Amazon’s long-awaited “The Lord of the Rings” TV series “The Rings of Power” makes its epic debut with a two-episode launch on Sept. 2, the Friday before Labor Day weekend. A big-budget drama that has been years in the making, the story centers on the Second Age of author J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth, a time not
Television
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. Flavortown is back — and it’s better than ever. Guy Fieri returns to the Food Network this week with a new cooking game show, “Guy’s Ultimate Game Night.” The series, which is the beloved
Ben Kingsley is poised to reprise the role of Trevor Slattery in the upcoming Wonder Man series from Marvel Studios at Disney+, Variety has learned exclusively from sources. The show was first revealed to be in the works back in June. It will focus on the Marvel character Simon Williams, a.k.a. Wonder Man. In the
Chika Chukudebelu Igwilo has joined FX as senior vice president of development Chukudebelu Igwilo joins FX from HBO Max, where she most recently served as vice president of original programming, drama. In her new role, she will report to Gina Balian and Nick Grad, co-presidents of original programming at FX. “Chika is an extraordinarily talented
When fans of “The Goldbergs” tune into the ABC sitcom’s 10th season this fall, Jeff Garlin’s patriarch Murray will have already been dead for months. In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, showrunners Alex Barnow and Chris Bishop unveiled how “The Goldbergs” will deal with Garlin’s messy departure from the series midway through its ninth season.
Zoe Rogovin has been promoted to senior vice president of programming at Showtime. Rogovin enters the position after most recently serving as vice president of non-fiction programming. Since joining the company in 2019, she has overseen development and production of the network’s non-fiction projects across episodic, serialized and film formats. Showtime titles under Rogovin’s purview
Michael Fishman has released a statement regarding his departure from ABC’s “The Conners” ahead of the show’s fifth season. “It has been my honor to play D.J. Conner,” Fishman said in a statement to People. “It’s every actors dream to be a series regular, especially on a groundbreaking show, where we tackle significant topics.” “While
U.K. crew union Bectu and producers’ body Pact have mutually agreed to extend the current agreement, which was set to end on Sept. 1, while they continue to negotiate. “For both Pact and Bectu and our respective members the priority is a fair and transparent collective agreement that addresses work-life balance and is workable across all
“Trying” has been renewed for a fourth season at Apple TV+. The British comedy series will return for another new slate of episodes. The news of the renewal for the favorably reviewed series comes three days ahead of its upcoming Season 3 finale, which will debut on the streamer on Friday. When “Trying” premiered its
Disney Star has licenced Indian television broadcasting rights for men’s and under-19 tournaments conducted by the International Cricket Council (ICC) to ZEE Entertainment Enterprises Ltd for four years. Last week, Disney Star had retained both digital and television rights from 2024 through 2027. ZEE was a bidder for those rights, Variety understands. Earlier, Disney Star
Hilary Clinton and Chelsea Clinton’s HiddenLight Productions is co-producing a new feature documentary with the team behind Sundance 2019 title “Gaza.” “In the Shadow of Beirut” is a cinematic portrait of modern-day Lebanon as seen through the eyes of four families living in the impoverished Sabra and Shatila neighbourhoods of the city, the scene of
Song Kang-ho, known for his roles in “Memories of Murder” and “Parasite,” has signed up to make his TV series debut. He will star in indie-produced drama “Uncle Sam Shik.” “Uncle Sam Shik” is a 1960s-set tale of two men, their pride, greed and bromance, local Korean media reports. Song’s co-lead actor has not been
More than 600 buyers from companies in 30 countries are expected to be in Seoul, South Korea from Wednesday for the in-person return of the Broadcast WorldWide convention, better known as BCWW. Although BCWW bills itself as Asia’s largest broadcasting content market, given the strength of the Korean wave, much of the focus will be
Jesse Lee Soffer is turning in his badge on “Chicago P.D.” The upcoming 10th season will be the last for Soffer, Variety can exclusively announce. The actor has portrayed Det. Jay Halstead since the NBC series’ debut in 2014, appearing in all 187 episodes. He will be departing sometime in the fall. “I want to
Jimmy Fallon, Willie Nelson, Billy Ray Cyrus, Jimmie Allen, Zach Williams and Miley Cyrus have been cast as guest stars in NBC’s “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas.” The film sees Parton in the lead role and also stars Tom Everett Scott, Ana Gasteyer and Angel Parker. “Dolly Parton’s Mountain Magic Christmas” is a movie musical
