, and Geraldine Viswanathan are the lead voice actors in “Rumble.” WWE’s Becky Lynch and Roman Reigns also voice characters in the movie, along with Tony Danza, Susan Kelechi Watson, Stephen A. Smith, Jimmy Tatro, Ben Schwartz, and Michael Buffer.

Here’s the synopsis for the film: “In a world where monster wrestling is a global sport and monsters are superstar athletes, teenage Winnie seeks to follow in her father’s footsteps by coaching a lovable underdog monster into a champion.”

The trailer for “Rumble” was released last February:

Netflix not renewing ‘The Big Show Show’ for season two

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Netflix and WWE Studios’ “The Big Show Show” isn’t returning for season two.

Deadline reported today that Netflix has decided not to order a second season of “The Big Show Show.” A new Christmas special episode of the show will be released on Netflix this December, but Deadline notes that the episode isn’t a series finale. It’s a standalone episode that was filmed before the COVID-19 pandemic and doesn’t continue the storylines of season one.

“The Big Show Show” co-creator Jason Berger tweeted about the series not being renewed: “on behalf of the staff, cast, and crew of #thebigshowshow…thank you to everyone who watched either with your fam or alone in your basement. Netflix was a dream to work with AND we had a blast making the show. Rare air! Please take care of each other!”

“The Big Show Show” debuted on Netflix this April and featured eight episodes. It starred Big Show (real name Paul Wight), Allison Munn, Reylynn Caster, Juliet Donenfeld, Lily Brooks O’Briant, and Jaleel White. The description for the sitcom was: “When the teenage daughter of Big Show, a retired world-famous WWE Superstar, comes to live with him, his wife, and two other daughters, he quickly becomes outnumbered and outsmarted. Despite being 7 feet tall and weighing 400 pounds, he is no longer the center of attention.”

Deadline noted that Netflix’s series “Ashley Garcia: Genius in Love” also isn’t being renewed for season two but will have a stand-alone Christmas special.

VIDEO: WWE and Netflix release trailer for ‘The Big Show Show’

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Ahead of the series’ premiere date, WWE and Netflix have released the trailer for The Big Show Show:

Netflix and WWE Studios are partnering together for the series. It’s a half-hour, multi-camera sitcom and will arrive on Netflix on Monday, April 6. The show will feature eight episodes.

Here’s the description for the show: “When the teenage daughter of Big Show, a retired world-famous WWE Superstar, comes to live with him, his wife, and two other daughters, he quickly becomes outnumbered and outsmarted. Despite being 7 feet tall and weighing 400 pounds, he is no longer the center of attention.”

The series stars Big Show (real name Paul Wight), Allison Munn, Reylynn Caster, Juliet Donenfeld, Lily Brooks O’Briant, and Jaleel White. Josh Bycel and Jason Berger are the creators of the show.

The trailer includes a scene where Mark Henry, Mick Foley, and Rikishi appear.

WWE Studios and Netflix have also teamed together for The Main Event, which is a family movie that will debut on Netflix on Friday, April 10.

WWE & Thinkfactory producing ‘Big Show vs. The World’ reality series

Posted on by Joseph Currier

WWE Studios and production company Thinkfactory Media are partnering together for an adventure reality series starring the Big Show.

It was announced today that WWE Studios and Thinkfactory will produce “Big Show vs. The World: A Giant Abroad.” The show was described as:

Through his extensive world travels with WWE, Big Show has collected a lifetime of unusual stories filled with unexplained natural occurrences, local enigmas and fascinating people. ‘Big Show vs. The World: A Giant Abroad’ will follow the larger-than-life WWE Superstar as he travels back to these locations and indulges his lifelong passion for exploring the strange and unknown.

Each self-contained episode will feature Big Show venturing to a new exotic area, where he’ll team up with a local guide and dive head-first into a native mystery or legend. Navigating the difficulty of travel (at seven-feet tall) and the extreme, sometimes awkward situations he encounters with his signature self-deprecating sense of humor, Big Show will do whatever it takes to unearth every quirky and shocking detail during his adventures into the bizarre.

“Big Show brings so many different layers to a project like this; it’s a dream scenario for us as producers,” Thinkfactory CEO Adam Reed said. “He blends his fierce intelligence and curiosity with an unexpected, one-of-a-kind wit, and his intimidating physical stature is offset by his surprisingly disarming personality. We’re ecstatic to be working with him and the WWE Studios team and can’t wait for the journeys ahead.”

“I won’t guarantee we’ll solve every mystery, but we’ll explore every strange detail, chase every bizarre lead and meet the incredible characters involved in pursuit of the truth,” Big Show said.

A Thinkfactory spokesperson told The Wrap that the series is “being shopped to major broadcast and cable networks, as well as streaming platforms.”

This is the second series involving Big Show that WWE Studios is developing. It was announced in July that WWE Studios is partnering with Netflix for “The Big Show Show,” which is a live-action multi-camera comedy series with 10 half-hour episodes.

