Multiple outlets are bidding on a buzzy limited series adaptation of the best-selling novel “The Plot” with Mahershala Ali attached to star for Endeavor Content. “How to Get Away With Murder” writer Abby Ajayi is on board to pen the series based on the psychological thriller by “The Undoing” author Jean Hanff Korelitz about a
“Wu-Tang: An American Saga” has been renewed for Season 3 at Hulu, which will also be the show’s last. The news comes just over one week after the finale of Season 2 of the show, which is based on the true story of the pioneering rap group. The show is also inspired by the books
Taylor Swift will be doing a lot of late-night promotion for next week’s “Red (Taylor’s Version)” album, and so far she’s keeping it all in the NBC family. Social media posts Thursday from Jimmy Fallon and Seth Meyers or their shows revealed that Swift will be appearing back-to-back with both hosts on the night of
SPOILER WARNING: This story discusses details of a single scene in Marvel Studios’ “Eternals,” which opens in theaters on Friday. “Eternals” marks several milestones for Marvel Studios. It’s the first title in the MCU to be directed by an Oscar winner and a woman of color, Chloé Zhao. It’s the first feature film for the
The International Alliance of Theatrical Stage Employees has set a date for a ratification vote for its new three-year contract. Voting will begin on Friday, Nov. 12, and the results will be announced on Nov. 15. Voting will be conducted electronically, and the deadline for members to cast ballots is 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on
Brainstorm Media has acquired North American rights for “Nightride,” a dark humored, action-packed thriller from BAFTA-nominated helmer Stephen Fingleton (“The Survivalist”), starring Moe Dunford (“Vikings,” “Texas Chainsaw Massacre”) and Joana Ribeiro (“The Man Who Killed Don Quixote”). The deal, which was handled by UTA Independent Film Group, will see Brainstorm releasing the film in select
Oscar winner and “American Idol” alum Jennifer Hudson is adding something completely different to her resume: Talk show host. Hudson, most recently seen on the big screen playing Aretha Franklin in “Respect,” is pitching a new daytime talker to be produced by the team from “The Ellen DeGeneres Show,” Variety has learned. Although not technically
Dakota Johnson was caught off guard by the script for “The Lost Daughter”: “I never read something so honest,” she says. “At times, raw, almost to being uncomfortable but still so human.” The actress then met writer and director Maggie Gyllenhaal for lunch in New York, who she calls “a seeker of truth.” On this
Moonbug Entertainment, the company that produces the wildly popular children’s show “CoComelon,” has been acquired by Kevin Mayer and Tom Staggs’ unnamed media venture. Though the terms of the deal were not made public, Bloomberg reports that the pricetag was $3 billion. This marks the second acquisition for the former Disney execs’ company, which is
“Fantasy Island” has been renewed for Season 2 at Fox. A modern reimagining of the original 1970s series, the Fox version takes place at a luxury resort, where literally any fantasy requested by guests is fulfilled, although they rarely turn out as expected. Roselyn Sanchez stars as Elena Roarke, a descendant of the iconic Mr.
“Squid Game,” the South Korean drama that has become a global phenomenon since its Sept. 17 debut on Netflix, topped three billion total minutes viewed during the week of Oct. 4, according to Nielsen Streaming Content Ratings rankings. Meanwhile, the Season 2 finale of “Ted Lasso” was strong enough to push Apple TV Plus’ Emmy-sweeping
Santiago Fiction Lab participant “The Force of the Land” (“Raiz, La Fuerza de la Tierra”), the sophomore feature of Peruvian filmmaker Franco Garcia, has won the support of Peru’s production fund, which awards a mere 10 to 15 projects a year. The drama is co-produced by Desfase Films and HDPeru, which have re-teamed after jointly
AM PR Group — which represents Issa Rae, Cardi B, Amanda Gorman and Marsai Martin — has acquired the boutique PR firm, Ascend PR. Erica Tucker, who owned and operated Ascend PR firm, has been named VP of business development at AM PR Group, where she will continue to sign and oversee client accounts through
“House of Cards” and “The Americans” writer Melissa James Gibson has signed a two-year overall deal with Endeavor Content, the studio behind Hulu’s “Nine Perfect Strangers,” Netflix’s “The Lost Daughter” and Michael Bay’s “Ambulance” for Universal Pictures. The Canadian showrunner, playwright and producer remarked that she is “thrilled for this opportunity to continue working closely
After a grueling 18 months of pandemic, Live Nation Entertainment posted a strong third quarter of 2021, with the return of festival concerts helping to drive “all our business segments to positive operating income and adjusted operating income for the first time in two years,” according to the report, with a company-wide operating income and
