Television

Acclaimed British director Amma Asante (“The Handmaid’s Tale,” “Mrs America”) will direct a drama series adaptation of acclaimed novel “Smilla’s Sense of Snow” for German outfit Constantin Film. Based on the bestselling book by Peter Höeg, and created and written by Clive Bradley (“Trapped”), the series will follows Smilla Jaspersen, whose investigation into the mysterious

Reed Midem CEO Paul Zilk is stepping down from the company that organizes several prominent global entertainment industry markets such as Mipcom, MipTV and the Midem music mart. Michel Filzi, who is currently president and CEO of Reed sister company Reed Expositions France, will step into Zilk’s role. He will take over from Zilk on

A new generation of “Pretty Little Liars” is officially on its way. HBO Max has issued a straight-to-series order for “Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin,” a reboot of the original Freeform series. New of the order comes only three weeks after the project was announced as being in development. The show hails from “Riverdale” producer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa

Comcast has agreed to expand availability of Revolt, the hip-hop focused cable network backed by entrepreneur Sean “Diddy” Combs. Under the new pact, Revolt on September 29 will be available in high-definition to Comcast’sXfinity Digital Starter package in Philadelphia, Northern New Jersey, Orlando, West Palm Beach, Ft. Myers, Jacksonville, Tampa, Knoxville, Indianapolis, Charleston, and Augusta.

Peter Chernin wants to spin Spotify’s podcasts into TV and movie gold. Spotify and Chernin Entertainment have formed a multiyear partnership to adapt the audio streamer’s original podcasts for television, film and digital video. Under the first-look deal, the two companies will collaborate 50-50 on investing in developing new projects. The two companies plan to

Millie Bobby Brown is a force to be reckoned with. The 16-year-old actor not only stars as the title character of Sherlock Holmes’ sister in the new period adventure film “Enola Holmes,” but the movie also marks her first time as a producer. The double duty has left the “Stranger Things” actor feeling empowered. “Women

E.W. Scripps has reached a deal to acquire Ion Media for $2.65 billion in a deal that will be partially financed by a $600 million investment from Warren Buffett’s Berkshire Hathaway. Based in West Palm Beach, Fla., Ion Media owns 71 TV stations covering a wide swath of the country. Cincinnati-based Scripps is one of

WarnerMedia extended its relationship with Major League Baseball with a new seven-year agreement that maintains Turner Sports’ access to post-season games and will create a Tuesday-night broadcast that seeks to emulate the Thursday-night franchise Turner has built with the NBA. The new agreement will be in effect between 2022 and 2028. WarnerMedia is expected to

HBO Europe has closed a deal with Barcelona-based sales company Filmax for first window rights on “The Miramar Murders: The State vs Pablo Ibar” for Spain and Portugal, just before the true crime series world premieres at the San Sebastian Festival. Created and directed by Olmo Figueredo, co-founder of Sevilla’s La Claqueta, which co-produced alongside San

Netflix shows “Criminal U.K.” and “Delhi Crime,” UFA’s second season of “Charité,” and the second season of HBO Latin America’s “The Bronze Garden” are the nominees in the best drama category at the International Emmy Awards. Vying for best actress are Glenda Jackson for “Elizabeth is Missing,” for which she has already won a BAFTA,

Shooting started Monday in Sardinia on season three of pubcaster RAI’s TV drama “The Hunter” about a Palermo prosecutor with a killer instinct for tracking down top Mafiosi. The widely-exported Italian show is set for a major twist since the lead will transition from a male magistrate to a female mobster hunter. Rising local talent Linda Caridi, seen

Silverback Films made a splash last year with Emmy-winning natural history hit “Our Planet,” which quickly became Netflix’s most watched docuseries soon after launching. Narrated by Sir David Attenborough, the ground-breaking series mixed jaw-dropping scenes of nature with an urgent reminder to viewers that everything they are witnessing on screen is imperiled by human activity.

Season 5 of NBC’s flagship drama “This Is Us” is getting moved up earlier than expected. The new season will premiere on Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 9-11 p.m. ET/PT. Originally, it was slated to air on Nov. 11, NBC had announced last month. The later premiere dates for “This Is Us” and several other shows

Director Kenny Ortega knew he had found the lead for Netflix’s “Julie and the Phantoms” when he saw Madison Reyes’ audition tape after casting directors had put out requests to performing arts schools across North America. Reyes, now 16 but aged 14 at the time of her audition, blew away Ortega with her rendition of

SPOILER ALERT: Do not read ahead if you have not watched Season 4 season premiere of “The Masked Singer,” which aired Sept. 23 on Fox. Pass the courvoisier: Busta Rhymes was the first celebrity to be unmasked on Season 4 of “The Masked Season,” as the show got underway on Wednesday night. (Scroll all the

