MICHAEL B. JORDAN MAKES SUPER BOWL DEBUT: Michael B. Jordan is making his Super Bowl ad debut, for Amazon‘s voice-recognition system Alexa. Dubbed “Alexa’s Body,” the ad will premiere during the fourth-quarter on Sunday. “I literally could not imagine a more beautiful vessel for Alexa to be inside,” one woman says, gazing Jordan in an ad, and prompting a daydream about Jordan as Alexa.
LENA DUNHAM, WORKING TITLE TO SHOOT CATHERINE, CALLED BIRDY: Girls creator Lena Dunham is set to shoot another passion project, this one called Catherine, Called Birdy. She penned and will direct the film, which follows the story of a teen girl in Medieval England as she tries to evade the arranged marriages her father wants for her.
ZACHARY LEVI TO STAR IN HAROLD AND THE PURPLE CRAYON: Sony has recruited Zachary Levi to star in Sony’s live-action adaptation of the classic children’s book, Harold and the Purple Crayon. The story, published in 1955 and written by Crockett Johnson, tells the story of a four-year-old who created worlds around him with his crayon.
AMC INVESTS IN MURDOCH MYSTERIES PRODUCER: AMC Networks is teaming up with Shaftesbury, producer of Murdoch Mysteries and Slasher. The deal will give the network access to their slate of work, and also the ability to expand content and development in Canada, where Shaftesbury is based. “This new partnership will leverage the broad expertise of AMC Networks and Shaftesbury to deliver significant growth opportunities for the development, production, distribution and reach of our content,” said Shaftesbury CEO Christina Jennings. “Getting Canadian stories and creative talent in front of the international market has always been Shaftesbury’s mission – this relationship will give us a big leg up.”