Mindy Kaling felt like the perfect person to make a show about a teenage Indian nerd growing up in America because, well, she can relate. Speaking at a Netflix TV brunch discussion of young adult programming, Kaling discussed her upcoming series “Never Have I Ever” and specifically the need to show that nerds are not
Television
February 25, 2020 4:15PM PT Amanda Warren has been cast alongside Patrick Dempsey in the CBS drama pilot “Ways and Means.” In the pilot, a powerful Congressional leader (Dempsey) who has lost faith in politics finds himself working secretly with an idealistic young Congresswoman (not yet cast) from the opposing party to subvert the hopelessly
In a surprise announcement, Bob Iger said he was stepping down as Disney’s chief exec citing “the successful launch of Disney’s direct-to-consumer businesses” as one reason for the timing as he hands off to new CEO Bob Chapek. True, Disney earlier this month reported tremendous growth for Disney Plus, racking up 28.6 million users just
Liza Lapira has signed on to the “Equalizer” reboot pilot currently in the works at CBS, Variety has learned. She joins previously announced series lead Queen Latifah. In the new version of the series, Queen Latifah portrays Robyn McCall, an enigmatic figure who uses her extensive skills to help those with nowhere else to turn. Lapira
Michael Rooker has been cast as a series regular in the Showtime drama pilot “The President Is Missing.” Rooker joins previously announced lead David Oyelowo and cast members Janet McTeer, Medina Senghore, Paul Adelstein, and Gina Gallego in the pilot, which is based on the novel of the same name by James Patterson and Bill
February 25, 2020 12:30PM PT Newcomer Stella Baker has been cast in the title role in The CW’s “The Republic of Sarah” pilot, Variety In the pilot, faced with the destruction of her town at the hands of a greedy mining company, rebellious high school teacher Sarah Cooper (Baker) utilizes an obscure cartographical loophole to
Hulu’s chief marketing officer Kelly Campbell has been promoted to president of Hulu, a move that comes in the wake of Randy Freer’s recent exit as CEO of the company. Changes have been afoot at Hulu internally, now that the streaming service is now fully under Disney’s operational control. Disney TV Studios’ Dana Walden now
It boasts one of the fastest-growing TV industries on the planet, but that hasn’t cleared up misconceptions when it comes to Central and Eastern Europe. “I would like to kill some stereotypes about the region,” said Kamila Zlatušková, founder of the Serial Killer TV Festival in Brno, Czech Republic, during a showcase of regional series
Pete Davidson’s time as a cast member on “Saturday Night Live” may be coming to an end, the comedian revealed as he discussed the future of his career in an interview with Charlamagne tha God on Monday. In a candid interview, Davidson was asked by “The Breakfast Club” host where he saw himself in five
Six women testified during the Harvey Weinstein rape trial, and now that the former movie mogul was found guilty of two felony charges, those women are speaking out with newfound freedom. Miriam Haley, who was assaulted by Weinstein in 2006, resulting in him being convicted of a criminal sex act (which carries a maximum sentence
“Power Book III: Raising Kanan” at Starz has found its lead actor. Mekai Curtis has been cast as a young Kanan Stark, the character played in the mothership series by Curtis “50 Cent” Jackson. He joins previously announced cast member Patina Miller, who will play Kanan’s mother. The young Kanan is described as smart, driven
Comcast announced that it has acquired Xumo, a free advertising-supported streaming service, from previous owners Panasonic and Meredith Corp. Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. Comcast paid more than $100 million for Xumo, CNBC reported. Xumo will continue to operate as an independent business unit inside Comcast Cable, the company said. Xumo offers
U.K.-Irish production company Film and Music Entertainment (FAME), in Berlin with Agnieszka Holland’s “Charlatan” and Ivan Ostrochovsky’s “Servants,” has unveiled five new film projects from its Irish division, including new films by Georgian helmer Marian Khatchvani and Albanian director Fatmir Koci. “Charlatan,” which FAME co-produced with Prague-based Marlene Film Production and Kevan Van Thompson (“Jojo
BERLIN — Stockholm-based global distributor Eccho Rights has boarded international financial thriller series “Polaris” (formerly known as “Bankster”) from fast-rising Icelandic production outfit Grassriver. The eight-part series, now in development and commissioned by Icelandic public broadcaster RÚV, will be co-produced and distributed by the Lumiere Group in Benelux. Creators/co-writers of the high-concept series are crime
February 25, 2020 7:16AM PT CNN’s Chief White House correspondent Jim Acosta and President Donald Trump are sparring again. During a press conference in New Delhi, Acosta pressed back on the President’s assertion that CNN had to walk back a recent report from several news organizations on Russia trying to interfere in the 2020 election.
