Hot Property newsletter: Some great movie-adjacent home viewing

Although the pandemic may be limiting the number of newly released films, there’s a treasure trove of great movies connected to the home buyers and sellers in this week’s collection. “The Terminator” and “Major League” are represented, as is the “Twilight” series. Grab some popcorn.

Talk about grand. Our Home of the Week is a more than 13,000-square-foot English Tudor built in 1929. The Hancock Park two-story features cut stone, heavy timbering and mullioned windows. The asking price is $10.5 million.

Once you’re done reading about these deals, visit and like our Facebook page, where you can find Hot Property stories and updates throughout the week.

— Neal Leitereg, Jack Flemming and Lauren Beale

A director’s titanic compound

Oscar-winning director James Cameron’s Malibu compound, made up of two mansions that he’s owned for decades, has hit the market for $25 million.

Cameron, a film industry veteran whose scores of credits include “The Terminator” and “Titanic,” began his land grab in the late 1980s, purchasing an 8,300-square-foot home with six bedrooms and seven bedrooms.

He added the place next door in 2003, buying the 7,700-square-foot home of late actor George C. Scott.

The properties have a combined 16,000 square feet of living space on four acres. There are 11 bedrooms, 13 bathrooms, a guesthouse, a guard house, two pools, two spas, a sports court, a gym and a lounge.

Malibu house was in good hands

Allstate spokesman and actor Dennis Haysbert, of the “Major League” films, has cleared a base in Malibu, selling his longtime home for $4.83 million.

That’s about $2 million more than he paid for the property roughly a decade ago.

The expanded ranch home has three bedrooms, four bathrooms and about 3,900 square feet of updated living space. A separate guest house, a saltwater swimming pool, a sauna, a putting green and landscaping make up the more than one acre of grounds.

Haysbert, 66, has decades of acting credits, including the dramas “The Unit” and “24,” as well as the films “The Dark Tower” and “Breakthrough.”

Sun sets on Playa Vista sale

Actor Kellan Lutz, who found fame in the “Twilight” franchise, has sold his three-story home in Playa Vista for $2.799 million.

Built in 2017, the house features recessed lighting, hardwood floors and an elevator. There are five bathrooms within the 3,639 square feet of living space.

A top-level family room opens to a covered deck that overlooks the neighborhood dog park and soccer field.

Lutz starred in all five “Twilight” films from 2008 to 2012. The 35-year-old also played Poseidon in “Immortals” and Hercules in “The Legend of Hercules.”

Actress seeks a new beat

Betty Thomas, the Emmy-winning actress from “Hill Street Blues” who went on to direct films such as “Private Parts” and “Dr. Dolittle,” is hoping to collar a buyer in Hollywood Hills. Her modern compound of 16 years recently hit the market there for $6.995 million.

The one-acre estate contains a sleek angular main house, a guesthouse and a studio — all with balconies overlooking Los Angeles.

The house opens to a massive wood terrace with lounges, dining areas and a swimming pool. Fireplaces anchor the kitchen, family room and master suite, one of five bedrooms and 4.5 bathrooms in about 5,700 square feet.

Thomas received her Emmy for her role as Officer Lucy Bates in “Hill Street Blues” before directing films including “The Brady Bunch Movie,” “28 Days” and “Alvin and the Chipmunks: The Squeakquel.”

Kobe Bryant’s early paint

A piece of Kobe Bryant history just surfaced for sale in the suburbs of Philadelphia. His childhood home, where the late NBA legend lived as he gained national recognition on the court at Lower Merion High School, is on the market for $899,900.

The Colonial-style home still features his original metal basketball hoop beside the driveway. Bryant’s father, NBA veteran Joe Bryant, sold the property for $510,000 in 2008, and this is the first time it’s been on the market since.

The 1950s two-story spans 3,400 square feet with five bedrooms and 3.5 bathrooms.

Bryant, who died earlier this year at 41, is regarded as one of the greatest basketball players in NBA history. He spent his entire 20-year career with the Lakers, notching five NBA championships.

From the archives

Thirty years ago, Aaron and Candy Spelling were nearing completion on the massive Holmby Hills mansion now known as “The Manor.” The mega-mansion of 56,500 square feet took four years to build and replaced a nearly 15,000-square-foot home once owned by Bing Crosby. The chateau made headlines last year when it sold for $119.75 million, setting a Los Angeles County price record at the time.

It was 20 years ago when “Will & Grace” actress Megan Mullally became a first-time home buyer with the purchase of a two-bedroom house in the Hollywood Hills. Mullally was just a month removed from winning her first Emmy for her role on the sitcom and paid the full asking price — $969,000 — for the 1930s home.

Ten years ago, one of the more unusual homes in the history of Hot Property surfaced for sale in Corona del Mar. Although not a celebrity home by any means, the Mediterranean villa provided plenty of fodder thanks to its eight fireplaces and a 60-foot waterfall feature. Perhaps taking a lead from Candy Spelling’s former home, features included a gift-wrapping room, a beauty salon and a sauna to go along with eight bedrooms and 11 bathrooms.

What we’re reading

The longtime home of the late actress Doris Day, set on more than 8 acres in Carmel Valley, got a recent spread in Architectural Digest. The yellow main house features a dedicated dog kitchen. The spread — including a guesthouse, two caretaker units, a gate house and an enclosed cattery — is listed at $7.4 million. Proceeds will benefit her Doris Day Animal Foundation.

Today took a look inside a colorful house in Buffalo, Texas, that is almost entirely underground. Listed at more than $2.2 million, the place tries to make up for a lack of natural light with giant wall murals. A circular entryway painted to look like a stone tunnel leads to 3,000 square feet of living areas, including three bedrooms and two bathrooms.