Waterside Studios has found its first project in the miniseries “The Last Wish of Sasha Cade.” Created by Jacqueline Pepall, currently at work on “Horrible Histories” for the BBC, it’s based on a novel by Cheyanne Young. Headed by Jeff Norton, who will produce, Waterside Studios is a new creative content venture from Canada’s Corus
Exports of Italian TV series and non-theatrical movies have more than doubled over the past five years thanks in part to the rise of local originals commissioned by streamers, just as investments in production of local scripted content are also increasing. That is the key finding of a report unveiled at Rome’s MIA market by
Rome’s MIA, a market dedicated to international TV series, feature films, animation and documentaries, wrapped its eighth edition on Saturday on a positive note boasting a 20% rise in attendance compared with 2021, having attracted more than 2,400 registered industry execs from 60 countries, more than half of which from Italy. However, the pandemic was
At a time when heritage cinema is booming – thanks to outstanding progress in conservation standards and a growth in demand – Lyon’s Lumière heritage film festival Lumière is playing a leading role in uncovering long-forgotten cinematic gems. “Dans la Nuit” (“In the Night”), widely considered one of the last, if not the last major French silent
South Indian cinema A-lister Prithviraj Sukumaran is an integral part of the cast of “Salaar,” starring Prabhas (the Baahubali franchise) and directed by Prashanth Neel (the K.G.F. franchise). Though he was approached for the role more than 18 months ago, Sukumaran nearly could not do the film because he was busy with Jordan and Algeria
Rodrigo Santoro – Hector in “Westworld,” Xerxes in “300”– leans forward in his chair during a Zoom interview almost touching the screen, such is his excitement. “It’s absolutely extraordinary, the accomplishment. What they did, what this man did. The mission seemed completely impossible.” Santoro is talking about Ferdinand Magellan, whom he plays in Prime Video’s
Fremantle has acquired international distribution rights to “East Side,” the latest series from “Shtisel” producer Abot Hameiri, starring Yehuda Levi, a Series Mania 2022 best actor winner for “Fire Dance.” Taking 100% ownership of Abot Hameiri last year, Fremantle, which also co-financed the series, will bring “East Side” onto the market at this next week’s Mipcom
Jack Harlow will serve as the host and musical guest on the next episode of “Saturday Night Live,” set to air on Oct. 29. “SNL” announced the booking on this week’s episode, which also features another music star as both host and musical guest: Megan Thee Stallion. This marks the first time Harlow has hosted
“Saturday Night Live” opened its third episode of the season by taking on the Jan. 6 committee hearings, starring Kenan Thompson as United States Representative Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS). And the theme of the sketch was quite simple: No matter how bad the attempts to stage a coup and overthrow the nation were, there’s no accountability in this country… and
The free concert by K-pop sensation BTS in Busan, Korea, was viewed by upwards of 49 million people on Saturday. The free-of-charge “BTS ‘Yet to Come’ in Busan” concert was held in support of Busan’s bid to host the 2030 World Expo and represented an attempt to introduce the city and Korean culture to global
Season 3 of “The Real Housewives of Salt Lake City” has already started off with a bang, and its cast promises things won’t be slowing down anytime soon. At BravoCon, stars Lisa Barlow, Meredith Marks, Whitney Rose and Heather Gay spoke with Variety about the season’s biggest drama so far and what fans can expect
As Nintendo’s Bayonetta 3 closes in on its long-awaited release date of Oct. 28, the video game franchise’s fanbase has been rocked by a statement shared by the series’ original lead voice actor, Hellena Taylor, who shares that she did not return for the new entry after being offered only $4,000 to reprise her role.
