Auriel Rudnick has signed a three-year overall deal with Paramount Television Studios, Variety has learned exclusively. “I am excited to bring the kind of stories to life that I believe have long wanted to be told, and I am especially excited to be doing this with the phenomenal team at Paramount Television Studios,” Rudnick said. “Their
Disgraced “After Life” producer Charlie Hanson has severed his last ties with ex-wife Amma Asante (“Belle”) after resigning from her production company AWOL Films. Hanson, who was removed as a producer from the hit Ricky Gervais show by Netflix after being accused of historic sexual assaults in May, has been a part of the company
As the delta variant threatens to suspend a return to normalcy, New York City’s vaccine mandate for indoor entertainment venues, including concert halls, museums, restaurants, bars, fitness gyms, movie and stage theaters, is set to launch Tuesday. The program, part of the “Key to NYC” initiative, will require New Yorkers to show an Excelsior pass,
Check out a Candyman Official Behind the Scenes Featurette starring Yahya Abdul-Mateen II! Let us know what you think in the comments below. ► Sign up for a Fandango FanAlert for Candyman: https://www.fandango.com/candyman-2021-222774/movie-overview?cmp=MCYT_YouTube_Desc Want to be notified of all the latest movie trailers? Subscribe to the channel and click the bell icon to stay up
I love shopping online with the best of them—it’s my preferred method of hunting—yet there’s no denying you lose something when you can’t touch and feel. It’s kind of like real estate, where great photography and styling can go a long way to gussying up something that’s subpar. The shopping trick that I’m surprised more
Discovery Plus has ordered two 75-minute documentary-style specials that follow actors Jason Bateman, Sean Hayes and Will Arnett during the North American tour for their podcast “SmartLess.” The series, currently untitled, will arrive on the subscription-based streaming-video series in 2022 and feature highlights from their celebrity interviews during the tour “Jason, Sean and Will are
Jeremy Shada has signed with A3 Artists Agency, Variety has learned exclusively. He continues to be represented by Scale Management. Shada is an actor, voice actor, and artist. He is best known for voicing Finn the Human in the beloved cartoon series “Adventure Time.” He is also known for voicing Lance McClain in “Voltron: Legendary Defender.”
RJ Cyler has been cast in a series regular role in the upcoming Issa Rae HBO Max comedy series “Rap Sh*t,” Variety has learned. The series follows two estranged high school friends from Miami, Shawna (Aida Osman) and Mia (KaMillion), who reunite to form a rap group. Cyler will play Lamont, an aspiring music producer
Actor Selma Blair has put the most intimate parts of her life and multiple sclerosis diagnosis on display with her new documentary “Introducing Selma Blair,” directed by Rachel Fleit. But while Blair doesn’t pull any punches, she also doesn’t pretend that what she has gone through with her diagnosis will mirror everyone else’s experience. So,
Madonna has signed with Alexandra Baker of High Rise PR, whose clients include Billie Eilish and Finneas, Duran Duran, Clairo and Noah Cyrus, among others. She had previously been represented by Kelly Bush Novak at ID PR, who signed on in 2018, and BB Gun Press, which was founded by veteran music publicist Brian Bumbery, currently
Innovative, diverse and personal stories won the awards of Karlovy Vary International Film Festival’s Eastern Promises industry program on Monday, taking honors in three sections focused on emerging filmmakers in both narrative and docu genres. Karlovy Vary industry head Hugo Rosak said the decision by Eastern Promises to allow fiction and non-fiction films to compete
The Country Music Hall of Fame has announced its class of 2021, with the Judds and Ray Charles representing superstar inductees and musicians Pete Drake and Eddie Bayers joining the hall’s ranks as well. Drake and Bayers have something in common: Drake is the first steel guitar player ever to get voted into the Hall
Actor, producer and director Clifton Collins Jr. has signed with CAA. Collins most recently starred in and executive produced the independent feature “Jockey.” The film premiered in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, with Collins earning the Dramatic Special Jury Award for best actor. Variety’s Peter Debruge referred to Collins’ work as a “career-best”
Discovery Plus announced that “Last Chance Transplant” will premiere on Sept. 22. From executive producer Robin Roberts, the emotional reality series will give viewers an inside look into the race against the clock to transplant and save human lives. The show takes place at Vanderbilt University Medical Center and follows six patients, two in each
In a major shakeup at the Recording Academy, longtime chief awards officer Bill Freimuth has left the organization, along with VP of communications Lourdes Lopez and chief marketing and innovations officer Lisa Farris, Variety has confirmed. Freimuth, who joined the Academy in 2004 and was named chief awards officer in 2018, had overseen the complex
