Television

A “Babylon 5” reboot is in development at The CW, Variety has learned. Original series creator J. Michael Straczynski is onboard to write the project. He will also executive producer under his Studio JMS banner. Warner Bros. Television, which produced the original series, will produce the reboot. The new iteration of the sci-fi series is described

Disney Plus and National Geographic released the first official trailer for the six-part original series “Welcome to Earth,” starring Will Smith and streaming this December. The series follows Smith on an adventure around the world, guided by accredited travelers as he explores Earth’s greatest wonders as well as its most hidden secrets. “I’ve got a

Former NBC Entertainment and Showtime marketing chief Len Fogge has launched a new company, Len Fogge Consultants, targeted at working with media companies, consumer marketing organizations and ad agencies throughout the business. Based in both Los Angeles and New York, Fogge said the new shingle will focus on marketing structure and workflow design, creative brand

Beck Bennett, the versatile “Saturday Night Live” player who has won notice for his impressions of Russian President Vladimir Putin and U.S. Vice President Mike Pence over eight seasons at the show, will leave the venerable NBC late-night series even as it welcomes back a number of senior cast members who hinted they might be

Russell Hornsby has been cast as Don King in the upcoming Hulu limited series about Mike Tyson, “Iron Mike,” Variety has learned exclusively. Hornsby joins previously announced series lead Trevante Rhodes, who will play Tyson. The series is said to be an exploration of the wild, tragic and controversial life and career of Tyson, one

Mara Brock Akil has launched the new production company story27 under her previously announced overall deal at Netflix. In addition, Akil has hired Susie Fitzgerald as president of development and production. “At story27, thoughtful and entertaining projects centering the humanity of the marginalized is the priority and that starts with identifying the best and most

Condragulations are in order for Irish presenter Graham Norton, who’s set to host “Queen of the Universe,” a new unscripted international drag queen singing competition, Variety can reveal. Produced by “RuPaul’s Drag Race” producers World of Wonder, the Eurovision-style series finds countries going head to head with their top drag queens putting their real singing voices to

Gaming and media industry veteran Russell Arons has joined G4 as president, ahead of its official return to linear TV and streaming channels later this year. At L.A.-based G4, Arons — who previously worked at companies including Warner Bros., Machinima, EA and Mattel — will oversee all key business functions, including advertising sales, programming and

Craig Robinson’s career is marked by moments of high comedy, but his latest project has him relying on something different — choreography. The actor, known for his turns on “The Office,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” and “Hot Tub Time Machine,” among others, is working on a new project on behalf of Procter & Gamble that aims to

Trevor Phillips has achieved the rare distinction of becoming both a national treasure and something of a provocateur in the U.K. Over the past four decades, he has turned his hand to writing, broadcasting, documentary-making, politics and even retail (he spent four years as president of U.K. department store John Lewis’s “partnership council”), among other

ACQUISITION Red Arrow Studios International has picked up international rights to “Controlling Britney Spears,” the follow-up documentary to “Framing Britney Spears,” produced by The New York Times and Red Arrow Studios’ Left/Right. The documentary was inspired by a confidential report obtained by The New York Times in which Spears told a court investigator that her

Dutch Features Global Entertainment has sold live-action children series “Rudy’s Crazy Christmas Show” to the pay TV group Canal Plus in France and French-speaking Africa. The series will be broadcast over the Christmas holidays on Dec.25 and 26 on Canal Plus. The Dutch show, which will be dubbed in French, follows a child superstar, Rudy

The first look at HBO’s “The Last of Us” TV series, starring Pedro Pascal, has been revealed. Based on the popular PlayStation video game of the same name, the HBO series takes place 20 years after modern civilization has been destroyed by a deadly fungus. Joel, a hardened survivor, is hired to smuggle Ellie, played

“Ted Lasso” took home seven Emmy awards this year after receiving 20 nominations, more than any comedy has ever received in its first season. But while the series has been critically lauded for its originality (Variety recently praised the risky storytelling of Season 2), the idea of “Ted Lasso” had been percolating for almost two

BBC One has announced that Steve Coogan has joined the cast of “The Reckoning,” an upcoming drama miniseries about the dark legacy of Jimmy Savile, the English television personality known for hosting “Top of the Pops.” Written by Neil McKay, “The Reckoning” will tell the story of Savile’s life from his childhood to after his

