Television

Michelle Monaghan has been cast to play identical twins in Netflix’s upcoming limited series “Echoes,” a psychological thriller from executive producers and co-showrunners Brian Yorkey (“13 Reasons Why”) and Quinton Peeples (“Runaways”). Per the logline, “Echoes” is a mystery thriller about two identical twins, Leni and Gina, who share a dangerous secret: Since they were

The sound production facilities at Sony Pictures have received an update to incorporate state-of-the-art technology. Television mix stages 6 and 7 now support Dolby Home Theater Atmos (9.1.6) and Dolby (7.1, 5.1) mixes with Imax support integrated. “You have to have the right technology. You have to be able to give the talent the tools

Shailene Woodley, star of “Big Little Lies,” The Secret Life of the American Teenager” and “The Spectacular Now,” has joined Showtime’s upcoming hourlong series “Three Women” as a lead. The drama is a book-to-television adaptation of the nonfiction bestseller of the same name by Lisa Taddeo, who also executive produces the series. The Pushcart Prize

Billie Eilish will celebrate the release of her forthcoming album in style with a tribute concert to her hometown — “Happier Than Ever: a Love Letter to Los Angeles” — filmed at the Hollywood Bowl and accompanied by the L.A. Philharmonic, conducted by Gustavo Dudamel. It airs on Disney Plus Sept. 3. Directed by Robert Rodriguez

Warner Bros. will produce 10 or more movies exclusively for HBO Max in 2022, WarnerMedia CEO Jason Kilar said Thursday as he declared “motion pictures matter and will continue to matter.” Kilar spoke as part of AT&T’s second quarter earnings call in which he was asked about the company’s distribution strategy for Warner Bros. titles

WWE is set to air its annual “SummerSlam” pay-per-view in movie theaters nationwide for the first time. In partnership with Iconic Events Releasing, “SummerSlam” will be available in select theaters when it airs live on Aug. 21 at 8 p.m. ET. “Iconic Events Releasing is proud to be in partnership with WWE to bring their

The people putting 7,000 hours of Olympics coverage on screen for NBC are facing some Olympic challenges all their own. The coronavirus pandemic crimped the ability of producers at NBC Sports to get footage of members of Team USA and other competitors as they went through their training. NBC’s video profiles of the athletes usually

Seasoned drama producer Helen Gregory (“Gangs of London”) is joining See-Saw Films in the newly created position of creative director from Sept. 1, reporting into joint MDs Emile Sherman and Iain Canning. Based in London and working closely with the MDs and COO Simon Gillis, Gregory will be responsible for steering the creative strategy of

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read if you have not yet watched Season 2 of “Never Have I Ever,” on Netflix. Within hours of the second season debut of Netflix’s “Never Have I Ever,” fans began tweeting that they’d binged all 10 episodes of the Netflix YA comedy in one sitting. Even Megan thee Stallion, who

Former longtime Conan O’Brien PR exec Drew Shane has joined Ranker as VP of communications. At Ranker, he’ll report to CEO/founder Clark Benson and oversee publicity efforts for the company’s portfolio. Ranker, which attracts more than 30 million unique visitors worldwide each month, is known for fan-powered rankings on various topics, including TV shows, films

Rich Eisen thought he was about to head off a long-planned vacation to Italy earlier this month, but he wound up being quarantined in a Boston hotel room for 10 days after testing positive for COVID-19. Eisen, the longtime NFL Network analyst and host of Peacock’s daily “The Rich Eisen Show,” has been vaccinated since

Dee Bradley Baker is reprising his role as the voice of Olmec in CW’s “Legends of the Hidden Temple.” Olmec, being a fan favorite of the series, brings an integral character to the show as voiced and puppeteered by Baker. As previously announced, writer, producer, actor and comedian Cristela Alonzo is set to host the

Season 2 of the Hulu comedy “Woke” had to suspend production Tuesday in Atlanta because of a positive COVID-19 test. A department head in “Zone A” — which in COVID-protocol language describes those present on set when the performers aren’t wearing masks — tested positive, resulting in the production pause. According to a source close

The tales are starting to be told. Every topical daily television show produced during the height of the coronavirus clampdown has emerged with stories of on-air experimentation, on-the-fly innovations, near misses and Hail Marys that rival the TV pioneer legends of Caesar, Berle, Gleason and Ball, et al. CBS’ “The Late Show With Stephen Colbert”

When Tyra Banks decided to open her ice cream shop Smize in Santa Monica, she sought out an “aerated dessert consultant” to advise her. Luckily Dr. Maya Warren, an ice cream scientist, had just come off a stint advising Cold Stone Creamery’s international operations. The “America’s Next Top Model” creator and entrepreneur had come up

