As a perennially popular international filming location — its varied landscapes standing in for everywhere from the Sahara to the French Riviera — South Africa has provided the anonymous backdrop for many a slick big-budget action thriller over the years. Rarer are films from the country’s own industry that aspire to equivalent commercial thrills, which
Disney Branded Television has brought on Charlie Andrews to serve as executive vice president of live-action and alternative series, Variety has learned. Andrews joins Disney Branded TV from Fox Entertainment, where he most recently worked as head of drama development for the broadcaster before exiting in December. Andrews will begin in his new role on Feb.
“The Boondocks” reboot series has been scrapped at HBO Max, Variety has learned. In September 2019, HBO Max ordered a two-season revival of the animated series before the WarnerMedia-owned streaming service had even launched. The 24 new “The Boondocks” episodes were set to launch on HBO Max in Fall 2020. The original series is currently
“The L Word: Generation Q” has been renewed for Season 3 at Showtime, Variety has learned. The second season of the followup to “The L Word” aired between August and October 2021. Like the second season, the third will consist of 10 episodes. It is expected to air on Showtime later in 2022. The series
The stir over photos showing him and politicians maskless over the weekend are much ado about nothing, Johnson said on Friday during Apple TV Plus’ portion of the Television Critics Assn. press tour. Johnson was there to promote “They Call Me Magic,” a new four-part docuseries that premieres on April 22. “I wore my mask
Films Boutique (“Lunana: A Yak in the Classroom”) has acquired international sales rights to Vincent Kelner’s cinematic documentary feature “A Taste of Whale” ahead of the European Film Market. “A Taste of Whale” is produced by Rémi Grellety, the Oscar-nominated and BAFTA-winning producer of Raoul Peck’s “I Am Not Your Negro” and HBO’s “Exterminate All
The new “Orphan Black” series in the works at AMC has found its writer. Variety has learned exclusively that Anna Fishko is onboard to write and executive produce the potential new iteration of the series, which was first reported as being in the works back in 2019. A writers’ room for the project is now
When it comes to sparking outrageous, sharable, replay-worthy on-camera moments on his “Real Housewives” reunion specials and nightly “Watch What Happens Live” installments, are there any further heights left for host Andy Cohen to scale? “I mean, gosh — I’ve been slapped by Cher; I’ve been spanked by Martha Stewart,” he says, chuckling. “What more
Esports is the biggest opportunity in TV that nobody’s talking about — yet. That’s the view from video game industry veterans who see esports — or the exploding world of live video gaming competitions, complete with crowds of virtual fans cheering them on — as poised to explode in the coming years. Riot Games and
Christine Baranski’s career is so vast and varied — from starring roles in “The Good Wife” and its spinoff “The Good Fight,” to spending decades in New York City theater, to stealing scenes as the “Mamma Mia” franchise’s resident siren — that it’s genuinely shocking when she points out that she’s never been in an
Spoiler alert: This piece contains spoilers for the Season 1 finale of “And Just Like That,” which premiered on Feb. 3 on HBO Max. Eighteen years after Carrie Bradshaw reunited with Mr. Big in Paris on “Sex and the City,” Sarah Jessica Parker is back to playing her on HBO Max’s “And Just Like That
Mitski Miyawaki’s rise through the indie rock ranks is the stuff of envy, even if she herself seems to be of two minds as to whether it should be. The 31-year-old’s most recent albums, 2016’s “Puberty 2” and 2018’s “Be the Cowboy,” earned spots on countless best-of lists, millions of streams, and TikTok meme-ification, thanks
The Producers Guild of America has named producer, writer, director Greg Berlanti as this year’s honoree for the Norman Lear Achievement Award. Berlanti will receive the award at the 33rd Annual Producers Guild Awards on Saturday, March 19, 2022 at the Fairmont Century Plaza. “I’m incredibly honored to receive this award from everyone at the
Ariana DeBose (“West Side Story”) and Simu Liu (“Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings”) sat down for a virtual chat for Variety’s Actors on Actors, presented by Amazon Studios. For more, click here. Prior to 2021, Ariana DeBose and Simu Liu had certainly worked as actors. DeBose was a Tony nominee (“Summer: The
Quintessa Swindell and Esai Morales have been tapped to star in Paul Schrader’s “Master Gardener.” They will join Sigourney Weaver and Joel Edgerton in the film, which Schrader writes and directs. Schrader, who is known for “Taxi Driver” and “First Reformed,” recently wrote and directed “The Card Counter,” starring Oscar Isaac. “Master Gardener” revolves around
With much of the country bracing for or digging out from a nasty winter storm, two new releases are hoping to provide so much sizzle that moviegoers will brave the ice and snow to hit up their local multiplexes. In one corner: Lionsgate’s “Moonfall,” a disaster epic from Roland Emmerich, one of the most successful
The Band’s Robbie Robertson has joined the growing catalog-sale party and sold his music publishing, recorded interests and name, image & likeness rights to Iconoclast, a new firm founded by Olivier Chastan, the former CEO of Irving Azoff’s Iconic Artists Group. The news was first reported by Music Business Worldwide. The acquisition covers Robertson’s entire
Sadie Frost has been tapped for the lead role in “Boxed-Up,” a short film about mental health. Frost will play Eileen, a dysfunctional mother who is processing the grief of losing her husband at the same time as exploring her fractured relationship with her daughter. “After a devastating loss, a distant mother has 24 hours
Charades (“Petrov’s Flu,” “Diamantino”) has come on board “Hit Big”, a dark humor-laced crime film set in Spain and directed by critically acclaimed Finnish filmmaker, Jukka-Pekka Valkeapaa (“They Have Escaped”). Currently in post production, the film is being presented at the work-in-progress sidebar of Goteborg Festival’s Nordic Film Market. On the ground in Goteborg is
The first image of Diane Kruger and Talia Ryder in ballet-themed feature “Joika” has been unveiled. James Napier Robertson (“The Dark Horse”) wrote and directs the film, which has started production in Poland. Embankment are representing worldwide sales and co-representing U.S. rights with UTA Independent Film Group. “Joika” is inspired by the true story of
On-the-rise Spanish boutique sales company Feel Content has acquired a pair of features ahead of this month’s European Film Market: Finnish-Danish drama “Yellow Sulphur” – recently premiered at the Göteborg Film Festival – and French-Colombian co-production “The Rust,” a competition player at last year’s San Sebastian. From Finnish director-writer-producer Claes Olsson, “Yellow Sulphur Sky” is
In a new series, Variety catches up with the directors of the films shortlisted for the International Feature Film Oscar to discuss their road to the awards, what they’ve learned so far, and what’s taken them off guard. The triumph-over-adversity drama “Hive,” which is based on a true story, centers on a Kosovan woman whose
In today’s podcast roundup, Cate Blanchett is launching a podcast about the climate-change crisis with Audible; Marvel and SiriusXM explore the origins of “Black Panther’s” T’Challa; Julie Bowen and Chad Sanders team up for “Quitters”; Snoop Dogg joins Shondaland Audio’s drama “#Matter”; and more. GREENLIGHTS Audible, Amazon’s premium audio storytelling arm, has commissioned two seasons
The sequel to Jason Statham-fronted shark thriller “The Meg” has begun shooting in the U.K., Variety can confirm. Production on “Meg 2: The Trench” has kicked off with a splash at Warner Bros.-owned Leavesden Studios outside London, where the Harry Potter and Batman franchises were also shot. The film, about a murderous 80-foot prehistoric shark,
MARKET With only two months before MipTV kicks off from Cannes, RX France (formerly Reed Midem) has revealed that more than 100 companies have confirmed their attendence for this year’s in-person TV content market, running April 4-6. Having faced various COVID-related setbacks over the past two years, MipTV has reinforced its strict health and safety
Amazon’s costs for video and music content last year hit $13 billion, up around 18%, representing a slowdown from its spending binge in 2020. The ecommerce giant disclosed total video and music expense for 2021 in its annual SEC filing Friday. That total is compared with $11 billion the year prior, which was up roughly
In cheering news for the British entertainment business, film and high-end television production spend in the U.K. reached over £5.64 billion ($7.65 billion) in 2021, £1.27 billion higher than in the pre-pandemic year 2019. Official figures published on Friday by the BFI’s Research and Statistics Unit reveal that film production reached £1.55 billion, 3% up
The U.K. government’s decision last week to shut down the pioneering BFI Young Audiences Content Fund sent shockwaves around the industry. Among those incensed was Anna Home, chair of the Children’s Media Foundation (CMF), a non-profit organization focused on securing the best media choices for young people on all platforms. Home, a BAFTA-winning TV producer
High profile Danish playwright Christian Lollike spoke to Variety about his feature film debut “The Cake Dynasty” at the Goteborg Festival’s Nordic Film Market. Lollike is presenting the movie in the market’s work-in-progress sidebar. Represented in international markets by LevelK, the immigration-themed satirical and romantic drama stars Nicolas Bro (“Riders of Justice”) as Neil, a
Mainstream romantic comedies are a rare breed these days. Good ones, with real relationship stakes and sexual tension of the kind that once starred the likes of Julia Roberts and Richard Gere, are even rarer. That’s why one has to at least respect the effort when something like the amiable but imperfect “Book of Love”