The beloved “Psych” duo James Roday Rodriguez and Dulé Hill recall their first chemistry read, which through Hill for a loop. “I vividly remember being completely shocked and thrown off course because he wasn’t staying on dialogue,” Hill told Variety editor Jenelle Riley. “He was riffing and improvising and he was doing really great at

Jodie Whittaker, David Walliams, Liz Carr and Ruth Jones are the participants in the latest iteration of long-running BBC genealogy show “Who Do You Think You Are?” that returns in October. Produced by Warner Bros Television Production U.K.’s Wall to Wall Media, the two-time BAFTA-winning format follows U.K. celebrities who unravel their family histories. This

Sandy Kominsky is going to have to find himself a new agent. Alan Arkin, who plays rep Norman Newlander to Michael Douglas’ actor, is exiting “The Kominsky” method ahead of its third and final season at Netflix, Variety has confirmed. Sources with knowledge of the situation say the decision for Arkin to leave the series was

Consumers are increasingly turning toward connected television streaming platforms, thereby transforming the landscape of TV advertising, and the ways marketers and storytellers reach target audiences. As part of Variety’s Streaming Room series, presented by software company The Trade Desk, Variety interim editor-in-chief Cynthia Littleton, and deputy awards and features editor Jenelle Riley moderated a conversation

Rupert and Lachlan Murdoch, the overseers of the Fox Corp. media conglomerate their family controls, saw their annual compensation fall for the most recent fiscal year in large part due to executives’ decision to give up salary between May and September as the company grappled with the effects of the coronavirus pandemic. Rupert Murdoch’s total

Connecting the seemingly infinite threads of online trolling, Russian subterfuge and the astonishing evolution of American politics has become a favorite past-time of impassioned intellectuals raging against the Trump administration. In trying to pinpoint all the significant factors that led to Trump’s 2016 presidential election victory, some have identified Russia’s interest in American affairs as

Creative Artists Agency has upped almost 30 staffers to agent or executive titles across divisions and locations, the talent shop announced on Wednesday. The promotions come as the Hollywood representation landscape continues to fragment, as the past weeks have seen legacy agents from CAA and their biggest competitors form management firms. “We couldn’t be more

It was a pretty close run affair at the top of the Tuesday night ratings charts, as “Dancing With the Stars” and “America’s Got Talent” went head-to-head. The ABC show narrowly ended up on top in the key 18-49 demo, scoring a 1.0 to “AGT”‘s 0.8. However, that 1.0 represents a 23% drop from last

“The Masked Singer” returns Wednesday with new costumes, a virtual studio audience, a socially distanced panel — and a host still weathering controversy. The Fox celebrity singing competition has been a ratings smash for three seasons, attracting an audience looking for family-friendly, escapist TV. That was especially true this past spring, when ratings soared as

Both “Family Guy” and “Bob’s Burgers” have been picked up for two additional seasons each at Fox. The renewals will see “Family Guy” run through Season 20, while “Bob’s Burgers” will run through Season 13. “’Family Guy’ and ‘Bob’s Burgers’ are key pillars of our network’s success,” said Michael Thorn, president of enteratinment for Fox

“Evil” and “The Unicorn” are looking to conjure up some more exposure. The first seasons of both CBS shows are heading to Netflix as of Oct. 1 in an intriguing licensing deal struck between the streamer and producer CBS Television Studios. The exact length of the deal isn’t entirely clear, however, a source with knowledge

AMC has found the two execs to lead its scripted efforts going forward. The company has promoted Carrie Gillogly and Emma Miller, both whom have been longterm development executives at AMC, to new roles as co-heads of scripted series. Gillogly will also serve as SVP of scripted programming, with Miller in the equivalent role on the

One of the nation’s most traditional advertisers is breaking the rules on Madison Avenue. Procter & Gamble, which spends millions to call attention to high-profile products like Crest, Tide and Pampers, will negotiate directly with media outlets going forward -a move that is likely to take it out of typical “upfront” discussions that involve letting

Gale Sayers, the Hall of Fame NFL runningback whose friendship with Chicago Bears teammate Brian Piccolo was memorialized in the 1971 TV movie “Brian’s Song,” has died at the age of 77. According to the Associated Press, which confirmed his death through the Pro Football Hall of Fame, relatives of Sayers confirmed that he suffered

With the spotlight on diversity and inclusion shining ever brighter, Hollywood’s emerging leaders of color take their responsibility for improving representation on screen and off seriously. “What I’ve been really focused on is trying to address diversity, equity and inclusion,” Aaron Edmonds, director of development and production for Lionsgate, tells Variety. “That’s through the content