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Month: March 2020
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched “The Bachelor: Women Tell All” from Season 24. When the women of Peter Weber’s season of “The Bachelor” gathered in a soundstage in Los Angeles to recount their time on the ABC dating competition program, it wasn’t just details of what happened inside the mansion
Chris Fenton, a longtime Hollywood executive who witnessed and assisted in the birth of the mega-rich marriage between Hollywood and China, is set to release a tell-all book about the process. Fenton will publish the memoir “Feeding the Dragon: Inside the Trillion Dollar Dilemma Facing Hollywood, the NBA, and American Business,” at Simon & Schuster
In today’s film news roundup, the Fanning sisters’ “The Nightingale” has been set for Christmas, “Gladiator” gets a 20-year anniversary release, 42West reorganizes, a horror film partnership is unveiled and Abramorama promotes Evan Saxon. RELEASE DATE Sony Pictures has set a Christmas Day release for the drama “The Nightingale,” starring sisters Dakota Fanning and Elle Fanning.
March 2, 2020 5:15PM PT Luke Mitchell has signed on to the CW pilot “Republic of Sarah,” Variety has learned. He joins previously announced series lead Stella Baker. In the show, rebellious high school teacher Sarah Cooper (Baker) utilizes an obscure cartographical loophole to declare independence when faced with the destruction of her town at the
Social networking giant Facebook has opted out of the SXSW over concerns about the spread of coronavirus. “Due to concerns related to coronavirus, our company and employees will not be participating in SXSW this year,” the company said Monday in a statement. Facebook had been scheduled to be represented by about a dozen speakers at
When Benjamin Wallfisch learned that he was going to compose the score for the 2020 reboot of “The Invisible Man,” he deliberately stayed away from rewatching the 1933 original. The goal, he says, was “to keep the sound as fresh as possible.” Director Leigh Whannell showed Wallfisch the film with no temp music as all,
A harrowing accusation of rape against actor Timothy Hutton, surfaced in a BuzzFeed story on Monday, raises questions about a new film in which he co-stars about the life of activist icon Gloria Steinem. In an in-depth BuzzFeed report by Kate Aurthur and Adam B. Vary (both have since joined the staff of Variety), the
Chris Matthews is abruptly stepping down from MSNBC’s “Hardball” amid scrutiny of recent on-air remarks as well as speculation about behind-the-scenes behavior. The veteran anchor and political operative said on his program Monday night that he was leaving the cable-news outlet, putting an end to a long-running show that was featured on three different networks
March 2, 2020 3:02PM PT Former “Veep” star Reid Scott is going from a comedic role to a dramatic one. Variety has learned that Scott has been tapped for one of the lead role in the NBC drama pilot “Echo.” The project is a procedural revolving around a team of investigators who solve the highest-profile crimes
“Almost Family” will not be returning for a second season on Fox. The series starred Timothy Hutton, against whom an allegation of rape has recently come to light, as a fertility doctor who used his own sperm to conceive more than 100 children over the course of his career. Fox had moved the series to
March 2, 2020 3:33PM PT The Nantucket Film Festival announced on Monday that writers, producers and directors Amy Sherman-Palladino and Daniel Palladino will be honored with Variety’s Creative Impact in Television Award at the 25th anniversary event. Sherman-Palladino is the creator of popular television series “Gilmore Girls,” “Bunheads” and “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.” She has
March 2, 2020 3:49PM PT In today’s TV News Roundup, HBO announced the premiere date for “I Know This Much Is True” and CNN launched a new podcast focusing on coronavirus. DATES HBO has announced that “I Know This Much Is True” will premiere on April 27. Based on Wally Lamb’s bestseller of the same
Taylor Swift has been named the best-selling international music act of 2019 in a report issued by IFPI, the organization that speaks for the music industry around the world. The honor reflects strong global sales for her seventh album, “Lover,” which was released in August. Swift’s last time topping the IFPI’s yearly top 10 was
Kether Donohue and Sara Rue have both been cast in the CBS multi-camera comedy pilot “B Positive.” They join previously announced series co-lead Annaleigh Ashford. In the show, faced with finding a kidney donor, newly divorced dad Drew (not yet cast) is at the end of his rope when he runs into Gina (Ashford), a
