Netflix announced that Gabriel Basso and Luciane Buchanan have joined the cast of “The Night Agent,” Netflix’s upcoming political thriller adapted from Matthew Quirk’s novel of the same name. Basso will star as Peter Sutherland, a low-level FBI agent who works in the basement of the White House manning a rarely used emergency hotline for
All products and services featured by Variety are independently selected by Variety editors. However, Variety may receive a commission on orders placed through its retail links, and the retailer may receive certain auditable data for accounting purposes. Music-designer collaborations are nothing new but when it comes to a creative team up, it’s hard to think
The Los Angeles Philharmonic took a major step forward over the weekend with its “Reel Change” series devoted to contemporary film composers. By inviting Icelandic composer Hildur Guðnadóttir (“Joker”) and Americans Kris Bowers (“Green Book”) and Nicholas Britell (“Moonlight”) to curate programs of their music, and those of composers that inspired them, the Phil is
Netflix announced a multi-year overall deal with Roberto Patino, the writer and producer known for his work on series including “DMZ,” “Westworld” and “Sons of Anarchy. Under the agreement, Patino will set up his own production banner titled Analog Inc., which will focus on original development for series and other projects. Patino is writing an
Taylor Swift has topped both the Billboard 200 album chart and the Hot 100 singles chart with “Red (Taylor’s Version)” and “All Too Well,” respectively. The “Red” remake has the distinction of topping the albums tally with the second-biggest figure of the year so far, trailing only the first week for Drake’s “Certified Love Boy,”
The “Dead Boy Detectives” pilot at HBO Max has found its main cast, Variety has learned exclusively from sources. George Rexstrew, Jayden Revri (“The Lodge”), and Kassius Nelson (“Last Night in Soho,” “Lemony Snicket’s A Series of Unfortunate Events”) will star in the three lead roles. Rexstrew is a recent graduate of the London Academy of
With the arrival of Netflix’s long-anticipated live-action “Cowboy Bebop,” renewed interest in the original 1998 series has once again highlighted the growing cultural permeation of Japanese anime in the mainstream. While the popularity of anime in the U.S. is not entirely new — other classics like “Naruto,” “Sailor Moon” and “Dragon Ball” serve as a
When Porsha Williams realized she might want to write a book, she knew she had to speak with her mother first. Williams knew she’d be revealing secrets — specifically about the sexual abuse she’s experienced in her life — and she wanted her mother’s blessing. Her mother, who frequently appeared with Williams on “The Real
Adele was wonderfully surprised when her English teacher made an unexpected appearance at her “An Audience With Adele” performance at the London Palladium on Sunday night. During the ITV special, Adele performed songs from her new album “30” and answered questions from the star-studded audience, which included Hannah Waddingham, Dua Lipa, Emma Watson, Stormzy and
Ringo Starr wants to share some peace and love — and his experience playing drums for one of the most famous bands of all time. Starr launched an online class on drumming and creative collaboration, with the legendary percussionist of The Beatles teaming with MasterClass for the 12-part course. In his class, Starr shares his
ICM Partners has signed Nicholas Bruckman, director of the SXSW award-winning and IDA-nominated documentary “Not Going Quietly,” for representation. ICM will also represent People’s Television, Bruckman’s production company, which produces independent films and branded storytelling focused on national social impact. Their clients for advertising work have included Airbnb, TED, Greenpeace and Black Lives Matter. Along
Netflix is snapping up premiere visual-effects house Scanline VFX, announcing a deal to acquire the company that has done work on Netflix originals like “Stranger Things” as well as tentpole movies for Marvel, DC and others. Financial terms of the pact were not disclosed. The deal is expected to close in the first quarter of
Strand Releasing has acquired all North American rights to “Marx Can Wait” by Italian film master Marco Bellocchio, who received the honorary Palme d’Or at this year’s Cannes Film Festival. Represented in international markets by The Match Factory, “Marx Can Wait” is a moving and personal family tale exploring how the suicide of his twin
Universal Pictures has announced plans for a third “Trolls” movie. The still-untitled film will be released in theaters on Nov. 17, 2023. Notably, the upcoming installment in the animated family-friendly franchise is deviating from the release pattern of its predecessor, which unexpectedly shook up the film exhibition industry last year. Universal planned to release “Trolls
Variety recognized “No Time to Die” maestro Cary Joji Fukunaga’s potential on the strength of his debut, “Sin Nombre.” Wes Anderson caught our eye with “Bottle Rocket.” And “Red Rocket” director Sean Baker made the cut the year “Tangerine” took Sundance by storm. Other distinguished alumni of Variety’s annual 10 Directors to Watch program include “The
New Europe Film Sales, handling international sales for Matías Rojas Valencia’s “A Place Called Dignity,” “Un lugar llamado dignidad” in Spanish, which is currently playing in competition at this year’s Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, have given Variety exclusive access to the film’s international trailer. The film presents a dramatized look at events surrounding Paul
Scott Mills had a plan for BET. Four years after he took over as president of the network, the proof is in the output: Under Mills’ watch, BET persuaded superstar producer Tyler Perry to an overall deal at BET, launched the growing streamer BET Plus, and recently created a new production template for BET Studios,
Before the in-ring action kicked off at Survivor Series at the Barclays Center on Sunday night, WWE hosted an upfront presentation for advertisers that laid out the company’s wide appeal with audiences. “We have massive reach and broad distribution available in over 900 million homes, 180 countries, 28 languages, and — in a non-pandemic era
An arbitrator has ordered Kevin Spacey and his companies to pay nearly $31 million to MRC, the production company behind “House of Cards,” after finding that Spacey breached his contract by violating the company’s sexual harassment policy. MRC severed its relationship with Spacey and scrapped a season of the show in 2017, after multiple people
Benjamín Mirguet’s “Alfredo Larón,” Niles Atallah’s “Celestial Twins” and Silvina Schnicer’s “The Cottage” feature among 16 projects to be presented at Ventana Sur’s 4th Proyecta co-production forum, a wide-ranging showcase of emerging auteurs and new talents to track from Latin America and Europe. “Alfredo Larón,” for example, marks the feature debut of Mirguet, the editor
HBO Max will get its hands on Fox’s film slate for one final year — under an unusual deal to share streaming windows with Disney Plus and Hulu for half the studio’s titles, starting with animated family comedy “Ron’s Gone Wrong” next month. Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution and WarnerMedia amended their current output agreement
Hollywood-based Chinese film financier Peter Luo and Oscar-winning producer Donna Gigliotti (“Shakespeare in Love”) have boarded upcoming female-led Syrian war drama “Nezouh,” directed by Soudade Kaadan, whose debut “The Day I Lost My Shadow” won the 2018 Venice Film Festival’s Lion of the Future. “Nezouh,” which is Kaadan’s followup to “Shadow,” is set against the backdrop
CENSORSHIP Malaysian authorities have declined to approve the Chinese war movie “The Battle at Lake Changjin” for theatrical release after outrage emerged online that the film promotes Communism, which is banned in the country. The film’s local distributor Mega Film Distribution said in a statement that it is considering submitting the title again for reconsideration
Local Natives have released a new cover EP after making a guest appearance on Apple TV Plus’ “The Shrink Next Door.” The LA-based indie rock band appeared on the show, which stars Paul Rudd as Isaac “Ike” Herschkopf, a psychiatrist with a sinister past. The series is inspired by real-life events. In the episode, Will
The phenomenon that is hyperpop inherently implies a mixing and mashing of genres, or perhaps the desire to transcend restrictive structures altogether — an ethos that was exemplified to a tee by 100 Gecs at their Los Angeles show on Saturday night. The duo, consisting of Laura Les and Dylan Brady, packed the Shrine Auditorium
Peacock announced on Monday that more episodes of “We Are Lady Parts” are officially on the way, renewing the music-infused comedy series for a second season. “We Are Lady Parts” premiered on Peacock in May. The series follows a fictional Muslim female punk band that performs in London. While Season 2 of “We Are Lady
The Taliban has called for an end to Afghan dramas and soap operas featuring female actors. The rule tops a list of eight religious guidelines issued to local media on Sunday. Anisa Shaheed, one of Afghanistan’s most high-profile journalists, confirmed the directive via her Twitter account. The reporter for 24/7 news channel Tolonews posted a
TikTok is now playing on more connected TVs — bringing a stream of viral videos and memes to the living room. The short-form video app, which claims to have more than 1 billion monthly users, has launched the TikTok TV app on Google TV and other Android TV operating system devices, LG Smart TVs, and
Almost 40 years after “Ghostbusters” became a smash hit — one that launched a lucrative franchise spanning film, television and video games — Sony is proving the business of busting ghosts need not be a relic of the past. “Ghostbusters: Afterlife,” the latest big-screen installment in the comedy sci-fi property, collected $44 million in its
Nielsen has a new proposal for TV networks that have been threatening for months to find other means of measuring their audiences: Stick with the yardstick you already use. The company, which has for decades offered viewership counts that are at the heart of how TV outlets set advertising rates, plans in 2022 to overhaul