Meghan McCain drew controversy when she joined NBC’s “Meet the Press” as a panelist on Sunday morning, in her first television appearance since her departure from “The View.” McCain was featured on a panel about President Joe Biden’s domestic spending plan, along with Amy Walter, editor-in-chief and publisher of the Cook Political Report; Leigh Ann

A new and ambitious Ibero-American industry event, Iberseries Platino Industria, runs Sept. 27 thru Oct 1 with a slew of activities broken into eight thematic sections: Financing and Business Models; Conversations with Platforms and their Studios; Industry Talks; Creativity; Market Intelligence; Keynotes and Masterclasses; Audiovisual Arts as an Educational Tool; and Synergies between Tourism and

“The Witcher” franchise took over the last stretch of Saturday’s Netflix promotional marathon “Tudum: A Netflix Global Fan Event,” and fans were met with a ton of updates about the adventures of Geralt and his Witcher brethren. Among the announcements, the main “Witcher” series has been renewed for a third season, ahead of the launch

Netflix revealed a first look at the “Rebelde” 2022 reboot today at its aptly-named global fan event Tudum, taking fans of the nostalgic telenovela back to the halls of Elite Way School. The reboot of the wildly popular Mexican teen musical dramedy of the early-aughts, directed by Santiago Limón, seems to have taken a page

Netflix has released a new first-look clip of “Colin in Black and White,” which tells the story of former NFL player Colin Kaepernick during his high school years growing up in central California. The clip was released as part of the Netflix Tudum fan event. Kaepernick explained during his introduction of the clip that the

On Saturday, Netflix announced that Queen Elizabeth will take her customary year off, and return in “The Crown” in November 2022. The proclamation was part of Netflix’s Tudum jubilee, a global celebration of the streamer’s global commonwealth of film and TV titles. After sweeping the Emmy awards in its fourth season, “The Crown” will return

Dust off your berets, “Emily in Paris” lovers: The escapist rom-com sensation will return to Netflix on Dec. 22, the streamer announced Saturday at its Tudum virtual fan event. “Emily in Paris” follows Emily (Lily Collins), an ambitious twenty-something marketing executive from Chicago, who unexpectedly lands a job in Paris when her company acquires a

Of the many beloved elements of “Cowboy Bebop” — the seminal late-1990s anime series that became a cult sensation in the U.S. after it premiered on Adult Swim in 2001 — arguably the best known is its killer opening credits sequence, set to the singular jazz theme “Tank!” by Yoko Kanno. The opening credits are so

If you thought the world of “Tiger King” and Joe Exotic couldn’t get any kookier, think again. “Tiger King 2” will premiere on Netflix on Nov. 17, the streamer announced Saturday during its aptly-named global fan event Tudum, and it is promising “more madness and mayhem.” Netflix released a video announcing the date for “Tiger

“Cobra Kai” Season 4 officially has a premiere date on Netflix. The new season of the critically-acclaimed series will debut Dec. 31 on the streaming service. The announcement was made as part of the Netflix Tudum fan event. “Cobra Kai” was renewed for a fifth season back in August. The show, which started out as

Dream, Death and Desire are all finally coming to Netflix. Thirty-two years after DC Comics published the first issue of “The Sandman,” Neil Gaiman’s phantasmagoric dive into the world of dreams, Netflix unveiled the first look at its highly anticipated live-action adaptation on Saturday. Stars Tom Sturridge — who plays Morpheus, a.k.a. Dream, the titular

“Sex Education” has been renewed for Season 4 at Netflix. The announcement was made as part of the Netflix TUDUM fan event. Season 3 of “Sex Education” debuted on the streaming service on Sept. 17. The series takes place at the fictional Moordale Secondary School in England. It revolves around student Otis Milburn (Asa Butterfield),

The Byrdes have blood on their hands again in the first glimpse of the fourth and final season of “Ozark” offered Saturday by Netflix as part of its Tudum global promotional event. The 90-second clip released by Netflix shows the couple at the heart of the series — Wendy and Marty Byrde, played by Laura

Netflix offered a sneak peek at the final episodes of its global hit drama “Money Heist” on Saturday, revealing major tension among the team with its eye on a massive score of gold, as part of the streamer’s marathon global content promotion event “Tudum.” “La Casa de Papel,” known as “Money Heist” in English-language markets,

The long promotional campaign for “Stranger Things” Season 4 added a harrowing new wrinkle on Saturday with a first look at the “Creel House” — i.e. the home of new character Victor Creel, played by 1980s horror icon Robert Englund (“A Nightmare on Elm Street”). Creel has been imprisoned in a psychiatric hospital since his