The Pogues still have more treasures to hunt and bad guys to outsmart all while clad in board shorts and bikinis, and a few brewskis deep. Netflix has officially renewed the coming-of-age mystery series “Outer Banks,” set on islands of the same name off the coast of North Carolina and the Bahamas, for a third
As the spread of the new Omicron COVID-19 variant prompts uncertainty around how the winter film festival calendar will play out, two events in the Arab world — the Cairo Film Festival and Saudi Arabia’s Red Sea fest — have soldiered on, providing a measure of hope for the global festival circuit. Cairo, which kicked
“The Sex Lives of College Girls” has been renewed for Season 2 at HBO Max. The first season of the series debuted on Nov. 18, with the final two episodes of the season set to debut on Dec. 9. Created by Mindy Kaling and Justin Noble, the series follows four college roommates as they arrive
“Truth Be Told” has been renewed for Season 3 at Apple. The second season of the series, which stars Octavia Spencer, debuted on Aug. 20. In addition, it was announced that Maisha Closson has been tapped to serve as showrunner and executive producer on Season 3. Series creator Nichelle Tramble Spellman served as showrunner on
Sandra Newman’s “Julia,” a feminist retelling of George Orwell’s much-adapted 1949 dystopian political novel “Nineteen Eighty-Four,” has found publishers on both sides of the pond. Variety understands that while film and TV rights won’t be optioned for several months yet, there is already tremendous interest in “Julia,” which will be published after Newman’s next novel
If you only rely on news headlines, there doesn’t seem to be anything fun, let alone funny, about the state of America’s school system. From shootings and shelter-in-place drills, to cheating on admissions applications and lack of funding, it can be hard not to get discouraged by a broken system. But only focusing on the
Jimmy Fallon and NBC’s all-star music competition series “That’s My Jam” is set to get a French adaptation that will be produced by TF1 Productions and Universal Television Alternative Studio. NBCUniversal Formats is handling international licensing on the show, which will mark the first international adaptation of “That’s My Jam.” Production is set to start
The Senate voted to confirm Jessica Rosenworcel, chairwoman of the Federal Communications Commission — the first woman to lead the agency on a permanent basis — to serve for another five-year term. The Senate on Tuesday voted 68-31 to confirm Rosenworcel’s new term as commissioner, after she gained key Republican supporters in the chamber including
As Korean formats continue their international expansion, Michael Yudin’s MY Entertainment has partnered with Seoul-based formats agency Something Special to cultivate more creative IP. “Ghost Adventures” production outfit MY Entertainment has struck a co-development deal with the Korean formats group, which was founded by Jin Woo Hwang (pictured, right), president and executive director, and InSoon
“We did it on a handshake — the story is true,” says Herb Alpert, adding that last affirmation for emphasis, knowing how hard it might be to believe that the duo behind one of music’s all-time greatest independent label, A&M Records, were never quite lawfully wed. Of him and Jerry Moss founding A&M in 1962,
When “West Side Story” star David Alvarez was serving in the U.S. army, he held tight onto a secret. He didn’t tell any of his fellow soldiers that he was a ballet dancer who won a Tony when he was just 14 years old for his work in “Billy Elliott the Musical.” “I never shared
Contrary to popular belief, not every piece of drama with Aaron Sorkin’s name on it has the inimitably timed, exquisitely percussive sound of I-top-you-no-I top-you combative patter known as Sorkinese. “The American President,” in its way, had a sweet flow to it. “The Social Network” was as supple an evocation of the formative tech culture
Kyle Richards is reprising her original “Halloween” role once again in “Halloween Ends,” the final installment in David Gordon Green’s new trilogy of films in the iconic horror series, Variety has learned exclusively. Richards recently closed her deal for “Halloween Ends,” which heads into production next month and is set to be released in Oct. 2022. Richards
“The Last of Us” series at HBO has tapped Nick Offerman to play Bill in a recasting. Con O’Neill had previously been announced for the guest starring role, but according to an individual with knowledge of the situation, he was forced to bow out of the show due to a scheduling conflict. Offerman will appear
Apple Original Films will back “Bad Blood,” a feature film from “The Big Short” writer and director Adam McKay that will star Jennifer Lawrence as Theranos founder Elizabeth Holmes. The project, which reunites McKay with his “Don’t Look Up” leading lady, has been in the works for some time. McKay will write, direct and produce
As hard as it is for any TV show to start on a strong note, it’s doubly hard for comedies, which depend so much on cast and writers’ room chemistry to truly click into gear. You wouldn’t know it, though, from watching the first few episodes of “Abbot Elementary,” ABC’s new sitcom that manages to
Audio influencers include the programmers, bookers and editorial leaders of top music destinations like iHeartRadio’s 800-plus radio stations, DSPs like Amazon Music and such late-nite television shows as “”The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon” and “Late Night With Seth Meyers,” each of whom was asked which song defined defined the sound of 2021. Their picks
Vevo is pulling a FAST one in a new partnership with Roku. The music-video digital network launched 11 themed linear streaming channels on the Roku Channel for users in the U.S., including one with Christmas music available only through the end of the year. The free, ad-supported television (FAST) channels join the flagship Vevo on-demand
Representation for Black and nonbinary actors has increased significantly in TV and film since the start of the pandemic, according to a study of how casting for scripted live-action content has changed over the past two years. The research conducted by Variety sibling Variety Business Intelligence found that Black talent logged the highest rate of
FIM LAB Oscar-winning actress Alicia Vikander (“The Danish Girl”), the Goteborg Film Festival and the Sten Olsson Foundation for Research and Culture have teamed on a new, three-year film training program aimed at increasing diversity in film and inspiring promising young talent. Aimed at high-school-aged students, the program will be made available to educational institutions
Sean Baker’s “Red Rocket” utilizes *NSYNC’s 2000 pop song “Bye Bye Bye” throughout the movie in various forms, but it wasn’t easy for “The Florida Project” director to secure rights to use the track as he searched for the perfect breakup song. At one point, Strawberry (Suzanna Son) plays a stripped-down version on her keyboard.
A federal judge has dismissed Rose McGowan’s racketeering lawsuit against Harvey Weinstein and his lawyers, after McGowan fired her attorneys and missed a court-ordered briefing deadline. McGowan was one of the first people to go public with allegations of sexual assault against Weinstein in late 2016 and 2017, triggering an avalanche of similar allegations that
ViacomCBS and South Korea’s CJ ENM announced a global content deal encompassing coproductions for original TV shows and films as well as content licensing and distribution across the companies’ streaming services. Also under the pact, the companies will launch Paramount Plus in South Korea in 2022 as an exclusive bundle with CJ ENM’s TVING streaming
Kino Lorber has acquired U.S. and Canadian distribution rights to Aly Muritiba’s “Private Desert” (“Deserto Particular”) Brazil’s International Feature Oscar submission and a love story hailed for its large sensibility as well as political point. The deal was negotiated with the film’s world sale agent, Rome-based Intramovies. Kino Lorber will bring ‘Private Desert’ to U.S.
The troubled marriage between STX Entertainment and Eros is dissolving. The Najafi Companies announced Tuesday that it has reached an agreement to acquire the studio behind “Bad Moms” and “Hustlers” from Eros STX Global Corporation. The transaction is expected to close by the end of January 2022. As part of the deal, an affiliate of
Atlantic Records has announced a new artist development partnership and joint venture label deal with Detroit-based independent music company Assemble Sound. According to the announcement, the deal will give Atlantic ears on the ground in the Motor City, while Assemble Sound will serve as an external partner that has an established team and facilities to
ITV has revealed a first look at “Romulus 2,” the second season of Cattleya’s innovative Rome origins skein enacted in archaic Latin. The outfit is also launching global sales on the series, which has just wrapped shooting and is being touted as more “fast paced and in your face” than the first instalment, as Lisa Perrin,
Global Screen has boarded “Munich ’72,” a documentary series about the attack perpetrated by a Palestinian militant organization at the Munich games Olympic Village in 1972. “Munich ’72” is being directed by Roman Shumunov, the award-winning Israeli director of “Back to Chernobyl” and “Babylon Dreamers.” It is produced by Ronen Machlis-Balzam (“Berenshtein”) at the well-established
Thierry Lachkar, the former boss of Shine France, has been named CEO of ITV Studios France, whose biggest hits include local adaptations of “The Voice” and “Four Weddings.” Lachkar will be taking the helm at the label with a focus on building and growing the company, whose shows air on France’s leading broadcasters and platforms.
The Writers’ Guild of Great Britain (WGGB) has unveiled the shortlist for its annual awards, with nominees including “Promising Young Woman” scribe Emerald Fennell and “Succession” writer Lucy Prebble, who’s been nominated for her Billie Piper series “I Hate Suzie.” The awards, which will be handed out on Feb. 14 in central London, will cover