Becky Lynch & Roman Reigns set for roles in ‘Rumble’ animated movie

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paramount Animation and WWE Studios are partnering together for a project that includes roles for Becky Lynch and Roman Reigns.

It was announced today that Paramount Animation and WWE Studios will co-produce an animated film called “Rumble.” The film “is set in a world where monster wrestling is a global sport and monsters are superstar athletes. Winnie seeks to follow in her father’s footsteps by coaching a lovable underdog monster into a wrestling champion.”

Will Arnett, Terry Crews, and Geraldine Viswanathan are listed as leading the voice cast for the film. Lynch and Reigns will voice characters, and the cast will also include Tony Danza, Stephen A. Smith, Jimmy Tatro, Ben Schwartz, and Michael Buffer.

“‘Rumble’ is steeped in the world of wrestling, and what better partners to help bring this world to life than WWE?” Paramount Animation president Mireille Soria said in a press release. “They bring a pedigree and institutional excellence that is unmatched, and we couldn’t be happier to collaborate with them on this special film. We are thrilled to have a seasoned and dynamic cast in place to breathe life into this exciting story and can’t wait to bring it to audiences.”

“Rumble” is expected to be released in the summer of 2020. It’s being directed by Hamish Grieve. WWE Studios’ Susan Levison and Richard Lowell are executive producers on the film.

WWE, A&E co-producing five ‘Biography’ documentaries

Posted on by Josh Nason

Image: WWE

On Thursday, WWE announced a deal with A&E to produce five, two-hour documentaries as part of the network’s “Biography” series.

The focus on the five documentaries are Randy Savage, Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Roddy Piper, and Booker T.

While the Austin and Michaels films are slated for a 2021 release, the other three are in pre-production and will hit the airwaves in the spring of 2020. The release mentions the films will feature both new and archived interviews along with “never before seen footage”.

The Savage documentary will be directed by Billy Corben, a documentary filmmaker known for several popular ESPN 30 for 30 films like ‘The U’ and ‘Broke’ while the Piper documentary is helmed by Joe Lavine, an Emmy and Peabody award winner who has produced work for both HBO (‘Lombardi’, ‘Ted Williams’, ‘Ali-Frazier I’) and ESPN’s 30 for 30 series (‘Playing For The Mob’). 

The Booker T doc is being directed by George Roy, an Emmy and Peabody award winner for HBO (‘Curse of The Bambino’, ‘Broad Street Bullies’, ‘Fists of Freedom’).

Directors for the Austin and Michaels documentaries will be announced at a later date.

VIDEO: ‘Fighting with My Family’ movie trailer

Posted on by Bryan Rose

Here is the trailer for the upcoming movie Fighting with My Family.

The movie will tell the story of Saraya Bevis, better known as Paige, and her journey to becoming a WWE superstar. It will show Paige living with her family, all wrestlers including her father Ricky Knight and her mother Saraya. The trailers shows both she and her brother Zak try out for WWE, as well as Paige’s journey to becoming women’s champion.

The film was announced back in 2017, with the Rock’s Seven Bucks Productions and WWE Studios on board as producers. It stars Florence Pugh as Paige, Jack Lowden as Zak, Nick Frost as Ricky Knight and Lena Headey as Saraya. Thea Trinidad (now Zelina Vega) also makes a cameo as AJ Lee, who Paige beat for the Divas championship in her debut.

Fighting with My Family is set for release next February It will be distributed through MGM.

The Rock’s production company developing a film about WWE’s Paige

Posted on by Joseph Currier

Paige’s life story could soon be making its way to the big screen.

Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson announced on Facebook on Tuesday that his Seven Bucks Productions company is producing a film based on WWE wrestler Paige (real name Saraya-Jade Bevis) and her family. The movie was inspired by a documentary that aired on Channel 4 in the UK that chronicled Paige and her family’s career in the wrestling business.

Based on the documentary, the film will be titled “Fighting With My Family.”

“Years ago (2012) while shooting Fast & Furious in London, I was up at 3am (too much caffeine) and stumbled upon a documentary on a UK station about a local wrestling family and their daughter’s unlikely journey into the global spotlight,” Johnson wrote.

“That daughter, is current WWE Women’s Superstar, Paige. The family element I saw in the doc, is what grabbed my attention. That no matter how crazy life gets, no matter how dysfunctional our families can sometimes be and especially regardless of how much we fight — we’re always there for each other when it counts. That’s what families do.”

Stephen Merchant will write and direct the film, with Johnson noting that Merchant grasped how gritty and heartfelt the comedy-drama should be. Johnson also noted that they would be partnering with WWE Studios and Film 4 on the project.

The Hollywood Reporter’s story on the film said that Florence Pugh and Jack Lowden have been tapped for starring roles, with Johnson making a cameo as himself in addition to his position as executive producer.

Paige’s wrestling career is currently on hold after she underwent neck surgery last year. She was also suspended by WWE twice for wellness policy violations in 2016.