REinvent Studios, the Copenhagen-based company launched last year by former TrustNordisk CEO Rikke Ennis, has pre-sold the Icelandic crime drama “Trom” to ZDF/Arte for Germany and France. ZDF/Arte will be co-producing the anticipated series which was pitched last year during the Co-Pro Series at the Berlinale Series forum. “Trom,” based on Jagvan Isaksen’s crime novels
When they start noticing unusual twists on reality blooming all around them in their otherwise unremarkable Philadelphia lives — leading to an elaborate scavenger hunt unlike anything they could’ve imagined — the main quartet of characters in “Dispatches From Elsewhere” think they’ve got it figured out. The charismatic Simone (Eve Lindley) embraces the phenomenon as
February 25, 2020 6:37AM PT AMC Networks has set a new carriage pact with Dish and Sling TV that expands the distribution of AMC’s growing portfolio of subscription streaming services. The deal covers AMC’s six linear channels — AMC, SundanceTV, IFC, We TV, BBC America and BBC World News — as well as streaming services
Twice Academy Award-nominated writer-director Hany Abu-Assad (“Paradise Now,” “Omar”) is teaming with Abbout Productions, Lebanon’s top indie shingle, on TV series project “The King’s Wives.” The six-episode fiction, pitched Feb. 25 at the 2020 Berlinale Co-Pro Series, is set to be the first TV drama produced by Abbout, a Beirut-set production house run by Georges
Two investment firms said they would buy a majority stake in Univision, the nation’s biggest Spanish-language broadcaster, setting up a new era for the large broadcasting company at a time when traditional media entities are grappling with new ways to reach large audiences. Searchlight Capital Partners and ForgeLight LLC, two investment firms, will acquire a
Tuesday see’s the Berlin Film Festival play host to the sixth edition of its Co-Pro Series Pitch and Networking event, where 10 exciting TV projects from around the world will pitch to potential co-producers, investors, sales agents and broadcasters. Under the umbrella of the Berlinale Co-Production Market – dedicated to connecting feature film producers and
BERLIN — ITV Studios push into European drama has been boosted by pre-sales on “Romulus” and a slew of deals across a burgeoning slate of non-English language productions as ITV Studios aims to position as a world-class player in global content production. Announced at this week’s Berlinale Series Market, the sales play off ITV Studios
February 24, 2020 11:34PM PT Sales agent Dutch Features has boarded crime miniseries “Black Nazareth,” and has started sales on it at the European Film Market in Berlin. The Dutch miniseries, which is in development, follows a customs officer in the port of Rotterdam who is drawn into a criminal operation while trying to deal
A wet, windy night couldn’t dampen the mood at the opening reception of the Berlinale Series Market and Conference, the Berlin Film Festival’s popular three-day TV strand that kicked off Monday Feb. 24 with a full house at the Gropius Mirror Pavilion. Among those in attendance (pictured, from left) were European Film Market director Matthijs
L.A. and Berlin-based producer Gabriela Bacher, CEO of media company Film House Germany, is attached to executive produce Witcraft Filmproduktion’s mystery drama project “Snow,” selected for this year’s Co-Pro Series at the Berlinale Co-Production Market. Bacher, a former Fox International Productions executive and principal of Studio Babelsberg, joined the company in 2011 as both CEO
Leading Russian animation company Riki Group, home of brands such as “Kikoriki” and “BabyRiki,” has acquired Aeroplane Prods., the producer of cartoon franchise “The Fixies.” In Berlin, Riki Group is selling “Finnick,” a feature film about a mischievous furry creature who plays pranks on the family who lives in his house. The company’s stand is
Netflix has swooped in and taken global rights outside Australia to the Cate Blanchett-starring and exec-produced refugee drama series “Stateless,” following its world premiere in Berlin this week. Australian public broadcaster ABC, which commissioned the six-part series, will air “Stateless” on March 1, with the streaming giant going out later this year. It is believed
“Dome 16,” a futuristic sci-fi climate drama from creator Thomas Seeber Torjussen and Norway’s Tordenfilm, has a new co-producer in Fleur Winters from Dutch production house Big Blue. It’s the second time the companies have joined forces, previously co-producing NRK’s popular teenage series “ZombieLars.” In addition to creating the series, International Emmy nominee Seeber Torjussen
Metrafilm’s Russian spy series project “Pawns,” pitching at this year’s CoPro Series event at the Berlinale, will be joined by Latvian co-producer Tasse Film. “Pawns” is the brainchild of writers Michael and Lily Idov, co-writers of 2018 Cannes Palme d’Or competitor “Leto,” and creators of two hugely popular Russian series in “Londongrad” and “The Optimists.”
MADRID — Beta Film has acquired international distribution rights to “Libertad,” the newly-titled banner Movistar Plus series, which encapsulates many of the original series production ambitions of Telefonica’s pay TV/SVOD service. According to Fran Araujo, head of content for Movistar Plus, “Beta is there for all our series from the beginning, nowadays, we’ve got a