The nation’s big TV companies are calling for a new yardstick. A trade organization representing Disney, ViacomCBS, NBCUniversal, Fox Corp. and other media giants is calling for the organization that signs off on Nielsen’s methodology for measuring TV viewership to yank accreditation, an aggressive maneuver in an era when media outlets and the advertisers who

The saying “Love is blind” will be put to the test July 21, when Netflix launches the dating series “Sexy Beasts,” which already has the internet abuzz. Each episode features a person looking for love — but they will have to choose a match based purely on personality: The contestant picks the winner from three

America Ferrera has been cast in the Apple series “WeCrashed,” which tells the story of the rise and fall of WeWork, Variety has learned. Ferrera joins previously announced cast members Jared Leto, Anne Hathaway, and Kyle Marvin. The series is based on the Wondery podcast of the same name. It is described as following the greed-filled

New York Times bestselling political conspiracy thriller “The Night Agent” will get the silver screen treatment by Netflix. The streamer has greenlit the series for a book-to-TV adaptation, tapping creator Shawn Ryan (“The Shield,” “S.W.A.T.”) to executive produce. The show will hail from Sony Pictures Television. Per the logline, “The Night Agent,” based on the

You hear it all of the time: those who appear on reality television are referred to as characters, even though they are real people. It may be because they come across as over-the-top or it may simply be because they appear on screen alongside scripted comedies and dramas, and viewers like a shorthand. But for

Amazon has ordered a series adaptation of the Neil Gaiman novel “Anansi Boys,” Variety has learned. The streamer has given the limited series a six-episode order with plans in place to begin shooting in Scotland later this year. First published in 2005, “Anansi Boys” follows Charlie Nancy, a young man who is used to being embarrassed

PREMIERE This year’s 74th Edinburgh International Film Festival will host the European premiere of Nicolas Cage’s latest flick “Pig,” the debut directorial feature from award-winning editor Michael Sarnoski (“The Testimony”). Edinburgh Festival and Cage have a long and amicable relationship. In 2014 the festival hosted the well-received “Joe,” in which he starred alongside Tye Sheridan,

Australia is set to host the Olympics for the third time, after Brisbane was confirmed as winning the bid to host the 2032 Olympic Games and Paralympics. Melbourne hosted the Games in 1956 and Sydney in 2000. The Games will be held in Brisbane and across Queensland, the Australian state of which Brisbane is the

The message from Reed Hastings and Ted Sarandos was crystal clear: Don’t expect Netflix to jump into the media M&A frenzy just because everyone else is. Netflix’s co-CEOs exhibited their usual cool confidence on Tuesday during a 41-minute video interview to discuss the company’s second-quarter earnings results. The numbers showed that Netflix lost 430,000 subscribers

Keith Raneire, convicted sex-trafficker and leader of the NXIVM cult, has been ordered to pay $3.4 million to his victims.  The New York Times reported that 21 victims will receive portions of the money, part of which will go towards procedures allowing women to remove Raniere’s branded initials from their skin. These women were members

“American Horror Story” Season 10 production has been temporarily halted due to a positive COVID-19 case and potential exposure to the illness, Variety has learned. The positive case was in what’s been termed “Zone A” in COVID-production protocol, and was an actor on the show. Originally scheduled to premiere on FX in late 2020, production on

A television series based on the life of Malcolm X is in the works at Sony Pictures Television’s TriStar, Variety has learned exclusively. The series will be based on the novels “X: A Novel” and “The Awakening of Malcolm X,” both of which were co-written by Malcolm’s daughter, Ilyasah Shabazz. “X: A Novel” was also

Longtime Disney film studio publicist Darrell Borquez has joined Shelter PR as the agency’s VP of publicity. Borquez, who spent 15 years at Disney, will work closely with Shelter’s personal representation and film and television departments. The Los Angeles-based hire was announced on Tuesday by Shelter co-founders Marla Farrell, Cara Tripicchio and Christine Tripicchio. “I

“The L Word: Generation Q” showrunner, executive producer, director and writer Marja-Lewis Ryan has inked an exclusive overall development deal with Showtime, Variety has learned. Gary Levine, president of entertainment with Jana Winograde at the premium cable outfit, praised “the energy, the perspective and the fun” Ryan brings to “The L Word: Generation Q,” calling her

“We have so much coming your way that you might tell us, ‘Okay, take a break now!’” said Victoria Alonso, executive VP of film production at Marvel Studios, during a conversation with Marc Malkin, Variety Senior Editor of Culture and Events, at this year’s NALIP Media Summit. As an executive producer on Marvel’s “WandaVision” and