Starz has ordered the pilot of an interview series hosted by Bronx rapper Fat Joe. Described as a “genre-busting series that blends interviews with celebrities and high-profile guests with an elevated documentary style format,” the untitled pilot will be executive produced by Sean “Diddy” Combs’ Revolt Studios and LeBron James’ SpringHill. “We’re about to create
“The Crown” took over Variety’s Trending TV chart for the week of Sept. 5 to 11, earning more than 384,000 engagements with the Twitter crowd following Queen Elizabeth II’s death on Sept. 8. For five seasons, “The Crown” has traced the story of the Queen, but after the world learned of her death, the Netflix
Not surprisingly, the death of Queen Elizabeth II on Sept. 8 — ending a historic 70-year reign — spurred renewed interest in “The Crown,” the popular Netflix series that follows the monarch’s life and events during her time on the throne over multiple decades. “The Crown,” which begins in the late 1940s prior to Elizabeth’s
Yellow Veil Pictures has acquired U.S. distribution rights to “Ashkal,” following its screening at the Toronto International Film Festival. The murder mystery is the second feature from Tunisian director Youssef Chebbi and had its world premiere earlier this year at Cannes as part of the Directors’ Fortnight section. Yellow Veil Pictures plans to release the
Grammy-winning producer-songwriters Hit-Boy and James Fauntleroy have signed on as co-executive producers and the sonic creative team for the “NFT supergroup” Kingship. Together, the pair will work with Arnell, Kingship’s “Mutant DJ and Producer,” to oversee the group’s music direction and sound. “I’m always looking to push things forward musically,” said Hit-Boy, who has worked with Beyonce,
Bad Bunny and Harry Styles are back in the spots it’s been hard to force them out of for the last few months: at No. 1 on Billboard’s album and song charts, respectively. But the real achievement of the week may belong to someone who’s hovering below them: country star Morgan Wallen, who has set
The heat wave in Los Angeles couldn’t get in the way of the church of Sheryl Lee Ralph. The “Abbott Elementary” actor was met with a standing ovation in Beverly Hills on Sunday at the Creative Coalition’s Television Humanitarian Awards Gala Luncheon, where she was an honoree. Hosted by Variety‘s Marc Malkin, the ceremony was
Fox’s Susan Sarandon and Trace Adkins-led country music drama “Monarch” didn’t the highest of Nielsen notes Sunday night, but it did manage to keep enough of its NFL lead-in audience to land the network’s most-watched fall scripted premiere in three years. Immediately following an NFL doubleheader, “Monarch” debuted at 7:45 p.m. ET/4:45 p.m. PT to
Nearly half of all the music played on American broadcast and cable TV is production music, according to a new study by music data company BMAT. The survey, commissioned by the Production Music Association, looked at 47 high-rated channels including broadcast networks ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox and the CW; and cable channels including A&E, CNN,
The love for Brendan Fraser continues to grow following his acclaimed turn in Darren Aronofsky’s “The Whale,” generating tons of Oscar buzz. “It’s the right actor, for the right part, at the right time,” Darren Aronofsky says in the Variety Studio presented by King’s Hawaiian at TIFF. While at the Toronto International Film Festival for
Damien Chazelle was itching for a change of pace. “After the quietness of ‘First Man,’” he says, referring to his 2018 astronaut drama, much of which unfolded in deep space, “I wanted to do something big, boisterous and loud.” The result is “Babylon,” a star-studded homage to Hollywood’s silent era and a movie that captures
Here are the trailers that premiered at D23! Which are you most excited to watch? ► Buy Movie Tickets: https://www.fandango.com/?cmp=Trailers_YouTube_Desc Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to be notified of all the hottest trailers: http://bit.ly/2CNniBy 00:00 The Little Mermaid 01:23 The Mandalorian — Season 3 03:14 Tales of the Jedi — Season
Natasha Lyonne’s upcoming Peacock detective series “Poker Face” has added three new cast members, Variety has learned exclusively. Brandon Michael Hall (“God Friended Me,” “Search Party”), Colton Ryan (“The Girl From Plainville,” “Dear Evan Hansen”), and Megan Suri (“Never Have I Ever,” Unt. Neon feature) have all been cast in the show. As with past
Estrella Media has hired former NBCUniversal exec Enrique Guillen to serve as the company’s new chief content officer. Guillen will report to Estrella Media CEO Peter Markham and be based in Burbank. At Estella Media, Guillen will oversee U.S. domestic and global content strategy for the company’s TV, streaming, digital, audio, events and digital businesses, including developing,
When Variety’s annual Entertainment & Technology Summit presented by City National Bank returns Sept. 15 at 1 Hotel in West Hollywood, creatives, executives and everyone in between will be looking for ways to use the latest technologies to tell the kinds of stories that hook audiences and keep them coming back to their chosen platform