Charli XCX has revealed a release date and title for her forthcoming album, along with an accompanying tour, both coming in spring 2022 — preceded today by the release of a collaborative single with her “demonically talented” friends Christine and the Queens and Caroline Polachek. The album, “Crash,” is set to come out March 18
Beginning next year, you won’t have to visit your local movie theater to buy a perfectly buttered bucket of popcorn. AMC Theatres, the nation’s biggest movie theater chain, is expanding its business outside of the traditional theatrical exhibition industry and plans to sell its popcorn in shopping malls around the country. AMC is also preparing
Dentsu’s The Story Lab has named Geneva Wasserman as the company’s first EVP of scripted development and production. With more than two decades of experience, Wasserman most recently spent two years at Condé Nast Entertainment, where her development and producing slate included “Spiderhead,” a feature adaptation of George Saunders’ short story “Escape from Spiderhead.” The
Over the next two years, Jonathan Majors will play a cowboy, a flyboy, a boxer and Marvel’s newest supervillain. With a resume that includes working with Spike Lee and earning a lead actor Emmy nod for “Lovecraft Country,” it’s hard to imagine Majors’ career getting any bigger. But this quartet of roles — portraying the
In a memoir being released on Tuesday called “Little Sister,” Lana Wood, Natalie Wood’s sister, writes that Kirk Douglas sexually assaulted Natalie when she was a teenager, according to a report in the Associated Press. The alleged assault took place in 1955 after Lana and their mother, Maria Zakharenko, dropped Natalie off at the Chateau
Lionsgate swung back into profitable terrain during its most recent fiscal quarter, another sign that the pandemic’s cloud is beginning to lift. But the company also announced that it could soon be slimmed down as it hopes to capitalize on the wave of consolidation in the media space, one that has already seen Amazon agree
“Neighbours,” the story of a Kurdish Syrian border village where Arabic and Jewish families find themselves pitted against each other but still manage to thwart authoritarian madness, is more than a personal story to writer-director Mano Khalil. The feature, shot on authentic locations with accurate dialects from the region and its 1980s setting, is screening
William Lucking, the actor best known for his role as biker Piney Winston on the hit series “Sons of Anarchy,” died on Oct. 18 in his Las Vegas home. Lucking was 80. “Although William often played toughs and strongmen, in his actual life he was an elegant man with a brilliant intellect who loved to
UPDATED: Shares of Penn National Gaming fell more than 20% Thursday, after the publication of an article in which several women alleged that they had “violent and humiliating” sexual encounters with Dave Portnoy, president of Barstool Sports. Penn National, which operates casinos, racetracks and online sports betting, owns a significant equity stake in Barstool. The
Regina King and David E. Kelley are teaming to adapt the Tom Wolfe novel “A Man in Full” as a Netflix limited series, Variety has learned exclusively. The drama project has received a straight-to-series order at the streamer, with Netflix ordering six one-hour episodes. In the series, when Atlanta real estate mogul Charlie Croker faces sudden
“Perry Mason” Season 2 at HBO is building out its cast. Katherine Waterston (“Inherent Vice,” “Alien: Covenant”) is joining Season 2 as a series regular, while Season 1 star Diarra Kilpatrick is being upped to series regular. Peter Mendoza (“NCIS,” “Shooter”), Hope Davis(“Your Honor,” “Love Life”), Jon Chaffin(“BMF,” “The Haves and the Have Nots”), Fabrizio
Jed Mercurio and Jimmy Mulville’s HTM Television has signed a multi-year first-look deal with 20th Television. Mercurio’s latest series, “Bodyguard” and “Line of Duty,” have both broke ratings records for UK television drama. His other credits include “Bodies,” “Lady Chatterley’s Lover,” “Critical,” “Strike Back,” “The Grimleys,” and “Cardiac Arrest.” Mulville is known for his work
“Eternals,” the newest entry into the Marvel Cinematic Universe, comes from the Oscars’ reigning best director Chloé Zhao, but has been met with tepid reception from critics. Ahead of its release in theaters on Friday, the film is currently sitting at 53% on Rotten Tomatoes, the lowest score for an MCU film, which is baffling
Demi Adejuyigbe is known in many corners of the internet as “the ‘September’ guy” for the videos he’s been making of himself singing, dancing and defying the laws of physics to the famous Earth, Wind & Fire song for the last few years. He sees the videos and the money they raised for charity as
Chinese Animation firm Winsing is participating in the American Film Market this year for the first time, stepping out to present its flagship “GG Bond” animated film series and its derivatives. The company is also seeking to introduce its subsidiary Iron Fan Studio, a CG animation studio established under Winsing in 2019 that specializes in