A Vanity Fair staffer who is portrayed in the Netflix show “Inventing Anna” filed a lawsuit on Monday, claiming she was falsely depicted in the series as “unethical,” “greedy,” “snobbish” and “disloyal.” Rachel Williams was a friend of Anna Sorokin, the convicted con artist at the center of the show. Williams was defrauded out of
Robert Aramayo had no idea when he first auditioned for “The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power” that the role he was vying for was Elrond, one of the most revered and crucial characters in J.R.R. Tolkien’s epic saga of Middle-earth. Hugo Weaving played Elrond in Peter Jackson’s trilogies of “The Lord of
Jennifer Connelly is set to star opposite Joel Edgerton in the Apple series adaptation of the Blake Crouch novel “Dark Matter,” Variety has learned. The nine-episode series was ordered at Apple in March. It will follow Jason Dessen (Edgerton), a physicist, professor, and family man who – one night while walking home on the streets
HBO drama chief Francesca Orsi has extended her contract with the Warner Bros. Discovery-owned pay TV channel through 2026, Variety has confirmed. As part of Orsi’s re-upped pact, she has been given the new title of executive vice president of HBO programming, head of HBO drama series and films. Orsi first joined HBO in 2003 as
Episode 2 of “House of the Dragon” drew in 10.2 million viewers across HBO and HBO Max following its Sunday airing, according to Warner Bros. Discovery. This marks a 2% increase from the premiere episode, which was viewed by nearly 10 million people, according to WBD’s initial count the day after it aired. The premiere,
“The Conners” star Michael Fishman is leaving the ABC sitcom ahead of Season 5, Variety has confirmed. Fishman played DJ Tanner in the series, reprising the role he played for 10 seasons on “Roseanne.” Exact details on how Fishman will be written out of the show are currently under wraps, but it will supposedly leave
If you purchase an independently reviewed product or service through a link on our website, Variety may receive an affiliate commission. “Star Wars” super couple Han Solo and Leia Organa survived the rebellion and each other long enough to start a family and have a son, Ben Solo, who would (SPOILER ALERT) eventually betray them
Colin Farrell’s upcoming Apple series “Sugar” has added five new cast members, Variety has learned. James Cromwell (“Succession,” “Babe,” “Six Feet Under”), Anna Gunn (“Breaking Bad,” “Deadwood”), Dennis Boutsikaris (“Better Call Saul,” “Mayfair Witches”), Alex Hernandez (“Invasion,” “Bloodshot”), and Lindsay Pulsipher (“The Beast,” “True Blood”) have all joined the series. Cromwell and Gunn will recur,
Danielle Fishel and Lance Bass will be recounting their love story in a new movie, she shared during Monday’s episode of the “Pod Meets World” podcast. “Lance and I are actually working on a movie about our love story and about our prom experience,” Fishel explained as she welcomed the *NSYNC singer as a guest
The HBO documentary series “The Vow,” from filmmakers Jehane Noujaim and Karim Amer will return for its second installment on October 17. The network shared a teaser for “The Vow Part Two” — a six-part continuation of the series, which became a sensation — with new episodes airing on subsequent Mondays. The series follows the story
Naveen Andrews has signed on for a series regular role in Season 2 of “The Cleaning Lady” at Fox. Season 2 of the drama series picks up with Thony (Élodie Yung) desperately trying to find her son, Luca (Sebastien & Valentino LeSalle), after he was kidnapped by his father, Marco (Ivan Shaw). With nowhere else
It’s nearly time for “Queen Sugar” fans to “take flight” one last time, as we prepare to goodbye to the Bordelon family. OWN has released the official trailer for the seventh and final season of the critically acclaimed drama, created by Ava DuVernay and executive produced by Oprah Winfrey, which begins Tuesday, Sept. 6. “If
Former WarnerMedia tech exec Alex Maghen has joined Husslup as chief technology officer. He’ll oversee all engineering and technological aspects of the company, including strategy, as the new mobile app for creative talent discovery in media and entertainment continues its launch. The app is currently in an invite-only beta stage. Maghen will report to Husslup
HBO is jumping into production on the upcoming “BS High” documentary. Travon Free and Martin Desmond Roe (“Two Distant Strangers”) have been named to direct the film, which will debut on HBO and be available to stream on HBO Max in 2023. According to the documentary’s synopsis, the story follows the investigation that ensued after
Netflix has expanded existing partnerships in India and forged new ones with several of the country’s leading production houses. They include T-Series, Red Chillies Entertainment, Pooja Entertainment, Viacom 18 Studios, Luv Films, Reliance Entertainment, RSVP Movies, Benaras Media Works, Maddock Films, Junglee Pictures, Balaji Telefilms and Matchbox Shots. Monika Shergill, VP, content, Netflix India, says: