Award-winning music superstar Lady Gaga has been set to star opposite four-time Oscar nominee Bradley Cooper (“American Sniper,” “American Hustle,” “Silver Linings Playbook”) in a remake of the iconic musical drama “A Star is Born.” The announcement was made today by Greg Silverman, President, Creative Development and Worldwide Production, Warner Bros. Pictures. The film will also be helmed by Cooper, who will be making his directorial debut.

Lady Gaga’s role in “A Star is Born” will mark her first lead in a feature film. In addition, she will compose new songs for the film, which she will also perform.

“A Star is Born” is being produced by Billy Gerber and Jon Peters; together with Bradley Cooper and Todd Phillips, under their Joint Effort Productions banner. Basil Iwanyk is serving as executive producer.

In making the announcement, Silverman stated, “For those of us lucky enough to watch him work as an actor and producer, it has been clear that Bradley would make this transition to director. We are honored that he is doing it, here, at his home—Warner Bros.—and with Lady Gaga as a collaborator and co-star. The world is in for a treat as these great artists craft an all new vision of ‘A Star is Born.’”

A singular talent, Lady Gaga earned an Oscar nomination earlier this year for her moving song “Til it Happens to You,” from the documentary “The Hunting Ground.” Among her many music honors, she has also won six Grammy Awards and earned another nine Grammy nominations. Her multi-platinum hits range from “Bad Romance,” “Poker Face” and “Just Dance” to the chart-topping anthem “Born This Way.” In 2014, she proved her crossover appeal with “Cheek to Cheek,” partnering with the legendary Tony Bennett on a duet album of standards, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard chart. On the acting front, Lady Gaga starred in the 2015-16 season of FX’s hit series “American Horror Story,” earning widespread acclaim and winning a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Limited Series or Made for Television Movie. She had earlier been seen in the Robert Rodriguez films “Machete Kills” and “Sin City: A Dame to Die For.”

“A Star is Born” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Bron Studios and Gloria Sanchez Productions announced they will produce the dark comedy FRIEND OF BILL, which will star Lizzy Caplan. The film is written by Harper Dill and will be directed by Amy Rice. The producers are Bron Studios’ Aaron L. Gilbert, Jessica Elbaum, Will Ferrell, and Adam McKay of Gloria Sanchez Prods., Margot Hand of Picture Films and Lizzy Caplan. Jason Cloth and Richard McConnell are executive producers via Creative Wealth.

A 2011 Blacklist screenplay, FRIEND OF BILL will begin production in November on Vancouver Island. Bron Studios, Hand and Gary Sanchez Productions previously collaborated on the critically acclaimed indie hit Welcome To Me, starring Kristen Wiig.

“FRIEND OF BILL has been a passion project for both Lizzy and I since we first became aware of Harper’s screenplay,” said Elbaum. “We’re delighted that Bron Studios shared our commitment and wanted to partner again.”

In FRIEND OF BILL, Lizzy Caplan plays a writer arrested for public intoxication, who is forced to take a sabbatical in order to kick her alcoholism. She chooses to do so back in the idyllic small town where she grew up, only to find solace and sobriety nearly impossible to achieve while dealing with a complicated relationship with her mother and a pair of male suitors; one of them a former teacher of hers and the other an eccentric who also happens to volunteer at the AA meetings she secretly attends.

“It’s rare to embark on a project with an all-female creative team,” said Caplan. “We take this exciting responsibility quite seriously, and can’t wait to set off telling a darkly funny, character-driven story about the difficulties that come with being a grown up sharing a house with her family and a head with her demons.”

Caplan, who most recently starred in Now You See Me 2, will next be seen opposite Brad Pitt and Marion Cotillard in the Robert Zemeckis film Allied, as well as in the fourth season of her Emmy-nominated turn as Virginia Johnson on Showtime’s Masters of Sex. She is repped by WME, Rise Management and Jackoway Tyerman Wertheimer Austen Mandelbaum Morris & Klein.

Amy Rice is an Emmy-nominated documentary filmmaker known for “By the People: The Election of Barack Obama” at HBO and more recently, last year’s “Hurricane of Fun: The Making of Wet Hot” at Netflix, and “Snervous Tyler Oakley”. Rice is repped by WME, Management 360 and Hansen Jacobson.

Harper Dill has written projects for Paramount and Universal, and is currently adapting a book with Alloy Entertainment and New Line. Dill is repped by WME, Black Box Management and Hanson Jacobson.

Among Bron’s current productions are: Nate Parker’s The Birth of A Nation, Denzel Washington’s Fences; Migeul Arteta’s Beatriz at Dinner, starring Salma Hayek and John Lithgow, and Tully, starring Charlize Theron from director Jason Reitman.

The main cast has been put together for “The LEGO® Ninjago Movie,” a new animated adventure in Warner Bros. Pictures’ LEGO franchise. The film will star Dave Franco, Justin Theroux, Fred Armisen, Abbi Jacobson, Olivia Munn, Kumail Nanjiani, Michael Peña, Zach Woods, and the legendary Jackie Chan. “The LEGO Ninjago Movie” is slated to open nationwide on September 22, 2017.

In this big-screen Ninjago adventure, the battle for Ninjago City calls to action young Lloyd, aka the Green Ninja, along with his friends, who are all secret warriors and LEGO Master Builders. Led by kung fu master Wu, as wise-cracking as he is wise, they must defeat evil warlord Garmadon, the Worst Guy Ever, who also happens to be Lloyd’s dad. Pitting mech against mech and father against son, the epic showdown will test this fierce but undisciplined team of modern-day ninjas who must learn to check their egos and pull together to unleash their true power.

Jackie Chan (“Kung Fu Panda,” The Karate Kid”) stars as Master Wu; Justin Theroux (“Magamind 2,” “The Leftovers”) is Garmadon; Dave Franco (“Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising”) plays Lloyd; and Olivia Munn (“X-Men: Apocalypse”) is Lloyd’s mom, Koko. Making up the secret ninja crew, Fred Armisen (“The Jim Gaffigan Show,” “SNL”) voices Cole; Abbi Jacobson (“Neighbors 2: Sorority Rising”) plays Nya; Kumail Nanjiani (“Mike and Dave Need Wedding Dates”) is Jay; Michael Peña (“Ant-Man,” “The Martian”) is Kai; and Zach Woods (“Silicon Valley”) voices Zane.

Jill Wilfert, an executive producer on the film and Vice President of Licensing and Entertainment for LEGO Group, stated, “We are thrilled with the star-studded voice cast slated for ‘The LEGO Ninjago Movie.’ Our fans know and love Ninjago characters for their personalities and skills, so it’s only fitting that we assemble a diverse and talented cast to bring the world of Ninjago to life on the big screen.”

“The LEGO Ninjago Movie” marks the feature film directorial debut of Charlie Bean (“Tron: Uprising”). It is being produced by Dan Lin, Phil Lord, Christopher Miller and Roy Lee, who previously collaborated on the worldwide box-office phenomenon “The LEGO® Movie,” along with Maryann Garger (“Flushed Away”). Chris McKay, Seth Grahame-Smith, Jill Wilfert, and Keith Malone are serving as executive producers. The screenplay is by Hilary Winston & Bob Logan & Paul Fisher, story by Kevin Hageman & Dan Hageman and Hilary Winston & Bob Logan & Paul Fisher, based on LEGO Construction Toys.

From Warner Bros. Pictures and Warner Animation Group, in association with LEGO System A/S, a Lin Pictures/Lord Miller/Vertigo Entertainment Production, “The LEGO Ninjago Movie” will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures, a Warner Bros. Entertainment Company.

Fox Searchlight Pictures’ Presidents Stephen Gilula and Nancy Utley announced that principal photography on THE SHAPE OF WATER began today in Toronto, Canada. The film stars Academy Award nominee Sally Hawkins (BLUE JASMINE, HAPPY-GO-LUCKY), Academy Award nominee Michael Shannon (REVOLUTIONARY ROAD, 99 HOMES), Academy Award nominee Richard Jenkins (THE VISITOR, “Olive Kitteridge”), Doug Jones (CRIMSON PEAK, HELLBOY), Golden Globe nominee Michael Stuhlbarg (A SERIOUS MAN, STEVE JOBS) and Academy Award winner Octavia Spencer (THE HELP, GIFTED). Academy Award nominated Guillermo del Toro (PAN’S LABYRINTH, CRIMSON PEAK) will direct and co-write with Vanessa Taylor (“Game of Thrones,” DIVERGENT). The film is being produced by del Toro and J. Miles Dale (THE VOW, SCOTT PILGRIM VS. THE WORLD).

“I started working on THE SHAPE OF WATER right around the time we moved to Toronto for PACIFIC RIM. Working with Fox Searchlight and being supported by this beautiful group of actors and artists, I feel extremely blessed and brave,” says writer/director del Toro.

“It feels like we have an embarrassment of riches on this film. An ensemble of incredible actors who are working at the very top of their craft, a wildly original story from Guillermo’s one-of-a-kind mind, and the brilliant team at Fox Searchlight to shepherd us along. We’re all very excited to see how far we can take it,” says producer Dale.

“We are thrilled to be working with Guillermo del Toro as he is the ultimate visionary director. He has brought together an amazingly talented cast to bring this brilliant and unique story to life,” said Utley and Gilula.