Former “The Real Housewives of New York City” star Dorinda Medley is staying mum on whether she’s apart of Bravo’s mysterious “RHONY: Legacy” spinoff, but she’s open to the idea. “I swear to you, you know as much as we do. I promise you,” Medley told Variety at BravoCon. “I’ve heard more about the new
Kelsea Ballerini walks into the penthouse suite of a West Hollywood hotel bearing a big smile, a full bottle of wine and two glasses, and this is immediately a good sign for an interview. She has a lot to toast, having just released a well-reviewed album, “Subject to Change,” and being about to play a
“The Inspection” writer-director Elegance Bratton is living out a prayer. “I was in a homeless shelter on my way to joining the Marine Corps, give or take a few years. I didn’t even necessarily understand exactly what I was praying for,” Bratton tells Variety, thinking back to 20 years ago. “I had gotten the job
When it comes to kids and family, Disney still rules. Anybody doubting that just had to catch Disney Branded Television’s presentation of company’s buying needs, given by Rick Clodfelter at Saturday’s MipJunior. 100 or so execs sat listening to him. Far more delegates packed out the little standing space at the JW Marriott’s Salon Suquet in
“RHONY” stars Sonja Morgan and Luann de Lesseps are trading New York City for small-town life in upcoming spinoff series “Luann and Sonja: Welcome to Crappie Lake.” Coming to Bravo in 2023, “Welcome to Crappie Lake” will follow the two socialites as they travel to the small town of Benton, Ill. According to the show’s
Major controversy in the video game world — the lady who’s voiced ‘Bayonetta’ for years says she was offered chump change for part 3 … and now wants the new entry boycotted. Actress Hellena Taylor posted a series of videos Saturday, in which she accuses the honchos of “Bayonetta 3” of grossly lowballing her to
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The fact that Nicki Minaj’s “Super Freaky Girl” was shifted out of the Grammys’ rap categories and into the pop division on a preliminary ballot has nearly resulted in an international incident, given the ensuing publicity and controversy as voting began this week. It’s certainly resulted in the year’s most visible hip-hop feud, with a
The settlement that will allow production to resume on “Rust” has stirred complicated feelings among the film’s crew, with some saying they would not return to the project while others support the decision. The producers announced on Oct. 5 that they plan to resume production in January, more than a year after Alec Baldwin shot
After a 14-year uphill battle, Mexican auteur Guillermo del Toro was finally able to share his dream project with an audience as “Pinocchio” (officially titled “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio”) had its world premiere at the BFI London Film Festival. Taking the stage before the premiere, del Toro spoke of his connection to the story: “I
“Halloween Ends” may be the last we see of Laurie Strode and Michael Myers, but the horror series still kills at the box office. Universal’s slasher finale is off to a strong start, projecting a $43.4 million opening from 3,901 theaters. Even with “Halloween Ends” receiving a simultaneous streaming debut on Peacock, the film has
“Artemis Fowl” writer Eoin Colfer’s first live action original project was amongst news announced during this year’s MipJunior Keynote from BBC Studios’ Kids & Family head Cecilia Persson. With over 25 million copies of the “Artemis Fowl” series sold, the author’s new project is being written in collaboration with screenwriter Viko Nikci. The idea “combines
In what is being hailed as a milestone, Egyptian director Mohamed Diab recently became the first Arab helmer to direct a Marvel project when he took the reins of the limited series “Moon Knight,” while Netflix launched its latest Arab original show, “Finding Ola,” toplining Cairo-based Tunisian star Hend Sabry. Sabry plays a happy divorcee
The possessive claim in the title “Guillermo del Toro’s Pinocchio” is a gutsy one. There’s confidence — some would even say arrogance — in filming an oft-told story at least as old as the hills, and suddenly branding it as your own: Even two auteurs as ballsy as Francis Ford Coppola and Baz Luhrmann didn’t
The 30th MipJunior, the international kids content market, opened Saturday with the presentation Binge Watching Session: Kids Audience Successes Around the Globe. Presented by industry analyst Avril Blondelot, the head of content insight Paris-based Global Audience & Content Evolution (Glance), the colorful overview presented the latest hits for kids and tipped off the audience on
Ahead of next week’s Mipcom, Banijay has acquired global rights to Argentine celebrity competition series “The Hotel,” continuing its hugely successful relationship with Diego Guebel’s high-flying Boxfish in Argentina. Produced by Boxfish for Canal 13, one of Argentina’s biggest free-to-air channels, “The Hotel” (“El Hotel”) sees 16 celebrity contestants shut themselves away for four months
The rules of style often dictate restraint, but based on the winter 2022 fashion trends, there were no such inhibitions. Even the jewelry at the fall/winter 2022 fashion shows went toe-to-toe with blocky shoulder pads, oversized jackets, sparkly tops, clashing prints, and blinding neon fabrics, almost out-competing the clothes for attention. But the metals and
Mel Gibson can be called to testify against Harvey Weinstein at the producer’s upcoming Los Angeles rape trial, a judge ruled on Friday. Prosecutors want to call the actor to support the allegations of Jane Doe 3, who claims that Weinstein sexually assaulted her after she gave him a massage at his hotel in 2010.