US Briefs: Lantica rings changes at the top

Lantica Media has named board member and former Univision and Telemundo executive Joaquin Blaya as executive chairman of the board and appointed former BBC Worldwide managing director Fred Medina COO.

• Melissa McCarthy will star in Fox Searchlight’s darkly comedic adaptation of the memoir Can You Ever Forgive Me? about the life of celebrity biographer Lee Israel. Marielle Heller, whose credits include The Diary Of A Teenage Girl, will direct from a screenplay by Nicole Holofcener, who had originally been lined up to direct Julianne Moore before schedule conflicts set in. Shooting is set for early 2017.
• XLrator Media and IndustryWorks Studios have signed a three-film production deal that they will co-produce and distribute worldwide. Early 2017 supernatural thriller Residue will kick off the slate, followed by the upcoming Playtime and Fuse. XLrator Media will handle US distribution via its TURBO action label, with IndustryWorks Studios releasing in Canada and handling international sales.
• Universal has switched the release date of Elizabeth Banks’ Pitch Perfect 3 from July 21, 2017, to December 22, 2017. Malcolm D Lee’s upcoming comedy Girl Trip moves from August 11, 2017, into the July 21, 2017, slot.
• The UCLA School Of Theater, Film And Television (UCLA TFT) will honour Francis Ford Coppola, r Adam McKay and veteran animator Emily Hubley at its 25th annual film festival from June 5-9.