The Writers Guild of America has filed for a dismissal of the antitrust suit filed by CAA, UTA and WME, which accuses the union of engaging in an illegal group boycott. The WGA filed the motion Friday in federal court in Los Angeles and sought a Dec. 6 hearing before U.S. District Court Judge Andre
Television
Fox news chiefs Suzanne Scott and Jay Wallace addressed the sudden departure of longtime anchor Shepard Smith on Friday. In a memo to staff obtained by Variety, Scott, CEO of the cable-news channel, and Wallace, its president and executive editor, praised Smith, writing, “While this day is especially challenging for both of us who have
The 2019 revival of “Are You Afraid of the Dark?” centers around the Carnival of Doom, a place that star Jeremy Ray Taylor (“It Chapter Two”) describes as “beautiful on the outside, but…in the middle of it, there are definitely dark secrets. Variety caught up with the young star during a carnival-themed celebration at Row DTLA
“Carnival Row” will be going into its second season without the man who originally created it. Variety has confirmed that Travis Beacham, whose Black List feature script served as the inspiration for the show, is departing the series. Beacham co-created the series adaptation with René Echevarria, the latter of whom was the show’s original showrunner.
In today’s TV news roundup, Urban Movie Channel has commissioned the new docuseries “Behind Her Faith,” and Disney Channel has greenlit family dance competition series, “Disney Fam Jam.” GREENLIGHTS AMC Networks’ Urban Movie Channel has commissioned “Behind Her Faith,“ a new docuseries from writer/director Paula Bryant-Ellis. Executive produced by “Insecure” star Jay Ellis and “Black
Ryan Murphy spoke movingly about Dana Walden’s role in his family life and career development at Variety‘s Power of Women luncheon Friday at the Beverly Wilshire hotel. Murphy, creator of “American Horror Story” and “Pose,” shared the story of his youngest son, Ford, being diagnosed with neuroblastoma as he introduced Walden, chairman of Disney Television Studios
Jennifer Aniston has never considered herself powerful. “It’s funny, I’ve never actually thought of myself as ‘powerful.’ Strong, yes. But powerful, not [really],” Aniston, one of Variety‘s six Power of Women honorees, said on Friday at the Beverly Wilshire. “It’s a distinction I’ve actually been thinking about a lot lately because that word — ‘power’
October 11, 2019 12:00PM PT The CW is getting into the mixed martial arts ring. Variety has learned that the broadcaster is developing a one-hour drama about a young woman who begins training in MMA. Titled “American Fighter,” the series follows JoJo Raines, who has a dead end life in a dead end town, hanging
October 11, 2019 11:25AM PT After beating “This Is Us” relatively comfortably in the premiere week Live+3 ratings charts, “The Masked Singer” only just managed to hold off the NBC tear-jerker in week 2. The second episode of “Masked Singer” saw a 40% bump after three days of delayed viewing from a 2.0 rating among
October 11, 2019 11:13AM PT CNN primetime anchor Chris Cuomo apologized for making an insensitive remark during the cable-news network’s broadcast of a “town hall” event meant to elicit views on LGBTQ issues from Democratic candidates. Senator Kamala Harris on Thursday at the event told Cuomo her personal pronouns were “she, her and hers.” Cuomo
October 11, 2019 11:07AM PT Jane Fonda was arrested on Friday in Washington, D.C. during a climate change protest, Variety has confirmed. “Today, the United States Capitol Police arrested 16 individuals for unlawfully demonstrating on the East Front of the U.S. Capitol,” Capitol Police communications director Eva Malecki said in a statement to Variety. She added that
October 11, 2019 10:45AM PT The Commission on Presidential Debates has set the schedule for both presidential and vice-presidential debates for 2020, setting in motion what are likely to be some of the most-watched events of the next presidential election. The first general election presidential debate will take place on Tuesday, September 29, 2020 and
October 11, 2019 10:42AM PT CBS Television Studios is continuing its push into animation. Senior vice president of comedy development Alec Botnick has been promoted, now adding head of animation to his title. He will continue to report to Kate Adler, executive vice president of comedy development for CBS TV Studios. “Alec has proven to
Disney is going to give “High School Musical” fans a treat prior to the launch of the standalone streaming service Disney Plus. “High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,” the series adaptation of the popular Disney Channel film franchise, will air its first episode across three Disney-owned networks nearly a week before it debuts at
The CBS All Access adaptation of Stephen King’s “The Stand” is continuing to round out its cast. Joining the likes of previously announced stars Amber Heard, James Marsden and Whoopi Goldberg will be Eion Bailey, Katherine McNamara and Hamish Linklater. “The Stand” presents an apocalyptic vision of a world decimated by plague and embroiled in
NBCUniversal has stopped airing a Trump campaign commercial that accused various TV-news anchors of being in league with Democrats attempting to move forward an impeachment inquiry into the president’s conduct. The 30-second spot carried with it a debunked line about former Vice President Joe Biden being involved with the ouster of a prosecutor in Ukraine.
Italian horror master Dario Argento (“Suspiria”) is set to direct a TV series titled “Longinus” involving mysterious murders, esoteric elements and ancient enigmas. The show is the 79-year-old cult helmer’s first project since 2012 and is his most ambitious TV project. It is being co-produced by new Italian shingle BIM Production and Publispei, the company
October 11, 2019 5:00AM PT Richard Halliwell will run the recently formed NENT Studios U.K. alongside his existing role as CEO of distributor DRG, also part of the wider Nordic Entertainment Group. The new U.K. operation is setting out to be a major player in the international market from its London base, promising substantial investments
CANNES — “Wisting,” a high-end crime drama co-starring “The Matrix” and “Jessica Jones’” Carrie-Anne Moss, has been acquired by BBC Four in the U.K., Banijay Rights, the leading distribution arm of Banijay Group. announced on Friday, in the run-up to this year’s Mipcom TV trade fair. The sale, in the benchmark overseas sales territory for
A New York judge on Thursday dismissed a claim that Charlie Rose retaliated against three female employees who complained of sexual harassment. Judge Doris Ling-Cohan found that while Rose had allegedly disparaged the women — calling one a “f—ing idiot” and another a “f—ing kindergartner” — his comments did not amount to retaliation under the
Nicolas Winding Refn is set to take on a series adaptation of the cult film franchise “Maniac Cop,” Variety has learned. The series will be the first production of Refn’s byNWR Originals, a part of his cultural site byNWR.com, and is created in partnership with HBO and Canal Plus. HBO will air the series in North
With no end in sight for its six-month standoff with agents, leaders of the Writers Guild of America are doubling down on the need to revamp the rules. In a message sent to members Thursday, the guild’s negotiating committee underlined its long-held assertion that Hollywood agents need to be more transparent if they are going
Jessica Kumai Scott, director of content development at Hulu, is exiting the streamer to become president of Mindy Kaling’s Kaling International, Variety has learned exclusively. Scott first joined Hulu in 2012, serving as one of the streamer’s first development executives. During her time there, she first worked alongside Kaling on three seasons of “The Mindy Project”
October 10, 2019 2:21PM PT Clive Owen is the latest name to head over to Apple. The actor will star alongside Julianne Moore in the tech giant’s “Lisey’s Story,” an eight-episode series based on Stephen King’s 2006 book of the same name. Owen will play the role of Scott Landon, Lisey’s (Moore) husband. The series
October 10, 2019 1:41PM PT Wayne Brady is going to have to get his lines straight. The comedian, known for his work on the improvisational comedy show “Whose Line Is It Anyway?,” has joined the cast of the CW series “Black Lightning” for season 3. Brady is set in a recurring role and will first
October 10, 2019 1:30PM PT Holly Hunter has joined the upcoming CBS Studios miniseries based on former FBI Director James Comey’s book “A Higher Loyalty,” Variety has learned. Hunter will star as Acting Attorney General Sally Yates. She joins previously announced cast members Jeff Daniels (James Comey), Brendan Gleeson (President Donald Trump), Michael Kelly (Acting FBI
Fore! A second season of the mini golf competition show “Holey Moley” is coming up the fairway. ABC has renewed the show for a second outing, with Stephen Curry, Rob Riggle, Joe Tessitore and Jeannie Mai all set to return. Season 1 saw a whole host of self-proclaimed mini-golf lovers from around the country on
Viewers tuning in this week to watch Don Lemon after 11 p.m. on CNN may have been surprised. During his second hour on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, he wasn’t even on the screen. Instead, Laura Coates, a fill-in host and one of the network’s legal analysts, was holding forth on a show called “White House
October 10, 2019 10:36AM PT Named president of DreamWorks Animation in January, Margie Cohn runs the studio’s film and television divisions, overseeing the release of two feature films each year via parent company NBCUniversal and the roughly 25 series in active production. Cohn has been with the studio since 2013, building the DreamWorks Animation Television
Cathy Payne is stepping down from her role as the boss of Endemol Shine International. Payne has been with the company, in its various guises, for almost 30 years. Staffers were told of her exit Thursday afternoon. A source said that her departure, which will happen early in the new year, is not directly related