THE SHAPE OF WATER is an other-worldly story, set against the backdrop of Cold War era America circa 1963. A mysterious and magical journey from Guillermo del Toro. The film stars Sally Hawkins, Michael Shannon, Richard Jenkins, Doug Jones, Michael Stuhlbarg and Octavia Spencer.

Joining del Toro on the film are long time collaborators costume designer Luis Sequeira (THE STRAIN, MAMA, CARRIE), director of photography Dan Laustsen – (JOHN WICK: CHAPTER TWO, CRIMSON PEAK, MIMIC), visual effects supervisor Dennis Berardi (CRIMSON PEAK, MAMA, FIGHT CLUB) and editor Sidney Wolinsky (“The Strain,” “House of Cards,” “The Sopranos”). New to the team is production designer Paul Austerberry (THE TWILIGHT SAGA: ECLIPSE, POMPEII). Co-Heads of Production David Greenbaum and Matthew Greenfield and Vice President of Production DanTram Nguyen are overseeing the project for Fox Searchlight Pictures.

Fox Searchlight Pictures is a specialty film company that both finances and acquires motion pictures. It has its own marketing and distribution operations, and the films are distributed internationally by Twentieth Century Fox. Fox Searchlight Pictures is a unit of 21st Century Fox.

Global indie film distributor Gravitas Ventures has picked up Robert Greenwald’s powerful documentary Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA. Through the stories of everyday Americans whose lives have been affected by gun violence, Brave New Films’ documentary shows how gun manufacturers and dealers and their marketing and sales arm, the NRA, have perverted and distorted our political process for profit. By focusing on gun violence survivors and victims’ families, Making a Killing is a call to action to confront one of our society’s most serious problems. Gravitas will handle television, streaming, VOD and DVD rights in the United States and Canada. Initial VOD release is scheduled for November 1, 2016.

“We’re thrilled to be in business with Gravitas Ventures,” says director/producer Robert Greenwald, whose credits include the landmark television projects The Burning Bed and A Woman of Independent Means as well as the documentaries Wal-Mart: The High Cost of Low Price; Iraq for Sale: The War Profiteers; Koch Brothers Exposed; Unmanned: America’s Drone Wars, and Outfoxed: Rupert Murdoch’s War on Journalism . The first step in ending the daily tragedies wrought by gun violence is making sure everyone in America knows just who is behind the laws – or lack thereof – that allow for literally anyone to get their hands on a gun and start shooting.”

“We are delighted to collaborate with Robert and the Brave New Films team,” said Gravitas Ventures’ Sr. Director of Acquisitions, Dan Fisher, “Robert continues to be a powerful voice in documentary cinema and MAKING A KILLING is another incisive and fearless look at the suspect practices of big business.”

Making a Killing: Guns, Greed, and the NRA will have a one week theatrical run in Los Angeles (August 12-18) and in New York City (August 19-25), which will meet requirements for Academy Award consideration. Brave New Films will partner with gun-violence prevention activists to turn multiple screenings during the theatrical runs into opportunities to inform audiences about the issue and to organize against the forces of gun profiteering. Among the non-profit partners are Amnesty International, New Yorkers Against Gun Violence, The Brady Campaign to End Gun Violence and Women Against Gun Violence. By Labor Day, Making a Killing will have been seen at over 1000 screenings around the country sponsored by churches, non-profit organizations, businesses, schools, and individuals who after viewing the film discuss it with the accompanying action guide in order to make an impact on this issue.

Making a Killing’s inescapable conclusion that the NRA is a sales and marketing division for gun companies has been widely validated.

Senator Richard Blumenthal (D-CT): “Our nation continues to suffer from the unspeakable epidemic of gun violence– from Orlando to Sandy Hook, to the streets of Chicago and Hartford. Americans are demanding Congress act on common sense, sensible prevention measures. Through this film, Americans will learn more about the scourge of gun violence in our country, and then act and advocate for change.”

NYC Mayor Bill de Blasio: “This powerful film challenges us to take action against the all-to-present reality of gun violence. Every attempt to pass common sense gun control laws is fiercely opposed by the NRA and other political forces…Everyone invested in this fight should see this film.”

Laurie and Bill Benenson are executive producers of Making a Killing. “Having a partner like Gravitas Ventures will help to bring the inescapable conclusions of Robert Greenwald’s powerful film to a huge audience,” says Bill Benenson (Beasts of No Nation, Official Sundance Selection Dirt! The Movie) who executive produces with Laurie Benenson. “It’s gratifying to align this film with one of the biggest all rights distributors in the world. With unforgettable films such as Jim: The James Foley Story, Gravitas has become known as the home for high quality, issue-oriented documentaries. We’re thrilled to have them champion this film and help reverse the destruction that gun violence leaves in its wake.”