It’s been over a century since anyone’s adapted Wilkie Collins’ underrated “The New Magdalen” for the screen, and while Aurélia Georges’ cleverly modified version doesn’t resolve the novel’s inability to account for the protagonist’s mastery at disguising her working-class origins, its handsome imagery and Sabine Azéma’s adroit interpretation as the duped wealthy widow make “Secret
With a mysterious box of human remains, an eclectic troupe of morally questionable characters and an idyllic hotel so expensive you’ll want to cry, “The White Lotus” proposes a variety of interesting questions but doesn’t spoon-feed the answers. While the HBO series centers around privileged hotel guests and their distressed staff counterparts, creator, director and
“The Witcher: Blood Origin,” Netflix’s live-action prequel series to the fantasy show starring Henry Cavill, is growing its cast even more with 10 new cast members. Mirren Mack will play Merwyn; Lenny Henry will play Balor; Jacob Collins will play Eredin; Lizzie Annis will play Zacaré; Huw Novelli will play Callan “Brother Death;” Francesca Mills
In today’s podcast news roundup, a fictionalized series delving into John Lennon’s life in the 1970s makes its debut; Josie Duffy Rice joins Crooked Media’s daily news show “What a Day” as co-host; iHeartMedia teams with journalist Robert Evans to launch progressive podcast network Cool Zone Media; and more. DATES “Blood on the Tracks: The
Jennifer Eckhart is launching a second act after leaving Fox Business last year: The former TV producer and journalist is hosting “Reinvented,” a weekly podcast series in which she interviews people who have overcome serious obstacles on their path to success. “Reinvented With Jen Eckhart” is set to debut Aug. 23, with Grammy-winning artist Sean
When “Bellbottom,” starring Akshay Kumar, releases on Aug. 19, it will be the first major Bollywood film to release in Indian cinemas after a quarter devastated by the deadly second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic. Only 50% of screens in India have reopened and many of them are operating at reduced capacity. The rest, including
Disney may have a new film franchise on its hands after “Free Guy” beat box office expectations. For theater owners, however, the victory comes at a time when moviegoing remains severely hindered by the pandemic. “Free Guy,” a sci-fi comedy adventure that takes place within a video game, collected $28.4 million at 4,165 North American
Madonna, the top-selling female artist of all time, will bring her entire catalog of recorded music under the Warner Music umbrella as part of a career-spanning global partnership announced Monday. The singer, who launched her career with Warner, has sold more than 300 million records worldwide, won seven Grammys and dozens of other major awards,
Tel Aviv-based sales outfit and advisory firm Cinephil is linking up with London’s WestEnd Films for a new joint venture that will see the companies unite on development, financing and sales. The deal comes as Cinephil founder and managing director Philippa Kowarsky recently stepped down from the business — a leading sales firm whose credits include the
Currently looking for funding and partners to complete post-production, Aida Begić’s fourth feature “A Ballad” is set to take a bow at Sarajevo Film Festival’s CineLink Work in Progress section after picking up the Eurimages Co-production Development Award at the event back in 2015. Produced by Adis Đapo and François D’Artemare – for Film House
Wim Wenders says cinema is facing an “existential crisis” brought on by the coronavirus pandemic and the rise of streaming services, urging film lovers to “fight” for movie theaters, and calling on his fellow filmmakers to rise to the challenge at a time when their voices are needed more than ever before. “[The pandemic] made
As previously reported last September, Pearl Jam’s Eddie Vedder, Glen Hansard and Cat Power’s Chan Marshall have all contributed original music for the soundtrack to Sean Penn’s new film “Flag Day,” which will be released Aug. 20 via Republic Records and Vedder’s Seattle Surf imprint. The first single, “My Father’s Daughter,” features the vocal debut
A range of topics dominating television industry headlines in the U.K. will be front and center at the 2021 Edinburgh TV Festival (Aug. 23-26), the event’s chiefs promise. The proposed privatization of Channel 4 and global streamers like Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Disney Plus stealing a march over U.K. public service broadcasters have dominated
Universal Music Greater China, part of Universal Music Group, has unveiled plans to significantly expand its recorded music activities in the Middle Kingdom. It aims to create a multi-label structure, intensify its focus on local artists and repertoire activities and local-language artists. Universal Music Group is part of French media conglomerate Vivendi, which has been
STREAMING Disney Plus will launch the first three episodes of DC Comics’ much-anticipated series adaptation of “Y: The Las Man” on Sept. 22 in the U.K. via its adult-oriented Star platform, with new episodes made available each Wednesday thereafter. Adapted from the comic book series of the same name by Brian K Vaughan and Pia