Warner Music Group has delayed a plan to kick off its IPO this week due to concerns over the coronavirus, according to Reuters, which cites “people familiar with the matter.” Fashion company Cole Haan also postponed its plans, according to the report. The companies made the decision after the S&P 500 Index lost close to 12%
After an aggressive bidding war with multiple major studios, North American rights for Channing Tatum’s film “Dog” have sold to MGM. Tatum will star in and co-direct “Dog” with his longtime creative partner Reid Carolin. Carolin also wrote the script, based upon a story by Carolin and Brett Rodriguez. The film is a road-trip comedy
March 2, 2020 2:07PM PT Americans haven’t let coronavirus keep them from concerts, plays or movies, but that will change if the disease spreads to their communities, a new study finds. The survey of consumer behavior was conducted by Morning Consult from Feb. 28 to March 1, a period of time that saw the first
Oscar winner Timothy Hutton, currently the star of the freshman Fox drama “Almost Family,” has been accused of raping a 14-year-old girl in 1983. According to a report published online by BuzzFeed News, Sera Johnston, who last year filed a criminal complaint against Hutton with the Vancouver Police Department, said she was assaulted by the
March 2, 2020 1:00PM PT Prominent James Bond fan site MI6-HQ.com wrote an open letter requesting the delay of “No Time to Die,” the upcoming installment in the Daniel Craig-led British spy series. The movie, directed by Cary Joji Fukunaga, is set to release in theaters in early April. But given widespread concern about coronavirus,
It’s that special time of year again when studios and networks put forth their Emmy-hopeful series and talent. With more than 500 scripted shows alone vying for Television Academy FYC event slots, some opt to build out their own spaces and present activations and stunts to capture additional voters’ attention. (Remember “‘Maisel’ Day”?) But for
Exclusive TMZ.com Judge Judy is stepping away from her longtime television show and calling it quits with CBS — and TMZ has learned a big reason has to do with a war with the network. Sources familiar with the situation tell us … Judy and CBS have been feuding for quite some time, and it
The NBC drama pilot about a young Robert Langdon has found its lead actor. Ashley Zukerman has been cast in “Langdon,” which is based on Dan Brown’s best-selling book “The Lost Symbol.” The series follows the early adventures of famed Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon (Zukerman), who must solve a series of deadly puzzles to save
Tom Cruise’s “Top Gun: Maverick” will fly forward two days to release on June 24, giving the blockbuster a Wednesday start. Paramount Pictures made the announcement on Monday. The “Top Gun” sequel. Cruise is reprising his role as Captain Pete “Maverick” Mitchell. A recent trailer for films showed Cruise being introduced thusly to young flyers
March 2, 2020 11:12AM PT Warner Bros. Pictures has named Toby Tennant to the newly created position of vice president of EMEA (Europe, Middle East and Africa) regional distribution. Tennant was previously vice president, sales and distribution EMEA for Twentieth Century Fox International before it was acquired by Walt Disney Company. At Fox, he oversaw
March 2, 2020 11:30AM PT Jeremy O. Harris, the actor and playwright best known for penning the Broadway sensation “Slave Play,” has signed a two-year overall deal with HBO. The deal includes a discretionary fund for Harris to continue building working in the theatrical space, and the writer is also currently developing an untitled pilot
Welcome back to Tune In: our weekly newsletter offering a guide to the best of the week’s TV. Each week, Variety’s TV team combs through the week’s schedule, selecting our picks of what to watch and when/how to watch them. This week, “Dave” premieres on FXX and the Hillary Clinton docuseries launches on Hulu. “Breeders,” FX,
Jason Isaacs has been tapped for a lead role in the CBS medical drama pilot “Good Sam,” Variety has confirmed. He joins previously announced series lead Sophia Bush. In the show, talented yet stifled heart surgeon Sam (Bush) embraces her leadership role after her renowned and pompous boss (Isaacs) falls into a coma. When he awakens
Marg Helgenberger, Norah O’Donnell, Jessica Camacho and Carrie Ann Inaba will be among those taking part in a continuing effort by ViacomCBS to press for more accurate portrayals of women and girls in advertising, marketing, media, and entertainment, an initiative led by the Association of National Advertisers’ “See Her” initiative. “We have more than a
Deborah Dugan, who was placed on administrative leave from her post as chairman/CEO of the Recording Academy in January after accusations of “misconduct” toward an employee sources say was her former assistant, has been terminated, the organization announced today in a letter to members. The move is not a surprise, as Dugan, who was placed