The Venice premiere of Alfonso Cuarón’s 2018 drama “Roma” made an overnight star of Yalitza Aparicio, whose memorable performance as family nanny Cleo kicked off a three-month whirlwind that culminated with her becoming the first Indigenous Mexican to receive an Oscar nomination for best actress. The Venice premiere of Alfonso Cuarón’s 2018 drama “Roma” made an overnight
“Rap Sh!t” has been renewed for Season 2 at HBO Max. The eight-episode first season of the comedy series originally debuted on the streaming service back in July. The show follows estranged Miami high school friends Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion) who reunite and form a group. “We’re so happy to play in the
It’s easy to assume that the life of a guitarist in one of the biggest alternative bands is fairly uninhibited. However, for Joe Trohman, co-founder and lead guitarist of Fall Out Boy, that’s not always the case. “I have, like, severe mental illnesses that do not allow me to see myself as somebody that ‘rocks’,”
UTA veteran Brett Hansen has moved to Paradigm Talent Agency as senior content agent, a hire that comes as part of Paradigm’s stepped-up effort to rebuild its roster of agents and clients. Hansen is a prominent unscripted TV agent. He’s repped such notables as SallyAnn Salsano’s 495 Productions, Ben Silverman and Howard T. Owens’ Propagate
YouTube’s royalty system has long been criticized by multiple music-industry organizations for opaqueness, a lack of oversight and, many feel, insufficient payments. But a new report in Billboard makes a number of detailed allegations, supported by claims from a number of unnamed sources, who say that YouTube — which is the single largest streaming service
Neon, Double Agent and the U.K.’s Film4 are partnering on the documentary “2073,” from “Amy” director Asif Kapadia. A vague description of the film indicates that it will “tackle some of the biggest challenges imperiling our future.” The synopsis continues: “Kapadia’s decision to create a genre-bending thriller set in a dystopian future was inspired by
Priscilla Beaulieu Presley’s 1985 bestselling memoir “Elvis and Me” is set to get the big screen treatment, courtesy of Sofia Coppola. Coppola wrote and will direct the feature film, titled “Priscilla,” with Cailee Spaeny (“Mare of Easttown,” “Bad Times at the El Royale”) attached to star as Presley and Jacob Elordi (“Euphoria,” “Saltburn”) as Elvis.
The hottest sales title at the Toronto Film Festival is officially off the market, with Focus Features landing worldwide distribution rights to Alexander Payne’s “The Holdovers,” in a deal worth roughly $30 million. Paul Giamatti stars in the Christmas-themed film that reunites the actor and director for the first time since their Oscar-winning 2004 hit
Pathé, which operates France’s leading cinema circuit, is planning to enter the Paris stock exchange in 2024, Variety has confirmed. The company’s president, Jérôme Seydoux, revealed the group’s long-gestated listing project in an interview with the French publication Les Echos. Seydoux said the company suffered a loss of approximately €100 million during the financial years
Disney made quite a splash at its D23 Expo last weekend with a first look at Halle Bailey’s live-action “The Little Mermaid,” which earned over 104 million global views, Variety has learned exclusively. The clip takes viewers on a journey through the ocean before showing the shimmering underwater life of Ariel (Bailey), who teases her
Laika, the animation studio behind “ParaNorman” and “Coraline,” has announced a six-part series exploring the costumes, props and sets from its iconic films. Titled “Laika Archives,” the series will be released on Sept. 13 via the company’s YouTube channel and features artisans like costume designer Deb Cook, head of model-making Keith McQueen and writer-director Chris
MUBI founder Efe Çakarel has detailed the indie streamer and distributor’s plans to grow into a studio player, build cinemas around the world and compete for high-profile films from leading directors. In a rare public speaking engagement, the executive joined Toronto International Film Festival CEO Cameron Bailey for an interview at the fest’s industry conference
The lineup for the 2023 Stagecoach Festival includes one very familiar veteran of the festivities, Luke Bryan, who will be making his fourth headlining appearance in the California desert, along with two stars who have made regular appearances at the festival but have moved up into headliner slots for the first time, Kane Brown and
Karen Bass announced a fresh round of celebrity endorsements on Monday, as she looks to highlight her ties to the entertainment industry in her campaign for L.A. mayor. Bass’ supporters include actors America Ferrera, Kerry Washington and Colman Domingo — all of whom have been involved in Democratic politics on the national level in recent
Magnolia Network’s top PR exec John Marsicano has been tapped as Endeavor’s new vice president of internal communications, Variety has learned exclusively. Beginning in the New York-based position Monday, Marsicano will be leading internal communications efforts across Endeavor’s network of more than 7,000 employees and supporting engagement with the company’s subsidiaries. He will report directly