Production in and around Sydney, Australia has started on “Preppers,” a comedy series about the end of the world. Directed by Steven McGregor (“Black Comedy”), “Preppers” follows a young Aboriginal woman whose world crumbles around her after experiencing a personal, cataclysmic event. Escaping the fallout, she finds herself at the center of a mismatched community of doomsday preppers.
Television
LL Cool J’s media and e-commerce venture Rock the Bells is poised for a growth spurt now that the company has raised $8 million from private investors. James Cuthbert, the former BET and Coca-Cola marketing executive who joined Rock the Bells as president in October, tells Variety‘s “Strictly Business” podcast that the company plans to
SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 5 Episode 10 of “The Masked Singer,” which aired May 5 on Fox. Tyrese Gibson may be one of the most competitive contestants to ever appear on “The Masked Singer.” How committed was he to the show’s guessing game? He frequently threw out
After making a business in delivering news with a conservative point of view, Fox Corporation is looking to do the same with sports. The company has purchased Outkick, the conservative-leaning sports-news site founded by entrepreneur and online personality Clay Travis. The acquisition was unveiled by Lachlan Murdoch, the company’s CEO, during a call with investors
In my interview with Kate McKinnon for our Power of Women in Comedy issue, she hinted that this could be her last season as a regular cast member on “Saturday Night Live.” McKinnon stopped short of confirming that she was planning to leave the show after a nine-year run. But when asked how much longer
After two years at the company, Walt Disney Television president of entertainment Craig Hunegs is departing the media giant at the end of May. The decision to leave was Hunegs’, according to a source familiar with the matter, and follows Disney’s major reorganization last fall that realigned its businesses, splitting off its content creation team
It took more than 13,000 plays of the Bruce Springsteen song “If I Should Fall Behind” — a live version recorded with the E Street Band at Madison Square Garden — to help Laura Dave finish her latest novel, “The Last Thing He Told Me,” which hit shelves on May 4. The author of bestsellers
Fox Corporation said profit in its third fiscal quarter rose owing to increases in value of some of its outside investments, even as overall revenue fell due to comparisons with 2020, which contained a Super Bowl and a red-hot news cycle focused on the Trump administration and the spread of the coronavirus pandemic. Revenue fell
When NBC announced last month that Elon Musk would host “Saturday Night Live” this week, people’s reactions were split, including the cast. During an appearance on “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” Pete Davidson said he doesn’t understand why people are “freaking out.” “They’re like, ‘Oh I can’t believe that Elon Musk is hosting!’” Davidson said.
“Succession” Season 3 has added Adrien Brody to its cast. Brody is the latest addition to the cast of the third season of the hit HBO series, with Alexander Skarsgård having been announced as a new addition on Monday. The main cast of the show currently includes Brian Cox, Jeremy Strong, Kieran Culkin, Sarah Snook,
Aida Osman, KaMillion, and Jonica Booth have been cast in Issa Rae’s half-hour comedy “Rap Sh*t” (working title) on HBO Max. The WarnerMedia streaming platform also revealed today that Sadé Clacken Joseph (“Ponyboi,” “Finding Phoebe,” “Knight”) will be directing the pilot episode. Per the logline, the eight-parter follows two estranged high school friends from Miami, Shawna
Mindy Kaling is one of six creative leaders in comedy honored for Variety‘s 2021 Power of Women. For more, click here. Mindy Kaling is planting the seeds to grow her own comedy dynasty. At the moment, her Kaling International is but a small company of women, as she describes it, with former Hulu development executive
If you’re a fan of high-stakes and high-drama telenovelas like “El Señor de los Cielos,” “La Reina del Sur,” “El Recluso,” “Dime Quien Soy” and “Mariposa de Barrio,” we’ve got good news: NBCUniversal Telemundo Enterprises has launched a groundbreaking effort with over 35 original premium scripted content projects in the mix. Telemundo Streaming Studios represents
The streaming service, UrbanflixTV, has tapped actor-director Kim Fields to executive produce and direct the new series “Vicious,” which hails from an all-female, Black producing team, Variety has learned exclusively. A half-hour dramatic comedy, “Vicious” will follow a fashion designer, Chantel, whose success is overshadowed by her deep denial about the cycle of abuse she
Maya Rudolph is one of six creative leaders in comedy honored for Variety‘s 2021 Power of Women. For more, click here. When Maya Rudolph was a kid, she’d stage one-girl musicals in her living room and play make believe in empty corners of her mother’s recording studios, creating makeshift stages anywhere she could to satisfy
We may soon begin to run low on famous cases from the past to reframe into true-crime series. Following on recent series about the Night Stalker and the Ted Bundy murders, Netflix now drops “The Sons of Sam: A Descent Into Darkness,” about the Son of Sam killings in New York City in the late
As millions of people tune in to the Tokyo Olympics later this year, one of the world’s biggest advertisers hopes to give them something during the commercial breaks that is as inspiring as anything they might see around the swimming pool or on the gymnastics pavilion. Procter & Gamble, which has become a regular participant
A little over three years ago, the partners at Jax Media took a big gamble. The New York indie production banner had prospered through its artisanal approach to producing TV series for such multi-hyphenate stars as Samantha Bee, Amy Schumer, Abbi Jacobson and Ilana Glazer, as well as its ability to execute high-gloss scripted series
Shane Allen, BBC’s director of comedy, is leaving the broadcaster to team with recently departed head of comedy commissioning Kate Daughton to launch a new outfit. Boffola Pictures Limited will specialize in scripted comedy and comedy drama and is backed by “Les Miserables” producer Lookout Point. The BBC will begin recruitment immediately for a new
“The Crown” star Claire Foy is set to lead a new thriller from streamer BritBox U.K. Eight-part thriller “Marlow,” from Motive Pictures and Endeavor Content, centers on feuding families the Marlows and the Wyatts, who have existed in the “Edgelands” of the Thames Estuary for centuries. Foy stars as Evie Wyatt, who was born and
Global streaming sports platform DAZN and Brazilian soccer legend Ronaldo have closed a multi-project development deal kicking off with “El Presidente,” a docu-series chronicling the former striker’s tenure as part owner of Spanish club Valladolid FC, which will launch globally on May 20. Best known for its live sports streams and the headaches it initially
U.K. broadcaster ITV increased external revenues by 2% in the quarter ending March 31, 2021, according to financial results released on Wednesday. Total external revenue was up 2% at £709 million ($985 million) compared to 2020’s £694 million, despite the COVID-19 restrictions in place throughout the period, unlike the same quarter in 2020 which only
“Emily in Paris” became Netflix’s biggest comedy series of the year, with 58 million households sampling the freshman series during the first month of its debut in 2020. But, despite the popularity, the show was also met with critique for its handling of French culture, with some saying the series showcases a glamorized view of
While “The Flash” is already set to speed back to the CW for its eighth season, two of its original stars are staying behind: Carlos Valdes and Tom Cavanagh are both officially leaving the show after Season 7. Cavanagh — who played several alternate versions of the brilliant and prickly scientist Harrison Wells (as well
Kym Whitley and Danny Garcia have been cast in recurring roles in the Amazon YA pilot “Hot Pink,” Variety has learned exclusively. The pair joins previously announced stars Sarah Michelle Gellar, Nina Bloomgarden, David Iacono, Mimi Davila, Dana Donnelly, and Myra Molloy, as well as fellow recurring star David Arquette. The show is loosely inspired by Elana
“The Irregulars” has been canceled at Netflix, Variety has confirmed. The news comes just over a month after the series debuted its first season on March 26. Set in Victorian London, the series follows a gang of troubled street teens who are manipulated into solving crimes for the sinister Doctor Watson and his mysterious business partner, the
Ever since Disney purchased Lucasfilm in 2012, audiences have created a plethora of new “Star Wars” content. The sequel trilogy — 2015’s “The Force Awakens,” 2017’s “The Last Jedi” and 2019’s “The Rise of Skywalker” — wrapped up the main storyline of the Skywalker Saga. Standalone films “Rogue One” and “Solo” explored specific stories within
Sinclair Broadcast Group said Tuesday it plans to expand “The National Desk,” its own news program, to evening hours. The show, which has been available on 68 of Sinclair’s stations, has been airing in the mornings, between 6 a.m. and 9 a.m. eastern. Starting September 27, it will also run from 10 p.m. to midnight
As the COVID-19 pandemic, Oval Office hysteria and racial tumult raged outside his studio walls, Flying Lotus spent 2020 with a laser focus on, of all things, anime. The acclaimed musician/producer, whose real name is Steven Ellefson, created more than 200 tracks for the score of Netflix’s new anime series “Yasuke,” which premiered April 30
United Talent Agency has promoted more than 100 employees across 30 departments, marking its largest-ever class of promotions. The promotions — which encompass employees at all levels of the company and across multiple global offices — come from departments including business affairs, comedy touring, corporate communications, corporate services, culture & leadership, digital talent, emerging platforms,